Xbox 360, GarageBand And Feeling Old

by Matt Hartley on May 16, 2008 at 9:23 pm · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in GnomeREPORT

Just finished up about an hour long bout of GarageBand on the Xbox360 with two of my four nieces. Right off the bat, I must admit, I learned a few important things:

Just because you think you know some of the older songs better, does not mean you will be able to use a color keyed guitar to play the two monsters of rock, still hammering out tunes up stairs.
Age is everything. At 34, competing against 16 and 18, the elder of the three will lose and lose badly.
I need to get GarageBand myself so I can begin practicing for a rematch. I played my heart out but the sad truth became readily apparent - I have very little rhythm and even less hand to brain coordination.

I’ll tell ya, park me in front of an old school game and I would blow the doors off of most people. Millipede anyone? But playing GarageBand has reminded me that I am not as wily with the music as I thought. Time to start practicing I think.

Susan Bradley Fills Us In On Small Business Server

by Greg Hughes on May 16, 2008 at 10:10 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Podcast

Richard and I talk to Susan Bradley, the SBS Diva herself, about Small Business Server (SBS). The discussion digs into the various features of SBS including the upcoming 2008 edition.

Susan started her career in computing with IBM 8088 computers and Compaq “luggable” portables. To this day she is convinced that her right arm is longer than her left arm because she lugged those dang “luggables” for an entire summer at an audit job. Now she practically has an RJ45 connection growing out of her body. In addition to blogging, she writes articles for Brian Livingston’s WindowsSecrets.com on the topic of patching. Extremely honored to be the author of the smallbiz chapter in the Windows 2008 Security Resource kit, she’s also co author of the upcoming SBS 2008 Unleashed.

Install Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 Part III

by Diana Huggins on May 16, 2008 at 10:00 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Tips

Once the computer that will run WSUS 3.0 SP1 is configured to meet the hardware and software requirements, you can proceed with the installation process. You will need to download the install filer from Microsoft.

Double click the installer file.
Click Next when the Welcome screen appears.
From the Installation Mode Selection page, select Full server installation including Administration Console. Click Next.
Accept the terms of the license agreement and click Next.
From the Select Update Source, click Store updates locally and select the location on the server where the updates will be stored. Click Next.
On the Database Options screen, select the software used to manage the WSUS database. The default is Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Embedded Edition (Windows) on the computer. Click Next.
From the Web Site Selection, specify the Web site that will be used by WSUS. The bottom of the screen will also list the URL that WSUS clients will obtain updates from and the URL for the WSUS console. Click Next.
Review the settings on the Ready to Install Windows Server Update Services screen and click Next.
Click Finish.

The steps outlined above will install WSUS as well as the Administration Console. You can remotely manage the WSUS server from any computer in a trusted domain. However, you need to install the administration console on each computer you will be performing remote administrative tasks.

To install the Administration Console:

Double-click the installer file (the same installer file used in the previous steps).
From the Welcome page, click Next.
From the Installation Mode Selection page, select the Administration Console only check box, and then click Next.
Review and accept the license agreement. Click Next.
Click Finish.

Now that the software is installed, you are ready to begin configuring WSUS. To access the Administrative Console, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and select Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0. In the next installment of this article, I’ll go into more detail on configuring WSUS 3.0 SP1.

A Unified Approach For IT, Audit, And Operation Teams

by Lockergnome on May 16, 2008 at 12:01 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Resources

Learn the five major information security areas where progress has been made in Security and Policy Compliance, and the ongoing need for continuous improvement.

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Silverlight With Moonlight

by Matt Hartley on May 15, 2008 at 10:11 pm · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in GnomeREPORT

I have been watching the Silverlight project for sometime now and I must say, it can indeed do more than Flash. It is also proving to be quite the portable solution as well I might add. But I am not typing this on a Windows box, I am using Ubuntu with Firefox 2.x (no beta 3 browsers for me).

So you might think that is means that I am never going to be able to use the wonders Silverlight when in fact, thanks to the Novell Sponsored Moonlight project, as of today, I can begin to. As it states here, this release of Moonlight is still what I consider to be alpha release as it does not yet support the Firefox 3 beta or anything to do with multimedia.

Great, so how do you test this then if there is no multimedia support? If you are on Linux and have been wise enough not to bother with the Firefox 3 beta (yuck, very beta), then you will be able to see Silverlight working nicely on your Linux box using two of the links below.

