Tag: how-to

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Back from the Dead – Virtualizing DOA Laptops

Simple post on restoring dead laptops using virtualization.  Some people ask me: “Is there any way to bring a laptop back from the dead?” or “I dropped my laptop in the toilet and now it wont start! How do I get to my important stuff?”.   The answer is not exactly simple, but it is effective in most cases.  If you need access to the OS for some reason prior to restoring data on a new system, it may be possible to restore the laptop and boot it as a VM.

First off, you need to remove the physical hard drive from the device.  You will want the primary (boot) disk.  You may also need the secondary hard drives if you installed critical apps in non-standard locations. Read More

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Exchange 2013 Schema Prep – ADC Found

Installing a new Exchange 2013 deployment on an existing domain with questionable history.  The existing domain had untold number of previous Exchange deployments with remnants scattered throughout Active Directory.  After using ADSI edit to manually remove all instances of the old Exchange servers, running a schema prep runs in to an error about an existing Active Directory Connector.  Microsoft suggests (TechNet) disabling the ADC service on the running computer, then uninstalling the service using the exchange server installation CD.  In this situation of course the detected ADC was probably on a computer that was long ago trashed or removed.

Lots of websites describe the method for removing ADCs from AD using ADSIedit. Read More

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Polycom RMX 2000 and Lync 2010

Continuing from my previous post on integrating an existing Polycom system with Microsoft Lync 2010, I will run down the process for integrating a Polycom RMX bridge.  The process is much more difficult than integrating the Polycom endpoints as it requires creating a trusted application within the Lync server, running some shell commands, generating certificates and RMX configuration changes.  Once the integration is complete you can create SIP enabled meeting rooms accessible by Lync users and Polycom endpoints alike.

1. DNS – Making sure the Lync server can contact the RMX by name Read More

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Polycom HDX 7/8000 and Lync 2010

Recently I have been working on integrating an existing Polycom video conferencing system with a new Lync 2010 deployment.  As it turns out the newer software releases for Polycom have made great progress towards making the integration of Polycom systems with Lync easier.  I say easier, because it still isn’t exactly easy.  There are many cool features of integrating Polycom and Lync.  By using a Polycom RMX, one can have continuous presence using the meeting room format.  This is something that was sadly left out of Lync 2010.  As most people who have used Lync 2010 will tell you, it doesn’t do a very good job of switching between active speakers.

Integrating Polycom HDX 7000 and 8000 endpoints is VERY straight forward.  The only problem is if you don’t have multipoint licenses you can only have a one-to-one call with a Polycom endpoint.  Hence the reason for an RMX. Read More