If you’re like most people, the terms “roomy and practical” don’t exactly call to mind performance-driven fun. The 2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI might just change your mind.
Source : blogs.vw.com/jetta
there are serious integration problems between Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). Specifically, we are seeing (a) sluggish binding between the Macs and AD; (b) super-slow domain logons; and (c) completely blocked domain logons.
Source : 4sysops.com
The original MDTDebugger that I wrote is a great help for debugging tasks running in a litetouch (LTI) deployment task sequence, but it doesn't work for zerotouch (ZTI) deployments. The reason for this is that it needs to be able to display a window on the desktop of the computer that is running the task sequence; something that Systems Center Configuration Manager actively prevents. Well, this is no longer a problem because now there is a version of the MDTDebugger for ZTI deployments! This tool works in the same way as the LTI version but with a key difference: you open the debugging window on a different computer. In order to achieve this, I split the tool into two parts, the first part is the launcher that runs from the task sequence, and the second is the GUI that you use to help with the debugging.
Source : blogs.technet.com/b/deploymentguys
Steve Jobs was a great CEO, but Bill Gates has moved beyond technology and is trying to save the world. Why isn't he getting more recognition?
Also forgotten has been a simple yet critical bit of history: Jobs, in his second and more successful period as Apple's CEO, stood on the shoulders of Bill Gates. Had Microsoft not made computing ubiquitous, there wouldn't be any reason to have an iPod, or an iPhone, or an iPod. In fact, they simply wouldn't exist.
Source : www.infoworld.com
We are pleased to announce the availability of Service Pack 3 (SP3) for our 2007 family of products.
Microsoft iSCSI software target 3.3 is available for download at Microsoft.com
The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 is an economical solution suited for a development or test environment and a small, medium, or branch office production environment. It enables storage consolidation and sharing on a Windows Server by implementing the iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) protocol, which supports SCSI-block access to a storage device over a TCP/IP network.
Download : www.microsoft.com/download
WPKG is an Open Source software deployment tool that allows you to install software, upgrade and remove applications on remote Windows computers.
Source : 4sysops.com
Excellent post from Robert McMurray :
I've mentioned in previous blog posts that I use the Windows WebDAV Redirector a lot. (And believe me, I use it a lot.) Having said that, there are a lot of registry settings that control how the Windows WebDAV Redirector operates, and I tend to tweak those settings fairly often.
I documented all of those registry settings in my Using the WebDAV Redirector walkthrough, but unfortunately there isn't a built-in interface for managing the settings. With that in mind, I decided to write my own user interface.
Source : blogs.iis.net/robert_mcmurray
Related : using-the-webdav-redirector
Researchers have discovered a serious weakness in virtually all websites protected by the secure sockets layer protocol that allows attackers to silently decrypt data that's passing between a webserver and an end-user browser.
The vulnerability resides in versions 1.0 and earlier of TLS, or transport layer security, the successor to the secure sockets layer technology that serves as the internet's foundation of trust. Although versions 1.1 and 1.2 of TLS aren't susceptible, they remain almost entirely unsupported in browsers and websites alike, making encrypted transactions on PayPal, GMail, and just about every other website vulnerable to eavesdropping by hackers who are able to control the connection between the end user and the website he's visiting.
Source : www.theregister.co.uk
We wanted to do a quick post on compatibility with respect to virtualization technologies. We know there were some initial challenges and we've seen the community support process kick in and many people are unblocked as "how to" posts have gone up in various places. As this is a developer preview we expect to see other classes of issues related to app or device compatibility—the full breadth of our testing was not done (or intended to be done) for the Preview. Obviously this one was found early and we could have done a bit better. Sue Bohn, David Hicks, Cornel Lupu of our ACDC team (App Compat, Device Compat) authored this quick post. -- Steven Sinofsky
Functional:
- Hyper-V in Windows 8 Developer Preview
- Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 R2
- VMware Workstation 8.0 for Windows
- VirtualBox 4.1.2 for Windows
Non-functional:
- Microsoft Virtual PC (all versions)
- Microsoft Virtual Server (all versions)
- Windows 7 XP Mode
- VMWare Workstation 7.x or older
Source : Building Windows 8
In building Windows 8 we worked to enable Hyper-V, the machine virtualization technology that has been part of the last 2 releases of Windows Server, to function on the client OS as well.
Really cool ! I can’t wait to install Windows 8 on my Thinkpad.
