ChapsNet: Work

Task Lists and GTD Apps

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:07:02 GMT

So I finally sat down and wrote out all the things that need to be down over the next few weeks. by the time I finished on the first pass, I had 30 tasks written down across 6 major areas

MS Exchange 2007 Migration
MS SharePoint 2007
Backups
Desktop Clients
AV Migration
Documentation

Holy Smokes, that’s some work that we (my offside and I) need to do… I was looking onto some options for setting up some kind of GTD stuff to document all this and possibly keep up with it all, otherwise I am going to get mired down in paperwork and tasks and emails and everything. I can never find one that suits me… There are plenty of them about but most seem to be either Desktop or Cloud-based, some look great, some not-so-great, some use email and work with Outlook, many do not. I still haven’t found one really suits me. I guess that search goes one..

In the meantime, we created a SharePoint site and list all the Projects and the tasks and cross-linked them as well as did up some quick custom views to keep us going for now… That does me for now, on the work side of things anyway… that still leaves all the stuff i need to do at home though….

For this, I am thinking of using MS OneNote combined with Live Mesh. That way i can access the OneNote file from both Work and Home as well as synchronise with my HTC TYTN II. I am still only scratching the surface of OneNote and I look forward to putting more into the way it works and integrates with Outlook

Any tips on GTD Apps and also OneNote resources and tips would be appreciated…

Activation strikes again...

Fri, 02 May 2008 04:47:25 GMT

Yikes, My Work Vista VM has just been completely done over... I had to reboot it for something elso and soon as i started up, it prompted me to activate it.. no probs, so i run through the wizard.. Error 0xc004e003 and it fails to activate.. dang.. Everytime it does this, it then logs me off. So i log in and so it again.. nup, failed ( and logs me off). So i try again manually.. damn, it does the whole manual thing and now i have the screen to call up and do an activation over the phone...BUT... there are no codes in the section required to be entered in the phone ( or to the operator..)

So, off to 132058 option1, option3 to get a call logged. I was on the phone for an hour with this guy trying to assist. no og.. we tried a System restore, no such luck.. I even did a repair install.. that seemed to fix it. Of course my previous installation and all the data was now in a folder called Windows.old but at least it was still there.

I start doing my updates and Service Packs as well as adding some essential applications that i need on my work machine. I had just gotten my profile back to normal and then i had all these errors trying to insall Office 2007. What the...? I tried a couple of different option and uninstalling and all that with no success. Then I rebooted and started up when i found myself in one of the dreaded Windows Update loops.. you know, where it says it is updating and then shutsdown over and over and over again...

In the end, i created a new HDD for my Virtual Machine and started again.. That was yesterday and today i ma finally back to where I was Wednesday lunchtime.. All I can say is thank god it was a Virtual Machine and I still had my Laptop Host to work off while i was rebuilding...

Exchange 2007 is all systems go

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:45:56 GMT

So I worked out this issue that was preventing the Exchange 2007 Installation from continuing. After all that, it was nothing more than a simple firewall issue. the two domains are firewalled from each other, hence why it couldn't connect. How embarrassing.

the way i worked it out was via using DCDiag to connect to particular DC's and checking that DNS test could be carried out. When i couldn't get to the same DC's that Exchange installation couldn't see, I finally twigged.. Duh.

Of course, since then, i have since broken it again, couldn't uninstall, tried a manual uninstall ( NOT Recommended ). to recover i ran the command - Setup /m:RecoverServer - and it was failing halfway through in relation to the Microsoft Search (Exchange) Service. I browsed to the MSI file ( C:\program files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\Mailbox) and then ran the msfte.msi /uninstall and restarted the setup. Bingo, it went through and reinstalled and Exchange was Working again. Woohooo..

I guess I have tested the Disaster recovery process enough now...

Exchange 2007 install woes

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:04:12 GMT

We are trying to install Exchange 2007 test intallation os we can check out the UC components to see if it will suitable replace our existing CTI installation. That doesn't sound too hard does it... noooo...

We try to run the setup, everyhting checks out, well sort of... So far we have the following issues:

Single label domain

But the biggest issue that we have which to me, shouldn't be an issue at all. First off, a bit of background. We have a child domain that is does not contain Exchange in any way. It has 1 Windows 2003Sp2 DC and 2 Windows 2000 SP4 DC's. When we run the Exchange 2007 setup we get the following errors:

Extending Active Directory schema

Progress .................. FAILED

Domain abc.xyz.com cannot be reached. Please verify the connection to this domain and run PrepareDomain for this domain again.

Why is it trying to contact the Child domain at all? I don't any part of Exchange in the child Domain. Everything else can see the child domain, what the hell? I added the preReq xml file that changes the requirements for the Ex2007 SP1 install and everything. the Parent domain xyz.com has had all the domain prep stuff run and i figured it would work just find.

Any tips would be appreciated..

Technorati Tags: exchange Server 2007,Microsoft,Windows Server

Windows Server 2008 WAIK install Part II

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:57:11 GMT

So now the Server is all set up and hopefully ready to go. I am now testing the Boot PE image that i burnt to CD to test the setup. that way i can see if the image will connect to the deploy point.

