Browsing "General"

How can I rename a file with todays date?

You can use this simple batch file to rename a file and append today’s date:
set Day=%Date:~0,2%
set Mth=%Date:~3,2%
set Yr=%Date:~6,4%

rename c:test.log test_%Day%-%Mth%-%Yr%.log

Aug 20, 2007 - Exchange, General, Windows 2003    1 Comment

I changed the IP address of a server running the SMTP service, but I can’t send mail to it locally. What’s the problem?

t’s common to install the SMTP service on servers that require limited mail-sending capabilities–for example, on a Microsoft SharePoint server. I recently had a problem in which the box got a new IP address, and at that point the services that used the SMTP service could no longer send email. The problem was that the server had a relay restriction list in place, and the list didn’t have the new IP address listed.

To resolve the problem, you need to update the relay list. Start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Internet Information Services Manager snap-in by accessing Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. Right-click the SMTP virtual server and select Properties, then select the Access tab. Click the Relay button. Be sure to add the IP address of the server trying to connect or a subnet containing the servers trying to send via the server by clicking the Add button. When you’re finished, click OK on all dialog boxes.

How can I pre-cache the Microsoft Office 2007 installation files?

Office 2007 uses the MSOCACHE folder as part of its core installation and functionality process. The folder is typically populated during the Office 2007 installation. However, to avoid network activity during installation, you can accomplish a pre-cache by performing the following steps. (Use caret brackets in place of the square brackets.)

1. From the network installation point, use Notepad to open the config.xml file, which is located in the core product folder (e.g., Pro.WW for Office Professional 2007).
2. Find the [LIS] element, and uncomment the line by deleting the opening [!-- and closing --] tags.
3. Set the [CACHEACTION] attribute to “CacheOnly”. The line in Config.xml should look like

[LIS CACHEACTION="CacheOnly" /]

4. Save the config.xml file.
5. Run setup.exe on users’ computers, specifying the fully qualified path to the modified config.xml. For example,

\[server][share]Office12setup.exe /config
\[server][share]Office12Pro.WWConfig.xml

Extracting the SMS Installer Download on a Workstation

Extracting the SMS Installer-ISU integrated download (or, just the standard SMS Installer) requires that a SMS site server be present on the network connection. When the extraction intiates is asks for a valid server name and will check to see if its available.

Say, you downloaded SMS Installer from home on a dial-up connection, what do you do then? Wait until you are in the office?

Do this:

On your workstation, change the data value in the following key:

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftSMSSetup
Data: Type
Data Value: dword:00000001

Usually this is set to 00000004 on a workstation

You can download a compiled exe with the above fix here SMS Installer Reg Key Fix

Jul 1, 2007 - Exchange, General    No Comments

I’m performance testing a proposed server configuration. To save disk space, I turned on circular logging and started running the Exchange Server Load Simulator (LoadSim) 2003 against my test servers, but I ended up with several dozen log files on each server. Why isn’t circular logging working?

If you read the Microsoft article “XADM: How Circular Logging Affects the Use of Transaction Logs” (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=147524) carefully, you’ll see that circular logging is working just fine. When it’s enabled, Exchange can reuse log files instead of creating new ones. Under typical circumstances, Exchange will create no more than five logs when you enable circular logging; however, Exchange will create additional log files, if needed, during surge conditions of high activity–such as when you run LoadSim to create a bunch of sessions and messages. After Exchange creates those log files, Exchange won’t delete them until you purge the files by doing a full backup with an Exchange-aware backup utility. Exchange will reuse the first log files, but they’ll stay in place across reboots until you purge them.

How can I prevent someone from accessing event logs on my server through the network?

Windows automatically limits access to the Security log to only those users who have the Manage auditing and security log user right. However, guests can access the System and Application logs. To disable guest access to these logs, open a Group Policy Object (GPO), go to ComputerConfigurationWindows SettingsSecurity SettingsEvent LogSettings for Event Logs, and enable Restrict guest access to system log and Restrict guest access to application. In Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP, these policies are named Prevent local guests group from accessing system log and Prevent local guests group from accessing application log, respectively. Other users will still be able to view these logs provided they possess the Access this computer from the network user right. Windows doesn’t offer a more granular way to control access to the logs.

Jul 1, 2007 - Exchange, General    1 Comment

Can you give me a good explanation of the differences between assigning someone as a delegate and giving him or her permission to a folder?

The main difference is that using Tools, Options and setting permissions on the Delegates tab also grants the delegate Send On Behalf Of permission on the mailbox in Active Directory (AD). The user can then send messages as if he or she were the mailbox owner, and the From line on such messages will read From <sender> on behalf of <mailbox owner>. If you want to allow only folder access, without letting the user send on behalf of the mailbox owner, right-click the folder, choose Properties, and set access on the Permissions tab. You also need to use the Properties dialog box when you want to allow access to any folders other than Inbox, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Journal, or Notes.

When I open Windows Explorer, it takes a few seconds before it displays information. How can I eliminate that delay?

I fixed this problem by simply removing invalid entries from my system path. When Windows Explorer starts, it traverses the PATH variable, and invalid entries can extend the time necessary for Windows Explorer to initiate. To solve the problem, you need to ensure that each item in your PATH variable exists. To do so, open the Control Panel System applet, and access the Advanced settings (on the Advanced tab). Click the Environment Variables button. Under System Variables, view the PATH variable and check each entry that makes up the path. (Entries are separated by a semicolon.) Remove any incorrect entries, and click OK. Click OK on the main Environment Variables dialog box.

Apr 14, 2007 - Exchange, General    5 Comments

Can I upgrade to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 from Exchange Server 5.5?

No. You can’t introduce Exchange 2007 into an existing Exchange organization while an Exchange 5.5 server still exists in the organization. If you run Exchange 5.5, you must first upgrade to Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003, effectively Exchange native mode. After you move the mailboxes to an Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 organization, you can move the mailboxes to Exchange 2007 via the Exchange 2007 GUI if Exchange 2007 and the Exchange 2003/2000 installation are in the same organization or by using the Power Shell Move-Mailbox command for cross-organization migrations.

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