For my choice of test sites, I went to WeatherBug’s own Silverlight project, which was actually a Microsoft featured project on the Silverlight website. If you are running Silverlight, click on anything, the entire emulation of this Nokia application is fully interactive. I like it when the snow starts to fall myself. Another WB Silverlight project that is designed for their website can be found here.

Most of the Silverlight stuff I found on Google was for use on a Windows box as a Windows program. So if you want to try Moonlight out with some interesting ready to go Silverlight examples, I would suggest the links above. WeatherBug was on board very early with Silverlight, you can learn more about it here if you would like.

If you would like to further test out Moonlight, try out Microsoft’s Silverlight portal. There are a number of apps that may very well be compatible with Moonlight out of the box.

Ultimate Boot USB!

by Matt Hartley on May 15, 2008 at 8:49 pm · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Just Ask Matt!

Today, Brian asks:

Matt, been really likely what I see with the bootable USB keys, but I need something for Windows that can provide me with a toolkit of fixes when a PC goes south. Do you have any suggestions?

Well Brian, the one thing that comes to my mind is the Ultimate Boot CD, on a USB key. A complete how-to is provided here by Dave Drager at makeuseot.com.

And according to his instructions, you will basically download the CD ISO image, download and run an assigned executable, and follow the rest of his instructions. When you are done, you will have a ready to go, USB key that will be their to present you with all of the fantastic options that the Ultimate CD would otherwise provide, assuming the machine can boot off of USB of course. Otherwise, you will want to keep a copy of the Ultimate Boot CD handy as well.

Do you have an IT-related question? Perhaps you are just burnt out on writing on the walls with crayons? Whatever the comments may be, drop me a line, and you too can “Just Ask Matt!” Please address comments to the comments section above, my email address is for questions - thanks!

Install Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 Part II

by Diana Huggins on May 15, 2008 at 10:00 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Tips

It is important that you pay close attention to the pre-installation tasks and software/hardware requirements for WSUS 3.0 SP1 before jumping into the installation. Doing so will ensure that you are one-step closer to a successful installation.

Operating Systems

WSUS 3.0 SP1 can be installed on Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008.

The remote console, which is used to administer a WSUS server, can be installed on any of the following operating systems:

Windows Server 2008
Windows Vista
Windows Server 2003 SP1
Windows XP SP2

On the client side, the following operating systems can use Automatic Update connect to a WSUS server:

Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, any edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP4, Windows 2000 Server SP4, or Windows 2000 Advanced Server with SP4

Hardware Requirements

The hardware required to support WSUS 3.0 SP1 is directly related to the number of clients the server will be supporting. In other words, hardware requirements will increase as the number of WSUS clients increases. The following table presents guidelines to following when selecting hardware for a WSUS computer.

Minimum Hardware Recommendations

Hardware	Low-end 500 or fewer clients	Typical 500–3,000 clients	High-end 3,000–20,000 clients, or rollup of 30,000 clients	Super high-end 10,000 clients, or rollup of 100,000 clients
CPU	1 GHz	1.5 GHz or faster	3 GHz hyper threaded processor, x64 hardware	3 GHz hyper threaded dual processor
Graphics card	16 MB hardware accelerated PCI/AGP video card capable of 1-248616bpp	16 MB hardware accelerated PCI/AGP video card capable of 1-248616bpp	16 MB hardware accelerated PCI/AGP video card capable of 1-248616bpp	16 MB hardware accelerated PCI/AGP video card capable of 1-248616bpp
RAM	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB	4 GB
Page file	At least 1.5 times physical memory	At least 1.5 times physical memory	At least 1.5 times physical memory	At least 1.5 times physical memory
I/O subsystem	Fast ATA/IDE 100 hard disk or equivalent SCSI drives	Fast ATA/IDE 100 hard disk or equivalent SCSI drives	Fast ATA/IDE 100 hard disk or equivalent SCSI drives	Fast ATA/IDE 100 hard disk or equivalent SCSI drives
Network card	10 MB	100 MB	1 GB	1 GB

Disk Requirements

The system partition and the partition that WSUS will be installed on must both be formatted with NTFS. The system partition requires at least 1 GB of free space and the volume that will store database files requires 2 GB of free space. Lastly, the volume where updates are stored requires 20 GB of free space.