Sources :
I'll be rethinking passwords in this blog, and what you can do to make authenticating with passwords more secure.
Technically, adding a single non-letter character to an English word would indeed prevent a dictionary attack. Yes, a bad one!
"I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."
Very good article : www.eventlogblog.com
What we've really been waiting for is this, the 2012 Jetta GLI. Packing VW's ubiquitous turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a six-speed manual or optional DSG and an independent rear suspension, the GLI is here to assuage enthusiasts' fears that VW has lost the plot in its relentless pursuit of global market dominance.
Read the complete “Jette GLI First Drive Review ” on autoblog.com
It was the biggest tech news of the year so far, but last week's revelations by HP about its PC and mobile OS businesses was so badly bungled by the computing giant that we all got the wrong message. The net effect, of course, is that HP has accomplished what it never intended: It has killed any future for its webOS mobile system. And it has possibly mortally wounded its thus-far dominant PC business as well.
The headlines earlier this week were clear enough: "HP Kills webOS" and "HP to Sell, Spin Off PC Business" are representative. But amazingly, neither of these is accurate.
Read more : www.windowsitpro.com/article/paul-thurrotts-wininfo
Check the release notes.
I just wanted to make you all aware of a new KB article myself and a couple of teammates put together around component store growth and remediation. I wanted to have something short and to the point and I think a lot of you might find this more useful than sifting through the blog trying to piecemeal together the same information. I'll probably try to put together something a little more verbose here that goes more into the internals of some of this but I am busy working on a new project and dont have tons of time. If you have any questions or comments about the material please ask them here.
How to Alleviate Disk Space Pressure Caused By a Large Windows Component Store (WinSxS) Directory
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=2592038
Source : The Windows Servicing Guy
Hi guys, Joji Oshima here again. Today I want to talk about configuring Kerberos authentication to work in a load-balanced environment. This is a more advanced topic that requires a basic understanding of how Kerberos works. If you want an overview of Kerberos, I would suggest Rob’s excellent post, Kerberos for the Busy Admin. In this post, I will be using a load balanced IIS web farm as the example, but the principal applies for other applications.
Read the complete article : blogs.technet.com/b/askds
AT&T has announced that they will be partnering with 2,000 campuses across the country to bring mobile applications to the attendees instead of handing out campus maps and other paperwork. The applications are designed to enhance the experience of the people attending, giving them easy access to campus maps, phone directory, courses, and campus events
AT&T* is the first carrier to offer this type of mobile platform, an affordable, leading-edge technology for higher education institutions. The AT&T Campus Guide app, which users can download for free, works with any service provider and on most major mobile operating systems. AT&T is working with DubMeNow, a pioneer in mobilizing higher education, to bring AT&T Campus Guide to schools all over the country.
Colleges and universities using AT&T Campus Guide can customize the app, adding school colors and banners to make it their own. And with its quick and easy set-up, AT&T Campus Guide is ready to go in a matter of weeks rather than months.
| Read more : | www.att.com www.blackberryos.com crackberry.com |
AD uses a multi-master replication mechanism, meaning that updates can originate on any RWDC. For all kinds of services AD is highly redundant assuming you have more than one RWDC. Within AD some operations cannot operate using the multi-master principle, but rather use the single-master principle to ensure consistency. The roles for those operations are the so called Flexible Single Masters of Operations (FSMO). From a forest perspective two forest wide FSMO roles exist and from a domain perspective three domain wide FSMO roles exist. Below you will find which one is which.
Complete article : blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/jorge
Over the years, when I’ve had to deal with McAfee products, I have been known to unleash torrents of invective that would make a pirate blush.Over the past month I tried the latest McAfee release. Here’s why it’s still on my Not Recommended list.
Read the complete article : www.zdnet.com/blog/bott
Luke Chung of FMS, Inc. has published an interesting article on the Enterprise Features site that discusses some of the negative perceptions about Access, especially within enterprise settings. Luke argues that Access can be a big productivity booster for individuals and teams in the enterprise, and that IT departments should not put restrictions on the use of Access. Here's an excerpt:
"Organizations should recognize end users and line of business managers can create a lot of solutions on their own and are best equipped to do so (like giving bullets to infantry). These solutions should be considered tactical (special forces) not strategic (nuclear weapons) and should not be held to the same standards. Get things done quickly and moving on is the key to being nimble."
