tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13274318861189227682010-02-01T07:49:41.522-08:00The EXPTA {blog}Random musings of a senior IT systems consultantJeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.comBlogger373125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-37412355836600216492010-01-31T22:37:00.000-08:002010-02-01T07:49:41.541-08:00Change is GoodVery soon I plan to make some changes to the EXPTA {blog} (hopefully for the better). <br /><br />I'll be moving this blog from my own hosted server to "the cloud," hosted by Google, to increase response time. I'll also make some rather dramatic changes to the blog's layout.<br /><br />I started this blog primarily for myself, as a form of "long term memory." I come across so many gotchas and things that are good to know in my line of work that I sometimes can't remember all the details. It helps to document them and keep them in a place where I can access them anywhere anytime. As time went on, I found that a lot of other IT pros were looking for the same information I was. So rather than just jot down little notes to myself, I decided to fully document my findings here to help others. At the time of this writing, I've had over 400,000 visitors (thanks, Mom!), so I seem to be doing something right.<br /><br />Since I started this blog in April 2007, screen resolutions have changed and widescreen displays are more prevelant. To that end, I've been tweaking a fluid template that automatically adjusts to your screen resolution. Hopefully, you'll find this layout easier to read than the single thin column of the current blog layout. Look for it in the next day or so.<br /><br />Cheers.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-3741235583660021649?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-77806971517424473452010-01-29T16:17:00.000-08:002010-01-29T19:27:58.743-08:00Tech-Ed North America 2010 – Pre-Conference Seminars Now Available<a href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/preconferenceseminars?fbid=LDUpHfl4wap">http://northamerica.msteched.com/preconferenceseminars?fbid=LDUpHfl4wap</a>Get even more from Tech-Ed 2010 when you register for a Pre-Conference Seminar. Each full-day workshop offers in-depth study on a particular topic, which has been specifically developed to address the most relevant needs of today’s technology experts.<br /><br />For an additional investment of $400 you receive dedicated class time on a specific subject with a noted industry expert. Select from one of these day-long workshops:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="345" kt="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/TechEd-2010-Preconference-788033.png" width="400" /><a _target="blank" href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/preconferenceseminars?fbid=LDUpHfl4wap"></a><span id="goog_1264810136148"></span><span id="goog_1264810136149"></span></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Visit the <a _target="blank" href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/preconferenceseminars?fbid=LDUpHfl4wap">Tech-Ed website</a> to see full descriptions of each seminar. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-7780697151742447345?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-70685518048483519932010-01-22T09:45:00.000-08:002010-01-22T09:45:45.468-08:00What's on Your iPhone?I love my iPhone. It's the most productive, time wasting, fun device I've ever had. As more of my friends and collegues have also gotten iPhones, I'm frequently asked what apps I use. Here's what's on my iPhone today. All are free, unless I noted it. The notable ones are:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0287-741066.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0287-741062.PNG" width="133" /></a><br /></div><strong>Screen 1: (Info Apps)</strong><br />• Google – Mobile Google with voice searching and other goodies<br />• Bing – Same as Mobile Google, but has better picture searching<br />• Dragon Search – A voice searching app<br />• Newsy – Great little “top stories” news app<br />• SF News – Local news<br />• AP Mobile – Associated Press<br />• White House – Great app with lots of good info<br />• Stitcher – An audio new aggregator. Listen to radio shows and NPR broadcasts<br />• BargainBin – Lists free and reduced priced apps<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0288-771470.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0288-771465.PNG" width="133" /></a><br /></div><strong>Screen 2: (Utilities)</strong><br />• Shazam – “Listens” to any song playing on the radio and tells you who it is<br />• PS Mobile – PaintShop Mobile, let’s you alter your photos<br />• Pandora – Internet Radio<br />• Dragon Dictation – Awesome voice to text app. Dictate emails to your iPhone!<br />• Wikihood – Tells you interesting things about your current location<br />• Mark the Spot – Let AT&T know about problem areas where you don’t have good signal<br />• iBART – Great Bay Area Rapid Transit app<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0289-714942.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0289-714938.PNG" width="133" /></a><br /></div><strong>Screen 3: (Shopping)</strong><br />• Shop Nearby – Uses thefind.com to find anything from nearby stores or online<br />• CraigsPro – Pretty good craigslist app<br />• RedLaser – $1.99 (paid for itself over and over). Scan barcodes on items and it will show you the lowest price for it online<br />• Cheap Gas! – Shows you gas stations nearby and their prices. Includes augmented reality.<br />• KAYAK – Travel search engine<br />• WootWatch – Woot!<br /><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0290-777339.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0290-777334.PNG" width="133" /></a><br /></div><strong>Screen 4: (Things to Do)</strong><br />• Yelp – Great app that tells you all sorts of info about what’s around you. Includes augmented reality.<br />• AroundMe – A lot like Yelp. I think I like this one better.<br />• OpenTable – Make restaurant reservations<br />• Flixter – Great app for looking up movies nearby<br />• PhoneFlicks – Netflix queue management<br />• Concerts – Tells you about local concerts. Also alerts you when one of the artists on your iPhone is playing nearby.<br />• EventsFinder – Find local events, fairs, etc.<br />• Broadcaster – Stream video from your iPhone to a free website<br />• Planets – Astronomy app<br />• Bump – Share contacts with other iPhone users running Bump by “bumping” your iPhones together<br />• TripCase and Worldmate – Travel management apps. Keeps track of flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0291-717106.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mt="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0291-717101.PNG" width="133" /></a><br /></div><strong>Screen 5: (Games, Fun)</strong><br />• 3D Aqua Lite – Virtual fishtank<br />• Zippo Lighter – Great for concerts!<br />• Lightsaber – Fun!<br />• Physics Free – Fun physics game<br />• Unblock Free – Challenging game<br />• Jungle Crash – Airplane game<br />• TriDefense – $1.99. Strategy game<br />• WildWest – Pinball game<br />• R.Racing GTI – Racing game. Absolutely awesome graphics<br />• iPirate - $1.99 (free version, too). Shoot ships with your canons.