Dell Diversifies With Fixed Server Offerings

Dell on Wednesday said it would offer pre-configured systems for enterprise customers looking to get server environments up and running quickly.

The fixed configurations include servers, storage modules and software that are pretested and can be deployed in hours, Dell officials said. The offerings are a diversification from Dell's traditional built-to-order business model, in which customers typically specify configurations before ordering.

Dell is offering fixed systems as an option to custom-built systems that could take longer to configure and deploy, said Praveen Asthana, Dell's director of enterprise storage.

"The goal is speed," Asthana said. "Now we're saying you can be up and running in 30 minutes, not in a week."

The systems are targeted at customers like small- and- medium businesses who may lack expertise in server deployment, or to those who want to quickly deploy servers with applications like virtualization.

Dell is perhaps one of the first server vendors to offer server packages out of the box, said Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT. During the recession, the bundles are an inexpensive way for customers to upgrade hardware infrastructure and to quickly deploy applications, he said.

"Dell is recognizing that there are certain application areas where pre-configuration trumps custom systems, specifically in the server space," King said. For example, the systems are good for SMBs who want virtualization, but don't have the manpower or technical know-how to deploy the application over a range of servers. Virtualization is generally employed mostly larger server environments like data centers, but is now reaching smaller server environments, King said.

Source: pcworld

Types of Servers : Are they really have?

Servers do not really have ``types''. A server can be a primary for some zones and a secondary for others, or it can be only a primary, or only a secondary, or it can serve no zones and just answer queries via its ``cache''. Previous versions of this document referred to servers as ``master'' and ``slave'' but we now feel that those distinctions -- and the assignment of a ``type'' to a name server -- are not useful.

Caching Only Server

All servers are caching servers. This means that the server caches the information that it receives for use until the data expires. A Caching Only Server is a server that is not authoritative for any zone. This server services queries and asks other servers, who have the authority, for the information needed. All servers keep data in their cache until the data expires, based on a TTL (``Time To Live'') field which is maintained for all resource records.

Remote Server

A Remote Server is an option given to people who would like to use a name server from their workstation or on a machine that has a limited amount of memory and CPU cycles. With this option you can run all of the networking programs that use the name server without the name server running on the local machine. All of the queries are serviced by a name server that is running on another machine on the network. A host which has an /etc/resolv.conf file listing only remote hosts, and which does not run a name server of its own, is sometimes called a Remote Server (because the actual server is remote?) but more often it is called simply a DNS Client. This kind of host is technically not a ``server'', since it has no cache and does not answer queries.

Slave Server

A Slave Server is a server that always forwards queries it cannot satisfy from its cache, to a fixed list of forwarding servers instead of interacting with the name servers for the root and other domains. The queries to the forwarding servers are recursive queries. There may be one or more forwarding servers, and they are tried in turn until the list is exhausted. A Slave and forwarder configuration is typically used when you do not wish all the servers at a given site to interact with the rest of the Internet servers. A typical scenario would involve a number of workstations and a departmental timesharing machine with Internet access. The workstations might be administratively prohibited from having Internet access. To give the workstations the appearance of access to the Internet domain system, the workstations could be Slave servers to the timesharing machine which would forward the queries and interact with other name servers to resolve the query before returning the answer.

Source: http://www.dns.net/dnsrd/docs/bog/bog-sh-4.html

Thecus New N5500 NAS Server

First and foremost, the N5500 is engineered to store your data and keep it safe. The N5500 is equipped with five hot-swappable SATA 3.5” hard disk bays for a whopping 10TB of total storage capacity. To protect this data, the N5500 lets you choose from a wide selection of RAID modes, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and JBOD. The N5500 also supports multiple RAID volumes, enabling you to choose the right combination of RAID volumes for your network, and if you ever change your mind, the N5500 also features online RAID expansion, online RAID migration, and auto rebuild for maximum flexibility. In fact, the N5500 is the only storage solution on the market that can be configured as a NAS, a DAS, or an iSCSI device! A powerful Intel® CPU and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports with load balancing, failover, and link aggregation with 802.3ad, the N5500 lets you access your data quickly and reliably.

