Shaun Cassells at MyITForum.com

Beta Exam: VS and .NET 4 - Registration Open Today

scassells — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:27:00 GMT

You are invited to take part in one or more beta exams for Visual Studio 2010 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.

If you pass one of the beta exams, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.
By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications. The following exams are a part of this beta offering.

Exam 71-511, TS: Windows Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 71-515, TS: Web Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-513: TS: Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-516: TS: Accessing Data with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-518: Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-519: Pro: Designing and Developing Web Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Availability

Registration begins: March 17, 2010

Beta exam period runs: April 5, 2010 – April 30, 2010

Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register as soon as registration opens. Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered. If you register, please ensure you are committed to attend.

Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.

Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China

Registration Information

You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
Please use the following promotional codes when registering for your chosen exam(s):

Exam Number	Beta Code
70-511	511BC
70-515	515AA
70-513	513CD
70-516	516B1
70-518	518PE
70-519	519ZS

To register in North America, please call:

•	Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)

Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:

•	Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

Test Information and Support

You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge.
You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly.

Find exam preparation information:

Exam 71-511, TS: Windows Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 71-515, TS: Web Applications Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-513: TS: Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-516: TS: Accessing Data with Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-518: Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Exam 70-519: Pro: Designing and Developing Web Applications Using Microsoft .NET Framework 4

Frequently Asked Questions

For Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) help and information, you may log in to the MCP Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/or contact your Regional Service Center: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/support/worldsites.asp.

•	What is a beta exam?
•	Where can I learn more about the registration process?
•	Where can I learn more about the beta exam invitation process?
•	Where can I learn more about the new structure of Microsoft Certification?
•	Who do I contact for help with this beta exam or other MCP questions?

Beta Exam: VS and .NET 4 coming soon

scassells — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:34:00 GMT

http://blogs.technet.com/betaexams/

8) When will these be available? – All but one exam will be available between the dates of March 31, 2010 to April 20, 2010. Mark your calendars now! We will also be opening registration earlier for these as well.

9) What exams are we talking about? –

70-511 TS: Windows Applications Development with Microsoft® .NET Framework 4
70-513 TS: Windows Communication Foundation Development with Microsoft® .NET Framework 4
70-515 TS: Web Applications Development with Microsoft® .NET Framework 4
70-516 TS: Accessing Data with Microsoft® .NET Framework 4
70-519 Pro: Designing and Developing Web Applications using Microsoft® .NET Framework 4

70-518 Pro: Designing and Developing Windows® Applications using Microsoft .NET Framework 4 will not be available in this time frame but should be available in the April time frame.

10) How do you sign up? – In a little while, I will be making a post to this blog again with the link to the prep guide, Prometric’s web site for registration and the all important beta exam codes that change that cost in your shopping cart to $0.

they are also adding more spaces :)

Three things I learned about SCCM backups

scassells — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:06:00 GMT

Three things I learned about SCCM backups

1) Do not store your backup on the same drive as your source files

2) There is a VSS patch for Server 2003

3) Back up on Secondary Sites are worthless

Backup on the same drive as your installation directory

Warning: Backup location and the sms data (installation directory) are on the same volume. Sms Backup creates snapshot of the volume using VSS services and then copies the data to the backup location. It is advisable to have the backup location on a different volume (different than the one that has SMS data and SMS database files), so that the writes to the volume is minimal when the volume snapshot is active.

Straight forward and easy; put it somewhere else.

VSS may fail on Windows Server 2003

Error: VSS_E_WRITERERROR_RETRYABLE. Error Code = 0x80,042,3f3.

The following hotfix is to resolve this issue

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/915331

Secondary Site backups are worthless

The following was buried in a blog post here:

Source: http://blogs.technet.com/configurationmgr/archive/2009/11/10/configuration-manager-2007-october-help-file-update.aspx

Maintaining Configuration Manager 2007

How to Back Up a Secondary Site: Updated to remove the procedure to back up a secondary site because you cannot restore this backup by using the Site Repair Wizard. Instead, you must reinstall the secondary site. This information was also added to About the Site Repair Wizard.

