Check this out, Sembee just posted an awesome blog
Source: http://www.sembee.co.uk/archive/2008/05/12/77.aspx
...A new tool from the Microsoft Exchange team, currently in prototype/development may well be something to help you. https://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com/ can currently test Autodiscover, Outlook Anywhere (which should work for Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007), ActiveSync and inbound SMTP.
Good olde Doug has done it again. Check the docs out they are great
Source: http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2008/05/12/448867.aspx
Download: http://msexchangeteam.com/files/448862/download.aspx
The ability to continue to provide a full service to your user community in the unlikely event of the loss of a datacentre is an increasingly common requirement. The use of Continuous Replication (CCR and SCR) with Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 is an obvious choice in providing data availability and site resilience. One advantage to this approach is that the reliance on expensive storage replication solutions is eliminated. In addition, a disaster recovery scenario is managed from within one team rather than several teams. In most cases the messaging team can manage the restoration of service without the intervention from the storage team, or from a remote 3rd party hardware vendor for example. The use of Exchange Server data replication as opposed to storage replication solutions also gives us more options to use PowerShell scripts to assist administrators in simplifying and controlling service and data recovery and application-based replication is generally superior in assessing the health of the data being replicated than hardware or storage-based replication.
Crikey!
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7397370.stm
Hewlett-Packard (HP) has confirmed that it is in talks to buy the information technology provider Electronic Data Systems (EDS).
It followed a report in the Wall Street Journal, which said that HP was close to a deal to buy EDS for between $12bn (£6.1bn) and $13bn.
EDS is a Texas-based information technology services company, of which HP is among the biggest customers.
Steve blogged this (http://blogs.msdn.com/stevecla01/archive/2008/05/09/a-field-guide-to-geek-types.aspx) from Wired (http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/magazine/16-04/st_geekster)
So which one are you?
1. The Fanboy2. The Music Geek3. The Gamer4. The Gadget Guy5. The Hacker6. The Otaku
Me thinks I am ... :-|4. The Gadget GuyDisposition: Sociable while waiting in line on launch day; ferocious in comments on Gizmodo. Seemingly unflappable in the face of early adopter's remorse (aka Apple Newton Syndrome).Beliefs: I can fix that. There's no god but MacGyver. The price will drop in a month, but I need it now.Turn-Ons: Unboxing videos. Backup batteries. Blue LEDs. Laser pointers. People who RTFM. Things that make loud clicking sounds.
Cor blimey look at these fixes .. This is an interesting statement:
"Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) resolves issues that were found in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 since the software was released. This update rollup is highly recommended for all Exchange Server 2007 SP1 customers.
This update rollup does not apply to Exchange Server 2007 Release To Manufacturing (RTM)"
Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 fixes the issues that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:
You can download from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=99DA32E0-D9E3-4156-AABF-8369BF96E3E7&displaylang=en or let Windows Update break you server for you ;-)
Oh my gwad, looks like my nokia phone may have an unexpected accident!
Source: http://www.htc.com/uk/product.aspx?id=46038
Featuring a sharp 2.8-inch touch screen housed within a stunning formation of brushed steel and flawless faceted edges, the HTC Touch Diamond is as beautiful to behold as it is to use.
With HTC’s vibrant touch-responsive user interface, TouchFLO™ 3D, and ultra-fast HSDPA internet connectivity… the HTC Touch Diamond offers a rich online experience to rival a notebook computer, allowing you to interact with Google, YouTube, and Wikipedia as freely as you would with a broadband connection.
So here we are again:
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* New Downloads available in April 2008
Microsoft Antigen 9.0 with SP1 Readme
The Messaging Security Suite includes Antigen for Exchange, Antigen for SMTP Gateways, and Antigen Spam Manager, and provides server-level protection against the latest e-mail threats.
4/30/2008
Visio 2007 Pro - Exchange Server Connector
This Microsoft Office Visio 2007 Connector is an add-in for Microsoft Office Visio 2007 that you can use to diagram a Microsoft Exchange Server site topology, including sites, servers, and connections for an organization.
