Start your preparation for Windows server 2012…

The most recent free ebook offered by Microsoft Press. Introducing Windows Server 2012, by Mitch Tulloch, is now ready for free download.

More information are available on the link below:

Free ebook: Introducing Windows Server 2012 - Microsoft Press - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Exchange 2010 Service Pack 2 is released, you can download it from : https://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=28190

For Hosting Fans, you can start enjoying Hosting on enterprise

This is a good surprise for hosters:

Microsoft exchange team have annouced:

“With the release of Exchange Server 2010 SP2 later this year, we will add a new feature known as Address Book Policies. Following this addition, hosters who wish to deploy the standard on-premises configuration of Exchange and use ABP will be supported.”

To be eligible for support, hosters will need to adhere to a few configuration guidelines; a framework we will publish in conjunction with SP2…

Continue at source.

For More information, go to https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=c3202ce6-4056-4059-8a1b-3a9b77cdfdda

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 helps keep your PCs and servers on the latest support level. It also provides ongoing improvements to the Windows Operating System (OS), by including previous updates delivered over Windows Update as well as continuing incremental updates to the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 platforms based on customer and partner feedback. This enables organizations to deploy a single set of updates.
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will help you:

• Keep your PCs supported and up-to-date
• Get ongoing updates to the Windows 7 platform
• Easily deploy cumulative updates at a single time
• Meet your users' demands for greater business mobility
• Provide a comprehensive set of virtualization innovations
• Provide an easier Service Pack deployment model for better IT efficiency

I am posting this blog, to share with you the errors that you usually face when installing CRM 4.0 with SQL 2008. I will write about the requirements, and the workaround to bypass these errors.

Architecture

• 1 CRM Server ( Typical, web and app role)
• 1 SQL Server (SQL Database and SRS)

CRM Server can be installed on windows 2008 R2, I recommend installing the features and roles from windows powershell as follow:

Add-WindowsFeature NET-HTTP-Activation,NET-Framework-Core,NET-Framework,NET-Win-CFAC,RSAT-ADDS-Tools,RSAT-AD-AdminCenter,RSAT-AD-PowerShell,RSAT-Web-Server,RSAT,RSAT-Role-Tools,RSAT-AD-Toolsm,RSAT-ADDS WAS-Process-Model,WAS-NET-Environment,WAS-Config-APIs,WAS

Application-Server,AS-NET-Framework,AS-Web-Support,AS-WAS-Support,AS-HTTP-Activation,File-Services,FS-FileServer,FS-Win2003-Services,FS-Indexing-Service,Web-Server,Web-WebServer,Web-Common-Http,Web-Static-Content,Web-Default-Doc,Web-Dir-Browsing,Web-Http-Errors,Web-Http-Redirect,Web-App-Dev,Web-Asp-Net,Web-Net-Ext,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-ISAPI-Filter,Web-Health,Web-Http-Logging,Web-Log-Libraries,Web-Request-Monitor,Web-Http-Tracing,Web-Security,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Digest-Auth,Web-Client-Auth,Web-Cert-Auth,Web-Url-Auth,Web-Filtering,Web-IP-Security,Web-Performance,Web-Stat-Compression,Web-Dyn-Compression,Web-Mgmt-Tools,Web-Mgmt-Console,Web-Scripting-Tools,Web-Mgmt-Service,Web-Mgmt-Compat,Web-Metabase,Web-WMI,Web-Lgcy-Scripting,Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console

SQL server 2008 SP1 is needed when installing SQL Server on windows 2008 R2

Make sure that full text search, management tools, and Reporting Servers are selected during installation.

When installing CRM on the front end server, the installation verification fails and displays missing components msftesql and cisvc services. the reason is that msftesql (the sql server full text indexing service) has a different name against sql server 2008.

To workaround the msftesql issue:

1. Just rename the registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSSQLFDLauncher to msftesql to give an illusion to the MSCRM verification phase that services is present in the system so that it does not fail while installation.
2. Now restart the system and run the installation of MSCRM again.
3. After installation rename the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msftesql back to MSSQLFDLauncher.

To solve the cisvc services error, right click the MyComputer->Manage, now right click the Roles ->Add Roles and now install the file services role.

When installing Microsoft Dynamic CRM connector for SQL Server Reporting Service on the SQL Server, it fails. The only workaround for this issue is to choose the “Download latest update files” at the start of the setup.

The aim of this post is to clarify certain points regarding Lync Web App

1. Lync Web app is not a Role in Lync
2. Lync Web app is not a replacement of CWA of OCS 2007 R2
3. Lync Web App can be used by employees who have Lync 2010 account, but do not have a Lync 2010 client installed on their machines, like those working from home on a PC or a Mac. Lync Web App also enables external partners, such as salespeople, who are invited to Lync 2010 meetings but do not have Lync 2010 account to join meetings as guest.
4. Lync Web App provides most of the Lync 2010 features in a meeting; including viewing and presenting PowerPoint slides, meeting wide IM, telephone based audio, file distribution and application and desktop sharing.
5. Lync Web App cannot be used to schedule meetings or exchange instant messages with individual meeting attendees, but allows sharing group messages with all participants in a meeting.

