Windows PowerShell 2.0 Community Technology Preview (CTP) is now available for download.

Brief Description
Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP introduces several significant features to Windows PowerShell 1.0 that extends its use, improves its usability, and allows you to control and managethe Windows environment more easily and comprehensively.

Overview
Use the Download link on this page to download the installation package for the Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP. Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP introduces several significant features to Windows PowerShell 1.0 that extends its use, improves its usability, and allows you to control and managethe Windows environment more easily and comprehensively.

• This software is a pre-release version. It will not work the way a final version of the software does. Features will change before final release.
• The goal of this CTP release is to provide a preview to the community on early thinking and direction on key 2.0 features and get early feedback on them.
• Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP release is compatible with and replaces Windows PowerShell 1.0. You must un-install PowerShell 1.0 to install the PowerShell 2.0 CTP release.
• Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP release will continue to use the execution policy setting of PowerShell 1.0, if present. PowerShell 1.0 installer does not remove or change the execution policy on un-installation.
• PowerShell 2.0 Remoting features will not work correctly on Windows Vista RTM. Please install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta to enable PowerShell Remoting features.
• When Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP is launched with an execution policy of “Restricted,” it will display an error message while loading the types and formatting files. To prevent this error message, change the execution policy to one that enables PowerShell’s scripting features – such as RemoteSigned. For more information about PowerShell’s execution policies, type “Get-Help about_signing”.
• Graphical PowerShell is a very early alpha version meant for previewing early thinking and getting feedback.
• PsJobs rely on the remoting features of Windows PowerShell 2.0. To use PsJobs, remoting must be enabled on Windows PowerShell, even if the PsJob runs only on the local computer.

Selected New Features in Windows PowerShell 2.0 CTP
(Please refer to Release Notes and Help topics for more details)

• PowerShell Remoting
• Graphical PowerShell
• ScriptCmdlets
• Restricted Runspaces
• RunspacePools
• Background Jobs
• Data Language
• Script Internationalization
• Script Debugging
• 24 New Cmdlets
• Parser Tokenizer API
• New PowerShell Hosting APIs
• Metadata APIs for Command and Parameters

After you install this product, you might have to restart your computer.

I got this from the blog Tools for Moving to a Microsoft Collaboration Platform: Microsoft released Microsoft Transporter Suite End to End Guidance.

Have you been waiting with bated breath for fantastic end to end guidance around the Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino?  Well my good reader, your wait is over!  We’ve been working hard with support and with the field to make sure that the information in here is solid.   This is a release where even support is excited about the quality.  It covers planning and executing on your directory and mail transition, including groups, archives, and PABs!

Brief Description
This end-to-end guide takes you through the process of assessing your environment, planning your directory and mail transition, and executing your coexistence and migration plan.

Overview
Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino: This end-to-end guide takes you through the process of assessing your environment, planning your directory.

Version 5.0 of the popular Sender ID: “Implementation Tips for the Sender ID Framework—Creating Your SPF Record” is now available for download.

Brief Description
The print-ready brochure describes the benefits of authenticated e-mail and of Sender ID implementation to both senders and recipients.

Overview
Follow this step-by-step guide to create your own SPF record, and learn valuable tips for implementing the Sender ID Framework.

Related Downloads

The Outlook 2007 Auxiliary Reference contains conceptual overviews and reference topics to guide you in developing solutions based on the Outlook 2007 Integration APIs.

Overview

This documentation contains reference materials for the Outlook 2007 Integration APIs, including the following:

• Account Management API
• Attachment Security API
• Data Degradation Layer API
• Free/Busy API
• MAPI-MIME Conversion API
• Offline State API
• Outlook Exported APIs
• Replication API
• Store API

In addition, it contains sample tasks and descriptions of three sample projects. For more information about the accompanying samples, see the Outlook 2007 Auxiliary Reference Code Samples and Redistributable Installer.

High availability for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 using CCR with HP StorageWorks EVA8000 is a new white paper sponsored by HP.

About this White Paper
Cluster continuous replication (CCR) is a high-availability feature of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that combines the asynchronous log shipping and replay technology built into Exchange 2007 with the failover and management features provided by the Microsoft Windows Cluster service. This paper provides enterprise-level customers with the data required to effectively understand the options, as well as the limitations, of implementing this replication-based high-availability solution into their infrastructure. Includes lab data, performance information, and best practices based on HP Customer Focused Testing.

