Extend evaluation period of Windows Server 2008 R2/2012

Here I am for you guys with a small but very useful post. Many of us are using evaluation products from (Great, Awesome & Super) Microsoft including Windows Server 2008 R2. The evaluation period is normally for 60-90 days and once it gets expired and if you are still using it then you may face charges against illegal use of the product.

However, there is an option which is given by Microsoft through which you can extend your grace period by another 60 days.

Click Start, and then click Command Prompt.

Type slmgr.vbs -dli, and then press ENTER to check the current status of your evaluation period.

To reset the evaluation period, type slmgr.vbs –rearm, and then press ENTER.

Wait for a confirmation Window to show up.

Restart the computer.

You can do it 3 times and get a total of 240 days :)

Thank you Microsoft.

How To Remove Protection Agent Forcefully From Microsoft DPM 2012 SP 1 Management Console !!

Removing a Protected Computer

Applies To: System Center 2012 - Data Protection Manager, System Center 2012 SP1 - Data Protection Manager

If you don’t want to continue protection of a protected computer, you can remove the protected computer from DPM by using the Remove-ProductionServer.ps1. This will not uninstall the DPM protection agent from the protected computer. You must uninstall the agent manually.

Running this script will remove the protected computer from the DPM database (DPMDB) and from the trusted groups DCOMTrustedMachines and DPMRADMTrustedMachines.

Remove-ProductionServer.PS1

Syntax: Remove-ProductionServer.ps1 -DPMServername [DPMServerName] -PSName [ProtectedComputerName]

Step by step guide to setup Microsoft System Center: Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2012

Microsoft System Center: Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) is specially designed for management of large numbers of Virtual Servers based on Hyper-V and Microsoft Virtual Server. It is targeted for large enterprise organization. I feel lucky that from past 2 weeks, we were working on it. I would like to share my knowledge, so it will be easy for any system administrator to follow it.

Prerequisites:

Operating System:

SCVMM 2012 will install only on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (x64) edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64) and Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (x64) edition.

Additional Software Requirements:

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0

Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0

Windows Power-Shell 1.0

Windows Server Internet Information Services (IIS)

Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) 1.1
NOTE: If you are having virtual server and database server in single server, then you need to install Microsoft SQL server but. But I personally refer you to install it both on different server.

Installation Procedure

The installation process for SCVMM begins with the following interface after you run setup.exe:

Start with a click on Install.

Here, as initial feature you have to install VMM administrator console, VMM Server and self-server portal (For self-server portal you have to configure ISS 7.5 before this installation)

After this you need to confirm EULA then,

Now it will check the hardware and software prerequisites. (Note: You may get the warning if your Server RAM is only 4 GB, you can ignore it and then press next)

In next step, you need to provide your server name and port number with appropriate domain credentials from where you will access SQL Server database.

Note: If you have both database and VMM in same server, then just leave the above section. Provide your new database for it.

Provide your domain service account that you have created for SCVMM

Accept default port number.

Press next with default settings on it

Press install to proceed for your final step

Final closeup windows look like this:

Now connect to your SCVMM with your mentioned address. You are ready to use SCVMM 2012 where you need to add a host to manage.

Home -- > Fabric Resources -- > All hosts --> Create Host Group

Provide the name of host group and “Add Hyper-V hosts and clusters” as shown in figure

Click on browse for discovery. Otherwise, you can provide credentials manually of your domain name as show in example

I have clicked on browse, which show wizard as below, where you can click on “Run as Account” and provide the name of account as shown in figure below:

Now you can see that the account which we have created has been highlighted. Press OK

As you can see, the wizard is populated with Hyper-V admin for  “Run As account” for default.

Click on ” Specify an Active Directory query to search for Windows Server computers” and then provide your domain name in detail as shown in figure

The provide the default host name that you have created a moment ago.

You can check whether your setup is working fine or not by seeing the “Responding” on Agent status.

This is how you setup SCVMM in your server. In next blog I will discuss about “How to add new VM in 

How to Install Exchange Server 2013

Deployment of an Exchange Server 2013 server goes through three main stages.

1. Preparing Active Directory (if you are installing Exchange Server 2013 for the first time)
2. Installing the Exchange Server 2013 pre-requisites on the server
3. Running Exchange Server 2013 setup

Preparing Active Directory for Exchange Server 2013

When you are installing Exchange Server 2013 for the first time the Active Directory needs to be prepared.

There are a series of requirements for Active Directory preparation to be successful:

• Schema master running Windows Server 2003 with SP2, or a later version of Windows Server
• At least one Global catalog server per site that Exchange will be installed in that is running Windows Server 2003 SP2 or later
• At least one Domain controller per site that Exchange will be installed in that is running Windows Server 2008 or later
• Forest functional mode of Windows Server 2003 or higher
• An account with Schema Admins, Domain Admins, and Enterprise Admins permissions to run Exchange setup

Although Active Directory preparation can occur as part of the installation of the first Exchange Server 2013 server, you can also run the Active Directory preparation as a separate task beforehand on a 64-bit server running Windows Server 2008 or higher.

