Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
http://blog.mpecsinc.ca
Sent from an SBS integrated Windows Mobile Device.
Monday, 25 August 2008
Test post
Please ignore this one. I will really have to watch my spelling if posting from here!
SBS 2003 Open Value License Part Numbers
Any clients we are picking up or upgrading we are putting into an Open Value License with the 3 year spread payment option.
Here are some Open Value license + Software Assurance part numbers for you:
What client is going to argue with a substantially reduced price for the upgrade:
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.
Here are some Open Value license + Software Assurance part numbers for you:
- T75-00927: SBS 2K3 Premium with 5 CALs
- T74-01746: SBS 5 User CAL Pack
- P73-01420: Windows Server 2003/8 Standard
Office 2007:
- 269-09046: Office 2007 Pro Plus
- 269-09061: Office 2007 Pro Plus Software Assurance ONLY (for clients with Licenses)
- W87-00356: Office 2007 Small Business Edition
- 021-07257: Office 2007 Standard
- 076-03395: Office Project Standard 2007
Desktop OS:
- 66J-01418: Vista Business with Vista Enterprise Software Assurance Up + SA.
- WSB-00073: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (shown per month - need 12/seat)
System Center Essentials:
- UCH-00357: Microsoft System Center Essentials - license & software assurance
- DJA-00834: Microsoft System Center Essentials Server Management License - license & software assurance
- 4PX-01112: Sys Cntr Essntls ClientML Sngl Lic/SA Pack OLV 20 NL 1YR Acq Y1 Promo
- A5S-00457: Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager - License & software assurance - 1 server - additional product, 1 Year Acquired Year 1 - Open Value - Win - English
- CVA-00079: Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager Standard Server ML - License & software assurance - 1 operating system environment (OSE) - additional product, 1 Year Acquired Year 1 - Open Value - Win - Single Language
- SNA-00274: SYST CTR VRTL MACH MGRWGE SNGL LIC/SA PACK OLV NL 1YR ACQ Y1 PROMO
What client is going to argue with a substantially reduced price for the upgrade:
- Included
- Free
- Aux Gratis
- Etc ...
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.
Saturday, 23 August 2008
SBS 2008 test network setup = business opportunity juices flowing
We have two SBS 2008 setups that we are working with right now:
In preparation for migrating to SBS 2008, we are getting ready to accomplish a Swing migration of our internal domain to a new hardware set without ISA though. We will be putting ISA on its own 1U in our rack setup to facilitate the upcoming migration to SBS 2008 RTM.
To have a true test environment for SBS 2008, we wanted both of our SBS 2008 boxes (both are on actual hardware at this point) exposed to the Internet as any production SBS 2008 box would be.
We have multiple static IPs bound to ISA's Internet adapter, so setting up the publishing on that side is fairly straight forward.
But, to keep the SBS 2008 environments separate, we have a couple of D-Link DI-604 consumer routers providing the required barrier between our internal network and the test beds. ISA is then setup to allow communication from the routers to the Internet only.
One of the things that we have learned as a result of messing around with this particular setup, and have mentioned before, is that we can have a client in another country buy a box, unpack it, and get it all ready to go.
We would send a small package containing a USB Flash drive with the SBS Answer File and whatever third party firewall appliance they have chosen already configured to allow our IP to TS into the SBS 2008 box.
A simple coaching on the phone, via MSN, online VOIP, or whatever method gets the SBS install up and running within minutes. A couple of hours later, we are into the box via RDP, running those wizards, and once the Remote Web Workplace is live, we kill the TS forward on the firewall appliance until needed.
Think about the business opportunities this methodology affords. It is one step closer to infrastructure management with the appropriate monthly fees ... post SBS 2008 install. :)
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.
- The Springer Spaniels Limited SBS 2008 setup that is being used for Harry Brelsford and my upcoming SBS 2008 Blueprint book.
- The MPECS Inc. tear it apart and put it back together a hundred times network.
In preparation for migrating to SBS 2008, we are getting ready to accomplish a Swing migration of our internal domain to a new hardware set without ISA though. We will be putting ISA on its own 1U in our rack setup to facilitate the upcoming migration to SBS 2008 RTM.
To have a true test environment for SBS 2008, we wanted both of our SBS 2008 boxes (both are on actual hardware at this point) exposed to the Internet as any production SBS 2008 box would be.
We have multiple static IPs bound to ISA's Internet adapter, so setting up the publishing on that side is fairly straight forward.
But, to keep the SBS 2008 environments separate, we have a couple of D-Link DI-604 consumer routers providing the required barrier between our internal network and the test beds. ISA is then setup to allow communication from the routers to the Internet only.
One of the things that we have learned as a result of messing around with this particular setup, and have mentioned before, is that we can have a client in another country buy a box, unpack it, and get it all ready to go.
We would send a small package containing a USB Flash drive with the SBS Answer File and whatever third party firewall appliance they have chosen already configured to allow our IP to TS into the SBS 2008 box.
A simple coaching on the phone, via MSN, online VOIP, or whatever method gets the SBS install up and running within minutes. A couple of hours later, we are into the box via RDP, running those wizards, and once the Remote Web Workplace is live, we kill the TS forward on the firewall appliance until needed.
