Ben's Blog is Moving!

... and I *almost* made 500 posts! (495 if you must know).

After over two years of letting Blogger host my blog, I have decided to move my blog to Wordpress. I wish I could say that I'm moving the blog so that I could take advantage of all sorts of cool technologies that will help you learn and be successful, but well, the main reason is that they have better templates. :) All of the posts over the last 28 or so months is fully accessible at Wordpress (and it's even searchable!)

The new address is: http://benbedo123.wordpress.com. Please update your favorites accordingly, as this will be my last Blogger post. If you're using http://www.benbedo.com to reach the blog, the domain name will update itself automatically within a couple of days.

See ya over at Wordpress.

Over, out.

RAM for sale!

I received this e-mail from Keith Simpson, a former student:

Hey Ben, I bought a 1gb memory stick on ebay that's not going to work in my computer. My motherboard will support 1gb of memory, but it has to be (2) 512mb sticks. If you know of anyone that's looking to add more memory to their system, maybe what I got will work in there's. The specs of mine are:
1GB PC2700 333MHz DDR Memory Module for AMD/Intel
I've checked at Best Buy-$126.99
Computer Plus- 79.99
All I want is my money back! $50 will buy this memory module. You have got my e-mail address if anyone is interested.
Keith Simpson
MCP

E-mail Keith @ parman at insightbb.com

The Last Day of School

Here are Liz Heller and Duane Doyle, Career Services and Student Services Coordinators, jamming out to some Guitar Hero on the last night of school.

How could I *not* love this job?

MS Exchange - 12/4/2007

Here are the lyrics to a song by R.E.M. The lyrics are largely irrelevant, but what the hey, I'll post them anyway.

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes,
an aeroplane - Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn,
world serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs.
Feed it off an aux speak,, grunt, no, strength,
The ladder starts to clatter with fear fight down height.
Wire in a fire, representing seven games, a government for hire and a combat site.
Left of west and coming in a hurry with the furies breathing down your neck.
Team by team reporters baffled, trumped, tethered cropped.
Look at that low playing!
Fine, then.
Uh oh, overflow, population, common food, but it'll do.
Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and the revered and the right - right.
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign towers.
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn.
Locking in, uniforming, book burning, blood letting.
Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate.
Light a candle, light a votive. Step down, step down.
Watch your heel crush, crushed. Uh-oh, this means no fear cavalier.
Renegade steer clear! A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies.
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.

It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) and I feel fine.
(I feel fine)

The other night I dreamt of knives, continental drift divide. Mountains sit in a line
Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Brezhnev. Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs.
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom!
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam book neck, right? Right.

It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) and I feel fine.

Good luck guys, I've had a blast with you!! Don't be strangers -- stop by often.

A+ Hardware/Software - 12/4/2007

Since every last one of you clowns did well enough to not have to take the final, today was a very quiet day for me. I got a lot of work done, and Nathan Addison came in and helped me wipe some hard drives in the afternoon (thanks Nathan!)

You guys have about five weeks to relax, and please make sure you that you do. You've busted your tails this quarter. Next quarter, which begins January 14, will be just as intense (just in a different sort of way). I'ts a lot of fun though, and I can't wait to guide you guys to your XP Pro and Server 2003 certifications. These are two classes in my "more enjoyable to teach" list! :)

Homework:

• Enjoy your time off, and rest up for Winter 2008!
• Happy Holidays!
  

Server+ - 12/3/07

Guitar Hero was here when I got here. It must be the last day.

Oh, and Liz Heller rocks.

Homework:

• Eat, drink (but not too much) and be happy! Merry Christmas!
  

MS Exchange - 12/3/2007

It's OOOOOVERRRRRR!!!

Homework:

• I barely gave any homework while the class was going on, do you think I could give it when it's over?
  

Strategies for Success - 12/3/2007

The last day of class.
The classroom is empty.
All students are gone.

Homework:

• Have a safe, happy Christmas break. We'll see you all on January 14!!!!
  

Did Fiber Optics Just Get a Little Closer to Home?

Article here.

Files! Files! Files!

I've done a bad job this quarter of sharing with you Powerpoint slides that go along with our lessons. If you're unfamiliar with this practice, I usually print out these slides and let you do whatever you wish with them (study them, burn them, birdcage filler), but this quarter for some reason, I've just let them fall by the wayside.

Because of this, I'm in the process of uploading all of the files from my three classes where this is appropriate. Since there are so many files, I've sorted them into folders. Scroll down a bit, and they're located on the right.

Enjoy!

If you're in one of my Exchange classes, you'll notice that Chapters 5, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are missing. These files are larger than 10MB, and are too big to be uploaded to my box.net account. Sorry!

MS Exchange - 11/27/2007

Tonight we covered Chapters 7 and 8, which dealt with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP servers and requiring their secure use via SSL. Next week, we'll take the final, and

that

is

it.

Homework:

• Study!
  

A+ Hardware/Software - 11/27/2007

Today we covered the last chapter in the book -- Chapter 13, which covers security and preventive maintenance. We learned about users and groups, about file encryption, viruses and spyware and that you're supposed to open your computer to blow out all the dust once a month. OK, maybe that's a little much, but still, blow it out every now and then, good grief people. Just make sure that you're away from other computers when you do it, since pounds of dust can leave one computer and land comfortably in another.

After all that hee-haw, we sat down to take Checkpoint Exam #2. There was only an 18 point curve (compared to 20-30 points in the past), which means you guys did an exceptional job. This is evidenced by the fact that I don't have to see anyone next week for a final!! Woo! Sleep in on Tuesday! (A first for A+ classes!)

Homework:

• Continue studying for your A+ certification. Just because you're finished with my class doesn't mean you're finished, ya know.
• Have a happy holiday! I'll see all of you on January 14.
  

Server+ - 11/26/2007

Tonight was Checkpoint#2, covering Chapters 6 - 9. Grades were given, and I'll see a few of you next week for the final. Make sure you study hard!

Homework:

• Study!!!
  

MS Exchange - 11/26/2007

Chapter Seven, covering Virtual Servers, was covered. Virtual Servers work hand in hand with clustered server nodes, allowing us to switch an important service (such as POP3 or IMAP4) from a node that might be down to another, better suited one easily and simply.

Provided replication works.

Homework:

• Study for the final, if you have to take it!
  

Strategies for Success - 11/26/2007

We celebrated the last day of class today by presenting our collages of where we see our lives in 5 years. Great job!

Now, that we've gotten the basic tenants of our own positive self-think down pat, let's not minimize them in our lives. We (Draughons) have you take this course so that you might apply its strategies to school and be a more successful (get the name?) student. Don't simply apply this to your educational career, but apply it to your entire life. I think you'll be surprised just how beneficial such thinking can be towards your goals and your successes.

Since no one is electing to go the computer-dork route, this is probably where we will part ways. Don't be a stranger! Pop in and say hi sometime!

A+ Hardware/Software - 11/20/2007

Chapter 12 was the topic of the day, and we covered several Windows 2000 and XP features today. Included in the list was CHKDSK, Disk Defragmenter, Computer Management, Device Manager, Driver Rollback, Last Known Good Configuration, Recovery Console, Emergency Repair Disk, Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, and upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows XP. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (FAST Wizard) was also covered.

Homework:

• No homework per se, but we're having a checkpoint exam next week. Make sure you study!!!
  

Server+ - 11/19/2007

Tonight we did double duty by covering two (count 'em, two!) chapters: chapter 8 and 9. There is no specific homework, but since we're winding down the class, make sure you STUDY HARD for the upcoming Checkpoint exam over chapters 6 - 9.

Homework

• Study for the Checkpoint Exam!
  

MS Exchange - 11/19/2007

Today we covered Chapter Six - Public Folders. Public folders are Exchange's implementation of "newsgroups", which run on the NNTP protocol. Exchange calls these groups "folders" and you can "post" various types of items in them for others to use. Think of them like virtual bulletin boards.

Homework:

• Chapter 6: 1-9, odd.
  

Strategies for Success - 11/19/2007

Today we turned in our portfolios, and guys, they were all great! I offered some suggestions on how to improve them. Keep these portfolios with you as you finish up DJC and be sure to take them with you on job interviews, etc.

