Monday, April 20, 2009

OC Online service now available

 

OC Online service now available

OC Online launch is complete and the service fully available for IT administrators to enable users to download the OC promo client and begin using the service.

Check here for instructions on enabling the service.

Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 12:53 AM by arvindsuthar

Microsoft Online Services Team Blog : OC Online service now available

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Roll Your Own E-Learning

 

Roll Your Own E-Learning

Heads up: there’s a new version of the Microsoft Learning Content Development System available for download here.

LCDS is a free tool that enables you to create and publish your own e-learning courses by completing easy-to-use forms that generate highly customized content, interactive activities, quizzes, games, assessments, animations, demos, and other multimedia.

New in Version 2.3:

  • Spell check for topics
  • Indexing for course search
  • Output to an Office Word document
  • New templates: Show/Hide and Click Table Animations
  • Compatibility with Internet Explorer 8 and Silverlight 2.0

Download away!

Published Sunday, April 19, 2009 12:00 PM by Krosen

Born to Learn : Roll Your Own E-Learning

Solver Foundation

 

Solver Foundation is a pure, managed code runtime for mathematical programming, modeling, and optimization. This .NET/CLR based framework provides a rich set of tools, services, and engines to aid companies in their continuous quest for operational efficiency, profit maximization, and risk management. Solver Foundation is designed to help businesses make strategic decisions. It affords its users the advantage of easy to use tools, numerically stable solver technologies and deep integration with ubiquitous information worker systems like Microsoft Office.


Solver Foundation uses a declarative programming model, consisting of simple compatible elements that are solved by application of solvers, meta-heuristics, search techniques, and combinatorial optimization mechanisms to accelerate the solution finding process. Building a model in Solver Foundation is as simple as specifying the decisions to be made, constraints to be respected, the goals to be used to evaluate candidate proposals (solutions) and the data to be processed by the model (historical or projected parameters). This can be done from any CLS-compatible language and the modeler does not need to understand anything about the details of solver technologies or search strategies. The separation of concerns is total, providing a high degree of modularity.

Solver Foundation

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Guidance for Running Biztalk Server 2009 on Hyper-V

 

Guidance for Running Biztalk Server 2009 on Hyper-V

A new guide has been released on April 17th that provides information on using BizTalk Server 2009 in a Hyper-V environment.  You can download it in a variety of formats from here.

The emphasis of this guidance is On BizTalk server, but the guide provides great information regarding performance evaluation and testing scenarios that are applicable across other workloads too.  Check it out!

The Home of Puny Robologic : Guidance for Running Biztalk Server 2009 on Hyper-V

Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Poweruser role vs SQL Server sysadmin role

 

Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Poweruser role vs SQL Server sysadmin role

Dynamics GP system administrators and Microsoft SQL Server DBAs often ask, "Why can't I setup users if I am a member of the POWERUSER role in Dynamics GP?". The question can sometimes be paraphrased as "Why the SQL Server system administrator (sa) user is the only one that can setup users?". The answer is simple: the Dynamics GP POWERUSER role is application specific, while the SQL Server sysadmin role is database specific.
Since sa is a member of both the POWERUSER role in Dynamics GP and the sysadmin role in SQL Server, it can perform all maintenance operations of users in Dynamics GP, along with the setup of additional users. This allows the sa user login, in turn, to create the necessary logins in SQL Server. This is good if you are a DBA, but what happens when you are out and more users need to be added to the system.
So you may now be asking, "How do I make other Dynamics GP users have the same abilities to setup users like the sa user?". You will have to make the Dynamics GP user a member of a role in Dynamics GP with ability to create users -- perhaps, the POWERUSER role or the ADMIN_SYSTEM_001* security role -- and a member of the sysadmin role in SQL Server. To do this follow these steps (assuming you want the user to have full access to all Dynamics GP options throughout the system):
1. Log into Microsoft Dynamics GP as sa.
2. Assign the Dynamics GP user to the POWERUSER role. Go to Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > System > User Security. Choose the user login and mark the POWERUSER role in the access list.

3. The system will warn about the user access to all application functionality. Click on OK to continue.

NOTE: Depending on your security requirements, you may not want to grant access to the POWERUSER role. You can always create a custom role with access to the User Setup window or use the built-in ADMIN_SYSTEM_001* role.
4. Now, proceed to assign the user login to the sysadmin role in SQL Server. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, open the Security folder, open the Logins subfolder.

5. Double-click on the corresponding user login to open the Login Properties window. Select the Server Roles page and mark the sysadmin role.

6. Click the OK button to finalize the configuration.
Now your Dynamics GP user should be able to setup new users and maintain existing ones, along with performing other SQL Server maintenance activities within the application.
Related Articles

  • The Microsoft Dynamics GP Application Level Security Series. David Musgrave at Developing for Dynamics GP. Click here.
  • Microsoft Dynamics GP Password Implementation. Click here.

Until next post!
MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MIS, PMP, MVP, MCP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/

Posted by Mariano Gomez at 8:00 AM

The Dynamics GP Blogster: Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Poweruser role vs SQL Server sysadmin role

Friday, April 17, 2009

SourceGear : DiffMerge

 

Product Features:

  • Diff  Graphically shows the changes between two files. Includes intra-line highlighting and full support for editing.
  • Merge  Graphically shows the changes between 3 files. Allows automatic merging (when safe to do so) and full control over editing the resulting file.
  • Folder Diff  Performs a side-by-side comparison of 2 folders, showing which files are only present in one file or the other, as well as file pairs which are identical or different.
  • Windows Explorer Integration. Right-click on any two files in Windows Explorer to diff them immediately.
  • Configurable. Rulesets and options provide for customized appearance and behavior.
  • International. Compatible with 42 different character encodings.
  • Cross-platform. Identical feature set on Windows, Mac OS X, and Unix.

DiffMerge 3.3 is now available, completely free!

SourceGear : DiffMerge

WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 SP2

 

WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 SP2

Just a quick note that the SP2 for WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 will be available on April 28th 2009! More information can be found here.

Published Saturday, April 18, 2009 1:19 AM by AMazaheri

Ali Mazaheri, MCM : WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 SP2

Some help with Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce

 

Some help with Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce

While Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 did add support for Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce, not all of the instructions have made it online yet.   The following should help users get going until the online content has all been published.

