Santhosh Sivarajan, Houston, TX

My New Blogs

2009-12-10T18:18:00Z

As mentioned in my previous post (http://santhoshsivarajan.blogspot.com/2009/12/blogcastrepository-and-my-blogs.html ), I am in a process of moving my Blogs to http://santhoshsivarajan.blogspot.com. So I won’t be updating this Blogs anymore. If you want to read my new Blogs and Articles, please visit http://santhoshsivarajan.blogspot.com.

Read my new Blogs at: http://blogs.sivarajan.com

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Another Sync Tool From MS - SyncToy 2.1

2009-11-23T03:55:00Z

Overview SyncToy 2.1
There are files from all kinds of sources that we want to store and manage. Files are created by our digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store, manage, retrieve and view files. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to regularly get copies of files from another location to add to primary location; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync. Some users manage files manually, dragging and dropping from one place to another and keeping track of whether the locations are synchronized in their heads. Other users may use two or more applications to provide this functionality.

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Office 2010 Download and Upgrade

2009-11-20T20:01:00Z

You can download the Office 2010 version for the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/en/download-office-professional-plus/default.aspx Also, when you install Office 2010, you will have 3 options as displayed the following screenshot:That means you can install office 2010 without affecting previously installed versions of your office product J

Read my new Blogs at: http://blogs.sivarajan.com

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Error 0xe300000c - Cannot apply Mailbox Security Descriptor

2009-11-18T17:15:00Z

On my current project, I am using Quest Migration Manager (QMM) to perform directory synchronization and migration. I was getting the following error when I first enabled the directory sync:

“Error 0xe300000c. Cannot apply Mailbox Security Descriptor to Exchange Store …”

To correct this issue, I used FQDN Domain Controller name instead of Domain name in the domain pair configuration.

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Testing Exchange Recipient Policy Filter using LDIFDE

2009-11-18T01:54:00Z

Sometimes we need to test the Exchange Recipient Policy Filter manually to make sure it is working. I have used the Ldifde.exe tool to perform this task.

Here is the syntax I used:

Ldifde -s <DC Name> -r “<Paste your Filter here>” -f <Output File Name> -l samaccountname

Also, you can see the ldifde syntax and details in the following KB article:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/237677

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Office 2010, SharePoint 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Courses on Channel9

2009-11-09T21:26:00Z

Three new courses are avaiable on Channel9. Office 2010, SharePoint 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Courses …

http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Learn/New-Office-2010-SharePoint-2010-and-Windows-Server-2008-R2-Courses/

Read my new Blogs at: http://blogs.sivarajan.com

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Data Protection Manager 2007 Hotfix Package KB976542 - 02.00.8861

2009-11-06T14:04:00Z

Hotfix KB976542 is avaibale for download:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=74ac7461-dbfe-4bc1-85a2-4d2948f30e42

Overview
The Hotfix Package for DPM 2007 (KB976542) addresses the issues as summarized in KB976542 - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;976542.

This Data Protection Manager Update Package consists of three separate updates. Note: Depending on your configuration, some updates may not apply. Please see “Installation Instructions” for details.

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DPM and Recovery Point Limit

2009-11-02T20:49:00Z

As you know, for files, DPM can store a maximum of 64 recovery points for each volume included in a protection group, and it can create a maximum of 8 scheduled recovery points for each protection group each day. The limit of 64 recovery points for files is a result of the limitations of the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which is necessary for the end-user recovery functionality of DPM. The recovery point limit does not apply to application data.

This is a VSS limitation which allows up to 512 snapshots to exist simultaneously for the same volume, from which maximum 64 snapshots could be used for the Shadow copies for Shared Folders feature. So the total number of recovery points is limited to 512 for application servers and 64 for file servers.

