Asus Eee PC 1000HE WinSat Disk SSD performance

Since we have been on the topic of WinSat performance in the various configurations we have had here in the shop with Intel’s new second generation solid-state drives, we did not test the Netbook that started the whole thing off!

So, here are the results:

C:\>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:07.49
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:01.03
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:02.59
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:13.43
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:03.26
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:02.67
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.05
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.03
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                133.19 MB/s          7.0
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    122.65 MB/s          7.3
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        2.43 ms/IO          6.7
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             13.21 units          6.4
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                   11.57 units          7.3
> Responsiveness: Overall                    152.89 units          6.6
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor               0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                73.57 MB/s          6.1
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  1.192 ms       7.5
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     2.361 ms          7.4
> Latency: Maximum                             157.421 ms          7.5
> Average Read Time with Random Writes    1.440 ms       7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:31.76

The specific Asus Eee PC 1000HE SSD performance variables we look at:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read                133.19 MB/s          7.0
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    122.65 MB/s          7.3
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write                73.57 MB/s          6.1
• Total Run Time 00:01:31.76

This was the Toshiba Tecra S10’s 160GB Intel SSD’s Winsat performance (previous blog post) the last time we measured it.

Here are the Tecra S10’s single 160GB SSD read/write stats that we retook today:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              215.06 MB/s        7.4
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    63.50 MB/s        6.7
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              87.69 MB/s          6.3
• Total Run Time 00:01:28.20

It looks as though the I/O bottleneck has been dealt a serious blow on both configurations. Though, the S10’s Random Read number does look a little low relative to the Netbook.

The Netbook is running Windows 7 Professional x86 (32bit) with no BitLocker Drive Encryption while the Tecra S10 is running Windows 7 Enterprise x64 (64bit) with BitLocker Drive Encryption enabled.

All in all, bumping out the 160GB 5400RPM SATA drive in the Netbook was a _really good decision_!

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

Jack of All Trades And Master Of None

That title fit the description of the title that I wore for a good portion of my employed career if it could be called that.

With the discovery of computers and subsequently Microsoft’s Small Business Server Back Office Suite, I began to delve into a product that I actually enjoyed working with.

With the advent of SBS 2003 and the Remote Web Workplace which was SBS’s “killer app”, that interest turned into a passion.

But, passion for something can only get us so far before we hit the wall called “The Piece Of Paper”. ;)

Most of us have hit it in some form of other when looking around for employment or vying to provide a new prospect a network solution.

Something that Vlad said on his blog in this morning’s post about 2010 is what inspired this particular post:

In 2010, I believe many of the larger MSPs will be taking up smaller MSPs for the benefit of having a seasoned veteran on their staff.

It is an inversion of the MSP pyramid (extremely business savvy personnel at the thin top with a wide base of lower cost technicians and helpdesk staff at the bottom) – changing to a wider assortment of business people on the top with very few or completely nonexistent technical staff (mostly outsourced) on the bottom.

What he says earlier in his post actually ties into a conversation I had with our sales contact at one of our local suppliers this week. That conversation centred around the fact that he was seeing the Jack of All Trades and Master of None (JoAT)  type IT providers disappear.

Essentially, both MSPs and business owners have learned that the JoAT has nothing more to offer them than a basic solution with no real _long term_ value.

The current economy has been one of the most significant catalysts of change that we have seen . . . probably in most of our lifetimes.

As a result of those changes, those of us that are relentless in our pursuit of mastering a product, group of products, and/or services will be the ones sitting on top in 2012 as Vlad predicts.

It is important to note that certification, the piece of paper, in most cases does not stand up on its own anymore. Most employers and business prospects have grown quite keen about figuring out who really has the technical savvy to back that piece of paper up.

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

Intel Desktop Board DQ45EK – BIOS Recovery No OS Load On BIOS 111

We have a new Mini-ITX Intel Desktop Board DQ45EK based desktop that needs to go out to a client site this week.

For some odd reason the Windows 7 Enterprise x64 OS will not load properly while the two 2GB Kingston RAM sticks are installed for a total of 4GB.