<br />• MiniSquadron – Another airplane game<br />• CtC (Crush the Castle) - $1.99 (free version, too). Really fun game where you crush castles with a trebuchet<br /><br /><hr />BTW, you may wonder how I got these screenshots from my iPhone. Hold the sleep (power) button down and then press the round home button. Cheers!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-7068551804848351993?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-42277502229949896862010-01-21T11:26:00.000-08:002010-01-21T11:30:05.545-08:00How to Configure Change Password for OWA 2003/2007/2010 Mixed EnvironmentsThe <strong>Change Password</strong> feature in OWA will break when you reconfigure the environment to use Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2010 CAS servers as front-end servers for Exchange 2003 mailbox servers. This is because the the CAS server don't have the necessary ASP pages installed that OWA 2003 links to.<br /><br /><a href="http://telnetport25.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/windows-2008-iis-7-the-exchange-2007-cas-and-iisadmpwd/#comment-3428"><strong>telnetPORT25</strong></a> wrote a great article explaining the step-by-step process, along with screenshots, to fix this problem. I'm listing the high-level steps here (mainly to act as my long-term memory).<br /><ul><li>Logon to the Exchange 2007/2010 CAS server</li><li>Copy the <strong>%SystemRoot%\System32\inetsrv\<u>iisadmpwd</u></strong> folder and files from the OWA 2003 FE server to the CAS server's %<strong>SystemRoot%\System32\inetsrv</strong> folder</li><li>Open IIS Manager and add a new Virtual Directory off the <strong>Default Web Site</strong> named <strong>IISADMPWD</strong> with a physical path of <strong>%SystemRoot%\System32\inetsrv\iisadmpwd</strong></li><li>Right-click the new <strong>IISADMPWD</strong> virtual directory and select <strong>Convert to Application</strong></li><li>Select the <strong>MSExchangeOWAAppPool</strong></li><li>Restart IIS (<strong>iisreset /noforce</strong> or select the server in IIS Manager and click <strong>Restart</strong>)</li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-4227750222994989686?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-46316026542269459902010-01-19T13:37:00.000-08:002010-01-21T13:11:45.004-08:00The TechEd 2010 Count Down GadgetAre you going to <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/events/techednorthamerica" target="_blank"><strong>TechEd 2010 North America</strong></a>? Can't wait to visit New Orleans with all your fellow IT Pros? Well, get your geek on with the <strong><a href="http://gallery.live.com/LiveItemDetail.aspx?li=77aca982-8aeb-4d08-afe0-64c6a14094e2" target="_blank">TechEd 2010 Count Down Gadget</a></strong> for Windows 7 and Windows Vista!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/TechEd-Gadget-712107.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/TechEd-Gadget-712089.PNG" width="400" /></a><br /></div><br />Just <a href="http://gallery.live.com/LiveItemDetail.aspx?li=77aca982-8aeb-4d08-afe0-64c6a14094e2" target="_blank"><strong>download</strong></a> the gadget from any Windows 7 or Vista computer and double-click it to add it to your Windows Sidebar. But hey, you're an IT Pro. You already knew that.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Update:</span></strong> The TechEd 2010 Count Down Gadget has been accepted and approved for distribution through the <a href="http://gallery.live.com/LiveItemDetail.aspx?li=77aca982-8aeb-4d08-afe0-64c6a14094e2" target="_blank">Windows Gallery</a>.<br /><br />Special thanks goes to Oliver Green with <a href="http://codeblog.co.uk/" target="_blank">CodeBlog.co.uk</a>. He did all the smart stuff. I just changed the graphics.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-4631602654226945990?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-59287266942601595092010-01-19T11:08:00.000-08:002010-01-20T08:21:36.714-08:00How to Fix Internet Explorer Cannot Download FileName from WebServerYou may find that when you create a link to a file from your web server that Internet Explorer cannot download or open the file. When the user clicks the link, Internet Explorer returns the generic 404 error, as shown:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/404-713530.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/404-713528.PNG" width="320" /></a><br /></div><br />They also may receive an error stating, "<strong>Internet Explorer cannot download <em>filename.ext</em> from <em>www.server.com</em>. Internet Explorer was not able to open this Internet site. The requested site is either unavailable or cannot be found. Please try again later.</strong>"<br /><br />This happens when IIS doesn't understand the file extension and associated content type of the file. Examples of such file extensions are .reg or .gadget. To fix this problem you must add the extension and MIME type to IIS.<br /><br />Here's how you do it in IIS 7.0 (Windows Server 2008) and IIS 7.5 (Windows Server 2008 R2):<br /><ul><li>Open <strong>Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager</strong></li><li>Expand <strong><em>servername</em></strong> > <strong>Sites</strong> > <strong>Default Web Site</strong></li><li>Select the website you want to configure, or select <strong>Default Web Site</strong> if you want to configure all websites on the server</li><li>Double-click <strong>MIME Types</strong> in the IIS section of the center pane</li><li>Click <strong>Add</strong> in the Actions pane</li><li>Enter the extension you wish to add, including the . prefix (i.e., <strong>.reg</strong> or <strong>.gadget</strong>)</li><li>Enter the MIME type (i.e., <strong>text/plain</strong> for .reg files or <strong>application/x-windows-gadget</strong> for .gadget files)</li><li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li></ul>The changes go into effect immediately - there's no need to restart IIS.<br /><br />For a quick reference of MIME types, see <strong><a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms775147(VS.85).aspx" target="_blank">MIME Type Detection in Internet Explorer</a></strong>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-5928726694260159509?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-22811323339055089752010-01-19T07:05:00.000-08:002010-01-19T07:07:47.881-08:00Exchange 2010 DAG Replication PortMichel de Rooij, a Dutch technology consultant, posted a nice concise <a _target="blank" href="http://eightwone.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/exchange-2010-dag-port/" target="_blank">article</a> about the port used by Exchange 2010 for DAG replication.<br /><blockquote>"... the port used for DAG log shipping and seeding, which is 64327 by default. Looking back at Exchange 2007 this is good; the port is static and DAGs use regular TCP, where CCR/SCR in Exchange 2007 uses 445 for log shipping (over SMB) and a dynamic port for seeding. And if it’s two things some network people hate it’s SMB and dynamic ports. On the other hand, 64327 in the dynamic range defined by IANA; according to IANA dynamic ports cannot be registered (claimed).