Think about the business opportunities this methodology affords. It is one step closer to infrastructure management with the appropriate monthly fees ... post SBS 2008 install. :)
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.
SBS 2008 - Free Beta Exam 71-653 until September 12
Via Susan Bradley: Windows Small Business Server 2008: 71-653 (TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring).
There are two exam sites here in Edmonton, Alberta.
The one I chose on Jasper Avenue has the exam on the following days:
There are two exam sites here in Edmonton, Alberta.
The one I chose on Jasper Avenue has the exam on the following days:
ProMetric Jasper Avenue: Dates Available
Once the registration details have been set along with the exam date and time, you will need to make sure to enter the promo code SBS8 (obtained via Herleson Pontes blog: FREE BETA EXAM - TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring).
You will then receive a confirmation email indicating the registration was successful.
There are two very important reasons to register and take the exam:
- It is free!
- It is really, really, really free!
Seriously folks, Microsoft is giving us an incentive here. Take the opportunity to crash dive into SBS 2008 over the next couple or three weeks and write the exam for free.
If you pass, it counts!
One last thing: Seating space is limited, and to the Greater Edmonton Area folks reading this blog, the Jasper Avenue location now has one less seat available! :)
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.
Labels:
Certification,
Microsoft,
SBS,
SBS 2008 All Editions,
Training
Friday, 22 August 2008
"Anatomy of a malware scam" is a good malware read
Have a few minutes to spare?
How about checking out how creative malware scam artists are getting: The Register: Anatomy of a malware scam: The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008.
From the article's conclusion:
Part of our responsibility as the go to person for our client's I.T. needs is knowing what the threat landscape looks like.
From there, we can educate them with a simple note every once in a while that provides some dos and don'ts while browsing the Internet.
UPDATE: The above article came via a link that I could not for the life of me find. Go figure ... it popped up when I logged into another machine.
Credit goes to Jesper's Blog: Anatomy of a Hack 2008 ... which is a good read in and of itself. My apologies for originally missing the credit Jesper!
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.
How about checking out how creative malware scam artists are getting: The Register: Anatomy of a malware scam: The evil genius of XP Antivirus 2008.
From the article's conclusion:
This should serve as a dire warning to all: be extremely careful what you trust, and question everything that looks even remotely suspicious. For example, no website can run an anti-malware scan on your computer simply by your visiting the site. Any site that purports to do so is almost certainly run by criminal gangs.
No website should ever offer you to download an anti-malware package as soon as you visit the site. Any site that purports to do so is either run by criminal gangs or by an organization whose business practices are so deceptive that you should never consider doing business with it. A reputable site will present you with product information and then leave the downloading decision up to you, not force it upon you. No software that pushes the purchase decision so heavily in your face is likely to be legitimate.
Part of our responsibility as the go to person for our client's I.T. needs is knowing what the threat landscape looks like.
From there, we can educate them with a simple note every once in a while that provides some dos and don'ts while browsing the Internet.
UPDATE: The above article came via a link that I could not for the life of me find. Go figure ... it popped up when I logged into another machine.
Credit goes to Jesper's Blog: Anatomy of a Hack 2008 ... which is a good read in and of itself. My apologies for originally missing the credit Jesper!
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.
Thursday, 21 August 2008
It is official - SBS 2008 RTMs today
The Official SBS 2008 Blog: SBS 2008: Released to Manufacturing.
The private beta was quite the journey from the early beta beginnings to the current Release Candidate.
The SBS Dev Team was very responsive to all of the beta participant's questions, queries, mistakes, and otherwise and untoward tremendous volume of input on the private and eventually the public NewsGroups and via Connect.
It was neat to see the development process move forward from the early days to the now RTMd SBS 2008.
We dobelive believe SBS 2008 is an awesome product, and can see huge opportunity built into SBS 2008's new features and abilities.
We also believe that the SBS Dev Team has indeed built a very worthy successor to SBS 2003. SBS 2003 is an awesome product that placed the bar very high.
SBS 2008 promises to raise that bar even further for our clients and for us as we discover and work with all of the new SBS features and abilities.
We do believe our clients will benefit from those new features and abilities and have been structuring our hardware upgrades and OS licensing around Microsoft's Open Value Licensing for all of our SBS 2003 client refreshes in order to take advantage of all that Software Assurance will offer when the time comes to move into SBS 2008.
Congratulations to the SBS Team for a great milestone and a great product! :)
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.
The private beta was quite the journey from the early beta beginnings to the current Release Candidate.
The SBS Dev Team was very responsive to all of the beta participant's questions, queries, mistakes, and otherwise and untoward tremendous volume of input on the private and eventually the public NewsGroups and via Connect.
It was neat to see the development process move forward from the early days to the now RTMd SBS 2008.
We do
We also believe that the SBS Dev Team has indeed built a very worthy successor to SBS 2003. SBS 2003 is an awesome product that placed the bar very high.
SBS 2008 promises to raise that bar even further for our clients and for us as we discover and work with all of the new SBS features and abilities.
We do believe our clients will benefit from those new features and abilities and have been structuring our hardware upgrades and OS licensing around Microsoft's Open Value Licensing for all of our SBS 2003 client refreshes in order to take advantage of all that Software Assurance will offer when the time comes to move into SBS 2008.
