[Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Chris Puckett from Product Quality]

If you have installed the Microsoft .NET Framework v4.0 package on your SBS 2003 server, you may see the following error in the SBS console under Monitoring and Reporting:

Auto-started Services Not Running

Microsoft .Net Framework NGEN v4.0.30319_X86

In normal conditions, these services should be running. For details, it is recommended that you review errors in the Event log related to the service.

A KB article has been published to address this issue. For more information and the resolution steps, visit the following link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2290390

[Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Damian Leibaschoff from Commercial Technical Support]

The requirements to install SQL 2008 Standard Edition for Small Business are documented on this post:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2009/03/23/requirements-for-installing-sql-2008-standard-edition-for-small-business.aspx

Under certain circumstances, you may encounter the block even though all the requirements seem to be met, here is a checklist of things to verify:

• Make sure you are logged in as a domain administrator on the server where you are attempting the install. The SQL setup must be run while logged in to the domain with valid
  domain credentials. The user needs to have domain administrator and local administrator rights.
• Confirm the domain environment health, the verification process needs to be able to talk to all your domain controllers.
• If using SBS, do not use the SBS console to count the number of computers and users, you will have to rely on what is showing in the native Active Directory Users and Computers mmc.

You can also enable verbose logging to get detailed output of which test is failing so you can take corrective action.

To enable verbose logging perform the following steps:

1. After you have experienced the block the first time, close the SQL setup.
2. Open notepad as an administrator and save the following contents:
   

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> 
   
   <configuration> 
   
   <system.diagnostics> 
   
   <trace autoflush="true" /> 
   
   <sources> 
   
   <source name="SBSADCheck" switchType="System.Diagnostics.SourceSwitch" 
   
   switchValue="Verbose"> 
   
   <listeners> 
   
   <add name="myListener" type="System.Diagnostics.TextWriterTraceListener" initializeData="log.txt" /> 
   
   </listeners> 
   
   </source> 
   
   </sources> 
   
   </system.diagnostics> 
   
   </configuration>

3. Save the file in %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Release\x64\Setup100.exe.config
4. Launch the SQL setup and run through to the block.
5. Collect the Verbose log from %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Release\x64\log.txt

[Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Damian Leibaschoff from Commercial Technical Support]

When this SBS 2008 call first came in, the main issue was the Console was not launching (it was actually crashing). Soon we realized that a lot of other services and programs were not able to start successfully on this server. These included most of the Exchange services, the Windows SBS Manager service and almost all of the SBS wizards to mention a few of the issues

At first we thought it could have been related to IPv6 being misconfigured ( Issues After Disabling IPv6 on Your NIC on SBS 2008) but we soon ruled that out.

The exception on every failure was always the same:

Exception type: System.BadImageFormatException

We decided to continue using the console.exe process to investigate the crashes.

Process Monitor showed the following output:

Right on the first page we noticed something odd, our Console is a 64-bit Framework application, yet the 32-bit libraries were being loaded.

When we launched the console under a debugger, we noticed the same strange behavior, it was loading the wrong bitness for the framework assemblies:

CommandLine: "C:\Program Files\Windows Small Business Server\Bin\console.exe"
Symbol search path is: SRV*c:\websymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
Executable search path is:
ModLoad: 00000000`51090000 00000000`515d8000 Console.exe
ModLoad: 00000000`77900000 00000000`77a86000 ntdll.dll
ModLoad: 00000000`77ac0000 00000000`77c20000 ntdll32.dll
ModLoad: 00000000`75770000 00000000`757b5000 C:\Windows\system32\wow64.dll
ModLoad: 00000000`75720000 00000000`7576e000 C:\Windows\system32\wow64win.dll
ModLoad: 00000000`75a70000 00000000`75a79000 C:\Windows\system32\wow64cpu.dll
(1c78.1fd8): Break instruction exception - code 80000003 (first chance)
ntdll!DbgBreakPoint:
00000000`77946060 cc int 3
0:000> g
ModLoad: 00000000`777d0000 00000000`778fd000 WOW64_IMAGE_SECTION
ModLoad: 00000000`75bf0000 00000000`75d00000 WOW64_IMAGE_SECTION
ModLoad: 00000000`777d0000 00000000`778fd000 NOT_AN_IMAGE
ModLoad: 00000000`77700000 00000000`777cd000 NOT_AN_IMAGE
ModLoad: 00000000`73070000 00000000`730ba000 C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mscoree.dll
ModLoad: 00000000`75bf0000 00000000`75d00000 C:\Windows\syswow64\KERNEL32.dll

We ruled out file corruption, especially since most other 64-bit Framework consumers were failing. At this point we started looking at what can cause the Framework to act like this.

