Hacking the Weakest Link... The Human

There is a device in all our networks that is gullible, unpredictable, and lazy. It talks to foreign devices with no firewall between, ignores group policies, and even actively seeks to compromise our security measures. No amount of technology will correct these shortcomings. It's THE HUMAN. And it is amazing easy to hack...

I ran across a Steve Riley video on Defending Layer 8, about the various different ways social engineering is used to get security related information for company employees. You have to have a TechNet account to go straight to the video, but if you go to the link above, you can get to the video through the Related Videos frame on the right side without logging in. At least I did. He is amazingly entertaining...you won't fall asleep for sure...and informative. He exposes the underbelly about why humans are such easy targets. Some methods of compromise I already knew, but alot were eye opening. One such example is our genuine desire to be helpful. He also explains why we all love Wayne Small so much...Americans automatically (and inexplicably) trust Australians. It sounds weird, but I think he is right. And an astute hacker can use that knowledge (and a fake accent) to advantage. Better watch this one, folks, so you have a better idea how to educate your users on this very subject.

As to education, what do we do about it? He gives some good examples on what to tell your clients. He also said that it is a workplace education process. Native Intelligence has a presentation that you can give your clients to "raise" their awareness on the different ways they are solicited. The site also has a number of printed and electronic materials that can be used. There are even some free education materials that you can download and print.

So, what course of action did I get from this? I mean, is it so hopeless that I just throw up my hands and walk away. No. Admittedly, I can never fully secure that part of my networks. But I can reduce the footprint of the problem. I have enough here in the listed resources to start a "drip" campaign, just to raise the awareness of the average user over time. I plan to set up a series of emails that gives several "awareness" bits to my users, and then have them time released so the clients get one every couple of weeks. I do not expect my clients to understand the inner complexities of security, but I do want them to pause and ask "Should I be doing this? Who is this person? Etc."

What Clients Want...

I was originally put off by the idea of seeing Mel Gibson in pantyhose, so had not watch the movie that inspired this title. However, it came up in a marketing conversation. I decided I better see the "relationship" to clients, so I watched it tonight. There is definitely a marketing message in there we had better sit up and notice.

Here is Mel, stuck in the past in his view of the ad world, not understanding the target market that he needs to survive. A lot of arrogance and lack of personality. Then he really gets inside into the "heads" of his target market by "magical" means, figures out what is important to them, and succeeds.

Imagine that Mel is an tech consultant that thinks he knows best about what the client needs and proceeds to "lecture" the client with his superior view. A little out of touch with the changes in the market. Not really paying attention to what is important to the clients. So... What "magic" turns Mel the IT guy around?

In the movie, Mel involuntarily finds out what his market wants. In real life, Mel has to exert effort to find out. If you are Mel the IT guy (most of us are), take these steps:

1. Have a heart to heart talk with yourself, and realize that the word "NEED" is not equal to the word "WANT". If you are competent, you already know the technical needs of your clients. Your attitude toward clients that don't see the importance of your recommendations is that they just don't get it. And you may be right. Since your solutions don't line up with the client's wants, the clients thinks you are asking them to eat broken glass. You have to be able to make the business case from the client's perspective.
2. Take your clients to lunch and ask them the 5 things they want to solve. Not just the 5 IT things they want to solve, but business challenges they want to solve. You may have an IT solution to a business challenge. Plus, they may start to think of you as a business partner, not just the IT pusher.
3. After you have talked to a few clients, check your notes and see if you need to develop new services to meet those needs. If the needed solutions are way outside your core competency, find some competent partners that can fill those needs.
4. Continue to poll your clients as to their satisfaction level on a regular basis. This could be a review meeting, a website survey invitation, or some other way. This lets the clients know that you care how they perceive your service. Keeps listening. And be sure to keep the "What else do you want solved that is not currently being solved" question in the mix every time you do this.

It all turned out well for Mel the ad man. Will it turn out well for Mel the IT guy? Well Mel, get busy.

Attending WPC09...Virtually!