Should that be successful, I shall then move the Boot PE image to the WDS Server and then test from there. Once that works OK, i will work on finalising the Image that i will deply. I am mkaing an existing XP one and will follow that up with a Vista one. All going well, i will look at a Windows Server 2003 and a Windows Server 2008 image that i can then deploy.

UPDATE: Automated boot was unsuccessful ( i think due to NIC Drivers) but Lite Touch Installation is currently under way...

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Windows Server,MS deployment Workbench,WAIK

MS Terminal Server Start menu Re-direction

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:03:34 GMT

Here is a fantastic article from Aaron Parker on how to do Terminal Server Start menu re-direction. We currently have some archaic application called Startbuild that does it at the moment, for the most part. i will be rebuilding our TS servers soon and i can tell you that this will be the first thing i implement.

This is another great post in a long line of posts that i have found of great use for setting up my environment. Great work, keep it up.

Technorati Tags: Terminal Server,Microsoft,Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2008 WAIK install

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:20:05 GMT

How's this for a dodgy install. I am looking at installing the Microsoft Deployment toolkit and the Windows Server 2008 (and Vista SP1) AIK on a test server to see if it is useful here at work. So far i found the following odd things:

MS Assessment & Planning requires Word & Excel 2007, Word and Excel viewers are no good as substitutes
It also requires SQL 2005 express, even though i already have SQL 2005 on there.

That is as far as i hae gotten so far... Why you wouldn't provide an option to use and existing SQL installation is beyond me. I can either download or use a previous download.

Perhaps i should just stick with Ghost...

Technorati Tags: Mcirosoft,Windows Server 2008,WAIK,deployment

DC3 lives!!

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:21:05 GMT

We have being having all sorts of trouble adding our third Domain controller into our child domain. It just would not be able to replicate correctly and establish the SYSVOL share or anything. It was resolvable through its A record but just wouldn't join the gang. So this morning, we sat down and decided to fix this once and for all. We went through and checked that we had done all the correct steps and permissions first. Yep, we had done everything the right way but just not the right result.

We were getting a lot of Event ID 1925 errors - DNS Lookup failure caused replication to fail - so I check it out on TechNet and got this article which gives various specific dnsdiag commands to run. we started with dnsdiag /test:dns /s:DC3 /dnsbasic from our and found that there were errors from DC3 as it wasn't updating it's DSA_GUID._msdsc.dns_domain entry. I then ran dcdiag /test:dns /dnsrecordregistration command to double-check and it failed also.

I then went and checked the DSA_GUID._msdsc.dns_domain entry that was there versus the one it was looking for and ,lo and behold, they were different. I deleted the wrong one with extreme prejudice and manually entered the correct value and Bingo, it started doing all the things that a DC does...

Somehow, there was an incorrect entry in the _msdsc.dns_domain_Name zone that was causing the issue. I'd say it was an old entry from before my time. Once gone, i was back in business... and i did the dance of joy..

Next Stop.. why won't our Exchange 2007 Test box get to the next stage of installation..

Multi-Monitor Setup ...

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:59:29 GMT

I finally got my setup at work the way I wanted it, well physically anyway... trouble is that Virtual PC 2007 doesn't support Multiple Monitor Support. Damn. VMWare Server is free but doesn't work on Vista Hosts and VMWare Player doesn't let you create new VM's. I am trying to do a VMWare Workstation setup beacuse it does do multiple moitor support on disparate monitors. My first attempt in using VMWare Converter to convert my VPC 2007 image was a failure. It just kept blue-screening with a disk-related error and restarting only to blue-screen and so on. No other boot options would work and even after mounting the image as a mapped drive to try a defrag or checkdisk.

Back to the drawing board. Until then i have host on the laptop screen and the VM on the Monitor... Hopefully I can work it out before the VMWare Evaluation version of Workstation expires. I don't want to buy it until i know it'll work.

Upgrading Domain Controllers to SP2

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:20:13 GMT

Here's a catch if you are applying SP2 to your Windows 2003 Domain controller. After the post-installation reboot, you may not be able to connect to anything at all. The Server will work fine but it will not connect to anything on the network... it took us a while to solve this one but we finally found it out

The Issue

Windows Server 2003 SP1, it made some significant changes to security including start up account for services, DCOM security etc. Since Windows Server SP2 has stronger defaults and privilege reduction on services, it may result in some issues after installing Windows 2003 SP2.

Windows 2003 SP2 uses Network Service account for the RPC service. Prior to SP2 and SP1, the OS was using Local System account for the same. After installing SP2 for Windows Server 2003 services will not start that use the Network Service or Local Service account.
Have you ever encountered the following problem?

•    RPC service or other services set to automatic dependent on RPC will not start properly. For example, when trying to start the service, get error of "Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start"
•    Network connection fails to open or Network adapter icons do not appear in Network Connections.
•    Incoming and outgoing network communication fails
•    COM+, Volume Shadow Copy and Shell Hardware Detection services are in the “starting” state
•    Receive “Access is denies” when selecting the dependencies tab of a service that does not start

Why?

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service has been changed from Local System account to Network Service account for better security. “Impersonate a client after authentication” right is required to include Administrators and the SERVICE group if the RPC Service runs as the Network Service account.

