The OFFICIAL Dilbert Widget

Download details: Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2010 (KB976573)

Download details: Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2010 (KB976573): "Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2010 (KB976573)"

Black Screen of Death on Windows 7 official statement

“The reports on the so called “Black Screens” was investigated by Microsoft and found to be inaccurate. The company which issued the report has apologized and made a full retraction. Windows 7 security updates was not the cause of the black screens. There is no fix or update necessary for this, but customers should keep their anti-virus software up-to-date as a preventative measure. So far, Microsoft is not seeing an occurrence of this particular issue in our support channels locally.

Misleading report on Black Screen of Death on Windows 7

I would like to bring your attention to inaccurate stories following a report by a British company claiming that customers who deployed the Windows 7 November Security updates have experienced the so-called “Black Screens” that would render the system unbootable and unusable due to changes in the registry.

Here’s the background for your reference:
Microsoft has found these reports to be inaccurate. Comprehensive investigation has shown that none of the recently released updates are related to the behavior described in the reports. Microsoft’s support organization is also not seeing this as an issue. The claims also do not match any known issues that have been documented in our security bulletins.

On December 1, Prevx, the company which issued the report, posted an apology to Microsoft which stated the following: “Since more specifically narrowing down the cause we have been able to exonerate these patches from being a contributory factor.”

According to Microsoft’s blog post, the real culprit is a piece of malware that clears desktops and produces a black screen on infected PCs; various security vendors have tools for removing this malware. There is no fix or update necessary for this, but customers should keep their anti-virus software up-to-date as a preventative measure.

So far, Microsoft is not seeing a massive occurrence of this particular issue in our support channels. If customers do encounter an issue with a security update, contact our Customer Service and Support group for no-charge assistance at http://support.microsoft.com/security.

The protection and well-being of Microsoft's customers’ PCs through the deployment of Security Updates is the ultimate goal of the Microsoft Security Response Center.

Because of this, Microsoft continually work with their Customer Service and Support teams to keep a close eye for issues that may impact customers’ deployment of security updates.

Consumers can also download Microsoft Security Essentials provided free.

Solved: Eseutil on running on DPM 2010

As i was protecting an Exchange 2003 (on Windows 2003 R2) from DPM 2010 (on Windows 2008 R2), i needed Exchange 2007 32-bit version of eseutil to be installed on DPM 2010 server.

i had naturally copied the eseutil from Exchange 2003, which did not work so.

So i downloded the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Management Tools (32-Bit), installed on a test Windows 2008 Std, 32bit (it had AD installed). i then extracted the eseutil dll and exe and copied to the DPM 2010 server.

This is where i pretty much got the idea that i needed the Exchange 2007 tools.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb808827.aspx#ExchangeServerDatabaseUtilities

Note
If you installed DPM 2007 on a Windows Server 2008 operating system, and you are protecting Exchange Server 2003 on a Windows Server 2003 computer, you must install the Exchange Server 2007 version of the eseutil.exe and ese.dll files. You can download this version from the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Management Tools (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=112325).

Installing DPM 2010 Beta in my production.

Installed DPM 2010 beta in a live production environment.
There was very little data on migrating from DPM 2007 SP1 to DPM 2010.

Procedures (#HINT: Read the beta documentation for the basics on the setup. There are also documents on recovery, client protection, SharePoint item level restore etc.).
1. Stopped protection group and retained the protected data.
2. removed the agents (DPM 2007 Sp1) from protection machines.
3. DPm 2010 was installed on a new hardware. Windows 2008 r2 base OS and DPM 2010 Beta. Installation went on without a problem .
4. Installed agents DPM 2010 beta to the servers. They were automatically installed from DPM 2010 Management Console.

Protections Group
Servers i wa protecting in DPM 2007 SP1 were:
Windows 2003 R2 / Windows 2003
SQL Server 2005
SharePoint 2007 SP2
Exchange 2003 Sp2 (Front end and mailbox)
Windows XP SP3 clients.

Moving these servers to protection with DPM 2010 beta, i had this issues.
For a Windows 2008 R2 protected machine i had to install a Windows Server backup before i could successfull add server to a protection group. This was my domain controlller running Windows 2008 R2 which was trying to get the System State back-ed up.

On my exchange 2003 SP2 servers on a Windows 2003 Sp2, i needed a Windows 2003 patch. KB940349 to allow me to backup the exchange storage groups.