Source : blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-access
The Microsoft Safety Scanner was just released a few days ago. The free portable antivirus tool only comes as a simple EXE file and is available as a 32-bit and 64-bit version. The EXE file contains all the virus signatures.
Source : 4sysops.com
The free portable tool TMnetSim Network Simulator enables you to simulate a poor or slow network connection in your lab.
TMnetSim sits between the client and the server and allows only as much network quality as you admit.
Source : 4sysops.com
downrightnow monitors the status of your favorite web services, combining user reports and official announcements to tell you when there's service trouble.
Great way to find out if service is up. Currently monitor the follwing services :
- Foursquare
- Google Mail (Gmail)
- Tumblr
- Windows Live Hotmail
- Yahoo! Mail
- Youtube
- Blogger
- LiveJournal
- Netflix
- Ning
- PayPal
- Skype
- TypePad
Link : downrightnow.com
Compat Inspector is a JavaScript-based testing tool that analyzes your site while it runs. Compat Inspector reports patterns of interaction which cause issues in standards mode. This allows you to identify problems quickly without memorizing a bunch of documentation or searching through the entirety of your site's code. We developed Compat Inspector during the course of IE9 to speed up the process of recognizing common issues across different sites. Along the way many members of the IE team contributed to the set of test cases that make up the rules in Compat Inspector. Now we're making it all available to you. Check out the Compat Inspector Test Drive to try it out before using it on your own site.
Source : IEBlog
Oh, the rationalizations people come up with to explain away what they don’t want to hear.
Last week, when I wrote Coming soon to a Mac near you: serious malware, I expected to get an earful from Mac partisans telling me how wrong I was. They didn’t disappoint.
In this post, I want to respond, in detail, to the arguments that I heard in response to that post. They’re the same ones that come up over and over again when the topic turns to Macs and malware.
Source : Ed Bott's Microsoft Report
Last week I looked at a fascinating sample of malware that specifically targeted users of Google Chrome. Over the past few days, I’ve been looking more closely at this particular malware attack, which appears to be widespread and extremely persistent.
Source : Ed Bott's microsoft report
This post about making ODBC connections more secure is provided by Access MVP Ben Clothier.
Now and then, we come to a point where we decide to upsize an Access database to a server-based RDBMS. The reasons for upsizing can vary, but a common theme is security. With a server-based RDBMS, we have more options for security than when we are working with a file-based data source. Even if security wasn’t the reason for upsizing, we do have an obligation to ensure that we develop a “good citizen” application and protect the company’s assets contained in the RDBMS. When our RDBMS supports Windows authentication (e.g., SQL Server, Oracle, FireBird), we have it easy – no username or password needs to be stored. But unfortunately, we don’t always have Windows authentication available, and even when it is supported, it may not be practical. This article focuses on the case where we have to pass in a username and password as a part of the connection string and we want to do so in a secure manner. The article also assumes we are using ODBC and DAO.
Source : blogs.office.com
Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows® 7 with SP1 enables IT administrators to manage roles and features that are installed on computers that are running Windows Server® 2008 R2, Windows Server® 2008, or Windows Server® 2003, from a remote computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows 7 with SP1.
Download : www.microsoft.com/downloads
Top-notch consumer magazine Consumer Reports has given a very negative review to the 2011 North American VW Jetta.
"The new Jetta is unimpressive. In an effort to bring the car's starting price down, VW cheapened the previous Jetta's interior and suspension, making it less sophisticated and compromising handling."
Source : www.worldcarfans.com
The new for 2011 Volkswagen Jetta received a new, far lower base price tag of $15,995, but Consumer Reports evidently feels that the more affordable sticker has come at too high of a cost to the vehicle itself. The buyer-centric organization ranked the Jetta dead last among 11 small sedans tested for the April edition of its magazine.
Source : www.autoblog.com
For the last few years, I’ve been blogging about the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target and its many uses related to Windows Server Failover Clustering, Hyper-V and other server scenarios. Today, Microsoft has made this software publicly available to all users of Windows Server 2008 R2.
Source : Jose Barreto's Blog
Today’s blog will discuss support for UEFI with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and other deployment tools.
Read more : blogs.technet.com/b/askcore
Hello, my name is Emmers Presson. I am a Support Escalation Engineer for Microsoft in the Windows Core team.
The purpose of this blog is to give you the steps to install a hotfix (or any other “package”) on the currently running operating system using the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) command.
