james whelan :: partner support tech lead

Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) and Microsoft Online Services

jamesmwhelan — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:34:58 GMT

If you are interested in the new Microsoft BPOS offering and want a trial (or want to buy) you can do by clicking on this link

For Partners who want to enrol to sell BPOS, click here. Microsoft Online Services will allow you to generate predictable, recurring revenue from Microsoft Online Services - enterprise-class software delivered as subscription services, hosted by Microsoft and sold by you. Help customers increase their efficiency with the messaging and collaboration solutions in the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite. Give them a fast, flexible and affordable customer management solution with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Sell Microsoft Online Services to earn advisor fees, expand your base and serve new segments.

Vista Currency Converter Gadget

jamesmwhelan — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:36:46 GMT

A question raised by a Partner was in relation to the very useful currency converter gadget provided in Vista and in particular, what was the data provider.

After a bit of playing around with the gadget code, I managed to find this information. If you are interested, the providers are listed here:

MSN Money Attributions page - MSN Money

http://moneycentral.msn.com/inc/Attributions.asp

Partner Support Business Hours For EMEA Region

jamesmwhelan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:53:00 GMT

The current partner support business hours (by country) for EMEA region:

Country: Poland

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 8:30 – 17:30 GMT +1

Break time: none

Country: Hungary

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 8:30 – 17:30 GMT +1

Break time: none

Country: Czech

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 8:30 – 17:30 GMT +1

Break time: none

Country: Egypt – Servicing Egypt, Gulf and East Med

From: Sunday to Thursday

Time: 9:00 to 17:00 GMT +2

Break time: none

Country: Egypt – servicing Europe (Int English) and SA

From: Monday to Friday

Time: 9:00 to 17:00 GMT +1, Friday 8:00 to 17:00 (to cover for SA from 9 to 5)

Break time: none

Country: Germany
From: Monday- Friday
Time: 8:30 – 17:30 GMT +1
Break time: none

Country: Netherlands

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 9:00 – 17:00 GMT +1

Break time: none

Country: UK and Ireland

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 8:00 – 18:00 GMT

Break time: none

Country: Spain

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 9:00 to 18:00 GMT +1 and during Summer period (1st July until 15th September) 9:00 to 14:00 GMT +1

Break time: none

Country: Portugal

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 9:00 to 18:00 GMT

Break time: none

Country: France

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 9:00 – 18:00 GMT +1

Break time: none

Country: Italy

From: Monday- Friday

Time: 9:00 – 18:00 GMT +1

Break time: 12:30-14:30 GMT +1

Country: Denmark

From: Monday- Thursday

Time: 8:30 – 16:30 GMT +1

On Friday

Time: 8:30 – 16:00 GMT +1

Break time:

I'm Back....

jamesmwhelan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:08:00 GMT

I know, my blogging has been poor for 13 months, well I am back and just getting everything updated. If you are a Microsoft Partner, or work with Microsoft Partners, then hopefully this blog will become a useful source of information for all things Partner-related.

Get in to the Groove

jamesmwhelan — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:46:35 GMT

I spent a couple of hours earlier this week configuring and setting up Microsoft Office Groove. Groove is a really cool and easy way of collaborating and sharing information with work colleagues (amongst other things).

One of the main reasons I use it is that it allows me to have up to date documents on all of the computers that I use. Prior to setting up Groove, I would often find myself e-mailing documents to myself! Crazy, when you think about it. Groove has allowed me to synchronise everything between my laptop and desktop machines without even thinking about it.

It is easy to create Groove workspaces. You can do it through the Groove UI, or what I found to be much quicker and easier is to select a folder, right click and use the "Start synchronizing" option on the Groove Folder Synchronization option.

There are various synchronisation tasks you can do, so if you want to share your workspace with a colleague, all you need to do is use the "Invite someone" option. If you want to sync with additional computers you have, you have the option for that too.

To invite someone, it is really easy and of course, you can define the role you want for that person – Participant, Manager or Guest

If you are new to Groove, you can download a free trial version.

Microsoft Office Groove 2007 software allows groups of people to work together securely as if they're in the same location. Groove has everything your group needs to share files, manage projects, conduct meetings, and get work done.

