Alessandro World Blog

Hyper-V Management with PowerShell

2010-07-16T11:15:00.003-05:00

This week we were faced with the challenge to Install and configure a Virtual Machine from Windows 2008 Hyper-V Server Core and found these tools and websites essentials for the task of Hyper-V Management with PowerShell:

Hyper-V Remote Management Configuration Utility
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/HVRemote

Blogger - Senior Program Manager for the Hyper-V Team at Microsoft
http://blogs.technet.com/b/jhoward/archive/2008/11/14/configure-hyper-v-remote-management-in-seconds.aspx

Another blogger PowerShell and Beyond - PowerShell on Server Core
http://dmitrysotnikov.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/powershell-on-server-core/

PowerShell Management Library for Hyper-V
http://pshyperv.codeplex.com/releases/view/38769

All of this is necessary if you don't have any other OS like WIN 7, Vista, or Windows 2008 full feature GUI

NIC Teaming - Broadcom network interface card (NIC) teaming fails.

2009-12-01T09:45:00.002-06:00

The following steps may result in a NIC teaming failure:

One of the Broadcom NICs that was used in NIC teaming fails or is disabled. Due to the availability of the second NIC, private network is still active on this node through the second NIC.
When the first NICs is still down or disabled, the second NIC in the teaming also fails or is disabled. This failure causes the private network to go down completely on this node. The private IP address on this node cannot be pinged.
When the second NIC that failed or was disabled becomes enabled, the private network of this node remains inactive.

The most likely cause of this issue is a Spanning Tree Protocol on your switch. If this issue is caused by a Spanning Tree Protocol, perform one of the following procedures:

Turn off Spanning Tree on the switch.
Enable Port Fast Learning (or equivalent) on the ports of the switch to which your teamed NICs are attached.
Use Broadcom's LiveLink feature by right-clicking the team, choosing Enable LiveLink, and following the instructions in the window.

How to read Memory Dumps

2009-11-04T17:10:00.004-06:00

A small memory dump file records the smallest set of useful information that may help identify why your computer has stopped unexpectedly. This option requires a paging file of at least 2 megabytes (MB) on the boot volume. On computers that are running Microsoft Windows 2000 or later, Windows create a new file every time your computer stops unexpectedly. A history of these files is stored in a folder.

This dump file type includes the following information:

The Stop message and its parameters and other data
A list of loaded drivers
The processor context (PRCB) for the processor that stopped
The process information and kernel context (EPROCESS) for the process that stopped
The process information and kernel context (ETHREAD) for the thread that stopped
The Kernel-mode call stack for the thread that stopped

The small memory dump file can be useful when hard disk space is limited. However, because of the limited information that is included, errors that were not directly caused by the thread that was running at the time of the problem may not be discovered by an analysis of this file.

If a second problem occurs and if Windows creates a second small memory dump file, Windows preserves the previous file. Windows gives each file a distinct, date-encoded file name. For example, Mini022900-01.dmp is the first memory dump file that was generated on February 29, 2000. Windows keeps a list of all the small memory dump files in the %SystemRoot%\Minidump folder.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315263

To configure startup and recovery options to use the small memory dump file, follow these steps.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click System.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
In the Write debugging information list, click Small memory dump (64k).

Install the debugging tools

To download and install the Windows debugging tools, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/installx86.mspx#a

Install the Symbols for the OS or Use the Microsoft Symbol Server to obtain debug symbol files http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/symbolpkg.mspx#f

Note http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols is not browsable and is only intended for access by the debugger.

Then start the Windbg (Windows Debugging Tools) and load the symbol file path.

Open the mini-dump and Examine the dump file

There are several commands that you can use to gather information in the dump file, including the following commands:

Here you can see the culprit was a Sound driver trying to write to a readonly section of the RAM

The mini dump analysis follows:

Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.11.0001.404 X86

Loading Dump File [C:\Mini110409-01.dmp]

Mini Kernel Dump File: Only registers and stack trace are available

Symbol search path is: C:\WINDOWS\Symbols

Executable search path is:

Unable to load image ntoskrnl.exe, Win32 error 0n2

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ntoskrnl.exe

Windows XP Kernel Version 2600 (Service Pack 3) MP (4 procs) Free x86 compatible

Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS

Machine Name:

Kernel base = 0x804d7000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0x8055d720

Debug session time: Wed Nov 4 07:26:14.453 2009 (GMT-6)

System Uptime: 134 days 15:49:08.781

Unable to load image ntoskrnl.exe, Win32 error 0n2

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ntoskrnl.exe

Loading Kernel Symbols

...............................................................

Loading User Symbols

Loading unloaded module list

..................................................

* Bugcheck Analysis *

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 100000BE, {aba870d2, 10c14121, a7f777d4, a}

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for hal.dll

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for sysaudio.sys

Unable to load image ks.sys, Win32 error 0n2

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ks.sys

Unable to load image wdmaud.sys, Win32 error 0n2

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for wdmaud.sys

Probably caused by : sysaudio.sys ( sysaudio!CFilterInstance::FilterDispatchIoControl+53 )

Followup: MachineOwner

3: kd> !analyze -v

* Bugcheck Analysis *

ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY (be)

An attempt was made to write to readonly memory. The guilty driver is on the

stack trace (and is typically the current instruction pointer).

When possible, the guilty driver's name (Unicode string) is printed on

the bugcheck screen and saved in KiBugCheckDriver.

Arguments:

Arg1: aba870d2, Virtual address for the attempted write.

Arg2: 10c14121, PTE contents.

