Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• The very best Sysinternals tools for Windows server security

  Admins can save themselves a lot of aggravation by taking advantage of Microsoft's free Sysinternals toolset. Here are some of the top security utilities available. Continue Reading

• Analyzing Exchange Server security risks and vulnerabilities

  Knowing which security risks and threats can harm your Exchange Server environment is great, but having a plan in place to combat them is even better. Continue Reading

• Windows Remote Desktop Services spotlight

  Get the scoop on RDS with Windows Server 2008 R2, the next-generation of Microsoft Terminal Services that could make low-cost VDI a reality. Continue Reading

• How to customize your Windows PowerShell environment

  With scripting environments, one size does not fit all. See how profiles, functions and modules can help you personalize -- and extend the functionality of -- Windows PowerShell. Continue Reading

• Active Directory in R2: Features to care about, others to ignore

  From the ADAC to managed service accounts, Active Directory in Windows 2008 R2 has several new capabilities. See the ones worth checking out -- and those that probably aren't. Continue Reading

• Key Windows Server 2008 R2 features: Windows Server Backup

  Learn about the improvements that made Windows Server Backup one of our top 10 features in Windows Server 2008 R2.Continue Reading

• PowerShell Scripting School 2.0

  Get an inside look at the world of PowerShell, including news and resources for Windows admins.Continue Reading

• Helpful third-party tools for Exchange Server

  Check out these 12 third-party Exchange management tools and see how they can help administrators monitor, archive and migrate Exchange servers.Continue Reading

• Active Directory tops the list of hot Windows Server 2008 R2 features

  IT pros are more excited about the new Active Directory features in Windows Server 2008 R2 than anything else, including Hyper-V with live migrationContinue Reading

• Two useful tools for documenting an Exchange Server installation

  Exchange BPA and ExchDump tools let you collect data about your Exchange installation, including settings and server configuration information. Learn how to translate this data and include it into your installation documentation.Continue Reading

• Should you disable IE ESC, or manage it in Windows servers?

  Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (IE ESC) locks down IE on Windows servers, but admins often disable it.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting Windows application crashes or hangs

  A hanging or failed application can be one of the most challenging problems for admins to resolve. Fortunately, several free tools and techniques can be used to help sort things out.Continue Reading

• Understand the pros and cons of Microsoft Windows 7 DirectAccess

  Discover how Microsoft's Windows 7 DirectAccess can help midsized companies obtain secure remote end-to-edge and end-to-end access, tunneled through a Windows Server 2008 R2 DirectAccess Server. Plus, examine the advantages and limitations of this ...Continue Reading

• An introduction to the Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer tool

  A beta version of Microsoft's Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer tool assists administrators with remote end-to-end validation and diagnostics. Use this free tool perform a variety of connectivity tests for everything from Outlook to Exchange Web...Continue Reading

• Simple tools and techniques for finding Windows memory leaks

  Symptoms of a memory leak can show up long before a server fails. Check out these tips for catching a leak early and plugging it up.Continue Reading

• Getting started with Windows PowerShell and Microsoft Hyper-V

  Managing virtual machines on your Hyper-V server can be a lot easier if you're armed with the right scripts. Check out these tips for using PowerShell to create a VM when running Hyper-VContinue Reading

• Scripting secrets for reviewing Windows event log data

  Using custom views in Microsoft Event Viewer help you filter event logs, but they lack ideal flexibility. This script refines your search so you can quickly access the data you need.Continue Reading

• Quest Software Access Manager

  Quest Access Manager provides a single console that identifies the files, folders, shares and other entitlements that users and groups can access throughout the enterprise. It is designed to help organizations meet security and compliance ...Continue Reading

• Quest Authentication Services

  Quest Authentication Services allows organizations to extend Active Directory (AD) to Unix, Linux and Mac platforms and enterprise applications. It enables the unification of identities and directories for simplified identity and access management.Continue Reading

• SysTrack

  SysTrack from Lakeside Software Inc. simplifies workstation and server management chores by collecting and calculating statistics on system, application and user activity.Continue Reading

• Biscom Delivery Server Outlook add-in

  Using the Biscom Delivery Server Outlook add in, Microsoft Outlook administrators can define policies to automatically re-route messages and file attachments through the secure BDS application.Continue Reading

• AvePoint's DocAve Software Platform

  Learn how admins can use DocAve Software Platform to perform backup and recovery, disaster recovery, administration, replication, archiving, compliance and migration tasks.Continue Reading

• Windows scripting tutorials for systems administrators

  Need to bone up on your scripting know-how? It's time to go to school. Check out Christa Anderson's monthly scripting column.Continue Reading

• What are the pros and cons of a hosted Exchange Server deployment?