Exchange Server 2007 Protocol Documentation Set
The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Protocol technical documentation set provides technical specifications for Microsoft protocols, and Microsoft extensions to industry-standard or other published protocols that are implemented and used in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
4/25/2008
Exchange Load Generator (64 bit)
Exchange Load Generator is a simulation tool to measure the impact of MAPI, OWA, IMAP, POP and SMTP clients on Exchange servers.
Exchange Load Generator (32 bit)
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online E-mail Router
The E-mail Router transfers e-mail messages to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and it sends outgoing e-mail messages.
4/14/2008
How Microsoft IT Implemented New Storage Designs for Exchange Server 2007
How does Exchange Server 2007 enable a large enterprise to increase mailbox quotas globally by a factor of ten and still lower storage costs, reduce maintenance complexities, and simplify data recovery processes? Microsoft IT was able to take advantage of Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) in new mailbox server designs based on direct attached storage (DAS).
4/11/2008
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Resource Center Video
With the release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, customers and partners now have a convenient, comprehensive, and configurable resource center easily accessible from within their CRM application.
4/9/2008
Implement Business Productivity Online
Planning for and implementing Microsoft Online Services in your environment.
Microsoft Exchange 2007 SP1 MP for MOM 2005
MOM 2005 Management Pack for Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1
4/7/2008
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Help
This download contains a standalone version of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Help.
4/2/2008
Security White Papers
Security white papers that address the specific security needs of particular industries, such as the professional services and financial services industries.
4/1/2008
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Release Notes
This download contains a stand-alone version of the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Release Notes.
#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#* Webcasts showing at a desktop near you in May 2008 Ahhh, nothing, nada zip nothing!
New KBs in April 2008 Using KBAlertz now as there is no easy way that I can find to get this from Microsoft.com Exchange 5.5: http://kbalertz.com/Technology_55.aspx Exchange 2000: http://kbalertz.com/Technology_53.aspx Exchange 2003: http://kbalertz.com/Technology_313.aspx Exchange 2007: http://kbalertz.com/Technology_515.aspx Forefront For Exchange: http://kbalertz.com/Technology_523.aspx
April 29, 2008 950157 The Inetinfo.exe process crashes on an Exchange Server 2003 front-end server in certain configurations
April 25, 2008 947468 The deletion text for certain detected files cannot be customized in Antigen products and in Forefront Security products
April 24, 2008 948828 Error message when you enable the "Show in Groups" option for a folder that contains thousands of e-mail messages in Outlook: "Outlook is retrieving data from the Microsoft Exchange Server <ServerName>"
April 21, 2008 951577 The System Attendant resource cannot fail over in an Exchange Server 2003 cluster, and event IDs 1069, 1082 and, 1121 are logged
April 18, 2008 913579 An update to a recurring meeting request that is sent from Exchange Server 2003 does not occur on the receiver side 951402 KBAlertz.com: Multiple Exchange Server 2007 services do not start when you upgrade a computer that is also running Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008
April 17, 2008 947484 Event IDs 9582, 9665, and 9175 may occur on a server that is running Exchange Server 2003
April 14, 2008 951183 Error message when you try to uninstall Exchange Server 2007: "Process execution failed with exit code 5" 951241 You cannot install Forefront Server Security for Exchange and Forefront Server Security for SharePoint on the same server
April 7, 2008 950796 The Exchange ActiveSync process is unsuccessful, and an error code is returned to the mobile device in Exchange Server 2003 948744 ActiveSync cannot synchronize a mailbox if the Exchange Server 2003 store contains a corrupted e-mail item
April 3, 2008 949599 The Inetinfo.exe process may crash frequently after you enable regtrace on an Exchange Server 2003 server 950951 The *.* file filter in Microsoft Antigen may not detect a file attachment that does not have a file name extension
April 2, 2008 946055 The contents of attachments are changed to match the contents of the first attachment in Exchange Server 2003 when an e-mail message contains multiple attachments that have DBCS characters in their file names
April 1, 2008 951061 Description of the March 2008 special daylight saving time (DST) update release of Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2
This made me smile
My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'
My mother taught me RELIGION'You better pray that this will come out of the carpet.'
