Praveen Kumar's Blog

What's New in Terminal Services for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1

praveen — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:16:00 GMT

You can download this document here

Magneto (Windows Mobile 2005) BlackBerry Killer?

praveen — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:16:00 GMT

Lookout for this….

Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Mobile upgrade, code-named Magneto, is designed to be a BlackBerry killer, said sources familiar with the ambitious plan.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is on track to freeze the Windows Mobile 2005 ROM code in April and provide new technology in Exchange 2003 Server Pack 2 that will push e-mail out to mobile workers who use Pocket PCs and smartphones.

Sources told CRN that Microsoft will unveil its Magneto plan at the Mobile and Embedded Developers Conference 2005 next month in Las Vegas.

Microsoft decided to freeze the code and have it in mobile operators' hands in June or July so that the next generation of devices is ready for the fall and holiday season, said a source close to the company.

Magneto will lead the charge to a more comprehensive mobile strategy, sources said. "Microsoft aims to kill BlackBerry," said one source familiar with the plans. "Every corporate type has a BlackBerry, and they all have Outlook. What is the cost going to be to RIM server when Exchange Service Pack and Magneto come out and they're not priced? Microsoft is giving it away for free." Click here for Source

Windows Server 2003 SP1 Is Coming. Before You Install It On Exchange Server 2003…

praveen — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 15:09:00 GMT

Came across this post by Gerod

If you are looking to roll out Windows Server 2003 SP1 on your Exchange servers and you are doing clustering on back-end servers, we have a hotfix that you will need to install.

From: 841561 "500 - Internal server error" error message when a user tries to access a clustered Exchange Server 2003 back-end server by using Outlook Web Access

“This problem is caused by some of the security enhancements that are included with Windows Server 2003 SP1.
In this scenario, when a user tries to access a mailbox by using Outlook Web Access, HTTP requests into the clustering API by impersonating the logged-on user. However, there have been security changes in Windows Server 2003 SP1. The security restrictions for the APIs that perform remote registry access have been changed. Therefore, the logon attempt is not successful.”

Right now, this is a hotfix that you need to call in to get. If it becomes available for public download the link will be in the above article. This hotfix requires that you have Exchange Server 2003 SP1. Another article will be available to address the issue if you do not have Exchange Server 2003 SP1 installed.

As always… please test the hotfixes in your test lab before deploying to production servers.

Windows Messenger 5.1

praveen — Sat, 26 Mar 2005 16:56:00 GMT

Windows Messenger allows real-time communication with other contacts who are using instant messaging (IM) services including those provided by the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as offered by Microsoft Office Live Communications Server. Windows Messenger also provides connectivity to the Microsoft .NET Messenger service and is the IM client of choice for businesses in managed environments.

Windows Messenger 5.1 has been updated with changes in the following areas:

Improvements in file transfer functionality for users with multiple network connections (such as configurations involving both wired and wireless network connections or users of VPN connections).
Improvements in Tablet PC and laptop support. Specifically, this includes improved support for ink as well as improved performance when using power saving features in portable computers such as standby or hibernation.
Improvements to presence integration with applications, including better presence integration when applications are in full-screen mode (to avoid unwelcome IM interruptions) and also quicker refresh of presence information in applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Windows SharePoint services.
Improvements to the sign-in process, enabling a quicker sign in.

For customers using Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005, Windows Messenger 5.1 is the required client to take advantage of the following new features in Live Communications Server 2005:

Federation (sharing IM and presence between two or more organizations)
Advanced architecture (higher availability and failover support)

Download Here

Windows 2000 Default Group Policy Restore Tool

praveen — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:59:00 GMT

I know most of you might have heard or worked with windows 2003 domain policy fix but I came across this microsoft tool to fix windows 2000 default domain group policy restore tool.

RecreateDefPol.exe is a tool developed for the restoration of the Default Domain and Default Domain Controllers policy files, in case of accidental deletion. This tool is for use exclusively on Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server, and DataCenter Server. Do not use this tool on Windows Server 2003; use Dcgpofix.exe instead (included in Windows Server 2003).

This tool is intended for use only in disaster recovery situations, where either the Default Domain Policy, the Default Domain Controllers Policy, or both have been damaged or deleted, and no other backup is available. This should be considered a tool of last resort. Download here

Microsoft Developing New Windows Server for the Mid-Market

praveen — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 18:19:00 GMT

Encouraged by the market reception of its Windows Small Business Server product, Microsoft is looking for an encore with a similar bundle targeted at mid-size businesses.
The new Windows Server SKU — called, at least for now, Windows Midmarket Server (MMS) — is still not soup yet. But Microsoft executives have a good idea about how they plan to reach the mid-market sweet spot, which Microsoft identifies as users with 50 to 250 PCs.ADVERTISEMENT
As does Windows Small Business Server, the MMS product will bundle together a number of different Microsoft server products into a single deliverable. Exchange Server and SharePoint are expected to be part of the MMS SKU, sources close to Microsoft said.

