TECHNETBANGLADESH.NET | IT Professional Community Bangladesh

“iStock Broking“ our second WPF kid.

Md Nazmul Ahsan — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:00 GMT

"যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে ... তবে একলা চলরে", when whole world fighting for get the answer "Is WPF dead?!!" we have been successfully start deploying our second product build on WPF to local client end. We have worked around 2yrs on this project. Official code name of the project (or short name) is "iSB" and product trade name is "iStock Broking". Targeting on local (Bangladesh) market, this is our first product. Before share my knowledge on this project...(read more)

Certified ScrumMaster Training

Md Nazmul Ahsan — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:47:00 GMT

My experience in Certified ScrumMaster training.

...(read more)

System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal 2.0 SP1 Beta

nirmalmadhawa — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 05:04:24 GMT

System Center Team has release a new beta service pack for System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self Service Manager Portal 2.0. This is now available via connect as a Public Beta. You can use below mentioned link to download this beta version of the service pack

https://connect.microsoft.com/site1044/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=5055&InvitationID=DIT-DKPH-BWTH

there are few notable changes which gets added with this services pack. Before evaluating this service pack in my test lab, I thought of providing a general overview of new features which gets added

1) Set Expiry of Virtual Machine -> this is a new capability which gets added after applying SP1 Beta. This feature will allow administrators to set expiry on a virtual machine, and the virtual machine will automatically get deleted after a specified time period.

2) Notifications for Administrators -> it’s now possible to notify Business Unit Administrator or Datacenter Administrators regarding various events

3) Move Infrastructure between different business units -> this features provides capability to move infrastructure from one business unit to another

4) Import Virtual Machines -> Datacenter Administrators can import machines which were created using VMM and also re-import machines which were removed from self-service portal

I will be evaluating this beta and hoping to provide more details in my future blog posts.

References:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/systemcenter/archive/2011/03/05/system-center-virtual-machine-manager-2-0-sp1-beta-is-now-available.aspx

Step by Step Guide to Implementing a TWO NODE Failover Cluster – Part 02

nirmalmadhawa — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:16:14 GMT

As I have demonstrated how we prepare Cluster nodes for a two node failover cluster, in this post let’s have a look at how we can use Cluster Validation Tool to generate a report. I will be using Windows Server 2008 for this demonstration and before moving any further let’s have a look at what tests are performed using Cluster Validation Tool.

Cluster Validation tool is a wizard found on Failover Cluster Management Console. Following tests are carried out when you perform cluster Validation Tool

· Inventory Validation

· Network Validation

· Storage Validation

· System Configuration

We will look at what are exact components or sub-tests that takes place during validation testing in another post.

First we need to go to administrative tools and then open Failover Cluster Management Console

After selecting Failover Cluster Management option, it will open Failover Cluster Management Console

We can right click on Failover Cluster Management and then select “Validate a configuration” option to initiate Cluster validation wizard

As you can see below, first screen provides us with a description relating to Cluster validation wizard.

Next we need to add what are the NODEs which we need to validate.

I will add my Cluster NODE01 and Cluster NODE02

After I select both NODEs, it gets added to my Cluster validation wizard

Next, we need to decide, whether are running all tests, or whether we are going to run a selective test. For this demonstration, I will be running all tests to validate NODE01 and NODE02

Next we have a confirmation summary screen. We can review what are the tests which will be performed against NODE01 and NODE02

After I select next, validation wizard will start validation my cluster configuration

once this is completed, it’s possible for us to view a report

We can open this report as a web page and we can see results.

In my next post, we will create a cluster and let’s see how we can configure it

Step by Step Guide to Implementing a TWO NODE Failover Cluster – Part 01

nirmalmadhawa — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 04:06:34 GMT

In this blog post I will be demonstrating how we can create a TWO NODE failover cluster using Windows Server 2008 Failover cluster capabilities. First part of my blog post will contain information on how we can prepare both nodes before creating a cluster.

First we need to look at basic requirements which need to prepare a Failover Cluster.

Make storage available to all nodes
Configure Network adapters on all nodes
Cluster components to be “Certified for Windows Server 2008”

I have configured two networks for Public network and also Private Network.

Let’s look at Public and Private network configuration

Public Adapter -> we configure with IP Address, Subnet Mask ,Default Gateway and DNS

Public Adapter -> I will only provide IP Address and Subnet Mask

Next let’s proceed and configure Storage Connectivity. I will be connecting to my storage using the build-in iSCSI initiator

After selecting iSCSI Initiator, first it will prompt you to start iSCSI service, which is set to start manually by default on Windows Server 2008 / Windows Server 2008 R2.

