Archive for February, 2014

Release: Microsoft Office 2013 SP1, Microsoft Exchange 2013 SP1 and Sharepoint 2013 SP1

Wednesday, February 26th, 2014

Hi Folks,

yesterday/today Microsoft has release several Service Packs containing Updates, new Features and Optimizations for Microsoft Office 2013, Exchange 2013 and also Sharepoint 2013, you can download the Service Packs here:

Microsoft Office 2013 SP1 32Bit: Download
Microsoft Office 2013 SP1 64Bit: Download
Microsoft Exchange 2013 SP1: Download

Office for Windows RT based devices will also receive an update thru Windows Update which is already available.

There are currently no product ISO Files available on MSDN that already contains the SP1, so currently you are required to download/intall the SP1 seperate or to deploy it thru Windows Update or a WSUS Server.

Cheers

Michael

Tip: Windows Store and “Region Codes”

Friday, February 21st, 2014

Hi Folks,

today is my day of bashing the Microsoft Windows Store…

As in my last post there are still a lot of curious issues with the Microsoft Store.. One really curious issue are these funny “Region Codes”! Oh.. You didn’t know it? Me too.. No App or the Store will tell you! First of all not all Apps will deal with it but a few of them do and the error messages or better “Points to blame” are really confusing.

I will take a private Sample, i bought a Game “Grand Theft Auto-San Andreas” thru my Swiss Surface Tablet, installed it without any issues and it works fine: everything is good. Now i got my German Laptop to install GTA.. Guess what happen: The app is shown in my Apps (and the Laptop also suggest to install it!!!), so i select the App and click on install… Now the Funny Message: “App is not available for download“. Ok?!?! So i’ve searched in the regular “German” Store Interface again.. App is shown and the Store ask if i would like to buy it, confirmed and now guess.. Message: “App is not available for download“.

I still remember an issue with “regional” Payment Methods (other strange Windows Store issue where you can’t add payment methods to your account in the Windows Store 🙁 ), so i go to the System Control->Region and change the Location to Switzerland and without any more reboots or messages the App can be installed. Ups! Why not a message “App is not available for your current region“? To simple?

So i really like the Surface or other Microsoft Products but for the Store Microsoft still has a lot of lessons to learn! Why do the Store shows an App which is not for my Region? Why always these nonsense Error Message for a Store that should be simple at all and point a none IT customer to a solution? Iam a IT Guy, my wife will take it and throw it  against the Wall because it’s cryptic nonsense and in this case she is right. I do also now that this is a favorite issue for people travel/working between the US and Canada.. So it’s not only a Swiss/German issue.

Cheers

Michael

P.S.: All these lame developers that really thing that a customer stays in one country for there whole live should leave there hole and go outside in the world. This is my personal opinion and regional codes in any product are digital stone age beyond any reality, this is even more important if nothing is mentioned that they do exist (Hello Windows Store!) So.. Now iam feeling better. 🙂

 

Tip: Windows Store Error 0x80240017 vs. Hyper-V

Friday, February 21st, 2014

Hi Folks,

i really could kill some Microsoft developers tonight… Just kidding but this has taken three hours of time to fix a really stupid issue.

Maybe you provide your User a Microsoft based Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 VDI thru Microsoft Remote Desktop Services incl. the Windows Store to download own or company based Apps. By default this should be now big deal but it could… Normally your User browse to the Store and download / buy a new app, depending on the system a App will be shown in the store or not; simple right? …but what happens if this app is already available for the User and he got the App already running on an other device? It will be shown in his Apps and he can select it, now a funny error comes up: “App can not be installed BlaBlaBla… Error 0x80240017”. This error 0x80240017 for Microsoft seams to mean: “Could be everything and we have no clue where it coming from.

There are several Tips and Clues available and i’ve tried everything more than one time (!): Store Reset (wsreset.exe), installing Updates, deleting the Software Distribution Folder, Regional Settings, Time Zone and much more but finally it means: Your System doesn’t fit the requirements for this App! Great.. Why not direct translating it for humans and maybe for the Microsoft Support too (which have also no clue what it could mean)!?!

Ok… Enough blaming, let’s come to my solution for Hyper-V based VDI’s: To fix it just disable the Dynamic Memory Feature for the Windows 8.x based Desktops or/and increase it to min. 1024 or better 2048 (or more) MB of RAM. After this small fix everything works like a charm, it seams to be that the Windows Store can not deal with the Dynamic Memory and the result will be this nonsense error message.

Have Fun!

Michael

P.S.: I checked it also with Windows Server 2012 R2, similar behavior… If you got the issue for a physical device try it on an other “better” hardware.

Release: cloud-client.info UMS Appliance Version 2.6 for Microsoft Hyper-V and Oracle Virtual Box

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

Hello Folks,

a new Version of our IGEL Universal Management Suite Appliance is available for download: Download

ccia23

 

Version 2.6 changelog:

– Updated Ubuntu Subsystem
– Updated IGEL Universal Management Suite to 4.06.100
– Updated cloud-client.info UMS Template to 1.0.70

Cheers

Michael

Tip: Fixing Microsoft Exchange 2013 Index Database issues

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

Hi Folks,

i just have done two Exchange 2013 stand alone installations and on one Server i’ve run into the issue that the Mail Database Index Search did not work (EventID 1012 for MSExchangeIS) and the User was not able to perform a Search in Outlook or thru Outlook Web Access.

There are a couple of solutions mentioned like changing User Rights and so on but mostly the issue can be fixed quite simple: Just delete the Index Database.