Because the Active Directory preparation requires the RSAT-ADDS tools I am running it on the domain controller in my test lab.

Alternatively, you can install the tools on a member server to run Exchange 2013 Active Directory preparation.

For Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1 or later), in PowerShell run:

Import-Module ServerManager

Add-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS

For Windows Server 2012, in PowerShell run:

Install-WindowsFeature RSAT-ADDS

If you are installing Exchange Server in the AD forest for the first time run the following Exchange 2013 setup command to prepare Active Directory:

setup /PrepareAD /OrganizationName: "your organization name" /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

Note: if your organization name contains spaces then it must be enclosed in quotes as shown above.

If an Exchange organization already exists you can omit the /OrganizationName parameter.

setup /PrepareAD /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms

For other Active Directory preparation scenarios, such as multiple forests or multiple domains, refer to this article on TechNet.

Installing the Exchange Server 2013 Pre-Requisites

Exchange Server 2013 can be installed on either Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1 or later) or Windows Server 2012. Depending on the server roles you are installing the pre-requisites vary.

• Installing Exchange Server 2013 Pre-Requisites on Windows Server 2008 R2
• Installing Exchange Server 2013 Pre-Requisites on Windows Server 2012

Installing Exchange Server 2013 Using the Setup Wizard

After installing the pre-requisites a restart of the server may be required. If you proceed without restarting then setup may be unable to proceed when it detects the pending restart.

From the location where you have stored your Exchange 2013 files run Setup.exe.

The first dialog gives you the opportunity to check for updates to the setup files before you proceed.

Check for updates to Exchange 2013 setup files

After the setup files have updated click Next to continue.

Click Next to continue past the Introduction message.

Exchange 2013 setup introduction

Accept the license agreement and click Next to continue.

Exchange 2013 license agreement

Choose whether or not to enable Error Reporting and click Next to continue.

Configure Exchange 2013 error reporting

After a check that all the pre-requisites are installed the setup wizard will move on to the next step automatically (if the check was successful).

Now we can choose the server roles to install. If this is the first server you’re installing Microsoft recommends you install the Mailbox server role first (this can be either a Mailbox-only server or a combined Mailbox/Client Access server).

Choose the Exchange 2013 server roles to install

Verify that you have enough disk space for the installation, or choose a path that does have enough disk space, and click Nextto continue.

Choose the location to install Exchange 2013

If there is no existing Exchange organization in Active Directory, and you haven’t already prepared Active Directory for Exchange, you will be prompted to enter an Exchange organization name.

When installing the Mailbox server role you are given the option to disable malware protection. If you disable it now you can enable it again later.

Configure anti-malware protection for the Mailbox server

Some readiness checks are performed. If this is the not the first server you’re installing and there is no Send Connector defined for outbound email then you may see a warning, but you can still proceed with the server installation.

Setup can’t detect a Send connector with an address space of ‘*’. Mail flow to the Internet may not work properly.

Exchange 2013 setup pre-requisite warning

When you are ready to proceed you can click Install to begin.

Begin the installation of Exchange 2013

The install is a fairly lengthy process, so you may want to go and do something else while you wait. When setup has finished click Finish.

How To Move Microsoft DPM 2012 from One Server to Another !!

Steps to Move Microsoft DPM 2012 from One Server to Another !!

1. Backup the DPMDB using DPM Management shell and store it on a remote location. Use dpmbackup -db to backup the DPMDB.
2. DPMDB backup is stored on location: <drive>\Microsoft System Center 2012\DPM\DPM\Volumes\ShadowCopy\Database Backups
3. Rebuild the DPM server with same FQDN.
4. Install the DPM 2012 and install all the Update roll ups as they were installed when DPM server failed.
5. Copy the backed up DPMDB back to the local drive on DPM server.
6. Open DPM management shell and run dpmSync –restoredb –dbloc <dbbackuplocation> refer http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb808877.aspx for details.
7. Attach all the disks back to DPM server.
8. Run dpmSync -sync on the DPM management shell
9. After this all Data Sources will come as inconsistent, Run consistency check on each data source manually.
10. Run dpmSync -reallocatereplica refer http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb808877.aspx for details.

All the servers will appear on the New DPM server as they were on the old one however if not you may have to run SetDpmServer utility on the Protected Servers.

Old DPM server should be removed ASAP.

Regards,

Saad (Sam)

How To Activate Your Domain Controller from Eval Version to Retail Version -Windows Server 2012

Step 1. Remove Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). Ref to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh472163.aspx for more detail.

