Nick MacKechnie

Interesting Downloads for Week Ending 10-10-2008

Hi All,

Please find attached the listings of new or updated downloads for the week ending 10th October 2008.  Key ones include

Infrastructure Development & Operations

• Transcript - Under the Hood: Windows Vista Performance...Need Answers?

• Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (KB952580)

• Infrastructure Planning and Design

• System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 Hotfix Rollup Package (KB954641) (x64 systems)

Solutions & Solution Development

• PerformancePoint Server 2007 Evaluation Version (x86)

• Office SharePoint Server 2007 Document Management Whitepaper

• Office SharePoint Server 2007 Workflow Whitepaper

• Microsoft Expression Media 2 SP1 (Windows)

Security, Policy & Compliance

• Microsoft Antigen for SharePoint Trial Software

• Antigen for Instant Messaging Trial Software

• Microsoft Antigen for SMTP Gateways with Antigen Spam Manager with SP1

• Microsoft Antigen for Exchange with Antigen Spam Manager with SP1 Trial Software

Other

• Choosing Between Microsoft's Select and Enterprise Agreements - English

• Windows HPC Server 2008 Technology Insight

• Windows Vista Application Compatibility Downloadable List for IT Professionals

Microsoft Australia Uses RoundTable to Improve Productivity, Save Costs, and Reduce Carbon Footprint

Microsoft IT Showcase is pleased to announce the publication of Microsoft Australia Uses RoundTable to Improve Productivity, Save Costs, and Reduce Carbon Footprint, which discusses how Microsoft Australia uses Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft Roundtable to reduce travel costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft RoundTable have enabled managers to avoid costly travel expenses and yet still attend important quarterly meetings. By using these collaboration products, Microsoft Australia saved travel costs and time, improved productivity, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Article

SQL Server DBA Training Forum

Hi All,

On November 4-6 we are running three one day training courses aimed at DBA's which are designed to jumpstart your knowledge of SQL Server 2008 planning and deployment.

If you design solutions on SQL Server, maintain SQL Server databases or are evaluating SQL Server for deployment, this training will prove useful.

The training will be run by Jeremy Boyd.

Agenda/Content

8:30-10am – Overview of SQL Server 2008

What is new in SQL Server 2008 that makes it worth seriously considering? What is the difference between Web, Standard and Enterprise?  All these things are covered in this introduction to SQL Server 2008.  This is a 200 level session intended to give you a overview of what the new capabilities and tools are in the product and where they will be useful to you.

10:15-11:30 – Migrating from SQL Server 2000/2005 to SQL Server 2008

There are many new changes in SQL Server 2008, particularly when upgrading from SQL Server 2000.  Is it worth migrating?  If so, where do you start?  How can you approach this?  What about DTS to SSIS migrations?  This session will give you some considerations and approaches to take away with you to help you make the right decisions and the migration to SQL 2008 whether it be from SQL 2000 or SQL 2005.

11:45-1pm – SQL Server Architecture

Architecture is about ensuring that solutions are available and scalable.  This includes thinking through how to allow other stakeholders get the most from the solution.  This session will explore how much developers can do with SQL Server 2008 and how DBA’s should architect their implementation to provide the key features developers will build into their applications without compromising the service the database server provides. We will also look at and discuss the various architectures that you can consider when using SQL Server 2008 technologies.

-- lunch –-

1:45-3pm – High availability and resilience

Mirroring, clustering and replication have come a long way in SQL Server 2008.  In addition there are new features such as the Resource Governor that will ensure that your mission critical applications never suffer from contention with other applications. This session will give you a solid understanding of these technologies and when to use them.

3:15-4:30 – SQL Server Management

Managing SQL Server 2008 servers is easier than ever before. Check out how policy based management in SQL Server 2008 will reduce risks, how configuration servers allow you to group servers together for easier management and get an introduction into SQL PowerShell to really jump start your management framework.

Throughout the day there will be opportunities to ask questions and get expert answers and talk to your peers and see how they've done things.

Registration

To register, click one of the links below.  There is no charge for this training.

Tuesday, November 4 - Wellington - The Brewery Bar (upstairs conference room) (Register)
Wednesday, November 5 - Auckland - The Duxton Hotel (Register)
Thursday, November 6 - Christchurch - Christchurch Convention Centre (Register)

Nick.

