Author Archives: brian.wuchner

Comparing Installed Packages on Photon OS Using PowerShell and SSH

Posted on May 1, 2025 by brian.wuchner

When debugging inconsistencies between Photon OS systems, say one is failing and another is stable, it’s useful to compare their installed package versions. In one recent case, I needed a quick way to do just that from my admin workstation. … Continue reading →

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How to Use PowerCLI with Entra ID Federated vCenter Logins

Posted on April 30, 2025 by brian.wuchner

vCenter Server 8.0 allows administrators to federate identity with Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), enabling seamless SSO and MFA. However, integrating this setup with automation tools like PowerCLI introduces a few challenges. This guide walks through enabling and using PowerCLI … Continue reading →

Posted in Scripting, Virtualization | Leave a comment

How to Increase VMXNET3 Link Speed for Nested ESXi Hosts

Posted on April 26, 2025 by brian.wuchner

I recently came across a KB article (https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/368812/how-to-change-the-vmxnet3-link-speed-of.html) that describes how to set the link speed of a vmxnet3 network adapter higher than the default 10 Gbps speed. In my lab I have several nested ESXi hosts and wanted to … Continue reading →

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Reviving an Old ESXi Host: USB to Local Disk Migration

Posted on March 31, 2025 by brian.wuchner

I have an older Intel NUC in my lab, and although its aging, it still serves a purpose, and I plan to hang on to it for a little while longer. This post will outline some issues I encountered while … Continue reading →

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vCenter Server 7 to 8 Upgrade: Avoiding Pitfalls with Skyline Health Diagnostics

Posted on March 24, 2025 by brian.wuchner

I recently upgraded a vCenter Server instance in a lab from version 7 to 8. In this post I’ll walk through some issues encountered and lessons learned during the process. Pre-Checks with Skyline Health Diagnostics In Skyline Health Diagnostics, there … Continue reading →

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