Announcement: 32

Windows Server 2012 Essentials announcements

High Availability (Clustering) announcements

File Services and Storage announcements

  • Link
    New white paper providing guidance for sizing NTFS volumes
    JoseBarreto

    Microsoft released a new white paper, available here, discussing best practices and guidance for sizing NTFS volumes and some details on CHKDSK execution times on Windows Server 2008 R2. When planning Windows Server deployments, we are often asked questions such as “How large can I make my volumes?” or “How long will it take to repair a volume?”. This white paper helps answer these questions.

Hyper-V announcements

  • Link
    How to ask a question efficiently in TechNet forum
    BrianEh

    Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. The online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

     

    When You Ask

    1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

    2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

    - Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

    - Environment: The system environment, such as your OS/application version, your network topology, and your domain environment, etc.

    - Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

    - Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

    3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

    4. Keep with the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

    5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and makes the people who donate time, warm and fuzzies.)

     

    When answered

    Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

    The content of this post was borrowed from: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/33d4bcfd-9a20-437c-8a5a-26d0deb01131/how-to-ask-a-question-efficiently-in-technet-forum?forum=winservergen

  • Link
    Managing Server 2012 Hyper-V Remotely
    BrianEh

    This has been a popular question lately, here are the details:

    Remote Server Admin Tools: 

    (please note that there is a client and server combination here.  AFAIK there is not (yet) a tool release to manage Server 2012 from Win 7 clients)

    Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=28972

    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/2202.remote-server-administration-tools-rsat-for-windows-vista-windows-7-windows-8-windows-server-2008-windows-server-2008-r2-and-windows-server-2012-dsforum2wiki.aspx

    Manage Hyper-V Server 2012 Remotely:

    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj647785.aspx

    (there are domain member and non-domain member instructions in there)

Network Access Protection announcements

Setup Deployment announcements

  • Link
    Known Issue: After applying KB 953230 WDS stops working
    Jez Sadler - MS
    On  7/8/2008, a security patch was released for DNS by Microsoft and other DNS server vendors. The Microsoft patch was tracked as KB953230 - the documentation on it is here.

    As part of the patch, DNS now reserves 2500 UDP ports - including the ports from 64000 to 65000 that WDS uses by default. Because of this, if DNS and WDS are running on the same server, WDS cannot access those ports and so is unable to perform TFTP (required for PXE boot) or Multicast.

    To work around this, open the WDS MMC, select your server, and go to Server Properties from the right-click menu or the Action menu. Then on the Network Settings page, set a different range of UDP ports. The best range to choose will depend on what else you are running on your server - you want to pick ports that other server roles and applications are not using. The dynamically allocated ports start from 49152, so your Start port should be at least that.

Windows PowerShell announcements

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) announcements

Backup – Windows and Windows Server announcements

  • Link
    Old Threads
    Sushil.Baid [MSFT]
    Folks - Some of the old threads has been marked as general discussion based on inactivity on them for a longer duration. If the issue is not resolved, please start a new thread.
  • Link
    Vista Backup and Recovery - common causes and solution
    Christine Fok
    We've created a solution table on our blog for some issues we've seen while troubleshooting Vista backup\recovery (including System Restore) issues with some customers. We encourage you to visit the blog and see if it addresses your issue.

    http://blogs.technet.com/filecab/archive/2008/03/12/common-causes-and-solutions-to-backup-system-restore-and-complete-pc-backup-problems-updated.aspx

    Regards,
    Christine
  • Link
    Welcome to Windows and Windows Server Backup Forums!
    Malu Menezes

    Windows Backup forums provide you an opportunity to join a community of Windows customers where you can share knowledge on windows backup, get questions answered, and learn from others with backup needs similar to yours. Start by posting Windows Backup related questions and leverage the knowledge available in your new forum community.

     

    This forum supports Backup questions for Windows and Windows Server.

     

    Also, visit our blog for fresh information on Microsoft Storage and Windows Backup:

    http://blogs.technet.com/filecab

Streaming Media Services announcements

Windows Multipoint Server announcements

  • Link
    What to do when Dashboard cannot be used in WS 2016?
    Eva Seydl

    If you are running into an issue where the WMS Dashboard is in an unusable state the security certificate might be expired which the Dashboard needs to connect to the webservice on the Server. Please use the following steps to identify if you are running into the same issue and apply the solution provided in this article: 

    1. Run "c:\Program Files\Windows MultiPoint Server\LogCollector.exe".  Click "Collect Data" and then "View Logs" in MultiPoint Log Collector 
    2. "View Logs" will open a folder with some zip files.  Open the latest zip file, and then open "Microsoft-Windows-WMS-Trace.csv" from inside the zip file (use notepad)
    3. Search for SecurityNegotiationException in the logs.