Instant Messaging is provided through the integration of Outlook Web App ( Exchange 2010) with Lync. Meeting Schedule is provided through the add-ons in Outlook.

Deploying Lync Web App

Microsoft Lync Web App communications software is an Internet Information Services (IIS) web client that installs with Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and is enabled by default. No additional steps are necessary to either enable Lync Web App on the server or deploy the web client to users. When users click a meeting URL, they are presented with the meeting join page, which provides the option to join the meeting by using Lync Web App.

Your main consideration during client deployment is whether to install the following software prerequisites for Lync Web App in advance or to allow users to install them as needed:

• The Microsoft Silverlight 4.0 browser plug-in is required for Lync Web App. You can deploy Silverlight 4.0 to client computers, or you can allow users to be prompted for installation when they first start Lync Web App.
• The sharing feature in Lync Web App requires a Microsoft ActiveX control. The first time users initiate a sharing session, they will be prompted to download the required ActiveX control.

Check Supported platforms for Lync Web App to see if you or a colleague can use Lync Web App.

After releasing version 14.1 Last week, the Microsoft Exchange Team released a small update of the Exchange Mailbox Role Calculator, bringing it to version 14.2.

This version includes the following fixes since 14.1:

• Fixed two-node stretched DAG scenario that resulted in calculator not reporting results due to new copy validation check.

You can download the calculator here, consult the changeblog here or read through the usage instructions here.

The Microsoft Exchange Team released an important update of the Exchange Mailbox Role Calculator, bringing it to version 14.1.

This version includes the following fixes since 12.8:

• Fixed the Activation Results Scenarios to no longer display #NAME when dealing with dedicated lagged copy servers;
• Fixed 2 LUNs / Backup Set formula for the 11th database grouping set in the DB and Log LUN Design / Server table to display the correct number of databases in the grouping set;
• Fixed “Number of Active Databases / SDC Server (After First PDC Server Failure)” calculations to take into account stretched Single DAG without dedicated DR servers;
• Fixed “Number of Required Mailbox Processor Cores (Primary Datacenter)” formula to respect when site resilience is disabled and A/A (Single DAG) is selected;
• Fixed formatting for scenario that resulted in more HA database copies being deployed in the secondary datacenter than in the primary datacenter and also improved validation checks;
• Updated “Custom Number of Databases” (Input Section) and “Number of Databases” (Role Requirements section) text to indicate in standalone situations that the “Custom Number of Databases” is per server and “Number of Databases” is for the environment;
• Fixed 2nd PDC failure formula to enable site resilient scenarios that have 3 copies in PDC to allow double server failure event;
• Optimized Number of Mailboxes per Database (I/O Driven) to not round up odd numbers to the next even number;
• Fixed text in various comment fields.

This version also contains the following enhancements:

• Added conditional formatting for Exchange Native Data Protection input factor to alert when you are deploying with less than the recommended number of HA copies;
• The calculator now includes the ability to select different disk types and capacities for the storage architecture being deployed in the secondary data center.

Consult the changeblog here.You can download the calculator here. Usage instructions can be found here.

I am writing this blog to share the below information with anyone who was looking for the proper order of installing the latest Rollup update of HMC and Service Pack 2 in HMC 4.5 platform.

in fact, such information is not available, as probably everyone assume that the platform is already installed before the release of Exchange 2007 Service pack 2.

For those doing a new installation of HMC 4.5 now, the below information is for you.

Before installing Exchange and preparing exchange in HMC 4.5 environment, you should have Active Directory installed, MPS SQL installed, MPS installed , and Active Directory prepared for hosting using the MPS Media (without Rollup update), as per the deployment procedure.

At this point, you will prepare the prerequisites of your exchange servers. I recommend you to use the Exchange 2007 with Sp2 Media (the service pack 2 executable contains all the binary, and is downloadable for public). Now after you prepare your schema, install exchange 2007 with Sp2 directly into your environment.

The next step will be preparing MPS for hosted exchange, and for this section, follow the procedures in HMC 4.5 Deployment …

Before being able to test your HMC platform,  hence before running the environment, you should install the latest Rollup update (now RU8)/

The purpose of this blog is to assist anyone who face an incident similar to the one below:

Scenario:

Installation of Lync enterprise on 1 Front End Server (Windows 2008 R2), Consolidated Roles of Front End, with Enterprise Voice. (No Monitoring, Archiving, Edge Servers)

SQL Server used for back end: Shared SQL Instance, SQL 2005 Sp3 64 bit, windows 2003 R2 sp2 64 bit.

Issue:

The address book files are not created in the file shares.

The following were checked: