An ordinary guy trying to make a difference
The face behind the FAQs
So the day after British Gas announce a 9% increase in their electricity prices and a 35% yes 35% increase in gas prices it’s expected they’ll announce a 6 month profit of £880 million.
Now I’m not against any company making a profit – there’s no point in being in business unless you are making a profit (unless you’re either a) mad b) do it for the love of it or c) you’re a millionaire of have a rich relative – sadly I’m only a) and b), mostly a).
This in the same week that BP announced it made half yearly profits of $16,916 MILLION.
Who is paying for all of this? Us the consumer. Now I’m not just singling out these 2 companies (neither of which I personally use), but all of the companies in these and other industry sectors that make these obscene profits yet don’t give two hoots about us the consumer.
Why can’t the Government cap the profits these companies make which should result in cheaper prices? Although knowing our Government they’d introduce legislation that any extra profit above the limit would go to them rather than result in cheaper prices.
The UK as far as I’m aware STILL has the most heavily taxed fuel in Europe if not the world and what good has it done us? Well the economy speaks for itself. What with rising energy, fuel and food costs (let alone everything else that’s indirectly increasing as a result of these), but with no equivalent or indeed greater increases in people’s salaries to try to keep up then eventually something has to give BIG time if it hasn’t already.
If you’re already struggling I feel for you. With other energy companies expected to announce price increases both now and in the future and with the state of the world economy things can only get worse. So baton down the hatches and get ready for the ride which hopefully we all come through safely through the other side.
I’ve just stumbled across the Evalu’08 website as it was featured in one of the many newsletters I get from Microsoft. Basically this is a single website giving you the opportunity to either download trial versions or take Virtual Labs in the following products:
If you try one product you can win a Zune, two an X-box 360, three a Windows Home Server.
As usual there’s the following small print:
“*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. (includes D.C.) 18+ employed in an IT or software development role. Sweepstakes ends September 30, 2008. For details including free, alternate method of entry, see the Official Rules.” (the link to which doesn't work btw)
So guess I won’t be winning then unless they host the same competition on Microsoft UK. Still cool idea as it puts all of the evals in one place rather than you having to go hunting for them.
I was just thinking to myself “wouldn’t it be cool to create a single page with evals for all of the SC products and put it on the SC home page” only to find when I visited there low and behold underneath the menu bar is the “Win a Windows Home Server” graphic which takes you to the Eval’08 website.
Yes you can. In SMS you couldn't upgrade an evaluation copy to an RTM version without uninstalling and reinstalling the product. With ConfigMgr it is possible to upgrade an eval copy… [more]
Following on from my Virtualisation post I decided to do some digging round for System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).
The current versions of SCVMM is 2007 but the Release Candidate of SCVMM 2008 is available from Connect.
Here’s some useful links for SCVMM 2007:
Automating Software Updates for Offline Virtual Machines Using Virtual Machine Manager 2007 and Configuration Manager 2007 Download this white paper which provides guidance and script samples for integrating System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and Virtual Machine Manager 2007 to provide automated software updates for virtual machines stored in a VMM library (offline).
Download the Microsoft Assessment and Planning tool for your Application Virtualization Project Get ready for Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 with the new tool called Microsoft Assessment and Planning. This automated tool can assess your network infrastructure by creating an inventory of your server and desktop infrastructure and generate assessment reports to help you plan your Microsoft Application Virtualization deployment. Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Beta today!
Virtual Machine Manager Configuration Analyzer Virtual Machine Manager Configuration Analyzer (VMMCA) is a diagnostic tool that verifies configuration settings for your computer that are important to running Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
Well it seems that what with Microsoft’s release of Hyper-V and other movements in the virtualisation market VMware has decided to stop charging $500 for it’s ESXi Hypervisor and instead give it away for free as my friend Paul kindly pointed out to me on this article from The Register.