What can we do if meeting with the issue?

Open the Group Policy configuration window (gpedit.msc or open it in Active Directory Users and Computers).
Locate the policy entry: Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\User Rights Assignment\Impersonate a client after authentication.
Ensure that the “Administrators” group and the “SERVICE” group is granted this privilege.
If the problem remains, correct the Access Control List for HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID (and all child keys and values) to ensure NT Authority\Network Service can read. This can be accomplished by adding Authenticated Users or Users group and providing Read permissions.
If the Add User or Group button is disabled and if the computer is a domain controller, use the Domain Controller Security Policy administrative tool to make the policy changes. This policy tool will override the local security policy settings. If this computer is a member server and the Add User or Group button is disabled, identify all Group Policy settings that apply to this computer, and then make the policy changes to the appropriate Group Policy settings.
In the Enter the object names to select box, type Administrators , and then click OK.
Repeat step d through e for the SERVICE group account.
Click OK to close the Impersonate a client after authentication Properties dialog box.
On the File menu, click Exit.
Restart the computer.
If you can add the Administrators group and SERVICE group accounts to the Impersonate a client after authentication policy setting, restart the computer.

I hope that if this helps, it'll at least save you a couple of hours that we went through to track donw the issue...

My new Mobile...

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:03:23 GMT

While I was in an upgrading mood, I decided to upgrade my mobile phone too. I purchased a new HTC TyTN II phone as well. this is one sweet phone and I fear i haven't scratched the surface of whta it can do. I have loaded a few apps to make it even better. The TouchFLO interface is just fantastic for big fat fingers.

Now that we are preparing to go to Exchange 2007, I can slip the Exchange ActiveSync into our requirements doco so i can receive puch mail. i could configure it now but i will most likely wait until we upgrade. i have taken some great ( and some not so great) photos with the 3 Megapixel camera too.

I'm loving the slide-out keyboard, makes it easy to pump out SMS and emails quickly. I can do it faster than i ever did on a T9 keyboard. This makes a big difference as i am one of those pedantic old-school guys that refuses to do Gen Y kiddy-style SMS abbreviations like "CU L8R" and " LOL" and all that crap. If I am writing a message than it will be clear, concise and to the point. Always have and always will. If I am paying for 160 characters, why would I miss leave out some? Besides, if it is that time-critical, I'll just call...

Anyway, I think i picked a top phone an I am really happy with it. A pity the Silicon Case that i bought on eBay wasn't as good a quality as the phone itself.

RSAT tools released for Windows Vista SP1

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:13:43 GMT

At last, the RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools) for @008 have been released in x86 and x64. After installing, make sure you go to the Control Panel and under Programs, select Turn Windows Features On and Off to enable the tools. I was cursing and carrying on until i decided to RTFM and worked out that i just hadn't switched them off. Now my custom Console runs perfectly and it recognises the /Admin switch for the Remote Desktops snap-ins.

Windows 2003 SP1 Admin Pack on Vista

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:43:10 GMT

I got all excited about the new Windows Server 2008 Admin tools to install on my Vista Machines but, alas, it is only for Vista SP1. Even thought that it is in RC format, I don't want to do it on my main Work machine just yet. If only I had read the Doco before I uninstalled the W2003 Version.

So, I had to remember how I got it working... Finally, I got it going by doing the following:

1. Right-click on Command Prompt and selecting Run as Administrator

2. Run the Windows 2003 SP1 Admin Pack from elevated Command prompt

3. after install, running a batch file containing the following text

          set filelist=adprop.dll azroles.dll azroleui.dll ccfg95.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% certadm.dll certmmc.dll certpdef.dll certtmpl.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% certxds.dll cladmwiz.dll clcfgsrv.dll clnetrex.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% cluadmex.dll cluadmmc.dll cmproxy.dll cmroute.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% cmutoa.dll cnet16.dll debugex.dll dfscore.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% dfsgui.dll dhcpsnap.dll dnsmgr.dll domadmin.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% dsadmin.dll dsuiwiz.dll imadmui.dll lrwizdll.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% mprsnap.dll msclus.dll mstsmhst.dll mstsmmc.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% nntpadm.dll nntpapi.dll nntpsnap.dll ntdsbsrv.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% ntfrsapi.dll rasuser.dll rigpsnap.dll rsadmin.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% rscommon.dll rsconn.dll rsengps.dll rsjob.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% rsservps.dll rsshell.dll rssubps.dll rtrfiltr.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% schmmgmt.dll tapisnap.dll tsuserex.dll vsstskex.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% w95inf16.dll w95inf32.dll winsevnt.dll winsmon.dll
          set filelist=%filelist% winsrpc.dll winssnap.dll ws03res.dll

          for %%I in (%filelist%) do (
          echo Registering %%I ...
          regsvr32 /s %%I

4. Close Command Prompt

Voila, it opened up my custom Console with no problems at all...

Back at Work

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:48:02 GMT

Yup, I'm back at work and I have dredged through all the emails. I was gonna check them periodically while I was away but i couldn't bring myself to do it...