<br /></blockquote><blockquote>Fortunately, the port can be changed when required. To change the port for a DAG use the Set-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup cmdlet with the ReplicationPort parameter like this, where <n>can be any number between 1 and 65535:<br /></blockquote><blockquote><strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Set-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup -Identity DAGID -ReplicationPort<n></span><br /></strong><br />Note that Exchange will not adjust the Windows Firewall rules accordingly, so you need to create a firewall exception on each DAG member to make replication work. Even better, you should do this before changing the DAG port to prevent interrupting the replication longer than necessary."<br /></blockquote>For a full list of the ports used by Exchange 2010, see the <a _target="blank" href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb331973.aspx" target="_blank">Exchange Network Port Reference</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-2281132333905508975?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-22399259206263068012010-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:002010-01-05T15:23:52.540-08:00How to Enable Reverse DNS Lookup in IIS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/rdns-774692.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/rdns-774687.png" width="320" /></a><br /></div><br />This article explains how to enable reverse Domain Name System (DNS) lookup for all versions of Internet Information Services (IIS).<br /><br />When reverse DNS lookups are enabled on the web server, the IP address of each web client that connects to the IIS server is resolved to a DNS name, and the DNS name instead of the web client IP address is placed in the IIS log files. Enabling reverse DNS also affects what CGI and ISAPI extensions see as a value of the <strong>Remote_Host</strong> variable.<br /><br />Microsoft KB article <a __target="blank" href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297795">297795</a> gives a step-by-step demonstration how to enable RDNS for IIS4, IIS5 and IIS6, but all you need to do is run the following in a command prompt from the ADScripts folder:<br /><br />For IIS4 run:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><strong>adsutil set w3svc/EnableReverseDNS TRUE</strong></span></blockquote>For IIS5 and IIS6 run:<br /><blockquote><strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">cscript adsutil.vbs set /wesvc/EnableReverseDNS "TRUE"</span></strong></blockquote>In IIS7, you must install the <strong>IP and Domain Restrictions</strong> role service for the Web Server (IIS) role. You can do this in Server Manager or from the command line using the following command:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">ServerManagerCMD -install Web-IP-Security</span> </blockquote>In Windows Server 2008 R2, the ServerManagerCMD.exe program is deprecated and has been replaced with the ServerManager Powershell cmdlets. The following two cmdlets are used to install the <strong>IP and Domain Restrictions</strong> role service:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Import-Module ServerManager</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">Add-WindowsFeature Web-IP-Security</span><br /></blockquote>Now that the role service is installed, you can configure reverse DNS lookups, as follows:<br /><ul><li>Open <strong>Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager</strong>.</li><li>Navigate to the <em>Server Name</em> in the Connections pane. If you only want to enable reverse lookups on a particular website, navigate to that website.</li><li>Double-click <strong>IP Address and Domain Restrictions</strong> in the center pane and click <strong>Edit</strong> <strong>Feature Settings</strong> in the Actions pane.</li><li>Put a checkmark in <strong>Enable domain name restrictions</strong> and click <strong>OK</strong>.</li></ul>You will see the following warning:<br /><blockquote><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Restricting access by domain name requires a DNS reverse lookup on each connection. This is a very expensive operation and will dramatically affect server performance. Are you sure you want to enable restrictions based on domains?</span><br /></blockquote>Clicking <strong>Yes</strong> will enable reverse lookups for all clients connecting to the web server. I have not noticed any more than a 1-2% increase in CPU performance and the websites are just as performant as before.<br /><br />Each of these changes go into effect immediately. There is no need to restart IIS.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-2239925920626306801?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-58409586648113153912010-01-01T20:02:00.000-08:002010-01-01T20:35:17.823-08:00How to Create a Boot VHD Step By StepWindows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 allow you to create a bootable VHD (virtual hard disk) with its own operating system (also called Native Boot). This is really useful when you need to run another operating system or platform on the same hardware.<br /><blockquote><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><strong>Note:</strong> Native Boot is limited to the following operating systems: Windows 7 Enterprise (x86 or x64), Windows 7 Ultimate (x86 or x64), and Windows Server 2008 R2.</span><br /></blockquote>For example, my Dell workstation normally runs Windows 7 Ultimate x64. I wanted to update the BIOS from Dell's support site, but the BIOS installer won't run in x64 operating systems. I also wanted to update the firmware on my Parrot Minikit Slim bluetooth car kit, but the USB driver for the P5+ USB Stage1 device is only available for x86 computers.<br /><br />In previous versions of Windows, the solution would be to make a dual-boot system. The problem with this is that you and Windows will need to contend with similarly named folders (i.e., <strong>\Windows</strong> and <strong>\Program Files</strong>). A bootable VHD is a discreet virtual disk that contains it's own OS. The single VHD file can reside on your normal disk drive (for example, C: or D:), or even a USB drive. The VHD will contain its own file structure, but you can still access the physical drives, folders and devices on the parent computer.<br /><br />The walkthrough I'm documenting here will create a bootable VHD file that runs Windows 7 Enterprise x86. Let's get started.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #073763;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Creating the VHD Drive</span></span></strong><br /><ul><li>First, start up and login to the parent operating system (in my case, Windows 7 Ultimate x64).</li><li>Open <strong>Computer Management</strong> in Administrative Tools</li><li>Expand <strong>Storage</strong> and click <strong>Disk Management</strong>. You will see your normal physical drives.</li><li>Right-click <strong>Disk Management</strong> and select <strong>Create VHD</strong></li><li>Enter the <strong>file path</strong> and <strong>name</strong>, <strong>size</strong>, and <strong>format</strong> for the VHD as show below:</li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/CreateVHD-735919.