The configuration file for the SBS 2003 BPA has been updated with new rules. Some of the new checks include:

• Checks for occurrences of the Windows SBS Server Status report timing out
• Checks for Mailbox Manager policies enabled on recipient policies
• Check for non default value of the otherWellKnownObjects attribute of the Configuration container
• Checks if there is a mismatch files between the store.exe and exoledb.dll files
• Verify that there is not a smarthost specified on the Virtual server
• Verify Sysvolready registry key equal to 1
• Verify that the sysvol share exist
• Check for events in the event log indicating that the server is in Journal wrap
• Check to verify that DCOM is enabled
• Check for the existence of a postmaster account
• Check to see if your email domain is specified in the msExchTurfListNames attribute
• Check to ensure that Integrated Windows Authentication is enabled on the default SMTP virtual server
• Check to make sure that there are no unchecked email addresses in a recipient policy
• Check to ensure the Administrator’s primary group is the Domain users group
• Check to see if the Exchange functional level is at Native mode

You can check to ensure that you have the latest version of the configuration file by clicking on the About the Best Practices Analyzer link on the left. This should show the Configuration File Version as 2.1.26.0. (as of 3/31/2009)

[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Damian Leibaschoff]

Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium includes SQL 2008 Standard Edition for Small Business (http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/small-business.aspx). This version is feature by feature the same as SQL 2008 Standard with the difference that it must be installed in an Small Business Server domain or, if purchased separately, an environment with certain characteristics. But, what does that mean?

SQL 2008 Standard for Small Business is supported for installation in a small business domain,
which includes installing on one of the following Windows Server® 2008 editions:

•  
  • Windows® Small Business Server 2008
  • Windows Server® 2008 Standard (must be configured in a
    small business domain configuration).  To install this product on Windows Server 2008 Standard edition, the server must be joined to a Small Business Server 2008 domain or a domain that has Active Directory configured in the following way:
    • It must be joined to a domain where a single server in the domain must contain all the flexible single master operations (FSMO) roles and is the root of the Active Directory forest,
    • The domain cannot have trust relationships with any other domains,
    • The domain cannot have any child domains, and
    • The sum of user and device licenses in the domain cannot exceed 75.
    • The customer may not run instances of the server software, separately licensed or otherwise, at the same time in another operating system environment within the same domain.

If the check fails, you will see the a failed check in the "Operating system supported for edition” topic.

Clicking in the Failed status shows the following message:

---------------------------
Rule Check Result
---------------------------
Rule "Operating system supported for edition" failed.
This SQL Server edition is not supported on this operating system. See SQL Server
Books Online for information about supported operating systems for SQL Small
Business Server edition.
---------------------------

A few other considerations:

• 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.
• Read the following documentation for installation and downgrade rights in Small Business Server 2008:
  • Using SQL Server in Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794697.aspx

For more information on troubleshooting this issue, see this article: http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2010/07/21/how-to-diagnose-quot-operating-system-supported-for-edition-quot-pre-requisite-errors-while-installing-sql-2008-standard-edition-for-small-business.aspx

We have seen some cases where the SBS Console crashes over and over every time you open it. It has been isolated to some orphaned WMI entries on client computers for Antivirus or Antispyware products.

How to identify you are experiencing this:

1. Open the C:\Program Files\Windows Small Business Server\Logs\console.log file and search for this: “An item with the same key has already been added.”

[1184] 090309.152753.0142: Admin: !!!!FATAL: Console shutting down due to unhandled exception: An item with the same key has already been added.
[1184] 090309.152753.0252: Exception:
---------------------------------------
An exception of type 'Type: System.ArgumentException, mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089' has occurred.
Timestamp: 03/09/2009 15:27:53
Message: An item with the same key has already been added.
Stack:
Server stack trace:
    at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowArgumentException(ExceptionResource resource)
    at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Insert(TKey key, TValue value, Boolean add)
    at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Add(TKey key, TValue value)
    at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.AntiVirus.Infrastructure.AntivirusProductCollection.Add(AntivirusProduct avProduct)

2. Download the attached file (getavproducts.txt) to the server and rename it to .vbs. Open an elevated command prompt on the server, change directories to the folder where you saved it to and type this command: "cscript getavproducts.vbs > myavproducts.txt"

3. Analyze the myavproducts.txt file using the example provided below for computers that have multiple AntiVirus or AntiSpyware Products with the same name.  COMPUTER1 illustrates an example with one Antivirus product and COMPUTER2 illustrates an example with multiple Antivirus products.

