One of the nice things about Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 is that you can use a variety of clients to connect to it and control it. Clients like:

• Desktop PCs
• Laptops
• Netbooks
• Thin clients
• USB stations
• Even iPads (yes, you read that right)

I put together a short two-part video showing how to:

1. Remote control your iPad from a Windows PC, and
2. How to control a MultiPoint 2011 server from an iPad.
    

Note: Part 1 of the video shows a jailbroken iPad. You do NOT need to jailbreak the iPad to control the MultiPoint server. I jailbroke it so I could remote into the iPad to shoot the video (and because jailbreaking is fun and lets you do stuff that Apple should have done originally).

You can do Part 2 of the video (controlling the WMS 2011 Server) with an off-the-shelf iPad 1 or iPad 2 and an RDP program from the iTunes App Store – rest assured that your warranty will still be intact.

Well, it’s kind of short – 12 minutes

A little over a year ago, my beloved little Xbox 360 Elite decided to take a dirt nap. No more Netflix, no more games, no more MP3 / AVI / DVD-MS / Media Center on my big TV. Just three flashing lights, taunting my soul.
It was the fabled ‘Red Ring of Death’.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put my Xbox back in the media lineup again.  My most favorite digital possession had taken it’s last breath.

I knew it was out of warranty so I got out my screwdriver to peek inside and see what the deal was. No joy. Afterwards I heard that you can pay for an ‘out of warranty’ repair. My Xbox was over 1 year old and I had definitely voided the warranty when I opened it. So I tried to pay for an out of warranty repair though the official channels, but that didn’t work out.

Long story short, I want the world to know a few key things about getting the Xbox 360 repaired if it dies on you. Things I didn’t know back then. Things that Microsoft, in my opinion, is still not making clear on their website or on their phone support.

Note: This is not intended to be a rant, and I’m not trying to get Microsoft to change their policy on anything. I care about you, dear reader, and about the fine folks who work at Microsoft. And because I care, I’m trying to get the Xbox repair facts out there. Facts that may not be readily (or even remotely) clear or available on their website.

First – If your precious goes blinky-blinky, there is a handy troubleshooter to determine what the flashing lights mean.

Second – Stay AWAY from all of the eBay, Youtube, and mom & pop ‘Xbox repair’ offers.

Third – If your Xbox 360 has 3 flashing lights (probably an E74 error), here’s what you need to know:

• If your Xbox is < 1 year old – the box should be under warranty.
  Request a repair online
• If your Xbox is > 1 year old and your warranty is expired – You may still be covered for an E74 error. Don’t throw the Xbox away.
  Request a repair online
• For a non-E73/E74 error you usually can pay for an ‘out of warranty’ repair for about $99.99-$119.99 + shipping.

Fourth – And MOST IMPORTANT – NEVER open your Xbox 360. Microsoft will never repair it (any any price) if the case has been opened. Even if you request to pay for an ‘out of warranty’ repair (listed above) if the case has been opened, they will return it to you and refuse to repair it.

That point is pretty much the crux of this blog post. The web pages for Request a repair, Warranty FAQ and Repair FAQ pages do not make this point clear.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “Oh well, it’s out of warranty. I’m a smart computer guy/gal and I always wondered what these look like inside. I’ll open it up, see if something’s loose, and if I can’t figure it out I’ll just pay for them to fix it. After all, $99.99 is still cheaper than a new Xbox”. 

I thought that, and I was dead wrong. I’m now the proud owner of a $399 Xbox 360 Elite paperweight, which is not as cool as it sounds.

Logically, if you own a car that’s out of warranty and needs repairs (even if you broke it yourself trying to repair it or crashed it into a wall) you can always take it to the car dealer and pay to have it fixed. It’s gonna cost you some cash, but you’ll drive away with a lighter wallet and you’ll have a functioning car.

However, where Microsoft is concerned, an “out of warranty” Xbox repair is only possible on a pristine Xbox that has never been opened or modified. Period. I hate to beat this dead horse, but if you open it, you might as well have just crushed it with a steamroller. It’s a dumb policy, but it is what it is.

If it’s too late and you already did open your Xbox, your only recourse is to surf eBay / YouTube / local Xbox-fixer-guy and have them take a crack at it. I guess it can’t hurt at this point.

