Category: Uncategorized

The more I do, the more I learn

Just learnt some more important lessons recently after being involved in another SBS Migration. In most cases these days we migrate existing clients using the SBS Swing Migration kit put together by Jeff Middleton. If you are in the business of upgrading Windows networks then I strongly suggest you take a look at Jeff’s site (www.sbsmigration.com) and invest, since it is going to save you hours of work.

 

During the forklift of Exchange Server databases from the old server to the new server we discovered that they wouldn’t mount. The reason was that the distinguished name of on the old server was different than the new server. The old server looked like /o=first organization /ou=first organization.. while the new server read /o=business name /ou=first organization. The reason for this? Well, it turns out the old server was an OEM installation which meant that Exchange had been configured BEFORE the client details had been entered. Thus, even using the Swing Migration kit, the same server name and domain name there was an issue. The situation can be rectified using LegacyDn, which allows you to change these values. Now, you have to be careful using this tool as the following Microsoft KB article says and make sure the values from the old server match the new server. We also found that after making the changes you need to reboot the new server so that the values will be flushed through the AD.

 

After the reboot you will also probably need to disconnect all the existing user mailboxes and then re-connect them so that all the details are correct. A pain, I know but it did the trick. So the lesson here is that if you are migrating from an OEM installation of SBS then more than likely you should run LegacyDn to record the Exchange database details just in case there is name mismatch after the migration.

 

Now, during the migration process we had some issues with Exchange public folders and I was trying to mail enable them while using Remote Desktop from a workstation. Now for some reason the option to run the Exchange tasks wasn’t being displayed when I hit the right mouse button on the public folder. Turns out that it won’t display unless I am using Remote Desktop as the console session. To to this you need to run:

 

%SystemRoot%\system32\mstsc.exe /console

 

It seems that there are somethings that just don’t work unless you are remoted in as the console session. So lesson two is that if you plan to do any administrative work on a server via remote desktop (especially during a migration) always remote in as the console session.

Video 42 – Wireless security

I’ve just uploaded Video 42 to YouTube. To view it simply click here.
 
In this video I’ve focused on why implementing Wireless Security is important. All it takes is a single opening for someone to potentially gain complete access to your network and Internet. The video concludes with some recommendation about how to make sure your Wireless Network is kept secure.

Is this the end of the Blackberry?

Like the Ipod, one of the great technology revolutions recently has been the introduction of the iPhone. Both of these devices are probably not a massive technological revolution in real terms but they have revolutionized the look, feel, design and way a technology device has been marketed to the masses. Apple is to be congratulated whole heartedly for this, they are masters of the game.

 

One of the major appeals of the iPhone is not doubt its interface. The ability to drag pages, the appearance and more make it a stand out of design that few other suppliers seem to be able to duplicate (even though it wouldn’t seem that hard). We are yet to see the iPhone here in Australia yet I know that one of the biggest drawbacks it has had is its inability to be used in a corporate environment. The major requirement here is the ability for the phone to sync up with corporate email servers, probably the most popular one being Microsoft Exchange Server. In many cases this has meant that executives had to choose whether to forgo the iPhone for the standard Blackberry (or Windows Mobile device) or carry around two devices.

 

Well no more. It would seem from this press release that Apple is going to allow the iPhone to work with Microsoft’s ActiveSync technology, which will lay the ground work for the iPhone to sync with Exchange Server. The removal of this barrier will probably see the wide scale adoption of the iPhone in business markets. This spells trouble for Blackberry devices (and Windows Mobile devices as well mind you). The Blackberry maybe functional and maybe already widespread but it lacks one important feature when compared to the iPhone. Coolness.

 

As the iPod generation begins to make a greater impact on the business world, rising through the ranks, there seems little doubt they will demand the iPhone as the communications device of choice. The acceptance by both Microsoft and Apple that this is in both of their best interests, I believe, is going to make a significant change on the technology landscape in the years ahead. The biggest loser in this change, at the moment, would certainly appear to be Blackberry, however if I was selling Windows Mobile devices I wouldn’t become complacent. Windows Mobile devices probably have one more development cycle left to challenge the iPhone before they too come under significant threat.

 

When it comes to market share, cool beats functional any day of the week.

Sometimes it pays to stop and think for a moment

So I was trying out some software that I’d heard about that would protect your PC from browser based attacks. I installed and rebooted and guess what? Blue Screen of Death. Damm. Now it wasn’t the end of the world but it was still a pain since I stupidly hadn’t attempted to install the software on a Virtual PC first.

 

So without thinking too much I booted into safe mode and attempted to uninstall the software using Add/Remove programs. No good, needs Windows installer which doesn’t run in safe mode. Next option, hack the registry and remove all references to the product I just installed. Reboot, still Blue Screen of Death. Damm. Next, take out my image recovery CD and boot to it planning to restore my boot drive from an image I made yesterday. Boot to CD, start restore program, just about to press the Start button, when my logic finally catches up with my brain.

