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Kerrie Meyler

Is SOPA really that bad?

Uproar about concerns regarding censorship and lack of due process not justified
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Mon, 01/30/12 - 1:24am.

Friday, January 27, Mark Gibbs published an article discussing "the real reasons why SOPA and PIPA are real bad" (http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2012/012712-backspin.html).

Mark points out what he sees as two major issues:

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This week in System Center 2012

Release Candidate availability sparks coverage and events
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Thu, 01/19/12 - 1:27pm.

As you may have heard by now, Microsoft released the release candidate of System Center 2012 on Tuesday, announced during their "Transforming IT with Microsoft Private Cloud Virtual Event" on Tuesday. Just two days later, I see at least 112 news articles related to System Center 2012!

Here's a smattering of those articles:

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System Center 2012

Release Candidate availability announced
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 01/17/12 - 1:23pm.

Today Microsoft announced availability of the release candidate for System Center 2012. While there previously has been a System Center "suite," with this version, Microsoft is getting serious about making the suite the product, and the individual products are now components. Microsoft is focusing on the entire application.

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Microsoft System Center Evolution

From disparate products, Microsoft moves toward a unified suite
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 12/27/11 - 8:13am.

System Center was first introduced as a concept in 2003, consisting of MOM and SMS, with an envisioned reporting product unifying information between the two. Since then System Center has gone through several product releases, but the components have been released on their own timelines using the System Center name as a moniker but not as a unified product. As System Center has grown, its products have largely operated independently, with only a few minor connections between the products. 

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Microsoft's $99 hour PC support service

Answer Desk to provide desktop support
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 12/13/11 - 10:54pm.

Microsoft's Answer Desk debuted Dec. 7, touted as a premium service to give you the most convenient, friendly, and easy way to get the most out of your PC (per a TechNet blog article by Blake Morrison Dec. 9 that was pulled shortly it was posted). However, http://www.answerdesk.com/ is live, including a complimentary consult to get you started. Service is oriented towards removing malware, helping with performance problems, or solving problems with Windows or Office.

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A blast from the past - Microsoft accused of monopolistic practices

Bill Gates testifies that Microsoft Word beat WordPerfect fair and square
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 11/22/11 - 10:49pm.

On November 21, Bill Gates testified in a lawsuit charging Microsoft of monopolistic behavior against WordPerfect. Microsoft is accused of altering Windows 95 to make it more difficult for WordPerfect to produce a product that functioned well under the operating system.

A simple Google search already shows over a thousand news stories covering the testimony.

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Copying Software

Intellectual property theft harms authors
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Sat, 11/19/11 - 5:20pm.

A study commissioned by Microsoft found pirated software saves its users in developing countries more than $2.9 billion annually. In other words, pirated software is costing Microsoft more than $2.9 billion per year in sales. This includes Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific. In fact, 90% of Microsoft users in China (sometimes referred to as a "one-disk" country) use pirated software (http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/111711-pirated-software-253255.html).

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The Value of IT Certifications

Technical certifications don't beat experience
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Sun, 11/06/11 - 6:50pm.

The original concept of a certification was an official acknowledgement that the individual was a master in that field. I remember when I certified as a Microsoft Certified System Engineer – being a MCSE was the Holy Grail, I thought. Of course, there no longer is a MCSE certification. Around the same time, I earned my masters degree. A technical colleague congratulated me, saying getting a masters degree is for a lifetime, but a technical certification was not.

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Introducing the System Center 2012 lineup

Recent beta releases of System Center 2012 Service Manager and App Controller round out the System Center 2012 product line
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Sat, 10/29/11 - 11:46am.

Initially envisioned in 2003 as an umbrella over Microsoft Operations Manager and Systems Management Server with consolidated reporting, System Center has grown through several waves of staggered releases. Now with the 2012 version, including eight components and a tweak to the name, here's what we see at the end of October:

Naming changes:

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Microsoft announces availability of Intune 2

Newest version of Microsoft's cloud-based PC management service now available
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 10/18/11 - 7:57pm.

Just this spring, Microsoft shipped the first version of Intune. Now version 2 is available.

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The Service Manager 2010 Data Warehouse

Design of Service Manager 2010 data warehouse differs from Operations Manager 2007 architecture
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Mon, 09/26/11 - 10:10am.

In Service Manager 2010, the data warehouse is implemented a bit differently than in Operations Manager 2007. Let's take a look at some of the differences and potential implications.

Service Manager 2010 uses the data warehouse for long-term storage of data, such as incidents. This makes it the data source for reports, since old data is groomed from the Service Manager database on a recurring interval - helping to maintain performance and keep the database at a manageable size.

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Service Manager Management Packs

Service Manager 2010 utilizes System Center Common Technology Platform and enhances the management pack schema
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Sun, 09/18/11 - 10:18am.