So, we changed out the RAM one at a time and then both sticks. Sill no joy. The system seemingly ran slower than a 386 running Windows 95!

We changed out the desktop board and still had the same behaviour. Today, we picked up some Crucial RAM to replace the Kingston RAM to see if perhaps that there was a new unknown problem with the Kingston products. Again, no joy.

Now, we have _a lot_ of systems out there with this configuration, so this is very puzzling indeed.

The only other possibility that could be causing the problem is the BIOS update we did to production 111.

So, we went to back the BIOS off to production 109 and the update choked.

To recover a desktop BIOS, we needed to follow the instructions on Intel’s Web site:

• Intel Support: Desktop Boards: Instructions for Recovery BIOS update.

We used the production 109 BIOS version as the basis for recovery.

1. Unplug the system.
2. Pull the recovery jumper off by the CPU.
• Note the original position of the jumper.
3. Copy the needed CB0xxx.BIO onto a USB flash drive.
• The file needs to be in the root of the drive.
4. Plug the system in and power it up.
5. BIOS recovery will run.
6. Once complete, power down and pull the plug.
7. Replace the jumper onto pins 1-2.
8. Plug in and power up the system.
• Make sure to verify the BIOS settings for things like RAID or AHCI and others before booting the system.

Once the recovery finished, we jumped into the BIOS to set up the needed settings and Windows 7 booted as expected.

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

Intel 14.8.x LAN ProSet Update To 14.8.3 Caveat

The most recent update to the Intel ProSet driver and NIC performance and teaming management software requires that the previous version be uninstalled _prior_ to installing this most recent version.

This means that any server with the earlier 14.8.x drivers installed will require either an on-site visit or the use of an Out-of-Band remote management capability such as Intel’s RMM2/3 or Dell’s DRAC to accomplish the update.

Note that the removal of the drivers may require a reboot with _no_ NICs installed so expect a lengthy reboot for either version of SBS.

Also make sure to check that the IPv4 settings are correct and either run the CEICW on SBS 2003 or the Fix My Network wizard on SBS 2008 to make sure nothing is broken underneath once the new drivers are in place.

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

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays!

Have a safe and wonderful Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays!

We start a large client physical to virtual migration on Saturday. The virtual environment will be running Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 clustered on an Intel Modular Server.  It will be running for the next couple of weeks, so posting may be a bit sporadic.

Enjoy and hug the ones you love! :)

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

160GB Pair of Intel G2 SSD’s RAID 1 and RAID 0 Performance On A W5590 Xeon Workstation

While putting together the trading station for our client, we did some bench testing of the Intel solid-state drives in two RAID array configurations.

The system configuration:

• Intel S5520SC Workstation Board
• BIOS 42, BMC 0.45, FRU/SDR 21
• Intel W5590 Xeon Processor (second is going into an identical setup)
• 12GB Kingston KVR1333 ECC Registered RAM
• 160GB Intel SSD -G2R5 Code pair of drives
• On Board Chipset LSI based RAID
• Intel SC5650WS Workstation Chassis with 1,000Watt PSU
• PNY nVidia Quadro NVS 450 PCI-E x16 (4 monitors)
• ATI FirePro 2450 PCI-E x16 (4 monitors)
• Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Edition

The Intel SSDs are using the factory default firmware and no trim tools have been installed. The RAID Web Console 2 was installed but the SSD trim tools built into it were not enabled either for both tests.

Here is the WinSat output for the RAID 1 configuration:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:03.71
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.31
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:55.51
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:07.55
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:01.42
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.37
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read               504.89 MB/s         7.9
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                  242.46 MB/s         7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate     1.52 ms/IO          7.5
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs          11.60 units          6.9
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                 3.62 units          7.8
> Responsiveness: Overall                  42.01 units          7.2
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor              0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write             97.07 MB/s          6.5
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes 0.997 ms     7.6
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.791 ms          7.8
> Latency: Maximum                             5.227 ms          7.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   0.879 ms          7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:10.57

