Michael Khanin | Network Administration

"Outlook Anywhere" and problems with IPv6 in Windows Server 2008

2008-07-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

It's not a secret, that IPv6 has some "issues". When I've been in Seattle, at last MVP summit, a lot of IT professionals said that, and all of them recommended to disable IPv6 on Windows 2008 or / and Vista machines. Kevin Reeuwijk from "Innovative Technology Weblog" posted a very good article; Outlook Anywhere is ‘broken’ on IPv6 in Windows Server 2008.
So, if you run Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2008 and want to use Outlook Anywhere (aka RPC over HTTP) you probably get a problem. It would not work if the RPC-over-HTTP Proxy and the Exchange Mailbox installed on the same Windows 2008 Server.
To make the long story short, simply unselect IPv6 from the properties of your NIC AND (it's very important) make a changes to the HOSTS file. Simply open up your hosts file and make the following changes:

Comment out the line “:::1 localhost”
Add the following two lines:

This will resolve all queries for your computer’s name to its IPv4 address, effectively disabling the use of IPv6 for self-communication. You can confirm that this works by doing a “telnet localhost 6004″.

CoreConfigurator - Graphic Management Tool for Windows Server 2008 Core

2008-04-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

The default management for Windows Server 2008 Core is the command line. Yes, the main powerful of Windows Server Core becomes available when using such an approach, but sometimes it's not so user friendly. This is why I've been asking so many times if exist anything more graphic :). Yes, one of the first recommendations to work and manage Windows 2008 Server Core is to use MMC from a remote machine, but MMC cannot do everything. Of course to allow work with remote tools this tool should be allowed passage through the firewall packages Server Core. In addition, this is for many more difficult than editing the registry. :) Therefore, I would like to have a simple graphical tool for configuring local system. The task of developing such an interface is complicated by that the Server Core has a limited set of graphics API, this is a reason why so beautiful MMC doesn't work on it.

So, if Microsoft has not established such utilities anybody else did this. Look at the utility CoreConfigurator developed by Guy Teverovsky, MVP from Israel.

This is what it can:

Product Activation Product Activation
Configuration of display resolution Configuration of display resolution
Clock and time zone configuration Clock and time zone configuration
Remote Desktop configuration Remote Desktop configuration
Management of local user accounts (creation, deletion, group membership, passwords) Management of local user accounts (creation, deletion, group membership, passwords)
Firewall configuration Firewall configuration
WinRM configuration WinRM configuration
IP configuration IP configuration
Computer name and domain/workgroup membership Computer name and domain / workgroup membership
Installation of Server Core features/roles Installation of Server Core features / roles

To setup this utility use MSI package and then run the CoreConfigurator. exe file. The following interface will appear.

Just in case, it's not necessary to install CoreConfigurator, we can simply copy its files into the system. The result will be the same. The video settings look like this:

Setting "Show window content while dragging" may very markedly improve display window objects, if you work with the server via terminal connection. Please note that the setting affects only the current user. According to the picture, to change the time zone, the developer did not reinvent the wheel, and just call to standard timedate.cpl

Remote Desktop Options look like this:

All would be good, but in this version you still have to allow RDP connections in the firewall manually using netsh. Hopefully, in the next version this will be fixed. Management of local users and groups is done through the following windows.

Installation of Roles and Features became a more visual :

Instantly, functionality of firewall management is very limited, but at least he had already to incorporate all necessary rules for the remote control.

Configuring your network interfaces habitually looks fairly.

To set the activation key and Activate the OS is also very simple and all this done via GUI :)

In addition, let me show winrm interface, interface to rename computer and join it to domain:

It is understandable that CoreConfigurator is not officially supported by Microsoft. Many IT professionals probably have any doubts, whether to trust manufacturer of the software. As usual choice, set its server utility or not is up to you. :)

How to Create File for a Desired File Size

2008-04-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Time to time I get the need to have some temp files of varying sizes. In Linux environment it's not a problem to do. And, in Windows environment it's not a problem anymore :).
I've used a "dd for windows". "dd for windows" could be downloded from official web site. I've created a very simple script, mkef.bat. Here is a syntax for using mkef.bat:

mkef.bat

And now the content of mkef.bat:

@echo off
if {%1}=={} @Echo Please use the following syntax: mkef.bat filename size &goto :EOF
if {%2}=={} @Echo Please use the following syntax: mkef.bat filename size &goto :EOF
dd if=/dev/zero of=%1 bs=1024 count=%2

What NAP is and how it works?

