James Moody: Geek in Paradise

No, not the Lady Vols, the Men’s Team!

What a great job Coach Bruce Pearl has performed in Knoxville these past few years, bringing the Vols to their first ever #1 ranking, with a gutty 66-62 win over Tiger High on their court.

Now it’s time to finish out their first SEC Title in 41 years, then begin their March Madness run for the National Title.

I say, it’s great to be a Tennessee Vol! Go Vols!

I also can’t forget to give a plug to the best Tennessee related forum on the ‘net, Vol Nation. Many thanks to vol_freak for giving us a place to gather.

Update: Video of Vols returning home in the middle of the night to a large crowd at Thompson Boling Arena. Kudos to uTsPooNy.

Still shots of the return trip, courtesy of VolMike98.

Tags: Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Tiger High Memphis State Bruce Pearl #1

Chris Rue over at the funcave brought up an excellent point regarding SBS 2008 CAL’s for Standard and Premium versions. He saw mention of separate CAL’s on the banner in the release and rightfully mentions how much of a pain it will be to obtain separate versions of the CAL’s if a client decides to upgrade from Standard to Premium during the life of the server.

And if you’re talking initial install, then the different CAL prices simply becomes one more option that needs explaining.

That’s where the train goes off the rails.

Shortly after his post, Sean Daniel posts that yes, there will be separate versions of the CAL’s. It would have been nice if they had just kept it simple like SBS 2003 CAL’s.

There is a change in the way Client Access Licenses (CALs) work. Standard edition will have Standard CALs and Premium will have Premium CALs

One can only hope there is an easy upgrade path between Standard and Premium CAL’s. I hope Microsoft gets it right.

Tags: Microsoft SBS 2008 Standard SBS 2008 Premium CAL

From The Official SBS Blog

Today Microsoft is announcing the Windows Essential Server Solutions family of products.  The family includes Windows Small Business Server 2008, formerly known as code name "Cougar" and Windows Essential Business Server 2008, formerly known as code name "Centro".

Windows Small Business Server 2008 is built upon Windows Server 2008 and includes:

• Windows Exchange Server 2007
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• Enhanced Remote Web Workplace
• One-year trial subscription to Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server Small Business Edition
• One-year trial subscription to the new Windows Live OneCare for Server

SBS 2008 Premium also includes SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 to run on a second server.

Windows Essential Business Server 2008 is built upon Windows Server 2008 and includes:

• Exchange Server 2007
• Forefront Security for Exchange Server
• System Center Essentials 2007
• Next version of Internet Security and Acceleration Server

Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Premium Edition includes SQL Server 2008 technology.

Of interest, is the trial subscriptions to Forefront Security for Exchange and OneCare for Server. I hadn’t seen those mentioned in any of the talk covering what SBS 2008 would include, so it comes as quite a surprise to me. What better way to get people to make the swap than to include a free year with each purchase. I imagine most consultants already have their preferred vendors in place (ExchangeDefender, Symantec/Trend, etc.) so it will be interesting to see the uptake on ForeFront and OneCare.

I do like the addition of Server 2008 into the SBS 2008 Premium product as more and more clients are hopping on the Terminal Services wagon with great enthusiasm. I know the majority of the small business owners I’ve pitched to, have had the "yes" look when I cover the fact that they would be able to work from home. When I see that look, even though they may not say yes then, I can pretty much guarantee a call back within a few days with the go-ahead. Inclusion of Server 2008 is a great move imho as long as the price point is within tolerance.

Of course, both products are 64-bit only, which for me, comes at a great time for the clients I have are due for a new server this year anyway. This will make the new hardware sell easier since they need new hardware for the new OS.

Official Press Release

Tags: Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Essential Business Server 2008 Server 2008 ForeFront OneCare

Security Cadets have revealed there is a new variant of the Storm Trojan making it’s rounds through the tubes.

Make sure to inform your loved ones and friends to be wary of any e-mails they receive with the following (but not limited to) subject lines.