S.I.D // 2012: Server 2012 Infrastructure Day

 

WindowServer.it vi invita alla Server 2012 Infrastructure Day, il primo evento dedicato a Windows Server 2012 e System Center 2012.
Una giornata dove si tratteranno le novità legate ad Hyper-V, Remote Desktop Services e dove verranno spiegati i metodi per gestire, monitorare e proteggere il proprio ambiene tramite System Center 2012 attraverso Virtual Machine Manager, Operations Manager, Configuration Manager, Data Protection Manager.

L'evento è offerto in collaborazione con Microsoft Italia e diversi partner che offrono soluzioni per le aziende informatiche.

La Server 2012 Infrastructure Day si terrà presso:
19 Giugno 2012 - Microsoft Italia - Viale Avignone 10 - Roma
22 Giugno 2012 - Microsoft Italia - Via Lombardia 2/a-1 - Peschiera Borromeo (MI)

Segui le notizie relative all'evento tramite la pagina Facebook o tramite l'hashtag Twitter: #wssid2012

http://www.infrastructureday.com/

Esame di Certificazione 70-659, TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization

Era da un po’ che non sostenevo esami di certificazione e così eccoci di nuovo qui con un nuovo esame, il 70-659 TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization.

Anche se questa certificazione non è particolarmente complessa, il “buon punteggio”  è stato ottenuto anche grazie alla partecipazione ad IT CAMPS, un corso che vi consiglio anche per la presenza di validissimi Speaker. 

Per chi non lo conoscesse, IT Camp é un momento di formazione gratuita in cui Sistemisti e Professionisti IT si incontrano per approfondire le tecnologie Microsoft di infrastruttura.

Ringrazio Microsoft ed in particolare Renato Francesco Giorgini per avermi suggerito di partecipare a IT CAMPS.

Microsoft Exchange PST Capture 1.0

PST Capture is an interesting tool that is used to discover and import Outlook Personal Folder (.pst) File Format files into Exchange Server and Exchange Online. PST Capture helps an organization that wishes to gain more control over their email data repositories by placing them into Exchange. By optionally installing PST Capture Agents on target machines, administrators can determine where .pst files are located and who their file owner is via the PST Capture Console. Administrators can import .pst files via Import Lists to Exchange Server or Exchange Online. Data can be directly imported into the primary mailbox or associated archive mailbox.

You need to install an Agent before perform a PST Search. It is available both for x86 and x64.




Download

Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC)

The Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC) provides a Microsoft-supported, freely available, standalone solution for converting VMware virtual machines (VMs) and VMware virtual disks (VMDKs) to Hyper-V virtual machines and Hyper-V virtual hard disks (VHDs). MVMC supports converting virtual machines using the following guest operating systems:

• Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2
• Windows Server 2003 R2 with Service Pack 2
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows 7

System Requirements

The Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter converts VMware virtual machines created with:

• VMware vSphere 4.1
• VMware vSphere 5.0

To virtual machines for:

• Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Hyper-V
• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 SP1

Details

The Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter:

• Provides a quick, low-risk option for VMware customers to evaluate Hyper-V
• Converts the virtual disks and the VMware VMs configuration, such as memory, virtual processor, and other machine settings from the source
• Uninstalls the VMware tools on the source VM and installs the Hyper-V Integration Services as appropriate
• Includes an easy-to-use wizard-driven GUI simplifying VM conversion
• Supports offline conversions of VMware virtual hard disks (VMDK) to a Hyper-V based virtual hard disk file format (VHD)

• Includes a scriptable Command Line Interfaces (CLI) for performing machine conversion and offline disk conversion which integrates with datacenter automation workflows, such as those authored and executed within System Center Orchestrator. The command line can also be invoked through PowerShell.

Download:  (at time of writing, the product is still in beta)

InvitationUse.aspx-ProgramID=7594&InvitationID=MVMC-PK9Q-BR47

Outlook Configuration Analyzer Tool (OCAT)

You can use OCAT to check Outlook configuration on your users' computers and look for known issues (for example, a PST file located on a network share). We recommend running it if you suspect a user's Outlook profile or configuration to be a part of the problem. You can also run the tool proactively to detect Outlook configuration issues. The tool allows you to:

• Run a scan on your computer
• Open a previously run scan on your computer
• Import a scan from another computer
• Use several reporting formats to view the scan results
• Start the Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer tool
• Send feedback to the OCAT team

Overview at the source

Download

Microsoft Fixit Center Pro

Fix it Center Pro https://wc.ficp.support.microsoft.com/Dashboards/Main/SelfHelpCase (beta) is an automated troubleshooting service from Microsoft. This service can help make it easier to identify solutions to problems with Microsoft applications.
Fix it Center Pro can use targeted analysis to scan your system to identify and resolve specific problem areas. In addition, Fix it Center Pro can help find the most suitable content, tools, and forums and help address the symptom that you see. Fix it Center Pro can also help with a troubleshooting task that you are performing through its Guided Search feature.

