SBS & other fantastic things

Want an Explorer type interface so that you can recover individual files and folders?

Take a look at this new tool from

James Edelen

 as posted recently on “The Official SBS Blog”: http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2007/01/05/using-sharepoint-database-explorer-on-sbs.aspx

OK it's here and all at once.  Vista Business & Office Professional 2007 is to be the basic business platform going forward.

MAPS likes a dramatic entrance as the January quarterly shipment arrived today, the 30'th.  Nothing like having some information in advance so as to be able to speak intelligently about these products as a professional looked at and representing Microsoft. :P  I am having to put on my virginity belt of sarcasm today as I'm kinda upset about various things relating to this launch including empty teasers of SBSC exclusives and rug pulling on Media Center Edition now Vista Ultimate.  Sure you can have this software to learn for your clientelle but if you pay an additional fee for it.  Hose job - speaking only for myself I am wanting to find some sunshine ...I'm glad about the tremendous improvements to the software don't get me wrong.  I am "ready for a new day".

Here's the evidence of the drop from 125,000 request/day to 4,000/day - a 3,000%+ improvement!

above for period of day of 1/16/2007

above for period of day of 1/18/2007

Baffled by unexpected outbound DNS queries going to outdated ISP DNS servers I quickly morphed into bagging my head on the wall for awhile.  After that didn't produce any positive results, I let some time pass and when I really starting thinking problem through following the bread crumbs I was stumped.  However I was closer and that was enough.  I don't know if you ever had a euphoric breakthrough after a night of sleep, but this was the case in this instance.

Through ISA 2004 I was able to identify this problem and this was part of the bread crumb trail.  The appreciation I have for the local SBS guys who provided a kind ear at last night's user group meeting is large.  That little extension of their time and attention provided the avenue I needed to articulate the situation and in that mental effort to articulate the problem, it helped me a lot.  Thank you guys for your professionalism and kindness :)

Other than the DNS forwarders in the DNS management tool what other tool/application can issue DNS queries?  The elusive answer was Exchange.  Normally with the use of SBS wizards this would never happen.  However, one of those well intentioned corporate types configured this box and inserted the SMTP Protocol's DNS query servers in its configuration UI.  The default SBS configuration is to have this UI area left blank so that the DNS Management's forwarders get used, so if there is anything in the UI then Exchange will use those.  If the forwarders get updated, and even if you rerun the CEICW the SMTP UI will not adjust for this.  The result will be a variation between Exchange and the DNS server as to where to inquire.

Today I listened and watched a wealy wonderful webcast on disk issues and recovery solutions that goes a lot deeper than running a restore and creating a backup of a drive.  I like this kinda stuff as I hate being in the dark as to what all those words and screens mean and are that you may see during a system startup.  Beyond this material I learned about useful tools, some I've used and one I've never heard of before but is POWERFUL (Dskprobe) was the highlighted tool of the webcast.

Here is a link to the webcast but also below are pointers to a few of the tools discussed:

• Dskprobe aka dskprobe.exe or DiskProbe - from March 28, 2003 (cannot believe I didn't know about this)
  • Download Windows 2003 Resource Kit w/ this tool inside (from Microsoft)
  • you can see the MBR, save it to a file, and restore it
  • you can fix Active partition (80h) issues
  • "This GUI tool is a sector editor for drives on computers running Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. A user with local Administrator rights can use DiskProbe to directly edit, save, and copy data on a physical hard drive that is not accessible in any other way."
    
• An explanation of CHKDSK and the new /C and /I switches - KB187941
  • 
• How To Create a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition in Windows XP - KB305595 (basics apply to server OS and earlier OS's as well) Make one for your toolbox; you only need to edit/adjust the boot.ini file for the system you want to boot into.  A boot disk from XP can be used in 2K3 which is a cool thing to know too.
• Recovering NTFS Boot Sector on NTFS Partitions - KB153973
• Windows XP Professional Resource Kit - Troubleshooting Disks and File Systems - includes a great coverage of all this and in detail with diagrams and screen caps of the tools in use.  If you want to go to a huge resource of information this is it.

For those of you who haven’t yet got your Small Business Specialist Certified designation, you now have an opportunity through the Microsoft Partner Program to get five Exam Prep sessions hosted by Ron Grattopp (our area’s TS2 presenter) & Beatrice Mulzer (co-author of the SMB Nation press book "Small Business Specialist Primer & 70-282 Exam Preparation Guide!") & if you are one of the first 300 to register, a 30% off test voucher:

http://www.msreadiness.com/promotiondetails.asp?promoid=5574

**I noticed this promo today as I learned about the new Office 2007 OEM offerings – FYI system builders may now preinstall any of the three business SKU’s with a 60 day trial that can be converted by the customer purchasing the activation key from the business who sold them the system. Microsoft stated that of the systems that are not purchased with Office, the purchaser buys Office FPP within 2 weeks afterwards 47% of the time! Does that figure seem right to you? In any case if it is anywhere close to that this means a lot of opportunity for us.

