Have you ever tried increasing the size of a vmdk file / virtual hard disk ?
It’s not that easy.. and it’s kind of confusing.

So, once i finally figured out how to do it, i thought it would be useful to write it down so that i wouldn’t forget next time this happened. Here goes..

In my example i have:
- a Windows Vista host OS running a Fedora Core guest OS
- an 8GB vmdk file (formatted as Linux LVM – fedora fs) on the guest OS which i have backed up before attempting anything here !!!

I want to:
- increase the 8GB vmdk file to 16GB
- not lose any data saved on the vmdk file
- not move any data off/on the vmdk file

Follow these Steps:

1. Download and Install: VMware Workstation for Windows (trial)
2. Note the location of the VMware Workstation folder (after install) – in my case it’s “C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation”
3. Open a Windows Command Prompt and navigate to the folder where your vmdk file resides and execute the following command:
   "C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmware-vdiskmanager.exe" -x 16GB "Name of Your Virtual Disk File.vmdk"
   Ok, now you just made the disk twice as big but you can’t use the space yet because it’s inactive, unpartitioned, unformatted, and still utterly useless to us. (but not for long)
4. Next, boot up the guest OS and log in as root. Verify that there is in fact a large amount of unallocated space/sectors by typing the command: fdisk -l
5. Then we’ll partition and format the new portion of the disk. First select the disk: fdisk /dev/sda
6. Type “n” at the fdisk menu to create a new partition
7. Type “p” for primary partition, and then select the appropriate partition number, as well as first and last cylinders to set how large to make the new partition (defaults – ie: use all the free space – worked well for me here)
8. Type “t” to change the partition’s system id, then type “8e” to switch it to Linux LVM
9. Type “w” to write the table to disk and exit fdisk. You might get a warning about needing to reboot for changes to take effect – either way, reboot your guest OS just to be safe.
10. Once rebooted, log in as root again and verify the new partition exists. Type “fdisk -l” to see a list of partitions. In my case, the new partition is: /dev/sda3
11. Now comes the confusing part. We’re going to merge the new partition into the current Volume Group (which is just what fedora calls it’s own virtual disks that are made up of a bunch of virtual LVM partitions). So, first, to “create” the necessary “physical volume” from our newly created disk partition (/dev/sda3) first type: pvcreate /dev/sda3
12. You need to find out the name of the Volume Group before you can extend it to include the newly created physical volume. Type: vgdisplay and look for the first line, “VG Name” – in this case it was VolGroup00 [thanks agm]
13. Next, you need to extend the Volume Group to include the newly created physical volume. Type: vgextend VolGroup00 /dev/sda3
14. Then, type: pvscan You should see the new partition (/1dev/sda3) in the list of partitions and the total should read approximately 16GB (the amount we set earlier). In my example, it said 15.75GB
15. Now type: lvextend -L+8GB /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 to increase / extend the Logical Volume by 8GB (to a total of 16GB).
16. Finally, to resize the filing system type: resize2fs /dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00

Now your fedora guest OS should have twice the amount of space and your VM should be running smoothly.
Repeat this process if / when the vmdk file gets filled up again and runs out of space ;)

[ update: Microsoft has finally released it's Security update for WMF vulnerability. To apply the patch, simply visit the Windows Update web site, automatically scan for updates and install. ] Thanks Fuzzie for bringing this to my attention.

The purpose of this article is to clearly lay out all the information i could find on the recent Windows exploit, namely the WMF (Windows Metafile) vulnerability. Instead of adding to the current state of panic, my hope is that this post will help to clear up some of the apparent contradictions surrounding this issue and provide a kind of reference in the decision making process (ie: overall severity and what actions to take).

I’ll begin with a brief overview of the current state of affairs:

A Windows Metafile (WMF) – is a 16-bit metafile that can be used by all versions of Windows to display a picture. Similar to a .jpeg, .gif or bitmap.

A Metafile – is simply a list of commands that can be executed to draw a graphic. Normally, these commands are used to style objects such as lines, polygon and text. In this case, the WMF is being used to trigger potentially malicious code (ex: trojans).

For more background on Windows Metafile you can read the Wikipedia definition here.

i was also planning on quickly going over the events that have unfolded in reaction to the news about the widespread potential of this type of exploit. However, it turns out that the Wikipedia, once again, has done this job for me (and probably better than i could have done). If you’re late on the scene for this whole thing, i recommend you spend a few minutes reviewing that page as well.

Still, here’s a short list of the key points related to the most recent Windows Metafile Vulnerability:

• First reports of affected computers: December 28, 2005. [more info here and here]
• List of Vulnerable Systems: All versions of Windows. [ see full list here ]
• How it spreads: via email attachments [ although Microsoft is now saying otherwise ] or even just loading a website with WMF graphics. Read more here.

There seems to be some uncertainty surrounding the list of vulnerable systems. Some sources believe that older systems like Win95/98 and even WinME/2K can not easily be exploited in this manner. Read here, here and here for more info.

