My Notes to Myself and Others...

After my previous post on the subject, I started thinking (happens once in a while):
If all you need to do is copy/create the files, create some "informative" registry keys
and then simply restart the service...then the service was looking for the "informative" keys
and the DLL all along.

In other words since Windows 2003 can use this feature, it has actually been there yet not
implemented. So I discussed this with T (shortly...he never has time for me... ;) ) and he
claimed that there might be a potential change to the DHCP service during the installation
process (MSI file).

I ran FILEMON and REGMON and I could not find any traces of a change to files or registry keys
that affect the DHCP service...hmm.

Easily convert millions of web widgets, games and videos – designed to live on home pages,
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them on your Sidebar.

http://www.amnestywidgets.com/GeneratorWin.html

This is a feature I have been waiting for way too long. Up until today if you wanted to
have some control over who is entitled to receive an IP address from your DHCP you
either had to configure reservations (for each of your systems) or had to use some lower
level device to filter out unwanted systems.Finally that is over now.

The Microsoft DHCP team has posted a new DLL called "DHCP Server Callout DLL" on their blog. 
This DLL can be used on Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 DHCP servers to limit the scope of
systems entitled to receive an IP address from the server based on their MAC address.

To install it you need to download the installer and run it.

 

Once the installation completes you will have to new files in your %windir%\system32 directory:

The first file provides documentation (installation and usage) while the second file is the DLL needed
to enable the functionality.
 

Installation and Configuration

• Create a new directory ,basically anywhere but I would recommend to create under the DHCP
  service directory: %windir%\system32\DHCP . Give it an informative name such as MACFilter.
  
• Copy both files to the new directory (Once copied, you can safely remove the application using
  Programs and Features).
  
• Create a new text file under the new directory called: "MACList.txt"
  
  
• Add the following Registry keys to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCPServer\Parameters:
  
  
• Please note, that you have to specify a full path for the log files including filenames (they will be create
  automatically when the DHCP service is started).
  
• Before you start using the feature make sure to edit the MACFilter.txt file using the following format which is
  self explanatory:
  
  
• Basically when choosing the ALLOW action, the server will provide IP addresses only to the systems that have their
  MAC addresses listed,while the DENY action will prevent the listed systems from getting an address. The MAC addresses
  should be listed without a delimiter and all lower case.
  
  
• To enable the feature you have to restart the DHCP service. If successfully started the following event(1033) will be logged:
  
  

Operation

Once it is started you don't need to meddle with it. the following screenshot shows you what happens networking-wise
when a specific host is denied:

Which is basically nothing- The DHCP server simply doesn't respond.

As for the logs, they will help you determine what is happening. If you would like to archive your logs you will need to
provide a mechanism as at every restart the logs are recreated.

Operations:

Errors:

Keep in mind that if something is wrong the server will start without enabling this feature.

Conclusions

Nifty yet there are a few issues that I would like to see resolved:

1. A better installation process (having to manually change the registry isn't my idea of fun)
2. A better user interface-one that checks for errors
3. Logs are ok, but should be integrated with Event Viewer
4. Every change needs a restart of the service (removing/adding a MAC). Now that isn't a big deal
   since we are talking about DHCP,but still...

A few more things system admins. need to keep in mind:

1. Integration with recovery procedures. Keep in mind that you need to manually take care of recovery
   procedure
2. This isn't a bulletproof solution, a user or a malicious user may change his MAC address. Although
   unlikely it is a possibility.

Don't get me wrong here (I may have sounded negative) ,this is a great add-on (and a new add-on) that can make
life easier for us, once some of the small issues will be ironed out it will be perfect.

As usual, you have to take this information with a grain of salt but still...

"Linux growth in the U.S. x86 server market has, over the past six quarters, started
to falter and reverse its positive course relative to Windows Server and the market as
a whole."

"The same holds true for worldwide Linux x86 server shipments, which dropped from
the huge annual growth rate of about 45 percent is 2003 to growth of less than 10
percent in 2006, the IDC figures show. "

For the full story from eWeek.com:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2207368,00.asp

I will start with a disclaimer: I am providing this information as is, I do not recommend
that you use this method of obtaining hotfixes nor do I vouch for it. Personally, I think
that you might be nuts if you will apply a hotfix that has not been obtained officially from
Microsoft to your production environment (or any environment).

Yet-desperate times call for desperate measures. Robert pointed me to this site when I
needed a hotfix for an issue I was experiencing:

http://thehotfixshare.net/board/index.php?

I say again,be careful!

Windows always comes with a few "built-in" tools (productivity tools), one of my favorites
is Movie Maker. Using Movie Maker you can create your own movies from your media.
With the advent of digital technologies most of us have pictures and movies taken by digital camera
laying around in their raw form, with Movie Maker we can transform the raw material into a prettier
form (with a little imagination you can get pretty cool results).

The major benefit provided by Movie Maker is that it's simple to use(you don't need to read three
books before you can start using it),it's basically point and click.

Matt Hester made a short screencast on how to use Vista's Movie Maker:
http://blogs.technet.com/matthewms/archive/2007/10/24/windows-vista-product-guide-screencast-movie-maker.aspx

And if you are really bored, you can take a look at a movie I made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2D9S4Bybfs

This is somewhat old news(24/10), yet I was happy to see it, and felt like I need to mention it
since I saw a few posts about it where the sentiment was that it is very surprising that Microsoft
managed to close the deal before Google beat them to it...I mean guys, you are talking about a
software company that is around since 1975, even though at times they may make questionable
decision, you don't get to stick around as a leader for so long if you don't have a clue...