Microsoft has given us partners a great window into its yearly massive partner conference. Susan Bradley sent out an email today with the links to Digital WPC, the website where "everything" Worldwide Partner Conference will be available over the web. I took time out today to watch the Keynote Videos. Almost 3 hours of powerful stuff with lots of annoucements about overall direction, Office 2010 Desktop and Web Editions (watch out Google Apps), and Windows 7 (watch out Vista and Mac OS). My hat is off to Microsoft for making these resources available. With Silverlight, its almost like being there.

Wweeelll, its not the same as being in New Orleans. The pushing, shoving, scrambling for seats, sore feet, lots of BEADS, lack of sleep... need I go on? As I hinted in earlier posts, I love conferences. However, WPC is the MOTHER of Conferences. Its size makes it unwieldy, exhausting, and mind boggling. Its like gorging on fine chocolate until you can't stand the sight of it. Yet...I would love to be there. The secret is being selective and not worrying about all the events that you can't make. Maybe next year...

I know that Frank Vers and Michael Coconower from our local Arizona SMB Users Group made the trek to New Orleans. They will get the full experience. I will only get a piece of it, but I can watch from my couch with my favorite beverage. ;)

If you want to know where Microsoft is going and how to work alongside them, you better be watching these Keynote Videos.

Behavior Monitoring and Peachtree Issues in Worry Free 6.0...

Behavior Monitoring is one of those features for watching apps to see if they "stray" from what programs should normally do.

I had installed TrendMicro Worry Free 6.0 at a client, updating the client from TrendMicro CSM 3.6. The client had no issues running Peachtree 2009 before the upgrade. After I completed the upgrade on the server and the workstations, Peachtree would take a very long time (up to one minute) to open.

I checked back with the server. Peachtree program directory was excluded. Check. Disabled the Active Scan on the server and workstations and made sure the changes took effect. Still same problem. Hummm. (Rubbed chin) I did remember that Bill Kam said something about Behavior Monitoring having an issue in the initial release of WF 6.0. By default, it would be disabled. Checked the Behavior Monitoring settings. It was on. Still should not cause this type of problem. Disabled Behavior Monitoring on the server and the workstations. Made sure ya-da-da-da-da-da, you know. Peachtree opened quickly. According to the client, the same as before the upgrade. Hummm. (Rubbed chin again)

Bill Kam is one of those choice people that all vendors should fight over. He had said to email him whenever we had an issue. So, I emailed him about this. He opened a trouble ticket and I got an immediate call from Trend support. Turned out that this issue with Peachtree had just surfaced. They had already created a hotfix to correct the issue inside Worry Free for Peachtree and other programs that had a similar behavior. I declined to apply the patch as it involved extra work (I AM lazy, after all). They bugged me over the next 2 weeks about applying that patch. That is good tech support there. Now, there is no longer a need to apply the hotfix. As of July 6, the hotfix was rolled into the automatic def and program updates.

Again, I cannot say enough about Bill and the program support he gives us.

Backing Up While Driving...

Are you so dedicated to backing up that you would do it during your commute? I doubt it. However, our confidence in our tools have advanced to the point that we could.

This topic comes up because I had another IT consultant handling a problem from one of my clients that was vacationing in California. The consultant was in a pinch for time and started a Shadowprotect image backup before he started driving. The backup continued while he and the laptop were in the car, proceeding to my client. He arrived at the client's condo as I was on the phone with the client, and proudly announced that the backup was at 92%. It finished and he released the laptop to the client.

After I stopped laughing, I admired Jim's audacity. I found myself contemplating what had just happened, and realized a couple of things. Now, here are a number of observations to go with this little story. PARTNERING :: It is great to have partners in other areas that you can depend on. In this case, my client benefited from the relationships that I have built. Raises my value in the clients eyes as they see me as not being just another computer consultant. CONFERENCES : Conferencing made this possible. I met Jim at 3 different conferences. My conversations with him gave me the confidence to sub this out. Going to a conference will let you meet people like this. Everyone that knows me knows that I really love conferences. Developing solid relationships with other IT consultants is one of the reasons. RELIABLE TOOLS : The reliability of our imaging tools have gone up, to the point that this consultant was willing to start an imaging job and drive to the client with the confidence that it would work. He wasn't worried about showing up at the client with a failure on the laptop screen. While I would not have thought of doing that, I certainly agreed there was no reason that it would have not worked. StorageCraft products are AWESOME!