Arg3: a7f777d4, (reserved)

Arg4: 0000000a, (reserved)

Debugging Details:

------------------

CUSTOMER_CRASH_COUNT: 1

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: DRIVER_FAULT

BUGCHECK_STR: 0xBE

PROCESS_NAME: Ventrilo.exe

LAST_CONTROL_TRANSFER: from 8054b75f to 8054b10f

STACK_TEXT:

a7f77888 8054b75f 00000001 8918a310 88bc7cf8 nt!MiReleaseSystemPtes+0x114

a7f778c8 804f4c20 88bc7900 893de3e0 88b86cd8 nt!ExAllocatePoolWithTag+0x3df

a7f77920 804ff853 88b86cd8 a7f7796c a7f77960 nt!CcSetFileSizes+0x1a6

a7f77970 806e6ef2 00000000 00000000 a7f77988 nt!CcPerformReadAhead+0x16d

a7f77988 806e6ae4 badb0d00 00000000 88bc7cf8 hal!HalBuildMdlFromScatterGatherList+0xde

a7f77a18 804f17f6 88b86cd8 8918a310 00000000 hal!HalpAllocateAdapterCallback+0x82

a7f77a4c a8b1efe7 8918a310 89c2ae98 89bd3b70 nt!Magic86400000+0x2ee

a7f77a90 b7deff95 89bd3b70 88b86c98 a7f77adc sysaudio!CFilterInstance::FilterDispatchIoControl+0x53

a7f77aa0 804ef19f 89bd3b70 88b86c98 88b86c98 ks!DispatchDeviceIoControl+0x28

a7f77adc a84b24df 8918a310 00000000 002f0003 nt!MiFlushSectionInternal+0x256

a7f77b30 a84b227e 8918a310 00000002 e3fb3960 wdmaud!GetTopologyProperty+0x84

a7f77b58 a84b231e 8918a310 89c93708 00000009 wdmaud!ControlNodeFromGuid+0x3f

a7f77b7c a84b2417 8918a310 89c93708 00000009 wdmaud!GetControlNodes+0x2a

a7f77bb0 a84b2813 00000000 00000009 00000001 wdmaud!OpenSysAudioPin+0xe5

a7f77bec a84b1a83 00000092 00000009 88e64708 wdmaud!OpenWavePin+0x3e2

a7f77c18 a84b1382 88d55860 88e64708 00000000 wdmaud!Dispatch_OpenPin+0xb7

a7f77c40 804ef19f 00000010 88b10000 806e6410 wdmaud!SoundDispatch+0x430

a7f77c64 805807f7 890c1230 88d55860 89c86e08 nt!MiFlushSectionInternal+0x256

a7f77d00 80579274 0000034c 000002e4 00000000 nt!NtSetInformationThread+0x125

a7f77d34 8054162c 0000034c 000002e4 00000000 nt!SepOpenTokenOfThread+0x87

a7f77d64 7c90e4f4 badb0d00 0012ec78 a91f7d98 nt!RtlIpv4StringToAddressExW+0xad

WARNING: Frame IP not in any known module. Following frames may be wrong.

a7f77d78 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 0x7c90e4f4

STACK_COMMAND: kb

FOLLOWUP_IP:

sysaudio!CFilterInstance::FilterDispatchIoControl+53

a8b1efe7 ?? ???

SYMBOL_STACK_INDEX: 7

SYMBOL_NAME: sysaudio!CFilterInstance::FilterDispatchIoControl+53

FOLLOWUP_NAME: MachineOwner

MODULE_NAME: sysaudio

IMAGE_NAME: sysaudio.sys

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP: 48025beb

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID: 0xBE_sysaudio!CFilterInstance::FilterDispatchIoControl+53

BUCKET_ID: 0xBE_sysaudio!CFilterInstance::FilterDispatchIoControl+53

Followup: MachineOwner

--------

SMTP over Transport Layer Secure

2009-10-23T08:57:00.001-05:00

How SMTP over TLS Works

• SMTP servers may advertise the STARTTLS keyword in their EHLO response.

• A client that wants to use TLS issues the STARTTLS command.

• The server typically replies: 220 Ready to start TLS.

• The client and server then execute a TLS handshake as per the TLS protocol standards.

• Same network connection, no change of port.

• Unlike HTTPS, client authentication may be required at this time.

• If the handshake result is satisfactory to both sides, the SMTP session starts over under a TLS secured connection. Otherwise, either side may refuse to continue.

Setting up TLS

• A third party certificate needs to be imported

• The name in the certificate needs to be domain name for SMTP/TLS instead of an email address which is needed for S/MIME

• The Certificate request (CSR) can be generated from IIS

• Once the request complete the certificate needs to be exported as a key pair (public and private key) using PKCS#12 (.pfx or .p12) format and then import the key to the e-mail gateway or proxy device.

Hyper-V Explained

2009-09-03T11:58:00.001-05:00

How to Create a PST on your Local Drive

2009-07-10T13:51:00.001-05:00

How to Create a PST on your Local Drive

The following instructions will help you create a PST (Personal Storage file) on a Home drive to store important messages that might contain large attachments. It is a good practice to review your online mailbox in a regular basis, perhaps once a month, to move those important items onto the PST and delete any unwanted e-mails and attachments that that are being backup by our servers and taken up some valuable space.

Note: Items stored in the PST can only be accessed while you're connected to the network with your Outlook profile that you have setup following these steps. You will not be able to access the PST from an Outlook Web Access session or from a remote location using RPC over HTTP unless you have setup another PST for that remote Outlook profile.