Afterwards, we worked on our collages for next week. Remember, the collages will show the class where you will be in five years.

Homework:

• Finish your collages
• Next week is the last week of class! Woo!
  

An Experiment in Productivity

As far as IT-topics go, I guess this is technically off-topic, but as busy professionals we can all afford to be more efficient in our time. As a student of Covey, I'm keenly aware of how non-important tasks can hide behind a sense of "urgency" and detract us away from what we really need to be doing. Because of that, I've been wary of web-based solutions to our time management problems. After all, simply by being on the computer researching these solutions, aren't we really just wasting more time?

That being said, there are some solutions that I've found to be worth their while and I've found that they do shrink the amount of daily time I'm spending on the computer. Which means I have time to do other more important stuff! :)

Turn Your Flash Drive Into a Portable Computer
Well, sort of. I use no less than four different computers each week, so a big time waster for me was figuring out where exactly my most used web sites were. A lot of times, I would find myself just Googling the site, trying to find it -- if that even worked. And more often than not, I would just find myself mindlessly surfing on somewhere else.

I could solve this, of course, by carrying around my laptop with me, but since a) I ride my bike a lot and b) I'm clumsy as all get-out, that's not a real viable option. Plus, my wife likes to use the laptop during the day.

I use my jump drive instead. A little program I discovered a few months back, PortableApps, allows you to install full programs onto your jump drive. With most drives available today having a capacity over 1GB, it's easy to install extremely useful apps onto your drive and run them on whatever computer you happen to be on. Any favorites you have travel along with your browser that's installed on the drive! The only downside is that half of the computers I use are still running USB 1.1, so speed can be an issue. But, I'm supposed to be working at work, right? ;)

The main program I use on this jump drive is Firefox. If you don't know already, Firefox is an open source web browser that directly competes with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. I've been more of a fan of Maxthon Web Browser, which uses IE as an engine, but doesn't have all the problems, yadda yadda of IE7. I'm wont to change, and I've been on Maxthon for well over a year, so it's time for Ben to swap up. That, and the fact that Firefox has cooler extensions than Maxthon. More on some of these really cool extensions in a minute.

Make Your Favorites Come To You
I have about 20 or so sites I like to visit every day, which is more often than most of them are updated. Visiting 20 web sites only to find that 5 actually have anything new on them is a huge time waster. The solution to this problem is, of course, to know before visiting a site if there are any updates. Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, helps us achieve this. All you need is an RSS reader and the know-how to configure it to look at an RSS-enabled web site (Ben's Blog is one such site) and tell you if any new content has arrived.

Although it's not the best solution out there, I'm a big fan of Google Reader. The reason being is that it's web-based, and therefore accessible anywhere I can get an Internet connection -- with or without my jump drive. It's easy enough to set up, although Maxthon's built-in RSS reader was much easier to use.

Don't Skip Important Information for Mindless Information
Whenever a external link exists in a web document, the author risks his readers leaving the site and never coming back. Plus, we leave the original document we were reading and look at something else, where we risk clicking yet another link and beginning the whole process again -- spiraling out of control for possibly hours.

But, if we just ignore those external links, we miss out on stuff too.

A Firefox extension from IdeaStorm called Read It Later makes working with outside links so much more efficient. With this tiny extension installed, you simply right click a link and choose "Read This Link Later". The extension drops the link into a "Stuff to Read Later" bin and then -- yep, you guessed it -- you can read it later. I've been able to digest so much more information in less time thanks to this plugin alone.

Sometimes Old Technology is Better Technology
As tempting as it can be, sometimes using tried and true tools is just better. For example, I played around with Google Notebook as a possible replacement for my Franklin-Covey planner, but man, paper is just FASTER. There are not boot times to wait for, and I can get to any particular date I need within a second or two -- faster than the time it takes to open a Web browser. So, unless you find yourself attached to a computer literally all day, I still recommend using paper-bound solutions that work for you. (I really recommend the Franklin-Covey system, by the way.)

Don't be Afraid of Change
If you already have a system in place or if you don't think you need one, be open to new ideas. Some ideas work great and shave a few minutes off of my daily grind, some add to it. Be open to new stuff and be prepared to ditch your old system if something new works better.

Now, back to work!

A+ Hardware/Software - 11/13/2007

What a day!

Today we took a step back and covered Chapter 10, which was Windows essentials. We first went over the history of Windows to help us understand the benefit of current f eatures that we have and to understand where are and where we've come from. We then went over typical OS configuration scenarios that CompTIA will expect you to know for the A+ software exam, including network configuration (IP addresses, subnet masks, etc.), Administration Tools (like the Services console), Accessibility Tools (filter keys) and Power Options (when to power down HDDs and monitors).

We also played with Windows ME (bust) and Ubuntu 7.10 (notsomuch) and did an install of Windows 2000 (NT 5.0). Next week, we'll cover Chapter 12 and work on a Windows XP installation.

Homework:

• Chapter 10 - Exam Questions 1-10
  

Server+ - 11/12/2007

Tonight, Clay was in heaven: we explored Linux. And while we unfortunately didn't get a whole lot of success in the installation of the OS, hopefully you got a good idea of what an alternate OS looks like and will be willing to install and play with some "distros" yourself.

We also discussed chapter 7, which covered the services and applications that are commonly used in server technology. This was largely a review from Network+ and the entry level MS classes, so hopefully no one was too lost. We'll have a mini-test next week over Chapters 6 and 7.

Homework:

• Study for your test
• Play with a "distro"

MS Exchange - 11/12/2007

Today was Checkpoint Exam #1, which covered chapters 1-5. We'll dig in next week on Chapter Six -- make sure you come prepared!! (Read!!)

Homework:

• Read Chapter Six

Strategies for Success - 11/12/2007

Today we finished the last of the Lou videos, which took all the concepts we've been talking about all along and wrapping them up into one powerful punch: the idea of the wizards. You know, the whole Wizard of Oz thing where the "wizard" said, "Hey, smart people have degrees! You need a degree!" and wa-lah -- the scarecrow "becomes" smart. But not really, he was really smart all along, but couldn't see it, and only could see it once someone believed in him. Sometimes we are just like the scarecrow -- having all kinds of abilities to do things, but just need someone (sometimes ourselves) to tell us that yes, yes we can.

Remember that we can have both positive and negative wizards in our lives. Negative wizards are dangerous since they are EVERYWHERE and their simple statements a lot of time prohibit us from doing what we have the potential to do. Become a positive wizard!

And just because we're done with the Lou videos doesn't mean we're done with the class. Nope, we have a couple more weeks left. Here's what we have set:

11/19 (next week): JOURNALS ARE DUE!!!!! After I grade your journals, we will then work on our collages. The collages will be "What My Life Looks Like in 5 Years", and we'll have the entire rest of the class to work on these.
11/26 (two weeks): COLLAGES ARE DUE!!!!! This will be the last day of class. We will present the collages and well, that'll be all!

Homework:

• Finish up your journals
• Be thinking about collage possibilities

Remote Desktop with a Twist

Those of you who have gone through the XP Pro class will hopefully remember our experience with Remote Desktop. If you don't remember, Remote Desktop is a Windows-integrated way of connecting and controlling a computer that is not in front of you. It brings the desktop of that computer to yours and it's an incredibly convenient way of administering computers easily without having to install and configure a bunch of software -- you simply throw a check into a checkbox upon client install and then later, you can remote into it.

Provided you have at least Windows 2000 SP3 or above, that is.

If you don't then, well, you have to install some other form of remote control -- which is easy enough to find. One of my favorites is VNC, which Draughons uses. The problem with these 3rd party programs is that they have to be installed -- it's so nice to have the capabilities built-in to the OS.

At Holy Trinity, we have computers running OSs as old as Windows 95 and as new as Vista, with all sorts of OSs in between. Since the school is a private one, many of the computers have been donated and there are little funds to upgrade the older computers. Which, when you consider their occaisional classroom use, is fine. I just can't remote in them to fix any problems. Waaahhh.

So, what I have to ask myself is: is it worth it for me to research and install a 3rd party remote control application and then walk around and install the software on every machine -- a very tedious process that makes you wish you could install the software remotely (which is the whole point of the install anyway! HA!)

