My kiddoes just brought home their report cards, and I thought I would share one of the areas that my daughter (age 7, in 2nd Grade) is rated on. And I quote:
Student effectively analyzes health and safety information to develop fitness plans based on life goals.
?!?!?!?!?? I think I can count the number of adults I know with this skill on the fingers of one hand. Sheesh. Whatever happened to "plays well with others"?
This is really a bit of a "duh" suggestion, but I'll bet you haven't done it yet ;)
SharePoint 2007 has a great scriptable command-line tool called stsadmin.exe, which is used to perform the SharePoint administration tasks at the command line or by using batch files or scripts. It also provides access to operations not available by using the Central Administration site, such as changing the administration port.
Where does it live?
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\bin
So... when it comes time to change passwords, merge content databases, etc, you end up typing commands that look like:
c:\progam files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\bin\stsadmin.exe -o mergecontendbs -url http://<servername> -sourcedatabasename WSS_Content_1 -destinationdatabasename WSS_Content_2 -operation 3 -filename sites.xml
Painful, right?
If you find yourself using stsadmin on a regular basis... add the stsadmin path into your path variable. Duh, right?
1.Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2.Click the Advanced tab.
3.Click Environment variables.
4.Find the PATH variable, and then click Edit to change its name or value.
add a semicolon (;) to the line, and without a space, add the path to the directory that holds stsadm.exe. The default is c:\Program Files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\bin
Hit "OK" a few times, and you can now fire up a terminal and run stsadm without the preceding long path to its home directory.
I am getting ready to upgrade my 802.11g network to 802.11n for the speed and performance improvements, and Consumer Reports has rated the Netgear equipment well. So, in looking for the best price on an 802.11n PCI card, I found the card I was looking for at Home Depot.
Home Depot? Seriously? They're selling computer equipment to go along with the faucets, refrigerators, and paint?
Useful for diagramming your new OCS 2007 topology!
Get them here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=543705f6-d02a-436e-8b34-5c796550022a&displaylang=en&tm
Some highlights...
This software is an optional supplement to Windows Server 2008. In Windows Server 2008, the Streaming Media Services role (which includes the latest version of Windows Media Services) and remote administration tools are not included in Server Manager. To obtain the new features and tools available in Windows Media Services for Windows Server 2008, such as the built-in WMS Cache/Proxy plug-in, you must obtain and run the appropriate Streaming Media Services role installer file on the updated platform. These Microsoft Update Standalone Package (MSU) files install either 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) versions (as noted in the file names) of:
The Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) is designed to help corporate IT professionals customize and deploy the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 family of operation systems. The Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) is a set of tools and documentation that support the configuration and the deployment of Windows operating systems. By using Windows AIK, you can perform unattended Windows installations, capture Windows images with ImageX, and create Windows PE images.
Watch Michael Niehaus walk through the process here.
SCCP 2007 just RTM'd and is now freely available for all to download. Previously, this tool was available only for TechNet Plus and MSDN Premium subscribers, but now it's available for all.
The new version adds the following new capabilities:
The SharePoint Capacity Planning Tool is a set of free models of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS). The two models use the analysis and simulation features of System Center Capacity Planner 2007 (SCCP) to help you explore suitable IT infrastructure options for your SharePoint deployment, based on the SharePoint usage requirements for your organization that you provide to the tool. It can give you a head start on planning your SharePoint topology by producing a first approximation of the topology your organization needs. Architects, systems integrators, and deployment engineers will find it to be a valuable starting point for further refinements of the topology.
Features:
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine. This demo is a one computer setup with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and associated Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients for Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Internet Explorer. This demonstration also contains Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft Office Communications Server and client, Microsoft SharePoint services, and Microsoft PerformancePoint Server 2007. Full details about the image are included in the virtual machine itself.
That should keep you busy for a while. What are you waiting for? Get downloading!