Key findings
Testing shows that the network link latency between the active and passive servers is the deciding factor in determining the suitability of an Exchange 2007 CCR deployment. Together with the available network bandwidth, this factor determines replication performance and, consequently, also the recovery database concurrency. A properly sized network will ensure the best possible performance. In a CCR environment, having low latency is more important than having adequate bandwidth. However, do not conclude that bandwidth is not important; an undersized network link can exacerbate performance degradation.
The CCR solution tested a 5,000-user load over an OC-3 link (155 Mbps). The key findings were:

• Best Exchange replication performance is achieved with network round-trip latencies of up to 30 ms.
• Network latencies higher than 50 ms cause the number of unshipped transaction logs to grow, which negatively affects recovery time and possibly affects the recovery point objective.
• Log replay is a significant generator of both read and write disk I/Os on the passive node storage subsystem. Testing shows three to five times the disk I/O as the active LUNs.
• Effects of latency can be partially mitigated, and replication performance can be significantly improved, by tuning the Windows Server TCP/IP settings.
• Failover and recovery to the passive node can be achieved within a 1-hour recovery time objective (RTO).

Microsoft announced yesterday its new addition to the System Center Family: System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008.

What is Mobile Device Manager 2008?
Mobile Device Manager 2008 is a solution that gives organizations enhanced on-device security and over-the-air policy enforcement. It allows IT professionals to more easily manage phones within the organization, and gives mobile employees access to confidential information on corporate networks with firewalls.

What does Mobile Device Manager 2008 do?

• Helps protect sensitive information if the device is lost or stolen
• Performs instant* remote device wipe to help reduce security risks
• Provides security enhanced behind-the-firewall access to mobile users
• Helps lower maintenance and troubleshooting costs and management complexity
• Provides greater scalability with support for thousands of users on a server
• Gives IT professionals a robust development platform, improved reliability, and better application access and control for Windows Mobile devices

The Microsoft Unified Communications launch was 2 days ago. As you might expect, the event generated a lot of fuzz around the subject:

• Thoughts on Unified Communications Launch Today
• Microsoft Unified Communications launch keynote
• Microsoft Launches Communications Suite
• Microsoft Launches Next Wave of Business Communications Software
• Getting Ready for Kick Off for the Unified Communications Launch Event
• Page Software - Microsoft Unified Communications Launch Edition
• A New Way to Communicate Starts Today
• Implications for the next revolution in communications
• Partners Rally around Microsoft Unified Communications Software

Meanwhile, Office Communicator Mobile 2007 was released and there is some new technical documentation for OCS 2007. Here are the relevant links:

• Office Communicator Mobile 2007 Released!
• Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Phone Edition
• Office Communications Server 2007 Document: Technical Reference
• Office Communications Server 2007 Supportability Guide
• Microsoft Office Live Meeting Service Portal

As usual, every month Paul wraps up the technical documentation, webcasts, knowledge base articles and product updates around Exchange Server 2007:

Exchange Calendar Update Tool
The Exchange Calendar Update Tool enables administrators to update multiple user mailboxes and adjust calendars and meetings for daylight savings times.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

TimeChangeType Extension Sample
The TimeChangeType Extension Sample extends the TimeChangeType that implements IXmlSerializable to create an IXmlSerializable partial class.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Microsoft Forefront Server Security Management Console Release Candidate
Forefront Server Security Management Console allows administrators to easily manage Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Forefront Security for SharePoint, and Microsoft Antigen.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Transport Server Role Architecture Diagrams
Many components are involved in the transport of messages through the Exchange Server 2007 mail flow pipeline. These diagrams can help you understand how each component affects the processing of messages that enter the Exchange 2007 mail flow pipeline. Exchange administrators can use this information to help diagnose mail flow problems. Developers can use this information to help create third-party agents and applications to work with Exchange 2007.
The Edge Transport server architectural diagram applies to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of Exchange Server 2007. For the Hub Transport server, two architectural diagrams are provided: One for Exchange 2007 SP1 and one for Exchange 2007 RTM.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa...ang=en

Exchange Management Shell Quick Reference
Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 introduces a new management platform called the Exchange Management Shell, based on Windows® PowerShell, formerly codenamed “Monad”. This quick reference guide provides a list of frequently used cmdlets, important conventions, and useful tips. The information is presented by feature area, such as recipient, transport, and database administration. This quick reference guide applies to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 and the release to manufacturing version of Exchange Server 2007.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa...ang=en