What are management packs? They are collections of logic used to tell System Center components such as Service Manager and Operations Manager what to do. They are the brain used by these products and serve two primary purposes:

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Announcing System Center 2012 Operations Manager Unleashed

Next Operations Manager Unleashed book to be coauthored by Meyler, Fuller, and Joyner
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Thu, 09/15/11 - 2:07am.

Its official, an Unleashed book on the next version of Operations Manager is being born!

Updating the information in System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed and the System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Unleashed supplement, work will begin this fall on a new Unleashed book covering the newest version of Operations Manager.

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System Center Service Manager 2010: Why Should We Care?

Service Manager rounds out and integrates Microsoft's System Center Suite
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Fri, 09/09/11 - 10:59am.

Definitely the longest System Center product in the making, Microsoft announced availability of Service Manager 2010 in April 2010. The product first went into early testing in 2006 with a code name of "Service Desk," with release planned the second half of 2008.  Testing revealed performance and scalability problems and that initial version of the product was ultimately scrapped and totally rewritten.

The current version thus is a "V1" product. Since its release, it has had a service pack, and a "v.next" release is planned as part of the System Center 2012 wave.

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The Service Manager Sizing Helper Tool

Microsoft provides a tool to help you in sizing your System Center Service Manager deployment
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Mon, 09/05/11 - 6:27pm.

Provided as a downloadable utility, the Service Manager Sizing Helper tool can help to establish the number of Server Manager servers you need and assist with sizing your databases. Here are some of the things the tool can do:

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Making Magic in the Cloud with Opalis - Book giveaways for System Center Opalis 6.3 Unleashed

With the Network World promo ending, here's a chance to get a book copy if you didn't win the contest
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Thu, 09/01/11 - 11:03am.

During the month of August, Network World ran a contest to give away copies of System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed. If you didn't win a book in the contest, you may be interested in the System Center Central promotion. See http://www.systemcentercentral.com/BlogDetails/tabid/143/IndexID/88908/Default.aspx. Five copies of the book will be given away on Friday!

How the power of Opalis delivers the magic of the Cloud

System Center meets cloud computing using Opalis
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 08/30/11 - 4:15pm.

Thank you to Pete Zerger for your work on this posting. Pete is a System Center MVP and contributor to System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed. If you've been through the Seattle airport, you've probably seen the collection of Microsoft banners hanging from the rafters, bearing clever marketing phases, including:

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System Center Orchestrator 2012 - what's changing?

OIS 6.3 is repackaged and given a facelift but remains fundamentally the same.
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Sat, 08/20/11 - 2:23am.

By Kerrie Meyler and Pete Zerger.  Now that System Center Orchestrator 2012 is available in beta, you may be wondering if it is worthwhile to continue creating policies with Opalis Integration Server (OIS) 6.3. Will you have to rewrite all your OIS policies for the next release?

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Opalis Runbook Automation Fundamentals (Part 3)

Last post in 3-part series discusses bridging gaps and extending capabilities
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Sat, 08/13/11 - 8:48am.

Thank you to Pete Zerger for contributing and collaborating on this posting. Pete is a System Center MVP and contributor to System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed. The final installment of this three part series delves into other Opalis / Orchestrator functionality, discussing these policy authoring topics:

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Opalis Runbook Automation Fundamentals (Part 2)

Part 2 of series discusses advanced OIS policy features and functions
Submitted by Kerrie Meyler on Tue, 08/09/11 - 2:09am.

Thank you to Pete Zerger for contributing and collaborating on this posting. Pete is a System Center MVP and contributor to System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed. This second installment in a three part series goes go a bit deeper into Opalis / Orchestrator functionality with a discussion of more advanced policy authoring topics:

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About Managing Microsoft

Kerrie Meyler, MVP, MCSE, MCTS, MCT, is an independent consultant and trainer with over fifteen years of experience in IT. While at Microsoft in Field Technical Sales for four years she focused on infrastructure and mangement, presenting at numerous product launches. Kerrie has presented Operations Manager 2007 at TechEd 2007, MMS 2009, MMS 2011, and internal Microsoft conferences, receiving company recognition and awards including a SPAR MGS award. Kerrie worked with Microsoft Learning to develop functional specifications for the original Operations Manager Microsoft courseware, 2550: Implementing Microsoft Operations Manager 2000 and did the beta teach for that course.She also participated in development for several System Center certification exams.

Kerrie is the lead author of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed, System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 Unleashed, System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Unleashed, System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed and System Center Service Manager 2010 Unleashed.

Check out an excerpt from System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed, Chapter 3: Looking Inside OpsMgr.

You can also check out an excerpt from System Center Configuration (SCCM) Manager 2007 Unleashed, Chapter 3: Looking Inside ConfigMgr.

Read a sample chapter of System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Unleashed at Chapter 1: Introduction and What's New.

You can also read a sample chapter of System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed at Chapter 1: Introducing Opalis Integration Server 6.3 and System Center Service Manager 2010 Unleashed at Chapter 1:Service Management Basics.

System Center Service Manager 2010 Unleashed was selected as the September, 2011 book giveaway for Microsoft Subnet.

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