Everybody knows that Windows caches Usernames and Passwords, include domain credentials and credentials that we type in when we try to access shared resources, when we click the Save Password feature. How to clear this cache in case you have to do so? Do the following: on a command prompt type rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr, select the conflictive entry and delete or modify it as needed.

Windows Server 8 “Beta ” is out there. It comes with important list of cool stuff like PowerShell v3, Metro UI, Resilient File System (ReFS), DHCP failover, etc. However, one of the most important parts Microsoft has enhanced that time, has been Hyper-V. Microsoft has introduced with Windows Server 8 an important number of new Hyper-V features that should consolidate it as an enterprise virtualization platform. Today, I would like to show you the ones that exited me most:

Windows Server 8 “Beta” (ISO or VHD) can be downloaded after registering for its evaluation. Also, Microsoft SQL Server 2012 RTM trial has been released for evaluation purposes to general public, and can be download here. Windows Server 8 is the next generation of Windows Server products that incorporates cloud-based services and the new Resilient File System (ReFS), an evolution of the actual NTFS. Microsoft SQL Server 2012 incorporates all cloud-ready services for integration and new high availability features like AlwaysOn.

On How to Cluster DFS Replicated Resources on Windows Server 2008 R2 (Part I) we installed the file server role, the failover clustering feature and we brought online our quorum disk. On How to Cluster DFS Replicated Resources on Windows Server 2008 R2 (Part II) we saw how to create our cluster, assign resources and cluster the file server role; to prepare everything to properly cluster DFS-R shares. So, now lets see how add shared folders and make them part of our DFS-R group.

I’m preparing a Hyper-V two-nodes cluster where to create a test environment of our current Active-Directory domain for DC upgrades to Windows Server 2008 R2 simulation scenarios. To keep resources for child partitions I have installed Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Core edition as base OS on the nodes. One of the common tasks I use to run after the base installation is tuning the virtual memory and moving the page file to a dedicated partition to avoid fragmentation.

Another great tool from Microsoft, has been revealed to me by my colleague Brandon Carder (thanks Brandon!). If you are managing multiple screens and your desk has been conquered by mice and keyboards, this is the definitive tool that will give you more space and freedom. Check what I’m talking about on the following TechNet blog. Microsoft download from The Garage: Mouse without Borders

Yesterday, Microsoft revealed the specifics of its next-generation file system in full. Some of the new features are the ability to handle large volumes, resiliency to corruption and shared storage pools across machines while maintaining backwards compatibility with NTFS features. Details have been published on Building Windows 8 blog by MSDN. Building the next generation file system for Windows: ReFS

Microsoft has released the Remote Desktop Load Simulation toolset for server capacity planning and performance/scalability analysis. When planning and designing environments Remote Desktop, is useful to estimate the number of users that can be supported, thus defining the scalability and performance by providing an advance estimate in that environment. The toolset can be downloaded from the following link: Remote Desktop Load Simulation Tools Microsoft already released Terminal Server Capacity and Scaling guide which is intended for Windows 2003 based Terminal Services environments.

On How to Cluster DFS Replicated Resources on Windows Server 2008 R2 (Part I) we installed the file server role, the failover clustering feature and we brought online our quorum disk. On that post we will see how to create our cluster, assign resources and cluster the file server role; to prepare everything to properly cluster DFS-R shares. Create the Cluster Now that we have all needed features in place we need to build our cluster.

One of the most challenging tasks for a Systems Administrator is discovering where and when a user account is locking. The complexity increases exponentially with the type of environment faced by the S_ysadmin_, being much more complex if the environment is highly distributed not only geographically but in terms of services. As an account lock completely stops user activity disconnecting him from the rest of the company, determining as soon as possible where and how the account is locking is undoubtedly an important added value.