If you want to downloaded your free copy head over to:
https://www.vmware.com/tryvmware/login.php?eval=esxi&t=1
The "Actions" pane is one of the new panes of new Admin Console in ConfigMgr. However it takes up valuable screen estate and once you get to grips with the product you might find you no longer use it. It is possible to load the Admin Console without the "Actions" pane by adding a new Registry Value as shown in this article…
I’m going to be honest I hate Microsoft’s Virtualisation strategy or at least I did until now. I was born and bred on VMWare. I tried Virtual PC and it was OK. Virtual Server well even saying the name makes me cringe so you know my opinion on this.
But I’m someone that can forgive and forget most things and from what I’ve heard of Hyper-V it seems time for me to re-evaluate Microsoft’s virtualisation strategy. I’m also keen to look at System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), as I’m hearing good things about this to.
Sure at the moment I’d say I have some general skills when it comes to non-ConfigMgr/ SMS products and maybe that’s a bad thing. However, I’ve decided to branch out a bit into the world of virtualisation as I can see a LOT of people going down this path which of course has some major implications not just from a ConfigMgr perspective and also across the field.
So I’m going to take the plunge and start reading up on Hyper-V and SCVMM sharing my experiences (and useful stuff I find), along the way starting with some useful links for Hyper-V:
SQL Server 2005
954831 FIX: In SQL Server 2005, the session that runs the TRUNCATE TABLE statement may stop responding, and you cannot end the session
954049 Description of the hotfix rollup package for System Center Operations Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 and for System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1: July 25, 2008
953141 Support for running System Center Operations Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 and System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 on a Windows Server 2008-based computer
954429 After you apply hotfix 951126 on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008, the computer may stop responding when you try to resume from standby again
956190 DNS queries that are sent across a firewall do not use random source ports after you install security update 953230 (MS08-037)
956188 You experience issues with UDP-dependent network services after you install DNS Server service security update 953230 (MS08-037)
956187 Microsoft Security Advisory: Increased threat for the DNS spoofing vulnerability
953876 Performance decreases when you use side-by-side (SxS) activation in a COM application on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 SP1
954896 A stack overflow issue occurs when you use the incorrect name format to enter a user name as a parameter for the TranslateName function on a Windows Server 2003-based computer
558115 The kerberos client received a KRB_AP_ERR_MODIFIED error from the server
950820 The system stops responding during the logoff, shutdown, or restart process on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP and that has the Japanese IME installed
955410 A memory leak occurs every time that you use a smart card to authenticate against a Windows Server 2003-based domain controller
The Environmentally Friendly bunch have been lobbying retailers here in the UK (and probably elsewhere), to either do away with free plastic carrier bags or start charging for them.
The trend is starting to catch on. Some shops that used to give you a free bag have now started charging for them. The other day I went into WH Smith’s (one of the UK’s largest newsagent, stationary and bookstore chains in the UK), and bought a magazine. In the past they’d always give you a bag no problem.
However, last week the girl took my money and just gave me the magazine and receipt but no bag. So I asked “Can I have a bag please?”
To which she replied “Yes, but I’ll have to charge you 1p for it.”
So I paid my 1p and got my bag. But how is this helping the environment?:
I’m all for doing my bit for the environment but this seems an ill-thought out strategy implemented by companies that just want to be able to say “Look at us we’re doing our bit for the environment by charging for bags, aren’t we good?”
Errr no? Why not give people bags that don’t have the issues of the plastic carriers (such as being biodegradable), and THEN you’ll be doing your bit for environment.
What is Asset Intelligence? [28/07/08] Contributed By: Cliff Hobbs [MVP ConfigMgr/ SMS] Asset Intelligence is a new, optional feature included in SP3 that offers enhanced reporting...
Shame you can’t view this video full screen:
“In this video tutorial watch Gareth Hall, Windows Server Product Manager for Microsoft, explains how to get the most of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.”
