WindowsAdminGuru BLOG

This tip might help you guys to check the 'Native MPIO' setting on Windows 2008 Server from command line - To check the Native MPIO (Microsoft Multipath I/O) on Windows 2008 Server - If the Native MPIO is enabled, will show like below (DSM - Device Specific Model) If the Native MPIO is NOT enabled and installed some other vendor specific will show like below - (this server has Veritas Storage Foundation, hence showing like this)

Here goes the link to download the below listed PDF documents which are related to Windows 2008 Server - http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17157 or  click the below links to download Creating_and_Deploying_Active_Directory_Rights_Management_Services_Templates_Step-by-Step_Guide.doc Deploying Active Directory Rights Management Services in a Multiple Forest Environment Step-by-Step Guide.doc Deploying Active Directory Rights Management Services in an Extranet Step-by-Step Guide.doc Deploying Active Directory Rights Management Services with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Step-By-Step Guide.doc Deploying an Active Directory Rights Management Services Licensing-only Cluster Step-by-Step Guide.doc Deploying SSTP Remote Access Step by Step Guide.doc Removing Active Directory Rights Management Services Step-by-Step Guide.doc Server Manager Scenarios Step-by-Step Guide.doc Server_Core_Installation_Option_of_Windows_Server_2008_Step-By-Step...

What are the major changes? Several enhancements to improve performance have been made to the NTFS file system. The following changes are available in Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2: Delete notification for solid state devices (SSDs) that support T10 Trim New opportunistic locks (oplocks) semantics and introduction of oplock keys Support for file system metadata defragmenting Improvements in Volume Shrink Ability to disable short names on a per-volume basis Improved concurrency of read requests while flushing Native VHD support Chkdsk performance improvements Robocopy performance enhancement Local file copy improvements For more info, refer this link

Windows Server 2008 Command Lines for Administrative Consoles I’m always of fan of shortcuts and the Windows Server 2008 Administrator's Companion from Microsoft Press has a complete list of the command line shortcuts for starting Administrative Consoles for Server 2008.  There are plenty of other goodies in this book so make sure you take a look at getting this one.  Command Line Console Name AdRmsAdmin.msc    Active Directory Rights Management Services Adsiedit.msc    ADSI Edit Azman.msc Authorization Manager Certmgr.msc Certmgr (Certificates) Certtmpl.msc Certificates Template Console CluAdmin.msc Failover Cluster Management Comexp.msc Component Services Compmgmt.msc Computer Management Devmgmt.msc Device Manager ...

The action 'Manage a Cluster...' did not complete. Could not open a connection to the cluster 'server name'. An error occurred opening cluster 'server name'. The RPC server is unavailable. Today I've tried to login one of my client's windows 2008 cluster server, on node 1 - I know that is a cluster server, however when I open Failover Cluster Management, I couldn't find any thing there in the tree. I was little shocked and tried to logon to Node 2 to check what is the issue. In Node 2 it is OK, I could see all the information - This is something strange that I've faced with windows 2008 server OS. And started the troubleshooting like step by step - 1.Cluster Service Check 2.RPC Service 3.Dependencies etc All looks good to me on both nodes. Now what is the next step? I suspect could be some issue with my login id, hence I've asked one of my co worker to login with his credentials. Again shocked by seeing the result, it is showing ...

Windows 2008 Server all editions comparison sheet available here. Information like which Windows Server 2008 supports how much RAM, Number CPUs support, Hyper-V technology, Hot Swap RAM and CPUs, NAP (Network Access Protection), Cluster Service etc. Windows Server 2008 comes in several major editions derived from the same code base. The most important differences among editions are in the number of processors, amount of physical memory, and high-availability features supported. The edition specifically targeted at servers with Itanium CPUs, Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems (IA64), is not listed in the chart, but its features and price are almost identical to the Datacenter Edition listed in the rightmost column.   Windows Server 2008 Web Edition Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition Supersedes Windows Server 2003 Web Editi...

