If you subscribe to one of these plans and want to be among the first to have unlimited storage rolled out to your account, you can sign up at https://preview.onedrive.com. For Office 365 business customers, unlimited storage for OneDrive for Business has been added to the Office 365 roadmap and will begin rolling out in 2015.

Official Announcement

Today, storage limits just became a thing of the past with Office 365. Moving forward, all Office 365 customers will get unlimited OneDrive storage at no additional cost. We’ve started rolling this out today to Office 365 Home, Personal, and University customers. The roll out will continue over the coming months, so if you want to be one of the very first to get more storage, go here to put yourself at the front of the line. In the meantime, you can take advantage of the massive capacity you have today by activating the auto upload feature for your camera roll on your phone.

For OneDrive for Business customers, unlimited storage will be listed on the Office 365 roadmap in the coming days and we will begin updating the First Release customers in 2015, aligned with our promise to provide ample notification for significant service changes. In the meantime, get started using your 1 TB of storage today by backing up all those work files kicking around on your PC – with the knowledge that even more storage is on its way!

While unlimited storage is another important milestone for OneDrive we believe the true value of cloud storage is only realized when it is tightly integrated with the tools people use to communicate, create, and collaborate, both personally and professionally. That is why unlimited storage is just one small part of our broader promise to deliver a single experience across work and life that helps people store, sync, share, and collaborate on all the files that are important to them, all while meeting the security and compliance needs of even the most stringent organizations.

We’re thrilled to continue our quest of making OneDrive the world’s cloud storage leader – and, always a key part of the best productivity service with Office 365. We’re all in! Stay tuned for more exciting announcements over the coming months.
 
-Chris Jones, corporate vice president, OneDrive & SharePoint

1. If you've already added your Office 365 mail account on your Sony Xperia Z3 using "Exchange ActiveSync" as the type, it should show up as "Mail" - you can go ahead and delete this account
2. Once deleted, create a new Account, select Exchange ActiveSync and enter your details
3. Instead of selecting Automatic Configuration, select Manual, and specify the following: 
1. Username = youruser@yourcustomdomain.com
2. Servername = m.outlook.com
4. This time, it should detect the correct settings from O365 and provide you with a screen that now has not only Email, but Contacts, Calendar and Tasks with check boxes for syncing
5. Once complete, you should now see your Office 365 Email, Contacts, Calendar and Tasks show up on your phone in a couple of minutes!

Primary Symptom: when you attempt to log into Lync, it appears to sign you in just fine, but after briefly displaying your Lync contacts, it immediately signs you out and gives you a generic error message that either the server is unavailable or some unknown error has occured. 

Likely Resolution:

• Make sure you have all Mac for Office updates and are running the very latest updates
• Go into Settings (System Preferences), Language & Region
• Change the language from "English-Primary" (or whatever the language is set to) to "English-US" 
• Reboot
• Go back into Settings (System Preferences), Language & Region
• Change the language back to "English-Primary"
• Reboot
• Open Lync and you should be able to log in just fine this time

What does it mean to own your data in Office 365? How we aim to raise the bar on visibility and control of your organization’s data with Office 365 or https://bit.ly/1DjDOoe

“In our last few From Inside the Cloud posts, we offered an insider’s perspective from lead engineers Perry Clarke, Vivek Sharma and Shawn Veney on how we protect your data at rest, who has access to your data within Office 365, and how Office 365 does continuous compliance. They explained the various mitigations that we have in place for data security, access control, and ensuring that customers have the ability to comply with regulations or their own organizational policies. These posts followed an overview on why trust Office 365 with Rajesh Jha, the head of Office 365 engineering, who emphasized how we ensure that you retain full ownership of your data in the Office 365 service. Today I want to take that aspect of the discussion a step or two further by exploring how this translates to the value that we are engineering into Office 365.” (https://bit.ly/1DjDOoe)

I hope this is helpful, 

Landmines to Avoid (a.k.a. Best Practices to Follow when Creating & Using Azure Virtual Machines)

Issue: There are Limits to MSDN-based Azure Benefits:

There are differences between creating a VM under your MSDN Subscription's Azure Virtual Machine Preview Subscription vs. a Trial or Pay-As-You-Go...just know this and read the differences!

Issue: Don't Create a VM under an MSDN Azure Account if you want to "Move It" to a Paid Account later on! 

