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Some weeks ago, Eillen wrote a cool blog post where she points out the available virtual labs about Exchange 2007. Is that cool or not? Virtual Labs
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Read how “Microsoft is changing the core notion of what services an e-mail system provides” in this report from Gartner. In this download, read about improvements in unified messaging, operational efficiency, and hosted messaging services. "Microsoft Exchange has about half of the market for corporate e-mail seats, with share expected to grow steadily through the end of the decade. For that reason alone, a new version of Exchange has the potential to set the direction for the e-mail market. While, as expected, this new release (due 1Q07 and called Exchange 2007) improves management, bumps scalability and adds security elements, the real news is that Microsoft is changing the core notion of what services an e-mail system provides." Here's the link to the full report: Microsoft’s Exchange Server 2007 Could Set the Future of E-mail.
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Next week starts the biggest technical event Microsoft organizes in Europe, Tech·Ed IT Forum 2006. For the first time, since I remember, the event is sold out. Maybe because Microsoft merged 2 events: Tech·Ed and IT Forum. Well, my presence is guaranteed, since I'll be working at the Ask The Experts (ATE) booth. It's my second time at the ATE, last year was a wonderful experience, so my expectations are high for this year. Fell free to drop by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood of the Exchange Server cabana. TechEd-ITForum TechEd-ITForum
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After some speculation around the release date of Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft issued a press release yesterday stating that the official release date wil be Nov. 30, 2006. REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 6, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the completion of the 2007 Microsoft® Office system code and confirmed its release to manufacturing (RTM). This gold code milestone concludes the largest Microsoft Office beta program to date, with more than 3.5 million people downloading Beta 2. The unprecedented quantity of feedback from beta testers and customers helped the Office development team effectively validate product quality and optimize performance. Microsoft Office RTM also marks a critical step toward worldwide business availability of the 2007 Office system, Windows Vista™ operating system and Exchange Server 2007 on Nov. 30, 2006. Read the full Press Release: 2007 Microsoft Office System Is Golden.
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In order to promote their virtualization technology and for giving users a richer experience with the new products to be released, Microsoft has now available for download some pre-configured virtual machines: - Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 VHD - 32-bit version - This download enables you evaluate how Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 together can help create an optimized messaging system for your organization. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is designed to reduce the growing cost and complexity of managing a corporate messaging system by providing more control for IT administrators, more value and expanded inbox access for end users, and increased security and compliance for the organization as a whole.
- Windows Server 2003 R2 VHD
- ISA Server 2006 VHD
- SQL Server 2005 VHD
"The Microsoft VHD Test Drive Program provides customers with an enhanced server-based software evaluation experience that’s faster, better supported and more flexible. You can now access the entire catalog of pre-configured Microsoft and partner products and solutions in the VHD format and start evaluating and testing today from www.microsoft.com/vhd." Read the full Press Release: Q&A: Businesses Get an “Easy Button” for Software Evaluation with Microsoft’s New Virtualization Program.
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This is just one of the headlines of the Windows PowerShell Week Magazine. A "magazine" providing advance information about the Windows PowerShell Week webcast series (about whish I blogged some time ago). Includes information about each webcast, links to virtual labs and related resources, and articles that provide an introduction to working with Windows PowerShell. Also be sure not to miss Windows PowerShell Week Script Samples, sample code and commands from the Windows PowerShell Week webcast series. Includes a document that shows you how to convert common VBScript commands into their Windows PowerShell equivalents.