Until today, the answer has been no. But today, I happened upon a piece of software that just might make it worth it.

The software is called iTALC (not to be confused with iCALC), and it allows me to remote into any computer running its client software. Yes, that does involve an "in-person" install. But! Here's what makes this package cooler... [taken from iTALC's website]

• see what's going on in computer-labs by using overview mode and make
  snapshots
• remote-control computers to support and help other people
  show a demo (either in fullscreen or in a window)
• the teacher's screen is shown on all student's computers in realtime
• lock workstations for moving undivided attention to teacher
• send text-messages to students
• powering on/off and rebooting computers per remote remote logon and logoff and remote execution of arbitrary commands/scripts

My favorite features are the overview mode (secret spying), turning all the students's computers to show my screen while I demonstrate something (negating the need for a $1,000 projector!), and locking workstations while I talk (3rd graders have an even shorter attention span than you guys!).

I plan on testing this (and ultimately using it) in my Vista lab to see if it's worth traveling around to each and every computer for installation. Hopefully, it will be.

MS Exchange - 11/6/2007

Tonight we did Chapter 5 which is basically just a review of basic Exchange tasks that you may find yourself doing from time to time. These may seem mundane, but make sure you know them. For instance, I had to create a new Mailbox Store and move mailboxes to it on my certification exam when I took it, so make sure you know how to do that!

Also, remember we are having a test next week over Chapters 1 - 5.

Homework:

• Chapter 5: pg 166 - Scenario 5-1, questions 1-3
  

A+ Hardware/Software - 11/6/2007

The first part of class today was devoted to system troubleshooting and some exercises that help us determine what is or could be wrong with computers that we check out. We practiced listening to our computers to hear the intricacies of what actually happens as they boot so that we would be better aware of bad stuff that when it happens.

After lunch, we installed Windows 98 and played with it a bit. Win98 marked a huge improvement over Windows 95 (and was better than the next 9x OS, Windows ME), but still, by today's standards, kind of sucks.

Homework:

• Chapter 11: Exam Questions 1-10.
  

Server+ - 11/6/2007

Tonight, along with laughing as hard as I have in a long time, we talked about various Network Operating Systems, and the different components of them. Basically, this was a review of concepts we've covered over the past months.

Next week we'll talk about Linux and I'll have a Linux distribution for you to play with. Should be fun!

Homework:

• Chapter 6 Questions 1-19
  

MS Exchange - 11/5/2007

Chapter 5 was today and covered some basic Exchange tasks like assigning a mailbox to a current user, moving a mailbox store, etc.

Homework:

• pg 166: Scenario 5-1

Strategies for Success - 11/5/2007

Today we did units 14-17. Next week, we will finish up the Lou Tice stuff and will write our own affirmations then.

Here's an updated calendar of events:

11/5: Units 14-17
11/12: Units 18-21
11/19: Journals/Portfolios Due. Work on Collages
11/26: Present Collages -- Class is done!!!

Homework:

• No homework!

MS Exchange - 10/30/2007

With 2/3 of the class present, we forged ahead and covered what we should have covered last week: Lab 4. Lab 4 is important because in it we study the difference between regular server clustering and Microsoft's Network Load Balancing. Remember that NLB is able to see which servers are working harder than the others and can then route traffic to the less busy ones. Clustering is a little dumber (duhrrrrrr) and only splits the loads up in a round-robin pattern.

We also discussed the concepts of Front End and Back End servers, and their relation to an Exchange organization. An easy way to keep these straight is to think of them in terms of fast food employees. You have employees that work the front, and employees that work the back. The ones in the front are the ones that actually talk to customers (or clients) and the ones in the back are the ones with their fingers in the hamburger (gross).

Homework:

• Lab 4, pg 53: Lab questions 1-4

A+ Hardware/Software - 10/30/2007

Today was an interesting day: we first took our first checkpoint exam and then moved onto the software portion of our class.

First of all, great job on the checkpoint exams. Seriously. In most classes I teach this, there is a *massive* curve, and many many failures. No one failed this one. How cool? I've had people in the past fail despite a 40 point curve. Yeah, that means that they scored less than a freaking 20% on the test. You could guess and do worse than that!

Anyway, we studied up one how MS-DOS worked and then how Windows 95 improved on that. And, just to make things fun, we installed Windows 95 and played with it. Next week, we'll install Windows 98 and look at some of the improvements that it made over Windows 95.

Homework:

• Nada. I'm what they call a nice guy.
• Oh, and sorry for taking so long to get this posted. I'm what they call a lazy guy. :)

Server+ - 10/29/2007

Yikes! Sorry I'm so far behind on the updates guys, it just got away from me!

Tonight we had a nice little checkpoint exam, and most of you did quite well. Great job!

Clay was nice enough afterwards to show us some of his server equipment that he's aquired and, I don't know about you, but it was nice to see some real-life examples of what you guys will be working on one day.

Homework:

• No homework!

MS Exchange - 10/29/2007

Today was unit 4, which dealt with network load balancing and clustering. Remember that hte main difference between to the two is that NLB is service-aware and can throw any server requests to the "most available" server, while clustering rotates through each server blindly.

Homework:

• Lab Questions pg 53 1-4.
  

Strategies for Success - 10/29/2007

Today we did Units 11-13, one of which included the topic of Comfort Zones. Bobbi Steelman made a great performance by coming in and blasting you guys out of your comfort zones. Remember, we all have comfort zones, and we need to recognize them so we can rise above them.

Starting next week, we're going step up the pace and hopefully get done with class a week early. I'll keep you posted as we get through.

Homework:

• No negative thoughts for 24 hours!!!
  

IMAP comes to Gmail

I'm having a nerd-moment.

As many of you know, I use Gmail as my primary e-mail address. It was somewhat reluctantly -- I've used every version of Outlook since it debuted in 1997 -- and Gmail's web interface just paled in comparison to what I was used to doing in Outlook. But I needed two things that my old insightbb.com account just wasn't offering me: 1) portability and 2) effective spam blocking. Gmail offered both, so I sold out my need for Outlook's features. That was in 2004.

Fast forward to October 24, 2007. Google announced today that they would start rolling out IMAP capabilities to their Gmail accounts. Why is this a big deal? I mean, Gmail has offered POP3 access for a while.

If you rememeber back from your CompTIA Network+ class (you do remember that, right?), IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol and works as an e-mail messaging protocol. Simply put, it's one of the ways we can acccess our e-mail accounts. The other ways are via the web (http) and POP3. POP3 has been the most popular, but it has its drawbacks. The main one for me is that to use POP3, you have to actually download your e-mail off of the mail server down to your client machine. For most people, that's fine, but I find myself on as many as four different clients during any given week. Which means that once I read an e-mail at say, work, I won't be able to look at that e-mail anywhere else other than work! That's been the main reason I've had to abandon Outlook as a mail client and use G-mail's web interface instead. But now, now, grasshoppers, Gmail offers IMAP too...

So, so what? The big deal is that Outlook is an IMAP client as well! And when setup to use IMAP, Outlook won't be downloading my messages off of Gmail onto whatever client machine I'm using. Outlook instead will be channeling Gmail on the web and showing me my messages while staying connected to the Gmail server. I can use four different installations of Outlook to access the same web information.

Hopefully the calendar will sync up as well.

It's Peanut Extra Credit Time!

I extended this offer to my A+ students, and now I extend it to you, o student of Ben. Throw me up a one page paper detailing the new 802.11n wireless standard. I want to know speeds, ranges, hardware requirements (is it backwards compatible with b/g? hmm? hmm?), etc. 10 points are up for grabs, and I need this by the start of whatever class you want me to apply the points to.

MS Exchange - 10/23/2007

Ok, so yeah, did the night group talk to the day group (or more likely, read the blog?). 2/3 of you were out tonight (for very good reasons, by the way), so in the night class too, we will be postponing the important chapter four for next week. I'm really wanting you guys to go through this lab because it has us actually setting up clustering & load balancing -- very important stuff if you want to call yourself an engineer. And you do.

Homework:

• Get to class next week!!!!! :)

A+ Hardware/Software - 10/23/2007

Great class today, guys.

