Nick Whittome - The Naked MVP

XBox Experience update out now!

If you have not updated your console yet, you must be crazy!   Do it, it rocks!

http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/live/nxe/default.htm

I could not make my Character any fatter

Domain Unauthenticated in Vista Network Sharing Center?

Well…   there are many reasons this can happen, but I found a new one today that I thought I would share with you all.

If you see the “Unauthenticated” message in the Network and Sharing Center like this:

……you may well be running Eset NOD32 V3.x or Eset Smart Security.

Now…  before you go un-installing, this issue does not seem to affect anything actually working on the network in any way.   The issue is that the Web Access Protection in NOD32 seems to be blocking Vista from doing something here.   

The workaround is to go into Eset NOD32 advanced settings and disable just the Web access protection until Eset fix this bug.

Netstreams TLA250

It is not often that something arrives on my desk that I am really impressed with – but the new Netstreams TLA250 Touchpad really is THAT impressive

The Netstreams DigiLinX TLA250 is a less expensive touchpad for around the home / office, complete with an amplifier built in.    The best part is that the touchpad face can be completely customised to match any decor, which is fantastic.   The way this works is that there is a glass panel that sits over a customised piece of “card” for lack of a better description.   When a user touches the glass, the sensor behind the card detects that and performs the input.

Apart from the obvious benefits for designers / architects around the world, there are other massive benefits to installing the TLA250.   Its built in 50 watt per channel Amplifier means that an installer need not install a separate amplifier in each room, or at the “head end” of the audio network.   The speakers for rooms where TLA250’s are installed are simply wired to this new touchpad directly.

Here are some picture examples I have gathered from around the web.   When I get the device installed and connected into our demo setup here at NTES I will be sure to post up a video.

In the mean time, enjoy the design goodness!

More SBS2008 Documentation

Sean Daniel has given us links to more SBS 2008 Documentation.   Good stuff!

http://sbs.seandaniel.com/2008/11/more-sbs-2008-documentation-available.html

Being Real - only a link....

Susan Bradley and I wrote a piece for Windows IT Pro on EBS and SBS.   I am not going to repeat everything Susan has already said, but wanted to give you the link.

From Susan’s Blog:

“This month's Windows IT pro magazine includes a piece that Nick Whittome and I wrote for Windows IT Pro on EBS and SBS. 

If you are a subscriber you can read it online here:  http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/100277/sbs-2008-and-ebs-2008-the-view-from-the-trenches.html

Initially the magazine approached us to write the usual review piece of the two servers.  And my big issue with 99.99999% of the review pieces that I've read out there is that the author has no history of the product.  Vlad even alludes to this in his blog post today -- http://www.vladville.com/2008/11/no-there-is-no-exchange-2007-sp2.html where the journalist included Exhange 2007 "service pack two"in the article.

The journalists wax on poetic about all the mega mondo uber wonderful features and sometimes you wonder of the journalist has ever used the current product to know that the feature he has just waxed poetic about for the past three paragraphs has been in the current product since the last service pack.  In this economy and in this marketplace we have to be real.  So what you see in that piece from Nick and I is just that.  Being real.  Giving real answers.

In fairness though, there's a couple of terms and words that need a bit explaining in order to be more real and to flesh out some thoughts since that article was first written after the original RTM of the product. 

There's a section in there in reference to the Security Server role/firewall on Essential Business Server.  When I refer to the the fact that the Threat Management Gateway role/security server shouldn't be removed from the EBS as that would be a bad thing, the fact that the EBS team ensured that the edge Exchange role is set up securely and properly is a very good thing.  Most people I see complaining about Threat management gateway want to rip it out and install their own firewall from the vendor that pays them revenue.  For all of those folks that object to that firewall being there, just stick your revenue generating subcription model in front and ensure that your customer is still set up securely and that Edge role isn't messed up.  Leave that edge server to do what it was intended to do.

For anyone who has existing SBS installs, you will find two types of customers.  One like me that cannot justify putting old software on new hardware and those that pinch pennies and will leave that SBS server in there until it totally dies.  I still say that for the marketplace of existing networks, we will move to SBS 2008 as the hardware ages out.  Even when SBS 2003 came out I could not justify upgrading just for upgrading sake on that old server.  It would not be prudent to upgrade until we are in a position to best migrate.

We are proactive with technology at my office and we are on a hardware change out schedule for next year.  One should not enter a migration without considering that it's change to an organization in a big way.  I love active directory.  But I also understand that the glue of AD that I install, that gives me group policy, that gives me such good things, also means that I need to plan when I move to new hardware.  That's reality of a small firms' network.  Unlike Enterprise that thinks nothing of standing up a domain controller and tearing it back down, down here in small business, we plan (or should plan).