Software Requirements

The software requirements vary depending on what platform WSUS is being installed on. When installing WSUS on Windows Server 2003 SP1, the software requirements that must be met includes:

Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0
Microsoft Management Console 3.0 for Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Report Viewer
SQL Server 2005 (optional)

If you are installing WSUS on Windows Server 2008, the following software requirements must be met:

Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable Package (x86)
Microsoft Report Viewer

Firewall Requirements

The firewall requirements are only applicable to those WSUS servers that are located behind a corporate firewall. In such cases, the corporate firewall may have to be configured to allow the WSUS server to obtain updates. WSUS requires port 80 for HTTP protocol and port 443 for HTTPS protocol. Alternatively, instead of opening those ports and protocols to all addresses, access can be restricted to the domains listed below:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
https://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
http://*.update.microsoft.com
https://*.update.microsoft.com
http://*.windowsupdate.com
http://download.windowsupdate.com
http://download.microsoft.com
http://*.download.windowsupdate.com
http://test.stats.update.microsoft.com
http://ntservicepack.microsoft.com

Note: The sections above provide a very high level description of the requirements for WSUS. For more detailed instructions about each requirement, see Deploying Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP1.

Site Selection

by Lockergnome on May 15, 2008 at 12:01 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Business, Resources

Site Selection’s editorial mission is to publish information for expansion planning decision-makers — CEOs, corporate real estate executives and facility planners, human resource managers and consultants to corporations.

Our goal is to help the expansion planner do a better job. Site Selection covers the world like no one else in the industry. Only Site Selection gives a global, expansion-minded audience World Reports, compiled by our network of top-notch, veteran international correspondents.

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All Home Improvement Stores Should Have These

by Matt Hartley on May 14, 2008 at 10:42 pm · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in GnomeREPORT

Not something that would have ever really occurred to me, but when my wife went to the showroom today, they provide access to a TabletPC that also provides access to a real-time budget calculator. So as she went through to make selections for our new home, it was automatically entered into a special web application that sends this info onto the builders. Hence, zero mistakes.

Why in the heck do we not see this sort of commonsense approach with our big box home improvement stores. For contractors, such a feature would be invaluable when planning a home. Yes when you goto (insert name here), you are lucky to find someone to help you, while trying to juggle a pen and paper, using a calculator to stay on budget and then hope you will end up with what you ordered for the home project.

I will tell you right now, the home improvement store that provides this sort of service for home builders (not really for single projects) will make a mint with loyal customers tired of trying to stay on budget with paper and a prayer.

See You At The TechEd North America 2008 IT Pro Week

by Greg Hughes on May 14, 2008 at 12:02 pm · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Events

In June I’ll be attending the Microsoft TechEd IT Pro Week in Orlando. the TechEd conference has been reworked into a two-week event this year, much like they have done in Europe in the past. The first week is focused on developers and the second week on IT professionals.

I’ll be working that second week with my RunAs Radio podcast co-host, Richard Campbell. We’re going to be running some panel events and speaker contests as well as putting together some new shows.

If you’re there, please drop by and say hello!

Install Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 Part I

by Diana Huggins on May 14, 2008 at 10:00 am · Comments (1) · Related Posts
Categorized in Tips

In a previous set of articles, I described how to install Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). With a more recent version available, WSUS 3.0 Service Pack (SP) 1, there are a few changes. In the following series of articles, I’ll show you how to install the latest version of WSUS and point out any differences from its predecessor.

For those readers who aren’t familiar with WSUS, it is used to deploy software updates to computers on a network. The major benefit of using WSUS is that it gives administrators an opportunity to download updates to a specific server on the network and use them within a test environment before approving them for installation in the production environment. If you have ever installed updates, you are probably aware that installing them does not always produce positive results. WSUS gives administrators a chance to install the update before they are installed on production servers and workstations.

The computer running WSUS can automatically download updates (or they can be downloaded manually by an administrator) from the Windows Update web site. The updates can then be tested, published for users, and installed on network computers configured to use WSUS.

Note: In order for computers to obtain updates from a computer running WSUS, they must have the Automatic Update feature enabled. I have outlined how to configure Windows XP for WSUS. In an upcoming series, I’ll describe how to do this in Windows Vista. .

Now that you’re thinking WSUS, we’ll look at the pre-installation tasks and other important information you need to know before installing WSUS 3.0 SP1 over the next few days.

ChannelPro - The Insider’s Guide To SMB

by Lockergnome on May 14, 2008 at 12:01 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Resources

ChannelPro is the only industry magazine committed to providing targeted business and technology insights for IT channel professionals — integrators, developers, white-box builders, solution providers and VARS serving small- and medium size businesses (SMB).

Each issue delivers powerful news, reviews, analysis and advice to help you cultivate your SMB customers, run your business more profitably and get an edge on the competition.

