How To
This category contains instructional and education information pertaining to technology.
Configuring a conference bridge in Cisco CME
I recently ran into an issue configuring a conference bridge for a client. What makes this particular problem worth sharing is that I found the documentation provided by Cisco on this issue to be a little confusing and a little unhelpful.
The initial document I used to try to configure this issue can be found here: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucme/admin/configuration/guide/cmeconf.html#wp1021179.
In particular what confused me were the differences in step 5 of “Configuring SCCP for Cisco Unified CME” and step 3 of “Associating Cisco Unified CME with a DSP Farm Profile.” I have included the full configuration example of both of these sections below.
Convert thick disk to thin on ESXi free
Here are the steps to convert a thick VMDK file to thin. Steps 2-4 are optional, but if you want to shrink it down as small as possible then don’t skip them!
- Evaluate how much space you have on the datastore. You will be creating 2 copies of the .vmdk file before we’re all done, so don’t fill up the datastore and crash all the VMs!
- Within the VM run a defrag of the disk. (this is optional but recommended)
- Download MS Windows Sysinternals ‘SDelete’ exe to the VM: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897443
- Run ‘sdelete -c’ on the the disk. This will zero out unused space.
- Power offthe VM and make a note of what what datastore(s) the virtual disks are on and what they are named.
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Can’t add roles, features and can’t run Windows Update on 2008 R2.
The problem is that Windows Updates will not run properly (giving you various errors) and when Roles or Features are selected under the Server Manager you get the following error:
Error: Cannot display data until your computer is restarted.
Simplify Exchange 2010 OWA URL
Exchange Outlook Web Access is a wonderful feature, but directing users to access it on their own can be a patience testing proposal if you’re not using URL redirection.
For example: you’ve installed Exchange 2010, configured all the appropriate roles, including the CAS (Client Access Server; responsible for OWA), and deserve a hero’s welcome, or at least a pat on the back. You then send an email to staff telling them that they can access webmail from the following public URL – https://webmail.domain.com/owa; easy enough right? Wrong! A few days later, calls come streaming in with users attempting to access OWA using incorrect URL’s: http instead of https, forgetting to append /owa to the URL, etc.
Well you can clear all of this up and make it transparent to the user, and they’ll never know you did it; it will just work.
Windows 7: Compatibility
Well, it’s been two weeks and I seem to have all the applications I need installed. After I got Windows 7 up and running (joined our domain, delegated myself the appropriate credentials, applied all released updates, and set the system settings I desired (remote desktop, firewall tweaks, etc)) I began installing additional software.
In this post, I’ll focus on the applications that have given me trouble, as well as some more common suites and if they required any additional work.
Google Analytics on SharePoint Services 3.0
Analytics software can be invaluable when it comes time to prove the worth of the SharePoint site you migrated your company’s intranet from, or when seeking that budget increase for more hardware.
The problem is with the nature of SharePoint sites being fluid, in that they are constantly changing as the data they serve is being updated or consolidated. New features and web parts are being added, and so the code under the hood is always evolving.
This brings me to the problem I faced when a customer needed assistance in setting up analytics software on the SharePoint site.
There are plenty of sites that will walk explain the integration for MOSS 2007 and Google Analytics (GA), but none that I found for WSS 3.0.
The site I am working with is using a combination of default and custom Master Pages.
Windows 7: Install
OK, so the install was pretty much like all other installs of Vista. Since I was moving from a 32-bit (x86) environment to a 64-bit (x64) implementation, I was not able to perform an in place or other upgrade. Fresh, or clean install it is!
Upon booting off of the DVD, Vista users will recognize the familiar screen…
Installing a Unified Communications SSL Certificate for Exchange 2007
Secure communications in an Exchange enterprise messaging environment is critical. In Exchange 2007, Microsoft introduced the use of Unified Communications (UCC) or Subject Alternative Name (SAN) SSL certificates. These Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates allow the secure use of multiple domain names with one certificate, with some certificate providers allowing the use of up to 100 domain names. By default, when initially installed, Exchange 2007 provides a self-signed certificate which secures the hostname of the server (netbios and FQDN). For any use outside of a lab environment, you’ll want to purchase and install a UCC certificate. UCC certificates can be purchased from any major SSL certificate provider (i.e., GoDaddy, GeoTrust, Entrust, Comodo, etc.).
In this example, I’ll show you how to replace a single domain third-party certificate and a self-signed SSL certificate with a new UCC certificate.
Configure QoS for VPN Tunnel on Cisco Router
Class Maps are referenced by Policy Maps, which are then applied to the external interface. VPN traffic is "pre-classified" before entering the external interface. The example below is based on 512 kbps bandwidth available for upload traffic.
Windows 7 is coming
With Windows 7 public availability around the corner, ADNS will be making the move this Friday. We will report our experiences on this blog with all aspects from upgrades (Vista only) and new installations.
Majority of our workstations are Dell Vostro 400s, so we should not have any issues meeting the recommended system requirements.
Here are some specs to help get you ready:
Minimum requirements-
- 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- 16 gigabyte available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Check back Friday 8/7 for part 1: Installation.