Modena Tools (OSD Tools and Driver Sync)
I got an email from a friend a while back tipping me off to some OSD tools in development by Microsoft that I hadn’t heard about. The codename of the project is Modena. It is currently in beta and can be found on the Connect site.
So…what is Modena? From the Cravings of OSD blog…
Modena is a “collection” of tools aimed at simplifying your deployment tasks when using Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2. … Modena, with OSD Tools and Driver Sync, includes the blueprint we use at Microsoft to deploy Windows 7. We provide our end-user experience, exported task sequence, pre-flight scripts, and our driver sync tool to simplify management of drivers in your enterprise.
I have not been able to install them in my demo environment to test them out yet (hope to do so this week), but from what I could read about so far…I’m pretty excited about what I saw. It appears to be a pretty comprehensive “Front End” to the OSD process along with a tool to simplify the driver management component of your OS deployment. Being that those two components are where a lot of companies tend to have the most issues in the OSD process…this is a welcome addition to the OSD toolbox.
You can read more about what is included in Modena in a fairly expansive blog post on the “Cravings” blog.
Autumn Woods Classic-A Very Cold 5K
Over the last couple of months I have been working on losing weight (again). This has mostly consisted of running a few times a week…typically pushing Sam in a jogging stroller. It’s been a pretty good workout lately. Anyway, a month or so ago I saw a poster for a 5K race scheduled for October 10th at a park near my house, so I signed up…a little extra motivation.
What I didn’t realize when I signed up on that lovely sunny day in September is that October 10th in the Northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities was going to be the coldest morning since last winter. When I woke up this morning for the 9am race, there was a half inch of snow on the ground. The temp outside when I woke up was 24 degrees. By race time it had warmed up to a balmy 28 degrees. For the first quarter mile of the race, my teeth hurt the air was so cold.
I achieved my goal of finishing the race…albeit slowly. I was nearly 10 minutes slower than my 5K times right after college. But…I’m quite a few years older and carrying quite a bit more weight!
Laurel has been doing a mile-at-a-time marathon at school, and she ran this morning also…she did the 1K kids race.
What Daddies Don’t Know
I got the following from Megan Trent (Rod Trent’s wife…the myITforum.com denmother). It is one of the better jokes that I have gotten over email in a while. Thanks Megan!
Tea Service
One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me and my brother who is four years older than I am. I was maybe 1 and a half years old and had a little ‘tea set’ that was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of ‘tea’, which was just water.
After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was ‘just the cutest thing!!’
My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then says, ‘Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet??’
ConfigMgr SP2 Availability
Today I saw some confusion about when SP2 for ConfigMgr will be available. Everyone agrees that the release is 90 days after Windows 7, what they don’t agree on is whether the Windows 7 date is the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) date or the GA (General Availability). Since RTM was July 22, and GA is October 22, this is an important distinction. So which is it?
What was announced at the Microsoft Management Summit, and has been re-confirmed since is that SP2 will be released within 90 days of the Windows 7 RTM. So…that would mean that we will hopefully be able to get our hands on ConfigMgr SP2 within the next couple of weeks.
ConfigMgr Upgrade / Migration Planning
Just a note to those who are moving to ConfigMgr from SMS 2003 (or earlier). Take the time to properly architect the ConfigMgr implementation…don’t just upgrade the existing infrastructure without re-thinking the design to ensure it makes sense for your business. There have been enough changes in scalability (and much more) that your existing architecture may not make sense with ConfigMgr…you could be wasting money on servers/licenses/administration by just keeping the same structure.
Example: I’ve been working with a client over the last week on an SMS 2003 to ConfigMgr migration. When I looked at their existing SMS 2003 infrastructure, it included a Central Site, four Primaries, and 26 Secondaries. The Central and all four primaries are in the same physical location. There are about 8000 clients. If I moved that design to ConfigMgr, it would just be overkill…and a serious waste of money for the client.
Turns out that the client’s SMS 2003 infrastructure was a direct upgrade from SMS 2.0 a long time ago. Personally, I never worked with SMS 2.0, so I don’t know if that was well designed or over designed. What I do know is that the ConfigMgr environment that I designed for them is significantly simpler. They save a ton on licensing, and it will be significantly easier to manage…along with providing them the flexibility that they need for any future expansion.
