LazyJeff

Disable TMG 2010 Flood Mitigation Settings

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:07:02 PDT

q: We are performing a load test against one of our websites published by Threat Management Gateway (TMG 2010) and seeing alerts.
a: Typically this issue is caused by too many concurrent connections within a time frame from the same client IP. The easiest way to prove this would be to disable all Flood Mitigation Settings then test again. But remember to turn them back on when you're done.

Open TMG Manager
Left Pane / expand "Forefront TMG"
select "Intrusion Prevention System"
Right Pane / Select "Behavioral Intrusion Detection"
Select "Configure Flood Mitigation Settings"
Uncheck the first box "Mitigate flood attacks and worm propagation"
Click Okay
Apply Policy

Assembly Cache Viewer - Install Failed - Server 2008 GAC

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:04:17 PDT

q: when we try to copy a .dll file into the GAC on Server 2008, we get an error. Assembly Cache Viewer - Install Failed / Access is denied:

a: With UAC enabled, the fastest and easiest way to install a .dll file into the Windows Server 2008 GAC is:

log out. Log back in using the actual local administrator account.
open two copies of Windows Explorer (one at the location of the dll) and (one at c:\windows\assembly)
drag the file from one window to the other.

Windows XP goes into standby when no one is logged in

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:50:46 PDT

q: Issue reported that a Windows XP Desktop continues to run while a user is logged in, active or not. But if they system is rebooted, or the user logs out, it goes into standby after 15min.

a: This is an issue of registry settings associated with the default user

Open the Registry (regedit)
navigate to HKER_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\PowerCfg
Notice the value of CurrentPowerPolicy = 1
Expand PowerCfg\PowerPolicies and select 1 - notice the name is "Portable/Laptop"
Navigate to PowerCfg\PowerPolicies and select 3 - notice the name is "Always On"
Navigate back up to PowerCfg and change CurrentPowerPolicy from 1 to 3
Reboot

Vista Desktop reports issues with Internet Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 07:34:22 PDT

q: Why does our newly re-built Vista Desktop report issues with Internet explorer:

Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site http://<Web site>.com. Operation aborted.

a: Microsoft says it is because of issues with IE7. Simply upgrade to IE8 and it will go away.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927917
This problem occurs because a child container HTML element contains script that tries to modify the parent container element of the child container. The script tries to modify the parent container element by using either the innerHTML method or the appendChild method.
Note: Chances are, if you're still using IE7 you need considerably more updates than just IE8 so run Windows Updates repeatedly until it says you're up to date.

LDAP DN Path to an OU in Active Directory

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:55:04 PST

Q: I need the LDAP DN path to an Organizational Unit in Active Directory where I have objects stored.

A: Try this:

run ldp
click connection / connect
Server: <hostname of a domain controller> / OK
Click connection / Bind
Leave the default of (X) Bind as currently logged on user selected / OK
Click View / Tree / BaseDN: <leave blank> / OK
Expand the root of the tree
navigate to the OU that contains the objects you need
Right click on that Object in the left pane and select Copy DN
OU=Employees,OU=HQ,DC=mycompany,DC=local

Display ADFS 2.0 Forms Authentication Login Page Instead of Windows Authentication Prompt

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:38:33 PST

Q: At the direction of Microsoft Support, we recently implemented Claims Based Authentication via ADFS in front of our CRM 2011 server. However, now when we try to use ADFS for our SharePoint instance, even after following the SAML Provider articles, we are still prompted with an Integrated Authentication popup message. And in Chrome we are unable to authenticate to SharePoint using this popup authentication window. A: Oh man - Richard Wilson is the hero for today. He wrote this very very simple article showing you how to re-order the authentication types and TADA. Thanks Rick! http://www.richardawilson.com/2010/10/adfs-20-login-page.html

HOW TO - Quickly send your best friend a link to a website

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:05:29 PST

Q: I find myself emailing my good friend links of great sites. I've started using the "Gmail This" bookmarklet but I still have to type his email address - how can I make this even faster?

A: Simply edit the Bookmarklet. My default is the traditional Gmail this link from about.com. Simply drag the "Gmail This" link above into your bookmark toolbar (you might have to make it visible in your browser first). With the link in your bookmark toolbar, right click on it, edit it, then look within the long string of characters for the text after view= "view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=" Right after the "... to=" insert your friend's email address. Then every time you find a great site, click that bookmark and a new Gmail email will open addressed to your friend - then just click send.

