June 9, 2008 - A Web Exclusive from Windows IT Pro, by Curt Spanburgh
SaaS: It’s Closer Than You Think
Online applications such as Microsoft
Dynamics CRM Online are on the front lines of anytime, anywhere computing—and
make business sense
When Microsoft started speaking about Software as a Service (SaaS)—aka cloud
computing or Software-plus-Services (S+S), I could hear the squeals and shrieks
of IT people around the world saying that Microsoft was taking their jobs away
or putting VARs out of business. But stepping back from the hysteria, perhaps we
should take a good look at how the world has changed. After all, many of you IT
people changed it.
From the June 2005 Edition of Windows IT Pro, by Curt Spanburgh
How Windows IT Pro and Mark Russinovich Saved the Day
Sometimes the designers of applications are so conscience about rollout dates
and budgets that these goals outweigh the good design and fault tolerance of the
applications they're developing.
This scenario recently occurred on a project I was involved with. The project
manager wanted to reduce the number of servers in a commercial application he
was implementing for a client, so he designed the forest with only one domain
controller (DC) and one DNS server. The application configured in the forest was
highly dependent on Active Directory (AD) schema. In other words, if there were
a problem with DNS or AD, the commercial application wouldn't work.
From the November 2005 Edition of Windows IT Pro, by Curt Spanburgh
Crouching Server, Hidden Memory Leak
How I rescued an SMB's server and restored its missing memory
Monday, May 16, 9:30 a.m.: Customer's server crashes for the umpteenth time.
Accusations hurtled through the air, and angry email messages and phone calls
flew furiously between the small-to-midsized business (SMB) customer and the
Value Added Reseller (VAR) that supported the customer's financial application.
What spawned this IT battle scene? It all started when a Windows 2000 server
that hosted the customer's application started crashing intermittently. I work
for a Microsoft Business Solutions Gold Partner, and customers who use Microsoft
Business Solutions for Financial Management—Great Plains software are an
important part of our practice. My boss dispatched me to the client's site to
assess the problem.
From the January 2008 Edition of Windows IT Pro, by Curt Spanburgh
Castaway on Command-Prompt Island
A Windows admin finds a lifesaver in the SC command-line tool to help him get a
crucial server back online
As a computer consultant, I often encounter system administrators who find
themselves in trouble if they can’t perform an action through the GUI. With many
good command-line tools available, and resources such as Windows IT Pro to learn
about them, admins should have a variety of methods in their toolbox to solve
problems. . . .
From the August 2007 Edition of SQL Server Magazine, by Curt Spanburgh
How to Recycle a Virtual SQL Server 2005 Machine
One of my clients in Los Angeles has a project that uses VMware images
extensively. The complicated server configurations take a long time to install.
Using virtual servers gives us flexibility with many applications that are based
on SQL Server 2005 (i.e., Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Dynamics CRM,
Dynamics Great Plains—GP, and Dynamics Business Portal). The client's production
environment has a mixture of physical servers and virtual servers. My
organization deployed Active Directory (AD) domain controllers (DCs), file
servers, and Exchange Server 2003 servers as physical servers, and
mission-critical servers as virtual servers for production use.
From the December 2006 Edition of Windows IT Pro, by Curt Spanburgh
Sizing Up the IT Pro Community
One of my clients in Los Angeles has a project that uses VMware images
extensively. The complicated server configurations take a long time to install.
Sure, you're a seasoned IT professional.You work long hours on the job, and you
try your best to keep on top of the various technologies that comprise your
workplace.When a new product is introduced into your environment, perhaps you
read a book about it or take a tutorial.When a problem crops up on your network,
you head straight to Windows IT Pro or Google and see if you can find some kind
of solution.
June 9, 2008 - A Web Exclusive from Windows IT Pro, by Curt Spanburgh
Twelve Angry Techs
Follow an IT team through a late-night troubleshooting session involving
Microsoft CRM, SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft IIS, and Kerberos
Life-defining trials come to us at the most unexpected times. And in a Windows
administrator’s life come trials that define the very soul of who he or she is
professionally. Often the admin has to stand against the whole IT organization
and not cave to the mob thinking of the rest of their peers.