Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Exchange Store won't mount

We had an issue with the Exchange 2003 server this morning. The information store and the public folder would not mount. We checked the database integrity and ran a repair using the eseutil.exe utility, but it still would not mount. We called Microsoft and it turns out that the log files was at the end of the sequence and a new file could not be created. Log files start at e001.log and go sequentially up. When the log files reaches effffe.log the next log can not be created since it has reached the sequence limit. Delete the log file (or move them to be safe), start the information store and mount the store and a new log file starting at e001.log will be created. This will happen if the server has been up for a long time or there are a lot of transactions according to Microsoft.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

SmartUPS and Windows Reinstall

I have been putting it off but I finally replaced the dying APC SmartUPS 620 for my server. I got a %25 discount for upgrading to the newer model and they also included a return shipping label to return the old unit. These UPS' are pretty heavy. I also got to map the serial cable pinout to connect the UPS to the server.
I have also been meaning to re-install Windows XP on my Dell laptop, but I did not have the media. Luckily Dell will ship you the installation media provided you are the original owner. So I've got Windows XP Media Center 2005 installed and I have to re-install all the applications again. That is the part I forgot how bad it sucks.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Meeting with Quest Software

We had a meeting with our new Quest software account managers and I didn't realize how much stuff they are involved in. They are Microsoft centric, but they make tools to integrate other applications and operating systems into the Microsoft universe. The conversation was mostly on identity management, like single sign on, password synchronization, and automated application logon. They also make a ton of Management Packs for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, which I will be rolling out very soon. They also have some handy free Windows directory tools available for download on their site. I have to give them a little more credit.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Blackberry Store

My co-worker told me that in the latest version of the Blackberry software has the Blackberry App store, like the Iphone has. Obviously you won't get the same apps, but at least there is some competition in the market. I have not seen the update on my Blackberry yet. I will have to do more research.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Conficker / Downadup Hoax

The Conficker / Downadup worm was supposed to hit April 1, 2009 but so far it looks like a hoax. Many IT folks that has to rapidly patch servers due to paranoid managers did all that work for nothing. Hackers are sneaky, however, and they may have gotten a laugh today but may strike later when everyone lets their guard down when they let out a sigh of relief. Friday's are good days to cause havoc. Look out for this weekend!