Exchange 2010 SP1 beta Prerequs

I have been playing with the Exchange Server 2010 SP1 beta in my test lab.  Thus far, I'm pretty impressed.  It upgraded my lab servers cleanly.  I upgraded a 2 node DAG nicely as well.  I'm using Windows Server 2008 R2 (fewer prereqs that have be installed.) 

There are  few hot fixes that you will need to install, though. 
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB979533
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=183148

Administering Microsoft E-mail Servers: The basics

I am proposing a book that would cover the basics of administering e-mail servers in a Microsoft environment. This would book would not be version specific, but would cover basics such as DNS, PKI/certificates, Outlook/MAPI profiles, reverse proxies, storage, SMTP, POP/IMAP, fighting spam, etc... The target audience is new e-mail administrators.

First, I think there is a good potential audience for such a book. Second, it would free books suh as the "Mastering" books from having to cover the basics.

I'd like to hear some feedback from people about this idea.

Mastering Exchange Server 2010 book

The Exchange Server 2010 book is now "on the streets" and I have gotten a lot of good feedback from people. However, one thing I want to make sure that potential purchasers know. The book currently has no Database Availability Group (DAG) content. The book is intended for new administrators (new-to-product and new-to-version) rather than a technical "deep dive." Our original intent was to follow-up with an "Advanced" book. Not sure where that is, but we are looking at options for people that want DAG content.

Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer explained so I can understand it

This is one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time. A young administrator explains to us the value of the Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer. :-) I wonder if I can get my Siberian Husky to "woo" an explanation of the RCA?

Interesting AT&T "dial" features

I knew it was possible to "dial" a number on your AT&T phone and get my minutes balance for the month. But there is more than just minutes:

*BAL# to check your balance
*MIN# to check minutes remaining
*DATA# for data remaining (if you don't have unlimited data)
*PAY to pay your bill
*NEW# to see if you are eligible to upgrade to a new phone

Just enter the above "numbers" in to the phone and press dial. I used to have TMobile and they had some similar features.

I had an annoying problem today while working with a fresh installation of Exchange Server 2010.  Everything installed beautifully.  But, when I went to open the Exchange Management Shell or the Exchange Management Console, I got this error:

VERBOSE: Connecting to hnlex05.somorita.local

[hnlex05.somorita.local] Connecting to remote server failed with the following error message : Access is denied. For more information, see the about_Remote_Troubleshooting Help topic.
+ CategoryInfo : OpenError: (System.Manageme....RemoteRunspace:RemoteRunspace) [], PSRemotingTransportException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : PSSessionOpenFailed
 
After a more troubleshooting than I'm willing to admit, I found that the time on the Exchange server was wrong.  The moral of the story?  Don't forget the basics!

Photovoltaic rocks! Look ma! No power used!

I recently added 15 new photovolatic panels to my solar power array. My daily "net power" consumption has now dropped to zero. I produce "excess" power during the day which is sent back out to the Hawaiian Electric Company grid. They use the power elsewhere and give me credit for the power they consume. Then at night or on cloudy days, I use up the credit. My minimum bill is $18.26 which is the "connection fee."

Exchange 2010 SP1 beta ships

Greetings from TechEd 2010! If you are like me and you have been waiting on the beta of Exchange Server 2010 SP1 beta to ship, it has arrived! Time to get those test labs fired up and start seeing some of the improvements including the new personal archive improvements and improvements to Outlook Web App!

TechEd 2010 Preconference session - Thanks everyone

To everyone that attended the pre-con session at TechEd, thanks much for attending. David and I had a great time doing the presentation. I think we probably could have spent 2 or 3 DAYS talking about Exchange 2010 and sharing our thoughts (and hearing yours!) Thanks for attending!