Holy Freakin' Wow is just about all I can say about this little plug-in for Outlook that I just read about in the last issue of Wired. I downloaded and installed the 3M file and it took just a little over 20 minutes for it to index my entire multi-gig PST (all three of 'em). What does it do? It turns the otherwise atomic messages that lie in your mailbox and creates "conversations" and other linkages between them.

The result is that you begin to see the threads between yourself and the others you communicate with on a regular basis. If you're like me in that you rely almost exclusively on email as your primary form of communication with others, you'll quickly see the value in understanding this.

Let me show you what it does by way of example. Once the indexing is complete, Xobni (which is the word "Inbox" backwards, if you're wondering about the odd name) will show you how you are communicating over the long-haul with others. Check out the image above, which is a screen shot from the panel it creates in Outlook. There you'll see some info about my communications with Dave Knight over at Realtime.

Xobni interfaces with LinkedIn to show me with what people Dave and I are interlinked (assuming both people are users of LinkedIn). It even pulls Dave's picture from his LinkedIn account if its stored there. Also present is an understanding of what times of day I can typically expect to receive mail from Dave. Rather than searching through old stored mail folders, Xobni shows me the threaded conversations I've had recently between myself and Dave. This means I can get through my mail faster, which means I can get the "real" work done faster.

If you've ever found yourself diving through old mail to find attachments sent by a person, Xobni also gives you a list of every attachment you've got in your PST from this person. Nice for finding those documents you've otherwise lost.

Xobni adds a link to the menu bar of Outlook that enables a few analytics charts you can pull that documents the times of day when you get the most mail, how long you're taking to respond to people on a month-by-month basis, how many unique contacts you're receiving over periods of time, and other metadata analyses. The image below shows my own personal mail traffic metadata, telling me that my mail deluge really doesn't start until about 9:30a. I typically spike my return messages much later in the evenings at 5p and again at 9p while others get theirs to me earlier in the morning.

Xobni is free for now, but will soon release a for-cost version that includes additional features and analytics. You can see more about the tool or download your own copy at http://www.xobni.com.

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A little more info is coming out about the new Microsoft Certified Master Certification (MCM). Prerequisites to even get into the Server 2008 MCM program are:

• An MCSE on Server 2000 or Server 2003 -or- an MCITP: Enterprise Admin in Server 2008
• Exam 70-219: Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure -or- Exam 70-297: Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure

Prerequisites for other MCM programs (SQL 2008, Exchange 2008) vary.

Once you've got the pre-requisites, the actual training is a three-week course. Actually, its referred to as "the most in-depth and comprehensive three week course available today". Yikes. Now, there's some major studying! I'm also reading that MCM certification is now one of the prerequisites for the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) cert as well.

Registration is expected to start this month, with the first classes being scheduled in Q3 of 2008. See http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/master/default.mspx for more info.

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I can feel the excitement growing, and yet we're still a few months way off from the next round of TechMentor conferences. This fall, TechMentor makes its way to New York in September and a return to Las Vegas in October.

But what's different about this next round of TechMentor sessions lies directly within the content. You've spoken and we've listened. You've asked for more high level sessions. You've asked for more content that you can immediately use. You've asked for Hands-On and interactive sessions.

We've provided. Here's more:

Looking for a place to spend those hard-earned training dollars? Consider joining us at TechMentor this fall where you'll get the straight scoop on today's and tomorrow's technology. Best of all, you'll get it from the country's most experienced IT speakers, people who know IT and know how best to tell you all about it.

Come join us at TechMentor this fall. Here's how...

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Back at Tech Ed a few weeks ago I picked up a copy of Dan Holme's new book Windows Administration Resource Kit: Productivity Solutions for IT Professionals. I was immediately attracted to its somewhat different solutions-focused approach to common tasks that many environments find themselves needing to improve.

Unlike a lot of IT books that strive to provide you with detailed information about how to accomplish a task, this book focuses more so on the why. Dan identifies ten solution subcollections, which are compilations of techniques that can be used to improve how you deal with common IT tasks. Those subcollections, which I list below the fold, focus on activity groupings like "Managing User Data and Settings", and "Active Directory Delegation and Administrative Lock Down".