  Microsoft offers traditional Exchange Server licenses and cloud computing-based Exchange Server subscriptions. This raises the question of which licensing model makes sense for your enterprise. Is it better to use a traditional Exchange Server ...Continue Reading

• Creating a SharePoint site map using out-of-the-box features

  Giving SharePoint site owners the power to manage their own part of the SharePoint site map frees up administrators to manage more critical areas of the SharePoint environment.Continue Reading

• Top Exchange Server performance monitoring and troubleshooting tools

  Maintaining a healthy Exchange server is critical to achieving peak performance. Leveraging the monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities of tools such as the Performance Monitor, which prevents growth-related performance issues through capacity ...Continue Reading

• Breaking down the Windows Server Backup tool for Windows 2008

  A lot has changed with the NTBackup tool in Windows Server 2008 – including its name. Learn how loss of flexibility paved the way for enhanced functionality with Windows Server Backup.Continue Reading

• OWA Light vs. Exchange ActiveSync on Windows Mobile devices

  Are you wondering whether to use Outlook Web Access (OWA) Light or Exchange ActiveSync for email messages on your Windows Mobile devices? This tip details how each method affects mobile device battery life, security, ease of use and cost.Continue Reading

• Take control of server clusters with Microsoft's ClusDiag tool

  Microsoft's Cluster Diagnostics tool is a great utility for managing Windows server clusters. Learn the basics of ClusDiag, as well as installation tips to get you started.Continue Reading

• What makes Microsoft Outlook 2007's Search feature special?

  Discover how Microsoft Outlook 2007's Search feature takes advantage of Windows Vista's Desktop Search functionality. Still using Windows XP? Don't despair. You can still benefit from Outlook Search.Continue Reading

• Free security tools that can improve IIS security

  Get a glimpse at what security expert Kevin Beaver is calling his top 10 list of free security tools for Internet Information Services (IIS).Continue Reading

• Monitor mail flow with the Exchange Server 2007 Queue Viewer tool

  Learn how to use the Exchange Server 2007 Queue Viewer tool to monitor mail flow and get details on five messaging queues that function as email repositories.Continue Reading

• An extended look at Windows file management with PowerShell

  Scripting expert Christa Anderson explains how to use Windows PowerShell to create folders in a temporary directory and populate them from a network share.Continue Reading

• Microsoft tool simplifies Windows server cluster configuration

  Cluster configuration manager, commonly called ClusPrep, is a free Microsoft tool for determining if servers are properly configured to support clustering.Continue Reading

• Security tools that limit user logon in Windows

  Security expert Kevin Beaver describes the pros and cons of some free security tools -- and commercial ones -- for monitoring Windows network login activity. In addition, he outlines the steps for creating network security workarounds with a more ...Continue Reading

• Specops Password Policy 2.1

  Specops Password Policy 2.1 helps enforce better password management for Windows Active DirectoryContinue Reading

• Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition

  This tool extends the value of Recovery Manager for Active Directory by allowing restoration of the entire forest to a point-in-time before the directory became corrupt.Continue Reading

• File System Auditor 2.0

  File System Auditor 2.0 records Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 file server activity helping admins audit file access, generate reports and create alerts tied to file system events.Continue Reading

• Recovery Manager for Active Directory

  Recovery Manager from Quest Software can help Windows administrators provide backup and recovery functionality for Active Directory.Continue Reading

• ActiveBatch Enterprise Job Scheduling and Event Automation

  The ActiveBatch Enterprise Job Scheduling solution from Advanced Systems Concepts integrates business apps, standalone tasks, processes and scripts across diverse computing environmentsContinue Reading

• Using the Active Directory Migration Tool in a large environment

  Discover why using the Active Directory Migration Tool in a large Exchange Server environment may not be the best option for a successful migration.Continue Reading

• How to use PowerShell to build a disk cleanup utility

  For people interested in how things tick, computers can be a satisfying test medium because the changes you make have an immediate effect. But it's also possible to make changes that can't be reversed or can only be reversed with a lot of pain. ...Continue Reading