Groove Home Page - Microsoft Office Online

http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/groove/FX100487641033.aspx

Microsoft Careers - Egypt

jamesmwhelan — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:53:00 GMT

My colleague in Microsoft Egypt is currently recruiting for Telephone-Based Partner Technology Specialist (TPTS) & Technical Service Consultants (TSC), who will work within the Global Partner Support Delivery organisation based in Cairo, Egypt. If you live in Egypt or the Middle-Eastern region and either of these roles appeal to you, you can find out more information by clicking on the links below. Alternatively, feel free to drop me a mail and I can try and help you further J

TPTS - http://members.microsoft.com/careers/international/default.asp?lang=EN&loc=EGY&job=90514174&jobslist=

TSC - http://members.microsoft.com/careers/international/default.asp?lang=EN&loc=EGY&job=90476755&jobslist=

Enterprise Search from Microsoft – Partner Solutions

jamesmwhelan — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:00:23 GMT

I was recently involved as a middle man (for the want of a better term) where Partner A in the US wanted a product developed by Partner B in the UK. Partner A had had a bit of a battle trying to find the Partner, and it was by a chance conversation they got some information they were looking for and it was at this point that I managed to jump in and facilitate communications between the two.

Now, it is my personal opinion that Microsoft/Microsoftee's should be making it easier for people to find the information they need. As such, I think that Enterprise Search – Partner Solutions will go a long way to help J

http://www.microsoft.com/enterprisesearch/partners/default.aspx

Exchange 2007 & Mailbox Delegation

jamesmwhelan — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:46:43 GMT

I am a big fan of Outlook Web Access and have had it deployed on my Exchange 2007 server at home since day one. I've got a simple set up, but use multiple mailboxes and was getting fed up logging on and then off, closing the windows/tab and going through the whole procedure again.

This morning, I have set up mailbox delegation and found it to be painless and easy using that joy of an admin tool – Exchange Management Shell J

Enabling mailbox access is VERY straightforward. All you need to go is launch EMS and enter this command:

Add-MailboxPermission "Mailbox" –User "Trusted User" –AccessRights FullAccess

Mailbox = the mailbox you wish to delegate

Trusted User = the user you wish to give delegation permissions too

When you log on to OWA, you will notice in the top right corner the name of the person you are logged on as. If you click you get a dialogue box "Open Other Mailbox". Type in the name of the mailbox you wish to open for which the user has delegate permissions and you are off.

A couple of thing to be aware of. Firstly, when you open up another mailbox it brings it up in a separate browser window. If you log off this mailbox, it logs you off both mailboxes. Secondly, this permission does not give you permissions to send.

Blogging Using Microsoft Word 2007

jamesmwhelan — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:19:18 GMT

I am testing the new blogging feature in Word 2007. It is pretty easy to set up (and always helps if you read things properly before you get frustrated!!!!)

The way I did it was a follows.

Fire up Microsoft Word 2007
Click on the Office Button. Select New and then Blog Post and then click Create
When you are asked to register, click register later
Type your blog and hit Publish
If you are posting to MSDN, you need to select Community Server from the list. Enter blogs.msdn.com and then enter your username and password

That's it! Really simple and straightforward.

Windows Media Centre & interoperability with Sky Digibox

jamesmwhelan — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:43:00 GMT

Overview

British Sky Television (Sky) has recently made changes to their Sky Movies offerings. The new offerings allow 12/15/18 certificate films to be shown outside of the usual hours of these films (6pm/8pm/10pm).

To ensure that minors do not have access to these films and meeting compliance with UK regulatory bodies, a PIN system has been implemented, as shown in the screenshot below:

In order to watch the film, the user has to manually enter their 4 digit pin number.

It is at this point the interoperability problems between MCE and Sky Digibox become wholly apparent.

Media Center Functionality

The impact of these changes from an MCE perspective covers multiple aspects:

1. The current functionality of Media Center does not allow for a PIN number to be automatically entered.

2. MCE when connected to a Sky Digibox, is effectively “dumb” (i.e. has no awareness of any onscreen messages) and how to handle them.

3. Arguably the biggest problem is that without entering the four digit PIN code (only possible via the Sky remote control) you are now:

i. Unable to change/control the channel using MCE
ii. After three attempts your PIN number gets locked out
iii. Scheduled recordings fail because MCE is unable to control the Sky Digibox

4. Referring to Figure 1 (below), MCE thinks it has changed the channel on the Sky Digibox over to 101 (and as far as MCE is concerned, it is now on 101), however because the Sky Digibox is expecting a PIN code, it is now out of channel sync with MCE.

This effectively means, at the point where MCE is able to control channel change again (once PIN has been locked out and Sky Digibox isn’t expecting a PIN) and wants to go to Channel 101 (in our example), it does not - MCE to all intent and purpose is on 101. To resolve this issue, you would have to go to a different channel and then back to the original one you wanted. This will potentially cause programs to be recorded incorrectly.

