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Google fiber being blocked??
I’m on Google fiber and can't download the newest ISO. I get a msg that says some block of IPs is being blocked because they are not who they say they are. Likewise, I have no anonymizer running and my ip is my own on google fiber. error msg; message code 715-123130 and b64dd3c8-ed16-4d46-87ac-a871691f1c41.276Views5likes7CommentsAnnouncing Windows Server vNext Preview Build 29531
Hello Windows Server Insiders! Today we are pleased to release a new build of the next Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) Preview that contains both the Desktop Experience and Server Core installation options for Datacenter and Standard editions and Azure Edition (for VM evaluation only). Branding remains Windows Server 2025 in this preview - when reporting issues please refer to Windows Server vNext preview. Build 29531 establishes a new Server preview baseline build. Please perform a clean install of Build 29531 (or later) using the installation media linked below. Please note: Upgrades from earlier Windows Server vNext preview builds are not supported. We encourage all Windows Server vNext preview users to perform a clean install to reliably continue in the Windows Server vNext preview program. While upgrades from earlier Windows Server previews (Build 26525 and older) are not technically blocked by setup.exe, a number of known issues have been identified related to upgrades necessitating a release of a new baseline build for our Server vNext Preview Program. The new baseline build (29531) will not be Flighted due to upgrade issues. Flighting support will resume with future vNext preview releases. What's New [NEW] ReFS Boot is enabled for Windows Server vNext preview builds. Known Limitations ReFS Boot systems create a minimum 2GB WinRE partition. When WinRE cannot be updated due to space constraints, the system may disable WinRE. Disabling WinRE does not remove the partition. If the WinRE partition is deleted and the boot volume is extended over it, this operation is unrecoverable without a clean install. For more information, please visit: Resilient File System (ReFS) overview | Microsoft Learn Feedback Hub app is available for Server Desktop users! The app should automatically update with the latest version, but if it does not, simply Check for updates in the app’s settings tab. Known Issues Upgrading from earlier builds of Windows Server vNext previews (26525 or older) are not supported. Please perform a clean install of build 29531 or later. Users may experience failures when attempting to upgrade from earlier previews (build 26525 and older). VMs may fail to upgrade or start after upgrade from older preview builds impacting live migration and failover cluster scenarios. Download Windows Server Insider Preview (microsoft.com) Flighting: The label for this flight may incorrectly reference Windows 11. However, when selected, the package installed is the Windows Server update. Please ignore the label and proceed with installing your flight. This issue will be addressed in a future release. Available Downloads Downloads to certain countries may not be available. See Microsoft suspends new sales in Russia - Microsoft On the Issues. Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel Preview in ISO format in 18 languages, and in VHDX format in English only. Windows Server Datacenter Azure Edition Preview in ISO and VHDX format, English only. Microsoft Server Languages and Optional Features Preview Keys: Keys are valid for preview builds only Server Standard: MFY9F-XBN2F-TYFMP-CCV49-RMYVH Datacenter: 2KNJJ-33Y9H-2GXGX-KMQWH-G6H67 Azure Edition does not accept a key. Symbols: Available on the public symbol server – see Using the Microsoft Symbol Server. Expiration: This Windows Server Preview will expire September 15, 2026. How to Download Registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal. We value your feedback! The most important part of the release cycle is to hear what's working and what needs to be improved, so your feedback is extremely valued. Please use the new Feedback Hub app for Windows Server if you are running a Desktop version of Server. If you are using a Core edition, or if you are unable to use the Feedback Hub app, you can use your registered Windows 10 or Windows 11 Insider device and use the Feedback Hub application. In the app, choose the Windows Server category and then the appropriate subcategory for your feedback. In the title of the Feedback, please indicate the build number you are providing feedback on as shown below to ensure that your issue is attributed to the right version: [Server #####] Title of my feedback See Give Feedback on Windows Server via Feedback Hub for specifics. The Windows Server Insiders space on the Microsoft Tech Communities supports preview builds of the next version of Windows Server. Use the forum to collaborate, share and learn from experts. For versions that have been released to general availability in market, try the Windows Server for IT Pro forum or contact Support for Business. Diagnostic and Usage Information Microsoft collects this information over the internet to help keep Windows secure and up to date, troubleshoot problems, and make product improvements. Microsoft server operating systems can be configured to turn diagnostic data off, send Required diagnostic data, or send Optional diagnostic data. During previews, Microsoft asks that you change the default setting to Optional to provide the best automatic feedback and help us improve the final product. Administrators can change the level of information collection through Settings. For details, see http://aka.ms/winserverdata. Also see the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Terms of Use This is pre-release software - it is provided for use "as-is" and is not supported in production environments. Users are responsible for installing any updates that may be made available from Windows Update. All pre-release software made available to you via the Windows Server Insider program is governed by the Insider Terms of Use. @Windows Server Developer Platform New Build819Views2likes0Comments0x000003eb Windows cannot connect to the printer.
