| Volume 11, Issue 4: February 25, 2009 | Note from the Editor | | | Greetings, and Welcome to TechNet Flash. Those who've played with the R2 beta release of Windows Server 2008 might have noticed a new tool, the Best Practices Analyzer, designed to help administrators reduce best practice violations by automatically scanning the roles in use and reporting the violations. Also in WS 2008 R2, Events and Errors documentation is available directly from Event Viewer, organized in hierarchical structure by server roles and server fundamentals. For those of you testing the Windows 7 beta, stay tuned to the Microsoft Update blog. Starting February 24, we will be releasing up to five test updates to PCs running the Windows 7 Beta (Build 7000) via Windows Update. These updates do not deliver new features or bug fixes; they do allow us to test and verify our ability to deliver and manage the updating of Windows 7. We typically verify servicing scenarios during a beta. Gavriella Schuster, senior director for the Windows Enterprise team, posted recently to the Windows Blog a very succinct explanation of why deploying Windows Vista now will make the future transition to Windows 7 easier. In her post, Guidance on Windows Deployments for Business Customers, Schuster explains how testing and remediating your applications on Windows Vista can actually ease your Windows 7 deployment due to the high degree of compatibility. In the same vein, the Springboard team published Managing the Diverse Infrastructure: Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. In a perfect world, we'd love it if your could wave a hand and all your PCs would be running Windows Vista so they are positioned for an easier Windows 7 rollout when the time comes. But we live in the real world where you are most likely managing desktops and laptops with different versions of the Windows operating system. More Windows 7 Beta Tips in TechNet Magazine TechNet Magazine is continuing its month of Windows 7 tips. Here are a few of the latest tips you'll find on the TechNet Magazine site: Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash |
Your Featured Content | | Let us know what interests you and we'll deliver your featured content here in the next edition of TechNet Flash. |
New Videos for IT Pros | | 23 minutes, 8 seconds
Content types are designed to help users organize their SharePoint content in a more meaningful way. A content type is a reusable collection of settings you want to apply to a certain category of content. | | | 7 minutes, 14 seconds
This video shows how to create report subscriptions and how to:
• Configure a shared data source to store credentials (required for subscriptions)
• Configure SSRS for SMTP e-mail delivery
• Create a subscription that delivers reports to a file share
• Create a subscription that delivers reports via e-mail |
IT Management | | Discuss major topics and specific challenges you and other managers at IT organizations face today. Use this open forum to chat, discuss solutions, and share ideas with your peers as well as IT evangelists Kevin Remde, John Weston, Harold Wong, and Dan Stolts. | | | March 4, 2009, 1:00 P.M. Pacific Time
In this webcast, we discuss the technologies and practices that let an organization take advantage of the Microsoft promise of SOA and BPM to accomplish more with its existing infrastructure. Tune in to find out how to make your organization more agile and proactive in handling the business of business. |
Featured Downloads | | Designed to be enterprise-ready, Internet Explorer 8 can help reduce security risks, includes a backward compatibility mode, expanded management capabilities, and deployment support. Find new features such as a cross-site scripting filter, the SmartScreen Filter, improved ActiveX technologies, 100 new group policies, and an application compatibility toolkit. | | | The new release includes updated security guides, the GPOAccelerator tool to help you establish and deploy your security baselines, and configuration packs to use with Configuration Manager 2007 to help you monitor your security baseline for operating systems and office applications operating in your environment. |
Scripting for IT Pros Hey Scripting Guy...
Support and Troubleshooting Hotfixes Knowledge Base Articles See a selection of new Knowledge Base articles on the TechNet Web site. KB articles feature an Article Translations box in the right column. You can select a language from the drop-down list and read the article in the selected language.  Also availabile via RSS
Upcoming Webcasts | | February 26, 2009, 11:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Microsoft and NetApp will present a live online Q&A chat session. A panel of experts will address basic and expert-level questions about how to virtualize a server and underlying storage environment. See how to build and configure Hyper-V and NetApp solutions to cut storage costs. | | | February 27, 2009, 9:30 A.M. Pacific Time
In this webcast, we demonstrate how Woodgrove Bank extended their application virtualization capabilities using Microsoft System Center products. |
Identity and Security | | Try the next generation of Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) Server and experience key features that include Web anti-malware, HTTPS inspection and the Network Inspection System. | | | The Microsoft SDL Optimization Model is a strategic framework which facilitates consistent and cost-effective implementation of the SDL in development organizations outside of Microsoft. Self-assess your current state of security in development and create a strategy and roadmap to progressively attain measurable security improvements with the Security Development Lifecycle Optimization Model. |
On Demand | | System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 has a powerful new feature called performance and resource optimization (PRO) that enables administrators to quickly indentify performance issues in their virtualized environment, and provides remedial recommendations to rectify them. | | | While virtualization is an important technology for increasing flexibility and improving the cost structure of SAP landscapes, the requirements in performance and availability of SAP applications typically depend on appropriate information for planning, sizing, and design of SAP infrastructures. |
Virtual Labs | | After completing this lab, you will be better able to scan messages for viruses and use file filtering to block attachments. | | | This lab demonstrates how to operate the desired configuration management (DCM) feature in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for security baseline compliance monitoring. |
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| |  | | | | National and Global Events Tech·Ed North America 2009 May 11 - 15, 2009 Los Angeles, CA Immerse yourself in more than 750 learning opportunities. Explore current and soon-to-be-released Microsoft technologies, including the Microsoft System Center product suite, Microsoft Forefront, and Windows Server 2008 R2. Register by February 27 and save US$200 on the full conference price. Register for Microsoft Management SummitApril 27 - May 1, 2009 Las Vegas, NV In this 10th-anniversary year, Microsoft Management Summit 2009 will present more than 120 demo-packed technical sessions. The theme of this year's Microsoft Management Summit is "Physical – Virtual – Powerful," reflecting how integrated management of both physical and virtual environments, across the datacenter and on the desktop, can lead to powerful yet cost-effective solutions. | | TechNet Plus Direct | • | Full library of Microsoft software for evaluation without limits | | • | Immediate access through subscriber downloads | | • | Two Professional Support incidents | | • | Access to beta software before public beta releases | | • | Exclusive tools and utilities | | | | | | | | Personalize Your Flash Let us know your technology interests. When you personalize your Flash experience, additional content for your selected topics can be found in every edition in Your Featured Content. | | | © 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics, Expression, Forefront, Hyper-V, Internet Explorer, Outlook, Silverlight, SoftGrid, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows Mobile, Windows Server, and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. To cancel your subscription to this newsletter, reply to this message with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line. You can also unsubscribe at the Microsoft.com Web site. You can manage all your Microsoft.com communication preferences at this site. Legal Information. This newsletter was sent by the Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA 98052 | | | | |