How to Create a Bootable USB Key
Last week I needed to boot to ConfigMgr Task Sequence bootable media on a machine that I didn’t have a CD/DVD drive for. PXE isn’t enabled in this environment, and I was under a tight timeframe to get it done…I needed to create a bootable USB key fast. I remember trying to use the ConfigMgr wizard to create a bootable usb key last year, but for some reason I couldn’t get it to work. Because of that experience, I instead pursued taking my existing bootable ISO and creating a bootable USB key from that. I came across instructions that are posted several places on the internet…mostly in forums. Unfortunately no one has posted where the original instructions came from. I’d love to give credit to that person because they really helped me out last week. I’m posting them here as a help to others…and so that I will always have an easy way to find the instructions the next time I need them! I’ve also modified the original quoted instructions to be more specific to the bootable ISO scenario.
Insert your USB flash drive and enter the following commands at a command prompt:
diskpart
list diskNote: Confirm which disk is the USB drive. The instructions below assume that your USB flash drive will be seen as disk 2. If you select the wrong disk you will wipe the wrong drive…possibly your hard drive.
select disk 2
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=fat32 quick
assign
exitThe final step is to copy the files from the bootable ISO to the USB key. Mount the ISO using a program such as Virtual CloneDrive. Use Xcopy to copy the files from the ISO to the USB key. The command line below assumes that D: is the drive letter where the bootable ISO is mounted and E: is the drive letter for the USB key.
xcopy d:\*.* /e/f e:\
MN System Center User Group – President
Tonight was the monthly meeting for the Minnesota System Center User Group (miscusergroup.org – long story behind the URL MNSCUG.ORG). We had John Vintzel from the ConfigMgr product team talking about some of the features that will be in the R3 release…good stuff.
A few weeks ago my friend Tim approached me to ask me if I would consider running for President of the user group. I was honored to be asked and said yes. Tonight I was elected to be President of the user group! That’s really really cool, and I’m looking forward to trying to get some good programs on the agenda for the meetings over the next year.
BTW…if you are interested, the next meeting will be October 15th at the Microsoft office in Bloomington. Check the user group website above for more information.
Error Creating MDT Boot Image
First of all, I’ll admit that this post is a bit of a stupid mistake. It stems from a miscommunication between a co-worker and I who were working on an internal (not client) server. I should have confirmed what he had done instead of assuming.
We have been building a new ConfigMgr server. My co-worker had some time while I was working on a client project, so he installed ConfigMgr.
This morning I started building out the rest of the server for OSD purposes. After configuring the MDT integration with ConfigMgr, I went into the ConfigMgr console to “Create Boot Image using Microsoft Deployment”. After entering in all the info it asked for, the wizard started but fairly quickly popped up an error stating, “Error while importing Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Task Sequence. Details: The ConfigMgr Provider reported an error.” When I checked the log file (located in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\2\NewBootImage_x86.log), I found the following error:
PEIMG failed to use the servicing stack shim library (ssshim.dll) to locate a servicing stack that matches the target image (0x901f0005).
Hmmm…that sounds like a WAIK issue. After looking, I confirmed that my co-worker had installed the previous version of WAIK instead of the version for Windows 7/Server 2008 R2. So, I removed the old version and installed the new WAIK. Got a different error. Unfortunately I didn’t take note of what the error message was at the time, but I do remember that the SMS Provider log file (smsprov.log) had the following phrases in a couple of error entries (I know this because of my bing.com search history.)
failed to get the peimg tool installation location
failed to get peimage command line
That sent me hunting for more info and finally led me to ask the question…”What version of ConfigMgr did my co-worker install?” After checking the version, I discovered that we had somehow miscommunicated. I thought he had installed the Release Candidate of ConfigMgr SP2 (because I am doing Windows 7 deployments…SP2 is required for this). Turns out he had installed SP1.
So…after installing both R2 and SP2, I was finally able to create the boot image using the MDT integration.
Perhaps someone searching on the above search strings will see this and be able to get back up and going faster than I did!