Hello fellow Windows administrators, I have installed Windows 2025 as a print server. I share Xerox network printers from there using the Xerox Gobal PostScript driver (requirement). When installing the shared printer from that server (\\2025server\ double-click the printer), file C:\Windows\system32\spool\DRIVERS\x64\3\PS5UI.DLL gets overwritten by the version from the server (a newer version 2026-02-11 that was pushed by monthly windows updates) which comes from "\\2025server\print$\x64\PCC\ntprint.inf_amd64_c9d56d0edd975df6.cab". It overwrites the version actually in the local server before the printer installation completes. This is normal behavior. On windows 2016 and 2019 the printer installation then fails with error "0x000003eb Windows cannot connect to the printer" and 2 eventlogs : "The print spooler failed to import the printer driver that was downloaded from "\\2025server\print$\x64\PCC\ntprint.inf_amd64_c9d56d0edd975df6.cab" into the driver store for driver Xerox Global Print Driver PS. Error code = 800702e4. This can occur if there is a problem with the driver or the digital signature of the driver." And : "The print spooler failed to load a plug-in module C:\Windows\system32\spool\DRIVERS\x64\3\PS5UI.DLL, error code 0x8007007F. See the event user data for context information." If I install the the exact same shared printer on any other OS than 2016/2019 servers , local Ps5ui.dll gets overwritten with the server 2025 (2026-02-11) version and printer installs and fine. I figured that if I go to my old print server (2022) and retrieve ps5ui.dll from there, put it in local folder on the 2016-2019 servers (overwriting the 2026-01-14 | 2026-02-11 version) and install the shared printer again, now it installs fine. (It does not retreive ps5ui.dll from the 2025 again and so it does not overwrite the local onel). I even re-installed 2025 in a vm without network (so no windows update) and extracted ps5ui.dll from there, and this one works too. This issue seems to be caused by recent windows update, the first culprit I'm aware of is dated 2026-01-14. The february update installed today also modifies ps5ui.dll on the 2025 server, but does not resolve the issue either. So, either there's something I have to change on the 2016/2019 servers, or there is a bug in that file… I'm thinking the later as the original file form the 2025 iso works fine. :\52Views0likes0CommentsEncrypted vhdx moved to new host, boots without pin or recovery key
Hyper-V environment. Enabled VTPM on guest Server, 2022 OS and encrypted OS drive C:\ with BitLocker. Host server 2022 has physical TPM. Shut down guest OS and copied vhdx file to another Hyper-V host server that is completely off network (also server 2022 with a physical TPM). Created a new VM based on the "encrypted" vhdx. I was able to start the VM without needing a PIN or a recovery key. Doesn't this defeat the whole point of encrypting vhd's? Searching says that this should not be possible, but I replicated it twice on two different off network Hyper-V host servers. Another odd thing is that when the guest boots on the new host and you log in, the drive is NOT encrypted. So, where's the security in that? Does anyone have any ideas on this or if I'm missing something completely? Or have I just made Microsoft angry for pointing out this glaring flaw??47Views0likes1CommentNew Windows Server vNext preview coming next week!