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What Is With Kids Today?

by Matt Hartley on May 13, 2008 at 11:20 pm · Comments (4) · Related Posts
Categorized in GnomeREPORT

I admire a creative mind as much as the next guy. But I am really struggling with what is going on in this instance. To be clear, I do realize that it is simply based on a game called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. which has the Chernobyl disaster as a backdrop. But even still, I have to ask - what possesses someone to spend this much time on a PC, likely designed for gaming, which will very well end up being obsolete in a few years anyway?

The work that this kid has done with his mod is amazing - legendary, even. Yet I cannot begin to wonder if modding is becoming something that is no longer all that original. To me, it feels like the once uber modders are being flooded with people who apparently have entirely too much time on their hands.

Am I just getting old or have we put too much time into fantasy? Then again, should we not be celebrating a young person who at least chose to spend his free time creating instead of drooling in front of a TV set? Hit the comments, you be the judge.

iBerry?

by Matt Hartley on May 13, 2008 at 10:11 pm · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Talk

Perhaps the timing is just odd, but why did it take all of this time for BlackBerry to finally come up with a touchscreen phone? And an even bigger question - will existing BlackBerry users actually care? I have to be honest, I am just not buying into the idea that most BB users are going to get too excited at the prospect of loosing their tactile goodness they have come to know and love, only to assume that they have the level of touchscreen dependability that is seen with the current iPhone.

What is great however, is seeing that we can rely on Verizon to be the exclusive carrier. /sarcasm. Yes, this is just as valuable to the end user as the iPhone being exclusive to AT&T customers. I mean, nothing makes me want to rush out and buy a product like when I know that I will be locked in for good.

Am I nuts? Will this new BB be of such tremendous value that it will translate in to people dropping their existing RIM devices? Hit the comments, share your thoughts.

DHCP Scopes In Windows Server 2008

by Diana Huggins on May 13, 2008 at 12:10 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Tips

Any server running the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service must be configured with at least one active scope before it can lease Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to DHCP clients. A scope is a range, or pool, of IP addresses that can be leased to DHCP clients on a given subnet. If there are multiple subnets, a DHCP server must be configured with multiple scopes.

Each scope you create consists of specific information. It is generally a good idea to do so pre-planning before creating the scope so you have all the necessary information on hand. This can reduce the likelihood of creating a scope with incorrect information. The information required to create a scope includes:

A range of IP addresses that can be leased to clients
A subnet mask that determines the subnet for a given IP address
A scope name that appears in the DHCP management console
The lease duration value that determines when DHPC clients must renew their dynamically assigned IP addresses

Scopes do not only contain IP addresses for DHCP clients. A scope can also include optional parameters such as the IP address of DNS servers and routers. The optional parameters can be assigned to DHCP clients when they lease an IP address.

Before you jump into the process of creating scopes, you should keep a few important points in mind:

All DHCP servers on the network require at least one active scope.
Any static IP addresses need to be excluded from the scope. This eliminates the possibility of one IP address being assigned to two computers.
If necessary, a single DHCP server can have multiple scopes.
Each subnet can have only a single DHCP scope with a single continuous range of IP addresses.

When you are ready to begin creating your scopes, you can use the DHCP management console, similar to Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003. Creating scopes in Windows Server 2008 will be covered in a future article.

The Deal

by Lockergnome on May 13, 2008 at 12:01 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Business, Resources

The Deal is the indispensable newsweekly for all dealmakers covering M&A, bankruptcy, private equity, venture capital, law & tax, corporate restructuring, and much more.

Each issue of The Deal quickly brings you up to speed on current deals in every sector from all around the world. We cover the players — the people behind the deals — plus we bring you comprehensive perspectives, timely commentary, and analysis with pages of charts and stats as well as in-depth features throughout the newsweekly.

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Seems Reasonable Enough

by Matt Hartley on May 12, 2008 at 10:50 pm · Comments (5) · Related Posts
Categorized in GnomeREPORT

Earlier today, I had an interesting conversation with my mom. She had been approached by my aunt with the idea of providing a simple, Internet connected means of providing pictures to my grandma without needing to understand why or how it actually works. Now before the 50+ crowd jumps me for that comment, bear in mind that my grandma is in her mid-ninties. Yes, that is 9-0. So it should be safe to point out that at this stage in her life, she is dealing with other issues that prevent the possibility of introducing computing to her, whereas if she was in a different place in her life, it would be a great idea. Moving on.