After that we need to allow iSCSI to communicate through Windows Firewall. This will be automatically configured for you when you select Yes

After this step, you will find iSCSI initiator properties.

Navigate to discovery tab and select “Add Portal” option for us to connect with our shared storage

We need to provide with an IP Address or DNS name for iSCSI target

Once we enter required information, we can proceed

Next we need to navigate to Targets TAB which will allow us to connect with the storage. Select Log on option

We need to allow following options when connecting with the storage

- Automatically restore this connection the computer starts

After completing this step, we have now successfully configured our storage connectivity.

Let’s go ahead and prepare disks using DISK Management utility

After accessing DISK management console, we can notice that there’s a new DISK added .

We need to right click on the DISK and bring it ONLINE

After we bring this DISK online, we can then go ahead and initialize this disk

We need to select which disk, we need to initialize so that it can be access by Logical Disk Manager. We will configure this disk as a MBR style partition disk

Now that we can access this disk, we will go ahead and create a volume

In this window, we will be specifying the size of the disk

Next we need to select a drive letter

Next, we need to change the volume label, and also select “Perform a quick format” option

Now that we have already configured, it’s possible for us to view this disk from Disk Management console

Now let’s move to NODE 02, on NODE 02 we need to bring DISK 1 online, which we have already configured on NODE 01

After refreshing disk management console, we can see that it’s no more in unallocated state, so we only need to bring it online now

Since we have completed configuring both disks, Next we will proceed and run validation using Failover Cluster Management console. Before proceeding, we need to go to Server Manager on both servers and install Failover Clustering which is located under features section.

In my next blog post I will publish how we can run Failover Cluster Validation Tool and validate configuration.

Windows 7 SP1 / Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1–General Availability

nirmalmadhawa — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:30:03 GMT

Microsoft recently released a new Service pack for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It was released on 16th for TECHNET/MSDN subscribers and I was lucky enough to get it downloaded on the same day for evaluation. Now that I’m already on SP1 I would like to share my experience before General Availability which is on 22nd. Apart from updated Hotfixes are no major changes if you apply SP1 on Windows 7, but there are two new features added with SP1 when you apply it on top of Windows Server 2008 R2. My post will be an introduction to these changes which is applicable for Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1.

First Feature, that has been added is called Dynamic Memory.This feature allows you to pool all memory available on a physical host between virtual machines as required depending on the workload.

Other feature which was introduced is called Remote FX which allows a virtualized Graphical Processing Unit on the server side to deliver rich media and 3D user experience for VDI Solutions. Users will be able to experience Windows Aero desktop environments and also watch videos within a Virtual Machine environment.

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1/Windows 7 SP1 will be available on Windows Update today (22-02-2011). I will post more on Dynamic Memory as well as Remote FX in my future posts.

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit New release V5.5

nirmalmadhawa — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:11:05 GMT

Microsoft recently released the next version of MAP Toolkit and it has following new features

Windows Azure Platform assessment for easier migration the cloud
Heterogeneous database discovery for accelerated migration to SQL Server
Microsoft Internet Explorer migration assessment for migration to Windows 7 compatible versions
Enhanced server consolidation capabilities help save time and effort when creating virtualization assessments and proposals

If you have not heard about MAP Toolkit before, it has also following assessment capabilities apart from what is mentioned above

Migration to Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Microsoft Office 2010
Migration to Windows 7 compatible versions of Internet Explorer
Migration to cloud-based services
Server virtualization with Hyper-V
SQL Server consolidation and migration to SQL Server 2008 R2
Assessment of current software usage and client access history for simplified software asset management
PC security assessment and migration to Microsoft Forefront Client Security

For more information please visit

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb977556.aspx

Download Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=158988

Download Software Usage tracker Guide for MAP

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=195445

Training kit for MAP

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=196614

source – Microsoft Technet – Solution Accelerators

Forefront Endpoint Protection looks

Touhidul Islam — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:35:00 GMT

...(read more)

Installing Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010

nirmalmadhawa — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 06:19:56 GMT

After researching about Endpoint Protection, I thought of downloading and evaluating the product. first of all, size of the ISO is only 76MB and that didn’t take a long time for me to download it

after downloading, I managed to mount it using my image mounting tool and since I’m not having SCCM in my environment I navigated to “Client” folder and run “FEPInstall.exe”

I select Next option to proceed with the installation wizard which gave me a brief introduction about Forefront Endpoint Protection.

