Jul 25 2008 12:41PM GMT
Posted by: Troy Tate
administration,
design,
CIO,
DataCenter,
DataManagement,
Exchange,
email,
Exchange 2007,
Outlook Web Access,
OWA,
Microsoft Windows,
Microsoft,
Powershell,
troubleshooting,
Networking,
internet,
antivirus,
CA,
certificate authority,
digital signatures,
tools
Well, we did it! We implemented new mailboxes on Microsoft Exchange 2007 for over 2000 users in one weekend. Of course it took lots of planning, testing and blood, sweat, tears during the process, but we are now on one e-mail platform where there were at least 5 before. We had more domains than we needed and now the company is on one domain. We had to plan and provide for inbound messages still to the old domains.
The implementation was not without a couple of minor glitches and learning how users use the application. One glitch was a mistyped IP address. This prevented e-mail flow for a short period of time, however that is not a huge issue since SMTP servers will continue to retry sending messages. Another issue that was encountered was administrative rights to “shared” mailboxes like customer service or supply buyers. This has now been resolved and users are getting full use from the system.
We still have some work to be done on things like:
- proactive system monitoring to detect issues before the users do;
- alternatives to sending large attachments (our attachment limit is 15MB);
- running Outlook Anywhere so a mobile user can attach to their mailbox without having to use VPN;
- supporting mobile devices like smartphones (our focus is on Windows Mobile v6 and up);
- user certificates using private PKI to allow for digital signatures and encryption.
So, as you see, work in IT never finishes… it just continues to grow as more services and systems are implemented and change happens. Please feel free to leave a comment if you would like more information about our implementation process and decisions we made along the way.
Thanks for your time. Let’s be good network citizens together & practice safe networking!
Jun 18 2008 7:25PM GMT
Posted by: Troy Tate
Powershell,
administration,
howto,
DataCenter,
DataManagement,
Development,
Exchange,
Microsoft Windows,
Microsoft,
troubleshooting,
Networking,
Security,
policy enforcement,
reporting,
tools
Microsoft has some great virtual labs which can give an administrator some quick education over a lunch hour or a short period of time. One of these virtual labs is the 10 Cool Powershell Scripts lab. If you have not started with Powershell, then this may help you get moving in the same direction that Microsoft is moving… back to the command line!
Enjoy & keep your skills fresh.
Jun 18 2008 7:20PM GMT
Posted by: Troy Tate
administration,
diagnostics,
beta,
DataCenter,
Microsoft Windows,
Microsoft,
troubleshooting,
Networking,
LAN,
Monitoring,
metrics,
Performance,
reporting,
tools
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is an integrated platform with tools and guidance that make it easier for you to assess your current IT infrastructure and determine the right Microsoft technologies for your IT needs. It offers easy inventory, powerful assessment and actionable recommendations for Windows Server 2008, Windows Server Hyper-V, Virtual Server 2005 R2, Microsoft Application Virtualization (formerly SoftGrid), System Center Virtual Machine Manager, Windows Vista, 2007 Microsoft Office, and SQL Server. The popular Windows Vista Hardware Assessment readiness tool has now been replaced by the MAP toolkit platform.
Jun 18 2008 7:15PM GMT
Posted by: Troy Tate
administration,
Microsoft,
Sysinternals,
awareness,
Data security,
diagnostics,
howto,
CIO,
Database,
DataCenter,
DataManagement,
Development,
Microsoft Windows,
troubleshooting,
Networking,
LAN,
network analysis,
WAN,
Security,
forensics,
Monitoring,
Policy,
Performance,
reporting,
tools,
web,
website,
www
If you’re a fan of the Sysinternals tools, check out the beta of Sysinternals Live, a service that makes it easy for you to execute Sysinternals tools directly from the web without hunting for and manually downloading them. Simply enter a tool’s Sysinternals live path into Windows Explorer, or at the command prompt as \\live.sysinternals.com\tools\<toolname> or view the entire Sysinternals Live tools directory in a browser.
If you have not used these tools yet, then you are definitely missing a critical item for being successful in your IT position. Check them out… it may save your reputation some time!