Now i am getting issues with Exchange files eseutil not executing. The DPM 2010 is x64 and my exchange 2003 is 32 bit (of course). i loaded the eseutil files to the DPM as requested but seems like it is not working.

The SharePoint 2007 SP2 protection worked like a charm once i had solved the WSS Writer Failures issues with ConfigureSharePoint.exe.

Will write about eseutil once i get it solved.

Microsoft Business Intelligence Project Booster Kit - SQLServerCentral

Microsoft Business Intelligence Project Booster Kit - SQLServerCentral: "Microsoft Business Intelligence Project Booster Kit: Tools and Utilities"

New RCs For Asterisk 1.4.27, 1.6.0.18, 1.6.1.10, and 1.6.2.0, Ready For Download. | VOIP IP Telephony

New RCs For Asterisk 1.4.27, 1.6.0.18, 1.6.1.10, and 1.6.2.0, Ready For Download. VOIP IP Telephony: "New RCs For Asterisk 1.4.27, 1.6.0.18, 1.6.1.10, and 1.6.2.0, Ready For Download."

One place to get all your updates for OCS R2 and clients

Updates Resource Center

HTTPS, SSL attack vector discovered; fix is on the way

A serious security flaw in the TLS protocol could make HTTP communication vulnerable to a man-in-the-middle attack. Security researchers are working to address the issue.

Read more ... http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2009/11/https-ssl-attack-vector-discovered-fix-is-on-the-way.ars

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Training Kit

Download details: Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Training Kit:
This week, the October preview of the Visual Studio 2010 & .NET Framework 4 Training Kit was released.

The content in this training kit has been tested with Beta 2 and is ready for you to use.

Windows Server 2008: Supported Microsoft Applications

Windows Server 2008: Supported Microsoft Applications: "Microsoft Server Applications Supported on Windows Server 2008 R2"

Exchangepedia Blog: Removing internal host names and IP addresses from message headers

Exchangepedia Blog: Removing internal host names and IP addresses from message headers: "Removing internal host names and IP addresses from message headers"

Apple Hits the Windows Wall — ServerWatch.com

Windows 7 has been out for barely two weeks, and its market share already rivals that of Mac OS X, despite years of marketing and strategizing on Apple's part. Does Windows stand a chance of being dethroned?

Mathematics for Automotive Engineering

Cylinder volume = (π/4) x bore2 x stroke

Displacement = (π/4) x bore2 x stroke x number of cylinders

Displacement of overbore = (π/4) x (bore + overbore)2 x stroke x number
of cylinders

Stroke = displacement/( π/4 x bore2 x number of cylinders)

Compression ratio = (cylinder + chamber volume)/chamber volume

Piston speed in inches per minute = 2 stroke in inches x rpm

Horsepower = (rpm x torque)/5252

Bhp loss = (elevation in feet/1000) x 0.03 x (bhp at sea level)

Horsepower = (mean effective pressure x displacement x rpm)/792,000

Torque = (mean effective pressure x displacement)/150.8

Theoretical cubic feet per minute = (rpm x displacement)/3456

Racing carb cfm = 1.1 x (rpm x displacement)/3456

Center of gravity behind front wheels = (rear wheel weight/overall
weight) x wheelbase

Drive wheel torque = flywheel torque x first gera x final drive x 0.85

Wheel thrust = drive wheel torque/rolling radius

g = wheel thrust/weight

rpm after shift = (ratio shift into/ratio shift from) x rpm before shift

mph = (rpm x tire diameter)/(gear ratio x 336)

tire diameter = 2 x (section width x aspect ratio)/2540 + rim diameter

Actual mph = (new tire diameter/old tire diameter) x indicated mph

Blood alcohol concentration = (ounces x %alcohol x 0.075)/weight — (hours x 0.015)

Free eBook : Master-PowerShell | With Dr. Tobias Weltner - PowerShell.com

Master-PowerShell With Dr. Tobias Weltner - PowerShell.com: "Master-PowerShell With Dr. Tobias Weltner"

Get Started Developing on SharePoint 2010

Get Started Developing on SharePoint 2010: "Get Started Developing on SharePoint 2010"

OCS/Exchange Integration: How to Change the Shared Folder Location for an OCS Enterprise Pool

