TechNet Flash - Volume 10, Issue 7: April 2, 2008
Note from the Editor
Greetings New TechNet Flash Subscriber,
With all the recent launches, including the SP1 update for Windows Vista, it’s time to start talking about the “D” word. That’s right, deployment, and here’s a great place to start: The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 is now Windows Vista Service Pack 1-ready. Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008 is the next version of Microsoft Business Desktop Deployment 2007, adding integration with recently released Microsoft deployment technologies to create a single path for image creation and automated installation of desktops and servers.
You can also deploy the 2007 Microsoft Office system with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.
To access guidance, resources, tools, and straight-talk articles to help address your Windows Vista adoption questions anytime, visit the Springboard Series for Windows Vista.
If you missed the Windows Vista Virtual Roundtable with Mark Russinovich, do yourself a favor and watch the on-demand replay. Microsoft Technical Fellow and desktop guru Mark Russinovich hosted a panel of independent industry experts and IT pros from organizations around the world that have already deployed Windows Vista. They openly discussed known challenges, solutions, and workarounds, plus they provided tips and tricks based on their real-world deployment experiences. Also find video and audio download options on TechNet Spotlight. Don’t believe it’s worth your time? Check out this 90-second snippeton YouTube.
TechNet Magazine this month focuses its sights on Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Check out what’s new for database administrators, explore some of the most important security-related changes, and get an in-depth look at the seven new built-in data types. For more, watch “24 Hours of SQL Server 2008.”
Cool Stuff Update
" Turn Your Home or Office into a Connected Entertainment Center
Want to watch TV on your PC, on your schedule? Check out Windows Media Center in action.
" LifeCam NX3000 and NX6000
Learn about ultra-compact notebook webcams for video calling.
" Wireless Laser Desktop 7000
Including the Wireless Laser Mouse 7000, this sleek new duo brings the beauty of Windows Aero to your desktop with a translucent design, floating keys, and instant access to Windows Flip 3D.
" Silverlight Showcase
At last count, there are more than 172 applications from 38 different countries displaying the innovation and creativity that Silverlight enables.
Thanks for reading,
Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/cc307899.aspx
Your Featured Content
Ensure that the content most relevant to you is presented in this section.
Webcasts: Delivering Advanced Communications and Mobile Applications
Join our technical experts for this webcast series and discover how the Windows Mobile platform integrates with your existing IT infrastructure, so you can deploy and manage mobile devices and applications from a centralized location using familiar management tools to provide a secure, scalable, and affordable solution.
Download the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SDK
Download this software development kit (SDK) console, to build automation scripts for batch processing to the SMS Provider, and to manipulate System Center Configuration Manager 2007 client settings.
Read SearchWinComputing.com’s Assessment of System Center Data Protection Manager 2007
Author Gary Olson describes the capabilities that make Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 “definitely worth evaluating for a true enterprise solution, especially when combined with OEM storage server products like NAS and even SAN products." Download the 2007 Microsoft Office Servers Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Get important customer-requested stability and performance improvements and incorporate further enhancements to user security. This service pack also includes all of the updates released for the 2007 Microsoft Office system servers prior to December 2007.
Download the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 1
The 2007 Microsoft Office suite Service Pack 1 delivers important customer-requested stability and performance improvements, while incorporating further enhancements to user security. This service pack also includes all of the updates released for the 2007 Office suite prior to December 2007.
Top 10 Reasons to Adopt Hyper-V
Check out the top 10 compelling reasons to move to Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V technology.
Windows Server 2008 Virtualization Product Overview
This white paper introduces Hyper-V as a key component of the Microsoft datacenter-to-desktop virtualization strategy. It shows how new and enhanced features in Hyper-V help relieve enterprise customer pain points in common scenarios: server consolidation, business continuity and disaster recovery management, testing and development, and the dynamic data center.
Windows Server 2008 Interoperability
Learn about the advantages of using Windows Server 2008 with Windows Vista, and find information on how Windows Server 2008 interoperates with other applications and platforms.
Now Available: Windows Server 2008 Security Guide
Protect your organization from attacks with the Windows Server 2008 Security Guide. You'll get comprehensive security guidance, preconfigured security settings, and automated tools that reduce security policy deployment times by up to 80 percent.
Webcast: The XRAME: Platform for Legacy Modernization (Level 200)
April 24, 11:30 AM Pacific Time
In this one-hour webcast, we present an overview of XFRAME, a powerful mainframe migration and re-hosting platform that companies can use to move mainframe workloads to the Windows Server platform. XFRAME is one of the only complete mainframe re-hosting environments currently available that supports the Windows Server environment.
Webcast: 24 Hours of SQL Server 2008: Ensuring Business Continuity (Level 200)
April 7, 11:30 AM Pacific Time
In this webcast, we look at high-availability options in SQL Server 2008 that help ensure that these systems are there when they are needed -- regardless of what component has failed.
April 3, 1:00 PM Pacific Time
In this webcast, we look at Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Resource Kit tools and how they provide a set of deployment and technical reference information for Office Communications Server 2007. We discuss a few tools in depth, and provide scenarios and demonstrations of when and how to use these tools.
Webcast: Compliance and Archiving in Office Communications Server 2007 (Level 200)
May 13, 1:00 PM Pacific Time
In this webcast, we look at how to set up archiving for Office Communications Server 2007, and discuss how to enable Call Detail Records. We also show you how to pull data out of the SQL Server database in relation to archiving, and we look at manipulation of the Call Details Records data.
Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Developers Information
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Developers is the newest release of the Internet Explorer Web browser including advancements in Web standards that enable developers to build interoperable sites faster and easier.
" Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Developers: Technology Overview
" Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Developers: Developer Center
" Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Developers: FAQ for Business
Minnesota Small Business Server Users Group (MSBSUG)
Join MSBSUG on April 8 for its monthly meeting.
Huntsville NT Users Group (HuNTUG)
Join HuNTUG on April 8 for its monthly meeting.
Sacramento Small Business Server Technology Users Group (SSBSTUG)
Join SSBSTUG on April 8 for its monthly meeting.
New York EXchange Users Group (NYEXUG)
Join NYEXUG on April 8 for its monthly meeting.
Join TW-SBS on April 9 for its monthly meeting.
Carolina IT Professionals Group (CITPG)
Join CITPG on April 9 for its monthly meeting.
Lexington Microsoft User Group (LexMUG)
Join LexMUG on April 9 for its monthly meeting.
Michigan Small Business Server UG (MISBS)
Join MISBS on April 9 for its monthly meeting.
South Florida SBS User's Group (SOFLSBS)
Join SOFLSBS on April 10 for its monthly meeting.
North Texas PC Users Group, Inc. (NTPCUG)
Join NTPCUG on April 12 for its monthly meeting.
ASNP -- The Association of Storage Networking Professionals (ASNP)
Join ASNP on April 15 for its monthly meeting.
Triangle SBS User Group (TriSBS)
Join TriSBS on April 15 for its monthly meeting.
Evaluation Center Updates
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 Trial Software
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 is a comprehensive solution optimized for the management of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 servers running in the virtualized data center. Register to download the free 120-day trial software and you will receive valuable resources assembled to address the challenges specific to each stage of evaluation.
Windows Server 2008 Trial Software Now Available for Download
With its built-in server and presentation virtualization technologies, Windows Server 2008 enables you to reduce costs, increase hardware utilization, and accelerate and extend application deployment and access, while improving server and application availability. Also see the Top 11 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008.
Scripting for IT Pros
Hey Scripting Guy...
" How Can I Add a Hotkey to an HTA Button?
" How Can I Use Both AND and OR Operators in a Single WMI Query?
" How Can I Use Data Read From a Text File as Command-Line Parameters For a Batch File?
See previous comics in the TechNet Flash Web-based archive.
Support and Troubleshooting
How-to Articles
" How to obtain support from Microsoft for certain Groove Virtual Office 3.1 licensing issues
" How to create an ISO image for a Windows PE CD-ROM for Windows Server 2008
Hotfixes
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.
Featured Downloads
Announcing the Software Updates Synchronization SuperFlow
The Software Updates Synchronization SuperFlow is a dynamic, interactive dataflow model that provides all of the information needed to understand the software updates synchronization process in System Center Configuration Manager 2007.
Determine Your Hardware and Migration Readiness in Just Hours
Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator is the expanded version of the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Solution Accelerator tool that was released in early 2007. New features include Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 hardware assessment, virtualization candidacy recommendation for Virtual Server 2005 R2 (this release) and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V (future release), and more.
Get Connected to Fabulous Prizes with the Windows HPC Server Beta Program
Sweepstakes prizes include:
" One Xbox 360
" Ten $100 Amazon.com gift certificates
" Ten Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 copies
Upcoming Webcasts
What Is Coming Beyond System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 (Level 200)
April 23, 8:00 AM Pacific Time
In this webcast, we discuss what is in store for System Center Data Protection Manager 2007.
High-Performance Computing with Windows (Level 200)
May 30, 11:30 AM Pacific Time
In this webcast, we discuss the high-performance computing (HPC) in Windows compared with a Linux solution.
Security
For a limited time, get up to 35 percent off the estimated retail price of Microsoft Forefront Client Security. Find out more and download the trial software.
Webcast: Information About Microsoft April Security Bulletins (Level 200)
April 9, 11:00 AM Pacific Time
On April 8, Microsoft releases its monthly security bulletins. Join us for a brief overview of the technical details of the April security bulletins. The intent of this Webcast is to address your concerns. Therefore, most of the time will be devoted to attendees asking questions about the bulletins and getting answers from our security experts.
On Demand
Concurrent Deployment of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (Level 100)
Explore the advantages of an infrastructure based on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Join us as we discuss the processes and tools that make the adoption process smoother, as well as provide prescriptive guidance and best practices.
Learn More About Windows HPC Server 2008 on Edge.TechNet
On-demand webcasts include:
" Using Windows PowerShell in Windows HPC Server 2008
" Job Submission and Management in Windows HPC Server 2008
" Compute Node Deployment with Windows HPC Server 2008
Virtual Labs
These virtual labs give you a chance to test drive the new features of Windows Server 2008, which include improvements to management, network protection, and Terminal Services. Sign up for a free 90-minute block of time, download a manual, and step through a lab today.
SQL Server 2008: Access Your Data Any Place, Any Time
Test drive SQL Server 2008 and see how it can provide a scalable, high-performance database engine for mission-critical applications that require the highest levels of availability and security. Virtual labs are simple, with no complex setup or installation required. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module.
Received TechNet Flash from a Friend?
The TechNet Flash is full of pointers to in-depth technical information that we encourage subscribers to forward to friends and co-workers. If you've received this issue from someone via e-mail and would like to receive the freeTechNet Flash newsletter biweekly, all you have to do is register.