A more practical Clustering Solution with Dell and MS

A short, informative article on implementing a Server Cluster using Standalone Dell Servers and MS Cluster Server

Click Here

Calibrating the notebook / netbook PC/SmartPhone battery

Short discharges and recharges do not fully synchronize the battery's fuel gauge with the battery's state-of-charge. This can result in the amount of power available in one cycle being less than expected or the battery meter being inaccurate. Under normal usage, batteries should be calibrated a minimum ofonce every 3 months. Your battery can be calibrated by following these steps:

Step 1 - Disable the Windows Power Management In Windows, right-click the Desktop and selectProperties in the menu list. Click the Screen Saver tab and then click the Powerbutton. Under Power schemes, select Always On in the drop down menu. Under Settings for Always On power scheme, selectNever in each of the drop down menus. Click OK on the Power Options Properties window and then click OK on the Display Properties window. Step 2 - Fully charge the battery Connect the AC adapter to the notebook. Charge the battery until the Windows battery meter is at 100%. Step 3 - Fully discharge the battery Remove the AC adapter. Keep the notebook on until the battery has completely drained and the notebook automatically turns off. Connect the AC adapter to the notebook. Keep the AC adapter connected to the notebook until the battery has completely charged. Step 4 - Enable the Windows Power Management In Windows, right-click the Desktop and selectProperties in the menu list. Click the Screen Saver tab and then click the Powerbutton. Under Power schemes, select Portable/Laptop in the drop down menu. Click OK on the Power Options Properties window and then click OK on the Display Properties window. Note: After completing the steps above, your notebook PC battery will be calibrated.

Deciding on an Elective ? This might help

I guess one of the big dilemmas some all the students will be facing is making a choice between the different electives. All the three options among Security +, SQL 2005, and Exchange 2003 will lead to a MCSA and a MCSE. But which is more relevant to your job profile and your career ?

Maybe this data will help. Big Thanx to Tim for compilin this data.

What he has done for us is collected all the job posts for 'network administration' on WORKOPOLIS over a 30 day period. Then he has listed the number of times employers have listed various keywords as part of job requirements.

Keywords HITS COURSE

************ ***** *****************
UNIX = 82 -N/A-

LINUX = 59 LINUX +

LAN = 55 NETWORK +

SECURITY = 50 Security +

Cisco = 40 640-802 (CCNA)

Active Directory = 38 270,284,290,294

EXCHANGE = 29 70-284

BACKUP = 29 270, 290, 284

MONITORing = 27 270, 290

SQL = 21 70-431

VOIP = 18 -N/A-

TROUBLESHOOT = 18 A+, N+, MICROSOFT, CISCO

FIREWALL = 15 270, 290, N+, A+

WAN = 14 CCNA

VPN = 13 291

BLACKBERRY = 7 -N/A-

Cluster = 4 293

VM = 3 -N/A-

gROUP pOLICY = 3 290, 294

A+ = 2 601 AND 602

N+ = 2 N+

Of course this data is not exhaustive. Plus, if you are going to be starting as a Systems Support specialist then you want to consider doing your own research for a different job profile like `System Technician`to see what is important for the jOb requirements. Please share your research with me so that we can let the others know too.

:) Happy Holidays

More Practical Backup Solutions

Many of you have tried to master NTBackup.EXE the built in Backup tool by MS. I have already stated my point that NTBACKUP is great in theory but flawed in execution. So what do we use in the industry ?

Small / Medium Scale networks :
Arconis True Image
NTI Backup Now !
Norton Ghost ( it does a lot more than just disk imaging )

Large Scale / Enterprise Networks :
EMC Legato
CA ArcServ ( You can try out the demo to understand how powerful this product is here )
IBM Tivoli
Yosemite

So what IS the biggest problem with NTBackup ?
* Support for only Network Shares and Tape Drives as Backup Stores ( tapes are long dead )
* Not intuitive for making custom Backup Scripts

There are some solutions for these problems though.
A third-party addon known as Firestreamer-RM ^[10] extends the Removable Storage component in Microsoft Windows to support modern storage media such as external hard disks, flash memory, optical media such as CD, DVD and Blu-Ray and network file systems exposing the pieces of media as virtual tape to NTBackup which is based on Removable Storage.

An alternative to scripting is GUI software such as BackupAssist, which automates NTBackup and can perform automatic, scheduled backups of Windows-based servers and PCs using NTBackup.

==
UPDATE :
In Windows Vista and later operating systems, NTBackup was replaced by Windows Backup and Restore Center, which uses the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file format, supports backup to modern media such as DVDs and image-based full system backups.

Windows Bashing !? or does really deserve some credit ?

Before we even start, let me make my stand clear on the ever contentious matter of Windows. Do I hate Windows ? NO. I just think there are a lot of things that can be done better. I do think Windows as a products deserves credit for being able to support almost any combination of hardware in the market and still run .. albeit crashing every now and then.