Report Builder 2.0 is made available in three ways:

1. Standalone .MSI
See existing download page .

2. Native mode ClickOnce deployment:
If you are using SQL Server 2008 SP1 in native mode, you simply change the "Custom Action URL" given in the Site Settings page to /ReportBuilder/ReportBuilder_2_0_0_0.application

3. Sharepoint mode ClickOnce deployment:
After you have installed the updated Sharepoint add-in bits, following the directions in the readme to change the Custom Action URL to /_vti_bin/ReportBuilder/ReportBuilder_2_0_0_0.application will change the default Report Builder link on your Sharepoint site to RB2.

By using the Custom Action URL for Report Builder 2 in ClickOnce mode, we allow users to keep using Report Builder 1.0 or any other ClickOnce tool if they wish.

Things to note:

1. ClickOnce install packs include all available languages, the one used at runtime being determined by the client's display language.
2. Client machines need .NET 3.5 SP1 to run the RB2 ClickOnce package.
3. The next update for SQL Server Books Online will include more information on these topics and should be available soon..

Posted: Friday, April 17, 2009 3:11 PM by craigg

SQL Server Reporting Services Team Blog : Some help with Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce

Happy Friday!!! The New VPC Image is here!!

 

Happy Friday!!! The New VPC Image is here!!

The Demo Team would like to announce that the CRM VPC is available to partners on Partner Source at https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/deployment/methodology/vpc/MSD_CRM4VPCApril09

It is also available on VM Express. Using VM Express you may be able to download the VPC in as little as 45 minutes. This is the fastest way to get the VPC. For those of you who have already installed the VM Express three DVD set, all you need to do is open the VM Express tool and navigate to the CRM Product category.  You will see a magical new entry called "Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine 2009"...highlight it, select where you want to save it and press the "Install Now" button.  You are now free to enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Published Friday, April 17, 2009 3:28 PM by chris.kahl

East Region Microsoft CRM : Happy Friday!!! The New VPC Image is here!!

SyncToy 2.0 - 1 Millionth Download

 

SyncToy 2.0 - 1 Millionth Download

I am excited to annouce that SyncToy 2.0 has reached a major milestone.  During the month of March it passed 1 Million downloads!   This is exciting both for SyncToy as well as the Microsoft Sync Framework team.  Since SyncToy bases synchornization upon the Sync Framework's File Sync Provider, it is always a good test of the technology to have users of this scale.  In our forums we regularaly see people use it to keep 10's of thousands of files and folders in sync across desktops and devices.  It is also a great test and starting point as we look to expand file synchronization into cloud based services.

Liam Cavanagh

Published Friday, April 17, 2009 4:56 PM by liamca

Microsoft Sync Framework : SyncToy 2.0 - 1 Millionth Download

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Edge Planning Tool for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Released

 

Edge Planning Tool for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Released

If you're thinking about deploying the Edge server role for OCS 2007 R2, then you need to take a look at the Edge Planning Tool.  It takes a lot of the complexity out of planning/configuring an Edge server.

You can download it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ec4b960c-3fe2-41bd-abdf-ae89cfcb8c6c&displaylang=en

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 9:07 PM by dodeitte

Doug Deitterick's Blog : Edge Planning Tool for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Released

LDAP query to get a user memberships in SQL

 

LDAP query to get a user memberships in SQL

Today I was struggling to obtain in SQL Server 2005 the list of groups (from Active Directory) to which a user belongs to. Here is the final result. Enjoy it!

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver @server = N'ADSI',
@srvproduct=N'Active Directory Services', @provider=N'ADsDSOObject',
@datasrc=N'corp.abc.com'
GO

/* get the groups for the user Test1*/
select * from openquery
(
ADSI,'SELECT name 
FROM ''LDAP://abc.com''
WHERE objectCategory = ''Group'' AND objectClass = ''group''
AND member=''CN=Test1,CN=Users,DC=abc,DC=com''
')

Alina's technical blog : LDAP query to get a user memberships in SQL

RTM’d today: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft SQL Server 2008—Database Development

 

RTM’d today: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft SQL Server 2008—Database Development

Just a quick post to say that MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft SQL Server 2008—Database Development (ISBN: 978-0735626393; 496 pages; Microsoft Press, 2009), by Tobias Thernström, Ann Weber, Mike Hotek, and GrandMasters, has shipped to the printer!

9780735626393f

We’ll post excerpts from the book later.

Published Thursday, April 16, 2009 10:29 AM by devonm

Microsoft Press : RTM’d today: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft SQL Server 2008—Database Development

New Functionality for Extender in Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack 4

 

New Functionality for Extender in Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack 4

We are excited to announce new functionality being added into Extender for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack 4 planned for July 2009. Extender is an easy-to-use product that allows you to add data fields, notes, macros, lookups and much more, without writing a single line of code. Develop strong business processes and enrich your reporting power for Microsoft Dynamics® GP with this powerful functionality.

Link to On-Demand Training:

Links to Content:

Important Information:

Published Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:53 PM by jeffk

US Microsoft Dynamics GP Field Team : New Functionality for Extender in Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack 4

Reporting Services - Nothing to see please move along

 

Reporting Services - Nothing to see please move along

Sometimes when you run a report it’s not going to return any rows, perhaps because the user selected a filter for which there is no data, and that needs to be handled properly.

Fortunately there’s a simple way to  control the messaging when this occurs to ensure your users know what’s happened and don’t assume it’s all your fault.

For the tablix data region, chart or sub-report go to the properties for it and enter an appropriate message as shown below..

image

If you don’t see the properties in Report Builder 2 got to view and check the properties option..

image

So like any kind of development (in BI analysis services would be a good example) it’s important to review the properties and ensure you get the behaviour you need .

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:52 AM by Andrew_Fryer

Andrew Fryer's Blog : Reporting Services - Nothing to see please move along

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Get more out of your existing solution with Extender

 

Get more out of your existing solution with Extender

Microsoft Dynamics GP Extender is a amazing module that helps you get more flexibility, more solutions that is configurable to meet your specific needs.  And, it is extremely easy to use. Do you have a strong understanding of how Extender can get you more? 

The module is priced low and you can easily achieve a quick ROI.  Ask yourself, how many pieces of data they are tracking in an Excel Spreadsheet or access?  It would be easier to take that information out of Excel and have it part of Dynamics GP for everyone to see an update.  If you agree, then most likely Extender will give you more ROI in your overall solution.

Important Microsoft Dynamics GP Service Pack 4 Extender Announcement  including: Price Announcements, FAQ, Fact Sheet, Demo Scripts, and Feature List for Service Pack 4.

