Upwards with SBS – SBSisyphus’ Weblog

Entries categorized as ‘Web Links of Note’

Links of Great Potential SBS Information

April 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Seeking and answers to specific issues I always find other great stuff but need to stay focused on the task at hand.  So here’s a list of stuff I’ve ran over the past couple of days for myself to retrace and digest – some are absolute gems.

SBS 2008

Exchange Related

(includes DNS records for Exchange)

Sharepoint

Virtualization

Misc

– Win7, Large File Transfer, Vista/Win08 Image Restore with ShadowProtect…

Categories: Web Links of Note

Micro? Mike Rowe – get to work, succeed, and be happy

March 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment

One of my favorite fun things I added to the blog is the VodPod widget nestled down the widget list on the right hand side.  For an otherwise dry technical blog library it breaks up this heady tome with lightness. In this widget Mike Rowe is featured in a gut busting dirty promo for an HP tablet PC that was once featured off the HP site but now on YouTube.  Mike is an extremely interesting and funny guy and the focus of this post regarding entrepreneurial spirit.

Mike doesn’t follow the same line as most; in fact, he’s a one of a kind on a career path as a celebrity doing all sorts of jobs that require hard work and getting very dirty.  He could opt to use some editorial trickery to produce his Discovery Channel TV show but he actually does the work and often to hilariously disastrous and dirty outcomes.  He uses the lighter side to create an entertainment effect and content balance – rip-off! :) .

Today I found he has created a cleverly named site to promote American jobs that require actual work including trades and skilled careers.  Its called Mike Rowe Works and shouldn’t be confused with a museum or any other Micro named site; in fact he could have made it Mike Rowe Works Hard or MikeroweHard (domain yet claimed) but that’s not his direction or distinction.  At www.mikeroweworks.com there are some really great resources and I found one.

In the Scrap Yard I found this treasure – a call to success for all Entrepreneurs of any Micro or Mike Rowe careers – http://www.mikeroweworks.com/scrap-yard/mikes-blog/:

…But I wonder sometimes, if the best way to achieve a dream is allow it to follow you, and not the other way around. I suppose if my options were limited to following my dream or following an order, I’d go for the dream. But too many people, in my opinion, follow their dreams straight into a mountain of debt or a sea of regret. Dreams can be fickle.

I’ve mentioned before that one of the things I learned from doing this show was the idea that following your passion is not nearly as important as bringing it along for the ride. I’ve talked to more than one entrepreneur who laid out this basic same strategy -

1. Step back and look what direction everyone else is heading.
2. Go the other way.
3. Look for something that no one else wants to do.
4. Start doing it.
5. Get really good at it.
6. Find a way to like it.
7. be happy.

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who wind up dirty and successful as a result of this approach. It’s a bit mercenary, to be sure. But there are many roads to a happy career, and this is one not often taken.

Mike

Categories: Fun Stuff · Web Links of Note · motivational
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SBS 2008 Media for Open Licensing Purchases

March 8, 2009 · 1 Comment

This is straight talk direct from the perspective of a Microsoft Partner & SBSC organization.  I tell it without any apologies.

To briefly review SBS purchase options you have three:

  1. OEM – ships with the server hardware
  2. FPP – Full Package Product – you buy the plastic box with media inside
  3. Open Licensing – digital licenses, you purchase through distributor – media is provided via a second step unique to SBS and a scant few Microsoft products such as Microsoft Math (I’d never heard of it either)

To begin, you reach out to a distributor and purchase your licenses and decide Open Licensing is the type you want (see Eric Ligman’s helpful  and up-to-date resources).  An email is sent to the purchaser which provides a confirmation of the purchase along with the order Authorization Number and the License Agreement Number and a listing of the product licenses with corresponding Microsoft Product Number.  With this information and the instruction contained with it, you can set up an account with Microsoft currently at a licensing management site called eOpen – https://eopen.microsoft.com.

After entering the Authorization Number and License Agreement Number(s) for your client, the information is accessible.  From the left column of eOpen there is a link to “Product Downloads”.

image

Clicking this takes you to another licensing management site, Volume Licensing Service Center.

So maybe you read words in titles and are now encumbered with the mind twister of “Volume Licensing”.  What is that?  Didn’t I just earlier say there were only three types of licensing?  Yes, and it all is still true.  Let me do you a great service in untwisting the language jargon.  Microsoft has an incentive program for selling licensing that is available to Partners and this is called Volume Licensing.  When you sell various Open Licenses you get different points and this then leads to benefits for the partner.  In other words Volume Licensing isn’t a type of licensing it is an incentive program.  In the future you might realize that the eOpen site is entirely unneeded as everything can be done solely through the better designed and full functioning Volume Licensing Service Center site.  Tip *** save the URL into a SharePoint link list why you are there.

