March 2007 - Posts

• The myITforum BETA site

  If you were at MMS 2007 you saw the screens of the NEW myITforum.com.  We’re working on rolling out the new site soon, but I wanted to give you the public URL to the beta site so you can test it and give us feedback.  We had some great feedback from MMS that we’ll be incorporating. Here’s the URL to the beta site: http://www.myITforum.com/newsite Posted Mar 31 2007, 05:09 PM by myitforum with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Site News

• SMS Site Status SideBar Gadget for Windows Vista

  SMS Site Status SideBar Gadget fmerizalde130 SMS 2003, Windows, System Center Configuration Manager 3/24/2007 271.2 kb This is the first of several Windows Vista SideBar Gadgets for providing SMS\SCCM information. This gadget, once configured will provide SMS Site Status. Posted Mar 25 2007, 03:11 AM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Downloads

• Project Manager - Technical Documentation (Seattle)

  This position's responsibilities involve hands-on management of documentation teams and working closely with customers’ technical product development teams, including software developers and architects. As the Project Manager of a documentation effort, you will schedule and manage the content development team consisting of authors and editors, regularly interface with the corporate customer and their larger product team, gain an understanding of the technology solution so that you can converse fluently with the team about it, recognize and be able to discuss how technology developments will impact the documentation, and contribute directly to documentation if necessary. The Project Manager will also review content deliverables for overall quality of work, and the Project Manager may be required from time to time to edit some documents. You will also interface with Studio B Account Managers, and drive successful completion of all work requirements. Key elements of this work include the following: Set up new projects by gathering project information and keeping Studio B’s project management tools updated with current project information. This information will enable Studio B administrative staff to track payables and receivables. This information includes: - Customer contact - Author assignments (including work description and schedule) - Contract amount - Author payables - Invoicing milestones - Periodic project updates Coordinate and manage all aspects of Corporate Services projects, including: - Maintaining schedules - Ensuring deadlines are met by both the customer and the author(s) - Facilitating customer/author communications - Providing project updates as specified by contract changes - Making necessary editorial assignments - Issuing customer and author invoices Be an active participant on the Customer’s team: - Physically attend all on-site meetings - Understand and become conversant in the technology - Be the point person and the authority on matters related to the documentation, but also recognize the expertise our subject matter experts bring to the team. Maintain client contact to ensure a solid customer relationship. - Be available to the customer and responsive to customer needs and concerns, and be as proactive as possible regarding potential project snags or ways to improve the project’s progress. - Maintain good and strong relationships with both customer contacts and authors, and always be alert to opportunities for providing additional services to the customer. Review all content deliverables for quality. Occasionally, if the project schedule does not permit a full editorial cycle with a contract editor, the Project Manager will be required to perform copy edit on deliverables.   Provide some new business and proposal development support in the form of proposed project schedules, updates to client contact changes, research on corporate client contact information and organization changes. Also, be alert to new opportunities. We are seeking a self-motivated, disciplined individual who is able to work in a fast paced environment under minimal supervision. Applicants must be located in the Seattle/Redmond area. Applicants should have a Bachelor's Degree (with significant technology background), possess excellent communication and computer skills, have solid knowledge of Microsoft’s client technologies (ideally the Business Desktop Deployment Solution Accelerator and tools such as Application Compatibility and USMT), be able to multi-task, have a strong attention for detail, and must be highly organized. Microsoft technology certifications are a plus. Applicants must have experience managing content or documentation development. Interested candidates should send a resume in Word format, with a cover letter and salary history, to Lynn Haller at lynn@studiob.com. Posted Mar 21 2007, 05:17 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Jobs