2008-02-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first Windows 2008 event in Canada. The first event was in Toronto and had almost 3000 attendees. Twenty MVPs participated in Ask-The-Expert and I was one of them :). One of the commonly asked questions was question about “What NAP is and how it works?“

So, I’d like to show what posted on TheLazyAdmin.com about NAP:
With the recent launch of Windows Server 2008 you are no doubt spending all your free time playing around with everything new. One thing you might be playing around with is Network Access Protection. There is a great document on getting a DHCP based NAP lab set up but one thing the document is missing is how to configure the NAP client in XP SP3. In Windows Vista you simply start the service then enable the client through the NAP Client Configuration MMC (napclcfg.msc) but XP SP3 does not include the MMC. So how does one configure the NAP Client without a Nap Client configuration tool? Netsh, that is how!

To enable the NAP Client on XP SP3 you need to do the following:

Start –> Run –> Services.msc
Change the Network Access Protection Agent service to start automatically
Start the Network Access Protection Agent service
Start –> Run –> CMD.exe
Type netsh nap client set enforcement ID = ##### Admin = “Enable”
Start –> Run –> GPEdit.msc
Drill down to Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Security Center
Enable the Security Center
Start –> Run –> Services.msc
Start the Security Center service

You will need to replace the ##### with the ID based on whichever enforcement method you are using. You can use the following IDs for the various enforcement methods:

DHCP = 79617
RAS = 79618
IPSec = 79619
TS Gateway = 79621
EAP = 79623

For more labs and information see:

Step-by-Step Guide: Demonstrate IPsec NAP Enforcement in a Test Lab

Step-by-Step Guide: Demonstrate 802.1X NAP Enforcement in a Test Lab

Step-by-Step Guide: Demonstrate VPN NAP Enforcement in a Test Lab

Microsoft doesn’t recommend creating Vista ‘Lite’

2008-02-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, it’s possible to create a “Lite” version of operating system by using well know program vLite. But, recently Microsoft said in an e-mail to CNET News.com:

“Microsoft does not recommend using any tool to strip out applications from Windows Vista prior to installing it on your system, as it may affect your ability to download future Windows updates and service packs, and may cause your system to become unstable,”

So, think twice before you creating Vista ‘Lite’

SEP 11: virus definition folder takes too much disk space

2008-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

For those who did not give up trying to deploy Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.

On client computers you might notice that virus definition folder (by default it is located in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\VirusDefs) takes up large amounts of disk space. In my case - more than 5 Gb. When you open VirusDefs folder you can see a lot of temporary folders called tmpXXXX.tmp, where XXXX are hexadecimal characters.

The cause of the problem is that virus definitions may be corrupted.

To solve this issue, follow the steps below:

1. Stop the Symantec Management Client service:

Start -> Run
Type "smc –stop" (without qoutes) and click OK

2. Stop the Symantec Endpoint protection Service in services snap-in

3. Go to "Virusdefs" folder. Delete all ".tmp" files and folders AND any numbered folders (such as "20070820.048", "20080115.021" etc.)

4. Install new definitions manually using the Intelligent Updater:

Follow this link: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/defs.download.html
Select the language and for the product, select Symantec Endpoint Protection
Click "Download Updates" button
Select the correct file to download for Symantec Endpoint Protection 11 depending on whether it is for 32-bit or 64-bit OS
Click the ".exe" file specified for Symantec Endpoint Protection 11, download to your hard drive and run it

5. Start the Symantec Endpoint Protection Service

6. Start the Symantec Management Client service:

Start -> Run
Type "smc –start" (without qoutes) and click OK

Source: http://youradmin.blogspot.com/

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) deployment - New white paper

2008-01-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Microsoft just released a new version of their IE7 deployment paper. The document has 156 pages. IE7 deployment can get tricky. Try to read this document before deployment, if you haven’t done it yet. It might be a useful reference if you run into problems.

Things that Virtual PC needs to be run as Administrator for...

2008-01-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

For the most part Virtual PC is able to happily run when you are using a non-administrative user account and everything will work. There are - however - a couple of things that will not work correctly unless Virtual PC is run under an Administrative account:

Using ping (or other ICMP based tools) over shared networking.

In order to create ICMP packets (as opposed to standard TCP/IP packets) that appear to originate from the virtual machine when using shared networking - we need to access Windows APIs that are restricted to only being accessed by administrators.