So next time you feel that you are wasting driving time, get that much needed laptop backup done! Please start it BEFORE you start the trip. I don't want to run into you unexpectedly. :)

Best "Visual" Way to Destroy Data Storage?

Bill from a local recycling center is holding a piece of shredded hard drive. I had a visit with him and his company today. They offer NIST standards drive erasure, shredding, or both for hard drives that come inside the computers they receive. It is all up to the wish of the client delivering the equipment. Their facility is secure with video recording, metal detectors, guards, employee background checks, and restricted entry and egress. Clients can even watch their hard drive be shredded.

Sorry Bill. While your methods are effective, they just are not spectacular enough for me. Don't get me wrong. Bill and his company are great. But there is room for a "marketing" dimension. I have been asking around for a really effective method that would be "satisfying" to the client. In other words, I would let the client see the drive "done in" in their presence, and they would leave with the confidence that their scrap hard drive will never be read again.

You may ask why we need to go through all this effort? Statistically, the chances that information will be lifted from a hard drive are quite small. But information is power. And the PCI complaint standards are becoming stricter. Add in that the fact that many of your clients will be subject to HIPAA and SARBANES-OAXLY regulations. If any information is retrieved from a storage device that the client as "disposed of", the client is considered responsible. Clients also desire that "comfort" level from knowing their secrets are NOT sitting in a landfill somewhere, waiting to be picked up. That need for the client to be reassured that there is NO chance the information can be retrieved should be satisfied by you, the guardian of their data. And we all know that a visual is worth a 1000 words. Hence, the reason I am looking for a "visual" destruction for the client to witness.

So, what method to use? I have had suggestions of rifles, shotguns, C4 (yep, he is crazy that suggested that), hydraulic jacks... Even a garbage disposal. Hum, I think garbage disposals need water to work...that would get messy.

Please, comment and give me suggestions of your favorite way to "visually dispose" of data storage devices. Have fun with it. LOL

Still Waiting For Independence Day...

"What are you talking about?!" I can just hear readers asking that. Yes, today is July 4th, American Independence Day. Yes, I am an American, so it is my Independence Day. No, it is not the Independence Day that I am referring to.

My Independence Day that I am looking forward to is the day that I no longer have to rely on Break/Fix for the revenue to pay my company expenses, my payroll, and my salary. No longer reliant on that highly variable revenue, but on the definate contracted revenue. Call it "Covering the NUT Independence Day".

I have Managed Service contracts now (some call them Maintenance Contracts), so recurring reveneue is part of my revenue stream every month. And it is nice to see that monthly revenue come in automatically at the start of every month. I am not covering all expenses with that recurring revenue yet, but well on my way.

This does not mean that I will abandon Break/Fix entirely. Just that I will treat those service calls as small immediate projects that get placed in the service queue. They will have to take a position behind my MS clients, though. I have to give first divs to those clients willing to commit to monthly revenue with me. If you are a client that does not have a contract with me and you want to be at the top of my service queue, let's talk. I would be happy to show you why it is to your advantage.

I have to thank the biggies for getting me here (King Karl, Amy Luby, Mark Crall) and the smallies that suffered with me (Ben Ahlquist, Josh McCullough, Bob Nitrio), and just about everyone in the Arizona SMB Users Group (sorry, too many to name). Without you, this would not have been possible.

It may not be Independence Day for me, but it turned out to be Thanksgiving Day. :)

New Wine In Old Wineskins

When is an old computer too old for your client's new software? It is definitely a balancing act. Often, putting new programs into the older computer is like the foolishness of putting new wine in old wineskins. There is a lesson in this parable that Jesus taught that can apply to IT. The principle is easy enough. Like new wine bursting the old wineskin, new software will ruin the use of an old computer.

I have a client that has gotten an update to a line of business app. They were using a version from 2004, but were finally force to upgrade to the new 2009 verison as they simply could not get support for the previous version. Well, 5 years and several versions of the LOB app has resulted in a much larger program with hefty requirements on the workstation and the server. What was a comfortable fit before is now strained and "bursting" for the server.

This is also a downside of partnering. An impromptu "partnering" forced by the client... In this case, I am not schooled in this business app. The client has a separate consultant come in and handle upgrades and special troubleshooting for this app. Unfortunately, I did not pay enough attention during the upgrade. I trusted a little too much. Sorry, another topic for another post...