Doug Deitterick's Blog : How to Change the Shared Folder Location for an OCS Enterprise Pool: "How to Change the Shared Folder Location for an OCS Enterprise Pool"

10 Ways to Take your Site from One to One Million Users by Kevin Rose

High Scalability - High Scalability - 10 Ways to Take your Site from One to One Million Users by Kevin Rose

SharePoint 2010: Hands on Labs in C# and Visual Basic

Download details: SharePoint 2010: Getting Started with Development on SharePoint 2010: Hands on Labs in C# and Visual Basic: "SharePoint 2010: Getting Started with Development on SharePoint 2010 Hands-on Labs in C# and Visual Basic"

Unified Communications Group Team Blog

Unified Communications Group Team Blog: "Exchange 2010 – Revving the Engines for Launch"

Microsoft Case Studies where Office SharePoint Server 2007 Accessibility Kit was used

Microsoft Case Studies: State of West Virginia: "State Government Modernizes Portal, Drives Internet Usage with Improved Online Services"

free eBook for Deploying Windows 7

The new eBook from Microsoft Press, Deploying Windows 7, offering essential guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and TechNet Magazine. You'll find selected chapters from the Windows 7 Resource Kit on deployment platforms, planning, and testing application compatibility, to name a few. You'll also get six new articles on Windows 7 from industry experts on migration, running Windows 7 in mixed environments, certification and more. The eBook is free for a limited time.

This book addresses the two issues everyone face in new deployments: application compatibility and deployment

Facebook is Many Things…but “UC Killer” is not one of Them

Facebook is Many Things…but “UC Killer” is not one of Them « BroadbandIgnite

SQL Remote Blob Storage Team Blog

This is another feature used by SharePoint 2010 which will be important in storage/performance optimization.

Microsoft vows no upgrade nightmares with monster SharePoint 2010 release

Microsoft vows no upgrade nightmares with monster SharePoint 2010 release: "Microsoft vows no upgrade nightmares with monster SharePoint 2010 release"

SharePoint 2010 is here.

The SharePoint 2010 NDA has been lifted as of October 19th, 9:00AM Pacific Standard Time

Here are some SharePoint 2010 links to share with all of you.

- SharePoint 2010 Website - to view SharePoint 2010 in action
- SharePoint 2010 forum- for SharePoint 2010 questions
- SharePoint 2010 PressPass- for the SPC 2009 keynote video, a Q&A with Jeff Teper, and more
- SharePoint 2010 Developer Center - for developer info
- http://www.mssharepointitpro.com - for IT Pro info
- http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint - for more SharePoint information

File Classification Infrastructure

Was at a "File Classification Infrastructure" presentation at SharePoint Conference 2009 today.
Especially the topic was about SharePoint and the FileShare strategy from Microsoft.

For once there is proper plans on bring SharePoint and FileShare servers/infrastructre from Microsoft.

Read more from here : http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/fci.aspx

I was told it would go beta in the next few days

7 tools for Windows 7 rollouts | NetworkWorld.com Community

7 tools for Windows 7 rollouts NetworkWorld.com Community: "7 tools for Windows 7 rollouts"

Microsoft beefs up its hosted Exchange/SharePoint suite | NetworkWorld.com Community

Microsoft beefs up its hosted Exchange/SharePoint suite NetworkWorld.com Community: "Microsoft beefs up its hosted Exchange/SharePoint suite"

a cool use of presence

Onze Mensen - Wortell

Snow Leopard bug deletes all user data

Apple's Snow Leopard OS bug deletes all user data.
I have not seen something this bad in Windows before.

WSUS Product Team Blog : New Product Family Name for Visual Studio coming soon

WSUS Product Team Blog : New Product Family Name for Visual Studio coming soon: "New Product Family Name for Visual Studio coming soon"

Download details: Patch Registration Cleanup Tool

Download details: Patch Registration Cleanup Tool: "Patch Registration Cleanup Tool"

Brief Description
On a computer that has a Windows Installer based product installed, you may receive an error while installing an update for the product and the installation of the update may fail.

patterns & practices SharePoint Guidance

Project Description

Microsoft develop guidance to help devs and architects build applications on SharePoint. The second version of guidance expanded coverage to LOB integration, content driven applications, and adding enterprise qualities to your SharePoint applications. The release includes a library of reusable components, a guide, and a new reference implementation of a Partner Portal application. It expands upon the first release which delivered a Training Management application, and guidance around unit testing SharePoint, fundamental design and implementation decisions, and how to setup team development environments with SharePoint.