The reason why these APIs are restricted is that there are a number of known ICMP based network attacks that malicious software could try to utilized on your computer.

The impact of this is that you will simply be unable to ping other computers from a virtual machine. Note that this does not affect virtual machines that are using a direct connection to the physical network adapter.
Using or converting linked virtual hard disks.

Linked virtual hard disks require us to open a handle to the raw physical disk object (and bypass the Windows file system). As this mechanism could also be used to bypass file system security it is restricted to administrative processes only.

If Virtual PC is not running as an administrative process you will be unable to create linked virtual hard disks, convert linked virtual hard disks or boot virtual machines with linked virtual hard disks connected to them.
Accessing copy protected CDs.

Virtual PC attempts to access the physical CD by using a handle to the raw disk (like with linked virtual hard disks) but if that fails it will fall back to using the Windows file APIs to access the CD.

The Windows file APIs work fine for accessing normal data off of CDs - but is unable to provide the information necessary to support the use of copy protected CDs inside of virtual machines.

If Virtual PC is not running as an administrative process access to normal CDs will function correctly - as will data access to copy protected CDs - however any software that attempts to check the authenticity of a copy protected CD will fail.
Configuring the Virtual PC security options.

Configuring the Virtual PC security options requires that we change registry keys stored in the Local Machine registry hive. The values are stored here so that non-administrative users cannot undo security settings changes made by an administrative user.

If Virtual PC is not running as an administrative process the settings on this options page will be disabled.

Now remember that under Windows Vista Virtual PC will be running as a non-administrative process even if you are using an administrative account. To get these features to work under Vista you need to right click on the Virtual PC icon in the start menu and select 'Run as administrator' (with the exception of the Virtual PC security options where we will prompt you to give administrative approval if you are not running as administrator).

Windows, iSCSI and NAS (Network-attached Storage) in Test Environment

2007-12-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Recently, I worked on a project to be deployed on a Windows servers cluster.
Before setting up the production environment, it was necessary to check if one of the required applications will work on a cluster.

To those of you who doesn’t know what a cluster is, just take a look at what’s written on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_cluster

That time, I had no extra servers for testing, so I decided to setup the cluster in a virtual environment. To do this, I created 2 Windows 2003 Servers on my VMWARE station.
However, the biggest problem was the storage space.

Anyone who worked at least once with clusters, knows that they need a shared storage, also called a NAS (Network-attached Storage).
Unfortunately, I have no NAS in my lab, so I used another technique for my test.
If you do Googling a bit, you will find a lot of Linux-based NAS software, like FreeNAS.

However, I wanted a Windows-based software and I founded probably one of the best (IMHO), which is StarWind, available for FREE in a Personal edition.
Now, I’m not going to show you how to install a cluster, I just would like to show how to connect two (or more) servers to the same Network-attached Storage by using the iSCSI technology, and how to do this in a test environment.

When you launch StarWind for the first time, you will see a screen like this one:

The first step is to add a device.
To do this, right click on the localhost:3260 icon and select Connect.
For the username and password, simply use the word test.

When the connection will be established, click on the Add device button to display the following screen:

Here, select Image File device and click on the Next button.

On the next window, select Create new image and click on the Next button. You'll have to enter a name, a location and a size for the image.
For best performance, it's recommended to avoid image compression and encryption.
The next screen is of the highest importance.

REMEMBER to select Allow multiple concurrent iSCSI connections (clustering).
If you forgot to select this option, your cluster setup will fail.

The next steps are just about few clicks on some Next buttons and a Finish one.

Finally, you should see a screen similar to this one:

Before connecting the Windows Server 2003 to the iSCSI storage, we need to install the iSCSI Initiator, that can be downloaded from Microsoft.

While I was writing this article, the setup of a Windows Server 2008 RC1 with Hyper-V Beta finished.

Since the procedure for connecting iSCSI disks to a Windows Server 2008 is quite similar to connecting them to a Windows Server 2003, I'd like to show how to do this on a Windows Server 2008.

So, from the Control Panel we start iSCSI initiator. When we do that for the first time, we get the message below:

Click on the Yes button. On the next window also click on the Yes button and you will see the following window:

Click on the Discovery tab, click on the Add Portal button, enter the IP address of the iSCSI machine (where StarWind is installed), and click on the OK button.

Click on the Targets tab, and click on the Log on button.

Select the options according to the picture below, and then don't forget to click on the OK button.