Changes in Functionality from Windows Server 2003 with SP1 to Windows Server 2008

Hi All,

This document describes new features and technologies, which were not available in Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), that will help to increase the security of computers running Windows Server 2008, increase productivity, and reduce administrative overhead.
These topics apply to the next release of Windows Server 2008, based on the functionality expected to be included in the Beta releases in 2007. They do not describe all of the changes that are included in Windows Server 2008. Instead, they highlight changes that will potentially have the greatest impact on your use of Windows Server 2008 and provide references to additional information.

Contents

· Changes in Functionality from Windows Server 2003 with SP1 to Windows Server 2008

· Server Manager

· Server Core Installation Option

· Active Directory Certificate Services Role

· Cryptography Next Generation

· AD CS: Online Certificate Status Protocol Support

· AD CS: Network Device Enrollment Service

· AD CS: Web Enrollment

· AD CS: Policy Settings

· AD CS: Restricted Enrollment Agent

· AD CS: Enterprise PKI (PKIView)

· Active Directory Domain Services Role

· AD DS: Auditing

· AD DS: Fine-Grained Password Policies

· AD DS: Read-Only Domain Controllers

· AD DS: Restartable Active Directory Domain Services

· AD DS: Database Mounting Tool

· AD DS: User Interface Improvements

· Active Directory Federation Services Role

· Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services Role

· Active Directory Rights Management Services Role

· Application Server Role

· DNS Server Role

· Fax Server Role

· File Services Role

· Distributed File System

· File Server Resource Manager

· Windows Server Backup

· Services for Network File System

· Storage Manager for SANs

· Transactional NTFS

· Self-Healing NTFS

· Symbolic Linking

· Network Policy and Access Services Role

· Network Access Protection

· Network Policy Server

· Routing and Remote Access Service

· Print Services Role

· Streaming Media Services Role

· Terminal Services Role

· Terminal Services Core Functionality

· Terminal Services Printing

· TS RemoteApp

· TS Web Access

· TS Licensing

· TS Gateway

· TS Session Broker

· Terminal Services and Windows System Resource Manager

· Virtualization Role

· Web Server (IIS) Role

· Windows Deployment Services Role

· Security Features

· Authorization Manager

· BitLocker Drive Encryption

· Encrypting File System

· Security Configuration Wizard

· User Account Control

· Other Features

· Failover Clustering

· Group Policy

· Network Load Balancing Improvements

· Next Generation TCP/IP Protocols and Networking Components

· Volume Activation 2.0

· Windows Firewall with Advanced Security

· Windows PowerShell

· Windows Reliability and Performance Monitor

· Windows Server Troubleshooting Documentation

· 802.1X Authenticated Wired and Wireless Access

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=173E6E9B-4D3E-4FD4-A2CF-73684FA46B60&displaylang=en

Nick.

IPD for Windows Server 2008 File and Print Services

Hi All,

The Infrastructure Planning and Design series for Windows Server 2008 has been updated with File Services and Print Services guides. Download the entire IPD series of guides or download an individual guide here. Download now.

These guides provide you with key information to bring your infrastructure up to date, saving you time and money. Strategically planning printer pool and file services can help you avoid problems before they begin, allowing you to serve your customers more reliably. Use these guides to determine the scope of the services and choose to partially or completely redesign your infrastructure. Each phase is thoroughly explained in easy to follow steps, helping you to efficiently navigate through the process of managing your infrastructure.

Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by:

· Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.

· Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options to be considered.

· Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.

· Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.

To join the Infrastructure Planning and Design Beta, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Infrastructure Planning and Design Beta on the Microsoft Connect Web site.

2. Sign in using a valid Windows Live ID to continue to the Invitations page.

3. Scroll down to Infrastructure Planning and Design.

Related Resources

Windows Server 2008 Solution Accelerators

Windows Server File Services on TechNet

Windows Server Print Services on TechNet

Nick.

Support policy for Microsoft SQL Server products that are running in a hardware virtualization environment

Microsoft provides technical support for SQL Server 2005 and for SQL Server 2008 that are running in the following hardware virtualization environments:

• Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V

• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008

• Configurations that are certified through the Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP).
For more information about certified vendors and about configurations for SVVP, visit the following SVVP Web site:

http://windowsservercatalog.com/svvp.aspx?svvppage=svvp.htm

Note The SVVP solution must be running on hardware that is certified for Windows Server 2008 to be considered a valid SVVP configuration.