In a business environment, maintaining functional operation on storage device is critical. With the unique dual-DOM design, an extra DOM is installed to ensure continuous and flawless operation on N5500. Users do not need to worry about down-time due to unexpected system failure. The N5500 also shines in terms of flexibility with support for multiple file systems, including XFS, EXT3 and ZFS, and you can even select different file systems for each RAID volume. In addition to this, RAID volumes on the N5500 can also be encrypted for ultimate data protection and security. Those who require even greater performance will be happy to hear that the N5500 also supports iSCSI initiators, which means that you can enjoy blazing file transfer performance over Ethernet without the hassle and expense of fiber-channel.

With features like these, the N5500 represents the next level in NAS device flexibility and power.

“Powerful, flexible, and scalable, the N5500 is our most exciting five-bay NAS yet,” notes Thecus General Manager Florence Shih. “Offering best-in-class speed, a bevy of useful features, and complete ease-of-use, users will be hard-pressed to find a five-bay NAS that measures up to the N5500 in both home and business environments.”

For more: http://hothardware.com/News/Thecus-Introduces-N5500-NAS-Server/

Apple unveils Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server

Like Snow Leopard, the server version of the OS provides 64-bit support, and many of the Apple applications have been updated to take advantage of that. For example, SMB file server performance is 2.3x faster than Leopard Server, and AFP file server performance is now 1.3x faster.

New features include:

iCal Server 2 -- This upgrade to Leopard's iCal Server now provides push notification, wireless accessibility to your calendar from any iPhone, a new web-based calendaring interface, and updates to CalDAV that now allow you to invite colleagues to meetings via email.

Podcast Producer 2 -- Podcast Producer, which was added to the server mix in Leopard, is now improved with Podcast Composer. This new feature lets you create your own workflows for automating completion and publishing of podcasts. There's also a new Setup Assistant in Server Admin that can set up Podcast Producer 2 in a manner of minutes, even if you're setting up a cluster of servers.

Wiki Server 2 -- Workgroups wishing to collaborate now have a little bit more to love from Wiki Server. The only real new feature is iPhone support; users can securely log into confidential wikis and content, and even review content and comments from the iPhone.

Mobile Access Server -- The piece that I'm probably the most excited about as an Xserve admin is Mobile Access Server. This new feature is like a custom VPN for Mac and iPhone users. As long as they're set up in the server's directory service, users can get secure, encrypted access to the server and network with very little hassle.

Mail Server -- The engine running Mail Server has been totally redesigned for much faster service, and now provides push email, vacation messages and server-side rules, and improvements to mail server clustering.

Web Server -- The biggest change to Web Server is that it can now do HTTP live video streaming. Performance is about 1.3x faster than Leopard Server's web services as well.

Client Management -- Organizations that are deploying many iPhones will love the new client management piece of Snow Leopard Server. It has an iPhone configuration utility for creating profiles that can be emailed to corporate users, thus setting up secure services in a few seconds. Administrators can now also use NetRestore to rebuild Macs over networks, based on either a custom build disk image or a standard OS X install disk.

Best of all, Snow Leopard Server will cost $499 for unlimited users (a sharp reduction from Leopard Server's price of $999 unlimited, $499 for 10 users) and should be shipping at the same time OS X 10.6 is available to the rest of us. I'd just be happy if Apple has finally fixed a lot of the issues with backing up network users to Mac OS X Server using Time Machine

Source:tuaw.com

How to Implement Outlook Web Access for Exchange Server 2007

Implementing Outlook Web Access

Once the Client Access role is installed on your Exchange Server, the OWA is available to your remote users who want to access their mailboxes using their web browsers. Although none of the settings are mandatory for the implementation of OWA, it requires you to configure various features and settings in Exchange Server 2007 for customization and efficiency. You can use various tools to configure OWA. These tools are:

* Exchange Management Console: A GUI used to manage the most common settings of OWA including Organization Configuration.
* Exchange Management Shell: A command-line interface that allows you to manage futures that cannot be managed using Exchange Management Console. It also allows you to automate administrative tasks and manage the associated command-line plug-ins.
* IIS Manager: A MMC that allows you to manage virtual directories.
* Web.config: A configuration file that must be modified using notepad. It allows you to modify OWA settings that are specific to ASP.NET.
* Registry editor: A sensitive tool that can be used to directly configure OWA settings such as the PublicClientTimeout, SSLOffloaded, and TrustedClientTimeout

To configure OWA in your Exchange server you can perform the following configurations:

* Configure OWA Virtual Directories: When the Client Access role is installed on your exchange server the following default OWA virtual directories are created under the Default Web Site in IIS on the Exchange server to allow access to Exchange content, as shown in Figure 5:

/owa: Used to allow access to mailboxes on Exchange Server 2007
/Public: Used to allow access to public folders using OWA
/Exchweb: Used to allow access to mailboxes on Exchange Server 2003 or Exchange Server 2000
/Exchange: Used to allow access to mailboxes on Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2003, or Exchange Server 2000
/Exadmin: Used to allow access to administrative settings and properties to administrators.