I can vouch for multiple ‘easy fixes’ that didn’t work for me:

• Towel trick
• Q-tip trick
• Penny trick
• Washer trick / X-clamp replacement trick

None of them worked for more than a few minutes to a few hours. You’re probably just better off saving the time and frustration and just buy a new Xbox. Unless you have a lot of time to kill. Personally, staring at this paperweight is bugging me, and on the next rainy day I’m probably going to try the heat gun trick.

One sunny day while mowing the yard with the old John Deere I thought, “How cool would it be if I could mount a Small Business Server on this lawn tractor?"

The answer (as you already know) is “not very cool”. Nobody wants to see a lawn mower running Exchange and SharePoint.

Obviously, I need to drink more fluids when mowing the yard in the hot sun, but that’s neither here nor there. The proverbial wheels were turning, and I started brainstorming for something much faster and infinitely cooler than a green and yellow tractor…

Enter Matthew Snoddy – Microsoft Small Business Specialist and owner of Network Therapists in Lexington, Kentucky.

a.k.a. “The Stig” (nobody knows for sure)

Not only is Matthew a fantastic network engineer and wheelman, he’s got some beautiful muscle cars,
like this supercharged 2008 SRT8 Dodge Challenger:

 
A Challenger is much cooler than a John Deere, but it gets even better!

Recently, Matthew expanded his stable with the addition of a rare (one of only 20 ever made) 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR convertible. A street-legal race car.

(More pics of Matthew Snoddy’s Viper ACR here)

VIPER SRT10 ACR SPECS – BONE STOCK

• 8.4-liter aluminum V10 engine
• 600 horsepower
• 560 lb. ft. of torque
• 0-60 in 3.4 seconds
• Top speed 184 MPH (202 MPH w/o the rear wing, but you’ll die)

If you’re a gearhead, you know all about the ACR. Matthew’s red ACR is a convertible model of the car that broke the Nürburgring track record.

 
This video of a white hardtop ACR on the twisting Virginia City Hill Climb
(Nevada State Route 341) is pretty terrifying.

 
Suffice it to say, the word ‘awesome’ does not even begin to describe this car.

So one night Matthew and I discussed the viability of mounting a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server in the Viper, and “Project Daffy” was born.

“Why a goofy name like Project Daffy” you say? Check out what happens when you invert the Viper ACR logo:

Can you see Daffy Duck on the right? Thought so.

We took some measurements of the ACR and (shocker) it’s not really designed to hold a standard server like an HP ProLiant ML370 G6, or even a smaller one like the HP ML110 or ML150.

The trunk is so small, there’s not even a spare tire – just an air pump (left).

Enter Greg Starks – SMB Solutions Program Manager at Hewlett-Packard. Greg has been with HP and Compaq for over 20 years, has presented at over 10 SMB Nation events, and he really knows his stuff.

a.k.a. “Mr. Awesome” (of that we *are* sure)

We needed something that had enough horsepower to run a server OS, but not so big that it wouldn’t fit in the Viper. With limited space, heat and power requirements, it was a tall order. Greg hooked up Project Daffy with the brand new HP ProLiant MicroServer and got it to us in time to make it to the racetrack!

HP MICROSERVER SPECS:

• AMD Athlon II NEO N36L processor 1.3 GHz
• Supports up to 8 GB PC3 DDR3 RAM
• Embedded NC107i PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter
• OCZ Vertex 2 200GB solid state SATA II drive*
• Cold boot to SBS 2011 login – 2 minutes 45 seconds
• Shut down – 14 seconds
• Operating System – Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

*We took out the stock 160 GB LFF SATA drive and used the SSD instead to mitigate vibration from the car. (The SSD isn’t a factory option.)

The HP MicroServer is physically small enough (10.5" x 8.3" x 10.2") to fit perfectly in the Viper trunk with room to spare. The MicroServer doesn’t come with a DVD drive, so we took an ISO of SBS 2011 Standard Edition and made a bootable flash drive and installed SBS 2011 that way – no problem.

After the OS installation, we did some testing with the UPS to estimate battery life (about 55 minutes). SBS 2011 runs on that SSD like a scalded dog!