     

    If you see this error to run the following command in PowerShell as administrator:

    net stop wms; $hostname = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem -Property Name).Name; Get-ChildItem -Path 'Cert:\localmachine\MultiPoint Services Certificates\' | ForEach-Object {if ($_.Subject -like ('*'+$hostname+'*')) {Write-Host ('Removing '+$_.Thumbprint); Remove-Item -Path ('Cert:\localmachine\MultiPoint Services Certificates\'+$_.Thumbprint)}}; net start wms

    The certificate can also be manually deleted but the process to do that is complex, so either way should work.

    If you want to try to manually remove the certificate, follow these steps:

    1. You will need your local host name.  If you don't know that, you can run the command "hostname" from a command prompt and it will tell you the computer's host name.
    2. From a command prompt run “Net stop wms”.  You will need to be running in an elevated command prompt as an administrator.
    3. From a command prompt run “mmc.exe”.  You will also need to be running in an elevated command prompt as an administrator.
    4. CTRL+M to add a new snap-in
    5. From the list of available snap-ins on the left, choose certificates, then add it to the list.  There will be a popup dialog.  Choose computer account from the three options, then choose local computer
    6. Find “MultiPoint Services Certificates” in the list of  certificates for the local computer.  Delete all the certificates where “Issued By” is the local host name.
    7. Now run “net start wms”.  When the MultiPoint service starts, it will create a new certificate for you.  This should fix the problem.

    An update is work in progress and will be shipped in one of the upcoming releases.

  • Link
    Testdrive MultiPoint Services Role as part of Windows Server 2016
    Eva Seydl

    Download the latest technical preview for Windows Server 2016 and test-drive Multipoint Services role: https://aka.ms/ws2016-eval 

    If you are running into issues let us know here on the TechNet forum.

    Are you missing features? Let us know on UserVoice: aka.ms/uservoice-wms

Windows Server 2012 R2 Application Certification (Logo) program and test tools announcements

Remote Desktop clients announcements

IPAM, DHCP, DNS announcements

Announcement: 32

Windows Server 2012 Essentials announcements

High Availability (Clustering) announcements

File Services and Storage announcements

  • Link
    New white paper providing guidance for sizing NTFS volumes
    JoseBarreto

    Microsoft released a new white paper, available here, discussing best practices and guidance for sizing NTFS volumes and some details on CHKDSK execution times on Windows Server 2008 R2. When planning Windows Server deployments, we are often asked questions such as “How large can I make my volumes?” or “How long will it take to repair a volume?”. This white paper helps answer these questions.

Hyper-V announcements

  • Link
    How to ask a question efficiently in TechNet forum
    BrianEh

    Thank you for posting in TechNet forum. The online problem solving can be relatively time consuming because it may demand several messages back and force to fully understand the symptom and background, especially at the very beginning. Here are a few suggestions that help you get the best answer to your question as quickly as possible.

     

    When You Ask

    1. Selecting a good title which summarizes the specific problem you have. It will be the one of the main driving forces for others to want to actually read your item. Choosing a badly-formatted title will drive people away, thinking that since the title is so badly written, so must be the information and the question within the thread.

    2. Provide all the necessary information in your initial post. The following information would be very helpful:

    - Symptom description: Detailed description of the problem. If you receive any error messages, please let us know the exact error WORD BY WORD.

    - Environment: The system environment, such as your OS/application version, your network topology, and your domain environment, etc.

    - Any recent relevant configuration change(s): If the issue started to occur after installing any application/updates or changing the configuration, please let us know.

    - Any additional information. Tell what you have done prior to asking your question. This will help us understand that you've done so far.

    3. Write in a clear language. Avoiding spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Don't type IN ALL CAPS, which in most cases is read as shouting and considered rude.

    4. Keep with the same thread. Do not refer to a post you made last year, and above all, Please come back. There are hundreds and thousands of posts where we have seen people given great and wonderfully long answers yet no reply from the original poster.

    5. Be courteous to reply, even if it's to say. "I've given up" or thanks that worked. (This helps the whole community when you do this, and makes the people who donate time, warm and fuzzies.)

     

    When answered

    Give Positive Feedback. Once you've received a correct answer to your question, either from a Microsoft employee, an MVP, or the community in general, pleases replies that the issue or question has been answered. And if possible mark the solution as answered: This step is important, since it lets other people benefit from your posts.

    The content of this post was borrowed from: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/33d4bcfd-9a20-437c-8a5a-26d0deb01131/how-to-ask-a-question-efficiently-in-technet-forum?forum=winservergen

  • Link
    Managing Server 2012 Hyper-V Remotely
    BrianEh

    This has been a popular question lately, here are the details:

    Remote Server Admin Tools: 

    (please note that there is a client and server combination here.  AFAIK there is not (yet) a tool release to manage Server 2012 from Win 7 clients)

    Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 8: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=28972

    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/2202.remote-server-administration-tools-rsat-for-windows-vista-windows-7-windows-8-windows-server-2008-windows-server-2008-r2-and-windows-server-2012-dsforum2wiki.aspx

    Manage Hyper-V Server 2012 Remotely:

    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj647785.aspx

    (there are domain member and non-domain member instructions in there)

Network Access Protection announcements

Setup Deployment announcements

  • Link
    Known Issue: After applying KB 953230 WDS stops working
    Jez Sadler - MS
    On  7/8/2008, a security patch was released for DNS by Microsoft and other DNS server vendors. The Microsoft patch was tracked as KB953230 - the documentation on it is here.