• When to use third-party tools in place of NTBACKUP

  NTBACKUP can be unreliable when you need to perform a restore or large-scale backup operation. Learn about the the third-party backup software programs, Like Backup Assist, that admins can use instead of NTBACKUP.Continue Reading

• Demystifying the AutoExNT tool in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit

  The Windows Server 2003 tool AutoExNT lets admins start batch files or tasks in a certain order before they log on.Continue Reading

• A guide to the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools

  Microsoft's oft-ignored Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools can help administrators deal with issues such as troubleshooting operating system issues, managing Active Directory, configuring networking and security features and automating ...Continue Reading

• How to get process information with Windows PowerShell

  In this column, Christa Anderson explains how to use Windows PowerShell's get-process cmdlet to retrieve information about the processes on your computer and how to kill the unnecessary ones.Continue Reading

• FireDaemon runs app as service, shows or suppresses GUI

  Several tools allow you to take a Windows executable and run it as a system service rather than a console or desktop application. A tool called FireDaemon takes this one step further by allowing an application's GUI to be shown or suppressed ...Continue Reading

• Making Windows PowerShell scripts able to accept arguments

  You script a task when you expect to be doing that task more than once. But you probably won't run exactly the same task each time. Rather than saving one script for every eventuality, we'll make the scripts able to accept arguments and assign them ...Continue Reading

• Let users update their own AD information with the Active Directory Update tool

  Learn about a third-party utility called the Active Directory Update tool that lets end users update their own Active Directory attributes via a Web page.Continue Reading

• Step 7: Set up Edge Transport server advanced content-filtering features

  Learn how to set up Edge Transport server puzzle validation feature and block incoming and outgoing email attachments by filename or the file extension type.Continue Reading

• Performance monitoring tools for Windows

  Windows admins have a choice of tools for monitoring the performance of the servers in their Windows infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Distributed File System feature prioritizes target servers in Active Directory

  DFS target prioritization is a helpful feature that has slipped under the radar for some IT admins. Directory services expert Gary Olsen breaks down how to use (and not use) this tool to its full effectiveness.Continue Reading

• How to save and run scripts with Windows PowerShell

  Learn how to save a Windows PowerShell cmdlet and edit Powershell settings so saved scripts will execute.Continue Reading

• How to use Microsoft Outlook 2007's Quick Parts feature

  Discover how to use Microsoft Outlook 2007's Quick Parts feature (formerly known as AutoText) to save fragments of text in a gallery for repeated use in email.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2008: A look inside the new features for Active Directory

  With the release of beta 3 for Windows Server 2008, code-named Longhorn, interest in Microsoft's new server OS has grown within the Active Directory community. Gary Olsen details some of Windows Server 2008's most important new features for Active ...Continue Reading

• Filtering output from Windows PowerShell

  With PowerShell, it's pretty simple to browse Windows Management Instrumentation classes without cheating by filtering the content -- all it takes is a new cmdlet and working with variables.Continue Reading

• Use System Information reporting tool to view all Windows Vista system settings at once

  Once you've deployed Vista, you'll undoubtedly start installing printers, drivers and applications. While many admins currently have to deal with multiple Control Panel windows when locating these devices, Windows Vista's System Information program...Continue Reading

• Process Monitor tool gets around shortcomings of Microsoft Windows

  The Windows operating system does not provide a troubleshooting tool that allows you to clean up a system infected with malware, see how your files have changed or monitor registry processes and threads. Microsoft's new Process Monitor tool does ...Continue Reading

• An overview of Microsoft Outlook email security features

  In the following tip from "8 tips in 8 minutes: A Microsoft Outlook email security tutorial," you'll gain an in-depth overview of Microsoft Outlook's email security features including security zone changes, the Outlook security update, S/MIME ...Continue Reading

• Host-based anti-malware tools help fend off attacks

  Multi-protection products are attracting attention as IT managers check out host-based anti-malware tools. Microsoft will enter the fray in May with its Forefront Client.Continue Reading

• Working with WMI providers to PowerShell

  Microsoft's new shell language, Windows PowerShell, works with data from .NET 2.0. But .NET doesn't always contain the objects you need. In this Scripting School column, Christa Anderson explains how to use PowerShell with Windows Management ...Continue Reading