Hello Windows Server Insiders! A new Windows Server vNext preview release is coming next week! We have a number of features to share with you and can't wait to hear your feedback. Stay tuned! Please note: Upgrades from earlier Windows Server preview builds are not supported. We encourage all Windows Server preview users to perform a clean install using this new baseline build once available. While upgrades from earlier Windows Server previews (Build 26525 and older) are not technically blocked by setup.exe, a number of known issues have been identified related to upgrades necessitating a release of a new baseline build for our Server Insider Program. The new baseline build will not be Flighted due to upgrade issues. Flighting support will resume with future preview releases. How to Download Registered Insiders may navigate directly to the Windows Server Insider Preview download page. If you have not yet registered as an Insider, see GETTING STARTED WITH SERVER on the Windows Insiders for Business portal. Diagnostic and Usage Information Microsoft collects this information over the internet to help keep Windows secure and up to date, troubleshoot problems, and make product improvements. Microsoft server operating systems can be configured to turn diagnostic data off, send Required diagnostic data, or send Optional diagnostic data. During previews, Microsoft asks that you change the default setting to Optional to provide the best automatic feedback and help us improve the final product. Administrators can change the level of information collection through Settings. For details, see http://aka.ms/winserverdata. Also see the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Terms of Use This is pre-release software - it is provided for use "as-is" and is not supported in production environments. Users are responsible for installing any updates that may be made available from Windows Update. All pre-release software made available to you via the Windows Server Insider program is governed by the Insider Terms of Use. @Windows Server Developer Platform New Build478Views2likes0CommentsModernized Gateway Extension Support via WAC SDK
Hello, I would like to build a gateway plugin for the latest WAC v2511 but according to this documentation, the latest SDK package does not support the latest modernized gateway extensions. Is there a way to workaround this without downgrading WAC version? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/manage/windows-admin-center/extend/develop-gateway-plugin “The Windows Admin Center SDK and developer tools have not yet been updated to support development of gateway plug-ins compatible with the Windows Admin Center modernized gateway. Following this guide will not result in a .NET 8 extension compatible with the modernized gateway.41Views0likes0CommentsBitLocker Network Unlock Question
I set up network unlock for two servers in our network as a test for a future deployment of BitLocker. Both HP's. One is a DL 360 Gen9 server with aftermarket TPM, the other is a DL360 Gen11 with onboard/HP TPM. Configured first NIC on both boxes for DHCP. Just to test things, I unplugged NIC1 but kept NIC2 plugged in on the Gen11 server and rebooted. It prompted for a PIN on boot up (expected behavior). Did the same test on the Gen9 server and it boots straight into the OS (unexpected behavior). As a further test, I kept NIC1 unplugged and then unplugged NIC2, rebooted and got prompted for a PIN (as expected since box was completely off network). Does anyone have any ideas why this is happening? Could it have something to do with the aftermarket TPM? From what I've read network unlock requires the first NIC to be DHCP so it can communicate with the WDS server and allow network unlock to work. Could it be something with the NIC's on the Gen9 server? I'm at a loss to explain this behavior. Hoping someone may have some insight. TIA34Views0likes0CommentsShadow Copy with 6 days delay
a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } Shadow Copy Windows Server 2022 Datacenter (VMWare 7.1) The MaxShadowCopies registry value has been increased to 256. Shadow Copies have been redirected to a different hard disk; FS=NTFS. The schedule is set to run three times per day. The maximum size is set to “Limit” with 1,700,000 MB. Current issue: Shadow Copies were available normally for several months. Now, suddenly, the Shadow Copies are displayed with a 6‑day delay.31Views0likes1CommentNTFS permissions are partially not working.