EXAMPLE OUTPUT

**** COMPUTER1 ***

            ++++++ AntiVirusProduct

            VendorA Antivirus 3.0

            {A1B2C3D4-0101-0202-0303-E5F6G7H8I9J0}

            3.0

            ++++++ AntiSpywareProduct

            ++++++ FirewallProduct

            SecurityCenter2++++++ AntiVirusProduct

            VendorA Antivirus 3.0

            {A1B2C3D4-0101-0202-0303-E5F6G7H8I9J0}

            3.0

            SecurityCenter2++++++ AntiSpywareProduct

            SecurityCenter2++++++ FirewallProduct

**** COMPUTER2 ***

            VendorB Antivirus

            {Z1Y2X3W4-0303-0101-0202-V6U5T4S3R2Q1}

            5.0

            VendorB Antivirus

            {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

            5.0

            VendorB Antivirus

            {Z1Y2X3W4-0303-0101-0202-V6U5T4S3R2Q1}

             6.0

            VendorA Antivirus 3.0

            {A1B2C3D4-0101-0202-0303-E5F6G7H8I9J0}

            3.0

            ++++++ AntiSpywareProduct

            ++++++ FirewallProduct

            SecurityCenter2++++++ AntiVirusProduct

            VendorB Antivirus

            {Z1Y2X3W4-0303-0101-0202-V6U5T4S3R2Q1}

            5.0

            VendorB Antivirus

            {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

5.0

            VendorB Antivirus

            {Z1Y2X3W4-0303-0101-0202-V6U5T4S3R2Q1}

             6.0

            VendorA Antivirus 3.0

            {A1B2C3D4-0101-0202-0303-E5F6G7H8I9J0}

            3.0

            SecurityCenter2++++++ AntiSpywareProduct

            SecurityCenter2++++++ FirewallProduct

Notice how COMPUTER2 has multiple entries with the same name (VendorB Antivirus 6.0) listed under AntiVirusProduct in SecurityCenter and SecurityCenter2, whereas COMPUTER1 only has one (VendorA Antivirus 3.0). These multiple entries with the same name are causing the console crash. There may be more than one computer like this, so you need to check all of them in the myavproducts.txt file.

4. Determine which AntiVirus (or AntiSpyware) you intend to keep, VendorA or VendorB. If the multiple entries are from the same vendor, then base your decision on the version as they may be different. Typically, the bottommost entry is the one you want to keep. In the COMPUTER2 example above, this would be VendorA Antivirus 3.0.

5. To remove the entry, try uninstalling the vendor’s program. If this is not possible, because it has already been uninstalled, you can clean it out of WMI manually.

6. To clean it out of WMI manually (from the server):

a. Start - Run - Wbemtest

b. Click Connect

c. Type in \\COMPUTER2\root\SecurityCenter where it says root\default or root\cimv2 and click OK.

d. Click Enum Classes. Leave everything as it is and click OK.

e. Double-click AntivirusProduct (or AntiSpywareProduct)

f. Click the Instances button.

g. You should several entries like:

AntiVirusProduct.instanceGuid=”{Z1Y2X3W4-0303-0101-0202-V6U5T4S3R2Q1}”AntiVirusProduct.instanceGuid="{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}”

AntiVirusProduct.instanceGuid=”{Z1Y2X3W4-0303-0101-0202-V6U5T4S3R2Q1}”

AntiVirusProduct.instanceGuid=”{A1B2C3D4-0101-0202-0303-E5F6G7H8I9J0}”

NOTE: For the following steps, we assume you want to keep VendorA AntiVirus 3.0 and not VendorB AntiVirus. If this is not the case, keep the AV GUID for the AV you intend to keep.  If you intend to run both, then make sure there are not two entries with the same name.

h. Delete all of them except the last one: AntiVirusProduct.instanceGuid=”{A1B2C3D4-0101-0202-0303-E5F6G7H8I9J0}” as it corresponds to VendorA AntiVirus 3.0 (the one we assume you want to keep).

7. Repeat the steps 6a-6h for root\securitycenter2 to get it down to just one entry (assuming you only intend to run one Antivirus/AntiSpyware product on it).

8. Repeat the steps 5-7 for each computer you identified in the myavproducts.txt that has multiple entries with the same name.

9. Once you get rid of the duplicate entries it will take up to 30 minutes for the database on the server to be updated. There is no way to speed this up.

10. Once the database is updated, the console should no longer crash.

This issue is currently under investigation and will be fixed in the next SBS 2008 Update Rollup. 

Check out these upcoming web seminars:

Peter Gallagher and Damian Leibaschoff have created a Screencast covering the SBS 2008 IAMW.  You can view it here:

More Information: 

• Introducing the Internet Address Management Wizard: Part 1 of 3 - http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2008/10/15/introducing-the-internet-address-management-wizard-part-1-of-3.aspx
• Introducing the Internet Address Management Wizard: Part 2 of 3 - http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2008/10/16/introducing-the-internet-address-management-wizard-part-2-of-3.aspx
• Introducing the Internet Address Management Wizard: Part 3 of 3 - http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2008/10/17/introducing-the-internet-address-management-wizard-part-3-of-3.aspx

The Windows Virtualization team has blogged about a certificate error that can occur resulting in the inability to start or connect to virtual machines running on Windows Server 2008 or Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 using vmconnect.  Read more about it here.