Move the Symantec SEM5.db file to another partition

We have an SBS 2008 Standard setup that’s getting really tight on the system drive.

We’ve pretty much moved everything and anything we can off of the system partition to keep space as free as possible.

One of the last pieces to be moved is the SEM5.db file that runs around 2GB or more.

To move that file we followed these instructions:

1. Go to services.msc
2. Stop the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager Service
3. Stop the Symantec Embedded Database Service
4. Go to \Program Files\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager\db and cut the sem5.db file and paste it to the new drive
5. Click Start
6. Click run
7. Type regedit
8. Go to HKey_Local_Machine\system\CurrentControlSet\Services\ASANYs\Parameters\ click on the Parameters option in the right hand side column and change the path of the sem5.db database file to the new location as New Drive:\Folder name
• Our folder:
9. Restart the Symantec Embedded Database Service from services.msc
• NOTE: We were able to log on to the SEP Management Console once we had both services started at this point.
10. Go to Administrative Tools
11. Click on Data Sources (ODBC)
12. Click on System DSN tab
13. Click on Configure button
14. Highlight the database tab and replace the path for the sem5.db file and ensure connectivity by clicking on Test Connection
15. Go to Management Server configuration Wizard and perform the server reconfiguration

That freed up over 2GB of storage space which at this point for this particular SBS is _a lot_ of space to be had! :)

• Symantec Forums: Move SEM5.db for SEP 11

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
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Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008: CAPI2 Event ID 11: Failed extract of third-party root list from auto update cab at . . . /authrootstl.cab

We have a few of these showing up:

Event Properties – Event 11, CAPI2

Failed extract of third-party root list from auto update cab at: <http://www.download.windowsupdate.com/msdownload/update/v3/static/trustedr/en/authrootstl.cab> with error: A required certificate is not within its validity period when verifying against the current system clock or the timestamp in the signed file.

Source: CAPI2
Event ID: 11

The fix is found in the following KB:

• Microsoft KB 2328240: Event ID 4107 or Event ID 11 is logged in the Application log in Windows and in Windows Server

From an elevated command prompt we run:

• certutil –urlcache * delete
• 

We then need to clean out a series of folders.

1. LocalService:
   %windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\Content
   %windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\MetaData

2. NetworkService:
   %windir%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\Content
   %windir%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\MetaData

3. LocalSystem:
   %windir%\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\Content
   %windir%\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\MetaData

Once done the CAPI2 errors should be gone.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Slow Network Speeds with SBS 2008 and 2011: NIC Binding Order

Most server boxes today come with at least 2 NICs. In some cases they come with four or more! As a result we need to pay particular attention to how the networking structures are set up in the OS.
The following is a Snip of a production SBS 2008 server:

To get the Advanced Settings screen:

1. Start –> NCPA.CPL [Enter]
2. Hit the ALT key if the File menu is not seen.
3. Click Advanced.
4. Click Advanced Settings.

Note the order that the NIC bindings are shown in.
In this case, Local Area Connection 2 is the NIC that was not plugged in during the OS setup phase. Yet, the OS somehow managed to place that NIC at the top of the binding order.
What does that mean?
Network services run slower as the OS will poll the disabled NIC _first_ before the NIC that the services are actually connected to.
So, for any network that is experiencing any kind of slowness the following should be done in the troubleshooting process before touching any of the NIC driver settings or OS internal configuration:

1. Check the Switch!
   • Gigabit on _all_ ports please.
   • Make sure that switches with a higher port density have the internal backbone to handle all or most ports running at full duplex Gigabit.
2. Change the patch cable between the server and the switch.
   • Please.
3. Verify the binding order on the NICs.
   • If a change is needed note that the server would need to be rebooted!
   • In the case above:
     1. Move Local Area Connection 2 to the bottom of the list.
     2. Uncheck File and Printer Sharing on Local Area Connection 2.
     3. Uncheck Client for Microsoft Networks Local Area Connection 2.
4. Check the Provider Order tab
   • 
   • Place the Microsoft Windows Network at the top of the list since it is definitely the most accessed part of the server’s networking.

We helped out a fellow consultant that was working with a client that had a really slow ACCPACC problem. Reports were taking _a long time_ to run. After running through a series of tests we checked the binding order and sure enough the NICs were way out of order.
After a reboot things took a day or so to straighten out. But once they settled down the reports were running in a fraction of the time it took before the change.

• TechNet Library: Modify the protocol bindings and network provider order
• TechNet Library: Network Connections Best Practices
  • Note mention of the Provider Order recommendation near the bottom of this page.