Dropbox Shareable Links and Missing Public Folder

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:07:12 PST

Issue: New Dropbox user doesn't have a link for 'Get shareable link' and doesn't have the default folders.
Solution:

Shareable link - visit https://www.dropbox.com/enable_shmodel - to enable that feature.
Folders - create a new folder on the website called folder1, then rename it to public. Dropbox will handle the rest. Works for the Photos folder as well.

Send event log entries as SNMP traps

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:22:02 PST

Issue: An event just showed up in my system, security or application event log that is important. How can I be notified quickly about it?

Solution: Enable SNMP Traps for that event.

Create the event (or find it in the logs) – so you have it as an example
Identify three variables

Event Log - System, Application or Security
Log Source - eg: TermService, NTBackup
Event ID - eg: 8018, 8019

Run evntwin.exe (from windows\system32)
Click Custom / Click Edit
In the bottom left browse the event log, event log source then find the event id
Just double-click the event ID & accept the defaults
Click ok & you’re done
Trigger the event again and it will trigger an SNMP Trap to your SNMP Server.

Note: This assumes you have a fully functioning SNMP Server to receive traps and send them as emails. We recommend Dell's IT Assistant, especially for Dell Servers.

Why is my laptop trying to request wpad.holidayinnexpress.guest

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:56:48 PST

q: A customer's laptop was making odd URL requests to the router that all ended in holidayinnexpress.guest. What is causing this.
a: Recently the customer stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and used their connections for internet. Holiday Inn added a DNS suffix entry in the advanced TCP/IP settings of the laptop. Simply remove this.

To resolve this (in Windows 7)

Right click the network icon (down by the clock)
Click "Open Network and Sharing Center"
Right click on your "Local Area Connection"
Click Properties
Select "Internet Protocol Version 4" and click Properties
At the bottom of the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window click Advanced
Click the DNS Tab at the top
Select holidayinnexpress.guest under "Append these DNS suffixes (in order):"
Click Remove.
Click OK, OK, OK

Installing Forefront TMG 2010 Service Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:02:00 PST

q: I need to install Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 and get it to the most recent version 7.0.9193.500. What is the quickest path?
a: We've determined the minimal path to installing and updating to that version is:

Install the base TMG Product

Run the Prep Tool
Run the Installation Wizard
Ver: 7.0.7734.100
Don't run the Management Wizard when prompted

Install TMG 2010 Service Pack 1

TMG-KB981324-AMD64-ENU.msp
Ver: 7.0.8108.200

Install SoftwareUpdate Service Pack 1 Update 1

TMG-KB2288910-amd64-ENU.exe
Ver: 7.0.9027.400

Install TMG 2010 Service Pack 2

TMG-KB2555840-amd64-ENU.exe
Ver: 7.0.9193.500

Then run the Forefront TMG Management Interface to configure the product or attach it to an array.

TMG 2010 SP1 Setup cannot modify or create the registry entry

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:07:01 PST

q: While installing Forefront Threat Management Gateway TMG 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) TMG-KB981324-AMD64-ENU.msp we encountered this alert/error "Error: Setup cannot modify or create the registry entry System\CurrentControlSet\Service\Tcpip\Parameters" Then it threw the error "Setup was unable to configure TCP settings. As a result, Setup cannot continue."

a: Simple solution, MSP files don't have the context menu to Run as administrator like EXE files do. So we need to be elevated before we run the MSP.

Click Start - type CMD (but don't hit enter)
When cmd.exe shows up in the results list, right click on it
Click "Run as administrator" / Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control
From here navigate to the folder where your MSP file is stored, let's say D:\Download\TMG_2010_SP1
Execute the MSP file by simply hitting tab, until the name is displayed or typing the name into the prompt.
TMG-KB981324-AMD64-ENU.msp

SideBySide - Windows Live Toolbar

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:43:04 PST

Issues: EventID 59: Activation context generation failed for "c:\program files (x86)\microsoft\search enhancement pack\search helper\searchhelper.dll".Error in manifest or policy file "c:\program files (x86)\microsoft\search enhancement pack\search helper\searchhelper.dll" on line 2. Invalid Xml syntax.

EventID 35: Activation context generation failed for "c:\program files (x86)\windows live\photo gallery\MovieMaker.Exe".Error in manifest or policy file "c:\program files (x86)\windows live\photo gallery\WLMFDS.DLL" on line 8. Component identity found in manifest does not match the identity of the component requested. Reference is WLMFDS,processorArchitecture="AMD64",type="win32",version="1.0.0.1". Definition is WLMFDS,processorArchitecture="x86",type="win32",version="1.0.0.1". Please use sxstrace.exe for detailed diagnosis.

