So with the new job I get time to actually do things. I figured out the certificate services thing I was working on, and kind of depressed about it because it was not the resolution that we, as a company, were looking for. I think I might revisit it in a few weeks. Since then I have moved on to Exchange Server 2007, more specifically Unified Messaging, where you can get email, voicemail, and calendar events all in one location. I know, you can get that with a smart phone as well, but what if your phone is not a smart phone? And what if your out of cellular range? you an use a pay phone/calling card and dial up your extension to check everything at once. The technical back end of this is odd as well The requirements for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 are monstrous, but then again exchange server has always had high requirements. There are some other neat feature of the new exchange server as well, what MicroSoft is calling an Edge server. It is a server that sits in the DMZ that has a list of allowed email addresses and domains, users can set their own blacklists and whitelists. Again that is PER USER not per domain, and one users rules won't effect anothers. The edge server also does not need to be connected to the domain directly, it can not user the ADAM transport services to get just the information that it needs, this is for those ultra paranoid people out there. When setting up the edge transport it will configure ADAM for you so there is no need to get overly technical on that subject. In the new exchange server you are also able to easily set up rules, such as one department not being allowed to email another, for reason I wont go into, but this is done with a few mouse clicks.

I know I am missing a lot of the normal screen shots I like to take, I will try to get some later, right now I am still in my test mode so it is just a general overview of how things work. Another part of how exchange works it can integrate with your phone system, there is a recommended and supported list, but we are already using Asterisk for ours so we had to be creative. There is a blog entry that goes over the details, and I have been able to get this to mostly work on my test lab, I have one last part to connect and that is the asterisk system to sipX, it should be pretty simple though. I say simple like I am an expert with VOIP and Exchange, I actually not that knowledgeable with either, I have actually just learned most of my knowledge with this one project.

Next in News of the world, my shuttle looks like it is dying, every time I tried to sync my Zune with it, it shuts down, this is not a happy thing. It has had problems with the USB ports for a while, I think this is just setting it off completely. It is an older machine, it was about a year old when I bought it two years ago. So I started looking around NewEgg for bits and pieces, I do not want to get another shuttle though. It is just LOUD, it is actually louder then the two 1U servers. It has been a good computer, I have been able to run EVERY operating system on it, including Linux (ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Slackware, and E-Live) Windows XP and Vista, and OSX. So it has been a good computer, and has been running Vista since about November without issue, well with Minor issues, such as video drivers (damn nvidia) not working correctly, and random smaller issues that have since been resolved one way or another.

I am now a proud owner of a Red 8GB Microsoft Zune, I am such a Microsoft Whore. It is nice, it does not have the video out feature that I really wanted, need to learn to read all the details, but it does work by hooking the A/V cables to the AUX input in my factor DVD player in my SUV, and the cables are long enough to give me easy control while driving. It will also hook up to the DVD player in my Sonoma. The Zune Marketplace also has PodCasts, no apple doesn't own that term, and I have found some neat things with it. There is Coffee Break Spanish, the G4 stuff, Slashdot Review (yes i am this big a geek), and Microsoft TechNet Radio are the first ones I have found. Fun stuff to listen to while on the way to work. Also I signed up for their Unlimited Access pass, and that is amusing. Most stuff is covered under that, like songs and albums, if they have them, but videos, and Disney songs are not. I just cant figure out why the Disney stuff is extra.

Things that I missed in this post, Got the SUV back, I need to take some pictures of what is now different on it. It went to Vegas on a road trip and I won a long distance trophy from the New Ground show.