SBS 2011, Configuring (70-169) Certification Guide

I am very happy to announce that the book (MCTS): Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard, Configuring (70-169) Certification Guide that I co-authored with Drew Hills is now available for purchase. You can purchase directly from the publisher here:

http://www.packtpub.com/mcts-microsoft-windows-small-business-server-2011-standard-configuring-certification-guide/book

or from most other book stores like Amazon.

The book is aimed at helping those looking to pass the Microsoft SBS 2011 70-169 certification. Hopefully it is also a good reference source for those looking to get the most from SBS 2011.

I’d like to thank my co-author Drew Hills for working with me on the project as well as the reviewers Susan Bradley, Boon Tee and Hilton Travis. The book is much better for all your input.

Not simple

I recently procured a WD Sentinel backup NAS that included Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. You can read about the unit from Wayne Small’s blog, however I’m just going to give you my experiences with getting the things integrated into my network.

First of all I must say that the hardware is very impress. Small, neat, and quiet. So I plugged the unit into the network and went to admin page to do the setup. For some reason it hadn’t picked up an IP address from the DHCP server. So I powered the unit off and on, then gained access. Next I answered all the setup question and left the thing to complete initializations.

A few hours later the device LCD panel said it was still initializing so I logged into the console. I tried to create a new user but could allocate that user any shares. I check the status and the report that came back didn’t show anything.

I then decided to install all the required updates (300MB+) as the box effectively runs Windows Server 2008 R2 server. After a few reboots the box was all up to date. Now when I logged into the console I could see all the shares and create some users.

I installed the Storage Server Essentials client software on a Windows 7 workstation and that all went fine. I then tried to back up this very basic machine from the server using the console. After 3 attempts I gave up. Every time it got to 13% and then just stopped.

Abandoning the Windows 7 PC for a MAC I tried to install the client software but every time I was told the software as already installed and I would need to uninstall first. I couldn’t the see the MAC in the Storage Server Essentials console so I abandoned that for the time being and moved on a Windows XP machine.

Even here the installation of the client software once again bombed out with an ‘unexpected error’. I looked at the troubleshooting link and that wasn’t much help. So I again abandoned that effort.

You know what worked really well? Simply browsing to the network location of the WD Sentinel and copying files up. Works a treat on Windows 7, MAC and Windows XP. Which kinda leads me to why I’m writing this post.

To all you Windows Server fanboi’s out there, let me tell you this is simply too hard for the average consumer (and small business). I’m sure that I’ll be able to work out all the problems but guess what? I really don’t want to. My expectation is, outta the box, turn on, install software, working and the experience so far has been far from this. My technology expectation these days is that being of average intelligence I should be able to set something like this up without assistance in short period of time.

Anything with Windows Server on it is complex and honestly has no place in the hands of a consumer (and I would contend a small business). An IT Professional, an enthusiast? Sure, as they have the time and enjoy the mucking about. Every day I’m becoming more and more aware of how far these technologies are becoming removed from the real world where people simply want things to work. That’s why Apple is doing so well. It is not what they do, it is what they don’t do. Windows Server is a great piece of software and has a huge amount of functionality BUT it is complex and when things go wrong they go wrong big time and the effort required to fix them is simply too much for a the average consumer. As a consumer I want simpler not more complex. Less choice is fine as long as it does its job.

If I had been an average consumer I would have returned this device in total frustration by now and that would have been a pity as it is a great device. I’m sure that I can get it all humming along eventually but really for the market it is aimed at I shouldn’t have to go through this now should I?

Year 2011 in retrospect

So here’s a few thoughts on the year that was in 2011.

Office 365 – one of the more important things to become available in my opinion. Although still far from a perfect product it certainly is a marked improvement from BPOS. The upgrade to the latest versions of Exchange, SharePoint and Lync as well as the inclusion of Office makes this product a real winner in my opinion. The result has been the adoption of Office 365 from the two extremes of the market towards the middle. By that I mean, I have seen Office 365 begin widely adopted by large enterprises as well as very small businesses. From here I expect that to start moving towards the middle of the market and encompass traditional small to medium businesses that traditionally relied on products like Small Business Server (SBS).

In short this means that I expect to see more businesses adopt Office 365 this year, especially in the traditional SBS market. I was also amazed this year ay how many businesses are still running on old versions of server software like SBS 2003. The main reason? Costs. It is a tough market out there and that isn’t likely to change in the near future either so moving to the cloud is certainly a way that many businesses see in reducing their IT overhead, rightly or wrongly. This IS the way things are moving.

IPad – having the second generation released in 2011 has really grown the adoption of this product. Hell, I even got one myself and am amazed at how useful it is for business and pleasure. The average consumer wants simplicity, especially when it comes to technology, and the iPad does this in spades. So many technology people I know deride the tablet or look to Android equivalents but I can tell from what I see with customers is that firstly the tablet is here to stay so deal with it and secondly the competition to the iPad has a long way to go.

The other change in my thinking this year, brought about by the iPad, is the question of apps. These are what makes a platform. They also make life much simpler for consumer and also represent a massive opportunity for developers. To my way of thinking, we are now in the age of developer and standard old IT support is so passe (given tools like search engines). The real money now is in developing apps but not only for iOS but also Android, Windows Phone 7 and even the Xbox as I have mentioned in a previous blog post.

Kindle – This is the year that I got serious about e-readers and bought myself a Kindle. As I have mentioned many times, I love the device and everybody I know who has one, even if they are a book reader, love their Kindle.

To me the Kindle and the Amazon ecosystem just works so well. I have bought so many more books this year because of that fact. Conversely, I have also read many more books for that reason. Honestly, if you haven’t looked at e-readers then I recommend that you give them a go (they are so cheap now) and for my money the Amazon Kindle is the best by far.

So there are some parting thoughts for 2011. I’ll take this opportunity to thank anyone who reads my blog. I also thanks those who have left comments or contacted me directly about what I have written. It make doing this so much more worthwhile when you get feedback, good or bad I welcome it all.

See you all in 2012.

Microsoft apps come to iDevices

In the past few days there has been a flood of Microsoft apps making an appearance in the Apple Apps store.
Skydrive
The first of these is SkyDrive. Microsoft will give you 25GB of free ‘cloud’ storage space (limit of 100MB per file though). With the new app you can access all that information directly from your idevice (iPhone and iPad) as well as Windows Phone 7. This makes Skydrive a very compelling offering when compared to other ‘cloud’ storage offerings like Dropbox and box.net.

More information about Skydrive for idevices:
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2011/12/13/introducing-skydrive-for-iphone-and-windows-phone.aspx

OneNote
Microsoft has had a OneNote application for the iPhone for a while but it has now released dedicated OneNote app for the iPad. The difference is quite marked and OneNote on the iPad takes full advantage of the additional screen real estate. It is again a free app but at this point in time you can only work with OneNote notebooks saved on Skydrive rather than something like SharePoint. However, the expectation is that this will change in the near future opening OneNote up to access notebooks on any shared medium.

More information about OneNote for the iPad:
http://appscout.pcmag.com/apple-ios-iphone-ipad-ipod/291719-microsoft-onenote-arrives-on-ipad

Lync
Lync is Microsoft’s ‘unified communications’ solution. Basically, it allows people to install client software and then communicate with each other via chat, video and voice. It also provides the ability to share things like desktops, whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations and more.
Microsoft has recently released Lync clients for the Mac as well as for Windows Phone 7. It is also expected that Lync clients will be available for most other mobile platforms by the end of December 2011.

More information on Lync for Mac:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/enterprise/lync

More information on Lync for Windows Phone 7:
http://lync.microsoft.com/en-us/Product/UserInterfaces/Pages/lync-2010-mobile.aspx

Xbox
Microsoft has recently updated the interface on the Xbox device but it has also released apps for the iPad and Windows Phone 7. The iPad app again makes great use of the medium and allows you to perform a number of control functions on your Xbox (provided it is on). Although in its infancy it isn’t hard to see where this develop is heading. It is not hard to imagine a not too distant future in which you can login to your Xbox remotely and ask it to download movies, save TV shows, etc.