http://www.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?ProjectName=spg

Developing SharePoint Applications - from Patterns and Practices

Developing SharePoint Applications
Guidance for building collaborative applications that extend your LOB systems

Summary
The Developing SharePoint Applications guidance helps architects and developers design and build applications that are both flexible and scaleable. It shows developers how to provide IT professionals with the information they need to maintain those applications and diagnose problems when they arise. The two reference implementations illustrate how to solve many of the common challenges developers encounter. One reference implementation addresses basic issues such as creating lists and content types. The other addresses more advanced problems such as how to integrate line of business services, how to create collaboration sites programmatically, and how to customize aspects of publishing and navigation. A library of reusable components helps you adopt techniques used in the reference implementations. The guidance discusses approaches for testing SharePoint applications, such as how to create unit tests, and documents experiences with stress and scale testing one of the reference implementations.

Should You Virtualize Your Exchange 2007 SP1 Environment?

Good place to start with a "checklist" and guide. This scenario applies a lot to what i am doing currently:Branch Office Deployments. Putting virtual servers on branch office with the many tools to assist remote deployments and administration, tremendously helped increase availability and productivity of the folks in the branch office.

Read more from Exchange Team Blog: http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/01/22/450463.aspx


Sarbjit

SQL Server Tempdb Usage and Bottlenecks tracked with Extended Events

I find this a pretty good and useful information on monitoring performance in SQL Server's Tempdb.

http://www.mssqltips.com/tip.asp?tip=1853&home

Now Available! Updated Deployment and Operations Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guides"

Five Steps to Windows 7 Application Readiness

Five Steps to Windows 7 Application Readiness: "Five Steps to Windows 7 Application Readiness"

Exchange 2010 System Requirements: Exchange 2010 Help

Here are some Exchange 2010 System Requirements where the requirements for Virtualization is set for Exchange 2010.

Microsoft SQL Server Tops All Databases in Emerging Markets

database news around the world: Survey: Microsoft SQL Server Tops All Databases in Emerging Markets: "Microsoft SQL Server Tops All Databases in Emerging Markets"

a dedicated blog to SSRS and SharePoint

RS SharePoint Integration: "RS SharePoint Integration"

Microsoft Security Essentials - in beta and ready to download and it's FREE.

Microsoft Security Essentials is now beta and ready to download.
Start using it now.

it took 4 clicks after downloading (which is about 4m in size), and it was done.

Microsoft Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool

Here is a great tool for ROI calculations just like Branch Office ROI tool i posted about earlier.

This one is the "Microsoft Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool"

The Microsoft Integrated Virtualization ROI Tool was developed independently by ex-Gartner TCO/ROI experts at leading ROI tool developer Alinean, Inc. This ROI tool helps partners and customers examine current production server, development / QA lab, desktop and application virtualization opportunities, quantifying the potential savings, service level and agility benefits, investment and ROI for implementing Microsoft Integrated Virtualization solutions.

https://roianalyst.alinean.com/microsoft/virtualization/

WINDOWS 7 GOVERNMENT-APPROVED

Feds Prepare To Make Leap to Windows 7 -- Redmondmag.com: "Feds Prepare To Make Leap to Windows 7"

Exchange 2010 RTM !!!

You Had Me At EHLO... : Exchange 2010 is Code Complete and on its way to General Availability: "Exchange 2010 is Code Complete and on its way to General Availability"

Exchange Server Supportability Matrix: Exchange 2007 Help

With Windows 2008 R2 generally available and Exchange upgrades coming along for Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010, i thought this would be useful.
Exchange Server Supportability Matrix: Exchange 2007 Help: "Exchange Server Supportability Matrix"

Exchange 2010 + Outlook Mobile + Windows Mobile 6.5 = Awesome!

View these videos on cool WM6.5 features with Ex2010 and Outlook mobile.
Exchange 2010 + Outlook Mobile + Windows Mobile 6.5 = Awesome!"

Configure a server farm for minimal downtime during software updates (Office SharePoint Server 2007)

This article describes how to update Office SharePoint Server farms with minimal downtime. By following the procedures in this article, you can update servers to add the latest service pack or cumulative update without incurring significant downtime for users. This article describes a step-by-step process for Office SharePoint Server farms that incorporate SQL Server mirroring.

