Wednesday, October 15, 2008

60 days not enough time to evaluate SBS 2008?

It’s true, you get 60 days to trial SBS.  All of SBS, that’s a lot of things to test out in 60 days.  Well, you are in luck!  With a simple command line you can extend the 60 day trial, another 180 days for a total of 240 days.  It’s super easy.

First you need an elevated command prompt.  Once you have one of those open, simply run the command line slmgr.vbs –dli.  This command takes a few minutes to run, and pop’s up a screen to tell you how long you have left in your evaluation period. 

To extend the evaluation period, you can add the extra 180 days from the same elevated command prompt type in the command slmgr.vbs –rearm.

But I must warn you, once you get past day 80, studies have shown that SBS is so addictive, that it will most likely be a major part of your network, and you’ll be committed.  So choose wisely if you plan to extend the evaluation period, you could end up buying it!

More details in KB 948472.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Windows SBS 2008 Brazil, German, Italian and Turkish languages RTM

Olá! Hallo! Ciao! Selam!

Today marks the day when SBS 2008 starts shipping localized versions. SBS plans to release in 18 different languages, the first 4 countries that will be available are: Brazil, German, Italy, and Turkey.  They have released today and will be available as soon as possible.  I’d suspect anywhere from 1-5 months after the English version is available.  We can’t control the fill of the channels.

Don’t forget the Product Launch on November 12th, for details, visit the Dream Server Launch Site!

Windows Essential Solutions Launch is Right around the Corner!

November 12th is creeping up faster than you are probably thinking about it.  The Launch will be a virtual launch, hosted at The Dream Server Launch website.  I will be participating in the launch event, along with a few of my SBS and EBS buddies.  Be there or Be Square!

Also, secure your position as trusted advisor by implementing Windows Essential Server Solutions to help your customers reduce costs and increase productivity by streamlining their IT infrastructure. Generate leads by inviting your customers and prospects to the Windows Essential Server Solutions special launch webcast using guidance and an invitation email template.

 

 

Monday, October 13, 2008

Hosting Multiple Domains on SBS 2008/Exchange 2007

[This post comes courtesy of Adam DePue]

A long time ago, in a version far far away, I blogged how to have Exchange 2003, on SBS 2003 answer for multiple domain names in this blog post (along with 3 other parts for across SBS 2003). For all 4 of blog posts, the idea is still the same, except the steps and UI may have changed.  Since I’ve already we’ve already seen people asking how to have Exchange host multiple domains with SBS 2008, I thought I’d blog it.  Adam beat me to building and testing the steps, so this post comes from him!

So, to set up your primary domain name, please do run the Internet Address Management Wizard.

To set up your secondary (and more) domain, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start and point to All Programs and click on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and then launch the Exchange Management Console.
  2. Expand Organization Configuration and select Hub Transport.
  3. On the right, under Actions, click on New Accepted Domain …, and wait for the wizard to pop-up
    1. In the Name field, enter a friendly name, like Contoso Email
    2. Accepted Domain field, enter the domain name you’d want to appear after the “@” in the email, e.g.. contoso.com
    3. Finally, leave setting set to Authoritative Domain.
    4. Click New to create the new domain name, and then Finish once it’s done processing.
  4. On the right, under Actions, now click on New E-Mail Address Policy …, and wait for the wizard to pop-up
    1. Enter a friendly name, like Contoso Email Policy, leave the default as All recipient types, and click Next.
    2. Ensure no extra conditions are applied and click Next.
    3. Click Add… to add a new E-mail address format
      1. Ensure E-mail address local part is checked, and use alias is selected.
      2. Specify a custom fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for e-mail address should read the same as the domain name you’re adding from above.  Here is a screenshot: image
      3. Note: double check the use alias, as it could change by specifying a FQDN, then click OK.
    4. On the Schedule page, ensure Immediately is selected and click Next.
    5. Click New to execute the policy, and then Finish once it’s applied.

Important: Any new domain you set up becomes primary (what users send-as), so you’ll have to use the steps below to update which one should be primary.