Solution: While searching "Activation context generation failed for "c:\program files (x86)\microsoft\search enhancement pack\search helper\searchhelper.dll"" We're taken to a Microsoft page saying it was associated to the Windows Live toolbar and that "no action is needed". Well, we don't use that toolbar, so to remove it:

Go to add/remove programs (appwiz.cpl)
Select "Windows Live Essentials" / then "uninstall/change"
Select (X) Uninstall / Click Continue
Then check "Windows Live Toolbar " / Click Continue
This leaves the other great Windows Live Essentials application installed and simply removes the toolbar.

Hide the Google People Widget Sidebar

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:44:09 PST

q: How can you hide Google's People Widget and it's sidebar container?
a: Well this one is a two parter:
Part one - Disable People Widget:

Within Gmail go to settings
On the General Tab, scroll down to People Widget and set it to (X) Hide the people widget
However, you'll notice it's sidebar is still there.

Part two - Disable/Hide the sidebar (only works for Google Chrome)

Open Chrome, visit the extension site for Minimalist:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bmihblnpomgpjkfddepdpdafhhepdbek/details
Click (+ Add to Chrome) / Click Install when prompted
Visit your google mail site
Click on the M icon in the toolbar in the upper right / Click Dashboard
Under Minimalist for Gmail / Click Enable / Then click Options
On the "Main" tab at the top, Check the box next to "Hide Sidebar"
Click Save Changes at the Top Right
Open an email now & notice all the screen real estate you have gained.

Shoretel Caller ID is Unknown for Mobile Cell Phones

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:44:22 PST

q: we have an issue where forwarded calls and outbound calls to mobile phones from our ShoreTel SG-220T1A phone switch showed up as 'UNKNOWN' and it didn't even list the phone number.
a: The company that installed the phone system along with AT&T just threw up their hands. We thought it was related to a Caller ID issue. However, a short google search found this Very Helpful post: http://www.shoretelforums.com/forums/administrators/1811-inbound-outbound-caller-id-2.html - They provide clear instructions where you insert a ;2E in the Custom Trunk Group Dialing Rules. A quick call to some cell phones proved this to work and has resolved that issue.

You will need to enter Support Mode in Director
To do this BEFORE YOU LOG INTO SHOREWARE DIRECTOR
Press and hold the CTRL and Shift Key / Click on the U in User Name of the Log in, in Director
You will see a Red Support Entry Mode appear under the User name and Password
Log in normally to Director
Click on Trunks on the left, then click on Trunk Groups
Click on the name of your Trunk Group
Then scroll all the way to the bottom of the page where you see the last button is "Trunk Group Dialing Rules: Custom" Click Edit
Type ;2E into this field, click save.
Perform a test call in amazement.

WMSVC Web Management Service on Server 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:44:34 PST

q: During the continued configuration of Microsoft's ARR, we tried to start the WMSVC service and got this error: IISWMSVC_STARTUP_UNABLE_TO_READ_CERTIFICATE

Unable to read the certificate with thumbprint '********'. Please make sure the SSL certificate exists and that is correctly configured in the Management Service page.

Process:WMSvc
User=NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE

a: This was an easy fix.

Open IIS (Internet Information Services Manager),
Click on the Server Name on the left
In the middle pane, scroll down to the bottom, double-click "Management Service"

Check the box to (X) Enable remote connections
On the SSL certificate field, simply use the dropdown to select the default certificate already on the system
In the right pane | click Apply
In the right pane | click Start

That fixes it

TCP Port 8172 on Server 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:44:45 PST

q: While configuring ARR (Microsoft's Application Request Routing Service) the application requires connection to Server Farm members over tcp port 8172. Using the command "netstat -ano | find ":8172" we confirmed the server farm members were not already listening on port 8172.
a: We discovered port 8172 is associated with WMSVC the "Web Management Service".

iConcept Wireless Keyboard New Batteries

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:10:42 PST

Q: A customer called today with an iConcept Wireless keyboard. They had recently changed the batteries and could no longer connect to the computer.
A: It was as easy as unplugging the USB dongle and with the new batteries in the keyboard and the keyboard nearby, plug the USB dongle back in. After a few moments the keyboard started working again.
Ref: http://www.sakar.com/images/resources/download-manual/62150N.pdf

Recover an Accidentally Closed Tab in Chrome

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:44:57 PST

Q: I just closed a tab in Chrome and didn't want to, what do I do?
A: To quickly recover a recently closed tab in Chrome, simply hit "Ctrl+Shift+T"

Recover Deleted Public Folder from Exchange 2003

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:14:35 PST

Q: Customer contacted us to say that a public folder with over 1,000 items had vanished.
A: We were able to recover it as a deleted item using Outlook.