Source : Ask the Core Team blog
This article describes the System Update Readiness Tool for Windows Vista-based computers, for Windows Server 2008-based computers, for Windows Server 2008 R2-based computers, and for Windows 7-based computers. Microsoft released the System Update Readiness Tool to resolve certain conditions that could cause installing updates and other software not to work. You do not have to manually run this tool. This tool is offered automatically through Windows Update to computers that have a condition that the tool could resolve.
After you download the System Update Readiness Tool, it runs a onetime scan for inconsistencies that might prevent future servicing operations. This scan typically takes less than 15 minutes to run. However, the tool might take significantly longer on some computers. The Windows Update progress bar is not updated during the scan, and progress seems to stop at 60% complete for some time. This behavior is expected. The scan is still running and you should not cancel the update.
Source : support.microsoft.com
Web Pro Series / Week 9 / URL Rewrite, ServerVariables, URL Parts, HTTP to HTTPS Redirect
Source : Scott Forsyth's Blog
You may receive the following error when installing Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2:Source : The Windows Servicing Guy
0xC0000022 (STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED)
This can be due to McAfee Host Intrusion Protection being installed on the system. To workaround this problem, disable the following option in McAfee: Startup IPS Protection Enabled
More information is available on this thread: https://community.mcafee.com/message/177267#177267
Some of you probably noticed a new download showed up today:Source : Michael Niehaus' Windows and Office deployment ramblings
The Windows® Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows® 7 SP1
Be sure to read the “readme” that goes along with this at:
Windows Automated Installation Kit for Windows 7 Readme
A quick Q&A that I assembled from information in this readme and our own MDT testing ...
If you tried to logon on a MacBook Pro (OS X) with an Active Directory account you may have seen the following error in the system.log :
createmobileaccount[4146]: MCXCCacheMCXRecordAndGraph(): [localNode createRecordWithRecordType:dsRecTypeStandard:Users name:"paradisj"] == 4100 (Unable to set value or values for dsAttrTypeStandard:Password in the record.)
First of all, many thanks to Travis J. Garrison who pointed me in the right direction.
The problem was that I had two accounts in our Active Directory with the same value for the email attribute. The logon with the first account worked fine, but I wasn’t able to logon with the second one (on the same Mac).
The DirectoryServices.Error.log gave me the identity of the first account :
T[0x0000000102281000] - CDSLocalPluginNode::AttributeValueMatchesUserAlias(), alias exists in file /var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/users/paradisjtest.plist
I had to change the email attribute (AD) of the first account and refresh the cache (MCX_cache) of the first account :
mcxrefresh -n paradisjtest -a
After that I was able to logon with both accounts.
Question : |
Why does Apple used the email and displayName attribute as an alias of an account when those two attributes are not unique in Active Directory ?
(It’s not a bug, it’s a documented feature) |
A few days ago Microsoft launch a redesigned “Microsoft Answers” site. The new version introduces a “reputation model” that helps identify “good” answers provided by experts.
The new site had a performance issue which now seems to be resolved. Maybe they should post a question about it
Source : www.zdnet.com
I guess those of you who are responsible for patch management have heard of the trick before. I tried it with RSAT on Windows 7 SP1, and it appeared to work fine.
In the description of this workaround, I assume that you want to install x86fre_GRMRSAT_MSU.msu. If you need amd64fre_GRMRSATX_MSU.msu, you have to change the file names accordingly. I also assume that you downloaded the RSAT MSU file to c:\tmp.The workaround description is slightly different than in chibisuke’s comment.
Install RSAT on Windows 7 SP1
- Launch a command prompt with Administrator rights.
- Execute the following commands:
md c:\rsat
expand -f:* c:\tmp\ rsat-windows-7-x86fre_GRMRSAT_MSU c:\rsat
cd c:\rsat
pkgmgr /n:Windows6.1-KB958830-x86.xml /l:log.txt- Wait until this line appears in c:\log.txt: DISM Provider Store: PID=1120 Releasing the local reference to DISMLogger. Stop logging….
- Reboot.
- Launch the “Turn Windows Feature on or off” applet in the Control Panel under Programs, and enable the Remote Server Administration Tools or Role Administration Tools you need.
Source : 4sysops.com
Scott Forsyth has started a new series of walkthrough videos about web technologies. It’s worth watching.
