The new addresses automatically go into the global address book. Outlook however has it's own update schedule.
Often the following works to expedite the process.
Click Tools > then Send/Receive > then Download address book
Monday, 26 March 2012
Friday, 26 November 2010
Enable logging of Microsoft Windows installer for diagnosing and troubleshotting. Enabling installation logging can be easility accomplished for a problem installation by using command line parameters. Strat the installation .msi file with command line parameters to log information that can be reviewed after the failed (or even successfull) product installation.
To enable MSI installation logging use the following example:
installfile.msi /L*V c:\install.log
Replace the installfile.msi with the name of your installation file.
To enable MSI installation logging use the following example:
installfile.msi /L*V c:\install.log
Replace the installfile.msi with the name of your installation file.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Supporting Technology with Technology.: Enable 24 bit color in RDP for XP or 2003 Server
Connect with true color 24 bit rdp.
A pre-defined default limit on XP or windows 2003 server limits the color depth of RDP connections to 16 bit maximum. How to configure the "server side" of remote desktop to accept connections at 24-bit true color. Vista, windows 7 and server 2008 already allow higher that 24 bit color by default.
Connect with true color 24 bit rdp.
A pre-defined default limit on XP or windows 2003 server limits the color depth of RDP connections to 16 bit maximum. How to configure the "server side" of remote desktop to accept connections at 24-bit true color. Vista, windows 7 and server 2008 already allow higher that 24 bit color by default.
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Enable 24 bit color in RDP for XP or 2003 Server
On Windows server, RDP or RDS (Remote Desktop Services), also permits remote access connectivity by clinets running any version of the remote desktop connection client. The remote desktop connection client used to be called terminal services client and remote desktop protocol client. Older RDP client used to have a color limitation but the newer later RDC client (remote desktop connection) does not have that limitation but the color depth can be adjusted to the user's preference.
The default color resolution for RDP sessions is limited to 16 bits. This color depth is set on the remote computer and not on the connecting computer. There is an easy fix for this that will enable 24 bit true color for RDP connections. Connect to the remote computer then:
- Go to Start -> Run.
- Type in gpedit.msc and click on OK to run the program.
- In the window that opens’ left panel, go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Terminal Services.
- On the right-hand panel, find the setting that says Limit maximum color depth and double-click it.
- In the dialog box that pops up, select Enabled from the radio buttons as shown in the image.
- In the combo box, select “24 bit” or “Client compatable“.
- Click OK.
Microsoft Terminal Server
(Windows RDS - Remote Desktop Service on Windows 2008 R2)
On Windows server, RDP or RDS (Remote Desktop Services), also permits remote access connectivity by clinets running any version of the remote desktop connection client. The remote desktop connection client used to be called terminal services client and remote desktop protocol client. Older RDP client used to have a color limitation but the newer later RDC client (remote desktop connection) does not have that limitation but the color depth can be adjusted to the user's preference.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
A simple but effective command used by hundreds of thousands domain administrators and other tech support and server management personal was to run the command dsa.msc from the command line or from the start run menu. This tool was taken out of the default installation for windows 20087 server. This is an interesting change and one that must have a logical cause behind it. The first of which is security.
That topic is not in the scope of this post. What is in the scope is how to get it back . To get the dsa.msc command back into member 2008 server is quite easy. The image in this post shows the options that should be selected to re-enable dsa.msc to run from a member server. The installation takes only minutes and doesn't require a reboot of the server.
Monday, 2 March 2009
How Some Companies Do Support.: VMWare - Virtualization Support
The few instances where I needed to conatct VMWare support for assistance on a project, they did a decet job. Although they, and all other vendors, tout having the best support and are commited to making their users happy, it always depends and varies dependng on who you get when you call in and what is the current support queue length they are working off of.
A tired and understaffed support group no matter whose it is will always be less effective than a support department that is fresh and not over-worked (over baked), ready to break dowa or are disgruntled about their work conditions.
Then, there is the other factor of who you get. Although I'm not apposed to getting a new support person when I call in to a company for support, I do mind if they are not into the techonogy or interested in solving the issue at hand. I like and don;t mind if put on hold so they can consult with another person except times where time is more critical for the project and that added wait time can come back to hurt the project goals.
On the other side of the spectrum is the support staff members who have been at the company many years or doing the same job or technology fo a long time and not only know a great deal but are grumpy about it. The experienced grumpy that thinks you should have already known much of the information they are providing and aslto they dispence a subtle talk down. This is the worste. Worse that the new support agent or support engineer. Although they know a lot of the product and technology, the more sadists ones will use that as a torcher device. Not providing all the information, especially and particularly in the form of gotchas in design or implementation.
The few instances where I needed to conatct VMWare support for assistance on a project, they did a decet job. Although they, and all other vendors, tout having the best support and are commited to making their users happy, it always depends and varies dependng on who you get when you call in and what is the current support queue length they are working off of.
A tired and understaffed support group no matter whose it is will always be less effective than a support department that is fresh and not over-worked (over baked), ready to break dowa or are disgruntled about their work conditions.
Then, there is the other factor of who you get. Although I'm not apposed to getting a new support person when I call in to a company for support, I do mind if they are not into the techonogy or interested in solving the issue at hand. I like and don;t mind if put on hold so they can consult with another person except times where time is more critical for the project and that added wait time can come back to hurt the project goals.
On the other side of the spectrum is the support staff members who have been at the company many years or doing the same job or technology fo a long time and not only know a great deal but are grumpy about it. The experienced grumpy that thinks you should have already known much of the information they are providing and aslto they dispence a subtle talk down. This is the worste. Worse that the new support agent or support engineer. Although they know a lot of the product and technology, the more sadists ones will use that as a torcher device. Not providing all the information, especially and particularly in the form of gotchas in design or implementation.
