Category: Microsoft

Exchange 2010 SP1 Beta

Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 Beta is available now. It incorporates a number of feature updates including: archiving and discovery enhancements, a faster Outlook Web App (OWA), upgraded mobility features, and several improvements in the management UI. In short it helps you achieve new levels of reliability and performance by delivering features that help to simplify your administration, protect your communications, and delight your customers by meeting their demands for greater business mobility.

Microsoft Download Center Link is here and direct downloadable exe file link is available below.

File Name: Exchange2010-SP1-Beta-x64.exe
Version: 14.01.0180.002
Date Published: 6/5/2010
Language: English
Download Size: 532.5 MB

Configuring NLB for Exchange 2010 for CAS Load Balancing

Exchange’s dependence on the Client Access Server (CAS) role has increased dramatically in Exchange 2010.  This is because, in Exchange 2010, on-network Outlook MAPI connectivity now connects to a mailbox through the CAS role via the RPC Client Access Service.  As a result, high availability of the CAS role is crucial since any failure of CAS could affect Outlook client connectivity.  For smaller implementations or those where the limitations of native Windows Network Load Balancing (NLB) are not a major problem

You need two or more Exchange 2010 servers (each with two NICs) with the CAS role installed have been deployed, you are ready to start configuring NLB to provide high availability and load balancing.  First, you must allocate a dedicated private IP address and create an associated A record in DNS for the NLB cluster. 

This IP address and name are what clients will connect to and against which the ClientAccessArray will be created.  In this blog post, I will use 192.168.150.95 and casarray.hyper-v.local
To simplify the management of your NLB cluster members, I recommend that you name each NIC’s network connection so that it is easy to understand what function the NIC serves.  For example, as depicted below, I have named the connections “LAN” (used for communication with clients and servers on the network) and “NLB” (used for internal NLB heartbeat).  This process should be repeated on all NLB cluster members.

IP configuration:
Server 1:
LAN:
IP: 192.168.150.90
Subnetmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.150.254
DNS: 192.168.150.1

Server 2:
LAN:
IP: 192.168.150.91
Subnetmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.150.254
DNS: 192.168.150.1
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Configuring NLB – First Member

On each NLB cluster member, NLB must be installed.  With Windows 2008 R2, this can be completed simply by running the command “ServerManagerCmd -i NLB” via a command prompt.  Once NLB has been installed, launch the Network Load Balancing Manager to continue the configuration process.

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To create your new cluster, you can right-click Network Load Balancing Clusters or simply click Cluster, New.  In the New Cluster wizard, enter the name of the first server in the NLB cluster (for example, CHEK10-01) and click Connect.  This will display the available NICs on the server, at which point the NLB NIC should be chosen before clicking Next.

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Since this is the first member of the NLB cluster, you can leave the all of the Host Parameters at their default values, as depicted below.  Please note that the Priority value should be configured as 1 for the first member.

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Next we must configure the IP address and subnet mask of the NLB cluster, which is the IP address for which we created a DNS A record at the very beginning of this process.  In this example, this would be 192.168.150.95 and 255.255.255.0, respectively.

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For the Cluster Parameters, we want to enter the FQDN of the DNS A record we created at the very beginning of this process (casarray.hyper-v.local).  In addition, Unicast should be selected as the desired clustered operation mode.

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I lieve the Port Rules how they are and end with Finish
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Let the NLB cluster converge with its first member and you should eventually see the cluster report success.

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Now you can proceed with adding your second cluster member.

Configuring NLB – Second/Subsequent Member

After the configuration of the NLB cluster itself and the first NLB cluster member has been completed, you are ready to add additional members.  Provided that NLB has been installed, you can simply right-click on your NLB cluster in the Network Load Balancing Manager and click Add Host To Cluster.

Enter the name of the second NLB cluster member, for example CHEK10-02, and click Connect.  Be sure to choose the NLB LAN NIC and click Next.

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On the Host Parameters screen, ensure that the Priority is set to 2 (or as appropriate, depending on how many cluster members you have) and click Next.

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Confirm that your port rules are accurate and, if they are, click Finish to add your second NLB cluster member.

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Let the NLB cluster converge with the new member and, eventually, it should report success.

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At this point, you have an NLB cluster with two members!

Next configure CASARRAY.

Access Denied Error 0x80070005 message when initializing TPM for Bitlocker

When you try to turn on Bitlocker on Windows 7 Operating System Drive, you may get the Access Denied Error message while initializing TPM.

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Additionally, when you open the TPM Management Console and you try to initialize TPM you get error message 0x80070005.

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Solution:

To set correct permissions, follow the instruction below:

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.