Open Outlook
Navigate to Public Folders
Click the parent folder deleted folder
Click Tools, "Recover Deleted Items"
It showed the folder that had been deleted.
Select the folder, click the second icon in the toolbar "Recover Selected Items"

We found this link on Google and it has a much more details explanation of Exchange settings etc.

Wordpress Updates fails on Server 2008 with IIS 7

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:55:09 PST

Issue: The customer reported issues applying an update to a Wordpress site hosted on Windows Server 2008 on IIS 7.

Solution: We noticed IUSR was the account attempting to access the website folder during the upgrade. We granted IUSR Read/Write/Modify permissions to that folder and the update completed.

ESET Remote Administrator Console - License Manger

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:55:37 PST

Q: ESET ESET Remote Administrator Console - License Manager is displaying the wrong company license.
A: Apparently, the license files are stored in a folder. We performed these steps to fix the situation.

Make sure you have the newest license file "nod32.lic" for NOD32 from ESET Support.
Stop the "ESET Remote Administrator Server" service.

net stop era_server

Browse to: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ESET\ESET Remote Administrator\Server\license\

Move all files to another folder for archive/safety.

Start the "ESET Remote Administrator Server" service.

net start era_server

Open ESET Remote Administrator Console. You'll be presented with the warning below that you're "connected to a trial version of ESET Remote Administrator Server". Click OK
Warning Message:
Once you click OK, you'll be presented with the License Manager:
Simply click Browse select the file, click OK.
You'll be asked if you want to Upload to Server, click OK and you're done.

Point a SEP Client to a different Manager

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:55:24 PST

ISSUE: The customer has Symantec Endpoint Protection installed on a workstation. They have two separate Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager servers. How can we modify the workstation to start using the new SEP Manager for updates?
SOLUTION: The config file for a 64-bit workstation that determines which Manager is used is C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\SyLink.xml. The easiest solution is to simply copy this file from one workstation (using the new server) to this workstation using the steps below:

On each system please:

Click Start - Type this command SMC -stop <hit enter> (To Stop SEP) (Enter password: symantec if prompted)
Browse to: C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\
Rename current SyLink.xml (feel free to view this as it will reference the Update Manager)Copy the new SyLink.xml into this folder
Click Start - Type this command SMC -start <hit enter> (To Start SEP)

SQL Server 2008 R2 - Report Server Web Service is not configured

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:56:24 PST

ISSUE: Report Server Web Service is not configured. Default values have been provided to you. To accept these defaults simply press the Apply button, else change them and then press Apply.

But when you click Apply you get the response:
Reserving url http://+:80
The Url has already been reserved

RESOLUTION: Using the "netsh http show urlacl" command we see that /ReportServer and /Reports are already reserved.
You can also run "netsh http show urlacl | find "Report"" - to see just those two lines.
>netsh http show urlacl | find "Report"
Reserved URL : http://+:80/ReportServer/
Reserved URL : http://+:80/Reports/

To resolve - simply delete the reserved URLs and recreate them. I think we're to assume SRSS had been installed on this server once before but not properly uninstalled.

C:\Windows\system32>netsh http delete urlacl http://+:80/ReportServer/
URL reservation successfully deleted

C:\Windows\system32>netsh http delete urlacl http://+:80/Reports/
URL reservation successfully deleted

Then if you re-run >netsh http show urlacl | find "Report" - you'll see nothing.

Now to re-create the bindings:

Open "Reporting Services Configuration Manager" -Click Connect
Click "Web Service URL" - then click "Apply" at the bottom and it should succeed this time.
Click "Report Manager URL" - then click "Apply". If Apply is grayed out, simply rename Reports to Report, then back to Reports. Apply will become available and you can click it.
Then visit each URL to test.

How to tail a file in Windows using Notepad++

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Kyker) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:06:02 PST

Q: Notepad++ is great for viewing log files but the prompt that file has been updated gets old. How can we configure it to automatically reload when the log file has been updated?
A: Install the Document Monitor Plugin.

Open Notepad++ (Available here)
Click Plugins / Click Plugin Manager / Click Show Plugin Manager
Click the checkbox next to "Document Monitor" (Figure 1) then click Install (let it restart Notepad++ when prompted.
With Notepad++ open, open the log file to be monitored
Click Plugins, click Document Monitor, click "Start to Monitor"
The file will automatically be reloaded when it is updated.

Figure 1: Install Document Monitor plugin