Girish's Graffiti

The Official SBS Blog: SVCHOST May Spike the CPU

2009-04-26T00:44:34Z

[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Damian Leibaschoff, Justin Crosby and Chris Puckett ] You may notice an issue where the Windows Update (WUAUSERV) service will be spiking one of the logical CPUs on servers running Exchange 2007 with automatic anti-spam updates turned on. This will include any SBS 2008 installation where Forefront for Exchange was installed as part of the setup. Please note that the service displayed will by SVCHOST, since WUASERV runs inside SVCHOST.EXE. Read rest of the...(read more)

How to Add a Subject Alternative Name to a secure LDAP Certificate in SBS 2008.

2009-04-24T22:01:53Z

This method can only be used with self assigned certs (To request certificate from an Internal MS CA) and not with 3rd party certs. To get SAN for a 3rd party cert contact the vendor. (We can use the same .req file to request 3rd party SAN certificate). There may be certain situation where we may need SAN Certs. example; Entourage 2008 prompting for SSL while configured with Exchange 2007. Entourage 2008 utilizes web services if its connecting to an Exchange 2007 CAS with Service Pack 1 installed....(read more)

Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 8

2009-01-10T09:11:16Z

To help our customers become more secure and up-to-date, Microsoft will distribute Windows Internet Explorer 8 as a high-priority update through Automatic Updates for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and higher, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 SP2 for x64 and x86, Windows Vista for x64 and x86, Windows Vista SP1 for x64 and x86, and Windows Server 2008 for x64 and x86. This Blocker Toolkit is intended for organizations that would like to block automatic delivery of Internet...(read more)

MR3 for Symantec End Point Security 11.

2008-12-18T19:29:35Z

There have been a couple of KBs around knows issues with Symantec End Point Security 11 like: You may experience various problems when you work with files over the network on a Windows Server 2003-based or Windows 2000 Server-based computer http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;923360 And You experience slow file server performance and delays occur when you work with files that are located on a file server http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;822219 I also blogged...(read more)

I don’t want the other Apples: How to Ignore unwanted updates.

2008-12-16T23:58:59Z

This is probably my first and hopefully the last rant however if you feel the same about Apple updates as I do then read ahead. I’ve always hated companies trying to push additional software along with their software, like Google toolbar with Adobe flash. Just an example. Microsoft has also been accused of such acts however Apple goes beyond all this and shamelessly pushes additional software, which I find no logical reason to have on my PC, along with updates. Now, all I’ve installed on my PC is...(read more)

Using Hyper-V with Windows Small Business Server 2008.

2008-10-30T22:11:27Z

The SBS UA team is pleased to announce that the following document is now available in the Windows Small Business Server Technical Library. Title : Using Hyper-V with Windows Small Business Server 2008 URL : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd239207.aspx This document provides an overview of the use of virtualization in a Windows® Small Business Server 2008 (Windows SBS 2008) environment, and discusses scenarios in which Windows SBS 2008 supports the Hyper-V technology....(read more)

IE Beat 2, First Look.

2008-08-28T13:52:43Z

So here is my first look at IE 8 and I am impressed! The installation is simple and the customization is in two simple steps. Some features that are really cool… Accelerators are cool add-on's that help you do things..with just a couple of clicks. Take a look at how you can know where to go… Simply highlight the address and use the Map accelerator to locate it. Compatibility View assures you that you can still browse web sites that are not IE8 ready! Check out the new facebook site; Before ‘Compatibility...(read more)

Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable Under the Hood: Windows Vista Performance...Need Answers?

2008-08-27T20:03:37Z

On Wednesday, September 24 th , Mark Russinovich will host a virtual roundtable for IT pros worldwide to explore top of mind performance issues, common misconfigurations, and tips on how to fix them. From boot times and applets to disk performance and battery life, this is chance for IT pros to find out how to optimize Windows Vista and what they can do to improve overall system performance. As part of the “virtual” experience, IT pros will be able to submit their questions about performance...(read more)

Finally our own tool to do more…

2008-08-22T14:17:11Z

I love this little utility from Sysinternals. Desktops v1.0 By Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell Published: August 21, 2008 Introduction Desktops allows you to organize your applications on up to four virtual desktops. Read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work in your productivity software on the third, without the clutter of the windows you’re not using. After you configure hotkeys for switching desktops, you can create and switch desktops either by clicking on the tray icon...(read more)

IM me from my blog!

2008-07-14T17:30:29Z

Now you can IM me from my blog. Drop in and ask me a question or just say hi! Talk to you soon!...(read more)

Windows XP end of sales date is 30th June 2008

2008-06-19T18:43:52Z

The day I never wanted to see is closing! End of sale does not mean end of support. Read more on; Curious George on TechNet and more...: Windows XP end of sales date is 30th June 2008 - so what does that actually mean?...(read more)

Have you registered for Springboard Live! Virtual Roundtable: Let’s Talk Windows Vista Security?

2008-06-18T18:10:16Z

Join Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich and a panel of IT professionals and security MVP’s as they discuss Windows Vista deployment, security configurations, challenges and real-world solutions. Ask your questions live during the event or email them in advance to vrtable@microsoft.com . Register today to join the discussion in June. This event will be broadcast live on this site, at 9:00am Pacific Standard Time, June 18, 2008, available on demand shortly after its conclusion. Rest...(read more)

Ubuntu 8.04 on SBS 2003 network.

2008-05-30T17:21:00Z

Disclaimer: This is not a Microsoft recommended step nor is it a whitepaper. This is simply my attempt to learn. Ubuntu needs no introduction nor does SBS. :) What do you need? > SBS 2003 SP2. > Ubuntu 8.04, Updated! Ensure Network Connectivity: After you install Ubuntu 8.04, ensure that you have network connectivity and you have Internet connection. Check for updates, using Update Manager and install all the updates. On SBS, you don’t really need to do anything however you could add a host...(read more)

SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 Pricing Announced

2008-05-13T18:39:17Z

Windows Essential Server Solutions pricing* is as follows: Windows Small Business Server 2008 Standard Edition software, including five CALs, $1,089 (U.S.) ; additional CALs $77 each (U.S.) Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition software, including five CALs, $1,899 (U.S.); additional CALs $189 each (U.S.) Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Standard Edition software, including five CALs, $5,472 (U.S.); additional CALs $81 ea ch (U.S.) Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Premium...(read more)

Updates: Autoruns v9.2, Process Monitor v1.33, AccessChk v4.1

2008-05-13T17:56:30Z

Sysinternals Site Discussion : Updates: Autoruns v9.2, Process Monitor v1.33, AccessChk v4.1...(read more)