After discussing all of the possibilities with my mom, I kept coming back to one reality - why is it so difficult to make something like this happen easily? Seriously, the best I could come up with was either a wifi-enabled digital picture frame or even better, using a Chumby with Flickr to simply display photos and other family news.

In many ways, the Chumby-Flickr combination made the most sense, seeing how family members could upload their photos, have then automatically resized off of the camera, then stream them easily to the Chumby.

Unfortunately, it is not that easy for a number of reasons. Here is a partial list.

As easy as Flickr is, there is a need to show my less tech savvy family members how to upload photos. Not a problem for my mom, but other members of the family might need a quick how-to, which is problematic being so far away.
My family by in large are living in the dial-up world. Some by choice, others because of location. This puts a real strain on uploading pictures with much success, at least when it comes to any that present any real numbers.
To use Chumby, you really need wifi - rural Kansas is not really booming in that dept.

Now there are other reasons that I will not get into why this will not work, but it presents a greater opportunity. Why in the world do we not see see someone taking something like the Chumby, providing some sort of EVDO-like service for it and have Flickr on standby already out of the box? While WiMax or mobile broadband still costs money, if you bundle the whole thing (hardware and all) into a Zonbu like subscription plan, you will see a lot of holidays filled with these as gifts as they accommodate a very specific need - getting photos to grandparents who for whatever reason, are not part of the computing community. Think no one would by it? Wrong, I can name about ten people without even breaking a sweat.

The Principles Of Project Management

by Lockergnome on May 12, 2008 at 12:03 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Books

SitePoint recently announced the release of The Principles Of Project Management, a step-by-step guide to delivering projects on time and on budget.

Authored by Meri Williams and beautifully presented in full color, The Principles Of Project Management proves that project management isn’t rocket science, and, with a little help from Meri, that you don’t need to sit the PMP exam to be a project management superhero!

“Finally, there’s a book out there for the designer or developer who finds themselves responsible for executing projects. Best of all, it’s under 200 pages, so it’s quick to read and digest,” says Matt Mickiewicz, Co-Founder of SitePoint.

With The Principles Of Project Management readers will:

Learn how to start every project on the right foot.
Master the planning, execution, and control of your projects.
Discover the secrets of effective communication and change management.
Identify project warning signals and learn to keep your projects on track.
Understand the benefits of using the right tools, resources, and people.
Learn how to give a superstar project handover.
And much, much more.

The Principles Of Project Management is ideal for anyone who wants to learn enough project management to ensure their projects succeed.

Keeping Up On Your Daily Meetings With Outlook 2007

by Diana Huggins on May 12, 2008 at 12:02 am · Comments (1) · Related Posts
Categorized in Tips

Many people keep track of their daily meetings and appointments in Outlook. Although Outlook is a great tool for managing daily meetings, especially with all the reminders Outlook can send you, there are a few downsides to consider.

For example, when you arrive at the office each morning, you need to wait until your computer and Outlook starts before you can see what meetings you have scheduled throughout the day. What happens if you do not have access to Outlook? You will also not have access to your list of meetings and appointments.

A simple way to overcome such downsides is to print a hard copy of your meetings and appointments for the following day. A hard copy is handy to refer to in the morning or as you go from meeting to meeting throughout the day.

If you use Outlook to keep track of your meetings and appointments, you can easily print them. To print appointments and meetings in Outlook 2003:

On the File menu, click Print and then in the Print style box, click the print style you want. To print the details of appointments and meetings, in the Print Style box, click Calendar Details Style.
In the Start list and the End list, enter the first day and the last day to print.
To set other print options, such as the paper orientation or the fonts used, click Page Setup, and then select the options that you want.
To print the details of private appointments, clear the Hide Details of private appointments check box.
To print non-adjacent days, change to Week or Month view, select the days you want to print.

Content Management System Pocket Guide

by Lockergnome on May 12, 2008 at 12:01 am · Comments · Related Posts
Categorized in Resources

Use this valuable guide to identify the pitfalls and explore the opportunities available in implementing a CSM solution for your organization.

Once you’ve built the business case for purchasing a CMS, this guide can serve as a ‘field guide’ for the evaluation, implementation and deployment process. It begins by analyzing the anatomy of a CMS project, going through the decide and buy, implement and integrate, manage and maintain and upgrade and enhance phases. As part of the first phase, this guide provides a very useful sample of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to help you evaluate content management vendors. The guide also underlines the importance of viewing content management as a process, not a product, and suggests working with a content management vendor who will become a core part of your Web site management team.

Get your free CMS Pocket Guide today!

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