TechNet Flash - Volume 10, Issue 18: September 3, 2008
Note from the Editor
Greetings and Welcome to TechNet Flash,
Just Released
Windows Small Business Server 2008 has been released to manufacturing. As announced on the Small Business Server blog, both SBS Standard and Premium have RTM’d, and will be widely available by our November 12 launch. Stay tuned for more information about the launch.
Also just released, the Service Level Dashboard for Operations Manager 2007 v1.1 is an updated Solution Accelerator with new reports and an attractive graphical display of the service level compliance of your line-of-business (LOB) applications.
Easing the Path to Virtualization
Microsoft recently updated its software licensing terms for 41 server applications, and updated its technical support policy for 31 server applications so that customers can receive technical support when deploying those applications on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft Hyper-V Server, or any validated third-party virtualization platform.
With the new licensing terms, Microsoft is waiving its previous 90-day reassignment rule, allowing customers to reassign licenses from one server to another within a server farm as frequently as needed. For scenarios around how the licensing terms might work for you, check out the Virtualization Team blog.
With the new support policies, customers get the same level of product support in a virtualized environment that they are accustomed to with non-virtual environments. To enable this support policy, Microsoft launched the Server Virtualization Validation Program in June 2008. The program is open to any software vendor to test and validate its virtualization software to run Windows Server 2008 and previous versions of Windows Server. More information is available on the Microsoft Support Web site.
And don’t forget, on September 8, Microsoft will launch its new virtualization products. Register to attendthe launch event in Bellevue, WA and receive a free Microsoft Virtualization evaluation software kit.
Speaking of evaluations, Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is now available. Download IE8 Beta 2 and get access to the IE Deployment Guide and the Application Compatibility Toolkit. Why should an IT pro care about IE8 Beta 2? Watch an interview / screencast / demo on TechNet Edge and find out, or read the InformationWeek article to find out about the new security features.
A quick note on a couple new additions to your TechNet Flash this issue: On the right rail we are now highlighting TechNet Magazine content from the current issue. You will now find links to premium technical content in this location in every newsletter. We also have a new IT Management section with higher-level content that couples the technology and business considerations of IT planning.
And finally, read about the upcoming availability of the new social bookmarking application for the TechNet, MSDN, and Expression sites in the ComputerWorld article Microsoft Details Plans for New Social Bookmarking Tool. Then try out the Social Bookmarks Preview for yourself. For more on how Microsoft is opening up its technical sites to the community, read John Martin’s blog.
Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash
Your Featured Content
Ensure that the content most relevant to you is presented in this section.
Try Expression Studio 2 for Free
Download a trial and explore five great creative products for free. Whether you are designing standards-based Web sites, rich user experiences for the desktop and Silverlight, or managing digital assets and content, Expression Studio 2 takes your creativity to the next level.
Video: Windows PowerShell Introduction
Windows PowerShell is one of the most important tools for administrators. In this screencast, Jeff Alexander goes through the basics to get you started.
Video: Vista Shims and Application Compatibility
Chris Jackson talks about best practices for running the application compatibility portion of a Windows Vista migration, how to fix applications using shims, and how shims may impact security.
Video: Tricks of the Windows Vista Masters
J. Peter Bruzzese talks about where the secrets came from for his latest book, and shares a couple of his favorites.
Operations Manager 2007 Cross-Platform Extensions and Interop Betas Now Available
The Cross-Platform Extensions Beta extends the monitoring and management capabilities of System Center Operations Manager 2007 to non-Microsoft platforms. The Interop Connectors Beta allows Operations Manager 2007 to interoperate and share information with different enterprise management systems and helpdesks.
Download the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers
32-bit | 64-bit
This update includes several new enterprise search features for SharePoint Server 2007, and the latest performance updates and fixes for the Microsoft Office Servers.
On-Demand Webcast: ClickOnce with Visual Studio 2008 (Level 200)
Learn to publish Windows-based applications to a Web server or network file share for simplified installation. See how ClickOnce can make your life easier.
MSDN Magazine: Build a Robust EDI Solution with BizTalk Server
We introduce you to the EDI functionality in BizTalk Server 2006 R2, illustrating schema creation, document mapping, EDI delivery and transmission, and exception handling.
SQL Server 2008 Migration Assistants Now Available for Access, Oracle and Sybase
To help make migrating data easier, SQL Server is happy to announce that migration assistants are now available to help streamline the process of migrating data from Access, Oracle, and Sybase to SQL Server 2008.
Download the SQL Server 2008 Trial Software
Download the fully functional Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Evaluation Edition and try the latest features of SQL Server 2008 free for 180 days.
Download the SQL Server 2008 Feature Pack
Download the June 2008 Feature Pack RC0 for Microsoft SQL Server 2008, a collection of stand-alone installer packages that provide additional value for SQL Server 2008.
