Microsoft TechNet Ireland Blog

Core Configurator 2.0 is released

2009-12-02T13:04:46Z

As a follow up to my previous post regarding all the free tools and services that Microsoft offers, people should be aware of CodePlex and some of the fantastic open source solutions that Microsoft and others post to this community. One of those projects is Core Configurator. We are pleased to announce the latest version of Core Configurator 2.0 built and designed for Windows Server 2008 R2 Core edition has been released.

The download can be found at : http://www.codeplex.com/CoreConfig

The primary focus of this project is to get feedback and contributions back from the community to make this a tool the best/ free tool everyone will want in their toolkit.
Core Configuration tasks include:

Product Licensing
Networking Features
DCPromo Tool
ISCSI Settings
Server Roles and Features
User and Group Permissions
Share Creation and Deletion
Dynamic Firewall settings
Display | Screensaver Settings
Add & Remove Drivers
Proxy settings
Windows Updates (Including WSUS)
Multipath I/O
Hyper-V including virtual machine thumbnails
Join Domain and Computer rename
Add/remove programs
Services
WinRM
Complete logging of all commands executed

For those looking to deploy Windows Server 2008 R2 in the core installation for any number of specific roles will find this tool very valuable.

Cheers

Free Technical Training via the Microsoft Tech Academies

2009-12-02T11:14:00Z

Further to my blog post last week on Subsidised Microsoft technical training courses taking place in Dublin and Belfast...I wanted to let you know about some great free training which could act as a handy pre-cursor to the subsidised training and getting certified.

Sign up now for a Microsoft Tech Academy and get free access to Level 300 technical training through a series of half-day, instructor-led training seminars. Attendees get early access to deep technical training, delivered by the top speakers from Ireland and overseas.

See below for an overview of Virtualisation, SQL, Visual Studio and Windows Azure Academies.

SQL Academy Series

Topic: SQL Server Analysis Services.

When: 13.30-17.00, 16^th February 2010 Where: Microsoft Ireland Building 2, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 (directions)

This session covers intermediate-level SQL Server Analysis Services 2008 topics and is suitable for BI developers and consultants who have some familiarity with basic Analysis Services concepts.

Suitable for: IT Pros, DBAs, Database Architects and Infrastructure Teams who are responsible for configuring SQL Server infrastructure.

Register here.

Also, 23^rd March 2010: SQL 2008 R2 – Next Generation Business Intelligence. Register here.

Virtualisation Academy Series

Topic: System Centre – Managing Your Virtual Environment.

When: 9.30-12.30, 16th February 2010. Where: Microsoft Ireland Building 2, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 (directions)

Agenda tbc.

Suitable for: IT Managers, IT Administrators, Sys Admins, Infrastructure Admins/Managers, Developers.

Register here.

Also, 23^rd March 2010: Client-side Virtualisation. Register here.

Visual Studio Academy Series

17^th February 2010: SharePoint Development with VS2010. Register here.

24^th March 2010: Launch of VS2010 and A lap around .NET 4 , Sketchflow, Silverlight 3 and IE8. Register here.

Windows Azure Academy Series

18^th February 2010: Scaling out with SQL Azure. Register here.

25^th March 2010: Building Applications using the .NET Services. Register here.

I look forward to seeing you at one of the academies!

Resource Guide to Free Microsoft Software and Online Services

2009-12-02T10:12:39Z

I came across this post on all of the current free tools and offerings that Microsoft offers and I immediately thought of you, because everyone likes something useful and free!

If you are looking for Free Software and Online Services then this resource guide should help point you in the right direction. If you are looking for general information about Microsoft products and software I recommend visiting the main site Microsoft.com You should refer to the appropriate licensing agreement, terms of use or contact Microsoft if you require further information or clarification.

Please note that this page was last updated on 17th November 2009. When Microsoft announces any changes to this information updates will be made to this page as soon as possible. If you identify any incorrect or missing information on this page then please let me know so I can correct it.

There are so many downloads related to Microsoft products and technologies it would be impossible to list them all here. On the Microsoft Download Center you will find Tools, Utilities, Feature Packs and Resource Toolkits.