• Opportunity for SMS/MOM Engineer in Minneapolis and Indianapolis

  Hi everyone. I'm currently looking to fill two positions for one of my clients. I've listed the qualifications below for your review: Five to seven years experience creating more than one architecture in a complex organization including planning, development, rollout and support experience Previous consulting experience preferred MCSE 2003 certification preferred Four-year degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline; or equivalent experience An emphasis on SMS and MOM as well as Microsoft Core Infrastructure technologies Technical understanding of an array of technologies and their use, such as: Current and pending Microsoft Windows operating systems and other operating system knowledge Windows Server, Active Directory, Exchange, SMS, SQL Server, SharePoint, Exchange Hosted Services, MOM, ISA, and SUS Experience with Novell to Microsoft migrations Experience and use of Microsoft Operations Framework and ITIL processes Proven project oversight responsibilities and mentoring of consultants preferred A professional, business-focused attitude and courteous manner towards clients, partners and peers Ability to work weekends and/or off hours as necessary to meet clients' needs This position may require the ability to travel average of 50% Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills including demonstrated experience presenting technology recommendations from a business perspective If you'd like to discuss these opportunities in further detail please contact me at your earliest convenience. _____________________________ Cary G.H. Wong Business Development Manager Rapid Application Deployment, Inc. 400 S. Hwy. 169, Suite 425 St. Louis Park, MN 55426 cwong@rapiddeploy.com P: 952.253.9330 ext. 111 C: 952.261.3604 F: 952.253.9331 Posted Mar 21 2007, 04:04 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Jobs

• Today's Articles; March 21, 2007

  System Center Configuration Manager Setting Up a Virtual Test Lab Using Microsoft Virtual Server by Peter Ballantyne - 3/21/2007 Being able to run SMS or MOM in a test lab is essential when evaluating new tools, service packs or even the betas of SCCM 2007 or SCOM 2007. However, having the hardware and software necessary to build a multi-server, multi-client network setup is complicated and expensive. SMS 2003 Count SMS Installed Resources by Don Hite - 3/21/2007 This SQL query will return the count of SMS resources installed to your site server(s). It will also provide you with the Site server name, its site code, parent site and SMS site version. System Center Operations Manager Setting Up a Virtual Test Lab Using Microsoft Virtual Server by Peter Ballantyne - 3/21/2007 Being able to run SMS or MOM in a test lab is essential when evaluating new tools, service packs or even the betas of SCCM 2007 or SCOM 2007. However, having the hardware and software necessary to build a multi-server, multi-client network setup is complicated and expensive. Scripting Test Access To A Remote Registry by Don Hite - 3/21/2007 This By Request script will allow you to test connectivity to a remote machines registry via an input box and notify you if you can successfully connect. Windows PowerShell Powershell script to check if opsware agent is installed and running by Ying Li - 3/21/2007 Here is a powershell script to check if opsware agent installed and running. It uses the .NET class I mentioned in my previous post[System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController]:: to get the service status from remote computer. Windows EZ Execute Freeware GUI For PsExec by Don Hite - 3/21/2007 Tim Beacham's EZ-Execute is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool that allows you to use the SysInternals PsTool PsExec utility to run or execute applications and perform tasks such as installing the SMS client software on a remote machine or to install hotfixes remotely. SQL Server Vbs Script To List Database Table Names On A SQL Server by Don Hite - 3/21/2007 This Vbs script will prompt you for a SQL server name and database name and return all of the table names found in the database to Excel. Posted Mar 21 2007, 01:51 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Articles

• Symantec-Altiris Merger poll so far

  Interesting poll results so far… Is the Symantec acquisition of Altiris a good thing? (please, feel free to add your own comments)   No. (51.35%) Yes. (21.62%) Who cares? (27.03%)   But, it’s the comments that are even more interesting… we are moving away from using Altiris. Support sucked. Doubt it will really improve with Symantec 3/16/2007 11:49:01 AM Depends on if Altiris let''s some of Symantec''s disregard for proper application behavior and reasonable update cycles creep into their pretty stable product. 3/16/2007 11:52:28 AM Hopefully it will improve / adjust their tech support model. (Which is currently give me money, give me money, give me money) 3/16/2007 1:08:57 PM Symantec sucks at Software 3/16/2007 2:03:36 PM Everything Symantec touches turns to crap. I''m sure it will end up disappointing. 3/16/2007 5:30:13 PM Symantec is a "good" MS partner. Perhaps this acquisition will put the back-stabbing Altiris into check. 3/19/2007 8:54:57 AM Symantec will screw it up..so That''s a good thing for Bill. 3/19/2007 9:14:09 AM I have never used Altiris but when Symantec bought Powerquest they dropped support for all the older versions of Partition Magic. I would expect the same thing will happen to Altiris. 3/19/2007 9:21:34 AM They have the lead touch. Symantec takes gold and turns it to lead. Very common apps that are easily abused and deformed. Remember how powerful and popular Ghost was? (notice past tense) 3/19/2007 10:04:18 AM Symantec support has to be the worst of any IT company. 3/19/2007 10:17:20 AM good thing for whom? 3/19/2007 11:01:31 AM If Symantec takes over Altiris support calls, I expect things to get worse based upon my experiences with Symantec Tech Support in the past. 3/19/2007 12:31:21 PM old wine in a different bottle? 3/19/2007 8:57:26 PM   Take the poll when you get a chance:  http://www.myitforum.com/absolutepm/polls/symalt.asp Posted Mar 20 2007, 10:37 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Polls

