Alexander’s Blog

If you are trying to use an evaluation copy of Windows Server 2008 R2 (WS08R2), the following information will come handy.

You don’t have to provide the product key for WS08R2 evaluation version but you have to activate it within 10 days. The 10-day activation can be extended five (5) times by using the rearm command. After this time, you will need to uninstall the evaluation software and reinstall a fully-licensed version of WS08R2.

The activation is good for 60-days but you can extend it three times by using the rearm command, which will extend the original 60-day evaluation period by up to 180 days for a total possible evaluation time of 240 days. To check the time left on your current evaluation period run the Slmgr.vbs script that resides in the System32 folder. For example, run slmgr.vbs -dli to see the number of days that are left in the current 60-day evaluation period. To reset the evaluation period, run the command slmgr.vbs –rearm, and then restart the computer.

You can download the 180-day trial version of Windows Server 2008 R2 here. Make sure you read the following notes on the download page.

“This software is for evaluation and testing purposes. The evaluation is available in ISO format. Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions are available via the same download. You will be prompted for edition installation at setup. Evaluating any version of Windows Server 2008 R2 software does not require entering a product key, however will require activation within 10 days. Failing to activate the evaluation will cause the licensing service to shut the machine down every hour (The 10 day activation period can be reset five (5) times by using the rearm command. See below for further information on activation rearm). After this time, you will need to uninstall the evaluation software and reinstall a fully-licensed version of Windows Server 2008 R2.”

For more information on extending the evaluation period by using the rearm command, click here.

If you are interested in other evaluation products from Microsoft, click here.

Microsoft has provided a lot of information on what’s new in SharePoint Foundation 2010 on this TechNet Web site, along with links to more detailed documentation. Here’s a summary.

Business Connectivity Services

SharePoint Foundation 2010 includes Microsoft Business Connectivity Services, which is a set of services and features that provide a way to connect SharePoint-based solutions to sources of external data and to define external content types based on that external data.

• Business Connectivity Services overview
• Business Connectivity Services security overview

Central Administration (Redesigned)

Central Administration has been redesigned in SharePoint Foundation 2010 to provide a more familiar experience and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for.

• Read about redesigned Central Administration in the SharePoint Server 2010 Evaluation Guide for IT Professionals

Claims-Based Authentication

SharePoint Foundation 2010 incorporates a new authentication model that works with any corporate identity system, including Active Directory Domain Services, LDAP-based directories, application-specific databases, and user-centric identity models.

• Read about claims-based authentication in the SharePoint Server 2010 Evaluation Guide for IT Professionals

Health Monitoring

SharePoint Foundation 2010 includes an integrated health analysis tool called SharePoint Health Analyzer that enables SharePoint Foundation to automatically check for potential configuration, performance, and usage problems.

• Health monitoring overview

Sandboxed Solutions

You can deploy sandboxed solutions to quickly and more securely solve business problems. Sandboxed solutions are like farm solutions except in the following ways: they are rights-restricted and have a more permissive deployment policy than farm solutions; they are limited to the site collection to which they are deployed; and their server resource usage is monitored against an administrator-controlled quota for the site collection.

• Sandboxed solutions overview

Upgrade

Review upgrade requirements and find out about new upgrade tools and options, including information about the pre-upgrade checker, Visual Upgrade, and the test-spcontentdatabase Windows PowerShell cmdlet.

• What’s new in upgrade
• Upgrade and migration resource center

Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is the new command-line interface and scripting language specifically designed for system administrators.

• Read about Windows PowerShell in the SharePoint Server 2010 Evaluation Guide for IT Professionals
• Windows PowerShell for SharePoint Foundation 2010

Microsoft has provided a lot of information on what’s new in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 on this TechNet Web site, along with links to more detailed documentation. Here’s a summary.

Access Services
Use Access Services in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to edit, update, and create linked Microsoft Access 2010 databases that can be viewed and manipulated by using an Internet browser, the Access client, or a linked HTML page.