Continue Reading the long, long list of current free stuff here

PS:

I got an email from Blake Handler - Microsoft MVP and author of the "The Road to Know Where" blog who gave me a link to another comprehensive list he has developed titled “Ultimate List of Free Windows 7 Software & Resources from Microsoft” Link Here

ENJOY :)

Subsidised Microsoft technical training courses taking place in Dublin and Belfast

2009-11-27T10:48:43Z

Microsoft training partner New Horizons is offering HEAVILY subsidised training courses to TechNet Flash/blog readers! The courses include Windows 7, Windows Server Hyper-v, SQL Server 2008 and Exchange 2010. Now’s the time to get certified!

http://www.prometric.com/microsoft/careeroffer.htm#vouchers25

The course titles New Horizons are currently offering at discounted rates are:

• Windows 7
• Exchange Server 2010
• Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
• Windows Small Business Server 2008
• SharePoint Portal Server 2010
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• SQL Server 2008
• Microsoft Office Communications Server
• Systems Centre 2008
• Visual Studio 2008

December 2009

City	Start Date	#Days	Course Title	Price	Registration Details
Dublin	01/12/2009	3	Configuring, Managing and Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (Course 10135A)	€680	neil.2.beasley@bt.com
Belfast	02/12/2009	3	Implementing a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database (Course 6232)	€680	neil.2.beasley@bt.com
Dublin	09/12/2009	3	Customization and Configuration in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (Course 8912a)	€680	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Belfast	07/12/2009	2	Implementing and Managing Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V (Course 6422)	€475	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Belfast	07/12/2009	3	Implementing and Administering Windows Small Business Server 2008 (Course 6445)	€680	neil.2.beasley@bt.com
Dublin	14/12/2009	3	Implementing a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database (Course 6232)	€680	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Dublin	14/12/2009	3	System Centre Overview Workshop	€680	neil.2.beasley@bt.com

January 2009

City	Start Date	#Days	Course Title	Price	Registration Details
Belfast	11/01/2010	2	Deploying and Managing MS System Center Virtual Machine Manager (Course 6331)	€475	neil.2.beasley@bt.com
Dublin	11/01/2010	2	Deploying and Managing MS System Center Virtual Machine Manager (Course 6331)	€475	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Belfast	13/01/2010	3	Planning and Managing Windows 7 Desktop Deployments and Environments (Course 6294)	€680	neil.2.beasley@bt.com
Belfast	18/01/2010	1	What's new in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (Course 10134A)	€240	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Dublin	18/01/2010	3	Workshop on OCS - Implementing in a PBX Telephony Environment	€680	neil.2.beasley@bt.com
Dublin	20/01/2010	3	Planning, Deploying and Managing MS SCCM 2007 (Course 6451)	€680	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Dublin	20/01/2010	3	Applications in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (Course 8913)	€680	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Belfast	25/01/2010	3	Implementing and Administering Windows SBS 2008 (Course 6445)	€680	alan.deery@newhorizons.com
Dublin	25/01/2010	3	System Center Client Bootcamp	€680	alan.deery@newhorizons.com

Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Betas Available for Download on TechNet

2009-11-16T23:55:21Z

Today is a very important day for the Information Worker business! The Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 betas are being released today for Technet subscribers.

Microsoft® Office 2010 gives you rich and powerful new ways to deliver your best work - whether you’re at work, home, or school - on a computer, Web browser, or Smartphone. Grab your audience’s attention and inspire them with your ideas using enhanced tools, customizable templates, and photo editing capabilities. Work with multiple people from different locations at the exact same time using new co-authoring capabilities. By offering more ways to access your files from virtually anywhere, Office 2010 puts you in control.