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/CreateVHD-735917.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><li>Here, I'm creating a 20GB dynamically expanding VHD named <strong>D:\Win7x86.vhd</strong>. A dynamic disk will start off very small (~42KB) and will grow as data is written to it, up to the maximum size specified (20GB). Microsoft has made huge improvements in the performance of dynamic VHDs in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, so they perform nearly the same as fixed size disks.</li><li>Click <strong>OK</strong> to create and mount the VHD volume. The new disk will be listed in the bottom pane of the Disk Management console as an <strong>Unknown Disk</strong>.</li><li>Right-click the <strong>Unknown Disk</strong> and select <strong>Initialize Disk</strong>, as shown here:</li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Initialize-754305.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Initialize-754300.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><li>Click <strong>OK</strong> to initialize the disk with an MBR partition.</li><li>Now right-click the Unallocated disk and create a <strong>New Simple Volume</strong>. The New Simple Volume Wizard will run. Assign the new volume as drive <strong>X:</strong>, give it the volume name, <strong>Win7x86</strong>, and quick format it with the <strong>NTFS</strong> file system. The new volume will be displayed in Disk Management and the D:\Win7x86.vhd file will grow to about 77MB.</li></ul>You now have a new 20GB virtual hard disk, drive X: Next, we will prepare the disk to install Windows 7 Enterprise x86.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Preparing the VHD for the New Operating System</span></strong><br /><ul><li>First, you need to download and install the <strong><a _target="blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=696DD665-9F76-4177-A811-39C26D3B3B34&displaylang=en">Windows Automated Installation Kit</a></strong> (WAIK) for Windows 7 from Microsoft. Be aware that this is a 1.7GB ISO and can take some time to download. Burn the ISO to a DVD or mount it using virtual CD-ROM software like UltraISO, PowerISO, etc., and then install WAIK.</li><li>Open a <strong>CMD</strong> prompt as Administrator and change to the <strong>%SystemDrive%\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\<em><platform></em></strong> folder. In my case, this is <strong>C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64</strong>.</li><li>Mount the <strong>Windows 7 Enterprise Edition x86</strong> media. In my case, this is on the DVD drive <strong>E:</strong></li><li>Run the following command to prepare drive X: for the new operating system:</li></ul><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong></strong></span><br /><blockquote><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>imagex /apply E:\sources\install.wim 1 X:\</strong></span><br /></blockquote><ul><li>Imagex will apply the Windows 7 binaries to the VHD drive X: The <strong>1</strong> specifies that the operating system is Enterprise Edition. The application will begin, as shown below:</li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/imagex-793377.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/imagex-793373.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><li>Imagex application normally takes about 7-8 minutes, despite what the progress bar shows. When it completes, you will see several new folders on drive X:</li><li>Now you need to detach the VHD disk. In <strong>Disk Management</strong>, right-click the VHD disk and select <strong>Detach VHD</strong>, as shown below:</li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/DetachVHD-735925.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" ps="true" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/DetachVHD-735911.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><li>You will notice that the <strong>D:\Win7x86.vhd</strong> file has grown to about 5.5GB.</li></ul>We now have a VHD with the Windows 7 Enterprise x86 files installed on it. We need to configure the computer so that it can boot to the VHD and complete the installation of Windows 7.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Adding the VHD to the Boot Menu</span></strong><br /><ul><li> Open an elevated CMD prompt and enter the following command:</li></ul><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong></strong></span><br /><blockquote><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Windows 7 Enterprise x86"</strong></span><br /></blockquote><ul><li>This will return the GUID of the Loader Object that you will use to replace <guid>in the following commands:</li></ul><blockquote><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>bcdedit /set device vhd=[<em>driveletter</em>:]\<em>vhdpath</em>\<em>vhdfilename</em><br /><br />bcdedit /set osdevice vhd=[<em>driveletter</em>:]\<em>vhdpath</em>\<em>vhdfilename</em><br /><br />bcdedit /set detectHAL on</strong></span><br /></blockquote>The <strong>detectHAL</strong> command is used to force Windows to auto-detect the hardware abstraction layer. The commands I used are shown below:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/BCDEdit-736107.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/BCDEdit-736082.png" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">Completing the Installation</span></strong><br /><br />Now we are ready to boot from the VHD. When you restart the computer you will see a new entry in the boot menu for <strong>Windows 7 Enterprise x86</strong>, along with the default Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 option.<br /><br />Restart the computer and select the new <strong>Windows 7 Enterprise x86</strong> option to complete the installation of Windows 7. The first time the new OS starts, the install process will install needed device drivers and restart the computer. The second time your start the OS, miniprep process will walk you through configuring the user name, password, computer name, and the network settings.<br /><br />Congratulations! You have completed the boot to VHD process.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-5840958664811315391?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-23483435175594476902009-12-30T19:31:00.000-08:002009-12-30T19:31:00.212-08:00Really, Really Good Advice<p>Sriram Krishnan works on the Windows Azure team at Microsoft. He recently published a post, <a href="http://www.sriramkrishnan.com/blog/2009/12/stuff-ive-learned-at-microsoft.html" _target="blank">Stuff I've learned at Microsoft</a>, which gives great advice and commentary on things he learned in his five+ years at Microsoft.</p><p>I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read it.</p><p> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-2348343517559447690?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-85986708516705323982009-12-29T21:50:00.000-08:002009-12-29T22:11:12.991-08:00TechEd Holiday Discount Ends Soon!