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May 2008 - Posts
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 If you were at Energize IT 2008 this year you might have noticed a theme hidden behind everything. Music, that's right! It all kicked off with Thundergize, another parody written (and sung) by Sean Kearney. Followed by the American Idol style demo competition in which my team was robbed of the cup. I'll have video of that demo later on and you can judge for yourself but I received a few emails asking for Thundergize so here it is!
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I've been hearing rumours of a new monthly webcast aimed directly at user groups leaders, members and anyone interested in online and offline communities. To steal a quote from their intro.... User Group Television (UGTV) is a monthly webcast dedicated to bringing informative programming to User Groups worldwide while providing Microsoft the ability to introduce up and coming informatino to user group communities as well as highlight our engagement with them. Take a peak, send us your feedback and see if you can spot the Canadian UG leads :)
UGTV (User group Television) for ITPro Debuts! 
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I was going to create a blog post tonight about EnergizeIT, but then I saw that Ruth beat me to it. She posted the following on the Canadian IT Manager blog and, since we are on the same team, I figure down right copying may be the sincerest form of flattery. Thanks Ruth!! A couple of additional things of note that are not mentioned in Ruth's blog post are the fact that the MeasureUp offer of free practice exams has been extended until May 31, and the virtual labs are available for you to continue your learning for the same duration - until May 31. Please take advantage of both and add to or grow your technical skills. ----------------------------------------------------------- What a weekend! EnergizeIT is the most upbeat, motivational, energetic event Microsoft Canada puts on all year long and it marks the end of my team's "season" of events and tours across Canada. However, EnergizeIT is different from other events we put on, in that there are several different tracks on several different topics, the majority of speakers are not employed by Microsoft, it's a Saturday event and although there is great technical information, the main objective is to motivate and inspire the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) community. From the feedback I've received so far and just from the vibes I got from the event, I believe we succeeded. I mean, let's face it, ICT workers are often thought to be the grunt workers and, while technically savvy, not necessarily able to make the leap to align what they know about technology with business goals to add to the business bottom line. But, IMHO, that thinking is faulty. Sure, there are still people working in the ICT field that only want to do what they've always done but there is a growing number of professionals who love technology, love what they do and are inspired to grow themselves and their skills to the next level. These are the people who will be the stars in their companies and the trusted resources for their clients. These are the people who freely give back to the IT community, and in turn, engage and inspire others to reach beyond what they thought they were capable of. I myself was inspired and encouraged as I had the opportunity to talk with several such people over the past few days. I firmly believe that this it's these type of individuals that will shape and build the future of ICT in Canada. Well, actually, I firmly believe that it's these type of individuals that *must* shape and build the future of ICT in Canada if we're going to compete internationally, be a technology leader and attract more young people to this industry. Kudos to everyone that made this year's EnergizeIT event what it was - the organizers, the speakers, and most of all, the attendees. For post event resources, including speaker PowerPoint presentations and links to labs, go to www.energizeit.ca. For more information about what the event was like, check out this blog post from Miguel Carrasco, a software developer from Winnipeg (which includes a video of the opening welcome) and this video montage from Gheorghe Curelet-Balan from the Waterloo region in Ontario. Oh - one thing you probably should know - there was an Anime conference going on at the same time as our event, hence the wild costumes! Technorati Tags: EnergizeIT
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You might know that I run a website with Dan Nerenberg called thelazyadmin.com. Another friend and MVP, Mitch Tulloch wrote an article titled Laziness as a Virtue. In the article Mitch talks about how laziness can actually be a good thing! If you want to kick up your feet you need to check this track out. I created a little video to promote the track so check it out…..
…..and then be sure to register for Energize IT and check out the Simplify IT track where you’ll learn all about Zero Touch deployments with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (which is free!), managing systems with System Center Configuration Manager and even learn some cool things you can automate with PowerShell.
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We are getting so close to EnergizeIT that the excitement level is reaching a fever pitch. Sean Kearney, the regular Friday Funny Guy is also sharing this excitement. He put together a little video that I just had to share with you all. Check it out!! Stay tuned this week for more details on what to expect at some of the IT Pro-focused tracks like Simplifying IT. If you have not yet registered for EnergizeIT 2008, do it now. Technorati Tags: EnergizeIT
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High Performance Computing has been around for a long time but is starting to make headway into more and more areas. It is no longer just used in research, scientific and academic areas. A while ago I showed wrote how some research being done with HPC affects our daily lives (http://blogs.technet.com/canitpro/archive/2008/02/13/hpc-in-the-real-world.aspx) That is cool and I continue to see how HPC is making its mark in everyday life. Like Xbox games for example. Seven Group in Vancouver BC is doing some cool things with their Windows HPC based render farms that are allowing xBox games to look better than ever!