I have been using Office 2010 for some time now, as many of you have seen as a result of my PowerPoint presentations running on it. My favourite new features are spread across the office suite. Email is the main application most of us use on a day to day basis so Outlook is the application I turn to for most of my day. Outlook 2010 brings some great new features

Top 10 new ways Outlook 2010 takes your e-mail experience to the next level

	Manage multiple e-mail accounts from one place You can easily manage e-mail messages from multiple mailboxes. Synchronize multiple types of e-mail accounts from services such as Hotmail, Gmail or just about any other provider to Outlook 2010. Improved connectivity with Microsoft Exchange Server supports the use and management of multiple Exchange Server e-mail accounts in one location.
	Manage large volumes of e-mail with ease The Conversation View in Outlook 2010 improves the tracking and managing of e-mail conversations while saving valuable inbox space. Compress your long e-mail threads into a few conversations that can be categorized, filed, ignored or cleaned up with a few clicks.

	Customize common tasks into single-click commands With Quick Steps in Outlook 2010, you can save time by creating and defining multistep tasks that you can execute with a single click, including reply with a meeting request, move to a specific folder, create a new e-mail to assigned groups and more.

	Make scheduling a breeze Conveniently and efficiently schedule appointments, share your calendar availability and manage your work schedule. With the e-mail calendar feature, you can send your schedule to others so they can quickly find time for your next appointment. If you’re using Outlook 2010 on Exchange Server, you can use the new Group Scheduling View to see multiple calendars side by side or save frequently used groups of calendars together from one place.

	Search to easily find what you’re looking for With Outlook 2010, you can easily sort through high volumes of data. The enhanced search tool lets you quickly find and manage large quantities of e-mail, calendar items and contact files.
	Create e-mail messages that capture attention Dynamic graphics and picture editing tools are not just for Microsoft Office Word and Microsoft Office PowerPoint anymore. With Outlook 2010, you can grab your readers’ attention by using compelling visuals such as pre-built SmartArt Graphics, Themes and Styles. You also can more easily bring your ideas across to your readers by inserting and formatting screenshots in Outlook.

	Access your e-mail in MORE ways Now you can stay connected to your work and personal connections by taking the new Outlook experience with you. Enjoy the new features and benefits from Outlook 2010 on your Windows Mobile-based Smartphone or the Web by using Outlook Web Access.¹

	Ensure that your e-mail messages get to the intended audience For business users, sending unnecessary e-mail messages to out-of-office contacts, accidentally replying to a large distribution list and distributing confidential information outside the company are frequent concerns. With the new MailTips feature, you’re alerted when you are about to send e-mail to a large distribution list, to someone who is out of the office or to individuals outside the organization.²
	Receive voice mail and faxes in your inbox With Outlook 2010 and new technology in Exchange Server 2010 you can have voice mail and faxes sent directly to your inbox, making them capable of being accessed from almost anywhere using your computer, Outlook Mobile or Outlook Web Access.¹
	Initiate live conversations from Outlook Keep in touch with your contacts. By using Office Communicator with Outlook 2010, you can see your Communicator buddy list. Hover over a name, see their availability and then easily initiate a conversation directly through instant messaging, voice call or video.³

see for yourself by downloading and trying the whole Office 2010 Suite and find more information at http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/

cheers

Wilbour

Exchange 2010 is now Available

2009-11-10T11:20:15Z

At TechEd EMEA in Berlin we announced the official release and availability of Exchange 2010. As we showcased on the Windows 7 Community Launch Tour in Ireland, Exchange 2010 brings a number of new features and enhancements to an already rock solid, industry leader.

Exchange Server 2010 includes a host of new features customers will benefit from, including new integrated e-mail archive and discovery functionality, new user features to battle inbox overload, voice mail management enhancements, and improvements that simplify administration.

For businesses, highlights include:

New integrated archiving and discovery capabilities.
New unified mailbox resilience model that provides high availability, disaster recovery, and back up capabilities.
Ability to easily delegate administration to specialized users, such the help desk or a compliance officer.
Comprehensive information protection capabilities—from e-mail moderation to automatic e-mail encryption.
The choice to run Exchange on-premises, as a service hosted by Microsoft or as a hybrid of both.