You can manage the default virtual directories or create new virtual directories by using IIS Manager, Exchange Management Console, or Exchange Management Shell.

Related: How To Disable The Shutdown Event Tracker On Microsoft Windows Server


More Details here

How do I install or remove Windows on Windows 64 (WoW64) on my Windows Server 2008 R2 server core installation?

The WoW64 component is named ServerCore-WOW64. To install it, use the standard ocsetup method: Start /w ocsetup ServerCore-WOW64

To uninstall, use Start /w ocsetup ServerCore-WOW64 /uninstall

Note that this installs/removes the core WoW64 environment, and you need to reboot after changing this. There are also additional WoW64 packages for the various Windows Server 2008 R2 roles to enable 32-bit application support in those roles: Failover Clustering—FailoverCluster-Core-WOW64 PowerShell—MicrosoftWindowsPowerShell-WOW64 .NET 2—NetFx2-ServerCore-WOW64 .NET 3—NetFx3-ServerCore-WOW64 Printing—Printing-ServerCore-Role-WOW64 Server Core IME—ServerCore-EA-IME-WOW64 SUA—SUACore-WOW64

Before installing these components, you must first install the native 64-bit role/feature that this augments with 32-bit compatibility. For example, before installing NetFX3-ServerCore-WOW64, you need to have installed NetFX3-ServerCore.

You won't be told by an application install or application execution that you are missing WoW64 if you need it. Instead, you'll see more generic errors such as "Error 1719: The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed" during a 32-bit application installation, or "The system cannot execute the specified program" id you're trying to run a 32-bit program. Related Reading: Q. Is Windows Server 2008 R2 built on Server 2008's kernel in the same way that Windows Server 2003 R2 was built on Server 2003's kernel?

From: WindowsITpro

Microsoft will support server virtualization for Office Communications Server 2007 R2

Microsoft Wednesday announced that it will support server virtualization for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, its first statement on what portions of its real-time platform will run in a virtual environment.

In a post on Microsoft's Office Communications Server (OCS) blog, Jerome Berniere, senior program manager in the Office Communications group, said the company would support both "fully distributed virtualized topology across several hypervisors and for a single server virtualized topology."

The topologies are supported on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and any Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) certified partner solution.

The virtualization will support presence, group chat and instant messaging. The IM support includes remote access, federation and connection to public IM.

The company made the announcement in conjunction with its annual TechEd conference going on this week.

Berniere also said a number of server services would be supported, including: front-end, back-end SQL Server 2008 64-bit; group chat channel; group chat compliance; archiving; monitoring (CDR only); and edge access.

Microsoft said the virtual machines must be running on Windows Server 2008 64 bits. Berniere wrote on the blog, "archiving server and monitoring server can be connected to a virtualized enterprise pool, but they must run on a physical server."

Source: itworld

Functions of IT Support Services

Its responsibility of IT support companies to keep all data safe while maintaining network server security, server upgrades and migrations, email management services and disaster recovery solutions. Such server support technicians help you to run your business smoothly. Therefore, there is high need to have a contract with an IT support service company as well as recommended.

Role of IT Support Services

It is the responsibility of the IT support services provider to ensure the effortless running of all computer systems and entire network.

· Install and configure operating systems as per the agreed standards.
· Give assistance in maintenance and compilation of all significant software and hardware.
· In server failure condition, IT support services provides the facility for disaster recovery solutions for your data as well as server upgrade and if needed migrate to other improved systems.
· Provide secure backup services with complete email management, even remotely.
· Provide repair services and troubleshooting for small and large businesses and always help you get access to the newest technology.
· Find solutions to all those problems that can hinder the smooth working of an organization or business.
· Provide proactive network installation for your network support requirements and a complete range of support packages and systems.
· Most IT support firms offer phone and online support and no need to wait for an engineer to come out to your office.
· Network support services include data security that helps you to detect promptly any computer virus and hacker threats.
· Ensure that all the software and the help desk systems are being kept up-to-date.

