News

Premier

OpsVault – Operate and Optimize IT
http://www.opsvault.com/

Microsoft Premier Support UK – Site Home – TechNet Blogs
http://blogs.technet.com/b/mspremuk/

Antigen & Forefront

ForeFront Team Blog http://blogs.technet.com/forefront

ForeFront Server Security Support Blog http://blogs.technet.com/fssnerds

Exchange

Exchange Team Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/

MCS UK Unified Communications Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs http://blogs.technet.com/b/msukucc

Microsoft Online Services Team Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs http://blogs.technet.com/b/msonline/

1. Exchange Server 2010 Monitoring Management Pack re-released http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/06/exchange-server-2010-monitoring-management-pack-re-released.aspx
2. Office 365 – Password Expiration Notifications in Outlook http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/11/office-365-password-expiration-notifications-in-outlook.aspx   RBAC: Walkthrough of creating a role that can wipe ActiveSync Devices http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/12/rbac-walkthrough-of-creating-a-role-that-can-wipe-activesync-devices.aspx
3. Windows Server 2012 and Exchange http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/14/windows-server-2012-and-exchange.aspx
4. Exchange Online Protection: A Premium Protection and Policy Service for Email http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/18/exchange-online-protection-a-premium-protection-and-policy-service-for-email.aspx
5. Comparing Exchange Online and Exchange Server 2013 http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/19/comparing-exchange-online-and-exchange-server-2013.aspx
6. The Cloud On Your Terms (PART I): Deploying Hybrid http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/20/the-cloud-on-your-terms-part-i-deploying-hybrid.aspx
7. The Cloud On Your Terms (PART II): Managing Hybrid http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/20/the-cloud-on-your-terms-part-ii-managing-hybrid.aspx
8. Lessons from the Datacenter: Managed Availability http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/21/lessons-from-the-datacenter-managed-availability.aspx
9. In-Place Archiving http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/25/in-place-archiving.aspx
10. Announcing Exchange 2010 Service Pack 3 http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/25/announcing-exchange-2010-service-pack-3.aspx
11. In-Place eDiscovery and In-Place Hold in the New Exchange – Part I http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/26/in-place-e-discovery-and-in-place-hold-in-the-new-exchange.aspx
12. Keeping Your Organization Safe with the New Exchange http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/27/keeping-your-organization-safe-with-the-new-exchange.aspx
13. Introducing Data Loss Prevention in the New Exchange http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/28/introducing-data-loss-prevention-in-the-new-exchange.aspx
14. In-Place eDiscovery and In-Place Hold in the New Exchange – Part II http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/09/28/in-place-ediscovery-and-in-place-hold-in-the-new-exchange-part-ii.aspx

Hosted Messaging Collaboration

None

Lync, Office Communication Server & LiveMeeting

NextHop – Site Home – TechNet Blogs http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/

DrRez: Microsoft Lync Server Technical Reference Hub – Site Home – TechNet Blogs http://blogs.technet.com/b/drrez/

1. Lync Server 2013 Preview: Recovering Response Groups During Disaster Recovery http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/04/lync-server-2013-preview-recovering-response-groups-during-disaster-recovery.aspx
2. Lync Server 2013 Preview and Windows PowerShell: The Cure for the Post-Olympic Blues http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/05/lync-server-2013-preview-and-windows-powershell-the-cure-for-the-post-olympic-blues.aspx
3. Update: Lync Server 2010 Remote Connectivity Analyzer http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/06/office-communications-server-remote-connectivity-analyzer.aspx
4. How to Automate the New Account Creation Process http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/10/how-to-automate-your-new-account-creation-process.aspx
5. Lync Server 2010 Response Group Service Commander http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/12/lync-response-group-service-commander.aspx
6. Lync and Learn: Lync To Phone, Overview and Setup http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/13/lync-and-learn-lync-to-phone-overview-and-setup.aspx
7. Lync Server 2010 Geographically Dispersed Edge Topology: Part 2 http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/17/lync-server-2010-geographically-dispersed-edge-topology-part-2.aspx
8. Lync Online: Office 365 for SMB Jump Start – Administering Lync Online http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/18/lync-online-office-365-for-smb-jump-start-administering-lync-online.aspx
9. Lync Server 2010 External User Access Security Overview http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/19/lync-server-2010-external-user-access-security-overview.aspx
10. Update: Configuring Lync Client Access Capabilities to Meet Client Access License Requirements http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/20/configuring-lync-client-access-capabilities-to-meet-client-access-license-requirements.aspx
11. Update: Microsoft Lync 2013 Preview in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/21/microsoft-lync-2013-preview-in-a-virtual-desktop-infrastructure.aspx
12. Lync Server 2010 Response Group Application Frequently Asked Questions http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/24/lync-server-2010-response-group-application-frequently-asked-questions.aspx
13. LyncMD: Lync Users Do Not Hear Ringback Tone for Outbound Calls Through PSTN Gateway http://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2012/09/27/lync-users-do-not-hear-ringback-tone-for-outbound-calls-through-pstn-gateway.aspx