We covered Chapters 7 and 8 today. First up was Chapter 7, dealing with printers -- different types and how we get them hooked up to our computers. Remember the differences between the different types (of printers and connectors). Chapter 8 was over the portable computer which, somewhat disappointingly, is pretty much like a standard desktop computer, except that it's more compact. Heat's an even bigger issue though. Make sure you can tell me the difference between Type I, II and III PCMCIA cards and that you know the basics on how the LCD screen on the notebook computer works.

Next week, we have the first Checkpoint exam, which will cover everything we've talked about thus far in the book -- pretty much all of the hardware portion of this class. I know that I've virtually covered you up with information, and believe me, I understand how overwhelming that can be. Please try not to let the overwhelming feelings bog you down -- judging from where I stand, having seen dozens of other students at the same point you are, you're doing very well. If you really hit the books hard this week, I have no doubt you all will pass the test with flying colors.

Homework:

• No homework, other than to bust yourself silly studying for this crazy test.
  

Server+ - 10/22/2007

Tonight we covered Unit 5, which dealt with server upgrades. Remember, Checkpoint Exam next week!

Homework:

• Other than study for that checkpoint exam, nuffin.
  

MS Exchange - 10/22/2007

Well, today was a bust. Only half the class showed, and since Chapter 4 is a pretty important chapter, I've postponed today's class for next week. Make sure you're here -- we're going forward next week, no questions asked.

Homework:

• Get to class next week!
  

Strategies for Succcess - 10/22/2007

See yourself covering Unit 10 today. Imagine yourself imagining yourself being successful in all you do. And good things will come, grasshopper.

And they did, with Liz Heller. Liz came in after our unit and discussed with us the importance of our portfolios and resumes and cover letters (oh my!). We then took the rest of our class time and worked on the portfolios, resumes and cover letters of our own, which will be a major part of your grade in this class.

Homework:

• Continue work on portfolios!
  

Securing Your Wireless Router

I just realized it had been a while since I had blogged about something else other than specific classroom activities. I wish I could say that that was because I had been extremely busy, but that's only half of the case. The other half is that I'm lazy.

Anyway, one of the topics in my Tuesday A+ class was configuring a router. We actually connected to the classroom router and had a look around. There were several instances where I said sentences that began with the words, "If this were a wireless router...", so we had to use our imaginations a bit. So I decided that this blog provided a great opportunity to show you this configuration, step by step, if you were at all interested.

The first thing we need to do is actually find our router. Remember, the router is our gateway out of the network, so we need to find the address of our gateway. We can use a great little command-line tool called ipconfig to help us figure out what that address is. To get to the command prompt, we click Start > Run, and type cmd.

In the command prompt window, type ipconfig. This returns the following output, which is our networking configuration info:



The line we're looking for is the router, or gateway, and we see this listed under Default Gateway. Its address, as you can see, is 192.168.15.1 Now, we simply take that address and type it into any web browser. After typing in our credentials (check your router's documentation for more information), we are presented with this opening configuration screen:



Here, there are many things we can configure for our network, such as the router (Default Gateway)'s IP address, the range of IP addresses the router will assign, the name of the router, etc. But what we're concerned about is making sure that our own computers are the only ones that will be able to access this router (no deadbeat neighbors, please!). So we will click on Wireless and be presented with this screen:



On this particular router, we can choose to broadcast in 802.11b or 802.11g or both (more on that later in class), and choose the SSID, or name, of the network. Mine is set now to Spolai105. But here, we want to go one step further in to the menu and click on Wireless Security:



Here we're presented with a few options. First, the security mode can be basically one of two things: WEP or WPA. WEP is easily cracked, so I'd recommend choosing WPA, if at all possible. The thing is, my stupid wireless card won't support WPA, so I'm stuck using the old school WEP. That's ok though, because I really doubt that my elderly neighbors will be trying to hijack my Internet connection to send out porn spam. But, I've been wrong before.

Anyway, I've chosen WEP, and given some more blanks to fill in. The first is "passphrase". I'll type in a password here (by the way, this is not the real information on my router), halleberry and then click Generate. You'll see that I'll get four possible keys to choose from. I've chosen to make the router require the third key. If I were to click Save now, the router would reboot, and I'd have to type in the key in the configuration settings of any wireless device I want to connect to the router. That would be nice, but I'm not done yet.

I want to add yet another layer of protection to my router, just in case my key is cracked. I want to only allow certain MAC addresses on the router, which can be set to my personal computers. Anyone else who tried would be denied. Blam. I say that like it's totally impossible to spoof a MAC address. It's not. Regardless, I'll click on Wireless MAC Filter and get this screen:



Here, I can choose to deny specific MAC addresses, or deny everyone except certain MAC addresses. I'm a paranoid delusional, so I'm going with the second choice. Then, I'm going to actually put those MAC addresses in the list:



Now, I can start typing in the names of MAC addresses I want to allow. How do we find out our MAC addresses, you ask? Great question.

We need to open back up the command prompt like we did before, and reissue the ipconfig command. This time, we need to add the /all switch to it, like this:



The physical address is another way of saying MAC address, and so we need to type in the physical address of our wireless card. If your computer has a wired network card and a wireless card, like mine, make sure you get the physical address of the wireless card. In this case, mine is 00-0E-35-E0-FD-54. Either typing it over, or marking and pasting it over, I can get this into the MAC Filter list (see above) and allow this particular MAC address have access to the router (and ulitimately, the Internet and any other computers allowed on the network.

Hopefully this has made the process of securing a wireless router a little less daunting. This is a necessary task, since the majority of consumer routers we see today are shipped with no security enabled. Too many people simply plug in their routers and go -- leaving themselves exposed to evil elderly people with porn spam to send. Lock 'em down, grasshoppers.

MS Exchange - 10/16/2007

Tonight we heard from Scott Duvall, the systems administrator for Holland CPAs in Bowling Green. Scott shared some of his stories of implementing Exchange 2007 in his organization and various other aspects of his job.

Next week, we'll pick up on Chapter Four, make sure you're ready!!

Homework:

• No Homework!

A+ Hardware/Software - 10/16/2007

Today, Chapter 6 was covered, which was an introduction to networking. I like to call it "Net+ in a Day". We covered a whole host of topics, including network topology, network cabling, network protocols, and then some popular command line tools in TCP/IP (like ping, arp, netstat, ipconfig, etc.)

Scott Duvall from Holland CPAs also dropped by to talk for a bit about various aspects of his career as a systems administrator. Scott spoke briefly about some of the projects he's been involved in and shed some light on his philosophies regarding different aspects of his day to day activities. Interesting stuff.

Homework:

• Chapter 6 Exam Questions 1-10.

Server+ - 10/15/2007

Tonight we conquered Unit 4, dealing with Uninteruptible Power Supplies, racks (nice rack! huh huh huh), and network cabling.

Homework:

• Questions 1-22 starting on pg 4-45.

MS Exchange - 10/15/2007

Today we took a little break from the daily grind and instead fixed a computer for a friend of Ryan Wigginton in financial aid. He asked me to thank you guys for working on it.

Homework:

• No homework!
• Be ready to launch into Chapter 4 next week!

Strategies for Success - 10/15/2007

Today we did Units 7, 8, and 9, which dealt with our attitudes and how our beliefs make up our current reality. Remember, words turn into pictures, which turn into emotions. Emotions drive our decisions and therefore dictate our lives. Speak positive words to yourself! Our minds talk to us 6 times faster than other humans, so use that speed to your advantage!

Next week, Liz Heller from Career Services will be speaking to our class and helping us with resumes, portfolios and cover letters. After she's finished, we'll actually get started on them and get a running start for the end of the quarter due date.

Homework:

• No homework!

MS Exchange - 10/9/2007

Chapter 3, pimps.

Homework:

• Chapter 3: 1-11, odd.
  

A+ Hardware/Software - 10/9/2007

Today we covered Chapters 4 and 5, which dealt with the I/O (input/output) system of our computers and mass storage in our computers.

Three things I'd like you to remember are IRQs, I/O Addresses, and DMA settings.