PartnerSource Extender Landing Page

CustomerSource Extender Landing Page

Common myths about Extender: 

Reporting is Difficult:  NO, NO, NO.  Reporting is easy, you just need to know how.  By using the Extender view function, writing reports on Extender data is simple.  You can use Report Writer, Crystal, SQL Reporting Services, SmartLists, SmartList Builder, Excel Report Builder.

The table structure is odd and therefore performance can be a problem:  The structure is designed to support unlimited numbers of custom fields, so the data is stored differently.  Extender has a function called Extender views.  With views, you do not need to understand the table structure.  Performance is not a worry and with changes in Dynamics GP 10.0, service pack 4, it will be even better.

To learn more about Extender, please view the Partner On-Demand Web Cast

An Existing Customer Web Cast is being planned and will be scheduled for late April.  I will update when it is scheduled.

Pam

Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:22 PM by DynGpTeam

Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP : Get more out of your existing solution with Extender

Office Communications Online Deployment and Availability

 

Office Communications Online Deployment and Availability

We are now live with the service upgrade we announced two weeks ago. In addition to the new capabilities mentioned earlier, we want to inform you about some details around Office Communications Online availability.

Office Communications Online provides instant messaging and presence awareness for secure real-time communications. Presence awareness shows you at a glance if someone is available to receive an instant message.

Office Communications (OC) Online is part of the BPOS Suite. If you have previously purchased rights to the BPOS Suite, you can now enable OC Online for your organization’s users. To enable the service, service administrators will go to the OC Online tab in the Service Settings area of the Microsoft Online Administrator’s Console (MOAC). Please review the Release Notes for details on the service enablement process.

OC Online requires the separate purchase and installation of Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2.  As a Limited Time Offer, Office Communications Online customers receive one licensed copy of Office Communicator 2007 R2 at no cost with each trial or paid subscription license to Office Communications Online. The software may only be used with Office Communications Online, and all rights to use the software will terminate upon expiration of the underlying subscription license or release of the next major new version of Office Communications Online, whichever comes first.  A link to the promotional Office Communicator client is available to service administrators through the OC Online tab in MOAC. Alternatively, end users are able to access and install the client through the My Company Portal download center.

OC Online will not be available for a few days. After the appearance today of OC Online in MOAC, there will be a go-live transition period of up to a few days before all end users will be able to access the service.  We will post an entry here when the go-live transition for OC Online is complete. We recommend waiting for this message before enabling the service for your users; you can subscribe to this blog via RSS. If you choose to enable OC Online before this transition is complete, users may see a “Cannot sign in to Communicator….” message when trying to use Office Communicator to connect to the OC Online service. Once the service is live, users will not see this message.

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 12:25 AM by arvindsuthar

Microsoft Online Services Team Blog : Office Communications Online Deployment and Availability

DeepZoomPix

 

DeepZoomPix Logo

Explore Photos
Like Never Before!

DeepZoomPix enables you to explore and share photos in a new and interactive way.
DeepZoomPix is a technology demonstration that will be available until December 31st, 2009.
Get started by importing your own photos and prepare to be amazed!

DeepZoomPix

Office “14” – Microsoft Office 2010 Products and Technologies: Names & Availability

 

Office “14” – Microsoft Office 2010 Products and Technologies: Names & Availability

Today as part of the Exchange 14 annoucement we officially announced the name and availability of Office “14” products and technologies!

Exchange Server 2010 will become available in the second half of 2009. Microsoft Office 2010 and related products will enter technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and become available in the first half of 2010.

Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010 and Microsoft Project 2010 are scheduled to enter technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and release to manufacturing in the first half of 2010.

I am looking forward to share with the developer community the latest news related to our Microsoft Office 2010 release.

Erika Ehrli : Office “14” – Microsoft Office 2010 Products and Technologies: Names & Availability

Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Web site

 

Welcome to the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Web site.
This site gives you tools and resources that simplify and streamline the Microsoft Dynamics resources available, so you can more effectively market, sell, and service prospects and existing customers.

Partner Community

Community Team Mission
We’ve formed a new team and are building this new community in response to the many requests we’ve received from Microsoft Dynamics Partners like you. The purpose of the new Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community is to help you more effectively market, sell, and service—with the goal of successfully building your Microsoft Dynamics business and increasing your profitability.

Community Highlights
As a valuable member of this new community, you’ll benefit from a wealth of outstanding resources designed to help you succeed, including:

  • This dedicated Web site
  • "Invigoration Station" radio broadcasts
  • Weekly Web seminars
  • An easy-to-use blog
  • Monthly Dynamics Partner Community Newsletter

Many of the resources featured within the community will help you learn how our tools, resources, and investments can help you reach your short- and long-term business objectives.

  • Plan My Business – information to help you develop your business.
  • Expand My Skills – insight into Partner readiness, training, certification, and skill building.
  • Increase My Opportunities – marketing and sales tools to help you deliver successful solutions.
  • Close More Sales – assistance, tools, and resources to help you deliver successful solutions.
  • Support My Customers – strengthen your customer relationships.

We urge you to take advantage of the resources available to you through this community to help you achieve greater business success.

Microsoft Dynamics Partner Events > Home

Microsoft SharePoint “14” is now Microsoft SharePoint 2010

 

Microsoft SharePoint “14” is now Microsoft SharePoint 2010

You have probably seen the news announcement today where we announced the public beta for the new Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. As part of that announcement, we also talked about some of the names for the “14” wave of products including Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. I wanted to answer some questions that I think will inevitably pop to the top of your mind:

Full Article

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/04/14/microsoft-sharepoint-14-is-now-microsoft-sharepoint-2010.aspx

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:08 AM by Gayan Peiris

Sharing ....SharePoint : Microsoft SharePoint “14” is now Microsoft SharePoint 2010

What happens when I delete a snapshot? [Hyper-V]

 

What happens when I delete a snapshot? [Hyper-V]

A lot of people have asked me what happens “under the covers” when they delete a snapshot.  Unfortunately, the answer is relatively complicated as there are multiple things that could happen.

As previously discussed – a snapshot is composed of a configuration file, saved state files and differencing disks (AVHDs).  When you delete a snapshot the snapshot configuration file and saved state files are always deleted immediately – and the snapshot entry is removed from the user interface.

