What's New in Windows 8.1 for Administrators

New Windows Release windows 8.1 is just Around the corner.Windows 8.1 has a lot of goodies builtin which will be useful for corporates as well as an Individual user.
Let's have a look at windows 8.1 new Features, Which Windows Administrators will be interested to look into

1. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Features

Workplace Join: With Workplace Join, IT administrators now have the ability to offer finer-grained control to corporate resources.  If a user registers their device, IT can grant some access while still enforcing some governance parameters on the device

Work Folders: With Work Folders, Users can keep local copies of their work files on their devices, with automatic synchronization to your data center, and for access from other devices.
IT  Administrators can enforce Dynamic Access Control policies on the Work Folder Sync Share (including automated Rights Management) and require Workplace Join to be in place.

Mobile Device Management: IT administrators now have deeper policy management for Windows RT devices, and can manage Windows 8.1 PCs as mobile devices without having deploy a full management client.

RDS Enhancements: Administrators can now easily support users with session desktops to provide helpdesk style support. Administrators now have even more flexible storage options to support a VDI environment without expensive SAN investments.

 2.Mobility Enhancements

Auto-triggered VPN: When you select an app or resource that needs access through the inbox VPN – like a company’s intranet site – Windows 8.1 will automatically prompt you to sign in with one click. This feature will be available with Microsoft and third-party inbox VPN clients.

 

3. Security Enhancements

Remote Business Data Removal: This capability is requires implementation in the client application and in the server application (Mail + Exchange Server). The client application determines if the wipe simply makes the data inaccessible or actually deletes it.

Malware Resistance: Windows Defender, Microsoft’s free antivirus solution in Windows 8, will include network behavior monitoring to help detect and stop the execution of known and unknown malware. Internet Explorer will scan binary extensions (e.g. ActiveX) using the antimalware solution before potentially harmful code is executed.

 

There are hundreds of another features in windows 8.1 which you would like to test yourself and experience the same. just install the new windows 8.1 & enjoy. 

If you have any question leave in comment section below.

 

 

 

How to Install a Domain controller over a slow WAN link.

Take the system state backup of current Global Catalog server

write/burn it on the CD

send the CD to the destination ( remote location )

On the new server which needs to be promoted to be DC
type dcpromo/adv on run
then follow the steps.

· click Run, type dcpromo /adv to open the Active Directory Installation Wizard with the option to create an additional domain controller from restored backup files.

· On the Domain Controller Type page, click Additional domain controller for an existing domain, and then click Next.

· On the Copying Domain Information page, can do any of the following steps:

Click From these restored backup files, and type or Browse to locate the restored files, and then click Next.

On the Network Credentials page, type the user name, password, and user domain of the user account you want to use for this operation, and then click Next.

The user account must be a member of the Domain Admins group for the target domain.

· On the Database and Log Folders page, type the location in which you want to install the database and log folders, or click Browse to choose a location, and then click Next.

· On the Shared System Volume page, type the location in which you want to install the Sysvol folder, or click Browse to choose a location, and then click Next.

· On the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Password page, type and confirm the password that you want to assign to the Administrator account for this server, and then click Next.

Use this password when starting the computer in Directory Services Restore Mode.


Restart the computer

How to generate installed patch report on any computer

Hi friends,

Here is the script for generating installed patch report for any computer.

1.Copy below code in notepad and save file as "update.vbs".

Wscript.echo "Script is running..."
Set objSession = CreateObject("Microsoft.Update.Session")
Wscript.echo "ObjectSession created."


Set objSearcher = objSession.CreateUpdateSearcher
Wscript.echo "objSearcher has been set."


Set objResults = objSearcher.Search("Type='Software'")
Wscript.echo "objResults has been set."


Set colUpdates = objResults.Updates
Wscript.echo "colUpdates has been set."


Wscript.echo "Starting loop."
For i = 0 to colUpdates.Count - 1


Wscript.echo ("Number " & i & ": " & colUpdates.Item(i).Title)
 
2. Now create a batchfile. Type below command in batchfile
 
cscript update.vbs > report.txt
 
3. Save both file at same location. and run batch file. A new file report.txt will be created with all installed patches.
 
Note: "Automatic updates" service should be running to complete the task.

