Stop Zombie Mouth with this Halloween freebie!

You can read my full EL33TONLINE blurb here, but the basic gist of it is PopCap Games and the ADA (American Dental Association) recognise how important our teeth are during this sweet-consuming season and they've teamed up this year to redefine what a Halloween "treat" can be by deciding to give away FUN instead of candy!

As their site (www.stopzombiemouth.com) says, "[they're] giving away Plants vs. Zombies download games as a sugar-free alternative, and you can join in the fun."

Grab yourself a free coupon (attached) and while you're at it, stash up a bunch in your reception area of your home so that when you get beset upon by miniaturised zombie-wannabes you can give them the gift of gaming instead of the prognosis of halitosis.

Miffy cheese?

Usually when I refer to something as 'miffy', that's not a good thing ...

Transfer big files with Wetransfer.com

Simple solution for all those users that struggle to get big files shared with multiple recipients via email: www.wetransfer.com.

No need for 3rd-party software to be installed on any client machines, and you can send a file (up to 2GB in size) to up to twenty recipients. The nice part is, each recipient receives an individual email so they can't see whom else is included and it's pretty simple to use.

Nice for transferring big files without cluttering up e-mail queues.

Exchange 2010 Access is Denied EMC and EMS

There are plenty of reasons why an administrator could be denied access to the EMS or EMC.

One fairly unique problem that besieged me prevented me from accessing the EMC or EMS. Rebooting didn't fix it either.

After plenty of regular troubleshooting strategies I discovered that the WINHTTPS proxy had been set to something else besides the default and it was preventing me from accessing anything.

netsh winhttp show proxy revealed a proxy was configured, so I ran netsh winhttp reset proxy and then it was fixed! EMC and EMS back online!


Current WinHTTP proxy settings:

    Direct access (no proxy server).


Hope this helps someone out there...

Installing certificates on MS Forefront 2010 with Threat Management Gateway

This post is pretty much a no-brainer but in the context of the hassles I had with this site I've decided to include it here to close the chapter (and seeing that it had two other senior engineers stumped; one a network guru and the other an Exchange guru, it seems worthwhile to note).

After running all the certificates for MS Exchange 2010 and getting the Certificate Revocation status verified, all internal access to Exchange 2010 was secured via SSL. The challenge was now getting the remote users secured.

Note this is a solution pertaining specifically to a Threat Management Gateway and you don't need to do this if you aren't using Forefront.

I had dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's but the darned thing still gave a certificate error when accessing remotely. Checking the TMG's firewall properties I verified that Outlook Anywhere, ActiveSync and Exchange Web App's Listeners for HTTPS were using the correct certificates but it still wasn't working.

Then I noticed that the certificates inside MMC snap-in were showing plain old certificates without the embedded private key; so I tried this:

• On MS Exchange 2010 server, export the Exchange certificate WITH the private key
• In the TMG MMC Snap-in, import the Exchange certificate WITH the private key
• Go to the Forefront TMG dashboard, Firewall Policy...
• Select each service (Allow Outlook Anywhere; Allow Exchange Active Sync; Allow Exchange Web App) and ...
• Properties à Listener à Properties à Certificates à Select Certificate à Choose the new one à OK
•   Apply changes to TMG
• SOLVED!
  

Renew Exchange 2010 Certificate generates a binary file - conversion to base64 tips

When renewing an SSL certificate for Exchange 2010, the process is fairly straightforward and there are plenty of sites to give advice on how to do this. Two sites to consider would be Technet and Go Daddy and the steps are summarised as follow -

1. In the console tree, click Server Configuration. 
2. Select the server that contains the certificate, and then select the certificate you want to renew. 
3. In the action pane, click Renew Exchange Certificate. 
4.  On the Renew Exchange Certificate page, select the services you want to assign to the renewed certificate. The services that are checked are currently assigned to the certificate. 
5.  When you click Assign, the Progress page will confirm your selections and try to renew the certificate. 
6.  Click Yes to overwrite the existing certificate with the renewed certificate. 
7.  The Completion page will display the status of the request in addition to the syntax of the cmdlet needed to renew the certificate. 

