Change Date Format to YYYY-MM-DD Before Importing into MySQL Database

Problem: when importing from csv or ods file, the date imported into MySQL Database Server is messed up, e.g. DD-MM-YYYY in csv or ods file when imported into does not show correctly as dd-mm-yy.

 

Cause: MySQL Database Server only accepts date format as YYYY-MM-DD, it will not convert DD-MM-YY to YYYY-MM-DD . Refer to https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/datetime.html

 

Solution: a quick solution is to format the date in as csv or ods file as YYYY-MM-DD before import.

 

COM Port Number of MOBITEK E20 Modem Will Change If USB Port is Changed

Conclusion: COM Port number will change if MOBITEK E20 4G Modem connects to different USB port.

TEST OBJECTIVE TESTING METHODOLOGY TEST RESULT
To test if the COM port number of MOBITEK E20 4G Modem will change if USB port is changed.
  1. Connect MOBITEK E20 4G Modem to all 4 USB ports in Dell-E6410.
  2. For each USB port connected, check the Device Manager to see whether the COM port is change or not.
  1. USB port right bottom -> COM19
  2. USB port right top -> COM27
  3. USB port left bottom -> COM47
  4. USB port left top -> COM43

“Device driver software was not successfully installed” Warning Message

Applies to: MOBITEK S80 Modem

The warning “Device driver software was not successfully installed” can be ignored as long as there are 4 COM ports appeared when you plug in MOBITEK S80 Modem with PC.

 

The 4 COM ports are:-

  • Sierra Wireless AT Command Port (UMTS)
  • Sierra Wireless CNS Port (UMTS)
  • Sierra Wireless DM Port (UMTS)
  • Sierra Wireless NMEA Port (UMTS)

Comparison Between MOBITEK S80 SMS Modem in VMWare and VirtualBox

  VMware VirtualBox
Installing USB Driver (USBDriverInstaller_SL80XX_V11.5.0.0.exe) Easy to install without the needs of other pre-installation software.
  • Require installation of “Extension Pack in VirtualBox”
  • Require configuration in “USB Settings”

(source: https://www.wintips.org/how-to-setup-usb-on-virtualbox-guest-oracle/)
MOBITEK S80 appearance in Device Manager Can detect the MOBITEK S80 after USB Driver installed without COM port disappearing It cannot detect MOBITEK S80 Modem vis USB port, refer to

The work around is to use serial port in VirtualBox by linking/mapping USB port (host) to serial port (VM), refer to https://mobitek-system.com/blog/2017/11/how-to-set-up-mobitek-s80-modem-in-virtualbox/
Hyper Terminal test Able to run Hyper Terminal test on connected MOBITEK S80 MOBITEK S80 Modem will not response in hyper terminal if connected via USB port in virtual machine, refer to https://mobitek-system.com/blog/2020/06/fail-to-get-mobitek-s80-to-work-in-usb-port-in-virtualbox/

How to Install VMWare Tools that Enables Copy and Paste Between Host Machine and Virtual Machine

One of the important features that VMware Tools has is the ability to copy data from the virtual machine to the host operating system or vice-versa. Here are the steps of how to install VMware Tools

(source: https://www.ghacks.net/2019/11/08/how-to-install-vmware-tools-if-the-option-is-grayed-out/):

  1. Start the Virtual Machine. Click on “Player” -> “Manage” -> “Install VMware Tools…”.
  2. If the “Install VMware Tools…” is greyed out, power off the Virtual Machine.
  3. Go to “Player” -> “Manage” -> “Virtual Machine Settings…”
  4. Highlight “CD/DVD (SATA)”, then click “Remove”.
  5. Do the same for “Floppy” Drive.
  6. After that click “Add” button and select “CD/DVD Drive”. Click “Finish”.
  7. The right pane of new added “CD/DVD Drive” should now have the option “Use physical drive > Auto detect” enabled. Click “OK” to close the window.
  8. Now start the Virtual Machine again. After it has booted up to the desktop, go to “Player” -> “Manage” -> “Instal VMware Tools…”. The option should no longer be greyed out. Click on it to install the VMware Tools.

How to Set-Up VMWare and MOBITEK S80 Modem in VMWare

Install VMWare Workstation 16 Player

  1. Go to https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player/workstation-player-evaluation.html. Download Workstation 16.0 Player for Windows.
  2. Run the installer file “VMware-player-16.0.0-16894299.exe” in your default download folder. If prompted click “Yes” to allow the installer to run.
  3. Click “Next” to set up the program.
  4. Check “I accept the terms in the License Agreement” checkbox, then click “Next”.
  5. Set the preferred installation destination. You may leave the default selected features option in the checkbox or choose to install all features, click “Next”.
  6. Leave the checkbox as default, click “Next”.
  7. Select the location of the shortcut that you want to place, click “Next”.
  8. Click “Install”.
  9. After the installation has completed, click “Finish”.

 

Create a New Virtual Machine Running Windows 10

The steps to create a new virtual machine (VM) in VMware Workstation 16:

      1. Launch VMware Workstation.
      2. Select “Create a New Virtual Machine”.
      3. Select the guest operating system (OS), then click “Next”. The OS can be installed using:
        • Installer disc (CD/DVD)
        • Installer disc image file (ISO)
      4. Enter the product key. Create username and password (optional). Click “Next”.
      5. Enter a VM name and specify the location to be saved. Click “Next”.
      6. Specify the disk size. Select between:
        • Store virtual disk as a single file, or
        • Split virtual disk into multiple files
      7. Click “Finish” to create the virtual machine and start the installation.
      8. When the VM is powered on, the VMware Tools installation starts. The VM may need to be restarted once the Tools installation completes.

 

VMware Workstation 16 Player Settings

  1. Launch VMware Workstation.
  2. Click on the VM to configure, then click “Edit virtual machine settings”.
  3. In “Hardware” tab, click on “Network Adapter”. Under “Network connection”, select “Bridged: Connected directly to the physical network”. If VMWare in running on a laptop, check the “Replicate physical network connection state” checkbox. This option causes the IP address to be renewed when move from one wired or wireless network to another.
  4. Click on “Configure Adapters”.
  5. In “Automatic Bridging Settings”, uncheck all adapters except the network adapter that is currently used (in this example, it is “Realtek”). Go to “Control Panel -> “Network and Internet” -> “Network Connections” to check.

 

Set-Up MOBITEK S80 Modem in VMWare

  1. Install USB driver “USBDriverInstaller_SL80XX_V11.5.0.0.exe” in VMware.
  2. Plug in MOBITEK S80 SMS Modem to the host. When the below dialog prompted, select “Connect to a virtual machine”.
  3. Check Device Manager whether the COM port appears or not.
  4. In Hyper Terminal, test the MOBITEK S80 SMS Modem.

How to Transfer Virtual Machine from One Hard Disk to Another (External) Hard Disk

  1. In this example, we are going to move the Windows Server 2012 64-bit virtual machine (VirtualBox) that is stored in “C:” drive to another hard disk (external or on the local network).
  2. Go to default location where VirtualBox save “.vbox”. The default location is “C:\..\VirtualBox VMs”.
  3. Move (cut and paste) the whole folder to another hard disk (external or on the local network).
  4. Then in VirtualBox, go to “Tools”, and click “Add”.
  5. Locate the folder that you just moved.  Select the file that has the extension “.vbox”.
  6. Click “Start”, VirtualBox is running a Windows Server 2012 64-bit virtual machine that is on another hard disk.