How to Install Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008

Installing a Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) isn’t much different than installing a regular domain controller.

However, there is one important factor to keep in mind. A RODC can only be installed into an existing Active Directory Domain with at least one full (non-read-only) Windows 2008 Server Domain Controller.

The reason is that the RODC is a new feature to Windows 2008 and it needs at least one DC to understand what it is doing in order to function properly.

Once the decision has been made to install a RODC the next decision is whether to install on a full-install or core-install of Windows 2008 Server.

The RODC is primarily aimed at providing additional security on an Active Directory Database for a server that is not physically secured. Installing a RODC on a Core Install of Windows 2008 provides no additional physical security.

Installing RODC on a Core Server Install

There is only one way to install RODC role on a Core Server installation. The dcpromo.exe command runs on the GUI-less version of Windows Server 2008.

Using an answer file for the command makes the process much easier than trying to get all the switches just right in the command line.

Although there are many settings available depending upon your particular infrastructure, just basic information is required to complete the command:

• an account with permissions to do what you are trying to do
• the name of the Site
• the database and log paths
• and whether or not to install DNS.

Many people will put a “yes” for RebootOnCompletion. If you are doing an actual unattended promotion then that would make sense.

Regular Installation

On a full install of Windows Servers 2008, there is of course a GUI tool to help with the process. The Active Directory Domain Services Installation Wizard handles the installation of RODC.

Type “dcpromo” at a command prompt to start the wizard. The first screen will ask you whether you want to use an existing forest, or create a new domain in a new forest. Since you must join an existing domain with a RODC, the choice is obvious.

Next you’ll be asked for a username and password. The account must be a member of Domain Admins in order to create a Read-Only Domain Controller.

Next, you’ll choose the site you wish to join.

So far, this is all the same as a regular Domain Controller install. Under “Additional Options” is where you actually choose to make this a Read-Only Domain Controller installation.

Using an answer file for the command makes the process much easier than trying to get all the switches just right in the command line.

Installing the Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008 - 1

Although there are many settings available depending upon your particular infrastructure, just basic information is required to complete the command:

* an account with permissions to do what you are trying to do
* the name of the Site
* the database and log paths
* and whether or not to install DNS.

Installing the Read-Only Domain Controller on Windows Server 2008 - 2

Many people will put a “yes” for RebootOnCompletion. If you are doing an actual unattended promotion then that would make sense.

If you are sitting at the console, I prefer to manually reboot the server so that I can take as much time as I want to study what is on the screen if there is an issue.

Next, choose the paths for installing the components, or just click Next to use the defaults. Once the confirmation screen appears, you are all set.

Source: http://windowsserver.trainsignal.com/server-2008-install-rodc-read-only-domain-controlle

How To Disable The Shutdown Event Tracker On Microsoft Windows Server

Microsoft Windows has a feature which enables the operating system to record information about why the machine is going to be shut down or in the event of an unexpected shut down; why it was shut down.

This functionality is called the Shutdown Event Tracker. The feature is turned off by default in Windows XP Home & Professional and most other desktop versions of the operating system. In the case of Windows Server 2003 and other versions in the server family it is enabled by default.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc and press ok

2. Open the Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System Folder

3. Double click the Display Shutdown Event Tracker setting in the right hand pane.

4. Select the Disable option on the pop up window and press ok

When you attempt to Reset or Shut Down the computer next time the Shut Down Event Tracker option will no longer be displayed and you will be free to perform the operation without its annoyance. To turn it back on - repeat the above but select enabled.

Source: Ezine

How to Change Display Data Prioritization in Windows Server 2008?

Display Data Prioritization in Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services allows for automatic control over the virtual channel traffic that is passed between the client (RDP 6.0) and the server. This enables better performance and user experience because display, keyboard typing, and mouse movement data is given a higher priority over other virtual channel traffic, such as printing, clipboard operations or file transfers. This prioritization is designed to ensure that your screen performance (user experience) is not affected by bandwidth intensive actions, such as large print jobs.

In Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services, the default bandwidth ratio is 70:30. This means that display and input data will be allocated 70% of the bandwidth and all other traffic, such as print jobs , clipboard or file transfers will be allocated 30% of the bandwidth.