That being said, the biggest issue with Windows is not the product itself, but that there is n0 real competition to force MS to get better at its act. Scott has suggested this great article that outlines the best and worst moments of our beloved Windows' and MS History ! Thanx Scott

:)

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/50_best_and_worst_moments_windows_history

XP Unattended Install - resources

http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/7/
http://www.hytekcomputer.com/Articles/XPInstall/1.shtml

A Great Cause to Support - OneMoreStep.CA

Hello Girls and Guys !

The holiday season is a great time to receive gifts and a time to share the joy and fortune by passing on gifts to loved ones. Lets not forget others who do not have the same opportunities and fortune like we do. Probably the most deserving of these many causes are little kids who are orphaned and have none to call as family.

Thats the reason that I chose to personally support along with my friends. In 2008 we launched a project to collect 1000 $ CAD and use it to get much needed supplies and funds for about 172 kids in two orphanages in remote regions of Vietnam. Instead of sending them funds, we managed to buy supplies, clothes, books, toys and medicine for about 17 Million Vietnamese Dollars !! [ Yeap .. 10$ CAD is enough to feed 20 kids 3 meals each ]

This year we are trying to raise $ 2900 and repeat last year's kind gesture. Please visit the following link to know more of the project.

HTTP://www.ONEMORESTEP.ca

How can you Help ?

• Please spread the word by telling your friends and suggesting them to donate even small amounts of 15$ / 20 $. That will go a long way in helping the little kids out.
• Also, try making a personal contribution yourself for this deserving cause.

Demo : VMWare Basics - Yet Again !

This is for those distinguished folks who could not make it to the last DEMO. Please bring along a Drive with atleast 10Gb capacity if you intend to carry back the VMware s/w and the works.

:)

Starts 1pm 4th December - FRIDAY

Lecture : IP Addressing - 1

Lets learn Binary Number System, IP Addresses, Subnet Masks in this fast paced 2 hour session. Anyone is welcome to join in. But the following students are expected to be in Attendance :

• Zain Bahnim
• Shailaja
• Ajai Jaigobin
• Shafikul Chowdhury
• Felicito Onayan
• Cymbelline Villaranda
• Ing Tuan Wong Li
• Inshan Malcolm
• Dennis Rey

Starts at 11am on 4th December - FRIDAY

Lecture : Open Sessions for the upcoming Weeks

Someone tells me that the Open Sessions for Lecture Topics is very Democratic and allows the students to pick and choose what they want to hear.

[ Makes me feel like a Radio that can be Tuned to Various Stations at the user's Choice .. Neva Mind ! ]

So here is the Schedule :

WED - Dec 02 - 11am
THU - DEC 03 - 1pm

MON - Dec 07 - 11am
TUE - Dec 08 - 1pm

THU - DEC 10 - 11am

have your topics ready, or else.. you will have to listen to my favorite topic "The Story of My LIFE"

:)

College Schedule for Winter Shutdown !

Its here and its official. School remains open from 21st Monday to 23rd Wednesday. Again 28th Monday to 30th Wednesday.

The hours are tentatively set as 9 am to 5pm.

Still leaves enough time for Santa Claus, New Year, Skating, Skiing and Ice-Fishing. Just remember NO CERTIFICATION PRACTICE EXAMS are to be taken from the 18th to 5th January.

I will be here on some of the days of course.

:)

MS Offers up a Rare gesture of Generosity ! Well .. not really

Hey Guys and Girls !

Like I have been saying for quite sometime now, MS wants to somehow get Windows 2008 off the shelves and get some change in its pockets. So far the marketing has drawn flak and the industry insiders know all too well that Server 2008 has no real new feature to justify million dollar spends on costly server hardware and consequently MS software. Agreed, there are IPSec Enhancements, better interface for management and tools like HyperV and WDS. Still, its like the classic case of buying a new car.

Essentially every car has 4 wheels, seats, brakes and a steering wheel. Now the manufacturer will never see repeat business if his latest car looks the same. Just a new body style is not a compelling reason for many to go put 30 - 40K down on a new car. But yea, the fact that the wife and kids find the neighbors car more attractive is enough to goad him to replace again.

MS has this strategy in its pocket. Let the students ( future network administrators ) get certified for less, then let them create an artificial demand in the market at their new employments. Anyways.. its a good chance for everyone to buy vouchers for CHEEEAAP !

