Monitoring Tools
Alexander Muse , December 1, 2006
Microsoft is making many of our tools better. Network Monitor 3.0 has just been released. What does this mean for your business? It means we will be able to keep your servers running more efficiently. Thanks Microsoft and to Jeff who pointed this out this week:
NetMon is a much needed upgrade over the version included with Windows, and even the ‘enhanced’ version that has shipped with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) for quite some time. The final version number is 3.0.372 and weighs in at 2.5MB. Head on over to Connect and grab your copy - or wait for it to show up on the regular downloads site soon. And, yes - it works on Vista RTM
Here’s a screen shot of NetMon 3.0 using a capture filter (shows DNS queries only).
It looks like the NetMon team has decided to keep 3.0 on Connect instead of moving it to the normal download site. Therefore, you’ll need to grab a Windows LiveID (i.e. Passport) and head on over to http://connect.microsoft.com. Once logged in, look for the ‘Available Programs’ link on the left and you should find Network Monitor 3.0. All applications are accepted, so don’t sweat it. The official launch announcement from the NetMon team can be found here.
Architel Data Center Move Update
Alexander Muse , November 30, 2006
Our migration started the day after Thanksgiving and it continues to this day. Perhaps one or two more weeks and we will be finished. The guys have been working late each day to migrate each client, one cabinet at a time. We only have four more cabinets left ~ along with a lot of organization and cleanup work to do. The picture to the right is what it used to look like before the move.
What are we going to use the old data center space for? More people, of course. We are running out of room and our developers (on the Big in Japan/SimpleTicket side of the house) need a space of their own. They will be taking over the data center (we will be putting carpet over the raised floor), which will be turned into a bullpen as seen below:
The remainder of the old data center area will be used as a conference room and five offices (if you call cubes offices).
Open Source Gifts!
Alexander Muse , November 29, 2006
Comments OffYet again the folks at Make: have some great open source gift ideas:
There are hundreds of gift guides this holiday season filled with junk you can buy - but a lot of time you actually don’t own it, you can’t improve upon it, you can’t share it or make it better, you certainly can’t post the plans, schematics and source code either. We want to change that, we’ve put together our picks of interesting open source hardware projects, open source software, services and things that have the Maker-spirit of open source. Some are kits, some are open software projects that you’ll need to build hardware for before gifting, and some are just support for the projects/groups that do open source. Included in this guide are things you can get from the MAKE store too (we try and have as many open source goods as possible).
Check out their site for complete details on each idea here.
Getting Real
Alexander Muse , November 27, 2006
Comments OffFor quite some time we have tried to follow the example of a small Chicago-based company called 37Signals. While at first glance this little company might seem to be a strange pick but you might be surprised how many companies are adopting their philosophies about how to build a company and a product.
Their ideas may seem a bit counterintuitive at first, but take a minute to hear them out. They suggest that you do less than your competitors. That you make your service with the least number of features necessary. Use that to your advantage. It should be easier to deliver and easier to profit from you target market. That you pay attention to the details, the interface and the customer experience. Build a company that does less, better.
Check out their blog here, their book here and their tools here.
We have tried to “get real” at Architel and in some ways we are succeeding (in other ways we still struggle). We deliver a single part number (part number 001). While other IT support companies will offer hourly service, blocks of time or by-the-project pricing we have stayed focused on our simple all inclusive service. Sometimes we lose deals, but in the end we are more profitable and more successful doing what we do best.
We have made our service simple to sell ~ one flat monthly fee gets you all-you-can-eat support (no extra monthly fees, ever and everything, including projects are always included). We have made it easy for our engineers to deliver (every client is buying the same service, no exceptions). Finally, we have made it easy for our clients to use our service (everything is our job). Take a minute to think about your business, do you do too much?
Hard Drive Disposal
Alexander Muse , November 27, 2006
Comments OffThrowing out or donating that old PC? Don’t reformat the drive and assume your data is gone. You need to actually destroy the hard drive if the data is sensitive. You don’t have to use an expensive service (they are getting cheap - under $15 for formatting and shredding), you can use a hammer like I did this weekend and that will likely do the trick. The NSA could likely get some data off of my old drive, but I suspect that your local crook will move on to the next drive.
Exchange 2007 - Available 11/30/06
Alexander Muse , November 27, 2006
Comments OffAccording to Redmond Magazine, and other murmurs in the field, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, along with Vista and Office 2007, will be available to businesses on November 30, 2006. [via]
Tech Notes: Windows Powershell
Alexander Muse , November 26, 2006
Comments OffWindows PowerShell Version 1.0 was released recently, click here for the announcement. What is PowerShell? Read about it here:
Microsoft Windows PowerShell command line shell and scripting language helps IT Professionals achieve greater productivity. Using a new admin-focused scripting language, more than 130 standard command line tools, and consistent syntax and utilities, Windows PowerShell allows IT Professionals to more easily control system administration and accelerate automation. Windows PowerShell is easy to adopt, learn, and use, because it works with your existing IT infrastructure and existing script investments, and because it runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server “Longhorn”. Exchange Server 2007, System Center Operations Manager 2007, System Center Data Protection Manager V2, and System Center Virtual Machine Manager leverage Windows PowerShell to improve efficiency and productivity.
Bill of Rights for Electronics
Alexander Muse , November 26, 2006
Comments Off
If you can’t open it, you don’t own it: Here’s our Maker’s Bill of Rights to accessible, extensive, and repairable hardware… Something to carry around when you’re shopping this year and figuring out what to buy (we are included a little print out of this with our MAKE: warranty voider Leatherman tools) MAKE 04 - Page 156 Subscribers–read this article now in your digital edition!
[via Texas Startup Blog]
Zimbra Version 4.5 Released
Alexander Muse , November 26, 2006
Comments OffStephen is excited to let everyone know that Zimbra version 4.5 has been released. What is new in this version?
Major new features of 4.5 include complex password enforcement, identities, personal distro lists’s, server performance improvements, backup/restore in the admin console, a search builder in the admin console, user-set default fonts for HTML compose, an upgrade to use MySQL 5.0, and a Lotus Domino migration wizard. More details can be found in the beta release notes.
Simple move?
Alexander Muse , November 25, 2006
Comments OffWe had planned a simple move of our internal systems on Friday as explained here. Well, all did not go as planned. The movers (i.e. half of our team) didn’t quite understand which systems we were moving and began moving everything ~ including the hosted clients! Whoops.
We certainly apologize for this misunderstanding, but hopefully it did not cause anyone business interruption. As soon as we realized that the systems were taken down and delivered to our new facility we made a split-second judgment to install them instead of returning them.
Due to this error the entire move took longer and resulted in additional downtime for our systems (phones, SimpleTicket, email and so on). But, the good news is that we won’t have to schedule a weekend move for the hosted systems. Collocated clients were not affected and we will schedule a move date for them in the near future (one to two weeks from now).