Congratulations to the SBS Team for a great milestone and a great product! :)
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.
Labels:
SBS,
SBS 2008 All Editions
SBS 2008 and Custom Reports - Share yours ...
Looking for a small way to help the greater SBS community?
Then the SBS Code Plex is for you.
The site has been put together for people to share their custom report queries they have created for SBS 2008. Susan Bradley has left an email address on the site to get in touch with her so that you too can contribute code.
You will need to register with the site and include your CodePlex username in the email to Susan in order for her to add you to the group of contributors.
For SBS 2008 reporting, a lot has changed. And, one of the most significant changes is the ability to really work those reports to put out information that is very relevant to our particular client environment.
Links:
For those of us who are not into coding, this new development on the SBS front will be a little daunting. So, check out the code that has been shared on the site so that you can get familiar with the code structure.
After creating a few custom queries, they should come fairly easy.
Also, this is a good way to get comfortable with getting introduced to PowerShell if you have not seen it yet!
And, of course, feel free to download the code and implement it on your SBS 2008 installations as you require!
Way to go SBSers!
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.
Then the SBS Code Plex is for you.
The site has been put together for people to share their custom report queries they have created for SBS 2008. Susan Bradley has left an email address on the site to get in touch with her so that you too can contribute code.
You will need to register with the site and include your CodePlex username in the email to Susan in order for her to add you to the group of contributors.
For SBS 2008 reporting, a lot has changed. And, one of the most significant changes is the ability to really work those reports to put out information that is very relevant to our particular client environment.
Links:
For those of us who are not into coding, this new development on the SBS front will be a little daunting. So, check out the code that has been shared on the site so that you can get familiar with the code structure.
After creating a few custom queries, they should come fairly easy.
Also, this is a good way to get comfortable with getting introduced to PowerShell if you have not seen it yet!
And, of course, feel free to download the code and implement it on your SBS 2008 installations as you require!
Way to go SBSers!
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.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
SBS 2008 - Wizard cannot configure Remote Web Workplace - Internet Address Management Error
There are many ways to learn a lesson ... for some of us the methodology falls into the "trial by fire" category.
Those lessons can come hard and fast when life is running at 115% ... which is virtually near meltdown.
And, not paying attention to the SBS 2008 AnswerFile help (previous blog post containing the help) is a sure fire way to find one of those lessons very quickly!
On to the problem at hand:
Those lessons can come hard and fast when life is running at 115% ... which is virtually near meltdown.
And, not paying attention to the SBS 2008 AnswerFile help (previous blog post containing the help) is a sure fire way to find one of those lessons very quickly!
On to the problem at hand:
Internet Address Management Error Details
The server cannot configure Remote Web Workplace. To correct this problem, run the Fix My Network Wizard
Okay, this is really strange!
The kicker: Remote Web Workplace works from the Internet! But, as soon as the link to the internal Companyweb SharePoint site is clicked, the browser URL monitor at the bottom right of IE flashes http://sites/ and then a Page Cannot Be Displayed error.
This particular install of SBS 2008 RC1 was the fourth run at it. The first two cratered to what turned out to be bad sectors on one of the RAID 0+1 array members.
So, by now things were getting to be a little more than frustrating.
After running the Fix My Network wizard to try and correct the problem, we were getting absolutely nowhere.
In an email exchange with the Dev Team via the Microsoft Connect Web site it was discovered that a setting in the AnswerFile was the culprit ... mea culpa.
Here is a mock up of the answer file as it was used to run the four setup attempts:
And, here is what the answer file looks like when the setting is correct (to see side by side right click and Open in new Window for both):SBS 2008 Answer File: Wrong Setting
If you catch the error, good for you! ;)SBS 2008 Answer File: Right Setting
Just to recap from the AnswerFile Help:
Certification authority name (optional)
The name of the certification authority that you want to use. If you leave this field blank, Windows SBS 2008 uses the internal domain name and the server name (syntax -) to generate a self-signed certificate (for example, Contoso-Server1-CA). This is the name in the Issued By field when you view the certificate from the Internet.
Important: Do not use the domain name as the certification authority name.
The setting that we had: remote.mpecsinc.ca
The setting that we should have had: [blank] or something like MPECS Inc. as indicated in the correct AnswerFile.
Notice, that a quick reading of the AnswerFile help may not yield the best results ... as is the case here. 8*/
A closer read of the particular section in question, Certificate Authority Name, clearly indicates what this particular field is for:
Issued by: Springers Ltd
So, we now have a very valuable lesson learned: We need to pay closer attention to the instructions. ;)
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.
Labels:
Error,
Error Fix,
Remote Web Workplace,
SBS 2008 All Editions
SBSC: Microsoft invests in us ... if we invest a bit in us too
When building our business, there is no magic bullet to success.
Ultimately, it takes a lot of hard work... and a lot of time. Vlad makes a good point in this direction: There are no rewards for just doing your job.
For the Small Business Specialist Community, Microsoft is offering us an opportunity to learn with a small monetary investment: Microsoft Online Peer Groups.
Eligibility criteria are as follows:
Check it out ... it may be one of the better professional development opportunities around.