At this point, provided your Internet DNS MX addresses for both domain names are pointed to the WAN IP of the SBS network (typically the WAN IP of the router, or ISA firewall), you will now receive email for both domain names.  By default, the new domain you added will be the primary domain name, and the domain everyone sends as.

One important thing to note is that the SBS console will only show the primary domain name in the console.  If you want to switch which domain is primary, you can do that too:

  1. Open up the Exchange Management Console again and expand Organization Configuration, and select Hub Transport.
  2. Right-click on the policy for the address you want to be primary, and click on Change Priority, and change it to “1” (without the quotes), and click OK.  Exchange will adjust the priorities on the other policies automatically.

One final thing to note, is that if you’re primary domain name is automatically managed by a domain name provider, we will only keep the primary domain IP address up to date with the domain name provider.  So if you are on a Dynamic IP, and rely on the Dynamic DNS client included with SBS 2008, you may want to consider some DNS configuration that keys off the “A Record” of the primary domain name, as that’s the only one we adjust.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Changing the Scroll Wheel speed on the Samsung Jack (BlackJack II)

Just picked me up a Samsung Jack, I love it.  It’s responsive, it’s got the full tactile keyboard (touch screen wasn’t doing it for me), and it’s been flashed to Windows Mobile 6.1 from the Samsung Support Website (Simply search for “Windows Mobile 6.1” and you should find it).

The only drawback of the phone was how slow the “wheel” scrolls.  This is configurable in the Registry.  Simply browse to HKLM / Software / Samsung / KeyRun.  Push the Values button, and look for WheelSpeed.  Change the value to 0, and close the registry editor, no reboot required.

[Information Provided by MobileJaw.com]

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Windows Live has their next Beta available to try out

If you’re an avid user of Windows Live Services, and software like I am, you might be interested to know that the latest beta software is out.  You can get it from their download site.

The new MSN Messenger has a completely new look (so far), with the ability to add Favorite contacts, and direct access into spaces.

I’m using the new Windows Live Writer to type up this blog post, and now I can preview it, and view the source!

But my favorite is the updated Windows Live Mail client, now with access to a personal calendar!  This is nicely bundled with a new release of Windows Live Calendar.  You’ll need a copy of Outlook if you plan on porting your old calendar objects to the new calendar, but beyond that, it seems very slick.  I can’t wait to keep playing with the new features!

Monday, September 29, 2008

UserGroup Tour Q&A: San Fran, Irvine, San Diego

During the User Group Tour that just completed, I ended up receiving a lot of questions.  I thought it would be beneficial to add the Q&A here to my blog for all to read.  There is no order to the questions (other than first come first served), and this blog post will be updated over time, so if you get it with your RSS feed, you may want to view it online and return later.

Let's dive into the questions I've received so far:

Question: What is the size limit of the Exchange Store with SBS 2008

Answer: With Exchange 2007 Standard edition included with SBS 2008, the store limits are the same as with Exchange Enterprise server.  With a limit of 250GB, to 16TB (with a registry key toggle). More information here.

 

Question: Can I migrate to SBS 2008 from SBS 2003 and SBS 2003 R2?

Answer: Yes, you can migrate from both editions using the same documentation available here.

 

Question: What are the important links from the deck

Answer: There were a few: Hyper-V Proposed Support on the SBS blog, The SharePoint Kit, The Official SBS Blog, Nick King's Marketing Blog, and SBS 2008 Public Newsgroups.

 

Question: Can the second server be used in TS-Application mode, so you don't have to connect to the entire desktop to run an application?

Answer: Yes, but it requires additional TS CALs

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Pimp Your Infrastructure!

Struggling with Old Hardware for your mid-sized business? Don't have the budget to upgrade this year? Well, Pimp My Infrastructure is coming to a down near you!

Today, the Pimp My Infrastructure contest started. To give you an idea of what happens, we've put together a little video:



It is customer directed, but if the customer submits their reseller name under “reseller”, the reseller receives a US$5,000 shopping spree from HP. There will be one winner in the SBS category and one for EBS. The contest closes on the 20th of October, so get started now!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I'm a PC

image

Most of you are familiar with the "I'm a MAC" commercials that have been run on TV for quite some time now.  Microsoft has finally produced a line of commercials to remind folks that there is a PC out there, and it is a very very connected, and personal device.