Web Pro Series / Week 1 / Ping and Tracert walkthroughs
Web Pro Series / Week 2 / Understanding DNS Zone Records
Web Pro Series / Week 3 / Nslookup–the Ultimate DNS Troubleshooting Tool
Web Pro Series / Week 4 / Three Tricks For Capturing Command Line Output
Web Pro Series / Week 5 / Understanding IIS Bindings
Web Pro Series / Week 6 / The SSL Bindings Issue
Web Pro Series / Week 7 / Setting Host Headers for SSL Sites in IIS
Web Pro Series / Week 8 / An Intro to IIS URL Rewrite–plus redirecting URLs to www
Good job Scott, can’t wait to see more. I will check your blog regularly.
Il you have exprienced an error with SP1 for Windows 7 / Windows 2008 R2 installation you should take a look at the Ramblings of a Support Engineer blog from a Microsoft Engineer.
Source : www.zdnet.com/blog/bott
If you’ve ever tried to use Wake-on-LAN technology, you may know that its configuration can be confusing sometimes. You have to enable WOL in BIOS and motherboard settings and correctly specify the WOL command parameters. Wake-on-LAN utilities (see a review for one of them) usually allow waking up one remote PC and require that you specify its IP and MAC addresses in order to generate and send a magic packet to it. In order to wake up multiple PCs, you have to write scripts to detect MAC addresses of remote PCs and execute a WOL utility to send the magic packet to every PC. A free Wake-on-LAN tool from EMCO is specially designed to wake up multiple remote PCs and allows automating all required operations.
Source : 4sysops.com
It is officially out !
Download details Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (KB976932)
Source : Bink.nu
When you try to install RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7) on Windows 7 SP1, you will get this error message: "This update is not applicable to your computer".Source : 4sysops.com/archives/install-rsat-on-windows-7-sp1
This language add-in allows you to see the corresponding PowerShell script for static methods on classes. Most of the common language structures are supported.
Source : reflectoraddins.codeplex.com
Very interesting :
Google and Apple are very different. Apple has a design DNA. Google has a technology DNA.
Apple has a different feel. Its the, I'm cool, feel. Its the look, we made this thing look cooler and prettier and now there are too many people vying for your employee discounted stuff.
My manager at Apple told me that it is a hardware company, and that software is not the chief priority. This affects Apple, and software engineering is, without question, a second class citizen.
Working at Apple is like working in the Army. Sure you can ask why you should jump into the river, but you better be soaking wet before you ask that question
Source : www.quora.com/Why-would-an-engineer-want-to-work-at-Google-instead-of-Apple
Apple officially called an end to its server line on Tuesday and it’s a bitter pill for some Mac stalwarts in the data center. Part of the problem is that enterprise customers have a comfort-level problem when it comes to living with questions about Apple’s product and strategic plans like the rest of us. Cupertino’s cone of silence is absolute, whether it’s the details of the next iPad or the continuing support for Mac OS X Server.
Source : The Apple Core Blog RSS | ZDNet
The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta that we get in the United States is a different animal than the one enjoyed throughout Europe. European Jettas are fitted with a multi-link rear suspension setup, upgraded wiring harness to handle more complex optional features and more upscale interior materials. Why don't we get these things? The main answer is cost.
Strong sales would show that the Jetta is in high demand, meaning Volkswagen could realistically introduce the upgraded European features by way of a mid-model change, perhaps by 2014. Will it happen? Somehow, we tend to doubt it... but a lot can happen in three years.
Source : Autoblog
Web farm framework has in built extensibility to work with any load balancer. The intent of this article is to show how you can use a load balancer like F5.
Integration with a load balancer like F5 is great with WFF because it allows you to simplify the management and deployment of your web farm (in presence of a load balancer) without having to do these operations manually. These benefits and provisioning details are discussed in more details in WFF detailed walkthroughs.
Through its extensibility model, the Web Farm Framework is able to communicate with the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) through the LTM's open SOAP/XML based API. This API allows WFF to make dynamic configuration changes on the load balancer, such as creating pools, disabling nodes, and re-enabling to make sure connections are not being sent to servers as WFF is updating them. F5 has wrapped their iControl SDK in a .net assembly (icontrol.dll), making integration into WFF a simple procedure.
Source : The Official Microsoft IIS Site
With the free Microsoft utilities LockoutStatus and Acctinfo of the Account Lockout and Management Tools, you can quickly access a user account’s lockout status, unlock the account, and reset the password.
Source : 4sysops
Download : Microsoft’s Account Lockout and Management Tools.
Group Policy Search is a free online tool from Microsoft that allows you to find Group Policy settings easily.