You can achieve similar results on Office SharePoint Server farms that are set up in a clustered server environment.

Web Application Measurements Tool

Check out this tool from Keynote which allows you to monitor your online business performance.
Web Application Measurements Tool: "Application Perspective"

AvePoint News: AvePoint Introduces Free Tool for Item-Level SharePoint Restores from SQL Server and DPM Backups

AvePoint News: AvePoint Introduces Free Tool for Item-Level SharePoint Restores from SQL Server and DPM Backups: "AvePoint Introduces Free Tool for Item-Level SharePoint Restores from SQL Server and DPM Backups"

This is wonderful to hear. I run DPM and SharePoint in my client's environment and i would love to see how this works out.
Will update in the blog if it really works as mentioned or there is a catch.

An early look at SharePoint 2010 | Windows - InfoWorld

An early look at SharePoint 2010 Windows - InfoWorld: "An early look at SharePoint 2010"

"U.S. Government's Official Website Powered by SharePoint"

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090928_4383.php?oref=topstory

Microsoft Launches New Open Source CodePlex Foundation : BillS IIS Blog : The Official Microsoft IIS Site

Microsoft Launches New Open Source CodePlex Foundation : BillS IIS Blog : The Official Microsoft IIS Site: "Microsoft Launches New Open Source CodePlex Foundation"

XMPP Gateway update for OCS 2007 R2

Download details: Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway: "Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway"

Unified Communications: Uniting Communication Across Different Networks: Eric Swift, general manager of the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft, talks about today’s Microsoft Office Communications Server news and Microsoft’s commitment to increase interoperability of its unified communications and collaboration solutions with products from other vendors.

Unified Communications: Uniting Communication Across Different Networks: Eric Swift, general manager of the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft, talks about today’s Microsoft Office Communications Server news and Microsoft’s commitment to increase interoperability of its unified communications and collaboration solutions with products from other vendors.: "Unified Communications: Uniting Communication Across Different Networks"

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Fossil finds extend human story

BBC NEWS Science & Environment Fossil finds extend human story: "Fossil finds extend human story"

GIAC Certifications in High Demand

GIAC Certifications in High Demand: "GIAC Certifications in High Demand"

You can have your own personal Windows Supercomputer

SGI - Products: Servers: SGI Octane III: "Supercomputing Gets Personal"

Download details: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 is the newest version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a Solution Accelerator for operating system and application deployment. MDT 2010 supports deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in addition to deployment of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP.


Download details: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010: "Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010"

Download details: Office Communications Server 2007 R2, PreCallDiagnostic Resource Kit Tool

Overview
The PreCallDiagTool is an application that reports expected audio quality as it relates to the network effect. The tool should be installed on any desktop or laptop PC that suffers from inconsistent network connection quality. The PreCallDiagTool can provide a quick check of the current network conditions and also preserve a history of quality data to let users profile their network performance over time or other conditions. The tool is particularly useful for home/mobile users and users using WIFI access points

Download details: Office Communications Server 2007 R2, PreCallDiagnostic Resource Kit Tool: "Office Communications Server 2007 R2, PreCallDiagnostic Resource Kit Tool"

You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again | Epicenter | Wired.com

You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again Epicenter Wired.com: "You Deleted Your Cookies? Think Again"

Cisco Repairs Massive TCP flaw — ServerWatch.com

Cisco Repairs Massive TCP flaw — ServerWatch.com: "Cisco Repairs Massive TCP flaw"

Reshaping Cisco: The world according to Chambers | The Economist

Reshaping Cisco: The world according to Chambers The Economist: "The world according to Chambers"

I am Microsoft Learning's MVP Certification Hero for 2009

Thank You Microsoft Learning

Nortel to Avaya: You can buy our love … for $900M

Nortel to Avaya: You can buy our love … for $900M

Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications

Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications: "Magic Quadrant for Unified Communications"

a useful SQL Server Integration Services site

SQLIS SQL Server Integration Services - SSIS: "SQL Server Integration Services - SSIS"

Pre-Conference session today

Today is the second day of pre-con sessions. It is Greg Low's session. It is going to be very valuable i am sure.

at TechED Australia 2009, GoldCoast

Arrived in GoldCoast yesterday. It was raining in he afternoon but today it is just beautiful with sun out in full force and blue skies.

