Active Directory
There are 12 entries for the tag
Active Directory
So I am trying to sketch out some mailbox server scenarios for my Exchange 2010 design. I think I am leaning towards iSCSI or perhaps direct-attached SAS drives, but since I am doing virtualized Exchange servers, I don’t think I can load all the storage I need in to the ESX chassis. That leaves me with iSCSI. I am looking at three models to ‘standardize’ on for the business: Config 1: 1Gb mailboxes x 1000 mailboxes max = 1Tb database Config 2: 1Gb mailboxes x 500 mailboxes max = 500Gb database 3Gb...
So with the release of Windows Server 2008 I was really looking forward to some post or announcement from Microsoft with regards to the availability of native Active Directory management tools that can be installed on Windows Vista SP1 without any mods, kludges or scripts. You know, they just work out of the box. Like the good ‘ol days when you copied adminpak.msi from Windows Server 2003 over to Windows XP. Now that I am running Windows Server 2008 as a workstation I don't necessarily have to worry...
Some Microsofties are starting to offer TechNet Briefings in Second Life at the Microsoft Ampitheatre. Michael Murphy has the straight scoop at his blog. Personally, I would like to see more of this type of thing. It add an interesting twist to keep the community engaged over the typical mass-Live Meeting webinar. Those are only a step-up from reading a book. Now and again, you will get an exceptional presenter that engages you or a fantastic demo. I tried Second Life once and found it hard to pick...
I have recently been introduced to a company called PostPath. They are a new technology company that have created a Linux-based alternative to Microsoft's Exchange. Their proposition is that Microsoft Outlook is the killer application. As long as users can run Outlook and have all the features and functionality that they are used to, it shouldn't matter what is serving it up on the back end. And if that back end can run on cheaper hardware and storage with a highly-flexible open source OS, all the...
I love reading TechNet Magazine. They always have a host of timely and well-written articles in every issue. And as much as I try to go "paperless" having a printed magazine comes in handy when in an airport or when I have to spend extended amounts of time in "my office." On occasion they will have some bonus posters or materials included in each issue. My all time favorite is now available from Microsoft Downloads as a .pdf file. It loses some of its impact and grandeur not being in poster form,...
Microsoft's podcast page. Find links and RSS feeds for mp3 and wma versions of all podcasts as well as feeds for product specific podcasts like SQL, Exchange, Vista, Active Directory and Scripting. Link to Podcasts: Download Audio of Webcasts and Hear Them on the Go
I have had trouble in the past when installing the Exchange System Manager (ESM) on my laptop so I can modify email information about a user in Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC). I get conflicts with Outlook (some shared or overwritten DLLs I imagine) or in the case of Outlook 2007 Beta 2, outright consistent crashes. I found this article by Jim McBee on how to copy just the needed DLLs from an Exchange server to the workstation in question. The page isn't available on his site for some...
I was passed on this Microsoft announcement today of the release of WSSRA Virtual Environment for Development and Test. This set of documents and prescriptive guidelines shows you how to build an accurate emulation of a corporate enterprise data center. “By building with Microsoft Virtual Server and implementing only the IT services relevant for development and test, this instantiation is compact, requires far less hardware, and is easier to build and maintain.” The WSSRA-VE package contains...
There is an upcoming chat on Active Directory in a Branch Office configuration tomorrow. Title: Live Branch Chat: Administering and Maintaining the Branch Office Technologies Begin: 12/16/2005 10:00 AM End: 12/16/2005 11:00 AM Description: This chat will focus on the day to day operations that administrators will go through after the solution is deployed. We will discuss configuration, delegation, determining the state of replication, monitoring and best practices that will help administrators keep...
Rod Trent posted over on his blog some thoughts on running a domain controller as a VM (virtual machine). I can think of two places I would do this. Disaster recovery and as part of a "swing" upgrade to active directory from an NT4 domain. In most instances you are building a new destination DC on new hardware, and have an NT4 domain controller on older hardware. Build the new Windows 2003 Server and then build an NT4 server on it as a VM. Promote it to be the PDC. Upgrade it to be the new AD domain’s...
I heard a rumor that a Longhorn Server beta should be available in July. Apparently it was discussed in one of the Tech*Ed breakout sessions. We already have a late June target for the client beta. Speculation abounds on whether the Longhorn Server beta will have any new Active Directory bits
From the syllabus: Ever wondered how Microsoft IT manages and operates its AD infrastructure? Think Microsoft employees are any more accepting of downtime or performance issues? Microsoft has the oldest production Active Directory in the world (happily authenticating users since '99), so come listen as they share their best practices on everything from domain controller placement, performance monitoring, and change management, to disaster recovery, tools, and 64-bit DCs. This session rocked and I...