Update on Licensing and Virtualization Support for SharePoint Products
Check out the Microsoft SharePoint Team blog and find out more about SharePoint Server 2007 SP1 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 running under Hyper-V.
This session describes Microsoft IT deployment, including server configuration and implementation, collecting server evidence, and lessons learned from deployment. Exchange Hosted Services is an enterprise service offering that currently serves over 10,000 customers and processes 3.5 billion messages across the EHS global network.
Learn how virtualization compliments green IT practices that can lead to more-efficient energy use and cost savings.
Security Advice for IT Pros from Tech·Ed
Join this discussion on security tips and measures you should consider when implementing virtualization in your environment.
Deploying Windows Mobile 6 Devices with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Download this guide to find best practices and procedures for implementing a mobile messaging system with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6-powered devices and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.
On-Demand Webcast: How Microsoft IT Secures Mobile Devices
Microsoft IT fully integrates Windows Mobile features and applications, with both established hardware and infrastructure, and future plans support master security policy migrations, such as complete two-factor authentication operations.
IT Management
Designed to help IT managers and their staff navigate the ever-changing security threat landscape, these pages can help map online resources to specific challenges involved with planning and evaluating your organization’s core IT infrastructure.
Webcast: Taking Control of Your Services with Service Virtualization (Level 200)
Service virtualization enables you to overcome some of the limitations of today’s service implementations by managing endpoints, operations, and policies. Join us to learn about the Managed Services Engine (MSE) that facilitates service virtualization by applying Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Microsoft SQL Server.
Evaluation Center Updates
Try SQL Server 2008 - Your Data, Any Place, Any Time
SQL Server is a comprehensive platform that can store and consume any data type, from anywhere, while reducing development complexity with data abstraction and an environment integrated with Visual Studio and the .NET Framework.
Evaluate Microsoft Forefront Client Security
By delivering simplified administration through central management and providing critical visibility into threats and vulnerabilities, Forefront Client Security helps you protect your business with great confidence and efficiency. Forefront Client Security is now available.
Scripting for IT Pros
Hey Scripting Guy...
" How Can I Find Files’ Metadata?
" How Do I Track Server Downtime?
" How Long Has My Server Been Up?
See previous comics in the TechNet Flash Web-based archive.
Featured Downloads
System Center Updates Publisher (SCUP) 4.0
SCUP 4.0 allows customers to import software update catalogs, create, modify, and export software update definitions, and publish software updates.
Operations Manager 2007 Cross-Platform Extensions Beta 1 Refresh Now Available
Extend the monitoring and management capabilities of System Center Operations Manager 2007 to non-Microsoft platforms including Solaris, HP-UX, Red Hat, SUSE, and now (with this beta refresh) AIX.
Support and Troubleshooting
How-to Articles
" How to correct "disable Autorun registry key" enforcement in Windows
" How to implement a PST override handler to bypass the PSTDisableGrow policy in Outlook 2007
Hotfixes
" A Scalable Networking Pack (SNP) hotfix rollup package is available for Windows Server 2003
Knowledge Base Articles
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
September 17, 1:00 P.M. Pacific Time
Using a case-study-based approach, Cognizant technology and business leader Sai KrupaSagar describes how to develop and implement a strategy for extracting continuous value from efficient, secure, and adaptable systems on Microsoft .NET.
Security
Forefront Client Security Service Pack 1 Now Available
Forefront Client Security SP1 provides new support for Windows Server 2008 roles and the ability to run both the FCS agent and management console on Hyper-V. Forefront Client Security customers will be automatically prompted to install Forefront Client Security SP1 via Microsoft Update. New customers who download the evaluation software will be prompted to upgrade to SP1 after installing.
Proactive Security Management for Your Business
Discover a free security assessment tool that leads you through a series of questions to help you confidently harden your security.
On Demand
A Technical Overview of Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services (Level 200)
Windows Server 2008 adds improvements and innovations to Terminal Services that facilitate better integration of remote and local applications on client computers, access to these same remote programs via a Web browser, and a means to access remote terminals and applications across firewalls.
See a business and technical overview of the activation and validation changes in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. We also cover changes to Key Management Service (KMS) and Multiple Activation Key (MAK), Volume License Keys (VLKs), notification versus reduced functionality mode (RFM), activation grace periods, and re-arms.
Virtual Labs
System Center Operations Manager 2007: Introduction
After completing this lab, you will be better able to deploy an Agent, import a Management Pack, create and use Views, create and use Tasks, monitor and override, create rules and use the web console.
Installing Exchange Server 2007
This lab will walk you through the basics of an Exchange Server 2007 installation, and will demonstrate how a standard installation will work, as well as how to add a server role to an existing installation, via a scripted install in PowerShell.
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