So at this site you can get to a place to “Download Products”; however, with SBS Open Licensing this is a cruel tease.  You won’t be downloading SBS media but it will lead you to obtain it via ‘an order’ (no cost aka free).

image

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Clicking the link as show above takes you here and it looks like you are going to be able to download it!  psyche!  There is even a drop down box which misleadingly offers a 32 bit version of SBS 2008 (there isn’t one due to Exchange 2007).  You must choose something in each dropdown box before the needed link appears.  Notice that the “Continue Download” button is grayed out and the only active thing is a link to “Purchase the media kit version”.  Follow that link:

image

The subsequent page lets you order a media kit which you have no “overnight delivery” option even for a fee.  There is but one option and its to wait for it to come on its own pace.  The good news is that you can order more than 1 copy of the media.  So once you’ve got this far why not order some extra copies for your next client who purchases SBS Open Licenses.  You can order up to 10 kits.

The media comes equipped with a suite of disks in sleeves that is vacuum wrapped in plastic; on the back of the sleeves are the associated and activation needed Product Keys.  My October 2008 labeled media disks were a light blue and white design and most are DVD’s.

While you are waiting just obtain the proper version media and install it in trial mode by bypassing the Product Key entry – leaving it blank.  You’ll get your media before your trial expires.  Also remember you can use the ‘slmgr –rearm’ command to renew the trial up to three times for  a maximum total of 120 days (4x 30 days trial).

Categories: Purchases & Licensing · SBS · Web Links of Note
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Windows 2008 – Core Configurator 1.3.0.1

February 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment

For managing Windows Server 2008 Core via a simple GUI was initially developed by Guy Teverovsky, formerly employed by Smart-X.  Now Smart-X has improved this to a very nice UI with added features.

You can read about it and download it here:

http://www.smart-x.com/?CategoryID=198&ArticleID=170&sng=1

Core Configurator main console

Categories: Admin Tools & Tips · Web Links of Note · Windows Server 2008
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Q&A from the Windows 7 Springboard Roundtable

February 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment

A roundtable discussion was broadcast live on 2/12/2009 regarding the development and new features of Windows 7.  Here is the Q&A from that roundtable discussion

https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard

Is your next beta milestone going to be `feature complete?
The next milestone for Windows 7 will be the RC build. For more information, check out the Engineering Windows 7 blog post here: http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/01/30/our-next-engineering-milestone.aspx

is windows 7 a desktop only platform, or are there desktop and server flavors?
The next version of the Windows client is Windows 7. The next version of the Server is Windows Server 2008 R2.

Will there be an update to IE8 before RC?
No, the next update to Windows 7 will be the RC build, there won`t be any component updates in the interim.

How many versions of Windows will read “BitLocker To Go” encrypted media?
All versions of Windows 7 will be able to read “BitLocker To Go” encrypted removable storage devices.

Will our Beta`s be turned off on August 2? 31?
On 8/1/2009 the Windows Beta will no longer be functional.

Where can we find step-by-step guide for applocker,direct access, branch cache and the rest of new features?
For DirectAccess EarlyAdopter`s Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2fdc531d-9138-454f-a820-78211755b52aanddisplaylang=en For BranchCache Early Adopter`s Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a9a1ed8a-71ab-468e-a7e0-470fd46e46b3andDisplayLang=en Applocker step-by-step guide is still in the works…

Is there an estimated date at this point for Windows 7 to be RTM?
The goal for Windows 7 RTM is to be 3 years after Windows Vista RTM date.

what is branch cache?
BranchCache is a new feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that will increase user productivity in branch offices and reduce the WAN link utilization. For more information please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a9a1ed8a-71ab-468e-a7e0-470fd46e46b3andDisplayLang=en

What versions of Windows 7 will be available?
There will be a number of diferent versions of Windows 7 available.See the following blog for more information: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/02/04/a-closer-look-at-the-windows-7-skus.aspx

will branch cache features in Windows 7 be back ported to earlier versions of the os?
There are no plans to back port BranchCache into earlier versions of OS.

Will there be a recording of the video and the q and a available?
Yes the video recording and the QandA will be available within a week.

The DirectAccess Early Adoptor`s Guide link does not work.
You could get to the Early adopter`s guide from DirectAccess Technet Page also. Please visit: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/dd420463.aspx

Will there be 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7?
Yes.

What is the expected RTM date for Win 7?
The goal for Windows 7 RTM is 3 years after Windows Vista RTM date.

Is it correct that there will not be a Beta 2 this time arround?
That is correct, the next public release will be the RC build of Windows 7.

will applocker only work with win7
Yes, it will work with Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate editions.

Can you upgrade Windows 7 Beta 1 to Windows 7 RC or it has to be clean install?
Upgrades from Beta, to RC, to RTM will be supported.

Categories: Security · Web Links of Note · Windows 7
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