Outlook

Outlook Blog http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-outlook/

Other

The Master Blog – Site Home – TechNet Blogs http://blogs.technet.com/b/themasterblog/

Downloads

Antigen & Forefront

None

Exchange

None

Office 365

1. Lync-to-phone Setup Checklist
   If your version of Office 365 includes Lync-to-phone (Lync Plan 3), you can set up an account with a Lync-to-phone service provider so users can make calls to, or receive calls from, any phone number. With Exchange Plan 2 and Unified Messaging, users can access voice mail directly from Outlook or Lync. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=30739
2. Information Protection and Control (IPC) in Office 365 Preview with Windows Azure AD Rights Management whitepaper
   http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=34768
3. Office Deployment Tool for Click-to-Run Preview
   The Office Deployment Tool allows the administrator to customize and manage Office 2013 Click-to-Run deployments. This tool will help adminstrators to manage installations sources, product/language combinations, and deployment configuration options for Office Click-to-Run. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=30344
4. Microsoft Office 2013 Preview AppV packages
   Virtualized Office 2013 Preview packages for AppV 5.0 Beta deployments http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=30423
5. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway Hotfix KB 2742290
   This download includes all available updates for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=12722

Lync, Office Communication Server & LiveMeeting

1. VHD Test Drive – Lync Server 2010 (Eval) – Part 2 of 2
   This download comes as a pre-configured set of VHD’s. This download enables you to fully evaluate Microsoft Lync Server 2010. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=34602
2. OCS 2007 R2 Group Chat Client
   This download includes all available updates for OCS 2007 R2 Group Chat Client. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=30406
3. OCS 2007 R2 Group Chat Server
   This download includes all available updates for OCS 2007 R2 Group Chat Server http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=30404
4. VHD Test Drive – Lync Server 2010 (Eval) – Part 1 of 2
   This download comes as a pre-configured set of VHD’s. This download enables you to fully evaluate Microsoft Lync Server 2010. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=26217
5. Delegation for IP Phones White Paper
   This document discusses extension of the Boss/Admin features to IP phones. The boss-delegate is a collection of features designed by the Microsoft Lync team which optimize the boss and delegate Lync roles in IP phones with Lync Server. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=34593
6. OCS 2007 R2 Group Chat Admin Tool
   This download includes all available updates for OCS 2007 R2 Group Chat Admin Tool. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=30405
7. Audiocodes SmartTap Partner Solution Brief
   A brief describing Audiocodes SmartTap, a call recording solution for Lync. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=34689
8. Microsoft Lync 2010 Phone Edition for Polycom CX700 and LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540 – February 2012 Cumulative Update
   Microsoft® Lync™ 2010 Phone Edition for Polycom® CX700 and LG-Nortel IP Phone 8540 is the next generation of software designed for the phones from Polycom and LG-Nortel to interoperate with Microsoft® Lync™ Server 2010. Lync Phone Edition provides traditional and advanced telephony features, integrated security, manageability and much more. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=34701
9. Microsoft Lync 2013 (Preview) VDI Plugin
   Microsoft Lync 2013 (Preview) VDI plug-in enables you to experience local like audio and video in peer-to-peer calls and conference calls when using Microsoft Lync 2013 (Preview) in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Environment. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=34694
10. Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee – User Level Install
    Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee is a conferencing client that allows users without Microsoft Lync 2010 installed, to participate in online meetings. If you are not an administrator on the computer but an administrator has allowed you to perform installations, you can install this application. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=15755
11. Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee – Admin Level Install
    Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee is a conferencing client that allows users without Microsoft Lync 2010 installed, to participate in online meetings. A user with an administrator account on the computer can install Lync 2010 Attendee so that users of the computer can join Microsoft Lync Server 2010-hosted meetings. http://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=23396

