Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 Memory Supported

Memory Support for more than 32GB for the Host OS previously required Windows Server 2008 Enterprise or Datacenter Editions. Even though Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard only supports 32GB, the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 supports greater than 32GB. Very Cool!

Also noteworthy, similar to the Enterprise and Datacenter Editions, the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 includes: Host Clustering, Live Migration and Support for greater than 4 Physical Processors (Host OS).

Check out the table on Microsoft's Hyper-V Server page.

Microsoft IT Environment Health Scanner

This diagnostic tool is designed for administrators of small or medium-sized networks (recommended up to 20 servers and up to 500 client computers) who want to assess the overall health of their network infrastructure. The tool identifies common problems that can prevent your network environment from functioning properly as well as problems that can interfere with infrastructure upgrades, deployments, and migration.

When run from a computer with the proper network access, the tool takes a few minutes to scan your IT environment, perform more than 100 separate checks, and collect and analyze information about the following:

• Configuration of sites and subnets in Active Directory


• Replication of Active Directory, the file system, and SYSVOL shared folders


• Name resolution by the Domain Name System (DNS)


• Configuration of the network adapters of all domain controllers, DNS servers, and e-mail servers running Microsoft Exchange Server


• Health of the domain controllers


• Configuration of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) for all domain controllers

If a problem is found, the tool describes the problem, indicates the severity, and links you to guidance at the Microsoft Web site (such as a Knowledge Base article) to help you resolve the problem. You can save or print a report for later review. The tool does not change anything on your computer or your network.

Here's a link to download the tool and for more information. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=dd7a00df-1a5b-4fb6-a8a6-657a7968bd11

XPPro connecting to Terminal Server 2008 with NLA required

Do your Windows Vista machines connect to Terminal Server 2008 but your Windows XP machines won't?

First, Windows XP needs the RDC version 6.1 to connect to Terminal Server 2008, so you need to have Service Pack 3 installed.

Second, if Terminal Server 2008 requires NLA (Network Layer Authentication) then you need “CredSSP” to be turned on on your machine.

You need to modify the registry to turn on CredSSP. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully.

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
1. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
2. In the details pane, right-click Security Packages, and then click Modify.
3. In the Value data box, type tspkg. Leave any data that is specific to other SSPs, and then click OK.
4. In the navigation pane, locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders
5. In the details pane, right-click SecurityProviders, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type credssp.dll. Leave any data that is specific to other SSPs, and then click OK.
7. Exit Registry Editor.
8. Restart the computer.

This information was originally found on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951608

TechNet UNPLUGGED Update: Windows 7 Technical Overview - Live Meeting

Tuesday, April 21st at 9:00 a.m. Auckland Time or
Monday, April 20th at 1:00 p.m PST

Presenter: Nathan Mercer
Duration: 90 Minutes

Windows 7 Technical Overview for IT Pro’s – 90 minutes

The Windows 7 beta is out and everyone is excited about it. In this TechNet UNPLUGGED update we’ll feature what the new Windows 7 release means for the IT Pro in NZ. We will cover off both the new business and consumer technologies in this jam-packed-demo-filled session including: the new UI, taskbar and shell, Federated Search, BranchCache, DirectAccess, UAC, IE8, AppLocker, BitLocker To Go, the new Problem Steps Recorder as well as the updated Management, Compatibility and Deployment tools.

Sign Up Here

SBS 2008 Build & Training Day

The Sacramento SMB IT Pros (SSMBITP) and the Bay Area Small Business Information Technology Specialists' Users Group (BASBiTS) are pleased to announce a special event for Microsoft partners – a one-day Small Business Server 2008 build event and technical education opportunity.

 

Event Date: Saturday, February 28, 2009

Event Location: The Microsoft Sacramento office at 300 Capitol Mall, Suite 100 in Sacramento, California 95814

Event Time: 10 AM to 4 PM (Sign-in at 9:30 AM) 
 
Note: Due to the amount of information to be presented at this event, we will start promptly at 10 AM.  Please arrive as close to 9:30 AM as possible in order to sign-in and be seated in a timely manner.

 

Capacity: 50 In-Person Attendees & 50 Live Meeting Attendees
Event Cost: In-Person Cost is $20.00 (includes lunch/refreshments) – Cash Only Please
                    Live Meeting Cost is $0
 
Registration is required.
In-Person Registration: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=135646
Live Meeting Registration: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=135655

In-Person Food Selection: Please click the following link to send your food selections to Bob Nitrio: news@ranvest.com

Entrée Choices:
• Tri-tip sandwich
• Grilled chicken breast sandwich or
• A Caesar salad entrée

Side dish choices - select two, please.
• Potato salad
• Macaroni salad
• Mixed greens salad 

Beverages and light snacks will also be provided.