Click on the Volumes and Devices tab, and click on the Autoconfigure button.

Now, we are ready to click on the last OK button, and go to the Disk Management.

If all the previous steps were done correctly, you should see a screen similar to this one:

The next steps are very simple, and I don't think that I've to explain how to create a volume and a partition in Windows.

When done, if we open My Computer we will see a new Local Disk, like in my example:

At this point, we have successfully configured an iSCSI storage under Windows, and we are ready to go on.

PXE, aka Pre-Execution Environment and Acronis - Part 2

2007-12-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

Since I've published article "PXE, aka Pre-Execution Environment - Part 1" I've got a lot of emails with the same question - 'Where is a Part 2?". So, here it is.

I know many Network Administrators who work with Acronis products and i also sometime work with those good products. This week i did a project for one of my clients in Seattle, WA. The main idea was to deploy an Acronis image on new servers and configure those servers according to system requirements. So, again, those servers came without floppy drive and CD/DVD :) and as all of you know, to restore Acronis image on a new machine we have to use Bootable Rescue Media, aka Bootable CD with Acronis on it. Yes, I know, that Acronis provides a products with PXE integrated, but i don't have it :) and I've used my own PXE server.

The first step I did was create Bootable Rescue Media. Then I took 2 files, kernel.dat and ramdisk.dat from Acronis's directory and put them into C:\PXEServer\TFTPRoot\Boot directory. Well, now was the time to make a small changes to our "default" file (default file located in C:\PXEServer\TFTPRoot\Boot\pxelinux.cfg\ directory). After all those changes my "default" file now looks as follow:

DEFAULT menu.c32

TIMEOUT 300
ALLOWOPTIONS 0
PROMPT 0

MENU TITLE PXE Boot System

LABEL ACRONIS
MENU LABEL ^Acronis Bootable
kernel kernel.dat
append initrd=ramdisk.dat vga=791 ramdisk_size=32768 acpi=off quiet noapic

LABEL NetworkBoot
MENU LABEL ^Network Boot
kernel memdisk
append initrd=w98se-netboot.IMA

LABEL CleanBoot
MENU LABEL ^Clean Win 98 Boot
kernel memdisk
append initrd=W98.IMA

LABEL MemTest
MENU LABEL ^Memory Test
kernel memdisk
append initrd=W98_MemTest.IMA

The next steps were pretty simple ;), Boot, Select Acronis from the menu, Select Image for recovery and.....

Thanks to time PXE saved me I was able to spend some time in very beautiful city Seattle.

Relaited Articles
PXE, aka Pre-Execution Environment - Part 1

PDC 2008 Announced

2007-12-07T03:46:00.000-08:00

Next Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC): October 27–30, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

PDC is the definitive Microsoft event for software developers and architects focused on the future of the Microsoft platform.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 white paper

2007-12-06T00:33:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has released a white paper on Windows XP SP3, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft download center.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 Overview

Download Windows XP SP3 RC directly from Microsoft ;)

2007-12-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Today, one of my friends asked me how to get SP3 RC1 for Windows XP. Many of you know that this release available for Beta Testers, but Friend of mine is NOT beta tester. So, you can use a Hack that will allow you to download Windows XP SP3 RC1 directly from Microsoft. Windows XP SP3 will be the final service pack for really good Operating System from Microsoft. SP3 will bring a lot of bug fixes and some new features from Vista. Well, if you can't wait for official release, create a .bat file, let say xpsp3rc1.bat. Copy & Past toxpsp3rc1.bat following commands:

@echo off
reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\XPSP3 /f 2> NUL
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\XPSP3 /v RCPreview /t REG_SZ /d 1c667073-b87f-4f52-a479-98c85711d869 /f
echo XP SP3 RC1 registry key has been set. Please check for updates in Windows Update.
pause

Once you have created the file run the file by double clicking it. Wait for the Confirmation Message on screen. The Above file adds a few entries to the Windows Registry that makes Microsoft suppose that you are a part of the Private beta program Check for new updates on Windows Update. You will see Windows XP SP3 listed in the available updates. Download and install it. Remember to Reboot :). Please note this hack is the exact way Microsoft expects its beta testers to try Windows XP SP3 out, so you don’t have to worry too much about Microsoft catching hold of you.

I tried this on Windows XP Machine and this hack worked.