• IRQ - How devices talk to the processor. Remember, the interrupt is simply a request and the processor can say no if it needs to (maskable interrupt). However, the device can say NOW! with a non-maskable interrupt. (NMI) Oh, KNOW YOUR IRQ TABLES!! :)
  
• I/O Address - How the processor talks to devices. Processors, despite being the kings of the computers, are pretty polite and can wait on a device if necessary -- the processor just can't do anything else until the device responds.
• Direct Memory Address - These are paths that allow devices to bypass the processor altogether and directly access the RAM. Most of these are obsolete, but make sure that you know that the floppy drive uses DMA 2.

In Chapter 5, we talked about ways to store mass amounts of data, and typically this will mean the hard drive (although we did cover lots of other alternatives). Make sure you know your hard drive "geometry" and be able to identify what tracks, sectors, platters, and cylinders (we didn't go over cylinders today -- make sure you look over your notes from previous classes!)

I also introduced the idea of hard disk arrays, which are collections of hard disks designed to keep our data in one of several methods -- each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Make sure you know the differences between RAID0, RAID1, and RAID5.

Homework:

• Chapter Four - Exam Questions 1-10
• Chapter Five - Exam Questions 1-10
  

Server+ - 10/8/2007

Tonight was Unit 3, Server Room design. It was a nice easy class, and I think fun was had by all.

Homework:

• No homework!
  

MS Exchange - 10/8/2007

Today, unit three was covered where we actually went through and explored the Exchange System Manager. We'll be spending a lot of time in it, so get comfortable with it!

Homework:

• Chapter 3: 1-11 odd.
  

Strategies for Success - 10/8/2007

Today we received DiSC training from Jeremy Atwell, the Draughons King of well, uhm, DiSC stuff. We all learned something about ourselves, I hope.

One thing for sure, each main behavioral tendency (D, I, S and C) is well represented in our small class, which should make for some interesting dynamics as the class goes on.

Uncle Lou talked us through Units 5 and 6.

Homework:

• No Homework!
  

MS Exchange - 10/2/2007

Yikes.

Well, after a crazy night, we finally got Exchange installed, but geez-louise, what a journey. If you weren't in class and are somehow interested in what happened, read on.

It all started with the same type of thing that happened in the Monday class -- students could start forestpreppping just fine, teacher could not. I have no idea why that was, it just was. I finally was able to do my forest and domain prepping, but after that, our domain controllers wouldn't replicate. Remember why?

Remember that server clocks have to match up exactly in order for replication to work properly. Knowing that, I was checking our time down in the system tray to make sure that the times were the same on computer one and two. Yep, both said 6:43 (or whatever).

After some headscratching and idea tossing with Brent, we checked the time zone of each computer and -- lo and behold -- each computer had differing time zones, which meant the times were really off by an entire hour. D'oh. Once that little error was fixed, replication occured and we were on our way. Ugh.

Finally, we got installed, and next week, we'll actually start using this blasted program.

Homework:

• I wouldn't feel right giving you guys homework just yet. So, I won't.
• Uh, YOU'RE WELCOME!

A+ Hardware/Software - 10/2/2007

Hey guys, sorry for the late post. This is literally the first chance I've had to post since we got out of class. Wow.

Anyway, we covered the ins and out of the main system board (AKA the motherboard), and some of the common things we like to plug into them. Some examples of stuff we do like to plug into motherboards are hard drives, expansion slots (and then all the stuff that goes into those), processors, RAM, etc.

Later, we did lab 3, which had us exploring the BIOS settings of our computers. Keep in mind that the book examples were 10 years old, and that each motherboard has its own BIOS which differs a little bit from other BIOSes. As long as you know the basiscs of the BIOS, which is what I was going for with that lab, you'll do fine.

We covered a lot of information today, and hopefully I didn't totally drown you with it. See ya next week!

Homework:

• Chapter 3: Exam Questions 1-10 (the multiple choice questions)

Server+ - 10/1/2007

Tonight we covered Unit 2, which dealt with storage. We started at the hard drive, well, inside the hard drive, really, and covered all the parts inside and how they all work together to store our data. Then, we moved to the connectors of these hard drives (IDE and SCSI) and then on to technologies that help us keep our data safe and/or fast.

Homework:

• No Homework
• Study Unit 2 for the test next week!
  

Microsoft Exchange - 10/1/2007

Well, today was kind of weird in that everything kind of went haywire. I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with our domain controllers replicating, but it's still annoying that nothing seems to be working. Hopefully by next week we can get things going.

Homework:

• No homework!
  

Strategies for Success - 10/1/2007

Today's class was marked by Units 2 - 4 and the taking of our DiSC assessments. DiSC is an extremely cool tool that allows us to get to know ourselves enable us to understand and communicate with other people effectively. Seriously, cool stuff.

Homework:

• No homework!
  

Welcome News for Vista-Haters

http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202102847

Check it out. Your beloved XP will be available for another year! Just like Roth.

Strategies for Success - 9/26/2007

I feel like we had a nice introductory day today! We did a variety of exercises, ranging from examining our inner souls to clipping pictures out of a magazine.

Remember! Class next week meets on Monday morning at 8:00, and we'll probably be in Room 138.

Homework:

• Work on "Where I Am Right Now" collages -- they're due next week!

Microsoft Exchange - 9/25/2007

Tonight was a reintroduction to Active Directory (and me, apparently!) with installs of AD on our virutal machines and then the raising of our domain and forest functional levels to Windows 2003.

Homework:

• No homework!! Woo!

Welcome!

Hi, and welcome to my blog!

This blog will allow you to keep up with what's going on in class this quarter. I plan on making brief posts after each class which will summarize what we've done that day and list any assignments I may give. That way, if you've missed class or need to review, you can come here any time day or night and see what you've missed.

I've designed this blog to be a tool -- an extension of me outside the class, if you will. On this blog, you will find Powerpoint slides (if applicable), links to stuff I think you should know, and some links to some stuff I just think is cool. I'd recommend adding this site to your Favorites and checking it often -- it's the ONLY venue I'll ever assign extra credit (and it does pop up from time to time).

Be sure to check this page often! You'll never know what kinds of good things will pop up here (extra credit has been known to rear it's quite-attractive head here from time to time).

Please leave a comment below! I love getting comments...

A+ Hardware/Software - 9/25/2007

What a great first day!

Today we had a fun-filled day of classroom swapping and general computer tom-foolery. We spoke about general customer service skills and what not to do when dealing with customers (remember Nick Burns).

The afternoon was largely spent discussing and discecting computer hardware. We did a general "survey" of the entire computer, talking briefly about certain aspects of it, so that you'll get a nice flavor of what's to come. Also, as a nice mid-afternoon process, we disassembled and reassembled some old computers. Hopefully, being in these different, old computers has shed some light on the differences and similarities among different computers.

Next week, I hope that we'll have our books in.

Homework:

• No homework!

Server+ - 9/24/2007

Tonight we reviewed motherboard concepts, including slots and memory.

Homework:

• Internet project at the end of Unit 1

Microsoft Exchange - 9/24/2007

Welcome back!

Today we did a review of Active Directory concepts and briefly talked about the requirements of MS Exchange. We then proceed to install Active Directory on our two virtual machines.

NEWS FLASH!

Starting next Monday, our class will now meet at 12:30 instead of 8:00!!!

Homework:

• No homework!

I'd Like to Link to You!

Subject says it all!

I have a few different groups that probably never see each other, and I think it would be cool to have everyone have the ability to network (ha ha ha -- dork check) with each other, or at least the ability to see who else is in the program. So, if you want, and only if you want, send me your addresses: myspace, blogger, whatever!

Pro/Server - 9/10/2007

Tonight marks the last night of our Pro/Server adventure. This has been a fun class; I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. I ask that although this is our last meeting together, that you please not stop studying this stuff -- study it more, if nothing else. Remember, passing any one Microsoft exam gives you Microsoft's MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) designation -- which goes a long way when applying for those IT jobs.

Speaking of which, special congratulations are in order for Todd Calvert, who passed his 70-271 (Troubleshooting) exam today!! Nice job, Todd!

Ok, enjoy your break, and I'll see you the week of September 24!!!

Excel - 9/10/2007

Final exam, baby.

Homework:

• See ya on 9/24!
  

Strategies for Success - 9/5/2007

It's the last day of class!!!  Today I took looks at your portfolios and journals and gave you grades for each of them.  Then, I let you know your final grade and then kicked you out of my room.  