Exchange server Interview Questions

Hi Friends,

Here are some exchange server interview questions.

1. What is difference between exchnage 2003 standard edition and enterprise edition.
2. What is difference between .edb and .stm files
3. What is MAPI and MIME.
4. Describe exchange 2007 clustering. and difference between them.
5. What type Of clusters are available in exchnage 2003/2007.
6. What are routing groups and administrative groups.
7. What is transport dumpster. how do you configure.
8. What is bridgehead server. in exchange 2003. What type of connector available in exchage 2003.
9. What is circullar logging. how do you configure it.
10. Steps of Transition from exchange 2003 to exchange 2007.
11. Name of exchnage services. what is use of "system attendent" service.
12. Major features of exchange 2007.
13. What is edge transport server. How do you configure Edge subscription.

Exchange Server 2007: Renewing the self-signed certificate

Exchange Server 2007 issues itself a self-signed certificate for use with services like SMTP, IMAP, POP and IIS . The certificate is issued for a period of one year.

Here is the Step By Step Process to Renew Exchange 2007 self signed certificate.

NOTE: Thumbprints shown in this articles are unique. These thumbprints was for my test lab. they have to be different for your environment. So Proceed accordingly.

1.To check the existing certificate on exchnage server. Run this command

Get-ExchangeCertificate | list
This will show the existing certificate with thumbprint.

2. Copy the thumbprint of the certificate

3. Get a new certificate with a new expiration date:
Run this command

Get-ExchangeCertificate -thumbprint "CF8E6C3B577207B42B9481C60A2BAD616A64411F"
New-ExchangeCertificate

4. If the existing certificate is being used for SMTP, you will get the following prompt

 
5. Type y to continue. A new certificate is generated.
 

 
 
 
 
6. The new certificate is generated and enabled. Examine the new certificate
 
Get-ExchangeCertificate -thumbprint "87776F7A5072A54FAEA000E740768713459F2688" | FL
 
This will show the generate date and expiration date of new certificate. The new certificate is valid for one year.
 
7. Test services if working with the new certificate and everything is fine, the old certificate can be removed:
 
Run this command to remove the old certificate
 
Remove-ExchangeCertificate -thumbprint “CF8E6C3B577207B42B9481C60A2BAD616A64411F"
 
You will receive a confirmation message. Type y to confirm. The old certificate will be removed.

Solved: Unable to connect to logical disk manager service windows 2003

Hi friends,

I ran into a situation when once i restarted one of my windows server 2003 machine. I was trying to reactivate a scsi disk but what i saw when i opened the disk management console. It gave me the message in bottom "Unable to connect to logical disk manager service".

I googled a lot but none of the solution worked for me. Then after a lot of R&D I found the solution myself.

Here is it.

First of all check below services. They should be started.

1.Plug and Play
2. RPC
3. Logical disk manager service
4. Logical disk manager administrative service

I have symantec antivirus installed. I stopped "Symantec Endpoint Protection" and "Symantec management Client" services and magic It worked like a charm.

 To Stop "Symantec management Client" service : Go to Start --> RUN. Type "SMC -STOP"( without quotes) You may be prompted for password. Please type uninstall password.

To Start "Symantec management Client" service : Go to Start --> RUN. Type "SMC -START"

When you finished working with Disk management. Please start Both services. And this will still be working.

In my case it was symantec. It may be different antivirus in your scenario. Please try disabling the antivirus. and check. Please comment If this worked with other antivirus product as well.

System administrator Interview Questions Part-2

Hi friends.

Here I am posting some more questions on system administrator Interview. Please see part-1of this post http://windowstechnologist.blogspot.com/2009/11/system-administrator-interview.html

1. Describe Active directory partitions ?
2. What is DNS. Types of DNS Zones, what is Stub zone?
3. What types of Resource record are available in DNS and their use.
4. Types of DNS Queries and difference between them
5. Describe DHCP Lease process. difference between scope and supescope.
6. What is Group policy modelling. What is loopback policy.
7. Which protocol is used for Active directory replication. what is intersite and intrasite replication?
8. Features of NTFS. Difference between NTFS and FAT file system.
9. What is RAID. Types of RAID.
10. What is the Age of Active directory backup. How do you backup active directory.