• Userenv and GPE logging: A great tool for debugging Group Policy Extensions

  Userenv logs are great for troubleshooting user profile and GPO issues, but what about Group Policy Extensions? Expert Gary Olsen explains how Userenv and GPE logs can be valuable tools for debugging Group Policy.Continue Reading

• Third-party email archiving tool helps Microsoft Outlook's AutoArchive

  If you have any experience with Microsoft Outlook's AutoArchive feature, you know that it doesn't always work as intended. Learn about a third-party email archiving software program called ArchiveAssist that alleviates Microsoft Outlook's ...Continue Reading

• Memory leaks: Determine an application's CPU consumption

  The same symptoms for a memory leak can be caused by a poorly written application that consumes an excessive amount of CPU time. Here's how to determine how much CPU time an individual application is using.Continue Reading

• Switch between Remote Admin, App Server modes in Terminal Services

  Here are some simple steps that will allow admins to switch between Remote Administration and Application Server modes in Terminal Services.Continue Reading

• SpamBayes: Open-source antispam tool for Microsoft Outlook

  If you don't have an Exchange server, only individual Microsoft Outlook desktop installations, the open-source antispam tool SpamBayes is a handy way to manage spam without dropping a lot of money.Continue Reading

• Remote Desktop Connection tool resolves Vista and XP snafu

  When you attempt to connect to Windows XP via Remote Desktop from a Vista machine, you get a warning message. To address the problem, Microsoft just released Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 client tools for Windows Server 2003 and XP.Continue Reading

• Burn ISO images to CD or DVD with Microsoft tools

  Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista can make use of command-line tools for burning ISO images to CD or DVD. These tools, called CDBURN and DVDBURN, are from Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools.Continue Reading

• Windows System Resource Manager keeps resource-hungry apps in check

  Windows is designed so that system resources such as memory and CPU time are shared among the processes that are executing. But now and then, a poorly written application consumes far more than its fair share of system resources, thereby starving ...Continue Reading

• Restore shadow copies from command line with volrest tool

  Volrest, a command-line tool in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit, can help administrators search for files on a server while restoring shadow copies.Continue Reading

• Running 32-bit apps in x64 Windows: Registry redirection

  When a 32-bit application is run on top of an x64 version of Windows, the WOW64 emulator redirects the Program Files folder and calls to DLL files. But this emulator also redirects certain portions of the Windows registry. This article will show you...Continue Reading

• OutlookTools: Free tool taps into Microsoft Outlook's advanced settings

  Many Microsoft Outlook options are semi-hidden or only available through command-line switches, so it's not surprising that so few users and administrators make use of them. OutlookTools 2.0 is a free utility that exposes these hidden Microsoft ...Continue Reading

• Run 32-bit applications on x64 Windows servers

  Because most applications are 32-bit, the x64 version of Windows makes use of an emulator known as WOW64 to allow 32-bit applications to run.Continue Reading

• Active Directory tools ease import/export of data

  Expert Gary Olsen explains how to use LDIFDE import and CSVDE export features to better manage your Active Directory architecture.Continue Reading

• Troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook offline address books (.OAB files) with the OABInteg tool

  If you have problems generating or synchronizing offline address books (.OAB files) when using Microsoft Outlook in cached mode, you can use the free command-line utility, OABInteg, to troubleshoot.Continue Reading

• Step 1: An introduction to Performance Monitor as a trend-analysis tool

  Step-by-Step Guide: Exchange Server capacity planning with Performance Monitor -- part 1 of 6.Continue Reading

• Free tool review: AccessChk permissions checker

  Administrators typically go to great lengths to make sure that network servers are secure. Mistakes do happen though. It is not uncommon for security groups to have overlapping or even contradictory permissions. Contributor Brien Posey reviews a ...Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of 'catch-all' Exchange Server mailboxes

  SearchExchange.com contributor Serdar Yegulalp explains what a catch-all Exchange Server mailbox is and the pros and cons of using one. He also shares a script that can automate the catch-all process for a given domain.Continue Reading

• Fine-tuning the deployment process for apps published via Group Policy

  These tips will help you fine-tune the deployment process for applications that have been assigned or published via Group Policy.Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of a Network Load Balancing Service front-end Exchange Server cluster

  Tutorial: How to set up a front-end Exchange Server cluster -- part 2 of 7.Continue Reading