<a href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/registration" _target="blank"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 97px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/header_home-729367.jpg" /></a> <p>There's only a few more days left to register for <strong>TechEd North America 2010</strong> and receive the $300 holiday discount. This discount is an extra $100 off the early bird discount and is scheduled to end on 12/31/2009.</p><p>At TechEd, you can learn about today’s cutting edge trends, helping make life easier for you (and everyone else) at work. But the most important benefit just might be the networking: you can build personal connections with Microsoft experts and peers that will last far beyond TechEd.</p><p>I'll be there. Will you?</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-8598670851670532398?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-68009497305165091912009-12-29T14:54:00.000-08:002009-12-30T06:53:43.815-08:00Hotfix ID – What Does This GUID Stand For?<p>Recently, I came across a problem when running the Cluster Validation Wizard where the two nodes did not match in the <strong>Validate Software Update Levels</strong> section.</p><p>You must run the Validate test on fully configured solutions before you configure the Failover Cluster to verify the proposed solution. All tests must pass with either a green checkmark (passed) or a yellow yield sign (warning), in order to obtain product support from Microsoft. See the <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=943984" _target='blank'>Microsoft Support Policy for Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters</a>.</p><p>The yellow yield sign indicates that this particular aspect of the proposed solution is not in alignment with Microsoft best practices. However, this aspect will still work and will be considered a supported configuration. Personally, I never deploy a production cluster unless I get a completely green result.</p><p><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Missing-Patches-745201.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 286px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Missing-Patches-745198.png" /></a> </p><p>As shown above, one of the Windows Server 2008 servers was indicating a warning of "<strong>Software Updates missing on '<em>servername</em>'</strong>" and the missing updates are listed only as a GUIDs, with no description.</p><p>I searched the Interwebs for anything on related to either GUID, with no luck. Then I came across a <a href="http://blogs.microsoft.co.il/blogs/guyt/archive/2009/04/09/hotfix-id-what-does-this-guid-stand-for.aspx" _target="blank">nifty script by Guy Teverovsky</a>, a Premier Field Engineer for Platforms at Microsoft Israel. You run the script on the node that's missing the updates.</p><p>Here's the syntax:</p><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;">C:\>cscript GetPatchInfo.vbs /?<br />Displays details of installed patches/hotfixes<br />Usage: cscript GetPatchInfo.vbs [/guid:<patchguid>]<br />/guid:<patchguid> The GUID of the hotfix<br />Running the script without parameters will enumerate all<br />the patches installed.</span></p></blockquote><p></span>Sample output:</p><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;">C:\>cscript GetPatchInfo.vbs /guid:{47740627-D81D-4A45-A215-03B075A18EC7}<br />-------------------------------------------------------<br />Patch Name: Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)<br />Patch Code: {47740627-D81D-4A45-A215-03B075A18EC7}<br />More Info URL: </span><a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937162Patch"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;">http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937162Patch</span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:85%;"><br />State: Installed<br />Product Code:{90120000-00A4-0409-0000-0000000FF1CE}<br />Product Name: Microsoft Office 2003 Web Components</span></p></blockquote><p></span><p></p><p></p><p>I'm also hosting the script here on my blog, just in case it becomes unavailable from his site sometime in the future.</p><p></p><p>Download <a href="http://www.expta.com/GetPatchInfo.zip">GetPatchInfo.zip</a> </p><p>In my case, the GUIDs {DEBD1C94-5AAB-4E46-A130-359A52D2bb65} and {2B3A711E-1265-4D05-ACBB-B7677EA6E860} refer to the SCOM 2007 agent, which was missing on one of the nodes.</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-6800949730516509191?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-19621822458934683022009-12-22T13:53:00.000-08:002009-12-23T06:55:35.531-08:00Fix for Cannot Logon to OWA Using ISA 2004A client had a problem where users could not logon to Outlook Web Access (AKA, OWA or Webmail) from the Internet. Users would get the logon page, but would be returned to the same logon page after entering their correct username and password.<br /><br />Accessing OWA from the internal network would present the same logon page, but the user can successfully logon and access their mailbox. It turns out that the fact that they get the same logon page internally is a clue to the solution. Internal (non-ISA) users will only see the OWA logon page if Exchange is configured to use Forms Based Authentication (FBA). In order for ISA to work properly with OWA, Exchange should NOT be configured for FBA. It should only be configured on the ISA server.<br /><br />Here's how the two systems should be configured:<br /><ul><li>Install the Exchange server's SSL certificate in the ISA computer's Personal certificate store</li><li>On the ISA server, configure a Mail Server Publishing firewall rule to allow External users to access the OWA server using HTTPS. Configure an OWA web Listener for HTTPS using the Exchange server's SSL certificate that you imported. Configure the Listener's authentication to use OWA Forms-Based. Ensure that ISA is redirecting requests to the SSL port 443 on the Bridging tab.</li><li>Ensure that the Exchange server is NOT using Forms Based Authentication. In Exchange System Manager, go to [<em>OrgName</em>] > Administrative Groups > [<em>AdminGroup</em>] > Servers > [<em>ServerName</em>] > Protocols > HTTP. View the properties of the Exchange Virtual Server. Clear the <strong>Enable Forms Based Authentication</strong> checkbox on the Settings tab.</li></ul><p>The customer was using ISA 2004 in front of Exchange 2003, but I assume this problem/solution will also occur with ISA 2006. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-1962182245893468302?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-58599324516431656402009-12-14T07:58:00.000-08:002009-12-14T09:39:19.938-08:00Is Microsoft Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server x86 or x64?<a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/FPE-761537.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 385px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/FPE-761531.PNG" /></a><br /><p>After installing Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange (FPE), I ran Task Manager to see what processes were running. I was surprised to see almost all of the Forefront processes are 32-bit. I asked Microsoft why this is, since Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 are 64-bit only applications.