Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 BizTalk Adapter Now Available
The Microsoft BizTalk® Server 2006 adapter for Microsoft Dynamics® CRM 4.0 is now available. This adapter has the same functionality as the previously released 3.0 adapter, with the following updates:
- Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit deployments of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0
- Supports form-based authentication
- Supports multi-tenancy
With this adapter, you can integrate Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 with any other non-Microsoft business application using the BizTalk server mapping capabilities, which allows you to discover and use the schema of any of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM entities.
It can be downloaded from here.
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New App-V downloads available
The first is the Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Security Configuration Wizard roles that contain hardening definitions for:
- Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Management Server
- Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Streaming Server
- Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Management Service
These roles can be used to help protect and harden your Application Virtualization environment on Windows Server 2003 and 2008 by closing or disabling unnecessary ports and services reducing the overall attack surface.
The download can be found here.
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The second is the Application Virtualization Best Practices Analyzer. This is a diagnostic tool that verifies configuration settings for computers running a Microsoft Application Virtualization Streaming Server version 4.5 or Microsoft Application Virtualization Management Server version 4.5.
Feature Bullet Summary:
- Scans Microsoft Application Virtualization Streaming Server
- Scans Microsoft Application Virtualization Management Server
- Reports warnings and guidance for configuration settings that should be adjusted
- Produces an HTML report with all errors and warnings
This can be downloaded here.
Source- Technet Blog
Microsoft HealthVault Connection Center Beta 2 for Windows Vista
HealthVault Connection Center 2.0 provides quick and easy upload of device data to HealthVault and helps you use the data with Web sites and applications that work with HealthVault. This most current release includes:
- A simpler, more engaging user interface
- Guided setup to find and install compatible devices
- Ability to select multiple records for upload (for multi-user devices)
- Ability to set upload preferences for each device you use
- Improved support to prevent upload of duplicate data
We encourage you to get the most from your personal health or fitness devices by upgrading to this release. To check which version you have on your computer, simply click Help and then click About.
About HealthVault Connection Center
You can use the free HealthVault Connection Center software to upload data to HealthVault from health and fitness devices (such as blood pressure monitors, pedometers, glucometers and many others) and Gadgets for Windows Sidebar. HealthVault Connection Center connects your device, your computer and your HealthVault record to manage the upload process for you.
Earning your loyalty…one search at a time
From cashback to Live Search club we’ve been building programs to help increase engagement, usage, and loyalty. Today we’re expanding our efforts with the release of SearchPerks!, a new program designed to reward consumers with cool prizes — like frequent flyer miles, Xbox games, and music downloads — just for using Live Search.
To participate, visit http://www.getsearchperks.com/ and download the Perk Counter, a small download that appears as a toolbar in Internet Explorer. The Perk Counter keeps count of your searches using Live Search and awards "tickets" that you can redeem for prizes at the end of the promotion. We award 500 bonus tickets just for downloading and installing the Perk Counter. You’ll also earn an additional ticket for each of your queries on Live Search (up to 25 tickets per day).
You can accumulate tickets from the start of SearchPerks! today until the promotion ends on April 15, 2009. Registration will be open through the end of the calendar year.
Source- Live Search Blog
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 releases to web
Following the broad product, partner and customer announcements from its “Get Virtual Now” launch last month, Microsoft Corp.’s CEO Steve Ballmer today announced the final release and availability of Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 in front of a crowd of 700 IT professionals during a TechNet Server and Tools event keynote address in London. To further assist customers with the adoption and deployment of Microsoft virtualization solutions, Microsoft announced a new offering of specialized assessment and implementation services available from the Microsoft Services organization that help customers use server virtualization, and separate new training and certifications from Microsoft Learning for IT Professionals.