Also Vista Ultimate will not launch until Spring.**

...well here is a tool to get rid of the bloat least-used plug-ins and watch it open miraculously quick (click image for URL): 

Last week I was configuring a new Creative webcam and it came with software from SightSpeed (a very recommended video call must try).  During installation it took me to http://myvoipspeed.visualware.com/ so that I could baseline the system.  The nice thing about this test is that beyond the upload/download speed tests it also creates a metric for QOS which is great if you ever consider using your bandwidth to hold a VOIP conversation.

http://www.abuse.net/relay.html

This past week I've found and installed a helpful and cool addition to Outlook.  The Live Local for Outlook add-in provides mapping, direction, travel time, and accident awareness capabilities to Outlook that can be saved into each Calendar event or appointment.  Below is an example of an upcoming event for a Vista & Office 2007 prelaunch presentation.  Notice the addition of the Location tab as well as new map specific toolbar.  If MapPoint is installed then it can be used instead so this provides an offline solution for road warriors.  If you check the "Add travel time to my calendar" the amount of time you choose is added as a separate scheduled event that is "tentative" but it is linked with the same information as the event it was created from - way cool!

WSS 3.0 on SBS White Paper Released from “The Official SBS Blog The official blog for SBS support and product group communications”

Thought I’d comment on that whitepaper after reading it. If you deploy WSS 3.0 beside 2.0 as the whitepaper explains you will miss out on no Exchange interoperability for the 3.0 instance (alerts, calendar linked with Outlook, contacts linked with Outlook), secondly you may also lose the search capability if you had moved the database of 2.0 from WMSDE to full SQL 2000 or 2005. Oh, and to be very clear it is not an update of existing SharePoint sites so Companyweb and the default website http://servername remain 2.0.

So now I’m wondering besides an explorative exercise what useable client value remains in 3.0 when deployed this way? To me those missing pieces rip out a significant feature set which encourages the collaboration that drives the purpose of using this software in the first place. My thoughts are to consider putting it on its own server so as to fully realize its potential; otherwise, I wonder if we see any further integration for awhile if ever. Perhaps in a future SP? I hope so.

in little news ...

today at 4am after waking to another itching meltdown (sumac is not man's best friend ...but aloe vera gel is)

I was finger in a light socket clear headed awake and since I couldn't sleep I decided to have some fun revisiting my old friend - Intellimirror deployment of software.  This topic has been the bane of my research "why? won't this work list" for a few uneasy weeks and I am happy to now be able to cross this one off.

I simply decided to start fresh and ignore all the previous failed steps I had forgotten from earlier attempts.  So first off I knew I needed a Security Group as GPO's that have computer hive settings must be done through this AD unit type.  I've always known this but for some reason it just made clear sense to start with this and I don't know if I ever have before.  Next I had to add the target computer to it.  While I could've added all Domain Computers I only wanted to specify a single test machine so I had to add it manually.  Next I needed to create a GPO and link it at the proper place in the AD tree.  Earlier I had linked a similar one at the SBSComputers branch under MyBusiness/Computers; however, this time it dawned on me that I was probably actually targeting the Security Group itself.  So to cover all bases I applied it at the MyBusiness node of the AD tree.  I didn't change any of the GPO's default security settings whatsoever.  The earlier share I had prepared was ready and had the Domain Computers group listed with Folder Share Read permission and Folder Security Read, Read&Execute, and List Folder Contents permissions.

OK so now for the moment of truth.  I start the target PC.  While waiting I run a GP modeling result to confirm the GPO is going to be applied.  Next I remote into the machine and sure enough the application is there.  Furthermore in the Application Log there are information entries which indicate success: 1704, 301, 302, 308

Eureka!  Now to learn about transform, MST, files.   ...more on that later

...lost in the post elections news vacuum was this great piece of news from the mothership

Microsoft Finishes Work on Windows Vista Operating System

The quick question: are you experiencing problems with the installing the virtualized demo files or viewing the demo scenarios?