Any non-Microsoft virtualization software that is not a validated configuration through the SVVP program will be handled under the policy as documented in the following Knowledge Base article. This also applies to any earlier version of SQL Server that is not listed in this article that is running in any virtualization environment. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

897615 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/897615/) Support policy for Microsoft software running in non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software

The following restrictions apply to support for SQL Server products in any hardware virtualization environment:

• Guest Failover Clustering is not supported in a virtual machine. Guest Failover Clustering is when you create a SQL Server failover cluster inside a virtual machine where the nodes are running as a virtual machine.

• The virtual machine must be running an operating system that is supported for the specific SQL Server version and edition and that is supported for virtualization.

• The SQL Server product must be a supported version under its current Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy. For more information about Microsoft Support Lifecycle policies, visit the following Microsoft Support Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=lifecycle

For more information, please checkout KB956893.

Nick

Exchange 2007 SP1 RU4 Released Today

Hi All,

Today Microsoft we released the following update rollup for Exchange Server 2007: Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 (KB952580)

Visit here to download information for Update Rollup 4 for Exchange 2007 SP1 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8B492ED2-EA92-412F-A852-3AA1C58D9499&displaylang=en

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=952580

The rollup is marked as “v2” in the file name i.e. Exchange2007-KB952580-v2-x64-EN.msp to account for the accidental release of v1 via Microsoft Update on 9^th September. The rollup will be available via the download center link starting today and available via Microsoft Update starting 10/14.

Nick.

Interesting Downloads for Week Ending 3-10-2008

Hi All,

Please find attached the listings of new or updated downloads for the week ending 3rd October 2008.  Key ones include

Infrastructure Development & Operations

• Hyper-V Server 2008 Getting Started Guide

• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 - English

• Branch Office Infrastructure Solution for Windows Server 2008

Solutions & Solution Development

• Requirements Management with Visual Studio Team System White Paper

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Books Online (August 2008)

• Modifying Messages with the WCF Adapters

• Web Platform Installer Beta

Security, Policy & Compliance

• Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint with Service Pack 2

• Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Security Configuration Roles

• Smart Card Lifecycle Management Datasheet

Other

• Windows Speech Recognition Macros

• EMEA case study resources

• Microsoft Hyper-V Server License Terms

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 – Admin tips

Hi All,

For those of you lab’ing, testing, and deploying IE8 Beta 2, here’s a number of resources that you should find useful, as well as provide some answers to typical IT Pro and Dev questions.

• IE8 Group Policy
• IE8 Tab Grouping
• Statistical Validation of the IE8 XSS Filter
• Application Compatibility Logging in IE8
• The IE8 IEAK
• Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Videos
• Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 - Tech.Ed NZ and Roadshow Videos
• What’s New for IE8 Search
• Slipstreaming IE8

Nick.

The Podcasting Kit For SharePoint September Release Is Now Online

Hi All,

The September release of the Podcasting Kit for SharePoint is available for download here. As a Codeplex project it provides a great place to start building out your own Media Knowledge portal that is tailored to your organizational needs. There are many fine Microsoft partners who are already ramped up on the solution and prepared to deliver it and extend and customize it to meet your corporate needs so please contact your local Microsoft resources to find out the best course of  action in implementing it.

So just what can you do with the Podcasting Kit for SharePoint? Check this out from the homepage:

“What Can You Do With Podcasting Kit for SharePoint (PKS)?:

• Listen and watch audio/video podcasts, anywhere on your PC or mobile device (Zune, SmartPhone, or any podcasting device)
• Share content by producing your own audio/video podcasts and publish them on PKS on your own.
• Connect and engage with podcasters via your integrated instant messaging program
• Find the most relevant content using the five star rating system, tag cloud, search engine and provide your feedback via comments.
• Get automatic podcast updates by subscribing to RSS feeds fully compatible with Zune and other podcasting devices
  • Simple RSS feed based on a defined podcast series
  • Simple RSS feed based on a person
  • Dynamic RSS feed based on search results (will be implemented later in 2009)
• Play podcasts in real-time using Microsoft® Silverlight™ and progressive playback
• Retrieve instant ROI and metrics with the ability to track the number of podcasts downloaded and/or viewed, instant feedback via rating system and comments, and subscribers via the RSS feed
• Access the richness of SharePoint to extend the solution: workflows, community sub-sites, access rights, editorial and more
• Customize your own PKS User Experience

Now that you know what it does, why would you use it?