• Senior SMS Opportunities with Active DoD Secret (or Top Secret) in Washington, DC area

  Full DoD Secret (will get Top Secret) SMS Admin needed    Strategic Business Systems is looking for a SMS Administrator with at least a FULL DoD Secret Clearance for an opportunity in the Washington, DC area. SBS will process the person for their DoD Top Secret for this opportunity. Here is the overall description: Team Responsibilities Use SMS queries/reports, and other methodologies to perform vulnerability assessments and risk analysis of vulnerabilities as they are released. Test approved patches in lab environment. Provide automated installation solutions to the OPS division for deployment throughout the enterprise using SMS, WISE, Visual Basic and other tools. Applying methods used during risk analysis, begin the validation process and ensure systems are compliant/installed with the required patches and updates. Serve as the tier 3 support for issues related to patch/update delivery, installation and validation. Daily Tasks Evaluate and re-engineer current processes used by the Patch Management Team by developing new, more efficient processes and automation tools. Perform risk analysis of released vulnerabilities using SQL queries and stored procedures against the SMS database. Assist with the development and maintenance of a separate patch compliance database used for risk assessment and validation reporting. Develop new processes and tools, used for querying the SMS and Patch database, which provide the most accurate assessments possible. Develop SMS packages and other automated installation solutions for deploying patches and updates throughout the enterprise (SUS Feature Pack for SMS 2.0 WISE, Visual Basic). Test downloaded patches and updates in the lab using the same methods/tools used in the production environment. Provide guidance and assistance to the SMS team in the OPS division for the future migration to SMS 2003. I would love to hear from anyone that would be interested or know someone that would be. Thanks, Jason Rock jrock@sbsplanet.com 703-766-8953 Posted Mar 20 2007, 10:02 PM by myitforum with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Jobs

• Experienced Microsoft Consultant / Practice Leader

  Duncan McAlynn MVP, MCSE, CISSP 10301 RR 2222 – Apt. 1823 Austin, TX 78730   (512) 673-6239   [duncan]@[mcalynn].[com] Objective ---------------------------------- An industry professional with over twelve years experience and a passion for building strong infrastructure practices seeks to expand upon previous successes by working within a stimulating environment. Experience ---------------------------------- Infrastructure Solution Lead July 2006 – Oct 2006, Catapult Systems, Inc., Austin, TX * Standardized Delivery Methodology * Implemented Risk Management Strategy * Practice Readiness for Services Delivery of Active Directory, Exchange, MOM, SMS & BDD * Successful Engagement Management Practice Principal June 2005 – July 2006, Interlink Group, Inc., Bellevue, WA * Sales Support for Account Executives and Partners * Practice Readiness for Services Delivery of Microsoft Core Infrastructure Solutions * 168% of Revenue Target * Marketing Efforts Related to the Microsoft Infrastructure Practice Systems Management Practice Manager August 2003 – June 2005, Collective Technologies, Austin, TX * Development of Intellectual Property Related to Systems Management Server 2003 * 400% Practice Growth in 12 Months * Microsoft & Dell Partner Account Management * Engagement Management Support for SMS/MOM Projects * Sales and Marketing Support Principal Consultant February 1998 – August 2003,  CompTrends Corporation, Nashville, TN * Provided Independent Consulting Services to Fortune 500 Companies * Full P&L Responsibility * Services Development and Delivery * Partner Model Development Accreditation ---------------------------------- * Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), 2006 - Present * Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), 2000 – Present * Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) 2000 – Present * Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) 1997 – Present * Symantec Sales Professional (SSP) – 2006 Industry Leadership ---------------------------------- * Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) – 2004-2007 * Annual Presenter – Microsoft Management Summit * Author – Microsoft Press, 80+ Online & Print Articles * Technical Editor – Apress, Microsoft Press References, Detailed Project Experience and Salary History Available Upon Request Relocation: Yes Travel: Yes Salary: Negotiable Availability: Immediate Posted Mar 19 2007, 08:11 PM by myitforum with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Jobs

