I was only looking at exchange online plan 1, but possibly also Azure AD functionality since I was getting into O365 by a toe.

@Obsolesce said in What Happens When Microsoft Doesn't Issue Licenses:

@scottalanmiller said in What Happens When Microsoft Doesn't Issue Licenses:

So the reset and query tool that Microsoft provide do not work (they don't claim that they do in 2016, just that they thought that they would.) They report that all is well, and then RDS fails anyway. So there is both the licensing issue, and an issue with a lack of working tooling.

Next time do it properly?

And not use Microsoft? We did everything we were supposed to do, Microsoft messed it up. Short of not using anything that depends on Windows, what's the solution? Right now Insight and Microsoft are still going back and forth blaming each other.

Unfortunately, not using Windows isn't something we control. But without being able to control that, having a reliable product isn't always something IT determines.

@scottalanmiller
This may also help:
https://blogs.partner.microsoft.com/mpn/myth-busting-software-asset-management-and-compliance-audits/?ln=en-us
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/learn-more/compliance-verification-faq

Things like:

Microsoft SAM programs are voluntary services... A compliance audit is a mandatory review of a company’s use of Microsoft’s products and services...
These compliance verifications are initiated across less than 5% of Microsoft’s licensing customers worldwide

But ignoring things like:

We believe that SAM can be a strategic advantage for all our customers

@pmoncho said in The Hidden Cost of Licensing Windows Server - Activation:

@scottalanmiller said in The Hidden Cost of Licensing Windows Server - Activation:

Just looking at this with a customer that just put in a new Windows 2019 server. The machine was purchased with a volume license agreement for Server 2019 Standard. Everything should be super easy, in theory. Problem is, license key from the volume license center doesn't work. We spend a bit of time trying to get this to apply, but no luck.

I have run into a similar situation this morning and not being able activate the VLSC liscense.

Before I decided to call MS and getting frustrated, I was able to activate from an elevated command line.
cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <product key>

Throwing this out here in case someone comes along this post at a later time.

I've heard that that often works. We had tried that in our case and it had failed.

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Off-boarding Script:

@dafyre said in PowerShell - Off-boarding Script:

@wrx7m said in PowerShell - Off-boarding Script:

@dafyre I think I found where you got it - https://www.powershelladmin.com/wiki/Powershell_prompt_for_password_convert_securestring_to_plain_text

Anyway, I am not sure where, in my script, I should place that function.

You'd put the actual function at the top of your script, and then just

$myPassword=convertFrom-SecureToPlain -securepassword $MySecurePassword

Wherever you need the password in plain text form.

Thanks. It mostly works. The only problem is that it isn't actually using the password I specify at the top. It is somehow generating its own and then writing it at the end. I put in

write-host "Plain Text Says: $plainText"

and it shows the password that I typed in for the secure variable at the beginning, followed by the one that it generated.

Plain Text Says: $#@%4#@177 Jof91348

Works fine for me here.... Check and make sure you don't have an extra write-host or anything somewhere.

4a0db1d0-785c-4771-9ad2-9cec6cb0434a-image.png

@Emad-R said in Download Windows Server 2019:

@scottalanmiller

https://software-download.microsoft.com/download/sg/17763.253.190108-0006.rs5_release_svc_refresh_SERVER_EVAL_x64FRE_en-us.iso

Thanks @Emad-R with this link you don't have to go through all the paperwork.

@DustinB3403 said in Office 365 OWA blocks Microsofts own content:

Would you really want MS making exceptions on your behalf and without your knowledge?

I don't have a safe senders list. Yet I get attachments and links all the time.

More than likely, the DKIM/SPF checks failed to cause that.

@scottalanmiller said in Nadella: Microsoft will sell war tech to democracies to “protect freedoms”:

A growing number of employees feel that the military project crosses a line.

Speaking to CNN Business, Nadella defended the decision to enter the contract, saying, "We made a principled decision that we're not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy," adding, "We were very transparent about that decision and we'll continue to have that dialogue [with employees]."

I can get behind this statement. Don't we all want the best tech to help us perform our job? Individuals protecting one's homeland deserve no less than the best offered.