From my accomodations i can see the beach.

Data Platform Insider : Microsoft ships the first technology preview for Project code-named "Madison"

Data Platform Insider : Microsoft ships the first technology preview for Project code-named "Madison": "Microsoft ships the first technology preview for Project code-named 'Madison'"

No support for Address List Segregation in Exchange 2003

Dgoldman's WebLog : Exchange 2003 Address List Segregation Document: "Exchange 2003 Address List Segregation Document"

How to restrict OWA address searches to multiple organizational units

Have you had an issues with OWA and multiple GALs due to the structure of your organisation or hosting environment?
you may find this very useful.

How to restrict OWA address searches to multiple organizational units: "How to restrict OWA address searches to multiple organizational units"

You Had Me At EHLO... : Hungry for More Info on Exchange 2010? Try some Learning Snacks!

You Had Me At EHLO... : Hungry for More Info on Exchange 2010? Try some Learning Snacks!: "Hungry for More Info on Exchange 2010? Try some Learning Snacks!"

SharePoint Questionnaire for requirements gathering.

SharePoint Questionnaire: "SharePoint Questionnaire"

From Heather Solomon's blog

thanks

You Had Me At EHLO... : Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 available in Q3 2009

You Had Me At EHLO... : Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 available in Q3 2009: "Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 available in Q3 2009"
and here is the What's new in Exchange 2007 SP2: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee221150.aspx

Rubens Barrichello WINS!!!

YES !!! I have supported Rubens all this time. He has come close to winning this year but either the team, his team mate and even himself have failed him, sometimes at the last stages.
He won in last weekend's Valencia F1 race.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/8/9794.html

Finally he has done!! I am happy for you.
Let's hope the world championship can be your target now. Not many points behind button.

Sarbjit

SharePoint in Plain English

Get The Point blog – http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/blogs/GetThePoint
MS Showcase – www.microsoft.com/video/en/us/details/76e8d3af-c2bd-42a6-bb12-befcbd041bf1
MSN Video – http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&vid=76e8d3af-c2bd-42a6-bb12-befcbd041bf1
YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s12Jb5Z2xaE

Countdown to PDC09: 10 Minutes Gets You the Goods

Countdown to PDC09: 10 Minutes Gets You the Goods

You Had Me At EHLO... : Exchange Server 2010 Release Candidate Available Today!

You Had Me At EHLO... : Exchange Server 2010 Release Candidate Available Today!:

Love the quote ---> "In fact, Exchange is now is approaching $2B in annual revenues. If Exchange were a standalone business, it would be the 9th largest software company in the world."

STSDEV: Simple Tools for SharePoint 2007 Development - Release: STSDEV 1.4

STSDEV: Simple Tools for SharePoint 2007 Development - Release: STSDEV 1.4: "STSDEV: Simple Tools for SharePoint 2007 Development"

118 blogs for OCS/UC (and counting)

Office Communications Server Team Blog : 118 blogs for OCS/UC (and counting): "118 blogs for OCS/UC (and counting)"

What's Wrong With Windows Mobile and How WM7 and WM8 Are Going to Fix It - Apple - Gizmodo

What's Wrong With Windows Mobile and How WM7 and WM8 Are Going to Fix It - Apple - Gizmodo: "What's Wrong With Windows Mobile and How WM7 and WM8 Are Going to Fix It"

Zune HD video hands-on: chock-full of media edition

Zune HD video hands-on: chock-full of media edition: "Zune HD video hands-on: chock-full of media edition"

SlySoft Download | AnyDVD, CloneDVD, CloneCD, GameJackal, Any DVD, Clone DVD, Clone CD, Game Jackal

SlySoft Download AnyDVD, CloneDVD, CloneCD, GameJackal, Any DVD, Clone DVD, Clone CD, Game Jackal: "Virtual CloneDrive"
From the latest Mark Minasi newsletter, it is mentioned that the ISO mounting tool, Virtual CloneDrive will work on Windows 7 for both 32bit and 64bit.

"Welcome to the Microsoft Branch Office Savings Calculator"

I have a client which is looking at the ROI for deploying servers to their branch office. Right now PCs/Laptop and even VoIP phones from the branch office connects back to servers and Call Manager in the HQ.