Participant A is sometimes unable to see Participant B’s files. The issue can be resolved by clicking the option: "Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object." However, the problem keeps reappearing. Windows Server 2022 Datacenter (VMware 7.1), formatted as NTFS.32Views0likes0CommentsServer 2025 not accepting Ricoh scans
The scanner has stopped scanning to their server since I upgraded the server OS from Windows Server 2022 to 2025. • Installed the Ricoh drivers for both the scanner and printer (from Ricoh’s web site) • Created a new simple share/filepath for the scanner to send to (\\SERVER2022\Scans) • Used IP address (10.1.10.2) instead of server name in file (UNC) path • Entered admin credentials with or without server name (it is a workgroup server, not a DC) • Created another user and tried all above with that new admin • With either server share and/or user, tried different permissions on the shared folder • Tried disabling/enabling inherited permissions on the shared folder • Disabled the Advanced Firewall entirely for testing – no change either way • Double checked incoming ports/programs on the firewall – all required were open • Activated SMB1 on server, tried with or without SMB2/SMB3 disabled • I was able to create a share on two other computers; one running Windows 10 and one running Windows 11. They both worked.56Views0likes0CommentsASP Classic stop working after Windows Server 2012 for x64-based System KB5073698
I hope this will be useful to others. We have a legacy application implemented using classic ancient ASP after the most recent windows server rollup update the ASP pages stop working, without any error message, the worker thread just crashed. It turned out that the network stack was hardened and the old ASP engine did not expect a failure on network operations. I did a short write up here with the solution https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/classic-asp-bug-took-four-days-solve-ridiculous-root-cause-pedruzzi-adw9e36Views0likes0CommentsIssues with Group Policy Update (gpupdate)
I am getting an error when I attempt to perform a gpupdate /force on workstations. I have checked the health of the DC's and find no issues. I am going to include a screenshot of the error - hoping someone can guide me as on how to resolve. The system will say to reboot but the policy never seems to run just keeps prompting for reboot.58Views0likes0CommentsLots of DNS Server events 5504 on AD DNS server from Cloudflare etc
Hi! I'm getting about 18 events with id 5504 while trying to resolve some DNS names, like fullfiles.xyz. The DNS server is configured to use provider DNS and root hints. I can suppress these messages by disabling root hints or by disabling EDNS0 with dnscmd /config /enablednsprobes 0. I tried to use packet capture on the DC and on the router, and analyzed the results with AI, which answered: "You receive malformed patterns on the WAN interface." Can anybody explain the cause of this problem? Any ideas to fix it? Thanks!55Views0likes0CommentsBeyond RC4 for Windows authentication - Question regarding KB5073381
In KB5021131 MS recommends setting the value for DefaultDomainSupportedEncTypes to 0x38, in the new KB 5073381 it's 0x18. This removes the setting that forces "AES Session Keys" which should be fine if Kerberos Tickets can only use AES Encryption. But what about accounts that have RC4 enabled in their msds-supportedEncryptionTypes attribute? They could still use RC4 for Kerberos ticket encryption and would then also fallback to RC4 session ticket encryption. As far as I believe the DefaultDomainSupportedEncTypes was explicitly introduced to avoid this scenario. Or is there now some hard-coded mechanism that always ensures that Session Keys are AES encrypted?458Views0likes1CommentMigrating from VMware to Hyper-v
Hi, I've recently deployed a new 3x node Hyper-v cluster running Windows Server 2025. I have an existing VMware cluster running exsi 7.x. What tools or approach have you guys used to migrate from VMware to Hyper-v? I can see there are many 3rd party tools available, and now the Windows Admin Center appears to also support this. Having never done this before (vmware to hyper-v) I'm not sure what the best method is, does anyone here have any experience and recommendations pls?63Views0likes0CommentsConfiguring WAC on standalone management desktop