Within each of those subcollections are lists upon lists of best practices, learned through Dan and others through countless hours of on-site consulting engagements. These best practices help you take some of the manual steps out of common Windows administration tasks and move to a more stable, more controlled, and more automated processing of those activities.

For example, within the subcollection "Active Directory Delegation and Administrative Lock Down" are best practices associated with customizing the Delegation of Control wizard, customizing permissions available in AD's ACL Editor interface, and how to best evaluate and report on AD permissions. For each of these is an explanation of the problem, why you should consider a better and/or more automated solution, and various "best" ways to implement it. For some, multiple solutions are provided, such as a GUI-based and command line-based process.

All-in-all the result turns out pretty good. I'm impressed with the layout of the solutions, and how each is activity-focused. And, I like how highly manual organizations can take this book and use it to immediately implement better change control and automation within their organization (hence the "Resource Kit" moniker). The only thing it lacks are more detail about the individual commands, but this information is best left to other more traditional IT books focused on those scripting langugaes or command structure.

In the end, if you're an organization looking for a book on best practices, this might be the one for you. Get more info on the book as well as links to purchase at: http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/11297.aspx

Click past the fold for the ten solution collections talked about in the book...

 
Continue reading Book Report: Windows Administration Resource Kit: Productivity Solutions for IT Professionals...

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This morning I got an email from Don Jones, author of numerous popular books on various scripting languages like PowerShell and VBScript, as well as other books on Windows Server and SQL. Don is in the process now of figuring out the subject of his next book, and he's looking for your help.

Have you ever wished there was an IT book on the shelves about ______. If someone only wrote that book, you'd have the knowledge and information you need to get some part of your job done? Heck, have you ever thought about writing it yourself? Well, Don has told me that he's polling the IT world to ask for help in finding (and maybe even assisting with) just that book. Don writes:

I've been very fortunate in having some successful book titles, and I know a lot of IT pros who've thought about authoring a book - but didn't want to take on the full responsibility for such a big project. So I'm soliciting ideas for my next book topic, and I plan to offer the winner the chance to co-author as much as they would like - one chapter, several chapters, whatever. I'll use whatever clout I've gained over the years to get one of the major publishers to pick it up, and my co-author will get full cover credit and an appropriate split of the royalties. It's kind of a way to get someone from the community involved in a way that's more approachable than a full book commitment.

So, here's your chance to get in on the ground floor with determining the next big IT book, and maybe even be a part of its development. Come join the conversation and make your suggestion known at: http://concentratedtech.com/content/index.php/2008/06/25/pick-dons-next-book-topic-and-maybe-help-write-it/

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A lot of us, myself included, felt cheated when Microsoft decided to sunset the MCSE credential. I wrote about its long goodbye in a recent article for Redmond Magazine here.

Those I talked to in the IT world had two major problems with the elimination of the MCSE:

1. We liked the name. MCSE has such a better ring to it than MCITP.
2. The MCITP, we felt, just wasn't at a high enough level to make it truly a goal worth attaining.

The best part about the MCSE was in many ways how many hoops you had to run through to get it. Somewhere between six and eight tests were a lot of work to accomplish. So, when you'd completed it, you really felt like you'd completed something. The replacing MCITP cert could take as few as three tests, depending on the MCITP you were reaching to obtain. And, that lack of value is probably one reason why the level of people attemption to obtain the MCITP is much lower than the initial rush to MCSE status.

In a likely move to combat this, Microsoft has recently announced yet another level to their certification program: The Microsoft Certified Master. Not to the "architect" level at the very top (and $20,000 price tag) of the Microsoft Certified Architect, this new cert is designed, in the words of Microsoft...

"...to help IT professionals attain a "master" level of proficiency in specific products - something previously only available internally to Microsoft employees and select partners. The programs will focus on design, build, and troubleshooting skills, and will require three weeks of mandatory training per track, delivered exclusively by top subject matter experts and industry-renowned instructors. The initial plan is to roll out the program for Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, with additional server products being added in the future."

Know that the MCM will have some hefty minimum requirements -- not unlike the MCA -- that must be fulfilled before you'll even be allowed into the program. But the end result is intended to be a person with a very high level of IT knowledge in a targeted area.