For all the details and to download the update see http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=71816b0f-de06-40e0-bce7-ad4b1e4377bb&displaylang=en

Where is registry HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SMS\Components\ on a x64 operating system?

scassells — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:03:00 GMT

I was recieving Message ID: 2719 source: SMS Server Component: SMS_INVENTORY_DATA_LOADER

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SMS\Components\SMS_INVENTORY_DATA_LOADER\Max MIF Size

due to MIF's being over the default of 5mb. Problem is the registry key is not in the location specified beause the server is 64 bit (x64)

Look here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\SMS\Components\SMS_EXECUTIVE\Threads\SMS_INVENTORY_DATA_LOADER

How to check if Service Principle Name (SPN) is enabled?

scassells — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:41:00 GMT

While troubleshooting recently, I came across an instance where I needed to verify a SPN was still set correctly for a remote SQL instance.

Go to your SQL box
Navigate to:

X64 - :\Program Files (x86)\Support Tools
X32 - :\Program FIles\Support Tools

Run Setspn.exe -L <ComputerName>

Install ADSIEdit.msc
Locate the server you wish to verify
Right Click Propteries
Scroll down to servicePrincipalName

Results are returned.

ConfigMgr 2007: Distribute Software returns "not enough server storage is available to process this command"

scassells — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:28:00 GMT

"not enough server storage is available to process this command"

when you google you will find several refrences to an IRP stack size issue in windows NT4. This is not related.

The issue you are running into is covered in this blog post

http://blogs.technet.com/smsandmom/archive/2008/03/10/configmgr-2007-distribute-software-updates-wizard-returns-not-enough-server-storage-is-available-to-process-this-command.aspx

Test: Open up the Computer Managment (compmgmt.msc) >> Shared Folder >> Sessions

If you see your ConfigMgr / SCCM service account listed a bunch of times and idle. Then the blog post above will fix your issue.

Savings Space on SMS / SCCM servers by deleting PCK files - the pitfalls and fixes.

scassells — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:05:00 GMT

The following is a guest post from: Ted Skarbek

The following is a write up on package replication after user deleted PCK files:

With our aging SMS 2003 servers running out of drive space for the distribution points and new packages being created much faster (and typically larger on average) than the older packages were being retired we were scraping for bits of space to keep moving until the new SCCM 2007 system gets into production. It was found that the servers being used as the DPs had a significant portion (roughly 40%) of the total drive space assigned to the DP being taken up by PCK files. To free up the capacity we elected to delete PCK files which hadn’t been modified in the last 3-6 months figuring that anything that hadn’t been modified in that time probably wouldn’t need to be modified, and if it did then the PCK file should just replicate back out to the DP so it might just take a little longer.

Somewhat shortly after making the decision to delete the older PCK files we encountered a few older packages which needed to have slight modifications to them replicated out to the DPs. Sometime after issuing an “Update Distribution Points” command from the SMS console it was noticed that on at least a few of the DPs the package had not yet updated (under package status these sites still indicated the previous source version, targeted “1”, but installed was “0”, and retrying was “1”). This had been an observed behavior in the past and typically would be resolved by just updating the DPs again. In this case it did not resolve the issue so I began digging into it further.

What I found was that it appeared the DP was giving an error that it couldn’t open the PCK file on the local server, which is somewhat to be expected since it isn’t there, but common sense would seem to indicate that if the file was not present that it would just get copied out automatically. At this point the package wouldn’t even remove from the targeted server since it was aware that it should be updating and that the PCK file was no longer present (apparently if the DP is trying to perform an action on a package, it won’t move onto the next one until the first one completes successfully). After a little investigation of the issue the best resources I was able to locate were the following:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb892806.aspx

Under “What it does” for Package Updates:

“Builds a new, complete, compressed package file and a delta compressed package file from the updated package source files. The delta file is passed to all distribution points.”

http://www.myitforum.com/forums/m_82981/mpage_1/key_Clearing%252COld%252Cdata/tm.htm#82981

Under a post from “rlauder”:

“This is the compressed source of a package and is used for refresh purposes if a subordinate site server is instructed to refresh it' s own copy. If you' re lucky and you' ve trashed it, the parent server may well just request a new copy from its own parent, but don' t bank on it.”