Step 2. Run the following command in command prompt. This should show evaluation copy.

DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition

Step 3. Run the following command in command prompt. This would give us information if we can upgrade to standard or Datacenter edition.

DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions

Step 4. Run the following command in command prompt. Now, if you want to convert it into Datacenter then use the second command else use the first command and as we have the key for Standard edition so we would be using the first command. Also, we would be running the command with a default key. We are not using our license key here. We will use our license key to activate the server once we are done with the upgrade.
Every edition of Windows has its own unique Default key also known as the KMS client key. Ref to the below mentioned articles for the KMS client keys. I have already taken the key from the link for you so you don’t have to make any changes to the command.
KMS client keys : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx

For Standard : DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /productkey: XC9B7-NBPP2-83J2H-RHMBY-92BT4 /AcceptEula
For Datacenter : DISM /online /Set-Edition: ServerDatacenter /productkey: 48HP8-DN98B-MYWDG-T2DCC-8W83P /AcceptEula

Step 5. Your Server will reboot twice to give you the desired version. Once you have the server back after the two reboots, it’s time to activate it using our license. Run the below mentioned command to open up a ‘Change product key’ wizard. Provide your key and activate the server.
SLUI.EXE 3
You can also use a command in command prompt to install the key manually, if the above mentioned command does not bring up the wizard to change the key.
Slmgr /ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Step 6. Install Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) again

•    More Information –

KMS client keys :

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867.aspx

Thanks and regards,
Saad Fazal (Sam)

Windows Azure Online Backup

It’s sometimes easier to think about cloud computing in all or nothing terms – move everything into the cloud or leave everything as-is, on-premises.  But, as most know, the emerging reality is more of a hybrid approach, combining both cloud and on-premises resources.  Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012 SP1 are embracing the hybrid model with services including Windows Azure Online Backup.  It’s a great example of how Windows Server, System Center and Windows Azure work together in what we call the “Cloud OS”.

Currently in preview, Windows Azure Online Backup is a cloud-based backup solution enabling server data to be backed up and recovered from the cloud in order to help protect against loss and corruption.

The service provides IT administrators with a physically remote backup and recovery option for their server data with limited additional investment when compared with on-premises backup solutions.

In addition to cloud-based backup for Windows Server 2012, we are pleased to announce that Windows Azure Online Backup now also supports cloud-based backup from on-premises System Center 2012 SP1 via the Data Protection Manager component.

Windows Server 2012

Cloud-based backup from Windows Server 2012 is enabled by a downloadable agent that installs right alongside the familiar Windows Server backup interface. From this interface backup and recovery of files and folders is managed as usual but instead of utilizing local disk storage, the agent communicates with a Windows Azure service which creates the backups in Windows Azure storage.

System Center 2012 SP1

With the System Center 2012 SP1 release, the Data Protection Manager (DPM) component enables cloud-based backup of datacenter server data to Windows Azure storage.  System Center 2012 SP1 administrators use the downloadable Windows Azure Online Backup agent to leverage their existing protection, recovery and monitoring workflows to seamlessly integrate cloud-based backups alongside their disk/tape based backups. DPM’s short term, local backup continues to offer quicker disk–based point recoveries when business demands it, while the Windows Azure backup provides the peace of mind & reduction in TCO that comes with offsite backups. In addition to files and folders, DPM also enables Virtual Machine backups to be stored in the cloud.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials

Small businesses using Windows Server 2012 Essentials can also access cloud-based backup capabilities by downloading the Windows Azure Online Backup integration module, an extension for the Windows Server 2012 Essentials dashboard. The agent extends the server folder page in the dashboard with online backup information, provides common backup and recovery functions, and simplifies the setup and configuration steps.

Key features

Below are some of the key features we’re delivering in Windows Azure Online Backup:

• Simple configuration and management.
• Simple, familiar user interface to configure and monitor backups from Windows Server and System Center SP1.
• Integrated recovery experience to transparently recover files, folders and VMs from the cloud.
• Windows PowerShell command-line interface scripting capability.
• Block level incremental backups.
• Automatic incremental backups track file and block level changes, only transferring the changed blocks, hence reducing the storage and bandwidth utilization.
• Different point-in-time versions of the backups use storage efficiently by only storing the changed blocks between these versions.
• Data compression, encryption and throttling.
• Data is compressed and encrypted on the server before being sent to Windows Azure over the network. As a result, Windows Azure Online Backup only places encrypted data in the cloud storage.
• The encryption passphrase is not available in Windows Azure, and as a result data is never decrypted in the service.
• Users can setup throttling and configure how Windows Azure Online Backup utilizes the network bandwidth when backing up or restoring information.
• Data integrity verified in the cloud.
• Backed up data is also automatically checked for integrity once the backup is complete. As a result, any corruptions due to data transfer are automatically identified and repair is attempted in the next backup.
• Configurable retention policies.
• Retention policies Configure and implement retention policies to help meet business policies and manage backup costs.

