Robs Blog

ConfigMgr: SUP\WSUS communications failure

2008-10-14T12:16:00Z

Came across an SMS Admin today with an interesting problem. He has WSUS\SUP + all the other gubbings all on the one box, nothing really out of the norm and yet he gets Status Message ID 6701 followed by 6703 exactly 5 minutes later (the timeout value) in his WSYNCMGR log when attempting to get WSUS to SYNC with Microsoft Updates. Really he should be seeing 6701 followed by 6704 (recalling from memory here!) and 6701 means that the Sync is initialising and 6704 that it is in progress.

Odd thing is, if you remove the FQDN for the Site server (role wizard) the problem disappears. I could have left it like that, but didn't want too as it's etched in stone that supplying an FQDN for the Site server is good working practice. Well, it is.

Anyway, I discovered that if you add the Site servers FQDN to the Site servers Internet Explorer Trust Sites then add the FQDN back in to the Site server, it all slots in to place and performs the Sync successfully.

Now am not too sure of the root cause here, this in my eyes is a work-around and as its not a documented step I'm assuming not that many of you are actually experiencing this issue. If you've seen this, getting this, this fixed it for you then let me know!

On the subject of SUP\WSUS i've seen some real funny (well not so funny, maybe strange is a better word!) things happening, nearly all of which has been related to a non-standard "environment". And then i've seen SUP\WSUS go on (install), sync and bring down updates without any hiccups.

If you are experiencing SUP\WSUS issues then go back to step 1, analyse your environment and try to determine what is putting SUP\WSUS nose out of joint, as the product does work, first time, even if you follow the instructions verbatim

WMUG (UK) Event: October 31st - TVP\Reading

2008-10-08T11:28:00Z

WMUG, the UK Systems Center User Group is happy to announce that Wally Mead will be attending the next event, which is taking place on the 31st of October 2008, at the Microsoft TVP Campus.

Here's a snippet from the WMUG Event group page, it's a totally ConfigMgr loaded event:

Mark the date in your diaries folks, the next WMUG meeting will be on the 31st of October at the Microsoft TVP Campus in Reading. This time we’ll be having from Microsoft, Wally Mead, Sr. Program Manager for System Center configuration Manager who has kindly agreed to stop over at our meeting on his way to Tech Ed, and do some presentations.

Please note: We will be starting this event earlier than normal on a Friday, to get the most benefit out of Wally for you.

We have three sessions:

1:15 - 2:30 - Configuration Manager Site Deployment (Deployment part 1)

2:30 – 2:45 - Break

2:45 - 4:00 - Configuration Manager Client Deployment (Deployment part 2)

4:00 – 4:15 - Break

4:15 - 5:30 - Configuration Manager SP1 and R2 Overview

5:30 – 6:00 - Q&A

This is a GOLDEN opportunity for you to meet, and hear from, one of the best SMS/ ConfigMgr experts in the world, so attending is essential!

Read from source here for more info or to register!

Oh boy, a chance to deep dive on Site and Client deployment with a guy who eats, lives and breaths this product. If you live in the UK and can get to Reading, or maybe just couldn't attend IT Forum this year, honestly don't miss out on this opportunity!

What's that box i'm holding? - The Answer!

2008-10-02T15:31:00Z

Well, only one person came back with the correct answer to what i'm holding in my profile picture ... Steve Thompson who guessed it was an SMS 1.0 retail box!

I was tempted to tear the plastic seal on the box and load it on to WinNT, but, the realisation that i'd probably stop laughing and getting warm goofy retro feelings within 10 minutes of loading WinNT has put me off, so it's still sealed and probably will be forever!

Congratulations Steve Thompson (profile) you're the proud owner of a few pens that flash when you click them!!! Very classy, and totally invaluable for true flashing pen mobility that easily slip in to any shirt pocket! Will put them in the post soon ... who's the SMS daddy!

I'll knock some more stuff up for laughs, and we'll do another competition but call it ... "can you guess what it is yet?"

Whats that box i'm holding?

2008-09-30T10:09:00Z

I thought i'd raffle something, not sure what it is yet, but hey i've got some goodies and not letting on what!

