Vol. 12, #8 - Feb 26, 2007 - Issue #614 Exchange 2007 Migration Cost Issues Editor's Corner 2007 Global Server Survey Results Exchange 2007 Migration Cost Issues Quote Of The Week Admin Toolbox Admin Tools We Think You Shouldn't Be Without Tech Briefing Microsoft Unleashes Six Vista Deployment Tools Expert Advice: Slow Virtual Machines MS's Daylight-saving Time (DST) Patch -- Does It Matter To AD? Tip: Evaluating Multi-core Processors Tip: Hunting Down A Hacker Top 5 SQL Server Query Tips Adding Root Certificates To Windows Mobile Devices Windows Server News 2007 Global Server Hardware and Server OS Deployment and Usage Survey Exchange And Daylight Saving Time--Again! Microsoft Releases List Of Verified Vista Apps Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 Goes Gold WServer Third Party News Double-Take Announces Double-Take for VMware Vendor Study: 90% Of Emails Will Be Spam By Year's End WserverNews Fave Links This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff. WserverNews - Product of the Week Trying To Climb The Tall Certification Ladder? Here's Help: Trying To Climb The Tall Certification Ladder? Here's Help Normally, for exam cramming you think "Transcender". But there is another name just as good: CramMaster. They actually won the WindowsITPro Readers Choice Award and are excellent Exam Prep training. We were able to negotiate a special deal for all WServerNews subscribers: You can get $50 off every exam you buy, really an excellent discount. And here are the steps to get it: Step 1) Scroll down this page to the CramMaster section and note which exams you want at your WServerNews special discount: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-ExamForce Step 2: Email Doug Burke: doug AT examforce DOT com and tell him "Stu sent me" and which exams you want! He will get back to you. Editor's Corner 2007 Global Server Survey Results The latest joint Sunbelt Software Yankee Group Global Server Hardware and Server OS Deployment and usage survey offered up both surprising and status quo results. The Web-based survey conducted in February 2007 polled approximately 1,000 IT administrators and C-level executives on a variety of server and operating system issues including: primary server hardware vendors, server spending trends, server deployment timetables, server configurations and the average length of server life cycles classified by server type (i.e, file and print, Email/messaging and Web server) and operating system type (i.e., Linux or Windows). You will find the results in the Windows Server News Section. Exchange 2007 Migration Cost Issues Deciding to make this move -has- consequences. Apart from all the positive points, there are drawbacks. If your outfit wants HA using only Exchange and clustering, you will need a minimum of four (!) machines. And that is without taking the new unified communications features into account. If you compare pricing between E2K3 and E3K7 (including CALs) pricing is the same, however Outlook 2007 will tax your budget with an extra $105 per user, as opposed to being part of the CAL like before. More over, E2K7 needs 64-bit servers, which means you can forget about older servers and you'll have to buy new ones. So, before you get all starry-eyed about the admittedly very attractive new features, see if your budget allows it! Quote Of The Week "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." -- Arthur Schopenhauer Hope you enjoy this issue of WServerNews! Warm regards, Stu  |   Email me: feedback@wservernews.com Admin Toolbox Admin Tools We Think You Shouldn't Be Without Must Have FREEWARE. Web Active Directory + Self Service Password. Download now! http://www.wservernews.com/070226-NameScape Ninja Takes HALF THE ADMIN TIME securing your Exchange server against spam, viruses, bad attachments and phishing. Disclaimers in a few weeks! http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Ninja The brand new CounterSpy V2 includes the revolutionary VIPRE engine; Less RAM, much faster, and KERNEL-LEVEL anti-malware protection. Try it! http://www.wservernews.com/070226-CounterSpy-V2 Tech Briefing Microsoft Unleashes Six Vista Deployment Tools Microsoft announced Feb. 20 new tools for easing Windows Vista deployments. The tools come about two-and-a-half months after Microsoft released the new operating system to businesses. The tools-immediately available-let businesses assess hardware and software compatibility with Vista, better manage product licensing activation, and virtualize older Windows versions during Vista testing, deployment and transition processes. The tools seem late in coming, given that enterprises had access to Vista through volume licensing since Nov. 30. However, Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, said he's not surprised by the timing. "I don't see the November release as anything other than Microsoft saying, 'See, we released it before the end of the year like we said,' "Cherry said. "Jan. 30 was the real Vista launch." ComputerWorld has the story: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Vista-Deployment Expert Advice: Slow Virtual Machines Find out what advice SearchServerVirtualization.com expert Anil Desai had to offer those who have started using Microsoft Virtual Server and are looking to get the best performance out of their virtual environment. Read his tips today (free registration): http://www.wservernews.com/070226-VM-Tips MS's Daylight-saving Time (DST) Patch -- Does It Matter To AD? This year daylight-saving time will have negative effects on Microsoft Outlook functions such as email time stamping, calendar items and other issues noted by Microsoft. The biggest concern for Active Directory admins is whether the DST change can also affect domain operations such as AD replication and network authentication. Find out more in this tip. (free registration) http://www.wservernews.com/070226-DST-Patch Tip: Evaluating Multi-core Processors Multi-core processors have gone from exotic to everyday. But are the extra cores worth the extra money? Read this tip to learn what factors to consider when making your purchasing decision. (free registration) http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Multi-Core Tip: Hunting Down A Hacker