TechNet Flash - Volume 11, Issue 7: April 8, 2009
Note from the Editor
Greetings, and Welcome to TechNet Flash.
New Entry-Level Server Platform
Microsoft expanded its Windows Server family with Windows Server 2008 Foundation, designed and priced for small businesses with 15 or fewer employees. To see if Windows Server 2008 Foundation makes sense for your organization, check out the Compare Features, the Compare Server Roles, and the Differentiated Features charts.
Speaking of Windows Server, April is Windows Server 2008 month for TechNet Magazine’s daily tips. Here are some of the Windows Server tips you’ll find:
" Commands and Tools for Managing Windows Server 2008 Server Core
" Quickly Filter Event Logs in Windows Server 2008
" Create System Startup / Shutdown and User Logon / Logoff Scripts
For tips on other products, including Windows Vista and Windows 7, check out the TechNet MagazineTips library.
Getting in Touch with Windows 7
You’ve no doubt heard about the improvements to the user interface in Windows 7 which optimize for touch. Here’s a chance to understand the Windows team’s approach with Windows Touch and what was done with Windows to make the interaction truly remarkable. The Engineering Windows 7 blog contains a very in-depth piece on what went into making Windows touchable.
Getting Ready for Windows 7
The just-released Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.5 allows you to assess Windows 7 and IE8 compatibility, control information sent to the Compatibility Exchange, and label data collection packages by role. Want the inside scoop? Check out this Springboard Series blog interview with Jeremy Chapman, Windows Senior Product Manager.
Virtualization Self-Assessment Kit
Want to understand virtualization’s impact on your business? Download the Virtualization Self-Assessment Kit. It brings together some of our best resources to help you understand specific impacts, such as cost savings.
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Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash
Your Featured Content
Ensure that the content most relevant to you is presented in this section.
Windows 7 Manageability Overview
Get a quick overview of the manageability improvements in Windows 7 that can reduce total cost of ownership by helping to increase automation, improve user productivity, and provide flexible administrative control to meet compliance requirements.
Check Out the New Installments in the Windows 7 Walkthrough Video Series
Get up to speed on new and updated features in Windows 7. Now available are screencasts on BranchCache, the User State Migration Tool (USMT), DirectAccess, User Account Control (UAC), and the Windows Troubleshooting Platform.
Try the Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer Service Beta
Verify that your Internet facing services are set up and configured properly with the new Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer. Remotely test the Exchange Active Sync, Outlook Anywhere, and Inbound SMTP services. For more on the beta of this online tool, see the Microsoft Exchange team blog.
Updated Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
MDOP customers can now get updates with the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2009. MDOP 2009 includes the first release of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V 1.0), a cumulative update to Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V 4.5 CU1) and an update to the Asset Inventory Service (AIS).
EPM Webcast Series Featured on EPM University
Register for the following webcasts:
" Reduce Costs: Seven Steps to Optimize Project Portfolio Selection
" Capital Planning & Investment Control for Government
" Connecting the Worlds of Project Portfolio Management & Application Lifecycle Management
" Growth: Transform Your Business with Innovation Management
" Maximize Efficiency: Drive ROI by Enhancing Project & Portfolio Execution
Microsoft Office Project 2007 Webcast Series
Each webcast is eligible for 1 PMI PDU credit. Register today.
" Using Project 2007 in a Manufacturing Environment (Level 200)
April 15, 2009, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
" Using Project 2007 to Manage Large or Small IT Projects (Level 200)
May 20, 2009, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Download Expression Blend 3 Preview
Expression Blend 3 Preview creates content that targets Silverlight 3 and provides new capabilities, including SketchFlow, for effectively prototyping the flow and composition of applications. Also try Expression Web SuperPreview, a feature of Expression Web which enables developers to quickly and easily troubleshoot Web page rendering across a wide variety of browsers.
ASP.NET MVC enables Web developers to build Web solutions that are easy to maintain because it decreases the dependency between layers by using the model-view-controller (MVC) pattern. In addition, it provides complete control over page markup and improves testability, which enables developers to make use of test-driven development.
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Trial
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 delivers streamlined communications for your users so they can find and communicate with the right person, right now, from the applications they use most (such as Office Outlook).
New SQL Server 2008 Migration Solution Center
This site provides prescriptive guidance and a clear process for executing successful migrations to SQL Server. The freely downloadable SQL Server Migration Assistants (SSMAs) reduce the efforts required to move databases from Access, Oracle, and Sybase to SQL Server.
Now Available: The Latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Volume 6
Find extensive analysis and prescriptive guidance on emerging privacy and security threats in the second half of 2008. For the first time, threat information will be broken down by U.S. state.
Provision Hyper-V Hosts and Guests without Driver Headaches
Prowess SmartDeploy Enterprise reduces the frustration of driver management when trying to provision Hyper-V servers and virtual guests on different hardware. Get up and running in 15 minutes with this portable deployment solution for all shipping Windows operating systems.