What happens to the AVHD depends on the situation of the snapshot and the state of the virtual machine.  Here I have a virtual machine setup with a bunch of snapshots:

snapshot3

Let’s look at what would happen if I deleted various snapshots associated with this virtual machine:

  1. Snapshot 4
    If I delete this snapshot – the AVHD will be deleted immediately.  There are no other snapshots that refer to this snapshot, and the virtual machine is not currently running off of it – so it can be quickly and easily deleted.
  2. Snapshot 1, Snapshot 3, Snapshot 5
    All three of these snapshots have a single other snapshot dependant on them (or in the case of Snapshot 5 – the running virtual machine).  This means that if they are deleted their AVHD files will be merged into the chain.  AVHD merging can only happen when the virtual machine is not running – so the AVHD will remain while the virtual machine continues to run but will be merged as soon as the virtual machine stops.
  3. Snapshot 2
    Snapshot 2 has two snapshots dependant on it (Snapshot 3 and Snapshot 5).  As such we will do nothing to the AVHD file when this snapshot is deleted.  We could merge the AVHD into both of the branches that depend on Snapshot 2 – but this is almost guaranteed to end up using more disk space – which could result in the whacky scenario where deleting a snapshot would fail because there was not enough space available.  Note that if Snapshot 2 were deleted, and later on both Snapshots 3 and 4 were deleted – we would detect this and merge the AVHD for Snapshot 2 away as soon as possible.

This answer has probably raised some questions in your mind – so let me take a shot at answering some of them:

  • Why do you call this “deleting a snapshot” when there could still be files left around afterwards?
    In all three cases above the “snapshot” is deleted.  Which is to say that the point in time image of your virtual machine is gone, and you can no longer go there.  If you had an important document that only existed in a specific snapshot of a virtual machine – and you deleted that snapshot – then the document is gone.  It does not matter whether we are deleting or merging the AVHDs under the covers- the snapshot is still effectively gone.
  • Why not use a different word than “delete”, like “remove”, as “delete” carries very specific connotations in my mind?
    This is an argument that I have often had with our text team.  The two main arguments for using “delete” are as follows: 1) From an end user impact, “delete” – with all of its connotations – is appropriate.  The fact that it does not line up completely with what is happening under the covers is a far removed secondary point. 2) Where ever possible we try to stick to known and established computing terms.  This aids in the process of localization, and is easier for users who do not have English as their native language.
  • Why not say “delete snapshot” when the AVHD is going to be deleted and “merge snapshot” when the AVHD is going to be merged?
    Today all of this logic is part of the core platform – and the only option exposed through our WMI interfaces is to “delete” a snapshot.  If we changed this it would place a burden on anyone scripting / programming to our interfaces where they would have to determine whether it was appropriate to merge or delete the snapshot.  Also – many people would be confused by what “Merging a snapshot” actually meant.

Cheers,
Ben

Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 1:01 PM by Virtual PC Guy

Virtual PC Guy's WebLog : What happens when I delete a snapshot? [Hyper-V]

Introducing the EWS Managed API!

 

Introducing the EWS Managed API!

Developing applications with Exchange Web Services just got MUCH easier, thanks to the release of the Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) Managed API 1.0 Beta — a new managed-code API that's easy to learn, simple to use, and efficient to code against. Whether you're an experienced EWS developer, you’re new to Exchange development, or you’re somewhere in between, the EWS Managed API is made for you! Say goodbye to the large amounts of code and awkward patterns often required to use EWS via autogenerated proxy classes, and revel in the simplicity and efficiency of the new EWS Managed API!

Want to learn more? Check out David Claux's article Introducing the Exchange Web Services Managed API 1.0 for a full introduction to this new API. Take advantage of the conceptual material and code examples that are available in the Microsoft Exchange Web Services Managed API 1.0 Beta SDK April 2009. And keep your eye on this blog and the Exchange Developer Center in the coming months for posts and articles that explore various how-to scenarios for the EWS Managed API.

Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 6:26 PM by kbrandl

Exchange API-spotting : Introducing the EWS Managed API!

What's Stopping You From Getting SharePoint Certified (Part 2)

 

What's Stopping You From Getting SharePoint Certified (Part 2)

Shannon Bray, Microsoft Certified Trainer, is back for another Live Meeting coaching session. This one will be focused on Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0 Application Development.  There's still time to register !!

April 16: Preparing for your Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Application Development Exam (70-541)
Register Now:  10:00 A.M. Pacific Time  (What time is this in my region?)

Check the full exam coaching scheudule

Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 10:17 PM by DeborahG

Born to Learn : What's Stopping You From Getting SharePoint Certified (Part 2)

Exchange 2010 training (free)

 

Exchange 2010 training (free)

https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=249671

Collection 6899: Exploring Features of Exchange Server 2010

Overview

This two-hour collection provides you with an overview of the new features in Exchange Server 2010. It also describes the enhancements made over Exchange Server 2007.
The clinics within this collection cover:

  • New features in Exchange Server 2010
  • Technology enhancements
  • Management tools used in Exchange Server 2010
  • Managing a Mailbox server
  • Unified Messaging in Exchange Server 2010
  • High availability features in Exchange Server 2010

Users completing this collection should have three or more years of experience working with previous versions of Exchange Server, including the implementation of Exchange Server 2007. They should be familiar with Active Directory, Exchange messaging, and SharePoint and fundamentals of Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. It is beneficial if they have experience with a Windows or command-line scripting.

Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 11:17 AM by robse

Heavy on the Technical : Exchange 2010 training (free)

Automatically create Word documents which include list fields

 

Creating Word documents containing List fields

I haven’t seen much information on the web regarding how to automatically create Word documents in SharePoint and how to pass list item fields directly into a document.

It’s fairly straightforward to get this working (certainly no code is required, just SharePoint designer) and the technique could be used to automate all manner of business processes. For example, you could create an ASPX page containing drop down fields and calculated fields that automatically creates a quotation document or you could have a form that captures all the details for a job vacancy that would create a standard looking job advert.

In this exercise I will keep things simple and create an application that creates a certificate with an exam name, user name and pass mark passed into the Word documents from a list item. This would make a nice addition to the Quiz Web Application exam. This example requires Word 2007.

Here is an example of the created document with fields (the name, the exam title and mark – shown below in bold, being variables stored in a SharePoint list.

The example has the following components:

· A document library which has a Word document associated which is used as the basis for all new documents

· A list containing the fields that we want to pass into a new document

· A workflow which creates a new Word document and copies the fields from the list into the document

Creating the document library

A document library is really just a special type of list. There are some differences in functionality but many of the features remain the same.

First we need to create a new document library, in your browser:

· (Top right) Site Actions > Create

· Select “Document Library”

· Name: Certificates

· Ensure the “Document template” is set to “Word document”

Next we want to add some columns to our document library for our variables to be added to

1. Click on the “Settings” button in the list view

2. Click on “Document library settings”

3. Click on “Create Column

Add the following columns:

Name

Type

YourName

Single line of text

Score

Number

By default, the Title column has already been created in the list so we will use that to store our Exam title field. There are some other columns in that are created for a document library that we will not need to use.