It happens a little at a time sometimes. A new verison of Yahoo Messenger, the latest version of the antimalware program, Google Updater now installed, Windows Search, etc. Remember when Windows XP ran in 256 megs of ram, but now you want 1 gig? Software upgrades over time will put you slowly in this position. Maybe a ram upgrade will save you. Our challenge is that the client will want to hang on to the computer too long. If you are hourly, it costs the client extra dollars as the computer is simply slower to work on. If you are on a maintenance plan, then the extra time to maintain the computer comes from your pocket.

As I am comparing to a parable, there is a moral to this story. Always check if the software is too new to go into your "wineskin". If your objective opinion is that it is time to retire that unit, let the client know. Convince the client to not hold on to the old stuff too long.

When Your Prospects Don't See Value...

Or even your existing clients do not see the value in your services, you get situations like these.



Of course, we do not sell prepackage videos or a casual meal. Both of those were not necessary, but optional services that the clients could have done without. We sell productivity, business continiuty, no worries, etc. Don't you? If you see yourself selling network infrastructure and cannot translate that into the above topics in your prospects mind, you are much more vunerable to what happens in the video.

Don't get me wrong. Not all prospects (or clients) will get the value proposition, no matter how good you are at relating value. You will always appear to them as the evil company attempting to get their money. Unless you are starving, walk away from them.

Many thanks to Joel Simpson at Simpson Computing in NC for bringing this video to the attention of the SBS Group Leads. He is a class act.

Its Christmas in June! The twinkles in your clients eyes...

Clients do not realize how many treasures are still hidden away inside their SBS server. For whatever reason, lots of SBS servers out there are not having their secondary features used. Features such as SBS Connector, RWW, OWA, etc. Opening up those features for your clients is like giving them Christmas gifts they have already paid for.

I have a client that had a SBS 2003 server that was not being utilized for its SBS features. They had pain points that they did not know they had the solution for. After telling the clients about the goodness they were missing out on, they had me expose these features so they could use them. In this case, the client was worried about checking their accounting while out of town. Hey, tailor made problem for RWW. A few router changes and some basic training, and Voila!. Now, even though I had explained the features they were getting, their faces lit up when they actually "experienced" the feature. Reminded me of Christmas morning. The kid knows what they will get. Its the experience of getting it that that gives the kid..eh..client the positive emotional rush.

Trust me. A positive emotion from your client about something you made happen... candycane for you. So, check your clients and see if there are pain points that you already have the solutions in place for. Our clients under utilize the systems we have already put in place. Unwrap any presents that your clients haven't yet discovered, and spread some Christmas cheer!

Your Vendors VS Your Clients : Your Dilemma

I've been stuck in a dilemma.

How do I develop strong relationships with my vendors while preserving my impartial judgement on behalf of my clients?

In the industry, the sage wisdom is to develop strong relationships with my vendors and then have my vendors fund, sponsor, and otherwise support my efforts in return for aggressively pushing their products. How do I develop strong relationships with vendors that want me to produce sales, and still safeguard the trust that the clients have in me to not sell them stuff or services they do not need?

There is the added self interest that my company is more profitable and productive by standardizing around fewer vendors. Yet, I must bring in new vendors that understand the new paradigms that are coming, or do better at a lower cost. Still, I cannot force clients away from the old vendor unless I really believe they will be benefited by the new vendor's product or service. Or that they at least will not be hurt...

But my whole practice has been built around tailoring to the clients specific needs. That sometimes means using different vendors in the same product or service category. Backup is a prime example. Some clients need a backup solution that can give fast virtualization, due to production requirements or commitments to their clients. Other clients need just backup, as they are willing to suffer some downtime. Some have large datasets they want offsite and others have small amounts that need to be backed up. Most vendors do not cover all of this, and none do all well.

I have accepted that I must have 2 to 3 vendors in most categories for my existing client base. I am toying with the idea of making 1 a prime vendor and then putting together a marketing program to find new clients that need the best-in-class product from that vendor. That would give the vendor the activity to justify supporting me. That means I will have to change from growth by referral to actual marketing. Ouch, that is a brave new world for me. Hope to share with you as I work my way through that.