More VHDs available

2007-11-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

On the Microsoft VHD site and there have been some new VHDs added. New on the VHD site recently are:
Biztalk Server 2006, Windows Server 2008 Beta 3, Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Beta 2 and Windows Vista Enterprise 30-day Eval Edition. There is also a new VHD available for Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express.

Content on log files via browser

2007-11-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

I’ve a client that runs special program on about 100 servers. This program writes a log on central server every 3 minutes. So, when I checked main server, I found a directory Logs (C:\Logs). Log’s directory contains many log files (each log for each server). On this server installed and runs a web server, Apache ;). So, I’d like to show a small AppsRuns.php file, which stored on web server. If we go to the http://server1/AppsRuns.php we will see a content of each log file on one web page. This web page refreshing every 10 sec. Here is a content of AppsRuns.php file:

    $refresh_time = 10; // seconds
    $path = "C:\LOGS";

    header("Content-Type: text/plain");
    header("Refresh: $refresh_time");
   

    if($handle = opendir($path)) {
    while (false !== ($file = readdir($handle))) {
        $pi = pathinfo($path . '/' . $file);
        if($pi['extension'] === 'txt') {
        include($path . '/' . $file);
        }
    }
    }
?>

Updates: Free Deployment System Scripts

2007-11-17T00:27:00.000-08:00

I have made a small change in my "Free Deployment System", the set of script allows to deploy, install or run applications on any remote computer.
Equally, I just added a few new lines. In to Config.bat added a new line:

set DSRV= 192.168.211.1

By using a DSRV environment i can set IP or Computer Name of my Deployment Server.
Also, added two new lines to the INSPKG.bat script (Script in original article already changed, so you can simply take a changed script). One of new lines contains following:

%Tools%\psexec.exe \\%RCOMP% -u %USR% -p %PASS% -i cmd /c md C:\Updates

This line creates a directory C:\Updates on remote computer. I use C:\Updates on remote computer to copy there necessary scripts and source of installation programs. The other new line in INSPKG.bat is:

@echo set DSRV=%DSRV%> \\%RCOMP%\C$\updates\config.bat

As you can see, by this line I create a config.bat file on remote computer and put in to environment, that sets a name or IP of our deployment server. Additionally, we need to change a package script. So, after changes, our package script looks like follow:

@echo off
call c:\updates\config.bat
\\%DSRV%\packages\7ZIP\7z442.exe /S

So, now, if we are changed our deployment server, we have not to change our packages script.

MTEE Commandline Standard Stream Splitter - sends any data it receives to the console and / or to any number of log files

2007-11-16T04:05:00.001-08:00

For me and my clients I create many scripts to simplify daily Administration tasks. Many of this script should be running from a command line ( cmd. exe). It’s very easy to run any script and to get a result of it to the log file. But, if you would like to run script and watch the result on the screen and in same time you need a hard copied log, you can use a MTEE command line utility. Mtee is a commandline utility that sends any data it receives to the console and to any number of files. Useful if you want to watch and record the output from a batch file or program.

Mtee is an 11kb standalone executable. There is no installation procedure, just run it.
Mtee is simple to use and only has several options. To list them, type mtee/?

You can download Mtee from offisial web site by following to the http://www.commandline.co.uk/mtee/index.html

DirectX 9.0c - Unattended (Silent) Installation

2007-11-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

I've asked by one of companies, where i provide an IT consulting services, how to install directx on client's computers unattended?

Equally, on internet existed a lot of articles about how to do this. Who use an old dxsetup.exe file, who try to edit an exe file in HEX-Editor and then use switch OPK . Also, admins use other tricks, likes an AutomatIT or similar products. Just one consider i can't understand :), why nobody tries to read a HELP?

By going to the http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb219742.aspx you can find, black on white, how to install directx in unattended mode. All you have to do, is to add the switch "/silent"!

Admins, I'm also VERY lazy admin, but reading a HELP save your time, remember the RTFM rule ;)

WSUS will become optional role for Windows Server 2008 Server Manager

2007-11-06T05:10:00.001-08:00

In addition to roles and features that are included with Windows Server 2008 by default, Server Manager enables integration of additional roles and features that are available on the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update Web sites as optional updates to Windows Server 2008.

One role that will be available as an update is Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 (WSUS 3.0 SP1). This update to Server Manager enables full integration of WSUS 3.0 SP1 into Server Manager, allowing installation, configuration, and management of WSUS 3.0 SP1 using the Server Manager console and wizards.