Creating a Word document to use as a template

Next we want to create our word document which will act as a template for all newly created documents in this library. I am a little reticent to use the word template as we will actually just create a normal document (DOT / DOTX) rather than a Word template (DOT / DOTX).

In the settings screen of the document library:

1. Click “Advanced Settings”

2. Click “(Edit Template”)

Word will open the file template.doc which is located in the forms library of your document library.

3. Save the file as a “Word document” (click okay if you are asked to confirm)

This saves the template document from Word 97-2003 format (compatibility mode) to Word 2007 format which is a DOTX file. This allows use the document property field.

We need to associate our document library with the new file, to do this:

1. Document library > List settings > Advanced settings

2. Change the template name to “template.dotx”

3. OK

Now we are ready to create the template for our certificate, go back into the Document Library > List Settings > Advanced settings and click on the Edit Template link.

You can create a nice looking document leaving space for where our list fields will go. When you are ready to insert our fields, do the following:

1. From the main menu select “Insert”

2. Click “Quick Parts” > “Document Properties”

3. You will see a list of the document properties including the columns we added (Score and YourName)

You can select each of our fields and place them in our document – YourName, Score and Title are the three fields we will insert.

4. Insert each of the fields into your document, they will display like this:

Here is an example of the basic layout:

And here is something a little fancier.

That completes the creation of the document library and the associated word document.

Creating a list to store our fields

We need to create a list to store our values that will be inserted into the document template.

As you can imagine, this is very straightforward:

· Site Actions > Create

· Custom List

· Name: Documents

· Click Create

Then add our two fields into (Title will already exist)

Add the following fields to the Documents list Add the following columns:

Name

Type

YourName

Single line of text

Score

Number

You will notice this is exactly the same as what we did for the document library fields. Our final step is to create a workflow that copies the fields from the Documents list into a new document in the Certificates document library.

Writing our workflow to create new documents in the certificates library

We are going to create a simple workflow that does the following

· When a new item is added to the Documents list create a new Item in the Certificates library

· Copy the title, YourName and Score fields from the Documents item into the Certificates item

This will in effect create a new document in the Certificates library that has the fields automatically populated with the values from our Documents list. Here is how:

1. Open SharePoint designer and connect to your site

2. File | New | Workflow

  • Give the name as “Make a new certificate”

  • Attach “Documents” list to this workflow.

  • Select “Automatically start this workflow when a new item is created”

We are saying here, each time a new item is added to the Documents list then run the workflow.

3. Click “Next”

4. Click “Actions” > “Create List Item”

5. Click on the “this list” link

6. On the list selector choose “Certificates”

7. Click on the “Name (for use in forms) ...” entry and click “Modify”

8. In the value box, click the “Fx” button

9. Keep the source as “Current Item” and change the field to “YourName”

10. Click OK, OK

The above steps mean that when a item is added to the list Document then a new document will be created in the Certificates document library and the name of the item will be set to YourName feild.

If more than one item is created with the same name then a unique identifier will be automatically added to the title.

Next we need to add our three fields to the Create List Item action. To do this:

1. Click the “Add” button

2. Set this field: Score

3. To this value: Click the “Fx” button

4. Source: Current Item

5. Field: YourName

Do the same for the Title and YourName values. Your completed List Item dialogue should look like this:

You can now click “OK” and you will see SharePoint designer create the new Workflow and assign it to your list.

We are now all ready to test our new solution!

Putting it all together – testing our solution

Go back to our website and select the “Documents” list and click “New” and complete the fields and click “OK”

Back in the list of items in the Documents list you will notice a new column “Make a new Certificate” has appeared. This column shows the status of the workflow that we created.

Currently it will be showing “In Progress” whilst the workflow kicks and begins to run (creating the new word document in the Certificates library). Wait for a few seconds and then refresh the page (F5).  You should see the status has changed to “Completed”

Finally, switch to the Certificates document library. You will see our new document has been created. When you open the document you will see that values that we passed are now contained in the Word document.

Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:15 PM by brenclarke

Notes on SharePoint : Automatically create Word documents which include list fields

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Retrieving Dynamics GP user idle time

 

Retrieving Dynamics GP user idle time

 

One of the questions I regularly get from DBAs and Dynamics GP systems administrators alike is, "how do I know how long a GP user has been idle in the system without the use of third party products?". It is sufficient to say that they are good third party products out there that rely on Dexterity scripting to provide this information and perform all sort of actions that the system administrator may want to do, take for example Rockton Software's Omni Tools with it's inactivity timeout feature.
SQL Server offers a great way of tracking idle times from a process perspective. This is very cool, because most of the time we want to know that there is absolutely nothing running on the user's session before we decide to take some action -- most of the time remotely.
The following script displays the time (in seconds) the last batch was executed for a particular Dynamics GP user. It looks at the DEX_SESSION table and cross-reference it with the SPIDs retrieved via the undocumented SQL Server system stored procedure sp_who2.
UserActivity.sql


-- Create by Mariano Gomez, MVP
-- This script conferes no rights and has no warranties express or implied

USE MASTER
GO

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb.dbo.#GP_UserActivity') IS NOT NULL
DROP TABLE #GP_UserActivity

CREATE TABLE #GP_UserActivity
( SPID int
, [Status] varchar( 50)
, [Login] varchar( 80)
, HostName varchar( 80)
, BlkBy varchar( 10)
, dbanme varchar( 80)
, Command varchar( 500)
, CpuTime int
, DiskIO int
, LastBatch varchar( 22)
, ProgramName varchar( 200)
, SPID2 int
, RequestID int
)

INSERT #GP_UserActivity
EXEC sp_who2

SELECT
SPID
, [Login]
, datediff(ss, cast(substring(LastBatch, 1, 5) + '/' + cast( datepart( year, getdate()) as char( 4)) +
' ' + substring( lastbatch, 7, 20) as datetime), getdate() ) 'seconds'
FROM #GP_UserActivity INNER JOIN tempdb.dbo.DEX_SESSION on spid = sqlsvr_spid


The script can be automated to track idleness information periodically and obtain detailed reports of system usage among GP users -- a sort of process activity. I use it a lot to plan server expansions activities and monitoring for my clients in conjunction with other important metrics. I hope you find this script useful in your daily administrative activities.