Today I got out my newly arrived MAPS shipment and started going through it. First off was the TDT, Technical Demonstration Toolkit v7 DVD; it has R2 virtual machine based demo’s …sounds very good. Insert the DVD accept the EULA and after reading the brief into slides choose to go to the On This Disc choice (left side list). This presents two links both of which are giving me problems. I am now converted to IE 7 so now I’m wondering is this bad media or IE 7 or …something else. So I call MAPS, they give me a case number, time is wasted, and they know nothing but are willing to talk if I pay them for a support call. Not going that route as I’m not made of money to go throwing around. I thank Karen, hang up and head to another PC with the DVD (same result). This makes little sense, after all I can browse the directory on the disc and can probably figure out which executable or script will install the demo’s or view the demo’s. Still I want this to work and was disappointed that it didn’t.

error after the "Install" link:

error after the "View" link:

As I scratch between sentences, I have been pondering this question in different ways this entire week.

Thank God that Prednisone also has been made and hopefully the steroid will kick this nasty skin irritants butt today.  After visiting the doctor again after 4 days of facial swelling and general sleepless itchy all over misery, he stood very far away from me and stated "You look like Sh@!".  With that bedside manner award winner he upped the dosage from 30mg/day to 60mg/day and extended the routine another week with a tapering dosage schedule.

Decisive action!  Now that's what I'm talking about.

This morning some 12 hours post Prednisone increase my eyes and face are much less swollen but I'm tingling all over as nerve sensors fire these sharp attention piercing jolts of muscle twitching zaps.  It's all over too!  One second its the right calf, then its the back of the neck, then it's the left forearm, then its my right ear, then its my forehead, ...etc you get the idea.

If I could ever dole out cruel and unusual punishment on some bane to human existence this would be a good one.  **isn't the sentence/judgement on Saddam coming out tomorrow?**

** BTW a helpful tip ** Don't ever cut weeds and then forget about it.  Immediately go and take a full shower with lots of soap - at this point I'd recommend a sand blaster but that might have some bad side affects - and also don't cross-contaminate your environment.  Take off anything that has been in contact with the nasty plants and wash or burn it.  I went to sleep ignorant of the oil on my face and on subsequent nights of not changing the bed clothes kept reintroducing myself to this poison.  ugghh!

Earlier I wrote this:  Time for another bad pun - Daylight Savings Time changing in 2007!

Now we have this very helpful and useful information from our SBS MVP friend in Israel, Steven Teiger:  http://www.sbs-rocks.com/SBS-MVPs/Summer_Time_Prob...

By this time next year we will have to deal with two DST changes and perhaps this information will come in handy for a few of you out there in the wild wild world of SBS. :)

If you thought you had it bad in Eastern Indiana, Israel has you beat.  This subject is very relevant for the upcoming annual calendar year for us Administrators as the dates are a changing here is the US.  Since Israel has this unorthodox (another pun - sorry) time schedule.  Admin's there are keenly aware of what all is affected.  This article discusses these time sensitive (sorry) things:

• MS Exchange & UTC - calendar appointments - arriving on time with others from different Time Zones (like the CEO of your company for instance meeting with a distant partner)

This handy Resource Kit tool makes it easy on the Israeli admin's to add the funky changes to the Windows Time Zone listings:  Tzedit/Timezone (Windows 2000/Windows2003).

For me, and I don't know about you, but anytime I have to do a server reboot of SBS, I can count on having lots of red X error in the event logs and typically isolated to the application log.  As time goes along you identify which ones mean something important from the ones just indicating the server is shutting down and something isn't available that something else was looking for.  I've been seeing the occasional Event 1005 Source DSRESTOR and decided to address this one today.

**Kudos to EventID.net** - your best friend for log events

Now I'm not certain this is indicating a problem with the DSRM password but just for peace of mind I went ahead and manually reset it to match the Administrator (the God account for the DC).  DSRMRESTOR is a service that used to synchronize the passwords of the two accounts (Admin & DSRM) so they always matched.  However, according to Andy Goodman SBS MVP, author of a very SBS community focused site http://sbs-rocks.com, SP1 introduced this issue.  So from here on out, any Windows 2003 Server needs to have the DSRM password manually set whenever a change is introduced to the Administrator password.  Now that's important!

Well after checking two different SBS machines I noticed the same thing on both.  One actually has had the password reset before; whereas, my internal machine hasn't been changed since birth.  ...hmmmm :S  OK that one has me perplexed.  Why the error?  Did the DSRM password never event get set at birth since this was a SP1 SBS install?  I know I don't want to find out the hard way when I want to restore back the System State!  So I learned this simple procedure for manually changing the DSRM password.

Here goes - start by entering ntdsutil at the run command (WinKey+R):

Relevant MS KB links:

1. How To Reset the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Account Password in Windows Server 2003
2. How to restore deleted user accounts and their group memberships in Active Directory

If you wish to have those .pdf’s be indexed and identified as .pdf’s in SharePoint make sure you download and add the Adobe ifilter.  The blog from SBS MVP, Kevin Weilbacher, explains it in detail:  http://msmvps.com/blogs/kwsupport/archive/2005/06/29/56222.aspx

 BTW, if you are interested in other iFilters here's a nice portal:  http://blogs.tamtam.nl/mart/SharepointSearchIFilte...