It's been a fun semester, and I wish all of you well at DJC!  Even though I probably won't see many of you in the classroom, please stop by and say hello!

Homework:

• Enjoy the time you have off!
  
• Come back well rested and ready to learn on September 24!

Designing Network Infrastructure - 9/4/2007

Goodbye, McFly.

Homework:

• No homework!
• Get rested for Fall 2007!

Managing a Windows Network - 9/4/2007

It's over, clover.

Homework:

• Have a great break!
• See you on September 24!

Strategies - 8/29/2007

Today we finished up the last little bit of our Strategies class with a couple of units from Uncle Lou, tying everything up that we've learned so far. We've seen how we need to visualize what we want, how to ignore others' and our own negative self talk and how to set goals and write daily affirmations in order to make those goals happen.

Next week will be our last week of class, where you'll turn in your portfolios, resumes and cover letters.

Pro/Server - 8/28/2007

More checkpoints!

Homework:

• Study for your final!!!!

Designing AD/NI - 8/28/2007

The checkpoint exam was the only thing on today's agenda as well. We got our final grades and indication on whether or not we needed to come to the final next week. You know who you are! See you then! :)

Homework:

• I said study, fool!

Managing a Network Environment - 8/28/2007

We're reaching the end of the road: today was the second checkpoint and we all found out our current grades and whether or not we'll have to come back next Tuesday for the final. Remember, if you have a red star on your grade sheet, you need to take the final.

Homework

• No homework!
• STUDY FOR YOUR FINALS!

Last Minute Xtra Credit!

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/datacenter/?p=164

Check out this blog entry and write up a one page, doublespaced summary of it for a whopping 10 points extra credit!

Don't say I never do anything for ya!

All extra credit must be turned into me by the start of the next class I have with you (from now, 12:31 pm, 8/28/2007).

Free Office!

A couple of people have approached me this semester with similar problems: they have nice, shiny new computers, but not the right software to do anything with (no Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.). My advice to them was to simply try to carve some time out where they could use the computers here at school.

I don't know why it didn't occur to me at the time, but there is a free alternative that's out there that is pretty good: OpenOffice.org 2.2. I used it for a while before I got Office 2007.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Office 2007, but if Office 2003 is your only alternative (here at Draughons, it is) OpenOffice is a really good program to use instead -- and you can't beat the price. Plus, it will save in all of your favorite Office 2003 formats, like .doc and .xls. Nice.

One really cool thing about this particular program is that it's "open source", meaning that developers all over the world collectively work on the program. Got some programming skills? Sign up to work on the program. How cool is that?

Pro/Server - 8/27/2007

Tonight we simply took tests -- two tests over the four chapters we covered last week. I also gave the final to anyone who needed to take it and wanted to. Otherwise, I'll need you to take it Tuesday, August 28.

Homework:

• No homework -- get rest and get ready for Fall 2007!
  

MS Excel - 8/27/2007

Today was simply a test day, and we found out if we need to take the final. Remember, if you see a star on your grade sheet (or I have otherwise let you know), I need to see you on the day of the final, Monday, September 10 (no class next week due to Labor Day).

Homework:

• No homework!
  

Strategies - 8/22/2007

Today we did the combo units of 16, 17, 18 and 19. These units are important because they start building us up to the all-important affirmations which help us set the realities of our days and ultimately our lives. Next week, we will be working on the affirmation workshop, which will help us write the affirmations that we need -- I will be participating too!

In order to make this workshop go as smoothly as possible, I really need everyone to make sure they do the groundwork for the workshop, and that groundwork is the homework assignments below. Failing to do them will result in a few negative consequences, including not getting out of class as early as possible. So, do them!!! :)

Homework:

• pg 164: Write down at least one goal under each of the ten headings. More than one goal is encouraged and would be helpful to us in the workshop
• Pg 165: Complete the Affirmation Wheel on pg 165. Each line, or "spoke" of the wheel represents on of the life areas that are bulleted below the wheel. What you'll be doing is looking at each area and then charting on the wheel how much of your life is vested in that area. For example, if you find yourself with lots of "me" time, you will place a dot on one spoke (any spoke) near the outer limit of the wheel. If you have no time for family, or are simply not interested in it, put a dot on your family spoke close to the center. After you have completed all twelve spokes, connect the dots, and you will have an image of what your life balance looks like right now. This will be essential in working on our affirmations next week.
• pg 166, 167: Look at the thirty affirmations listed on these pages. These affirmations are all written correctly, but not all of them will resonate with you. With a highlighter, go through and indicate which affirmations you really like.

PORTFOLIOS, RESUMES and COVER LETTERS WILL BE DUE ON SEPTEMBER 5!!

Pro/Server - 8/21/2007

We too celebrated the last night of lecture/lab by completeing Chapters 11 and 12 which dealt with maintenance tasks like how to handle unsigned drivers (ignore, warn, block) and Last Known Good Configuration, etc. Then we like totally rawked out.

Homework:

• Chapter 11 - Review Questions
• Chapter 12 - Review Questions

Designing AD/NI - 8/21/2007

It was the last day of class, and things were extremely relaxed (probably more than they needed to be). We ended up simply exploring the Internet a little and talking briefly about Chapter 9, which you are responsible for on your own.

Homework:

• Chapter Nine - Review Questions

Managing a Network Environment - 8/21/2007

It's the last full day of lecture/lab! To celebrate, we did the last two chapters in the book -- Chapters 12 and 13 which dealt with file backups and AD backups and restoration. Remember the important difference between authoritative restores and non-authoritative restores. Also remember, you will be having the 2nd checkpoint exam next week. Afterwards, I'll be able to tell you what your final grade is and whether or not I'll need to see you on the week of the final.

Homework:

• Chapter 12 - Review Questions
• Chapter 13 - Review Questions

Pro/Server - 8/20/2007

Tonight we covered Chapters 9 and 10 covering sharing (sharing is caring, remember that grasshopper) and printing, respectively.

Homework:

• Chapter 9: Review Questions
• Chapter 10: Review Questions

MS Excel - 8/20/2007

It's almost the end of the quarter -- can you believe it?

Today we did the 6th and last chapter in our Excel book. This one is arguably the hardest chapter in the book, but it is extremely useful. This gives us just a taste of some of the power that Excel has (I especially like Goal Seek). Next week, we will have the third and final "regular" test, which will be over Chapters 5 and 6. Afterwards, I'll be able to give you your grades and let you know if you will need to come in for the final, which will be the Monday after that.

Homework:

• Chapter Six: Matching, Review Questions; Project 6E

Distributed Computing

I spoke briefly Monday night about blogging about using some fun server technologies to install a distributed computing application to several computers I'm in charge of at another job. Judging by the blank looks I got, I realized it would be important to first explain what distributed computing is and why it's so important. THEN, I could talk about how I got (and how you can get) these programs installed on several computers at once.

So anyway, imagine a huge problem. Like AIDS, or cancer or even finding prime numbers. A problem so huge that lots of statistical research must be disseminated through. So huge that our contemporary home/office computers can't even begin -- even with their modern dual/quad core power -- to knock a dent in the problem. A computer with several, no, several hundred processors might be nice, but still. AIDS is a big problem, yo.

What distributed computing does is ally a group of computer users together in order to donate their CPU's idle time -- in effect making a huge supercomputer. A centralized server is in constant contact with thousands of clients (you and me, who download client software). That server sends in a manageable packet of information that needs "crunching". The client receives that packet, crunches it, and sends it back to the server. Then, the server sends another packet that needs crunching. The process repeats for each client as long as the client's owner allows the process to run. Imagine that process times 1,000 or 10,000 or 250,000 or even a million clients. Each client has a processor! It's like having a supercomputer with a million processors. You can't buy that kind of computing power -- and it's basically FREE for the research institute, so they have money they can spend on more noble needs. Like, AIDS or cancer or prime number research.

There are all kinds of different distributed computing projects out there you can participate in -- many are found at http://www.distributedcomputing.info/. My personal favorite is one from Stanford University called http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/ (folding refers to the behavior of proteins in certain situations). Part of their research involves Alzheimer's disease -- the disease my grandfather died from at age 66 after a 12 year battle. So, of course, I would like to see this disease eradicated and am willing to donate my already-running PC's idle time to fighting it.