And here is the raw output for the RAID 0 configuration:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:04.13
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.26
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:51.11
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:04.30
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:01.11
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.09
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.02
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read           537.33 MB/s          7.9
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read              375.88 MB/s          7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        0.76 ms/IO          7.9
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             8.99 units          7.3
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                     1.69 units          7.9
> Responsiveness: Overall                      15.21 units          7.9
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write             197.47 MB/s          7.3
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes    0.947 ms     7.7
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.719 ms          7.9
> Latency: Maximum                             5.686 ms          7.9
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   0.952 ms          7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:02.78

Taking the above statistics we get:

• RAID 1 configuration:
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read        504.89 MB/s         7.9
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read           242.46 MB/s         7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write         97.07 MB/s          6.5
• Total Run Time 00:01:10.57
• RAID 0 configuration:
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read         537.33 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read            375.88 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write        197.47 MB/s          7.3
• Total Run Time 00:01:02.78

It is pretty clear that having the SSDs in a RAID 0 or RAID 10 configuration will provide a significant performance advantage in real world usage.

The write speed more than doubled when the drives were striped and took a huge step for the random read tests as well.

So, what do the numbers translate to? They translate to extremely fast OS loads, application loads, RAM cache like behaviour for any swap file activity, and an all around great user computing experience.

For anyone that generates revenue on system setups and the speed that they accomplish their computing tasks, this is one rig to consider.

By the way, the peak power consumed by the box was 195Watts under load. The average power usage while running its various tasks was 110-120Watts as measured by the APC BR1500LCD UPS. Only the workstation was connected to the UPS.

When the components for the second workstation arrive, we will run the same tests but with an add-in RAID controller to see if that further improves disk I/O performance.

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

What the Chicken?!?

We have all been there.

A simple process has turned into an arduous journey of pain. Nothing was seemingly going right anywhere and we were a hair’s breath away from losing the entire box.

A Line of Business (LoB) application is an ongoing pain with nothing going right after an update and ten pairs of eyes burning holes in the back because they can not work while we try and bring things back up again.

The CEO’s Blackberry has taken a holiday . . . when they don’t want it to . . . which is never!

And so on and so forth.

Now, for some of us being in situations like this can lead to highly elevated stress and frustration levels. And, once those levels get to a certain point we need to place a clamp on our mouth so as to not let any expletives to slip by.

Many years back one of my co-workers used to say, “What the chicken?” when things were not going right. I liked that so much I adopted it. Our clients get a kick out of it too.

If things get really stressful then the expressions will get a bit more colourful all the while maintaining non-expletive words and usually referencing certain foods or processed foods.

Why is this important?

Imagine losing a key client because after eight hours of fighting with a LoB someone took offense to an exasperated:

“This thing is about as useful as teats on a bull!”

Of course we are _imagining_ that right? ;)

In my case keeping track of what passes across my tongue is all the more important as I spent many years working in automotive shops, on rail crews, and subcontracting on construction sites. It’s not like the language used on the various job sites would charm Emily Post (Wikipedia). :)

Maintaining our composure under a lot of stress keeps our professionalism intact. It lets our client know that we are confident and assured and have the situation under control.

Maintaining that composure is even more important when things really go sideways like a building burning down or a catastrophic failure of a server. Basically any situation where we are required to assess, structure, and proceed through a highly volatile situation to a positive conclusion.

Oh, and do pick up a copy of Emily Post’s book on Etiquette. Since we are required to interact with our clients in so many ways and on so many levels, having a good grasp of how to behave, that is having good manners, in those various situations will go a long way towards maintaining our professionalism too.

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

Repair IE – Utility to Re-Register _89_ DLL and OCX Files After Malware or Corruption

This kewl little utility will re-register all of those DLL and OCX files that may have been tampered with or knocked out by Malware:

• TechNibble.com: Fix IE Utility – Repair Tool of the Week

The actual tool site:

• The Windows Club: Repair Internet Explorer with Fix IE Utility

This is one little utility to keep handy on the Technician’s Thumb Drive (blog category link).