When I discovered the power of the System Policies in Windows NT 4, I wondered why Microsoft didn’t offer a search tool that allows to me find all policies easily. I had to wait only 15 years until I stumbled across the Group Policy Search service.
Source : 4sysops
Microsoft released its very first official Office app for iPhone today – OneNote Mobile, which is available in the U.S. iTunes app store only and free for a limited time.
OneNote Mobile for iPhone is a note taking and organizing app. It allows you easily create and edit notes that can include text, photo and list. With automatic SkyDrive cloud sync capability, you can always keep your OneNote notes up to date on your iPhone, and access them from anywhere – your phone, your PC and browser.
Source : LiveSide.net
Ashley McGlone has a great script up for merging GPOs together through powershell.
I wish I had this script five years ago. At the time I was searching for a way to combine or merge GPOs, but there simply wasn’t a way to do it. And today there still isn’t a way to do it… until POWERSHELL! Almost every environment I see (including my own former environment) has a collection of GPOs that have evolved over time and really need to be consolidated and cleaned up.
In Windows Server 2008 R2 we released a new PowerShell module for Group Policy administration. I haven’t seen much written about it, and I don’t think many people realize it is there.
Source : Group Policy Team Blog
Excellent wrap-up of DFS on non-MS OS
Hi all, Ned here again. I’ve been asked a few times if other operating systems can utilize DFS Namespaces running on Windows Server. It’s a sticky wicket; as a “voice of Microsoft” my statements carry a lot of weight - deserved or not. It’s not smart or ethical for me to say that something not made by Microsoft works well, works better than something else, or doesn’t work at all. In some cases, lawyers may be summoned from Vhoorl.
Complete article : Ask the Directory Services Team
Earlier this summer I blogged about IIS Express. IIS Express is a free version of IIS 7.5 that is optimized for developer scenarios. We think it combines the ease of use of the ASP.NET Web Server (aka Cassini) currently built-into VS today with the full power of IIS. Specifically:
- It’s lightweight and easy to install (less than 5Mb download and a quick install)
- It does not require an administrator account to run/debug applications from Visual Studio
- It enables a full web-server feature set – including SSL, URL Rewrite, and other IIS 7.x modules
- It supports and enables the same extensibility model and web.config file settings that IIS 7.x support
- It can be installed side-by-side with the full IIS web server as well as the ASP.NET Development Server (they do not conflict at all)
- It works on Windows XP and higher operating systems – giving you a full IIS 7.x developer feature-set on all Windows OS platforms
Source : weblogs.asp.net/scottgu
WSUS Offline Update is a free portable tool that allows you to download updates for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and all Office versions and install those updates on computers with no Internet connection.
Source : 4sysops
IIS 7.5 Express is a simple and self-contained version of IIS 7.5 that is optimized for developers.
IIS 7.5 Express enhances your ability to develop and test web applications on Windows by combining the power of IIS 7.5 with the convenience of a lightweight web server like the ASP.NET Development Server (also known as Cassini). The benefits of using IIS 7.5 Express include:
- The same web server that runs on your production server is now available on your development computer.
- Most tasks can be done without the need for administrative privileges.
- IIS 7.5 Express runs on Windows XP and all later versions of Windows.
- Many users can work independently on the same computer.
Download details Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 Express
Source : Bink.nu
- Migrate Web applications between IIS 6.0 and IIS 7.0 with ease
- Synchronize your server farm efficiently
- Package, archive and deploy Web applications more easily
For more information, see the following articles:
Source : Bink.nu
Microsoft also is releasing the 1.0 version of its free, open-source “Orchard” content-management system (CMS). Like WebMatrix, Orchard’s goal is to require users to do less coding, making the product appealing for a less techie audience, Microsoft is hoping.
Source : www.zdnet.com
Ref : orchardproject.net
The free Microsoft tool WSUS ClientManager allows you to add Windows workgroup computers to a WSUS server. To add multiple computers to WSUS, you can use the REG file that WSUS ClientManager creates.
Source : 4sysops.com
Download : wsusworkgroup.codeplex.com
I was recently talking with some good friends about tips for performance and what an IIS Administrator could do on the server side. I also see this question from time to time in the forums @ http://forums.iis.net . Of course, you should test individual settings in a controlled environment while performing load testing before just implementing on your production farm. IIS Compression enabled (both static and dynamic if possible, set it to 9) If you are running IIS 6, check this article out by Scott...(read more)
Source : The Official Microsoft IIS Site
This is a list of free e-books that are useful for Windows administrators. It will be regularly updated.