ConfigMgr SP2 Version Number
Just a quick post…I updated my earlier post about ConfigMgr Version Numbers to reflect the ConfigMgr SP2 (RC) version number.
If the version number changes any further for the final release of SP2 from the RC release, I will post that info when I have it.
Note: This version number did change with the final release. The post linked above has been updated to reflect this.
KB948098 Typos (SCOM)
Lately I have been working on a SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) engagement for a client. During that engagement, I ran into some issues with the SCOM Gateway server which led me to KB948098. The “result” and “cause” sections are actually very helpful. The “resolution” section should have never been posted in its current form.…and it was posted over a year and a half ago.
First a minor issue. Step 4 in the article has a typo. (the word should be “workaround” instead of “workgroup”). Also, the last line of Step 4 is: “Then go to Step 4.”
Step 5 is simply a disaster. There is a reference to “in step 4” that has nothing to do with Step 4. The command line for the Gateway Approval Tool has TWO mistakes. The command listed in the article is:
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagemt.GatewayApprovalTool /ManagementServer=<management Server FQDN_name> /PrincipalName=<gateway_server_FQDN_name> /Action=Create
The switches in that command line should be:
- /ManagementServerName – NOT /ManagementServer
- /GatewayName – NOT /PrincipalName
Also in Step 5, the SQL Query statement has a typo in the table name. The table name should be “mt_healthservice” instead of “mtv_healthservice”
FYI…I already used the feedback form at the bottom of that page to leave this feedback. Hopefully this will help others who come across that article until Microsoft fixes it.
Free OSD and Windows 7 Seminar
At the end of this month I will be leading a free half day technical seminar on Operating System Deployment at New Horizons in Edina MN. I will be doing a version of the Operating System Deployment session that I delivered at MMS and TechEd this year along with talking about Windows 7 deployment. The Windows 7 component will be relaying the experience that I have gained in deploying Windows 7 internally at Virteva using ConfigMgr.
The seminar will be on September 30 from 9:00-11:30am Central Time. It will be offered for both in classroom as well as remote attendees, so you can attend even if you can’t make it to Edina that day. If you would like to attend, you can register at the New Horizons site. When you sign up, there will be a question asking “How did you hear about us?” at the bottom of the registration form. Please answer “Other” and put “verbalprocessor.com” in the “Other” field.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Interview with Tim Mintner
As promised last week, here is the interview I had with Tim Mintner at TechEd North America in Los Angeles.
Enjoy!
Google Arrogance
Okay…a few things to get out of the way at the beginning of this post. After Microsoft announced Bing Search, I evaluated it as a possible replacement for Google’s search. I have been very impressed…I have found that I can actually get better results at the top of the search list using Bing than Google.
However on the Maps side of things…Bing has some catching up to do. I love the fact that Google Maps allows you to drag the route line to another road to change the route. Until Bing Maps has that, I will be using Google Maps for directions. Where Bing does have a serious leg up is with the “Bird’s Eye” view. It is really really good. Check out the differences between these two links to maps of the Campus Crusade for Christ headquarters where I used to work. (Google / Bing)
Now…on to the real reason for this post.
Over the weekend I got really annoyed with Google. Because I like Google’s Map function better, I decided to install the Google Mobile app on my Moto Q9c smartphone (which is running Windows Mobile 6.1). After installing the app and then switching to my home screen, I was annoyed to see that Google chose to install the app such that it changes the home screen…making itself the top app on the home screen. I was able to move it using cHomeConfigurator which I already had installed, but the fact that they chose to replace the top item on the home screen is not only annoying, it’s just plain arrogant.
Additionally, after moving the app off of the top of my home screen and playing with a couple of the Google apps, I locked my phone…and Google appeared in the top left corner of my screen. Again…Google…what the heck were you thinking?
Sam Walking With The Chair
A few years ago when my grandmother passed away I inherited a little chair that had been in the family for a very long time. It was owned by my Great Great Great Grandfather who died in 1878. My Great Grandfather learned to walk with the chair by turning it upside down and pushing it around the house. Doing so wore down the tops of the legs of the chair at an angle that you can see in the picture to the side.
