Tag: Server 2008

Active Directory Replication Status Tool

The Active Directory Replication Status Tool (ADREPLSTATUS) analyzes the replication status for domain controllers in an Active Directory domain or forest. ADREPLSTATUS displays data in a format that is similar to REPADMIN /SHOWREPL * /CSV imported into Excel but with significant enhancements.
Specific capabilities for this tool include:

    • Expose Active Directory replication errors occurring in a domain or forest
    • Prioritize errors that need to be resolved in order to avoid the creation of lingering objects in Active Directory forests
    • Help administrators and support professionals resolve replication errors by linking to Active Directory replication troubleshooting content on Microsoft TechNet
    • Allow replication data to be exported to source or destination domain administrators or support professionals for offline analysis

System Requirements

Supported Operating System

Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Vista, Windows XP

      • ADREPLSTATUS does not install on server core installs of Windows
      • Windows 2000 not supported due to lack of support for .NET Framework 4.0

    Domain membership requirements:

      • Must be joined to the Active Directory domain or forest you intend to monitor

    .NET Framework requirements:

      • .NET Framework 4.0 (you may be prompted to install .NET Framework 3.5.1 first on Windows Server 2008)

    Required User Credentials:

      • Target forest/domain user account

    Supported DC OS versions that can be monitored by ADREPLSTATUS:

      • Windows Server 2003
      • Windows Server 2003 R2
      • Windows Server 2008
      • Windows Server 2008 R2
      • Windows Server 2012

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Microsoft Office 2013 KMS Volume License Pack

Volume license editions of Office 2013 client products require activation. This download enables IT administrators to set up a Key Management Service (KMS) or configure a domain for Active Directory-Based activation. Either of these volume activation methods can locally activate all Office 2013 clients connected to an organization’s network.

Download

Overview

If you want to activate volume license editions of Office 2013, Visio 2013, or Project 2013 with a KMS host or Active Directory-Based activation, you need to first install Office 2013 Volume License Pack. When an Office 2013 volume edition client is installed, it will automatically attempt to activate via either Active Directory by using its existing domain pairing or a DNS-discoverable KMS host on your organization network. To set up Active Directory-Based activation, you must be running Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, or newer.
All volume editions of Office 2013 client products are pre-installed with a Generic Volume License Key (GVLK) key, which supports automatic activation for both KMS and Active Directory-Based Activation, so you will not need to install a product key.
This download contains an executable file that will extract and install KMS host license files. These license files are required for the KMS host service to recognize Office 2013 KMS host keys. On Windows Server 2012 and volume license editions of Windows 8, you can use your same KMS host key to set up Active Directory-Based activation.

System requirements

Supported operating systems: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

    • KMS Host: Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7 (volume editions), Windows Server 2012, or Windows 8.
    • Active Directory-Based Activation
      • Set-up and Configuration: Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or newer.
      • Domain controller: Active Directory Domain Services with the Windows Server 2012 schema installed.

Instructions:Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack

  1. You need to perform this step only if you’re setting up a KMS host on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 (volume editions). Download and run the update contained in the KB article below. This update enables your Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7-based KMS host to successfully activate Office 2013 clients that are running on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012:
    KB 2691586
  2. Download and run the executable file on this page on a supported operating system.
  3. Enter your Office 2013 KMS host key when prompted.
  4. Activate the product key online.
  5. If setting up a KMS host, open port 1688 to allow the KMS host service through the firewall:
    1. Open Control Panel and click on the Windows Firewall icon.
    2. Click the “Allow a program through Windows Firewall” link.
    3. Click the Change Settings button.
    4. Check the box for Key Management Service.
  6. To learn more about configuring your KMS host with slmgr.vbs, see the TechNet documentation found on this page.

Office 2013 Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool

This download includes Group Policy Administrative Template (ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool (OPAX/OPAL) files for Microsoft Office 2013.

This download includes Group Policy Administrative Template files and Office Customization Tool files for use with Office 2013 applications. It also includes an \Admin folder with an Office Customization Tool, and ADMX and ADML versions of Office 2013 system Administrative Template files. For administrative template files, you may use the combination of ADMX and language-specific ADML files on computers running at least Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.