Instructions to create and attach a PST in Outlook:

Create a folder in the Local Drive or Network Share and label it as PST.
Open Outlook
Click on Tools – Accounts
Settings
Click on the Data
Files tab
Click on Add…
Select Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst) and click OK
Navigate to the Z drive and open the PST folder that you created on step 1
Label the file, like "FirstName.pst" and click OK

Then, you can name the file whatever you'd like. Ex: "My Personal Stuff" and you don't have to set a password. You can treat this PST like any other folder in Outlook. You can create other subfolders.
Note: If you do set a password, you will be asked for that password every time you open Outlook and access the PST
Click Close

Instructions to remove a PST from Outlook:

To remove a PST from Outlook, simply right click on the PST and select Close "My Personal Stuff"

By removing the PST from Outlook you have effectively detached the PST from Outlook, but the file remains in the \PST\ drive or location. You can then move the PST, or back it up or delete it if you wish.

Outlook Mailbox Cleanup and Best Practices

2009-07-07T10:27:00.001-05:00

Outlook Mailbox Cleanup and Best Practices

For the most part, attachments accounts for more than 90% of your mailbox size. The following techniques can help to minimize your Outlook mailbox size:

Determine how much space you are using
Empty Deleted Items Automatically
Delete messages that are no longer needed
Delete attachments that are no longer needed
Delete Sent Items that are no longer needed
Choose to not save Sent Items
Add the Size field to your Inbox
Verify that Journal is not activated
Use Archiving to move or delete files based on age

Determine how much space you are using

To easily see how much file space is used by each of your Outlook folders: Right-click the "Outlook Today" icon in the Outlook bar or your folder list.

From the shortcut menu, choose Properties

Click the Folder Size button

The file size of each folder in your mailbox is listed in Kb. Also, look for:

folders that you do not use, folders that seem exceptionally large, the size of your Deleted Items folder, the size of your Journal folder - it should be zero or very small.

Empty Deleted Items Automatically

To make sure that your Deleted Items are emptied each time you exit Outlook:

Choose Tools, Options, and then click the other tab.

Verity that "Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting" checkbox is checked.

You can empty the Deleted Items folder at any time by right-clicking it and choosing Empty Deleted Items Folder from the Shortcut menu.

Delete messages that are no longer needed

Delete messages and folders that you no longer need by selecting them and clicking the Delete button on the toolbar.

Delete attachments that are no longer needed

Large attachments such as graphic files or databases can require enormous disk space. To replace an attachment with a shortcut to a network share or local folder path, check the links to a 3^rd party Outlook Add-On Attachment archiving tool, while keeping record of the message sent or received.

Save attachments to your hard drive or network drive

You can save all the attachments within a message to your local hard drive or a network drive by opening the message and choosing File, Save Attachments. Or, you can then delete the attachments from the message. There is a VBA script that I found that help you archive all attachment and embedded pictures in the messages a destination path of your choice.

This VBA code will copy all attachments and embedded pictures from a specified Outlook folder to specific existing location:

Sub GetAttachments()

'If an error occurs, such as the target or destination folder

'don't exist, then go to the "GetAttachments_err" tag

On Error GoTo GetAttachments_err

'Create (dimensionate) the variables we're using,

'including the ones we use in the cycles

'This is the variable that will hold the folder we want to process

Dim folder As MAPIFolder

'This is a generic variable that will be used in Cycle(1),

'and will hold a reference to the current item in a folder

'being evaluated. It is an object because a folder item

'could be a mail message, a folder, or several other item types

Dim item As Object

'This is the variable that will hold a reference to each attachment

'we'll process, and has the methods for saving it

Dim attachment As attachment

'This is a variable that will have the full path for the saved file,

'and will be used to save the attachment

Dim fileName As String

'This is only a counter that will count how many attachments

'were processed (saved)

Dim attachmentCount As Integer

'I've separated the following variables, because it's easier

'to understand them like this.

'You could declare them with the rest without problem

'This variable will be used to process the target folder

'in Outlook's tree structure.

Dim folderPath As String

'The user will enter a full path (without "Personal Folders"

'at the beginning), and the macro will automatically

'reference the corresponding object.

'This instruction shows a dialog box where the user must enter

'the target folder path, using "\" as a separator

folderPath = InputBox("Please enter the target folder path, using '\' as a separator", "Please choose the folder to process")

'This variable is used together with slashPosition to divide

'folderPath and reach the target folder

Dim start As Integer

start = 1 'In VBA collections start from 1, not from 0 as in C#

'This variable is used together with slashPosition to divide

'folderPath and reach the target folder

Dim slashPosition As Integer

'We now use the InStr function, which receives the start position

'(optional), a source string, a string to look for

'in the first string, and a comparison method, binary, directory or text.

'We use the last one

slashPosition = InStr(start, folderPath, "\", vbTextCompare)

'Session is the object that corresponds to the current user session.

'It has a Folders collection, where you have the

'root folders, such as "Personal Folders".

'The first one (remember that collections start in 1) is Personal Folders.

Set folder = Session.Folders.item(1)

'This will help us to get the reference to the specified folder

'in the hierarchy

While slashPosition > 0 '"while there are more slashes in the string

'The folders collection can be accessed by folder name.

'What we do here is set same folder option as it's child,

'by accessing the folders collection using the result of the

'Mid function call. This function receives a string,

'a start position and an amount of characters,

'and returns the sub-string

Set folder = folder.Folders(Mid(folderPath, start, slashPosition - start))

'After we assigned the folder object,

'we set the variables that control the cycle

'This "If" is used to check if the text entered by the user

'ends with "\"

If (slashPosition < Len(folderPath)) Then

' The start position is the character next to the "\"

start = slashPosition + 1

slashPosition = InStr(start, folderPath, "\", vbTextCompare)

End If

Wend

'After we processed the string, we set the folder to the last item

'of the hierarchy.