Next I need to accept Software License Terms

Next, I decided that I wont be participating for the customer experience improvement program and proceed with the installation

after above step, I was provided with an option to select, whether I want to enable my firewall(which is recommended), but I decided that I will leave my firewall in it’s current state and proceed

next we will proceed and install the product

below you will see a screen capture of the installation progress

after awhile you will notice that the installation has completed successfully

first time when you run the application, it will say that the computer is at risk, that is because we don’t have current definitions.First thing which I did was to up date endpoint protection with latest definitions

after completing definition update it’s possible for us to see information relating to definitions version and the date.Also you will notice that the color theme has now changed to GREEN from RED

as the application is now up to date I thought of initiating a scan

after completing the scan we can see statistics

next, I thought of using an infected pen drive to evaluate my detection capabilities. as soon as the pen drive was plugged in to the system, I was given a notification to take an action against a potential threat. looking at the alert level which is “Severe” I decided to go ahead and remove it.

after applying actions which I selected, cleaning process began

after few seconds, Endpoint Protection was successful in removing a severe infection

this is now visible in the history tab

this is a quick overview on installation of Endpoint Security and basic set of features and capabilities of the product.

Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 RTM Now Available

nirmalmadhawa — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:19:48 GMT

Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 was released recently with many new improvements. Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 build on System Center Configurations Manager 2007 R2 and R3 will enable customers to use their own existing SCCM infrastructure for deployment and management of Endpoint Protection.

Forefront Endpoint Protection also includes a Management Pack which we could import to Operations Manager for real time monitoring of the security of your infrastructure. this Management pack will provide alerts for Virus activity, Firewall downtime or update failures. This management pack also has automated response capabilities for Security related issues.

Awards and Certifications for Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010

Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 antimalware engine received the August 2010 VB100 awards

Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 antimalware engine received its third consecutive Advanced+rating for protection & detection from AV-Comparatives

for more information on Awards and Certifications please visit (http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/endpoint-protection/en/us/awards-certification.aspx)

Highlighted Key benefits of Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010

Simplify

Similar administrative experience for both managing Clients/Servers using Configurations Manager and providing necessary security for Clients/Servers
Alerting and automated response capabilities for Servers and Clients

Integrate

Total Cost of Ownership has been reduced with the use of Configurations Manager to secure endpoints
Ease of forefront agent deployment using current Configurations Manager product

Protect

With many success stories and awards forefront endpoint protection will provide a high level of detection for known and unknown malware
Windows Firewall configurations can be managed to provide security against network level attacks

For more additional information please visit below mentioned links

Try it – (http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/endpoint-protection/en/us/try-it.aspx)

Overview – (http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/endpoint-protection/en/us/product-overview.aspx)

Features – (http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/endpoint-protection/en/us/features.aspx)

it’s now time to do a test drive on the product and evaluate features and capabilities

Microsoft Lync(OCS 14) Announced

nirmalmadhawa — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:16:56 GMT

I’m happy to write about the latest product announcement by Microsoft. Microsoft Lync successor of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 was announced by Microsoft yesterday(13-09-2010).this product is now in the RC (Release Candidate) stage and the product is supposed to be out in the market soon(RTM stage). Please find below few links which you can read to gather some more information relating to the next release of Microsoft Lync

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2010/sep10/LyncPR.mspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/uc/archive/2010/09/13/introducing-microsoft-lync-the-next-ocs.aspx

Windows Server 2008 R2/Windows 7 SP1 Beta Split package

nirmalmadhawa — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:04:42 GMT

as per the Microsoft Server division Weblog they were receiving a lot of feedback on the size of the package which needs to be downloaded to evaluate Windows Server 2008 R2/Windows 7 SP1 Beta as the package contains both X64 and X86 versions. due to this reason they have now published a split package which contains x86 version separate and the X64 package separate. please find below link to download the new split package

http://technet.microsoft.com/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx

Exchange 2010 SP1 Released

nirmalmadhawa — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:00:07 GMT

Microsoft released first service pack for Exchange 2010 on the 24th August adding new capabilities to Exchange 2010. please use below link to download Exchange 2010 SP1

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=50b32685-4356-49cc-8b37-d9c9d4ea3f5b&displaylang=en

please find below FAQ, known issues with Exchange 2010 SP1

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/09/01/456094.aspx

How did MS deploy Windows 7 internally?

maria — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:31:51 GMT

I’ve been running Windows 7 since Beta stages and as soon as the product was finished most people in Microsoft moved from Vista. Are you interested in understanding how Microsoft deployed Windows 7 to around 100.000 people worldwide? On Microsoft IT Showcase you find many examples of how we internally are using our own technology. There are white papers, videos, web casts etc and one of the recent web casts (now available on demand) are Deploying Microsoft Windows 7.