@Mike-Davis said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@Dashrender said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@IRJ said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@Dashrender said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@IRJ said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@Dashrender said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@CCWTech said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

@Dashrender said in Server 2019 Essentials - Domain controller requirement:

No one here knows - we don't run that software.

No one here runs Server 2019 Essentials?

No - most here run standard Windows Server or some flavor or Linux. Essentials is only for SUPER tiny environments (I think it's limited to 25 connections)... a version that at least with 2012 didn't require User CALs, making it significantly cheaper for super tiny shops that required Windows, but once you hit over 25, you got a HUGE upgrade cost i.e. full server license and 25+ CALs.

Yep. It is generally not reliable either. At least earlier version weren't. Throw all MS services on one piece of underpowered hardware and then throw all your apps over it. What could go wrong?

I guess i was lucky - when they started calling it Essentials - there weren't that many services left - File/Print/AD/DNS/DHCP and what WSUS? that's all pretty typical single box stuff in my mind. WSUS could be shit for sure, but the rest can work together no issues.

Back when it was SBS server and had Exchange and possibly a corporate firewall and SQL server - OMG - yeah, kill me now!.

That's just the out of the box stuff that can be simple solved off windows very easily 😉

Dont forget that these businesses like to throw quickbooks and other poorly made sofware on their Essentials server including these other services which are already too much to have on one box IMO. It's 2019, virtualize 🙂

It would be interesting to know if Essentials allows for the install of 3rd party software like that?
Probably does..

QuickBooks is the reason I have so many Essentials servers out there. If the environment is large enough where you can't just make one computer "the server" and share QuickBooks from there, Server Essentials goes in along with QuickBooks Database manager and its 25 year old architecture and you call it a day.

Same kind of problem here.

@IRJ said in Microsoft culls secret Flash whitelist after Google points out its insecurity:

@scottalanmiller said in Microsoft culls secret Flash whitelist after Google points out its insecurity:

Others seemed more peculiar; a Spanish hair salon, for example, was listed.*

Wtf

I wonder if it was always a Spanish hair salon or if someone else owned it.

@RojoLoco said in Microsoft S2D vs StarWind VSAN: See what clients say about true hyperconvergence:

@DustinB3403 how would their sales drones bug you if they just put the info here????

They already have my information and they actually don't nag me.

What does irk me is that every time I do want to read one of these I have to register or login to see the information.

Too bad it is KVM only right now. Not that KVM is bad, it's just early. The have LXC coming "soon" and that will be really awesome. I want VDI on LXC so that we can do it faster and on top of Scale HC3.

@dave247 said in Most of my Windows 10 1803 computers upgraded to 1809 despite it not being approved in WSUS / Dual Scan is a thing:

@scottalanmiller said in Most of my Windows 10 1803 computers upgraded to 1809 despite it not being approved in WSUS / Dual Scan is a thing:

@dave247 said in Most of my Windows 10 1803 computers upgraded to 1809 despite it not being approved in WSUS / Dual Scan is a thing:

@dbeato said in Most of my Windows 10 1803 computers upgraded to 1809 despite it not being approved in WSUS / Dual Scan is a thing:

@dave247 said in Most of my Windows 10 1803 computers upgraded to 1809 despite it not being approved in WSUS / Dual Scan is a thing:

e systems was a consumer version of Windows 10 which the previous tech installed - no idea where he got it.

Probably came pre-installed on the Dell Computer and not imaged.

Actually it had Windows 7 installed on it but then the co-worker put his version of Windows 10 that I think he got from college on it, and a few other systems. So idk.

Windows 10 will activate on a Windows 7 license. So should be all set from that perspective.

I don't think so.. and it was a fresh install, or at least I know he used the Windows 10 key that he had been provided. That key was also used on about 5 other systems at the time.

You can work around it, but should accept the Win 7 key, too.

@DustinB3403 said in O365 SafeLinks Service 503:

SafeLinks

I was wondering why I wasn't familiar with safe links. I only have Business premium.

@Obsolesce said in Microsoft wants to buy Mellanox – Speculations or reality?:

@Reid-Cooper said in Microsoft wants to buy Mellanox – Speculations or reality?:

This seems like a really odd pairing. Why would Microsoft want to alienate hardware vendors by getting into the high end switching game?

Probably for their Azure stuff.

Then they should just purchase the equipment, not the company. .