CEICW Cert Generation may fail on 2/29

So, it looks like the team in Texas has discovered a minor glitch in the 2003 Configure Email and Internet Connection wizard. It looks like it won't install re-new certificates on a leap year.

The Official SBS blog has details here.

So, lay off renewing your cert tomorrow...





Text of error

An error occurred while configuring a component.
To continue with the wizard and configure remaining components, click OK.
To end the wizard without configuring the remaining components, click Cancel.

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Giving Authority of WSUS back to SBS

A friend of mine e-mailed today having installed WSUS 3.1, and upset that SBS no longer manages patches for him. The Blue Shield was displayed, along with this message:

Windows Small Business Server (Windows SBS) Update Services is not running because it automatically turns off if you customize Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). For a list of specific settings that cause Windows SBS Update Services to turn off, see the Microsoft Web site. Even if WSUS is managing updates for your network, the accuracy of the status in the Windows SBS monitoring report or on the Update Services home page cannot be guaranteed. To use Windows SBS Update Services, reverse the changes that you have made to WSUS or reinstall Windows SBS 2003 R2.

As it turns out, the Small Business Server SE team has created KB article 945985 which talks about how to return SBS to it's normal authority over WSUS.

The script peice at the end solved the problem instantly. The script was written by our SE dev, Donald, who also runs this SBS blog (in Chinese!)

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Want to copy files you don't have access to?

No, I’m not a hacker, I’m an administrator wanting to copy files from one server to another in a domain environment. The folders are restricted to users only and deny the Administrator from viewing them.

As the admin, I could take ownership of the files, and then give myself permission to read them, then copy the files

-- OR --

I could use robocopy /b. The “/b” means to copy it in backup operator mode.

The only other thing you need to do, is add the user who is performing the robocopy command to the “Backup Operators” group. This will maintain permissions, but allow you to copy all files!

This is also a handy tip for home-grown backup solutions of computers that don't have an integrated backup solution.

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Calendar Requests Sent over the Internet Don't show up as Calendar Requests

Frustrating isn't it?

One way to get around this one is to make sure you're sending to a person in rich text. To do this, add the contact to your Outlook contacts. Open the contact object, and right-click on their email address and choose Outlook Properties



Once in the properties, Simply change the Internet format to Send using Outlook Rich Text Format.


Then just save the contact object.

The next time you send to this person, the calendar request will appear as a calendar request.

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Deploying Windows Mobile 6 with SBS 2003

For those of you who are upgrading your devices, or starting new with Windows Mobile 6. The Windows Mobile and SBS documentation teams worked together to bring you the Deploying Windows Mobile 6 with SBS guide!

In addition, If you have other versions of Windows Mobile, the appropriate guide for you might just be waiting for you here.

And as always, all the online documentation is available in the SBS Technet Library.

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Early 2003 Adopters - Check your Certs!

After spending the past three weeks thinking in depth about self-issued certificates in Windows Small Business Server 2008, I started to think about Small Business Server 2003, and it's self-issued certificate.

The default self-issue certificate is valid for 5 years. SBS 2003 came out in 2003, 5 years prior to 2008.

So, those early adopters out there, if you're still using a self-issued certificate, maybe you should consider putting a reminder in your calendar for when yours expires.

Before it does expire, you should run the Configure E-Mail and Internet Connection Wizard. Through the wizard you can choose not to change anything, but when you get to the certificate section, select generate a new one. Once you do this you will have to re-distribute the certificate in \\server\clientapps\sbscert\sbscert.cer to all your client PCs (I believe domain joined clients will get it by default), and you'll have to manually distribute it to your home clients, and windows mobile devices. Makes buying a trusted certificate more appealing doesn't it? :)

If you do buy a trusted certificate wizard, and you have Windows Mobile 5 of previous devices, make sure that cert works with your devices!

Happy 5-year reunion.

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Windows Small Business Server 2008 - Welcome to the Family

Today we announced officially that the next version of Small Business Server does actually exist. But of course you already knew that. :)

The offical name is Windows Small Business Server 2008, and is already published up on Microsoft.com.

The even better news, is Microsoft has created a family of solutions product, of which SBS is the old-timer. The Windows Essential Server Solutions family. This of course includes the familiar Small Business Server product, as well as Medium sized Essential Business Server 2008.

So what can we talk about with this new version of Small Business Server 2008?

The Standard Edition - Contains the following Microsoft Products:

• Windows Standard Server 2008


• Exchange Server 2007


• Windows SharePoint Services v3


• Microsoft Forefront security for Exchange


• Windows Live OneCare for the Server


• Integration with Office Live (in countries where Office Live is available)

The Premium Edition - Contains the following Microsoft Products:

• All of SBS Standard Edition


• An additional copy of Windows Standard Server


• SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition

There is a change in the way Client Access Licenses (CALs) work. Standard edition will have Standard CALs and Premium will have Premium CALs

Beyond the basics, what do you get?
Integrated and Consumable
Similar to SBS 2003, there is an integrated setup to setup all the different work-loads. Additionally, a centralized administration console to administrate common tasks on the network. Server monitoring, and much much more!

Protecting your data
Out of the box protection of Exchange through Forefront Security, and Antivirus for the server from Windows Live OneCare for the Server. A completely new backup solution to provide more robustness and speed of your daily backups. And network-wide management of patches through Windows Software Update Services!

Business Capacity
Integration with online services such as Office Live (available in countries that Office Live is available only). A brand-new Remote Web Workplace design, the out of the box availability of SharePoint version 3, and the Premium sku to help you grow capacity.

When will it be available?
We're currently targetting the second half of this 2008!

Hungry for more information?

• Check out this press release.


• Point your browsers over to the official Microsoft.com SBS 2008 website.


• The Official SBS Blog.

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Apparently Bootable Volumes have a 2 TB Limit

Installing a new Windows Home Server box at my house, and I built it on a RAID array that had 2095 GBs. The problem was that the volume I created didn't show up in the boot menu of my Gigabyte motherboard as a bootable volume. It had to be less than 2048 GB for it to appear as a bootable volume.

Hopefully someone else who has this problem finds this post, because it took me two nights working on it to discover this little problem.

.. I'm actually pretty sure this is a hardware limit, as it had nothing to do with the Windows Home Server install.

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Microsoft Conference Call

Have you ever been on a conference call with a Microsoft employee? If so, and we sound slightly out of breath, it's because of the exercise program that goes on before the call starts...

Observe.

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