Posts: 16
Rank: Basic Member
Level: 
Last Activity: 24/09/2012
Member Since: 10/01/2011
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18 April-
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Chris Brown created an article titled Do not Restore Snapshot Backups of DFSR VMs
One of my favourite TechNet blogs is by the storage team at Microsoft. A post that’s gone up recently by Ned Pyle grabbed my attention today – Safely Virtualising DFSR. I have a bunch of virtual DFSR hosts in my environment, virtualised across both VMware and Hyper-V. As Ned points out, you can virtualise pretty much everything these days, but multi-master replication technologies require a bit of special attention. I won’t go into it too much here, as the blog post explains it much better than I could, but the big takeaway is that hypervisor snapshotting your DFSR machines is a big no-no. If you don’t follow this guidance and attempt to use saved states/snapshots or attempt to restore a virtual machine using a custom host side restore solution, that VM will stop replicating forever. The server logs DFSR events 2212, 2104, 2004, and 2106. DFSR overwrites locally originating changes on a restored server as conflicts from other servers. The restored server and its partners will not be able to figure out what happened, as they do not ever expect the clock to go backwards. A regular backup restore of the database inside the VM using the internal VSS writer is the only way DFSR handles this correctly – and even that is rather overkill; easier to simply backup the files and restore them without worrying about the database at all. The post also applies to domain controllers, but I’m going to (safely, I hope) assume that nobody out there is considering restoring a DC from snapshot. http://blogs.technet.com/b/filecab/archive/2013/04/05/safely-virtualizing-dfsr.aspx
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11 September-
05 September-
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Chris Brown created an article titled Tips for First-Timers
Is this your first TechEd? You’re probably wondering what you need to bring, who you should talk to and all that sort of stuff. TechEd is a big conference. It’s a lot of fun, but it can also be quite daunting for the newcomer (I’d know – this is only my second). After a chat with a couple of TechEd veterans, I’ve collated the list below of tips and tricks for attending TechEd. Bring a laptop that will give you enough battery to get most of the way through the day TechEd is riddled with power outlets and places to charge your devices. That said, TechEd’s also riddled with geeks who have devices that need charging, so it’s sometimes hard to find a free space. Bring a device that you can rely on for most of the day. I will be bringing my EeePC and iPad for this – between the two of them I can (well and truly) get a day out of them. Also be sure to throw a power board/strip in for use in the hotel – where was the last place you stayed that had facility to charge two laptops, two phones and a tablet all at once? Plan your schedule in advance, but always have a DR plan Some sessions will fill up quickly, so get there early! That said, you’re probably going to find a session gets canned or changed, or is just that full you can’t get in. For this reason, I suggest having one (or two) backup sessions. You’re (or your employer is…) paying good money to come along, so don’t waste your time just browsing the net at a charge station because the session you wanted was full. Get on Twitter, follow the #auteched hashtag to meet other people Twitter is one of the best places to find out what’s going on at TechEd. From #auteched and #autechheads during the day, to the..less formal..#AfterDark hash tag for night time frivolities, Twitter is the place to be. You’ll find delegates, speakers, vendors and Microsoft employees all tweeting up a frenzy throughout the conference, and it’s the best place to find out which sessions are popular, where people are eating dinner, and most importantly: which vendors have the best swag. Tweet, and tweet lots! Did I mention Twitter? If you tweet with #auteched, people will answer you. Doesn’t matter if you have 5 followers – get amongst it! Do your session evals The only way we get people like Scott Schnoll, Rick Claus and other big names back every year is by telling Microsoft we enjoyed them! Your session evaluations are the way to do this. If you go along to a session that was great, write that down. If you go along to a session and it sucked, write that down! Try and sit near a door or the end of an aisle for a quick escape We’ve all done it – hooked by the blurb on a session only to rock up and find it nothing at all like what we expected. This is fine! Don’t feel bad. That said, don’t walk out unless you can do it without making a fool of yourself. If you’re in the middle of the front row and you walk out, everyone will notice. If you’re on an aisle or at the back, nobody will notice. If you’re not sure about the session, or know you’re going to have to leave early, plan ahead! Did I mention Twitter? Get to the AuTechHeads party Arguably the most popular #AfterDark occasion at TechEd is the AuTechHeads party. Mingle with other members, chat to vendors, Microsofties and anyone else who may rock up. This is the perfect way to meet some people you otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to speak to at the conference. Check out the party page or the quick CoalfaceTech podcast we put up for more info on this. Don’t be a tool Sure, TechEd’s a great place to meet people similar to you, people you can get along with. I, for one, made a massive bunch of new friends last year, several of whom I count among my closest. That said…don’t go along and wear your ratty old 1968 Star Trek Enthusiast Convention t-shirt that’s full of holes with complementary utility belt. This is still a professional occasion. You’re not only meeting people who do the same job you do, you’re meeting people that one day may report to you..or you may even report to them. TechEd is all about learning, but the networking aspect, for some, is more important. Don’t go along and make a fool out of yourself: people will remember. Be yourself, just don’t wear your Saturday afternoon gardening outfit. If I’ve missed anything, please drop a comment below or hit me up on Twitter and I’ll add it to the list. Otherwise, see you at #auteched!