How Cheap ? check out the links below.
http://www.prometric.com/microsoft/student

Conquering Concepts in the new Network+ module

Here is a list of Labsim Sections that are Essential for understanding Networking concepts. The other information may not be completely pertinent to your course or will be covered at length in your CCNA module :

Section 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5
Section 2.1, 2.4
Section 3.everything
Section 4.1, 4.2
Section 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.8
Section 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.5
Section 7.2, 7.3
Section 8.2, 8.3
Section 9.1, 9.4, 9.5

You can also save time by just watching videos, understanding concepts and skipping the section tests completely. The Labs are important though

Virtualization Basics with VM Ware Desktop

A small demo and walk through for installing VM Ware and virtual machines on your computer. VMware is an industry leader when it comes to Virtualization Utilities.

Starts at 10:00 am on Wednesday 25th November

Knowing Whos Who in the IT Space

Just like how the whole Film Industry looks up to the Oscars and holds its breath for the awards night, every year all IT vendors cross their fingers until they get permanently twisted for the results of the WITPro Results.

Just like how all us movie buffs also spend our precious time on the Oscars and talk about it for a while, in the Networking and IT Space all administrators love to talk about the results of this annual fete.

So if u would like to get a quick primer on all the big boys in our field the 15 pages in this article will amply point out the stars. Read up

:)

Webinar : VMware VSphere

Virtualization is the next big wave in the networking space. here is a great opportunity for anyone to learn about the fundamentals of VMware's hot selling VSphere

Cost : 79$ USD / CAD ( not sure if its usd or cad )
Worth : Atleast 500 $ of info plus a chance to flaunt it on your resume

( Ill leave it to your discretion though. heheh... i dont get paid by anyone to promote this Webinar )

NetBIOS Node types

The node type of a networked computer relates to the way it resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses. There are four node types.

* B-node: 0x01 Broadcast
* P-node: 0x02 Peer (WINS only)
* M-node: 0x04 Mixed (broadcast, then WINS)
* H-node: 0x08 Hybrid (WINS, then broadcast)

The node type in use is displayed by opening a command line and typing ipconfig /all. A Windows computer registry may also be configured in such a way as to display "unknown" for the node type.

Microsoft has changed the way its client OS has handled NetBIOS queries and subsequently the node types. More Info is here :

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/160177

Lecture : Windows Deployment Services Framework

For many of us, the thought of having to install Windows Operating Systems on hundreds of client computers can be daunting and boring. More boring than some modules of Labsim... :)

So the thought of having the entire process automated and centrally managed should make all of us very happy. Poor MS has tried their hands at perfecting this technology over the past 12 years and this is how they have fared.

Platform	Verdict
Win NT 4.0 Server based Deployment	FUBAR
Win 2000 Server - Remote Installation Services	Aborted Mission -Slow, buggy and too many hurdles to justify being practical
Win Server 2003 - RIS	Great in Theory, May work in Practice After a LOT and LOT of Pain
Win Server 2008 - Windows Deployment Services	MS Got this one Right ! Well ALMOST

Anyways, I am attempting to breakdown all the concepts behind setting up such a WDS architecture. For this to succeed we need Services like AD-DS, DHCP, DNS, LDAP, PXe to all work smoothly together, much like a Swiss watch. One wrong step and we will have to start from scratch.

Surely MS could have done a better job at integrating all this together, but yeap; we just have to learn to live with WDS.

Lecture on WDS Concepts starts at 10.30 AM on Wednesday 18th NOVEMBER

This will be followed by a LAB at 12.30 PM same day

Open Session - Lecture

Hello everyone.

Lets have an open session lecture at 11am tommorrow. Kindly shout back on the topics and I deal with them on the fly.

Thanx

:)

Scott Says : " This is how we do a Custom Windows Install"

This is to everyone who's been inquiring on unattended window xp installs and customization. If you go to the following sites there are many how-to's and programs that explain it all. There is a lot of reading to do so make sure you have some spare time :) I can answer most questions you may have on Nlite, BartPE and MSFN. I'm just learning Windows Post-Install.

So let me start off the list:

1) http://www.nliteos.com/ - This is a program that lets you customize your winxp install, from integrating service packs and hot fixes, drivers, disabling services, removing components from the install, integrating the unattend.txt file into the cd and more.

2) http://www.wpiw.net/The_Dark_Side/home.html - This is Windows Post-Install Wizard a program that allows you to create a custom post install, you can configure and define a list of programs to be included with the install and pick and choose which programs to automatically install after winxp installation.

3) http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ - This is BartPE it allows you to create what is called a Live cd of winxp, which is a bootable and installed version of XP on cd with any/all apps you want. This is useful as a troubleshooting tool when you can't boot into your computer, as you can install tools to fix problems from a windows environment and all its tools.

4) http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/1/ - This is a site that explans how to create a custom windows xp install, can be used with Nlite or on its own.

5) http://www.msfn.org/ - A great resource for everything windows, specially when it comes to customizing. I highly suggest you create an account (its's free). Any doubts/questions can be answered here and there are tones of how-to's on many subjets.

Have Fun!!

Scott