Hyper-V vs. VMware Comparison

Touhidul Islam — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:41:00 GMT

Hello, I hope this post will help you to select and understand two most powerful virtualization products.

Feature VMware VI Enterprise

Bare-metal hypervisor ESX/ESXi
Centralized hypervisor management Virtual Center
VMware and Microsoft management None
End-to-end OS monitoring None
Application/service monitoring None
Integrated physical and virtual management None
Host/VM level optimization DRS
Guest OS patching/management Available
VM migration VMotion
VM High availability/failover Virtual Center
VM backup VCB (proxy only)
Storage VMotion Available

Feature Microsoft WS08 R2 Hyper-V

Bare-metal hypervisor Hyper-V
Centralized hypervisor management SMSE (VMM)
VMware and Microsoft management SMSE (VMM)
End-to-end OS monitoring SMSE (Ops Mgr)
Application/service monitoring SMSE (PRO)
Integrated physical and virtual management SMSE
Host/VM level optimization SMSE (PRO)
Guest OS patching/management SMSE (SCCM)
VM migration Live Migration
VM High availability/failover WS08 Clustering
VM backup SMSE (DPM)
Storage VMotion Not yet with WS08 R2 Hyper-V

And VMware products for a virtualization infrastructure is much more costlier than Microsoft Hyper-V and system center product family.

Check the like to know more http://www.milesconsultingcorp.com/Hyper-V-versus-VMware-Comparison.aspx

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta available for download

maria — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:22:55 GMT

Later this year we will release the first Service Pack to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Already now you can try out the first public Beta to see what the Service Pack will bring. Remember that this Beta is not supported by Microsoft so don’t install this on your production machine :-)

Read more about requirements and download the Beta here

Installing Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1(Beta)–Forefront Error

nirmalmadhawa — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:45:28 GMT

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta & Windows 7 SP1 Beta was announced at the Worldwide Partner conference which was held in Washington D.C. since there were two new exciting features added on to the Services Pack, I thought of applying it to my laptop which was running on Windows Server 2008 R2. I went to TechNet and located SP1 beta for windows server 2008 R2. you may use below url to obtain the service pack incase if your unable to locate it

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ff183870.aspx?ITPID=mscomsl

once I finished downloading the service pack I closed all my running applications and executed sp1.

after selecting next I was given license terms page which I accepted and selected next

everything seems to be ready for SP1 when I got the confirmation window and I selected “Install” option along with the reboot option

installation process initiated instantly

unfortunately my installation did not complete successfully. installation ended with an error relating to Forefront Client Security/Security Essentials

after further research I noticed that it’s not possible to install Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 beta on a computer running Forefront client security. you will also face the same problem if your running Microsoft Security Essentials. however for Security Essentials Product there’s a hotfix which you can apply to resolve this matter.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2254596

since I was using Forefront there was no update which was released and I had to uninstall Forefront Client Security to install SP1 Beta. after uninstalling I was successfully able to install Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta without any further interruptions.

since I managed to deploy SP1 now it’s time to explore more on Dynamic Memory and also RemoteFX. I shall post on both these new components added with SP1 soon.

Top IT professional certificate, you may want to complete.

Md Nazmul Ahsan — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:06:00 GMT

Almost every IT professional starts working on IT industry after complete his/her graduation. After working several years on this field, suddenly they realized that they need some more education in their technical field. Seeking for that some start MSc. Or Ph.D or other university education. Others whom are not like to sit on the class room branch and hear some boring staff (not all of them are boring), looking for get some specific knowledge. Everyone look for that knowledge which can add value...(read more)

Online events on Cloud for IT Pros

maria — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:12:20 GMT

Starting June 4th, our evangelism team in Australia will do a series of online events around IT Pro and Cloud and what it all means. It’s at 1 pm Australia time and if you can’t attend live they will be available for download afterwards.