UPDATE: Thanks to Michael’s pointer in the comments. The order change was missing the “2”!
Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book
*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Practice CS (Creative Solutions) 2011.2.3 Update Available

Just in case: Thomson Reuters product Practice CS (Creative Solutions) has an update to 2011.2.3 available.

• Practice CS Download Link

Note that a valid Thomson Reuters Web Account will be required prior to gaining access to the download.

A full explanation of what the update contains can be found in the following PDF:

• Practice CS, v. 2011.2.0: User Bulletin 6801: Software Update (PDF)

The following PDF document is the Practice CS Getting Started Guide:

• Practice CS Getting Started Guide

Instructions on installing the update start on page 5.

The _very first thing we do_ is take a backup!

From there we begin the extract and install process.

Once we begin the Install process we choose the database hosted on the server option:

After accepting the license agreement we see the following:

For Step 1:

1. \\SBS\Company\ProgramData\WinCSi
2. We allow remote entry to be enabled on other computers.

After clicking Next the process goes through and updates the necessary files.

Since we are upgrading an existing installation we choose to use the CREATIVESOLUTION instance already on the server:

We answer NO to the following question:

• The Sample database already exists. (NO)

Once the database structures have been changed we see:

Now for Step 3 we are only working with the database server that is running on SBS 2008. So, we choose _not_ to install the Practice CS client on the server in the next window:

Once complete the Install process gives us instructions on what to do on each of the workstations:

And now concludes the server portion of the setup process:

Practice CS Client Update Process

NOTE: Make sure to log onto the first client where the client based database update processes will run using the domain admin or admin account that was used to set up the server and new database structures.

Despite the instructions in the previous window all one needs to do is to start the Practice CS client on the workstation and the following happens:

The client update automatically runs. Once it starts, it consistently warns about a required reboot but we choose to ignore it:

The client update process will take a while depending on the speed of the system it is being installed on. We see anywhere from a few minutes or more.

After the install completes the first run will require a database integrity check which is why we recommend being logged into the machine that will run the Practice CS client as the domain admin:

Once the integrity checks are complete Practice CS will throw up a number of errors indicating that it is not properly licensed for the various modules that are getting loaded.

Ignore those errors and wait for the client to open up. Click on Help and then About. From there click on the Download Licenses button.

Click the Close button and:

Once the licenses have been properly seated close the Practice CS client and then re-open it again.

If using the Outlook synchronization feature for the firm’s contacts the make sure to run the Contact Synchronization process:

Once these processes have been completed the Practice CS server and client software were good to go.

The time to run the entire process on an SBS server and ten Windows Vista Business clients was about two and a half hours.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008 and 2011 Active Directory Password Complexity

To manage the password setup in SBS 2008 and SBS 2011 Active Directory we use the SBS Console:

1. Open the SBS Console.
2. Click on the Users and Groups tab.
3. If not already selected, click on the Users tab.
4. Under Tasks click on Change password policies.
• 
5. Set the password policy settings accordingly.
• 
6. Click Apply and OK.
1. NOTE: All users will be required to change their passwords on their next log on if any changes are made to these settings!

This wizard is normally used during the set up process only.

If this wizard is used somewhere in the middle of an SBS Migration or SBS Swing Migration the consequences may be dire. It is best left as the final step _after_ at least one week of the post-migrated server being in production.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008 On Dell T300 With DRAC KVM – Reboot to Windows Recovery?

For those that are familiar with how the Dell DRAC Java based KVM works, there are times during a server’s reboots that the DRAC KVM session flashes if we are working in another window with the subsequent loss of keyboard and mouse in the working window.

While running updates on a series of servers over the weekend, one of the servers came up after a reboot into the Windows Recovery window. It had booted from the SBS 2008 DVD.

Now, after a heart stopping few minutes the processes of elimination started.

The first thought was that the RAID array was no good and thus the boot into the WinRE. Just in case, we shut down WinRE and this time watched the Dell POST and BIOS messages.

When it came to the PERC 6/i the RAID controller’s BIOS indicated that all was okay.

Once the entire POST session was complete we saw the following:

Press Any Key to Boot to CD or DVD . . .

We left the KVM session alone and sure enough SBS 2008 began its boot cycle.

Put two and two together and we figured out that the KVM session must have interjected into our other window session _right at the Boot to CD or DVD_ screen.

Go figure. :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008 – Speed Up That Reboot Script

A default out-of-the-box vanilla install of SBS 2008 RTM can take anywhere from 8-20 minutes to reboot depending on the hardware and disk I/O subsystem underneath the OS.