Changing the Display Data Prioritization

Warning! This document contains instructions for editing the registry. If you make any error while editing the registry, you can potentially cause Windows to fail or be unable to boot, requiring you to reinstall Windows. Edit the registry at your own risk. Always back up the registry before making any changes. If you do not feel comfortable editing the registry, do not attempt these instructions. Instead, seek the help of a trained computer specialist.

Display Data Prioritization can be changed by making changes to the Registry of the server.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. In the left pane, locate and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE'SYSTEM'CurrentControlSet'Services'TermDD

The parameters you might want to change are:

* FlowControlDisable - If display data prioritization is disabled, all requests are handled on a first-in-first-out basis. The default value is 0. You can disable display data prioritization by setting the value to 1.
* FlowControlDisplayBandwidth - Controls the relative bandwidth priority for display (and input data). The default value is 70 and the maximum value allowed is 255.
* FlowControlChannelBandwidth - Controls the relative bandwidth priority for other virtual channels (such as clipboard, file transfers, or print jobs). The default value is 30 and the maximum value allowed is 255.
* FlowControlChargePostCompression - Determines if flow control will calculate the bandwidth allocation based on pre-compression or post-compression bytes. The default value is 0, which means that the calculation will be made on pre-compression bytes.

The bandwidth ratio for display data prioritization is based on the values of FlowControlDisplayBandwidth and FlowControlChannelBandwidth compared to each other. For example, if FlowControlDisplayBandwidth is set to 200 and FlowControlChannelBandwidth is set to 50, the ratio is 200:50.

Source: http://www.petri.co.il/

How to Manage server-side e-mail signatures with Policy Patrol 5?

The e-mail signature in Microsoft Exchange is difficult to manage. Users often make their own signatures, which may be in violation of company policy. This can include everything from improper use of logos, title misrepresentation, and even incorrect data. One way to manage this process is to put in server-side rules. Red Earth Software’s Policy Patrol 5 is one of the tools available for managing server-side e-mail signatures in Microsoft Exchange environments.

We’ve all seen e-mails that come from an organization where all the signatures look the same? That is a nice branding in my opinion. Among its other features, Policy Patrol has a rather advanced signature builder. It can drop in images, custom Active Directory fields, different behavior for new messages vs. replies, company logos, disclaimer text, and time-sensitive messages.



Pricing

Policy Patrol, as well as other tools in this space, are generally priced by user count and then increase with the price per user decreasing as tiers are crossed. List price for Policy Patrol 5 for 1,000 mailboxes and one year of maintenance is $1,004, which is barely more than $1 per mailbox per year. This is a good value for the functionality provided.

Source: blogs.techrepublic.com.com/datacenter/?p=766

Remote Monitoring Service for Microsoft SharePoint

SharePoint managed services launched by Azaleos which introduced a remote monitoring service for Microsoft SharePoint which covers server & all other necessary infrastructure.

SharePoint Services draws the line at maintaining SharePoint and supporting infrastructure including Microsoft's SQL Server and Data Protection Manager (DPM), Web application servers, and SharePoint add-ons such as Excel and InfoPath forms. The management services & monitoring services will not stretch to content management, web site maintenance.

The advantage is that this service monitors 2000 data points from SharePoint Server, Internet Information Server (IIS) and SQL Server.

Advantages:

Azaleos covers system architecting
deployment and configuration
Testing & installation of patches
Backup and prevention of data
Monitoring Services

Azaleos is offering its SharePoint Services as a virtualized architecture, but also can monitor physical deployments. The base configuration is designed for Windows Server 2008 on Hyper-V.

Azaleos SharePoint Services starts at $15 per user per month.

Source: networkworld.com

Which network does Live Migration traffic use?

Every network in a cluster is assigned a metric based on its configuration, broken down into Does the network have a default gateway defined? If the network doesn't have a default gateway, the network is configured as a private network. If it has a gateway configured, the network is configured as a public network. Is the network enabled for cluster use?

Private networks that are enabled for cluster use get a metric starting at 1,000, and each additional private network get a metric incremented by 100. So the first private network enabled for cluster use gets a metric of 1,000, the next gets 1,100 and so on. If a private network isn't configured for cluster use, then it will get a much higher metric than public networks that are available for cluster use. Public networks that are enabled for cluster use get a metric starting at 10,000 and increment by 100 if there are multiple networks.