More information at Microsoft's press release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2008/jun08/06-10mscert.mspx

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If you're a user of Microsoft's System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) and/or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM, or ConfigMgr), you may be aware that Microsoft was bandying about with some information about a potential MCITP exam that certifies on these products.

The original thoughts for the exam series were to include 70-400 for SCOM 2007 and 70-401 for SCCM 2007. Both of these exams currently exist (and I'm in the process now of building a CBT Nuggets series for the 70-401 exam to be finished some time next month).

Late last week, Microsoft's certification blog announced that 70-402, the anticipated third exam in the series and the one that would confer MCITP status, has been indefinitely postponed. From the blog:

Months ago we presented a Live Meeting about System Center certifications, in which we announced the two Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certs that are available now for Operations Manager and Configuration Manager via exams 70-400 and 70-401. We also talked about a professional-series exam and certification--"details TBD"--that were in planning stages. We were so transparent, bandying the probable exam number (70-402) and cert name (MCITP: Operations Manager) about with reckless abandon...

We were so young.

I know many of you are interested in this, so wanted to share the current thinking as I understand it. The 402 exam and Operations Manager cert are not in development or locked. We still see a need for a professional series certification (MCITP) in the systems management/operations space, but have decided to stop and consider the best way to do that, given a few new developments. One consideration is System Center Virtual Machine Manager (see below) and how it will/could tie in to a pro-series certification.

The cert teams are doing continuing research on the right certification for someone in an operations role (your thoughts?), so don't give up hope. But don't be making any short term plans to take 70-402, because it, like building 7, doesn't exist (yet). Some of you may have noted 402 in the certification planner tool; now that things are changing around, we'll be updating that so it isn't misleading anyone.

I have no further news outside what is posted here, but it looks to me that this MCITP concentration may lie low for a while. If you're in progress with the MCTS exams, I'd remain down the path in anticipation of a potential future release. I'll keep an eye on the news as well and report on any updates to this topic.

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Rod Trent over at MyITForum.com recently posted a great fact sheet that gives details on the top 13 things you can do to speed up Microsoft Outlook. I'll list his tips below, but if you want more details surf on over to http://myitforum.com/cs2/files/folders/proddocs/entry117364.aspx and pick up the two-pager.

• Tip 1: Delete attachments
• Tip 2: Split emails into Archives
• Tip 3: Disable unessential Add-ins in Outlook 2007
• Tip 4: No need for fax? Ditch it!
• Tip 5: Enable Outlook 2007 logging to see if anything is going wrong
• Tip 6: Compact your PST data files often
• Tip 7: Optimise your Exchange settings
• Tip 8: Stop Outlook 2007 storing RSS information from IE7
• Tip 9: Run the Outlook 2007 Diagnostics check
• Tip 10: Update your Rules and Alerts
• Tip 11: Scan and repair your PST file
• Tip 12: Run Outlook 2007 in safe mode
• Tip 13: Download the latest patches from Microsoft

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I'll admit that I haven't spent the time yet to really dig deep into Windows PowerShell. I've been a VBScript fan since 2000, and so making the switch to this new language is a jump I just haven't made the time to prepare for.

So last weekend I decided to finally sit down and start looking through the training available. Having written my last book through SAPIENPress, I was able to get my hands on a copy of their PowerShell University three-CD set. I was amazed at the level of quality production I saw in these disks.

First, and most different than many CBTs available on the market today was the full motion video of the trainer, Don Jones, shown during about a third of the video. The Fundamentals video comes just shy of about three hours in length and includes in-person lecture, demo, and lab sections. The lecture components include videos of Don presenting the topic and some excellent transitions, which adds a nice touch. The demo sections run you through each of the commands and their use, and are great for pausing so that you can do it yourself on your own computer. Also included are a number of lab sections where you attempt to solve problems based on what you've just learned. Lab manuals explaining the problems are provided. These manuals give hints towards the solution as well as the solution itself, which iteratively helps you when you get stuck.

All-in-all the package is well designed. There's definitely an air of professional-ness to it, and you leave the presentation feeling like you've gotten your money's worth.

