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On Thursday night at the User Group event, I was challenged to write 70-659 exam before Dec 31 2011. There are high stakes at risk here, bragging rights and more importantly beer! Over the next few weeks you will see a few blogs post from me on the subject as a way for me to study for the exam. I spent a bit of time on the weekend, starting to get my act in order! First things first, study material! I have a reasonable lab setup but if you don’t you will need to get the software. The easy way to do that is download it from the Eval Center. My next move was to sign up for the MS Virtual Academy, there are a number of session there like that will help out: · Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals – Management · Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals – VDI · Enhancing Your Business and Career with the Private Cloud · Planning, Building and Managing a Private Cloud · System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 FYI currently my ranking is 266152, I think that I can change that in a few days. J Don’t forget about TechNet Cloud Hub. Luck for me, MS Canada TechNet team sent out a link to a free eBook for 70-659, you can download yourself and you don’t need to be a Canadian to get it either! J Don’t tell any of the MS guys but I have loaded it on my iPad already. J Finally, I printed off the skills being measured for this exam. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-659#tab2 Are you up to the Challenge? Did you think that you can write this exam by Dec 31, 2011? 
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| Welcome By now you have noticed that the Ottawa IT Camp website is nearing complete population for the 2011 event on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at Algonquin College. Registration opens at 8:15 am. We are fortunate once again that Algonquin College is hosting the IT Camp - this trims our expenses and makes for a comfortable venue. AND this year, all four sessions are on the third floor, so that should make for better networking among the IT Community. Speakers Speakers and sessions are posted. We have an incredible set of speakers and topics this year - I am getting excited about the day and seeing ALL of you there. This year's special topic is Windows 7 Mobile - hard to believe that it was just starting to appear a year ago. Of course, other tracks with even better speakers;-) include Web and Cloud Development, SQL and IT Professional. Sponsors We have a long list of paying sponsors that make this event possible. We thank them for their generosity. They are sending product our way, so expect some great prizes. The day in perspective The day starts with coffee, juice and muffins at 8:15 am when registration opens. The first sessions start at 9 am with breaks between each session. We should be able to keep you fed and comfortable. The last session finishes at 4:45 pm and end of day draws should be finished by 5 pm. It's a long day, but what a fantastic way to learn a lot of new tricks. Volunteers Finally, the day of the event we need help making the event run smoothly. If you can volunteer for registration or as a room monitor, that would be most appreciated. Volunteers, who have already volunteered will be receiving an email next week about assignments. You gotta show up to learn So, go register and come to the event Saturday, April 16, 2011 at Algonquin College. Charles Wiebe Ottawa IT Camp Committee | 
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With the start of a new year, it is that time again to support the System Management Community, with that in mind I have made my yearly donation of $250 USD to MyITForum (MIF). Have you made a donation to your community yet? http://www.myitforum.com/donations/donate.asp 
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Now that I have your attention, every SMS / ConfigMgr administrator needs to know SQL in order to support SMS/ ConfigMgr. There are no “Ifs” “ands” or “buts” about it, without SQL, ConfigMgr / SMS could not run. You could not write reports or use SSRS. Neither MDT nor WSUS work without it either. So without SQL there is no ConfigMgr / SMS /v.Next / CM11! Therefore you MUST know SQL at least from an administrator stand point and should be certified in it. So how can you get certified? There are a number of ways: take 70-431 (SQL 2005) or 70-432 (SQL 2008) or you can take the free certification from BrainBench. Yes, I did say free SQL 2008 administration certification. Brainbench has a number of free certifications http://brainbench.com/xml/bb/common/testcenter/freetests.xml, one of which is SQL 2008 Administrator. SQL is the backbone of ConfigMgr / SMS, heck even OpsMgr, MOM, SCSM, DPM, SCVMM, and SCE all use it. There is no excuse why you should not be at least BrainBench certified in SQL 2008, it’s free! What is stopping you? What is your excuse for not taking this certification? 