 

Wouldn’t the simplest way be to boot into Safe Mode and do a System Restore? Yes, ladies and gentlemen it was and it fixed the issue but it does illustrate a point. In the world of IT we are faced with “disasters” everyday but we probably don’t have a method of effectively dealing with them. I suggest that maybe the best idea is simply to take stock of the situation and then DO NOTHING. Well, not quite nothing. I’d suggest a deep breath and some time thinking about the problem and possible solutions. It is better to survey the land than charge into a battle with the wrong plan. Patience, grasshopper, patience.

 

It is too easy for even an experienced hand like myself to rush into the fray “knowing” the solution. In some cases it may even make it worse. A little time to think about the issues, even write down some solutions and then develop a strategy can make all the difference. Now I generally try to implement this strategy but as I found out here, it is so easy to slip back into the “full-steam” ahead mode. Human instinct after all I suppose.

 

Such a situation reminds me of a good book I recently read called Deep Survival: Who lives, Who dies and Why by Laurence Gonzales. It delves extensively into what makes some people survive while others perish. The psychology behind the findings are truly amazing and I would still recommend you read it just for the incredible stories of human survival. For a complete review hop on over to Goodreads and and link to my profile (director@ciaops.com) where you’ll find my list of readings as well as reviews of the material. If you like reading, the Goodreads is a great site.

 

So in this world of rush, rush, rush more time actually thinking about a problem before acting can actually be a good thing and will more than likely save you time in the long run. Patience is a virtue that I need to constantly work at.

Ah ha, what I have now figured out

In my last post I mentioned how I was having some formatting issue posting updates to the blog using Windows Live Writer. Now that I have looked through the menu options on Live Writer I have solved that issue.

 

What you need to do under Windows Live Writer is go View | Update Weblog style. This will download a whole swag of formatting layouts and make then the default for Live Writer. Now, Live Write looks exactly like the format of the blog with the same fonts, backgrounds and what not.

 

So now, as you can see I have my paragraph breaks back! The bottom line is when you install the Community Kit for Sharepoint and you plan to use Windows Live Writer to post updates make sure you also Update the Weblog style in Windows Live Writer before you starting posting. All very simple when you know how eh?

Community kit for Sharepoint

Thought I’d do quick posting on what I’ve found so far about install the Community Kit for Sharepoint. To get it running all you need to do is download the source and then run the batch file that is included. When you run the batch file you will be asked for your Sharepoint server and then the blog site on the Sharepoint server. Once the batch file is complete your blog site will be automatically upgraded.

What I like

– The new look and feel is great. It really make the normal Sharepoint blog site look flash. Very much like WordPress now.

– The fact that blog postings URL’s have been changed to …\blog\archive\2008\… rather than the normal Sharepoint links. even better there is translation so that anything that has already been indexed by something like Google will remain valid and accessible to visitors

– The fact that I can still get to my Sharepoint blog admin commands which remain in Sharepoint style screens.

– It didn’t break my blog. I can still post via Windows Live Writer or manually via the blog. Also, all my existing entries remained.

– The automated trackbacks and links to del.icio.us, facebook and what not. You see it everywhere and it is now nice to have in Sharepoint blogs.

What I haven’t figured out yet

– Why my postings from Windows Live Writer and manual interaction with the blog seem to remove my paragraph breaks. This make things more difficult to read. I’m sure that it is some simple HTML or CSS thing but as yet I haven’t worked out how to get my paragraph breaks back.

– How to edit the theme and perhaps ad my own graphics and text. Now, I’m sure there is a reall simply way but you need time to sit down and fiddle with all this. Was really impressed with what has been done over at http://www.wssdemo.com/blog with moving icons and what not. Somewhere, I’m sure there is way to do that but as yet I haven’t found it.

Gotcha’s

– The only one so far is the fact that with the kit installed you can’t easily roll back to the way the blog used to be just in Sharepoint. Now, I’m sure you could remove the kit files from Sharepoint and that would fix the issue but it would still be nice to be able to revert back to the original Sharepoint blog look and feel quickly.

Summary

So all in all I am pretty happy with the ease with which the kit can be installed and the “make over” it gives standard Sharepoint blogs. Sure there is still stuff I’d like to do to make the kit more personalized to my blog as well as few minor issues to resolve (which take time), but generally I think that the creators deserve a hearty pat on the back for an excellent effort and making it available for free. Well Done.

Threats from "new" devices

I’ve now seen a few stories about new IT devices containing viruses and malware. Here’s an article from the LA Times that gives bit more details about how much more wide spread it is becoming. You would think that buying something as simple a new digital picture frame wouldn’t mean you’d have to scan it for suspect software, but you do. Seems like the best idea with all these things is simply to reformat them and reload before you use them. What a pain!