</p><p>It turns out that this is because the antivirus engines are still 32-bit. FPE uses up to five different scan engines from different vendors to scan emails (Authentium, Kaspersky, Microsoft, Norman, and VirusBuster). The AV vendors are working to create 64-bit versions of their scan engines, but there is no ETA at this time.</p><p>Each scan engine requires approximately 250 MB of memory. Less memory is required if Intelligent Engine Management (IEM) is not enabled and fewer than 5 engines are selected.</p><p>Considering that each scan engine is runs in its own discreet process, there may not be much of an advantage running 64-bit, anyway. 32-bit scan engines also mean that they can be used on the 32-bit non-production versions of Exchange for testing. Even so, I'd rather see the Forefront Team create a 32-bit version for testing and a 64-bit version for production once the AV vendors have 64-bit scan engines.</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-5859932451643165640?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-56410924827604533202009-12-11T11:38:00.001-08:002009-12-11T11:49:29.707-08:00TechEd 2010: The Much Coveted TechEd Bag<div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">Here it is already... <strong>The Bag!</strong></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Bag-731129.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 239px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Bag-731127.jpg" /></a>Fellow Tweep, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ladewig" _target='blank'>Scott Ladewig</a>, tweeted about this picture of the bag for TechEd 2010 North America attendees. They are still working on the colors and features of the bag, but it looks good to me!<br /><br />The picture comes from <a href="http://www.twitter.com/robnic_teched" _target='blank'>RobNic_TechEd</a>, one of the owners of Microsoft's TechEd North America event. He and his team are responsible for the execution of the event.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-5641092482760453320?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-18319108694949533922009-12-09T11:23:00.000-08:002009-12-09T12:05:11.793-08:00TechEd 2010: Where's The Krewe?<a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/party-738543.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/party-738539.jpg" /></a>Looking for TechEd's party side???<br /><ul><li>Follow <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thekrewe"><strong>TheKrewe</strong></a> on Twitter</li><br /><li>Search for <strong>#TheKrewe</strong></li><br /><li>Join The Krewe Facebook group, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=108587248759#/group.php?v=wall&gid=108587248759"><strong>here</strong></a></li></ul><p>We're a group of hard working IT Pros and Developers. We gather every year at Microsoft TechEd North America, the largest Microsoft technology education conference. Our mission is to seek out all the happening after-conference activities.</p><p>The Facebook site will be used to share information, trade contacts, and schedule up meeting places and times. Come on and join! You know you want to.</p><p> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-1831910869494953392?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-39213908074968739772009-12-08T11:07:00.000-08:002009-12-08T13:12:06.085-08:00No TechEd Connect for 2010<a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Connect-772802.PNG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 191px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Connect-772793.PNG" /></a>Microsoft TechEd Connect has been used for the past three or four years as a web-based communication platform for TechEd attendees.<br /><br />We've used it in the past to create discussion groups that are targeted. For example, we used it to create The Krewe (parties and afterhours activities), Exchange Gods (Exchange design and management), and many other groups. It's a great way for like-minded attendees to virtually meet their colleagues.<br /><br /><p>I emailed the TechEd team to find out when TechEd Connect will be online for TechEd North America 2010. Here was their response:<br /><br /></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Hello Jeff,</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I have just heard back from this team. It seems that there will be no Tech Ed Connect this year. However, there are networking opportunities through Tech Ed Facebook and Tech Ed Twitter. You can find links to these tools on the Tech Ed event website at </span><a href="https://northamerica.msteched.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">ttps://northamerica.msteched.com</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Please let us know if you have any further questions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sincerely,</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Tech.Ed North America 2010 Registration Team<br />*E-mail: <a href="mailto:TechEd2010@microsoft.crgevents.comTech.Ed">TechEd2010@microsoft.crgevents.comTech.Ed</a> 2009<br />Website: </span><a href="https://northamerica.msteched.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">https://northamerica.msteched.com</span></a></p></blockquote><br /><p>So it sounds like we're going to have to "roll our own" for TechEd groups and discussions. That's unfortunate, because I know a lot of people who don't (or won't) use Twitter or Facebook. I also know of companies that block social networking sites. This will make it difficult for attendees to get timely updates.</p><p>Using a general social networking infrastructure also doesn't lend itself to targeted discussions for attendees with similar interests. How will we find each other?</p><p>I'll have to get together with some of the Krewe and those who want to attend the Exchange Roundtable and decide where and how to do this. What do you think?</p><br /><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-3921390807496873977?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-34981439507029469492009-12-07T22:11:00.000-08:002009-12-07T22:26:57.350-08:00I'll be there, will you?<a href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/registration" _target="blank"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 95px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/TechEd2010_Signature_blog-744407.gif" /></a><br /><p>I booked my trip to TechEd 2010 North America today. Woohoo! </p><p>I'll be joining the Krewe and plan again to organize an Exchange Roundtable. This will be an opportunity to join others, like you, who design, implement, and manage Exchange organizations of any size. I'll post more here and on TechEd Connect, once it's up and running. In the meantime, post a comment here if you'd like to join me.</p><p>Don't forget to follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/expta" _target="blank">Twitter</a>!</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-3498143950702946949?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-56098594432967923512009-12-07T09:04:00.000-08:002009-12-07T10:03:18.911-08:00Microsoft/Prometric Exam FAIL<a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Failboat-769355.