DavidOverton.com
This site is my way to share my views and general business and IT information with you about Microsoft, IT solutions for ISVs, technologists and businesses, large and small.  

Blogs

  • VMware Consolidated Backup and Backup Exec

    We've implemented a VMware ESX farm in our offices (and we do have a Hyper-V server as well) and I have been looking at using VMware Consolidated Backup along with our NFR copy of Backup Exec to take snapshots of the VMs. I'm cheap see :-) I have got the VCB command line utilities working fine with the given documentation but whan I set BE up it failed with invalid username or password. This has been doing my head in. However looking around I discovered one post where someone had improved the JavaScript files that come with BE integration module and this gave me the idea to see if I could find out what username and password were being passed. I edited glue.js and wrote the username and password out to STDERR. In the CONFIG.JS I had put the username and password in (I'll lock down when it's all working) and was using a domain user in the form of domain\username. When I looked at the output in the logfile I was seeing domainusername all together. Being a JavaScript file it needed two \\ between the...
  • Security and some Myths debunked

    I used to spend my time dealing with security at a military scale for computer systems. I was not guarding anything in terms of weapons etc, just following process for protecting documents I was managing. If there was one thing that irked me was when people thought they were safe, but then did stupid things to completely undermine the security. For example, going in through the main enterence involved stringent security checks, but going through the side enterance the only check was on your car speed. My data was far less protected once physical security was compromised! Bring this into the world of computers and my role now, many people do things to enable them to feel safe - load A/V software, run multiple malware detectors, check the patch level on their firewalls, even if they are hardware filewalls, keep their systems patched, ensure the clients and servers are locked down with their own firewalls configured and managed by policy. I could go on, and of course you all do these things already, right? It was...
  • Vista Webcasts for July

    Using Built-in diagnostics in Windows Vista Monday, July 17, 2006 9:30AM - 10:30AM Pacific Time https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032301591&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US Windows Vista Deployment Overview (Level 200) Monday, July 17, 2006 1:00PM - 2:00PM Pacific Time https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032301597&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US Moving to 64-bit Computing with Windows Vista (Level 200) Tuesday, July 18, 2006 11:30AM - 12:30AM Pacific Time https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032299835&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US Security Features in Windows Vista (Level 200) Wednesday, July 19, 2006 11:00AM - 12:00PM Pacific Time https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032301585&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US Reliability Enhancements in Windows Vista (Level 200) Friday July 21, 2006...
  • Find out just how much Malware Microsoft has seen and removed using our tools

    Malware and the like are nasty horrid beasties. You probably see the malware remover tools come down each month as part of your security updates, but never think about what it is actually doing? Well, some scary information is provided at http://virtualteched.com/archive/2006/06/12/74.aspx from Tech-Ed. What is quite frightening is the number of PCs infected, the number of rootkits and the fact that most still get there with the users consent. ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Wed, Jun 21 2006
  • Latest Beta of Windows Live Messenger (replacement for MSN Messenger ships)

    Hi, this is a little off topic, but for those of you who like to play with betas, Windows Live Messenger is available, along with other products at http://ideas.live.com - worth a look in for sure. Lots of new features, but the ones I like the most are: Cheap calls to land lines from my PC send an IM to someone offline and they get it when the log back in IM while appearing offline :-) ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Fri, May 12 2006
  • UK SBS GUY & Gals site (uksbsguy.com) up down and round and round

    Howdy, I have seen plenty of system failures over the last two weeks and while some nice new hardware is due to arrive soon, I will be moving the whole system to a virtual server environment on another box that has been a stalwart. If you see the site down, it will almost certainly be rebooting - I have identified it two a couple of drivers (either NTFS.sys or my AV provider) - once it is virtualised, it will remain so until new hardware arrives. One thing I will do is fully document the process I took to move from physical to virtual without the use of an Enterprise Server (which is required to use the MS provided tools). More blogs posts soon - once hardware issues are off my mind. thanks David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, May 2 2006
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  • Is Windows still relevant? - Perspectives - CNET News.com

    CNET News.com's Charles Cooper says recent upset over Vista should put a rest to that lingering question . By Charles Cooper In the increasingly Google-YouTube-Web 2.0 age we inhabit, it's become fashionable to dismiss Windows as a relic. I always love these sorts or articles - before I even opened it up I knew what the answer was "no way is Windows Vista irrelevant". It is obvious to me. Sooo many partners, customers, ISVs all have their businesses wrapped up in Windows, even those who are opposing some of the changes. If Windows were not here, how would all those tools vendors sell their products for clients, if the clients were just web terms. How would people work on the move when disconnected (or in the UK - on a train)? So, of course Vista is relevant - people may have views as to how it applies to them, but that is true of anything. What is true is that it offers a great set of features that enhances both business and personal users. Of course, if you have a view, feel free to comment on the blog. ttfn...
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Fri, Oct 6 2006
  • Site disruption - upgrading some OS's and moving around some hardware