Security White Papers
The Microsoft US National Security Team is composed of strategic security advisors who work with Microsoft customers, partners, MS internal constituencies and the information security industry to promote the adoption of security processes and technologies. The NST also focuses on driving vertical security solutions for a wide range of industries. To this end, the NST has produced a number of white papers that address the specific security needs of particular industries, such as the professional services and financial services industries.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?Fa...ang=en

VM for Exchange Calendar Update Configuration Tool
The Exchange Calendar Update Configuration Tool enables administrators to update, using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft® Office Outlook®, multiple user mailboxes, thereby avoiding the challenges involved with broadly deploying the Outlook Time Zone Data Update Tool to all end-users.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

VIDEO: Using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Exchange Server v2.0
This video will aid customers in using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Exchange Server.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

VIDEO: Using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook v2.0
This video will aid customers in using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino
Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino is used for interoperability and migration from Lotus Domino to Active Directory, Exchange Server 2007, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Help
This download contains a standalone version of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Help.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Unified Communications and Collaboration:Pervasive Capabilities for Where and How People Work
This whitepaper describes the Unified Communications and Collaboration platform from Microsoft and how Microsoft’s approach to unified communications and collaboration delivers the capabilities for people to collaborate on-demand – anywhere, anytime.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SDK July 2007
This release of the Exchange Server 2007 Software Development Kit (SDK) Documentation and Samples provides new and updated documentation and samples for building applications that use Exchange 2007. Use this SDK to help you develop collaborative enterprise applications for Exchange 2007.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Shell Help
The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Exchange Management Shell Help file helps you use cmdlets in the Exchange Management Shell to perform day-to-day administration of Exchange 2007. You can view help in the Exchange Management Shell by using the Get-Help cmdlet. This Help file applies to the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) version of Exchange Server 2007
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Intermass Fischer Asia Pte Ltd case study
Case study featuring how Intermass Fischer benefited from Upgrade existing Windows NT Server to Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (SBS 2003 R2) which comes with Exchange Server 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=22...g%3den

Friday, October 05, 2007: TechNet Webcast: Message Security, Active Protection, and Compliance with Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
This session covers three main topics. We start with a look at message hygiene. Your e-mail system is constantly being bombarded with unwanted messages, and as a messaging administrator, it is your job to prevent that. Next, we discuss messaging policies. Following recent accounting scandals and the global terrorism threat, governments and their agencies require organizations to store, and produce upon request, pertinent e-mail messages. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 provides policies to achieve this goal with policies that are simple to set up and administer. Finally, we look at how messages can be made secure while in transit through your organization, between organizations, and across untrusted networks, such as the Internet.
http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?...ams%5e

Friday, October 19, 2007: TechNet Webcast: Introduction to Windows PowerShell Scripting in Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
Discover how you can use Windows PowerShell to perform day-to-day administrative tasks. In this session , we provide an overview of Windows PowerShell commands and describe how to construct them. Next, we demonstrate how you can build more complex scripts in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. We conclude the webcast with a review of the reporting facilities available in Windows PowerShell
http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?...ams%5e

Wednesday, October 24, 2007: Momentum Webcast: Early Preview of Exchange Server 2007 SP1 (Level 100)
Join this webcast for a preview of the newly announced Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1). The enhanced features of this service pack include support for the Windows Server 2008 operating system, enhanced integration with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, and improved mobile device management and advanced security technology. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 also includes features that can help enhance the user experience in Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access (OWA), provide greater functionality in the Exchange Server 2007 Management Console, and deliver improved disaster recovery capabilities through Standby Continuous Replication.
http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?...ams%5e

Friday, October 26, 2007: TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 Client Access and Web Services (Level 200)
In this webcast, we explore Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Client Access Services. The overall goal of Client Access Services is to add value to the data in your inbox by enabling you to access that data from wherever you are. In addition to access from Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access (OWA), and mobile devices, we cover some new client access features introduced in Exchange Server 2007. We look at the various underlying components of Exchange Server 2007 Client Access Services and we describe improvements to calendaring functionality, the new Unified Messaging, Exchange Web Services, and programmatic access to messaging data. We conclude this webcast with a look at enhancements to Exchange Server ActiveSync.
http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?CMTYSvcSource=MSCOMMedia&Params=%7eCMTYDataSvcParams%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ID%22+Value%3d%221032352684%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ProviderID%22+Value%3d%22A6B43178-497C-4225-BA42-DF595171F04C%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22lang%22+Value%3d%22en%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22cr%22+Value%3d%22US%22%2f%5e%7esParams%5e%7e%2fsParams%5e%7e%2fCMTYDataSvcParams%5e