• Softgrid added to the myITforum.com FAQ topics

  We’ve added Softgrid to the list of System Center products you can ask questions about.  Ask questions about Softgrid in the FAQ: The myITforum.com FAQ System Posted Mar 19 2007, 03:18 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Site News

• Today's Articles; March 19, 2007

  System Center Configuration Manager - System Center Operations Manager Microsoft's Survey on Community by Rod Trent - 3/19/2007 Microsoft has just launched an online survey targeted at getting a baseline on satisfaction with current Windows Enterprise Management community resources, sites, etc. SMS 2003 Forcing An Advanced Client Full Reinstall From The SMS Console by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 The folks at Microsoft have provided you with an alternative means to reinstall the SMS client. MOM Enabling Authoring Mode In MOM 2005 by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 When you want to perform management tasks such as creating management packs, editing rule groups or product knowledge or even creating your own product knowledge for that matter you have to enable authoring mode to do so. Scripting - Web Technologies HTA Script To Connect To A Machine With An Alternative User Name And Masked Password by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 Connecting to a remote server or workstation by specifying an alternative user name and password into the appropriate input text boxes. The user computer name input text boxes will be shown in plain text however the password will be masked in the input box for security purposes. Windows PowerShell Reading All The Values Of A Local Registry Key by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 One of the biggest benefits to using PowerShell is that it provides you with direct access to the registry on your local or remote machine as if it was simply another drive path. Here you will see how to enumerate and return all of the values for a specified local registry key. Windows - Networking Windows Server 2003 Telnet Clients by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 Here we will be discussing the software used to connect to your servers Telnet service other than the built in default Telnet client which comes with your workstation and server Network Operating System (NOS) as a default. SQL Server SQL Server Migration Assistant for Oracle by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 If you have Oracle databases that you need to port over to SQL 2005 the SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) has an Oracle to SQL Server 2000 Migration toolkit available for download to assist you in your endeavors. Sharepoint Modifying The MOSS Portal Site Owner Account User name by Don Hite - 3/19/2007 By default when you install MOSS 2007 the account that you use to install the site is defaulted to the portal site owner or the sites administrator. If you have the need to change this account... Miscellaneous Microsoft's Survey on Community by Rod Trent - 3/19/2007 Microsoft has just launched an online survey targeted at getting a baseline on satisfaction with current Windows Enterprise Management community resources, sites, etc. Posted Mar 19 2007, 01:32 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Articles

• Today in the myITforum Community Calendar

  TechNet Webcast: Systems Center Capacity Planner 2006 Overview (Level 200) Posted Mar 19 2007, 01:11 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Site News

• Cool new feature in the forums...

  If you navigate to the forums with IE7 or Firefox 2.0, your Search Provider box will now light up, denoting that you can search the forums directly from your browser Search bar. Give it a try… http://www.myitforum.com/forums/ Posted Mar 16 2007, 07:08 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Site News, Forum News

• myITforum Forums Search Plug-in for Firefox 2.0

  Thanks to Brian Mason for this…! ============== “We’ve all repeated ourselves a gazillion times in the forums answering the same questions.  Here is a Firefox search plugin that lets a user make use of Firefox 2’s integrated search box.  Maybe a user might be inclined to try to search first before asking a question.     All the user has to do is unzip it into his C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\searchplugins folder and restart Firefox.  (Or C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\searchplugins for 64bit OSes)”   ___________ Brian Mason Download Posted Mar 16 2007, 06:58 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Site News, Downloads

• New myITforum Poll: Is the Symantec acquisition of Altiris a good thing?

  Take the poll… Posted Mar 16 2007, 04:44 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Polls

• Today's Articles; March 16, 2007

  SMS 2003, MOM, Scripting Linking SMS And MOM Server Databases For Distributed Queries by Don Hite - 3/16/2007 This post will show you how to retrieve data that resides on a remote MOM database server from an SMS database server for writing distributed queries. Web Technologies Internet Explorer 7 Deployment Guide by Rod Trent - 3/16/2007 This guide helps you to plan and carry out a deployment of Windows Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Posted Mar 16 2007, 02:16 PM by myitforum with no comments Filed under: Articles