The next step was powering it and mounting it in the car.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:

• APC Smart-UPS 1500VA battery backup
• Buffalo WHR-HP-G300N 802.11b/g/n wireless router with DD-WRT
• TP-LINK TL-WN722N USB wireless n adapter w/ SMA connector
• External 6” 2.4 GHz omni-directional magnetic mount antenna
• 2.4 GHz Yagi 20 dBi WiFi antenna w/ SMA connector
• Acer Aspire One ZG5 netbook (Windows 7)
• “The Boom” – inverted DirecTV dish mounting hardware for Yagi mast
• “The Surfboard” – various mounting hardware from Home Depot

Due to the irregular shape of the Viper trunk, we used a spare piece of cardboard as a template to map out the shape, and then transferred that outline onto a plank of 3/4” plywood (“The Surfboard”). After some lengthy trial and error moving things around, appropriate measurements were laid out to make sure that there was sufficient room for the equipment, padding, cabling, and tie-down equipment.

HEADING TO THE TRACK:

It’s a pretty long drive from Louisville out to the Mt. Park Dragway in Clay City, Kentucky (about 120 miles). When we got there it was so cold out that the grass in the shadows was still frosted even though the sun had been up for a few hours. Sadly, that morning one of Matthew’s friends lost control of his Corvette on the track and put it into the wall! Fortunately he’s OK, but the same can’t be said for the Vette. Even with safety equipment, racing is still a dangerous occupation.

Mounting the server and network equipment in the Viper trunk went surprisingly smooth. All of the planning and measuring paid off and it fit like a glove. We powered up the server and the router and ran some connectivity tests while Matthew drove around the track. As long as we kept the Yagi antenna (attached to the netbook in our makeshift pits) pointed at the Viper, we never lost a single ping. That’s pretty impressive considering that the antenna was INSIDE the trunk. The car body is fiberglass (except for the carbon fiber rear spoiler) so there was nothing externally on which to stick the antenna.

Side note: One of the coolest parts of the whole project was seeing the looks when people walked around to the back of the car to see what was in the trunk.

The phrase of the day was, “You put a *server* in a Viper!?”

Everybody thought it was cool! So did we. My face hurts from grinning.

Using the netbook back at the pits, we logged into the HP MicroServer via RDP and ran System Information for Windows (SIW) to keep an eye on the internal temperature of the CPU and SSD drive with the trunk closed. Since it was such cool day, all the temps stayed nice and chilly in the server. In fact, the only moving parts in the entire trunk were one cooling fan in the server and another one in the UPS. The rig doesn’t build up much heat anyway.

By design, the Viper ACR doesn’t have electronic traction control. On a cold day with cold tires, the lack of traction control meant that Matthew couldn’t safely punch the pedal to the floor without risking having the Viper suffer the same fate as the Vette. We know what the car can do in warmer weather, so there’s no doubt that that we truly have The World’s Fastest Small Business Server on our hands.

PICTURES OF THE COMPLETED PROJECT:

A view of the Viper SRT10 ACR 8.4 liter 10-cylinder engine.	The blue tape keeps hot tire rubber from sticking to the paint.
Left – HP ProLiant MicroServer Right – APC Smart-UPS	Behold! The World’s Fastest Small Business Server.
Close-up – You can see Buffalo wireless B/G/N router in the front and the “Surfboard” underneath. The APC and all other equipment is mounted rock solid and can’t move even 1/4”.	This is what happens when you burn too much rubber – they have to literally scrape it off the track! I think they’ve been saving this for a while at the track, but I’m not sure how long.

If you’ve got questions about the project, please feel free to post them in the comments below.

PICTURES – You can see the rest of the pictures on Flickr (test fit before tie-down and different views of the car, etc.)

VIDEO – Matt Hester (IT Pro Evangelist for Microsoft) shot some video of Project Daffy today, so you may see it on his blog soon. If he does, we’ll link to it here.

THANKS – Super-special thanks go to Matthew Snoddy (Network Therapists) and Greg Starks (Hewlett-Packard) for making this dream a reality. Props to Andrew McIntosh too for the UPS, and to Lauren for assistance in the pits.
You guys absolutely rock!!