Outlook

None

Other

None

Downloads

None

Events/Webcasts

1. Effective Conferencing with Microsoft Lync: Transitioning from Office Live Meeting
   Event ID: 1032530396
   Language(s):  English.
   An introduction to Microsoft Lync for users making the move from Office Live Meeting.
   Starts: Wednesday, October 03, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530396
2. Best Practices for Microsoft Lync Conferencing
   Event ID: 1032530402
   Language(s):  English.
   Learn best practices for managing Online Meetings using Microsoft Lync. From scheduled conferences to instant application sharing, discover how easy it is to collaborate successfully!
   Starts: Wednesday, October 03, 2012 11:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530402
3. Introducing Microsoft Lync
   Event ID: 1032530410
   Language(s):  English.
   Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
   Starts: Thursday, October 04, 2012 7:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530410
4. Introducing Microsoft Lync
   Event ID: 1032530411
   Language(s):  English.
   Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
   Starts: Thursday, October 04, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530411
5. Effective Conferencing with Microsoft Lync: Transitioning from Office Live Meeting
   Event ID: 1032530397
   Language(s):  English.  An introduction to Microsoft Lync for users making the move from Office Live Meeting.
   Starts: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration:1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530397
6. Best Practices for Microsoft Lync Conferencing
   Event ID: 1032530403
   Language(s):  English.
   Learn best practices for managing Online Meetings using Microsoft Lync. From scheduled conferences to instant application sharing, discover how easy it is to collaborate successfully!
   Starts: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 11:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530403
7. Introducing Microsoft Lync
   Event ID: 1032530412
   Language(s):  English.
   Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
   Starts: Thursday, October 11, 2012 7:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530412
8. Introducing Microsoft Lync
   Event ID: 1032530413
   Language(s):  English.
   Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
   Starts: Thursday, October 11, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530413
9. Effective Conferencing with Microsoft Lync: Transitioning from Office Live Meeting
   Event ID: 1032530398
   Language(s):  English.
   An introduction to Microsoft Lync for users making the move from Office Live Meeting.
   Starts: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530398
10. Best Practices for Microsoft Lync Conferencing
    Event ID: 1032530404
    Language(s):  English.
    Learn best practices for managing Online Meetings using Microsoft Lync. From scheduled conferences to instant application sharing, discover how easy it is to collaborate successfully!
    Starts: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 11:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530404
11. Introducing Microsoft Lync
    Event ID: 1032530414
    Language(s):  English.
    Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
    Starts: Thursday, October 18, 2012 7:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530414
12. Introducing Microsoft Lync
    Event ID: 1032530415
    Language(s):  English.
    Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
    Starts: Thursday, October 18, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530415
13. Effective Conferencing with Microsoft Lync: Transitioning from Office Live
    Meeting Event ID: 1032530399
    Language(s):  English.
    An introduction to Microsoft Lync for users making the move from Office Live Meeting.
    Starts: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530399
14. Best Practices for Microsoft Lync Conferencing
    Event ID: 1032530405
    Language(s):  English.
    Learn best practices for managing Online Meetings using Microsoft Lync. From scheduled conferences to instant application sharing, discover how easy it is to collaborate successfully!
    Starts: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 11:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530405
15. Introducing Microsoft Lync
    Event ID: 1032530416
    Language(s):  English.
    Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
    Starts: Thursday, October 25, 2012 7:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530416
16. Introducing Microsoft Lync
    Event ID: 1032530417
    Language(s):  English.
    Welcome to Microsoft Lync! Learn how Lync integrates instant messaging, audio and video calling, and online meeting functionality into one easy-to-use unified platform that will contribute to greater collaboration and more effective communication.
    Starts: Thursday, October 25, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530417
17. Effective Conferencing with Microsoft Lync: Transitioning from Office Live Meeting
    Event ID: 1032530400
    Language(s):  English.
    An introduction to Microsoft Lync for users making the move from Office Live Meeting.
    Starts: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 9:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530400
18. Best Practices for Microsoft Lync Conferencing
    Event ID: 1032530406
    Language(s):  English.
    Learn best practices for managing Online Meetings using Microsoft Lync. From scheduled conferences to instant application sharing, discover how easy it is to collaborate successfully!
    Starts: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 11:00 AM Time zone: (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour(s) https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032530406