My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'
My mother taught me LOGIC' Because I said so, that's why.'
My mother taught me MORE LOGIC'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'
My mother taught me FORESIGHT'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'
My mother taught me IRONY'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'
My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'
My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'
My mother taught me about STAMINA'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'
My mother taught me about WEATHER'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'
My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'
My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION'Stop acting like your father!'
My mother taught me about ENVY'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'
My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION'Just wait until we get home.'
My mother taught me about RECEIVING'You are going to get it when you get home!'
My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.'
My mother taught me ESP'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'
My mother taught me HUMOUR'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'
My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'
My mother taught me GENETICS'You're just like your father.'
My mother taught me about my ROOTS'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'
My mother taught me WISDOM'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'
And my favourite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you '
I also got asked this ... What is https!
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Https
https (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer) is a URI scheme used to indicate a secure HTTP connection. It is syntactically identical to the http:// scheme normally used for accessing resources using HTTP. Using an https: URL indicates that HTTP is to be used, but with a different default TCP port (443) and an additional encryption/authentication layer between the HTTP and TCP. This system was designed by Netscape Communications Corporation to provide authentication and encrypted communication and is widely used on the World Wide Web for security-sensitive communication such as payment transactions and corporate logons.
How It WorksStrictly speaking, https is not a separate protocol, but refers to the combination of a normal HTTP interaction over an encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection. This ensures reasonable protection from eavesdroppers and man-in-the-middle attacks.
An https: URL may specify a TCP port; if it does not, the connection uses port 443 (unsecured HTTP typically uses port 80).
To prepare a web-server for accepting https connections the administrator must create a public key certificate for the web-server. This certificate must be signed by a certificate authority of one form or another, which certifies that the certificate holder is indeed the entity it claims to be. Web browsers are generally distributed with the signing certificates of major certificate authorities, so that they can verify certificates signed by them.
Organizations may also run their own certificate authority, particularly if they are responsible for setting up browsers to access their own sites (for example, sites on a company intranet), as they can trivially add their own signing certificate to those shipped with the browser.
Some sites, especially those operated by hobbyists, use self-signed certificates on public sites. Using these provides protection against simple eavesdropping, but unlike a well-known certificate, preventing a man-in-the-middle attack with a self-signed certificate requires the site to make available some other secure method of verifying the certificate.
The system can also be used for client authentication, in order to restrict access to a Web server to only authorized users. For this, typically the site administrator creates certificates for each user which are loaded into their browser. These normally contain the name and e-mail address of the authorized user, and are automatically checked by the server on each reconnect to verify the user's identity, potentially without ever entering a password.
I got asked this today and just to confirm I was kinda right I thought I would share it! ;-)
Transaction Log File Replay: Soft Recovery and Hard Recovery in Exchange Server 2003http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997761(EXCHG.65).aspx
As used in Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003, the word recovery must be distinguished from the word restore. Restore is the act of putting database and log files back into place on a server, and recovery is the act of replaying transaction logs into the restored database.
Types of Recovery There are two forms of recovery:
Soft RecoveryIn the default soft recovery scenario, an external event unexpectedly stops an Exchange database, but the database and log files remain intact and in place. When the database is mounted again, Exchange reads the checkpoint file and begins to replay the transaction log that is listed as the checkpoint log. If no checkpoint file exists, replay begins with the oldest log file available in the transaction log folder for the storage group.
Exchange writes to the database files completed transactions found in the log file that have not already been written and reverses any incomplete transactions. Exchange never begins writing a transaction into the database files until all the operations composing it have been secured to the log files. You do not need to physically undo or back out a transaction in the database if all uncommitted transaction logs present at the time of the unexpected stop are present when replay begins.