I urge anyone reading this to, seriously, download some sort of distributed computing project designed for the betterment of society. The word is still out about whether or not you can deduct the CPU time on your taxes.

Later, I'll detail how I used Remote Desktop and various command-line utilities to install the Folding@Home client on the machines in my lab without leaving my desk.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Kudos to Jamarcus Alexander and David Chute for this video. I came back from lunch on Tuesday afternoon to find this jewel playing on one of my classroom computers. Hilarious.

Strategies - 8/15/2007

Liz Heller visited our class today and talked with us about resumes and cover letters. We will be talking over the next remaining weeks about these and be working on them briefly as well. I will be taking them up, along with your portfolios on September 5.

Today we did units 13, 14, and 15 and also saw some more collages. Remember, if you haven't shown us your collage, you have only next week to do so, and then it will be too late to turn in! Don't forget or choose not to do one -- it will negatively impact your grade. Immensely!!!

Pro/Server - 8/14/2007

It's freakin' hot in here!

Ok, yeah, tonight we did Chapter 8, which was on Computer Accounts. The chapter was a little thin, so we had some time to do some additional hands on kind of stuff, which I think I'll implement next quarter. I also showed you how to use some of the command line stuff we've been using, like dsadd, in conjunction with a batch file to speed up and automate some mundane tasks.

I really do think I'm going to switch the computers at Holy Trinity over to some sort of cool naming system. I don't think I'll use rock stars, since I think I'll have the computers physically labeled (you know, to help me remember which computer is what) and I think parents might frown on sending their kids to a Christian school only to find out that their kid learned how to download music on a computer named "Axl Rose". I don't know, it's just me maybe. But maybe using city names, or presidents, or something like that would be cool. Or! I could use Bible characters. Yeah, that's the ticket. Bible characters.

All I'm saying is, my computer will be called "God". :)

Ok, so no homework since I forgot to assign it before I left. Nice job guys.

Homework:

• No homework!
  

Designing NI/AD Infrastructure - 8/14/2007

Today's class covered Chapters 7 and 8, dealing with OUs and Firewalls.

Homework:

• Chapter 7: Review Questions
• Chapter 8: Review Questions
  

Managing a Windows Network - 8/14/2007

Today we did security templates, and explored the aspects of their creation and how to use them with group policy to lock down groups of computers all at once. All of the policy editing was tedius, but it allowed us to see the impact of adding all of the policies on top of each other (RSOP).

Homework:

• Chapter 11: Review Questions

Pro/Server - 8/13/2007

Tonight we talked about users and groups again, this time getting a bit into the command line aspect of it.

Homework:

• Chapter Six: Lab Challenge 6-1 -- we'll work on this in class on 8/14.
• Chapter Seven: Review Questions; Scenario 7-1.

MS Excel - 8/13/2007

Today we learned how to make Excel make chartsengrafs, (charts and graphs) -- visual tools that take mundane numbers and bring them to life: making our eyes actually "see" the differences in the data.

Homework:

• Chapter Five - Matching/Fill in the Blank; Project 5D.

Strategies - 8/8/2007

Today we got to see everyone's collages -- everyone's were great (and some were just AWESOME). Nice job on these, and I mean that.

We did units 10, 11, and 12 and sometime during that the air conditioning quit. Yuck.

Make sure you're in class next week to hear Liz Heller give some great advice on resumes and cover letters. These will be in your portfolios that you'll be turning in at the end of the quarter -- very important stuff.

Pro/Server - 8/7/2007

Man oh man, how do I even begin to describe what we did tonight? The official discussion of the night was Chapter Five, which dealt with the maintenance of Server: MBSA, and SUS. We also talked about the maintenance of biological hard drives, if you will. There are apparently programs available (some on the net) that will help with the routine maitenance of these drives, and it's also apparently recommended that this maintenance happen as much as possible (at least daily, sometimes more Clay)

Here's your homework...

Homework:

• Chapter Five: Review Questions

Designing AD/NI - 8/7/2007

Checkpoint 2!!!

Homework:

• No homework!

Managing a Network Environment - 8/7/2007

Today we talked up DNS, working with its installation and discussing types of zones we could install (such as Primary, Secondary and Stub).

Homework:

• Chapter Nine: Review Questions
• Chapter Ten: Review Questions

Pro/Server - 8/6/2007

Server looks good, won't cha back 'em filez up...

Ok, I promise to never rap in a blog again.

But yeah, tonight we covered Chapter Four in the Server book, which is about data backups. Backups are arguably the most important thing you'll do as an admin/peon and it's imperative (for the MS tests, if nothing else) that you know what the different types of backups are and what they are used for. Just as a recap:

• Normal - Backs everything up and clears the archive bit.
• Copy - Backs everything up and ignores the archive bit.
• Incremental - Backs up everything since the last backup. Clears any archive bits.
• Differential - Backs up everything since the last normal backup. As such, it ignores any archive bits.
• Daily - Backs up stuff that's changed today. Ignores archive bits.

Homework:

• Chapter 4: Review Questions 1-9; Scenario

MS Excel - 8/6/2007

It was a nice, beautiful day of test. Nice job on them, guys.

Homework

• No homework!

Strategies - 8/1/2007

Today we listened to Uncle Lou tell us about our self-talk and how having too many negative thoughts can actually steer us into negative attitudes, sending us into a downward spiral if we're not careful. Fortunately, the same is true for positive thoughts, so an important first step is to have more positive thoughts about yourself than negative.

Remember, all of this power-of-positive-thinking stuff will not guarantee your life will go smoothly -- I can almost guarantee that it won't. But what having positive self talk will do is help you have a better attitude to better navigate any bad things that come your way.

Afterwards, we worked on our collages, and man, they look great! Most of you got just about finished so we will be presenting them next week, August 8th. Make sure you have them ready! Don't sweat it, the presentation will be easy, just 10-15 minutes (just kidding!) of you describing your collage.

Pro-Server - 7/31/2006

Tonight we covered various ways to connect to remote systems, which is what you'll be doing in the real world. Some various methods we looked at were MMC (which we'll be doing a lot in class), Terminal Services Manager, and my personal favorite, Remote Desktop. We didn't cover Chapter 3, as it was a repeat of the Pro Chapter 16, but you will still be responsible for it on the test on Monday!

Homework:

• Chapter 2: Review Questions
• Chapter 3: Review Questions

Designing Network Infrastructure - 7/31/2007

Figuring out where we're putting domain controllers, global catalog servers and bridgehead servers was the name of the game today, and to do that, we used an old Windows 2000 tool (which still works for Windows 2003) called the ADSizer. Following a simple interview process, Windows predicts which sites are going to need which servers. It's pretty neat, really.

Homework:

• Chapter Six: Review Questions; Scenario 6.1

Managing a Windows Network - 7/24/2007

This morning we covered two brief chapters: Chapters 7 and 8, which dealt with IIS and SUS respectively. IIS is the component that allows for our servers to function as web servers, ftp servers, etc. Remember that in Server 2003, that IIS is not installed by default (as to reduce the attack surface), but has to be installed by admins.

SUS stands for Software Update Services, and is Microsoft's answer to admin's cries for help with MS updates breaking custom applications. SUS allows an admin to download MS updates and test them first before deploying them out to the clients en masse. Effectively, your own servers (the SUS ones, anyway) become sort of in-house Windows Update servers. It's a win-win since computers are updated in the way that admins want them, and admins don't have to go around and manually update all the clients.

Homework:

• Chapter Seven - Review Questions
• Chapter Eight - Review Questions

Pro-Server - 7/30/2006

Tonight we moved on to the Server book and did a Server installation. We decided that instead of Chapters 1 and 2 tonight, and 3 tomorrow, we would be doing Chapter 1 tonight and Chapter 2 tomorrow, with Chapter 3 on your own.

Homework:

• Server Chapter One: Review Questions

MS Excel - 7/30/2007

Today, I got booted off the main stage and you guys forged ahead at your own pace, utilizing me only when you needed me. I think it was a good thing for everyone! :)

The topics covered today included formulas, range naming and some pretty cool tricks like figuring out loan payments, etc.

Homework:

• Chapter Four: Fill in the Blank; Matching; Project 4F.