Protection against this exploit -

• The Workaround according to Microsoft: unregistering the dll [ type: "regsvr32.exe /u shimgvw.dll" in the command prompt ]
• The Unofficial Patch: by Ilfak Guilfanov version1.4 can be found here.
• The Unofficial Patch: based on the fix by Ilfak Guilfanov can be found here. [ .msi installer version 1.4 ]
• The Unofficial Patch: developed by ESET version1.1 can be found here. [ updated: Jan. 05, 2006. ( source: eWEEK.com ) ]

The best description of what these fixes actually do to your system can be found here [.pdf format]

Additional Notes -

• This is not an actual virus outbreak [it is an exploit, meaning just leaving your pc online but unpatched does not guarantee that you will be attacked].
• Some people have reported minor “issues” related to installing this patch such as printing problems.
• There is already a Microsoft patch available that is a pre-release which leaked onto the internet this morning and is said to be tested on Winxp/2k3 systems, but every link i’ve found was broken and had the file taken offline. For those interested, the file was named WindowsXP-KB912919-x86-ENU.exe and i’m sure it will surface again sooner or later.
• McAfee has added WMF exploit detection to its latest DAT file, which can detect exploits created by this tool.
• ESET claims its NOD32 anti-virus stops hackers from using all 206/206 tested WMF vulnerability exploits. They offer a 30-day trial version of their software which would protect you from this exploit “without having to take any special actions”, according to ESET (presumably until Microsoft releases an official fix). [ updated: Jan. 05, 2006. ]

That’s all i could find at this time. Hope it helps in some way.

I thought it would be a good idea to make a list that compared Windows to Linux softwares, side-by-side. That way, i could describe the difference between the two operating systems in terms that people were already familiar with. Try Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, Open Office instead of Microsoft Office, Thunderbird instead of Outlook Express.. and so on.

All of these alternative softwares are free to download (there’s a good reason, right?) and can be installed on a system running Windows. The idea was to prepare the person for an eventual switch to Linux. So if those 3 applications are the only ones you even use, go ahead and give them a try. You too could be running a Linux desktop in the near future.

Unfortunately, these days the vast majority of Windows users demand a lot more out of their desktop systems. When comparing softwares for things like sound, gaming, viewing dvds, and different graphics editors – there may not always be a clear Linux alternative. I was relieved to find out that there is a site called Grokdoc that has taken on the challenge of maintaining such a list, so i guess i won’t have to. Lucky me.

If you were looking for a starting point, i would recommend the page entitled: Switching to Linux, which is a very complete step by step for first timers. It does a good job of bringing together info from many different sources. There is also a page called Application Crossover Chart, that does a side-by- side comparison of softwares with links to many Linux alternatives, but there isn’t as much description, so it is more useful to have just as a reference.

I guess i’ll end off by quoting what someone once told me when i first starting asking about Linux:

“Just read a lot.”

According to Microsoft, Windows 2000 SP4 has moved from “mainstream to extended support”. More info on the difference between these two can be found at the Microsoft Lifecycle site. What this basically means for Windows 2000 users is: no more new features, and mostly eveything other than security updates, will now cost money. While this might be alright for some people, when i think of what a mess Microsoft has made of maintaining previous versions of their OS, like Windows 98, and now the problems they’re having with the recent Windows 2000 Rollup.. let’s just say it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. It does, however, make me want to install a new operating system. I’m just not sure I want another version of Windows.

For many users, myself included, Windows XP was never a viable alternative. It seemed too flashy and new at the time. The benefits of installing it in a production environment did not outweigh the inherent risks. I don’t think business users care if you call it “home version” or “professional”, it’s still XP, and not 2K. Don’t get me wrong; XP is still an excellent upgrade from the now defunct Windows ME operating system. It’s just that i think many business users were waiting for a Windows 2003 professional. But that day never came. Windows 2003 server was released, that solved the problem for all those running Windows 2000 server, but everyone on the Windows 2000 Pro train was forced to merge with the XP crowd.

I’m not quite sure what Microsoft was thinking when it decided to lump all users into one basket of eggs. Maybe they thought that by focusing on XP, for both business and home users, they could ensure a more stable and secure operating system for all. Were they simply listening to what the majority of their user base was asking for? Did they seriously think that business users and home users were looking for the same things? Only time would tell.

Today, from my perspective, XP appears to be a veritable hacker magnet. The never-ending onslaught of security updates and patches, service packs, and still more patches has reduced this operating system into what i like to call: an accident waiting to happen. In fact, XP turned out to be no more secure or stable than windows 2000. I have yet to see a vulnerability that affects 2K and not XP. What i have seen, on the other hand, is the exact opposite… problems that affect XP and not 2K. I can’t help but wonder if LongVistahorn will offer any real improvements.

Or will it be: One step forwards, two steps back..

1. minimize network services

2. Disable Microsoft Messenger Service –

Here are the procedures:

Windows 2000:

* Click: Start/Settings/Control Panel
* Open: Administrative Tools
* Open: Services
* Open: ‘Messenger’ Service
* Click: Stop button
* Change ‘Startup Type’ to DISABLE
* Click OK to close everything

Windows XP:

* Right-click: ‘My Computer’ icon and select ‘Manager’
* Open: Services and Applications
* Open: Services
* Open: ‘Messenger’ Service
* Click: Stop button
* Change ‘Startup Type’ to DISABLE
* Click OK to close everything