Screenshots of the Problem

The following screenshots demonstrate the problem visually:

Figure 1 changing the channel from 304 to 101, Sky Digibox is expecting a 4 digit PIN number and not a 3 digit channel number

Figure 2 Channel 101 is entered as the PIN number

Figure 3 Sky Digibox recognises this as an incorrect PIN

Figure 4 If MCE attempts to change channel, the Sky Digibox is continuing to expect a PIN number

Figure 5 After three attempts, the Sky Digibox "locks". At this point MCE is able to change the channel using the 3 digit code and MCE can function correctly.

Summary

In Summary, these changes greatly reduce the functionality of Windows Media Center, changes which have occurred and are outside of Microsoft's control.

After undertaking research to ascertain how this works with Sky’s own proprietary recording solution (Sky+), it will record the film and upon playback ask the viewer to enter their 4 digit pin number. Therefore, the problems that exist with MCE do not exist with Sky’s own system.

Sky’s solution (after speaking to their Technical Customer Services) is to not record films on the MCE but to download Sky Anytime, which is software which allows you to download films on-demand, free of charge as part of your subscription. However, this software does not work with Windows Vista and Sky were unable to commit to a date when it will be compatible. I do not consider this a solution, rather an unfeasible workaround.

As an avid user, early adopter and advocate of Windows Media Center since its launch, I feel strongly about the loss of functionality due to changes made by Sky Television - in the multi-channel world of television that we live in, it is only right that 3rd party recording solutions are available and seamlessly work, rather than users being pushed down the path of a company's own recording solution.

Vista Ultimate & Xbox 360 Media Centre Capabilities - A Way To Improve Performance

jamesmwhelan — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 16:30:00 GMT

I have been using Vista Ultimate for a while now and one of the first things that I did was to upgrade from XP Media Centre 2005 to Vista Ultimate.

Let me explain my configuration - my Xbox 360 is connected to my wireless router over 802.11g and my media centre PC is connected straight in to the router at 100Mbps full-duplex.

Recently, I have noticed a performance issue with "Network Issue" becoming more and more regular when watching TV on the 360. After a bit of troubleshooting, I found that if I powered off my Linksys WET54 bridge, the problem resolved itself. I cant keep powering off the bridge (as that is the connection my Exchange server uses), so this is the solution I have implemented today.

First of all, I installed a second NIC in my media centre PC and connected this up to a second wireless router that I no longer use. I assigned this network an address of 192.168.10.x and enabled the wireless network on a different channel to my "live" wireless network.

As there are only two devices on the network and only one wireless device, I have found performance to be fine and no "Network Issue" notification.

Moving the wirless router around in addition to this has give me a decent amount of signal bars and so far, so good.

Exchange Server 2007 & Network-Attached Storage

jamesmwhelan — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:48:00 GMT

If you are considering NAS for Exchange Server 2007, please note that this is not supported.

"Unlike previous versions of Exchange Server, network-attached storage is not supported in Exchange 2007. The only network-based storage transport supported for Exchange 2007 is iSCSI."

For more information, please click here

Exchange Server 2007 trial version

jamesmwhelan — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:21:00 GMT

Happy New Year everyone. This is my first post of 2007 and also my first post in my new role here at Microsoft as a Partner Technical Lead in the Microsoft Partnet Program. This is a very exciting time for me.

Anyway, I was talking to a colleague regarding a question around the trail version of Exchange 2007, which made my suddenly realise that I had not spent too much time looking in to what evaluations were out there.

If you are interested in Exchange 2007 (and I sincerely hope you are!), then you can download and evaulate by clicking here.

Dont forget that Exchange 2007 is now 64-bit, so I'd also recommend you check out the system requirements

Exchange 2003 and configuring the page file

jamesmwhelan — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:34:00 GMT

This question has come up in the last hour or so with one of my customers and I thought it was worth mentioning as a reminder.

The recommend page file size for an Exchange server is 1.5x memory up to a maximum size of 4095Mb. For example, if you have 1Gb RAM, we would recommend a page file size of 1.5Gb.

If you have the maximum RAM that Exchange can utilize (4Gb), the page file size should be 6Gb. As we have a limitation on the page file size, you will need to create a second page file on a different volume.

From a performance perspective, it is recommend to have each page file on a seperate physical volume.

For more information, these two articles are particularly interesting:

Configuring page files for optimization and recovery in Windows Server 2003, in Windows 2000, and in Windows NT

and

Page file size is too small

Top support issues for the Exchange information store

jamesmwhelan — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:25:00 GMT

I was talking to one of the Technical Account Managers (TAMs) yesterday regarding a customer and their Exchange Ops guide and if I could add anything to the current document. He was particularly interested in any kind of "top 10" that could be incorporated.

Well, after having a look around KB I found this article which contains some very useful information.