26 Mar 09 Office 2007 Deployment
There are several deployment methods for Office 2007. Many detailed instructions can be found on Microsoft’s site and other Microsoft Partner sites.
This is the process we used to migrate from Office 97 to Office 2007.
Setting Up the package:
Microsoft Office comes with the Office Customization Tool (OCT) this tool will allow you to customized everything from which programs to install to each and any detail level you want in these programs. To access the OCT, you run the setup.exe with the /admin option.
After your settings have been modified, the file will have a .MSP file extension. You should name this file with a 1 in front of the file name. This will ensure that the .MSP file will run first before any other updates (if you have any).
15 Sep 08 Blackberry 8820 OS Upgrade 4.5.0.52
Officially, AT&T (as well as other carriers) has not released the newest Blackberry operating system 4.5.
At the time of this writing, the lasted OS was 4.5.0.52.
There are many reasons to wait until AT&T officially releases the newest operating system. Problems stemming from no-boot issues, losing all your data and or long hours of reconfiguration. But with the new enhancements (html email, improved media player, online streaming, edit office documents, etc) we couldn’t resist.
These steps are provided as informational only, if you are not experienced with updating/configuring your phone’s operating system or options, I would wait until your carrier officially releases the upgrade.
08 Aug 08 RPC over HTTP/S with Exchange 2003
Most organizations using Exchange server 2003/2007 are configured to allow users to connect via Outlook Web Access over a secure socket layer interface (SSL) for sending/receiving email.
The web mail version of Outlook has come a long way since the Exchange 5.5 days. Each new version of Microsoft Exchange brings new and enhanced features to Outlook Web Access.
But some users (my self included) like the features and feel of using the full version of Microsoft Outlook for email/contacts and scheduling.
18 Mar 08 Exchange 2003 - Corrupt Database
Exchange 2003 includes some utilities that can assist you in getting your database back up and running in case of corruption. At the very least, it will give you the ability to move your mailboxes to a new database.
Of course, the best option to repair a corrupted Exchange database would be from a valid backup. However, I have seen many instances where backups are not performed or they are bad. It is very important that you make it part of your daily or weekly activities to ensure backup is working correctly. If you currently do not use a backup, start now!
To repair your Exchange 2003 database, we must first check to see if Exchange was shutdown properly. You can use the ESEUTIL /mh on your database file. (more…)
10 Mar 08 Why is my computer slow?
I cannot even begin to explain all of the possible scenarios that could be going on with your PC.
Most PC’s that are purchased today are loaded with unnecessary applications, software packages, etc. These applications/packages take up valuable space and system resources.
While many people use their PC for Internet surfing, gaming, office applications, etc, malware/spy-ware and other “parasite” programs get installed and chew away at whatever available system resources are left. Thus giving you a “slow” computer.
In my opinion, there is only 1 true way to get your PC back…clean install.
10 Jan 08 iPhone and Exchange 2003
There are several methods of connecting your iPhone to Microsoft Exchange server 2003/2007. I will outline the steps that we took with our Exchange 2003 Server.
Microsoft Exchange 2003:
Before you begin, you must have the latest Service Pack for Exchange (time of writing - SP2). Also, you must open the firewall to allow the configured ports to be used for the IMAP server (default ports are IMAP 143, IMAP SSL 993, SMTP 25)
If you are currently using Outlook Web Access for your Exchange server, chances are you already have a SSL certificate configured. It is highly recommended that you have SSL for Outlook Web Access or IMAP. You can use this certificate to provide SSL communication with the Exchange server over IMAP4.
26 Nov 07 FreeNAS as Disaster Recovery
Disaster Recovery - is the process of regaining access to the data, hardware and software necessary to resume critical business operations after a natural or human-induced disaster.
Most small to medium size companies do not have a DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan). Most believe that a nightly back-up with the storing of the back-up tape off-site is sufficient enough to over come most disasters. Maybe for some, but what happens when all your equipment is destroyed (Fire, water damage, etc)?
I will walk you through a procedure that we have just implemented that uses FreeNAS and some open source utilities to create a disaster recovery site with access to all current-up-to-date data from your network.
13 Nov 07 Citrix Presentation Server 4.5…Upgraded!
Overview:
Presentation Server 4.5 is the newest Citrix platform for application delivery. In a nutshell, Citrix gives your organization the flexibility to change applications/programs on demand, without changing the overall environment. Citrix also allows remote offices and home users the ability to connect to the office for email, applications, etc.
Upgrade Process:
Depending on the version you are currently running, the best overall method for installing PS 4.5 would be to build a box in parallel to your current Citrix box. This may not be an option for some people, but is highly recommended to ensure a proper transition/delivery with no downtime. We started our upgrade by establishing a new Citrix farm on a new server and kept the old farm supporting our user group. Once the new farm was up and running, we began the process of moving applications/settings/configurations from the old farm to the new farm. Once all the applications were moved/copied to the new farm, we created a client deployment package which installed the new network neighborhood client and new farm settings.