While I am nearly up to speed on the gossip of all the stuff that happened while i was away, i did come across this titbits. We have gone live with our GiftCard scheme in the store. Here is one of our promo ads

So make sure you don't make the same mistake and give a Betta electrical Gift Card this Christmas.

This is what we have been working on for the last few months, making sure it integrates with our retail system correctly and that the Tender Codes and all that are in place. I'm just glad we got it all up and running in time.

Technorati Tags: Betta Electrical,Gift Cards,Christmas,Christmas Gift

Office 2007 Deployment Complete

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:53:14 GMT

I just love it when a plan comes together.... Office 2007 has been completely deployed and all docs, Spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations have been upgraded to 2007 Specs. All done on time and under-budget. the only expense was purchasing the extra licenses.

However....

There has been a slight issue. It seems that while under testing, everything ran fine but now... With everyone opening Outlook, the Terminal Servers are being overwhelmed and CPU usage is running at a massive 100% continuously. Oh no... now everyone is whinging about it being slow.

UPDATE: it appears that the Vision Mail Manager ( a CTI program) may be contributing to the issue. When i run Outlook in safe mode, it consume far less CPU. Trouble is that people also want the bloody add-in to run.

If anyone has any tips, let me know...

Blackberry Connect on WM6

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:00:31 GMT

So we are looking at replacement devices for our Blackberry users as the venerable 8707v handsets are a little worse for wear. we have organised to get a few devices for evaluation. It should be interesting as we have only used RIM products up until now so it'll be interesting to see how some BB Connect devices compare.

First up was the Asus M530w. I have been fairly ignorant of Asus devices up until now. The M530w certainly looks pretty good although a large disconcerting gap between the keypad and the screen. I'm not a BlackBerry user, just the admin (even though users still ask me how to do stuff) but this will require some fundamental changes. the Jog Wheel is on the Left Side, so cack-handers will rejoice. it does actually work well if you hold it the right way.

Initial connection just plain and simple refused to work... Couldn't not get BES to recognise the PIN, it would just be updating as unknown PIN. Fortunately, a quick search on Blackberry web site ( well, Blackberryforums.com had a link to it) that gave me the right advice. All I had to do was manually enter the PIN into the Enterprise Policy within BES and it picked it up straight away...

Office 2007 Deployment begins...

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:35:30 GMT

So I have commenced the Pilot Install of Office 2007 onto out Test Terminal Server. i found a few great tips on the StealthPuppy Blog here. It isn't the first time i have had some success from tips of his.

So now i have a couple of pilot machines used by non-technical users as well as a Terminal Server ready to go. Once all that checks out, I'll be doing the rest. I'm still on track for deployment to be completed by November 1. I sure hope so because i have a ton of holidays coming up..

Internet Explorer 7 Deployed

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:27:14 GMT

What I have been doing at work (besides Stick Baseball) is preparing, testing and Deploying IE7 throughout the Company. All Desktops and laptops have now been updated. The Terminal Servers have also been updated. I had to apply SP2 and a bunch of patches to them first as well as a stack of testing..

The best thing is that i was able to customise the Search Engines to allow users to search via Live Search, Google Australia, Yahoo, Amazon, Wikipedia, eBay.com.au and Microsoft.com. That should see them sorted

I have also disabled the File menu via Group policy. This will be one of the Stealth updates as i haven't mentioned that. it is always a bit of a bugbear of mine that people should learn to use the new interface rather than me having to make sure everything matches the way it used to be. it reminds me of my most-hated statement - that's the way we've always done it - aaaargh...

Next up is Office 2007 Deployment.

Web Catalogues

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 03:10:32 GMT

Who'd have thought that this would be the latest battleground for electrical retailers. No sooner had the Betta Electrical web site posted up the Catalogue feature that enables you to turn the pages as if by hand, Harvey Norman and Bing Lee follow suit with the same Web Control...

Now this all seems very convenient doesn't it. You can see by the shadow to the top left of the catalogue page that this is identical. the only difference is that the Betta Electrical catalogue allows you to zoom in, and also move about on the page while zoomed in. Also, you can click on left and right arrows to turn pages if you wish...

Nice to know Harvey Norman is following for a change...

Technorati tags: Betta electrical, Harvey Norman, Bing Lee, retail, catalogue

End of Financial Year.

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:27:04 GMT

Don't you love the approach to the end of the Financial Year. Vendors ringing left, right and center in trying to sell you the last of their stock or giving you runout deals on almost everything.

As it so happens, we have a few renewals up in the air so i am doing my best to juggle both the Finance department and the Vendors and to see what we can get. I only hate it when the vendors (or the resellers) do all this work to get a good price and then Finance or Management decide not to do it or delay later on. I always feel such a chump when i have to tell them.

Single CPU Vs Multi CPU in VMWare

Thu, 10 May 2007 06:45:44 GMT

Ok so I have my VMWare ESX host right.. now it has a number of servers on from before i took over. One of those is our Exchange Server and it is running a bit busier than i thought it should be. So i look into it a bit more As it so happened, I was having a chat with a VMWare Techo on an unrelated matter and i asked him about it.