So it seems that the expectation that the PCK files would automatically replicate out was apparently unreasonable. I have been able to determine two solutions to enable us to update the DPs when the PCK files have been removed:

1. In order to update a package on a DP which was last updated before our modification above here’s what seems to work:

a. Remove all targeted DP’s

b. Wait for the package status to be all 0’s on ALL DP’s (Source Version “0”, Targeted “0”, Installed “0”, Retrying “0”)

c. Update the Package from Source

d. Re-add the DPs

e. I’ve never seen this have a problem.

2. If the package is updated without removing the DP’s what you will likely see is that the Source Version stays the same, Targeted stays at “1”, Installed goes to “0”, and Retrying probably goes to “1” (as seen in the Package Status area). Once this starts happening even removing the DP won’t work (Targeted, Installed, and Retrying will all “0”, but Source Version will still stay the same).

a. To resolve the problem now the PCK files need to be manually copied from the parent server (\\<serverName>\sms_cpsg$\<PKG ID>.pck) to the target server (using the same sms_cpsg$ share).

b. Once the PCK file is back on the server(s) the package can be updated again and everything should be fine.

c. Note: only the PCK file needs to be copied, all files with the *.DLT and *.DLT.x extension can be ignored.

d. Sometimes I do have a problem manually copying the PCK files as it tells me I don’t have permission to write to the file on the target location (even though I have create and modify access to the target location and the file isn’t present) but in these cases the server Admin’s has been able to successfully copy the files.

RDP 7.0 coming to XP and Vista

scassells — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:34:00 GMT

http://blogs.msdn.com/rds/archive/2009/08/21/remote-desktop-connection-7-for-windows-7-windows-xp-windows-vista.aspx

I think this will be a win for Microsoft. W7 is a very strong product and this a demonstration of its increased functions. Vista back porting was for a different reason, MSTSC 6.1 was mainly for security, not features or usability.

CliFix SMS_DEF.Mof edit

scassells — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:27:00 GMT

The CliFix script writes to the registry, a count of the number of times a fix has run. And the last time a fix ran. As well as the last time the script ran.

This will allow you to track trends in your environment, parts of the script not working, or a great pie chart for your management to say how well you've fixed your environment.

Best

#pragma namespace ("\\\\.\ oot\\cimv2")
#pragma deleteclass("ClientHealthStartup", NOFAIL)
[DYNPROPS]
Class ClientHealthStartup
{
[key] string KeyName;
String CHK_SYSTEMPATH;
String CHK_SYSTEMPATH_TIME;
String CHK_BITS_SERVICE;
String CHK_BITS_SERVICE_TIME;
String RunCount;
String RunCount_TIME;
String WMI;
String WMI_TIME;
String CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE;
String CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE_TIME;
String CHK_CCMEXEC;
String CHK_CCMEXEC_TIME;
String CHK_CACHESIZE;
String CHK_CACHESIZE_TIME;
String MSI_SERVICE;
String MSI_SERVICE_TIME;
String WMIStatus;
String WMIStatus_TIME;
String CHK_RPC_SERVICE;
String CHK_RPC_SERVICE_TIME;
String CHK_WMI_SERVICE;
String CHK_WMI_SERVICE_TIME;
String CHK_SERVER_SERVICE;
String CHK_SERVER_SERVICE_TIME;
String CHK_RemoteReg;
String CHK_RemoteReg_TIME;
String CHK_WUS_SERVICE;
String CHK_WUS_SERVICE_TIME;
String SCFileExist;
String SCFileExist_TIME;
String TERMSERVICE_SERVICE;
String TERMSERVICE_SERVICE_TIME;
};
[DYNPROPS]
Instance of ClientHealthStartup
{
keyname="SystemCenter.fr";
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_SYSTEMPATH"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_SYSTEMPATH;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_SYSTEMPATH_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_SYSTEMPATH_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_BITS_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_BITS_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_BITS_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_BITS_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|RunCount"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] RunCount;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|RunCount_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] RunCount_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|WMI"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] WMI;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|WMI_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] WMI_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_CCMEXEC"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_CCMEXEC;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_CCMEXEC_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_CCMEXEC_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_CACHESIZE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_CACHESIZE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_CACHESIZE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_CACHESIZE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|MSI_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] MSI_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|MSI_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] MSI_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|WMIStatus"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] WMIStatus;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|WMIStatus_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] WMIStatus_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_RPC_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_RPC_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_RPC_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_RPC_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_WMI_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_WMI_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_WMI_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_WMI_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_SERVER_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_SERVER_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_SERVER_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_SERVER_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_RemoteReg"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_RemoteReg;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_RemoteReg_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_RemoteReg_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_WUS_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_WUS_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|CHK_WUS_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] CHK_WUS_SERVICE_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|SCFileExist"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] SCFileExist;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|SCFileExist_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] SCFileExist_TIME;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|TERMSERVICE_SERVICE"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] TERMSERVICE_SERVICE;
[PropertyContext("Local|HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\Setup\\ClientHealthStartup|TERMSERVICE_SERVICE_TIME"),Dynamic,Provider("RegPropProv")] TERMSERVICE_SERVICE_TIME;
};
#pragma namespace ("\\\\.\ oot\\cimv2\\SMS")
#pragma deleteclass("ClientHealthStartup", NOFAIL)
[SMS_Report(TRUE),SMS_Group_Name("ClientHealthStartup"),SMS_Class_ID("ClientHealth|ClientHealthStartup|1.0")]
Class ClientHealthStartup: SMS_Class_Template
{
[SMS_Report(TRUE),key] string KeyName;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_SYSTEMPATH;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_SYSTEMPATH_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_BITS_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_BITS_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String RunCount;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String RunCount_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String WMI;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String WMI_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_FIREWALL_ICS_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_CCMEXEC;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_CCMEXEC_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_CACHESIZE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_CACHESIZE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String MSI_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String MSI_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String WMIStatus;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String WMIStatus_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_RPC_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_RPC_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_WMI_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_WMI_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_SERVER_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_SERVER_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_RemoteReg;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_RemoteReg_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_WUS_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String CHK_WUS_SERVICE_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String SCFileExist;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String SCFileExist_TIME;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String TERMSERVICE_SERVICE;
[SMS_Report(TRUE)] String TERMSERVICE_SERVICE_TIME;
};

