Thursday, May 22, 2008

Miscelleneous windows tips

Windows XP Tips and tricks
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/tips_page.htm
Nice site having huge archive of windows tips and tricks

iexpress - to create installer package (built into the windows natively)

Wndows forgotten password recovery methods

Setup FTP Server on home computer

To check if PAE is enabled on a system or not:-
reg query "\\\HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" /v "PhysicalAddressExtension

To Query all the installed softwares on a system:-
reg query \\computer name>\hklm\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall /s /v "DisplayName" |findstr "DisplayName"

How to disable compress folders in windows
Are the ZIP folders too slow for you? Disable it by unregistering the file zipfldr.dll.
regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll

Auto logon in Windows XP

Enable Auto logon

Go to Start>Run and type "control userpasswords2"
then select the user you want for auto logon.

Disable AutoLogon
Bypass Auto Logon at startup
By default, MSGina.dll checks the state of the SHIFT key when AutoAdminLogon is 1. If the SHIFT key is held down during the boot process, MSGina.dll will ignore the AutoAdminLogon key value and prompt the user for identification and authentication information interactively. You can use this method to temporarily disable automatic logon at startup.

Easy method to clear Auto Logon entry
Go to Start>Run and type "rundll32 netplwiz.dll,ClearAutoLogon"

Registry Method
Use this method only if you've configured the automatic logon using the registry manually. Because, automatic logon procedure using Control Userpasswords2 or using Tweak UI does not involve Winlogon \ DefaultPassword key at all. They are stored in protected area rather.
  • Open Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ WindowsNT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon

  • Delete the DefaultPassword entry.

  • Double-click AutoAdminLogon, type 0 in the Value Data box, and then click OK.

Monday, May 19, 2008

SQL 2000 Clustering

Links:

Download details SQL Server 2000 (32-bit) Security Patch MS03-031

Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2000

How to Install SQL Server 2000 Clustering

Microsoft SQL Server High Availability Resources

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Failover Clustering

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Virtual Server Basic Setup, Maintenance, and Service Pack Installation

Microsoft TechNet SQL Server 2000 Resource Kit

SQL Server 2000 High Availability Series Remote Mirroring and Stretch Clustering

SQL Server Clustering Introduction (Page 1)

SQL Server version 2000 Service Pack 3a Readme.htm

Support WebCast Microsoft SQL Server Troubleshooting SQL 2000 Virtual Server and Service Pack Setups for Failover Clustering

224071 - Moving SQL Server databases to a new location with Detach-Attach

233332 - INF How To Run SQLDIAG On a Clustered-Virtual SQL Server

239885 - INF How to Change Service Accounts on a SQL Virtual Server

243218 - INF Installation Order for SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition on Microsoft Cluster Server

244980 - HOW TO Change the Network IP Addresses of SQL Server Virtual Servers

254321 - INF Clustered SQL Server Do's, Don'ts, and Basic Warnings

260414 - Frequently asked questions - SQL Server 2000 - multiple instances

260758 - INF Frequently Asked Questions - SQL Server 2000 - Failover Clustering

263712 - INF How to impede Windows NT administrators from administering a clustered instance of SQL Server

270126 - PRB How to Manage Client Connectivity to Both SQL Server 2000 Virtual Servers After an Active-Active Cluster 7.0 Upgr

273673 - INF SQL Virtual Server Client Connections Must be Controlled by Clients

274446 - INF Upgrade to SQL Server 2000 Failover Solution Recommended for All Non-SQL Server 2000 Virtual Servers

289683 - INF NoRemapPipes Error Message Occurs in System Log when You Use SQL Server 2000 on a Windows 2000 Cluster

290991 - HOW TO Manually remove SQL Server 2000 default, named, or virtual instance

295732 - INF Creating Databases or Changing Disk File Locations on a Shared Cluster Drive on Which SQL Server 2000 was not Ori

296890 - PRB SQL Server 2000 Fails to Install on a Cluster If Service Startup Account Contains a Space

298570 - BUG Virtual SQL Server 2000 Installations May Fail if Installed to Windows 2000 Domain Controllers

298723 - BUG SQL Mail Not Fully Supported for Use in Conjunction with Cluster Virtual SQL Servers

301520 - SQL Server 2000 Cluster Does Not Install on Windows Server 2003-Based Computers Where Terminal Services Is Installed