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1653590857/bctid1655880292
I was interested to read in the latest copy of Computer Weekly an article on managing software assets (it’s not online yet otherwise I’d link to it).
What really caught my eye was a comment from Joy Jerram of the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity. It seems they tried using ConfigMgr to help get to grips with their software assets but were overwhelmed with the amount of information ConfigMgr returned.
This to me demonstrates a couple of key points here:
I’ve sent an email letter to Computer Weekly with my comments hoping to raise awareness that help is available should folks need it. I’ll keep you posted if it gets published.
I’m also going to try to get in touch with Joy to get more information on their experiences.
If any of you using have experienced similar issues I’d be interested to hear about them and how you resolved them (if you have), so we can maybe get something published somewhere to help those new to the product who might feel inundated when they first try to use it.
The MVPs have been asked to help spread the word in the community about a potential issue when it comes to upgrading a Site to ConfigMgr SP1.
As part of the upgrade process SP1 attempts to upgrade the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) on the server hosting the SMS Provider to version 1.1. Now this is all fine if you don't already have a PXE Service Point in the same Site.
However, if you DO have a PXE Service Point in the same Site you could experience:
I've written the following articles on FAQShop based on the "Upgrading the Windows AIK for Configuration Manager 2007 SP1" post:
IMPORTANT: Please ensure you read this information BEFORE you apply SP1 as it is currently NOT available in the ConfigMgr Documentation Library and won't be until the R2 documentation is released.
What changes have been made to the Client Platforms supported by SMS 2003 SP3? The Client Platforms supported by SMS 2003 SP3 have changed...
Got this through from Microsoft which hopefully some of you may find useful:
Background Free, unlimited installation and compatibility support is now available for all worldwide customers using Windows Vista SP1, until March 18, 2009. Telephone support is available worldwide. Some countries also offer Chat and Email support.
Effective dates From now until 18 March 2009.
Location
Find out more and access the service at:
http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx?rdpath=1&prid=11274&gprid=500921
Who is affected All users of Windows Vista SP1.
Internet Explorer 6.0
954543 Web-related applications may not work correctly after you install cumulative security update for Internet Explorer MS08-024 (KB947864)
954669 FIX: An ongoing MS DTC transaction is orphaned in SQL Server 2005
953568 FIX: The synchronization operation of a merge replication times out in Microsoft SQL Server 2005
954950 FIX: Error message when you run a distributed query in SQL Server 2005: "OLE DB provider 'SQLNCLI' for linked server '' returned message 'No transaction is active'"
954883 FIX: Error message when SQL Server 2005 synchronizes a mirrored database: "Failed Assertion = 'result == LCK_OK'"
953259 FIX: Error message when you run an SQL statement that uses the Charindex function in a database that uses the Czech locale in SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition: "The function is not recognized by SQL Server Compact Edition"
954249 Error message when you try to access a Web site in Internet Explorer 7: "Page cannot be found"
954077 When you try to open a file by typing the URL location of the file, the application that opens the file may not start correctly
953546 The Print Spooler process (Spoolsv.exe) crashes while it is copying print driver files on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP
955641 Service fails to autostart on boot when using domain account as service log on
954387 You may experience authentication issues when you access a network-attached storage device after you upgrade to Windows Server 2008, to Windows Vista, to Windows Server 2003, or to Windows XP
951531 The W32Time service does not synchronize the CMOS clock time to the Internet time on a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003-based computer after the W32Time service stops
948963 An update is available to adds support for the TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA AES128-SHA and the TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA AES256-SHA AES cipher suites in Windows Server 2003
949729 When you run an NDISTest on a Windows-based computer that has a RNDIS driver installed, a failure is reported, or the computer may become unresponsive
955087 Error message that is triggered by the Fltmgr.sys driver on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003: "Stop 0000008E"
954149 You cannot modify some files under an NTFS junction point after you use the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in to analyze or apply security settings on a Windows Server 2003-based computer
954337 The computer could potentially have problems if DPC routines are executed at an IRQL that is greater than DISPATCH_LEVEL in Windows Server 2003
953955 The Win32_Processor class returns the incorrect Name property for the processors on a Windows XP-based computer that has Intel Core 2 Duo processors installed
955109 Error message when you run an application that uses the Application Desktop Toolbar (AppBar) component on a computer that is running Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3: “0xC0000005 (Access Violation)â€
Intel’s vPro technology is a new systems management technology built into the Centrino 2 (desktops) and Core 2 (laptops) chips providing powerful security and manageability features such as:
Personally I can see this a being a hot technology that a lot of people are going to want to use (although large scale adoption is going to be hindered by the fact you need the latest chips to take advantage of it so it’s going to be a good while before we start to see large scale adoption and use of this technology).
