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Welcome to 2009. Here’s a deal for you.
Fri, 2/01/09 – 14:06 | Comments
Welcome to 2009 - where we've got a LOT of great stuff lined up for you. First of all, our "Monsters of Tech" class in Denver this coming April is still open for registration, and we've lowered the per-student price to just $2,000 for the entire week. Check out the Read the full story »
Features

These ongoing series of articles bring you new content on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. Check back often!

Jack of All Tech

The minimum you need to know about the varied technologies that you support - even though they’re not really your thing.

Just for Fun

A little off-topic, but still eminently interesting: Gadgets, hobbies, contests, giveaways, and whatever pops into our minds.

Musings

Our take on what’s happening in the IT world - and most importantly how we think it’ll affect you. What do YOU think?

Windows Admin

Managing (and automating) Windows servers and desktops, including scripting and Windows PowerShell

Jack of All Tech, Musings, Windows Admin »

Clustered Hyper-V Between Two Mid-Range Laptops Using iSCSI and Consumer-Grade 100MB/sec Networking… Some Remarkable Results…
Fri, 19/12/08 – 7:49 | Comments

I’m in the process this week of authoring my monthly “Geek of all Trades” column for TechNet Magazine.  For this month, I’m attempting to put together the absolute simplest configuration possible using the poorest-possible hardware for constructing a Hyper-V cluster.  My goal with this experiment is to explain how easy it can be to add extra availability to your Windows environment through the merge of these two technologies.  I also want to prove that you don’t necessarily need high-end equipment to do it.

I’m happy to report that the silly thing works, and with a respectable level of performance.  I’m even more excited to say that I believe I’ve discovered that Hyper-V virtual machines run across a purposefully-pitiful iSCSI connection can run faster than those which are hosted on local disks.

To explain, let me first outline my components:

Read the whole story »

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PowerShell: Taking Some Time Off
Mon, 22/12/08 – 2:08 | Comments
I'll be taking a two-week break from my weekly PowerShell column here to relax and enjoy the holidays with my family. See you next year!
Clustered Hyper-V Between Two Mid-Range Laptops Using iSCSI and Consumer-Grade 100MB/sec Networking… Some Remarkable Results…
Fri, 19/12/08 – 7:49 | Comments
I'm in the process this week of authoring my monthly "Geek of all Trades" column for TechNet Magazine. For this month, I'm attempting to put together the absolute simplest configuration possible using the poorest-possible hardware for constructing a Hyper-V cluster. My goal with this experiment is to explain how easy
App-V Part 5: Lightweight Infrastructure
Thu, 18/12/08 – 7:29 | Comments
Designed to provide a balance between features and infrastructure requirements, App-V's Lightweight Infrastructure mode does require a bit of back-end: Specifically, you need to install the System Center Application Virtualization Streaming Server - which most folks just call "the App-V streaming thing." Operating without AD (if you like) and with
Greg’s (old) Redmond Magazine Windows Insider Column Ranked #1 in 2008
Wed, 17/12/08 – 14:08 | Comments
In today's Redmond Report, Redmond Magazine lists the top 10 most-viewed columns of 2008. Â Coming in at #1 is Greg's (old) Windows Insider column titled Au Revoir, MCSE. Â Also in that list in the number 5 slot is another of Greg's (old) Insider columns titled 5 Rules for
IT Book Report: “The Definitive Guide to Building a Windows Server 2008 Infrastruture”
Wed, 17/12/08 – 10:06 | Comments
10 months in the making, this e-book is finally released in its final form. Now in sharing the role of author and in this case reviewer as well, this review will obviously have some bias. But with that said, I can tell you that this book is your definitive guide
TechMentor Dates and Hotel are Confirmed!
Tue, 16/12/08 – 9:50 | Comments
Not much news to report yet on the spring TechMentor conference. However, I can now announce that the dates are set for June 22nd through 26th. The event will be held in the Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, FL. We were at this resort last year, and it is
More Holiday Surveys (and More Chances for Freebies)
Mon, 15/12/08 – 8:00 | Comments
The guys over at StackSafe have asked me to publicize that they're doing a survey on Microsoft Exchange they call their "Email Upgrade Survey 2008".  They promise me that although they're taking personal information, that info will only be used to send out prizes to winners. They're giving away an
PowerShell: Output Options
Mon, 15/12/08 – 1:26 | Comments
One of PowerShell's truly amazing capabilities is its ability to convert objects into a variety of useful formats for reporting, archiving, sharing data, and more. Here's a fast rundown of the many built-in options; to use any of them, just pipe your objects to the output cmdlet, as in: Get-Service
Custom Framing as its Own Work of Art
Sun, 14/12/08 – 9:10 | Comments
I have a buddy we call "Moby" here in Denver who as a hobby makes some of the most beautiful picture frames you've ever seen.  All are hand-built and each is a work of art.  No two have ever been alike.  His particular skill is in the matting, where he
Get Don’s VBScript books for $10 (Limited Time)
Fri, 12/12/08 – 8:29 | Comments
ScriptingOutpost.com (run by SAPIEN) is clearly seeing PowerShell as the wave of the future - but if you're still working with VBScript, you can pick up one of my VBScript-related books for $10 while supplies last. Titles include Advanced VBScript for Windows Administrators, VBScript WMI and ADSI Unleashed, and Windows
Jeff Hicks’ PowerShell WMI Wizard
Thu, 11/12/08 – 18:22 | Comments
Jeff Hicks has pulled off a masterstroke, using nothing but PowerShell and SAPIEN's free PrimalForms dialog box builder to create a graphical "WMI Wizard" for Windows PowerShell. If you use PowerShell, you simply must check this out. This shows the power and flexibility of Windows PowerShell. Sure, it's not something
Reluctant DBA Part 5: Relationships
Thu, 11/12/08 – 7:49 | Comments
So where does the "relational" part of "relational database management system" come into play? Imagine a Customers table that contains the following columns: ID Name Address We'll leave it at just those three to keep the example simple. Now imagine an Orders table: ID CustomerID OrderDate ShipAddress BillAddress Wait, why
PrimalScript: Shell me, Bash me
Wed, 10/12/08 – 10:15 | Comments
SAPIEN continues to reveal new features in their upcoming PrimalScript 2009 release. One new feature is the ability to have an in-process PowerShell command window. This puts PrimalScript on par with products like PowerShell Plus Professional (from Idera). However, PrimalScript has never been a PowerShell-only product; in keeping with its
IT Book Report: Mastering System Center Operations Manager 2007
Wed, 10/12/08 – 8:00 | Comments
Over the past few weeks I've been finishing up a video training series for CBT Nuggets on System Center Operations Manager 2007. As a reference for that training project, I selected this book from the Sybex Mastering Series. While not necessarily intended to be a reference work, it provided a
Terminal Services Part 11: Apps to Host. Apps Not to Host.
Tue, 9/12/08 – 8:00 | Comments
 With all the features discussed to this point in this series, you would think that Terminal Services is a solution for all the applications in your environment.  Just move every application over to your TS servers, and your problems are resolved.  Users can access applications from anywhere,