MidMarket Events : Questions & Answers

The MS-CHAP version 1 Authentication Protocol in Windows Vista

MMEvents — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:24:00 GMT

Last week I had an attendee mention having issues when trying to get their VPN working. It was working on XP but now they are having issues with it on Vista. Here is the article that is most likely your symptoms as well as the resolution to your challenges. The title is "The MS-CHAP version 1 authentication protocol has been deprecated in Windows Vista. See the entire knowledge base article here. (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/926170)

Thanks,

Stephanie

How can I manage my 2003 servers from Windows Vista?

MMEvents — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Yesterday, Steve had a great question about locating a resource and he actually found his answer as I was traveling home. His question was about not being able to install the admin tools onto his 64-bit version of Windows Vista. In the past, he was able to open the Active Directory snap-ins on his XP client, and now that he is running 64-bit Windows Vista they are no longer working.

A. The administrator can use the Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack to install the Server 2003 management tools on a Windows Vista computer in order to have remote server management capabilities. The steps to do this are noted in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930056 . The only change on 64-bit is that you need to change to the %systemroot%\syswow64 folder prior to running the command.

Thanks for the question and answer Steve. We appreciate you taking the time out of your day to attend the discussion.

Stephanie

Can Office Communicator Be the Only Client to Office Communications Server?

MMEvents — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:52:00 GMT

Q. We have Office Communication Server 2007 deployed and was wondering if there could be any other clients used other than Office Communicator?

A. The Office Communication Server API's are publically available. If someone wanted to use a different client it would need to support those API's or adhere to the same standards. The MAC messenger works also with Office Communications Server.

Thanks for the great question.

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend.

How to Successfully Implement Windows Vista

MMEvents — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:25:00 GMT

If you missed joining us at our Chicago event, then you missed a great discussion among the event participants about how to successfully deploy Windows Vista.

Participants agreed that the key to a successful operating system deployment is to perform due diligence prior to the upgrade and review both existing hardware and software. They noted:

Ensure that all PC hardware meets the minimum system requirements.
Make any needed PC hardware upgrades are completed prior to the launch.
Obtain needed drivers for the various peripherals and verify that all existing hardware is Vista compatible.
Check that existing software is Vista compliant—and don't forget any software that is used by internal departments—no matter how few the number of users!

Operating system deployments can be challenging, but they don't have to be. A little homework can make the deployment run smoothly, and make you a hero!

Can I Add in Other Accounts in my Office Communicator?

MMEvents — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:23:00 GMT

IT can make it to where your Office Communicator users can add in users who have AOL, MSN, and Yahoo accounts or email addresses. The question posed was about adding in other users from other companies, such as Gmail and others.

Technically it is an issue of support in the product or available gateways. We have issued a specification on how we have implemented Federation with the SIP/SIMPLE protocol on which Live Communications Server/Office Communications Services (LCS/OCS) is based (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=01ba4f2b-f2d5-4b88-944e-a5f5e5106f81&DisplayLang=en ). In the LCS/OCS product this is the built in way for Federation. It is how we communicate with AOL/YAHOO/MSN. They have a SIP Access Proxy that we connect to that conforms to our requirements.

GMail specifically is based on XMMP (or Jabber). The Jabber product (I do not know if this is what GMail actually use for IM) also has a built in SIP Gateway that can connect to LCS (and I presume OCS). In this case the support for connectivity has been build into their end. See the following article on theier site: (http://www.jabber.com/CE/MicrosoftLCS ) .

There are also 3rd Party gateways out there from companies like Convergence that provide connectivity to SameTime (http://www.covergence.com/content267.html ).

So technically it may be possible, depending on what is in place.

Q&A: Windows Server 2008 Will Not Backup Exchange Databases

MMEvents — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:49:00 GMT

Windows Server 2003 ntbackup program, that is included with the operating system installation, was able to back up Exchange databases. Now Windows Server 2008 server backup program does not recognize Exchange and it not able to back up Exchange databases. The question as to why the functionality was removed was posed to me last week and I wanted you all to know the answer.

The business case for removing the functionality, as I am told, is that when we asked our customers what they were using to back up their Exchange databases, only a few very small businesses were using the ntbackup program for that purpose. A resounding response showed that other backup solutions were being used for backing up and restoring Exchange. Therefore, the decision was made to introduce an enterprise grade backup solution. That solution is called System Center Data Protection Manager. You can read more about it here.