For those of you ThreatCode.com aware soles, I found this report this morning that Microsoft has aquired DesktopStandard, a GPO focused software company. Furthermore they have a product which will break off called Beyond Trust, ,which allows users to control what processes can be elevated through Group Policy. This is geared for a Least-Priviledged User environment. I do not know anything more than that but the author seems like a nice enough guy and I’m sure he would tell you whether it could be used with QuickBooks …etc.

At the tail end of the posting this GPO guru author states: “This product provides capabilities in Windows that the UAC feature in Vista *should*, but won’t provide.”

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/gpoguy/archive/2006/10/02/DesktopStandard-acquired-by-Microsoft.aspx

While chasing out a WSUS synch error at EventID.net the directions for my event took me to a site appropriately named PatchAholic.  While there I took a turn at the stalagmites and just past the waterfall found treasure, a repository of WSUS tools!  Eureka!

• Disable the SSL warning in the To Do List
• Un-hide hidden updates
• Checking the Version of Windows Installer
• detectnow - VBS and GUI methods
• Automatic Updates Client (AU Client) Tales from the Script -- By The Scripting Guys
• WSUS TOOL- Copying Approvals Between Target Groups

**thanks to Athif aka Mohammed Athif Khaleel who is lost somewhere in Saudi Arabia looking for more treasure :)**

I created a folder C:\batch then inside it a 5633.vbs file with the following contents:

'begin code
On Error Resume Next
Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
strCommand = "rsm eject /LGA2A90879A1994371BDE6D8713FF2061C /astart"
Set objWshScriptExec = objShell.Exec(strCommand)
Set objMessage = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
objMessage.Subject = "SBS Backup - Completed Successfully"
objMessage.From = "administrator@sourcedomain.com"
objMessage.To = "me@mainaddy.com"
objMessage.Cc = "metoo@altaddy.net"
objMessage.TextBody = "SBS Backup Succeeded"
objMessage.Send
'end code

This VBS script uses both the RSM command which you can explore for more information on the switch options.  Initially I tried using various switches and ended up having to learn how to identify and then use the GUID of the Library used.  The GUID in red is unique to this library and you would of course have to modify this to suit your specific situation whether a library, drive, ...etc.

The next step uses this script using the "eventtriggers" command.  Under the context of what I've created above you would then on one line at a command prompt enter the following exactly:

eventtriggers /create /tr SBSBackupSuccess /eid 5633 /t INFORMATION /tk "c:\batch\5633.vbs" /ru "System"

Event 5633 is for a successful backup and complements event 5634 for a failed backup.  SBS has a built in alert for event 5634 but no provision for a successful backup.

**Credit and much thanks given to Bob Haley and Marina Roos for their contributions.**

This evening I've found another gem tool for the studly virtual pickup.  If someone ever complains they really miss all the Autocomplete information from Outlook after they've moved to a different machine, there is now a way to find what they lost and import it into the list they have built up on the new machine.  The tool below provides the export magic and instructions on how to import this back.

Recently I've learned I should rethink using STSADM.exe tool for creating my app level backup of SharePoint.  Why?  The backup from STSADM doesn't provide for a bare metal recovery or site migration scenario.  With SMIGRATE I get the data I had before (same server restore) plus the latter options as well.  I do lose the security configuration though.  Today I'm researching a tool found in the same place as STSADM.exe, SMIGRATE.exe.

Described by SBS-MVP Chad Gross as being very much the same tool as using the FrontPage backup/restore tool for websites. SMIGRATE, being a command line tool, can be leveraged for scheduling a routine.

Today's HOT unique research find - Here's a cool GUI (là Anglais) created by some French SharePoint MVP, Renaud Comte:

• GuiSmigrate -the Interface for the Smigrate.exe - it can even generate a log and a .bat file!
  • version 1.2 download

**now to figure out what exact details are needed for SBS**

• Is simply backing up http://companyweb the end of it all or do I also need to backup a different site?
  • If you would like to add your insight please add your comments and include the specific URL syntax por favor.
• For running at the command line I came up with this syntax I would place in a scheduled task:
  • smigrate -w http://companyweb -f filepath\backupname.fwp -y (the -y allows for the automatic overwrite of the previously created file)

Sean Daniel's (SBS Program Manager) tip was that if you rename the extension .fwp to .cab you can see the files contained within it.  I've looked and I'm not sure what that really does for you but hey if you like being a file voyeur go for it.

• Sean's article on smigrate
• Chad's initial smigrate thoughts
• Chad on Swinging Companyweb