In this issue
Lifecycle confusion. Improved update management for businesses. What’s new in Windows servicing. Learning Paths for Windows Server 2019. Microsoft 365 CON / Q2 2021. Ever dreamed of converting a PowerShell script to an .exe? Not my opia anymore! Plus lots more — read it all, read it here on WServerNews! And later this week be sure to check out April’s issue of FitITproNews when it arrives in your inbox as it will include several articles for helping you lose weight so you can transform yourself from an industry standard “fat IT pro” into an agile and highly available “fit IT pro” <grin>!
Sunsets can be beautiful. Do you know when all your company’s operating systems and applications will be sunsetted by their vendors? Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash
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Mailbag
Last week’s newsletter When Exchange gets hit by ransomware drew a few interesting responses from our readers. Paul Baker from Arlington, Texas thanked us for altering him to our news about Microsoft planning on charging on premise exchange servers a fee (EaaS) with their next releases. We recently heard about this from a reader named Jerry but on further research it looks like Microsoft revealed this at Ignite back in September of last year as this article on Toolbox explains:
Goodbye On-Premise: Microsoft to Shift Office Servers to the Cloud (Toolbox)
And reader Peter Timmerman from The Netherlands commented on our Exchange ransomware article with the following observations and suggestions:
In regards to the ransomware — exchange article it is good to observe:
- Pls check your scheduled tasks windows, if there are strange names there eg. Locky. you can wait for the ransomware to attack. pls remove all strange entries and you are more safe.
- The MS remediation tool does not check for this.
- The advise for ms is/was to link the remediation tool (latest version) to the patch.
In the beginning (after the compromise) time it costed me some effort to find the tool… everybody describes wat is happening, but very few solutions.
And is there a real need to open ecp to the whole world ? I changed the url… same applies for owa… not everybody organization is using that…
Met vriendelijke groet, Kind regards.
If any other readers would like to comment on this topic please email us at [email protected]
Editor’s Corner
This week’s observations and ruminations from Mitch Tulloch our Senior Editor..
Lifecycle confusion
I don’t know about you but I’m somewhat befuddled by what’s been happening lately with the lifecycle for Windows 10 versions and associated software like the Windows ADK. For example, this post on the Windows Experience blog says that since the version 21H1 release of Windows 10 “is targeted for the first half of 2021, all Windows 10 editions of version 21H1 will receive 18 months of servicing.” But isn’t the 20H2 version supposed to receive 30 months of servicing? If that’s true then support for 21H1 will end 6 months before support for 20H2 ends, which doesn’t make any sense.
And then there’s this announcement on the Windows IT Pro Blog which says that the next version of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC is changing from a 10 year lifecycle to only 5 years in length. Except that the IoT version of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC is going to remain 10 years until it sunsets. And if the shorter life of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC won’t meet your needs then Microsoft says you should consider changing to the Semi-Annual Channel releases of Windows 10 instead of the Enterprise LTSC releases.
Speculation is also that this lifecycle change will also be carried over to the next release of Windows Server. Which to my mind makes it all the more rational for most organizations to remain on Windows Server 2019 LTSC instead of upgrading to Windows Server 2022 (or whatever it’s called) when it’s released. (Windows Server 2019 is much better than Windows Server 2016 by the way, at least when it comes to how quickly software updates can be replied i.e. no more hours long waits after reboots.) Then there’s the unanswered question of whether Remote Desktop Services will be fully supported on Windows Server 2022. Colleagues I’ve talked to have placed bets that Windows Server 2019 will be the last server OS that supports running Microsoft 365 Apps for Business. Yikes.
All these changes in Windows lifecycles are giving me a headache. What about you? Email me your thoughts on this subject: [email protected]
Improved update management for businesses
Windows Update for Business is a free service for devices running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education. It’s designed to help your business keep these devices up to date with the latest security patches and new features. You can read more about it here.