For more information goto:
http://www.intel.com/vpro
I’ve recently had two VERY expensive failures of items in my life that I thought would have lasted a LOT longer than they have namely my car and my personal laptop.
I’m still waiting to hear back from Hyundai about my car so I won’t post the story here for now.
About 3 ½ years ago I needed a laptop to help me with a major community-related project I had on the go at the time and to run my SMS virtual lab on. After extensive research I bought a Rock Quaddra Ti (basically a mini-server/ workstation class of machine in a 17” laptop with a price to match).
I was VERY impressed with it until things started to fail on it. As I’d bought it from Rock Direct I couldn’t just call out an engineer or return it to the shop. Instead I had to wait for them to collect it, inspect it, verify with their insurance company it was OK fix under the warranty, fix it, and return it. As you can imagine being without the machine for a fair amount of time was not easy but an evil I had to endure last year.
The machine came back with a new motherboard. I powered it on and everything seemed good as new so I powered it off again until January 08 (the first chance I had to start reloading my apps and data).
I left it loading from Windows Update only to return to find the machine completely dead. The power light was still on the power block so I assumed something inside the machine had gone wrong so I called Rock only to be told that as the machine was out of warranty I’d need to write a letter of complaint which I did and sent it off to them.
After a couple of months of hearing nothing I called them and I was asked to email them a copy of my letter which I did.
Another couple of months later nothing so I called them AGAIN only to be told they had gone into administration (even though the old staff were working there). It was only when I pleaded for help the Tech FINALLY stopped repeating like a record over and over again that they were now a new company and not responsible for any machines sold previously that he started to be a bit more co-operative. The end result though was I needed to send ANOTHER letter of complaint to the new company, which I did.
Yesterday I actually got a call from them. Although the machine is out of warranty they have agreed to waive the £80 they normally charge for finding the fault, estimating the cost of repair and then shipping the machine back to me.
Now although I appreciate this I’m miffed at the way the guy told me this - almost with an air of arrogance and that they are doing me such a BIG favour. I’m also a little upset by the fact that I need to fund the cost of getting the machine to them in the first place just for them to estimate the repair cost.
So I’m facing the decision as to whether to go through the hassle and cost of getting the machine back to them and then paying for the repair, or whether to just cut my losses and have one of the most expensive door stops in history.
Lessons learnt from this are:
Just waiting for Hyundai to get back to me know (the outcome of which I can almost guarantee will be the same).
There are several options you have when it comes to preparing for Microsoft’s ConfigMgr exam to become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS).
The most obvious is to attend a Microsoft training course which in the case of ConfigMgr is the five day Course 6451 “Planning, Deploying, and Managing Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007”.
Then there’s Steve Kaczmarek’s and the ConfigMgr Doc teams’ book the Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Administrator's Companion (currently the only ConfigMgr book on the market but others are coming).
Another option is to use third-party training courses for ConfigMgr such as those offered by The Blogcast Repository and CBT Nuggets (neither of which I’ve reviewed so you’ll need to form your own opinions and let me know). I’m sure there are probably others “out there”.