There is a way to "move" virtual machines after the fact, which I will cover, but you will save yourself a lot of work and definitely a lot of time if you follow this simple tip. It is better to "play around" with Virtual Machines on your local machine, and once you have something that is somewhat ready to use (ie everything's installed....NOW I want to start developing against it; or we've been developing and NOW we want to move it into the Azure management umbrella etc. etc.), then upload the VHD as a Page Blob to Windows Azure. I'll cover the workaround below if you've already found yourself in the dilemma of waking up and being out of hard drive space on the OS disk, drive C, and are trying to figure out how to make it bigger so you can actually start using it productively :-) 

Resolution: if you already have a VM in Subscription #1 and want to move it to Subscription #2

If you already have a VM in either your MSDN or Trial Subscription and for some reason you want to move it to another one, I've compiled the steps in this document. 

Issue: Want more than a 30 GB C drive? Create your own VHD offline, prepare & copy it to Windows Azure instead of using the Wizard 

If you want  the VM's OS Drive (Root C Drive) to be larger than 30GB (which is pretty much always) it is best to create the VM in your own environment, prepare it for WIndows Azure, and upload it as a PAGE BLOB to your Azure Storage account. If you weren't warned or just dove in head first and already woke up to a useless VM because the C drive is full...don't bother asking if you can resize it using your Azure Management Tools...the answer will be no. Simply bite the bullet and refer to the Resolution listed below and PDF that I've attached.  

Resolution: if you're already out of HD space on the OS C Drive: If you've already created a VM, discovered some of the limits, like running out of hard drive space on drive C, attached in the PDF file are the steps to get out of the situation. 

Issue: Want to connect to your Windows Azure Subscription using Third Party tools like Cloud Xplorer or Cloud Storage Studio 2?

These tools will ask you for a Management Certificate, and if this is the first time you're encountering this, you'll be wondering what the heck to do. It's pretty simple and you can follow the instructions below to make it happen. Basically, you do the following:

1. Generate a Certificate on your local machine
2. Upload the Certificate to the Windows Azure Subscription you want to manage
3. Add the Subscription to the Cloud Management Tool using the Certificate you just uploaded to Azure

Azure VM-Resizing the OS Disk.pdf

• Introduction to Visual Studio 2012 - Part 1
• ALM with TFS 2012 Fundamentals
• ALM for Developers with Visual Studio 2012
• Microsoft Fakes Fundamentals
• IntellliTrace

Additionally, there are courses on developing Windows 8 apps, C#, and agile software development with scrum. Check out the full list of courses – we think you’ll find something you like! To take advantage of this training benefit, just register with Pluralsight at https://aka.ms/Pluralsight2012 by December 11, 2012.

Who is not eligible?

• MPN (Microsoft Partner Network) MSDN subscribers
• BizSpark members (see our BizSpark offer)
• WebsiteSpark members (see our WebsiteSpark offer)
• DreamSpark members (see our DreamSpark offer)
• Microsoft full time employees

What courses are included?

• Agile Team Practices with Scrum
• ALM for Developers with Visual Studio 2012
• ALM with Team Foundation Server 2010
• ALM with TFS 2012 Fundamentals
• Building Windows 8 Metro Apps with C# and XAML
• Building Windows 8 Metro Apps with C++ and XAML
• C# Fundamentals - Part 1
• C++ Fundamentals
• Continuous Integration
• Developing for Windows 7
• Intellitrace
• Introduction to .NET Debugging using Visual Studio 2010
• Introduction to Building Windows 8 Applications
• Introduction to Microsoft Fakes
• Introduction to Visual Studio 2010 - Part 1
• Introduction to Visual Studio 2010 - Part 2
• Introduction to Visual Studio 2012 - Part 1
• Introduction to Windows 7 Development
• Kanban Fundamentals
• Solution Modeling with UML in Visual Studio 2010
• Test First Development - Part 1
• Test First Development - Part 2
• Web Application Performance and Scalability Testing
• Windows Azure Diagnostics
• Windows Phone 7 Basics

Problem/Sympton: I went to upgrade a perfectly working SQL 2008 R2 standard server (which was using a Default Instance, nothing crazy) to SQL 2012. The Setup failed halfway through with a random error connecting to SQL Analysis Services (your failure could be different)...then it indicated all I had to do was fix the problem and re-run my SQL 2012 Upgrade...this wasn't true :-)

Error/Result: I had an "orphaned SQL instance" called MSSQLServer.Inactive and no matter what I tried, I could not get this to "uninstall"