As for our small business customers going to the next version, Small Business Server running Server 2008 will still have a plug-in that enables it to back up Exchange databases. Those small businesses will still be able to back up their Exchange databases using the out-of-box Windows Server backup utility.

Q&A: Import IMAP Folders into Exchange Server 2007

MMEvents — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:52:00 GMT

My company had two email systems, Merak Mail running on one server (for hosted clients) and Exchange 2003 running on SBS 2003 for internal stuff. Our company decided to consolidate both resources into a single Exchange 2007 server. We migrated most of our small clients to our Exchange 2007 server but we are left with several clients who have mail in IMAP folders on the Merak system and no way to move it to Exchange 2007.

From my understanding, Exchange 2003 had an IMAP import wizard to take mail from any IMAP source and bring it into mailboxes. It is also my understanding that this feature was removed from Exchange 2007. Is there a way to import the mail from an IMAP source into Exchange 2007?

Answer:

The Transporter Suite provides this functionality. ( http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=35fc4205-792b-4306-8e4b-0de9cce72172&displaylang=en)

Transporter Suite contains a set of tools for migrations from both Lotus Domino Servers, and generic IMAP/POP sources. For Lotus Domino the suite contains a set of tools for Directory and Free/Busy interoperability between Lotus Domino 6 or 7 and Exchange Server 2007 and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory. In addition for Lotus Domino the suite contains migration tools to migrate users, groups, personal address lists, mailboxes, personal mail archives, and applications from Lotus Domino 5, 6 or 7 to Active Directory, Exchange Server 2007, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. For generic POP/IMAP servers the suite contains a set of tools to bulk migrate mailboxes from any generic email servers that support the POP3 or IMAP4 protocol to mailboxes in Exchange Server 2007

Also check out the following: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/move

Supported VoIP Gateways & PBXs

MMEvents — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:56:00 GMT

Wondering what gateways and PBXs are supported?

Deploying Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging (UM) requires integrating Exchange Server 2007 with your organization's existing telephony system. A successful deployment requires careful analysis of your existing telephony infrastructure and proper planning, which can be a significant challenge to Exchange Administrators who have little or no telephony knowledge.

We provide Unified Messaging Specialists with whom you contact to ensure a smooth transition from your legacy voicemail systems.

We also provide a detailed list of supported VoIP Gateways and PBXs.

Go here to get started and your company-specific questions answered. There is also a great document that explains integrating telephony with Office Communications server here.

Have a great weekend!

Convert PDF to Word Files

MMEvents — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:04:00 GMT

Word does not have the ability to convert PDF files out of the box but there are 3^rd party utilities out there that are able to do it for you. Here are a few that I found by just doing a Live search.

http://www.digitalriver.com/v2.0-img/operations/scansoft/site/html/pdf__con_4_full/pdf_con_overview.html

ScanSoft PDF Converter 4, the world's #1 solution for instantly turning PDF files into fully- formatted documents, forms and spreadsheets, converts PDF files into documents, that look exactly like the original - complete with all the formatting and graphics!

PDF Converter works within the programs you use every day, including Microsoft® Word, Excel® and Outlook, as well as Corel® WordPerfect®. Now your PDF information can be set free for editing and integration into your favorite applications. Superior formatting, image-only PDF handling and page-range selection mean you'll save more time than ever before.

http://www.investintech.com/

Convert your PDF and XPS files into Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Word forms, PowerPoint presentations for editing, analysis and other reversioning.

Download the free trial and then see if it is what you may like.

We do not endorse any of these solutions. You decide which works best for your needs.

SQL Server 2008 Q & A

MMEvents — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:48:00 GMT

I had some questions from the SQL Server 2008 Overview webcast and I wanted to share those questions and answers with all of you.

Questions:

How will a java web application make use of ADO.Net?

They would use the JDBC driver that we provide with SQL Server 2008

I have heard that the entity framework is being delayed and is set to NOT be in the Orcas release - can we expect it to be released fully once Katmai is released?

That is current the plan

Does 2008 have the capability to partition /split a table?

Yes it does – we have had this functionality since SQL Server 2005

What resources are available to upgrade from MSDE and SQL 2003 to SQL 2008

We will support upgrades of SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2008

Has anything with SSIS in 2008 changed?