Why your Xbox games look so good 
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Dennis Oldis sent me this post to share and I have to say I love the idea. Online groups getting together offline for some social networking and technical learning. ------------------------- The Minasi Forum Meet 2008 (http://web2.minasi.com/forummeet2008/) took place a few weeks ago in Virginia Beach. If you haven’t heard of the conference yet, you will. If you’re a serious Windows SysAdmin, then likely you’ve heard of Mark Minasi. He’s written several of the top selling Mastering series of books and he has several Reader’s Choice awards as “Favorite Technical Author” from CertCities. He also writes a column for Windows IT Pro magazine and sends out a monthly Windows Tech Support newsletter to his email list. Back in 2002 Mark started an online forum (http://web2.minasi.com/forum/) and opened it up to his email list. Started as a way to help his readers share information, it soon formed into a community of like minded Windows admin’s, willing to help each other resolve technical issues. The Minasi Forum Meet grew out of a desire of that community of regular forum members to get together and to teach/learn/share information in person. In it’s third year, and started by Mark and members of his online forum, the conference has doubled each of the past two years, starting with about a dozen forum members the first year to over 50 attendee’s this year. Forum members from all over the world (Canada, Ireland, England, Denmark, the Netherlands, United States, etc.) come each year to share, teach and learn from each other. Forum members are given the opportunity to share their knowledge and present sessions on current technologies that they’re working with. To encourage more forum members to share, Mark did a talk this year on “Successfully Teaching Technical Topics: How to Teach ‘Em Without Tucking ‘Em In”, which got comments from attendee’s about how they want to do a session next year. Past attendee’s have taken the community aspect of the forum and the Minasi Forum Meet back home with them and they’ve started their own User Groups and blogs to share with their local IT Pro communities. The Minasi Forum community has grown over the past few years and several industry professionals have taken notice and posted answers to questions on the forum or attended the Forum Meet. Previous attendee’s of the Forum Meet who did sessions included: Darren Mar Elia, the GPO Guy (http://www.gpoguy.com/ and http://www.sdmsoftware.com/); Todd Lammle (http://www.lammle.com/) author of Cisco books and President of GlobalNet Training; Rhonda Layfield, Windows Deployment expert (http://www.minasi.com/); and of course Mark Minasi. This year was no different and some of the new industry professionals we had included: Don Jones, Windows PowerShell MVP (http://www.sapien.com); Greg Shields, author and speaker (http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp); and Jeremy Moskowitz, Group Policy author (http://www.gpanswers.com). For the Forum Meet 2008, we had some great sessions by current Forum members. Nathan Winters (who started the Microsoft Messaging & Mobility User Group UK, http://www.mmmug.co.uk/, after the first Forum Meet) did sessions on Exchange 2007 and Office Communication Server 2007. Curt Spanburgh did a session on Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server 2007. Eric Rux (who also did a great job of putting the Forum Meet together this year) did a session on Windows Home Server. And James Summerlin did a session on Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services. After listening to all the presentations and talking with all the other Forum members, what I came away with this year was that I shouldn’t get stuck in reaction mode. I need to keep looking forward to see where I want to go and start learning what I need to know now (like learning PowerShell since Microsoft is building everything on top of it). And with a great community of professionals willing to help each other out, an answer to a problem is usually only a forum post away. So if you’re looking for a great community of IT Professionals and are looking to share what you know, join the Forum. If you’re looking to attend a conference next year, mark your calendar for the Minasi Forum Meet 2009. You may even see me doing a presentation next year! Dennis Olidis IT Pro Firewalker http://itprofirewalker.spaces.live.com/ 
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Graham Jones - MVP (Surrey, British Columbia) |
Editor's Note: Got this on in the mail from my friend Graham who got it in the mail from our mutual friend Ron Demedash... I've tried to minimize "the telephone game" and kept his email intact as it came to me... It's a rather interesting use for Windows Home Server. I've got the HP MediaSmart system (with a ram upgrade installed) in my house now and I've had some form of WHS since it was internally called Q. :)
Remember - your milage may vary - do whatever is right for your friends ... and customers.