If you or your organizations are interested in podcasting, have SharePoint Server 2007 deployed and about to develop your own podcasting solution then look no further. PKS will save you time, reduce your risk of developing a solution ground-up, and of course will save you money. Moreover, you will find on Codeplex a vibrant community of people, organizations and partners who are available to help you, and share with you their own experiences. We strongly recommend that you work with an integration partner for the deployment and maintenance of your own PKS environment. We have listed several partners that we know, but you could just ask your local partner or IT department to help you out.
PKS is not a traditional Microsoft Product in a sense that it is distributed with its source code, using the Public License license and free of charge (if you already own SharePoint Server 2007). It is not supported by Microsoft, and we recommend that you ask your integration partner for such a support. Since the PKS's code is distributed any partner who understands development for SharePoint 2007 will be able to deliver this support for you.

• PKS Detailed Overview Slide Deck
• Silverlight 2.0 Playback Demonstration (1 minute podcast)
• Silverlight 2.0 Reliable Upload Demonstration (2 minutes podcast)
• Filtering in PKS (39 second podcast)
• Change Values in Taxonomy (2 minute podcast)
• Add Your Own Categories (3:25 minute podcast)”

Below I am including the latest release notes, fixes and additional features as well as planned future inclusions. There is also a note about the Podcast libraries I am including that is important to take note of if you are looking to try and go this alone.

The September Beta is Here! (and in September) download it via the release tab.

What’s in this release:

• A new version of the MediaEncoder, delivering on-demand and server-side media file re-encoding. The MediaEncoder can be activated via the user interface (in the Podcast Detail page). Clicking the button will add the media to the encoding queue if the item does not already exist. The queue is a newly created “Media Encoder Queue” library in your SharePoint site. Every minute the MediaEncoder will check the queue and start re-encoding any new item using the Microsoft Encoder Expression 2.0 API.
• A new co-podcaster webpart, fixing performance issues found in the August Tech Preview
• An updated podcaster search mechanism that works with the profile out of the box and alternate fields
• A streamlined deployment as well as a better upgrade experience preserving your existing podcast data
• Passed the Security and Threat analysis reviews
• Several bug fixes including:
  • Setting the PKS Podcast libraries edit rights to “Only edit your own” works
  • IE 8 support
  • Several alternate profile fields are now showing properly
  • Podcaster detail page shows podcasts where the individual is a co-podcaster
  • Podcaster can upload a thumbnail manually... and many more (check out the release notes in the documentation section).

What we could not get in time and is in the queue for our future releases:

• The new download tracker design (HTTP Module) allowing the tracking of RSS downloads.
• An updated version of the CBQ override allowing the display of the number of pages and the total number of podcasts in the view.
• The podcaster rating, cumulative number of downloads and contribution
• The podcaster Zune RSS subscription (this requires a design change: one aspx page per podcaster)
• The podcast search results Zune RSS subscription (this requires a design change)
• A reporting page that will also return download actions
• An updated podcast detail page design that limits the query strings to 256 characters. It recently appeared to us that the current query string is too long and not compatible with the Outlook “hyperlink” feature.

Thanks for your support in PKS and Happy Podcasting!

** Just wanted to also note that this release of the PKS still does not easily support having podcast libraries in sub-sites.  We are working on some of the deployment issues for future releases, however the recommendation at this time is to deploy at the root of the web application.  There are some manual steps you can try in order to activate the PKS on sub-sites if it is critical.

1. Your subsite should be created using the Publishing site template

2. You will need to create a list called PKS Left Navigation Items using the PKS Left Navigation Items list template

3. You will need to manually recreate all of the pages from the Pages document library in the root site for PKS by manually creating the pages and exporting then importing the web parts

4. You will need to make a few changes in the XSL for the grid view in order to point to the correct podcast and podcaster detail pages

5. You will need to update all of the grid view web content query web parts to point to your new XSL

source

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 Released!

Hi All,

Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, a bare metal hypervisor-based server virtualization product, is now available as a no-cost Web download at http://www.microsoft.com/Hyper-VServer. Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 provides a simplified, reliable and optimized virtualization solution for customers to consolidate Windows or Linux workloads onto a single physical server or to run client operating systems and applications in server-based virtual machines in the data center. Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 allows customers to leverage their existing provisioning, updating, management and support tools, processes and skills.

The provisioning and management tools are based on Microsoft System Center suite, which provides centralized, enterprise-class management of physical and virtual resources across desktops and data centers. One of these products is Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, which is available as beta software; a final version will be released by the end of the month. System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 enables customers to configure and deploy new virtual machines and centrally manage their virtualized infrastructure.