For users, highlights include:

A consistent inbox, calendaring, and contacts experience across the PC, browser and phone.
Integrated conversation view bringing together information across all folders, inbox and sent and deleted items.
Ability to remove (or "mute") themselves from irrelevant conversations with the click of a button.
Text preview of voice mail messages in the inbox.
New Call Answering Rules to easily create customized voice mail rules, such as call transfer options.
Mail Tips to notify users about potential mistakes before they send e-mail.

Technical Details

Cheers

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Free Books to Download

2009-11-08T10:39:53Z

A couple of free eBooks are available, written by MVP’s. This again amplifies the value that Microsoft MVP’s to the general IT Pro community.

First up is an eBook from Canadian Mitch Tulloch, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and lead author of the just-published (and hot-selling) Windows 7 Resource Kit (Microsoft Press, 2010; ISBN: 9780735627000; 1760 pages). Mitch has created a short 11 page eBook called “What You Can Do Before You Call Tech Support.” Here are the opening paragraphs:

Your sound card has stopped working, your computer seems sluggish, the network is down, your hard drive is clicking, you can’t view a website, your monitor is hard to read, your new webcam isn’t working, your favourite program won’t run, and a funny burning smell is coming from your computer. What can you do on your own to try to troubleshoot the issue before you pick up the phone to call tech support?

If you’re running Windows 7, quite a lot. Microsoft has included a lot of self-support tools in Windows 7 that you can try using before you seek the help of others, and we’ll examine these in a moment. Then there are the tools you were born with—your five senses (see, hear, smell, taste, touch) and most importantly your brain. And by brain I’m including your memory, experience, and capacity for logical reasoning. Finally, there is ancient and sacred lore passed on in secret from Master to Disciple over the millennia. We’ll see shortly how your brain, your senses, and the secrets of the Wise Ones can be very helpful for troubleshooting computer problems. But first let’s look at what troubleshooting tools are built into Windows 7.

You can download the eBook in XPS format here and in PDF format here. Enjoy!

The next book is written by Jaap Wesselius , a Microsoft MVP’s for Exchange Server from the Netherlands. With only 5 chapters, you might think it is light on content but each chapter has quite a few subchapters so don’t think the book is light. It’s not.

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Exchange Server 2010
CHAPTER 2: Installing Exchange Server 2010
CHAPTER 3: Exchange Server 2010 Coexistence
CHAPTER 4: Managing Exchange Server 2010
CHAPTER 5: High Availability in Exchange Server 2010

Section 1.6 Exchange Server 2010 Server Roles, for instance, is particularly interesting in explaining the roles – especially for folks like me that still have the old 2003 architecture & server roles in mind.

Section 2.1 Installing the Exchange Server 2010 Prerequisites, reads like a to do list which is particularly useful if you’re new to the new “Exchange Server 2007+” world.

DOWNLOAD:
http://www.red-gate.com/specials/Exchange/esa_exchange2010.htm

cheers

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Windows XP and Windows 7 Migration and Coexistence

2009-10-29T16:51:09Z

Keith Combs, Senior IT Pro Advisor in the US wrote a fantastic blog post on Windows XP, Windows 7 and Coexistence. Instead of duplicating the information, I am just pointing people to this very detailed overview.

http://blogs.technet.com/keithcombs/archive/2009/10/27/windows-xp-and-windows-7-migration-and-coexistence.aspx

cheers

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Microsoft® Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool

2009-10-29T16:29:20Z

When talking to customers and partners about Windows 7, XP Mode and Hyper-V the question that always came back is what hardware is required for the technology. Windows Virtual PC and Hyper-V requires processors capable of hardware-assisted virtualization with AMD-V™, Intel® VT or VIA® VT turned on in the BIOS.

The Microsoft® Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool detection tool helps you check if the computer processor supports hardware virtualization. The tool also checks if this feature is enabled on the processor.

For more information about Windows Virtual PC, please visit the Windows Virtual PC website and for more information on Hyper-V, please visit the Hyper-V website.

