VMware client on Windows 7 : The type initializer for "VirtualInfrastrcture.Utils.HttpWebRequestProxy" threw an exception

Vmware client is not fully tested on Windows 7 yet. So if you are running the client from windows 7, installation of the client will not give you any error, only when connecting to the host you will encounter the below scenario:

Error Parsing the server "192.168.1.10" "clients.xml" file Login will continue contact your system administrator

And after clicking "OK"

The type initializer for "VirtualInfrastrcture.Utils.HttpWebRequestProxy" threw an exception

To do a bypass to the above problem, try this:

1. Obtain a copy of %SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\System.dll from a non Windows 7 machine that has .NET 3.5 SP1 installed.

2. Create a folder in the Windows 7 machine where the vSphere client is installed and copy the file from step 1 into this folder. For example, create the folder under the vSphere client launcher installation directory (+%ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\Launcher\Lib).

3. In the vSphere client launcher directory, open the VpxClient.exe.config file in a text editor and add a element and a element as shown below. Save the file.




4. Create a batch file (e.g. *VpxClient.cmd*) in a suitable location. In this file add a command to set the DEVPATH environment variable to the folder where you copied the System.dll assembly in step 2 and a second command to launch the vSphere client. Save the file. For example,
SET DEVPATH=%ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\Launcher\Lib
"%ProgramFiles%\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\Launcher\VpxClient.exe"

5. (Optional) Replace the shortcut on the start menu to point to the batch file created in the previous step. Change the shortcut properties to run minimized so that the command window is not shown.
You can now use the VpxClient.cmd (or the shortcut) to launch the vSphere client in Windows 7.

Note that this workaround bypasses the normal .NET Framework loading mechanism so that assembly versions in the DEVPATH folder are no longer checked. Handle with care.

Related discussion: vsphere client on Windows 7 rc

The following GPOs were not applied because they were filtered out : denied security

Found this error when checking on gpresult of a workstation:



Found that WallPaper/ScreenSaver is not applied due to Filtering: Denied (Security)

(Filtering: Not Applied (Empty) is because the policy is empty OR the policy does not have settings for this workstation/user)

The error Filtering: Denied (Security) is mainly caused by the security filtering on the GPO.

Check on Group Policy management console and found that the security filtering is empty. Added the authenticated users into the list and the problem is solved.

Exchange 2003 : Message tracking not working

The first day I joined AO, I found this problem on their one and only exchange server.

Server info
============
Exchange 2003 SP2.
Tried to use message tracking center but it generates the error:
" the search could not be completed. Check to see that the Microsoft Exchange Management service is running on all Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 installations."

Verified that
1. WMI service is running
2. Exchange managment is running
3. Exchange services running using Local system account
4. Under exchange services > properties > log on > interact with desktop is unchecked.



Looking at the message track log path (Log File Directory text field), it contains the below error:
"An error occurred during a call to Windows Management Instrumentation

ID no: 80041013
Exchange System Manager"

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The message tracking log path becomes normal for a while after reboot, but it will later return the error again.

Discussion on technet suggested that this is a problem with WMI. Hence re-registering the DLLs is the way to go:

mofcomp.exe -class:forceupdate C:\WINDOWS\system32\WBEM\exmgmt.mof
mofcomp.exe -n:root\cimv2\applications\exchange "c:\winnt\system32\wbem\wbemcons.mof"
mofcomp.exe -n:root\cimv2\applications\exchange "c:\winnt\system32\wbem\smtpcons.mof"
mofcomp.exe -n:root\cimv2\applications\exchange "c:\winnt\system32\wbem\msgtrk.mof"

Restart the Microsoft Exchange management service and WMI service.

After registering the DLLs and restarting the server. The message tracking is back to normal.

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NO IT DOES NOT WORK!
after a few days. the error will come up again. and message tracking will fail again.

Suspecting that when doing a message tracking search, something trigger the error to occur.

Related links:
Technet Discussion