For the full press release, please visit here.

Nick.

Interesting Downloads for Week Ending 26-9-2008

Hi All,

Please find attached the listings of new or updated downloads for the week ending 26th September 2008.  Key ones include

Infrastructure Development & Operations

• Troubleshooting replication with repadmin

• ADMT v3.1 Guide: Migrating and Restructuring Active Directory Domains

• Impact of Groove on a Network for TechNet

• Migrate to Microsoft Online Services

Solutions & Solution Development

• Windows Springboard Series: AppV™ Application Virtualization

• Headers and Libraries for Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2

• Virtual Earth Map Control SDK 6.2

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Feature Pack, August 2008

Security, Policy & Compliance

• ILM 2007 Getting Started Collection

• Microsoft Forefront Server Security Management Console Trial Version

• Microsoft Antigen for Exchange with Antigen Spam Manager with SP1 Trial Software

• Microsoft Antigen for SMTP Gateways with Antigen Spam Manager with SP1

Other

• Connecting People with Content Thru Enterprise Search

• Overcoming Your Company's Growing Pains

• Virtual Earth 3D (Beta)

• ibridge Premier Support Case Study

• Creating Business Values Through Collaboration

Microsoft Learning Manager

Hi All,

There’s a large amount of eLearning available on our website which you may not be aware of. These are a great resource of training and documentation that enable customers to come up to speed with a wide variety of technologies. Please see the information below for more information:

Learning Resource Types

Learning Plans (141)

Learning Snacks (14)

Assessments (11)

Classroom Training (612)

E-Learning (1047)

Books (458)

Exams (222)

Certifications (34)

Microsoft Technologies

Microsoft Office (430)

Microsoft Windows (274)

Microsoft Windows Server Technologies (905)

Microsoft Visual Studio (529)

Microsoft Dynamics and Related Business Products (544)

Other Microsoft Technologies (83)

Microsoft Certifications (908)

Windows Mobile (22)

Microsoft Expression Studio (11)

Microsoft System Center (21)

Microsoft Silverlight (11)

Subject

Administration (967)

Architecture (199)

Mobility (13)

Networking (54)

Security (313)

Database (244)

Programming (528)

Software Design (213)

Reference (51)

Home and Entertainment (15)

Business Skills (35)

Organizational Benefits

SA Training Voucher Courses (247)

Volume Licensing E-Learning Courses (1)

Nick

Microsoft Announces SQL Server 2008 Experience

On Monday, Sept. 29, Microsoft is launching the SQL Server 2008 Experience online at http://www.SQLServerExperience.com. With more than 500 short videos in 11 different languages, the SQL Server 2008 Experience is a Web site that helps Microsoft’s global customers and partners learn more about SQL Server 2008, Microsoft’s recently released data management and business intelligence platform. SQL Server 2008 provides a trusted, productive and intelligent data platform for business-critical applications. The launch of the SQL Server 2008 Experience kicks off a worldwide readiness outreach that will reach over 350,000 customers, partners and community members through in-person events over the next year.

Visitors to the SQL Server 2008 Experience can expect the following:

• Brief interviews with the SQL Server Engineering team, providing a behind-the-scenes view of the many technologies in SQL Server 2008

• Guidance on a wide range of topics such as business intelligence, compliance, upgrades and application development, including videos from customers showing how SQL Server 2008 is helping them be more successful. Customers that will be featured include Xerox Corp., Baltika Breweries and DriveCam Inc.

• Great deals on SQL Server 2008 books, courses and exams offered by Microsoft Learning

When: Sept. 29, 2008, at 8 a.m. (US Pacific Time)

Where: Online at http://www.SQLServerExperience.com

Nick.

Reduce Inbox Clutter, Write More Effective Email and Increase Productivity

Hi All,

Here are 3 free webcasts which offer tips to reduce clutter in your email inbox, write more effective email and increase productivity.

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Tips for Reducing Your Inbox from Thousands to Just a Few Emails

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032260728&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

Microsoft Office System Webcast: Tips for Writing More Effective Email

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032260732&EventCategory=5&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

Webinar - Prioritizing & Planning Your Calendar

https://admin.acrobat.com/_a301506090/p59874984/

This free webinar is offered by McGhee Productivity Solutions, whose CEO Sally McGhee authored the popular Microsoft Press book: “Take Back Your Life: Using Microsoft Outlook To Get Organized and Stay Organized”.

Nick.