ERROR: Cannot find path for destination inbox SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT on server REGISTRY

scassells — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:41:00 GMT

This error is found on secondary servers running Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM or ConfigMgr) 2007 SP1.

Solution is similar to John Marcum's post here

Error from mpfdm.log:

Verifying local MP outbox directory E:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\MP\OUTBOXES\AIKbMgr.box for Asset Intelligence KB Manager exists... SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 240 (0x00F0)
**ERROR: Cannot find path for destination inbox Asset Intelligence KB Manager on server REGISTRY SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 240 (0x00F0)
Worker thread [Asset Intelligence KB Manager] cannot update environment so skiping outbox processing. SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 240 (0x00F0)
Updating environment... SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 2272 (0x08E0)
Verifying local MP outbox directory E:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\MP\OUTBOXES\amtproxy.box for SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT exists... SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 2272 (0x08E0)
**ERROR: Cannot find path for destination inbox SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT on server REGISTRY SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 2272 (0x08E0)
Worker thread [SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT] cannot update environment so skiping outbox processing. SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 2272 (0x08E0)
Updating environment... SMS_MP_FILE_DISPATCH_MANAGER 7/16/2009 11:25:19 AM 2608 (0x0A30)

Solutions

Add the following reg keys to each of your effected secondary sites. (save the following into a *.reg file)

Inbox Fix

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\MPFDM\Inboxes]

"Asset Intelligence KB Manager"="E:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Configuration Manager\\inboxes\\AIKbMgr.box"

"SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT"="E:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Configuration Manager\\inboxes\\amtproxy.box"

Asset Intelligence fix:

Note: you will need to identify the next largest key value. In my example it was key 49

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Inbox Source\Inbox Definitions\49]

"Inbox Name"="Asset Intelligence KB Manager"

"Relative Path"="inboxes\\AIKbMgr.box"

"NAL Path"=""

"User Rights"=dword:00000000

"Service Rights"=dword:00000004

"Monitoring Enabled"=dword:00000001

"Location Type"=dword:00000001

"Guest Rights"=dword:00000001

AMT registry Fix.