"you don't have 2 x CPU's set do you??" ... Well, it turns out id does. That seems like a logical step but on further explanation, it certainly isn't as he explained to me as (which i have simplified down to) "it has to wait until 2 CPU's become available..."

Well, i was a little skeptical but we tried it out anyway and here are the results....

Try and guess at what time i switched it to a single CPU !!. I was stunned. We also changed one of our SQL servers and it has showed a similar decrease although not as dramatic as that...

So, this is what i learned about ESX Server today...

Tags: VMWare ESX Server Virtual Virtual Server

I'm back online...

Thu, 10 May 2007 02:27:38 GMT

My laptop had one too many BSOD on Tuesdays. I managed to get it back up enough to Ghost the Disk so I had to rebuild. How much of a pain is that! The Windows Installation takes about 40 mins, the Security updates take about 2 hours. I use Autopatcher to do bulk updates. It saves a lot of time and hassle. I configure at the start and then let it go.. Then I only have the latest patches to install via Windows Update.

The restore of my Data from the Ghost image has taken ages. i finally took the hint and split the disk into System and Data Partitions so hopefully that won't be so much of a pain. the worst bit is installing all the little tools and bit's and pieces that i used. the Files and setting wizard was good for a lot of system settings but there are a few things that doesn't cover...

At least now is the opportunity to review the tools and stuff that i had installed. I have been able to avoid putting a few things on because they are no longer required as well as get updated versions for a few others. Stuff i haven't installed has been chucked in the Data Drive in case i need it down the road.

At least it is nice a fresh and back to booting at a decent speed..... and yes, i wanted to use Vista but i was told not to just yet... next rebuild i guess.

WSS 3.0 and Incoming Email Settings

Wed, 02 May 2007 06:33:57 GMT

At last, I finally have a chance to supplant Exchange Public Folders with a WSS Email-enabled List. if only it were so easy. Somewhere along the line from our SMTP Server to Exchange to SharePoint, we are slipping up somewhere and the test email is going to the mysterious Bit Bucket....

Somewhere i am missing a step methinks. for anyone else doing learning WSS or MOSS config steps, i recommend reading HERE first... it gives step-by-step as well as explanations. I'd be even worse off without it.

Technorati tags: Microsoft, SharePoint, WSS 3.0

We're back...

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:39:57 GMT

Well, finally we're in our new office and we have our full speed link. We have physically been in our new location out at Eagle Farm near the Brisbane Airport for a week but Telstra couldn't deliver the full fibre link until last Friday. can you imagine 37 odd people all sharing a 384 Kb SHDSL line. It wasn't pretty.

Fortunately, our internal users are all on Terminal Server which made it just enough to work with but just slow enough for users to complain, grumble, whine and bitch... for once, I didn't blame them.

Other than the delayed fulfillment by Telstra, everything else went quite smoothly. we were delayed a day because the building wasn't ready but we got it all uplifted and moved across just fine. Nobody lost anything and nothing we still needed was left behind. We were also able to sell some excess gear to employees. I got a new Filing cabinent and a HP Server Rack for all my gear at home.

Any leftover desks and cabinets and all that were then sold to the new owners of our old building. this actually managed to cover the cost of the removals and any capital costs that were involved so we came out pretty much even, keeping the bean-counters very happy.

Job Still open?

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:47:25 GMT

Seems this is still open according to Frank's post, perhaps it is a role for Chaps after all... I notice that there is no Queensland IT Pro Evangelist, even though Jeff covers both QLD and NSW. At what stage do we get our own.... and what will I need to do to prepare to get it...

Technorati tags: microsoft, Australia, microsoft australia

2007 and what it holds...

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 06:27:45 GMT

So we packed up and spent our New year's break in Montville in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Mum and dad bought a block there back when I was in short pants and gradually built a house over the next 25 years. of course it is all complete now and has a view of the entire Sunshine Coast.

So instead of watching fireworks at one place, we saw fireworks at Nambour, Woombye, Palmwoods, Noosa, Coolum, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba, Kawana, Caloundra. We followed that up with a picnic lunch on New Years Day at Lake Baroon (or the Baroon Pocket Dam) that is a few minutes away.

So what's up for me this year....

Moving Office: BSR Australia is moving from Spring Hill to Eagle Farm.
Software: Renewing our Volume License Agreement
Support: Getting our other Support Agreements and Software Maintenance back on line (after the mess of BSL and previous management)
Hardware: our desktop and server hardware is aging and we need to sort out what is on lease and what we own and plan what we do from here. I want to upgrade to a Dell Precision M65 or M90 somehow...
Updating our internal Terminal Servers.
Office 2007 upgrade (see above)
Getting rid of all the BSL information, users, and excess baggage out from our systems and to make BSR Australia leaner and meaner and mighty cleaner
Getting more time into my Beta programs (BDD 2007, Longhorn and a few others) so that when they are released, I can either integrate them into our environment or find somewhere that will...

Technorati tags: Microsoft, Windows Server, 2007, Terminal Servers

Exchange ActiveSync adventures

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 03:19:34 GMT

Well, I managed to stealth the ActiveSync settings onto our existing Firewall setup that looks after the OWA stuff... So now, ActiveSync should work, right? well, not so far... it appears that certificates are the stumbling block now. we have set up our own certificate server in here and fortunately, as I am using a Dell Axim x51v connecting wirelessly to test it out, i do have access to update certificates. However, it still does not work and throws the code 80072f17. this is listed as a certificate problem...