303119 - FIX Upgrade to SQL Server 2000 cluster does not add all SQL Server resource dependencies

303228 - FIX Queue Reader Agent Fails if the Distributor is a Clustered SQL Server

304261 - INF Support for Network Database Files

304282 - PRB Full Text Resource fails to come online on a cluster with Event ID 1069 SQL Cluster Resource 'Full Text' failed error m

307336 - INF How to Change a Clustered SQL Server Network Name

308023 - How to cluster SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003

313037 - INF Upgrading SQL Server Clusters to Windows Server 2003

319016 - HOW TO Change Domains for a SQL Server 2000 Failover Cluster

319578 - PRB Error MessageBind Failed Occurs After IP Address Changes on a Cluster

319723 - INF SQL Server 2000 Kerberos support including SQL Server virtual servers on server clusters

324812 - Support WebCast Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Virtual Server Things You Should Know

325106 - Support WebCast Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Clustering

325485 - Support WebCast Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Virtual Server Basic Setup, Maintenance, and Service Pack Installation

327322 - PRB SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager Polling May Cause ClientToken Errors in the Cluster Log File

327518 - INF The Microsoft Support Policy for a SQL Server Failover Cluster

329329 - PRB Windows Server 2003 Support for SQL Server 2000

810056 - INF You Must Use Resource-Specific Registry Keys for SQL Server Cluster Resources

810391 - INF SQL Server 6.5, SQL Server 7.0, and MSDE 1.0 Support on Windows Server 2003

811168 - SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3, Service Pack 3a, or Service Pack 4 pre-installation checklist for SQL Server 2000 virtual serve

811430 - INF SQL Server 2000 Supports IPSec on Windows Server 2003 Cluster

812666 - How to recover a failed full-text search resource on a clustered instance of SQL Server 2000

815431 - PRB Installation of a Named Instance of SQL Server 2000 Virtual Server on a Windows 2003-Based Cluster Fails

818548 - PRB Error Message Setup failed to perform required operations on the cluster nodes. Occurs When You Run a SQL Server 2000 S

819546 - SQL Server 2000 support for mounted volumes

822250 - Support WebCast Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Failover Clustering Disaster Recovery Procedures

822473 - MSDTC Is Unavailable Error When a Stand-Alone Instance of SQL Server Is in a Cluster Environment

831127 - Named Pipes Support Cannot Be Removed on a Virtual Server That Is Running SQL Server 2000 SP3

870617 - How to add or modify licenses in SQL Server 2000

883732 - A SQL Server cluster resource goes to a failed state when you try to bring the resource online in SQL Server 2000

888121 - TechNet Support WebCast How to install a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 virtual server on a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 cluster

888228 - You receive a SQL Server does not exist or access denied error message when you try to connect to a SQL Server 2000 named ins

888265 - How to move Microsoft Provisioning Server (MPS) databases to a clustered virtual SQL Server 2000 named instance

889706 - You receive error messages when you perform a distributed transaction when you have a SQL Server 2000 virtual server in a Windo

889708 - The full-text search results that are returned in a clustered SQL Server 2000 environment may be different when the active node

899580 - The Full Text resource fails when you install a new clustered instance after you apply SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 to an exi

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Network Load Balancing (NLB)

Links:

Download details NLB Troubleshooting Overview for Windows® Server 2003

Kerberos authentication for load balanced web sites

Network Load Balancing Frequently Asked Questions for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003

Network Load Balancing Technical Overview

NLB Command line syntax

NLB & Terminal Services

NLB Troubleshooting Overview for Windows Server 2003

Session Directory and Load Balancing Using Terminal Server

Windows Network Load Balancing Configuration - Best Practices

193601 - Registry Parameters for Windows NT Load Balancing Service

193602 - Configuration options for WLBS hosts connected to layer 2 switches

197992 - How to Configure WLBS Using a Single Network Interface Card

223157 - Integrating WLBS and MSCS

229064 - Load Balancing may not work correctly with IP fragmentation in Windows Server 2003, in Windows 2000, and in Windows NT

232000 - How to Configure WLBS with Multiple Virtual IP Addresses

232190 - Description of Network Load Balancing Features

234151 - WLBS Does Not Detect Program or Service Problems

235305 - Interoperability between MSCS and NLB

238219 - How NLB Hosts Converge When Connected to a Layer 2 Switch

238747 - Windows Load Balancing Service Does Not Work on Token Ring

240997 - Configuring Network Load Balancing

242242 - Using the WLBS QUERY Command to Determine the State of an WLBS-NLB Cluster