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The Ottawa Code Camp is back with a new look and more sessions this year. We have included a new track for the IT Pro and we changed the name of the event to the Ottawa IT Day / Code Camp. This initiative from the Ottawa community is bigger this year with 20 sessions divided in 4 tracks. We have a brand new IT Pro track including the best speakers of Ottawa, a SQL Server track, a .Net track and a Fantastic Silverlight application track. We invite you all to come and join us at this free event for a free full day of training. Check out the agenda at this link: http://www.ottawacodecamp.ca/Pages2010/Agenda.aspx Register at this link: http://www.ottawacodecamp.ca/Pages2010/Registration.aspx 
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With the start of a new year, it is that time again to support the System Management Community, with that in mind I have made my yearly donation of $250 USD to MyITForum (MIF). Why do I do it? Well as a past User Group leader for www.OWSUG.ca, I know how much it cost to host a small user group community. OWSUG is small in comparison to MIF! Our network traffic is nothing compared to what the MIF site gets. I’m will to bet that the network traffic to the MIF site in less than 12 hours, is the equivalent of what the www.OWSUG.ca gets in one year! I will also tell you that it cost more that $350 as year (USD) to host the www.OWSUG.ca site. Yes that is about $1 a day for a small user group site! I hate to see what MIF spends each month! So, have you made a donation to your community yet? http://www.myitforum.com/donations/myITpaypal.asp 
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Thanks Cliff.. ;-) this Twitter add-on works great! Something tells me that I will be twittering more! 
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Topic: How to protect SQL Server using Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 SP1 (DPM).
Through discussions and demonstrations, we will be covering how DPM offers a continuous data protection for SQL Server with simple and advance configuration. Presenter Bio: Islam Gomaa is a Senior Systems Administrator at e-academy. He has over eight years of experience in IT in a Windows Server environment. Additionally, he has 3 years of experience deploying and implementing System Center Data Protection Manager in several sites. Islam is a member of the Ottawa Windows Server User Group executive committee and the Team Lead of the SharePoint study group. Agenda:
5:30 p.m. Event registration
6:00 p.m. Presentation
7:30 p.m. Q & A
8:00 p.m. Door Prizes Location:
Microsoft Canada Co.
100 Queen Street Suite 500
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J9 http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=141173 Notes: Pizza and Pop will be served, Please RSVP to help us order enough of both. Please note that no one will be admitted after 5:55 p.m.! 
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Well it is official, as of Thursday Aug 20th 2009, I have step down as President of OWSUG. I have been running the OWSUG since 2003! and it is about time to pass the reins on to someone else, and that someone else is Brad Bird. With this change to OWSUG, we have worked to increase the number of people within the user group executive committee and started to review the process of how to improve the OWSUG. But I’m not going anywhere! I will assume the “Past President” role and will mentor all executive members this year to help ensure that the OWSUG will continue without issues. So what is coming this year with the OWSUG? Well I will not spoil Brad’s fun but I’m sure that he will announce the study group for this fall very shortly. I will also tell you that the first 2 UG group meetings have been booked and all the events dates have been decided too. To be honest, this could be the best year yet for the OWSUG and it is up to YOU to help make it that way! So I encourage you to offer your help to Brad and the whole executive group. Remember that Brad et al, will need your help deciding which topics to present to the OWSUG, so make sure that you tell him what you want to see. So some of you will ask what does that mean for me? Well as I stated above I am not going anywhere however I will be taking a much smaller role in the UG. I’m fairly sure that I will be in January’s study group. (Hint, Hint) J If you are not sure of the hint look here. I will be spending a bit more time with the www.SMSUG.ca user group, Mark Carriere has taken on a new job and we need a bit more activity on the site. (If you are a System Center person and want to give back to your community, feel free to contact myself or Mark.) For my non-user group stuff I will be spending a lot more time designing new products and services for Enhansoft, I’m excited about the new products and service offerings that we have designed and some are coming out shortly too. Maybe, just maybe, I will offer to present to the OWSUG on ConfigMgr R2 or something along those lines. So, are you ready for a new user group season? And remember if you want the best user group even then Brad et al need your help! Watch his blog for details! 
