The first two parts of my MCPmag.com series on Vista's native EXE files has been a pretty big hit with the readers. You can read both parts here and here.

What's interesting are the sheer number of EXEs available in the System32 folder. My research with Vista showed that "...out of 390 EXE files in a default RTM Vista installation, 234 can be invoked by a user to accomplish some task. Eighty of those will launch a GUI-based tool, while the remaining 154 are command-line tools." After pulling that information together, I felt it necessary to just pull all the commands into a little cheat sheet for my own use. You'll be surprised at some of the commands that you never knew existed, many of which haven't changed since Windows XP!

Part 3 comes out this week, where I explain the 80 commands that launch some sort of GUI tool. As with the command-line tools, I was impressed at the GUIs available that I'd never seen before.

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It looks like the guys over TechNet Magazine are moving further into the multimedia world. I just learned this morning that Don Jones' PowerShell column now includes a video snippet when you view it on-line. Here's the link for the 6/08 issue where he explains the process to add formatting to the output of a PowerShell command: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc510337(TechNet.10).aspx.

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Sysinternals tools have always been some of the best no-cost tools that make easy the job of being a Windows administrator. But using them has always involved downloading them into the path of your computer so they can be run locally.

No more.

Check out http://live.sysinternals.com. From this site, you can run any of the tools' EXEs on-demand without the extra download need. Even better, from a command prompt you can directly access the tool by entering \\live.sysinternals.com\tools\{nameOfTool}. You'll see a pause as the tool downloads to the desktop, but it all arrives comletely seamlessly. This is great when you're working on a server's desktop where the tools haven't been previously installed.

Wicked!

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by the guys at TechNet Edge. They wanted me to explain why I felt that using SCCM's SQL database wasn't really all that hard. Check out the video...

You can find quite a few more TechNet Edge video vignettes at http://edge.technet.com.

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Its a whole new Microsoft out there, folks. After years of closed-mindedness regarding the world around them, Microsoft is slowly moving towards more open compatibility between theirs and other vendors' products. The latest evolution of this happened last week at the MMS conference.

There, the big announcements were System Center support of non-Microsoft systems, both in actual desktop/server management through SCCM and virtualization management through SCVMM.

On multi-platform management:

Microsoft today announced the availability of a public beta for System Center Operations Manager 2007 Cross Platform Extensions, which build on the existing Operations Manager 2007 technology and capabilities and are designed to help customers extend the value of their Microsoft System Center investments. Providing customers with a comprehensive management solution, this new end-to-end IT systems monitoring capability incorporates industry standards and proven open source technologies, including Web Services for Management (WS-Management) and OpenPegasus, extending the capabilities across both physical and virtualized Windows and non-Windows operating systems and applications. Microsoft delivers the core foundational cross-platform support out of the box for HP-UX, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Sun Solaris and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating systems so that partners can focus on adding their deep domain expertise in the form of management packs. Companies such as Novell Inc., Quest Software Inc. and Xandros Inc. have demonstrated their support by working to deliver monitoring abilities for applications made by organizations such as The Apache Software Foundation, MySQL AB and Oracle.

...and on multiple-platform virtualization management (a huge play in my book for Microsoft and the coming virtualization wave):

Also delivered today was the public beta of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (formerly code-named "Virtual Machine Manager vNext"), which enables customers to configure and deploy new virtual machines and to centrally manage their virtualized infrastructure, whether running on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 or VMware ESX Server.

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 tightly integrates with Operations Manager 2007 to deliver a new feature called Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO). Using deep knowledge of the IT environment including operating systems, applications and hardware, Operations Manager identifies opportunities for more efficient physical and virtual resource allocation and generates "PRO tips" within the Virtual Machine Manager console. Administrators can implement these PRO tips and dynamically optimize their datacenter based upon pre-defined policies and the real-time, changing demands of users. When used in conjunction with the broad System Center management suite, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 enables customers effectively to manage both their virtualized and physical servers and applications across their desktops and datacenters with a single set of consistent, compatible tools.

Get ready for the second era of compatibility coming up soon, with Microsoft leading the charge in many ways. Read the full article at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-29MMS08PR.mspx

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Michael over at 4sysops puts together a pretty good review of the file storage scanner JDiskReport. I too have been singing the praises of this tool, due to its incredibly easy interface.

If you're in the situation of needing to eliminate waste from your users' home or other drives, you're familiar with the "what do I delete?" problem. Rather than making the decision yourself, just hand this tool over to your users and instruct them to do the deleting for you. JDiskReport scans a drive location and provides as heads-up display showing file sizes, distribution, characteristics, and folder structure, making it easy for users to find and eliminate disk waste they don't need.

Check out Michael's review here. Or, just get your own copy here.

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you read yesterday's post and the link to my column in this month's Redmond Magazine, you're probably wondering, "Well, Greg, you've outlined the problem but not provided much in the way of solutions."

Well, just between you and me, that info is coming. Keep an eye on Redmond Magazine next month where I'll give you five specific tips to assist you with the management of your desktops...