To view the source of the commercials, check out the I'm a PC Launch page.

Creating a "New E-Mail" Link in the Quick Start Menu

Personally, I'm all about efficiency on a computer.  Computers and Software should make your life easier, not harder.  In the office, I have 3 monitors, one of which always runs Outlook, so the "New E-Mail" link on Outlook is always accessible without 10 ALT+TAB key strokes.  On my laptop, with the limited sized monitor, and only one at that, getting to Outlook can take some time to start that new e-mail message.

So, I added a "New E-Mail" link to the Quick Launch menu.

It's not that hard, here are the steps that I use:

  1. Right-Click on your desktop and point to New and then click on Shortcut.
  2. In the wizard that opens, you're prompted for the item you'd like to point to, type in mailto: (don't forget the colon) and click Next
  3. For the friendly name on the next page, change it to New E-Mail (this helps with the mouse over) and then click Finish.

At this point you have a link to a new e-mail message using your default mail client (mine is of course Outlook).  Now, unfortunately, since Outlook is associated with the mailto: OS shortcut, you end up with the Outlook icon.  This can be confusing as you will also look for this icon to actually launch Outlook.  So we need to change the icon to the envelope icon.  Here's how:

  1. Right-Click on the new shortcut you just created, and click on Properties
  2. Click on Change Icon.
  3. Click the Browse button and point the browser to "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\MSOERES.dll".  This is the Windows Mail (previously known as Outlook Express) icon repository, and click OK.
  4. Select the envelop icon
    1. image
  5. Then close all of the property pages using the OK buttons

Now you have a shortcut for a new e-mail message, the next step is just to drag and drop it into the Quick Launch menu, and now there is no need to minimize what you're doing or ALT+TAB to Outlook just to start a new mail message.

Seconds saved over and over could mean you now have time to go out and grab that coffee after all.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Adding Servers to your SBS 2008 Network

Many people think that Windows SBS networks can only have one Domain Controller. Let me set the record straight right now.

All versions of Small Business Server can have any number of additional servers, and even additional domain controllers.  SBS only has to hold the FSMO roles.  With the new SBS 2008 Premium edition, the second server can be used as a domain controller, or you can add any number of servers.  The Premium edition of SBS 2008 is just another copy of Windows Server, a cheaper version, to get you started on your server farm.

All the copies of SBS, you can add any number of servers that you want!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

How the Connect to the Internet Wizard works

Last month I posted how the Internet Address Management Wizard works.  Today, over on the official blog, the Customer Support folks have enlightened you on how the Connect to the Internet Address Wizard works.

It's a very important blog post to read, especially if you want to optimize your installations of Windows SBS 2008.  Key things to know from this post include:

  • Automatic Router discovery only works on 192.168.x.1 and 192.168.x.254 for locations for your Router IP address
  • DHCP disabled on the router is the best configuration, to allow things to progress smoothly through setup
  • You can only setup SBS 2008 as a single-NIC environment, on a private IP address, like 192.168.x.x
  • DHCP on the SBS server will be setup in a Class-C Subnet (255.255.255.0) in all cases
  • SBS will consume the network addressing of your router, if it's discoverable

Some things that weren't mentioned that I wanted to point out are the following:

  • If you change your Router at any time during the lifecycle of your SBS server, simply just run the Connect to the Internet Wizard again
  • If you want your IP address at a different IP than .2, you can simply change it within the network card, and run the Fix My Network Wizard.

Understanding the tools that come with Windows SBS 2008, will only make you faster and more efficient at your installs, so check out the Official SBS blog on CTIW!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Bob Muglia talks about his home Network

Over on TechNet Edge, Bob Muglia, Senior VP of Windows Server (yes, the guy who runs SBS, EBS, Home Server, Windows Server, SQL, etc.) talks about why he runs 9 servers in his home. Check it out:


Bob Muglia - Senior VP by day, IT Pro by night


The video is a tad old, but talks about what Bob does to help understand the small and mid-market spaces.