'If there were no slashes on the text entered by the user,

'then this is the only instruction executed; the cycle is not used

'We subtract 1 from "start" because "collections in VBA start in 1"

'(believe it or not, this was one of my headaches when writing this macro)

Set folder = folder.Folders(Mid(folderPath, start, Len(folderPath) - (start - 1)))

'We set the attachment count in 0

attachmentCount = 0

'If there are no subitems in the selected folder,

'then the macro shows a message and exits

If folder.Items.Count = 0 Then

MsgBox "There are no messages in the selected folder, so no attachment will be saved.", vbInformation, "Done"

Exit Sub

End If

'This variable holds the path to the folder where the attachments

'will be saved

Dim saveFolderPath As String

'We use the same method as above,

'"InputBox", with an extra (optional) parameter, "DefaultValue"

saveFolderPath = InputBox("Enter the destination path", "Choose a destination path that was cerated beforehand", "c:\tmp")

'Cycle(1)

For Each item In folder.Items 'For each item in the folder

For Each attachment In item.Attachments

'Every item, disregarding it's type, has the attachment collection

'We set the file name for this attachment using the path chosen by

'the user and the filename of the attachment

fileName = saveFolderPath + "\" & attachment.fileName

'We call the "SaveAsFile" method of the attachment object

'and pass "filename" as a parameter to save it to

'the desired location

attachment.SaveAsFile fileName

'We increment the attachment count variable

attachmentCount = attachmentCount + 1

Next attachment

Next item

'If at least one attachemt was saved, we show the user how many and

'where they were saved

If attachmentCount = 1 Then

MsgBox attachmentCount & " attachments was found." _

& vbCrLf & "They were saved in " + saveFolderPath + ".", _

vbInformation, "Done!"

Else

If attachmentCount > 1 Then

MsgBox attachmentCount & " attachments were found." _

& vbCrLf & "They were saved in " + saveFolderPath + ".", _

vbInformation, "Done!"

Else

MsgBox "No attachment was found.", vbInformation, "Done!"

End If

'We dispose the objects we used by setting them null

GetAttachments_exit:

Set attachment = Nothing

Set item = Nothing

Exit Sub

'If there is any error, this code section is executed, after which

'the objects are disposed by resuming execution at

'"GetAttachments_exit"

GetAttachments_err:

MsgBox "An unexpected error has occurred." _

& vbCrLf & "Please note and report the following information." _

& vbCrLf & "Macro Name: GetAttachments" _

& vbCrLf & "Error Number: " & Err.Number _

& vbCrLf & "Error Description: " & Err.Description _

, vbCritical, "Error!"

Resume GetAttachments_exit

End Sub

Delete Sent Items that are no longer needed

Select messages in the Sent Items folder that you no longer need and empty the Deleted Items folder

Choose to not save Sent Items

If you do not wish to keep a copy of messages you send for future reference, turn off the automatic saving of Sent Items by choosing Tools, Options, Preferences, then click the E-mail Options button. Clear the check box for save copies of messages in Sent Items Folder.

Add the Size field to your Inbox

Seeing the size of each message may help you in your cleanup effort. To add a Size field to your Inbox:

With your Inbox active, choose View, Current View, and Customize Current View.

Click the Fields button.

In the Available Fields list, click Size.

Click Add.

Click OK, OK to return to your Inbox. The size of each message will be displayed at the right edge of the Information Viewer.

Verify that Journal is not activated

The Outlook Journal is a feature that tracks a variety of Outlook actions, such as sending messages or running programs. The Journal should not be activated unless you have a specific reason for tracking some of your actions. If the file size of your Journal folder was not zero, choose Tools, Options, Preferences, then click the Journal button. Clear all check boxes.

Delete all Journal entries by clicking the Journal icon on the Outlook Bar or Folder List to display the Journal entries in the Information Viewer. Press Ctrl+A to select all entries then click the Delete button on the toolbar to delete the selected items.

Use Archiving to move groups of files based on age

Outlook's Archive feature will move groups of files based on age to your local hard drive or network drive. This feature is designed for files which you do not use regularly but that you do not want to delete and may need in the future. You can add to the archive file at regular intervals and your existing folder structure is maintained in your new archive file. Archive items are not available to you in Outlook unless you add them as a Service.

You can archive manually anytime you wish or you can set Auto-Archive to archive automatically at timed intervals.

Be sure to delete any files or attachments that you do not wish to save BEFORE archiving.

Manual Archive

To manually archive Outlook items:

Choose File, Archive.

Select Archive this folder and all subfolders.

Select the folder or folders that you wish to archive.

Use the Archive items older than box to select the Outlook items to archive.

Set the file name and location, for example, My Documents\archive.pst

You can add to an archive file with subsequent archive operations.

Auto-Archive

Auto-Archive will automatically move or delete items in specific folders that exceed a specified age. You can automatically archive individual folders, groups of folders, or all Outlook folders. The process runs automatically whenever you start Outlook. The Auto-Archive properties of each folder are checked by date, and old items are moved to your archive file. Items in the Deleted Items folder are deleted.

Auto-Archive is a two-step process:

Turn on Auto-Archive by choosing Tools, Options, Other tab, and then click AutoArchive.

Set the AutoArchive properties for each folder that you want archived.

Several Outlook folders are set up with AutoArchive turned on. These folders and their default aging periods are:

Calendar (6 months)

Tasks (6 months)

Journal (6 months)

Sent
Items (2 months)

Deleted
Items (2 months)

Inbox, Notes, Contacts, and Drafts do not have AutoArchive activated automatically.