If you've ever discovered that your network has been hacked, you've probably wondered how to track down the perpetrator. Find out how to track down hackers with this advice from network security expert Wes Noonan. http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Tracking-Hackers Top 5 SQL Server Query Tips SQL Server queries should guide you toward successful, trouble-free data retrieval. But, with continual database growth and users' expectancy of sub-second response time, information searches through queries must be polished. One method of designing a successful query is knowing what not to do. SearchSQLServer.com has compiled a collection of top tips which will provide swift access to the information you need to optimize your SQL Server queries. http://www.wservernews.com/070226-SQL-Query-Tips Adding Root Certificates To Windows Mobile Devices Learn how you can avoid the cost of third-party SSL certificates by turning a self-assigned root certificate into a .CAB file that you can deploy to your Windows mobile devices. http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Root-Certificates Windows Server News 2007 Global Server Hardware and Server OS Deployment and Usage Survey By Laura DiDio, Research Fellow, Enabling Technologies Enterprise, Software Economics and Infrastructure, Yankee Group The latest joint Sunbelt Software Yankee Group Global Server Hardware and Server OS Deployment and usage survey offered up both surprising and status quo results. The Web-based survey conducted in February 2007 polled approximately 1,000 IT administrators and C-level executives on a variety of server and operating system issues including: primary server hardware vendors, server spending trends, server deployment timetables, server configurations and the average length of server life cycles classified by server type (i.e, file and print, Email/messaging and Web server) and operating system type (i.e., Linux or Windows). The respondents were culled from Yankee Group's own client list and Sunbelt's IT System Administrators list. On the hardware side, the survey data showed that Dell Computer and Hewlett-Packard hardware are nearly neck and neck vying for the top server hardware honors. Dell is the primary server hardware vendor for just over one-third or 34% of the respondents, while HP is a close second with 30%. HP however, has a lot of momentum. In the last Sunbelt/Yankee Group July/August 2005 poll, HP had 27% marketshare; so the company has gained three percentage points in the last 18 months. On the software side, protracted server operating system life cycles are still the norm and based on comparisons to the 2005 survey, companies are holding onto their server hardware and OS software for even longer periods. This latest poll indicates that nearly three out of five businesses --59% -- keep their mainstream Windows file, print and application servers in use for four-to-six years. By comparison 48% of Linux users said they retain their Linux OS distribution for four-to-six years. The 2007 statistics represent a significant increase in server OS retention rates from just 18 months ago in the prior poll. Now 11% more Windows users and 17% of Linux businesses are holding onto their operating systems for four-to-six years. Back in 2005 just under half - or 48% of companies kept their Windows file and print servers for four to six years compared with 31% of respondents who retained their Linux file and print servers for the same period. The lengthening server life cycles are possible because of performance, reliability, scalability and security advances in server hardware and software technology. But it also indicates that corporations are still cautious and cash constrained. Businesses should however, closely monitor performance, reliability and security of aged servers and should not hesitate to replace them at the first signs of performance degradation. The protracted life cycles were particularly apparent in file and print servers. Corporate customers upgrade their database, Email and messaging and Web servers a bit more frequently than baseline file and print servers -- although not by much. Among the other survey highlights: Over half - 51% of respondents have one to five IT managers; 14% had between five and 20 IT administrators; 10% had between 20 and 50 IT managers and 16% of companies had 50 to 100 administrators. Users are gradually moving to more powerful processors. In the 2005 survey an overwhelming 93% majority of businesses' servers were either a single CPU or two processor machine. The use of four- processor machines has more than doubled in the past 18 months, from six percent in the summer of 2005 to 13% today run four processors. However, users are still slow to migrate to the more powerful eight- and 16-processor machines. Only one percent of respondents said they currently use eight- and 16-way servers. Application server configurations are a bit more powerful: 56% of companies have two processors compared with only 26% that have a single CPU application server; 15% have four processor machines; two percent have eight-processors and one percent have a 16-processor CPU application server. Web server configurations are equally split with 45% of firms having a server with a single CPU and 46% who have two processor CPU configurations. Windows usage remains high: 55% of the respondents noted that 80% to 100% of their servers are running Windows. Only three percent of respondents said they had no Windows installed. Linux deployments also remain healthy: 38% of the respondents reported that up to 20% of their servers were running Linux, while only 28% said they did not have any Linux installed. Finally, and this is no surprise, the use of mobile devices (PDAs, cell phones, laptops, tablet PCs and cell phones) has soared in the last 18 months. An overwhelming 89% majority of businesses users employs one or more of these devices. And as their usage grows, so do concerns about problems. Topping the list is security, data protection for business continuity, accessibility of applications, remote management and integration and interoperability with various applications and heterogeneous platforms. Exchange And Daylight Saving Time--Again! And