The cluster fault tolerant driver (NetFT.sys) uses the network with the lowest metric for the cluster Internet traffic, such as heartbeats, and for Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) traffic, which is why you need a 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps network for a cluster network if you're using CSV.

For the network used by live migration traffic, which is the memory of the virtual, delta copies of the virtual and then partition state (as well as CPU/device state, but this is a tiny amount of traffic) each virtual machine (VM) can have its own network priority order. By default, the nework with the second lowest metric is used while the lowest metric network, the one used by NetFT, is actually placed at the bottom of the network priority. This is because you don't want CSV traffic and live migration traffic going over the same network.

You can manually change which network is used by modifying the properties of the VM in Failover Cluster Manager and modifying the networks in the Network for live migration tab, as shown below. As you can see, the Cluster Network is moved to the bottom by default and my iSCSI network, which I unselected for use by the cluster, is still an available network for Live Migration.

Source: http://windowsitpro.com/mobile/pda/Article.cfm?ArticleID=101857&FAQ=1

Windows Server OS for Small Businesses by Microsoft

As expected, Microsoft Wednesday introduced a version of its Windows Server OS for small businesses with 15 users or less, filling in what the company sees as a gap in its server offerings.

Windows Server 2008 Foundation initially will be available in 40 countries once its OEM release servers for the new OS, since it will be sold exclusively through them. Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM should have those servers out sometime in the second half of this year, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft recommends using the new OS edition for basic small-business IT needs such as running and maintaining a database, Web-site hosting, running line-of-business applications, file- and print-sharing and remote access, among other uses.

Microsoft already has an OS and software bundle called Windows Small Business Server (SBS) aimed at the small-business market. But that package bundles the Windows Server OS with Exchange Server, SQL Server and other business software, and may be more than some very small companies need to run their businesses.

One thing that will make Windows Server 2008 Foundation more affordable for small businesses is that the OS does not require them to purchase client access licenses, which other Microsoft business software -- including SBS -- does. Instead, the OS is licensed by user accounts; however, each license is limited to a maximum of 15 user accounts, and each one of those accounts can only have one distinct user at a time.

Source: pcworld

Windows Embedded Server With Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft is not only hard at work laboring to produce the first Release Candidate of Windows 7, but it is also looking beyond the next iterations of the Windows client and server operating systems. The next version of Windows Embedded Server would be based on the Windows 7 platform, the Redmond company informed. In all fairness, Windows Embedded Server was a variant of Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft revealed, claiming that the new offering was positioned to take the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform to the next level.

“The evolution of the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform with the addition of Windows Embedded Server reflects the realization of Microsoft’s continued commitment to drive innovation and leadership in the embedded market by fostering the next generation of smart, connected, service-oriented devices and device services,” revealed Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Windows Embedded business unit at Microsoft.

According to the software giant, Windows Embedded Server is based on the Windows Server core and will permit original equipment manufacturers to develop dedicated server appliances with a focus on robust networking and large volumes of storage, while keeping a low footprint. In Microsoft's vision, the Windows Embedded Server OEM appliances will feature capabilities serving to streamline the setup and remote management associated with embedded devices.

“The combination of software plus services from Windows Embedded will establish new revenue channels for embedded OEMs and partners by utilizing Windows Embedded Server and the complete Microsoft portfolio of embedded platforms and technologies in scenarios such as device maintenance and support services,” Dallas added.

Source:

Power Pack 2 for Windows Home Server by Microsoft

The next version of Windows Home Server, codenamed Vail, is expected to be a 64-bit only server, based on Windows Server 2008 R2 and could well be Microsoft's first 64-bit only consumer product. It is scheduled to be launched next year and will come with a re hauled user interface.

Microsoft has finally released Windows Home Server Power Pack 2 which is a free package that significantly improves WHS's core set of features especially and will be available as a Windows Update.

The current service pack would improvement remote access configuration, enhance functionality for PCs running Windows Media center.

Windows Home Server is essentially a more media friendly server operating system that allows home users to back up, access, share, and store content in a centralised vault.

Users will need Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1 installed on their home servers before installing Power Pack 2. Microsoft Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 can be purchased from for as little as £73 and comes in a 1 server - 10 Client Access Licenses.

Source: ITproportal

Security Configuration Wizard in Windows 2003 Server

New in Windows Server 2003 SP1 and R2, Microsoft has made available a tool that will help you to determine exactly what is running on your Windows Server 2003 system and be able to reduce the surface area of your server, thereby making it less vulnerable to an attack. In short, through the use of the Security Configuration Wizard, you can take a very granular look at your system and disable non-required functionality.