The adventure continues....

Job Opening at Microsoft!!

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:51:09 GMT

So Frank has posted about the Enthusiast Evangelist position opening in Sydney. It is a pity that this is Sydney-based, had it been in Brisbane, i would have applied in a flash. Although i would be outclassed by a lot of the candidates, I think the feedback that i would have gotten would show me where i need to focus my energies... How cool would that be. Talking about how great the new Microsoft products coming out would be and then to talk to the community to find out what they think.. that would be pure gold.

I sure know that working here is rapidly becoming a dead-end for me. No growth, notraining opportunities, the proposed new IT manager is strongly entrenched in Open Source and has indicated a move further that way and our C# developers all leaving...i think i will stay to co-ordinate the proposed move out to the boonies in Eagle Farm and then look for greener pastures

Configuring Exchange ActiveSync WITHOUT Microsoft ISA Server

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 11:15:50 GMT

In the finest traditions of the Open Source Vs MS products, I have just been told that i cannot put in an ISA serer in the DMZ to enable Exchange ActiveSync. Dammit this means that i have to mess around with all sorts of Firewall rules, redirection and all manner of stuff. I just hope that i can find some info that doesn't keep referencing ISA 2004 all the time... well, I'll keep you posted....

So Long BSL, Hello BSR

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 05:26:24 GMT

So now it is official. Betta Stores Ltd no longer exists. we are now part of Betta Stores Retailers (BSR). Fortunately I still have a job, although we went from 57 people down to 35 or so... So much for our heyday where we employer up to 120 staff... Now we are just focusing on the retail side of the business and dropping all non-core aspects from the Business.

An unauthorised article has been posted on Current.com.au. As usual, someone can't keep their trap ( or fingers) quiet and published the whole list to the media. I don't care except that i know have to go through all the stuff and check it all out so that Management can find out who it was..

BSL Update

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 08:18:08 GMT

Seems we have been bought. The Retailers Consortium has signed a contract for the Brands and the associated IT infrastructure and all associated with delivering services to the Stores.

more soon....

BSL Saga (cont...)

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 06:09:19 GMT

Well, we are still here... a few people have been informed that their services are no longer required.

We are down to two buyers, and boy are the propaganda machines and Chinese whispers flying thick and fast... There is apparently a list that shows the necessary staff that each of the buyers would keep on. This is currently the most wanted list at the moment....

Hopefully we will see some resolution soon. Until then, we hurry up and wait....

BSL Update II

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:27:29 GMT

yes, we are still here. What's more, I got paid last week. Things are looking positive at the moment and things are looking brighter. We have had what seems like every accountant in Brisbane tramping through our office at the moment. I just hope all our IP remains safe.

It doesn't look good for our Team Betta Sponsorship. this is mostly unrelated to the current situation as we had a three year deal with a two year option and this the third year. Unfortunately, Bathurst and Championship success means the price will most likely go out of our reach. that combined with a rumoured large deal on offer from Vodafone will most likely ( unconfirmed) see us not renew Naming rights. I believe the intention is to stay involved on a lesser level...

In the meantime, everything is business as usual. People never stop forgetting their passwords or wanting to change locations...

BSL Update

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 14:51:21 GMT

A flurry of forms for the Creditors meeting for tomorrow...

Here's a couple of news article on the Situation

Betta Electrical creditors meet this week
NEWS.com.au, Australia - 8 Oct 2006
CREDITORS of Betta Electrical Stores Ltd will meet in Sydney on Thursday following the appointment of an administrator last week to look at its financial ...

Buyers seek Betta deal
Courier Mail, Australia - 9 Oct 2006
ELECTRICAL goods franchisor Betta Stores went into receivership yesterday after major secured creditor the Commonwealth Bank appointed receivers to eight of ...

Let's hope everything is resolved tomorrow.

BSL goes into Voluntary Administration

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 05:42:58 GMT

Great, here we go again, We have appointed a voluntary administrator as well as having the Bank appoint a receiver to ensure their interests are looked after. Get the official announcement here and a follow-up story here. So, hopefully, we will continue and see how I go from here.

Of course, this now makes me three for three. My last three Permanent positions were as BSL, WorldCom and Franklins. Does this mean I have some special touch? Maybe I should go into business as a professional "cooler". If your competitor is going a little too well, engage my services to work at their company and watch their profits fall....

Maybe I should just pick my interviews better... Perhaps it is lucky I didn't get that spot at Microsoft.

Upgrades that worked....

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 02:13:28 GMT

You know, there are always two things that worry me...

System Upgrades
Symantec Products

Now when you add those together, I tend to worry even more. However, I actually had some successful upgrades to our system. Not only did two of the three systems upgrade perfectly, they even retained the previous system settings and where up and running straight away.

The third system was not so lucky. The uninstall didn't work so i had to manually uninstall (uugh) and then re-install from scratch. However, we are now up and running and that additional AV protection is now working (it's not the only mail scanner we have).