I can think of only two relatively small negatives that kept running through my mind as I spent time watching the presentation. First, when using Real Player (my default media player) the video section was lumped into a single three hour file. I found myself wishing that the individual sections were broken into individual files, which would have modularized the training a bit better as I found myself dashing off to another task in the middle of a presentation. From what I understand, if you view the presentation in QuickTime, those separations are available in the interface.

Second, PowerShell is such a big topic that you may find yourself needing to purchase the Fundamentals, the Intermediate, and the Advanced videos if you want to maximize your learning. Thankfully, SAPIEN bundles all three into a single package that comes at a discount, so its worth your while to pick up the three-disk set.

All-in-all, for the multiple hours of interactive training that you can take at your own pace, the content is worth the price. This is a high-quality production that uses multiple paths to maximize your learning experience. I give it high marks for accelerating my own PowerShell experience.

Get your copy at: https://www.scriptingoutpost.com/c-8-scriptinganswerscom-university-class-on-disc.aspx

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I'm being asked to review Adobe Captivate, which is a tool not unlike Camtasia for doing screen grabs. I haven't had the time yet to sit down and truly come to a conclusion about the tool. So, I'd like to ask around to see what are your impressions.

Any thoughts? Do you like one or the other? Why? Email me at gshields@realtimepublishers.net or drop a comment here. I'm curious to hear your impressions.

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If you were one of the lucky who already have an MCSE 2003 and registered for Microsoft's 40% off voucher for the MCITP 2008 upgrade exams, be aware that they're about to expire.

If you're like me in that you signed up, got the email and the voucher, and then promptly threw it into a folder in your Outlook to be completely forgotten, you'll find it back by sorting on the Subject line and looking for the subject "Your Windows Server 2008 Exam Savings Code".

Good luck with the exam! I'll be taking mine here in the next couple of weeks...

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Not long ago, I posted a three-part series explaining the MCITP exam and what you need to do to start down the road of obtaining yours. The link in the sentence above takes you to Part II which explains the exams needed.

Microsoft actually offers two tracks for the MCITP. The first, the MCITP: Server Administrator is designed for mid-level administrators, while the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator is the highest-level certification designed for top-level administrators. You're responsible for taking more tests to get the MCITP: EA exam than the MCITP: SA exam.

The other major difference is that the "final" exam, which is a job-skills exam, is diferent between the two certs. Until now, that final exam in either track was not available. These exams, 70-646 and 70-647, were released last week, so it is now possible to fully obain the MCITP.

Be careful in the exam you choose to take. Taking one does not work towards the other's certification. From the Microsoft certification blog:

Is Exam 70-647 a superset of Exam 70-646? I.e. if I take Exam 70-647, will I earn MCITP: Server Administrator certification automatically? No. In the past, MCSA could be a subset of MCSE, but based on feedback we received, we now have two separate paths: Enterprise Administrator is focused on design and Server Administrator is focused on operations. Unlike MCSA and MCSE certifications, these are two different job roles with two different sets of requirements. If you earn the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator certification, you do not automatically earn the MCITP: Server Administrator certification.

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

Microsoft releases today an excellent PDF that shows exactly what you need to do to certify for an MCITP on Server 2008. This single-page PDF sublimely distills all the requirements into an easy-to-understand format.

Get your copy here.

If you're still confused, you can also check out my recent Redmond Magazine column Au Revoir, MCSE where I tell the same story, but in a narrative format.

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In its monthly MCP newsletter, Microsoft provides yet another reminder about the exams to retire at the end of March. Note that if you're still persuing your MCSE 2003, you still have time to complete it -- as long as you've done your 2000 -> 2003 upgrade exam by month's end. Other than these two exams, 70-292 and 70-296, all those that are retiring at the end of this month relate to Windows NT and 2000.

Click past the fold for the list...

 
Continue reading Microsoft Certification Exams to Retire at the End of March...

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Instructor-led training can be expensive, and its tough to learn through reading multiple-thousand page books. Computer-based training with all its multimedia capabilities lies somewhere in the middle -- reasonably priced, entertaining enough to keep your attention, and a visual source of learning while doing.