Here are some good reference materials:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785914(WS.10).aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb808859.aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb808865.aspx

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Windows Restore to a Different Hardware

2009-11-02T14:34:00Z

Here is a good article that explains supporting options when moving Windows installation to a different hardware:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/249694

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Protecting Servers Using Selective Authentication

2009-10-29T18:54:00Z

Here is the general procedure to protect a server using Selective Authentication:

· Assign "Allowed to Authenticate" permission to DPM Server On "Domain Controller" of domain of "Server to be protected".

· Assign "Allowed to Authenticate" permission to DPM Server On "Server to be protected".

· Assign "Allowed to Authenticate" permission to "Server to be protected" On DPM Server.

· Assign "Allowed to Authenticate" "permission to Account used to install agent" On DPM Server

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Recatalog an Expired Tape

2009-10-29T15:33:00Z

By default you cannot recover the data from an expired tape. That is the reason Recatalog imported tape option is disabled in DPM Admin console. If you want recatalog the tape, you can try the following work around:

· From Library Management, Select the Tape and mark the tape as Free

· Select the tape again Unmark tape as Free

· This will enable the Recatalog imported tape option

· Now you should be able to recatalog the tape and recover the data

Read my new Blogs at: http://blogs.sivarajan.com

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DPM Agent and Port 5718 and 5719

2009-10-27T01:08:00Z

As you know DPM communicates with the agent coordinator on port 5718 and with the protection agent on port 5719. If another application is using these ports, you can manually changes ports using SetAgentcfg.exe tool.

Here is the syntax:

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DPM Database and SQL server Password

2009-10-22T16:36:00Z

During the DPM installation, the DPM setup creates two restricted local user accounts: Microsoft$DPM$Acct and Microsoft$DPMWriter$. The SQL Server and SQL Agent services use the Microsoft$DPM$Acct account, and the DPM Writer service uses the Microsoft$DPMWriter$ account. Also, DPM sets the SA password for SQL Server to the same password that you specify for the Microsoft$DPM$Acct and Microsoft$DPMWriter$ accounts.

Changing DPM SQL Service Password

It is like changing any SQL service password (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263226.aspx). Change the SQL service account password using User Admin tool and update the SQL Server (MS$DPM2007$) and SQL Server Agent (MS$DPM2007$) with your new password using Service Snap-in. Start the service.

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DPM Agent – Common Installation Mistakes

2009-10-22T16:20:00Z

Here are some of the steps you can perform when you run into an agent installation related issues:

1. Make sure firewall is disabled or firewall expectations are enabled for DPM communication

Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb870936.aspx

2. If you are installing agents locally, make sure to use the correct version of DPM agent software (32 bit or 64 bit). The 64 bit agent installation file is DPMAgentInstaller_x64.exe. After the agent installation you need to perform the following steps:

o Use SetDPMServer command to complete the agent configuration.

o Use AttachProductionServer.ps1 script to attach the server to the DPM server

Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb870935.aspx

3. If you are getting the following error message, make sure the check step #1 and #2

Error 313: The agent operation failed because an error occurred while running the installation program on XXXX. Error details: Fatal error during installation (0x80070643)

4. If you are protecting DPM server using a secondary server, install agent on the primary DPM server. You need to install the agent from the GUI not manually.

Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb795680.aspx

5. Make sure you have admin privilege and the ADMIN$ share can be accessible from the DPM server using the account that you are planning to install the agent.

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TechNet Webcast: Announcing Data Protection Manager 2010 Beta - Tomorrow - Don't Miss It

2009-10-21T00:59:00Z

Event Overview

This month, Microsoft released the public beta for Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010. Before you download the software, attend this webcast to learn about Data Protection Manager 2010 and the product features that are causing excitement in the IT community. We deploy a DPM 2010 server and walk you through most of the new features in DPM 2010 and the enhancements that were made to the Data Protection Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) solution, which is protecting Windows-based application servers and file servers today.