Links to 3^rd party Add-On products for bulk manipulation of Outlook Attachmnets

Attachment Processor: http://attachments-processor-for-outlook.mapilab-ltd.qarchive.org/ $39

Or,

Outlook Attachment extractor: http://www.filetransit.com/view.php?id=32166 $29

Get in the bus to TechED 2009

2009-04-20T22:58:00.001-05:00

“Why you’re passionate about MS Learning and Certification”

In order to answer this question one must look at the career path and quickly you must realize that Microsoft technologies are around us in everything we do. It is our life support mechanism and one must be passionate about Microsoft technologies to be an advocate for MS Learning and Certification.

I’m a member Chicago Windows Users Group, an organization founded on the premise of not only helping raise awareness and education within the Microsoft Community, So far I’ve attended meetings discussing the newest technologies and innovations arising from Microsoft and in turn we talked about the benefits of MS Certifications and training opportunities available.

I also teach Computer classes at Triton Community College. These courses prepare and teach college level credit courses to students of all ages. They help them prepare to tackle real life job roles as Network and Windows Administrators and also pass some of the exams for the MCSE, MCSA, COMPTIA, and Cisco tests. I emphasize the importance of this training to my students and the certifications are a good complement to that well paid education and work experience. It adds veracity and reassurance to a career as a Microsoft Technologist or as some say to become a Microsoft Evangelist.

My students always ask for the best advice and at times they seem confused or discouraged at the fact that they do not have experience working with the different Microsoft technologies. And, I take these types of inquiries as a true challenge and I try to bridge the gap between education and real live job training and I encourage all to start putting into practice that education at home and among friends. I try to wake up their entrepreneurial spirit and encourage them to start their own independent endeavor. Some times I get my students engaged on my own consultancy contracts to expose them to true live implementations and support or migration scenarios.

I promote education, certification and more in my Blog as well as direct one-on-one mentoring. I have presented to large groups education sessions, and presentations. I’m passionate about Education. I’ve been told that my passion reflects on my teachings and by the actual requests for me to teach an extra course each semester – The satisfaction that I get is in knowing that people are actually benefiting by getting certified and actually getting a job in IT or climbing the corporate ladder!

By you giving me the chance to compete for this opportunity to be on the bus, it will be a great boost for me to help college community, and other technical people. I love to meet people who are passionate as I am about Microsoft Technologies, whether it is being around wanting to learn, or wanting to help ensure others are learning – This will be an experience like no other while leveraging technology at is best.

The best I can do is give it a try, and making sure that others are aware of their opportunity to compete in this as well, but above all, I’ll go on sharing my passion and teaching others and making sure that there is no student left behind. And with Microsoft help funding educational opportunities and always innovating into the future it is a promise we can all agree to.

Alessandro Squeo

Free e-Books and sample chapters on "Understanding IPv6, Second Edition"

2009-04-19T12:32:00.001-05:00

Now, this one is not free, but if you want to read a couple of sample chapters you could review it online.

Understanding IPv6, Second Edition by Joseph Davies

http://microsoftpresssrv.libredigital.com/serverclient/titles/051/#uid_51

The following 2 links take you to download 2 free e books here from Microsoft Press:

Windows Small Business Server 2008 Administrator's Companion (Pro—Administrator's Companion)

by Charlie Russel and Sharon Crawford

Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition: Build a Program Now!

by Patrice Pelland

--
Alessandro

What are we doing for the future generations?

2009-04-01T10:32:00.001-05:00

This speech is worth watching:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLV6jaZFLro

Alessandro

The Youngest Microsoft Cert - Signs of the times

2009-01-20T10:50:00.000-06:00

This is proof of the times we live in, kids are more proficient and they have available the tools and knowledge that helps evolution take its course. Click on the hyperlink -> Incredible to see an 8 year old so devoted to science. This Macedonian kid has a dream lab where he can hack or “discover” the world of computing. I remember my first PC, a Synclair ZX80, that I bought mail order from Spain with all my savings. I was 12 years old in the early 80s. Do you remember the old Sinclair ZX81 computer? You know, the tiny, little 8-bit machine with a huge following, and a horrible flat keyboard?

I’m sure my 3 year old daughter will take the title soon. At 2 year’s old she new 95% of the 50 states of the union, and, now at 3 she knows how to operate Windows XP and Vista to get to Elmo’s Sesame Street and uses the Fisher Price Arts & Craft Studio to do some intricate designs in the PC.

Alessandro Squeo

Procedures for Upgrading MSA1000 and Components

2009-01-14T17:46:00.003-06:00

One of my Exchange 2003 customers was running low of space on his Exchange server data store (1 Store only – with 300GB EDB) for about 1000 users. So, I convinced him to use the Modular SAN that he has in place and I persuaded him to Update the firmware before we attach the new LUNs to Exchange. So, I thought it would be nice to share these links for the process of updating and upgrading the MSA1000. After the Update, I connected two LUN to the Exchange server and created 2 additional storage Groups and the folders and mount points for 12 databases. Then, created the appropriate Storage Groups and Data Stores on Exchange System Manager and used the Exchange Tasks to Move most of the mailboxes from a Single Store to 12 distributed and well balanced newly mounted stores with the transaction logs in their own spindle. Finally, I performed and offline defragmentation of the old store to reclaim all the white space. Now, the customer has 300 GB distributed in 12 databases with faster DISK I/O operations and a more relaxed Backup and Restore window.