Invitation – January 2010 KYSBSUG Meeting #71
Meeting Date: Wednesday January 20, 2010
Time: 6:30 PM Eastern
Location: Money Concepts
Address: 323 Townpark Circle, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40243
Topic: “Password Security and Password Cracking”

Guest Presenter: Dana Epp, MVP (Enterprise Security)
Founder & President of Scorpion Software (makers of AuthAnvil)

Website: http://www.scorpionsoft.com/
MVP: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Dana.Epp
Blog: http://silverstr.ufies.org/blog/

Description: Dana Epp is an industry-recognized expert in security and Microsoft MVP (2006-2010). Dana will talk about local and remote password security in SBS and SMB networks. He’ll also talk about topics such as two-factor authentication and tell you how you can implement this technology for your employees and customers.

Following Dana’s presentation, we’ll have a hands-on lab to demonstrate some of the tools on the market and methods to test (and break) passwords.

6:30 – 6:45 – Local events & introductions
6:45 – 7:30 – Dana Epp presentation (via GoToMeeting)
7:30 – 7:45 – Dana Q&A
7:45 – 8:20 – Hands-on Lab
8:20 – 8:30 – Door prize drawing and wrap-up

Door Prize: This month our door prize is an NFR copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.

Inspired by the cool findings on CNET regarding the Windows 7 ‘God Mode’ (as bloggers are calling it), and yet another post about additional features, I did some more digging to see what other options I could find.

First, the actual name for ‘God Mode’ is (anticlimactically) “All Tasks”:

I then did a search in the registry and found 39 more items I could use to create folders / shortcuts.

They’re located under Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CSLID\
Most, but not all, of them have a REG_SZ key for “System.Software.TasksFileURL” which is set to “Internal”.

Here’s the list of registry keys / shortcuts that worked for me. Just create a new blank folder in Windows Explorer and give it one of the names below:

Action Center CPL.{BB64F8A7-BEE7-4E1A-AB8D-7D8273F7FDB6}
Administrative Tools.{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}
AutoPlay.{9C60DE1E-E5FC-40f4-A487-460851A8D915}
Backup and Restore.{B98A2BEA-7D42-4558-8BD1-832F41BAC6FD}
Biometrics.{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Credential Manager.{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}
Default Location.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
Device Center.{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}
Display.{C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A}
Ease of Access.{D555645E-D4F8-4c29-A827-D93C859C4F2A}
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
HomeGroup Control Panel.{67CA7650-96E6-4FDD-BB43-A8E774F73A57}
Install New Programs.{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}
Location.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
Manage Wireless Networks.{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
Microsoft Windows Font Folder.{BD84B380-8CA2-1069-AB1D-08000948F534}
Network and Sharing Center.{8E908FC9-BECC-40f6-915B-F4CA0E70D03D}
Network Map.{E7DE9B1A-7533-4556-9484-B26FB486475E}
Network.{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
Parental Controls.{96AE8D84-A250-4520-95A5-A47A7E3C548B}
Performance Information and Tools.{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}
Personalization Control Panel.{ED834ED6-4B5A-4bfe-8F11-A626DCB6A921}
Power Options.{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}
Printers.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Programs and Features.{7b81be6a-ce2b-4676-a29e-eb907a5126c5}
Public Keys.{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}
Secure Startup.{D9EF8727-CAC2-4e60-809E-86F80A666C91}
Sensors.{E9950154-C418-419e-A90A-20C5287AE24B}
Set User Defaults.{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}
Speech Recognition.{58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A}
Sync Center Folder.{9C73F5E5-7AE7-4E32-A8E8-8D23B85255BF}
System Recovery.{9FE63AFD-59CF-4419-9775-ABCC3849F861}
System.{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE}
Taskbar Icons.{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
Troubleshooting.{C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651}
User Accounts.{60632754-c523-4b62-b45c-4172da012619}
Windows Firewall.{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}
Windows Update.{36eef7db-88ad-4e81-ad49-0e313f0c35f8}
Workspaces Center.{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}

I also found a bunch of registry keys for control panel items that I didn’t work for creating functional folder shortcuts (22 of them). Here’s that list, in case somebody knows how to make them work:

CardSpace.{78CB147A-98EA-4AA6-B0DF-C8681F69341C}
Color Management.{B2C761C6-29BC-4f19-9251-E6195265BAF1}
Date and Time Control Panel.{E2E7934B-DCE5-43C4-9576-7FE4F75E7480}
Device Manager.{74246bfc-4c96-11d0-abef-0020af6b0b7a}
Folder Options.{6DFD7C5C-2451-11d3-A299-00C04F8EF6AF}
Getting Started.{CB1B7F8C-C50A-4176-B604-9E24DEE8D4D1}
Indexing Options Control Panel.{87D66A43-7B11-4A28-9811-C86EE395ACF7}
Infrared.{A0275511-0E86-4ECA-97C2-ECD8F1221D08}
Internet Options.{A3DD4F92-658A-410F-84FD-6FBBBEF2FFFE}
Keyboard Control Panel.{725BE8F7-668E-4C7B-8F90-46BDB0936430}
Mobility Center Control Panel.{5ea4f148-308c-46d7-98a9-49041b1dd468}
Mouse Control Panel.{6C8EEC18-8D75-41B2-A177-8831D59D2D50}
Pen and Touch Control Panel.{F82DF8F7-8B9F-442E-A48C-818EA735FF9B}
Phone and Modem Control Panel.{40419485-C444-4567-851A-2DD7BFA1684D}
Region and Language.{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
Sound Control Panel.{F2DDFC82-8F12-4CDD-B7DC-D4FE1425AA4D}
Tablet PC Settings Control Panel.{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E}
Taskbar and Start Menu.{0DF44EAA-FF21-4412-828E-260A8728E7F1}
Text to Speech Control Panel.{D17D1D6D-CC3F-4815-8FE3-607E7D5D10B3}
Windows Defender.{D8559EB9-20C0-410E-BEDA-7ED416AECC2A}
Windows Sidebar Properties.{37efd44d-ef8d-41b1-940d-96973a50e9e0}
Windows SideShow.{E95A4861-D57A-4be1-AD0F-35267E261739}

As a workaround for the items in the second list, you can just navigate to the item, right-click it and choose “Create Shortcut”.

This will place a shortcut on your desktop that you can then move where ever you like. It’s a shortcut…

…but it works.

If you hate looking all over the control panel in Windows 7 for where Microsoft moved your favorite icon, you’ll love the “God Mode” hack. I found this on CNET.

Basically, you open Windows Explorer, navigate to the C: drive, create a new blank folder in Windows 7 and give it the following name:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

The folder icon changes automatically and you’ve got the ‘God Mode’ menu.

Double-click that icon and you have one menu with about 275-295 menu choices (depending on the hardware and windows features installed) broken into the following categories:

• Action Center (15 items)
   
• Administrative Tools (10 items)
   
• AutoPlay (3 items)
   
• Backup and Restore (2 items)
   
• BitLocker Drive Encryption (2 items – if you have BitLocker installed)
   
• Color Management (1 item)
   
• Credential Manager (1 item) 
  
• Date and Time (4 items)
  
• Default Programs (2 items)
  
• Desktop Gadgets (6 items)
  
• Device Manager (1 item)
  
• Devices and Printers (9-11 items)
  
  Note: I’ve also seen options for “Add a Bluetooth Device” and “Change Bluetooth Settings” on laptops.
• Display (11 items)
  
• Ease of Access Center (26 items)
  
• Folder Options (5 items)
  
• Fonts (3 items)
  
• Getting Started (4 items)
  
• HomeGroup (2 items)
  
• Indexing Options (1 item)
  
• Internet Options (14 items)
  
• Keyboard (2 items)
  
• Location and Other Sensors (3 items)
  
• Mouse (8 items)
  
• Network and Sharing Center (16 items)
  
• Notification Area Icons (6-7 items)
  
  Note: Laptops have a “Show or hide battery on the taskbar”
• Parental Controls (1 item)
  
• Performance Information and Tools (4 items)
  
• Personalization (12 items)
  
• Phone and Modem (1 item)
  
• Power Options (7-8 items)
  
  Note: Laptops also show “Change battery settings”
• Programs and Features (8 items)
  
• Recovery (1 item)
  
• Region and Language (10 items)
  
• Remote App and Desktop Connections (1 item)
  
• Sound (4 items)
  
• Speech Recognition (3 items)
  
• Sync Center (6 items)
  
• System (22 items)
  
• Taskbar and Start Menu (10 items)
  
• Troubleshooting (12 items)
  
• User Accounts (13 items)
  
• Windows CardSpace (1 item)
  
• Windows Defender (1 item)
  
• Windows Firewall (2 items)
  
• Windows Mobile Device Center (1 item – if you have it installed)
  
• Windows Update ( 2 items)
  

Now you know why they call it ‘god mode’.

