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 […]

Quick note about Group Policies – Server 2003 vs. Server 2008

A major issue in Server 2003 implementations of Group Policies is the huge amount of space they take up. For each Policy, there’s a corresponding .ADM file. The .ADM file supports only the English language, and it’s also 3.5MB in size. Not much right? When you consider that for each policy you have, there’s a […]

Failed to access IIS metabase

When setting up the Active Directory Manager, some people may encounter issues related to the IIS setup. The possible cause: When you install IIS AFTER .NET 2.0 framework, the rights of the ASPNET user had not been set correctly. Suggested resolution: Repair (Uninstall if repair does not work for you) .NET Framework 2.0 You can […]

Audits- the necessary evil?

Most IT executives recognize the importance of a proper audit, yet audits can be a painful process for both the auditor and the IT organization. Audits give companies opportunities to improve, based on analysis and advice. How big (and complex) should an audit be depends on the risk priorities and thresholds, business objective, differences in […]