For the latest information about policy settings, please refer to the Microsoft Excel 2013 workbook, Office2013GroupPolicyAndOCTSettings_Reference.xls

admintemplates_32bit.exe

admintemplates_64bit.exe

Windows 8 en Server 2012 KMS Service Activation

For Licensing Server 2012 and Windows 8 on a Windows 2008 R2 server you need to update the KMS Service.

Install the following update: An update is available for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS hosts to support Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as described in KB2691586.
If you don’t install this hotfix registering a Windows Server 2012 KMS will throw an Error: 0xC004F050 The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid

So request the hotfix and install it. Just follow the instructions and you’ll be fine clip_image001

We can start putting our brand new KMS key into action.

Uninstall the current KMS key using slmgr.vbs /upk clip_image002

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Now you can install the new KMS key. The key listed here is obviously a demo one clip_image002[1]If you run in to any issues here, restarting the KMS Service can help. Try that first.

slmgr.vbs /ipk NOPEI-AMNOT-GIVIN-GITTO-YOU!

clip_image004

Now activate your brandnew KMS key running slmgr.vbs /ato
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We run slmgr.vbs /dlv again and as you can see now we can activate all our Windows 2012 servers and Windows 8 computers

clip_image006

Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter Solution Accelerator

The Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter (MVMC) Solution Accelerator is a Microsoft-supported, stand-alone solution for the IT pro or solution provider who wants to convert VMware-based virtual machines and disks to Hyper-V®-based virtual machines and disks.

MVMC provides the following features:

  • Converts and deploys virtual machines from VMware hosts to Hyper-V hosts including Hyper-V on Windows Server® 2012. As part of the machine conversion MVMC converts the virtual disks attached to the source virtual machine. It also migrates configuration such as memory, virtual processor and so on from the source virtual machine to the converted virtual machine deployed on Hyper-V. It adds virtual network interface cards (NICs) to the converted virtual machine on Hyper-V.
  • Converts VMware virtual disks to Hyper-V based virtual hard disks (VHDs).
  • Supports conversion of virtual machines from VMware vSphere 4.1 and 5.0 hosts to Hyper-V.
    • Note MVMC also supports conversion of virtual machines from VMware vSphere 4.0 if the host is managed by vCenter 4.1 or vCenter 5.0. You have to connect to vCenter 4.1 or 5.0 through MVMC to convert virtual machines on vSphere 4.0.
  • Offers fully scriptable command-line interfaces for performing virtual machine and disk conversions that integrates well with data center automation workflows and Windows PowerShell scripts.
  • Has a wizard-driven GUI, making it simple to perform virtual machine conversion.
  • Uninstalls VMware tools prior to conversion to provide a clean way to migrate VMware-based virtual machines to Hyper-V.
  • Supports Windows Server guest operating system conversion, including Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003 SP2.
  • Enables conversion of Windows® client versions including Windows 7.
  • Installs integration services on the converted virtual machine if the guest operating system is Windows Server 2003 SP2.

System requirements

Supported operating systems: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

Before you install MVMC, you must install the following software on the computer on which MVMC will run:

  • Operating systems: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 (full installation)
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 and Microsoft .NET Framework 4 if installing MVMC on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 if installing MVMC on Windows Server 2012

Download

List of Performance hotfixes for Windows 7 SP1

Applies to:
Windows 2008 R2 SP1
Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Windows 7 SP1

Article ID: 2505438 – Slow performances in applications that use the DirectWrite API on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2505438

Article ID: 2505454 – The startup process is delayed on a computer that has a large hard disk installed and is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2505454

Article ID: 2510636 – An update that improves the startup performance of Windows 7 and of Windows Server 2008 R2 is available
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2510636

Article ID: 2523887 – You may encounter file corruption issues when you use the Offline Files feature to synchronize data in Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2523887

Article ID: 2524478 – The network location profile changes from "Domain" to "Public" in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2. This problem can affect Group Policy processing at boot time because NLA does not know what network profile to use.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2524478