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30 April-
23 February-
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Chris Brown created an article titled How to Learn Exchange 2010 (for dummies, and you!)
This is a crosspost from my blog at flamingkeys.com. One of the people I was lucky enough to meet at Tech·Ed Australia 2011 was Mr Paul Cunningham, who runs the popular website Exchange Server Pro. Paul is one of the most respected names going around when it comes to Exchange, and he has the real world experience to back it up. As a favour to the community (and our profession) Paul has decided to produce a free (as in free beer) boot camp for those wanting to learn Exchange 2010. The boot camp consists of four modules containing physical challenges, early morning runs, rope climbs*, text, screen shots and videos to help you learn the basics of Exchange Server 2010. Having worked through this boot camp myself, I can say that this is an invaluable resource for those getting started with Exchange Server, and also those who may have managed an Exchange environment but not installed one before. Please make sure you check the boot camp out, and also be sure to stick Paul’s blog in your RSS reader, it’s an invaluable resource you’ve probably stumbled on a hundred times whilst Googling (Binging?) Exchange issues. Exchange Server Pro Boot Camp Exchange Server Pro * May not contain any of these strenuous physical activities.
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14 December-
22 November-
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Chris Brown created an article titled AuTechHeads Melbourne MeatUp Wrap
AuTechHeads Melbourne MeatUp WrapLast night was the first AuTechHeads Melbourne MeatUp! At 7.30 a bunch of geeks rocked up to Squires Loft Steakhouse for a night of steak, wine, beer and chat.
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05 November-
31 October-
10 October-
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Chris Brown created an article titled November is PowerShell Time!
In the month of November, join Shane Hoey (PowerShell MVP) and Chris Brown as they run some free (as in free beer) PowerShell virtual workshops. If you're interested in learning or refining your PowerShell skills, or you know of any system administrators who may be, this could be well worthwhile.
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29 August-
09 August-
01 August-
27 July-
26 July-
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Chris Brown created an article titled How to list or export all Email Aliases in Exchange 2007/2010 using PowerShell
Shameless cross-post from my blog here. This one comes up quite often, so I figured I’d make a quick and easy script for it. The first step is to make sure you’re on a machine with the Exchange Management Tools installed, and logged on as a user with privileges to read mailbox properties. If you don’t want to read the explanation, skip ahead to the script.
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16 June-
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Chris Brown created an article titled Re: I did something stupid - deleted myself!
Takes a big man to go admit fault, I agree. Also takes a big man to say: Enable the AD recycle bin!But seriously...At my last workplace, which shall remain unnamed the HelpDesk manager did this: (Don't ask why she had the AD rights to do it, she just did)1. Open ADUC2. Try to delete computer in " computers" OU3. Ignored warnings..accepted dialogues. Deleted " computers" OU and all 1200 or so Computers inside. AD 2003, middle of the day so recovering from backups wasn't going to work. Guess what poor sods go ...
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Chris
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Brown
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