DOWNLOAD

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Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

2009-10-27T00:10:22Z

October 28, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST (18:00 to 19:30 Dublin)

Title: Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

Presenter: Doug Klokow

Abstract:

We’ll discuss 5 key areas centered on deploying Windows 7: Developing business justification – Evaluate the capabilities provided by Windows 7 and develop a plan for how to realize business value from these solutions; Where are you today – Explore the differences of preparing for Windows 7 based on your current desktop operating system; Application readiness – Explore the tools and resources available to gain insight into your readiness to deploy Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, and/or Office 2007/2010; Deployment readiness – Explore the tools and resources available to create a design and deployment solution for your enterprise; Training your employees – Discuss available resources for training your IT Staff and End Users.

SPEAKER BIOS

Doug Klokow

Part of Microsoft Consulting Services for 9 years focused on client desktop deployment solutions. He is part of the Virtual Deployment Practice that is focused on driving early customer deployment on Microsoft client technologies and is also supporting Microsoft’s Desktop Virtualization capabilities and service offerings.

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Penton Media’s “Win7, WinSvr2008 R2, Exchange 2010 Virtual Event”, Oct 27th

2009-10-26T22:37:39Z

On Tuesday, Oct 27, Paul Thurrott, Michael Otey, Paul Robichaux, Jeff James, and key Microsoft leaders gather for a lively discussion of how to make the most of the new releases!

They will discuss how Windows® 7, Windows Server®2008 R2 and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 are designed to help simplify IT infrastructure management, save costs, and get more from systems with solutions that are interoperable.

an overview of everything that Windows® 7 has to offer

a deep-dive into enterprise-oriented features such as AppLocker, Branche Cache, DirectAccess, federated search, and BitLocker to Go

a complete coverage of all of the new features and functionality brought by Windows® Server 2008 R2, including Hyper-V virtualization with live migration and PowerShell 2.0

an in-depth presentation of the rich user experience, the many deployment options, and information protection and control capabilities offered by Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010

a clear understanding of the ways Windows® 7, Windows® Server 2008 R2, and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 work better together

PEOPLE - This is a FREE virtual event! Did you see the list of speakers? (See list to the right) It’s practically a who’s who of the Microsoft ecosystem.

In the keynote and three technical sessions participants will discover exactly what's in it for their business and will receive technical resources to get the most out of the new features and capabilities. This event is presented in an interactive, real-life simulation, with a lifelike visual environment, networking and interactive tools, staffed sponsor booths, and educational chats to complement each conference session.

REGISTRATION: Penton Media’s “Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Exchange 2010 Virtual Event

Agenda:

Are You Ready for the New Efficiency?

Time

Session

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET (2:30 to 3:30 Dublin)
Keynote: Get Your Business Ready for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Exchange Server 2010
Joint keynote presentation featuring Windows IT Pro analysts and key Microsoft executives.
Speakers
Paul Thurrott, Michael Otey, Paul Robichaux, Mark Russinovich, Ward Ralston, and Michele Crockett

11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. ET (3:30 to 3:45 Dublin)
Networking Break

11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. ET (3:45 to 4:45 Dublin)
Premier Sponsor Technical Session I Premier Sponsor Technical Session II Premier Sponsor Technical Session III

12:45 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET (4:45 to 5:00 Dublin)
Networking Break

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET (5:00 to 6:00 Dublin)

The Business Case for Windows 7

In this session, industry expert Paul Thurrott will deliver an overview of everything that Windows 7 has to offer, from the new user interface tweaks and touch interfaces to the performance, reliability, and security improvements that make Windows 7 perfect for all kinds of PCs, including low-end netbooks. Paul will also provide a deep-dive into business- and enterprise-oriented features such as AppLocker, Branche Cache, DirectAccess, federated search, and BitLocker to Go.
Speaker
Paul Thurrott, industry analyst on Microsoft technologies and mastermind behind the SuperSite for Windows, WinInfo Daily UPDATE, and Windows IT Pro Magazine UPDATE.