Webcast: Operations Manager 2007 R2 Deployment and Upgrade Best Practices (Level 300)
April 15, 2009, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Gain useful insights into what worked, as well as what didn’t, when deploying Operations Manager 2007 into different environments.
New Videos for IT Pros
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sharepointserver/dd425022.aspx
How Do I: Install & Configure Microsoft Office SharePoint Server? (Part 2)
20 Minutes 55 seconds
Join Hilton Giesenow as he demonstrates how to install the components of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS). This 2nd half of the series covers configuring the shared services on the server and creating and configuring a new Shared Services Provider as well as creating the first site collection in the new instance.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sharepointserver/dd425026.aspx
How Do I: Configure Search Indexing
18 Minutes 8 seconds
In this video, Hilton Giesenow demonstrates how to configure search indexing settings in your Shared Services Provider to index the content of your MOSS Web application. The video looks at using the Search site template and also at indexing external content, specifically a network file share.
Featured Downloads
Download Windows Internet Explorer 8
Internet Explorer 8 can help reduce security risks, includes a backward compatibility mode, expanded management capabilities, and deployment support. Find features such as a cross-site scripting filter, the SmartScreen Filter, improved ActiveX technologies, 100 new group policies, and an application compatibility toolkit.
Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server Trial
Discover fast and effective protection against IM-based malware by multiple scanning engines from industry-leading security partners and reduce corporate liability by blocking IM messages containing inappropriate content.
IT Management
Webcast: How to Prioritize IT Projects to Reduce Costs
April 23, 2009 11:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Get step-by-step guidance on how to select and prioritize IT projects that meet your organization’s unique needs. Find ways to start reducing costs immediately, and increase time to drive business value.
Have a Game Plan to Navigate the Economy
Microsoft has solutions that can help small and midsize businesses reduce IT spending and better manage business costs so you can do more with less in this tough economic climate. Specifically, this month we’d like to tell you how virtualization can save you money by reducing hardware and energy costs. See the game plan for small business and midsize business.
Scripting for IT Pros
Hey Scripting Guy...
" How Can I Create a Scheduled Task on a Number of Computers?
" How Can I Identify All Local Users, Groups, and Services on a Local Computer?
" How Can I Change the Passwords of Multiple Local Computer Accounts?
See previous comics in the TechNet Flash Web-based archive.
Support and Troubleshooting
How-tos
" How to override .NET connectionManagement settings in an application configuration file
" How to return uniqueidentifier initialized with NEWSEQUENTIALID() function to the .NET client
Hotfixes
" Web console hotfix package for System Center Operations Manager 2007
Knowledge Base Articles
" Recovery process of a DFS Namespace in Windows 2003 and 2008 Server
See a selection of new Knowledge Base articles on the TechNet Web site. KB articles feature an Article Translations box in the right column. You can select a language from the drop-down list and read the article in the selected language.
Upcoming Webcasts
IT Manager Community Talk with Kevin: Virtualization (Level 100)
April 9, 2009, 11:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Join a discussion with your peers to kick off the Community Talk series addressing virtualization solutions and answering your questions to demystify virtualization, simplify your understanding of the technology and its purpose, and discuss the ways in which Microsoft can help jumpstart your efforts.
Platform Solution Blueprints Webcast: Unified Communications (Level 200)
May 5, 2009, 1:00 P.M. Pacific Time
Register for this live webcast to learn about how Microsoft Unified Communications simplifies access to information no matter where you are. See how context, relevance, and immediacy help move you from being available to being ready.
Identity and Security
Microsoft Exchange Hosted Filtering Becomes Microsoft Forefront Online Security for Exchange
Take advantage of a hybrid protection strategy that uses both in-the-cloud spam- and virus-filtering services and on-premises antivirus software for protection of your messaging environments. Exchange Hosted Services Filtering will become Forefront Online Security for Exchange (FOSE). Download the new white paper, “Maximizing Messaging Security with Forefront Security for Exchange Server and Exchange Hosted Filtering.”
Download Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway Beta 2
Try the next generation of Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) Server and experience key features that include Web antimalware, HTTPS inspection and the Network Inspection System.
On Demand
Creating a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (Level 300)
Desktop Virtualization uses Microsoft Virtual PC to deliver an entire operating system environment to a client computer, which enables them to run applications in isolation from the regular desktop environment.
Platform Solution Blueprints Podcast: Business Intelligence and Search
In this podcast, we demonstrate how easily and efficiently an organization can collect, analyze, publish, and collaborate on information that drives corporate strategy.
Virtual Labs
Understanding NAP and the Forefront Client Security Integration Kit for NAP
After completing this lab, you will be better able to understand Network Access Protection (NAP) components, review NAP health certificates, verify connectivity between compliant NAP clients, and demonstrate network restriction of a noncompliant NAP client.
How to Protect MOSS with DPM 2007
After completing this lab, you will be better able to add disks to DPM using the DPM Management Shell, use the DPM Console to create protection groups, use the DPM Management Shell to create protection groups, and recover SQL databases in a variety ways.
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