Windows Azure and the IT Pro Discussion
Friday 4 June 2010 1:00 PM Australia (East)
Speaker – Greg Willis, Architect Evangelist Microsoft Australia

Windows Intune - Simplifying how businesses manage and secure PCs using Windows cloud services and Windows 7
Friday 11 June 2010 1:00 PM Australia (East)
Speaker – John Pritchard, Technology Specialist Microsoft Australia

Microsoft Online services – the underlying technology and roadmap
Friday 18 June 2010 1:00 PM Australia (East)
Speaker – Lee Hickin, Senior Technology Specialist Microsoft Australia

Starting the Private Cloud Journey with the Dynamic Infrastructure Toolkit for System Centre
Friday 25 June 2010 1:00 PM Australia (East)
Speaker – Gareth James, Senior Consultant Microsoft Australia

Find more details about each session here

WPF: My Rollercoaster ride

Md Nazmul Ahsan — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:34:00 GMT

May be the title does not match with my topic, but I do not found more appropriate title than this. I know, it is too late to share my first experience about WPF, but I like to share it with you. In here I am going to talk about few point, first one is why we try WPF, second what are the challenge we have faced and last but not the least what lesson we have learned. Why we try WPF? Before get into main point, please allow me to highlight the background. I have heard about the WPF in mid of 2008....(read more)

Office 2010 is ready!

maria — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:50:54 GMT

On Friday we announced that Office 2010 has been Released To Manufacturing (RTM), which means it’s ready and you will be able to get your hands on it soon! You can learn more about Office 2010, Sharepoint 2010 and the other products in this suite at the Office Productivity site. From May 12th (13th Asia time) you can tune in to the online Launch Event

Get up to date on “the Cloud”

maria — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:51:39 GMT

I found a great resource on Cloud Services, explaining all the different choices you have around Private Cloud, Public Cloud, SaaS, Iaas etc. Make sure you’re up to speed on all this by downloading this brochure. You can also watch videos, web casts and read what this means for you as an IT Pro on our Cloud Services web

আনলাইনে বাংলা লেখার সহজ উপায়

Md Nazmul Ahsan — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:12:00 GMT

আমরা প্রায় দেখি আমাদের social network (Facebook , twitter) এর বন্দুরা তাদের status message বাংলায় লেখে। এটা সম্ভব হয়েছে Unicode এর কারণে, আমি Unicode কি তা নিয়ে ব্যাখা করব না। Unicode সম্পকে জানতে হলে মামুকে (Google) জিঞ্জাসা করলেই হবে। আপনি কিভাবে বাংলা লিখবেন তাই বলব। আমি আগে বাংলা লেখার জন্য বিজয় ব্যবহার করতাম, বিজয় এর keyboard layout আমার কাছে কঠিন লাগে তাই বাংলা ব্যবহার করা ছেড়ে দেই। তার উপর বিজয় আনলাইনে আসে না। আমি Unicode install করেছিলাম, কিন্তু বাংলা লেখা সাইট গুলো সমস্যা করতো, সে জন্য ওট...(read more)

Microsoft IT – how do we run our own infrastructure?

maria — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:01:28 GMT

Have you heard of Microsoft IT Showcase? This is a set of content (articles, videos and web casts) that shows how we internally plan , deploys and manages our infrastructure. Some of the latest ones that could be of interest are:

Security Monitoring on the Microsoft Enterprise Network: The Microsoft Enterprise Network is one of the world's largest and most prominent networks. Learn how Microsoft monitors the security of its network and responds to malware and suspected intrusions or policy violations.

Virtualization Moves Data Center Functionality to the Branch Office: Do WAN access issues and costs keep you from providing the datacenter services in branch offices that benefit your corporate users? Learn how Microsoft IT uses Windows Server 2008 R2 and virtualization to deliver datacenter functionality to branch offices. Services at the branch office level include file and print management, offline folder redirection, operating systems and application distribution, and patch management. This has significantly improved service availability, lowered management costs, and reduced servers.

The Showcase team also have their own topic area on TechNet EDGE , take the chance to watch and comment on videos.

Exchange 2010 helps Malaysian company with email problems

maria — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:07:01 GMT

While on the topic of Exchange Server 2010 in my previous post, I came across a case study from Malaysia that I recommend you to have a look at. The Plastic Centre Group provides packaging solutions for everything from soap and personal care, to cooking oil, household, agriculture and lubricants.

They have around 90 people working in the sales office and they were previously using an open source application on Linux Server for their email solution. They experienced issues around storage and the lack of spam filter resulted in each person spending on average 30 minutes (!!!) per day cleaning their inboxes from spam.

The solution was to move to Exchange Server 2010 and Outlook 2007 and from start to finish the implementation took 60 days, that includes both software and hardware changes.

“Two of the main reasons we are switching to Microsoft are the huge support structure that a company like Microsoft can offer, and the ease of use of its solutions” comments Sng, adding that he had spent more than a year learning the Linux system when he first joined the Plastic Centre Group.

Read the full case study here to understand their cost savings and increase in both productivity and mobility.