Here goes the tips like how to create the our own event log in Windows Server 2008 Operating System with syntax and examples - EVENTCREATE [/S system [/U username [/P [password]]]] /ID eventid [/L logname] [/SO srcname] /T type /D description Description: This command line tool enables an administrator to create a custom event ID and message in a specified event log. Parameter List: /S system Specifies the remote system to connect to. /U [domain\]user Specifies the user context under which the command should execute. /P [password] Specifies the password for the given user context. Prompts for input if omitted. /L logname Specifies the event log to create an event in. /T type Specifies the type of event to create. Valid types: SUCCESS, ERROR, WARNING, INFORMATION. /SO source Specifies the source to use for the event (if not specified, source will default to 'eventcreate'). A valid source ...

'Esentutl' with command syntax Command description: Database utilities for the Extensible Storage Engine for Microsoft How to use this command with options, here goes the examples -  Defragmentation: ESENTUTL /d {database name} [options] Recovery: ESENTUTL /r {logfile base name} [options] Integrity: ESENTUTL /g {database name} [options] Checksum: ESENTUTL /k {file name} [options] Repair: ESENTUTL /p {database name} [options] File Dump: ESENTUTL /m[mode-modifier] {filename} Copy File: ESENTUTL /y {source file} [options]

The below given command line command would display the available application terminal servers on the network. QUERY TERMSERVER [servername] [/DOMAIN:domain] [/ADDRESS] [/CONTINUE] Here goes the Syntax example with options: servername Identifies a Terminal server. /DOMAIN:domain Displays information for the specified domain (defaults to the current domain). /ADDRESS Displays network and node addresses. /CONTINUE Does not pause after each screen of information.

I had a problem with the user profile on Windows 2008 server. This was probably caused by incorrect permissions on the ts profiles. I corrected this problem by giving required permission however still received two more errors in the event log. Issue: Log Name: Application Source: Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service Date: Date Event ID: 1515 Task Category: None Level: Warning Keywords: Classic User: User Computer: Computer Description: Windows has backed up this user profile. Windows will automatically try to use the backup profile the next time this user logs on. Log Name: Application Source: Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service Date: Date Event ID: 1511 Task Category: None Level: Warning Keywords: Classic User: User Computer: Computer Description: Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Solution: Delete a folder from the registry. Go to HK...

SBS 2008 Migration highlights: 21-day grace period to complete the migration Answer file generator must be used Migrate without taking down servers Destination server joins the existing domain (replica DC) Uninterrupted mail flow between both servers No need to touch client workstations Migration should be able to take place during business hours even! Pre-migration tasks: Configure a full backup of the source server (include boot and system partitions, and system state) Make sure you have any 3rd-party backup software that you might need available Verify the backup (restore random files) Exchange Server: Verify database integrity, Delete unnecessary mail, Archive old mail (for speed of migration) Remove junk documents: SharePoint, Shared folders, Former employees’ profile folders SBS 2003 Best Practice Analyzer (SBS BPA) checks: Exchange Server Update service Network configuration Windows support tools Netdiag (Help isolate network/connectivity issues) Dcdiag (ana...

After installing a new Windows 2008 SBS server you may receive the following notice when using the Remote Web Workplace website to connect to a remote computer. "No computers available" Unless you are an administrator all standard users receive the notice after logging into the RWW site an attempting to connect to an internal computer. This is because the computer was not added using the SBSconnect option on the internal SBS website. Adding computers to the domain using the standard option under the my computer properties still works but there are some quirks. One such issue is that that computer will not be added to the available list of RWW computer when logging in for remote access unless you are a administrator. If you do make the mistake on add each computer from the my computer properties location have no fear. Adding each computer again using the sbsconnectcomputer web site listed below. By default the internal web address is http://sbsconnectc...

During a migration of Small Buisness Server 2003 to 2008. A newer server with dual network cards was used to be the new Small Buisness Server 2008. After installing the Small Buisness Server 2008 operating system a annoying problem showed up. Changes and updates were still needed to be applied on new SBS server to get the server ready for the users to attach to there new applications. During this time the default gateway address would just disappear from the network card bindings. After attempting all the usual troublshooting on the Network card and bindings. I went thru the registry and found the following fix. Open the registry with regedit.exe Go to the path: HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Services/Tcpip/Parameters/Interfaces/ Here you will need to select the CLSID of your network adapter where you change the configuration. You can recognize it by looking at the value of the IP address that will have the IP of this adapter. You should see the DefaultGateway and DefaultGateway...

