E-Bitz - SBS MVP the Official Blog of the SBS "Diva"

Resolution -- CRM install issues on SBS 2003 sp1

TIDBITS on MS CRM: SBS SP1 and MS CRM Install Issue Resolution:

Anne posts the resolution to the issue of getting MS CRM 3.0 on SBS 2003 SP1.  Thanks to the gang of the UK Small Business Specialist group and to HappyFunBoy for bringing this up

One item of note... it step 8, following the first option is more simple and would not require a reboot.

Remember since you put the loopback back in again, there is no impact to your system.

A little too much security

Eve of Thanksgiving.....everyone else has left for home or away for the 4 day weekend.....

I go to remove the backup device to take an offsite copy......

Use my keys to unlock the safe, swap out the drive, leaving the keys dangling in the safe....

I turn around...ensure the door to the server room will lock.......

.....  “click“  .....

..... and .....

....uh.....

where did I just leave the keys to unlock the office door, drive my car......

...... uh....

oh dear......hmmm.....

good thing the phone still works....

the blonde strikes again, doesn't she?

Then and Now

One year later               Then                     Now

Memory in use        1,733 MB                2,018MB  

• [diff...ISA 2004 with MSDE instance]  

Free Disk space (C:) 26,196 MB          18,675 MB  

• [5 parts of a service pack and patches and I'm sure some quarantined email and prob a few log files that shouldn't be there will do that to ya....]

Free Disk space (E:)     79,260 MB       74,509 MB  

• [this is where Exchange is...not too bad given that we went from 16 to 75 gig max]

Free Disk space (F:)    131,493 MB     108,946 MB   

• 30 gig inc in a year...that gives me about 3 to 4 years of file storage on this drive... reasonable.... actually 22,547 if folks are counting ...but I'm rounding it up ....

Busy disk time (C:)        1%                   11%    

• [hmm thats interesting...]

Busy disk time (E: F:)     3%                   8%

CPU use 0                     2%                   7%

CPU use 1                     2%                   9%

CPU use 2                     3%                   8%

CPU use 3                     3%                   8%

Interesting.... it pays to be a bit of a pack rat and keep your old emails for a year on these Performance reports.....

A year later

Just looking over the 'first' email from a year ago .... this weekend last year was when SBS got installed here at the office...

Your company installed Windows Small Business Server 2003 on your computer network. Windows Small Business Server provides software tools that help you work more productively, and communicate more effectively with co-workers and clients. Some or all of the following options are available. Click a link for more information:

Actually I did, but who's arguing.....

• Internal Web Site Your company's new internal Web site allows you to share information, such as documents, photos, and events with your co-workers. Open the internal Web site.

Starting to use it more... putting up word documents that we use over and over again up there...

• Shared Documents Using document libraries on your company's internal Web site, you can share many types of content, such as documents, faxes, presentations, and proposals. Take a look at your company's document libraries.

Still use it more for flat file storage....I think I need to do more “how tos“ for the office

• E-mail Communicate with your co-workers and clients by using either Microsoft Outlook or a Web-based version of Outlook.

Yup we do that, forward letters, etc.

• Mobile Devices Use your mobile device on the Small Business Server network.

Since last year..heck since in the last three months we went from no Windows Mobile phones to three of them....

• Calendar Keep track of meetings, events, and appointments by using Microsoft Outlook 2003. You can also use the Vacation Calendar on your company's internal Web site.

Yup do that.

• Remote Access Check your e-mail or access files over the Internet or by dialing directly into your company network.

We use RWW for home connectivity all the time these days....

• Fax Send and receive faxes while working at your computer.

We tend to still use a standalone fax as we need original documents sent

-Small Business Server Team

Please do not respond to this e-mail message. If you have questions, contact the person responsible for your network.

...that would be me....

The tcp/ip per client connections revisited

Remember when I wacked off the tcp/ip connections per client because I was tired of getting my own connection limited?  Amy's webcast reminded me of why this is not a wise move along with this blog post.

So I fired up the ISA configuration.  I've clicked on 'define connection limits'.   I'm putting back in the 160 as the default per client, and then I'll add a custom limit to mine.

There...let's see how that works, shall we?

We're now a three phone firm

Set up another Windows Mobile phone...we now have three phones that connect seemlessly and effortlessly to the network here at the office [and three more ways that a firm password is on a remote device too, so one has to keep that in mind]

I still did it the manual way because I've found that it's just faster when I know a workstation might have previously had Active Sync installed.  If they have not had it installed, it works like a champ.  If they have, it's just easier for me to install it manually.

You can read the manual stuff here.....

Dear postoffice of host.hawk.igs.net

Right now your admin did a stupid thing... they put a “please notify infected parties when I receive virus laden emails from someone that they need to have someone look at their mailserver” setting. 

But here's the thing.

It's a totally STUPID setting.

With all the spoofed emails today it's totally meaningless.  Man if you were not blocking zip files I'd be doing it right now because this Sober variant is changing so fast that trusting your antivirus will keep up with it is stupid.

So Mr. host.hawk.igs.net? 

Shut off the virus notifications ...they are meaningless.....they only add to the Sober variant problem.

Want to talk to a human?

This ... you gotta listen to....

NPR : Phone Guide Is a Real Customer Service:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5024153

Morning Edition, November 23, 2005 · Entrepreneur Paul English has produced a "must have" for the modern consumer. It's a guide to the customer service phone systems of major corporations. The big payoff? The guide tells you the quickest way to reach a human.

Paul's site... THIS is going on our firm's website/sharepoint -- http://www.paulenglish.com/ivr/