Scale, Performance and Data Profiling

In terms of the Linq Entity framework is the reason for the release delay to release in conjunction with Katmi?

We will release the CTP of the entity framework in December.

If SharePoint service is not supported by SQL 2008, will SP1 be released at the same time as SPS?

MOSS needs to support SQL Server 2008 as we are the platform for them; they are targeting their SP for support.

Are you able to audit SA activities or 'selecting sensitive data' in SQL2008

Audit table selects and who was logged in – we can't select what data was accessed

Transparent data encryption encrypts - mdf and ldf? If so what are the steps to restore?

You can encrypt the database and log files. IF you mean backup/restore – I would point you to BOL for CTP5

I am only seeing the July CPT but you indicated one had been released today? Where is the download?

We will be posting on the web within 2 days

Can you upgrade SQL 2000 or SQL 7 databases directly to SQL 2008 ?

We will support upgrades from SQL Server2000 and later.

You mentioned partitioning, did that you mean you can partition a table?

Yes we can partition the table transparent to the end user or app

Offline OLAP Cubes in Excel

MMEvents — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 06:13:00 GMT

Q. Has Microsoft removed the ability to create "off-line OLAP cubes" from Excel 2007, or is it maybe a feature that requires a download from Microsoft? This feature has been available ever since Office 2000, but appears to be missing in Office 2007.

I have used this feature for years to provide the ability of sales managers to analyze relatively large data sets without being connected to a LAN, WAN or the internet. This is a valuable tool to enable analyzing data while flying.

A. This feature is still available. On the Options tab, select OLAP tools and then you will see "Offline OLAP" as shown below:

Good question!

Differentiating Windows SharePoint Server and Office SharePoint Server (more info)

MMEvents — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 06:57:00 GMT

Okay, you want more information than that short and sweet answer so I will give you more detail but I will tell you to look forward to our visits to your city as we plan discuss Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) at our live events. Come out and get more information and ask more in-depth questions. We would be happy to meet you.

Prior to the release of solutions like Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server, many of you and your companies relied on traditional file servers for working on documents, long-term document storage, and software distribution. While file servers enabled basic file sharing, file servers created a number of problems such as discoverability, security and policy management.

Windows SharePoint Services addresses the problems with file servers by providing users and project teams with secure, easy-to-customize secure solutions for collaborating on documents, tasks, team calendars and custom lists – all of the data and information for a project; not only the ability to share documents. Windows SharePoint Services includes SharePoint site templates for creating team and project-based collaboration sites, document workspace sites and meeting workspace sites that are easily customized and deeply integrated with Microsoft Office applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft SharePoint Designer, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer. You have the capability to create great web sites that are for your Intranet, extranet or the Internet.

Windows SharePoint Services is just the core collaboration piece of getting teams to that single version of the truth. You also have workflow and Outlook integration within Windows SharePoint Services. Overlay your calendars to make it easier to find time to complete tasks and take your SharePoint document libraries offline with you while maintaining a bi-directional synchronization with the SharePoint site. Once you reconnect, your changes will be synchronized to the server.

With Office SharePoint Server, you get enterprise wide capabilities that include collaboration, portals, search (across the enterprise and for people), enterprise content management, electronic forms, and business intelligence – focusing on the entire organization.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server is an intelligent, enterprise portal solution that connects people, teams, and information. SharePoint Portal Server provides a central place for a person to access, manage, share and interact with relevant information, documents, applications and other people. It enables quicker and better decisions, more effective sharing across teams and more streamlined business processes.

SharePoint Portal Server delivers business value that reaches across an enterprise to make the overall organization operate more effectively and more efficiently. This is different from the business value that Windows SharePoint Services provides to a person working to complete an individual task or a team working to complete the deliverables for a project.

To better understand and appreciate SharePoint Portal Server's unique business value, it is best to consider the following enterprise scenarios that SharePoint Portal Server was designed to support:

Organizing, finding and using knowledge and information – making it easier to locate and re-use knowledge and information wherever it might be stored
Collaborating across teams – enabling people to make decisions and complete project deliverables more easily and in less time
Streamlining business processes – through common access to back-end enterprise applications and integration of data and information across those applications

Some things that you can do in Office SharePoint Server that you cannot do in Windows SharePoint Services include:

Audience Personalization
My Sites
Connect to Project Sites
Excel Services
Business Data Catalog

When organizations deploy SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services, some organizations choose to deploy Windows SharePoint Services first followed by SharePoint Portal Server ("bottom up) while organizations with established practices for encouraging and managing the creation and re-use of knowledge by their employees will deploy SharePoint Portal Server as an integrated solution with Windows SharePoint Services ("top down").