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Trustworthy Messaging Get Started is new technical document from the Microsoft IT Showcase collection, which covers some security methods to protect email messages. Topics in this guide: - •Protect an E-mail Message (IRM)
- •Set a Message to Expire (IRM)
- •Digitally Sign a Message (S/MIME)
- •Encrypt Messages (S/MIME)
- •Get a Digital ID (S/MIME)
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The Microsoft Junk E-mail Reporting Tool version 1.0 for Microsoft Office Outlook is a neat add-in for Outlook that allows a user to report an e-mail message as junk. This kind of mechanism is already used in Hotmail. "The Junk E-mail Reporting Tool submits e-mail to Microsoft when you explicitly choose to do so. If you receive a junk e-mail and want to report it to us for analysis, first select the e-mail in Outlook and then click the junk e-mail button on your tool bar. You will see a pop-up window asking whether you want to report the selected e-mail to Microsoft and its affiliates. When you click “Yes” to confirm that you’d like to report the selected e-mail as junk e-mail, the junk e-mail will be deleted from your Inbox and sent to FrontBridge, a Microsoft company, for analysis to help us improve the effectiveness of our junk e-mail filtering technologies." The messages reported this way will be sent to abuse@frontbridge.com, where probably they will be used to more accurately define what is or what is not unsolicited commercial email
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So, what is "Centro" you ask...........? I am glad you asked.... :) We are looking for a few good testers to help influence the direction of this new Microsoft® Windows Server Solutions Product. Do you have three 64 bit machines that you can spare to test some of the most exciting technology Microsoft is working on? I know the system requirements are a daunting one, but this is the only way we can test "Centro". So, if you are already on the Longhorn Beta or the Exchange Beta, then you are already two thirds of the way there. The "Centro" Product team is looking to you to help test the Beta of "Centro". “Centro” is the code name for a new Microsoft® infrastructure solution that will help midsize businesses with less than 250 PCs in their environment. Centro will bring together key server products for midsize businesses, including Windows Server “Longhorn,” Exchange Server 2007 and security technologies, plus a new, integrated management experience. Centro is designed for IT professionals in midsize companies, helping them with server technologies that are easier to purchase, install and manage. Details: If you are interested in joining the "Centro" Beta please go to http://connect.microsoft.com click on Invitations sign in with your Windows Live ID (Passport ID) and enter the following invite ID; Extr-GHBC-JCJM. You will be asked to take a short Survey. Once you complete the survey look for an email from MsftConn@microsoft.com. If you don't already trust this address, please add it to your trusted email addresses. Source: The SBS and Centro Community Lead Blog
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Eileen Brown published once again the list of webcasts for November. Here are the links for the ones we really like:
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Internet Explorer 7, which was released last week, can cause a little problem when used with Outlook Web Access (OWA). To resolve this issue, there's a new patch available to download for Exchange Server 2003 SP2. "This update resolves an issue where the Outlook Web Access (OWA) form would stop responding when you compose a message using the S/MIME control on a client running Internet Explorer 7.0 and accessing a mail server running Exchange Server 2003." Here are the links for the patch and for the corresponding KB article:
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Microsoft has just released the October update for the Outlook 2003 Junk E-mail Filter. "This update provides the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk e-mail." The update is available here or you can use Microsoft Update. As usual the update comes with the corresponding Knowledge Base article: Technorati : outlook, junk email, spam Del.icio.us : outlook, junk email, spam
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Going 64-Bit with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 is a Microsoft IT Showcase that Microsoft has made available recently. "Almost two years prior to the Microsoft® Exchange Server product group's decision to support Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 on the 64-bit platform only, the Microsoft Information Technology (Microsoft IT) group began to migrate from 32-bit to 64-bit server hardware. All server computers purchased for messaging purposes after the year 2004 are 64-bit systems and suitable for Exchange Server 2007. By running the new Exchange Server version on the 64-bit platform, Microsoft IT can keep pace with ever-increasing performance expectations, raise mailbox quotas by up to a factor of 10, lower storage costs, and eliminate tape backups to save an additional $5 million U.S. per year."