    The site might be up and down a bit as I move things around over the weekend. I am upgrading to newer versions two operating systems and moving the site onto a VPC for a short while. I will post when all is done :-) ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Sat, Oct 27 2007
  • Reading and storing everyone's e-mail and why I am glad I work for a small business

    I just saw this article at Wired and realised one of the benefits of working for a smaller organisation - this is not me I'm talking about, but you. One of the worrying quotes was: The survey gathered responses concerning e-mail security from 406 companies in the United States and the United Kingdom with more than 1,000 employees. In both regions, 38 percent of respondents said they employed staff to read or otherwise analyze outbound e-mail . In the United States, 44 percent of companies with more than 20,000 employees said they hire workers to snoop on workers' e-mail. Wow, not just the US, but the UK too. Now, should your customer be in the business where they do need to analyze mail, then of course SBS can help - for details on how to set it up, go have a look at the forum entry - http://uksbsguy.com/forums/thread/334.aspx for the answer - simple and effective. ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, Jul 4 2006
  • Windows Server 2003 and Virtual Server 2005 R2 - learn more with PTS-TV and Dave Sayers talking Virtualisation

    If you laughed at my exploits on PTS-TV - and even if you did not, go to PTS-TV and see DAve Sayers talk about Virtualisation. http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/blog/pts-tv ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, Jun 13 2006
  • Online postage service launched

    I saw this at the BBC web site and thought it was too good to miss - this is something businesses can easily make use of - another reason to have an internet connection!! Online postage service launched Online postage will cost the same as traditional stamps People are now able to buy their postage online, without any stamps, for the first time under a new free initiative from the Royal Mail. Source: BBC NEWS | Business | Online postage service launched
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Sat, Sep 23 2006
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  • Toshiba to Make Solid-State Drives in Push for Flash

    I saw this and had to share - I want flash drives for my laptops - fast, low power... me, me, me!! Toshiba to Make Solid-State Drives in Push for Flash The memory chip maker is seeking to create new sources of demand for flash memory chips. TOKYO (Reuters)—Japanese memory chip maker Toshiba Corp. said on Monday it would make flash-based solid state drives for notebook PCs, as it seeks to create new sources of demand for flash memory chips. The world's No. 2 maker of NAND-type flash memory said its solid state drives would range in capacity from 32 gigabytes to 128 gigabytes, and that it will mass produce the 1.8-inch and 2.5 inch drives in May 2008. Much more info at Toshiba to Make Solid-State Drives in Push for Flash ttfn David Technorati Tags: Storage
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Wed, Dec 12 2007
  • test post - ignore as it will be deleted

    foo bar baz - now to be entered as HTML foo bar baz ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, Sep 18 2007
  • Want to know much more about SBS and the Remote Web Workplace - go look here

    I was browsing the Official SBS Blog when I came across this. If you do not understand what the settings for RWW are, how to use it or modify the features, go to the blog entry Inside the Remote Web Workplace - Part I and everything will be answered ;-) ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, Sep 19 2006
  • Rain stops play at Wimbledon and on UKSBSGUY

    As many of you know, while I always advice having a server hosted in "proper" locations with adequate resources. Then I run mine on a SBS box back at home (limited funds). Well today we had some rain, hail stones, lightening and thunder today and the result was a few power cuts. What happens, well the server fails and shuts down. I reboot it to discover one of the drives missing. However I thought it had been overwritten and started to panic. The good news is that the backups work, but the disk had simply failed to re-power after the lightening and putting it back in the system fixed all. As you can see, the site is back up and running!! ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, Jul 3 2007
  • WHQL testing of servers (SBS or Compute Cluster Edition)

    After a conversation yesterday about WHQL testing and servers I have put a document on the process. While the same tool is used, there are different requirements depending on what test is being run, so for example to certify a server you need a number of desktops. I have posted the file at http://uksbsguy.com/files/12/amd_day/entry540.aspx ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Wed, Jun 7 2006
  • Still want more leads from Microsoft - another pointer

    I am often asked this question. The answer of course is made up of many things, but the things I find help are: Be seen in the right places - get your SBSC qualification - http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/sbsc Ensure that when you click on your link on the " Find an IT Consultant " link and enter YOUR postcode, that your site tells small business what YOU can do for THEIR business, not just what IT you sell Profile yourself so others can find you through other Microsoft Tools - http://blogs.technet.com/msppuk/archive/2006/06/09/434457.aspx Use whatever Microsoft advertising is available to you - http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/sales_and_marketing/campaigncenter/default.aspx Go on a solution sales skills course - http://www.microsoft.co.uk/events/eventdetail.aspx?eventid=8400 Look at the other MS resources available to you - http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/sales_and_marketing/benefits_diagram/default.aspx Work with other local partners to make life easier for all IT vendors around you - http://www.sbsbpi...
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Fri, Jun 23 2006
  • Running SQL Server on Microsoft Windows Server Longhorn or Microsoft Windows Vista