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

Intel 160GB SSD Performance In the Tecra S10 Versus RAID 0 2x 80GB SSDs on DX38BT

The following is the output of the WinSat disk test on the Windows 7 Enterprise x64 Toshiba Tecra S10 with an Intel 160GB SSD installed:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:04.79
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.87
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:01:03.66
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:09.03
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:03.85
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:02.45
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.01
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.02
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read             203.74 MB/s          7.3
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    39.33 MB/s          6.3
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate       0.88 ms/IO          7.9
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs             10.02 units          7.2
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                     7.13 units          7.6
> Responsiveness: Overall                      71.52 units          6.9
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              88.15 MB/s          6.3
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  1.143 ms     7.5
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     2.246 ms          7.5
> Latency: Maximum                             207.342 ms          7.3
> Average Read Time with Random Writes   1.048 ms         7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:25.32

It is important to note that the above stats are on a _laptop_!

Now, let’s have a look at what two 80GB SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration via the onboard Intel DX38BT (Intel product site) chipset RAID gives us with Windows 7 Enterprise x64:

C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Windows System Assessment Tool
> Running: Feature Enumeration ''
> Run Time 00:00:00.00
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:05.36
> Running: Storage Assessment '-ran -read -n 0'
> Run Time 00:00:00.59
> Running: Storage Assessment '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:56.94
> Running: Storage Assessment '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Run Time 00:00:06.47
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Run Time 00:00:02.16
> Running: Storage Assessment '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Run Time 00:00:01.69
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.02
> Running: Storage Assessment '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 16384'
NV Cache not present.
> Run Time 00:00:00.01
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              461.83 MB/s          7.9
> Disk  Random 16.0 Read                  282.86 MB/s          7.9
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate        1.41 ms/IO          7.6
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs              11.15 units          6.9
> Responsiveness: Long IOs                     9.11 units          7.4
> Responsiveness: Overall                    101.50 units          6.8
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor                0.0
> Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write               164.71 MB/s          7.2
> Average Read Time with Sequential Writes  0.721 ms       7.8
> Latency: 95th Percentile                     1.960 ms          7.7
> Latency: Maximum                             147.954 ms          7.5
> Average Read Time with Random Writes  0.782 ms          7.9
> Total Run Time 00:01:13.77

Now, given the hardware differences between the two configurations, this is obviously an unfair comparison. However, they do provide a good reference point for the solid-state drive’s capabilities.

Here are the Tecra S10’s single 160GB SSD read/write stats:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              203.74 MB/s        7.3
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                    39.33 MB/s        6.3
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              88.15 MB/s          6.3

Here is the DX38BT 80GB x2 RAID 0 read/write stats:

• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Read              461.83 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Random 16.0 Read                  282.86 MB/s          7.9
• Disk  Sequential 64.0 Write              164.71 MB/s          7.2

What do these loosely put together stats that tell us?

That the Intel second generation Solid-State drives are _fast_!

Realistically, the above stats show that the on board RAID has the ability to improve disk I/O quite substantially when the drives are striped together.

The Tecra S10:

• Intel T9600 2.8GHz
• 4GB RAM
• 160GB Intel SSD

The desktop:

• Intel QX9650 Core 2 Quad Extreme
• 4GB KVR1333 series Kingston RAM
• Intel DX38BT BoneTrail
• 80GB Intel SSD x2 RAID 0 via on board chipset

We will test some additional configurations as they pass through our shop.

Given the above stats we may look to start using a pair of 80GB SSDs for our SBS 2008 OS drives to help reduce the OS’s boot times.

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

WSUS v3 Build Versions List

The WSUS Console gives us a build version:

• WSUS Server version: 3.2.7600.226

Thus, we needed a quick reference to make sure we have WSUS v3 Service Pack 2 installed for Windows 7 update compatibility.

There does not seem to be one location in English for the build list that we can find.

However, we did find this:

• WSUS.DE FAQ (Check Alle Antworten anzeigen and find)

TechNet does have a detection routine to run on the WSUS server itself:

• TechNet: Appendix G: Detect the Version of WSUS

However, the routine does not give us a quick reference point for version and service pack level that the WSUS.DE site does.

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

Domain Joined Windows XP Mode VMs And Redirected Folders

We are domain joining close to 100% of our Windows XP Mode installs on Windows 7.