242248 - Using crossover cable causes load balancing not to work

243523 - Using Terminal Server with Windows Load Balancing Service

247297 - Network Load Balancing Connection to a Virtual IP Address Not Made Across a Switch

247712 - Wlbs.exe Generates Incorrect Information on Cluster Status

247719 - Windows Load Balancing Service Writes Multiple Duplicate Event Log Messages

256124 - HOW TO Configure an IP Address for NLB with One Network Adapter

256910 - IP Address Assignment for NLB with Multiple Network Adapters

261957 - Network Load Balancing Temporarily Fails in a Switched Environment

278431 - Using teaming adapters with network load balancing may cause network problems

303608 - HOW TO Configure Network Load Balancing Parameters in Windows 2000

303817 - HOW TO Set Up TCP-IP for Network Load Balancing in Windows 2000

303751 - HOW TO Install Network Load Balancing Service That Was Previously Uninstalled in Windows 2000

303765 - HOW TO Perform Advanced Network Load Balancing Procedures in Windows 2000

323431 - How To Set Up TCP-IP for Network Load Balancing in Windows Server 2003

323437 - HOW TO Configure Network Load Balancing Parameters in Windows Server 2003

324814 - Support WebCast Microsoft Windows Terminal Services How to Configure Network Load Balancing

324963 - Support WebCast Network Load Balancing in Microsoft Windows 2000

810589 - Support WebCast Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services New Features

812870 - Network Load Balancing cluster node does not successfully converge

870708 - The MicrosoftNLB_ClusterSettingLoadAllSettings method does not read modifications to the UnicastInterHostCommSupport registry

873288 - What to consider when you configure file share resources with a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster on Windows Server 2003

892782 - You cannot use Nlbmgr.exe to create an NLB cluster on a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Microsoft Exchange Clustering

Exchange Clustering
Books:

MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server Clustering Services - No longer sold but it had some really good tips and examples.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 24seven - Excellent chapter on Exchange Server 2003 Clustering (and not just because I helped edit it).

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Distilled - Excellent chapter on Exchange Server 2003 Clustering.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 High Availability - A whole book on SQL High Availability - Cool!.


Links:

MCSE Training Kit: Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server Clustering Services - No longer sold but it had some really good tips and examples.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 24seven - Excellent chapter on Exchange Server 2003 Clustering (and not just because I helped edit it).

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Distilled - Excellent chapter on Exchange Server 2003 Clustering.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 High Availability - A whole book on SQL High Availability - Cool!.


238063 - XADM How to Do an Online Restore of an Exchange Cluster Server

241626 - XADM Do Not Use Secure Sockets Layer Only for Cluster Virtual Servers

248635 - XADM Recommended Installation Order for Windows NT, Exchange Server, Cluster Service, and Service Packs

259197 - Status of Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003 Components on a Server Cluster

277908 - XWEB How to Enable the Change Password Option in Exchange 2000 OWA Clustering

282446 - DSProxy configuration for static ports on Exchange cluster

285137 - XADM C0072030 Error Message Occurs When You Create a System Attendant Resource on a Cluster Server

287726 - XCCC How to Configure Host Header and Authentication Information in Exchange 2000 Outlook Web Access on a Windows 200

295925 - XADM How to Install Exchange 2000 SP1 on a Cluster Server

297121 - Using the Change Password feature with Outlook Web Access

297329 - XGEN Exchange 2000 Server Post-Release Cluster Fixes Available

297395 - XADM Performance Wizard Does Not Update File Locations on a Cluster

300573 - XGEN Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server Support on Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

310586 - The Exchange MSSearch instance does not come online on a cluster and event IDs 3055 and 10006 are logged

312316 - Setup does not install Exchange 2000 on a cluster if the MSDTC resource is not running

320220 - Support boundaries for Exchange Server on a virtual machine or on an emulation machine

321068 - HOW TO Restore an Exchange 2000 Cluster After a Complete Cluster Failure

323016 - Setup with DisasterRecovery does not work on a clustered server that is running Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server

325247 - Support WebCast Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server on a Cluster

328879 - Using Exchange Server with Storage Attached Network and network-attached storage devices

555126 - How to Redirect an HTTP connection to HTTPS for Outlook Web Access (OWA) in Exchange 2003 Server.