Source : 4sysops
GDism ELDI is a free GUI for DISM of the WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit) that allows you to manage WIM images.
Source : 4sysops
Organizations are always on the prowl for cost-effective storage solutions. In a number of previous posts, whenever a free storage product is mentioned, TechRepublic members frequently suggest FreeNAS as an alternative to StarWind, Openfiler and other software storage solutions. By its name, FreeNAS is a free solution. In this gallery, FreeNAS will be installed as a virtual machine and provisioned as a Windows file resource using the common internet file system (CIFS) storage protocol.
Source : TechRepublic
This week we are introducing a new Windows Live plug-ins website, which allows you to download and submit plug-ins for Windows Live Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, and Writer.
Source : Inside Windows Live
Microsoft Security Essentials, released back in September 2009 as a free replacement for the subscription-based Windows Live OneCare, has been updated to version 2.0 today. The final release carries the build number 2.0.657 and includes new features such as:
- Windows Firewall integration – During setup, Microsoft Security Essentials will now ask if you would like to turn the Windows Firewall on or off.
- Enhanced protection for web-based threats – Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.
- New protection engine – The updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.
- Network inspection system – Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials.
You can download Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 at Microsoft Download Center.
Source : LiveSide.net
I wanted to setup a virtual lab with a Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 server and a PXE client in Virtual Box. I finally got it to work !
The main problem is that the Intel PRO/1000 network card in VirtualBox does not seems to work with PXE (I dont know why) and the PCnet-FAST adapter is not supported (by default) in Windows PE (and no driver available in x64).
My solution is to simply define 2 network adapters in your virtual machine (the PXE client) :
PXE will use the first adapter (PCnet-FAST) and Windows PE will use the Intel PRO/1000 because it doesn’t know about the other one (no driver).
Here’s a step-by-step guide :
Ensure that the boot order of you VirtualBox machine allow it the boot from the Network :
You should also check that APIC is ON (Windows PE wont boot without it).
Boot you virtual machine, a screen like this should appear :
Open your "Windows Deployment Services” (WDS) console and approve the new pending device :
To avoid confusion in Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) I prefer to use the Computer UID instead of the MAC address to identify the computer (because we have two network adapters). To get the Computer UID at this stage, open “Active Directory Users and Computers” and display the properties of the new Computer object that WDS created when you approved the pending device.
On the Remote Install tab, copy the ‘Computer’s unique ID’ without the bracelets {}.
Open the ‘Deployment Workbench’ and create a new computer in the database (Advanced Configuration)
Enter a description and paste the ‘Computer’s unique ID’ in the UUID field. Complete the computer configuration the match your MDT setup (Assign a role or a TaskSequenceID).
That's it, reboot your virtual machine and your deployment should start.
Note : This article does not cover all your MDT/WDS setup, you have to install and configure those by yourself before using this solution. But if you used MDT before that should not be a problem.
When it comes to building a virtual datacenter, perhaps no topic is as controversial as domain controller placement. Server virtualization has been around for a long time now, and with several mature virtualization products on the market, one would think that the ground rules for virtualizing network servers would have been firmly established by now. For the most part there are clear and concise guidelines for server virtualization. This is not necessarily the case when it comes to virtualizing domain controllers though. It absolutely amazes me how many different philosophies there are as to how domain controllers should be dealt with in a virtual environment. Since there are pros and cons associated with each of these different philosophies, I decided to take a critical look at domain controller placement in a virtualized environment.
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 1)
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 2)
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 3)
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 4)
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 5)
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 6)
- Solutions for Virtualizing Domain Controllers (Part 7)
Source : www.virtualizationadmin.com
Thanks you all for your patience waiting for the full set of deployment walkthrough videos to be posted on TechNet Edge. As per my previous post, over the past few months I have been updating the deployment walkthrough videos and I am pleased to announce that the whole video series has now been posted. In all there are seven videos (around 10 hours of content) - you can see the full list of videos here or you can link to the individual videos below:
DEPLOYMENT PLANNING:
OFFICE DEPLOYMENT:
- Exploring the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) 2.0
- Exploring the User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) 4.0
- Exploring the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.5
IMAGE ENGINEERING AND SERVICING: IMAGE DEPLOYMENT:
- Deploying 2007 Office System (I'm working on the Office 2010 deployment video – will be out early January)
Source : The Deployment Guys
Visio shapes to use to create models of server deployment environments.