The other good news is that we have actually gained benefits from the upgrade and not just the pretty UI either. It is now doing true type attachment scanning ( which is the primary focus ) and we have caught attachments already that would have gotten through previously by renaming the file extension. that and the fact that the Release by Mail function actually works, we have broadened the capability.

To top it off, my monitoring system is free of false positives and i cut the amount of SMS text messages that i receive

I love it when my Wednesday night specials actually work.....

Long time no post...

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 04:26:31 GMT

Sorry Folks, not much Posting this week. I have been working with some external consultants to run a whole lot of fixes on our Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains system. actually, we currently have version 7.5 so theoretically it is still Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains... aaaaargh who does these names??

Anyway, we are working on correcting the odd issue here or there with the data so we can then upgrade to the current Version, v9. We have also found that we aren't using a large number of modules that we have actually licensed so this will be a big update to the way the the Finance and the Credit departments will be using this system.

Fortunately, we have run up a duplicate system on a VMWare hosted Virtual Server that made it easy to replicate all the databases across and test the verious fixes, scripts and upgrades. Fantastic...

The upgrade starts on the Test System next week and then the real one starts the following week (if all goes well...)

WSS 2007 gets go-ahead

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 07:05:33 GMT

Woohooo, just did a presentation to the IT Team and the COO about the capabilities of Windows SharePoint Services 2007 and how it would benefit us and slip in to draw a lot of our Lin-of-business apps together and provide a starting point for a lot of up-coming projects. Not only that I had a day and a half to configure a blank SharePoint Site, do up a PowerPoint presentation and then present it in the Boardroom.

It went down very well and I managed to slip in plugs for Office 2007 and re-iterated the need for our Dev team to all have VSS 2005 (not just one guy…). Management really sat up when I said that WSS 2007 is a low cost option and that we are entitled (so far) to Office upgrades under our current SA agreement.

It went down so well that the COO is now excited and wants us to move ahead as soon as we can. We’ll be implementing electronic Forms and the like and to begin to replace our existing Intranet Solution with a view to slowly expanding it out to our Store Intranet.

Now we are full steam ahead, well, as much as I can with my other seven Priority 1 tasks. I have been campaigning for so long for SharePoint to do exactly these things. Now I just have to keep the wave going through the developers (half of whom didn’t even know what it was about) and also the business owners so that we can get involvement at all levels.

SharePoint is alive!!!

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 03:33:01 GMT

At Last, IT Lives.. SharePoint 2007 Beta 2 lives and is ready to go. It doesn’t appear that the SharePoint 2003 templates make the grade so I am going to have to think quick on how to get the Helpdesk System and the RFP site up and running very quickly. Who was it that opened their mouth and said that SharePoint could do all that for free…

Next up then is seeing if it will integrate well enough to host a number of services that are currently on PHP sites so we can link all our SQL Reporting Services, GP reports, Account Statements and all that through the SharePoint site and publish it to our stores. Perhaps even get a decent Docs Library going at last. Perhaps I should get this Test one going first so we can test the feasibility of it all before I get too carried away..

Ongoing Sharepoint v3

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 05:07:16 GMT

Sharepoint install is continuing. I rebuilt the test server as I discovered that MSDN 2.0 and SQL Server Express Embedded weren’t functioning side by side too well. The Server had previously have a trial version of Veritas backup software on it and therefore had multiple instances on the machine. I have just started the Sharepoint Install on it now…

Outlook 2007 Resurrected

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 04:28:15 GMT

Oh Thank god, it’s back… I mustn’t be thinking straight because I forgot one of the first things to do, delete the OST file and restart it. With fingers crossed and eyes clamped shut, I restarted Outlook and it is now working…

It’s a bit like the Computer I fixed for the Bosses Daughter. The disk had died on it and couldn’t be recovered. I had a spare HDD but it turned out as bad as the other. So, as a last shot I picked up the disk and banged it on the desk a few times. I plugged it in and Bingo!! It booted up just fine.

Always remember to try the simple things first…

Outlook 2007 Crashing…

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 03:16:19 GMT

So now My Outlook 2007 continuously crashes over and over and over again…. The only error I get is a single 0xc0000005 code. Hmmm, could probably do with more details. Perhaps the Office Diagnostics will help… Nup, all clear there. I can’t even tell what is really causing it. I used the commandline switches to disable the addins with no success. A repair and a uninstall/reinstall didn’t fix it either…

Clearly some more error details must will be in the release version. I have no real idea on where to go from here. Going back to 2003 seems so… antiquitated. Back to the Drawing Board for me….

SharePoint, here we go….

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:38:26 GMT

And so we begin… I am just beginning the installation of SharePoint 2007 on our Test Server so we can bask in its goodness. We have had a couple of ideas on what we could use it for here in our IT dept but now with this new version, I can see many many more ideas moving Forward. I’ll just be doing the WSS version first and get as far as I can with that ( because the bean-counters like free stuff) and I’ll reel them in and then go for the big catch by describing how much more we could do…

Now all I gotta do is download .Net 2.0 AND WWF .NET 3.0 and the WSS 3.0 beta 2.. cripes… Ok, Here we go…

First of all, the Upgrade options…

As I already have a Windows SharePoint Service v2.0 Site installed, I figured I’d do an in place upgrade.