Whichever route you choose I’d recommend you get some hands-on experience with the product especially those parts you either use infrequently or have been shying away from as for this exam Microsoft are testing in many areas of the product as you can see in the Skills Measured section of the Exam Prep Guide (I’d hate for anyone to take the test thinking it’s just design, planning, installation and a bit of software distribution without realising topics such as OSD now make-up a significant part of the exam).
Above all, don’t panic or be put off – the effort is worth it.
Good luck and let me know how you get on ;-)
If you’re thinking of taking the ConfigMgr “TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring” exam, Microsoft has an Exam Preparation Guide to help you which you can access at:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-401.mspx
Well I’ve been using (and been very happy with SmartFTP) for a number of years now. However, it now seems they’ve decided to no longer offer the software for free.
Thanks SmartFTP I’ve enjoyed the experience but time to hit Google for another free FTP program (unless any of you can recommend one).
The folks at CBT nuggets have released their Exam-Pack 70-401: Microsoft Systems Center - Configuration Manager which consists of 20 videos that apparently help you get up to speed with the product and prepare for the ConfigMgr exam.
You can watch the free Remote Tools and Wake On LAN video to get a taster (it’s hidden under “Free Videos | Microsoft MCTS / MCITP” – if it had a “ConfigMgr” prefix it would be easier to find), once you’ve registered for free on the site.
Now I’m not endorsing this in anyway (I have emailed CBT nuggets to ask for a review copy but no news as yet), but the free video looks OK, although I found I had to keep hitting the Pause button and rewinding as boy does Greg talk fast.
The WMUG crew just want to say a BIG thankyou to all of you that attended our meeting last night. It was a fantastic turnout and I think it’s fair to say a good time was had by all.
Thanks to the Microsoft team (Phil Cross, Steve Lamb, and all of those at Cardinal Place), for helping organise and run this.
And a big thanks to our guest of honour none other than Ed Aldrich himself whom I presented with a special gift when he asked if there was a prize for the person that travelled furthest to attend the meeting (I’ll let Ed decide whether he shares the details with you).
So sleeves rolled up and we’re already talking about organising the next event which from the feedback you’ve given us you’d like the opportunity to listen to others and share your experiences with the product. So get in touch if you want to speak at the next event and we’ll help you get things organised.
SQL Server 2000
941203 MS08-040: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft SQL Server could allow elevation of privilege
948111 MS08-040: Description of the security update for SQL Server 2000 QFE and MSDE 2000: July 8, 2008
948110 MS08-040: Description of the security update for SQL Server 2000 GDR and MSDE 2000: July 8, 2008
953853 FIX: The Windows services may stop responding when the SQL Server WMI provider enumerates the Windows services on a local computer and the enumeration fails in SQL Server 2005
955250 Error message when you try to uninstall a SQL Server 2005 Express Edition hotfix package: "1731 The source installation package for the product [2] is out of sync with the client package"
953481 FIX: Error message when you try to insert data on a subscriber of a merge replication in SQL Server 2005: "Msg 548, Level 16, State 2, Line 1. The insert failed"
948109 MS08-040: Description of the security update for SQL Server 2005 GDR: July 8, 2008
948108 MS08-040: Description of the security update for SQL Server 2005 QFE: July 8, 2008
954054 FIX: Some changes are not replicated to the subscribers when you synchronize data for a transactional replication in SQL Server 2005
953624 FIX: Error message when you synchronize data for a merge replication in SQL Server 2005: "The Merge Agent failed after detecting that retention - based metadata cleanup has deleted metadata at the Subscriber"
948113 MS08-040: Description of the security update for SQL Server 7.0: July 8, 2008
953918 How to move Terminal Services CALs from one license server to another in Windows Server 2003 or in Windows 2000 Server
955133 Detection and deployment guidance for the July 8, 2008 security release
953267 IPP does not support multiple operating system .inf files on a print server that is running Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP
951072 August 2008 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
954702 Some paper sizes are not available on a Windows XP-based computer when you perform a Point and Print install operation to install a printer from a print server that is running Windows Server 2003
951748 MS08-037: Description of the security update for DNS in Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows 2000 Server (client side): July 8, 2008
953230 MS08-037: Vulnerabilities in DNS could allow spoofing
951746 MS08-037: Description of the security update for DNS in Windows Server 2008, in Windows Server 2003, and in Windows 2000 Server (server-side): July 8, 2008
955109 Error message when you run an application that uses the Application Desktop Toolbar (AppBar) component on a computer that is running Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3: “0xC0000005 (Access Violation)
I made a post earlier today referring to a workaround that someone had blogged about on how to install the RC version of ConfigMgr R2 on a non-eval copy of ConfigMgr SP1.