In this podcast, I interview Roy Furr with CBT Nuggets, makers of all kinds of computer-based training for IT technologies as well as preparation for IT certifications. In this podcast, we talk about the state of CBT's today and how we think the job market is dealing with both training and certification needs. We'll talk about employers and their desire for certified employees, and how businesses can get exceptional training at exceptionally inexpensive prices through the right training channels.

Even better, in this podcast we'll talk about an offer which will get your 10% off the price of some training videos through CBT Nuggets. Listen to the podcast to find out how!

(Full disclosure: I am an independent trainer for CBT Nuggets)

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I've always liked VMware's no-cost "Server" product for use as a sandbox for building and testing environments. Last night I had need to get some Server 2008 images loaded onto that environment and realized that I needed to upgrade to VMware Server 2.0 Beta in order to fully support them. I figured it also a nice opportunity to test out this new whole-number upgrade.

Well, the installation was definitely...interesting... If you decide to try out VMware Server 2.0, make absolutely sure that you thoroughly read its release notes file before starting. As a Beta product there are still some bugs to work out with its installation routines. There are a few major gotchas within that document that you must know before installing. Since the release notes require a registration to be seen, I'll include them after the jump.

As to my first impressions of the new interface -- in a word: "yuck". VMware had a slick client-based tool in the last version that looked and behaved much like VMware Workstation's interface. The new web-based interface reminds me of what I think we all disliked about ESX 2.5's web interface. The interface is exceptionally slow, has problems showing me the consoles of my running VM's, and needs to be at full screen to be useful whatsoever. I rarely put any windows in full screen, so this is doubly annoying. Most interesting of all, for Linux there is no direct upgrade from 1.0.4 to 2.0. One must first remove 1.0.4, prior to installing the 2.0 code, which is always a scary experience.

As an interesting and minor change, RAM count for each VM is now displayed in GB, which makes it difficult to read in some cases. As an example, 384M of RAM is actually .38GB. This change, though seemingly directed towards multi-GB servers doesn't help those of us who run really-small ones.

Lastly, and this is a regular (but irritating) feature of all VMware Beta products, debug mode is enabled for all machines by default -- and it cannot be disabled through the GUI interface. I've found an alternate way to disable it, which I'll post in another post later today.

So, all-in-all, I give this update to VMware Server a C-. The product still works, and still hosts machines as per its design. But its interfaces have taken a move backwards in usability.

Click past the break for the full list of gotchas from the release notes...

 
Continue reading VMware Server 2.0 First Look - My Rating: C-...

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I've been struggling lately with discovering the interest level out in the world in regards to Microsoft's System Center line, specifically in relation to System Center Essentials. SCE (pronounced "ski" by the Softies), is a tool that combines the best parts of SMS/SCCM and MOM/SCOM and adds some very nice wizards to make the process easier.

SCE is specifically designed for the smallest of businesses, with hard limits of 30 servers and 500 desktops under management.

In my column this week over at MCPmag.com, I pen the first of a 4-part series on SCE. I really like this tool. But I'm not hearing much about it in the usual circles.

If you would, check out the article in the link above. If you're a small environment, is this a compelling product? Would you pay the $2,929 startup fee for 10 servers and 50 workstations? Is the promise of proactive systems management worth three grand, or are there other products out there that are more exciting to you? Let us know...

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When we start considering Hyper-V as a virtualization solution, we need to begin considering the concept of partitions. Each system with Hyper-V active will have onboard a "primary partition", which you can consider to be the "core" or "base" system upon which Hyper-V actually drives the virtual machines.

Each virtual machine itself is another partition, specifically a "child partition" related to the primary one. One thing impacted by this concept of partitions is now networking is handled by the host. Upon the installation/activation of Hyper-V, network cards assigned to each child partition will show up within the primary partition as additional network cards. When this occurs, the bindings on the original physical network card are changed to remove the usual bindings and add the Virtual Network Switch Protocol.

Thus, the original network card becomes effectively like a software router, sending traffic to virtual cards as necessary within the internal network.

More past the jump...

 
Continue reading An Introduction to Networking with Hyper-V...

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