Of course, it's never this easy and in my experience running a certificate renewal in Exchange 2010 generates a binary file (.req) that can't be easily copied and pasted into a web interface on the CA's side. In the past one would simply use Open With --> Notepad to get the certificate information but now Exchange 2010 generates the REQ file as binary and typically the file contents look like this:

Binary format:

0é♦k0é♥S☻☺ 0[1

When they should look something like this:

Base64 format:

-----BEGIN NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

MIIEazCCA1MCAQAwWzEaMBgGA1UECgwRd2VibWFpbC5wZmsuY28uemExITAfBgNV

BAsMGERvbWFpbiBDb250cm9sIFZhbGlkYXRlZDEaMBgGA1UEAwwRd2VibWFpbC5w

ZmsuY28uemEwggEiMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4IBDwAwggEKAoIBAQDLjyTxu5Z/

<snip>

LndlYm1haWwucGZrLmNvLnphghhwZmtkYm5leGNoMDEucGZrc2EuY28uemGCGGF1

dG9kaXNjb3Zlci5wZmtzYS5jby56YYIWYXV0b2Rpc2NvdmVyLnBmay5jby56YTAM

BgNVHRMBAf8EAjAAMB0GA1UdDgQWBBSdCGqQh1ui1NbZZ2bMEZNz5Q7MujANBgkq

hkiG9w0BAQUFAAOCAQEAjyY0tEQvX3JLI0cVULQdX7lX1I9rR7R5qivVMtRoiwYS

+HVdK7odmzTuDAlCisX1qCmdUpmtIK1/ldMEF3yTgNqrvtttxofxpkqg3NGec3cr

<snip>

jhwHn51Sv3hbkUIU30swTP3T7dkhgMxj2JX2AhilqA==

-----END NEW CERTIFICATE REQUEST-----

In order to get the binary to base64 you need to convert it. There are various methods to do this and I have used both online tools and websites and the Command Prompt to achieve this, with the Command Prompt certainly being the far easier method to accomplish this (especially since it inserts the "BEGIN CERTIFICATE" and "END CERTIFICATE" header and footer automatically... making it a much more 'pure' conversion).

---

Using Base64 Online decoder and encoder (online method).

1. Just upload the file, upload the .REQ file, click convert to source data button and grab the output. 
2. Paste contents to your favourite text editor
3. Add the header and footer (both must be on separate lines) and then you're good to go!

The header must be a line on its own at the top as so:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----

And the footer must be a line on its own at the bottom as so:

-----END CERTIFICATE-----

---

Using the Command Prompt (preferred method):

certutil -encode (req filename) (target filename)

e.g. 

You can then copy this file's contents and paste it to the appropriate CA's webform to complete the certificate request!

Sign the petition to protect Rimsha

My blog doesn't receive much traffic nowadays because I don't have much useful stuff to say (and that's the truth, isn't it :)) but occasionally something comes along that I feel I need to post on my blog. The story of Rimsha in Pakistan is just one of these things.

This little girl has Down syndrome and she is to be burned alive on blasphemy charges. On so many levels this story affects and touches me; I consider how inhumane this whole situation is, and then I try to emphathise with the family. I just can't accept oppression on grounds of religious beliefs and when it comes to a mentally handicapped person - a child! - this sort of evil reaction is totally unjust. I have often considered what I would have done had I lived in a time or place where my daughter would have been taken away from us (and possibly murdered) because of a condition she had no choice about.

Not sure how much impact this petition will have but if you don't sign it, you're just allowing it to happen without putting up a fight.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists, 
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.


SIGN THE PETITION NOW!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/pakistan_save_my_daughter/?bCiCibb&v=17431

"Invalid Argument" when trying to delete files - VMware

Recently I tried to delete some files in the VMware shell and I got an "Invalid Argument" error...

In order to resolve this, I tried chmod 755 * and it didn't work. Individual file deletions, not working. Short of a reboot (which would have been a drastic step given that this is a production host) I instead tried to overwrite the file contents with new data to see if it would somehow unlock the file locks (which seemed to be the issue here).

This is what worked for me from the working directory with the files (this command will write the "a" character into each file as a new file, so all previous data will be lost - make sure you are in the proper working directory!!):

echo "a" > *


The files were then unlocked and I could do my usual rm * and it was done. Hope this helps someone else out there!