Remote Support
A simple process that could take an experineced person several minutes to maybe ten can turn into an hour with a person on the remote side that has no idea of how to perform the functions that you are requesting or have never even seen a command line or rarely use the right-click feature of their mouse.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Backup Exec 12 Not Sending Email Notification through Exchange 2007
#550 5.7.1 RESOLVER.RST.AuthRequired; authentication required
Diagnostic information for administrators:
Generating server: exchange.yourdomain.local
#550 5.7.1 RESOLVER.RST.AuthRequired; authentication required ##
Original message headers:
When you're encountering a problem sending Backup Exec 12 email notification alerts through an Exchange 2007 server, check the following
Test that you can access port 25 (SMTP port number) on the Exchange server by using telnet.
telnet ip-address-of-exchange-server 25
ehlo domainname.gr
mail from:backup@domainname.gr
rcpt to:administrator@domainname.gr
data
backup exec
.
Your will then get a confirmation the mail has been queued for delivery
If the mail gets delivered you know port 25 in not blocked or restricted in any way you have permission to send e-mail.
If you do not connect, check to see if there is any software blocking the connection like software or hardware firewalls. Antivirus programs now come with firewall features to stop worms from sending out email from the computer they are infecting. Stop the services and try again. Once you have successfully telneted and sent the test email but backup exec still does not send email notifications then check the following.
The Backup Exec software might not be authenticating properly so be sure you have used an actual real email address with an active domain account as the sender address. The name is a description and can be anything but the email address has to an account in the domain - Exchange wants it that way. If you already have an active domain account as the sender address in backup exec, like administrator@domainname.gr, check the account's inbox and look for NDR (non-delivery reports as they may provide an important clue to why your email not being delivered.
Other tools that are handy to utilize when troubleshooting this problem is the the transport receive logs in exchange, they will determine if the email has even been received by the exchange server. When email is accepted into the Exchange email organization by the transport server (it could be the same server as the mailbox server), it will be logged. A simple log generated by exchange is very useful for problems such as this one.
Another tool I often used for determining if a program is trying to communicate information to another system over the network is a simple little program call Active Ports. This is a free program hat show you the running processes and what they are doing in terms of sending or receiving data. It has a very small foot print and installs in seconds so it is worth a look at. You can accomplish the same thing with a command line command but this GUI based tool gives you nearly realtime information which is important for something like SMTP send that could take only less than a second to occur.
The NDR information shown at the top of this email is an example of what someone was getting when they called for assistance. After going through the regular trouble shooting options as discussed above for determining the problem. If you are reading this you most likely have Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Exchange 2007. The way Backup Exec sends their email notifications has not changed in years and version 12 or 12.5 has also not changed. the new culprit is Exchange 2007. There are some additional security options included in the groups and users that are implemented through the domain schema update that has to be run in order to install Exchange 2007. One of those new options is in the domain group properties especially if you are using a distribution list to send the notification to. Uncheck the option to authenticate all users in group. That was the cure for the problem described in the NDR report shown at the beginning of this blog.
#550 5.7.1 RESOLVER.RST.AuthRequired; authentication required
Diagnostic information for administrators:
Generating server: exchange.yourdomain.local
#550 5.7.1 RESOLVER.RST.AuthRequired; authentication required ##
Original message headers:
When you're encountering a problem sending Backup Exec 12 email notification alerts through an Exchange 2007 server, check the following
Test that you can access port 25 (SMTP port number) on the Exchange server by using telnet.
telnet ip-address-of-exchange-server 25
ehlo domainname.gr
mail from:backup@domainname.gr
rcpt to:administrator@domainname.gr
data
backup exec
.
Your will then get a confirmation the mail has been queued for delivery
If the mail gets delivered you know port 25 in not blocked or restricted in any way you have permission to send e-mail.
If you do not connect, check to see if there is any software blocking the connection like software or hardware firewalls. Antivirus programs now come with firewall features to stop worms from sending out email from the computer they are infecting. Stop the services and try again. Once you have successfully telneted and sent the test email but backup exec still does not send email notifications then check the following.
The Backup Exec software might not be authenticating properly so be sure you have used an actual real email address with an active domain account as the sender address. The name is a description and can be anything but the email address has to an account in the domain - Exchange wants it that way. If you already have an active domain account as the sender address in backup exec, like administrator@domainname.gr, check the account's inbox and look for NDR (non-delivery reports as they may provide an important clue to why your email not being delivered.
Other tools that are handy to utilize when troubleshooting this problem is the the transport receive logs in exchange, they will determine if the email has even been received by the exchange server. When email is accepted into the Exchange email organization by the transport server (it could be the same server as the mailbox server), it will be logged. A simple log generated by exchange is very useful for problems such as this one.
Another tool I often used for determining if a program is trying to communicate information to another system over the network is a simple little program call Active Ports. This is a free program hat show you the running processes and what they are doing in terms of sending or receiving data. It has a very small foot print and installs in seconds so it is worth a look at. You can accomplish the same thing with a command line command but this GUI based tool gives you nearly realtime information which is important for something like SMTP send that could take only less than a second to occur.
The NDR information shown at the top of this email is an example of what someone was getting when they called for assistance. After going through the regular trouble shooting options as discussed above for determining the problem. If you are reading this you most likely have Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Exchange 2007. The way Backup Exec sends their email notifications has not changed in years and version 12 or 12.5 has also not changed. the new culprit is Exchange 2007. There are some additional security options included in the groups and users that are implemented through the domain schema update that has to be run in order to install Exchange 2007. One of those new options is in the domain group properties especially if you are using a distribution list to send the notification to. Uncheck the option to authenticate all users in group. That was the cure for the problem described in the NDR report shown at the beginning of this blog.
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