Download this zip file of Microsoft Visio stencils to create your own diagrams for models of server deployments. For examples of how the IT pro content publishing team for Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Project Server 2010, Microsoft Search Server 2010, and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation used these shapes, see these pages:
Download details Visio shapes for SharePoint Server, Project Server, Search Server, and Office Posters
- Office 2010 technical diagrams
- SharePoint Server technical diagrams
- SharePoint Foundation technical diagrams
Source : Bink.nu
Browse, edit, and create new code-snippets in rich UI without leaving your scripting IDE – this is what you can now do with the add-on just posted by Denniver here:
SQL injection attacks have been increasing over the last three years, mainly because of automated tools. Since these automated attacks were first noticed in December 2007, very little has changed in the way that they work. Attackers use automated tools to query search engines for interesting URLs and then submit various SQL injection payloads to each. The goal is to inject malicious JavaScript into all string columns in SQL database tables.
Microsoft has provided guidance (http://blogs.technet.com/swi/archive/2008/05/29/sql-injection-attack.aspx) and some tools (www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/954462.mspx) to combat these attacks. Microsoft has also started tracking these automated SQL injection attacks during the last one year and provides the information in the Microsoft® Security Intelligence Report.
Today I would like discuss another technique that one can use to block automated SQL injection attacks against web applications that use Microsoft SQL Server® as the back-end processor. (Note: These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in web applications; there are no known security vulnerabilities in Microsoft SQL Server). Before I describe the technique, I would like to reiterate that using parameterized queries is the best way to mitigate SQL injection vulnerabilities in web applications. You can read this Quick Security Reference: SQL Injection that details various classes of SQL injection vulnerabilities and how to address them in the design, development, and testing phases.
Source : Microsoft Security Tips
… a significant and obvious drop in the interior quality – even the non-VW faithful will notice how cheap the door panels look …
Volkswagen has long attempted to make hay from the perception that German automakers build driver's cars, but the 2011 Jetta is less so in any of the currently available U.S. trims
the seats are still widely adjustable, though less so compared to past Jettas
Electric power steering is numb and strangely weighted, like there's a coupling made of rubber bands somewhere.
Drivers looking for the old Jetta formula of near-premium feel for near-economy price will find the 2011 Jetta is Volkswagen's New Coke, though others will remind you that the updated formula actually tasted better. This new Jetta is a different flavor that appears to be more tasty to shoppers, despite leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the Jetta faithful.
Source : Autoblog
Today we released a recommended update for all Internet Explorer 9 Beta customers via Windows Update (KB2448827). This update includes stability fixes for the beta build. It is not a new Internet Explorer 9 Beta build. Another update shipped today (KB2452648) resolves issues between the IE9 send feedback feature on 64-bit machines with Windows-Live-Essentials 11. These updates apply only to Internet Explorer 9 Beta.
Customers who have automatic updating enabled will not need to take any action because this update will be downloaded and installed automatically. Customers who have not enabled automatic updating need to check for updates and install this update manually. For information about specific configuration options in automatic updating, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 294871.
Source : IEBlog
www.virustotal.com will allow you to upload a file and check it against 43 antivirus engines. Oh and did I mentioned it is totally FREE !
How effective is free antivirus software? I had a chance to see a real, in-the-wild example just this month, and the results were, to put it mildly, unexpected. Microsoft’s free antivirus solution found and removed a threat that two well-known paid products missed.
Our initial opinion of the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta went something like this; nice enough vehicle that still outpaces the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, but the cost-cutting is evident. Soft touch materials have been replaced with harder plastics that don't feel particularly good and almost look as bad. But the U.S. Jetta starts at a class-competitive $15,995, and chopping thousands off of an MSRP doesn't come without sacrifices. But will these cost-cutting measures fly in Europe, where a higher premium is placed on an upscale interior and sporting characteristics?
Fortunately for the folks overseas, they apparently won't have to worry about it. Automotive News reports that the Euro Jetta, which launches in March 2011, will feature a more upscale interior and a four-link independent rear suspension instead of the lower cost 'built for comfort' beam axle setup we have in the U.S.-spec sedan. Source : Autoblog
I envy them :-(
Source : www.autoblog.com
Web-browser cookies, you either love or hate them. There is no in between. Well, get ready to be either more in love or more upset. Read more
Source : Micheal Kassner (TechTepublic.com)