• How to create your own MSI file to deploy applications

  Using Group Policy settings to deploy applications throughout your organization works well if the app you're deploying includes an installation package in MSI format. But it if doesn't, try creating your own MSI file.Continue Reading

• Deploying apps via Group Policy -- cost-effective, but risky

  You can deploy applications using Group Policy. But without the proper planning, this is a good way to shoot yourself in the foot.Continue Reading

• Use command line tools to monitor Active Directory

  Monitoring Replication is critical to maintaining Active Directory health. Repadmin is a powerful, but often overlooked, Windows Support Tool that can make AD monitoring a much easier process.Continue Reading

• Managing Samba: Remote GUI tools

  Samba team co-founder John H. Terpstra explains how to use graphical interface tools to manage Samba across a large corporate network.Continue Reading

• Feature in XP and Windows Server 2003 stores passwords for servers

  The Stored User Names and Passwords feature in Windows XP and the Windows Server 2003 family stores user names and passwords for servers.Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of multiple Exchange Server organizations

  Learn about the advantages and drawbacks of a multi-forest Windows and Exchange Server architecture.Continue Reading

• Introducing Exchange Server Performance Troubleshooting Analyzer Tool

  Microsoft has created a new tool called the Exchange Server Performance and Troubleshooting Analyzer Tool that can help you deal with performance issues on a production server.Continue Reading

• Step 2: Tools you should use for Windows password testing

  Weak passwords can be a huge security vulnerability. You can mitigate this risk by attempting to find your weaknesses before a malicious hacker does. Contributor Kevin Beaver provides a step-by-step guide on how to crack your own network passwords.Continue Reading

• Tools to automate Group Policy Object management tasks

  Group Policies are handy, but using them often leads to a lot of repetitive tasks. Fortunately there are tools that can automate many of these Group Policy Object management tasks. Learn about them here.Continue Reading

• Tools to automate Active Directory maintenance

  Dealing with Active Directory operations in bulk can drive any Windows administrator crazy. Thankfully, there are many third-party tools that can automate Active Directory maintenance tasks. Learn more about them here.Continue Reading

• Free download expands features for SQL Server 2005

  The November SQL Server 2005 feature pack from Microsoft provides interoperability and backward-compatibility tools.Continue Reading

• Tools for quick recovery of deleted Active Directory objects

  Everyone makes mistakes; even experienced system administrators. So what do you do when you accidentally delete information in Active Directory? Expert Gary Olsen outlines an easy tool that can be used to reanimate deleted objects.Continue Reading

• AD security: Group Policy inheritance and application

  Group policy can be confusing. According to Microsoft MVP Derek Melber, understanding some key Group Policy concepts can ensure better security implementation.Continue Reading

• New DNS server tool can help assess your environment

  In a complex network, it can be difficult to keep track of changes to your domains. In this article, Gary Olsen breaks down a new tool that can help maintain the health of your DNS environment.Continue Reading

• Tool diagnoses Active Directory schema problems

  A malfunctioning Active Directory schema can cause all sorts of problems for Exchange Server, from replication issues between servers to Exchange not working at all. Luckily, there's a free tool called Active Directory Schema Diagnose that can ...Continue Reading

• Command-line tool checks file integrity

  Microsoft's free command-line tool, File Checksum Integrity Verifier, can create cryptographic hashes or "fingerprints" for files. Learn what else you can do with FCIV in this tip.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Exchange Profile Update Tool

  Microsoft Exchange Profile Update Tool is a command-line utility that performs the necessary step of updating Outlook profiles after you move mailboxes across Exchange organizations or administrative groups.Continue Reading

• REPLMON: Microsoft Active Directory replication monitoring tool

  Since Active Directory is at the heart of Exchange Server's functionality, problems with it can affect Exchange as well. To help diagnose AD replication issues, Microsoft created REPLMON, a tool included in the Windows Server 2003 Support Tools ...Continue Reading

• Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer Tool Version 2.1

  Microsoft recently released version 2.1 of ExBPA. In this tip, you'll learn about some of the new features you'll find in the latest incarnation of this essential Exchange tool.Continue Reading

• Public folders vs. SharePoint -- which is better?

  This article compares and contrasts Exchange public folders and SharePoint Portal Server and explains when it is better to use one over the other for document management and retention.Continue Reading