Note that there is a deadline for the end of this month.
Courtesy of Sean Daniel: Exclusive Opportunity for SBS Specialists and Partners!
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.
Ultimately, it takes a lot of hard work... and a lot of time. Vlad makes a good point in this direction: There are no rewards for just doing your job.
For the Small Business Specialist Community, Microsoft is offering us an opportunity to learn with a small monetary investment: Microsoft Online Peer Groups.
Eligibility criteria are as follows:
- Have to be a current Microsoft Small Business Specialist
- Passed the SBS 70-282 Exam
- Fluency in English (open to partners worldwide)
- Commitment to participate includes attending peer group sessions and completion of homework
- Pay USD $600 for participation (partners that successfully graduate will receive a free ‘for resale’ copy of SBS 2008 Standard Edition)
Check it out ... it may be one of the better professional development opportunities around.
Note that there is a deadline for the end of this month.
Courtesy of Sean Daniel: Exclusive Opportunity for SBS Specialists and Partners!
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.
SBS 2008 - The SBS Answer File Help File
This file can be found under DVD:\Tools\answerfile.htm on the SBS 2008 DVD 1 media.
If you do not have a beta copy of SBS 2008 yet, then this is your opportunity to get to know how to use the Answer File setup for SBS 2008 to streamline your server installs.
Staying consistent in our installs provides a good foundation for troubleshooting when issues arise.
Here it is verbatim (formatted for simplicity):
Tell Me More About Using Answer Files
An answer file serves the following purposes when you are installing the Windows® Small Business Server 2008 server software (Windows SBS 2008):
An answer file automates the configuration of the Windows SBS 2008 installation in either attended or unattended mode for both a new installation and a migration to Windows SBS 2008.
If you are installing Windows SBS 2008 on multiple servers for different customers in your office before taking the servers to the customer sites, ensure that the DNS name is unique on your local network or that each server is connected to a separate network during the installation. You must also choose names that are unique to the customer site.
The following tables explain the information that you need to enter in the Answer File Tool for a new installation.
Clock and time zone settings
Clock and time zone settings
Server name
Company information (optional)
If you do not have a beta copy of SBS 2008 yet, then this is your opportunity to get to know how to use the Answer File setup for SBS 2008 to streamline your server installs.
Staying consistent in our installs provides a good foundation for troubleshooting when issues arise.
Here it is verbatim (formatted for simplicity):
Tell Me More About Using Answer Files
An answer file serves the following purposes when you are installing the Windows® Small Business Server 2008 server software (Windows SBS 2008):
- Provides information that is automatically entered into the Windows SBS 2008 installation pages. You can use an answer for either a new installation or a migration to Windows SBS 2008.
- Helps value-add professionals build new servers before taking them to the customer site for final configuration.
- Note:If you are migrating from an existing server to Windows SBS 2008, you must perform all of the installation steps at the customer’s site.
- Note: The Getting Started tasks must be completed at the customer site.
- Triggers the migration process during Windows SBS 2008 installation.
- Note: You must use an answer file when you are migrating to Windows SBS 2008. You can also use an answer file for an unattended installation.
An answer file automates the configuration of the Windows SBS 2008 installation in either attended or unattended mode for both a new installation and a migration to Windows SBS 2008.
- In a fully unattended installation, the user or technician interacts with the installation only if there is an error in the answer file.
- In an attended installation, the answer file is used to populate the fields on each configuration page, and then the user or technician verifies the information and can change any field before clicking Next.
Important
To fully automate the installation on a server that has a preinstalled operating system, you must also use the OOBE.xml answer file for the operating system phase of the installation.To fully automate a clean installation on a server, you must use the autounattend.xml answer file. When you use autounattend.xml, you cannot specify a drive letter other than the C drive. Windows SBS 2008 can be installed successfully only on the C drive. For information about creating an answer file using the Automated Installation Kit (AIK), see “Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008” at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=115680).
To create an answer file, complete the following steps:
- Collect the information for the answer file (for either an installation or a migration).
- Run the Answer File Tool.
- Copy the answer file to the root of a drive on the new server or any removable media.
If you are installing Windows SBS 2008 on multiple servers for different customers in your office before taking the servers to the customer sites, ensure that the DNS name is unique on your local network or that each server is connected to a separate network during the installation. You must also choose names that are unique to the customer site.
The following tables explain the information that you need to enter in the Answer File Tool for a new installation.
Clock and time zone settings
Clock and time zone settings
- If you choose to manually set the clock and time zone, the unattended installation stops, and then it prompts you to set the clock and time zone.
- If you choose to automatically set the time zone, you must manually set the clock in the server BIOS to the correct time. The system clock cannot be set automatically using the answer file.
Server name
- The name of your new server. This must be a unique name on the local network.
- Important: You cannot change this name after the installation finishes.
- The NetBIOS name of the internal domain—for example, contoso.
- This must be a unique name on the local network. The domain name and the server name cannot be the same.
- Important: You cannot change this name after the installation finishes.
- The DNS name of the internal (local) domain.
- You must provide at least two labels for the full DNS name. For example, you can use contoso.local, but contoso alone is not valid.
