CyberStreams Blog

So I have recently completed an install of the fairly new Cisco UC500 for the SMB market.  Previously the systems I had deployed were very basic, this was my first install where more ‘advanced’ features and more total features where required.  The UC500 is designed to be an ‘all in one’ solution for businesses with less than 75 users.  In the end it’s actually a router with phone system software and voice ports.  All along through training and certification from Cisco, they taught me to use their Cisco Configuration Assistant (CCA) tool for configuration of the phone system.  This is turns out was a huge issue because on my first install the customer wanted multiple rings as well as multiple incoming lines on individual phones.

Now I have pretty strong Cisco networking (routing, switching, and firwall) background with the majority of it being command line based.  With any of the advanced features such as what we needed in this particular configuration, they need to be configured via the command line.  Let me add to this, once configured via command line some of the commands cause the CCA to throw errors if you go back and try to configure anything from it.  So my question is why did Cisco teach me (us) to use the CCA?  One response to this question that I received from a TAC engineer is that “the SMB team created the tool and it still needed a lot of work and therefore the do not touch it.”    Wait a minute support doesn’t use it and you want the customer deploying the phone system to use it??  Does this not make any sense to anyone else besides me??   Anyway I have since discovered through a lot of phone conversation with TAC that , there is in fact a web GUI that can be quite useful for configuration without the limitations of the CCA.  This is what I will use going forward in conjunction with command line, I would highly recommend this as well as learning command line for anyone else attempting to deploy or configure a UC520.  The only case in which I would recommend using the CCA is if you have a very simple deployment. 

This is just my 2 cents on Cisco’s SMB phone system…

Microsoft has just started a beta program for their new anti-virus/malware program. It’s called Microsoft Security Essentials and the final version will be coming out later this year. And it’ll be FREE! So far it appears to be compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and the upcoming Windows 7. Vista and 7 will have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions available.
(more…)

1.      Make sure your Forest and Domain are in native 2003 mode.

a.       Go to Active Directory Domains and Trusts of your PDC

b.      Right click on Active Directory Domains and Trusts, ‘Raise Domain Functional Level’ to Server 2003

c.       From within Active Directory Domains and Trusts       

d.      Right click on the domain and ‘Raise Domain Functional Level’ to Server 2003.

2.      Run the SourceTool.exe from the SBS 2008 Tools disk

a.       This will prep the domain and forest for adding the SBS server, you will likely get an error which is the update failing that allows you to have two SBS box’s on the domain for 21 days for migrations.

b.      Create an answer file by running SBSAFG.exe file in the blanks with the appropriate info for the new SBS server.

c.       Move this answer file to the root of a USB drive and name it SBSAnswerFile.xml (very important it won’t work if you don’t name it correctly).

3.      On the SBS box plug the USB drive in and start it the answer file should be found automatically.

a.       Important the wizard will come up if answer file is not found in this case turn of the SBS box and verify the file is named correctly and at the root of the USB drive.  If you even start the wizard you will have to reinstall for it work again.

b.      Another gotcha is that you will need to be on the same subnet as the current PDC otherwise you will not be able to proceed.

c.       Once the answer file is running if you choose ‘unattended’ you will have and hour or more for it run through.

d.      When it is done you will have your SBS 2008 box joined to the domain and all the FSMO roles will be on it.

Conclusion:  Once setup this design works great but, during the setup there are some important steps that need to be done correctly otherwise it will fail or you will have issues the whole time. 

Yes!  I have a Palm Pre.  And it was easy to get too.  I just walked into the Sprint store Saturday afternoon after the lines were gone and grabbed one.  I guess some places sold out, but I picked the right place.

So why am I excited about it?   Well, I hate to bring up the IPhone like everyone else has, but you kind of have to.  Sprint finally has an IPhone equivilent device on their network.  And it some ways it even surpasses it.  It’s not bogged down by the aged UI of a Windows Mobile Phone, and uses simple efficient integration tools unlike those Blackberrys.  It has a great size and screen.  The keyboard works really well, despite it’s small size.  It has true application multi-tasking so I can look at another app while the first is loading.  And hopefully the app store will take off like the IPhone one has.
(more…)