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The Ottawa Windows Server User Group looking to start a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Study group. The OWSUG has been running study groups for several years and many in the Ottawa IT community have taken advantage of these opportunities for assistance with certification, as well as gaining valuable knowledge that can be applied on the job. Content The focus of this study group will be preparing for Microsoft Exam 70-236, Exchange 2007, Configuring. Passing this exam will gain the student a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuration; and counts as one credit towards the Microsoft Certified IP Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Messaging Administrator. The text will be the Microsoft Press Configuring Exchange Server 2007 Self Paced Training Kit, and copies will be provided to all study group members. Objectives All study group members will prepare for the sessions by reading the training material content. Individuals will work in teams to take turns leading the study group sessions according to a schedule which will be provided , and will lead demonstrations where appropriate. This is study group not a course, so everyone’s involvement will be required to ensure the success of the group as a whole. Cost The cost to participate in the group is $250. This includes the textbook (to keep,) as well as an exam voucher valid at any Microsoft testing centre. Schedule The group will be meeting weekly Tuesday nights beginning Sept 15, 2009 and continuing until early December 2009. To Apply To apply please send an email to certify@owsug.ca. Additional registration details will be sent only to people that pre-register. Positions will not be held before deposit and fees have been received. Proudly Supported By: ![clip_image001[4]](http://smsug.ca/files/70236Exchange2007Configuring_F1FD/clip_image0014.jpg "clip_image001[4]")
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On Tuesday June 30th 2009, over 100 technology professionals were present at Yuk-Yuk’s downtown location for an end-of-season party and awards ceremony, hosted by four organizations that specialize in Microsoft technology: The Ottawa Code Camp, The Ottawa .NET Community (ODNC), The Ottawa SQL.net Professional Association for SQL Server, and the Ottawa Windows Server User Group (OWSUG). In the words of this year’s event organizer, Colin Melia of DreamDigital, “the hosting organizations bring together like-minded individuals through 10 months of the year for the purpose of transferring IT-related knowledge and fostering relationships. This event celebrates the successful completion of the season made possible by the efforts of individual members and corporate partners.” The event sponsors included Ottawa consulting firm Like 10, Inc., training and education provider e-Academy, and technical certification provider CTE Solutions, as well as community sponsors Robert Half Technology and DreamDigital. Over 40 people were recognized for their contributions. One of the key reasons why people come to the 30+ sessions throughout the year – and volunteer to help – is because the technology itself never stands still, and the groups provide their members with the means to stay connected and continue learning. Leahette Phillips of Robert Half Technology says that “as a partner we especially appreciate the emphasis that the Ottawa .NET Community places on recognizing individuals efforts on continuing education, which is always difficult in a technology space that is constantly changing.” This year the award for Partner of the Year went to DevTeach - a local company that organizes annual developer conferences in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The other finalists included Robert Half Technology, CTE Solutions, Redgate, and Microsoft Canada’s Technical Community Team. DevTeach president Jean-René Roy has received numerous accolades for single-handedly creating DevTeach and turning it into a compelling event that developers flock to. Since moving to the Gatineau area from Montreal two years ago, he has worked tirelessly for the community. A self-described “community growth freak”, he says (very modestly) that DevTeach calls this support “nourishment to the communities to help them grow”. Over the past five years, the hosting organisations have undertaken more and more activities in the communities they serve. Participation – attending study groups, attending sessions, speaking, and helping to organize – turns out to be very rewarding. All the groups urge people to come and find out for themselves next season, starting in September. ABOUT THE HOSTS: · The Ottawa Code Camp (www.ottawacodecamp.ca) is a weekend session that features 16-20 sessions that solve various problems using real code that participants can take home. · The Ottawa .NET Community (www.ottawacommunity.net) organizes presentations and study groups for developers working with .NET and other Microsoft technology. · The OttawaSql.net Professional Association for SQL Server (www.ottawa.sqlpass.org) organizes presentations and study groups for database professionals who work with Microsoft SQL Server. · The Ottawa Windows Server User Group (www.owsug.ca) organizes presentations and study groups for IT professionals who work with various Microsoft server technologies. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Colin Melia
Photo: ![clip_image001[4]](http://smsug.ca/files/OttawaITCommunityAwardsNight20082009Pres_FECD/clip_image0014_thumb.jpg "clip_image001[4]")
From left to right, Garth Jones, leader, OWSUG; Jean-Rene Roy, president, DevTeach; David Myers, OttawaSql.net; Orest Hirniak, ODNC. Photo Credit: John Hansen 
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