Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) enables IT administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates and fully manage the distribution of updates that are released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network. Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 (WSUS 3.0 SP2) delivers updates to corporate environments from Microsoft Update. This release adds new features and fixes issues found since the release of the product. WSUS 3.0 SP2 delivers customer-requested management, stability, and performance improvements.

Some of the features and improvements include the following:

• Integration with Windows Server 2008 R2
• Support for the BranchCache feature in Windows Server 2008 R2
• Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 clients
• Compliance Report
• Windows Update Agent (WUA) offers a collection of performance enhancements, user experience improvements, and bug fixes software updates

Download the update here.

More to come,

Mitch

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These are very useful and short videos that walk you through a potentially important aspect of your Windows 7 deployment: the migration from Windows XP.

In Part 1 of Window XP to Windows 7 Migration Using MDT 2010: Building the Deployment Environment (9 minutes, 56 seconds), you’ll learn how to build media that will automatically migrate computers from Windows XP to Windows 7 with user data, custom applications and drivers. This demonstration covers the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) Deployment Workbench and how it works.

In Part 2 of Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration Using MDT 2010: Initiating the Install and Migrating the PC  (9 minutes, 33 seconds), you will explore the user experience for migrating the Windows XP computer to Windows 7 and how brief – or “lite touch” – interaction is required up front to automate the entire process of data migration, OS installation, driver and application customization, and domain join.

More to come,

Mitch

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Working from home is a necessary part of an IT professional’s life, if you want to have a life. Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 can help make your online time at home more efficient. Check out the Springboard Series IT Pro at Home: Tips and Tricks series. Here are a couple examples:

IT Pro at Home Demonstration: Windows Internet Explorer 8

This screencast walks you through the features in Windows Internet Explorer 8 like Accelerators, Web Slices, and search suggestions that may help you easily find the right information from the right places, and use that information in ways that make sense to you. You'll also learn about new features like the SmartScreen Filter, Cross-Site Scripting Filter, and InPrivate Browsing to help protect your security and privacy.

IT Pro at Home Demonstration: HomeGroup

HomeGroup enables easy file and printer sharing among computers running the Windows 7 operating system. In this screencast from the Springboard Series IT Pro at Home: Tips and Tricks series, you'll learn how to join computers running the Windows 7 operating system to a homegroup and take the hassle out of sharing files and printers between computers that are members of the homegroup.

More to come,

Mitch

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Not only does it make deploying Exchange Server 2010 easier, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) also includes several new and improved features. But first, the Exchange Server 2010 migration: once all of the client access servers in your organization have been upgrade to Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 SP2, you can deploy Exchange Server 2010 in your organization. Plus, any Exchange 2007 Server, regardless of server role, in the Active Directory site you are transitioning, must be upgraded to Exchange 2007 SP2.

Download the Exchange Server 2007 SP2

Now for the enhancements:

·        A VSS plug-in for Windows Server Backup to support Exchange backups

·        New Exchange auditing events and audit log repository

·        The dynamic AD schema update and validation feature allows for future schema updates to be dynamic deployed

·        A more efficient way to manage public folder quotas

·        Several new cmdlet parameters

For the administrator, Exchange Server 2007 SP2 provides advanced protection options against e-mail security threats, such as spam and viruses, as well as the tools to help manage internal compliance and high availability needs. Check it out.

More to come,

Mitch

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System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 has been released to manufacturing and, according to the System Center team blog, general availability  via volume licensing is set for October 1, 2009.

You can already access the 180-day evaluation version. Check it out and see what’s new with quick storage migration, live migration, and all the other new features. Also register for the TechNet webcast ‘Technical Overview of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2’ on September 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM pacific time.

More to come,

Mitch

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