Microsoft has now opend for registrations to TechEd 2008 in Orlando. This year the event is split in a TechEd Developer and a TechEd IT Pro event, like it has been in Europe (Barcelona) for some time.

The Tech·Ed U.S. 2008 IT Professionals Conference is June 10-13, 2008, with Pre-conference seminar on June 9th.
Register by Friday, April 4, 2008, to receive the discounted rate of just $1,795—that’s $200 off the regular rate of $1,995.
Registrer at msteched.com.

Hope to see you there...

Just a quick heads up on a new KB article (946202) that we recently published.  If you use WSUS to manages updates in your organization then depending on how you have it configured, you may need to take some action to ensure you end up with the version of Internet Explorer you really want:

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Overview

On February 12, 2008 Microsoft will release the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) marked as an Update Rollup package. Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update is a complete installation package that will upgrade machines running Internet Explorer 6 to Windows Internet Explorer 7. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 940767 contains more information on the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

940767 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940767/) Description of the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update

Since the download center and Microsoft Update describe the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update as Windows Internet Explorer 7, the remainder of this article will simply use Windows Internet Explorer 7.
If you want to install Windows Internet Explorer 7 using WSUS today, you can import this package from the Microsoft Update catalog site by following the instructions in the section titled "Deploying Windows Internet Explorer 7 using WSUS."
If you have configured WSUS to "auto-approve" Update Rollup packages (this is not the default configuration), Windows Internet Explorer 7 will be automatically approved for installation after February 12, 2008 and consequently, you may want to take the actions below to manage how and when this update is installed. You will need to take action if:

• You use WSUS 3.0 to manage updates in your organization.
• You have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computers or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based computers that have Internet Explorer 6 installed.
• You do not want to upgrade Internet Explorer 6 machines to Windows Internet Explorer 7 at this time.
• You have configured WSUS to auto-approve Update Rollups for installation.

Note This does not apply to Windows Vista because Windows Internet Explorer 7 is a component of Windows Vista.

To continue reading click here.

Remember back in the SMS 2003 days we had nice tools that enabled right-click on computers/collections to ping/force policy refresh etc. You will find that now extending the SCCM console is easier. It all comes down to an XML file placed in a proper folder. We can soon expect many extensions (also those from SMS) to be ported to SCCM console. As an example a ping extension for computers from SCCM console.

Create a file called e.g. PingWorkstation.xml:

<ActionDescription Class="Group" DisplayName="SMS Tools" MnemonicDisplayName="SMS Tools" Description="SMS tools for agent" SqmDataPoint="53">
<ActionGroups>
<ActionDescription Class="Executable" DisplayName="Ping Workstation" MnemonicDisplayName="Ping Workstation" Description="Will ping a workstation">
<Executable>
<FilePath>cmd.exe</FilePath>
<Parameters> /k Ping ##SUB:NetBIOSName##</Parameters>
</Executable>
</ActionDescription>
</ActionGroups>
</ActionDescription>

Place the file in c:\Program Files\SCCM2007\AdminUI\XmlStorage\Extensions\Actions\7ba8bf44-2344-4035-bdb4-16630291dcf6\ and restart the console. The GUID is reference to the resource object in collections. A collection would have these GUIDs:

dbb315c3-1d8b-4e6a-a7b1-db8246890f59 - top level collection
fa922e1a-6add-477f-b70e-9a164f3b11a2 - subcollections

The GUID referring to the SCCM resource object. Additional extensions can be made with the use of SDK documentation in a similar fashion. SDK is now in December CTP available on https://connect.microsoft.com/availableconnections.aspx site (look for SCCM SDK beta - you need to sign in with a live account). RTM should appear somewhere this quater.

This tip was made by Andrzej here.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=944542
The "wake on LAN" feature does not work as expected if a site server uses a non-daylight saving time zone in System Center Configuration Manager 2007
12/18/2007
Sys Center Config Manager 2007 AL
EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=945211
You cannot install the client software for the System Center Online Asset Inventory Service
12/13/2007
Asset Inventory Services EN
EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=945213
Error message when the System Center Online Asset inventory is not being processed: "HRESULT 0x80092004"
12/13/2007
Asset Inventory Services EN
EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=945898
The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Offer Status Summarizer does not process advertisement status summary data
12/8/2007
Sys Center Config Manager 2007 AL
EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=945536
Client computers can no longer synchronize with Windows Server Update Services after you import many third-party product updates
12/11/2007
WSUS 3.0 AL
EN-US

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=946137
You cannot use Windows Server Update Services 3.0 to install Internet Explorer 7, even though the package is available from Microsoft Update
12/13/2007
WSUS 3.0 AL
EN-US

As scheduled I passed the "TS: Upgrading your MCSE from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008" test Today (exam number 70-649). The test is 55 questions with a passing score on 700 out of 1000. My score was 1000 :-D.

This upgrade test gives me the following Windows Server 2008 exams:

• 70-640 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory
• 70-642 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure.
• 70-643 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Applications.

I have to say that the questions are very easy when you consider its a upgrade test. Lots of the questions could be part of a Windows Server 2003 test and 1/3 of the questions was 100% the same as in 70-648.

To complete the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator I allso need 70-620 or 70-624 and the not yet released 70-647. So I hope to complete the Vista test (70-620) within this month, so I can focus on 70-647 and take the test when it becomes avalible.

Exam 70-647: Pro: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator is in development. It is expected to be released in early 2008.