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Failboat-769353.jpg" /></a> <p>Not me, Microsoft and Prometric (<a href="http://www.expta.com/2008/01/call-me-certifiable.html">again</a>). For the second time in a week, I am unable to take a beta Microsoft exam that I received an invitation to take.</p><p>The first was for <strong>71-659: TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization</strong>. This exam I never got a chance to sign up for, even though I tried 10 minutes after registration opened. That's because some <a href="http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/2009/12/there-once-was-a-beta" _target="blank">yahoos</a> blogged about the exam and gave the registration code to everyone on the planet. Unfortunately, this was also blogged by a Microsoft MVP. Nice.</p><p>The second was for <strong>71-663: Pro: Designing and Deploying Messaging Solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2010</strong>. This time, I <em>was</em> able to register and got a confirmation email immediately from Prometric. My friends <a href="http://www.twitter.com/markmorow" _target='blank'>markmorow</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cxi" _target='blank'>cxi</a> on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/expta" _target='blank'>Twitter</a> recommended that I confirm that my exam wasn't canceled. I went to the Prometric site today and sure enough, it was canceled.</p><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Canceled-740327.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 74px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Canceled-740325.JPG" /></a> No notification was sent to me about the cancellation. Nice again. The Microsoft <strong>Born to Learn</strong> website had <a href="http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/2009/12/71-663-beta-exam-update" _target="blank">this</a> to say about it. <p>I contacted Prometric, who gave sent me the following information:</p><div><span style="color:#ff0000;"><blockquote><span style="color:#ff0000;">Dear Candidate,<br /><br />Thank you for your interest in the Microsoft Beta 071-663, PRO: Designing & Deploying Messaging Solutions w/MS Exchange Server 2010, examination. Microsoft authorized a registration cap of 300 registrations for this beta. Unfortunately, your appointment was scheduled beyond this cap and, as a result, needed to be cancelled. Due to this, you may have received an email confirmation of the cancellation.<br /><br /><strong>Microsoft is, however, authorizing one free attempt to take the live examination at no cost to you when it is released next year. You will receive an email within a week which will include a voucher number valid for the 070-663 live examination. Please ensure to save the voucher number for use on your exam. It will be required at the time of registration to receive the exam at no cost.<br /></strong><br />We appreciate your business and apologize for any inconvenience this may have<br />caused.<br /><br />Thank you.<br />Prometric</span><br /></blockquote></span></div><p>I'll be looking for this voucher when the Exchange 70-663 becomes official. If you, like me, didn't receive a cancelation email and showed up at the test site, go to <a href="http://www.prometric.com/appeals" _target="blank">http://www.prometric.com/appeals</a> to request reimbursement for lost work and travel time.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-5609859443296792351?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-88929484768605651052009-12-01T10:12:00.000-08:002009-12-01T10:23:16.447-08:00TechEd 2010 Registration is Open<a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/TechEd2010-798852.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 97px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/TechEd2010-798849.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="http://northamerica.msteched.com/default.aspx" _target="blank">TechEd North America 2010</a> registration is open! Save $300, if you register by Dec 31st.</div><div> </div><div align="left"><strong>The event for professionals who want to get ahead and stay ahead of the game</strong></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">This year's TechEd will be in New Orleans, LA and I'm planning to attend.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-8892948476860565105?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-87176505263551903042009-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:002009-11-24T14:11:19.910-08:00NTFS Inheritance Rule Change<p>Up until recently, NTFS permissions have followed these inheritance rules:</p><ul><li>If a file or folder is copied to some other location, it will inherit the new location's NTFS permissions.</li><li>If a file or folder is moved to some other location on a different disk drive, it will inherit the new location's NTFS permissions.</li><li>If a file or folder is moved to some other location on the same disk drive, it will retain the original location's NTFS permissions.</li></ul><p>One of the NTFS inheritance rules changed in Windows 2008, R2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Now if you move a file or folder, it will inherit the new location's NTFS permissions, even if the new location is on the same disk drive. This is a radical shift that you need to taken into account when you're moving files. </p><p>You can find a reference to this change in the Notes section in the Microsoft article <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320246" target="_blank">"Inherited permissions are not automatically updated when you move folders"</a>.</p><p>Thanks to Murat Yildirimoglu, an MCSE and MCT in Istanbul, Turkey, for the <a href="http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/102924/ntfs-inheritance-rule-change.html" _target="blank">article</a>.</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-8717650526355190304?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-86843672900873288372009-11-20T10:33:00.000-08:002009-11-20T10:47:28.352-08:00Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Transport Server Role Architecture Diagrams<a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Transport-Diagram-779399.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Transport-Diagram-779390.PNG" /></a><br /><div>Microsoft has produced two <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=6eb8c09a-6ea4-442a-9faa-de33265ceb84" _target="blank"><strong>Exchange 2010 Transport diagrams</strong></a>:<br /><ul><li><strong>Exchange 2010 Hub Transport Extensibility</strong></li><br /><li><strong>Exchange 2010 Hub Transport Role Architecture</strong></li></ul><p>Both diagrams are produced as PDF files that can be printed out in almost any size.</p><p>While I think these diagrams are visually beautiful, I rarely (if ever) refer to diagrams like this. They do, however, add a certain <em>je ne sais quoi</em> to the geekiness of any Exchange architect's office.</p><p></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-8684367290087328837?