More information on Xbox for iPad:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/245653/microsoft_releases_xbox_live_app_for_iphone_and_ipad.html

Office
There are also very strong rumours that Microsoft will release its Office suite onto the iPad very shortly. There is still apparently a battle going inside Microsoft as to whether delivering Microsoft’s most profitable product to a competitive device like the iPad is such a good idea given that holding it back may drive sales of the ‘proposed’ Windows 8 tablets or whether without Office on the iPad Microsoft Office is losing sales. Personally I’m in the second camp. To me Microsoft is a software company and the more platforms it can makes it software available on the better I say. Time will tell on this score.

More information on Office for the iPad:
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/260910/20111205/ipad-ms-office.htm

Big Picture Experience – Customer Day

So it was back to Darling Harbour in Sydney for the second day of the Microsoft Big Picture Experience. Today is the day for customers.

As expected there was certainly a rush in the morning but far more than I expected. I’d start off doing a SharePoint and Lync demo to a few people at the desk and look up a few minutes later a find over 30 people all crowded round watching intently. There were also plenty of questions from the crowd which really kept me busy most of the morning with demo after demo.

The early afternoon was a little slower but still a constant stream of demos and speaking with customers but in this case they seemed to have more specific questions. The customers came from a range of businesses both large and small, which was great to see. Many where interested in Office 365 and specifically Lync which most were not aware of. Easy to present some real ‘WOW’ features when they haven’t seen the product.

I thought the day was going to wind down by early afternoon as the number of attendees started to thin out, however I found myself still talking to customers even as they were turning the lights out and ushering people out.

So the day started out with more general sessions, demonstrating to groups of people and as the day wore on those discussions became more and more specific as people sought answers to specific questions. This to a great extent I think was the success of the overall event. You could come, walk around and see the latest from Microsoft but if you have specific questions you could find someone to chat with to help you better understand how to make it all work for you business.

Judging from the outside I’d say these events have been very successful and kudos to Microsoft for trying something a little different with the format. I think it worked well for everyone. My big take away was how well all the Microsoft technologies such as Exchange, Office, Lync, SharePoint etc. work together. They are simply so much more powerful when implemented together rather than piece meal. This event was a perfect opportunity to see and experience that.

Finally, thanks to all who attended and spent some time with me, I hope I helped you. Thanks to Microsoft for the opportunity to represent them at the event I hope I lived up to expectations. Now all I need is a good lie down!

Big Picture Experience – Partner Day

So the first day of the Microsoft Big Picture Experience here in Sydney and an opportunity for me to be on the other side of ledger for a change. This means that I donned the Microsoft shirt, badge and was tasked with helping to explain technologies such as SharePoint, Lync, Office 365, Windows InTune, etc to those in attendance.

The day started early and I was kinda of expecting to be bowled over in the rush when the doors opened at 8am, that was to come later. There was steady traffic up till about 9am when the keynote started. I took a wander to see how many attendees were in attendance and was surprised at the number so early.

Once the keynote was over then things started to really hot up as people came through each location seeking information. I have to say that all this Microsoft technology is pretty impressive when you see it all tied together and working. Making Lync video calls, connecting to complex SharePoint sites, received voice mail in Outlook, etc. Sure, at the moment all of this is not available in Office 365 yet, but that is the key thing to remember – YET! When you see it all working together in a single integrated environment you begin to appreciate the power that Microsoft can bring to desktops with their suite of products. Imagine what it will be like when all of this is available through Office 365 down a business as small as one person? Very, very powerful.

I also have to congratulate Microsoft on trying a different format where employees (and moi) are out there giving people hands on, one to one, demonstrations of the products and answering questions. Very different from simply having people sit and look at demos on stage. Now sure, there maybe times when certain locations get busy and individuals may not get the attention they want but hey there are plenty of other things to see. So, circle around and come back in a little while. All in all I think the themed ‘zones’ at the front and ‘lecture halls’ at the back worked well. I didn’t get a chance to attend the lecture session but they were well attended from what I saw.