Hard RecoveryHard recovery must be completed after restoring from online backup. Hard recovery is a log file replay process that is similar to soft recovery, but there are some important differences. In hard recovery:
Database files (.edb and .stm) restored from an online backup set are restored to the normal paths defined for the database. Restore begins by overwriting existing databases files. If there is any chance that you might need the existing database files in the future, you must move them or back them up before restoring from online backup. Take into consideration that restore of the online backup could fail for any number of reasons. Even if the existing database files cannot be started at the moment, they are probably still repairable, and data could still be salvaged if necessary.
As you begin restoration of an online backup, Exchange prompts you to provide a temporary folder location. The backup program restores transaction log files from the backup set to this location, not to the normal transaction log file path. The backup program also creates the Restore.env file in the temporary folder.
The function of Restore.env in hard recovery is similar to that of the checkpoint file in soft recovery. Restore.env defines the range of transaction log files that should be present in the temporary folder for hard recovery. If you place extra logs in the temporary folder—logs that are outside the range listed in Restore.env—they are not replayed and the recovery process may delete them automatically.
You may have extra log files to replay that are not from an online backup set. In this case, place those logs in the normal transaction logs folder for the storage group and not in the temporary folder. After hard recovery finishes replaying the logs restored from the backup set, the process checks the normal transaction log folder to see if the next log in sequence is available.
Interesting, this was kept quite :-| but indeed it is available for download from https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do
Service Pack 5
And supporting docs are here: http://www.blackberry.com/knowledgecenterpublic/livelink.exe/customview.html?func=ll&objId=7963
So the release notes say:
The Feature and Technical Overview says:
None of the documents mention anything about Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 only Exchange 2007!
Hummm this was news to me.
Source: http://www.platespin.com/novell/
On March 31, 2008, Novell announced that it has acquired PlateSpin Ltd. The combination of Novell’s platform and automation management with PlateSpin's leading solutions for workload relocation, protection and provisioning will give customers the agility to cross physical and virtual boundaries so IT can work together. Both organizations are focused on helping customers maximize the strategic value of the heterogeneous data center. Novell and PlateSpin will deliver products for complete workload lifecycle management and optimization for Linux, UNIX, and Windows operating systems in the physical and virtual data center.
So I might have mentioned this before, but when I hibernate I loose the SD card. I have just got off the tube and put vista in to sleep.
No when it woke up, the SD card was found!!!! Strange but true!
So that is it, 3 days of life on a Prince2 training course, and I passed with 63 out of 75, which is really cool, so its time to update my CV and upload it jobserve ASAP.
What I found interesting is that the objective of the course is to get you to pass the exam, and not really get a fill grasp of project management ... but I would recommended it. Its like ITIL, you have to "learn" a new language .. Prince2 speak.
I booked it with KnowledgeTrain and the training is in some nice offices in Temple. Looking to probably book the Prince2 practioner conversion course next week.
Now back to job hunting and concreting my shed bas .. got a ton of aggregate and cement turning up tomorrow .. oh joy!
So today my Windows mobile hung. With most WM devices you have a soft reset button, but that is sadly lacking from the Shift, so the only fix is to remove the battery.
So I put vista into hibernate and removed the battery.
What is strange is that vista performed a standard boot and not a restore from hibernate!!! confused me .. I thought the hibernate file is stored on disk!
oh and to top things off, vista boots before WM, so to get 3g on vista you need to turn the modem off and back on again!
Talking to Joe today and he applied Forefront RU2 to an Exchange 2007 SCC Cluster.What he didn't expect what that Forefront stopped updating with the following error:
Event Source: GetEngineFilesEvent Category: Engine Error Event ID: 6012Description:Microsoft Forefront Server Security encountered an error while performing a scan engine update.Scan Engine: AhnLabError Code: 0x80090005Description: The product license has expired.
CAS/HUB servers continued updating with no problems. He removed RU2 and updates work again!
What he did find is that when you do to Help/About on the Forefront console it said that the expiration date was the 31st March 2009!