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The very first TechEd Middle East 2010 will take place from 1 to 3 March in Dubai, UAE. It is with great excitement to announce that I shall be contributing as a speaker and trainer to conduct the Instructor-Led Labs (ILL). With top notch speakers, great technical content and networking opportunities, it is a not-to-be-missed, excellent value for money event at an unbeatable conference rate. Details and registration information can be found here. See you there!

(ILL021)  Windows Server 2008 R2: Server Management and Windows PowerShell V2
Track: Windows Server
Mon, Mar 01, 2010 (12:00 - 13:00) / Instructor-Led Lab / Instructor-Led Lab 1

This lab is intended for Administrators who need to manage and automate multiple computers. In this lab, use the new management tools in Windows Server 2008 to work with multiple computers in your network. First, use Server Manager to remotely review the configuration of a server. Next, use the new background job, remoting, and transaction features of Windows PowerShell V2. Finally, install and manage a ServerCore installation using Windows PowerShell V2 locally.

(UNC302)  Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unified Messaging
Track: Unified Communications
Tue, Mar 02, 2010 (14:30 - 15:30) / Breakout Session / Sheikh Rashid Hall F / Level: 300 - Advanced
Audience: Infrastructure Architect, IT Manager, Network Administrator, Messaging Administrator

By connecting Exchange with the telephone system, Unified Messaging puts voice mail in the Inbox. This session demonstrates how deeper use of speech recognition in Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging makes “anywhere access” to information even easier. Other new features, product architecture, and upgrading from Exchange 2007 are also discussed.

(ILL022)  Windows Server 2008 R2: What’s New in Microsoft Active Directory
Track: Windows Server
Wed, Mar 03, 2010 (09:30 - 10:30) / Instructor-Led Lab / Instructor-Led Lab 2

Windows Server 2008 R2 delivers some highly anticipated features for Active Directory administrators. This session provides a guided tour of the new Active Directory Administrative Center and the new capabilities provided by Active Directory PowerShell. We also cover the Active Directory Recycle Bin for recovering deleted objects, the Best Practice Analyzer for verifying your Active Directory configuration, and improvements to service account management and authentication assurance. This session provides you with the information you need to understand and evaluate the Active Directory features that Windows Server 2008 R2 delivers.

Update
Recording now available online - (UNC302)  Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unified Messaging*

* note that the speaker information is incorrect

Technorati tags: TechEd, Events

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To resolve the error encountered below when moving the log folder path in Exchange Server 2010, make sure that sufficient disk space exists on the target disk location.

Summary: 1 item(s). 0 succeeded, 1 failed.
Elapsed time: 00:18:47

Mailbox Database 1111111111
Failed

Error:
Failed to connect to target server “hostname”. Error: WMI exception occurred on server ‘hostname_fqdn’: Call cancelled

Exchange Management Shell command attempted:
move-DatabasePath -Identity ‘Mailbox Database 1111111111′ -EdbFilePath ‘E:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\Mailbox\Mailbox Database 1111111111\Mailbox Database 1111111111.edb’ -LogFolderPath ‘L:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\Mailbox\Mailbox Database 1111111111′

Elapsed Time: 00:18:47

To speed things up further on Windows Server 2008 and R2, you can run a backup of Exchange using the built-in Windows Server Backup VSS snap-in (WSB). You must separately install the Windows Server Backup Feature, start WSB, click on the Backup Once link (on right hand Action pane) then use the settings here:

• Backup option - Different options
• Backup Configuration - Custom
• Items for backup - On Windows Server 2008 R2, you must explicitly select items to backup, contrary to the Note described in the TechNet article here*. This should include the System state, the system partition (normally C:) and all volumes containing Exchange data. The logs should automatically be truncated if you choose the option Advanced Settings / VSS Settings / VSS full Backup.

The only visual Q that Exchange 2010 is detected on the system comes after you start the actual backup process:

Status: Running consistency check for application Exchange …

Depending on the size of the data, this can take several minutes to complete. Pass this check will kick start the actual process:

Status: Backup in progress…

* TechNet article reads “Note: By default, volumes that contain operating system components or applications are included in the backup and can’t be excluded.”

Technorati tags: Exchange, PowerShell, Windows Server 2008 R2

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When you attempt to relocate a mailbox database in Exchange Server 2010*, you will be warned that the database will be temporarily dismounted. Currently online users will lose access to their mailboxes when the move operations is in progress. If Outlook Web App (formerly Outlook Web Access) is used, an error similar to the following will be generated:

Your mailbox appears to be unavailable. Try to access it again in 10 seconds. If you see this error again, contact your helpdesk.

The mailbox database will automatically be mounted once the move process completes. At this juncture, users will regain access to their mailbox data as before.

Take note that it is possible to move both the mailbox (database file path) and all associated log files (Log folder path) at the same time to the new location(s). In situations where a lot of transactions has taken place and the changes/logs have not yet been committed, you could encounter a showstopper here:

Error:
Failed to connect to target server “hostname”. Error: WMI exception occurred on server ‘hostname_fqdn’: Quota violation

Exchange Management Shell command attempted:
move-DatabasePath -Identity ‘Mailbox Database 1111111111′ -EdbFilePath ‘E:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\Mailbox\Mailbox Database 1111111111\Mailbox Database 1111111111.edb’ -LogFolderPath ‘L:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V14\Mailbox\Mailbox Database 1111111111′

Elapsed Time: 00:32:00

The easiest way to resolve this is to run a full Exchange backup beforehand so as to truncate the log files. Alternatively, you can move either the mailbox database or the log folder path separately. One other option involves moving the log files manually (xcopy/robocopy) to the destination and update the path with ADSIEdit. The most obvious yet typically overlooked aspect is to make sure that the target disk has ample free space available.

* via Exchange Management Console or Move-DatabasePath PowerShell cmdlet

Technorati tags: Exchange Server, PowerShell

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This document serves as a technical reference to the Group Policy Objects and registry settings in Office Communicator 2007 R2 that an administrator can use to setup policies for MOC users in the organization. You can do this by adding the Microsoft Office Communicator Policy Settings administrative template (Communicator.adm) file to the Group Policy Object Editor. The R2 specific policies will not affect users running Communicator 2005.

Group Policy settings (saved in 1. HKLM and 2. HKCU) always take precedence over configurations defined in (3.) OCS 2007 / R2 in-band provisioning and those configured explicitly by the user through the MOC / R2 Options dialog box (4.).

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS, OCS 2007 R2

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An updated 32-bit version of the PreCallDiagnostic Resource Kit Tool* (PCDReskit.msi 6907.90) has been released. Deploy this tool on end-users’ machines to profile their usage and network performance over time against an Office Communications Server 2007 R2 environment, and to report on expected audio quality in relation to network effects - delay/latency, jitter, etc. More information and download here.

* or PreCallDiagTool, “Pre Call Diagnostic Tool”

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS, OCS 2007 R2

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A frequently asked question answered! An evaluation version of the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 client is now available for download. This trial version will correctly run for 180 days from the date of installation (see KB980093).

A supporting infrastructure based on OCS 2007 R2 Enterprise or Standard Edition is required. To set this up, you can check out a trial version or test using ready-made vhd images (180- and 60-day validity respectively).

Technorati tags: LCS/OCS, OCS 2007 R2

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