• Using Access Services with SQL Reporting Services: Installing SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services Add-In

Business Connectivity Services
SharePoint Server 2010 and the Microsoft Office 2010 suites include Microsoft Business Connectivity Services, which is a set of services and features that provide a way to connect SharePoint-based solutions to sources of external data and to define external content types based on that external data.

• Business Connectivity Services overview
• Business Connectivity Services security overview
• Business Connectivity Services resource center

Central Administration (Redesigned)
Central Administration has been redesigned in SharePoint Server 2010 to provide a more familiar experience and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for.

• Read about redesigned Central Administration in the SharePoint Server 2010 Evaluation Guide for IT Professionals

Digital Asset Management
SharePoint Server 2010 includes a new asset library specially designed for managing and sharing digital assets such as audio, video, and other rich media files.

• Plan digital asset management
• Digital asset management overview in SharePoint Server 2010

Enterprise Search
With the new capabilities in SharePoint Server 2010, search administrators can configure an optimal search infrastructure that helps end users find information in the enterprise quickly and efficiently.

• What’s new in enterprise search

Excel Services
Excel Services in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 can be used to publish Excel client workbooks on SharePoint Server 2010.

• What’s new for Excel Services
• Excel Services overview

Health Monitoring
SharePoint Server 2010 includes an integrated health analysis tool called SharePoint Health Analyzer that enables SharePoint Server to automatically check for potential configuration, performance, and usage problems.

• Health monitoring overview

Managed Metadata
Managed metadata is a hierarchical collection of centrally managed terms that you can define, and then use as attributes for items in SharePoint Server 2010. The Managed Metadata Service supports the use of managed metadata, as well as the sharing of content types across the enterprise.

• Managed metadata overview

PerformancePoint Services
PerformancePoint Services in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 provides flexible, easy-to-use tools for building dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).

• What’s new for PerformancePoint Services
• PerformancePoint Services overview

Records Management
In SharePoint Server 2010, you can manage records in an archive, or you can manage records in the same document repository as active documents.

• Using a records archive versus managing records in place

Sandboxed Solutions
You can deploy sandboxed solutions to quickly and more securely solve business problems. Sandboxed solutions are like farm solutions except in the following ways: they are rights-restricted and have a more permissive deployment policy than farm solutions; they are limited to the site collection to which they are deployed; and their server resource usage is monitored against an administrator-controlled quota for the site collection.

• Sandboxed solutions overview

Social Computing
SharePoint Server 2010 includes social networking tools such as My Site Web sites and social content technologies such as blogs, wikis, and really simple syndication (RSS). These features are built upon a database of properties that integrates information about people from many kinds of business applications and directory services. You can adapt content to each user while enabling administrators to set policies to protect privacy.

• User Profile service overview
• Enterprise Wikis overview

Upgrade
Review upgrade requirements and find out about new upgrade tools and options, including information about the pre-upgrade checker, Visual Upgrade, and the test-spcontentdatabase Windows PowerShell cmdlet.

• What’s new in upgrade
• Upgrade and migration resource center

Visio Services
The Visio Graphics Service is a service on the SharePoint Server 2010 platform that enables users to share and view Visio diagrams and enables data-connected Microsoft Visio 2010 diagrams to be refreshed and updated from a variety of data sources.

• Visio Services overview

Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is the new command-line interface and scripting language specifically designed for system administrators.

• Read about Windows PowerShell in the SharePoint Server 2010 Evaluation Guide for IT Professionals
• Windows PowerShell for SharePoint Server 2010

The following video shows you how to install Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), formerly known as Active Directory, on a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer.

Topic: Active Directory Installation

Length: 9 minutes, 26 seconds

Format: Flash

Resolution: 800 x 600

Managing your workstations and servers remotely has become a necessity these days. Here’s a comparison of remote desktop software on wikipedia that you may find helpful.

Click on the image below to see the complete comparison of remote desktop software for various platforms.