After doing a POC for a Branch Office Scenario, the high management did not approve the purchase of servers for the branch office, which happen to be a vessel. :)

I have been told by the technical manager to justify the branch office scenario using some ROI tool.
Searching around and even trying to do my own, i found this tool: The Microsoft Branch Office Savings Calculator. https://roianalyst.alinean.com/branch/launch.html
"The Branch Office Savings Calculator was developed independently by leading IT research firm IDC, and leading ROI tool developer Alinean, Inc. "

Within 30 min i had a cool 87 page reports and the summary one of 9 pages. i think with some more thing customizing my data, i could have some i could hand over to my client and the senior management.

Give it a try if you have a similar scenario.

Microsoft’s SharePoint Thrives in the Recession - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

A very good article on SharePoint.

Microsoft’s SharePoint Thrives in the Recession - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com: "Microsoft’s SharePoint Thrives in the Recession"

DPM 2007 SP1 Implementation – Notes from the field - Dario IT Solutions Blog

DPM 2007 SP1 Implementation – Notes from the field - Dario IT Solutions Blog: "DPM 2007 SP1 Implementation – Notes from the field"

This is useful for me when i was configuring DPM Server 2007 Sp1 for backing up Hyper-V.

Jose Barreto's Blog : Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Failover Clustering Options

Many ways to implement Windows 2008 Clustering and Hyper-V
Read more at Jose Barreto's Blog : Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Failover Clustering Options: "Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Failover Clustering Options"

The 40 Most Popular Tools For Your System Admin Bag

The 40 Most Popular Tools For Your System Admin Bag: "The 40 Most Popular Tools For Your System Admin Bag"

I have been confirmed for TechED Australia 2009

I will be serving my duties as a TLG (Technical Learning Guide). This is a role created for MCTs and MVPs and have been very popular and successful in many TechEds around the world.

The last time i did work as a TLG was in Orlando in 2007 and Boston the year before that.

If you going to be there, do check out the Technical Learning Centres and the many hands on labs and instructor led trainings. Also don't loose the chance of catching up on Microsoft certifications exams as it would be heavily discounted.

I am presenting at Singapore Windows User Group event

I will be presenting STEALTHbits's StealthAUDIT focusing on Exchange and Active Directory auditing.

Here is the full agenda. http://sgwindowsgroup.org/blogs/swug/default.aspx

Applying Remote Technical Consulting to Your Business

This is a good artcile on building a model and following these best practices for your remote consulting business, you can avoid problems and reduce costs.

Download details: Microsoft SDL - Developer Starter Kit

Overview
The Microsoft SDL - Developer Starter Kit provides a compliation of baseline developer security training materials on the following core Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) topics: a) secure design principles; b) secure implementation principles; c) secure verification principles; d) SQL injection; e) cross-site scripting; f) code analysis; g)banned application programming interfaces (APIs); h) buffer overflows; i) source code annotation language; j) security code review; k) compiler defenses; l) fuzz testing; m) Microsoft SDL threat modeling principles; and n) the Microsoft SDL threat modeling tool. Each set of guidance contains Microsoft Office PowerPoint slides, speaker notes, train-the-trainer audio files, and sample comprehension questions. All materials have limited formatting so that you can leverage the content to achieve broader, enhanced adoption of Microsoft SDL principles in your development organization.

Download details: Microsoft SDL - Developer Starter Kit: "Microsoft SDL - Developer Starter Kit"

If you find Carbonite on your systems...

Carbonite, the consumer/small business online backup company, has struck a deal with Sun to piggyback on Java and offer a free 30-day trial of its widgetry to anybody who upgrades to the latest version of Java or downloads in for the first time.

Carbonite Piggybacks on Java JAVA Developer's Journal:
http://java.sys-con.com/node/1027624

Registration :: Microsoft PDC09

Registration :: Microsoft PDC09: "PDC09 Registration is Open"

"So is Microsoft f*%&ed? Not even close."

Microsoft Gets FAM-iliar With Cloud Computing.

A good read from Paul Thurrott at WindowsITPro.com

SharePoint Management PowerShell scripts - Home

SharePoint Management PowerShell scripts - Home: "SharePoint Management PowerShell scripts"

Check out this Codeplex's project on SharePoint management with Powershell.

iPhone hack with SMS from BlackHat USA 2009

http://www.blackhat.com/presentations/bh-usa-09/MILLER/BHUSA09-Miller-FuzzingPhone-PAPER.pdf