New KBs

Exchange

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Coexistence:

1. The e-mail address could not be resolved to an ExchangePrincipal error when a user tries to view free/busy information in Outlook http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2697150
2. 404 – File or directory not found error message when you log off Outlook Web Access in Exchange Server 2003 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2748254

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Enterprise:

1. The delegates page is not available. Cannot access Outlook folder error message when you try to configure a delegate by using Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010 in an Exchange Server 2010 environment http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2753709

Outlook

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

1. Description of the Outlook 2007 Junk Email Filter update: September 11 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2687407
2. Delivering POP mail to an Exchange account may result in duplicate email messages http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2752393
3. Description of the Office updates: September 11 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2755588

Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition

1. HOW TO: Specify Exchange Server Settings for Outlook 2002 User Profiles in the Custom Installation Wizard in Office XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308997

Microsoft Outlook 2010

1. Outlook 2010 MailTip states that you don’t have permission to send to a restricted distribution group http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2755743
2. Outlook continues to prompt for credentials after your domain password changes http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2762344

I’m sure you’ve had this happen. You’re sitting at your desk, deep in thought on a serious issue, and someone walks into your area and just starts talking. You don’t want to be rude and ignore them, and you really need to restrain from your desire to strangle them for causing that great troubleshooting thought to leave you head. If only they could see your Lync presence and know that you’re in Do Not Disturb. Well, now they can!

Introducing the BusyLight for Microsoft Lync from Kuando. This slick little device has a multicolored light on the top, and indicates your Lync presence using one of four colors. It does this via a USB connection and a simple little application that runs in the system tray. Available? The unit glows green. Do Not Disturb? Deep red should keep people away. And, of course, the normal green for available and yellow for away.

Also built into the unit is a call alert feature that blinks blue to indicate an incoming Lync call, and a small speaker with customizable ring tones.

The unit is adjustable for angle and can be attached to a wall or cabinet with the included Velcro fastener.

I’ve had mine for several months now, and everyone in my house knows that while my home office door may be open, all hail the BusyLight before interrupting. I’ve taken it to client sites, too. In my current cube farm, my cube is a considerable distance from my team mates. So I placed it on top of my cube partition, and they can see it before making their way towards my cube.

The unit works great, but there is a little issue that it causes. The “what’s that?” issue. People who come up to my cube, point at it, and wonder what it does. So I take my time to explain what it is and what’s it purpose is. I even made a little sign with a little blurb about the device, complete with color coded indicators.

This is a neat little unit that has really helped me stay focused and uninterrupted. The only problem I’ve had with the unit is that over distance, the colors can be a bit washed out. The red for busy and the deep red for Do Not Disturb are a little too close together. And the “available” green fades a little towards the yellow of “away”. The only other suggestion I’d make is that the USB cord be a little longer. But that’s just my personal preference.

The BusyLight works with Windows XP SP3, Vista, and 7. A Windows 8 driver will be available soon. It is available from many resellers for about $49.00 USD.

Signs a PowerShell script with a code signing certificate.