Note: you will need to identify the next largest key value. In my example it was key 50

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\Inbox Source\Inbox Definitions\50]

"Inbox Name"="SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT"

"Relative Path"="inboxes\\amtproxy.box"

"NAL Path"=""

"User Rights"=dword:00000000

"Service Rights"=dword:00000004

"Monitoring Enabled"=dword:00000001

"Location Type"=dword:00000001

"Guest Rights"=dword:00000001

That’s it. Should be right as rain.

The Case of the Missing Advertisement and a Restart

scassells — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:59:00 GMT

Mystery: A machine had received an advertisement that may or may not have restarted a workstation.

The requestor had the Advertisement ID from the machine but they couldn’t locate the advertisement in the console. For the sake of this mystery our advertisement will be MIS00042.

This mystery has two questions.

1. Where is the advertisement in the console?

2. Did the SMS Program restart the PC?

One

Where in the console is the advertisement? SMS 2003 does not have a search function like ConfigMgr 2007 however this method will work for either environment. There are two tables (not views) that will be helpful.

· Dbo.Folders

· Dbo.FolderMembers

Where in the console is the advert?

With SMS 2003 and ConfigMgr folders have become a very useful way to organize info in the console. As such we will need a method to search the FolderMembers for the appropriate parent folder.

SELECT dbo.Folders.Name, dbo.Folders.ParentContainerNodeID

FROM dbo.Folders INNER JOIN

dbo.FolderMembers ON dbo.FolderMembers.ContainerNodeID = dbo.Folders.ContainerNodeID

WHERE (dbo.FolderMembers.InstanceKey = 'MSI00042')

This will return two pieces of information. The first is the Name of the folder containing the Advertisement. The second is the ParentContainerNodeID. If the ParentContainerNodeID is zero then it is a top level folder. If the value is not zero, then you can query again basing your where statement on ContainerNodeID. With the Name of the folder your console spelunking will be much easier.

Two

Did this advertised program cause the workstation to restart? First we will assume that the package will not restart the workstation (that can be confirmed in the package run logs – outside the scope of this discussion). Second we need to check the program flags to see if SMS restarts the computer when the program has finished running bit is set.

Okay, where are the ProgramFlags? The program flags which can be found with just the AdvertisementID in the dbo.v_AdvertisementInfo view.

SELECT *

FROM dbo.v_AdvertisementInfo

WHERE (AdvertisementID = 'MSI00042')

You are looking for the ProgramFlags value. In this case it is -2012175360.

Hex, Binary and Decimal Aside*********

In several Microsoft program values are calculated in Hex or Binary but stored in Decimal.

If you open up Calc.exe change it to scientific method you can type in the negative number and convert it to Hex (Hex button is the first from the left under the numerical field)

In this case when you change the decimal -2012175360 to hex you get FFFFFFFF8810A400. You can ignore the proceeding eight F’s. The Hex value is 8810A400.

If you open up Calc.exe change it to scientific method you can type in the negative number and convert it to Binary (Bin button is the fourth from the left under the numerical field)

In this case when you change the decimal -2012175360 to hex you get 1111111111111111111111111111111110001000000100001010010000000000.

/Aside*********

Okay, that’s great so what? Well if you reference the SDK (see end of article for links) for SMS_Program. You’ll find the following Entry in Program Flags for bit 19:

bit 19 (0x00040000)

SMS restarts the computer when the program has finished running.

Notice it is both the binary Bit 19 (a one with 18 zeros after it) and the Hex value of 0X00040000. So those two methods above are going to be useful.

Okay, how do I check to see if the setting is there? You use the logical AND condition.

8810A400 & 40000 = 0 (or false) if the value returned was 40000 that would mean it is present.

1111111111111111111111111111111110001000000100001010010000000000

You may notice that the 19th bit is zero or false. If you do bitwise comparison you’ll get a value of zero.

Note: You can do the bitwise AND function in Calc.exe too. (button is under the clear - top right)

Note: To add a value to a string, use the OR function in either programming or Calc.exe.

Summary

We were able to find the Advertisement in a folder in the console. We were also able to prove that the program was not set to cause SMS to restart the workstation.