2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. ET (6:00 to 6:15 Dublin)
Networking Break

2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. ET (6:15 to 7:15 Dublin)
What's in R2 for You? Get the Most from Your Windows Server 2008 R2 Deployment

While its name suggests a far more modest release, Windows Server 2008 R2 is in fact a major server release on part with its predecessor, and it's going to bring a host of new features and functionality. Key among these are Hyper-V virtualization with live migration, PowerShell 2.0, a new remotable Server Manager, improvements to IIS, and all the scalability, reliability, and security improvements you'd expect from a Server release. We'll cover all of these changes as well as the ways in which Windows Server 2008 R2 works better with Windows 7.
Speaker
Michael Otey, senior technical director for Windows IT Pro, SQL Server Magazine, and System iNetwork, and author of various books including the SQL Server Developer's Guide from Osborne-McGraw-Hill.

3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET (7:15 to 7:30 Dublin)
Networking Break

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET (7:30 to 8:30 Dublin)
Building Your Messaging Platform with Exchange Server 2010

This session will explore Exchange Server 2010 as a messaging platform that can be deployed on premises or as an online service and offers a rich user experience, many deployment options, and information protection and control capabilities. IT pros will learn how Exchange Server 2010 deployed with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 provides high availability, security of critical business information, and easier administration.
Speaker
Paul Robichaux, long-time contributing editor to Windows IT Pro, author of Exchange & Outlook UPDATE newsletter published by Windows IT Pro, Microsoft Exchange Server MVP, trainer and consultant.

4:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. ET (8:45 to 9:45 Dublin)
RU Ready for 7, R2, and 2010? Panel Discussion and Q & A
This session will be a free-ranging roundtable discussion among Windows IT Pro experts and Microsoft representatives with interactive Q & A session with listeners.
Speakers
Michele Crockett, Editorial & Custom Strategy Director, Windows IT Pro will moderate this session, which will be joined by Paul Thurrott, Michael Otey, Paul Robichaux, and representatives from Microsoft product groups.

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Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

2009-10-26T22:14:14Z

How do I install Windows 7 on my Netbook? This is a question we got many times over the delivery at the Community Launch for Windows 7 across Ireland.

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT) helps customers who have PCs without optical disk drives (such as small notebook PCs) to upgrade to Windows 7. (See http://www.microsoftstore.com/win7usb)

The WUDT is a free downloadable from Microsoft Store and the Microsoft Download Center. Windows 7 customers who purchase an electronic software distribution (ESD) edition of Windows from the Microsoft Store can create bootable USB devices (thumb drives or external hard drives) or DVD backup media by downloading the ESD edition (an ISO image) and then running the WUDT.

DOWNLOAD: Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool
http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool

cheers

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Direct Access: The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide

2009-10-26T22:07:19Z

This IPD guide provides actionable guidance for designing a DirectAccess infrastructure. The guide’s easy-to-follow, four-step process gives a straightforward explanation of the infrastructure required for clients to be connected from the Internet to resources on the corporate network, whether or not the organization has begun deploying IPv6.

The guide covers four key steps in the design process for DirectAccess:

Aligning the project scope with the business requirements.
Determining whether IPv6, Teredo, 6to4, and IP-HTTPS connectivity will be supported for Internet-based clients.
Assessing the need for IPv6/IPv4 network address translation service and ISATAP for internal communication.
Determining the number and placement of servers, the certificate services requirements, and location of CRL distribution points.

Download the IPD Guide for DirectAccess at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=164151.

Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by:

Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.

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Exchange 2007 and Windows Server 2008 R2

2009-10-25T08:04:12Z

Can you run Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2008 R2? I was out with a number of partners this past week and this question came up a few times so I thought I would share the official response from the Exchange Product Group.

Since we announced the release of Exchange Server 2007 SP2, we've received a few questions about running Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2008 R2. We wanted to provide some additional information on how we made the decision to support Exchange Server 2007 SP2 on Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 but not Windows Server 2008 R2. This decision is not one we took lightly and was informed by customer feedback.

Two primary technical points drove our decision to not support Windows Server 2008 R2. First, Windows Server 2008 R2, while an incremental OS upgrade, creates significant testing requirements for Exchange 2007. Because the Exchange 2007 SP2 engineering preceded the Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM, Exchange 2007 SP2 would have had to be delayed significantly to align testing schedules. Second, because upgrading the server OS underneath an existing Exchange server is not supported, the feedback we have received is that the primary need is to support Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controllers in an existing Exchange 2007 deployment, which we have done.