Syntax

New-SignedScript [[-path] ] [-Verbose] [-Debug] [-ErrorAction ] [-WarningAction ] [-ErrorVariable ] [-WarningVariable ] [-OutVariable ] [-OutBuffer ] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm]

Detailed Description

One of the concerns about using a PowerShell script is that it often requires the user to change the Execution Policy on the machine the script is running on. This can cause security concerns, because when the Execution Policy is lowered, any script can run, including those with malicious intent. For more information on setting the Execution Policy, see Set-ExecutionPolicy.

Of course, you need a code signing certificate in order to sign scripts. Fellow Exchange MVP Mike Pfeiffer wrote an informative article, Obtaining a Code Signing Certificate and Signing PowerShell Scripts that covers using an internal Certificate Authority. Third party Certificate Authorities (CAs) such as Digicert also provide code signing certificates. I can’t recommend Digicert enough. I have both a standard code signing certificate and an Extended Validation code signing certificate.

But signing scripts manually can be a little cumbersome. This function gets the current code signing certificate, verifies it’s not expired, and then signs the script. The script will only sign .ps1 files, and will not attempt to sign a script that’s already signed.

Example

New-SignedScript -path [path to script]

such as

New-SignedScript -path .\myscript.ps1

You can also pipeline files to this function, for example:

Get-Item *.ps1 | New-SignedScript

Installation

Nothing special here. Once you have a valid code signing certificate installed, the function should work as designed.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Download

v1.4 – 09-08-2017 – New-SignedScript.v1.4.zip

v1.3 – 09-18-2016 – New-SignedScript.v1.3.zip

v1.1 – 06-10-2014 – New-SignedScript.v1.1.zip

v1.0 – 09-20-2012 – New-SignedScript.v1.0.zip

Changelog

See changelog for info on latest versions, including bug fixes, code tweaks, etc.

Do you do a lot of travel and need to stay connected via Lync or Skype? The Jabra UC 250 MS headset is a nice addition to the traveling arsenal. The “MS” designation is for Microsoft Lync. It’s a simple mono over-the-ear design with an unobtrusive microphone and USB cable. The cable includes one of the better control units I’ve seen. Many control units have a basic mute switch that just cuts the audio to the computer. The UC 250 MS control unit has a button that mutes the Lync client. So, not only can you unmute from the control unit, but you can unmute from the client as well. Very nice, as I’m sure most people who use the typical mute option on a headset find themselves scrambling to unmute in a hurry. The mute button has a nice bright red LED to indicate the headset is muted. It also has your typical volume controls, and a handy on/off hook button. The device is supported by the Jabra  PC Suite software. The UC 250 MS comes with a taco shaped zippered case for storage. It’s available online in the $40 range.

DSP Digital Signal Processing yields great sound in applications such as Lync or Skype. Recipients have reported that my voice was clear and accurate, and didn’t have that typical cheap headset sound. The cord is long enough for my use, but was a bit stiff for me. I didn’t need to use the PC Suite software, so I can’t comment on it here. One thing I did notice is it was a tad cumbersome to get it on my ear. But once it was on, it stayed in place, and the gel style insert was comfortable even for longer calls. My laptop quickly found the headset and had the drivers installed without issue. A simple selection change in Lync and I was off and running.

I’ve used the headset for many calls and can say it’s a great headset for its price point. Simple, inexpensive, and it works. It doesn’t hurt that it takes up hardly any room for storage. If you’re looking for something to toss in your backpack or use at your desk, check out the Jabra UC 250 Voice MS.

This is the changelog page for New-ExpiringCertificatesReminder.ps1. You will find a complete list of released versions, their dates, and the features and issues addressed in each. Please refer to the script’s main page for more information including download links, installation details, and more.

v1.3 – 02-13-2017

1. added parametersets to param block
2. code optimization
3. updated Remove-Variables to v1.1
4. updated domain name info and comment help block

v1.2 – 01-27-2014

1. -noprofile switch added to install routine
2. minor code tweaks per best practices

v1.0 – 09-11-2012

1. Initial version

Detailed Description

Sometimes we’re so deep in projects or putting out fires that some things just get forgotten, or we don’t get that far down the “to-do” list. Some of those things aren’t that big of a deal and don’t impact users. Other tasks can have drastic impact. Such as forgetting to renew your server certificates. It’s true that some services like the phenomenal DigiCert will remind-you-to-death about certs that are expiring. But not all services do that, or they do it once and are forgotten. Other certs, like internal certs, don’t generate a reminder – and some environments don’t allow, or aren’t configured to automatically renew internal certificates. So this lazy, forgetful guy decided to do something about that. A script was born.