Rick
Team Blog | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
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Back in early February Kevin Bears came up from Redmond to talk on Windows Home Server (WHS) in Vancouver. We had a great turnout with 225 people in attendance. One of those people was my good buddy Ron Demedash who had travelled over specially from Victoria where he runs the IT Pro UG. Some of Ron’s consultancy business is aimed at the small office and he immediately caught onto the possibilities in that space. Recently Ron and I were emailing and he mentioned that some people are now using WHS in the office. So I asked him to send me some details and I have included what he sent me here. My comments are in (….).
“Windows home Server is for more than the home. Yes, that’s correct, WHS is now in the office! If that sounds like a promo from Microsoft, well it’s not. It’s a comment from my wife’s doctor (specialist) who uses WHS in his office. He’s started to call it, Windows Home Office Server. For months, on visits, we would chat about what’s new in the computing world (that’s right, a physician that knows more than their specialty and golf!) and I mentioned about being at the WHS event that Graham Jones ( VANTUG) had hosted. He was interested in what I had seen. I explained its ease of installation (true), the automated backup, (mostly true… does Vista 64 cause you heartache?) and it’s stability. [For Vista 64 you will have to wait for Power Pack 1]. What sold him, was that I considered it (at that time) the best approach for a small ( 2-5 workstations) system as a remote backup server.
A previous client (a GP) had a break-in. A desktop and the USB back-up drive were stolen. Fortunately all of the data was encrypted, so no confidentiality was breached. A significant selling point for him was that the WHS box could be set up somewhere where people are not likely to look. There aren’t many thieves who are going to start tracing wires or connections to find an extra box. A drive hanging off a desktop, while useful in case of a crash, isn’t useful in disaster scenarios, and a break-in, for a small business, certainly qualifies as a disaster.
On the next visit, I walk into the office, and he starts to sing the praises of WHS. He had taken an old box that he had lying around, dropped in the various software, using a USB drive copy of WHS (the only way to install - so much faster), and was up and running. The ease of installation was amazing (his word’s), and it did exactly as advertised… handled all of his back-ups (for 4 desktops) with no intervention on his part. Something that other solutions advertised but did not quite deliver. Certainly not with the same low-cost and ease.
WHS even dealt with the encrypted data (patient records) seamlessly. (If you want to know how to deal with encrypted data, and not have the server grind for hours… contact me.)
And then just to sweeten the pot for him, I showed how you could use WHS to backup a laptop over the Net. More on that later, once I get the add-in finished. This sold his nurse as she does work for him at home and wanted to have a back-up copy on the office system.
We did a demo of the recovery option for some of his colleagues, using a spare box, and they were blown away (as much as any doctor can be) by the ease of restoring. Drop in the recovery CD, answer a few simple questions, and away you go. No having to install an OS, no command strings, it just works.
Now there were some things that they had to be restrained on. WHS is not a replacement for Exchange [there are 3rd part email servers that can be installed - hMail for example] but for 1-5 person businesses, it just works as advertised. With new add-ins being developed on a regular basis, Windows Home Server just keeps on getting better and better.
I’ve had some in the IT Pro field pooh – pooh WHS as a solution (mostly because the level of support needed is smaller and thus less support contracts), but they had better start to look to the future. For a very small business, WHS works.”
I will keep an eye on Ron’s progress with perfecting backup over the net, which is probably of interests to a lot of people.
Graham J.
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 Mat Kimball retired from the Air Force after 20 years with experience in electronics and computers as well as various types of security. All of his family have a growing interest in computers. He has always had an interest in computers as well as an interest in helping others. Security is always a major issue in the military just like it needs to be with computers. It is important to educate people and encourage them to secure their computers.
The newsgroups are a great way to put his interests in one place. Mat likes the online community as a means to give and receive technical support. There are no questions that may be 'out of scope' for support because pretty much anything can be asked regardless of the computer manufacturer, warranty etc. Another thing he likes is the 'check and balance' of the newsgroups. On the occasion incomplete advice is given, someone else will normally pop in to add to or correct the information. Mat is known as Jupiter Jones in many of the support communities, currently residing in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. 1. What does being an MVP mean to you? It means I have been recognized for choosing to help others. Many help others and a few are selected as MVPs. Most MVPs I know would do exactly the same if they found out they were no longer MVPs. Many of us learned about the program only after being awarded MVP from Microsoft. - If you could ask Steve Ballmer one question about Microsoft, what would it be?