Related Articles


sp_who - Transact-SQL Server Reference. Click here


Until next post!


MG.-


Mariano Gomez, MIS, MCP, MVP


Maximum Global Business, LLC


http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/



Posted by Mariano Gomez at 8:00 AM




The Dynamics GP Blogster: Retrieving Dynamics GP user idle time

Desktop Time Tracker

 

Project Description
Keep track of time spent on your projects with this C# Windows forms application that includes fully-commented source code. It runs from your system tray and makes it easy to punch in and out and view totals

Introduction

Time and how we use it is a matter of great importance to many people. I am certainly no exception, frequently working on two to five projects at a given time. Whether it's just being curious about how much time you are spending on various classes at school, or billable projects, time tracking can be tedious. Do you use a paper notebook (remember those)? Do you create a spreadsheet in Excel? What about a custom time accounting software package? For this project, I decided it would be good to create a basic time tracking tool to sit quietly in the system tray.

Usage

Just double-click the executable and the icon will appear in the notification area (the system tray).
ScreenCapture_01 2009.04.14 00.04.jpg
Right-click the icon in the system tray to view the menu. You can add projects, punch in/out, punch out at a specific time (like ten minutes ago when you should have punched out...) or view settings.
ScreenCapture_02 2009.04.14 00.05.jpg
Click Add Project to enter the name for a project. Then you can simple double-click the icon to sign in or out. The tooltip always shows you in or out, in addition to the icon overlay. When you are ready to do some accounting, view the details:
ScreenCapture_03 2009.04.14 00.06.jpg
There isn't any way to export this information, but it wouldn't be that difficult to extend. All data is held in a DataTable serialized as XML. It would be a great challenge to extend this with the Microsoft ReportViewer control to create some cool output options.
Finally, you can enable or disable projects (just to cull down your list of inactive projects) in the second tab:
ScreenCapture_04 2009.04.14 00.06.jpg
If you want commit permission to improve this, please let me know. It's served me well and can be even better.
This project has been tested up to Windows 7 RC1.

Desktop Time Tracker - Home

Dexterity's Hidden About Window

 

Dexterity's Hidden About Window

David MeegoDexterity has a long development history, dating back to the late 1980's.  There were many people involved in the design, development, testing and documentation of Dexterity.  If you want to see some of these names, you can use a little bit of code to open the Hidden_About form in the Dex.dic dictionary.  The Dex.dic is available as dictionary ID 1, even though it does not appear in the Dynamics.set launch file.

You can add the code into your own dictionary, or simply using the Runtime Execute feature in the Support Debugging Tool for Microsoft Dynamics GP to execute the following pass through sanScript code:

Runtime Execute Code Example

local string compiler_error; execute(1, "open form Hidden_About;", compiler_error);

Click on the button to view the different teams.  Anywhere else on the window to close it.

David

Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:00 AM by David Musgrave

Developing for Dynamics GP : Dexterity's Hidden About Window

Some Great Web-casts in April Around Agile and Scrum

 

Some Great Web-casts in April Around Agile and Scrum

April 15th - Lean and Mean...The Agile Manifesto, Presented by Edie Chudnow, Neudesic
Do emerging software methodologies give you pause and make you question the methodology your organization is using today?  Do you wonder if you could be more influential and successful with time and budget on projects by utilizing another methodology?  In this webcast, we will discuss the paradigm shift from Predictive methodology (Waterfall) to Adaptive methodology (Agile) and why so many organizations are following the Agile path.   We will also explain the steps you need to take to effectively transition to agile projects and how it will transform your organization.  

REGISTER TODAY TO LEARN MORE!

Agile Scrum
Wed., April 15, 2009
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Pacific Time

April 15th - A Day in the Life of Scrum with Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server, Presented by Riad Bacchus & Phil Scott, Neudesic

Please join Microsoft and Neudesic via a webcast for participation in "A Day in the Life of Scrum with Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server", a live event being held in Irvine, CA.  Due to popular demand, we've made this full-day event available via a webcast in case participants are not able to join us at one of the local live sessions. We'll briefly revisit the basics of Agile and Scrum and provide a walkthrough of how to configure Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server for Scrum.  Participants will be familiarized with how key artifacts are managed within this popular process template for enacting Scrum in organizations.

REGISTER TODAY TO LEARN MORE!

Agile Scrum
Wed., April 15, 2009
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Pacific Time

Ravings of a Developer TS : Some Great Web-casts in April Around Agile and Scrum

Announcement: EWS Managed API launching tomorrow 04/15/09

 

Announcement: EWS Managed API launching tomorrow 04/15/09

Good news for all .Net developers working with Exchange or willing to work with Exchange but have zero experience in the domain.

Exchange Team had been working so hard to reduce your efforts and improve your efficiency.

Check out these videos to see what EWS Managed API is capable of

http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/BB46/

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/03/24/450892.aspx

Keep a watch on here as it will go live in few hours, be the first one to grab it - http://msdn.microsoft.com/exchange

Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:57 PM by Vikas Verma

Jive into Messaging world : Announcement: EWS Managed API launching tomorrow 04/15/09

How to un install SQL Server 2005

 

How to un install SQL Server 2005

You can use these docs for uninstalling your 2005 sql instance based on your requirement.

Uninstalling an instance of SQL Server 2005 manually
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=909967

Windows Installer Clean-Up Tool
http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/9/D/E9D80355-7AB4-45B8-80E8-983A48D5E1BD/msicuu2.exe

Uninstall SQL Server Management Studio
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;909953

Using the Add or Remove Programs item in Control Panel to add
or remove components for stand-alone installations and clustered
installations of SQL Server 2005 (KB: 922670)

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;922670

Uninstall SQL Server Express
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143505.aspx

Fatal error during installation
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=919945

Uninstall Applications NOT in Install/Remove Programs List
http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2005/10/30/487096.aspx

Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:43 PM by sreekarm

Nice things inside SQL Server : How to un install SQL Server 2005

Quick Bytes: Unzipping ZIP file using Powershell

 

Quick Bytes: Unzipping ZIP file using Powershell

UNZIP.ps1

$zipfilename=”C:\myfolder\myzip.zip";                        # Replace with source ZIP file
$destination=”C:\myfolder\unzipped";                         # Replace with target folder

    if(test-path($zipfilename))                                     # Test if the zip file exists
    {   
        $shellApplication = new-object -com shell.application
        $zipPackage = $shellApplication.NameSpace($zipfilename)
        $destinationFolder = $shellApplication.NameSpace($destination)
        $destinationFolder.CopyHere($zipPackage.Items())
    }

    else
   {
       echo "The source ZIP file does not exist";
   }

Published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:28 PM by ssehgal

The Deployment guy : Quick Bytes: Unzipping ZIP file using Powershell

SQL Server I/O for Thought

 

SQL Server I/O for Thought

Following are the links specifically relating to best practices for setting up disk I/O for SQL Server workloads.