I'm trying to configure WAC on a standalone notebook to be used as management station for different customer installation. After installing WAC on the notebook I've followed, I think, all the required steps to configure the connection between my computer to one customer's node. I've configured Winrm on my computer and on the customer node. I've generated a self-signed cert on the node with the CN set as the FQDN used to connect from the WAC. I've imported the cert on the trusted root cert on the WAC computer. I've checked the connectivity with the Test-WsMan from the wac to the server and it works. However from the WAC console the connection to the node fails with the "ssl connection " error. Has anyone been able to configure it in such way ? thanks80Views0likes1CommentSetting up MFA for RD Web Access and RD Web Client using ADFS
All servers in our Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG) environment are running Windows Server 2022 (Datacenter and Standard). The RDG environment is fully operational. Users can successfully authenticate to RD Web Access and the RD Web Client, and all published folders and servers are visible as expected. Most servers are configured for direct access, with a few configured as Session Hosts. Overall, everything is functioning correctly except the MFA. Based on my research into integrating ADFS MFA with RD Web Access / RD Web Client, it appears that MFA is only triggered when authentication flows through Web Application Proxy (WAP). Question: To support MFA for internal users without exposing RD Web externally, I’m considering creating a separate WAP cluster dedicated to internal traffic that would proxy authentication requests to the ADFS servers and trigger MFA. Since I’m still building familiarity with WAP and ADFS, is it supported for ADFS to work with two WAP clusters one handling internal traffic and another handling external traffic against the same ADFS farm? -Larry85Views0likes0CommentsBLOG: Determine and modernize Filesystem Deduplication
Version history - 1.6 Added references / links - 1.5 Added insights from Steven Ekren. Many thanks! / Added ReFS Docs link and added clarification about drawbacks. - 1.4 revised script so ReFS volumes with classic dedup will be identified, added more eligibly checks and error handling - 1.3 added point #4 in migration guidance - 1.2 revised script - 1.1 formatting This blog explains the two Windows deduplication modes classic Windows Data Deduplication (ReFS or NTFS) and ReFS Deduplication (ReFS). It covers how they differ, why you should consider upgrading to Windows Server 2025 to leverage the new ReFS dedup engine, and clear warnings about scenarios where ReFS is not recommended. Practical migration guidance and detection commands are included. Differences between classic dedup and ReFS dedup File system: Classic dedup runs on NTFS or ReFS; ReFS dedup runs on ReFS and Windows Server 2025 or later, only. Implementation: They are separate engines with different metadata formats and management cmdlets. Management: Classic dedup uses the Dedup PowerShell module (Get‑DedupVolume, Start‑DedupJob, Disable‑DedupVolume). ReFS dedup uses its own ReFS dedup cmdlets (Get‑ReFSDedupStatus, Enable‑ReFSDedup). Conversion: There is no in‑place conversion between the two; metadata and chunk formats are incompatible. Improvements: the new in-line ReFS Deduplication leverages the advantages of ReFS files system. This makes deduplication more efficient and less CPU intensive. The new ReFS Deduplication can also compress data in-line using L1Z algorithm. This makes it up to par with enterprise solutions, often found in SAN storage or Linux appliances. Compression needs to be set per volume, and optional. Edit: Steven Ekren, a former Senior Product Manager for Hyper-V shared valuable insights on how both engines operate in a comment on LinkedIn: [...] the basic conceptual difference between WS Deduplication and ReFS deduplication is that the Windows Server [dedup] version takes the duplicate file data and moves it to a repository and puts a reparse point in the file system from each point that references the data. This involves data movement and therefore not recommended for workloads that are changing it's data often, but best for more static data like documents and picture/videos. ReFS is a file system that uses links natively for all the objects so leaving the data in place and managing the links is much more efficient and doesn't