The Security Configuration Wizard does not automatically install when you install SP1 or R2. Follow these steps to install:

1. Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel
2. Choose Add or Remove Programs.
3. Choose Add/Remove Windows Components
4. Select the check box for Security Configuration Wizard, click Next. Make sure you have your source media available.

After installation is complete, the Security Configuration Wizard is available from Start > All Programs | Administrative Tools | Security Configuration Wizard.

When you initially run the tool, you need to provide a server to use as a baseline. Further in the Wizard, you will see a complete list of the potential roles for your server, from both a server and a client perspective. For example, you might have one server that runs the SMS 2003 server, and another that has the SMS 2003 client installed. Select the roles for this server. You can also choose whether to enable administrative services, such as BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service), Browser, Browse Master, Remote Desktop, SQL Server Agent, and more. Microsoft can't be on top of every possible server service on your server, so the Wizard also provides you with the capability to either ignore or disable any services that are not on the lists.

Beyond services, the Wizard also allows you to specifically allow or deny specific TCP/IP ports. Also, you can use the tool to restrict access to a specific TCP/IP port to a single computer or a range of IP addresses. For example, if you want to allow only people on your administrative network permission to establish any kind of connection using Remote Desktop, you could restrict port 3389 to just that subnet.

You can also make policy changes that affect the handling of SMB file and print traffic. For example, if your server has enough excess capacity, you can require signing for all SMB traffic to prevent man-in-the-middle type attacks on your clients. The same goes for signing all LDAP traffic. In the policy, you can indicate that all clients that connect run a version of at least SP3 for Windows 2000 to help protect LDAP information on your network.

Other areas addressed in the tool:

* Audit settings: Determine if you want to enable auditing and, if so, if you want to log successful, or both successful and unsuccessful activities.
* IIS: Which IIS extensions do you want to enable? For example, ASP.NET 1.1, ASP.NET 2.0, Server Side Includes, WebDAV, etc. Also, which virtual directories should be enabled? You might want, for example, to block access to the IISAdmin folder.

Source

Way to Change Computer Name on Windows Server 2008

Default installations of Windows Server 2008 give the server a name like WIN-94CX1930EF21 or some other obscure pattern that doesn’t fit into most computer infrastructures. You can change the computer name using the netdom command. Netdom (which isn’t a new tool) is an easy way to change the computer name after Windows Server 2008 is installed on Core Editions. You can also use it on the full installation versions.

It’s pretty straightforward to use the netdom command. For example, let’s go from the default name WIN-94CX1930EF21 to a computer name of SERVER13. This is the command you would enter:

netdom renamecomputer WIN-94CX1930EF21 /Newname SERVER13

Once this is complete, you get a friendly prompt that renaming a system may cause certain services to fail. Because of this warning, it is a good idea to rename the server early in the build process.



The server is successfully renamed after the requested system reboot.

If you want to join the system to an Active Directory domain, the same command is used except extra parameters are required. If the computer account already has the correct name, a command like the following will join a Windows Server 2008 server to a domain:

netdom join /DOMAIN:RWVDEV server13 /userD:RWVDEV\Administrator /password:*

Source: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/datacenter/?p=594

Amazon Extends EC2 Windows Support Into Europe

Seattle-based Amazon Web Services LLC, the web services subsidiary of Amazon.com, announced this morning that it has extended support for Microsoft Windows server and Microsoft SQL Server into Europe. The firm said the Amazon EC2 Windows support--which was launched in October for users in the US--will be available to its EU Region customers today, including access to the new features in the AWS Management Console, Amazon's interface for managing EC2 instances.

Amazon has been rolling out its cloud computing services to Europe after ironing out the services in the US: the firm only rolled out local, EC2 support in Europe in December. Amazon's EC2 services running Windows includes support for ASP.NET, AJAX, Silverlight, and Internet Information Server (IIS), along with SQL Server Express and SQL Server Standard.

EC2 is Amazon's cloud computing service, which allows customers to create virtual server images in either Linux or Windows via an API; those servers can be used to scale out web applications or create cloud computing farms, billed by how much CPU and traffic is send to those servers.

Source: http://www.nwinnovation.com/amazon_extends_ec2_windows_support_into_europe/s-0020241.html