“Customers have been telling us that virtualization is a top priority, but they continue to face multiple barriers to adoption, such as costs, complex tools and limited certified virtualization professionals,” said Zane Adam, senior director of virtualization strategy at Microsoft. “In response, Microsoft is breaking down these barriers through new training programs and services, interoperability, centralized management tools, and a broad partner ecosystem built around the Windows hypervisor to help make virtualization ubiquitous. Microsoft’s new virtualization products will help customers get virtual and manage their virtual and physical assets across datacenters and desktops.”
Download would be made available here
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Download Web Platform Installer Beta
Developers and server administrators can use the Web Platform Installer Beta to more easily discover, download and install the Microsoft Web platform. Using the Web Platform Installer’s simple user interface, you can select specific components or install the entire Microsoft Web Platform onto your computer easily and quickly. To help you stay up-to-date with product releases, the Web Platform Installer tool always contains the most current versions and new additions to the Microsoft Web Platform.
Examples of products which can be downloaded and installed through Web Platform Installer include:
- IIS7 Web Server
- Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition
- SQL Server Express Edition
- .NET Framework
- IIS Extensions (such as FTP 7.0 and URL Rewriter)
- …and more
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Help update 4.2 released in all supported languages
We’re very pleased to announce the availability of Help update 4.2 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (on-premise) for server, client, and Language Pack installations. Like our previous updates, this update incorporates suggestions from customers and partners submitted through our feedback system, as well as bug fixes and clarifications.
However, we’re especially excited that Help update 4.2 is available in all supported languages. Although we’ve been releasing updates to Help for several years, this is the first Microsoft Dynamics CRM Help update to be released in English and localized versions. Help update 4.2 represents a rollup of all the content in Help update 4.1 (previously available only in English), as well as recent fixes and improvements.
There are five options, depending on your configuration:
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 server update for 32-bit systems
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 server update for 64-bit systems
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 for Microsoft Office Outlook with Offline Access update
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Pack updates for 32-bit systems (applies to both server and client components)
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Language Pack updates for 64-bit systems
If you’ve enabled multiple languages in your implementation, note that you’ll need to apply the Language Pack update in addition to the server update. You only need to run the Language Pack update once for all languages. For more details, see KB955921.
You can download Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Help update 4.2 from the Microsoft Download Center.
Source- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog
Branch Infrastructure Implementation Solution for Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 includes several enhancements to the base operating system plus powerful new functionalities that make it valuable in a branch office environment. These include:
- Mitigated Security Risks: The Read-Only Domain Controller is a powerful new feature that enables organizations provide their remote branch office with local authentication servers, without having to increase security exposure to their Domain Database. The RoDC also provides a read-only copy of the DNS and receives uni-directional updates from the Central Office DataCentre. BitLocker technology provides hardware-based encryption for data on branch office server. The Server Core installation option helps significantly decrease the servers’ surface area of exposure and management overheads by reducing the operating system footprint.
- Improved Network Performance: Windows Server 2008 offers several new or improved network technologies that will improve the efficiency of WAN communications. The new TCPIP Stack and the Server Message Block (SMB 2.0) is redesigned for networking environments especially when connecting branch offices. The Distributed File System Replication service (DFSR) is a multi-master replication engine that increases data availability and gives users in remote sites fast, reliable access to files
- Improved Deployment and Administration: New management tools like the Server Manager Console provide a single, unified console for managing a server’s configuration and system information, displaying server status, identifying problems with server role configuration, and managing all roles installed on the server.
BIIS provides an understanding of the complex issues that affect branch infrastructure planning and design. This solution was designed using a modular approach that will support future releases and add-on guides to support core as well as extended branch infrastructure services. The service guides that are available with this release focus specifically on key Windows Server 2008 role services. Future releases will present a selection of “extended” services to detail branch infrastructure focused on solutions for roles and products such as Hyper-V, System Center Configuration Manager, and Forefront Client Security. This guidance helps IT Service designers and architects minimize the branch office design and implementation costs and provide the most efficient and effective management possible, while still providing the desired user experience for staff in branch offices.