I was very pleased to ‘run into’ a number of other resellers taking in the technology. I find it interesting how many simply see this even as something to come and look at only. To me, this is a fantastic opportunity to come and meet local Microsoft people face to face, press the flesh and make a connection. Not only that, the hall is also filled with other resellers with whom you can network. Too many simply never ‘make the time’ to attend, seeing it as low priority to their business. I’d be saying the exact opposite, make time, attend the sessions, talk to people, hand out business cards and generally make good opportunity of this rare occurrence.

All in all a very successful day for those that attended and I hope I was able to help people who I spoke with. I thank those people who made time and came up for a chat. The scary thing now is that TWICE as many people are registered for the customer day tomorrow. It is going to be busy.

Out and about

I’m going to be busy for the remainder of the week and thought I’d let people know where I would be in case they wanted to catch up.

Tomorrow (Wednesday 29th) and Thursday (Thursday 30th) I’ll be at the Microsoft Big Picture Experience event at Darling Harbour helping Microsoft explain their technologies, including Office 365 and Windows InTune to partners and customers. I’ll be very interested to see how this event pans out as it seems like a bit of change from Microsoft normally does.

On Saturday (3rd of December) I’ll be presenting at Infrastructure Saturday in Brisbane. My topic is –

Integrating Office 365 with AD and Exchange

Identity in Office 365 is an interesting and often confused topic. Everyone wants to know their options, including how to manage Office 365 customer and partner accounts, domain controller configuration, active directory synchronization, as well as creating a federation trust between a on-premise and Office 365. This session will compare the pros and cons of the approaches as well as guidance on how to set up the requirements. Additionally, the session will cover general information about available Office 365 options and plans.

So if you are in the neighbourhood during either of these event please let me know and we’ll catch up. Otherwise follow along on my Twitter feed (@directorcia) to see what happens.

Installing the SBS Essentials Office 365 module

Microsoft recently announced the open beta of the Office 365 Integration Module for SBS 2011 essentials. In a nutshell this allows you to easily provision and manage your Office 365 accounts from your SBS 2011 Essentials server. It does not provide the ability to do Single Sign On (SSO). It will however provide the ability to sync local account passwords with those in Office 365 PROVIDED the account names are identical.

In this post I’ll run through the installation of the integration module on SBS 2011 Essentials.

Once you have downloaded the software to your SBS 2011 Essentials server double click on the file to launch. Select Yes to install the feature pack.

Click on I Accept to accept the license agreement. Remember this is still beta (pre-release) software.

Allow the update to install on your server.

When complete you will need to reboot your server.

When the server has rebooted launch the SBS 2011 Server dashboard. On the front page at the bottom you will see a link Set up Microsoft Office 365 Integration. Click this to continue.

This will run the integration wizard. By default, the wizard will assume that you have not already obtained an Office 365 license. If you do already have an Office 365 license simply click the option I have a subscription for Office 365 at the bottom of the screen before proceeding.

If you proceed without selecting the option indicating you have an Office 365 subscription you will be taken to the page that allows you to select which subscription you may wish to purchase or trial.

It is interesting to note here that clicking any of these options takes to a page that runs javascript which can’t normally be displayed in the browser on the server due to security restrictions. Also, it appears that it takes you to an international subscription page for Office 365 which is not how you obtain licenses for Office 365 in Australia for 25 seats and under.

Thus, the best advice would seem to be make sure you have already obtained your Office 365 subscription prior to running this module and check the option in the previous step.

If you proceed after checking the option that you already have an Office 365 subscription you will see the above window prompting you for an administrator login for your Office 365 account. Enter the appropriate details and press the Sign in button to continue.

The details will checked and the system configured appropriately.

When successfully complete you should see a screen like shown above. Press the Close button to complete the wizard.

When you now view the SBS 2011 Essentials console you should see an additional Office 365 button at the top right of the dashboard. Clicking this should display a screen like shown above with information about your Office 365 subscription.

I’ll more details on how to use the Office 365 Integration Module with SBS 2011 Essentials in upcoming posts. However, remember that it is still beta software and the final product may differ from what is shown here.