EDIT - Actually, I meant direct response marketing was new. I have put out the fishhook (Yellow Pages, Stuffers, etc) before just hoping something would bite, but you never know what you will get. More directed marketing at a specific profile of potentials, that is what I mean.

Facing a Tough Crowd

I had my first presentation at a conference with a national audience. Computer Troubleshooters had their national conference here in Phoenix. They had some requests for a speaker on SBS 2008. I got a call for a local expert that could present on that subject. Well, I am not that expert, so I roped Mike Effertz into doing the show. He is our hands down best expert on SBS 2008 in the AZ SMB Users Group. Mike carried most of the load. I had been doing alot with migration for SBS 2008, so I volunteered to do an overview of the options for migrating to SBS 2008.

All in all, it went quite well. The CT crowd was kind to us. We did not stumble in the presentation. Questions were intelligent. I may have to do this again.

One thing I did discover. Between Mike and I, we had a combined total 48 YEARS in business. Wow!

The problem with EWaste, Part 1

EWaste, that ever growing mountain of discarded electronic parts, has been on my mind for some time.

I gave a talk about a year ago at Lunch Bunch networking group of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce on the improper disposal of ewaste in third world countries. I had intended to follow that with practical steps on what the local small business could do to make sure their ewaste was disposed of correctly. Alas, so many things to do...

Anyway, tonight PBS had a special on Ewaste disposal in Ghana. Powerful stuff! The full video, Ghana:Digital Dumping Ground, is available on line. Very revealing information on SSNs, checking accounts, passwords, defense contractor documents, etc that were found on the hard drives in Ghana. Watch and Learn!

I will be back to add to this issue. Just need to do some more research...

Ken

When Windows Update Takes A Dive...

Danger Danger!!!

Windows Update is not perfect and can become unable to install updates!

What??? You are not surprised? No revelations here to you?

OK. This is not news. If anything, it is a reason to start drinking.

Maybe I can save you from the unrelenting desire to find a fifth of Jack Daniels. That is if your error in the Windows Update log is "FATAL: Error: 0x80004002".

First things first. Lets cover some steps for locating and correcting the 0x80004002 error.

1. Identify the symptoms.
   In the case of the 0x80004002 error that I ran into, the updates would download, but fail as soon as you attempted to install them. This was the same behavior whether you started the Windows Update process from Internet Explorer or approved the updates that Windows had downloaded by itself. If Windows Update 3.1 or Geniue Advantage was attempting to install, they would also fail.
   
   
2. Look in the Windows Update Log.
   This log is in the Windows directory and is named "windowsupdate.txt". The latest entries are at the bottom of the log. Look there for "FATAL: Error: 0x80004002" error. If you find it, then perhaps the solution that follows will correct your issue.
   
   
3. Reregister the Windows Update dlls.
   I located these commandline entries on this Microsoft Forum link. Make a batch file from these entries and run the batch file. At least in my case, I was able to install the updates without further incident.
   
   net stop wuauserv
   regsvr32 wuweb.dll
   regsvr32 wups2.dll
   regsvr32 wups.dll
   regsvr32 wucltui.dll
   regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll
   regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
   regsvr32 wuapi.dll
   regsvr32 wups.dll
   regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
   regsvr32 wucltui.dll
   regsvr32 wuweb.dll
   regsvr32 msxml.dll
   regsvr32 msxml2.dll
   regsvr32 msxml3.dll
   regsvr32 urlmon.dll
   regsvr32 softpub.dll
   regsvr32 initpki.dll
   regsvr32 mssip32.dll
   regsvr32 wintrust.dll
   regsvr32 dssenh.dll
   regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
   regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
   regsvr32 sccbase.dll
   regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
   regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll
   regsvr32 jscript.dll
   net start wuauserv

You don't have to become a drunk over Windows Update issues.

Think Your Day Is Going A Little Rough?

Whether Vendors, Clients, the dog next door, the bozo driving next to you... you just feel beatup...

Straddling Multiple Networks safely using Virtual PC

Oh Man!!! Let a virus attempt to pass that Firewall!

If you need the functionality of 2 computers accessing two different networks on the same monitor and keyboard while using one physical machine, listen up!