This script monitors certificates in the Local Machine store on the local server, and sends a reminder when a cert is expiring soon, or has already expired. An example is shown below.

Installation

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

Download the script and ImageFiles.zip files from the DOWNLOAD section below. Copy the image files to a location available to all users who will receive the reminder email. I suggest a web server with public access. NOTE: These images are the SAME files and names as the ones for New-PasswordReminder.ps1, so you can use the same path if you use both scripts.

Open the script in a text editor and edit the variables in the param block to suit your needs. At a bare minimum, you need to adjust:

• $Company – this should be your company name
• $PSEmailServer – this is the email server the script will send the emails to
• $EmailFrom – this is the SMTP address that the emails will come FROM
• $EmailTo – set this to the SMTP address of the user/distribution group that should receive the reminder emails
• $HelpDeskPhone – if not empty, this appears in the email message
• $HelpDeskURL – if not empty, should be a URL to a web version of the email. If blank, the “If this email does not appear…” and “This email was sent by…” lines shown in the above example are not included.
• $ImagePath – where the images are stored. This should be publicly reachable for users checking email from mobile devices and web clients

optionally, adjust $threshold from the default 15 to indicate how many days in advance the script should start reminding about an expiring certificate.

Save the script.

If you don’t already have a Receive Connector in Exchange to allow PowerShell scripts to send email, create one using the information at Creating A Receive Connector To Use For Sending Email From PowerShell.

If you have certs that are already expired, or are expiring soon, you can manually run the script to test. To do that, open PowerShell and type

New-ExpiringCertificatesReminder.ps1

Once everything is done, you can run the script in Install mode:

New-ExpiringCertificatesReminder.ps1 -Install

and the script will prompt for the user password, then automatically create a scheduled task on the local server to run every day at 7:30am. You can open the Scheduled Tasks GUI and adjust parameters as needed, but I’ve found the defaults to be fine.

Repeat on any other servers you’d like to monitor.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Download

v1.3 – 02-13-2017 – New-ExpiringCertificatesReminder.v1.3.zip

v1.2 – 01-27-2014 – New-ExpiringCertificatesReminder.v1.2.zip

v1.0 – 09-14-2012 - New-ExpiringCertificatesReminder.v1.0.zip

ScriptImages.zip – these are the images specified in the emails

Changelog

See the changelog for information on what’s changed/included in each version.

Description

Some of my scripts, namely Get-CsConnections.ps1, require specific firewall rules be created in order to operate correctly. So I set out to automate as much as possible the creation of these rules. A function was born.

This little function can do pretty much everything the Windows Firewall wizard can do. You can specify local and remote ports, local and remote IP addresses, programs, services, direction Inbound or Outbound), TCP/UDP or Any, and more. I borrowed some of the info from the Windows Firewall chm file for the comment-based help file in the function. Just run

Get-Help New-FirewallRule

for detailed help.

I tried to think of (and test) common requirements for firewall rules, but if I’ve left something out, or something isn’t working as expected, feel free to leave a comment below.

Syntax

New-FirewallRule [[-name] ] [[-localPorts] ] [[-remotePorts] ] [[-localAddresses] ]
 [[-remoteAddresses] ] [[-program] ] [[-serviceName] ] [[-description] ] [-outbound] 
[-udp] [-block] [-readonly] [-any] [-domain] [-public] [-private] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm] []

Name This is the name of the firewall rule. As a best practice, give the firewall rule a unique name. If two rules have the same name, then you cannot easily manage them by using the netsh or PowerShell commands. Do not use the name “all” for a firewall rule because that is the name of a netsh command-line tool keyword.

LocalPorts If you are using the TCP or UDP protocol type, you can specify the local port by using one of the choices from the drop-down list or by specifying a port or a list of ports. The local port is the port on the computer on which the firewall profile is applied.