I left all the other settings as default. Didn’t seem the time to get to fancy and it is a test site after all..

And we are away. I just love simple installs. Have I mentioned how much I love the new branding with all of the Office 2007, Vista and Live all tying in the same soft colours and transparencies….

Perhaps I should be using Expression designer and the Sharepoint Designer to link in my Themes

And we’re done, ready to start the Config Wizard. I think this is where it could get full on and get right into the good stuff.

Stay tuned for more…

Update

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 12:16:54 GMT

No posts for a while, that what happens when a Board Meeting approaches. All of a sudden every man and his dog wants something be it information about upcoming projects, Costings and all that guff. Not only that, this is when people log on remotely for the first time in a decade and wonder why there RSA Token is out of sync and all that….

But, all the management has their pound of flesh and I can catch up with all that I was supposed to be doing over the last three days…

Where do I want to go today?

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 09:12:52 GMT

Perhaps this should be “what is my Potential, what is my Passion??”

Yes, i know I am what someone calls a MS Fanboy, essentially this is what drives my career today and funnily enough, I like working with MS products (and it is not because they are flying me to Sydney to see Innovations 2006).

The only problem is that these days, i am beginning to wonder which direction to go in nowadays. I’ve been a Network Admin for near on 10 years now, starting on the Windows NT 3.51 and Windows 3.11 and continuing on since. However, i can only deal with so many Idiot Users and frankly, I am becoming disillusioned. Sure, I can’t expect everyone to have my level of knowledge but you would think that after 18 months of working in a terminal Server environment, a user would be able to tell the difference between the local desktop and the TS Session (the colour of the Start button is a giveaway) but no.. I still have to explain it...

I can’t stay a Network Admin forever but where to from there? There are options, such as Business Analyst, Account Manager (like a Microsoft TAM, for instance... maybe I aimed a bit high there) and others. Also, i could study the hell out of being a developer and attempting the crossover (I could work amongst them but never be one of them..) Who knows??

I could always land a job working at a place where users are willing to learn how to get the best out of their IT systems and that IT is an integral part of the business, not just some black hole. Also, a company that likes to continually reach for the stars in every thing they do.... and the big one, no Ivory Tower, rules for Us and Them. A place were everyone is enthused and want to get the job done and are always looking for the best way to do it.

Does such a place exist? Are they Hiring?? One can only dream...

17 years ago today...

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 08:31:54 GMT

17 years ago, a scared and excited 17 year old kid flew halfway across the country to join a whole bunch of other scared kids to commence their new career in the RAAF. Yes, that’s right, 17 years ago, I signed on the dotted line and changed my life forever. Many beers and a bit of training and work her and there, I left the RAAF. Officially, I left the RAAF exactly 8 years ago, almost as long out as in....

Anyway, thanks to all those who helped out that kid as well as all those who helped out the scared and excited bloke who left the RAAF and plunged into corporate life without ever having experienced it before. Here’s to growing even more over the next few challenging years...

Back to Work...

Wed, 03 May 2006 02:51:30 GMT

Now i have to deal with Work stuff... like resurrecting some Data General Server running Unix for the old retail System that they used in Melbourne. What a dinosaur.. None of the passwords work and the guy who used to run it did not leave the company under favourable circumstances so not a lot of options there.... Bloody legacy Systems, they'll be the death of me yet...

Off to Melbourne

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 09:45:04 GMT

Well, tomorrow i am off to Melbourne to dismantle an old Retail System in one of our Corporate Stores before it is sold to a new Franchisee. No-one really knows what is involved so i have 2 days to dismantle and ship it back..

I am staying at the Pacific Intl Apartments while i am there. it's just down the road from Crown Casino. I wonder if the old Barcode Bar is still there. A Games Arcade where they server alcohol!! wooohoooooo..

Of course i have managed to swing it so i fly back on Sunday, i will probably be able to fit in a games at the footy as well.

My Dream Set of Tools

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 07:16:04 GMT

Dell announces Precision M90 and M65 mobile workstations

Dell didn't just announce their new D620 and D820, no, no, sir. They've also got a Precision M90 and M65 for you to sink your teeth into, featuring Core Duo chips (what else?), 512MB Quadro FX graphics, IEEE 1394, an oversized three-inch touchpad, and a 17-inch 1920 x 1200 display on the M90; the M65 (pictured) will get a Quadro FX with TurboCache (no dedicated graphics memory), dual battery option, and a 15.4-inch display. The Precisions, which we haven't heard from a little while, are intended to be a little higher end than your run of the mill Latitudes, though, so expect to pay for the privilege. This certainly makes my Dell Precision M60 pale in comparison

Thanks to Endgadget for the Story

TGIF

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 06:07:25 GMT

What a bloody week..... At last the new Servers are in and the Virtual machines are up and running. Turns out our SAN configuration isn't what i though and required some fancy footwork (read: strapping expensive servers to a box trolly and ripping up the road to change locations...

But.. at last it all works and i can rest.. until monday. Methinks some BSU therapy will be required this weekend.