References

SMS 2003 SDK 3.1:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=58833CD1-6DBB-45BB-BB77-163446068EF6&displaylang=en

Configuration Manager 2007 SDK 4.0: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=064A995F-EF13-4200-81AD-E3AF6218EDCC&displaylang=en

SMS 2003 SDK for SMS_Progam

Data type: uint32
Access type: Read/write
Qualifiers: Bits

Defines the installation characteristics of the program, such as whether this is an unattended install, the install restarts the computer, or the install runs in a minimized window. The default flags are USERCONTEXT, USEUNCPATH, and ANY_PLATFORM.

When using SMS_Program programmatically, ensure that no conflicting options are selected. For example, NOUSERLOGGEDIN and USERCONTEXT should not be used together.

Note

· Unlisted bits are either obsolete or unused by SMS.

Bit flag	Description
Bit 6 (0x00000020)	Disables MOM alerts while the program runs. Requires SMS 2003 SP1
Bit 7 (0x00000040)	Generates MOM alert if the program fails. Requires SMS 2003 SP1.
Bit 8 (0x00000080)	For Advanced Client only. If set, this program's immediate dependent should always be run.
Bit 9 (0x00000100)	Indicates a device program. If set, the program is not offered to desktop clients.
Bit 10 (0x00000200)	This program's immediate dependent should always be run.
Bit 11 (0x00000400)	The countdown dialog is not displayed.
Bit 12 (0x00000800)	The command requires Add Remove Programs to be restarted—for example, APASetup.exe.
Bit 13 (0x00001000)	The command is disabled by company policy—for example, no "Run from Network" support.
Bit 14 (0x00002000)	A user must be logged on for the program to run.
Bit 15 (0x00004000)	The program must be run as the local Administrator account.
Bit 16 (0x00008000)	The program is offered to each new user that logs on. If this bit is not set, the program is offered only to the first user that logs on.
Bit 17 (0x00010000)	The program must be run by every user for whom it is valid. Valid only for mandatory jobs.
Bit 18 (0x00020000)	The program is run only when no user is logged on.
bit 19 (0x00040000)	SMS restarts the computer when the program has finished running.
Bit 20 (0x00080000)	Use a UNC path (no drive letter) to access the distribution point.
Bit 21 (0x00100000)	Persists the connection to the drive specified in the DriveLetter property. The USEUNCPATH bit flag must not be set.
Bit 22 (0x00200000)	Run the program as a minimized window.
Bit 23 (0x00400000)	Run the program as a maximized window.
Bit 24 (0x00800000)	Hide the program window.
Bit 25 (0x01000000)	SMS logs off the user when the program has finished running.
Bit 26 (0x02000000)	The program runs using the Legacy Client Software Installation. This account is used for unattended installs and requires the UNATTENDED bit to be set. For information about this account, see the Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Concepts, Planning, and Deployment Guide. You can specify this account in the SMS Administrator console or programmatically by using the site control file.
Bit 27 (0x04000000)	The program runs on any platform; ignore the supported operating system field.
Bit 28 (0x08000000)	Notifies the user if the program exceeds the Duration time by more than 15 minutes.

Comprehensive list of post SP1 Hotfixes for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr or SCCM) 2007

scassells — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:27:00 GMT

KB	Version Number	Details
954214	4.0.6221.1101	The SMS_Site_Component_Manager service stops unexpectedly when you try to install Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 or reinstall a specific component after an unsuccessful installation attempt
954474	4.0.6221.1102	System Center Configuration Manager 2007 blocked from deploying security updates
954716	4.0.6221.1103	The SMS_EXECUTIVE service of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 on a child site server may crash when it handles the .sha file and sends inventory data to its parent site
955114	4.0.6221.1105	The SMS_Executive service process may crash when the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 Hierarchy Manager handles the site control (.ct2) file from child sites that are running the RTM version of Configuration Manager 2007
955355	4.0.6221.1107	A distinguished name that contains more than 100 characters and that is discovered from Active Directory for an AMT host causes the SMS_EXECUTIVE service to crash in System Center Configuration Manager 2007
955388	4.0.6221.1108	Error message when you use the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1-based Configuration Manager Configuration Manager console to check software distribution point settings
955842	4.0.6221.1109	The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 hardware inventory may recognize an x64-based client as an x86-based client
955955	4.0.6221.1110	A task sequence that contains many packages may take longer to run after you install System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 or hotfix 949225
955126	4.0.6221.1111	The SMS_Executive service process (Smsexec.exe) in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 may crash if you have Intel AMT-related software installed
956465	4.0.6221.1112	The SMS_EXECUTIVE service process restarts unexpectedly when a limit is set for the maximum transfer rate between two sites in System Center Configuration Manager 2007
956337	4.0.6221.1113	System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 is unable to remove AMT user ACLs during the provisioning process for AMT 2.x computers
956194	4.0.6221.1114	Distribution Manager in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 may require several hours after startup before it begins to process packages
954718	4.0.6221.1115	You cannot use the Out of Band Management console in Configuration Manager 2007 to connect to computers that use versions of Intel AMT that are earlier than version 3.2.1
955262	4.0.6221.1117	You receive an error message when you click and then update the Drivers node in the Configuration Manager console of a Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 site that uses SQL Server 2008 for the site database
956918	4.0.6221.1118	The "Delete Aged Configuration Management Data" site maintenance task may take a long time to finish in System Center Configuration Manager 2007
956944	4.0.6221.1119	Error message when you use the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 console to connect to a Configuration Manager 2007 site server that is not running Service Pack 1
956733	4.0.6221.1120	Some attributes of a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 client may be missing after it is configured as a branch distribution point
956941	4.0.6221.1121	You cannot take some actions when you take remote control of a Windows Vista-based client computer that has User Account Control enabled in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1
957183	4.0.6221.1122	You cannot add a group as an AMT user account in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 if the group name has more than 20 characters
957325	4.0.6221.1123	The Inventory Data Loader component cannot process hardware inventory data from System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 clients if one or more properties contain more than 256 characters in the NOIDMIF files
957255	4.0.6221.1124	The wake-on-LAN (WOL) feature in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 wakes clients one hour earlier than expected
957879	4.0.6221.1125	The ConfigMgr Service Manager tool in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 cannot query the SMS_SITE_SQL_BACKUP service, and you receive an "Error communicating with component" error message
957469	4.0.6221.1126	FIX: The Out of Band Power control function does not work for clients that have the Intel AMT 4 or Intel AMT 5 chipset in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1
957576	4.0.6221.1127	Status message ID 7404 is reported frequently in an installation of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 that uses SQL Server 2008 as the site database
955115	4.0.6221.1128	The "Client Push Installation" operation fails when both multiple management points and customized ports are configured in a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 site
958808	4.0.6221.1129	User data from the USMT may be deleted unexpectedly by the task sequence engine during the operating system deployment process in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1
959040	4.0.6221.1130	System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 systems cannot provision AMT 2.2/2.6 clients in PKI mode and AMT 2.1/2.5 clients in PSK mode
959038	4.0.6221.1131	The execution of a task sequence that you create in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 may continue when a program in the task sequence returns a failure exit code
958021	4.0.6221.1132	Error message in the Configuration Manager console when you create a new task sequence: "The task sequence cannot be created"
959257	4.0.6221.1133	Recurring advertisements or maintenance windows start to run an hour later or earlier than expected when the time is changed because of DST in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1
959700	4.0.6221.1134	The Out of Band Management console in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 cannot connect to AMT-enabled computers
959812	4.0.6221.1135	Operating System Deployment (OSD) tasks may fail randomly in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1-based systems
959875	4.0.6221.1136	The shared folders that store packages on branch distribution points may be removed in systems that are running System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1
960448	4.0.6221.1137	The Asset Intelligence Catalog Sync Service of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 cannot connect to a System Center Configuration Manager database that is installed on a SQL Server 2005 named instance
960741	4.0.6221.1138	The SMS_Executive service process crashes on a Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 site server when you use Intel WS-MAN Translator to provision computers that are equipped with AMT 3.2.1 chipsets
960634	4.0.6221.1139	System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 Client Status Reporting fails when clients have multiple discovery records
960846	4.0.6221.1140	The shared folders that store packages on branch distribution points may be removed in systems that are running System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1
960804	4.0.6221.1141	A hotfix rollup package addresses issues that involve the Out of Band Management (OOB) feature in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1