For this process, you will use the MSA flash utility …this is an excerpt from the document linked below:

Flashing the MSA1000 Controller Firmware – Offline Flash Utility

The first step involved in flashing the MSA1000 firmware is to power down all servers that are connected to the MSA1000. Please follow appropriate methods to bring down applications, servers, clusters, etc.

Place the MSA1000 Firmware Upgrade CD in a server’s CD ROM drive (that is connected to the MSA1000), and power up the server. The server will boot to the MSA1000 Firmware Upgrade CD. When the utility is fully booted, the MSA1000 utility screen will appear with the options to flash the MSA1000 firmware, the Environmental Monitoring Unit, or the Fabric Switch6 (if installed).

Go to: http://www.hp.com/go/msa1000 to check for updates that may affect your environment.

Go to the Technical Documentation page of the MSA1000 website at http://www.hp.com/go/msa1000 and use the instructions provided in the "Upgrading the MSA1000 for Enhanced Features" document. Do not use the instructions provided with the MSA1000 Support Software CD or included in the HP StorageWorks MSA1000 Installation Guide.

I hope this helps.

Alessandro Squeo

Microsoft Online Services Complete Readiness Assessment

2009-01-14T15:50:00.003-06:00

If you want your client to review their readiness to a Microsoft Exchange Online solution, go thru this questions and contact me if you're interested on BPOS or Microsoft Hosted solutions.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddnzt8tj_12d6d84wdx&hl=en

SMTP connector not found OnExchange 2007

2009-01-14T15:40:00.002-06:00

Use ADSIEDIT to delete the old connectors from the Active Directory database.

Navigate to the Configuration - Services - Exchange - Administrative Groups and expand the Connections.

Then just remove obsolete connectors at both ends.

How to obtain the latest service pack or update rollup for Exchange 2007

2009-01-09T15:55:00.003-06:00

Go to this link to access the latest service pack or update rollup for Exchange 2007

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937052

Some Exchange Topologies

2009-01-07T19:19:00.007-06:00

These are some of the most common Exchange topologies I have encountered. Although, I have been expossed to much more bigger environments with multiple domains and sites. It is in those environments that I find the most challenging situations. Stay tune as I add more content on this blog.

Moving Exchange 2003 Databases and Transaction Logs files to a SAN LUN or Virtual Disk

2009-01-06T15:35:00.002-06:00

If you want to move log files and/or database files to a LUN, use the following procedures.

1. Attached the SAN LUN to the Exchange server. One for the Database files and one for the Transactional Logs if at all possible (let's say N: and L:) If not possible, one LUN will suffice for the Database and Transaction Logs. How big are the databases and how many mailboxes? Do you have Blackberry in the environment? I ask these questions because I'm thinking of performance optimization as well.

2. Create a Folder Structure similar to the original "Exchsrvr\Mdbdata" file structure for consistency reasons (optional). But, it is recommended that you have the Folder structure with these permissions specified:

Administrators: Full Control

Authenticated Users: Read and Execute, List Folder Contents, Read

Creator Owner: None

Server Operators: Modify, Read and Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, Write

System: Full Control

Note Only assign permissions to the Server Operators group if the Exchange server is a domain controller. Otherwise, assign permissions to the Power Users group. Only domain controllers should have permissions to the built-in Server Operators group. Stand-alone and member servers should have permissions to the built-in Power Users group.

You may also have to grant the following permissions to the root drive that contains the new Mdbdata folder:

System: Full Control

3. Move the Log Files. Follow this procedure:

a. Open ESM (Exchange System Manager)

b. Expand the Administrative Groups. If it does not appear, you need to enable the option to show the Administrative Group. To allow the Administrative group to be shown, right click on the Exchange Organization and click on Properties and click on select the Display Administrative Group check box.

c. Locate the Storage Group(s) where you want to change the path for the log files. Right-Click the Storage Group and then click on Properties.

d. In the General tab click the browse button next to the Transaction log location box, and then specify the new drive or folder location for the log files.

4. Move the databases Files. Follow this procedure:

Open ESM (Exchange System Manager)
Expand the Administrative Groups that contains the databases that you want to change.
Under Storage Group, right-click the mailbox store or the public folder store that you want to change, and then click on Properties.
Click the Database tab.
Next to the database that you want to change, click Browse, and then specify the new drive folder location for the files.

You can move the EDB and STM files for the databases.

If the databases are still mounted, you will receive a pop-up window message that informs you of the action that you are about to perform will dismount the stores. Click YES to dismount the database automatically and move the location.

When you finish moving the databases, remount the databases manually.

One last note, moving log files or database files invalidates all existing incremental and differential backups; therefore, make a full backup after these changes.

Regards,

Alessandro

How to add an SPF Record

2009-01-05T13:16:00.004-06:00

How to Add an SPF Record On a Windows DNS MMC

Step 1: Select and open the domain in which you wish to add the SPF record. Right-click in the record list and select "Other New Records..." from the menu.

Step 2: Select the Text (TXT) record type and click the "Create Record..." button.

Step 3: Type the SPF record data in the "Text" textbox. Click the OK button.

v=spf1 a –all

or,

v=spf1 mx -all

Step 4: If you are done adding new records, click the "Done" button. Note the new SPF TXT record.

For adding the SPF record to BIND or TinyDNS (djbdns)

If you run BIND

Paste this into your zone file:

yourdomain.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 a mx ptr include:yourdomain.com ~all"

When a mail server sends a bounce message, it uses a null MAIL FROM: and a HELO address that's supposed to be its own name. SPF will still operate, but in "degraded mode" by using the HELO domain name instead. Because this wizard can't tell which name your mail server uses in its HELO command, it lists all possible names, so there may be multiple lines shown below. If you know which hostname your mail server uses in its HELO command, you should pick out the appropriate entries and ignore the rest.

