Windows Server 2012 can be seen as a major release for Windows Server. Not just in terms of virtualization (Hyper-V 3.0), storage (SMB 3.0 and Storage Spaces) or manageability, but also in terms of Active Directory. There’s a load of new features...

As in Source In terms of what’s next for Exchange, Kevin briefly talked about features that will appear in Exchange 2010 SP2 later this year. Three major updates were discussed: Address Book Policies (ABPs), also known as “GAL segmentation”...

This reliability tool tests your Internet connection to a Microsoft Lync Online Service data center and measures the response times, bandwidth, allowed ports, route taken, and overall connection quality with respect to Real Time Media. The results can...

A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that calculates WAN bandwidth requirements for a Lync Server deployment based on administrator-specified user profiles and network information. With the Lync Server 2010 Bandwidth Calculator, you can enter information...

The Microsoft Active Directory Topology Diagrammer reads an Active Directory configuration using LDAP, and then automatically generates a Visio diagram of your Active Directory and /or your Exchange Server topology. The diagramms may include domains,...

Microsoft released the Lync Server 2010 Edge Server Reference Architecture Diagrams: Reference Architecture 1: Single Consolidated Edge Reference Architecture 2: Scaled Consolidated Edge (DNS Load Balanced) Reference Architecture 3: Scaled...

Are you looking for a way to implement virtual server high availability that does not require the costs and complexity of separate external shared storage devices? Well here is a simple way to get that: HP StorageWorks P4000 Virtual SAN Appliance...

One place on the web where you can find an updated list of ALL the AV exclusions you might want to configure for Windows Servers. This is a pretty comprehensive list of ALL the AV exclusions you might want to configure for Windows Server, including...

Organizations looking for a native solution for GAL Segmentation built into Exchange 2010 will get it with Exchange Server 2010 SP2. For more details please review the announcement that was made today by Kevin Allison on the MS Exchange Team Blog here...

Take advantage of the current exam prices: Register and take your exam by June 30, 2011 There's a pricing calculator on Microsoft's site that can tell you exactly how much the prices are going up. Details are in Source .

Microsoft released the latest Windows 2008 R2 Hyper-V Component Architecture Poster which is updated for Service Pack 1. This poster provides a visual reference for understanding key Hyper-V technologies in Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1....

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Capacity Calculator A spreadsheet for calculating a user’s hardware requirements based on information that the admin supplies about number of users, types of communication, and expected traffic. Includes a Microsoft...

You can use these templates as a starting point for formally documenting your organization's server build procedures for servers that will have Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 server roles installed on them. Templates are provided for the Client Access...

This spreadsheet can be used for calculating a user’s hardware requirements based on information that the admin supplies about number of users, types of communication, and expected traffic. Includes a Microsoft Word document explaining the tool...

Back in October 2010, MS Exchange Team released a small tool that can help you to find the Processor Configuration that must be filled in Exchange 2010 Mailbox Role Calculator. The tool name is Exchange Processor Query Tool , you can find more information...

File server capacity planning and performance troubleshooting are critical aspects of high-level network administration. File server capacity planning tools can be valuable in choosing new hardware for purchase, identifying the capacity of existing hardware...

Use the information in this spreadsheet to determine the number of federation servers recommended for your Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0 deployment. Download from here .

The planning phase is the time in which you decide what Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software features to deploy, and how to deploy them. The Planning Guide chapters describe how to plan for a successful Lync Server 2010 deployment. The...

DNS Load Balancing Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 requires a Hardware Load Balancer (HLB) to provide resilience for the Enterprise pool. This configuration is both expensive and difficult to configure for SIP load balancing. Lync 2010...

Overview Use these scripts to migrate public folders from Exchange 2010 or 2007 to Exchange 2013. In order to migrate Exchange 2010 or 2007 Public Folders to Exchange 2013 on O365, we need to analyze the existing Public Folder hierarchy for size to figure...

Microsoft released a Whitepaper detailing the"Best Practices for Virtualizing Exchange Server 2010 with Windows Server® 2008 R2 Hyper V™" The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance and best practices for deploying Microsoft® Exchange...

The Microsoft Exchange Online Migration Performance Guide helps administrators understand the issues that affect a migration to Office 365 and presents best practices for improving migration performance. This guide includes performance results for migrating...

Version 18.2 Updates Bug Fixes Fixed the calculator’s database copy validation check function to allow for a single DAG to be stretched between datacenters when the database copy count is even. Fixed the “Storage Design Results...

After deploying Exchange 2010, Microsoft recommends to test the Storage sub-system before moving to Production. The below two links take you to guides (Thanks to the Authors!) on how to do it. Jetstress Field Guide Automating Jetstress

The Microsoft IT Environment Health Scanner is a diagnostic tool that is designed for administrators of small or medium-sized networks (recommended up to 20 servers and up to 500 client computers) who want to assess the overall health of their network...