Hyper-V: How to find the Host Server Name from the guest OS.

I was recently asked to gather additional information for a specific server. Device Manager showed Microsoft Virtual Hardware, which narrowed down the search.  To get the Host Server information from a Windows 2008 R2 VM, look in the registery key below:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters



In this case, the Server Owner decided to install the Hyper-V Role and create this single VM.

Alternatively, you can run the following command in Powershell from within the VM:

(get-item "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters").GetValue("HostName")

DIY SSD Drive Tray

Today's post is a bit out of the ordinary.  No VMware, Windows Server/AD, PowerCLI etc.

It's regarding my personal desktop.  I recently purchased a bare SSD drive.  I figured I had plenty of cables, and my case was new enough to have provisions for this type of drive.   However, once I cracked open the case, I didn't have a SOLID location to mount the new SSD drive. 

Since I didn't want to wait several days and spend $15 for a drive tray to come in,  I had to be a bit "crafty".

What I ended up doing was using the exterior cover from a broken CD-ROM drive as the foundation for my tray.  I proceeded to take the drive apart and drill holes into the cover to accommodate the screws located on the bottom of the SSD drive.  I also performed the "Swiss Cheese Mod" for additional ventilation.  (I'm sure this gave me several horse power ;-)

 I then attached the SSD drive to the "custom tray"

Fits nice!  Not bad for < 30 minutes of work.  Heck, it almost took me that long to take pics and write up this post.

Warning: CD-ROM drives are typically designed to go through the front cover of the case. You may need to trim the tray, or install it further into the case to clear the front case cover.