RemotePorts If you are using the TCP or UDP protocol type, you can specify the local port and remote port by using one of the choices from the drop-down list or by specifying a port or a list of ports. The remote port is the port on the computer that is attempting to communicate with the computer on which the firewall profile is applied.

LocalAddresses The local IP address is used by the local computer to determine if the rule applies. The rule applies only to network traffic that goes through a network adapter that is configured to use one of the specified local IP addresses.

RemoteAddresses Specify the remote IP addresses to which the rule applies. Network traffic matches the rule if the destination IP address is one of the addresses in the list.

Program Use this option to match network packets going to or from a specified program. If the program is not running, then no packets match the rule. Type the complete path to the program. You can include environment variables, where appropriate. When you add a program to the rule, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security dynamically opens (unblocks) and closes (blocks) the ports required by the program. When the program is running and listening for incoming traffic, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security opens the required ports; when the program is not running or is not listening for incoming traffic, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security closes the ports. Because of this dynamic behavior, adding programs to a rule is the recommended method for allowing unsolicited incoming traffic through Windows Firewall.

ServiceName Use this option to apply the rule only to services, not to other processes. Specify the short name of the service to which you want the rule to be applied.

Description This is a description of the rule. Use this to provide information about the rule, such as the rule owner, the rule requester, the purpose of the rule, a version number, or the date of creation.

Outbound Configures the rule as outbound. If not specified, the rule is created as inbound.

UDP Use this option to specify that the rule should filter UDP traffic. If not specified, and -Any is also not specified, the rule will filter TCP traffic. Cannot be used with -ANY.

Block Use this option to explicitly block any network packet that matches the firewall rule criteria. The block action takes precedence over the allow action, unless the Override block rules option is selected when the firewall rule is created.

ReadOnly If used, the rule will be created and attributes such as Program, Protocols, and Ports cannot be edited after creation. To change these settings, delete the rule and recreate it.

Any Use the option to filter traffic from any protocol. Cannot be used with -UDP.

Domain Applies when a computer is connected to a network that contains an Active Directory domain controller in which the computer’s domain account resides.

Private Applies when a computer is connected to a network in which the computer’s domain account does not reside, such as a home network. The private profile settings should be more restrictive than the domain profile settings. A network is assigned the private type by a local administrator.

Public Applies when a computer is connected to a domain through a public network, such as one available in airports and coffee shops. The public profile settings should be the most restrictive because the computer is connected to a public network where the security cannot be as tightly controlled as it is in an IT environment. By default, newly discovered networks are assigned the public type.

Examples

There is a vast number of combinations that can be used to create rules. I’ve tested a bunch, but cannot possibly test every conceivable combination. Here are a couple of examples:

New-FirewallRule -Name "Test Rule" -Description "My cool Lync rule" -Domain -Public -Private -Any -Program "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Lync Server 2010\File Transfer Agent\FileTransferAgent.exe" -ReadOnly

New-FirewallRule -name "World Wide Web Services" -description "An inbound rule to allow HTTPS traffic for Internet Information Services (IIS) [TCP 443]" -domain -private -public -localports "443" -Program "System"

Installation

No installation needed. But the function does need to run in an elevated session.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Download

v1.0 (09-14-2012) New-FirewallRule.v1.0.zip

Changelog

See the changelog for information on features and bugs fixed in various versions.

This is the changelog page for New-FirewallRule. You will find a complete list of released versions, their dates, and the features and issues addressed in each. Please refer to the script’s main page for more information including download links, installation details, and more.

v1.0 – 09-14-2012

1. Initial version

This idea is from a LinkedIn post that I responded to. The original poster wanted to know if there was a way to manage Lync external access policies based on AD group membership. Absolutely!

This is a fairly simple script that uses a scheduled task that runs every 4 hours, looks at the members of a given AD security group, including nested groups, and applies a Lync policy to each member. The name of the AD security group and the type and name of the policy are all configurable. The ActiveDirectory and Lync PowerShell modules are used to complete this. The actual moving parts are pretty simple – really just two lines of code. But some extra error catching, installation code, and safeguards make it a tad bigger.