How to Enable Telnet in Windows Server 2008? Telnet is not enabled by default in Windows Server 2008. However, Telnet Client is a feature included with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. On Windows Server 2008, you can install Telnet Client by using the Add Features Wizard in Server Manager. Telnet Client allows a computer to connect to a remote Telnet server and run applications on that server. Once logged on, a user is given a command prompt that can be used as if it had been opened locally on the Telnet server’s console. Commands that you type at the Telnet client command prompt are sent to the Telnet Server and executed there, as though you were locally logged on to a command prompt session at the server. Output from the commands that you run are sent back to the Telnet client where they are displayed for you to view.  When you first try to run a telnet command, Windows will informs you that telnet is not recognized as a command To enable Teln...

What is New in Windows Server 2008? 1. Security Security has become the daily mantra of Microsoft these days, and this version of the OS proves it. After initial installation, absolutely nothing is turned on. In obvious contrast to previous incarnations of the OS, Windows Server 2003 has almost no surface area to lure hackers. Of course, one of the first things you will find yourself doing is turning on services (e.g., IIS, File Server, Print Services, DNS, etc.). Only what you specifically install will be enabled. 2. Kernel Mode HTTP Driver While IIS 6.0 provides quite a lot of new functionality to keep web sites functional in the worst of days, Microsoft went the extra step of moving the HTTP serving to a Kernel Mode Driver. What this means is that no matter how many processes in IIS 6.0 are brought down, the HTTP serving will continue. The http.sys driver serves and caches web pages right in the kernel, so not only is there improved isolation between application processes, t...

Error message when you log on to a Windows Vista-based or Windows 7-based computer by using a temporary profile: " The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded" Possible causes: This issue may occur if the user profile was manually deleted by using the command prompt or Windows Explorer by a user or by some program. A profile that is manually deleted does not remove the security identifier (SID) from the user profile list in the registry. Since the SID is still present, Vista will still try to load the profile by using the ProfileImagePath that points to a nonexistent path. Therefore, the profile cannot be loaded. This can also be a issue with the user profile entering into a backup state. Manually renaming the C:\Users\(User Name) folder. To resolve this problem yourself, follow these steps: Delete the profile by using the Computer Properties dialog box. To do this, follow these steps: Click Start , right-click Computer , and...

Many time I come across the issue with users where they are not able to log in to their original profile in Windows 7. They see an message after login which says: “Your user profile was not loaded correctly! You have been logged on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Please see the event log for details or contact your administrator.” Event viewer shows this application log: Log Name: Application Source: Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service Date: Date Event ID: 1511 Task Category: None Level: Warning Keywords: Classic User: User Computer: Computer Description: Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Resolution: To resolve this problem, follow these steps: Log on to the system by using an administrative user account other than the user account that is experiencing the problem. Back up all ...

This issue may arise when you access a remote PC through RDP from various computers with different different screen resolutions. To resolve the issue: Delete the “Default.rdp” file from My Documents ( XP) or Documets( Win7) folder. Default.rdp is a hidden file hence make sure you select the proper view in folder options.

How to configure Branch Cache in Hosted mode for SharePoint Optimization on WAN links with WIndows Server 2008R2 and Windows7? Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 introduce a new feature (BranchCache) that can reduce wide area network (WAN) utilization and enhance Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies responsiveness when users access content in a central office from branch office locations. When you enable BranchCache, a copy of the content that is retrieved from the Web server is cached within the branch office. If another client in the branch requests the same content, the client can download it directly from the local branch network without needing to retrieve the content by using the Wide Area Network (WAN). Configuring BranchCache with Microsoft SharePoint : Configuring Web Servers The configuration of Web Servers in preparation for BranchCache requires only installing the BranchCache role on the server machine through the Server Manager or optionally...

1. BranchCache Executive Overview 2. Early Adopter’s Guide to Branch Cache 3. BranchCache Hosted Cache Mode Step by Step Guide 4 . BranchCache Distributed Cache Mode Step by Step Guide 5. BranchCache Security Guide 6. BranchCache Technical Overview 7. Installing a non-domain member BranchCache-capable file server (Video) 8. Install and Configure Hosted BranchCache for Web Services 8. Branch Cache in Windows 7 (Video) 9 .Netsh Commands for BranchCache in Windows Server 2008 R2 10. Branch Cache Technical case study 1 11. Branch Cache Technical case study 2