Geoff @ UVM

I decided that I wanted to locate the IIS data directory on a different drive. After some searching, I found a couple KB articles that helped me get it done:

KB259671 – How to Change the Default Installation Paths for FTP and the Web

KB309506 – How To Perform an Unattended Installation of IIS 6.0

These helped me put together my unattended answer file:

[Components]
BITSServerExtensionsISAPI = OFF
BITSServerExtensionsManager = OFF
iis_common = ON
iis_doc = ON
iis_ftp = OFF
fp_extensions = OFF
iis_inetmgr = ON
iis_nntp = OFF
iis_smtp = OFF
iis_www = ON
TSWebClient = OFF

[InternetServer]
PathFTPRoot=D:\Inetpub\Ftproot
PathWWWRoot=D:\Inetpub\Wwwroot


KB222444 – How to add or remove Windows Components by using Sysocmgr.exe

Then I just ran

sysocmgr /i:%windir%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:c:\install\iis.txt

per the instructions in 222444.

Worked like a champ.

Microsoft has released an updated Office Mobile suite, which provides compatibility with the new Office 2007 file formats. My Treo 700W came with Office Mobile, and it qualified for a free update. Huzzah. I tested opening a new Excel doc, and it worked fine.

I was trying to find out why Operations Manager 2007 was happily monitoring a server, and had identified the instance of SQL Server 2000 on that server, but was not monitoring that SQL Server instance.

I did a bit of research, read the SQL Management Pack guide, and tried repairing the agent. I posted a note the the Microsoft MOM SQL Management Pack newsgroup, and didn’t get any response (yet).

Then, this morning, another google search yielded a link to the following blog entry:

KB938991 – The SQL Server 2000 database engine health is not monitored in System Center Operations Manager 2007

I read and followed the steps, but after a few minutes, there was no change. I tried repairing the client again. Still no change. I went off to work on something else, then come back and refreshed my monitoring view.

Ahah! Now monitoring of the SQl Server 2000 instance is working. There must be an interval between refreshes of client rules.

I also found that there are some good blogs about OpsManager 2007:

• http://blogs.technet.com/cliveeastwood/default.aspx
• http://ops-mgr.spaces.live.com/blog/
• http://blogs.technet.com/momteam/default.aspx

Good stuff. Now I need to go back and post the solution to that newsgroup.

There’s a new version of the Windows Mobile Device Center available for download from Microsoft.

This new version of the Windows Mobile Device Center contains key improvements and new features to support Windows Mobile 6 devices. The Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 is only supported on Windows Vista.

Additional information is available online at:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devicecenter.mspx

Saw an item the MSDN newsletter in the students section:

Build a Bluetooth-enabled Screen Locker in Under Three Hours
Jerry Brunning posted a great tutorial at Coding4Fun showing you how to build an application that locks your workstation when you walk out of range with your phone.

Now, most of my coding is done in Perl, with a bit of Powershell, CMD, and T-SQL. It’s been ten years since I did any C, and I’ve never done any C# or VB.Net. But this Coding4Fun project has piqued my interest.

I found a nice explanation of the various options for facilitating the installation of printers — and specifically, printer drivers — by non-privileged Vista users.

http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2007/05/04/windows-vista-point-print.aspx

This blog looks like a pretty good resource. Here’s an article on Server Core:

http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2007/07/17/getting-started-with-server-core.aspx

Server quote request

Filer recovery outside our retention window

Currently restoring small set of files from our oldest nearline backup (end of April), in the hopes that the needed files are there. Otherwise, I need to go retrieve and re-index tapes from the vault.

Database cluster backup configuration

Added a new volume as a cluster resource in SQL Server group, but I can’t get SQL Server to “see” the drive so that I can run a backup and store the file on the new drive. I probably have to add the device as a dependency to the SQL Server service itself. But I can’t take it offline til late.

Also, I’ve been working on the Networker configuration. I’ve tried several versions of the documented setup for backing up a windows clustered resource. I finally tried updating the Networker client (7.3.2 to 7.3.3) and then it ran the backup successfully. Unfortunately, it updated the wrong client’s index. Networker added the savesets to the index of the cluster physical node that did not host the webdb cluster resource.

I have to follow-up with technical support.

Other sundry issues, too, of course.

Several of our Windows Server systems have missing or broken “Help & Support” services. I finally tracked down Microsoft KB 937231, which describes a very similar issue. My situation didn’t match closely, but the article described a work-around procedure for re-installing the Help & Support service.

At a command prompt, run:

%windir%\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\HelpSvc.exe /regserver /svchost netsvcs /RAInstall

%windir%\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\HSCUpd.exe -i %windir%\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\hscmui.cab

%windir%\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\HSCUpd.exe -i %windir%\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\hscsp_l3.cab

Turns out that my system didn’t have hsccp_l3.cab, but I did have hsccp_e3.cab. So I substituted that file in the last setp. Now the Help & Support service is running, and the things that plug into it &emdash; like the links in events in the event logs — are working.

I’m always happy when I fix a long-standing annoyance.

I’ve cropped and shrinkerized the UVM Wallpaper Pack 2007 photos to the 240 x 240 pixel resolution of my Treo 700w. The images are copyright © UVMPhoto, and I’ve added to this info to the attributes of the image files.

Download the Treo 700 UVM Wallpaper Pack 2007 and enjoy!

–Geoff