 

This event will showcase a live step-by-step SBS 2008 build, including joining XP Pro and Vista clients to the domain and a review of the other post-installation Getting Started Tasks. Interspersed throughout the build will be discussions of various topics such as:
• Minimum and recommended hardware requirements
• Use of the Answer File
• Network changes from SBS 2003
• the new Management Console
• other highly useful information

• Migration tasks, experiences and caveats
• Securing SBS 2008 with AuthAnvil (Dana Epp – Microsoft MVP)
• Edge security devices – Amy Babinchak – Microsoft MVP
• SBS 2008 Gotchas (Susan Bradley – Microsoft MVP)
• Licensing
• Mobility
• How to setup your own internal network

 

The presentation team of Tim Carney and Alan Helbush (BASBiTS) will be joined by Sharjeel Noor and Peter Gallagher from the Microsoft TS2 team, together with Amy Babinchak, managing partner of Third Tier and a Microsoft MVP. Remote presentations will be made by Susan Bradley and Dana Epp, both Microsoft MVPs.

 

Tim Carney, MCP & Small Business Specialist

Tim has been providing technical consulting services to emerging Bay Area businesses since 2002. Involved in Microsoft’s Small Business Specialist Community for several years Tim co-founded BASBiTS.org a San Francisco Bay Area users’ group for Small Business Information Technology Specialists. For the 15 years prior to starting his consulting business, he was the CFO and CTO for a 45 person Copier Sales and Services Business in Silicon Valley. Tim was the primary technical force in changing its sales focus from Telex to Facsimile, from Fax to Copiers, from Analog to Digital, and from Stand Alone to Connected. Tim’s technical passions include Small Business Server, Infrastructure Security and Mobility Enablement. Tim is an Eagle Scout and has a B.S. degree in Business Management. Tim blogs on http://sbs-mobility.blogspot.com and recently co-presented with Eric Ligman on Licensing for the Small Business Specialist for the 5W/50 Webcast Core Business Series http://www.mssmallbiz.com/training/.

 

Alan Helbush, MCP, & Small Business Specialist

Alan has over 25 year of Information Technology experience. Alan opened Where To Start, Inc. Technology Solutions in 1999, providing “Big Business” IT and Managed Service Strategies tailored for mid-sized businesses including medical centers and non-profit organizations. With his detailed and methodical approach, Alan excels at network design, integrating security, implementing best practices and maintaining a hands-on customer service approach. Alan co-founded BASBiTS.org a San Francisco Bay Area users’ group for Small Business Information Technology Specialists, and was one of the first Small Business Specialists in the region. Alan’s technical passions include Compliance, Small Business Server, Infrastructure Security, Response Point and Exchange 2007. While previously employed with premium high-tech companies within the Silicon Valley, Alan honed his IT skills to match technology to business requirements while maintaining an eye on the businesses mission and goals.

 

Peter Gallagher, Microsoft TS2 Team

Peter Gallagher joined Microsoft in October of 1998. He started out supporting the Windows 9x platform until the 2000 time frame. He then moved to the Small Business Server support team where he supported SBS 4.0 through SBS 2003 R2. Peter’s decision to join the TS2 team was a natural extension of his forming of the DFW SBS Users Group in 2004. He enjoys working with Microsoft Partners around the Small Business Server product. In Peter’s spare time he enjoys cycling, playing XBOX, drinking fruity drinks on sandy beaches (little umbrellas are optional) and goofing around with technology.

 

Amy Babinchak, MCP, Small Business Specialist & Microsoft Forefront MVP specializing in ISA

Amy owns Harbor Computer Services, a consulting firm specializing in providing IT services to small businesses. She is also Managing Partner of Third Tier, which provides advanced support services to other consultants and vendors. She has written articles, contributed to the SBS Unleashed books, is the technical editor for others, has been a speaker to many user groups, and conferences. Amy recently founded the EBS virtual user group. She can be founded on her blogs at http://securesmb.harborcomputerservices.net and http://www.thirdtier.net/blog as well as SBS and EBS newsgroups and mailing lists.

This will be an information-packed day and seating will be limited to fifty attendees. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, there will also be a Live Meeting connection for an additional fifty virtual attendees.
 