Predeployment I/O Best Practices - http://sqlcat.com/whitepapers/archive/2007/11/21/predeployment-i-o-best-practices.aspx

Complete I/O Best practices whitepaper - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/bestpractice/pdpliobp.mspx

Storage Top 10 Best Practices - http://sqlcat.com/top10lists/archive/2007/11/21/storage-top-10-best-practices.aspx

Tools – below are links to tools that can aid you in the testing of I/O for SQL Server workload.

All things SQL Server Related.... : SQL Server I/O for Thought

Behind the Scenes at new Microsoft Technology Center - Chicago

 

Behind the Scenes at new Microsoft Technology Center - Chicago

Published 14 April 09 01:12 PM | apage

Here's a total ad-hoc video posted on edge about our new MTC in Chicago.

(also known as "how i spent my christmas vacation")

http://edge.technet.com/Media/Inside-the-new-Chicago-Microsoft-Technology-Center-MTC/

Andrew Page, Technology Architect, Microsoft Technology Center : Behind the Scenes at new Microsoft Technology Center - Chicago

SLA Template for Desktop Services

 

SLA Template for Desktop Services

Attached is a sample desktop services SLA  which i refer to my customers when they ask for it. Keep in mind that the SLA is a customer document, and should be kept free of technical jargon.

Published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 6:21 PM by mertb

Attachment(s): Sample Desktop SLA.doc

Mert's Enterprise Desktop Blog : SLA Template for Desktop Services

Information: Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit 2007 R2

 

Information: Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit 2007 R2

The Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit for 2007 R2 provides guidance and resources for IT Pros, HelpDesk, and Trainers to speed adoption and usage of Unified Communications technologies in the enterprise. The kit includes Planning Checklists, Awareness materials, including Poster, Door Hangers, and E-mail samples, and User Education Materials such as Quick Reference Cards, Flash Cards, and links to Web-based Training.

… see more here

Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 7:05 PM by mikkelbn

Mikkel Bach Nielsen's blog : Information: Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit 2007 R2

Creating a Quiz Web application using SharePoint designer

 

Creating a Quiz Web application using SharePoint designer

Hi, my name is Brendan Clarke and I work as a partner technical specialist in SharePoint. In this five part article I will provide a step by step guide to build a simple Quiz web application using SharePoint designer.

It’s perfectly possible to build web applications without writing any custom code (as the fabulous forty application templates illustrate well) and now that SharePoint Designer is available as a free download combined with launch of SharePoint Online (BPOS) around the world it’s possible to deliver business solutions very rapidly.

Here's is a preview of the three pages that will form our completed application:

The above picture shows the Default.aspx page, the ShowQuestion.aspx and the ShowResults.aspx page

Overview

We mostly use the very powerful Data View Web Part (DVWP) to build our application and we will cover some great ways of manipulating list data, such as:

· Passing parameters from one web page to another via a query string

· Passing values from one web part to another

· Removing the (usually mandatory) Title field from list forms and views

· Using useful system variables (such as the logged in user and current date)

· Pre-loading form fields with values

· Creating a persistent session identifier to link multiple list items

· Creating custom forms and passing multiple parameters in a redirected form

· Manipulation of the HTML presentation using XSLT

The application uses three custom lists (Quiz, Questions and Answers) and three ASPX pages (default, ShowQuestion, ShowResults)

So, let’s jump in and get started. I am assuming a general knowledge of SharePoint and SharePoint Designer (SDP) so I will not describe in detail the more basic steps.

Create the lists

Firstly create a new site (or sub site) for your application (a team site or blank site template should be fine).

You then need to create three new custom lists either via the web interface (Site actions > create > lists > Custom list) or by using SharePoint designer (File | New | SharePoint Content | Custom list).

The three custom lists for the application are:

Name of List

Used for

Used by

Quiz

Stores details of the Quiz itself (Title, pass mark, number of questions)

Default.aspx

Questions

Stores each question, its multiple choice options and the correct answer

ShowQuestion.aspx

Answers

The application uses this list to store and the answer the user chooses

ShowQuestion.aspx

ShowResults.aspx

Below are the steps to create the fields for each list.

Create the Quiz list

You will already have a field created called "Title" which we will store the name of each Quiz, you then need to create the following additional fields in your list:

Field Name

Type

Description

Multiple lines of text

PassMark

Number – also tick the “percentage” box

NumberOfQuestions

Number

Create the Questions list

Field Name

Type

Quiz

Lookup; Link the lookup field to the Title of the Quiz list.

QuesionNumber

Number

Question

Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*

AnswerA

Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*

AnswerB

Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*

AnswerC

Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*

AnswerD

Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*

CorrectAnswer

Choice- Add “Select”, “A”,”B”,”C” and “D” on separate lines (without the quotes)

Enter “Select” as the default value.

*By selecting these fields as “enhanced text” we can include pictures and advanced formatting in our question and answer text.

A Quick diversion: Getting rid of the Title field from our forms and views

As you can see from the table above, in this instance we don’t have any use for the Title field, which is created by default in every list. We can edit the Field name (not recommend) and change it so that is doesn’t require any information and also remove it from the default view but it still shows up in our form.

As it’s likely that other people will be creating new entries so it would be good to remove it from the form completely (note: the field will still exist which is a good thing, users just won’t see it).

Here is how to remove the Title field from our forms and the default view:

To remove the title field from our form:

1. Go to the list and choose Settings | List Settings

2. Click Advanced settings

3. Change the first entry, Allow management of content types? to Yes

4. In the “Content Types” section that has just appeared, click the Item link

5. Click the Title field and select “Hidden (will not appear on forms)

6. Change the management of content types back to “No” (steps 1-2)

To remove the title field from our list view:

1. Go to the default view for the list by clicking the list name (the page will be /lists/Questions.AllItems.aspx)

2. In the view selector box click and select Modify this view

Modify view

1. Un-tick the Title field in the display section

2. Don’t click OK yet!

Modifying the default view to group and sort our questions

Whist we are here it will be useful to make the default view of the Questions friendlier. As we may end up with several sets of questions shown in one long list it would make it hard work to use. Let’s group each set of Questions into the Quiz they belong to and also list the questions in the correct order. To do this:

1. In the “Sort” section change the “First sort by...” column to “QuestionNumber

2. Expand the “Group by” section and choose to group by the “Quiz” column

The view will now group each set of questions correctly, like this

Create the Answers list

Field Name

Type

Title

Single line of text

AnswerGiven

Choice – Add options for A, B, C and D

CorrectAnswer

Single line of text

Exam

Single line of text

QuestionNumber

Number

SessionID

Single line of text

MarkAnswer

Calculated - add the following formula:

=IF(AnswerGiven=CorrectAnswer,1,0)

As you can see, the MarkAnswer uses a very simple formula, if the User’s answer matches the answer to the question (stored in the CorrectAnswer field, which is passed from the Question table) then the field is set to a ‘1’, otherwise it’s a ‘0’.