I have a client that was subcontracting some work for another company. The other company moved in to an ajoining suite, so physical connection of the networks was possible. Some of my client's employees needed access to the LOB of both companies. That originally meant purchasing second computers for these employees and placing them on kvm switches. Cost was limiting how many employees could be setup this way.

What if we load virtual machines on the existing workstations? We can install a second network adapter in each computer to allow the virtual machine to connect to the second network. Tinker, install, load OS, expand memory... 2 hours later, it works! Duplicate virtual machine to additional computers. Client saves a bunch of money. IT consultant looks like he knows what he is talking about. Employees do not have to switch between 2 computers. Power utility sells less power. All positives!

Well... There were a couple of snags along the way.

SEPARATE THE NETWORKS : To make the networks not intermingle, attach the second adapter to the virtual machine. Then, uncheck all services on the second adapter inside the host OS except Virtual Machine services. Just run "ipconfig" on the host OS to verify that the second adapter does not appear. That way, neither the host nor the virtual can access both networks.

ERASE THE MAC ADDRESS : Open the vmc file for the virtual machine and erase the mac address. Don't worry. A dynamic mac address will be generated the next time the machine is started. If you don't do this, every copy of the virtual machine will have the same mac address and will pull the same ip address from DHCP. You will see some strange thing happen on your network then!

Hopefully this will encourage you to think of offbeat ways to use Virtual PC...

Accessing Multiple Exchange Accounts for Multi-Company Executives

Have you got an executive that has more than one company to exec at? I do. What do you do to allow them access to multiple Exchange accounts from one computer? Pop3? You lose Calendar, etc. OWA? A little different interface with limitations. RWW? Got to have a pc at the office or a virtual machine at the office to login to. RDP? Same issue as previous.

Well, none of those are very elegant. All either require extra steps and/or give up some of Outlook's strengths. BAH! Need real Outlook that is local and quick. Something simpler that allows them access to their all their different companies' exchange accounts from the same computer/laptop even when not connected to the internet.

You see, Outlook will only support one exchange account at a time. "AT A TIME" is the magic phrase. With some extra thinking, I thought myself out of this box. Two solutions (gems produced by the overheating of my brain and pressure inside my head) have come to mind.

• Outlook Profiles:
  Create a profile for each exchange account, setting them up as "Outlook Via HTTP". The executive would have to select which profile to access at a time, but not a time intensive or error prone problem.

• Virtual Machines (Coolness!!)
  This is the techie "Cool" way to do it. It involves running Outlook in multiple virtual machines at the same time. I created a virtual machine on an XP Pro workstation, loaded XP Pro on the virtual machine, and then loaded Outlook into the virtual machine. The host XP Pro computer had Outlook that accessed one exchange account and the virtual machine had an Outlook that accessed a different exchange account. Sure its more complicated. Sure it requires more licenses. But it is COOL. ... And it does work. I can have both Outlooks open and see them get email AT THE SAME TIME! Did I mention it was COOL?

I am glad to "work around" my original problem of providing this for an executive. The practical way is the first one. It can be done without any additional software cost. The second is appropriate if the executive requires more than one PC attached to the domains of the different companies. Thankfully, that is not the case with my executive.

TO MY FELLOW IT PROFESSIONALS.. Why aren't you HERE?

I am sitting in the Yellow Lounge at the Microsoft World Wide Partner Conference 2007, in Denver. This is the premier conference for All IT professionals that support Microsoft software and the Vendors that make the software and hardware that depends on Mr Softie's software.

"Sure", you say, "but it is expensive!" Yes, you are right!. Microsoft is not a cheap date.

Exposure to new products, discussion with product managers, business courses, networking with your peers, etc... How can you not be here? We are saving a space for you.

Swapping Motherboards - No More Nail Biting!

Swapping motherboards in a existing computer is nothing to be relished. Driver incompatibilities will drive you to chew your nails off.

Fear no more.

The HIR (Hardware Independent Restore) feature in the ShadowProtect IT 3.o Edition is marvelous! But it can be used in a case where you did not backup an image.

I had a client that had a computer go to electric heaven this week. Just the motherboard stopped working. The hard drive was replaced within the last four months. Told the client today that I would build them a new computer and have it ready with all the employee's stuff on it before the employee returns from vacation on Tuesday. There is just one problem.