Consumers are losing trust in Microsoft; Windows/Microsoft Update particularly has lost a lot of consumer trust. Future innovation is very important, but what are you going to do to get back the trust that has slowly been eroding away over the past few years? - What do you think the best software ever written was?
The software I am using or about to use for the next task. At that point, most other software is largely unimportant. - If you were the manager of Windows Update, what would you change?
Work hard to ensure the customer is clearly informed about everything sent through Windows/Microsoft Update. This is particularly important when the customer settings are something other than automatic. Any deviation here can and does lead to a breakdown in trust of Microsoft in general and Windows/Microsoft Update specifically. Trust is one of the most important products of Microsoft and it needs to be protected. - What are the best features/improvements of Windows Update?
Microsoft Update which now allows updates for other Microsoft products such as Microsoft Office. Anything that makes it easier for people to keep their computers safe and secure is good. - What was the last book you read?
Configuring Windows Vista Client. - What music CD do you recommend?
Whatever my kids are playing (3 Teenage girls) - What makes you a great MVP?
Is there such a thing as a great MVP? I don’t see myself as great, just someone who likes computers and also likes to help others. - What is in your computer bag?
Toshiba Satellite A35, Microsoft Wireless Mouse 6000, Microsoft Life Cam NX-6000, CDs with various tools to troubleshoot and repair computers, GPS, small USB light, portable USB hub, USB Memory stick (2 GB), power cable, retractable network cable, blue sharpie, ball point pen and Halo 2 (There is more to computers than just work). - What is the best thing that has happened since you have become an MVP?
I have had a chance to meet many other MVPs who like to help others and enjoy doing it. Also meeting the people behind Windows/Microsoft Update. Most of this has happened at the MVP Summits. - What is your motto?
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best - Who is your hero?
Charles Lindbergh and Neil Armstrong. They both are, can’t narrow down to one. - What does success mean to you?
Not giving up. Not achieving your original intended goal is not necessarily a failure. Giving up is the sign of failure. - What do all Microsoft MVPs have in common?
2 things and only two things from what I have seen. We all like to help others and we all like at least one Microsoft product. Other than that we come from all walks of life from many countries with nearly countless beliefs. 
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One thing I mentioned a few times on the HHH tour in Canada was the ability for you to download a build guide to set up your own lab and follow the steps to do all the demos on your own in your virtual lab. Well it is finally done! Before I shared it with everyone I wanted to ensure it was right and so I send it out to a few people to check it out and ensure it was. Nelson and Danielle Ruest, a couple of MVPs from Victoria B.C. and authors of the Windows Server 2008 Complete Reference reviewed it, pointed out a few mistakes that got corrected.
So what are you downloading?
- Virtual Machine configuration information for the IT Pro session 2 and 3 network
- Links to download all the software needed (in case you didn't get a software pack)
- Step by step demo scripts for the IT Pro session 2 and 3 demos
- Videos of the IT Pro session 2 demos (Session 3 coming in June)
- Batch files used for Server Core demos
- Additional resources to dive in further into all Server 2008 technologies.
So what are you waiting for? Get the file, set up your lab and get going with some hands on experience with the HHH demos!
Download Heroes Happen {Here} Lab Guide here! 
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You might here Microsoft folks talking about the end of the year and wonder what's up it is only May? Well our fiscal year end is June 30th and when we say year end, we mean the end of the fiscal year. Because of the way the fiscal cycle is laid out, our event and planning cycles follow this same calendar. So June 30th is the year end and Energize is the last event of the year. Make sense? Well our resident funny man thought it sounded a lot like Christmas and came up with this little jingle.... Sung to it's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We're just waiting to get ourselves all ENERGIZED!
The Greatest time of year.
The communities all a glow, for that Grand Canadian Show
the Developers and IT Pros are full of cheer We're just waiting to get ourselves all ENERGIZED!
That one amazing day
It's a Saturday you see, no excuse for thee
to come out and play Oh yes your brain will explode developing code
with thoughts popping in and out
And there's so much to learn, our thoughts they will churn
We want to just scream and shout It's too bad it only happens once a year..... We're just waiting to get ourselves all ENERGIZED!
Anything can be!
Bring your friends and your family, it's absolutely FREE!
It's a pure Canadian computer thing, come and see! We're just waiting to get ourselves all ENERGIZED!
Sing it one and all!
Grab your laptops and smartphones too, hide your USBs from the glue
and we'll have a ball! Curious? www.energizeit.ca Register now! Energize IT 2008 - Anything is Possible! 
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