I know that for now with about 1/2 of my office on Vista (two on 64 bit) that I'm holding my firm back on the speed increases of having a 2k8 backbone.  I know that I'm holding back on Exchange 2007.  But I also know that I need to ensure that I ready.  I need to learn.  I need to be prepared.  And that means we go back to that old chestnut of "install it once to blow it up, install it twice to go Oh!, install it three times to learn".

Am I disappointed in the built in monitoring?  Anyone who's read this blog knows that I've been disappointed about it.  But I need to be more real myself and say that to the vast majority of consultants out there they don't rely on SBS's monitoring anymore.  They use Kaseaya, or LPI, or Spiceworks or EventSentry.com or any number of third party monitoring tools that provide WAY more monitoring.  And right now we're just starting to see all of the Security vendors that are plugging into that monitoring console.  Today in the launch event Trend said their Worry Free was launching on the 18th.  Symantec will fully support SBS 2008 in mid December.  And I've already built a few monitoring alerts at www.codeplex.com/sbs, as well as there are others at http://www.sbsdeveloper.net/Plugins/SamplePlugins.htm.  The reality is that most (all?) managed service providers are using external monitoring tools anyway. 

As far as that tape backup no longer supported, remember that it's due to Windows 2008 no longer supporting tape, and I will say again that since my $3,000 tape backup unit broke two years ago I've loved backing up to harddrive ever since.  The arguments between tape and hard drive as a backup medium are worse than Windows versus Linux, worse than Windows version Apple, worse than McCain versus Obama, worse than the wars fought during the Crusades even.  I can hardly wait until we get into the religious arguments of harddrive versus cloud in the next wave of backup arguments.

Want a hot swap drive solution that works with SBS 2008?  Check out http://www.high-rely.com/HR3/index.php as a unit that a couple of folks used in the beta and it worked like a champ.  I can tell you the reality is that my Lacie harddrives have been much less trouble free than all those years of tape backups were. 

If you absolutely must have tape backups because your religious beliefs are such that you won't even see that the drive based backup is faster, check out www.backupassist.com.

One of the comments that Nick made was about the price increase of SBS 2008.  I found it funny tonight on the issue of the price of SBS 2008 that just tonight in the newsgroup a consultant posted in complaining about the price increase as well.

I can tell you that as a Software Assurance customer that I spread over 3 years, I didn't get sticker shock whatsoever.  There was no MASSIVE price increase here.  Also depending on the mix of cals you get you can actually end up with a cheaper solution than SBS 2003.  Do the math, it's not as massive as you think.  And consider the three year spread for licesning.  Smaller chunks means we can plan our cash flow better.

And as a person helping people in the SBS newsgroups after they bought the wrong product because they were too cheap, there's a part of me that's selfishly glad that it's no longer the cheapest Windows server license in the marketplace.  I'm getting tired of people wanting to use this platform as a web server for customers because it's the cheapest server OS out there.  That wasn't what this was meant for so how about buying the right product in the first place, okay? Go screw up Windows Home Server for a change will ya?  (Okay so I'm kidding about that one, but it's annoying when it's obvious they didn't buy SBS for SBS but bought it because it was cheap.)

Finally about that migration.  Any change needs to be planned for.  Any change needs thinking about.  If I find out any of you that read this blog ever go to a client without planning for their migration, without discussing with them that "stuff will happen", without AT LEAST testing a migration yourself, without installing and setting up a SBS 2008 FIRST, I will bop you over the head with my 2x4.  When you hold yourself out to be a professional, that means being professional and taking the time to be prepared and learn. 

For those that read the article in WindowsITPro magazine, I hope you enjoyed that it wasn't the typical standard article/review about SBS 2008.  Both Nick and I wanted to be honest and candid in our opinions, not sugar coat anything and just be as honest as we normally are to consultants that need to know the facts before they sell solutions to their customers, now more than ever you need to be real to your customer. 

Bottom line we wanted it to be real.  We wanted it to have value to the people that would read it and give real answers.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as Nick and I had writing it.

P.S.  In case you are keeping track, Exchange 2007 is up to rollup pack 4 of Service pack 1 which SBS 2008 will auto install via WSUS.  Exchange 2007 Service Pack 2 isn't out yet.”

Sometimes you have to post what you think.....

and screw those that tell you to keep politics off technical blogs!

Everyone I have spoken this morning has said how extatic they are with Obama being elected yesterday.   Never before have I seen such a high amount of non-American’s be so concerned with whom will become the next American president.   Friends sat up overnight because they could not get away from the television, others were calling friends in America, in the middle of the night,  to congratulate and be “part of the party” on the streets.  My sales guy was telling me that people at the school where he dropped off his kids this morning were actually hugging each other!

