Changes to Exchange 2013 Server Roles

Hi folks! So with the new version of Exchange 2013, there are huge changes to server roles!

What might you ask? For one, there are only two server roles now! CAS (Client Access Server) and Mailbox roles! Microsoft did away with the complexity and reduced the roles to just two.

Also the connectivity between the roles makes use of https now. The CAS servers literally act as dumb proxies that forward requests to the mailbox roles and session affinity is no longer required at the load balancer. The mailbox role is responsible essentially for everything else.

This makes better use of your servers and makes it much easier to design an Exchange architecture. Of course in smaller environments you can combine the CAS and mailbox roles on the same server.

You can read more here at the Exchange team blog.

-RP

Microsoft finds success with Meru Networks

Hi folks! Another feather in the cap for Meru Networks! Courtesy of Microsoft at the CeBIT 2013 conference.

Recently at the CeBIT 2013 conference which is one of the largest IT conferences in the world. Microsoft used Meru Networks wireless to provide wireless access for their presence at the conference. This went off without a hitch and showed off the capability of Meru Networks single channel architecture.

They were able to do this with zero issues, and everything went off without a hitch. You can read more here.

-RP

SuperMassive E10800 Earns ‘Recommend’ Rating in NSS Labs 2013 Test

Hi folks! So fresh off my previous blog post, the SonicWALL SuperMassive has won some awards!

The SuperMassive E10800 has won the NSS Labs “Recommend” rating for the 2nd year in a row in the NSS Labs 2013 test!

So many people thing of SMB when they consider SonicWALL, remembering the SonicWALL of old. But the reality is, SonicWALL as a company has come a long way and is a huge player in the enterprise UTM firewall space. SonicWALL makes the fastest UTM protected firewall in the market, and I urge you to try one out to see what it’s all about.

You can read more in the NSS Labs report here.

-RP

The SonicWALL SuperMassive 9000 Series

Hi folks! For those of you that are looking into layer 7 capable firewalls, this one is for you!

Dell SonicWALL has released the SonicWALL SuperMassive 9000 series set of firewalls that gives you enterprise grade firewalls with great features and value with full UTM (unified threat management) functionality. One of my favorite firewalls for the market is the SonicWALL SuperMassive 9200.

With 10Gbe capability and full layer 7 functionality, this firewall is enterprise ready and packs a serious punch like it’s bigger brother. If you are looking for an enterprise grade firewall with serious throughput with all the layer 7 protection turned on, then this one is for you.

You can read more about it here.

-RP

Cisco Catalyst 3850

Hi folks! In the eternal game of networking oneupmanship, Cisco has released a new switch!

It seems that the  3750 has been around for years, but now Cisco has released the 3850! What’s all the buzz about? For one, Cisco has increased the stacking bandwidth to 480 Gbps which has been long over due.

The other thing that Cisco has done is integrate a wireless controller into the switch. This is quite reminiscent of Adtran to me who has been doing this already for ages, but Cisco has decided to take a page out of their book. The 3850 can support up to a maximum of 50 access points in a stack of multiple 3850′s.

You can read more here.

-RP

VMware Horizon Suite

Hi folks! So VMware has release Horizon Suite!

What’s this? It’s VMware’s answer to providing access to applications and data regardless of what platform you are on! Horizon Suite isn’t necessarily VDI, you can use non-VDI means to have access to your applications through a myriad of VMware technologies.

If you are a large enterprise, you can easily take advantage of Horizon Suite through an ELA (enterprise license agreement) which can afford you flexible options to deploying VMware in your environment.

You can read more here.

-RP

Samsung Galaxy S IV Launch – March 14th

Hi folks! So it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago when the Samsung Galaxy S III hit the market. Now Samsung is readying the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S IV.

With the rate at which phones upgrade, it’s any wonder any of these phones start to get traction. Well the S IV is set for launch on March 14th so save the date!

-RP

BlackBerry Z10 WPA2 Enterprise Setup

Hi folks! So I have heard that some people are having issues setting up BlackBerry Z10′s with WPA2 enterprise.

This is actually an easy fix. Most people select MSCHAPv2 and PEAP but forget to select one setting. Choose dual band, or 2.4 or 5.0 ghz depending on how your wireless network is setup and then it will associate and work. If it doesn’t associate the first time, just try again and should work.

-RP

Jelly Bean released for HTC One X in Canada!

Hi folks! For those of you that have the HTC One X, Rogers finally released the software update for Jelly Bean in Canada.

All you have to do is an over the air update and you will be using the new operating system. You can still get flash support as their are installers available on the Internet that will allow you to add flash support back to Jelly Bean!

The new OS has a lot more power saving features so it’s worth the upgrade!

-RP

Great switch for edge or small business!

Hi folks! Just wanted to talk about another switch in the Brocade lineup!

The ICX series of switches are great for the SMB and edge! Specifically the ICX 6430 and the ICX 6450! They deliver enterprise grade features at a cost effective price!

The 6430 is a layer 2 switch and the 6450 is layer 3 switch. Both are capable of stacking and are chock full of features. You can read more here.