- It is recommended that you do not use a public top level domain name, such as .com, as the last label in the full DNS name. This is the DNS name of the internal domain.
- If you use Apple Macintosh client computers that are running Macintosh OS X 10.2.x or later on your network, see the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121090) for more information.
- Important: You cannot change this name after the installation finishes.
Company information (optional)
- The name and address of the business. This information is used for settings on your server and is not sent to Microsoft.
- You can edit the company information later. To edit it, in the Windows SBS Console, click the Help list menu, and then click Edit Company Information.
Certification authority name (optional)
- The name of the certification authority that you want to use. If you leave this field blank, Windows SBS 2008 uses the internal domain name and the server name (syntax
- ) to generate a self-signed certificate (for example, Contoso-Server1-CA). This is the name in the Issued By field when you view the certificate from the Internet. - Important: Do not use the domain name as the certification authority name.
Network administrator account
Network administrator account
- This is the new administrator account name that is created when you install Windows SBS 2008. For a new installation, after the server restarts for the final time, you are logged on using this administrator account and password.
- First name: First name of the administrator.
- Last name: Last name of the administrator.
- Administrator user name: User name or alias for the new network administrator account. The user name must consist of the following:
- Can contain only valid characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and the symbols _ # $ % & ’ - ^ { } ~ !
- Cannot begin or end with a period
- Cannot contain two periods in a row
- Cannot be a reserved name (for example, Administrator)
- Cannot be the same name as the computer or server name
Administrator password
- Password for the new network administrator account.
- The password that you provide must be complex. If you do not provide a complex password, the unattended installation stops so you can provide the complex password. A complex password is at least 8 characters long and contains at least three of the following:
- Upper case letters
- Lower case letters
- Numbers
- Symbols
Note: For a new installation, you can either specify the network settings or allow the installation wizard to configure them for you. If you are installing Windows SBS 2008 on multiple servers in your office before taking them to the customer sites, consider the following:
- If you specify network settings that are specific to the customer’s network configuration, you may not be able to access the Internet during installation to get updates from your own network.
- If you specify settings appropriate to your own network, you may need to change them when you deliver the server to the customer site.
If you want to specify the network settings, you need the following information.
Network Settings
IP address (optional)
- The IP address that you want to assign to your server. Ensure that the IP address is in the same subnet range as the IP address of the local area connection (LAN) on your router and that the IP address is not currently used on the network. If you select the Manually choose the network settings option and do not specify the IP address, the answer file cannot be saved.
Default gateway (optional)
- The IP address that is assigned to the local area connection on your router.
Try Windows Live OneCare for Server and Forefront Security for Exchange Server
Windows Live OneCare for Server
- You can choose to install a trial version of Windows Live OneCare for Server. OneCare helps protect against viruses, spyware, and other malware, and it provides other security, backup, and performance optimization services for your server. The trial version is a complete, fully functional version of OneCare with a 120-day trial period that begins after you complete the OneCare installation wizard.
- You can also install the trial version of OneCare on client computers. For information about installing OneCare on client computers, see the Windows Live OneCare home page at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121102).
- Important: You can install OneCare only if the language you are installing is supported for the full OneCare product. For information about which languages are supported, see “Frequently asked questions about Windows Live OneCare” at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121101).
Forefront Security for Exchange Server
- You can choose to install a trial version of Forefront Security for Exchange Server. Forefront Security for Exchange Server provides a virus protection service for e-mail. The trial version is a complete, fully functional version of Forefront Security for Exchange Server with a 120-day trial period that begins after you complete the installation wizard.
- For more information about Forefront Security for Exchange Server, see the Forefront Security for Exchange Server home page at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121103).
Step 1B. Collect the information for the migration answer file
The following tables list the migration settings that you must define in the Answer File Tool.
Clock and time zone settings
Clock and time zone settings
- If you choose to manually set the clock and time zone, the migration stops, and then it prompts you to set the clock and time zone.
- If you choose to automatically set the time zone, you must manually set the clock in the server BIOS to the correct time. The system clock cannot be set automatically using the answer file.
Company Information
Company information (optional)
- The name and address of the business. This information is used for settings on your server and is not sent to Microsoft.
- You can edit the company information later. To edit it, in the Windows SBS Console, click the Help list menu, and then click Edit Company Information.
Certification authority name (optional)
- The name of the certification authority that you want to use. If you leave this field blank, Windows SBS 2008 uses the internal domain name and server name (syntax
- ) to generate a self-signed certificate (for example, Contoso-NewServer-CA). This is the name in the Issued By field when you view the certificate from the Internet. - Important: Do not use the domain name as the certification authority name.
Source (Existing) Server Information
Domain administrator account name
- The user account name of a domain administrator in the existing domain.
- Note: This account must be a member of the Domain Admins, Enterprise Admins, and Schema Admins groups. When the first phase of the migration finishes, the server restarts and automatically logs on using this administrator account.
Password
- The password that corresponds to the domain administrator account name.
- Note: The domain administrator account password cannot be blank. If it is, you must either change it for migration or create a new domain administrator account that has a password.
- Note: It is recommended that you create a new domain administrator account on the Source Server instead of using the built-in Administrator account.
Source Server name
- The name of the server from which you are migrating settings and data.
Source domain name
- The full DNS name of your organization's internal domain—for example, contoso.local.
Default gateway
- The IP address that is assigned to the router on your network.
Source Server IP address
- The IP address that is assigned to the Source Server.
DHCP is running on the Source Server
- Select this box if the DHCP service is running on the Source Server. It is recommended that the DHCP service run on the Destination Server. If you are running the DHCP service on the Source Server, it is moved for you during Windows SBS 2008 migration. If the DHCP service is running on another server or device, you must manually disable it on that server or device.
Note: The domain administrator user name and password that you supply in the answer file are also set as the Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) password. If for any reason you need to log on to the server in DSRM, you must use the same user name and password that you specified during migration. These passwords do not synchronize automatically, so if you change the password for your administrator account on Windows SBS 2008, you must continue to use the old password to log on to the server in DSRM.
Destination Server Information
Destination Server name
- The name of the server to which you are migrating. You will install Windows SBS 2008 on this server. This must be a unique name on the local network. The Destination Server name cannot be the same as the domain name. Also, the Source Server name and the Destination Server name cannot be the same.
Destination Server IP address
- The IP address that you want to assign to the Destination Server.
Try Windows Live OneCare for Server and Forefront Security for Exchange Server
Windows Live OneCare for Server
- You can choose to install a trial version of the Windows Live OneCare™ for Server computer protection and maintenance software and services. OneCare helps protect against viruses, spyware, and other malware, and it provides other security, backup, and performance optimization services for your server. The trial version is a complete, fully functional version of OneCare with a 120-day trial period that begins after you complete the OneCare installation wizard.
- You can also install the trial version of OneCare on client computers. For information about installing OneCare on client computers, see the Windows Live OneCare home page at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121102).
- Important: You can install OneCare only if the language you are installing is supported for the full OneCare product. For information about which languages are supported, see “Frequently asked questions about Windows Live OneCare” at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121101).
Forefront Security for Exchange Server
- You can choose to install a trial version of Microsoft Forefront™ Security for Exchange Server. Forefront Security for Exchange Server provides a virus protection service for e-mail. The trial version is a complete, fully functional version of Forefront Security for Exchange Server with a 120-day trial period that begins after you complete the installation wizard.
- For more information about Forefront Security for Exchange Server, see the Forefront Security for Exchange Server home page at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=121103).
Step 2. Run the Answer File Generator
Note: To run the Answer File Generator, you must have the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or later installed on the computer that you are using to create the answer file. To install .NET Framework 2.0, see the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81886).
To create an answer file for an automated installation
- On a client computer or a server, insert the first Windows SBS 2008 DVD, navigate to the Tools folder, and then double-click SBSAfg.exe. The Answer File Generator opens.
- Click New installation.
- Type the information that you collected in Step 1A.
- Save the answer file as sbsanswerfile.xml.
To create a migration answer file
- On a client computer or a server, insert the first Windows SBS 2008 DVD, navigate to the Tools folder, and then double-click SBSAfg.exe. The Answer File Generator opens.
- Click Migration from existing server (Join existing domain).
- Type the information that you collected in Step 1B.
- Save the answer file as sbsanswerfile.xml.
Step 3. Copy the answer file
Copy the answer file to the root of either a USB flash drive or a USB external hard drive. Connect the USB drive to the new server, or copy the answer file from the USB drive to the root of any drive on the new server. Then start either installing or migrating to Windows SBS 2008. If the Windows SBS 2008 installation wizard detects a migration answer file, the migration process starts automatically.
Warning: The answer file contains logon and password information that can be used to gain access to your server. To help protect your server, when you finish installing Windows SBS 2008, delete the answer file.
Troubleshooting the answer file
When running an installation (either new or migration) using the Windows SBS 2008 Answer File, you might encounter an error if the server cannot read information in the answer file. This can occur under the following circumstances:
- The Windows SBS 2008 Answer File Tool is not formatted correctly.
- The answer file contains corrupt data.
If you encounter an error when running the answer file, take the following steps to verify the contents of the answer file:
- If possible, using the Windows SBS 2008 Answer File Tool, open the answer file.
- Review the installation information, and then save the file.
- Note: If you receive an error that the file cannot save, close the file, and then recreate a new answer file with the same information.
- Click Retry. If you did not continue past the Continuing Installation page, you can restart your server to try and read the answer file again.
Important: You should not open the answer file and edit it directly. Doing so can introduce errors in the file format.
Other general troubleshooting tips
If you cannot start the installation with the Windows SBS 2008 Answer File, check the following:
- Make sure that the removable media that contains the answer file is plugged into and is recognized by the server. If the server does not recognize the removable media, try using different removable media.
- Make sure that the answer file is saved with the file name sbsanswerfile.xml. If an error exists in the file name, rename the file to correct the error, and then restart the server.
- Make sure that the file sbsanswerfile.xml is located in the root of the removable media that you are using. If it is not, move or copy the file to that location and then restart the installation.
Copyright: This document supports a preliminary release of a software product that may be changed substantially prior to final commercial release. This document is provided for informational purposes only and Microsoft makes no warranties, either express or implied, in this document. Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to change without notice. The entire risk of the use or the results from the use of this document remains with the user. Unless otherwise noted, the companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places, and events depicted in examples herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event is intended or should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.
© 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Microsoft, Forefront, OneCare, and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Monday, 18 August 2008
An invoice from my accountant?!?
My best friend was telling me over the weekend that his business received an invoice from his accountant ... but his bookkeeper was telling him that it was paid a long time ago.
A phone call was placed to the accountant to find out what was up.
It turned out that they had an unrecoverable disaster. And no good backups.
Would you want them to be your accountant?!?
They were essentially fishing to figure out the who/what/where/when for their clients to call back wondering what was up.
Our accounting clients know exactly what that means (among other things): How do we role forward?!?
As business owners, we have the right to ask anyone who handles our business data, or even our personal data, what type of backup setup they have and whether it is tested.
This bears repeating: We should always know how our data is backed up and whether it is recoverable or not at any service provider's location ... including within our own business.
So ... are your backups tested?
And for those supporting client I.T. infrastructure: Are your client's backups tested?!?
And one more: Have you recovered an SBS box yet ... via the built-in or third party backup? The worst place to find out how difficult and precarious the whole recovery scene is right in the middle of one. There are a lot of stresses then ... who needs another one?
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.
A phone call was placed to the accountant to find out what was up.
It turned out that they had an unrecoverable disaster. And no good backups.
Would you want them to be your accountant?!?
They were essentially fishing to figure out the who/what/where/when for their clients to call back wondering what was up.
Our accounting clients know exactly what that means (among other things): How do we role forward?!?
As business owners, we have the right to ask anyone who handles our business data, or even our personal data, what type of backup setup they have and whether it is tested.
This bears repeating: We should always know how our data is backed up and whether it is recoverable or not at any service provider's location ... including within our own business.
So ... are your backups tested?
And for those supporting client I.T. infrastructure: Are your client's backups tested?!?
And one more: Have you recovered an SBS box yet ... via the built-in or third party backup? The worst place to find out how difficult and precarious the whole recovery scene is right in the middle of one. There are a lot of stresses then ... who needs another one?
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.
Friday, 15 August 2008
Live OneCare Online Freebie Scan
Need a quick snoop through a system that may not have A/V or its A/V is seemingly not working?
Windows Live OneCare Free PC Safety Scan.
A Service Agreement will need to be accepted, then an ActiveX program will need to be installed on the system to enable the scan. Make sure to disable pop-up blockers for this site.
Once the ActiveX program is in place, the following will be presented:
Note that the UAC will happen for the ActiveX install, and the initialization of the downloads that happen after clicking the Next button above.
Once the downloaded programs initialize themselves, the scan proceeds:
Once finished, we were in the clear ... and we got an ad asking us to protect our PC with WLOC.
We chose to share the results with Microsoft.
All in all, this could be the out one may need when a virus prevents the installation of a local A/V product ... hopefully.
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.
Windows Live OneCare Free PC Safety Scan.
A Service Agreement will need to be accepted, then an ActiveX program will need to be installed on the system to enable the scan. Make sure to disable pop-up blockers for this site.
Once the ActiveX program is in place, the following will be presented:
This particular screenshot comes via one of our x64 Vista machines.OneCare safety scanner beta (for Vista)
Note that the UAC will happen for the ActiveX install, and the initialization of the downloads that happen after clicking the Next button above.
Once the downloaded programs initialize themselves, the scan proceeds:
The safety scan took about 3 minutes to run on this system.OneCare safety scanner beta: Status: scanning your computer.
Once finished, we were in the clear ... and we got an ad asking us to protect our PC with WLOC.
The above all-clear screen is what followed the "No thanks" to the ad request screen.No viruses or spyware found
We chose to share the results with Microsoft.
All in all, this could be the out one may need when a virus prevents the installation of a local A/V product ... hopefully.
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.
SBS - Quoting Apples to Apples
When in a competitive situation for a new SBS install, here is one of the outlines we provide our prospect with:
When quoting time, we use a paraphrase of some of my favourite Star Trek Engineer's philosophy: Quote 2 hours and get it done in 1.
To put it another way: Under promise and over deliver.
A stipulation in our proposal states:
Unforeseen circumstances are those that fall outside of that very detailed list. And, our prospect, or now client understands that.
Another aspect to providing these lists: The prospect will see in plain detail that we know our stuff. Our lists are broken down in such a way that they can see the flow of events right down to the SBS install phases.
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.
- Small Business Server 2003 Premium R2 standard components installed, configured and updated properly.
- There are many post installation tweaks required not necessarily documented in the SBS files.
- Small Business Server 2003 Premium Technologies:
- ISA 2004 with SP3 must be installed and configured properly.
- Secures the local email server, Remote Web Workplace functionality, etc.
- Secures and directs only appropriately formatted Web requests to your IIS6 server behind SBS/ISA. (second Win2K3/8 IIS server)
- SQL 2005 setup and prepared for line of business or robust SharePoint installation.
- Small Business Server 2003 R2 Technologies
- Installed and configured correctly as well as updated.
- Remote Web Workplace is setup to allow secure access to email, SharePoint, and company desktops.
- The SBS Wizards are used to properly configure the domain.