Caveat – users get policies when they launch the Lync client. So even though a policy might be assigned to a user, they won’t see any change until the client is restarted.

Caveat #2 – if you configure this script with several scheduled tasks to handle different policies and different AD groups, make sure users don’t end up in multiple groups, or you could have unintended results. Also removing a user from a group does NOT revert their policy back. The reason I didn’t add that is because moving a user from one group to another could cause problems if the script set them back to a default policy, yet another group needed to change it to a different policy.

Installation

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

Download the script from the DOWNLOAD section below. Open it in your favorite text editor.

Find the line that reads

[string]$GroupDN = "",

and put the Distinguished Name of the group in between the quotes. For example

[string]$GroupDN = "CN=Lync Policy Group,DC=contoso,DC=com",

Next, define the policy that will be granted to members of the group. Find the line that reads

[string]$PolicyName = "",

and put the name of the Lync policy in between those quotes, such as

[string]$PolicyName = "Executives External Access Policy",

The last thing we need to do in the script file is define what KIND of policy we’re going to grant.

Find the line that reads

[string]$PolicyType = "ExternalAccess",

And adjust accordingly. The allowed values are Archiving,Client,ClientVersion,Conferencing,ExternalAccess,HostedVoicemail,Location,Mobility,Pin,Presence,Voice to represent the various types of policies you can apply to a user. The default is ExternalAccess.

Next, ensure that the server where the script will run has both the ActiveDirectory and Lync PowerShell modules installed. Domain controllers typically have the ActiveDirectory module, and Lync servers have the Lync module. Install the appropriate ones using these steps.

To install the ActiveDirectory module, open PowerShell and type the following:

Import-Module ServerManager
Add-WindowsFeature -name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools

To install the Lync Server Management Tools, which includes the PowerShell module, install the core components. See Install Lync Server Administrative Tools for details.

This will ensure that both modules are available. The ActiveDirectory module is used to get the members of the AD security group, and the Lync module is used to actually grant the policy.

The script must run as a member of the CsUserAdministrator or CsAdministrator groups, as those have the rights to assign policies.

Next, open PowerShell and run the script with the -install switch. The script will prompt for the password of the currently logged on user, and then create the scheduled task to run the script every 4 hours.

Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.ps1 -install

The scheduled task will run every 4 hours, with a start time of when you ran the -install option. You can open the scheduled task in Task Manager and adjust as needed.

You can run the script manually as well. Just run

Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.ps1

Note that it may take a while before the policy is visible on the user account due to AD replication.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Download

v1.7 – 02-03-2017 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.7.zip

v1.6 – 09-23-2014 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.6.zip

v1.5 – 02-08-2014 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.5.zip

v1.4 – 01-27-2014 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.4.zip

v1.2 – 10-16-2012 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.2.zip

v1.1 – 09-19-2012 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.1.zip

v1.0 – 09-10-2012 – Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.v1.0.zip

Changelog

See the changelog for this script for a description of changes with each release.

 

This is the changelog page for Grant-CsPolicyByADGroup.ps1. You will find a complete list of released versions, their dates, and the features and issues addressed in each. Please refer to the script’s main page for more information including download links, installation details, and more.

v1.7 – 02-03-2017

1. Code cleanup/optimization

v1.6 – 09-23-2014

1. fixed a syntax issue that would throw an error. Thanks to John for alerting me.

v1.5 – 02-08-2014

1. swapped in new Set-ModuleStatus function
2. cleanup of param block per best practices
3. cleanup of functions per best practices
4. replaced aliases with correct full cmdlet name per best practice

v1.4 – 01-27-2014

1. Fixed PowerShell v2.0 compatibility
2. minor code cleanup
3. -noprofile switch added to install routine

v1.2 – 10-16-2012

1. Better handling of nested user groups and members

v1.1 – 09-19-2012

1. Added support for nested AD groups
2. Added variable in param() block to define type of policy to apply to users
3. Optimization of Set-ModuleStatus, Install, and Remove-ScriptVariables functions

v1.0 – 09-10-2012

1. Original version