The following script will greatly improve those reboot times:

net stop msexchangeadtopology /y
net stop msftesql-exchange /y
net stop msexchangeis /y
net stop msexchangesa /y
net stop iisadmin /y

Please make sure to copy the above and paste it into Notepad to reveal any hidden errant characters inserted by the blogging service when this was posted.

Save the above into a batch file. When it comes time to reboot the server during updates, leave the Restart button and right click on the batch file and Run as Administrator.

Once the batch completes, which should only take a couple of minutes, click on the reboot button.

If the server needs to be rebooted and no Restart button is present, run the following after clicking Start:

• shutdown –r –t 0 –f [Enter]

That will initiate a restart of the server.

Here are the reboot times not using the script and using the script for reference:

• SBS 2008 RTM no SP2 fresh install VM:
• 1057Hrs – Initiate shutdown.
• 1107Hrs – System Off.
• 1110Hrs – CTRL + ALT + DLT
• Total Reboot Time: 13 minutes.
• Same VM using the service shutdown script:
• 1124Hrs – Initiate script.
• 1125Hrs – Initiate shutdown.
• 1127Hrs – System Off.
• 1128Hrs – CTRL + ALT + DLT
• Total Reboot Time: 4 minutes.

Indeed, there is a significant time difference!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

“We need 3 PCs Networked Please.”

While in Las Vegas a lady left a voicemail asking us to help them out with networking together 3 PCs.

A quick call back to them late last week to let them know we received the message but were getting caught up and would get back to them led to another call last Friday and a chat with the general manager (GM).

They had spec’d out a Dell server at $8,000 for their needs!

Okay, so we needed to see what was going on so we arranged for an appointment that ended up happening this morning.

To date, none, none of the other I.T. service providers had called them back besides us.

Think about that for a second.

No one bothered to call back to even ask them what it was they were looking for. No one thought about how 3 users connected to Exchange and SharePoint hosting (OWN) resold by them would add that little bit more to the bottom line.

The icing on the cake was the actual visit.

It seems that the lady that put out the feeler call to all those I.T. shops including our own had somehow managed to interpret the GM’s instructions about getting things networked together to mean her machine, the QuickBooks user’s machine, and the GM’s machine connected to a server.

In reality, there were about 10 seats with a couple of laptops needed in the mix. From there, they need at least two new workstations, Remote Web Workplace connectivity was a must once demonstrated for key folks, Office 2007 licensing was needed for most of their desktops and laptops, AntiVirus, a firewall, and more.

So, where does that leave us? At a very distinct advantage to put together an awesome solution around Small Business Server 2008, Intel Server Hardware, Intel Workstation Hardware, a Microsoft Open Value Agreement for their licensing needs, and more!

Lesson to be learned?

• Always be prepared to take the necessary extra steps to look into any opportunity that comes our way.

Sometimes those opportunities may seem like they are “not worth it”, but even the smallest of deals can be that seed sown that later pays off in the way of strong business relationships and business referrals.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

SBS 2008 Side-By-Side From SBS 2003

What an adventure this job has been!

I am still in Calgary. :)

The messes we have uncovered have caused no end of struggle to make things work in our migrating this client to SBS 2008.

The biggest issue we are working on right now is an unstable Companyweb SharePoint v2 database (SQL 2005 integrated on SBS 2003 R2 Premium) that refuses to keep its connection with SharePoint. There is 80GB, yes Gigabytes, of data in this site and we need to somehow get all of it!

The proper way:

• SmallBizServer.net: SBS 2003 R2 - Upgrading the Sharepoint MSDE instance to SQL 2005

We have managed to use BeyondCompare V3 to save us from having to figure out which files we have managed to copy over to one of the local workstations.

Our two remaining options are SharePoint Database Explorer or bringing the 80GB worth of databases up with us on a ShadowProtect image and try and attach those databases to a fresh and stable install of SharePoint V2.

Never a dull moment. :D

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Helping Rodney Buike present on SBS 2008 tomorrow

I will be helping Rodney Buike present on SBS 2008 at the Edmonton Microsoft User Group meeting held at the NAIT campus tomorrow evening.

Barring baby number 3's deciding to enter the world at that time that is! ;)

Click to Attend link: Small Business Server 2008 – What’s new and what you need to know!

Also, don't forget that you can check out the beta exam for SBS 2008 tomorrow. Check out Prometric's Web site for details and an exam location near you. I will hopefully be writing it in the morning.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.