Fix it Center Pro has several features that can be used to help diagnose issues. Those features are as follows:
Guided Search helps you find the most suitable content, tools, and forums and helps address the symptom that you see or the troubleshooting task that you are performing.
Work Items enables you to track your research as you are resolving an issue. If you cannot solve a technical issue on your own, click the Escalate button to turn your work into a Support Request (in which case, charges may apply).

Support Requests enables you to track or create new Support Requests with Microsoft (in which case, charges may apply).

Analysis sessions scan your system to identify solutions for specific problem areas. The results are uploaded to Microsoft servers to be processed and to identify any known issues. If a known issue is found, a message is displayed that explains the steps that you can take to resolve the problem. You may escalate the diagnostic results into a Support Request for more help from Microsoft if you want (in which case, charges may apply).

Work Items, Analysis, and Support Requests can all link to one another so that the relationships between them are clear and easy to track.
Diagnostic results

• If the diagnostic does not resolve your issue, you can easily create a Support Request. To do this, click the New button in the Support Request Toolbar. Or, click the Escalate button in a Work Item (in which case, charges may apply).
• If you chose to open a Support Request, and the Fix it Center Pro diagnostic resolves your issue before you start to work with a Microsoft Support Professional, you will not be charged for the Support Request.

I have tested Machine Memory Dump Collector on my Windows 7 PC x64 and seems a very interesting tool.

LDIFDE: export the current Exchange configuration

If the current messaging system is a legacy version of Exchange, I make use of the LDIFDE.exe command-line utility to export the current Exchange configuration to a file by executing the following command from a server class domain-joined machine:

ldifde -f ExchConfig.txt -d "CN=,CN=Microsoft Exchange, CN=Services,CN=Configuration," -p SubTree

The output file ("ExchangeConfig.txt") contains a complete snapshot of every Active Directory object and attribute currently set by the legacy Exchange system. This information can assist in the discovery and audit process, as well as provide insight to items that may need to be cleaned up prior to deploying Exchange 2010.

An example of a cleanup item can be any object that references a deleted object. For example, by performing a search for the text "0ADEL," I found the following Mailbox Database using an invalid Public Folder database that has been deleted:

dn: CN=MB 1-1,CN=StorageGroup1,CN=InformationStore,CN=MailServer02,CN= Servers,CN=St. Louis,CN=Administrative Groups,CN=ExchangeOrg,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,DC=domain,DC=org

Another example of a useful piece of information to gather is the versions of Exchange currently operating in the organization:

dn: CN=ServerName,CN=Servers,CN=St. Louis,CN=Administrative Groups,CN= ExchangeOrg,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,DC=domain, DC=org versionNumber: 7638

DPM 2010: Event ID 1584 - A backup application initiated a VSS snapshot on Cluster Shared Volume without properly preparing the volume for snapshot.

You will see this error when you run DPM 2010 to backup CSV. On the DPM 2010 console, the backup is successful and can restore VHD backup. However on the Event Viewer, you will see Event ID 1584 is logged.

In my case the NetApp FAS used for SAN storage and the reason is did not purchased Snapmanager to support hardware requestor for VSS.

To solve this issue, you need to enable serialization backup of CSV node.

On DPM server, modify the registry (change data from 3 to 1)
Key : HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Data Protection Manager\2.0\Configuration\MaxAllowedParallelBackups
Value: Microsoft Hyper-V
Data :1
Type: DWORD

Thanks to Robert: http://robertanddpm.blogspot.com/2010/07/enabling-serialized-backup-of-hyper-v.html )

Exchange 2010 - Activesync HTTP ERROR 500 on FolderSync

Only for some users, the ExRCA returns HTTP ERROR 500 on FolderSync but the user affected have check box for "Include inheritable permissions from this object's parent" are already selected.

The is not a member of the following protected group.

Administrators, Administrator, Account Operators, Server Operators, Print Operators, Backup Operators, Domain Admins, Schema Admins, Enterprise Admins, Cert Publishers, Krbtgt, Read-only Domain Controllers, Replicator

To resolve this issue we can follow the followings steps:

a. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.

b. Open the Properties of "Aftected user".

c. Click the Security tab and click Advanced.

d. Click the "Effective Permissions" tab.

e. Click Select, input "Exchange Servers", click "Check Names" and click OK.

f. Scroll down and check whether the following permissions exist:

g. If the permission does not exist, please switch back to the Permissions tab. Click Add.

h. Input "Exchange Servers", click "Check Names" and click OK.

i. In the "Apply to" drop down box, please select "Descendant msExchActiveSyncDevice objects" and add the following permissions: List contents, Read all properties, Write all properties, Delete, Modify Permissions

j. Click OK.

k. Click OK and click OK.

The related permissions are set when installing the Exchange 2010 server. You may also run "setup /PrepareDomain" command to reset the permissions again if the default permissions have been changed.

Removing Public Folders From Exchange 2003 by ADSI

If Public folders are not in use in your organization, you can save time removing the Public Folders From Exchange 2003 by ADSI

Configuration + CN=Configuration + CN=Services + CN=Microsoft Exchange + CN=YOUR ORGANISATION + CN=Administrative Groups + CN=First Administrative Group + CN=Servers + CN=SERVER NAME + CN=InformationStore

PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!