In this week’s newsletter
Clarifying the confusion over Microsoft’s Zerologon patch. Problem using iPads in enterprise environments. Linux growing fast on Azure. Linux as root partition on Hyper-V? Procmon for Linux. Lenovo loves Linux. One million and one Linux learners? Microsoft Open Source projects. How can a Windows expert best learn Linux? Known issues after connecting Outlook 2013/2016 to Outlook.com. Mainframe on Raspberry Pi. Plus lots more — read it all, read it here on WServerNews!
Enjoy this week’s newsletter and feel free to send us feedback on any of the topics we’ve covered — we love hearing from our readers! And please tell others about WServerNews! It’s free and always will be free — and they can subscribe to it here. Thanks!!!
URGENT: Clarifying the confusion over Microsoft’s Zerologon patch
Aaron Margosis who was a Principle Consultant focusing on security for over 20 years at Microsoft and who recently joined Tanium as their Global Techno Ninja has some important things to say concerning Microsoft’s patch for CVE-2020–1472:
“If you haven’t yet, you must apply this patch to your domain controllers (DCs) as soon as possible. Some things might break (I’ll get to that next) but those breaks can be fixed. If you don’t patch, the likelihood is rather large that someone whose interests don’t align with yours will gain complete and permanent control of your infrastructure.”
Aaron then goes on to explain how the August patch treats Windows-based and non-Windows domain members differently. Read his entire post here:
https://medium.com/@aaron.margosis/clarifying-cve-2020-1472-zerologon-d42d1d14849e
Ask Our Readers – Problem using iPads in enterprise environments (new question)
A couple of years ago I wrote an article about some of the challenges of supporting Mac computers in a workplace. The article brought some helpful comments from our readers. Recently though a reader named Joe raised a question I hadn’t dealt with in my article:
I was disappointed there was no mention of the “AppleID” factor here. One of our issues with using corporate purchased iPADs is that when an individual leaves and the device is issued to a new user, freeing the device from the prior user’s AppleID (apple account) is a problem. We can manage a reset the device via MDM/Azure Endpoint Devices. However, they device never gets truly freed from the prior user until they remove it from their account. Is there a better way to handle this?
That’s a very good question and I don’t have an answer for it. Can any of our readers offer their thoughts or suggestions concerning this? Email us at [email protected]
Got questions? Ask our readers!
WServerNews goes out each week to almost 200,000 IT pro subscribers worldwide! That’s a lot of expertise to tap into. Do you need help with some technical problem or are looking for expert advice on something IT-related? Ask Our Readers by emailing your problems and/or questions to us at [email protected]
Mailbag
One more bit of floppy disk trivia, this time from reader Mark Oakes who is an IT Manager in South Africa:
Hey Mitch, A NSFW (or rather NSFthe-newsletter) bit of trivia about floppies. Here in South Africa the 5 1/4″ disks were floppies but the 3 1/2″ disks were stiffies. We didn’t really bat an eyelid at the time but it did make for interesting conversations when dealing with techies in other countries …
Stiffies, hmm. I wonder what they called floppy disks in other countries? Bing Translator says that most European countries called them “diskettes” except the French of course who called them “disquettes”.
No, wait — the Italians apparently called them “disco floppy” which sounds like a Travolta film from the 70s. And Bing translates “floppy disk” into “diosca flapach” for the Irish.
I have serious doubts whether Bing can handle translating this phrase!