Susan Bradley

Susan has been a SBSer since the SBS 4.0 era (and has the old media to prove it) and blogs on SBS and other tech topics at www.sbsdiva.com. She writes articles on Patch issues for Brian Livingston's WindowsSecrets.com and has been an author on Eriq Neale's SBS 2008 Unleashed as well as an author on the Windows 2008 Server Security Resource Kit.  Susan was honored as the SBSer of the year at SMB Nation 2008 and is a Microsoft SBS MVP.
 
Dana Epp
Dana Epp is a security expert with the awarded designation as a Microsoft Security MVP, who focuses on helping to secure small and mid-sized businesses. He has developed a strong authentication and identity assurance solution called AuthAnvil that greatly increases the confidence and assurance business owners need when allowing remote access to their company assets when using Microsoft’s server solutions.  Epp is the author of “Computer Security Concepts: Managing Business Threats in a Wired World”, a book written to explain at an executive level how to handle the threats of online risk as companies move to the new digital economy, and is the author of the popular security blog “Dana Epp’s Rambling at the Sanctuary”.

 

Directions to the event: The Microsoft office is located on the southeast corner of 3rd Street and Capitol Mall and is accessible via I-5. 3rd Street is a one-way street in the southbound direction.

 

From the West - Take I-80 east and continue east on US 50. Options include Jefferson Boulevard (CA 275) and I-5 north to J Street. Please consult your favorite map tool for details.

 

From the North – Take I-5 southbound. Multiple options exist, so please consult your favorite map tool for details.

 

From the South – Take I-5 northbound and take the J Street exit. Stay in the right lane and turn right on to 3rd Street southbound to Capitol Mall.

 

From the East – Take US 50 west, transition to I-5 north and take the J Street exit as noted above.

 

Parking: The parking garage in the building may be available for attendees. The entrance is located on N Street. Metered parking is located on nearby streets (make note of time limits and park accordingly). Additional parking is available in a lot immediately west of the building, which is accessible via 2nd Street. Google Maps’ satellite view is the best way to locate this lot.

 

In Vehicle Device Mounting Solutions

I have installed more than my fair share of devices / device mounts in various vehicles for my wife and me. I always end up taking way too much time to remove/reinstall the panels and/or dash components, what a pain. Well, I think I have found a very good alternative, www.ProClipUSA.com, their mounts slip into the seams between panel sections of the dashboard and provide a nice tight fit. They also have a full complement of device specific holders. I just ordered a setup for my iPhone and will report back after it arrives and gets installed.

UK News Article - Police set to step up hacking of home PCs

Check out this article from the UK - Their Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people’s personal computers without a warrant.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5439604.ece

The Secret In-N-Out Burger Menu Items

In-N-Out Burger has a secret unpublished menu for insiders who are in-the-know.

Normal Burgers:

• "X-by-Y" = X meat patties and Y slices of cheese. I.e.:
• "3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.
• "4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese.
• "2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.
  *Note: You may get a burger with the exact number of meat patties or cheese slices you want (up to 4x4). Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how many cheese slices you want. For instance, if you want 4 pieces of meat and 3 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "4-by-3."
• "Double Meat" = a Double Double without cheese.
• "X-by-Meat Burger" = X meat patties (up-to four) and no cheese slices, so a "3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese slices.
  

Special Burgers:

• "Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added.
• "Protein Style" = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce).
• "Flying Dutchman" = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else - not even a bun!
• "Grilled Cheese" = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun.
• "Veggie Burger" = burger with double tomatoes but no patty or cheese. Sometimes called the "Wish Burger."

Customize your burger:

• "Medium Rare" meat
• "Triple Everything" will get you extra lettuce, tomatoes and onions.
• "Whole Grilled Onion"
• "Only" designates no spread
• "Extra Toast" leaves your bread on the grill a tad longer resulting in “crispy buns.”
• "Light Toast" opposite of Extra Toast.
• "Chopped Chilies" adds some mild pickled peppers to the bottom of your burger or fries.
• "Mustard and/or Ketchup" can be substituted for the spread.
• "Fried Mustard" is fried mustard with pickles and can be added to your burger or fries.

Fries:

• "Animal Style Fries" = fries topped with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them).
• "Cheese Fries" = fries with one or two slices of melted cheese.
• Fries "Well-Done" = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular!
• Fries "Light" = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like 'em

Drinks:

• Large and extra large shakes are available, the cup sizes for these shakes are one below soft drink sizes.
• "Neapolitan" Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate swirled together — not blended.
• "Root Beer Float" specify whether you want it more creamy or soda-ey.
• "Around the world" is an order containing a shake of each flavor.