Sembee

For some time, I have had a web site called kbsearch.info, which was created a few years ago when I first discovered Google Custom Search. It was a result of playing with this new (at the time) service from Google and creating search engines for some IT vendor knowledgebase.
The site was rather basic and I didn't do anything with it.
The site wasn't published, but Google found it, and it has had a trickle of traffic ever since - usually much less than 100 visitors a day.

However at the end of last year I started to split off some of the content from amset.info out to their own sites. This was content that wasn't core Exchange or Outlook related, but was responsible for a significant proportion of the traffic. A page I wrote six years ago as a getting started guide to the Command Prompt received more visits a day than the next five pages put together. It now has its own site at http://dosprompt.info/
With these additional sites, I implemented a common core design across them all. This design needed to be applied to kbsearch.info, and it was then I realised how poor it was and that the site needed some attention.

At around the same time, I was starting to play around with Windows 7 in some more depth, including the accelerators that are built in to Internet Explorer 8. The Google search tool was very useful, but there wasn't one for the UK version of Google. I found one for Canada, so I pulled it apart and modified it for the UK.

I therefore wondered if I could combine this newfound knowledge of IE search Accelerators with my kbsearch site.  The reason for this was that I had created a custom search that was simply a web search engine, so that I could search Google without getting results that were mangled with their tracking information when you copied the result. An example of the URL that is returned is this:

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&ved=0CAsQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkbsearch.info%2F&rct=j&q=kbsearch&ei=IW2lS5Voi7LSBP-KpPoJ&usg=AFQjCNFqOtghxR4pAS8Cum8pSB6xyKpRBQ

The custom search is here: http://kbsearch.info/google/default.asp

I found that you could indeed create an IE search accelerator for a Google custom search engine. What this means is that I can take a term and search for it through my own version of Google.

I have written exactly how here:
http://www.amset.info/ie/custom-search-accelerator.asp
And the resulting accelerators are to be found here:
http://kbsearch.info/a/

amset.info, Web Sites amset.info, Web Sites

I hinted in my Exchange 2007 SAN certificate posting (http://blog.sembee.co.uk/archive/2008/05/30/78.aspx) that I had written an article on how to setup Exchange 2007 with a single name certificate. After cleaning it up I have now published the article. However it isn't here, as it contains screenshots which the blog seems to struggle with - you will find it on my company technical site: http://www.amset.info/exchange/singlenamessl.asp

Do note that if you are using Unified Messaging that you cannot use a single name certificate. Also note the hard requirements of SRV record support at your public DNS provider (ie your domain name registrar) and Outlook 2007 SP1.

Exchange 2007, MS Exchange Server, amset.info, SSL Certificates Exchange 2007, MS Exchange Server, amset.info, SSL Certificates

I have started the long process of reviewing every page in the Exchange and Outlook sections of my technical site amset.info for Exchange 2007 compatibility. While for some articles this is quite easy, as the principles remain the same, others require a completely new article - such as the Mobile Access setup guide (original: http://www.amset.info/exchange/mobile-setup.asp)
and the spam cleanup guide (http://www.amset.info/exchange/spam-cleanup.asp)

The articles that have been reviewed and updated are here http://www.amset.info/exchange/exchange-2007.asp and I will keep that list up to date until all articles are updated. It will then contain a list of Exchange 2007 specific articles.

The compatibility table on every page is being updated as I review the articles. If I haven't touched the page then the table says "Maybe" for Exchange 2007 compatibility.

Waiting for my Exchange 2007 Migration Guide? - Sorry, you will have to keep waiting.

If you are waiting for an Exchange 2007 of my migration guide (Exchange 2003 version here: http://www.amset.info/exchange/migration.asp) then you will have to wait a big longer. I have done a few migrations now, but keep changing my mind on the best way to do it. At the moment the "guide" consists of notes in Microsoft One Note, which increases in size with every subsequent migration.

However, if you are migrating off Exchange 2003/2000 to Exchange 2007, then the current guide will help a great deal. The principles still apply, you still need to replicate public and system folders and the order of work are still valid. The Exchange 2007 version, when I get round to writing my notes will almost certainly be based on that just with additional notes for Exchange 2007. I was also waiting for Exchange 2007 as Service Pack 1 introduced GUI for public folder management which makes the migration process much easier and now wish to do a few migrations using that version to hammer down the best way to do it.