This idea came to me today while having lunch at my desk (don’t know why I didn’t think of it before).

After putting the smack down on some tasty potato chips, I couldn’t find a chip clip to close the bag to keep it from going stale. However, I did have an ample supply of hard drive magnets lying around. I put one on each side of the bag, and viola! Life hack!

The only trick is not smashing your fingers while placing the magnets near each other. These magnets are so strong that I can hang the bag from a file cabinet or the side of the fridge.

Sometimes I crack myself up.

Thanks everyone who attended the KYSBSUG presentation on modding your wireless router with the DD-WRT firmware!

Here are the show notes from tonight. P.S. Don’t forget to reset your wired NIC TCP/IP settings back to automatic after you’re done flashing your router.

• DD-WRT main page
  http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
• Awesome “Supported Devices” list of routers you can flash to DD-WRT
  http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices
• DD-WRT Instructions for Linksys WRT54G / GL / GS / GX
  http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G/GL/GS/GX
• Linking Routers wiki – covers Mesh, Repeater Bridge, Universal Wireless Repeater and WLAN Repeater
  http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linking_Routers
• TFTP download (choose the “Client Application” one)
  http://www.tftp-server.com/tftp-download.html
• HotSpotSystem – Turn your WRT54G into a paid Wi-Fi hotspot
  http://www.hotspotsystem.com/
• Chillispot – Open Source Wireless LAN Access Point Controller
  http://www.chillispot.info/
• SMB Nation – Oct 4-6 Seattle, WA
  http://www.smbnation.com/
• FileZilla FTP Client (TFTP works better for flashing routers though)
  http://filezilla-project.org/
• Microsoft Groove 2007 60-day trial
  http://us1.trymicrosoftoffice.com/product.aspx?re_ms=oo&family=officelivegroove&culture=en-US
• Groove 2007 Video Tour
  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/groove/HA101672641033.aspx
• SBS 2008 Unleashed Book
  http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Small-Business-Server-Unleashed/dp/0672329573

If I don’t see you at SMB Nation in Seattle next week, I’ll see you at the Oct KYSBSUG meeting (tentative date Wed Oct 15, 2008).

Lately we’ve seen quite a few battery backups that have been either losing communication with the server, or PowerChute Business Edition is saying that the battery is old and needs to be replaced.

This APC tip today comes courtesy of Cory Rammer, MCSA:

“An APC tech let me in on a little trick on how to tell if a UPS is within the 2-year warranty period by looking at the serial number.  The first two digits you find represent the year it was manufactured, and the next two digits represent the week.

e.g. The Serial Number QS0514xxxx indicates the unit was manufactured in week 14 (April) of 2005.

This does not necessarily indicate that the warranty expires in week 14 of 2007, because they allow wiggle room for units that may have been sitting on a reseller’s shelf for a few weeks.  Also, proof of purchase from a customer obviously provides a more concrete date if that is available.”

Thanks Cory!

Also, to help decipher the Model # prefix, APC has a SKU-to-Product Family reference chart.  That may not be a big deal if you’re on-site, but if you’re talking to a new client on the phone or looking through documentation, it’s handy stuff to know.  Here’s a link to the chart:
http://www.apc.com/support/model_number.cfm

You are invited to attend the September 2007 Kentucky Small Business Server User Group (KYSBSUG) meeting.  This is our 43rd consecutive monthly meeting!

Title: KYSBSUG Meeting – Sept 2007
Date:  Wed Sept 19, 2007
Time:  6:30 PM Eastern
Venue:  University of Louisville – ITRC Building (Shelby Campus)
Address:  9001 Shelbyville Rd, Louisville, KY USA, 40222
Registration URL: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=121293

Topic:  SBS Hacks

Description: 

Share your favorite SBS Hacks, tweaks, and work-arounds that make SBS really hum, and learn what everyone else is doing. 

We’ve got a handful of specific hacks & tweaks lined up, but we plan on opening up the floor to let everyone participate.  To encourage everyone to share, each registered attendee who shares their favorite hack gets a door prize!  If you’re new to SBS, this is a great chance to learn from the pros.  And even if you’re a long-time SBSer, we’ve got still some tricks you’ve never seen before!

At the end of the evening we’ll hold a drawing for ‘Best SBS Hack’ and the winner walks away with a Microsoft Polo shirt!