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-44844833082848570992009-11-18T10:08:00.001-08:002009-11-18T11:53:19.106-08:00How to Test LDAP over SSL ConnectionsThis article explains how to test that a directory server (typically, a Domain Controller or ADLDS server) is configured properly for LDAP/SSL connections. The tools described work with Windows-based systems (Windows XP and above).<br /><br />First, you will need the <strong>LDP.exe</strong> utility. LDP is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) client that allows users to perform operations (such as connect, bind, search, modify, add, delete) against any LDAP-compatible directory, such as Active Directory, ADLDS or ADAM.<br /><br />LDP can be found for different platforms in the following locations:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=49ae8576-9bb9-4126-9761-ba8011fabf38&displaylang=en" _target="blank">Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools</a></li><br /><li>For Windows 2000, the support tools are located on the Windows 2000 CD in the Support\Tools folder</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=96a35011-fd83-419d-939b-9a772ea2df90&DisplayLang=en" _target="blank">Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 32-bit Support Tools</a></li><br /><li>LDP.exe is installed by default in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 installations</li></ul><br /><p>To test LDAP over SSL connections, do the following:</p><ul><li>Run the LDP utility (typically, click <strong>Start</strong> > <strong>Run</strong> > <strong>LDP</strong>)</li><br /><li>In the LDP menu, click <strong>Connection</strong> > <strong>Connect</strong></li><br /><li>Enter the directory server name or IP address, the port (typically, 636 for secure LDAP), and check the SSL checkbox, as shown below, then click OK:</li><br /><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Connect-719608.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 273px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 144px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Connect-719601.PNG" /></a><br /><li>If the connection is successful, you will see a list of output similar to this:</li><br /><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/ldp-Output-768469.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/ldp-Output-768467.PNG" /></a> Note that the connection string in the title of the LDP window indicates that the connection is made using <strong>ssl</strong></ul><ul><li>If you get an error saying, "<strong>Cannot open connection,</strong>" LDP cannot establish a secure connection to the directory server. In this case, it's very likely that the server is not configured properly for LDAP over SSL. Verify the server name/IP address and port number. You can also use the Portqry tool to verify that the directory server is listening on the correct port. Use "<strong><span style="font-family:courier new;">portqry /n <em>servername</em> /e <em>636</em></span></strong>" to check that <strong><em>servername</em></strong> is listening on endpoint (port) <strong><em>636</em></strong>.</li><br /><li>The following LDP output indicates that the connection failed because the certificate used in the SSL connection cannot be trusted:</li></ul><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:courier new;">ld = ldap_sslinit("dc01", 636, 1);<br />Error <0x0> = ldap_set_option(hLdap,LDAP_OPT_PROTOCOL_VERSION, LDAP_VERSION3);<br />Error <0x51> = ldap_connect(hLdap, NULL);<br />Server error: {empty}<br />Error <0x51>: Fail to connect to dc01.</span></p></blockquote><p>I found a cool utility on Novell's website that can be used to view the SSL certificate on a remote directory server. Download the <a href="http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tools/18415.html" _target="blank"><strong>View Directory Certificate</strong></a> utility and extract the files to a temporary folder. Then run <strong>ViewDirCert.exe</strong>:</p><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/View-Cert-739665.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/View-Cert-739663.PNG" /></a>Specify the directory server or IP address and click <strong>View Certificate</strong>. The certificate details will be displayed in a new window. If the certificate was generated by an untrusted Certificate Authority (CA) or is a self-signed cert that the host does not trust, you will see a warning as shown below: <p><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Untrusted-Cert-772465.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 339px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Untrusted-Cert-772463.PNG" /></a> You can configure the host to trust this certificate by either adding the CA to the local machine's Trusted Root Certifications Authorities store or by importing the self-signed certificate into the local machine's Trusted Root Certifications Authorities store.</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-4484483308284857099?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-85491767031104973642009-11-11T11:44:00.000-08:002009-11-11T11:59:38.605-08:00Speed up Outlook 2007 AccessI've heard several clients complain that Outlook 2007 takes too long to start up compared to previous versions of Outlook. In most cases I've found that this is because Outlook 2007 is configured to connect to Exchange using Outlook Anywhere, even on their corporate LAN/WAN.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Connect-Using-HTTP-761947.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 386px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.expta.com/uploaded_images/Connect-Using-HTTP-761945.PNG" /></a><br /><p>Here's how to correct this:</p><ul><li>Open Outlook and click <strong>Tools</strong> > <strong>Account Settings</strong>, or in Control Panel open <strong>Mail</strong> and click <strong>E-mail Accounts</strong>.</li><li>Double-click the Email account name that's using Exchange to edit its properties</li><li>Click the <strong>More Settings</strong> button</li><li>Click the <strong>Connection</strong> tab</li><li>Clear the Outlook Anywhere checkbox that reads, Connect <strong>to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP</strong></li><li>Click <strong>OK</strong> > <strong>Next</strong> > <strong>Finish</strong></li><li>Restart Outlook</li></ul><p> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-8549176703110497364?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327431886118922768.post-10722322271555169212009-11-11T08:15:00.000-08:002009-11-11T08:17:34.783-08:00Exchange 2007 WILL Be Coming to R2Reversing an earlier decision to NOT support Exchange 2007 on top of Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft has reversed their reversal and announced they WILL develop support for putting Exchange 2007 on top of Windows 2008 R2 in an upcoming release…<br /><br /><a href="http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/11/04/453026.aspx">http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/11/04/453026.aspx</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Did you find this information useful? Post a comment and share it with others!<img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1327431886118922768-1072232227155516921?l=www.expta.com' alt='' /></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05278298222887921824jeff@expta.com0