We found our answer on a registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\Enable64Bit

The default value for this key is 1, yet on this case it was set to 0, forcing framework applications to run in a 32-bit environment.

To correct this, we changed the value back to 1 and rebooted, we could also have used the native tool that configures this:
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\Ldr64.exe set64
loading kernel32...done.
retrieved GetComPlusPackageInstallStatus entry point
retrieved SetComPlusPackageInstallStatus entry point
Setting status to: 0x00000001
SUCCESS

As expected, all the applications started working as designed after correcting this.

[Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Damian Leibaschoff from Commercial Technical Support ]

Support for Windows Server 2000 ended on July 13,2010. This means that support for the operating system component (including IIS) of Small Business Server 2000 has also concluded.

For more information please check the following site:

http://support.microsoft.com/ph/1131#tab0

For more information on the support lifecycle:

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/

It is important to note that the support date for the Small Business Server product package is determined by its individual component product’s respective support lifecycles. Please review the individual component product’s support lifecycle to determine its length of support.

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=2807

[Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Jonas Svensson from the SBS Product Group]

Today’s the last day of the Worldwide Partner Conference! It’s been a busy conference full of presentations and demos about the upcoming Windows Small Business Server code name “Aurora” and Windows Small Business Server “7”.

Here are Kevin Kean (General Manager of the Windows Home and Small Business Server team) and Fabian Uhse (Program Manager) showing off Aurora in the HP booth, with it’s very groovy 70s theme.

If you didn’t get a chance to see our products at WPC, check out the video summaries at:

- http://www.youtube.com/user/CoffeeCoaching#p/u/6/uFLSUdbP3Ng

- http://www.youtube.com/user/CoffeeCoaching#p/u/1/XJiV-xwK6h0

- http://www.microsoft.com/showcase/en/us/search?phrase=coreinfra

We also have more information coming as we get ready for our upcoming beta programs. Sign up today to learn more at http://www.microsoft.com/sbs. Just look for the “Next Version of SBS - Learn More” link

[Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Kevin Kean from the SBS Product Team]

Not a week goes by when we don’t get emails asking about the next version of Windows Small Business Server (SBS). When’s it coming? What will it include? What’s the partner opportunity?

I am very pleased to say that today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, we disclosed that we will issue not one, but TWO, public preview releases for the next version of SBS by the end of our summer in the Pacific Northwest – an update to the standard edition plus a new server that will be our first to deliver both traditional and cloud computing capabilities for small businesses.

If you’re interested in downloading and testing the previews, you can visit www.microsoft.com/sbs and sign-up for the program. You will be notified when the actual bits are available for download.

The offerings we will have for you to try out will be:

• Windows Small Business Server (SBS) “7” Preview: The next version of Windows Small Business Server will include a richer remote access experience, as well as updates to all of the component software in the suite to the latest versions (Windows Server 2008 R2, Exchange Server 2010 SP1, SharePoint 2010 Foundation, Windows Server Update Services 3.0 and SQL Server 2008 R2). As a result, small business customers will find significant security and management enhancements as well as much richer features for providing file-and-print, email and Internet services to employees. SBS 7 will support up to 75 users.
• Windows Small Business Server (SBS) Code Name “Aurora” Preview: A new edition of Windows Small Business Server, Aurora is an affordable, easy to use “first server” option for small businesses that will be the company’s first to deliver both traditional and cloud capabilities. With SBS Aurora, customers will be able to better protect their business data through automated backup and restore capabilities, easily organize and access business information from almost anywhere and run a variety of business tools and software. SBS Aurora will support up to 25 users.

In addition, we are announcing the forthcoming release of a Windows Server Solution Software Development Kit (SDK), which will enable developers to build add-ins and write drive integration of new and existing on-line services with SBS Aurora. Developers interested in downloading the SDK should go to http://connect.microsoft.com/sbs.

I know that we are going to create a lot of industry buzz with these offerings, in large part because we’re updating the standard edition with SBS 7 and delivering an easy to use and affordable way through SBS Aurora for small businesses to enjoy important server functionalities like backup of client and server, file and print sharing, run critical applications on-site while at the same time taking advantage of the emerging number of online applications and services on a pay-as-you-go basis to extend the functionality of your server.

We’re also getting a lot of partner interest, particularly around SBS Aurora. In fact, Symantec, Level Platforms and Disk Keeper are all making statements this week around plans to integrate products with SBS Aurora.   HP is not only showing SBS Aurora in their booth at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, but has a sneak peek at http://www.facebook.com/CoffeeCoaching. And you’re sure to hear more as we get closer to releasing the preview.

See what all of the buzz is about. Sign up for the previews today!