Registering a DLL in a Script

scassells — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:56:00 GMT

To register a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) in Microsoft we use Regsvr32.exe to: LoadLibrary() is called to load the control into memory, GetProcAddress() is called to get the address of the DllRegisterServer() function, and then DllRegisterServer() is called to register the control. When working with a VBS script you have two methods of RegSvr32.exe: WMI example

REG = windir & "\system32\regsvr32.exe /s " & windir & "\system32\msxml3.dll"

Set oWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
& "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & Computer & "\root\cimv2:Win32_Process")

result = oWMIService.Create(REG , Null, Null, intProcessID)

WshShell.run example

reg = "cmd /C regsvr32.exe -s %windir%\system32\wbem\wmisvc.dll"
rc = WshShell.run(reg , 2, 1)

Regsvr32.exe usage and error messages

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/249873

Possible Reasons for OLE control Registration Failure

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140346/

Run Method (Windows Script Host)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d5fk67ky(VS.85).aspx

Disk Partition Alignment Best Practices for SQL Server

scassells — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:39:00 GMT

Disk partition alignment is a powerful tool for improving SQL Server performance. Configuring optimal disk performance is often viewed as much art as science. A best practice that is essential yet often overlooked is disk partition alignment. Windows Server 2008 attempts to align new partitions out-of-the-box, yet disk partition alignment remains a relevant technology for partitions created on prior versions of Windows.This paper documents performance for aligned and nonaligned storage and why nonaligned partitions can negatively impact I/O performance; it explains disk partition alignment for storage configured on Windows Server 2003, including analysis, diagnosis, and remediation; and it describes how Windows Server 2008 attempts to remedy challenges related to partition alignment for new partitions yet does not correct the configuration of preexisting partitions.The following topics are also included: background information, implementation, vendor considerations, two essential correlations, valid starting partition offsets, and the simple protocol to align partitions, define file allocation unit size, and assign drive letters. It includes results from tests that show how partition alignment can affect performance for SQL Server 2008.For more information, please refer to the Disk Partition Alignment Best Practices for SQL Server whitepaper

source: Bink.nu

Windows 7 Certification Training: 071-680

scassells — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:46:00 GMT

Today, Stephen Rose, Sr. Community Manager at Microsoft announced the availability of the Windows 7 Learning Portal. This site is currently showcasing great IT Pro readiness content, including 7 Silverlight Learning Snacks, free sample chapters from upcoming MS Press Books, Learning Plans, links to clinics/HOLs and more. The portal can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/windows-7/default.mspx Also, check out the free 2-hour eLearning Clinic called What’s New in Windows 7 for IT Professionals.

Shaun Cassells at MyITForum.com

Beta Exam: VS and .NET 4 - Registration Open Today

You are invited to take part in one or more beta exams for Visual Studio 2010 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.

Beta Exam: VS and .NET 4 coming soon

Three things I learned about SCCM backups

Three things I learned about SCCM backups

1) Do not store your backup on the same drive as your source files

2) There is a VSS patch for Server 2003

3) Back up on Secondary Sites are worthless

Backup on the same drive as your installation directory

Straight forward and easy; put it somewhere else.

VSS may fail on Windows Server 2003

Secondary Site backups are worthless

The following was buried in a blog post here:

Maintaining Configuration Manager 2007

Where is registry HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SMS\Components\ on a x64 operating system?

How to check if Service Principle Name (SPN) is enabled?

ConfigMgr 2007: Distribute Software returns "not enough server storage is available to process this command"

Savings Space on SMS / SCCM servers by deleting PCK files - the pitfalls and fixes.

RDP 7.0 coming to XP and Vista

CliFix SMS_DEF.Mof edit

ERROR: Cannot find path for destination inbox SMS_AMT_PROXY_COMPONENT on server REGISTRY

Solutions

Inbox Fix

Asset Intelligence fix:

AMT registry Fix.

The Case of the Missing Advertisement and a Restart

One

Two

**********Hex, Binary and Decimal Aside*******************

**********/Aside*******************

Summary

References

Comprehensive list of post SP1 Hotfixes for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr or SCCM) 2007

Registering a DLL in a Script

Disk Partition Alignment Best Practices for SQL Server

Windows 7 Certification Training: 071-680

Hex, Binary and Decimal Aside*********

/Aside*********