Exchange 2007, amset.info Exchange 2007, amset.info

I have written a number of new articles for our technical site amset.info and finished off some that have been in preparation for a while.
Plus many articles have had minor revisions, links updated etc.

Exchange Related Articles

SMTP Diagnostics
A quick guide on diagnosing mainly outbound email delivery problems. http://www.amset.info/exchange/smtp-diag.asp

Build a Gateway Server
How to build and configure an SMTP Gateway to sit in your DMZ, a cheap way of getting the "Edge" functionality of Exchange 2007. http://www.amset.info/exchange/gateway.asp

Where has the disk space gone?
Where does all the space go on an Exchange server? http://www.amset.info/exchange/diskspace.asp

Mailbox Account (E2003)
Setting up a special account for accessing mailboxes en-masse, for example with exmerge or to make a bulk change using set perm. http://www.amset.info/exchange/mailboxaccount.asp

Post Install Configuration Guide (E2003)
A quick run down of the things you should do to an Exchange Server once installation is complete. http://www.amset.info/exchange/post-install.asp

Non Exchange Updates

The web site isn't just about Microsoft Exchange. The three most popular articles on the site are not Exchange related at all!

Internet Explorer Section
Another new section. I have written some new things for Internet Explorer and moved around other content from elsewhere on the site and collected it together in its own section.
New content includes Custom Side bar creation and creating a search sidebar - which was removed from Internet Explorer 7. http://www.amset.info/ie/default.asp

Synchronising Windows Mobile over Bluetooth
The articles on this process to date have been for Windows Mobile 2002 but are still some of the most popular on the site. Those are still available, but now I have also written two new pages on how to pair and sync over Bluetooth with Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6. http://www.amset.info/windowsmobile/bluetooth.asp

Windows Mobile Internet Sharing
A brilliant new feature of Windows Mobile 6 is Internet Sharing. This allows you to use the Internet Connection of your PDA with your laptop. http://www.amset.info/windowsmobile/bluetooth2.asp
I used this while at the Microsoft community event earlier in June because Microsoft UK still don't have guest wifi access! If you have a T-Mobile web and walk tariff on your PDA you can get the best use of it with this feature.

Coming Soon
We have something new coming soon for Microsoft Exchange Server. Launch hopefully within the next couple of weeks… more information will be released when we feel ready to share…

amset.info, MS Exchange Server, Networking General, Windows Mobile MS Exchange Server, amset.info, Windows Mobile, Networking General

I have added some new content on OWA...

Redirecting OWA... How you have can have a single URL for both OWA and OMA then redirect accordingly.
Or have a plain http URL on your web site for the users to remember that redirects them to a secure site - means you don't have to open port 80 to your production network.
http://www.amset.info/exchange/owa-redirectpages.asp

OWA URLS
By manipulating the URLs in OWA you can display the information in different ways.
http://www.amset.info/exchange/owa-urls.asp

Stop Exchange using a Script
I have posted the script file I use when I need to stop Exchange.
http://www.amset.info/exchange/shutdown-script.asp

Coming Soon...
As I seem to be helping with a lot of EAS and OMA queries at the moment so I am currently working on a series of articles on Exchange Active Sync, Outlook Mobile Access. Look for those real soon.

amset.info amset.info

A couple of new bits and pieces for my technical web site amset.info

The articles on working with Distribution lists have been grouped together and can be found here:
http://www.amset.info/exchange/groups.asp

This was caused by the publication of three new articles...
Creating a moderated distribution group:
http://www.amset.info/exchange/groups-moderated.asp
How to make your distribution lists appear at the top of the Global Address List (which is actually quite old, but was buried on another page)
http://www.amset.info/exchange/groups-top.asp
And how to hide the membership of a group, or even the existence of a group from the GAL. http://www.amset.info/exchange/groups-hidemembers.asp

Elsewhere, two pages have been added to the Pocket PC section, which may be of interest to Exchange Server administrators.
Working with SSL Certificates deals with getting SSL certificates on the handheld devices. If you are deploying OMA or Exchange Active Sync then this could be of interest to you.
http://www.amset.info/pocketpc/certificates.asp
Using the Windows Mobile 5.0 Emulator could also be of interest as it lets you simulate what the users are doing with their devices can aid support of those devices by your support team.
http://www.amset.info/pocketpc/wm5emulator.asp

Many of the articles on the web site are reviewed frequently, as I update the techniques or correct errors, so please check back often!

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