You have now created all the lists that you need. Before we move on it is worth adding a little data into the Quiz and Questions lists, so that you can make sure they are all working okay and it also gives us some data to work with when we create and test our application.

Create a new Quiz list item and then add some Questions list items - in the next part we will start to build our ASPX pages.

Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:40 AM by brenclarke

Notes on SharePoint : Creating a Quiz Web application using SharePoint designer

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Networking Enhancements for Enterprises

 

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Networking Enhancements for Enterprises

Brief Descriptionwindows-server-2008-r2-logo

Describes the networking enhancements available in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and their benefit to  enterprise networks.

OverviewWindows7_v_rgb_png

A detailed look at new networking technologies in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, with particular emphasis on enhancements to improve connectivity for a mobile workforce. New features and enhancments including DirectAccess, BranchCache, VPN Reconnect, mobile broadband device support, URL-based QoS, DNSSEC, and support for green computing.

To Download Guide click here

Published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 4:20 PM by aviraj

AVIRAJ AJGEKAR'S BLOG... : Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Networking Enhancements for Enterprises

OCS 2007 R1/R2 Remote Access Configuration Guide

 

OCS 2007 R1/R2 Remote Access Configuration Guide

Rick Varvel has published a very detailed and comprehensive guide on how to configure Remote Access for OCS 2007 R1 and R2. Well worth reading.

Please take a look at it here http://blogs.technet.com/rickva/archive/2009/04/09/ocs-2007-r1-r2-remote-access-configuration-guide.aspx

Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 1:51 PM by jenstrier

Jens Trier Rasmussen : OCS 2007 R1/R2 Remote Access Configuration Guide

Monday, April 13, 2009

Spotlight on Windows Firewall: Multiple Active Firewall Profiles in Windows

 

Spotlight on Windows Firewall: Multiple Active Firewall Profiles in Windows

In today’s interconnected world, we’re always looking for better ways to protect our computers from the threats on the Internet. Windows Firewall is an important piece of armor to include in your security arsenal.

Windows Firewall can swap the set of rules it uses based on the type of network to which it is connected. The different sets of rules are called “profiles,” and there is one each for Domain networks, Private networks, and Public networks. Domain networks are detected automatically by the presence of a domain controller from the client computer’s domain. For non-domain networks, you get to choose between Private (typically a home or small office) and Public (such as coffee shop or public library Wi-Fi hotspots). By default, a network is assigned to the Public profile. You can assign a network to the Private profile when you know and trust the users and computers on that network. You’ve probably seen that, the first time you connect your computer to a network, Windows asks you what kind of network it is. You have to have Administrator permissions to assign a network to the Private profile.

This multiple profile feature was first introduced in Windows Vista, but with the limitation that only one profile is active at a time, even when your computer is connected to multiple networks. To maintain security, if any of the connected networks is identified as Public, then the Public profile is active, and all of the network connections are protected with the Public profile’s rules. If there are no Public networks, but there are one or more Private network connections, then the Private profile’s rules are used to protect your computer. The Domain profile is only used if there are no Private or Public connections.

While the introduction of the three profile types was a great first step, it introduces some obvious challenges when you are connected to multiple network types.  For example, if you are sitting in your favorite coffee shop using their Wi-Fi hotspot access to the Internet, then the Public profile with its strict rules is (and should be!) protecting your computer. But what about when you establish a virtual private network (VPN) connection to your work network while sitting in that coffee shop? In Windows Vista, because of the Public connection, the Public profile ends up protecting the VPN connection as well. The stricter rules in the Public profile, while needed to protect you from threats on the Public network, could interfere with programs that you use on your Domain network and that you expect to work over your VPN connection. You shouldn’t relax the rules in the Public profile to make the program work, because you would be increasing your risk from Public networks.

Windows 7 introduces a great new feature that helps address this: Multiple Active Firewall Profiles. In Windows 7, each network connection is protected by the profile that is appropriate for the type of network to which it is attached. Network traffic going in and out of the wireless adapter when you’re sitting in the coffee shop is protected by the Public profile’s rules, as it should be. However, the VPN connection to your office is now protected by the Domain profile and its rules, so your programs operate as well as they do when you are sitting in your office.

Another scenario in which this new feature will be handy is if you are at home using a WWAN connection to the Internet as well as a wired connection to your other home computers. The WWAN connection is protected by the Public profile while the connection to your home network is protected by the Private profile.

Multiple Active Firewall Profiles in Windows 7 gives you more flexibility in accessing your network resources without compromising your security. Give it a try! To see the documentation available for Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732283.aspx on Microsoft TechNet.

Dave Bishop
Senior Technical Writer
The Windows Server Networking Documentation Team

Published Monday, April 13, 2009 11:22 PM by WSUA Networking Blog

WSUAN’s Network Connection : Spotlight on Windows Firewall: Multiple Active Firewall Profiles in Windows

“Microsoft Virtualization” Learning Snack & free e-book

 

“Microsoft Virtualization” Learning Snack & free e-book

Learning Snacks are short, interactive presentations about popular topics created by Microsoft Learning experts. Each Snack is delivered by using Microsoft Silverlight technology and includes various media, such as animations and recorded demos. Here’s a snack on Microsoft Virtualization:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/_silverlight/learningsnacks/virtualization/snack01/Default.html

This is MSL’s Learning Portal for virtualization:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/virtualization/default.mspx

At the portal you’ll find a link for a free e-book: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions, by Mitch Tulloch. In 8 chapters and 452 pages, Mitch’s e-book covers the following technologies: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, and Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

The e-book includes full search functionality as well as a 14-page Index.  :-)

Enjoy!

Published Monday, April 13, 2009 3:59 PM by devonm

Microsoft Press : “Microsoft Virtualization” Learning Snack & free e-book

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