Blog

Bruce Mackenzie-Low discusses the major storage architectures that can be used in a Windows environment. This article provides an overview of Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Storage Area Networks (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS).

Microsoft has announced the availability of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 includes previous improvements delivered via Windows Update and addresses feedback from customers. Currently, there are 625 hotfixes and updates. Many of these updates are available to the public on the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update, while others are only available to specific customers or partners. It is standard practice to include all of these updates in a Service Pack, and as such they are included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1.

Step-by-step guide by Jennifer McCown on creating a basic data load package in SQL Server Integration Services. SSIS is used to extract data from sources such as SQL Server databases, flat files, Excel files, Oracle and DB2 databases, perform data manipulation and transformation, and deliver it to one or more data destinations.

Sean Wilkins provides an overview of the basic concepts of voice operations as they relate to VoIP implementation and the CCNA Voice Exam.

Using PowerShell for changing job owners in SQL Server. Sean McCown demonstrates how PowerShell is a more efficient option than SSMS or T-SQL when changing job owners in bulk.

Bruce Mackenzie-Low covers free Windows tools for storage performance monitoring, including Task Manager and Perfmon. These tools gather and display performance metrics to help identify any I/O bottlenecks or saturation. Stay tuned for future articles on using other free tools such as PAL and xPerf, to analyze storage performance data.

Sean McCown provides an overview of working with cmdlets in PowerShell. Covers how to run help on cmdlets, and search specific cmdlets to learn what’s available in PowerShell, including the use of format-table and get-member to control how resulting information is displayed.

Overview of PowerShell basics by Sean McCown. PowerShell makes it possible for DBAs to easily manage multiple servers at once, often with very little coding. This article explains how PowerShell is organized, and how to get information about the different drives you work with.

Just released from the team at Train Signal and certified instructor David Davis (VCP4, VCAP-DCA, CCIE, and vExpert), is their new VMware vSphere Troubleshooting Training. Learn how to solve real-world vSphere virtual infrastructure problems as well as prepare for your VCAP-DCA certification with this 14 hour video training course.

Why Should DBAs Care About PowerShell? Sean McCown answers this question by demonstrating the simplicity of scripting in PowerShell, in contrast to T-SQL and VBScript, through a variety of real world examples.

Microsoft will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and for those interested in the history of the world’s largest software company, this infographic from Train Signal Training will give you a quick history of Microsoft’s sales, stock & revenue, and a historical timeline of the company’s history.

Christian Mohn provides a walkthrough of Microsoft’s Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) for license and activation management. In addition to license administration, VAMT allows admins to manage and activate Multiple Activation Key (MAK), Key Management Service (KMS) and retail product keys.