We do that because we can better manage the XP Mode’s security settings and user experience via Group Policy.

Note that the first time the domain user account logs into the XP Mode VM and they have a large redirected folder set, that the first couple of logons may take some time while the redirected content gets cached in the VM:

Now, if there is no need for the user to gain access to their redirected folders in the XP Mode VM then a simple Group Policy setting change to disable Offline Files for the VMs will do the trick.

We place all XP Mode VMs into their own OU, so any custom settings will go into a Group Policy Object that we create and link to that OU.

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

Server Core – Remotely Managing Storage Like USB HDDs

We have the need to connect an existing USB hard drives containing our SBS 2008 backups to an existing Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 box using the new USB HDD pass through feature.

To do so requires three things to be done. One on the remotely connecting management machine and two on the Hyper-V box itself.

On the management machine:

1. Click Start –> Firewall Advanced [Enter]
• The Windows Firewall with Advanced Security console should come up after a UAC.
2. Click Inbound Rules.
3. Enable the following three rules:
1. Remote Volume Management - Virtual Disk Service (RPC)
2. Remote Volume Management - Virtual Disk Service Loader (RPC)
3. Remote Volume Management (RPC-EPMAP)
4. 
4. Close the Firewall MMC.

On the Server Core box repeat the above but also make sure of the following:

1. The Virtual Disk service is set to Automatic.
• 
2. If the service is not started, start the service.

Once the three steps above have been completed, we are now able to remotely manage the volumes on the Hyper-V box thus enabling us to place those USB HDDs Offline to allow VM access in the Hyper-V Manager:

Thanks to Sander Berkouwer & Joachim Nässlander:

• SlideShare: Server Core Remote Management by Sander Berkouwer & Joachim Nässlander

Slide #9 indicates that _both_ the management and Server Core boxes need the firewall exception which was our initial stumbling point on getting things working.

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

Project Honey Pot – 1 Billionth Spam Message

Have a moment for a really good read?

Project Honey Pot has had their 1 Billionth Spam Message.

From the above linked blog post:

Every time Project Honey Pot receives a message we estimate that another 125,000 are sent to real victims. Our billionth message represents approximately 125 trillion spam messages that have been sent since Project Honey Pot started in 2004.

At this milestone, we wanted to take a second to report some of our findings. Our goal is not to rehash the same old insights but instead to give a new picture that only looking at five years and a billion data points can produce

Their findings are quite interesting with regards to the sources of spam, harvesting, and more.

It is well worth the read.

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 Backup Recovery To Hyper-V OEM Services Caveat

One of the services we offer to our clients is the rotation of their backup drives along with a quarterly test restore of the full server to Hyper-V or one of our lab servers.

When restoring to Hyper-V, one of the things to watch out for on that first boot post recovery are runaway processes. In most cases those processes will be the server manufacturer’s management software searching for the server hardware.

The above screenshot is the Services.msc console showing the HP services that we needed to set to Manual before rebooting the now recovered SBS 2008 VM.

When the server comes back up after the reboot, the services running on the server will behave as expected . . . hopefully! :)

Depending on the complexity of the SBS 2008 setup, a full restore to production levels should not take more than 4 hours with 2 virtual CPUs, 6GB RAM, and the appropriate storage volume(s) applied.

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

Intel Hot Swap 2.5” to 3.5” Adapter Tray Enables Intel SSD Hot Swap RAID – AXX25DRVADPTR

We had a really difficult time getting our hands on these adapters:

The adapter is actually upside down in the above image.

Flipped over, the SATA and power connectors on the 2.5” drive line up perfectly with the hot swap backplane connector to allow for the smaller drive to be used in 3.5” drive hot swap backplanes.

• Intel AXX25DRVADPTR Installation Guide (PDF Download)
• Intel AXX25DRVADPTR Compatible Intel Chassis and System List

With these trays we can look at configuring a RAID 1 array or RAID 10 array of SSDs for I/O intensive needs for things such as OS or Exchange databases.

We can also offer an option to update some of our existing client servers with these trays and a couple of Intel SSDs to speed things up significantly.

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