Article ID: 2525332 – You encounter a long logon time after you enable the "Do not automatically make redirected folders available offline" Group Policy setting in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2525332

Article ID: 2555428 – The Windows 7 startup process is slow when you create many restore points
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2555428

Article ID: 2561285 – You experience a long domain logon time in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2 after you deploy Group Policy preferences to the computer
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2561285

Article ID: 2561708 – Offline files synchronization may not finish on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2561708

Article ID: 2581608 – Logon scripts take a long time to run in Windows Vista, in Windows Server 2008, in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2581608

Article ID: 2582112 – Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 stops responding when an application performs many I/O operations to a network share
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2582112

Article ID: 2610379 – The Folder Redirection policy does not work if a previous user sets a redirected folder to an offline mode in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2610379

Article ID: 2617858 – Unexpectedly slow startup or logon process in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows 7
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2617858

Article ID: 2625434 – "ERROR_SHARING_VIOLATION" error message in Windows XP or in Windows Server 2003 when you try to open a file on an SMB share on a server that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2625434

Article ID: 2640148 – Windows Explorer stops responding if you try to expand a mapped drive in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2640148

Article ID: 2645611 – Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 stops responding if you try to log on a computer that has multiple monitors
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2645611

Delay occurs when you log on to a domain from a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=2709630

Article ID: 2709630  2690528 Slow performance when you browse the My Documents folder in the document library in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2690528/en-us

An update is available for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 KMS hosts to support Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

This update extends the Key Management Service (KMS) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to allow enterprise licensing of Windows 8 and of Windows Server 2012.
KMS provides support for the following KMS client activations:

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
  • Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
  • Windows 8
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows 7 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
  • Windows Vista and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Key Management Service (KMS) uses a KMS host key to activate KMS on a KMS host, and to establish a local activation service in your environment. This update extends support for KMS to provide activation for Windows 8 and for Windows Server 2012.

Download

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 Update 1

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012 Update 1 is the newest version of MDT, a Solution Accelerator for operating system and application deployment. MDT 2012 Update 1 supports deployment of Windows 8, Windows 7, Office 2010 and 365, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2 in addition to deployment of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP.

Some of the key changes in MDT 2012 Update 1 are:

  • Added support for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
  • Support for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 CTP: Added support in MDT for deploying Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 with Configuration Manager 2012 SP1 CTP, while supporting all new Configuration Manager functionality (offline BitLocker, UEFI, and Assessment and Deployment Kit).
  • Support for DaRT 8 Beta: Updated MDT to support DaRT 8 for Windows 8 deployments, while continuing to support DaRT 7 for Windows 7 deployments. Added DaRT support for Configuration Manager scenarios.
  • New “Build Your Own Pages” User-Driven Installation (UDI) feature: Enhanced the UDI wizard and designer to enable IT pros to design their own wizard pages with little effort.
  • New System Center 2012 – Orchestrator support: Provided the ability to add steps into an OS deployment task sequence to execute Orchestrator runbooks as part of the deployment process.
  • Other improvements: Added support for Windows PowerShell 3.0, reworked Roles and Features installation logic for Windows 8, improved “boot from VHD” deployment scenarios, and added support for Configuration Manager monitoring.

Download

Exchange 2010: Setting Static RPC ports when using a Kemp LoadMaster

When you use a Kemp LoadMaster for Loadbalacing Exchange 2010 you need to set static RPC ports.

By default Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 are configured with a dynamic RPC range of 49152-65535 for outbound connections. When the Exchange 2010 Client Access server role is installed on Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2, the dynamic RPC port range is changed to 6005-59530 and the highest usable port number is set to 60554.

Exchange 2010 RPC Client Access Service

By default the RPC Client Access service on an Exchange 2010 Client Access server uses the TCP End Point Mapper port (TCP/135) and the dynamic RPC port range (6005-59530) for outgoing connections, every time an Outlook clients establish a connection to Exchange.

To set a static port for the RPC Client Access service on an Exchange 2010 Client Access server, you need to open the registry on the respective server and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\MSExchangeRPC

Here, you need to create a new key named ParametersSystem, and under this key create a REG_DWORD named TCP/IP Port. The Value for the DWORD should be the port number you want to use.