This spreadsheet lists the policy settings for computer and user configurations included in the Administrative template files (.admx/.adml) delivered with Windows Server 2008. The policy settings included in this spreadsheet cover Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, and Windows 2000. You can configure these policy settings when you edit Group Policy objects (GPOs). In addition, this spreadsheet includes the following categories of security policy settings:
Note: This does not include security settings that exist outside of the Security Settings extension (scecli.dll), such as Wireless Network extension, Public Key Policies, or Software Restriction Policies.
Get it here.
You can expect that I will start ramping up on my OCS posts shortly. I think it has the potential to be as hot as SharePoint has been since launch. In the meanwhile, let me save you $200 to the upcoming INTERACT2008 conference in San Diego (coupon code at the end of this post).
INTERACT2008 Join Microsoft at INTERACT2008—an exclusive event for key community influencers in the unified communications space. This event provides a unique opportunity for you to develop deep technical knowledge on Microsoft's unified communications products, build powerful new connections with leading professionals in the industry and gain insights into the future of converging technologies. This exclusive invitation-only event is aimed at technology professionals who are evaluating, deploying and supporting unified communications in enterprise organizations. INTERACT2008 will provide one-on-one interaction with the technology leaders and developers for Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Microsoft RoundTableTM, Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Exchange Hosted Services. This three-day event includes:
Don't miss this opportunity to get connected to a world of expert information and pioneering best practices, and to prepare for the future of unified communications. Event Cost: $795 Early Bird Special through February 29, 2008 $995 March 1 - April 6, 2008 Agenda-At-A-Glance
Monday, April 7
4:00 - 9:00 pm Registration 6:00 - 9:00 pm Welcome Event
4:00 - 9:00 pm
Registration
6:00 - 9:00 pm
Welcome Event
Tuesday, April 8
7:00 - 5:00 pm Registration 7:00 - 9:00 am Breakfast 9:00 - 10:30 am Keynote 10:30 - 5:00 pm Expo Hall and Hands-on Lab 11:00 - 4:15 pm Sessions 5:00 - 10:00 pm Evening Party
7:00 - 5:00 pm
7:00 - 9:00 am
Breakfast
9:00 - 10:30 am
Keynote
10:30 - 5:00 pm
Expo Hall and Hands-on Lab
11:00 - 4:15 pm
Sessions
5:00 - 10:00 pm
Evening Party
Wednesday, April 9
7:00 - 9:00 am Breakfast 9:00 - 10:15 am Keynote 10:00 - 4:00 pm Expo Hall and Hands-on Lab 10:00 - 7:00 pm Pub World 10:30 - 6:00 pm Sessions 6:00 - 9:00 pm Birds of a Feather and Happy Hour
9:00 - 10:15 am
10:00 - 4:00 pm
10:00 - 7:00 pm
Pub World
10:30 - 6:00 pm
Birds of a Feather and Happy Hour
Thursday, April 10
7:00 - 9:00 am Breakfast 9:00 - 10:15 am Keynote 10:30 - 4:00 pm Sessions 6:00 - 10:00 pm Evening Party
10:30 - 4:00 pm
6:00 - 10:00 pm
Join us at INTERACT2008 and build your unified communications connections. Sign up today and save $200 on the price of the conference! To register and for more information on the event Click here.
Good stuff! And the price ($0.00) is right :)
You can download a DVD ISO with the bits here, or the setup files here.
The Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions all-in-one DVD includes:
Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition enables developers to rapidly create Web applications that deliver the highest quality rich user experiences. This new version enables cool fun features that build on the latest technologies including AJAX, CSS, LINQ and JavaScript IntelliSense. Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition and Visual C# 2008 Express Edition enables developers to rapidly create Windows applications that deliver the highest quality rich user experiences. These new versions enable cool fun features that build on the latest technologies including WPF, WCF and LINQ.Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition is the development environment for creating native Windows applications that deliver the highest quality rich user experiences. This new version includes an easy installation of the Windows Platform SDK.Also included is SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and MSDN Express documentation.For information about the different tools of the Visual Studio Express Editions visit the Visual Studio 2008 Express website. Additional resources can be found at Beginner Developer Learning Center and the Coding4Fun websites.
