Server 2008 and the RODC (Read-Only Domain Controller)

Speaking to several people about the Server 2008 migrations, there were a lot of questions and reactions to the new Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) option. Some confusion too, as some thought this is similar to Windows NT 4.0’s Backup Domain Controller (BDC) type technology.   The difference between a RODC and a BDC is apparent […]

Exchange- Web Access, and blocking your attachements

If you use Exchange Server 2003, you can block attachements for the Web Access. Attachments extensions can be configured through the registry on your Exchange Server. OWA is originally installed with the default set of extensions, shown below. –Level 1: attachments with file extensions prohibited from being accessed by OWA: Location: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeWeb\OWA Value: Level1FileTypes Type: REG_SZ […]

Blog Upgrades

I wanted to post a quick note as some of you might have noticed some links changing and the blog being down on-and-off for the past few days. We’ve upgraded the blog (behind the scenes, version updates, etc) to allow better flexibility and more feature. Throughout the upgrade we’ve noticed several widgets not working so […]

Server 2008 Backup

Recently, someone asked about that Windows Server 2008 Backup feature and I wanted to include a quick note about it on the blog as well. The Windows Server 2008 Backup feature can be installed separately, and has a couple of subsets- Windows Server Backup and Command-line Tools. Through the helpful interface you can run your […]

Retrieving object details from Active Directory

Obtaining any type of info from your Directory Services requires scripting, if you’re using the native tools. There’s an easier and faster way- you can use third party Active Directory solutions like the Active Directory Manager, or Active Directory Reporter. So let’s compare the two approaches; let’s try to get something simple… say “User” details: […]

Group Policy best practice analyzer tool

This tool has been available for about 1 year or so. Many people are aware of it, but we talk to many other IT folks that either chose to ignore it or are simply unaware of it. According to Microsoft- You can use the Microsoft Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer (GPDBPA) tool to collect […]