(Windows Small Business Server integrates into a single package Windows Server 2003, Windows SharePoint Services, Exchange Server 2003, SQL Server 2000, and ISA Server 2000, along with a handful of desktop programs, including Outlook 2003, a shared fax program and FrontPage 2003.)

Orlando Ayala, senior vice president of Microsoft's small and midmarket solutions and partner group, confirmed Microsoft's plans for a mid-market server during a recent interview with Microsoft Watch.

"In the next six months, we'll roll out something very clear," Ayala said, in terms of Microsoft's strategy to target mid-market business-decision-makers.

Ayala said Microsoft believes there are an estimated 1.7 million mid-market customers ripe for the picking.

"We need to understand the segment in a different way," he said. Instead of focusing on penetration rates, Microsoft will focus on scenarios. The company is developing tools to evaluate how sophisticated mid-market users are, in terms of their IT-savvy quotient, and use that data to target specific slices of the audience, Ayala said.

Microsoft plans to come at the mid-market with a solution very much like Windows Small Business Server, a product that Microsoft considers one of its most successful, Ayala said.

"We're targeting our R&D (research and development) very precisely for that segment," he said.

Windows Server Update Services Product Overview

praveen — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 18:18:00 GMT

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) enables information technology administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to Microsoft Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP operating systems. By using Update Services, you can fully manage the distribution of updates that are released through Microsoft Update to computers in your network.

Note: This page includes a summary of the product overview. You can also download the full product overview.

Outlook Deployment Options: Customizing a PRF File

praveen — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 19:03:00 GMT

Most Microsoft Outlook profile settings can be configured and deployed to users by using the Microsoft Custom Installation Wizard or the Custom Maintenance Wizard. However, on occasion administrators might want to deploy Outlook settings that are not included in the wizards. When this is the case, the Outlook profile file (PRF file) can be used. This paper describes the PRF file, how to modify it with new settings, and how to deploy it to users. Download At Source

MOM management pack for ExBPA

praveen — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 02:27:00 GMT

Ellie BRown blogged this new post. Whenever we talk about the Exchange Best Practices analyser, we get asked where it fits in with MOM and MOM's management pack and guide for Exchange. Well here's the thing that effectively connects MOM and the ExBPA. You can even now deploy ExBPA using MOM. Download it here

The ExBPA Management Pack works in conjunction with the ExBPA tool to provide administrators with recommendations on how to improve performance, scalability and availability of Exchange server topologies.

The Microsoft Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA) Management Pack can be used to deploy the ExBPA tool on computers running Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003. Using a timed event, the tool will run automatically on each server and write any identified performance, scalability and availability issues to the Windows NT Event Log. The ExBPA Management Pack will interpret these events and generate the appropriate alerts on the MOM Management Console.

The ExBPA Management Pack works in tandem with the ExBPA tool:

o Identification of Exchange server configuration issues which could result in poor performance, scalability and unplanned downtime

o Automated analysis and root cause identification

o Support for third-party software and hardware

o Self-updating database and help content

o Links to over 500 articles on the Web

o Works with Exchange Server 2003, Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 5.5 (in mixed mode topologies)

Limit Logon released!!

praveen — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 03:47:00 GMT

CAme across this post on Binku, very helpful and useful tool for lots of customers...

We are happy to announce the availability of LimitLogin v1.0, an application that adds the ability to limit concurrent interactive user logons in an Active Directory domain. It can also keep track of all logins information in Active Directory domains (without necessarily enforcing logons quotas).

The challenge of limiting concurrent logons in a distributed environment is huge, and although LimitLogin is not a "bullet proof" solution to all the aspects of this challenge, many customers might still find this tool helpful, as this capability has been highly requested by different customers (banks, ISPs, libraries etc) in numerous RFPs etc.

LimitLogin capabilities include:
- Limiting the number of logins per user from any machine in the domain, including Terminal Server sessions.
- Displaying the logins information of any user in the domain according to a specific criterion (e.g. all the logged-on sessions to a specific client machine or Domain Controller, or all the machines a certain user is currently logged on to).
- Easy management and configuration by integrating to the Active Directory MMC snap-ins.
- Ability to delete and log off user session remotely straight from the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in.
- Generating Login information reports in CSV (Excel) and XML formats.
Please keep in mind that this tool is Not Supported (similar to a resource kit or support tool).