SharePoint Portal Server supports the ability to deploy a "top down" solution especially in the case where an organization has existing corporation taxonomies for organizing people, information and documents, Web sites and any other information or source of information inside or outside the organization. Alternatively, organizations can choose a "bottoms up" strategy where Windows SharePoint Services is deployed first and the sites and content are aggregated into SharePoint Portal Server as a second phase of the project.

Built on top of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Office SharePoint Server 2007 delivers unique business value when compared to Windows SharePoint Services as well as other systems for organizing, indexing, searching, accessing, reporting and working with all the information in your organization – regardless of whether the information is stored on file servers, Web sites, other document storage systems as well as line-of-business applications. You have a great foundation on which to deploy that next line of business application to your environment.

SharePoint Designer is the next version of Microsoft FrontPage. You will use this tool to go above and beyond the designing of your sites via the browser. As the name reflects you are able to create and customize SharePoint sites and customize applications on the SharePoint platform.

What is the relationship between Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer?

MMEvents — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:51:00 GMT

I have received this question and I make sure that I make the clarification at every event that includes a SharePoint discussion. Here is your short, and to the sweet, answer:

Windows SharePoint Services is a key component of Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies, which include:

Windows SharePoint Services, formerly named SharePoint Team Services, a versatile technology in Windows Server 2003. In addition to its collaborative features, Windows SharePoint Services also exposes platform services and a common framework for document storage and management, as well as search, workflow, rights management, administration, and deployment features. These services provide the foundation for building scalable business applications.

Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) is an integrated suite of easy-to-use server applications that help people and teams improve their efficiency and effectiveness. Office SharePoint Server 2007 connects sites, people, and business processes—facilitating knowledge sharing by offering ready-to-go, enterprise-wide functionality for records management, search, workflows, portals, personalized sites, and more. Office SharePoint Server 2007 extends the capabilities of Windows SharePoint Services by providing highly flexible organization and management tools for SharePoint sites, and by making it possible for teams to publish information to the entire organization.

Office SharePoint Designer 2007 provides tools for customizing Windows SharePoint Services and Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites, and for creating reporting tools and application templates without writing new code or deploying new code on your servers.

Now you know.

How Are We Combating Spam in Exchange Server 2007?

MMEvents — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:06:00 GMT

Mail submitted from the Internet enters the Microsoft® Exchange organization at the SMTP gateway; it is on this gateway server that a spam filter would process incoming mail. It is assumed that mail generated from within the organization is not spam.

As each anonymously submitted message is accepted at the gateway from the Internet, the message is passed to the content filter through the transport event infrastructure where the filter associates a spam confidence level (SCL) rating with the message. The SCL is a weighting given to an individual message that indicates the message's potential spam content. A higher SCL value represents an increased likelihood that the message is spam. For more information about the SCL, see Spam Confidence Level.

After being evaluated by the spam filter, the message is either blocked from entering the organization, or the SCL value is added to the message which is then transmitted to the mailbox server. Because the SCL property is persisted on the message, there is no need to evaluate the message on each hop. After the mailbox server receives the message, the Store SCL Processor, a new functionality provided in the Exchange Server 2003 store, determines, in conjunction with Microsoft Outlook® and Outlook Web Access Junk E-mail Lists, whether the message will be placed in the user's Inbox or Junk E-mail folder.

Thank you, Dave, for your question during our session.

Is My Rights Protected Information Protected Outside of My Organization?

MMEvents — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:51:00 GMT

Yes, the document or content is protected regardless of its location; internal or external to your organization.

By using Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) and the AD RMS client, you can augment an organization's security strategy by protecting information through persistent usage policies, which remain with the information, no matter where it is moved. You can use AD RMS to help prevent sensitive information—such as financial reports, product specifications, customer data, and confidential e-mail messages—from intentionally or accidentally getting into the wrong hands.