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032426727&EventCategory=4&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

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DPM Installation Failed – Event ID 1042

2009-10-19T20:35:00Z

Recently, I ran into a DPM installation issue. When I looked at the Event log, I had a event ID 1042. This is normally related to MSI installer issue. This is what I did to complete the DPM installation:

.Opened the Temp folder. (c:\Users\Administrators\AppData\Local\2\DPMTemp)·
.Deleted the Dpmxxx.tmp file·
.Reran the DPM install.

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Local data protection on DPM Server

2009-10-16T16:01:00Z

By default, you can only backup DPMDB from the DPM server. This is by design. If you want to enable the local data protection feature to backup the data files from the DPM server you can set the AllowLocalDataProtection value to true.

The local data protection feature is only for file data sources and the DPMDB database. Other data sources, such as Microsoft Exchange Server or SQL Server, will not appear in the DPM Administrator Console. File data backups can be saved to disk or to tape. However, the DPMDB backups must be saved to tape

You can read more information in the following KB article. Go to the Local data protection on the Data Protection Manager Server section in the article:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954641

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DPM 2007 and Tape Timeout

2009-10-16T15:41:00Z

By default, if you don’t change the tape or if you don’t have enough space in the tape, the DPM backup process will fail in 60 minutes. In other words, DPM will not wait forever for a free tape and it will timeout within 60 minutes. You can modify the default timeout configuration by editing the registry. Here is the procedure:

1.       Create a new Key called Prompting under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Data Protection Manager\1.0

2.       Under Prompting, create a DWORD Value called PromptingTimeOut

 The PromptingTimeOut value is milliseconds.  Also, you need to restart the MSDPM service for this to take effect.

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Open Vs Closed Book Exams

2009-10-15T15:33:00Z

Here is some great information from Liberty Munson about open and close book exams:

Part I – http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/2009/10/to-be-open-or-to-be-closed-that-is-the-question

Part II - http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/2009/10/to-be-open-or-to-be-closed-that-is-the-question-part-2

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Getting Started with DPM 2010 Client Computer Protection

2009-10-11T21:31:00Z

Another good DPM 2010 guide. "Getting Started with DPM 2010 Client Computer Protection". You can download it from the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=b880c90b-60cc-4087-b5e5-308e4ac8c78f

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DPM - Backup Now Option!

2009-10-09T20:36:00Z

I get this question a lot. Where is the “Backup Now” option in DPM? I think we are all familiar with “Backup Now” or “Scan Now” options in different products. We don’t have a “Backup Now” option in DPM but we do have a “Create Recovery Point” option. This is basically same as Backup Now functionality.

In Protection tab, expand the PG and Server, right click the protected data, you will see an option called “Create Recovery Point”

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Exchange 2010 RTM

2009-10-09T20:13:00Z

Exchange 2010 is Code Complete and on its way to General Availability. Read more info on Exchange Team Blog:

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/10/08/452775.aspx

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DPM Centralized Management

2009-10-09T18:50:00Z

I know there a lot of questions about managing multiple DPM servers from single console. Here is a thrid party product which is offering some good DPM management options.

Here is the product information:

http://www.bocada.com/products_bcm_dpm2007.php

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DPM TCO and ROI Calculator

2009-10-09T03:15:00Z

This analysis will help your organization determine the benefits and advantages of using Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 SP1 (DPM) for your backup and recovery solution. After completion, you will see the estimated cost of using your current solution compared with the cost of using DPM. http://www.dpmheroes.com/dpmcalc/index.html

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Attach Agent in DPM 2010

2009-10-09T02:00:00Z

In my previous blog I mentioned that you will be able to protect stand alone servers using DPM 2010. According to the DPM product team “This feature is not yet available in the public beta release, but is intended by the release candidate in early calendar 2010”.

If you look at the agent installation wizard in DPM 2010, you will see a new option called “Attach Agent”. We didn’t have this option in the previous version of the DPM products. In DPM 2010 you can attach an agent without using power shell.

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