Any other diosca flapach stories our readers would like to share? Email us at [email protected]
Editor’s Corner
This week’s observations and ruminations from Mitch Tulloch our Senior Editor…
Linux growing fast on Azure
We last talked about Linux in this newsletter in June in an issue that we facetiously titled Microsoft Linux 95 where we talked about the new Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2 (WSL 2) that arrived in the May 2020 update for Windows 10 and about various other Linux stuff. And we’re talking about Linux again in this issue of WServerNews because of the infographic I recently saw in this article:
Linux is Most Used OS in Microsoft Azure — over 50 percent of VM cores (Build5Nines)
https://build5nines.com/linux-is-most-used-os-in-microsoft-azure-over-50-percent-fo-vm-cores/
Here’s an excerpt of some of the stats highlighted in the above article:
“More than 50% of VM cores runs Linux on Azure
Linux-based images comprise 60% of Azure Marketplace images
Top 100 Microsoft customers deploy Linux workloads on Azure
Azure Tuned Kernels provide 25% faster network throughput
Microsoft supports all major Linux distros, like: Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu, Oracle Linux, Debian, CentOS, CoreOS, and OpenSUSE (Related: Azure also supports FreeBSD)
Azure offers two natively supported managed Kubernetes orchestration services: Azure Kubernetes Service, and Azure Red Hat OpenShift”
That’s totally amazing. I knew you can easily spin up Linux instances on Azure, but I wasn’t aware how popular it was for organizations to run Linux VMs on Azure. So expect more issues of WServerNews to dip into the Linux universe given its growing chmoddity (importance) for Microsoft’s business.
Linux as root partition on Hyper-V?
Microsoft has apparently asked the Linux kernel developer team to make changes to enable non-Windows instances to run on its Hyper-V hypervisor on Azure. ZDNet has more on this here:
I don’t know whether this will happen or not, but it’ll certainly be something if they agree and move forward with Microsoft’s request.
Procmon for Linux
Procmon (Process Monitor) one of the Windows Sysinternals tools used for monitoring real-time file system, Registry and process/thread activity on Windows has now been ported to Linux:
Microsoft Releases Its Own Open-Source Process Monitor For Linux (Phoronix)
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Microsoft-ProcMon-For-Linux
The tool can be found on GitHub where it’s described as follows:
“Procmon is a Linux reimagining of the classic Procmon tool from the Sysinternals suite of tools for Windows. Procmon provides a convenient and efficient way for Linux developers to trace the syscall activity on the system.”
I wonder what other Sysinternals tools Microsoft is developing for Linux?
Lenovo loves Linux
Lenovo is apparently planning on rolling out ThinkPads and ThinkStations with Ubuntu Linuyx installed and fully supported. ZDNet again has the news concerning this:
Dell has been doing this for awhile now. It’s interesting to see Lenovo finally catching up.
One million and one Linux learners?
Want to join one million other wannabe Linux enthusiasts who have signed up for the Linux Foundation’s free course Introduction to Linux? Have any of our newsletter readers worked through this course? Know of any other free Linux courses that you would recommend to colleagues who want to jump onboard the Linux train? Email us at [email protected]
Microsoft Open Source projects
Stay on top of everything Microsoft is doing in the Open Source arena by visiting Microsoft’s official Open Source site:
https://opensource.microsoft.com/
I’ve already downloaded Windows Terminal and I must say it’s pretty cool! I plan on installing PowerShell on Fedora soon when I have more time to play around with it.
How can a Windows expert best learn Linux?
And finally this morning I uploaded an article I wrote titled “Ask Our Readers: What are the best resources for a Windows expert to learn Linux?” for publication on our TechGenix website. The article still has to go through editing so I don’t have the link for it yet, but if any of our readers have experience with Linux please stay tuned for my article to appear soon on TechGenix.com, and when it does please feel free to add any suggestions you might have as comments on the article. Thanks!
Got more thoughts about anything in this newsletter?
Email us at [email protected]!
Tell all your friends about WServerNews!
Please let all your friends and colleagues in the IT profession know about our newsletter. Tell them our latest issues can be found at wservernews.com while older issues dating back to 1997 can be found in our archive. And let them know also that they can receive WServerNews each week in their inbox by subscribing to it here. Thank you!
Tip of the Week
>> Got any IT pro tips you’d like to share with other readers of our newsletter? Email us at [email protected]
Known issues after connecting Outlook 2013/2016 to Outlook.com
Check out the below thread on the Microsoft Community site if you’re having issues after reconnecting your Outlook.com account in Outlook 2013/2016. The thread is several years old but from various forums it seems like the problem described has been recurring with some users recently.