again, grateful acknowledgments to Paul Robichaux, Exchange Editor, at WindowsITPro. "I didn't intend to write about updating Exchange for the daylight saving time (DST) change again this week, but there's still so much confusion around it that I wanted to share some problems-- and solutions--experienced by early adopters of Microsoft's update strategy. Of course, "early" in this context is relative; as I write this, there are about 19 days until DST goes into effect, and that's not a lot of time considering that nearly every Windows client in North America needs to be patched. First, many users have reported problems after installing the DST patch for Exchange. There are two primary problems: not being able to mount mailbox stores after the patch is applied and losing permissions on shared mailboxes. The problem of mounting mailbox stores is caused by ambiguous SIDs on the object in the msExchMasterAccountSID attribute or in the sIDHistory attribute. The fix for this class of problems is detailed in the Microsoft article "Information Store database does not mount with Event ID 9519 and 9518" at http://www.wservernews.com/070226-SID-Problem The problem with permissions on shared mailboxes is usually due to what I call the BlackBerry Effect; applying any hotfix later than release 7650.23 to the store will cause a change in the way shared permissions are evaluated See "Permission Changes Surprise Mobile Device Administrators," May 9, 2006:, http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Permission-Changes Some sites haven't applied any hotfixes since before May 2006 when this fix was released, and now they're running into problems. To read the rest of this article and find out what else you need to know to troubleshoot your DST updates, click here: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-DST-Updates Microsoft Releases List Of Verified Vista Apps Redmond released a list of 800 apps it has officially verified as running bug-free on Windows Vista. But some well known apps are missing ! ComputerWorld has the best summary of this story: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Vista-Apps Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 Goes Gold I remember the time that Connectix came out with its Connectix Virtual PC. It was soon gobbled up by Redmond, and released a year or so later as Microsoft Virtual PC 2004. Then, Microsoft announced they would give it away. And now they have finally gone gold with it. Desktop is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and is supported on XP Pro, Server 2003 and Vista. The gold version adds improved performance and these new features: AMD-V and Intel VT support Support for Vista 64-bit as a host Support for Windows Vista as a guest operating system You can download it at the Microsoft site: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Virtual-PC-2007 WServer Third Party News Double-Take Announces Double-Take for VMware This week, Double-Take(r) Software announced Double-Take for VMware Infrastructure, a solution that protects entire VMware virtual machines. Double-Take for VMware Infrastructure helps customers prevent downtime and data loss in virtual environments, making it an ideal component for customers implementing cost-effective disaster recovery and business continuity plans. Vendor Study: 90% Of Emails Will Be Spam By Year's End Security vendor Marshal Ltd.'s Threat Research and Content Engineering (TRACE) team monitored spam traffic from spots located across 18 countries and recorded a 30% increase over the last week. ComputerWorld has the story: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Spam WserverNews Fave Links This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff. The world's first radio controlled flying insect! The Dragonfly can flutter, soar, dive-bomb and glide. It has a range of about 150 feet and can fly for 15 min. per charge. http://www.wservernews.com/070226-RC-Dragonfly Remote control cars are great. But even more exciting is a real-life RC car: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-RC-Cars "Top Gear" teams up with rocket builders from Manchester to turn an automobile into a space shuttle! http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Rocket-Car Dutch graffiti writers have developed a new form of high-tech graffiti using a mobile LASER tagging system. Here they paint entire building blocks in Rotterdam: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Laser-Graffiti HP has just announced its first iPAQ smartphone, with built-in Wi-Fi, and the ability to read email aloud and respond with voice notes -- eliminating the need to enter text on the number pad.(it's the only video I found so far) http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Smartphone The Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock. Built in Bed Shaker will wake the soundest of Ninja slumbers. Check-out this ultimate alarm clock right here: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Alarm-Clock Proper use of a firecracker roll! http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Firecracker-Roll How the "Pavement Picasso" does it. A time lapse video of Julian Beever creating the "Fountain of Youth" chalk drawing: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-Pavement-Picasso Amazing low altitude RC helicopter aerobatics by Alan Szabo, one of the best RC heli pilots in the world: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-RC-Helicopter WserverNews - Product of the Week Trying To Climb The Tall Certification Ladder? Here's Help: Normally, for exam cramming you think "Transcender". But there is another name just as good: CramMaster. They actually won the WindowsITPro Readers Choice Award and are excellent Exam Prep training. We were able to negotiate a special deal for all WServerNews subscribers: You can get $50 off every exam you buy, really an excellent discount. And here are the steps to get it: Step 1) Scroll down this page to the CramMaster section and note which exams you want at your WServerNews special discount: http://www.wservernews.com/070226-ExamForce Step 2: Email Doug Burke: doug AT examforce DOT com and tell him "Stu sent me" and which exams you want! He will get back to you.