EQK! I am leaving for WWPC in Denver on Sunday.

How could I get this done in time? StorageCraft to the rescue. I had a revelation earlier this week. Since ShadowProtect HIR has a mode to allow it to work on the image after it is restored, I could use it to change and match drivers on hard drives without restoring an image!

That fit my current situation. I ran by my favorite component distributor just before they closed on Friday and picked up all the parts for a new computer except the hard drive. I constructed the new computer and transferred the old hard drive to the new computer. I booted from the IT Edition cd and used HIR to replace the drivers. I only used drivers that were a fair match or higher. The network card and audio card showed no driver matches, so I did not replace the drivers. A quick reboot and Voila! Windows XP booted on the new motherboard. I then ran the drivers cd for the new motherboard.

What a relief! I will hand the computer to my backup tech tomorrow night at dinner and he will install it on Monday for me while I am hobnobbing at the Small Business Symposium :^).

Wow! A quick switch of all hardware except the hard drive, a HIR config, load some drivers, and now a network station from a SBS network is ready to go back on the network WITHOUT any additional configuration! And I still have my nails!

The Waiting Game - Virtual Server 2005 R2 and ShadowProtect

I think Mr. Gates is smiling about that Fossal watch. I could have really used it to track the hideous amount of time that it takes to restore ShadowProtect images to virtual disks mounted in virtual machines under Virtual Server 2005 R2.

Mark Crall inspired me to try this. His presentation where he restored a Windows 2003 server ShadowProtect image stored on a flash drive to a virtual machine over a wireless link has now become the stuff of legends. Well, we all know that legends are made from people that were foolish enough to do things that everyone else was too smart to do, and they succeeded! So, I had to take my hand at it. Unfortunately, I used Virtual Server instead of Virtual PC. My bad :(

I have just replaced my server with a new box and used the Swing Migration method to move my AD over. As stated in another post, it took some time, but I finally got a good result. No fault of Jeff Middleton; just preexisting issues that had to be cleared up.

So, I say to myself, "Self, lets virtualize the old server so that we can refer to it in the future!" You tend to use "we" in such conversations. I am very cautious and always want to be able to "dial back" to a previous point in time.

I re-setup the old server and made fresh ShadowProtect images of the system and data partitions, and set them aside. Then I decided to use the old server to actually create the virtual machine and drive. I loaded Virtual Server 2005 R2. Hey, why not? If Virtual PC is good, Virtual Server should perform even better! I gave the new virtual machine a name and created a static virtual drive for it. After creating 2 partitions and formatting them, I booted the virtual machine with ShadowProtect IT Edition 3.0. Since I had the virtual machine and the ShadowProtect images on the same USB drive and since Virtual Server cannot directly give a virtual machine access to a usb drive, I had to create a share for the partition containing the images and let the host share it with the virtual machine.

Do you get all that? Not a wireless network like Mark, but a images on a usb drive being accessed going through 2 virtual network adapters to be restored to a virtual hard drive located on the same usb drive. Well, I was not sure it would work and, sure enough, it gave me the devil for 3 days. The restore of 30 gigs of data to the system partition on the virtual hard drive lasted 14 HOURS before failing. The time indicated to completion climbed to 2 DAYS PLUS! 3 Hours was what I would have expected. 2 DAYS PLUS? Crips!

What was happening here? A problem with the virtual network adapters? Was this just TOO weird for VS 205 R2 to handle?

I was not to be deterred! So, change up on the setup. I placed the images on another drive on another machine on the network. Started the restore again except this time I was not accessing the images on the same drive as the virtual hard drive I was restoring to. Though shorter (1 DAY PLUS), the restore time was ridiculous.

I mentioned to Mark Crall that I was having this weird super elongated restore to a virtual hard drive. A discussion in sued. That is when I learned that he had never done his test with Virtual Server, only Virtual PC. What the Heck! I'll try it with Virtual PC. I installed Virtual PC 2007. Setup and restored the images from a network drive.

U-RE-CA !

It worked. And within the original time frame I expected! Just over 3 hours to restore both partitions ( one 30 gig and one 40 gig).

So... why the drastic difference in performance for this situation? Who knows! I just know that, if I am doing demos, I better use Virtual PC.