Configuring static ports for the RPC Client Access service

RPC.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\MSExchangeRPC\ParametersSystem]
"TCP/IP Port"=dword:0000e88c

Note

Microsoft recommends you set this to a unique value between 59531 and 60554 and use the same value on all CAS in any one AD site.

When you’ve configured the port, it’s required to restart the Microsoft Exchange RPC Client Access service in order for the changes to be applied.

Exchange 2010 Address Book Service

To set a static RPC port for the Exchange Address Book Service, create a new REG_SZ registry key named “RpcTcpPort” under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\MSExchangeAB\Parameters



RPCAB.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\MSExchangeAB\Parameters]
"RpcTcpPort"="59533"

Microsoft recommends you set this to a unique value between 59531 and 60554 and use the same value on all Exchange 2010 Client Access servers in any one AD site.

When you’ve configured the port, it’s required to restart the Microsoft Exchange Address Book service in order for the changes to be applied.

Exchange 2010 Public Folder connections

By default public folder connections uses the TCP End Point Mapper (TCP/135) and the dynamic RPC port range (49152-65535) for outgoing connections, every time an Outlook client establish a connection to Exchange.

To set a static port for public folder connections, follow the same steps as those required for configuring static ports for the RPC CA service. Just bear in mind you need to perform them on the Exchange 2010 servers that stores public folder databases. This is because public folder connections from an Outlook client occur against the RPC Client Access service on the Mailbox server role.

Verifying the Statically Configured Ports are used

In order to verify that the static ports configured are used, the netstat.exe tool can be used:

Netstat -an -p tcp

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Verifying the configured static ports are used on the Client Access and Mailbox servers
In my next blog post I will show how to config a Kemp Loadmaster.

Reference:
Link: Configure Static RPC Ports on an Exchange 2010 Client Access Server

Setup KMS Server for Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7

Open the command prompt and run the following command:

cscript c: \ Windows \ System32 \ slmgr.vbs / ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Enter the product key xxxxx Windows Server 2008 R2. It is also able to activate Windows 7. The following text appears when the command is successful.

Microsoft ® Windows Script Host Version 5.7
Copyright © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Installed product key xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx successfully.
The installation of the KMS server is complete. The server installs itself on port 1688. This port must be opened to be put in the firewall. To change the port the following command can be used.

Slmgr.vbs / SPRT xxxx
Once the firewall is open and the key is installed, the KMS server service has to be restarted. Do this by using the following command:

slsvc & net stop & net start slsvc

To check whether the data will be registered correctly in the DNS, the following command:

nslookup-type = srv _vlmcs._tcp

Here, the following output should appear:

_vlmcs._tcp.test.local SRV service location:
priority = 0
weight = 0
port = 1688
svr hostname = kms.wardvissers.local
internet address = 192.168.150.7 kms.wardvissers.local

Clients / Servers

The clientele / servers need to connect to the KMS host will automatically find the host by dns. When the client / server using a MAK key is activated. Should this be put back to a KMS client key. These keys are released by Microsoft. When this key is set on the client / server will automatically look for a KMS host. When not present, the client / server activation.

KMS client keys:

Windows 7 Enterprise: 33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH
Windows Server 2008 Standard: TM24T-X9RMF-VWXK6-X8JC9-BFGM2
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise: YQGMW-MPWTJ-34KDK-48M3W-X4Q6V
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard – YC6KT-GKW9T-YTKYR-T4X34-R7VHC
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise – 489J6-VHDMP-X63PK-3K798-CPX3Y

The following commands can the key be changed from MAK to KMS here are the xxxxx is one of the above keys.

slmgr.vbs / ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Note: To ensure that the client is forced to activate the command to be executed on the client.
slmgr-ato

It can happen that the RMS server returns the following message. This is because the KMS server is just beginning to work with 25 clients and 5 servers.

You can find here the list with error codes & solutions: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938450

Special thanks to:Harm Hoekstra

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