2. Select the OU where you have all computers which will have Bitlocker turned ON.

3. Right Click on the OU and click Delegate Control.

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4. Click Next and then click Add.

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5. Type SELF as the Object Name.

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6. Select create a custom task to delegate.

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7. From the object in the folder, select Computer Objects.

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8. Under show these permissions, select all 3 checkbox.

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9. Scroll down in permissions and select the attribute Write msTPM-OwnerInformation.

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10. Click Finish.
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After you have done the above steps, you should be able to initialize TPM successfully.

It worked for me!!!

SOURCE

Exchange 2010 Hiding a Distribution Group from the Exchange Address List

Some times you want to hide a Distribution Group from de Global Address List (GAL).
In Exchange 2010 this is a simple thing
1. Open the properties from the Distribution Group.

2. Go to the Tab Advanced
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3. Set V by Hide group from Exchange address list

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Certificate Manager for Exchange 2007

Exchange 2007 enables SSL within IIS by default. Using PowerShell commands, certificate creation and management is quite confusing and often results with incorrect results due to the nature of the syntax. U-BTech Solutions is providing Certificate Manager for Exchange Server 2007 freely, to ease the process with a simple, easy to use GUI which enables you to:

1) Manage your current server certificates.
2) Enable certificates for Exchange 2007 Services (POP, IMAP, SMTP, IIS, UM).
3) Generate an Exchange 2007 Certificate Signing Request and process the Certificate Authority answer.
4) Generate an Exchange 2007 Self-Signed certificate (not for production use).
5) Easily include additional subject names in a single certificate.
6) Import & Export ability for existing certificates.
To read more about Certificate Use in Exchange 2007 at Microsoft TechNet follow the link:

Certificate Manager for Exchange Server 2007 is currently offered by U-BTech Solutions free of charge

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Certificate Manager for Exchange Server 2007 Flash Demonstration

Download – Certificate Manager for Exchange 2007

SOURCE

Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager for Free

Microsoft has released a new free tool named Remote Desktop Connection Manager.
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Features:
– You can set user, password and domain on a group and every server in that group you add they inherit the same settings this is very handy when you have a lot of servers.
– Bulk import servers is possible with txt files.
– Export the settings

You can Download Remote Desktop Connection Manager Here

Windows Server 2008 R2: Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster

The Hyper V documentation team has done a great job of putting together a detailed Windows Server 2008 R2: Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster.  Download the .PDFimage

The poster provides details on the inner workings of things like:

  • Virtual Networking
  • Virtual Storage
  • Live Migration
  • Virtual Machine Snapshots
  • Virtual Machine File Management

Outlook 2007 Autodiscovery Warning when using SRV record for Autodiscover

Sometimes when you open Outlook 2007 using a autodiscover srv record for Exchange 2007 you wil get de following error:

autodiscover_warning_message 

Solution 1:

1. Close Outlook 2007
2. Start Registry Editor
3. In Windows 7, click Start –> RUN
4. type regedit in de box and then click OK
5. Collapse this imageExpand this image
6. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover
7. Click the Edit menu, point to New, and then click String Value.
8. Type RedirectServers, and then press ENTER
9. Right-click RedirectServers, and then click Modify.
10. In the Value data box, type a semicolon delimited list of the HTTPS servers to which AutoDiscover can be redirected without prompting for confirmation from the user, and then click OK.
For example, you want to allow for the following list of servers:
  – https://wardvissers.nl
  – https://wardvissers.local
11.Type the following in the Value data box: wardvissers.local;wardvissers.nl
12. On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor

Solution 2:
Setting the registry key with group policy preferences.
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When trying to activate you get 0xC004F074 with description "The Key Management Server (KMS) is unavailable"

Error:
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The KMS host that is used is very probably a Windows Server 2008 KMS host that cannot standard activate Windows 7 and 2008 R2 machines.

When you do not have Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS host key have then you must have a Volume License agreement so that your request your Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 kms keys.

Resolution

Step 1:
-If the KMS host a Windows Server 2003 SP2 machine is you have the update from the KB article KB968915 install and restart the machine.
-If the KMS host a Windows Server 2008 SP2 machine is you have the update from the KB article KB968912 install and start the new machine.
-If the KMS host one Windows Server 2008 R2 machine is you have to install any further update.

Step 2:
You the new KMS host key import now. The commands are as follows:

1. Uninstall KMS license Key on host – slmgr.vbs /upk

2. Install Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS license key – slmgr.vbs /ipk <Your Key>

3. Activate KMS server online: slmgr.vbs /ato

4. Net Stop slsvc

5. Net Start slsvc

The clients can now activate

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