The most-recommended Resolution to the Error/Result: Your internet search will most likely lead you to attempt many things, none of which will work, and finally to the suggestion of trying to uninstall the Inactive SQL Instance using the command line

setup.exe /ACTION=uninstall /FEATURES=Feature_List /INSTANCENAME=Instance_Name

The REAL Resolution Steps: (don't bother trying to figure out what went wrong...feel free to try the most-recommended resolution first if you'd like...but I'd suggest that if you have the above error/result, do the following:

• Search your machine for files called Datastore_Discovery.xml (depending on how much you've got or done, you might see many of these...just open the most recent one and you'll be fine
• Open Datastore_Discovery.xml in an editor...given the formatting, what worked for me was in Visual Studio 2008/2010 and clicking Edit, Advanced, Format Document (this arranges the XML nicely)
• What you're looking for is all places where MSSQLServer.Inactive exists in the document as the Instance ID...below is a sample of how the line starts:
• <Instance Urn="Machine[@ID='IWE']/Product[@ID='SQLVNEXT']/Instance[@ID='MSSQLSERVER.INACTIVE']" ID="MSSQLSERVER.INACTIVE" Name="MSSQLSERVER.INACTIVE" ........
• Scroll along the lines around the above one and find the following value field: ProductCode="{9FFAE13C-6160-4DD0-A67A-DAC5994F81BD}" (and of course, don't ACTUALLY use the code you see here...yours will be different...look for the brackets and use yours :-) )
• There might be multiple ProductCodes, depending on how many times the <Instance URN...> line lists MSSQLServer.Inactive, so make sure to find all ProductCodes...BUT BE CAREFUL that you ignore any VALID instances of SQL. Only look for the ones under MSSQLServer.Inactive entries.
• Now open a command line
• For each of the ProductCodes that you found for the Inactive SQL Instances, type the following:
• msiexec /x {9FFAE13C-6160-4DD0-A67A-DAC5994F81BD}
• Do this for each Product Code that relates to an Inactive Instance
• Once complete, go back to your SQL installation media and run Setup
• Once the main splash screen launches, click on Tools, then Installed SQL Server features discovery report
• This will launch a web page listing the SQL Instances and all features per instance
• If you still see any MSSQLSERVER.INACTIVE there, you missed one of the ProductCodes and you need to double check. Otherwise, all of the orphaned SQL Instances should now be gone, and you can either Add Features or do a clean Default Instance reinstall

Note: to make sure the reinstall/install works smoothly, make sure you do the following:

• Go into Add/Remove Programs, click on the SQL entry that shows (Setup) next to it...forget the underlying pieces of SQL...just the "main SQL program" and Uninstall
• When that finishes, open a command prompt and do the following:
• Navigate to c:\windows\system32
• Do a directory listing of files using the command dir *perf-*.dll and you should get a list back...look for the SQL ones (mine included perf-MSSQLSERVER-sqlctr11.0.2100.60.dll, perf-MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER-sqlagtctr.dll, perf-ReportServer-rsctr11.0.2100.60.dll etc.)
• You now need to move just the ones specific to the SQL instances that relate to your SQL that won't install (if you want a clean wipe of all SQL, remove all that show SQL in the file names)...using the command move perf-MSSQLSERVER-sqlctr11.0.2100.60.dll c:\temp for example
• Once you've removed them, you're good to go on the SQL side to re-run your Setup
• If SQL Setup says there's a pending reboot, see the next note below...
• Also, if you want to shortcut things and not bother with the Server Reboot that SQL is about to force you to do, you can do the following:
• Start, Run, Regedit
• Navigate down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
• Look for the "PendingFileRenameOperations" key and delete it...now when you run SQL Setup (or hit Re-Run on the one you have open)...it'll proceed without a hitch

I hope this helps!

DB

• March 13th; 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

Join Microsoft and Northwest Cadence as we share our knowledge of how to leverage Microsoft’s ALM strategy and toolset to take your team and the software they create to the next level. We will dive into how Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate and Team Foundation Server will give you the process efficiency, automation, and standards-driven development capabilities that will increase productivity and decrease costs. During this event we will show:

• Visual Studio Line Up & What’s New in MSDN
• Visual Studio Overview
• Introduction to Agile
• Testing Tools (Test Pro)
• Intellitrace (deeper dive into testing)
• TFS: Reporting Analytics and Process Template

 Event details:

• Date: February 13, 2012
• Time: 9:30am-10:15am PST
• Register: https://nwc_sabenefits.eventbrite.com/

 Join Rick Flath, Director of Business Development at Northwest Cadence, for this 45 minute webinar that will provide you with an overview of the three (3) DTDPS offerings, along with the how to activate and strategically utilize these benefits to enhance your software deployment planning. Additionally, we will review how you can connect DTDPS to other Software Assurance benefits within your agreement to ensure you gain the highest return on your investment.