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Windows PowerShell Week, a series of five Webcasts to be held November 6 - 10, 2006 on TechNet. These Webcasts will provide you with a thorough introduction to Windows PowerShell. | And Now for Something Completely Different:
Introducing Windows PowerShell You’ve probably heard by now about this new technology from Microsoft first called “Monad” and now officially named Windows PowerShell. What is this? Do I want to learn this? Do I have to learn this? Where do I get it? How does it work? Not to worry, the Scripting Guys are here to answer your questions. In this first of five Webcasts you’ll be introduced to Windows PowerShell and given an overview of how it works and what it’s all about. Monday November 6, 2006
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| One Cmdlet, Two Cmdlet, Three Cmdlet, Four:
An Introduction to Windows PowerShell Commands "Doeth the Eagle mount up at thy commaund?" No, that’s not a typo; apparently, that's how the word command was spelled back in the 1700's. Boy, how things have changed: the word is now spelled Cmdlet, or at least it is if you're a Windows PowerShell user. In this webcast the Script Guys explore these new beasts known as Cmdlets, the heart and sound of Microsoft’s new command shell/scripting technology. Tuesday November 7, 2006
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| Objects, Objects Everywhere:
Working With Objects in Windows PowerShell One of the coolest new features introduced by Windows PowerShell is the ability to work with objects directly from the command line. Although WSH scripters are somewhat familiar with the concept of objects, as a Windows PowerShell user you need to live and breath objects. In this webcast, the Scripting Guys explore all things object in Windows PowerShell. If you listen carefully and don't speak out during the presentation, they’ll even help you instantiate an itty-bitty .NET object for you to call your own. Wednesday November 8, 2006
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| New Kid on the Script Block:
Writing Scripts with Windows PowerShell Yes, Windows PowerShell is a great tool for working at the command line; however, it’s an equally good tool for writing scripts. In day 4 of Windows PowerShell week, the Scripting Guys introduce you to the fine art of writing scripts with Windows PowerShell. Thursday November 9, 2006 |
| Amazing But True:
Things You Never Dreamt You Could Do With Windows PowerShell In this, this fifth and final Windows PowerShell Week webcast, you’ll see definitive proof that the Loch Ness monster exists; you’ll meet a man who was abducted by aliens; and you’ll hear from a real, live ghost. But that’s nothing: just wait until you see some of the incredible things that can be done with Windows PowerShell. Friday November 10, 2006 |
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Some time ago, I participated in a project where I had to do a domain rename. Domain renames are possible since the release of Windows Server 2003, although it was not possible to perform the rename operation if an Exchange Organization was deployed in the AD Forest. This constraint was soon dropped with the release of XDR-Fixup, a tool that fixes Exchange attributes in the AD after a rename operation. But there are still some pre-requisites: - The functional level of the AD Forest must be Windows 2003;
- You must have Enterprise Admin privileges;
- All the DFS Root Servers must have Windows 2000 SP3 or above;
- Exchange must not be installed on a DC;
- Exchange 2003 SP1 or later.
In my case, we found that we had an Exchange Server running on a DC. The solution is to install a separate Exchange server, move all the mailboxes and public folders and then to uninstall the old server. Just running DCPROMO isn't supported. After correcting that, the rename operation went really smoothly. But don't be fooled, a domain rename operation shouldn't be taken lightly. Although I wouldn't call it complex, please make sure you read all the documentation provided with the rename tools. Also consider all the other possibilities before deciding to do a domain rename. As a curiosity let me tell you that when I told Microsoft Portugal I was going to do a domain rename, they didn't show much confidence on their own tools. Here are the links with the tools and documentation. Try this in a test environment, it's fun
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Microsoft has some interesting documents about Messaging Hygiene. If you're a fan of podcasts, it's now available for download How Microsoft IT Defends Against Spam, Viruses, and E-Mail Attacks. "Detailed discussion on how Microsoft IT manages the large quantities of unwanted e-mail (a.k.a. spam) and malware-infected messages in its inbound Internet e-mail traffic. The paper documents how Microsoft IT uses Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 technologies, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, and third-party solutions to both reduce the quantity of spam routed through the corporate messaging infrastructure by filtering at the gateway layer and then remove the threats in remaining messages posed by viruses, worms, and their common distribution vectors, such as file attachments."
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The October issue of TechNet Magazine is about Communication & Collaboration. A subject like this could only mean, at least, a couple of articles about Exchange Server and messaging in general. So, although I strongly recommend that you read the full issue, I selected the articles that I find more interesting:
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