Sam has been learning to walk lately…matter of fact, he took his first two unassisted steps on Sunday…walking from the coffee table to the chair that Marybeth was sitting in. He’s nine and a half months old. Below is a compilation video of some of the walking with the chair (and a laundry basket) that Sam did when he was eight and a half months old.
Rod Trent Interview – Part 2
Okay…it has been entirely too long since I’ve posted…over two months. Life has been a little crazy, but I finally cleaned up the rest of the Rod Trent interview to prepare it for posting. Hope you enjoy it. Also…I expect to post the next interview within another week or so…it is with Tim Mintner of the Microsoft Deployment product team!
Rod Trent Interview – Part 1
As I promised last week, here is the first of a two part interview with Rod Trent that took place the last night of MMS 2009. I hope to post part 2 sometime next week. Enjoy!
Baby Observations
Having an infant in the house again has reminded me of many things that I had forgotten about after our daughters grew out of that stage. It has also caused me to learn a few new things. Here are a few that I have been reminded of lately:
- While it rarely happens, a child sleeping in on Saturday morning is a wonderful thing.
- Middle of the night diaper changes are often times the equivalent of attempting to wrestle a spastic octopus.
- There is nothing quite like seeing the unbridled joy on your child’s face when you walk in the door after being at work all day.
- Seventeen pounds doesn’t sound that heavy until that seventeen pounds is a teething baby that you’ve been holding for six hours.
- It is absolutely possible to fall asleep standing up. I’ve done it multiple times while holding a baby at 3AM. The feeling of knees buckling while holding an infant is scary.
- While the sight of a baby spitting up is bad, I promise you that feeling spit up is worse.
- Older children make great playmates for infants. Quite simply, older siblings rock!
- Sleep deprivation is a very effective form of torture…especially if inflicted by a small child.
- The sight of a content sleeping baby is one of the most beautiful things in the world.
- If a baby is going to sneeze during a meal, it will typically be with a mouthful of some dark colored food. Green beans are bad. Prunes are much worse.
- It’s really cute watching a baby smile in their sleep. I often wonder what they are dreaming about.
- Sometimes a clean shirt is nothing more than a target (for spit up, poop, puke, food, etc).
- Being a parent is exhausting work. There is a reason that God didn’t design us to do it alone. I have all the respect in the world for the single parents out there…you have a really tough job.
- If teenage kids had any real idea of how much work being a parent is, there would be significantly fewer teen pregnancies.
New Interview Next Week
Just a heads up to check back next week. I will be posting part one of my interview with Rod Trent. You don’t want to miss this one. I got this one in the same day of MMS that I interviewed Sherry Kissinger.
BTW…apparently a lot of you were interested in finding out more info about Sherry. The day after posting that interview ended up being the most traffic ever on my little blog.
Desktop Deployment Webcast
With as crazy as the last few weeks have been (traveling two out of three weeks to MMS and TechEd), I forgot to post about a webcast that I am going to be a part of tomorrow. I will be part of a joint webcast with Virteva (the company I work for) and Microsoft Consulting Services. The webcast is focused on desktop deployment and is designed more for the IT manager or decision maker…not necessarily for technical people…it will not be a technical webcast. I will be co-presenting with Steve Campbell from MCS.
The three main aspects of the session will be a high level overview of Desktop Deployment best practices, information on the “Desktop Deployment Planning Service (DDPS)”, and information on “Desktop Optimization Using Microsoft Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office System (DOVO)”
If you would like to attend the webcast, it will be on Wednesday May 20 from 11:30-1:00 Central time. The link to register for the webcast is:
More Interviews Coming Soon
I am currently in the shuttle headed to the airport after a long week at TechEd. Over the course of the week I was able to get a few more interviews done that I will be posting over the next month or so. I still have the Rod Trent interview from MMS queued up. Last night I got to spend some extended time with Tim Mintner and Michael Niehaus. As we were leaving the closing “party” last night, I got to sit down with Tim for an interview. This morning I was able to interview Mikael Nystrom and Johan Arwidmark before leaving the convention center. Stay tuned for some very entertaining interviews. In light of the amount of traffic the Sherry Kissinger post produced, there is obviously a lot of interest in the personal side of these technology people.
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The Realm of the Verbal Processor 