A new themed search engine (along the lines of Ms. Dewey) powered by Live Search. Check out http://www.leftvsright.com. Pretty funny!
And it is all about SharePoint and OCS baby!
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/
Sharepoint
A Smart Approach to Gathering Data in the Enterprise
Information is one of the most important assets in an enterprise. But it can be a challenge to manage the mountain of data being gathered through e-mail, Web-based forms, surveys, and other mechanisms. Here’s a look at how the Microsoft Office system can help you integrate systems and make data more accessible. Keith Deshaies
Building a Powerful Survey Infrastructure
Gathering and analyzing data is an essential part of business, but you need tools that will allow independent teams to collect the data they need, when they need it. Find out how you can use WSS 3.0, MOSS 2007, and InfoPath 2007 to build a complete and flexible survey solution that can be used throughout the enterprise. Jim Bradley
Standardize Data Management with Custom Content Types
The vast number of disparate documents and other content items stored throughout a large organization can make it difficult to manage documents, their associated metadata, and their behaviors in a centralized and reusable way. Take a look at how you can use content types in SharePoint 2007 to simplify content management across the enterprise. Pav Cherny
Office Communications Server
How Presence Powers OCS 2007
Office Communications Server 2007 uses information about user availability to route communications to the most appropriate place—whether it’s sending a voice call, a video conference, an e-mail message, or an IM. See how the OCS 2007 system uses presence to connect endpoints. Rajesh Ramanathan
Plan Your OCS 2007 Voice Deployment
Integrating Office Communications Server 2007 with an existing PBX system can be a challenging task. You need to select an integration scenario, understand call routing, know how to configure user settings, deal with number plans, and more. But don’t worry. This overview will show you what you need to know. Jochen Kunert and Rui Maximo
High Performance Computing
An Introduction to Windows Compute Cluster Server
Rather than relying on large specialized systems, high performance computing uses clusters of smaller, standard systems. Spreading the workload in this fashion offers an economical solution for solving complex problems quickly. Explore the compute cluster functionality and support provided by Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003. John Kelbley and Doug Lindsey
Microsoft Office
Deploy the 2007 Office System with Terminal Services
The 2007 Microsoft Office system includes design changes you must be aware of before deploying it in your Terminal Services server farm. This article gives you an overview of the changes. James D. Silliman
From the SharePoint Blog:
A new SharePoint Deployment Essentials Guide made up of content from the previous SharePoint Governance Checklist PLUS additional materials explained hereafter just became available online. Physical copies of this guide are planned to be made available at the upcoming SharePoint Conference 2008, Tech Ed 2008, and internally at TechReady6 optionally available on MSMarket with ID 098-108909 for employees. This guide was designed to provide the "cliff notes" to deployment. Differences between WSS 3.0, SharePoint Server Standard and SharePoint Server Enterprise editions Bulletted Sample SharePoint Server Deployment Plan Checklists for IA, Taxonomy, Training, PM and Ops including sample SLAs and roles, Dev considerations, Infra, Dev and Test env, DR and HA and applicable descriptions (on the back) including a master page wireframe Deployment Roles Diagram Containment Hierarchy Common Physical Toplogies Intranet Governance Model (Pyramid) 10 Steps to a succesful deployment Deployment Flow Chart Role Swimlanes Links and Additional Resources
A new SharePoint Deployment Essentials Guide made up of content from the previous SharePoint Governance Checklist PLUS additional materials explained hereafter just became available online. Physical copies of this guide are planned to be made available at the upcoming SharePoint Conference 2008, Tech Ed 2008, and internally at TechReady6 optionally available on MSMarket with ID 098-108909 for employees.
This guide was designed to provide the "cliff notes" to deployment.
Good Stuff! Download and print this handy reference.
Great report from the internal IT group here at Microsoft on how our Intranet portal was designed and hosted on SharePoint Server 2007. I can attest that it is the place to find information within Microsoft, no matter where it may reside...
Read more here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc184928.aspx