involve the data copy and managing a repository. Effectively it's built into the file system. As the blog notes, there are some situations not recommended for this version of dedupe, but generally it's lower performance and storage I/O impact. Why upgrade to Windows Server 2025 Improved version of ReFS Filesystem Improved ReFS in-line deduplication + optional L1Z compression: Server 2025 includes enhancements to ReFS dedup performance, scalability, and integration with modern storage features. Support and fixes: Windows Server 2016 and 2019 are past mainstream support, increasing the likelihood of costly support cases and delayed fixes; upgrading reduces operational risk and ensures access to ongoing improvements. Future compatibility: Newer OS releases receive optimizations and bug fixes for ReFS and dedup scenarios that older releases will not. SMB compression: for reasonably faster data transfer at minimal CPU when transferring data through the networks. Feature and security related improvements refer to availabile Microsoft Windows Server 2025 Summit content on techcommunity.microsoft.com Scenarios where ReFS is not recommended ReFS on SAN in clustered CSV environments: Avoid placing ReFS dedup on top of SAN‑backed Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVFS) in production clusters; clustered SAN/CSV scenarios causing severe performance issues in practice. Please refer to the ReFS documentation. (personal opinion and experience, not endorsed by Microsoft): Many small, fast‑changing files: Workloads with frequent small writes, such as user profiles, folder redirection of AppData folders, or applications that churn small config files (for example, Lotus Notes config files) can cause locks, performance degradation, or unexpected behavior on ReFS. Exclude these disks from dedup or keep them on NTFS. Note: Restrictions on high churn rate, like lockups or high RAM consumption, deadlocks / BSOD might have been addressed in Windows Server 2025 and the ReFS Dedup, see comment of Steven Ekren. Improving reliability and performance is a top goal for ReFS, to improve the adoption and feature parity with NTFS. For information about feature parity please refer to the ReFS documentation. Migration guidance The following instructions describe a high level and supported migration path from Windows deduplication using the NTFS file system to native ReFS Deduplication. Note: Step #3, data migration is not required when already using ReFS with Data Deduplication. In this case it's enough to execute step #1 and #2. Note: Validate on non‑production data first. Plan for rehydration time and network/storage throughput. Ensure backups are current before starting. Make sure to have a full backup before upgrading Server OS or making changes. 1. Disable classic dedup on the NTFS source: Disable-DedupVolume -Volume YourDriveLetter: 2. Rehydrate (un‑deduplicate) the data: Start-DedupJob -Volume YourDriveLetter: -Type Unoptimization 3. Copy or move data to a ReFS volume (new target): For straightforward NTFS→ReFS copies, robocopy is recommended. A GUI and job based alternative to this is the File Server Migration Feature (uses robocopy) in Windows Admin Center. For complex scenarios, open files long path names very large datasets (< 5 TB) or many small files restructuring, GUI (including Windows Server Core) automation, improved logging cloud/hybrid migrations I recommend the usage of GS RichCopy Enterprise by GuruSquad for higher speed (up to 40%) and reliability, compared to robocopy. 4. Optionally remove the Windows Server feature When there is no old deduplication in use consider to remove the feature. Your advantages of doing so: removes an unneccessary service. removes the file system filter driver for dedup, which causes performance impacts, even when not in use. removes the PowerShell commandlets for the old dedup, so they cannot mistakenly used by existing scripts, unaware admins etc. When migrating files over network: SMB compression: consider both source and target run Windows Server 2025 and leverage SMB compression. SMB Compression is available in Microsoft xcopy, Microsoft robocopy and Gurusquad GScopy Enterprise. Balancing and Teaming with SMB: SMB does not require LFBO or SET Teaming. It automagically detects network links and actively balances on its own on Windows Server 2016 and later. Using teaming, depending the configuration, can negatively affect