Anyway,this is the official press release:
Facebook and Microsoft Expand Strategic Alliance

SyncToy 2.0 Beta for Windows is available as a free download from the Microsoft
Download Center. The easy to use, customizable application helps you copy, move,
rename, and delete files between folders and computers.

White paper:
SyncToy White Paper

Download:
SyncToy v2.0 Beta

Sounds like a very handy tool for collaborative meetings.

http://get.live.com/betas/sharedview_betas

This was too funny to pass up...and yes I know,I laugh when people fall down,
hurt themselves or do stupid stuff...I am a horrible person.

A Harry Potter fan,three years old, decided to wear a plastic cone as a wizards hat.
And then the cone got stuck on his head!!!!!
[Then came the firefighters...]

The pics:

A

And the story from the UK Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=489003&in_page_id=1770

The ADMX Migrator is a snap-in for the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that simplifies
the process of converting your existing Group Policy ADM Templates to the new ADMX format
and provides a graphical user interface for creating and editing Administrative Templates.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=0F1EEC3D-10C4-4B5F-9625-97C2F731090C&displaylang=en

One of the least understood topics in Active Directory is replication. Laura E. Hunter
wrote a new article about it (which also covers the changes in Windows 2008) for the
October issue of the TechNet magazine.

Check it out at:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/10/Replication/default.aspx

To have Windows Vista use less resources(actually any operating system) it is advisable to stop
all unnecessary services. The problem is that in some/most cases people are not sure as to which services
can be safely disabled. To help with solving the dilemma there is a useful web site by Black Viper that provides the
list of service found in Vista (their purpose) and wether it is relatively safe to stop them:

http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm

Keep in mind that the recommendations on the site are just that. I have been using Black Vipers lists
since Windows 2000,and in my opinion they are safe, yet each person uses his or her system differently:
I don't use offline files,so I turned the service off,yet you may be using a piece of software that will break
if you turn that specific service off...

Use common sense when changing the status of a service, and experiment in order to find the correct
balance. In my opinion one advantage of using such a list(service list) is that while verifying your services
you begin to understand how your operating system functions.

In the last couple of days several blog posts about MinWin sprung up. I don't want
to contribute to the echo chamber effect yet the notion seems so exciting that I
felt the need to mention it.

I have no accurate details about it, and I am basing what I write here on the information
floating around so hang on:

MinWin is a core version (nothing to do with Server Core), of Windows. MinWin seems
to have a new windows kernel to replace the one being used today in the upcoming
versions of Windows (Windows 7).

MinWin will not be sold and it is an internal version used at Microsoft upon which an OS
can be built. It's current size is approximately 25MB, it has no graphic subsystem (hence
the ASCII Windows logo).

The commotion about MinWin begun after a talk about virtualization (at the university of Illinois)
given by Eric Traut (Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft) where he provided a short demo of MinWin.

A couple of blog posts that may provide additional information are:

Stripped-down ‘MinWin’ kernel to be at the core of Windows 7 and more (Mary Jo Foley)

Eric Traut talks (and demos) Windows 7 and MinWin (Long Zheng)

It seems that when you copy a very large number of files on Windows Vista, at some stage(due to a
memory leak) you will get a message announcing that you have run out of memory. My system has 4GB,
and I wasn't running anything else except the copy process so I understood something was wrong.

After a bit of searching I found that this is a known issue and that there is a hotfix out there:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942435/en-us

The only major problem I see here is that you have to contact the Microsoft Online Customer Services to
obtain the hotfix. I have past experience with these guys and they are good but they are not instantaneous.

I am trying to copy some files-and I am stuck,why can't I have the hotfix??

UPDATE:Got the hotfix in less then 3 hours,applied it-problem solved!

An interesting issue I have encountered when using Microsoft products is that terminologies
change from one version to another. Some features are simply renamed (while others are changed
or removed all together).

The table at the following link will help you adjust your lingo,mainly ,for Exchange:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123550.aspx

Storage is becoming a problem. We tend to accumulate so much information that
we run out of storage space at alarming rates. Another alarming issue is backup.
Hard drives are getting bigger with time,but it's never enough-and as I said you need
backup (losing all your pictures and other files is no fun,as Z will testify).

Another issue with storage is that it has to be accessible and simple to use both logically
and physically, in this case I am focusing on the physical part. There are tons of USB
enclosures that can be used to connect hard drives to a system, yet in most cases
to be able to use them you need a screwdriver (which spells uncomfortable).

I think that there is a solution though:2.5" and 3.5" SATA HDD Stage Rack.

http://geekstuff4u.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=630

To some of you this may be old news, I still found it cool so check it out:

You can find more information about them at:

http://www.usbcell.com/

A new site dedicated to the launch events of Windows 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008
has been unveiled.

According to the site it will:
"Coming soon this site will provide you the portal for all launch information, event registration, learning
resources and new and fun way where you can highlight how technology has made you a Hero. You will
be able to experience launch in a whole new way from interactive community tools and forums, new
demonstrations and online training options, and even a never before seen surprise from Microsoft which
will enable you to experience launch in a new and exciting way. Heroes Happen Here, and make sure you
don't miss out."

The sites URL is:

http://www.heroeshappenhere.com/

Anonymity is a commodity that most of us have lost in this age. At times though, you may
still attempt to seek anonymity so you can avoid being hit by a barrage of junk or due to the
fact that you do not trust a specific website(that requires you to register using a valid e-mail address)
that you wish to use (oxymoron,but curiosity did kill the cat-who can blame him?!).

For such cases I have found the following service:10 Minute Mail.

You will be provided with an address for 10 minutes and a web interface to manage received messages.

Note that you can prolong the validity period but I didn't find a way to save or forward messages(only read and
reply).