 Topics:

• What is Developer Tools Deployment Planning Services – aka DTDPS
• Team Foundation Server Deployment Assessment
• Visual SourceSafe Migration Assessment
• Visual Studio Quality Tools Deployment Assessment
• Process for Activation of DTDPS
• Engagement Process
• Rules for the Program
• Selection of delivery Partner
• Connecting DTDPS with other Software Assurance Benefits
• Call to Action 

 Questions? Please reach out to Rick.Flath@nwcadence.com  

• Setup a Manual test run
• Explain the architecture of Test Professional
• Show how to configure the environment, build and other conditions for a test
• Show how Test Professional is completely integrated into TFS and VS 2010
• Show how we can gather real-time test data that we can provide back to teams or person

In the later portion of this webinar we will explore how Test Impact Analysis helps the team focus and prioritize by automatically identifying which tests are potentially affected by a pending change. Join us for this free webinar!

• January 27^th, 9:30AM – 11:30AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

Introduction to Kanban

Kanban is a Lean-inspired approach to software development.  Although the rules of Kanban are simple, they are also remarkably powerful.  By simply visualizing work, limiting work in process, and monitoring the flow of work, the team begins a powerful process of discovery and improvement.  This has resulted in impressive improvements in nearly all areas of software development time and time again.  During this event, we will talk about the five basic principles of Kanban adoption, the benefits of adoption, and the pitfalls along the way.

• January 27^th, 8:00AM – 9:00AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

ALM Catalyst: Northwest Cadence – Double Feature:  TFS - Branching & Merging & Builds; TFS – Analytics & Process Template

Join us for this Double Feature Delivery of TFS Branching & Merging as well as TFS Analytics & Process Temple. In this session we'll demonstrate how lab management can be used to support development, deployment and test of SharePoint applications. In addition, we will show how to leverage Process Template to provide essential transparency and empower teams to identify and address opportunities for continuous process improvement. Join us for this free Live Workshop!

• February 3^rd, 9:30AM – 11:30AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

Introduction to Scrum

Scrum is the most adopted agile methodology.  Time and again, it has transformed low performing development teams into powerful creators of business value.  Scrum does particularly well in environments where requirements shift or change unpredictably and in areas with substantial uncertainty.  During this event, we will introduce the three Scrum roles, dive into the basic Scrum processes, and explore the reasons behind Scrum’s power.  Although this event is an introduction to Scrum, we will provide several tips and tricks to assist in Scrum adoption.

• February 3rd, 8:00AM – 9:00AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

Visualize Work – The Power of Big Visible Displays

Visible work has a profound impact on a team.  By making work visible, teams can rapidly identify bottlenecks and issues, visualize the amount of work the team has under development, and most importantly understand the “life story” of the features they are working on.  At a glance, teams can identify overloaded people, problematic stories, quality problems, and overall development speed.   Visualization is one of the key tools in an effective Kanban implementation.  During this event, we will discuss how Kanban teams visualize work, where to get started with visualization, and the tools available to help build effective visualizations electronically.

• February 10, 8:00AM – 9:00AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

Scrum-damentals

Scrum is the most adopted and recognized agile methodology. However, there are still challenges to Scrum adoption.  This event will dive into several Scrum adoption pitfalls and how an organization can avoid them.  In particular, we will highlight some of the proven practices that have worked for diverse sets of teams.  We will also leave time for questions and encourage attendees to bring your most challenging problems!

• February 17, 8:00AM – 9:00AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information

Limit Work in Process (WIP)

Overloaded individuals and teams suffer from bad multitasking.  They are also cursed with long lead times, poor quality, and high rates of failure.  Kanban limits work in process (WIP) to improve the flow in a development process.  This event is more technical than the earlier Kanban events.  During the event, we will expose the problems caused by excessive WIP, and the wide-ranging benefits of reducing WIP. 

• February 24th, 8:00AM – 9:00AM
• Free Event
• Registration Link and More Information