Just announced recently is the Windows Update for Business deployment service which extends the capabilities of Windows Update for Business to provide control over the approval, scheduling, monitoring, and safeguarding of content delivered from Windows Update. This article on the Microsoft Tech Community has details about this new service:
What’s new in Windows servicing
If you manage Windows servers or workstations and keep them updated, you need to learn about some changes to the Windows servicing model. This video on the Microsoft Tech Community explains it all:
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/video-hub/what-s-new-in-windows-servicing/m-p/2177265
Learning Paths for Windows Server 2019
Sonia Cuff a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft passed on this news item which I’m sharing with our readers:
Microsoft launched Microsoft Learn, a free learning content platform, at MS Ignite 2018 – complete with knowledge checks and badges. The content was heavily weighted to Azure and Dynamics 365, including Azure exam certification resources for IT Pros. However, many customers are running Windows Server as Azure IaaS Virtual Machines, operating hybrid environments with a mixture of Windows Server on-premises and in the cloud, or still have long-term valid reasons for keeping their Windows Server based workloads on-premises. Windows Server technical topics remain fundamental pieces of knowledge for IT Pros.
Now, Microsoft Learn has published a series of Learning Paths for Windows Server 2019. This content includes Windows Server deployment, configuration and administration, Hyper-V and virtualization, file servers and storage management, high availability, networking and Active Directory. Many of these concepts are also transferrable to earlier versions of Windows Server.
Check out the collection at https://aka.ms/LearnWindowsServer which will be updated as new Windows Server content become available. And if there’s something missing that you’d like to see covered, contact the Modern Infrastructure team via their blog https://ITOpsTalk.com
Microsoft 365 CON / Q2 2021
And finally don’t forget that TechGenix is hosting an online conference on Wednesday April 28th that will present the latest technologies and solutions for the challenges facing the MS Office 365 community of professionals. More info and how you can register here:
https://techgenix.com/microsoft-365-con-q2-2021/
Got comments about anything in this issue?
Email us at [email protected]!
Please tell others about WServerNews!
Enjoy this issue of WServerNews 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!!!
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]
Ever dreamed of converting a PowerShell script to an .exe?
Find out how in this article:
PowerShell: Convert .ps1 Files to .exe Files (SID-500.COM)
https://sid-500.com/2020/07/31/powershell-convert-ps1-files-to-exe-files/
Admin Toolbox
>> Got any admin tools or software you’d like to recommend to our readers? Email us at [email protected]
MailStore Server is an email archiving solution which prevents the loss of emails and also offers end-users a fast full-text search across emails and attachments.
The native reports of Office 365 do not allow you to measure the individual messaging activity of your telecommuters. Promodag Reports can do it, download a trial version!
Arq backs up your files to your own cloud account whether it’s Amazon Cloud Drive, AWS, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Cloud Storage, OneDrive, or SFTP:
Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows:
Everything is the fastest file/folder search tool by name:
Factoid – Not my opia anymore!
We didn’t get any responses to our previous factoid so let’s move on to our next one:
Fact: Myopia correcting ‘smart glasses’ from Japan to be sold across Asia
Question: How many of our readers suffer from myopia? Has it gotten worse during your career as an IT professional because of constantly staring at a computer screen (or worse, a smartphone)? And why the heck isn’t it called youropia? Or maybe theiropia? Or perhaps ouropia? Hmm.