1) Create a Backup or Snapshot for the Exchange Server
2) Browse to the Databasefolder (Default: C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Mailbox\Mailbox Database XXXXXXXXXX\)
3) Stop the two Search Services (Microsoft Exchange Search Host Controller and Microsoft Exchange Search)
4) In the Mailbox Database Folder should be a cryptic subfolder like  DC206C90-9627-4A70-B156-2E40F8A9429F12.1.Single, it should be the only subfolder here. Move this folder to an other directory (for recovery) or delete it.
5) Restart the two Search Services (see Names in 3))
6) Open the Exchange Administration Site and browse to Server->Database and Verify the Index state.. After a couple of time it should be changed from Unknown to Recreating, be prepared that the recreation can take some time and do not reboot the Server during this time and until the Index State has changed to “without errors”.
7) Drink a beer and be happy that the issue is fixed. 🙂

Cheers
Michael

Release: cloud-client.info IGEL UMS Template 1.0.70

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

Hello Folks,

there is a new Version of the cloud-client.info IGEL UMS Template available here: Download

1.0.70
——–

– Support for IGEL Zero Firmware 5.02.100
– Support for IGEL Universal Desktop LX V5 (x86) Firmware 5.02.100
– Support for IGEL Universal Desktop OS 2 V5 (x86) Firmware 5.02.100
– Support for IGEL Universal Desktop OS Firmware 4.13.100
– Support for IGEL Universal Desktop LX (x86) Firmware 4.13.100
– Added new Thin Client folder structure for IGEL Zero Clients
– Added default directory rules for IGEL Zero Clients folder structure
– Added Profiles for IGEL Linux V5 and the Shared Workplace Feature to configure a different display resolution
– Added Profile for IGEL Universal Desktop OS V5 to enable advanced Graphics support
– Added Profile for IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS V5 to enable the RDP inverted cursor color setting
– Added Profile for IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS V5 to setup a VNC Viewer session
– Added Profile for IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS V5 to disable the Shadowing “disconnect” button for the User
– Added Profile for IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS V5 to configure multiple WiFi access based on different SSID’s
– Fully removed Universal Desktop CE from the UMS Template (last IGEL Windows CE based product goes end of maintenance on 31.03.2014), Profiles are still available as Import file in the “Template via Import” folder but will not be part of the template anymore.
– Changed “Template via Import” subfolder structure, import is now based on OS Version (Linux, Windows ES or CE).
– Removed old Firmwares
– Profiles Total 470

 

Cheers

Michael

Solution: Change Thin Client resolution for Shared Workplace Users with IGEL Linux V5.x.x

Wednesday, February 12th, 2014

Hello Folks,

if you are using the Shared Workplace Feature (assign Profiles to a Domain User and not to a Thin Client) you maybe have noticed a difference between the IGEL Linux V4 and V5.

In the old V4 Linux it was possible to assign a different resolution to a User to provide the User a lower resolution, this could be required if the User has bad eyes and can not work with an high HD resolution. This feature is gone in the new IGEL Linux V5 but still it can be done by a work around.

First of all you require a Shared Workplace License for the device, otherwise it will not work and also the Shared Workplace Feature must be enabled (Profile->Security->Login). To make it simple i’ve added the required UMS Profiles, just download the Archive and import it into the UMS. The pack contains four profiles:

Generate Resolution Scripts = This sprofile needs to be assigned to all Thin Clients that are using the Shared Workplace feature, it will generate three scripts to switch to the 1028×768, 1440×900 and 1680×1050 resolutions. You can modify this if required in the profile and change or add othere resolution scripts.

Set XXXXxXXX User resolution (3x)= These profiles will switch to the specified resolution by executing one of the previous generated scripts, one of these profiles needs to be assigned to the User which requires an other resolution. If the User performs a “Shared Workplace” Logoff the Client will switch back to the default resolution which is assigned to the client by an other profile (for example your “base” configuration).

The handling should be quite simple and maybe IGEL will provide this feature again together with a later released Firmware but until this you now have a working solution again.

Download: SWPResolutionProfiles

Cheers

Michael

P.S.: Check out in advance that your Displays do really support the resolutions you set in this way, otherwise the User will get a black or messy screen… 😉 The ZIP attached to this blog contains also the required firmware settings to prevent UMS import issues, you can directly use the ZIP file for the import.

 

Solution: Run a pfsense firewall on Microsoft Hyper-V Server

Friday, February 7th, 2014

Hello Folks,

this one is not IGEL related but maybe intresting, there is a really cool free firewall software called pfsense (http://www.pfsense.org/).

The firewall software is based on free bsd and comes with a lot of cool features but there is one problem… It will not work on Microsoft Hyper-V Servers regarding an issue with the free BSD network drivers but you can fix it. There are some solutions already available but none of same are really working well and/or require some manual actions after boot, so how can we fix it…

Create a new VM in the Microsoft Hyper-V and assign the pfsense ISO file for the installation, make sure to assign only “Legacy” Network Adapters to the VM. The virtual network cards in the VM are named like de0, de1 and so on.

After the installation perform the basic network setup and reboot the VM, the network adapters are not working at the moment so don’t connect to the Management GUI via HTTP. After the reboot open the VM and enter the pfsense console, one virtual network card should have a “working” internet connection! Enter the pfsense shell (Option 8) and type in here:

ifconfig de0 down (repeat this for every network card, like de1)
ifconfig de1 down
ifconfig de0 up
ifconfig de1 up
dhclient de0 (this command is only required for network cards using a DHCP address coming from an other DHCP server, repeat or skip like required)

Now open the HTTP based WebConfigurator coming with pfsense, the network cards should now work until a reboot is performed. Open the System->Packages->Available Packages Menu and install the “Shell Command” Service from here. After this is done open the Menu Services->Shellcmd and add the commands you have entered before in the shell here, keep the order like before and incl. also the dhclient commands if used before. Reboot the VM and everything should work now also together with the Hyper-V, no extra scripts or shell actions are required.

Cheers

Michael