810986 - Microsoft support policy for Exchange Server installed on cluster nodes

815180 - Considerations when deploying Exchange on an Active-Active cluster

816893 - Support WebCast Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Troubleshooting Performance Issues

821834 - Required Cluster Service Account Permissions Are Different in Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003

823894 - Support WebCast Clustering Microsoft Exchange Server 2003

824111 - Security Setting Changes and Updates That Are Introduced in Exchange Server 2003

830189 - Exchange Server 2003 computer cannot bring the Microsoft Search resource online

834877 - An update is available that lets you dump the information store on a clustered Exchange 2000 Server

836566 - How to configure the IsAlive private properties for Exchange Server 2003 clusters

837391 - Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server require NetBIOS name resolution for full functionality

837852 - Windows Clustering is not supported on front-end servers in Exchange Server 2003

838922 - An Exchange 2000 Server cluster node fails over and the HTTP service stops when you add more than 28 host headers in Internet S

839687 - Microsoft support policy on the use of network-attached storage devices with Exchange Server 2003

839816 - TechNet Support WebCast An overview of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1

841561 - 500 - Internal server error error message when a user tries to access a clustered Exchange Server 2003 back-end server by usi

842427 - How to upgrade Exchange 2000 Server to Exchange Server 2003 in an active-passive clustered environment by doing a clean install

843081 - ID no c0070424 error message when you try to create the Exchange System Attendant resource on an Exchange Server 2003 cluste

843226 - CPU usage increases, and poor performance occurs when Outlook Web Access uses SSL to connect to an Exchange 2003 computer in a

843546 - Increased CPU usage and poor performance may occur when Outlook Web Access uses an SSL connection to a Exchange Server 2003 com

867624 - How to install Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1 in a clustered Exchange environment

886298 - Advantages and disadvantages of decreasing the log checkpoint depth in an Exchange 2000 Server cluster

887416 - Using the same name for your server cluster and for your Exchange Virtual Server may prevent some services from starting in Win

887722 - You cannot fail over the Exchange 2000 System Attendant cluster resource to the passive node where the latest service pack was

893000 - Handles used by the Windows Management Service increase over time in an Exchange Server 2003 clustered environment

894094 - You can take the MTA resource offline, but you cannot bring the MTA resource back online after you restart a Windows-based clus

895847 - Multi-site data replication support for Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2000

895981 - How to implement Exchange Server 2003 on a Windows 2000-based cluster or on a Windows Server 2003-based cluster

896617 - The Exchange Information Store service stops responding when the Exchange Information Store service is shutting down or the Exc

899382 - You may receive an error message when you try to run the Exchange Management Pack Configuration Wizard in a Microsoft Exchange

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

DSADD Add active directory objects

DSADD.exe (Windows XP)

Add active directory object.

Syntax
DSADD computer
Computer_DN options
DSADD contact
ContactDN options
DSADD group
GroupDN options
DSADD ou
OU_DN organizational_unit_options
DSADD user
User_DN user_options

Key
DN=Distinguished Name(s)
OU=Organisational Unit
Pretty much all the attributes can be modified (Name, display name, tel number etc)
run the command with /? for a full list
e.g
DSADD USER /?

Commas
Commas must be escaped with the backslash \ character
(other than separators in distinguished names)
e.g.
"CN=Company
\, Inc.,CN=Users,DC=ss64,DC=com"

Backslashes
Backslashes used in distinguished names must be escaped with a backslash
(for example,
"CN=Sales
\\ Latin America,OU=Distribution Lists,DC=ss64,DC=com").

If any value contains spaces, use quotation marks:

   "CN=John Smith,CN=Users,DC=SS64,DC=com"

Special Tokens
The token $username$ (case insensitive) may be used to place the SAM account name.
Entering * as a password will cause DSADD to prompt for the new password.

Adding multiple Objects
For any DS command you can enter multiple values separated by spaces.
e.g. to add several user accounts at once just supply a list of the distinguished names separated with spaces.

It is also possible to store multiple values in a text file and redirect into DSADD.

"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, press three". - Alice Kahn

Related commands:
dsmod - modify object
dsget - display object
dsmove - move object
dsquery - find object
dsrm - delete object
CSVDE - Import or export AD info in CSV format.
LDIFDE - Edit AD Objects, extend schema, import or export AD information.
 
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