FREE PC GAME: UFO - Aftermath

Grab this beauty from Green Man Gaming!

http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/za/en/pc/games/strategy/ufo-aftermath/

Ends in 3 hours' time!

FREEBIE: Hacker Evolution for PC

Keen on another free game? Go to Green Man Gaming and grab Hacker Evolution while it's still available at 100% discount!

http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/za/en/pc/games/simulation/hacker-evolution/

Chrome Remote Desktop BETA

Many people I know use remote support tools like Teamviewer to get their remote support tasks done quickly and with very little hassle. I have used Teamviewer before and I am very impressed with what it can do - the only problem is, if you have a conscience worth its salt, you won't use Teamviewer FREE for commercial use (as the usage terms forbid it). It's great to help grandma in Alaska get her printer working again but if you want to charge someone for support, you can't do it with Teamviewer FREE.

The "fairly recent" addition of Google Chrome to my PC arsenal has grown into a blossoming relationship as I find myself taking advantage of the Google Sync functionality (largely because Google decided 'not to be evil' and remove support for Firefox and not even release the Google Sync code as open source either). One of the latest add-on's that I've included in my Google Chrome toolbox is a little BETA application called "Chrome Remote Desktop BETA". This app functions almost identically to Teamviewer and best of all, it's absolutely FREE.

Since more users are slowly migrating to Chrome (and in my case, I recommend all my clients to use Chrome because of its wonderful integration with Google), Chrome Remote Desktop BETA is a must-have support tool.

MSExchangeIS service not starting in Exchange 2010 on VM

Recently we had to reboot an Exchange 2010 box to remove an agent and upon restart the MSExchangeIS service refused to start. The error message spat out in the Application Windows Log was -

Unable to initialize the Information Store service because  the clocks on the client and server are skewed.   This may be caused by a time change either in the client or the server,  and may require a reboot of that computer.   Verify that your domain is properly configured and  is currently online. 


The first thing I tried was a command line "net time \\dc-name.domain /set" to resync the times but this didn't make a difference, even though it did a resync.

After some more digging I came across this site that suggested the problem of time synchronisation is not with the VM itself but rather with the VMware host. To set up time sync in VMware it's these simple steps:

• Select the VMware host
• Configuration
• Under Software select Time Configuration
• Click on Properties (top right)
• Do the necessary
• Done!

Once we had synchronised the VMware host with the DC time everything worked again and the MSExchangeIS service would start.

Joy in the land.

FREEBIES: Worlds of Ultima

GOG.com is giving you the opportunity to be the happy owner of the Worlds of Ultima games: Savage Empire and Martian Dreams.

Just head on over to gog.com and claim your freebies!

Mymemory.com 60% off vouchers special ends midnight

If you're keen on high-quality photobooks with free international delivery then head over to mymemory.com before midnight tonight (UK time) and get yourself some vouchers at 60% off - these vouchers can be redeemed at a later stage and at this price you will be securing a phenomenal bargain.

I've used Mymemory.com several times before and their service and quality are both great!

60% off vouchers is a bargain because you are under no time pressure (or at least, a lot less time pressure) and you can give them away as gifts if needs be!

Go on! Do it! Do it now!

PS - first time buyers will also get a 5GBP discount on their first order

Free online backup service ZOVO is FREE

... for one year, in celebration of the HRH The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

What is Zovo? Zovo is an online unlimited backup facility - here's what they have to say:

Safely backup your files online

zovo safely and securely backs up all of your files online, from multiple computers. It works automatically in the background so that you don't worry about losing your precious files. You can restore files, even deleted ones, quickly and easily. It's totally secure, easy to use, and quick to setup. Best of all, you get truly unlimited storage space, so that you can back up all of your computers. No more excuses for not being "backed up".

Added features include streaming from your backed up data to your iPad or iPhone:

Stream your music & movies to your iPhone or iPad

zovo will change the way you use your iPhone & iPad. Using our free app and you can instantly stream all of the music and videos that you have backed up. You can also access your documents, presentations and photos too. Any data you have backed up is now instantly available to you, from anywhere.

What have you got to lose?

Sign up here for your free year: http://zovo.co/jubi/?lrRef=L0ALV