NEW ON-DEMAND WEBCASTS

• TechNet Webcast: Giving the Administrator More Control with Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
• TechNet Webcast: Technical Overview of Forefront Security for Exchange Server (Level 200)
• TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2007 Deployment and Migration (Level 200)

Documentation Update Notes: September 2007

New Content

• Exchange Server Analyzer articles

Updated Content

• Exchange Server Analyzer articles

New KB’s: September 2007

The nickname of a mail user must be unique in a forest if you use the original release version of Exchange 2007
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=933261

You cannot use a Windows Mobile 5.0-based device or a Windows Mobile 6.0-based device to send an e-mail message to Exchange 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=941169

Duplicate Global Object IDs may appear in Exchange 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938657

You cannot move a mailbox across forests in an Exchange 2007 organization
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=935202

The “From” field in a meeting request displays the wrong user when two Exchange 2003 organizations are connected by using an SMTP connector
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=924955

Some provisioning requests do not work, and you receive a “0xc220140b” error message after you install Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 on a server that is running Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 4.0
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=939216

Event ID 7514 is logged when a custom word list file is larger than 128 KB on an Exchange 2003 server
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=941856

A mailbox store in a recovery storage group cannot be dismounted, and the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service cannot be shut down on an Exchange 2003 server
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=941385

E-mail messages in the Drafts folder display incorrect sent dates after you use Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino to migrate a mailbox to Exchange 2007
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=940048

The Exchange 2003 Setup program deletes all empty folders and empty subfolders in the Exchange 2003 installation folder when you remove an Exchange 2003 component
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=942691

After you recover the clustered mailbox server in an Exchange Server 2007 single-copy cluster configuration, the expected registry entries are not created
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=940631

Microsoft Transporter Suite for Lotus Domino cannot migrate mailboxes from Lotus Domino to Exchange Server 2007 if the mailboxes in Lotus Domino contain a folder that has a blank name
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=940056

If you are willing to share your helpdesk data with Microsoft, in order to improve next release of Exchange Server, send an email to exblown AT Microsoft DOT com and you will win…. their undying gratitude .

The Microsoft Exchange Team is looking specifically for:

• Preferred: Helpdesk call data specific to exchange & outlook end-users, with volume information (e.g. # of calls for each issue + length of each call), organized by root cause (example: size restriction configured incorrectly on connector resulted in NDRs)
• Acceptable: Helpdesk call data specific to exchange & outlook end-users, with volume information (e.g. # of calls for each issue + length of each call), organized by symptom (example: user received 5.2.2 NDR)

More information at http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/10/10/447239.aspx.

While reading the You Had Me At EHLO blog, I noticed this new service from Microsoft.

Exchange Labs is a new program from the Microsoft Exchange team, advancing the way we deliver next-generation e-mail and unified communications capabilities. Partnering with the Windows Live @ edu offering, Exchange Labs gives students and alumni access to Exchange-based e-mail: 5 GB mailboxes, secure e-mail, a shared address book, calendars and more! To get up and running with Exchange Labs, see Getting Started with Exchange Labs.

What is it?
As part of Microsoft’s software + services strategy, we are enhancing the way we build, test and deliver Exchange.  On October 1, 2007, we announced Exchange Labs, a new program for testing the next version of Exchange in high-scale services environments. 

Who can use Exchange Labs?
The initial rollout of Exchange Labs is designed for select schools and universities as part of Windows Live @ edu.  Windows Live @ edu “powered by Exchange Labs”, allows these select academic institutions to easily connect students and alumni with e-mail, and integrate these users with existing on-premises Exchange Server deployments that support faculty and staff.

If you are a school, and interested in Exchange Labs for your organization, please see Getting Started with Exchange Labs.

What features are enabled with Exchange Labs today?
For end-users we have:

• Windows Live ID authentication, that can be used with Messenger, Spaces, and all of the other Windows Live services
• Support for the complete Outlook experience: Microsoft Office Outlook, Outlook Web Access, Outlook Mobile
• Support for the broadest set of 3^rd party clients with POP, IMAP, and Exchange Activesync support
• 5 GB of mailbox quotas
• Security with SSL enabled all of the time
• Shared address books and calendars

For school administrators we have:

• Provisioning and administration tools to manage student and alumni accounts
• Ability to integrate on-premises Exchange deployment for faculty and staff, with hosted Exchange Labs for students and alumni