    As part of the patch, DNS now reserves 2500 UDP ports - including the ports from 64000 to 65000 that WDS uses by default. Because of this, if DNS and WDS are running on the same server, WDS cannot access those ports and so is unable to perform TFTP (required for PXE boot) or Multicast.

    To work around this, open the WDS MMC, select your server, and go to Server Properties from the right-click menu or the Action menu. Then on the Network Settings page, set a different range of UDP ports. The best range to choose will depend on what else you are running on your server - you want to pick ports that other server roles and applications are not using. The dynamically allocated ports start from 49152, so your Start port should be at least that.

Windows PowerShell announcements

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) announcements

Backup – Windows and Windows Server announcements

  • Link
    Old Threads
    Sushil.Baid [MSFT]
    Folks - Some of the old threads has been marked as general discussion based on inactivity on them for a longer duration. If the issue is not resolved, please start a new thread.
  • Link
    Vista Backup and Recovery - common causes and solution
    Christine Fok
    We've created a solution table on our blog for some issues we've seen while troubleshooting Vista backup\recovery (including System Restore) issues with some customers. We encourage you to visit the blog and see if it addresses your issue.

    http://blogs.technet.com/filecab/archive/2008/03/12/common-causes-and-solutions-to-backup-system-restore-and-complete-pc-backup-problems-updated.aspx

    Regards,
    Christine
  • Link
    Welcome to Windows and Windows Server Backup Forums!
    Malu Menezes

    Windows Backup forums provide you an opportunity to join a community of Windows customers where you can share knowledge on windows backup, get questions answered, and learn from others with backup needs similar to yours. Start by posting Windows Backup related questions and leverage the knowledge available in your new forum community.

     

    This forum supports Backup questions for Windows and Windows Server.

     

    Also, visit our blog for fresh information on Microsoft Storage and Windows Backup:

    http://blogs.technet.com/filecab

Streaming Media Services announcements

Windows Multipoint Server announcements

  • Link
    What to do when Dashboard cannot be used in WS 2016?
    Eva Seydl

    If you are running into an issue where the WMS Dashboard is in an unusable state the security certificate might be expired which the Dashboard needs to connect to the webservice on the Server. Please use the following steps to identify if you are running into the same issue and apply the solution provided in this article: 

    1. Run "c:\Program Files\Windows MultiPoint Server\LogCollector.exe".  Click "Collect Data" and then "View Logs" in MultiPoint Log Collector 
    2. "View Logs" will open a folder with some zip files.  Open the latest zip file, and then open "Microsoft-Windows-WMS-Trace.csv" from inside the zip file (use notepad)
    3. Search for SecurityNegotiationException in the logs.

     

    If you see this error to run the following command in PowerShell as administrator:

    net stop wms; $hostname = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem -Property Name).Name; Get-ChildItem -Path 'Cert:\localmachine\MultiPoint Services Certificates\' | ForEach-Object {if ($_.Subject -like ('*'+$hostname+'*')) {Write-Host ('Removing '+$_.Thumbprint); Remove-Item -Path ('Cert:\localmachine\MultiPoint Services Certificates\'+$_.Thumbprint)}}; net start wms

    The certificate can also be manually deleted but the process to do that is complex, so either way should work.

    If you want to try to manually remove the certificate, follow these steps:

    1. You will need your local host name.  If you don't know that, you can run the command "hostname" from a command prompt and it will tell you the computer's host name.
    2. From a command prompt run “Net stop wms”.  You will need to be running in an elevated command prompt as an administrator.
    3. From a command prompt run “mmc.exe”.  You will also need to be running in an elevated command prompt as an administrator.
    4. CTRL+M to add a new snap-in
    5. From the list of available snap-ins on the left, choose certificates, then add it to the list.  There will be a popup dialog.  Choose computer account from the three options, then choose local computer
    6. Find “MultiPoint Services Certificates” in the list of  certificates for the local computer.  Delete all the certificates where “Issued By” is the local host name.
    7. Now run “net start wms”.  When the MultiPoint service starts, it will create a new certificate for you.  This should fix the problem.

    An update is work in progress and will be shipped in one of the upcoming releases.

  • Link
    Testdrive MultiPoint Services Role as part of Windows Server 2016
    Eva Seydl

    Download the latest technical preview for Windows Server 2016 and test-drive Multipoint Services role: https://aka.ms/ws2016-eval 

    If you are running into issues let us know here on the TechNet forum.

    Are you missing features? Let us know on UserVoice: aka.ms/uservoice-wms

Windows Server 2012 R2 Application Certification (Logo) program and test tools announcements

Remote Desktop clients announcements

IPAM, DHCP, DNS announcements