XP SP3 and VIsta SP1 Available [Again]

Latest news is that XP SP3 and Vista SP1 are available again via Windows Update. It appears that the news a few days ago was a little premature :)

I can't speak to XP SP3, but Vista SP1 has been working well for me for over a month.

Tech Unemployment OVER AND DONE!!!

This maybe a little premature but it looks like I can finally close out the tech unemployment series. I can't believe it. I'm just waiting for final paperwork!!

It appears that the large company interview that I spoke out is going to work out. I won't mention the exact name, but needless to say it is a large software company :)

Now back to technology posts - I can't wait to start writing about tech again.

Tech Unemployment Day 7

Ah.. Day 7. Well I had a pretty intense interview with the large company gig I am trying to land. I think the interview went well, but you never know. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If this falls through its back to the drawing board I guess. I have one other interview next week as a backup. I just need to work on the backup for the backup :)

I hope that I can start blogging about tech again soon. This job search series is starting to sound quite boring. Hang in there!

Tech Unemployment Day 6

Well it's day 6 and I'm getting this entry done with about 45 minutes to spare. The good news is that the face-to-face interview is on for tomorrow. The bad news is that I'm trying to refresh the last ten years of troubleshooting and optimization best practices by tomorrow afternoon. With that being said, I hope to be able to stop writing this series by next Monday or Tuesday. Won't that be a relief :)

Tech Unemployment Day 5

Well its Day 5. Despite the fact that this is another day without income - things are looking up. The Tech interview with the large company has turned into a face-to-face interview scheduled to happen in the next few days. Also, there may be a 1 month extension to my last contract in the works. What a difference a day can make. I'll try not to let my self feel to good - since nothing is for certain until an offer letter is signed :)

Tech Unemployment Day 4

Day 4 is here much to my chagrin. I have about two alternatives in the works, but I'm still holding tight to here from the large company I interviewed with Friday. I'm starting to second guess how well I did during this interview. I believed that I showed that I was technically sound, but I did miss some of the more product specific questions. The wait is really starting to make me nervous. Oh well, I'm just waiting to hear - I'm continuing to train via webcasts and reading while I'm waiting around.
I have taken some of my new found free time to update this blog. Perhaps some day I will be able to get some beer money out of the ads :)

Tech Unemployment Weekend 1

I was considering whether or not to count the weekend days in the overall Tech Unemployment series that I have not enjoyed writing. Instead I will just have the Weekend Edition :)

I still managed to have fun and hang out with family this weekend. The whole time I couldn't manage to shake the feeling that I really need to start working soon. I think that I should still be able to relax a little, but the realities of not having a paycheck keep popping into my mind every few minutes.

Here's hoping that I hear back from some companies tomorrow. I have a few other interviews as well next week. I hope that I will not have to write too many more weekend editions.

Tech Unemployment Day 3

Well its day 3 of unemployment. Are you sick of reading this series? Well I'm concerned that I have to keep writing them.

I had a Technical Interview with the large company that I have previously mentioned. I think that it went fairly well, but there were some detailed questions that I struggled on. I know that sometimes how these questions are answered is more important than the answers themselves, this may be true for assessing personality; I find this somewhat hard to believe in a technical interview.

So now it is time to play the waiting game. It is definitely a emotional whirlwind.

Here's hoping that blogging may have some rewards :)

Tech Unemployment Day 2

Only day 2 of unemployment? Somehow it feels like a week already. Some people would say that you should enjoy your time off, but I'm having a hard time embracing the uncertainty. Of course income is the biggest concern (or the lack there off actually). Realistically I know that we could extend our credit further, yet the prospect of owing more is rather frightening.

On the brighter side - prospects are looking up. I have had a couple of calls and a second technical interview with the large corporation that I mentioned in Day 1. Back to the books, I'm trying to review the last year of technology in 24 hours! :)

Tech Unemployment Day 1

As a contractor I always have feared that this day would come. It is the first day of unemployment between jobs. As someone who has gone to work everyday for over 10 years; I must tell you that it is a strange feeling.

I have 2 or 3 days of vacation hours left so at least I'm covered for the next few days. As far as savings go there is a few emergency plans but not much in cash reserves. On the brighter side, I have started interviewing with a large company. I do feel pretty good about the prospect of landing the job, but I'm sure that the technical portions of the interview will be really tough.

I really hope that you won't have to read too many installments Tech Unemployment Day X

In the mean time I will have a large honey-do list and a very large list of tech reading and training to keep me busy until I find a full-time job.

The Stress Of Looking For Work

Rather than bore my family with what is going on I am taking the Doogie Howser approach to my situation. Having worked in IT for about ten years I find myself for the first time without work in a few days. Previously I have always had another full time job lined up, but this time I have interview lined up but nothing solid yet. I am fairly certain that I can find something in the DC metro area since it is somewhat isolated from the economy, yet the prospect of having no work is frightening.

I am aware that people are supposed to have 3 months of savings just in case of emergencies, avast we do not. There are always opportunities to take out a loan, HA! that's just what we need more monthly payments :)

Well, thanks for enjoying my rant. If you have any advice let me know in the comments. Wish me luck. In the mean time I am trying to keep up my postings in the hope that some day this blog may be able to supplement my income :) (Dreaming Big)

Exchange 2007 Confirguration Tips

Recommended 1 DB per storage group - more on the reasons why to come

You can only have 1 Public folder database per server

Public Folders Not Used for System Data (still has system data with outlook 2003 clients)

No more stm files!! - more on this soon

log files 1 MB instead of 5 MB

Database page size changed from 4k (E2k3) to 8k

Public folders are still supported but no improvements are going to be made

Can not turn on Public Folder replication via GUI

Windows Server Core Installation Essentials

netsh - networking shell
netdom -renamecomputer
shutdown /r /t 0
set address
slmgr -rearm

Exchange 2007 Overview of Server Roles

Mailbox - Houses Exchange Server Mailbox and/or Public Folder Databases
Client Access - Proxy access for OWA, ActiveSync, POP, IMAP, Web Services, and Web Parts
Unified Messaging - Fax and Voicemail services
Hub Transport - Routing messages, Every AD site with mailbox server requires at least 1 CAS and Hub Transport Server
Edge Transport - Messaging hygiene - Can Not be combined with any other roles

Exchange 2007 Transport and Routing

Important difference between Exchange 203 and 2007 is that the latter no longer builds upon the SMTP service provided by IIS. This brings more control back into the hands of Exchange Admins, Especially useful if the Windows Admins and Exchange Admins are in different groups.

Hotmail Outage

There are some reports of Hotmail being down in the NE United States. From Virginia status looks good. Leave a comment on whether you have access.

BlackBerry Outage 2008

Reminiscent of last April, RIM is having unspecified issues in the Americas. According to Reuters, AT&T has been notified of a large scale outage that they believe is on RIM's network. Article - Reuters

Vista Service Pack 1

The arrival of the first Service Pack for Vista should usher in a new crop of business users. Many in the technology field have adopted the "wait until the first SP" mentality when it comes to deploying MS products within their organization. Though I have not installed the RTM version yet some of the claimed improvements are performance increases and improved application compatibility. Check out the Vista SP1 Overview from Microsoft
As a Vista laptop user I am looking forward improvements in battery life and a quicker hibernate/resume cycle.