So, first 5 people to ping me a private email with the answer win! You can email me by visiting this URL and then clicking on Send an Email

Now, the question: In my profile picture, what box am I holding? Visit here for my profile picture

No generalisations please! Correct answers not only identify the weight of the box (hehe only kidding) but the product and version ;-)

If you are outside the UK but want to email, by all means do I'd love to hear your guesses!

Russians smiling right back at ya via Google Maps

2008-09-25T12:20:00Z

Check this out, that's so cool. I love seeing social events being organised so that they can get a picture taken from satellites in orbit!

(Brazen and Blatant lift from SlashDot)

"Citizens of the Russian town Chelyabinsk calculated when the satellite, QuickBird, which takes images for Google Earth and Google Maps, would cross above their city and used people to make a giant smiley face. A rock concert on the main square attracted many people and everyone got a yellow cape. It looks like someone at Google was quicker than usual to put up the new data. Maybe Google likes the idea of an entire town working hard to get its 15 minutes of fame. The article has a screenshot of Google Maps and images taken directly at the event."

I think we need a geek-fest organised at a Microsoft Campus in time for the Live Maps satellite to pass over and snap a picture or too ;-)

Configuration Manager 2007 and DST\WOL issue

2008-09-23T14:08:00Z

Configuration Manager 2007 RTM\SP1 has a wee bit of an issue dealing with GMT dates that are offset by DST. Essentially if you are in a DST timezone then the DST offset is not factored correctly, resulting in Wake On Lan (WOL) packets arriving at the destination machines one hour earlier than intended\expected.

There is a work-around, but it simply involves shifting the start time for the advertisement forwards one hour ahead of when you plan to deploy. Not an elegent work around, as all you are doing is moving this one hour window forwards.

If you've been struggling with this one for a while, then you're going to have to wade on until after DST finishes for your timezone, unless of course Microsoft releases a hotfix before the next scheduled service pack release ;-)

Here's a handy link to countries that are currently in DST, and when they revert back to normal. Once DST is behind us, problem is gone.

Got a tip for you ... once DST has finished, SERIOUSLY consider performing a Hardware Inventory on those clients that reside within the timezone that has just come out of DST (keep in mind if you're spanning multiple countries ...). If you have a 1 week HINV schedule then these clients will still be considered to be within DST, at least until their HINV is processed and the clients timezone information is updated in the site servers database. You should be able to guess why this speeds things up. Essentially, you could leave things alone and put up with the DST\WOL issue for a short time longer (depends on your HINV schedule frequency), it's just if you want to make sure your clients wake up in time once they come out of DST.

Event: UK Microsoft Messaging and Mobility user group meeting - 11th November 2008

2008-09-19T14:52:00Z

News of an up and coming UK based messaging and mobility event:

November 2008 MMMUG Meeting:

This event will be held in London at the MSFT offices in Cardinal Place near Victoria.

This month we have a topical session led by Clive Watson, Brett Johnson and Julius Davies from Microsoft. We will be discussing the new support statements surround the issue of Virtualising your Exchange environment. Having understood which pieces of Exchange are now supported we will look at some of the key design issues facing those Virtualising Exchange.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday 11th November and starts at 18:30.

For more information and to sign up please see the link below:

Messaging and Mobility user group - http://www.mmmug.co.uk/forums/thread/23926.aspx

Stanford: Free CS and Robotics courses

2008-09-18T12:21:00Z

Copy\Paste from the relevent Stanford page:

Stanford University has launched a series of 10 free, online computer science (CS) and electrical engineering courses. The courses span an introduction to computer science and an introduction to artificial intelligence and robotics, among other topics.

Go here to read the full posting

More info on signing up here

Always wanted to do something with Robotics, other than busting a few moves when drunk ;-)

Takes your interest, go check it out!

Microsoft & Cray join at the technical hip to bring ... the CX1!

2008-09-17T13:15:00Z

Straight from the Windows Server dvision technet blog:

Microsoft and Cray Team up to Bring High Performance Computing Mainstream

For the first time in the two companies history, Microsoft and Cray have teamed up to offer a powerful mix of what each company does best - - the Cray CX1! What is the CX1, you ask? It’s a compact supercomputer running Windows HPC Server 2008, that’s what.