Admin Toolbox
>> Got any admin tools or software you’d like to recommend to our readers? Email us at [email protected]
Is searching through old emails and attachments becoming a tedious task for you and your co-workers? Then take a look at the MailStore Server email archiving solution and benefit from fast search options:
http://www.mailstore.com/en/products
Nintex Document Tagger is an Office 365 add-in that enables you to create custom documents in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF with data dynamically merged from tagged templates stored in SharePoint or a supported file storage system:
https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA104379806?src=office&tab=Overview
Yesware Email Tracking is an Office 365 add-in that lets you see who opens your emails and clicks on your links, with email tracking analytics for Outlook:
https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA104380259?src=office&tab=Overview
Lucidchart is an HTML5-based visual collaboration tool for Microsoft Excel that makes drawing diagrams fast and easy:
https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA104380194?src=office&tab=Overview
Factoid – Mainframe on Raspberry Pi
Our previous factoid and question was this:
Fact: Japan’s government declares war on fax machines
Question: Does your business or organization still have a dedicated fax machine lying around? Or is your multifunction printer/copier/fax machine connected to a phone line? When was the last time you actually used a fax machine, and why?
We received a couple of responses to this one from our readers. European IT pro Martin Urwaleck made an obvious observation that I failed to mention in my questions above:
Hi Mitch, we have to use fax for specific tasks — it’s even legally required in pharmacies here in Austria. However, we don’t use physical fax machines — we use a mail gateway.
Of course. I should have mentioned other faxing options besides using a fax machine or multifunction printer. There are various email to fax gateway solutions you can purchase and implement for your organization for implementing paperless faxing solutions. There are also online fax services you can use to securely send and receive faxes over the Internet. But it’s also interesting that Martin mentioned pharmacies above as a business where they still send and receive faxes, and another reader Wayne Hanks also speaks concerning this:
Hi Mitch, as an MSP we deal with a variety of small businesses, but one of the ones that clings to old tech is Medicine. I’ve never known a field that is so tied to their fax machines! It may be a function of the conservative side of the business, or the age of the doctors we are supporting, but it seems that many of the health providers prefer to send out results by fax instead of emailing them. I think because of the sensitivity of medical information and perception that it is easier to intercept an email than a fax, many of the providers are happy to keep doing it the old fashioned way.
I know we all heard the horror stories about faxes ending up at the wrong place but for many of our clients, the fax just works and they get a physical piece of paper that they can scribble on and file in their documentation. I must admit that I long for the day when the paperless office really arrives, because I hate printers and faxes with a passion, however I doubt it will be any time soon, particularly when we have issues like the recent MS outage.
Enough about faxing however. Let’s move on to this week’s factoid:
Fact: It’s possible to run a full IBM System/370 Mainframe on a $20 Raspberry Pi Zero.
Question: Have any of our readers ever worked on or with mainframe computers? Share your stories with us!
Email your answers to [email protected]
Subscribe to WServerNews!
Subscribe today to our WServerNews newsletter and join 200,000 other IT professionals around the world who receive our newsletter each week! Just go to this page and select WServerNews to receive our monthly newsletter in your inbox!
