Orchestrated Chaos

A Slew of OPSMGR links!

2010-03-18T16:11:00Z

Operations Manager Product Team Blog OpsManJam : A new resource for Operations Manager 2007 Management Pack authors and IT Pros, focusing on Management Pack Authoring best practices, tutorials, deployment and administration content. Through OpsManJam you can also download content such as management packs, featured articles and command shell scripts. Tools & Utilities : Find tools designed to make upgrading, deploying, and administering Operations Manager 2007 easier. Documentation : Download...(read more)

SCCM SP2 OSD : Custom boot image with Front End HTA

2010-02-25T18:02:00Z

Couldn’t find all of this info gathered in one place, so here we go. Like most shops on SCCM, we were looking for some enhancement to the default OSD setup, particularly when it comes to importing and naming workstations. One would think that this need is universal enough that Microsoft would have addressed it a little more readily (like making it an option to check in the boot image creation?), but not so much. So we’re going to walk through the steps of creating a custom boot image and adding the...(read more)

System Center Config Manager VNEXT TAP OPEN!

2010-01-08T23:02:51Z

Now is your chance to have input into the features of the next version of Config Manager. Apply for the TAP now! Today we are announcing the opening of the Technology Adoption Program nominations for the next release of System Center Configuration Manager. The Technology Adoption Program is designed to provide a consistent experience for Microsoft customers to obtain real-world customer feedback on Microsoft pre-release products. There are many benefits for our TAP customers, to name a few...(read more)

Taking Orders!

2009-11-29T02:33:13Z

Taking orders! You too can own a copy of my first published fiction!* At only $5, it's gotta be worth it! Who knows, someday it could be worth $6! Hit the Paypal link at the bottom of the posted link. If you like it, go back and buy the first edition too! Her description of my story is perfect: "a pizza delivery guy who has an experience straight out of a pulp-horror magazine". Go buy it! *Technically, I've been published online, but this is the first time for print fiction...(read more)

Published!

2009-11-04T14:44:17Z

Other than a short piece in the online webzine Aphelion years ago , my fiction writing efforts have languished in the drawer. I am more than pleased that I’ve finally broken through into print. The start-up chapbook magazine TBR Tallboy has accepted my story “We Deliver” for it’s December issue. W00t! I think it’s a fun, scary story about a pizza delivery gone horribly wrong, and TBR Tallboy’s YA slant is perfect for it. You can read more about the magazine here , where you can also order issues...(read more)

Kicking LSASS

2009-09-25T14:58:00Z

It all started with a call about poor performance when printing from a local server. Then it escalated to poor performance in other apps that run on that server. A quick look at the server confirmed constant 90-100% utilization. The culprit? LSASS.EXE. Being that it occurred in the middle of the day, we first tried to get Server Performance Analyzer running on the box. This proved fruitless. The server was so bogged down that doing anything on it was en exercise in extreme patience. So running anything...(read more)

Drivers [The ConfigMgr provider reported an error]

2009-08-12T13:55:34Z

It appears, at least in my environment, that this is still an issue even with R2. If you’re going to use SQL 08 with ConfigMgr and OSD, be aware that you may have to set SMS_XXX database to 2005 compatibility mode to make things happy. Everything appears to work fine until you get ready to add drivers, at which point you’ll notice the error above in the console. If you try to add a folder below “Drivers” you get the same error on it, and driver imports fail. Once you go through and set the SQL DB...(read more)

Inside Conficker

2009-06-13T17:41:00Z

Get the full story and inside scoop on the conficker virus, how it was created, deployed, and ultimately defeated... and whether or not it was just all misdirection. This is a great article. The Inside Story of the Conficker Worm A HOTEL bar in Arlington, Virginia, 23 October 2008. A group of computer security experts has spent the day holed up with law enforcement agencies. It is an annual event that attracts the best in the business, but one the participants like to keep low-key - and under the...(read more)

Ops Manager R2 Upgrade

2009-05-23T19:19:40Z

Here’s a great, great walk through of the R2 Upgrade process. A must read if the upgrade is on your horizon (and if it isn’t, why not??) My experience upgrading to OpsMgr R2 RTM...(read more)

MMS Demo : How'd they do that?

2009-05-20T15:01:00Z

Want the behind the scenes skinny on the "win7 upgrade over the air" demo? Look no futher than here!...(read more)

WIN 7 RC

2009-05-05T14:38:39Z

I downloaded the WIN7 RC with the intent of upgrading my production laptop. I’ve really had no issues with WIN7 in test, and thought that this would be a good opportunity to start testing what will eventually be our next OS. It might expire in March 2010, but I should have a new laptop by then anyway. Plus, I haven’t had a chance to play with WIN7 in domain – joined scenario, and I feel confident enough in it to use it everyday. So. Burn the ISO, insert the DVD and hit Setup with complete confidence...(read more)

MMS 2009 : Wrapup

2009-05-02T22:41:20Z

Hopefully by now all of the planes have landed, bags have been unpacked, swag sorted, and brains are beginning to relax. Another MMS comes to a close. My take – aways: Venue : Once again, the folks at the Venetian deliver a fine conference venue. I’d quibble with having to walk past the casino to get anywhere, or with the length from my room to breakfast, but really it all is fine, air conditioned, and shorter than the walk in San Diego. The food was fine, and really better than it had any right...(read more)

MMS : Last Day

2009-05-02T21:12:10Z

Building the Perfect Master Image I have two pages of frantically scribbled notes from this session. The demos were a great step-by-step guide to preparing for image creation and deployment with SCCM and MDT. Great tips, pointers, and steps. The presenters were great, flat out knew their stuff, and were having fun. The only drawback was a slightly slow demo environment, but the presenters filled that time well. Another definite deck download and keep. It occurs to me someone should scan through all...(read more)

Win 7 Beta

2009-05-01T01:42:52Z

If you’ve been putting off registering for the Win 7 beta exam, you’re out of luck. A friend of mine just tried and got a “Promotion Code has been used the Maximum Number of Times”. Shame on you for not jumping on it the day it opened....(read more)

MMS Sessions : Day Four : Afternoon

2009-05-01T01:07:45Z

Man, I wish that there were two or three of me here. No, what I need is a Time – Turner (sorry for displaying a bit of my Harry Potter geekerie there) so that I can attend about three sessions per time-slot. The stuff I saw today was great, and there were other things I wanted to see just as badly but couldn’t. Such is life at MMS. And also why they make the DVD. Config Manager Case Studies This was my favorite session last year, and this year did not disappoint. Rodney Jackson gave a non-stop list...(read more)