Well I’ve decided to change the post and pass on some more information I’ve received.
The reasons you should NOT workaround this “issue” are:
What you choose to do about this is entirely up to you – you pays your money and takes your chances but personally I’d recommend you play by the rules to avoid any issues.
As Rod mentions, today is the day that Windows XP SP3 will be available through Windows Update. Get your bandwidth ready…
Just received this:
“The System Center Configuration Manager team would like to announce that the following has been released and available for download:
ü System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 Release Candidate build 6335
This is the official RC build for the R2 release. Step-by-step guided scenarios for each feature can be found at the survey link within your MSconnect account. These step-by-step guided scenarios are an excellent way to become familiar with the new features and also provide direct feedback to the Configuration Manager product team. Bugs and Design Change Requests can be filed through the feedback link. Your voice is important and we highly encourage and requested your feedback on these scenarios and features. Notes: Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 RTM required. Regards, The Configuration Manager Customer Team”
To register and download this latest build (if you haven’t already) click the link below which will take you to the Connect website:
https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=16
Once there click on the “Register for the ConfigMgr 2007 SP1 and R2 Open Beta!” and follow the instructions.
If you’ve already registered for the R2 beta then:
IMPORTANT NOTE: As of the time of writing the note beside the download states:
“Please note: Installation of this build requires Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 RTM.”
when in fact it should state:
“Please note: Installation of this build requires an Evaluation Version of Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1.”
Just a quick bump for the next WMUG meeting next Tuesday in London in case any of you missed it.
Rob will be taking you through the Operating System Deployment (OSD), feature of ConfigMgr and Gordon and David Allen will be taking you through System Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) as well as how it integrates with Operations Manager (OpsMgr).
The event is free, open to all, there’s free food and drink and SWAG so come along – we’d LOVE to see you.
For more details and to register simply goto:
http://wmug.co.uk/groups/wmug_event_content/pages/wmug-event-15th-july-2008-cardinal-place-london.aspx
I subscribe to numerous discussion lists, which the majority of time offer some GREAT information. But there are times when a question or topic gets started that I’m not really interested in.
Now wouldn’t it be cool if when you received such a message you could just hit reply and type “NO” in the message body and send it back to the list server which then automatically filtered out any messages being sent to you on the same topic.
Now of course I think you’d need one hell of a list server on the back end to be able to do all this filtering.
Plus I guess there’s a tradeoff between the amount of traffic that would be saved by only targeting content to those that want it Vs the opt out traffic coming back to the list server.
Then I guess there’s the tradeoff between just doing nothing and spending time wading through the mountain of information whenever you need to find something Vs watching what’s coming into your Inbox and opting out accordingly.
Sure in Outlook you have Rules and the ability to group posts by Subject (not very manageable when have a few thousand messages with different subjects) but this doesn’t really solve the problem in my opinion.
All I know is that the sheer amount of information I’m getting coming into my Inbox keeps growing and the amount of time I have to review, manage and sort the wheat from the chaff is forever decreasing. Wasn’t life SO much simpler before computers.