Email your answers to [email protected]
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Conference Calendar 2021
>> Got an IT conference or event happening that you’d like to promote in our newsletter? Email us at [email protected]
NOTE: Conference dates and locations (real/virtual) are subject to change
Red Hat Summit — April 27-28 (virtual)
https://www.redhat.com/en/summit
Black Hat Asia — May 4-7 (virtual)
https://www.blackhat.com/upcoming.html#asia
RSA Conference — May 17-20 (virtual)
https://www.rsaconference.com/usa
European SharePoint, Office 365 & Azure Conference — June 1-2 (virtual)
https://www.sharepointeurope.com/
European Collaboration Summit — June 14-16 in Wiesbaden, Germany
https://www.collabsummit.eu/en/
Microsoft Inspire — July 14-15 (virtual)
https://partner.microsoft.com/en-US/inspire
Black Hat USA — Jul. 31-Aug. 3 in Las Vegas
https://www.blackhat.com/upcoming.html#usa
Open Source Summit — Aug. 4-6 in Vancouver, Canada
https://events.linuxfoundation.org/open-source-summit-north-america/
DEF CON 29 — Aug. 5-8 (location TBA)
European Cloud Summit — Sept. 27-29 in Frankfurt, Germany
https://www.cloudsummit.eu/en/
Open Source Summit — Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Dublin, Ireland
https://events.linuxfoundation.org/open-source-summit-europe/
VMworld — Oct 5-7 (virtual)
https://www.vmworld.com/en/index.html
Black Hat Europe – Nov 8-11 (virtual)
https://www.blackhat.com/upcoming.html#europe
Podcast Corner
The Hafnium Exchange Exploits with Tony Redmond (RunAsRadio)
Network Automation Workflows With Jenkins (Heavy Networking)
https://packetpushers.net/series/weekly-show/
VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery (Virtually Speaking)
https://www.vspeakingpodcast.com/
Troubleshoot Common Wi-Fi Issue (Clear To Send)
Project Zero burns Western counterterrorism operation (Risky Business)
https://risky.biz/netcasts/risky-business/
Things Found (Microsoft Cloud Show)
http://www.microsoftcloudshow.com/podcast
New on Techgenix.com
Top 6 open-source networking projects for a cloud-native world
As the cloud-native world becomes the main universe for many companies, these open-source networking projects should be on your radar.
https://techgenix.com/open-source-networking-projects/
Top 10 tips and tricks to know for Microsoft Office 365
Here are tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Microsoft’s Office 365 productivity suite.
https://techgenix.com/microsoft-office-365-tips-and-tricks/
Missing email? Use Exchange Online message trace to track it down
If email is consistently not being delivered, Exchange Online includes a message trace tool you can use to track missing email. Here’s how.
https://techgenix.com/find-missing-email-message-trace/
Running containers and virtual machines on the same bare-metal cloud
Implementing containers and virtual machines on the same bare-metal cloud can provide a cost-efficient way to boost performance.
https://techgenix.com/containers-virtual-machines-bare-metal-cloud/
Setting up Mac Mail and Outlook on Exchange 2016
Setting up Mac Mail and Microsoft Outlook on Exchange 2016 is not difficult, although there can be speed bumps. Follow this tutorial for a smooth ride.
https://techgenix.com/exchange-2016-mac-mail-outlook/
Fun videos from Flixxy
How Jackie Chan Jumps Over Fences
Jackie Chan has been wowing movie audiences with his martial arts mastery for more than 50 years.
https://www.flixxy.com/how-jackie-chan-jumps-over-fences.htm
World’s Top Aerobatics Pilot Svetlana Kapanina Takes Journalist For A Fligh
Russian aerobatics pilot Svetlana Kapanina is seven-time world champion in aeroplane sports.
Jandro Third Time Fooler With The Biggest Trick Ever
Magician Jandro from Spain fools Penn & Teller with the biggest trick ever on their show.
https://www.flixxy.com/jandro-third-time-fooler-with-the-biggest-trick-ever.htm
Comedian Ismo: Man On The Moon
‘They can put a man on the Moon, and still they can’t..’
https://www.flixxy.com/comedian-ismo-man-on-the-moon.htm
More articles of interest
Improve help desk workflows via stronger staff support
Subject experts can be expensive to retain on the help desk, but they’re vital to success. Balance training and task delegation to ensure staff engagement and growth.
Choose a Windows Virtual Desktop managed service provider
Windows Virtual Desktop can present numerous management and deployment challenges for IT admins, so organizations may want to outsource these processes to a WVD MSP.
SharePoint Online PowerShell commands for admin tasks
You can avoid the admin portal when you pick up your PowerShell game and learn how to manage cloud-based resources in Office 365, including the SharePoint collaboration platform.
Follow these standards for business continuity and resilience
Business continuity, disaster recovery and resilience professionals have numerous IT standards they can reference for nearly every aspect of planning.
Send us your feedback!
Got feedback about anything in this issue of WServerNews? Email us at [email protected]