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Have you ever wondered why your IT environment seems to be excessively chaotic? Are you reactively putting out fires becuase you just don't seem to have the time to fix things properly? What are the key secrets to getting an environment from reactive to proactive?

Those are the central questions that I tackle in my Windows Insider column for this month's Redmond Magazine. I talk about how the problem of getting from reactive to proactive is in many ways a time and effort problem. The problem with making the cultural change to get there is that there is initially a lot more work involved before you can reap the benefits. That extra work is involved with learning scripting, automated software installation and packaging, and the other critical automation skills necessary.

The bad part is that for you and yours to get to proactive, that process will involve a lot of extra work at the outset.

Read the article to learn more. I don't provide any silver bullets towards the solution, but definitely outline where you need to focus your energies to get you started.

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If SCCM's console isn't providing enough information for you, you also have the option to run it in "debug view mode". This mode adds additional actions to each node that allow you to view CM Object Properties in addition to the standard view. This is particularly handy when needing data for scripting and advanced troubleshooting.

Load the console in debug view with the command: adminconsole.msc /SMS:debugview

You'll need to navigate to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminUI\bin folder to directly launch this application.

Other console extensions are available as well to change the console's language as well as ignore and/or reset extensions. You can learn more about extending the console at this address: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb693533.aspx

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Microsoft has released the latest updates to the Deployment Toolkit, what used to be called the BDD or Business Desktop Deployment Kit. This version supports the automated deployment of Server 2008 and Vista SP1 as well as the following new features:

• Additional Actions including Configure DHCP, Authorize DHCP, Configure DNS, and Configure ADDS
• New scripts that will automate the installation of Mass Storage Drivers for Windows XP and Windows 2003 Systems
• Ability to use a WSUS server for the Windows Update script
• Improved performance for the PXE Filter for System Center Configuration Manager unknown computer support
• Improved documentation including a new Quick Start Guide for System Center Configuration Manager and a guide for implementing the Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager

Your copy is waiting for you at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3bd8561f-77ac-4400-a0c1-fe871c461a89&displaylang=en&tm

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been a'bloggin' on Group Policy Preferences here, here, and here. But what you may not realize is that you can begin using GPP's even today! To manage them you'll need a Server 2008 or Vista (with RSAT) instance somewhere in your environment.

What you'll also need are the Client-Side Extensions (CSE's) on all your desktops. Start getting these installed now, 'cause you're going to like your new powers!

Download the CSE's and get started at: http://support.microsoft.com/Default.aspx?kbid=943729

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm getting ready to write a piece for Redmond Magazine on the very best SMS and SCCM queries ever written. Of course, writing such a piece without input from others means I'm writing a story about "The Very Best SMS and SCCM Queries Greg has Ever Written", which isn't all that exciting.

If you've got some killer queries that you want to share, and wouldn't mind a new t-shirt compliments of Redmond Magazine, send them my way.

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

netsh is often referred to as the "swiss army knife" of network configuration tools. In a lot of ways that's true: It can do a lot, but its individual features can be painful to get out if you don't have the right stuff (read: fingernails). But netsh is critical for Server 2008, especially in light of Server Core where its the only tool available for managing network connections.

With Server Core in Server 2008, there simply isn't any other tool that can do for network connections like what netsh can.

Like the right course of fish oil suppliements, Microsoft releases a downloadable CHM file that grows your netsh fingernails and gives you the knowledge you need to use it correctly. Download. Know. Grow. Use.

Get your copy at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f41878de-2ee7-4718-8499-2ef336db3df5&DisplayLang=en

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Another great new piece of news coming out of the impending release of my newest book is the announcement of nine (count 'em, NINE!) chapters of bonus material on administering Server 2008 using Windows PowerShell.

These nine bonus chapters are from Don Jones' and Jeff Hicks' recent book Windows PowerShell: TFM, 2nd Edition. They're inserted into this book to give you a leg up on command-line and scripted management of Server 2008 while you learn about Server 2008's new and changed features. The two perfectly couple with each other to give you a holistic picture of how you'll be managing your servers in the future. I think you'll appreciate the extra content and what you'll stand to learn.

Learn more about Don and Jeff's book at this site: http://www.sapienpress.com/PowerShell2.asp

Learn more about my book here: http://www.sapienpress.com/windows_server_08.asp

Click past the fold to read the full blurb out of my book..

 
Continue reading Greg's New Book, Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed to Include Bonus Chapters!...

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The short answer here is that they're usually used against us.

Metrics have had a long-standing history in IT circles of bringing artificial objectivity to an otherwise very subjective industry. This is not to say that metrics aren't useful, but rather that they're most often used in non-morale-building ways. In my own personal history, they're most often incorporated to reinforce why management isn't happy with IT rather than why they are happy.

So, what are the 13 reasons? Click past the fold...

 
Continue reading 13 Reasons Why IT People Hate Metrics...

Digg it!

Sphere it!

Del.icio.us

Reddit!

Newsvine

Posted by Greg Shields | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)