transfer speed. Quick detection and diagnostic commands Check file systems: Get-Volume | Select DriveLetter, FileSystem Check classic dedup feature: Get-WindowsFeature -Name FS-Data-Deduplication Get-DedupVolume Get-DedupStatus Check ReFS dedup: Get-Command -Module Microsoft.ReFsDedup.Commands Get-ReFSDedupStatus -Volume YourDriveLetter: Diagnostic script to detect both: <# .SYNOPSIS Detects classic NTFS Data Deduplication and ReFS Deduplication across local volumes. .DESCRIPTION - Reports NTFS volumes with classic Data Dedup enabled. - Lists ReFS volumes present on the host. - If the ReFS dedup cmdlet exists AND OS build >= 26100, checks ReFS dedup status per ReFS volume. - Color coding: * Classic dedup enabled → Yellow * Classic dedup not enabled → Cyan * ReFS dedup enabled → Green * ReFS dedup not enabled → Cyan .NOTES Version: 1.7 Author: Karl Wester-Ebbinghaus + Copilot Requirements: Elevated PowerShell session, PowerShell 5.1 or newer Supported OS: Windows Server 2025, Azure Stack HCI 24H2 or newer Unsupported OS: Windows 10, Windows 11 (script terminates) #> #region Initialization Write-Verbose "Initializing variables and environment..." $Volumes = $null $Volume = $null $DedupVolumesList = $null $DedupReFSVolumesList = $null $DedupReFSVolumesListLetters = $null $DedupReFSStatus = $null $refsCmd = $null $OSBuild = $null $runReFSDedupChecks = $null #endregion Initialization #region Volume Discovery Clear-Host Write-Verbose "Querying NTFS and ReFS volumes..." $Volumes = Get-Volume | Where-Object FileSystem -in 'NTFS','ReFS' #endregion Volume Discovery #region ReFS Dedup Cmdlet, OS Build and OS SKU Detection Write-Verbose "Checking for ReFS deduplication cmdlet..." $refsCmd = Get-Command -Name Get-ReFSDedupStatus -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue Write-Verbose "Reading OS build number..." try { $OSBuild = [int](Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion' -Name CurrentBuildNumber).CurrentBuildNumber } catch { Write-Verbose "Registry read for OS build failed. Falling back to Environment OSVersion." $OSBuild = [int][Environment]::OSVersion.Version.Build } # end try/catch for OS build detection Write-Verbose "Checking OS InstallationType and EditionID..." $CurrentVersionKey = Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion' $InstallationType = $CurrentVersionKey.InstallationType # "Client" or "Server" $EditionID = $CurrentVersionKey.EditionID # e.g. "AzureStackHCI", "ServerStandard", etc. Write-Verbose "Detected InstallationType: $InstallationType" Write-Verbose "Detected EditionID: $EditionID" Write-Verbose "Detected OSBuild: $OSBuild" # Block Windows 10/11 (Client OS) if ($InstallationType -eq 'Client') { Write-Error "Unsupported OS detected: Windows Client (Windows 10/11). Only Windows Server or Azure Stack HCI are supported. Script will terminate." exit } # Allow Azure Stack HCI explicitly if ($EditionID -eq 'AzureStackHCI') { Write-Verbose "Azure Stack HCI detected. Supported platform." } else { # Must be Windows Server if ($InstallationType -ne 'Server') { Write-Error "Unsupported OS detected. Only Windows Server or Azure Stack HCI are supported. Script will terminate." exit } Write-Verbose "Windows Server detected (EditionID: $EditionID). Supported platform." } Write-Verbose "Evaluating ReFS dedup eligibility based on cmdlet presence and build >= 26100..." $runReFSDedupChecks = $false if ($refsCmd -and ($OSBuild -ge 26100)) { $runReFSDedupChecks = $true Write-Verbose "ReFS dedup checks ENABLED (cmdlet present and OS build >= 26100)." } else { Write-Verbose "ReFS dedup checks DISABLED (cmdlet missing or OS build < 26100)." } #endregion ReFS Dedup Cmdlet, OS Build and OS SKU Detection #region Main Loop foreach ($Volume in $Volumes) { # begin foreach volume loop Write-Host "Volume $($Volume.DriveLetter): ($($Volume.FileSystem))" Write-Verbose "Processing volume $($Volume.DriveLetter)..." #region Classic Dedup + ReFS Volume Listing if ($Volume.FileSystem -eq 'NTFS' -or $Volume.FileSystem -eq 'ReFS') { Write-Verbose "Checking classic deduplication status for volume $($Volume.DriveLetter)..." $DedupVolumesList = Get-DedupVolume -Volume $Volume.DriveLetter -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue if ($DedupVolumesList) { Write-Host " → Classic Data Dedup ENABLED on $($Volume.DriveLetter), $($Volume.FileSystem)" -ForegroundColor Yellow } else { Write-Host " → Classic Data Dedup NOT enabled on $($Volume.DriveLetter),$($Volume.FileSystem)" -ForegroundColor Cyan } # end if classic dedup enabled Write-Verbose "Listing ReFS volumes on host..." $DedupReFSVolumesList = Get-Volume | Where-Object FileSystem -eq 'ReFS' if ($DedupReFSVolumesList) { $DedupReFSVolumesListLetters = ($DedupReFSVolumesList | ForEach-Object { $_.DriveLetter }) -join ',' Write-Host " → ReFS volumes present on host: $DedupReFSVolumesListLetters" } else { Write-Host " → No ReFS volumes detected on host" } # end if ReFS volumes present } # end NTFS/ReFS block #endregion Classic Dedup + ReFS Volume Listing #region ReFS Dedup Status if ($Volume.FileSystem -eq 'ReFS') { if ($runReFSDedupChecks) { Write-Verbose "Checking ReFS deduplication status for volume $($Volume.DriveLetter)..." $DedupReFSStatus = Get-ReFSDedupStatus -Volume $Volume.DriveLetter -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue if ($DedupReFSStatus) { Write-Host " → ReFS Dedup ENABLED on $($Volume.DriveLetter), $($Volume.FileSystem)" -ForegroundColor Green } else { Write-Host " → ReFS Dedup NOT enabled on $($Volume.DriveLetter), $($Volume.FileSystem)" -ForegroundColor Cyan } # end if ReFS dedup enabled } else { if (-not $refsCmd) { Write-Error " → Skipping ReFS dedup check: Get-ReFSDedupStatus cmdlet not present" -ForegroundColor Cyan } else { Write-Error " → Skipping ReFS dedup check: OS build $OSBuild < required 26100" -ForegroundColor Cyan } # end reason for skipping ReFS dedup check } # end if runReFSDedupChecks } # end if ReFS filesystem block #endregion ReFS Dedup Status Write-Host "" } # end foreach volume loop #endregion Main Loop #region End Write-Verbose "Script completed." #endregion End Recommendations and next steps Inventory: Identify volumes using NTFS dedup and ReFS dedup, and map workloads that create many small or rapidly changing files. Plan: Schedule rehydration and migration windows; test ReFS dedup on representative datasets. Upgrade: Prioritize upgrading servers still on 2016/2019 (End of Mainstream Support) to reduce support risk and gain the latest ReFS dedup improvements. Kindly consider reading my Windows Server Installation Guidance and Windows Server Upgrade Guidance Exclude: Keep user profiles, AppData, and other high‑churn small‑file paths off ReFS dedup or on NTFS. Consider ReFS Dedup with Compression: Enable compression optionally. Mind ReFS dedup compression is not the same as compress files integration in File Explorer or File Explorer properties (Windows 9x). It's transparent to the application Make smart decisions: Avoid using dedup when the dataset is changing fast or your dedup + compression rate is below 20%. Usually you can expect 40% or more savings, and up to 80% in specific use cases like VDI VHDX with ReFS Dedup + Compression. Plan your dedup jobs: Ensure of making use of the planning features for dedup jobs through PowerShell or Windows Admin Center (WAC) when using ReFS dedup on more than one volume per Server. Otherwise they might all run at the same time and impact your storage performance (esp. spinning rust) and consumption of RAM and CPU. Share and Educate: Inform your infrastructure team about the changes so they avoid using the traditional dedup on ReFS. Related blogposts: https://splitbrain.com/windows-data-deduplication-vs-refs-deduplication/ , Thanks Darryl van der Peijl and team. https://www.veeam.com/kb2023 Veeam best practices about Windows Deduplication and ReFS Deduplication.Windows Admin Center - Vmware migration to HyperV
We have a vCenter (multiple hosts) with about 30 VMs and need to migrate them to a single HyperV host. I installed the Windows Admin Center and the other components (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/manage/windows-admin-center/use/migrate-vmware-to-hyper-v). I migrated 2 servers, one at a time, and both seemed to work, though I had to set the IP manually. I then chose 2 servers to migrate both at the same time and it seems to be hung. The sync process completed successfully. The migration process for both got to 25% and has been stuck there for a day now. The disks aren't that big and, presumably most of that was created/copied during the sync process. I also don't see an option to stop the process or restart it. I know the VM Conversion is a Preview function, so I'm sure support it limited. Any help or direction would be appreciated.319Views1like2Comments
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