Conference Calendar
>> Got an IT conference or event happening that you’d like to promote in our newsletter? Email us at [email protected]
European Cloud Summit – Oct 20-22 in Frankfurt, Germany
https://www.cloudsummit.eu/en/
European Azure Conference – Oct 27-29 in Nice, France
https://www.europeanazureconference.com/
Infosecurity Netherlands – Oct 28-29 in Utrecht, Netherlands
European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference – Nov 9-12 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
https://www.sharepointeurope.com/
DevOpsCon – Nov 30 – Dec 3 in Munich, Germany
Podcast Corner
Enterprise Mobility in the Pandemic with Richard Hicks (RunAsRadio)
Is Whitebox Too Risky For The Enterprise? (Heavy Networking)
https://packetpushers.net/series/weekly-show/
ESXi on Arm Fling (Virtually Speaking)
https://www.vspeakingpodcast.com/
Cisco Meraki Solutions Specialist Certification (Clear To Send)
Is Kubernetes Right for Your Organization? (The CTO Advisor)
https://www.thectoadvisor.com/podcast
An incident management platform for the SOC and auditing for your SaaS accounts (Risky Business)
https://risky.biz/netcasts/risky-business/
Ignoucement Burnout (Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast)
https://www.msclouditpropodcast.com/
Oracle Cloud With Karan Batta (Microsoft Cloud Show)
http://www.microsoftcloudshow.com/podcast
New on Techgenix.com
Neat trick: Organizing and formatting messy PowerShell output
When using PowerShell to create a report, it can be difficult to arrange the output into well-organized columns. Here’s how to make everything look good.
https://techgenix.com/powershell-output-formatting/
Microsoft Partner Center: The perfect portal if you have multiple tenants
The Microsoft Partner Center lets you access an easy-to-use central portal that is an excellent tool, especially if you work with multiple tenants.
https://techgenix.com/microsoft-partner-center/
Taking control of outbound spam with Microsoft 365 anti-spam policies
Outbound spam may not seem like a problem, but it can cause an issue for an organization if it goes on unchecked. Here’s how to stop it in Microsoft 365.
https://techgenix.com/outbound-spam-in-microsoft-365/
Logging off and removing WVD user sessions in bulk
You can do a lot through the Azure portal, but you cannot remove or disconnect WVD user sessions in bulk. Here’s how to do it with PowerShell.
https://techgenix.com/logging-off-and-removing-wvd-user-sessions/
Using environment as variables in your Azure DevOps pipelines
When creating Azure DevOps pipelines, label stages with the environment name, and then you can leverage it when defining the template parameters section.
https://techgenix.com/environment-as-variables-in-your-azure-devops-pipelines/
Fun videos from Flixxy
Boeing 929 Jetfoil Boat
The high speed ‘Toppy 3’ Boeing 929 Jetfoil ferry arrives at Nishinoomote Port on Tanegashima Island in Japan.
https://www.flixxy.com/boeing-929-jetfoil-boat.htm
Incredible Gymnast Katelyn Ohashi
Incredible gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s sensational floor routine at the Women’s Gymnastics Championships 2018.
https://www.flixxy.com/incredible-gymnast-katelyn-ohashi-womens-gymnastics-championships-2018.htm
French Magician Boris Wild – The Butterfly Act
World renowned magician Boris Wild performs ‘The Butterfly Act’ on the French television program ‘The World’s Greatest Cabaret.’
https://www.flixxy.com/french-magician-boris-wild-the-butterfly-act.htm
Charleston – Tea For Two (1950)
A wonderful performance of the Charleston by Doris Day and Gordon MacRae in the 1950 film ‘Tea for Two’.
https://www.flixxy.com/charleston-tea-for-two-1950.htm
More articles of interest
Compare ARM templates vs. Terraform for infrastructure as code
ARM templates and Terraform are popular infrastructure-as-code options. Check out an Ubuntu Server VM example in each approach and learn the pros and cons of these tools.
Compare 7 desktop-as-a-service providers
When it comes to choosing a DaaS provider, organizations may get overwhelmed by the options. Compare the features and capabilities of 7 major vendors to determine the best fit.
Shore up defenses with help from Office 365 logs
Logging on Microsoft’s productivity platform used in conjunction with other tools can form an effective shield from malicious actors looking to find a way into your organization.
Commvault launches dedicated disaster recovery product
Commvault split off the disaster recovery capabilities from its Complete Data Protection into a separate product and added automation and recovery validation functions.
Send us your feedback!
Got feedback about anything in this issue of WServerNews? Email us at [email protected]