TechNet Windows 7 Loadfest

Here is the event we talked the last time , go ahead and register , each of you will get copy of Win7 and if you bring your laptop you can load it there.

When

Friday, June 05, 2009 1:00 PM - Friday, June 05, 2009 5:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Welcome Time: 12:30 PM

Microsoft Reston Office

• 12012 Sunset Hills Rd.
  Reston Virginia 20190
  United States

Click here to Register

This is going to be hands on training I am sure you will like this a lot, sits are limited register now (-: and see you guys down there

TechNet Windows 7 Loadfest

Come spend the afternoon with us going through a fun, hands-on-lab and presentation-based seminar that will go over some the new features and benefits of Windows 7. According to many independent reviews, Windows 7 will definitely be an OS to deploy in the enterprise, so it’s not a question of IF you will need to work with Windows 7, but rather WHEN. That being the case, this is a great way to get a head start on the training you need RIGHT now with this FREE seminar, so you can be prepared when users call you about Windows 7. This session will enable you to hit the road running on the latest version of Windows, or at the very least, help you find out if this is really as good as you have heard!

We will start the afternoon installing the latest available public build of Windows 7 on your test computer, (preferably laptop), that meets the minimum configuration listed below. We will run through some of the key improvements that have been made from the user perspective and we’ll also take a look at some of the great new features Windows 7 has to better manage your computers in the corporate environment.

best,

Oz Casey Dedeal

MVP (Exchange)
MCITP (EMA), MCITP (SA)
MCSE 2003, M+, S+, MCDST
Security+, Project +, Server +

Http://smtp25.blogspot.com (Blog)

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Update Rollup 8 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1

Here is latest what is going on ,

“exchange Team “

We have released Update Rollup 8 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (KB 968012) to the download center. The release of the rollup via Microsoft Update will happen on May 26.

Read more,,,,,,

“Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 available in Q3 2009”

Oz Casey Dedeal

MVP (Exchange)
MCITP (EMA), MCITP (SA)
MCSE 2003, M+, S+, MCDST
Security+, Project +, Server +

Http://smtp25.blogspot.com (Blog)

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IT PRO TIKI HUT Tour in Herndon Microsoft

IT Pro Tiki Spring 2009 Road show was held in Herndon yesterday at Microsoft facilities. Blain Barton evangelist, James Chong ( Exchange MVP) speaker, Mark Manasi and Rhonda Layfield made the event pretty exciting.

It was nice to see Windows 7 in action and discover the new futures and get the know what will be the business value or justification to implement windows 7 in production environment. I personally see big value and have feeling a lot of business are going to skip Vista and go directly to Windows 7 to increase productivity and lower the TCO.

Windows 7 seems to have complete new look, light foot print added a lot of  smart futures. If you have not had your hands on windows 7 I recommend start playing with it, you will be surprise how fast the OS itself and you will love the new futures build into windows 7.

 

 

More is coming soon

best,

Oz Casey Dedeal

MVP (Exchange)
MCITP (EMA), MCITP (SA)
MCSE 2003, M+, S+, MCDST
Security+, Project +, Server +

Http://smtp25.blogspot.com (Blog)

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Interview Questions

Here are some interview questions for all my students and readers. Most of these questions are pretty basic and being able to answer them shows the knowledge for the basic foundation in Active directory and its functions in my opinions. Fell free to modify and use the questions for your specific needs, all I asked is to leave some comments

If you need answers to these questions fell free to ping me , I will be adding some more questions to same place if you wish to visit later on.

MVP (Exchange)
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MCSE 2003, M+, S+, MCDST
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Create SystemStateBackup for Windows 2008 Domain Controllers Part-2

If you have not seen part 1 please go back and take a look, we went over how to create SystemStateBackup on windows 2008 on part 1.

This article we will cover how to create batch file and using task scheduler in windows 2008 we will automate the SSB ( SystemStateBackup)

Steps

• Copy and past below into notepad

wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:<VolumeLetter>: –quiet

• here is how mine looks

wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:E: –quiet

• Save the file on a folder on the Domain controller as fallows
• “backupSS.bat” ( or anything you like)

 

• Create and schedule a new backup job to backup the System State backup.
• Click Start on the search type Taskschd.msc and hit enter

 

• Click on the right pane Create task

• Give it a name , SystemStateBackup VMDC3

• Click Triggers Click New I am going to say, I need SystemStateBackup two times in a day

• Click Actions, click new, Start a program , and Click Browse to Script folder on the C drive or wherever you placed the batch file we made earlier

• Click okay and do test run

• verify backup has ran successfully

• Back this directory up to another location or to media if you wish
• WBAdmin
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754015(WS.10).aspx
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944530
• Restore from backup
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc742070(WS.10).aspx

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Create SystemStateBackup for Windows 2008 Domain Controllers Part-1

Project:

Create SystemStateBackup for Windows 2008 Domain controllers. Create batch file and schedule SystemStateBackup two times in a day and save it on second hard drive on the system. This directory is being backed up with software to tape or offside backup place

Solution:

Log into DC you wish to backup,

You need to install Windows 2008 backup tools (this is not installed by default)

• Open command line and type as fallows
• servermanagercmd -install Backup-Features
• Note, System State backup can ONLY be run via CLI.
• Verify the at the end of this you get “install completed successfully."

Make sure you have dedicated drive for destination of the backup you are about to perform, you need to dump the SystemStateBackup to Disk and if you wish you can move it from there to DVD or external backup media.