    Most people do not run SQL on their Windows client PCs, with the exception of MSDE. Windows Vista will not support MSDE (aka SQL 2000), so applications dependant on SQL will need to be moved to SQL Express, which in simple terms is SQL 2005 MSDE on steroids. I have checked and Microsoft will be releasing updates to it's packages that are supported on Vista to move them to SQL Express. Obviously, if you are looking at Vista, check with other 3rd parties to ensure they are doing the same. More details can be found at Running SQL Server on "Microsoft Windows Server Longhorn" or Microsoft Windows Vista . ttfn David
  • One word for Vista

    This is a really simple exercise - If you have used Vista, please summarise it in one word. The word from me is "inspiring"
  • Fixes and Updates for Vista and Longhorn Beta 2 - Symantec Antivirus, IPSec / firewall race condition leading to memory corruption and activation problem

    Update for Windows Vista Beta 2 and Windows Codename Longhorn Server Beta 2 Install this update to fix application compatibility issues with Symantec Antivirus version 10.0.1.622 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0ce37fb9-b654-45e7-b006-e1728fe076ca&DisplayLang=en Update for Windows Vista Beta 2 and Windows Codename Longhorn Server Beta 2 Install this update to fix an issue where in the presence of Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) or Windows Firewall, a race condition can be hot on multi-processor (or hyper-threaded) systems causing memory corruption, leading to a system crash http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8cf0c2ec-6a31-46a6-8238-dff1b2eb2025&DisplayLang=en Update for Windows Vista Beta 2 and Windows Codename Longhorn Server Beta 2 Install this update to address an issue where you may be unable to activate the product and become blocked from logging in http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5d21d780-a0e6-42e5-b905-d3a6e702ac56&DisplayLang...
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Mon, Jul 3 2006
  • London SMB IT Pro Group meeting Monday 9th October

    The next meeting of the London Small Business IT Pro Group will take place next Monday, 9th October. We have a slightly different emphasis this month. After a few months of technical input we are going to concentrate this month on some of the business aspects of running a consultancy. Susanne Dansey from the Kent group will be talking about the community and how to use the resources there to help you, "Utilising the Community for fun and for Profit" and also give us a run-down on last month's SMB Nation in Redmond. We also welcome Maurice Isaac and David Coburn from the Business Referral Exchange who will be doing a short talk on the benefits of Referral Generation Networking. If you are anything like me most of my work comes from referrals, so this should be useful to us all. The one bit of techy-related stuff is that there will be some folks from Microsoft Licencing there. They are looking for feedback on Open Value and Open Value Subscription licencing and on some planned training and promotions...
  • How to install Vista inside a Virtual PC

    One of my partners was having problems installing vista inside a Virtual PC and I remembered the problem with Virtual PC not liking DVDs or ISOs > 2 odd GB, so my answer was to use Virtual Server. Having said all that, there is very good documentation at The Elder Geek on the process - http://www.theeldergeekvista.com/vista_00028.htm . I would add a couple of things – install using Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 beta – you will get a much better experience – and this is freely available too. Enjoy testing Vista and remember to let us know what you like / don’t like. Ttfn David P.S. for all vista downloads etc have a look at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Mon, Jun 12 2006
  • Interesting discussion from one of the developers in the Windows team on "Why Vista Slipped"

    Blogging as a Microsoft Employee is always a tricky decision as what to tell or not tell. I personally feel that it is very important that the true is always told and that information if not confidential should be disclosed as desired. A recent post has caused lots of controversy as it discussed from one managers point of view the reason why Vista slipped in the 1 st place. Some may find the contents of the posting quite damning, yet the reality is that in a complex project, some things are not perfect, or even fixable. The things that Philip has highlighted are often based on human characteristics, such as trust, friendship and self protection. Great in some circumstance and bad in others. Vista is still a great product, and when it does ship will significantly move the bar for quality operating systems, but this is not to say that it won’t have had a hurdle or two to jump or lost a few pounds during this marathon race. For now, enjoy Philip’s blog and perhaps reflect what you might do to protect yourself when...
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Sun, Jun 18 2006
  • 2nd server need a CAL in SBS environment - not with R2

    This discussion came up yesterday internally and I thought I would share this as it has been discussed before In the Licensing FAQ: http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/sbs/evaluation/faq/licensing.mspx it states: Q. Do additional servers in my SBS 2003 R2 network require a CAL to connect to the domain? A. You do not need a CAL for additional servers to connect to the domain. ttfn David
    Posted to David Overton's Blog by David Overton on Tue, Sep 19 2006
  • subject area shortcuts

    Hi, for those who are after a quick way to find my posts on a particular subject area, I have created 4 shortcuts - they are: http://uksbsguy.com/sbs http://uksbsguy.com/wss http://uksbsguy.com/vista http://uksbsguy.com/office Do I really need to explain what each sibject area is? These will auto expand to the appropriate doverton blog categories. ttfn David
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(c)David Overton 2006-23