In reviewing the specific work items to support Windows Server 2008 R2, we determined that while significant testing time would be required this work would only ensure the minimum level of compatibility, and it still might not allow Exchange to take advantage of new Windows 2008 R2 features. Additionally, this work would be at the expense of delivering the capabilities customers have told us they want in Exchange 2010. So, based on this reality we decided to focus on the compatibility between Exchange 2007 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controllers and the releasing of Exchange 2010 as close to Windows 2008 R2's release as possible. We felt that thoroughly validating the combination of Exchange 2010 on Windows Server 2008 R2 allowed us to focus on delivering great solutions which would be fully tested and would support the features of Windows Server 2008 R2.

We recognize that there are some downstream impacts to this decision related to administration only installs. The technical problem for us is that an administration install of Exchange is almost identical to a full Exchange server installation.

This is a hard trade-off to make, but we believe it is the right one and a good balance between serving existing customers and driving innovation.

Hope that this sheds some light on the subject!

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Service Pack 2 for Configuration Manager 2007

2009-10-24T08:56:15Z

Service Pack 2 for Configuration Manager 2007 delivers new platform support for Windows 7 client, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. In addition, Service Pack 2 delivers continued innovation with Intel vPro technology, support for Branch Cache enabled environments, and continued development for 64 bit architectures.

Feature Summary

New Operating System Support

Windows 7
Windows Vista Sp2
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 SP2

New Features in Out of Band Management
In addition to providing feature parity with SP1 and AMT firmware versions 3.2.1, 4.0 and 5.0, the following new features are supported:

Wireless management with up to 8 wireless profiles
End point access control: 802.1x support
Audit logging
Support for different power states
Power control options at the collection level
Data storage
Scheduling configuration for in-band provisioning

Asset Intelligence Certificate Requirement Removal
Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 introduced Asset Intelligence v1.5. This version allowed customers to configure an online synchronization to ensure that their catalog was up to date with the latest Microsoft inventory for both hardware and applications. This initial release required a certificate. With Service Pack 2, the requirement to have the certificate has been removed, so any customer can configure their Asset Intelligence capabilities to connect online and update their catalog. Software Assurance is not required for this functionality.

64-bit Architecture Development
Service Pack 2 will also continue to deliver new support for x64 architectures, including the following:

X64 support for Operations Manager 2007 Client Agent
Update to Management Packs for 64-bit operating systems - SP2 will ship 64-bit performance counters (the management pack is a separate release)
Remote control support added for x64 XP and x64 Server 2003

Improved Client Policy Evaluation

Faster policy processing
More efficient software distribution configured to run at user logon

Branch Cache Support
Support for scenarios where Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Client are present and Branch Cache is enabled

Download

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Microsoft TechNet Ireland Blog

Core Configurator 2.0 is released

Free Technical Training via the Microsoft Tech Academies

Resource Guide to Free Microsoft Software and Online Services

Subsidised Microsoft technical training courses taking place in Dublin and Belfast

Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Betas Available for Download on TechNet

Top 10 new ways Outlook 2010 takes your e-mail experience to the next level

Manage multiple e-mail accounts from one place

Manage large volumes of e-mail with ease

Customize common tasks into single-click commands

Make scheduling a breeze

Search to easily find what you’re looking for

Create e-mail messages that capture attention

Access your e-mail in MORE ways

Ensure that your e-mail messages get to the intended audience

Receive voice mail and faxes in your inbox

Initiate live conversations from Outlook

Exchange 2010 is now Available

Free Books to Download

Windows XP and Windows 7 Migration and Coexistence

Microsoft® Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool

Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

Penton Media’s “Win7, WinSvr2008 R2, Exchange 2010 Virtual Event”, Oct 27th

Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool

Direct Access: The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide

Exchange 2007 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Service Pack 2 for Configuration Manager 2007