The public download location is http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/d/0/fd05def7-68a1-4f71-8546-25c359cc0842/limitlogin.exe

Exchange Server 2003 Security Hardening Guide (updated)

praveen — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 18:53:00 GMT

Updated February 2005. The download package for this guide includes important security templates. These templates were updated November 2004. This guide walks you through the process of hardening your Exchange 2003 environment, including configuration recommendations and strategies for combating external threats.Read the entire Exchange Server 2003 Security Hardening Guide online or download the Exchange Server 2003 Security Hardening Guide . This guide is designed to provide you with essential information about how to harden your Exchange Server 2003 environment. In addition to practical, hands-on configuration recommendations, this guide includes strategies for combating spam, viruses, and other external threats to your Exchange 2003 messaging system. Important: Since the previous version of this guide was released, the following new topics have been added and are available only online:
• Running Exchange Server 2003 Clusters in a Security-Hardened Environment
• How to Run Exchange Server 2003 Clusters in a Security-Hardened Environment Download At Source

Microsoft's festival of future

praveen — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:37:00 GMT

Microsoft researchers have put a new twist on telling time, creating a digital wall clock with hands for each member of the family.

Instead of numbers, the hands point to places — work, school, home — and can track a person's location to show where he or she is at any time. Not good for teenagers, perhaps, but something parents might find interesting.

Don't expect to buy the clock in stores anytime soon. That invention, and hundreds of others, were on display yesterday at Microsoft's annual science fair of the most futuristic ideas from the company's research division.

Microsoft Techfest, as it is called, is designed to expose employees to projects being developed in Redmond and Microsoft laboratories around the world. Employees have a hard time following who is working on what in such a large company, and Techfest tries to connect some and inspire others. For more information click this http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002195164_msftresearch03.html

Microsoft Offers Free Exam Retakes Worldwide

praveen — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 16:17:00 GMT

Last summer, Microsoft Corporation field tested a promotion that gave test takers a free retake on a failed exam. The offer was limited to the U.S. and was available on a select number of exams. On Monday, the company announced that it was reviving the offer again this time allowing retakes on all of its Microsoft Certified Professional exams and expanding the program worldwide.

The "Second-Shot Offer" allows anyone taking and failing an MCP exam from March 1 until May 31 to retake that exam. According to the offer posted on the MCP site, candidates can retake an exam only once, but the retake can be applied to as many exams as a candidate can take until the offer ends.

Registration is required for candidates who want to participate. Also, exam retakes must be taken at the same testing center. Retakes must be completed by June 30. This offer cannot be combined with other offers. Other restrictions apply.

For complete offer details, including restrictions, go here.

Exchange 12 To Ride a Faster JET

praveen — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 22:42:00 GMT

Microsoft's long silence on Exchange is over.

In January, Microsoft publicly laid out plans for the next release of Exchange. Microsoft is calling the next version "Exchange 12" or "E12." The code-names emphasize the close ties to the next version of Office, code-named "Office 12."

Usually Microsoft starts talking about the next version of a product as soon as, or even before, the latest version ships. But since Exchange Server 2003 went gold in June 2003, Microsoft hasn’t said much on the record about its successor.

The big problem is that Microsoft had to figure out what to do next with Exchange. Exchange 2003 was an incremental release, essentially upgrading Exchange 2000 Server to take advantage of some useful plumbing changes in Windows Server 2003. They included security improvements, eight-node failover clustering and Volume Shadow Copy services.

For years the company has been toying with the idea of taking the data store from SQL Server and porting it to Exchange, replacing the JET storage engine that the messaging server currently uses. The effort was code-named "Kodiak," a vaguely defined future version of Exchange that would use the new data store. The design goal reflected a wider, long-standing effort within Microsoft to standardize the data store across major products. Microsoft had ambitious plans to use the SQL Server storage engine in the next version of Windows, code-named “Longhorn,” and Exchange. Cracks in that plan emerged in June, when Microsoft said Kodiak was off the table. A few months later, unified storage, known as WinFS, was pulled from Longhorn, too. The JET storage engine will power Exchange 12 just as it did Exchange 2000 and Exchange Server 2003. A Microsoft spokesperson downplayed the technological role in JET's survival. "The decision to ship the next version of Exchange with JET was based on many factors, but the primary reason was customers. Staying with JET will mean customers will not be faced with the migration work associated with moving to a new store." For more information check this link

How does move mailbox really work?

praveen — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 16:43:00 GMT

Evan blogged this post.Move mailbox is the best, supported way to move mailbox data between Exchange servers and update the directory object. It’s been around for ages and has been improved with each version. In Exchange 2003, for instance, the mailbox moves can now be scheduled and are multi-threaded to dramatically improve performance. Exchange 2003 SP1 added the ability to move mailboxes cross-site while still in mixed mode.

There are a number of resources on how to do move mailbox between Exchange servers (KB.224975 and KB.328810 are two good examples), but what’s missing is a good high-level description of what goes on behind the scenes to make it all happen. This post focuses on Exchange 2003, but much of this applies to earlier versions as well. There’s a bunch of additional steps required for cross-site moves, but those are covered in other places. Want to read more click here.