Wow, who would have thought of that, a CRAY running a Windows OS! If ol' Seymour was still around, wonder how he'd handle this news? Wonder what he'd think about CRAY not currently having the fastest super-computers in the world (IBM currently?).

Who is Seymour Cray\CRAY? Don't know your nuts from your bolts when it comes to computing back-history? Wonder no more, follow this link to read about a once leading light, in the pursuit of faster super-computing. Talking of notable IT engineers, another worth checking out would be David Cutler, who is still above ground and working for ... Microsoft!

Do all IT roads eventually lead to Microsoft?

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - In shops now!

2008-09-16T14:12:00Z

Lifted straight off the Lucas Arts webby:

LucasArts Unleashes a New Chapter in the Star Wars® Saga With Star Wars®: The Force Unleashed™

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Sept. 16, 2008 - Thirty-one years ago, the first Star Wars movie galvanized audiences around the word, sparking a phenomenon that has spanned generations. With today’s release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, one of the most highly anticipated video games of the year, LucasArts proves that the Force is stronger than ever.

http://www.lucasarts.com/company/release/news20080916.html

Can't wait to play this one on my Wii!!!!!!!

Review of the game on the Wii here, and general info on the game here

And yes, you guessed it, i'll play anything that has "Star Wars" in the title ;-)

Oh, and I should add the words "Configuration Manager" to the post, just to make it look like i'm focused on technology, sigh ...

Microsoft patent: State Migration Point explained

2008-09-15T16:02:00Z

Stumbled in to this somehow

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2007/0113226.html

Automated state migration while deploying an operating system

United States Patent 20070113226 Kind Code:A1

Migration of a user state from a source computing device to a destination computing device using a state migration point (SMP) is disclosed. The destination computing device may be the same as the source computing device but with a different operating system. The user state is securely stored by the SMP until the user state is restored on the destination computing device or a predetermined period of time has elapsed. Additional SMPs can be added without an architectural change. SMPs can be used to simultaneously migrate the states of multiple users of the source computing device to multiple destination computing devices. The SMPs can be restricted to migrate only the user states of computing devices with particular IP subnets. The SMPs can retain user states for a period of time after restoration in order to provide a backup, if necessary.

Check it out, i've never steered in to a patent before, when searching for documentation etc ...

Retro computing magazine scans Circa 80's

2008-09-10T13:23:00Z

Retrogeek found a mother-lode of magazines recently, and decided to scan them in and prop up on his blog for us all to see!

Some of these scans pre-date my tinkerings with computers, some I just never saw, and others such as the Load Runner magazine and WH-Smiths brought back memories of a different era in computing!

Look at this for an answering machine!

Keep scanning and posting RetroGeek ... I love this stuff!

Sequencing the ConfigMgr MMC Console

2008-09-10T09:32:00Z

I found this on a TechNet thread, thought might be handy for those of us that may want to sequence the ConfigMgr Console for deployment using App-V

Sequencing Config Manager Admin Console (MMC)

CERN: Large Hadron Collider collided!

2008-09-10T08:19:00Z

CERN tripped the switch on the Large Hadron Collider this morning, and we're all still very much alive!

No news on black holes, or aliens breaching the fabric of our universe and sending in an army with technology far more advanced than our own! Thank god for that!

I tuned in to the radio especially to hear the event take place this morning. What a moment, as they released the protons and counted down from 5 seconds and then got some results (no black holes observed I believe!). Moment in history indeed.

Hat off to the folks at CERN. Congratulations on pushing the boundaries of science forward another notch!

Hyper-V: Linux integration components

2008-09-10T08:11:00Z

Here's a snippet from Mike's blog on Linux Integration for Hyper-V:

The final version of the Linux Integration Components for Hyper-V have been released!

Driver support for synthetic devices: The Linux integration components include support for both the synthetic network controller and synthetic storage controller that have been developed specifically for Hyper-V. These components take advantage of the new high-speed bus, VMBus, which was developed for Hyper-V.
Hypercall adapter: The Hypercall adapter is a thin layer of software that translates the Xen-specific virtualization function calls from a Xen-enabled Linux kernel to Microsoft Hyper-V hypercalls. This results in improved performance for the Linux virtual machine.
Fastpath Boot Support: Boot devices now take advantage of the storage VSC to provide enhanced performance.
...
...

Read the full posting at source here