Network Administration & Consulting Services

If for whatever reasons you need to disable updates for Sun Java, do set the EnableJavaUpdate settings to 0. You can create a file, let say DisableJavaUpdates.reg, with following content:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy]
"EnableJavaUpdate"=dword:00000000

To control background colour on the client’s computer (XP) the custom ADM file (BGColor.adm) could be created. The BGColor.adm should be manually added to the network environment before start using it. Here is a content of BGColor.adm:

To minimize all open windows Microsoft provides “Hot Keys”, like Windows Logo Key + M or Windows Logo Key + D.  All Hot Keys was disabled by old GPO. To allow using Windows Logo Keys the following steps should be enabled through GPO:

1. Go to: Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \Windows Explorer
2. Change “Turn off Windows+X hotkeys” settings to Disable

Note: Client’s computer should be restarted to start using Windows Logo Keys.

Yesterday I passed additional MS exam, PRO: Deploying Messaging Solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 (70-238), this is a last exam in serial MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator.

This one was pretty similar to the previous, 70-237, but with a more details and tricks. It was a lot of questions about CCR, CSR, NLB and RAID’s. It was many question about “How to deal with multi sites organizations...” and questions like “What if..”. It was 50 questions in this exam.

The study resources I used to pass are:
Book "Microsoft Exchange Server 2007"
http://technet.microsoft.com
http://www.msexchange.org
http://msexchangeteam.com
http://exchangepedia.com
http://www.exchangeprovip.com
http://www.exchangeninjas.com
http://searchexchange.techtarget.com/generic/0,295582,sid43_gci1272907,00.html
http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2007/management-administration/exchange-2007-message-queues.html
http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2007/management-administration/understanding-back-pressure-feature-exchange-server-2007.html

I’ve just passed additional MS exam, PRO: Designing Messaging Solutions with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 (70-237)!  Got 935 on it .

This one was easy that previous, 70-236. I’ve got a lot of questions about clustering, HA and multi-sites design. It was just 37 questions in this exam.

The study resources I used to pass are:

Book “Microsoft Exchange Server 2007″ http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Exchange-Server-2007-Unleashed/dp/0672329204/ref=pd_sim_b_1/191-1807479-9996238 (yes, this book again )

http://www.msexchange.org/
http://msexchangeteam.com/
http://technet.microsoft.com/
http://www.cbtnuggets.com/

I’ve just passed my TS: Configuring Exchange Server 2007 (70-236)!  Got 100% on it.

For those of you intending to write this, even do not try to register for it if you do not have good understanding in PowerShell. I’ve got about 80% of questions about how to do things by using PowerShell. You have to answer a 53 questions in this exam and they give you 150 mins. to write the exam.

The study resources I used to pass are:

Book “Microsoft Exchange Server 2007″  http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Exchange-Server-2007-Unleashed/dp/0672329204/ref=pd_sim_b_1/191-1807479-9996238

http://www.trainsignal.com/Exchange-Server-2007-Training-P22.aspx

http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2007/

http://msexchangeteam.com/

http://www.msexchange.org/articles_tutorials/exchange-server-2007/management-administration/exchange-2007-sp1-mailbox-management-part1.html

http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Managing-mailboxes-Exchange-Server-2007-Part1.html

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998579.aspx

http://www.exchangeninjas.com/

http://www.exchangeinbox.com/article.aspx?i=83

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124977.aspx

If you are lazy (I’m very lazy ) you probably will want to create a script to deploy Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) on Windows Server 2008.
As a source for this scrip I really recommend to take a look on the following article: “Deploying CCR on Windows Server 2008 by Command-Line Only“

The Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 2.0 provides a way to automate the process of updating virtual machines running on virtual servers and Hyper-V with the latest operating system updates....

In addition to continuously updating Live Search and trying to get developers on board with new features, Microsoft is also promoting Live Search via various deals and giveaways. The latest is Big Ticket Search, and surprisingly it's only for Canadians. Every search on the site gives you a chance to win a prize (1,488 total prizes):

It’s a lot of posts that explained how to detect HAL. Almost all of those solutions done in VB script. As well I’ve seen a lot of post about “problems’ running VB script under WinPE. So, one day I tried to create a batch file, that allows to detect a HAL under WinPE. I did all my tests under VistaPE 12 (I’ve used the VistaPE v.12 RC1).

Here is content of HAL_Detector.bat script:

If you need to change Time Zone for a lot XP computers, you can do this by simple :) command:

to change Time Zone to Jerusalem (GMT+02:00) run the following command:

Virtualization: An Introduction to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008
The introduction of Hyper-V makes virtualization an even more compelling solution for IT environments. Get an overview of today’s virtualization market and see how Hyper-V improves the manageability, reliability, and security of virtualization.

Virtualization: Manage Your Virtual Environments with VMM 2008
System Center Virtual Machine Manager provides a consolidated interface for managing your virtual infrastructure. The latest version adds support for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, as well as for VMware virtual machines. Explore the new features and get an overview of using VMM to centralize your management tasks.

Virtualization: Getting Started with Microsoft Application Virtualization
Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) allows you to deliver virtualized desktops to client systems throughout your organization. This simplifies system management and liberates employees from their desktops. Take a close look at how App-V works and discover how you can deploy it in your organization.

Virtualization: Achieving High Availability for Hyper-V
Consolidating servers onto fewer physical machines has many advantages, but it is extremely important that you plan for your systems to be highly available. Here’s a guide to using Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering to bring high availability to your Hyper-V virtual machines.

Virtualization: Backup and Disaster Recovery for Server Virtualization
Virtualization brings significant changes to disaster recovery. Here’s an introduction to how the Microsoft virtualization platform factors into your disaster recovery plan, as well as a deeper look into backup and restore options and considerations for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.

Virtualization: Essential Tools for Planning Your Virtual Infrastructure
Is your infrastructure ready for virtualization? The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, a network-wide infrastructure assessment tool, can help you better understand your IT infrastructure and determine whether your systems are ready for upgrade or migration to a variety of technologies, including virtualization.

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