Removing Distribution Points if not needed

If a server is decommissioned before removing SMS, orphaned Distribution Points are left in the SMS 2003 database. This becomes apparent in the SMS Administrator Console when trying to add a package to a Distribution Point, showing blank DP entries. Method 1 – Use the CleanDP.vbs VBScript cscript CleanDP.vbs %server% Method 2 – Use WMIC … Read more

Useful DNS, DHCP and WINS command-line operations

Useful DNS, DHCP and WINS command-line operations   The commands below are a subset of the complete command list found in Useful command-lines, and are command-line operations for core network services – DNS, WINS and DHCP. Most of these commands are queries, useful for once-off or repeated information gathering for reporting, trending, troubleshooting or diagnostics. … Read more

SMS / SCCM Web Reports Error 500

Large SMS Web Reports return Error 500 When executing large SMS report queries with thousands of rows from an SMS reporting server running on Windows Server 2003 with IIS 6.0, a HTTP 500 error may be returned. This post describes the ASP buffer overflow error that can occur and how to resolve the issue. After … Read more

One batch file for Active Directory diagnostics

One batch file for Active Directory diagnostics. Simply set the variables for DCs, and it will collect information about your Active Directory environment. This is useful for troubleshooting, benchmarking, analysis and history. All operations are read-only. :::: Changes::: 21/09/2006, Initial version:: 18/02/2008, Updated commands to be more generic and use variables for DC/DN/FQDN commands :: … Read more

Troubleshooting SMS 2003 MP and SLP

Troubleshooting SMS 2003 MP and SLP This article provides methods to verify the operation of Management Points and Server Locator Points in Microsoft SMS 2003 Test a management point is functioning correctly: https://MP_Server/sms_mp/.sms_aut?mplist – This returns a blank screen if the MP is working correctly. https://MP_Server/sms_mp/.sms_aut?mpcert – This returns a hex string if the MP … Read more

Active Directory Security vs Distribution Groups

AD Security vs Distribution Groups   This post contains information on security groups versus distribution groups in a Windows Active Directory, how to make use of mail enabled security groups and how to convert groups between different scopes. Groups of type distribution do not have a SID, and without a security identifier, they cannot be … Read more

Some Active Directory commands

Some Active Directory commands The commands below are a subset of the complete command list found in Useful command-lines, and are command-line operations that perform queries, diagnostics or modifications to objects in an Active Directory. These commands can be useful for once-off or repeated tasks, and defining a source for bulk imports/modifications to objects. Each … Read more

SQL 2008 TechNet Webcasts

SQL 2008 TechNet Webcasts   Provided here are links to Microsoft TechNet SQL 2008 Webcasts available in Windows Media Player (WMA), Zune and MP3 format.   SQL-300 What's New In Microsoft SQL 2008 In this session, we will go through an overview tour of the new features of SQL Server 2008, split into four core … Read more