So this should also appear in DNS. You may or may not be in charge of the DNS for these entries; if you are, add them.

mail.yourdomain.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 a -all"

or, for your parent hosting domain or secondary MX record

smtp.yourHostParentDomain. IN TXT "v=spf1 a -all"

If you run tinydns (djbdns)

'yourdomain.com:v=spf1 a mx ptr include\072yourdomain.com ~all:3600

'mail.yourdomain.com:v=spf1 a -all:3600

'smtp.yourdomain.com:v=spf1 a -all:3600

Alessandro

My C: Drive on my server is running out of space - What to do

2009-01-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

A quick and cheap solution will be to move the Page File to a different partition, But, what can you do when your Page File is already in another partition and you have less than 5% of free space on your System or C partition. This is what I did for one of my customers that didn’t have the budget to buy another server and wanted a quick fast solution without bringing the server down while on production.

On a HP Proliant server with one array controller and 4 disks configured as a RAID 5 with a C and a D partition. We physically added a 72 GB hard drive in one of the empty HD slots while the server is running. The HP servers allow you to add a HD on the fly and it will automatically recognize that there is a new hardware in the bay.

Then, I launched the ACU (Array Controller Utility) under the Array Controller Configuration there is the original RAID5 array and the newly added HD unallocated and not part of the array.

The first task is to add the new hard drive to the existing array. For that, we select the existing array and on the right side there is an option to “Expand” the array.

This process could take hours and in some cases a couple of days. It depends on the hardware and the array controller memory cache. You need a minimum of 128MB Cache – I’ve seen 64MB been able to be expanded as well.

After this process has completed, and you could check the progress by refreshing the array status and it will display the percentage completed, there will be an option to “Merge” or “Extend”.

Now you need to Extend the array with the newly incorporate hard drive. This process is faster than the previous, but after this step is completed, you will see the unallocated free space on the Windows Disk Management MMC.

For this particular customer I decided to create two mount points. One for the Software Distribution folder and the other one for the Installer folder. These two folders are under the Windows directory or %systemroot%.

Now follow these steps in this order:

- Open the Task Manager and kill the wuauclt.EXE process by selecting it and click on end process.

- Then, open a CMD prompt and type: net stop "Automatic Updates"

- Open the Windows Explorer and navigate to the Windows or %systemroot% directory and rename both the “SoftwareDistribution” folder and the “Installer” to something like “SoftwareDistributionTEMP” and “InstallerTEMP”

- Now create two new empty folders labeled “SoftwareDistribution” folder and the “Installer” just as they were originally.

- Open the Windows Disk Management MMC if don’t have it open.

- Select the unallocated space and create a new Extended Partition with the all the available unallocated space.

- Within that new partition we now can create two new Logical Drives mount point formatted as NTFS and with 10GB in size each.

Note: The logical drives don’t need to have a drive letter assign. You want to specify the folder paths that these logical drives will be mounted as

- Finally, move the content or data inside the Temp folders to the original place.

Leave the rest of the unallocated space for future space needs.

At last we want to restore the Windows Automatic operations as normal. Type following command in the CMD prompt:

net start "Automatic Updates"

wuauclt /detectnow

Alessandro 01/02/2009

Alan Becker: Animator vs. Animation

2008-11-16T11:53:00.004-06:00

Awesome animation Animator vs. Animation by Alan Becker Follow with part deux Animator vs. Animation II, and finally play the game!

The ports you need open from the internal network and the DMZ for a HUB CAS server in the DMZ

2008-10-29T11:11:00.002-05:00

I was doing some research about the connectivity of Exchange Front-End with the Back-End and the DCs/GCs,

And I found this article that shows Event ID 2080 and what to look for in reach ability and state of the DCs/GCs.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316300/

Now, I was on the quest to find what ports we need open in order to deploy a Front-End server in the DMZ.

And these are my findings on the ports you need open:

· For RPC: 135 TCP and other Dynamic RPC ports for Windows RPC communication

· For LDAP: 389 TCP and 389 UDP for AD objects lookup to the DC

· For LDAP GC: 3268 TCP also for AD objects lookup to the DC/GC

· For Kerberos: 88 TCP and 88 UDP for authentication

· For DNS: 53 TCP and 53 UDP for name server lookups

…and of course these ports 80, 443, and 25 for HTTP(S) and SMTP.

Autodiscover, OWA, EAS, Outlook Anywhere, WebDav and Internet

mail traffic are services that depend on these ports.

Other ports that might be important to open if you’re offering these services are:

· For POP3: 110 TCP for POP3 client access

· For POP3 secure: 995 TCP for POP3 secure client access

· For IMAP4: 143 TCP for IMAP4 client access

· For IMAP4 secure: 993 TCP for secure IMAP4 client access

Some additional port worth noting:

· For SMB: 445 TCP for GPO support

· For BackupExec: 10000 TCP and other dynamic ports for BackupExec control signals

Some resources to check for more info:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=154596 for RPC dynamic port allocation

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb331973.aspx for Exchange 2007 firewall requirements

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/278944.htm for BackupExec configurations with firewalls

Peace brothers…

“make it so.”

- Captain Jean Luc-Picard, USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-D

Alessandro Squeo
SWC | TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
1420 Kensington Road, Suite 110
Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-2144
630-286-8181 DIRECT
630-572-0390 FAX

www.swc.com
alessandro.squeo@swc.com

Monitoring Server Performance

2008-10-19T12:18:00.002-05:00

It is good idea to perform a server performance health check and compare it with the baseline from time to time, especially when a major update or software application is installed. Sometimes, these performance checks can be done to troubleshoot a performance issue with the server and to justify an upgrade to new and additional hardware.