Beta testers can download a server manager update for Windows Server 2008 RC0 to enable this new optional role, for now that is just WSUS. But since MS removed Windows Sharepoint Services as default available rol on WS08 I think this will become an optional role for Server manager too.

Source: connect.microsoft.com

Windows XP Service Pack 3 RC Preview is now available on Connect

2007-10-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Microsoft just released Windows XP Service Pack 3 RC Preview is now available on Connect.

Beta testers can get it now!

Source: connect.microsoft.com

Goodbye Windows Vista!

2007-10-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Windows Vista!

A little over two weeks ago I gave up using Windows Vista, reformatted my hard drive and reinstalled Windows XP.

For now, this is only a temporary Goodbye while we wait for the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and I’m not quite ready yet to say Goodbye Microsoft.

Why Windows XP instead of Windows Vista?

Quite simply because I got sick and tired of this revolutionary operating system being so slow and of having to wait while it would load up dialog boxes for opening or saving files.

This type of ordinary operation on a regular workday sometimes had me waiting for over half a minute before allowing me to see the contents of the directory I was trying to explore.

In the end, a lot of time wasted every day and therefore a decrease in productivity.

Since the change, everything is great. My PC now runs with clockwork precision and I no longer spend time waiting for my computer’s operating system to finish off some unknown or imaginary task before finally doing what I’m asking it to do.

English translation of the French article “Goodbye Windows Vista !” by Andrew Kovacs, Ph. D.

Create Windows Live Messenger Buttons !

2007-10-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Create a handy button for your Windows Live Messenger contact so your friends can easily add you to their contact list.

Buttons make it easy! Use the button builder to create a button that fits your personal style or even just your mood. Add the button to your Windows Live Hotmail, Outlook and other email
signatures, Windows Live Space, or blog, and your friends and family can simply click your button to add you to their contact list.

Click here for Button Builder.

Get Serial Number of Main Board from command line

2007-10-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contain the WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) Wmic.exe command-line utility. By using Wmic.exe we can get a lot of information about computer (server).

To display the local computer name and serial number of Main Board I’ve created a very simple script, SerNum.bat. SerNum.bat contains:

@echo off
Setlocal
For /F %%a in ('wmic baseboard GET SerialNumber /value^|find "SerialNumber"') do Set %%a
@echo %Computername% - %SerialNumber%
endlocal

On my desktop, the above script displays:

PELEKAN-XP1 - VF0SA75A0SK

Apache looses share to IIS again, never been so close

2007-10-13T14:55:00.001-07:00

In the October 2007 survey we received responses from 142,805,398 sites, an increase of 7.6 million sites since last month. This continues the strong gains seen last month, a rate of over 5% monthly growth, with MySpace, Microsoft Live.com, and Google's Bloggereach gained over 1 million sites this month. Benefitting from the gains at MySpace and Microsoft Live, Microsoft-IIS now hosts over 50 million sites.

Total Sites Across All Domains August 1995 - October 2007

Apache loses 2.8% share this month, partly through the strong growth at the major blogging systems, and partly due to 2.5 million domains on Apache expiring at trouble-free.net. Apache has around a 10% market share advantage over IIS now, which is the smallest gap between the two since IIS was launched in 1996.

On the active sites measure which excludes templated sites, Apache gains 1 million sites this month, though this is eclipsed by growth of nearer 3 million for Microsoft-IIS.

Market Share for Top Servers Across All Domains August 1995 - October 2007

Source: news.netcraft.com

SharePoint End User Training Kit now available!

2007-10-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

The SharePoint End User Training Kit is our offering, and it's available at no cost!

The initial release of the kit includes training content for SharePoint's collaboration capabilities. To be added over the next couple of months are additional modules covering portals and personalization, enterprise content management, search, business processes, and business intelligence. All of the content will have been written by the Office Online User Assistance team.

The kit will be provided with two deployment options. The first, which is available now, is via the SharePoint Learning Kit ("SLK"), which is SCORM 2004 conformant e-learning delivery and tracking application built as a WSS 3.0 solution. With the SLK, IT personnel can control the look and feel of the training kit, matching it to corporate branding standards, and administrators can add or remove content and customize it as necessary. The SLK also provides a reporting function that shows which topics have been completed and by whom.

The SharePoint End User Training Kit will also have a standalone deployment option, which can be installed on a PC and used by an individual. This version of the kit will be available within the next few weeks.

For more information about the kit and instructions on how to obtain it, please go to our end user focused "Get the 'Point" blog.

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/