• When you ready type the fallowing on command line

wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:<VolumeLetter>: –quiet

• here is mine,

wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:E: –quiet

• I am going to use E drive since I have dedicated 10Gig backup drive for this purpose

• Wait to verify SystemStateBackup is done successfully.

• Go back to backup drive and verify the backup is there

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Windows 2008 Expand & Shrink Disk on the FLY

Here is out little project. We figured out our C drive is 20 GIG, operation system is windows 2008 standard edition. We want to shrink the space to half on alive domain controller. We simply perform fallowing steps. Rather than writing I decided to post pictures, since this is incredibly easy to achieve, after shrinkage we will expand the drive to what it was, with couple clicks.

Log into win08, click start, diskmgmt.msc

• Make right click on C (root) Choose “Shrink Volume”

• Click Shrink

here is C drive now

• now lets go back

• here is C ( root ) drive now

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Why Do We Need FSMO Roles ?

You read about AD 2003 or 2008 and start getting confused about FSMO roles? and asking yourself why do we need them anyways?

Before we start listing the reasons why FSMO roles needed, let’s refresh our knowledge

• Single master replication model ( NT 4.0) this means .DIT database read only, and only primary domain controller can write and read from .Dit database. BDC (backup domain controller) can only read the .DIT database
• .DIT database ( Active directory database)
• Now imagine in AD environment you can not create users, because you cannot write to .DIT database, I am sure you will easily see big problems if this happens to you when you are the person who is responsible from creating users, groups
• Microsoft saw this as problem and they fix it by implementing AD 2000 and up what is called “multi-master replication model”, meaning all domain controller can read and write to .DIT database and they all are equal , except FSMO roles.

Obvious multi-master replication model brought huge redundancy to Active directory picture and now clients can locate and register their own records to any available DC/DNS server and thus less likely total stoppage of Active directory services.

Now, there is a problem with Multi-master replication problem , if two similar task needed to be done in two different places which one would be the winner?

If I am introducing domain controller called DC1 and at the same time you are sitting on different location ad you are DCPromoing another server with same name, which one would run without problems?

Think similar scenarios in AD, thus certain jobs in AD “Must be controlled” by specific domain controllers.

For instance The domain naming master domain controller controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest.When I want to add a new domain the request goes to “DNS master” I get an okay from DNS master and I move on. When you do the same thing in a split second, DNS master knows already he gave me an okay , even though I have just started and will tell you “Sorry you cannot do this, because I already gave okay to someone else”

I hope it makes sense now and you will see and understand the need for FSMO roles.

There are two main task involved in FSMO

• Seize FSMO roles ( FSMO holder can not longer be contacted and therefore, use ntdsutil to go into .DIT database and find the registry settings for FSMO roles, and modify them from failed DC to one of the alive DC, save and replicated the changed
• Never turn back on failed DC who was FSMO role owner if you ever seize the FSMO role from it.
• run DCPromo /ForceRemoval to install the .DIT database
• run metadata Cleanup for your domain/Forest
• now you can bring the old DC as new DC into your forest
• Move FSMO roles ( FSMO role owner is alive and willingly to give up from assigned FSMO role. Same changes are being done on the .DIT database and via AD replication

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RSAT Tools for Windows 7

If you have not installed RSAT tools for Windows' 7 here they are.

Download beta RSAT Tools on windows 7 workstation

install the update corresponds to your Windows 7

• Go to control panel
• Click on programs and futures, turn windows futures on & off
• In the windows futures window,locate RSAT
• Select the tolls you wish to install
• Click on task bar, properties start menu
• Click customize , display System administrative tools
• 

enjoy the new administration tools

Also check out powerGUI is looks real nice and handy, it has Exchange and AD plug in, great tool to get into PowerShell

 Oz Casey Dedeal

MVP (Exchange)
MCITP (EMA), MCITP (SA)
MCSE 2003, M+, S+, MCDST
Security+, Project +, Server +

Http://smtp25.blogspot.com (Blog)

Https://telnet25.spaces.live.com (Blog)

Https://telnet25.worldpress.com (Blog)

Installing Windows 2008 R2 into existing Domain AdPrep /ForestPrep

Goal: Install first windows 2008 R2 Domain controller into existing 2008 Forest/Domain.

Problem: Receiving fallowing error, upon running DCpromo “To install a domain controller into this Active directory forest using “adprep /forestprep”.

The Adrep utility is available on the windows 2008 R2 installation media in the \support\adprep folder

Solution:

You need to log into one of your existing domain controller (Infrastructure Master) and copy the folder mentioned in the above error to let’s say C drive.

To see the FSMO roles, simply go to command line and run

• netdom query FSMO

So you are going to be running below command from your Infrastructure Master, not the new R2 DC you are trying to bring up.

Summarize task

• Log in DC ( Infrastructure Master)
• Copy support\adprep folder into C drive of your existing DC
• Open command line
• Run AdPrep32 /ForestPrep (I ran Adprep32 because my existing DC is 32 Bit)
  Wait ForestPrep to finish
• Run AdPrep32 /DomainPrep (I ran Adprep32 because my existing DC is 32 Bit)
• You are done now go back to Windows 2008 R2 you wish to DCpromo
• Run DCpromo and fallow the wizard

Adprep TechNet

Oz Casey Dedeal

MVP (Exchange)
MCITP (EMA), MCITP (SA)
MCSE 2003, M+, S+, MCDST
Security+, Project +, Server +

Http://smtp25.blogspot.com (Blog)

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