One of the tools that most commonly used is Microsoft Performance Monitor and these are the key counters that I collect every 30 seconds or every minute for a period of one week and I later analize.

- Processor(_Total)\%Processor Time

If you're monitoring this counter and it's running at or near100% for extended periods, you should drill down at the process level by examining Process(instance)\%Processor Time counter for various process instances on your server. For example, on an IIS web server you might track Proces(InetInfo)\%Processor Time, while on Exchange server a good counter to watch is Process(Store)\%Processor Time and so on.

- Memory Pages/Sec

The number of pages per second should not exceed 50 per paging disk on your system. Another key counter to watch is Memory\Available Bytes, and if this counter s greater than 10% of the actual RAM in your machine then you probably have more than enough RAM and don't need to worry.

Pages\Sec value counts the number of times per second that the computer must access virtual memory rather than physical memory. A value of 20 is considered to be problematic, but it might indicate a problem with the way that your virtual memory is configured rather than a problem with the physical memory.

- Cache Bytes

This counter monitors the amount of memory being used for the file system cache. Anything over 4 MB is considered to be too much. The solution is to add more memory

- Physical Disk (instance)\Disk Transfer/Sec

For each physical disk if it goes above 25 disk I/Os per second then you've got poor response time for your disk. A bottleneck from a disk can significantly impact response time for applications running in your system. So, you should investigate further by tracking Physical Disk(instance)\%Idle Time, which measures the percent time that your hard disk is idle during the measurement interval, and if you see this counter fall below 20% then you've likely got read\write requests queuing up for your disk which is unable to service these requests in a timely fashion. In this case, it's time to upgrade your hardware to use faster disks or scale up and out your application to better handle the load.

- Average Disk Queue Length

This counter tells you how many I\O operations are waiting for the hard disk to become available. Again, this number should be as low as possible. Experts give different opinions of what is an acceptable value, but my opinion is that the average disk queue length should be 3 or less.

- Network Interface \ Bytes Total/Sec

Bytes transmitted per second, multiply by 8 to get the amount of bits transmitted per second. This average amount should not exceed more than 40% of total bandwidth depending of the number of machines and protocols used in the same segment. The more devices are transmitting in the same segment the more are the packet collisions.

Other network counters to check for more detail network performance monitoring are:

- Network Interface \ Bytes Sent/Sec

- Network Interface \ Bytes Received/Sec

- Network Interface \ Current Bandwidth this is total bandwidth bits

--
Alessandro

Talent

2008-06-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

http://view.break.com/521669 - Watch more free videos

This kid is amazing Only 11 years old from Korea

2008-05-11T12:13:00.001-05:00

This is majestic! – Enjoy as much as I did.

Hit the road jack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-TxDAVP08o&feature=related

Besame Mucho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8h4Thlc-J4&feature=user

Mission Impossible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IXa2pNGVj8&feature=related

California Dreaming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAhZZc_Bwps&feature=related

With or Without You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4CR3GoB3YY

Happy day!

Alessandro

Fight For Kisses

2008-04-19T00:15:00.002-05:00

Make a case against a global warming catastrophe

2008-04-14T22:43:00.003-05:00

Make a case against a global warming catastrophe. Please understand the consequences of doing nothing.

Land Line fight

2008-04-13T07:08:00.003-05:00

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

This one beats all Darwin awards

2008-03-23T12:20:00.001-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/12/woman.stuck.on.toilet.ap/index.html

Baby Teleporting

2008-03-19T19:02:00.000-05:00

Jackass 2.5

2007-12-20T02:34:00.001-06:00

http://www.blockbuster.jackassworld.com/

Watch it 4 free!

Merry Xmas!

I got elfed

2007-11-30T00:37:00.001-06:00

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself. Check it out by clicking the link below.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1114570110

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

Budy Guy Club

2007-11-29T16:45:00.001-06:00

How a Tesla Coil is built

2007-11-27T23:46:00.000-06:00

A Message by George Carlin

2007-11-20T09:34:00.000-06:00

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways ,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Shop before you buy!

2007-11-17T00:31:00.000-06:00

This is very funny!

Killing Time in Iraq

2007-11-11T06:32:00.000-06:00

New iVinyl

2007-11-11T06:27:00.000-06:00

Study Group Question

2007-11-08T17:02:00.001-06:00

This Discussion starts here: http://alessandroworldblog.blogspot.com/

Question:

You configure Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 in your organization. You configure a SharePoint

site using the Reports Center template. You create a dashboard that includes the key performance indicators

(KPI) Web Part and the Excel Web Access Web Part. Data is filtered in these Web Parts based on the user's filter

criteria.

Which service is used by the filter?

You are the Exchange administrator of your company. You install Exchange 2007 organization on the company's network and enable message tracking in the organization.

2007-11-08T16:18:00.001-06:00

You are the Exchange administrator of your company. You install Exchange 2007 organization on the company's network and enable message tracking in the organization.

A user named Adam reports that his mailbox is being accessed after office hours. You are required to identify the last time Adam's mailbox was accessed. Which two cmdlets can you use? (Each correct answer presents a complete solution. Choose two.)

Get-PublicFolderStatistics

Get-Mailbox

Get-MailboxStatistics

Get-LogonStatistics

Welcome to My Blog

2007-11-04T02:45:00.000-06:00

I finally did it! I created a blog - Now I have no excuses for not expressing my thoughts!!
I will try to use this blog to post information related to the technology events that surround my daily work.