Getting started
Getting started with Windows Azure Online Backup is a simple two-step process:

1. Get a free preview Windows Azure Online Backup account (with 300 GB of cloud storage) here.
2. Login to the Windows Azure Online Backup portal and download and install the Windows Azure Online Backup agent for Windows Server 2012 or System Center 2012 SP1 Data Protection Manager. For Windows Server 2012 Essentials, download and install the Windows Azure Online Backup integration module.

Once you have installed the agent or integration module you can use the existing user interfaces for registering the server to the service and setting up online backup.

Windows Azure Active Directory Management Portal
With today’s release of the Windows Azure Online Backup preview we are also releasing a supporting preview of the Windows Azure Active Directory Management Portal.  Customers can use the Windows Azure Active Directory Management Portal to sign up for Windows Azure Online Backup and manage users’ access to the service.  Administrators can now use the preview portal at https://activedirectory.windowsazure.com.

We’ll have more details on how the new Windows Azure Active Directory Management Portal can be used to manage your organization’s identity information in a separate blog post soon.

Thanks for reading!

Building a private cloud with System Center 2012: Part 1

Microsoft's much-changed System Center 2012 includes a refresh of all the components, led by Virtual Machine Manager — which, among other new features, can now be used to manage platforms besides Microsoft's own Hyper-V. System Center Orchestrator, the workflow automation tool, also comes in for a revamp, and there's a totally new application —App Controller — for template-controlled self-service access to private and public cloud resources.

The 'cloud' word appears a lot in relation to the new suite, as System Center 2012 is positioned as a platform for deploying and managing private cloud infrastructures. More specifically, it's seen as an enabler for companies seeking to build their own private Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solutions.

To support this, Microsoft has released what it calls the Private Cloud Evaluation Software bundle, containing all the bits of System Center 2012 needed to create and evaluate a private cloud infrastructure of your own. Which is exactly what we opted to do, with the following results.

Committed testers only

The first thing to note is that setting up a Microsoft private cloud is a far from trivial exercise and definitely not something for the faint hearted. As we quickly discovered, not only do you need decent server hardware and a reasonable degree of technical ability, you also need lots of time. What's more, it helps if you can think on your feet and solve problems yourself rather than expect to be spoon-fed a quick and easy solution, as that's definitely not what you get.

Going prepared

Assuming you have the tenacity to see the project through, getting hold of the necessary software is one of the easiest of the tasks involved. However, even that wasn't entirely straightforward.

Available to download from the Microsoft TechNet Evaluation Center, the Private Cloud Evaluation Software bundle comprises most of the components that make up System Center 2012 — but not all, and certainly not in a final polished format. This gives rise to a number of difficulties when it comes to deployment, which we'll cover shortly.

Our download included the following System Center 2012 components:

·         Orchestrator

·         Virtual Machine Manager

·         App Controller

·         Operations Manager

·         Configuration Manager (not required for the private cloud evaluation)

·         Service Manager

·         Data Protection Manager

Endpoint protection isn't needed but an (incomplete) evaluation guide is provided, along with a unified installer developed specifically for testing the Microsoft private cloud solution.

You also need Windows Server 2008 R2, so an optional 180-day evaluation copy is available to download, complete with Hyper-V to provide the required virtualisation platform.

Depending on the approach taken, you'll need to deploy this up to eight times — which, as it's a Microsoft product, could be costly. This won't deter customers with volume licensing agreements or those with TechNet or MSDN subscriptions. Alternatively, you can rearm the 10-day activation period, using a provided script, to continue with the evaluation. You can do this up to five times, which isn't perfect but does work — although we're not quite sure how it adds up to 180 days of evaluation. Fortunately everything else is covered with no extra licensing needed.

Machines: real and virtual

In terms of hardware, the evaluation guide reckons you can get away with just one physical server, so long as it's got at least four processors plus enough memory and disk space to host up to eight VMs, as shown in the diagram below:

Microsoft's Private Cloud Evaluation Software bundle requires at least one physical server and up to eight VMs, all running Windows Server 2008 R2

We'd recommend a newish server, and for our tests we opted to use two — an existing system configured as an Active Domain Controller plus a second, more powerful, system that we used as a Hyper-V host to run everything else.

Our main server had eight cores and 18GB of RAM, along with 500GB of RAID storage. We installed Windows Server 2008 R2 with the Hyper-V role on this system, opting for the full OS rather than Server Core. Next, using Hyper-V Manager, we built a new VM with two CPUs, 2GB of memory and a 40GB hard disk, onto which we installed Windows Server 2008 R2.

We used Sysprep to get this template VM ready for duplication before manually copying it and running through the setup procedure on each copy to build the seven virtual servers we required.