- The SBS Wizards are used to properly configure users and the user’s computers on the domain.
- The A/V solution is properly integrated.
- Backup solution is configured and TESTED for recovery. We put the RECOVERED server into production so that you can be assured that we know what we are doing if things go sideways.
- All client data is organized and restructured according to the SBS setup ... and all user profiles are migrated appropriately.
- My Documents are redirected to the server for data retention and backup purposes.
- More ...
When quoting time, we use a paraphrase of some of my favourite Star Trek Engineer's philosophy: Quote 2 hours and get it done in 1.
To put it another way: Under promise and over deliver.
A stipulation in our proposal states:
In addition to the above brief list, we provide a pretty detailed breakdown of all of the stages from start to finish required to bring the project online.A deposit is required on our invoice to initiate the project. We will bill for the actual amount of time taken on the project up to and including the maximum time quoted.
Any unforeseen circumstances that will have a direct impact on the amount of time quoted will be discussed once discovered. If additional time will be required, an approval in writing must be obtained in order to proceed.
Unforeseen circumstances are those that fall outside of that very detailed list. And, our prospect, or now client understands that.
Another aspect to providing these lists: The prospect will see in plain detail that we know our stuff. Our lists are broken down in such a way that they can see the flow of events right down to the SBS install phases.
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.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
SBS - Remote Web Workplace stalls at Loading ...
We have had an SBS server that would stall at the Loading portion after logging into the Remote Web Workplace (RWW) consistently.
With virtually no information on the problem, or perhaps the wrong key words being searched for, there apparently was no solution to the problem.
Yesterday's post on the Terminal Server link in RWW not showing up actually triggered a realization: There was once a Terminal Server on this particular network that had since been replaced by virtualized desktops.
Ahhh....
Sure enough, after logging in to the server and verifying theHKLM\Software\Microsoft\SmallBusinessServer\RemoteUserProtal\KWLinks\AppTS=1 HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SmallBusinessServer\RemoteUserPortal\KWLinks\AppTS=1 setting was indeed at 1, we reset it to 0, rebooted the server and voila!
We no longer have this huge stall when users log onto the RWW.
The puzzling part of the problem was the fact that the admin account did not experience this issue.
But, we now have things running smooth again, so our client users are happy.
UPDATE 2008-12-20: Eyes must have been crossed! Portal was incorrectly spelled out in the original post.
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.
With virtually no information on the problem, or perhaps the wrong key words being searched for, there apparently was no solution to the problem.
Yesterday's post on the Terminal Server link in RWW not showing up actually triggered a realization: There was once a Terminal Server on this particular network that had since been replaced by virtualized desktops.
Ahhh....
Sure enough, after logging in to the server and verifying the
We no longer have this huge stall when users log onto the RWW.
The puzzling part of the problem was the fact that the admin account did not experience this issue.
But, we now have things running smooth again, so our client users are happy.
UPDATE 2008-12-20: Eyes must have been crossed! Portal was incorrectly spelled out in the original post.
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.
Labels:
Error,
Error Fix,
Remote Web Workplace,
SBS,
SBS 2K3 R2 Premium
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Followup to the Lenovo post
My dad made a good point about the previous post on Lenovo's products:
Lenovo x61 Tablet and other problems.
That point was that our client's choice to run with Lenovo for their laptop needs was just that: Their choice.
As much as we may hold a trust relationship with our clients to the point where our suggestions carry a lot of weight, in some cases there are other reasons for them to make choices that we may not, in our opinion, consider to be in their best interests.
When that happens, we can make suggestions about the hows and whys with regards to that choice, but the "I told you so" should never cross our mouths when things seemingly do not work out for them.
Yes, that choice has cost our clients in many ways: From the extra setup time due to the ThinkVantage software updates and configuration, expensive data and laptop recoveries due to ThinkVantage software that does not work as advertised, warranties that fail to provide solutions, to the ThinkVantage software that interferes with our ability to provide remote support.
Lenovo, in our experience, is not a product manufacturer we would recommend to our clients based solely on supporting their products at our current client sites.
That experience is balanced by our supporting Acer, Toshiba, Panasonic, Voodoo, and many other laptop vendor's products.
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.
Lenovo x61 Tablet and other problems.
That point was that our client's choice to run with Lenovo for their laptop needs was just that: Their choice.
As much as we may hold a trust relationship with our clients to the point where our suggestions carry a lot of weight, in some cases there are other reasons for them to make choices that we may not, in our opinion, consider to be in their best interests.
When that happens, we can make suggestions about the hows and whys with regards to that choice, but the "I told you so" should never cross our mouths when things seemingly do not work out for them.
Yes, that choice has cost our clients in many ways: From the extra setup time due to the ThinkVantage software updates and configuration, expensive data and laptop recoveries due to ThinkVantage software that does not work as advertised, warranties that fail to provide solutions, to the ThinkVantage software that interferes with our ability to provide remote support.
Lenovo, in our experience, is not a product manufacturer we would recommend to our clients based solely on supporting their products at our current client sites.
That experience is balanced by our supporting Acer, Toshiba, Panasonic, Voodoo, and many other laptop vendor's products.
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.
Labels:
Business Principles,
Cost of Doing Business,
Lenovo
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