Is Obama going to change the world?

Who knows….    All I know is this.   There is a general “feel good” factor is with everyone I spoke to this morning, and that “feel good” factor has not been prevalent in the last year or so.    If that is the start of things to come….   bring it on!

Oh, and his speech…     simply outstanding.   Another one for the history books!

Updated list of Eircom Broadband Exchanges to be enabled Q4 2008 to Q3 2009

I stole this list from a thread on boards.ie

Finally, it looks like more exchanges will be enabled.   About bloody time!   Mind you, a lot of these were on the list from 2007, so here is hoping that this time Eircom are actually going to do the work!    I know that I checked with a local Eircom engineer on the Murroe exchange and the DSLAP had not even been installed yet, let alone the fibre!

List of Exchanges to be Broadband Enabled

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 

Windows Home Server coming to MSDN

My recent blogpost regarding Windows Home Server brought up the question of access to the software for partners and developers.

Well, Philip Churchill has just posted that it will be available shortly to MSDN subscribers.   Great News!

Windows Home Server System Builder Software Price Decrease Announced

 

“On November 1, Microsoft will introduce a 30% price reduction of the Windows Home Server software for the System Builder channel.

 

After a successful year in the market, Microsoft is reducing the price of the System Builder version of Windows Home Server to provide additional value to the system builder community and further promote the home server category.

 

Momentum for Windows Home Server remains strong. During the first year, Windows Home Server has been embraced by System Builders in over 50 countries. The list of hardware partners continues to grow and third-party software developers have released or have announced more than 60 Add-in programs extending Windows Home Server’s capabilities.

Thanks for all of the great support over the last year, and we look forward to working with you all in continuing to grow the home server marketplace!

 

The Windows Home Server Team”

Great to hear this news from Microsoft, as I believe that not enough OEM’s have produced Windows Home Server units and maybe this will help drive more to do so!  

Windows Home Server for me, and other members of my family and friends, has changed the way they see and use home networks.   There is no doubt that anyone I have seen implement Windows Home Server would now not do without it.   PC backup imaging, Remote access, central storage are just some of the features that they love.

The problem, of course, is that the Windows Home Server team had a horrible bug, now fixed, in the early days of the product.   This, alongside terrible marketing and lack of hardware vendors then producing and marketing home servers meant that really only the “hardcore” installed the product and saw it’s use.   Such a shame, as it really is a wonderful product!

If you don’t have Windows Home Server, or never considered it for whatever reason, you should look again now.

Netstreams Donate to Austin Children's Shelter

ESP training in London and Orlando

The Microsoft ESP team is hosting developer training next month in Orlando, FL and London, UK.    It looks like I will be unable to attend as I will be at a pretty major event in Limerick the previous day 
 

For the rest of you, here are the details.   If you are an ESP or even a Flight Simulator Developer, you should book now!

Microsoft® ESP™ Developer Conferences

 
About the Conference

We invite you to join us for a day of developer-oriented technical sessions featuring Microsoft® ESP™.  Microsoft® ESP™ is a visual simulation software development platform that extends immersive games-based technology to training, learning and decision support for commercial, government and academic organizations. Come and learn how this all-in-one visual simulation platform consisting of a simulation engine, development tools and rich content can help you quickly build affordable, extensible, high-quality simulation solutions that can tie in with external solutions and integrate with industry standard input/output devices and database-driven content. You will also learn about the Microsoft ESP SDK that consists of four primary systems, some of which contain their own additional SDKs for specific topics:

• Programming System
• Terrain and Scenery System
• Mission System
• Object Modeling System

The sessions will allow you to:

·         Experience the development of richer solutions more quickly and focus on content that's specific to your solution by starting from the rich base world content that comes with ESP.

·         Design using the platform's model of planet Earth, built-in physics engine, numerous aircraft types, scenery and terrain, and a fully-configurable weather system.

·         Achieve "you are there" realism with highly-detailed terrain and seascapes in all seasons, active wildlife, real-world motion, realistic night skies, continuous time of day, accurate vector data and buildings, 5.1 multi-channel surround sound, and much more.

These sessions will target Developers, Architects, technical managers and Web designers, be very much demonstration oriented, and will be delivered by seasoned developers with experience in Government and Public Sector. Seize this opportunity to immerse yourself in this exciting new technology!  For more information about Microsoft ESP, visit: www.microsoft.com/esp or www.msdn.com/esp.

Who Should Attend

Developers, Architects, Web Designers and technical managers who wish to get an early look at the next advancement in Software Development. 

The Agenda