Pro-Server - 7/24/2006

Tonight we finished up the book! We covered the backup utility (remember the difference between Incremental/Difference backups) and Performance monitor (PERFMON!)

Homework:

• Chapter 15: Review Questions 1-6; Scenario 15.1
• Chapter 16: Review Questions

Designing Network Infrastructure - 7/24/2007

Forest trusts were on the platter today, with a side of onion rings with the house honey-mustard dip. Delicious.

Homework:

• Chapter Five Review Questions 1 - 7

Managing a Windows Network - 7/24/2007

Today's class saw us finish chapter 6 with using the CSVDE and LDIFDE commands, which are two commands that allow us to import/export directory information.

Afterwards we took our Checkpoint #1 exam. Next week, we'll continue on into Chapter 7.

Homework:

• No homework!

Pro-Server - 7/23/2006

Tonight we talked about Users and Groups -- why to create them and how to best use them to your administrative advantage (re: golf).

We also talked about security templates and using the Security Configuration and Analysis tool to help us figure out how our computers shape up to whatever standard we want to test it against, and then quickly make that computer come up to par. (again, golf reference.) Thinking about it reminds me of the Network Access Protection feature that's available with Vista/2k8. Anyway...

Remember!! Since I, as Clay would put it, "suck at life", I didn't have your tests ready for tonight, but they will be ready tomorrow night! Make sure you're ready for Chapters 10-12 tomorrow!!!!!!! Oh, tomorrow we'll be done with the XP pro book. How freakin' cool is that?

Homework:

• Chapter 13: Review 1-8; Scenario 13-1
• Chapter 14: Review 1-6
• Study for Chapter 10-12 test.

MS Excel - 7/23/2007

Today's class was all about formatting and the various things inside Excel that you could format.

Homework
* Chapter 3: Matching; Fill-in-the-Blank; Project 3F

The Problem with Spyware Removal Programs

By now, everyone and their grandma knows what spyware is, why its bad, and that they should remove it. A smaller number (although still a majority) even knows how to remove it. The problem comes with getting people remember to scan their systems. Even I, in all my geekness, forget -- I realized today that it had been over a month since I had performed a scan.
So how do we get around this?

The easiest thing that comes to mind is to set up a Scheduled Task that automatically runs once every-so-often and does all of this for us. We can run Scheduled Tasks by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks. Then, working our way through the wizard, we can scroll down the list of installed programs, choose the one we want and click OK. Easy cheezy, right?

Not so fast. Simply setting Windows up to run our programs automatically is the equivilent of us double-clicking the program icon. When we come back to our computers after this Scheduled Task runs, all we'll find is our spyware removal program running -- eager to get started. Most users, at this point, will have something more pressing to do and simply exit the program.

The answer lies with Scheduled Tasks -- we just have to use it differently.

The two most common spyware removal products, Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, both allow command prompt parameters. What this means is we can initiate some automation when we run these programs from a command prompt. So instead of telling Scheduled Tasks to run our programs at a certain time, we can tell it to run a series of commands of which reference our program and the command line options for it. We do this by way of a batch file.

Here's how I set this up on my home machine:

1) I opened Notepad and typed in the following DOS commands:

cd "C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\"
Ad-Aware2007.exe /Update /Smart /Clean /NoQuarantine

Two simple lines of instruction tells our OS to first change the target directory to the one where Ad-Aware 2007 lives, and secondly to run the executable with 4 distinct options: to update the definitions file (always important); to run a smart scan; to clean any problems it finds and to fully delete any of those problems (as opposed to simply quarantining them). I then clicked File > Save As and typed in "AdAware.bat" (including the quotes!) to save this text file as a batch file.

Then, I went back to Scheduled Tasks and started up its New Task Wizard. Once I got to the point where I choose the program, I instead browsed to find the AdAware.bat file I had just created. Next, I plugged in all the usual information like when and how often I want it to run, etc. and finished out the wizard. Now, every Monday at 3:00 a.m., Ad-Aware runs on my machine, updates its definitions and cleans out any infections it finds.

With Spybot S&D, I did the same thing. Here's the contents of the batch file I created for it:

cd "C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy"
SpybotSD.exe /minimized /autoupdate /autoimmunize /autocheck /autofix /autoclose

Note the "autoclose" switch. Spybot includes the option of closing itself out after finishing so that the end user may not even know that anything happened during the night.

So, why do this? Do you have that friend or family member you're always removing spyware for? Or doing simple computer stuff? Planting a couple of batch files and using Scheduled Tasks to run them for you will save you LOTS of time and trouble.

I'd encourage you to look at the help files of programs you find yourself running quite a bit to see if they have any command line parameters. I have a feeling you'd be surprised at how many do and how many options you truly have for automation.

Strategies

Today we covered Units 4 and 5, and then Jeremy Atwell came in and talked a lot about the DiSC assessment tests you guys took last week. I hope everyone enjoyed what Jeremy had to say and will use the information you received about yourself to help you relate to others around you. Jan Akin also came in to talk about the medical assisting program as well as the EKG program and after she left we proceeded to psychoanalyze her. Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!

Start brainstorming what your collages are going to look like. We'll be working on them soon.

Pro/Server - 7/17/2007

Tonight's little shin-dig was us doing Chapters 11 and 12, which covered such fun tasks as sub/supernetting and Internet Explorer configuration.  My favorite fun fact of the evening: to keep IE safer from crazy cookies, enable 1st party cookies, but disable 3rd party ones.  Then, life will be good.

Next week, we'll finish up the whole freaking book by covering Chapters 13-16.  Then, get cracking on studying for the Microsoft 70-270 exam, your first step towards MCSE.  Remember, that if you pass this exam before September 4(?) you will receive an automatic A for the NSA 260 course that you're enrolled in. Even if you have a low, low grade going in. How cool is that?

Homework:

• Chapter 11: Review Questions 1-6
  
• Chapter 12: Review Questions 1-6; Scenario 12.2

Fall Quarter Scheduling

Fall quarter scheduling is underway! If you're reading this and you're an NSA student -- I need to see you ASAP in order to get you scheduled for classes in the fall. Technically, I'm not supposed to register you if you're not graduating next quarter until Wednesday, but aw, screw it -- let's schedule you! See the front office for a copy of the schedule.

If you're interested, here's what I'll be teaching in the fall (Sept - December):

Monday
8 : NSA 284: Microsoft Exchange
12: NSA 155: Server+
6 : NSA 155: Server+

Tuesday
8 : NSA 150: A+ Hardware
12: NSA 151: A+ Software
6 : NSA 284: Microsoft Exchange

You can download the Fall Schedule here if you like, or download it from the "Downloadable Files" section on the right. Or, just pick up a paper copy in the front office like everyone else.

Designing Network Infrastructure - 7/17/2007

DHCP was the topic we covered today and how to implement it in our organizations. We first looked at a 3 site organization and came up with an IP addressing scheme. Afterwards, we empowered it to be fault tolerant and third, discussed how to handle DHCP over a connection to a small branch office with a maxed out server. Fun was had by all.

Homework:
* Lab Questions #2-4

Managing a Windows Network - 7/17/2007

Today we did the first half of chapter 6 which dealt with doing common server tasks via the command prompt. As you guys know, I'm not the best at working with command prompt as I'm prone to typos, etc. Make sure you are comfortable with this, as command line stuff is starting to make a comeback via PowerShell and Server Core.

We'll be finishing up Chapter 6 next week, so make sure you're nice and ready to do some typing.

Homework:

• No homework until next week when we finish Chapter 6!

Pro-Server - 7/16/2006

Tonight we covered Chapter 10. Tomorrow: Chapter 11 & 12. Bring a shovel.

What?

Homework:

• Chapter 10: Review Questions 1-10; Scenario 10-1

Extra Credit!

Since the fall of 2005, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program has had, as its mission, the task of providing one laptop computer per child throughout the world. To make this happen at the targeted rate of $100 per laptop, several deals had to be cut along with streamlining as much as possible. For example, Linux instead of Windows is going to be the OS of choice. I mean, hey, it's free right?

Here's an article concerning some possible delays for OLPC. For 10 pts extra credit, read this article and type up a 1 pg (single spaced) summary of it and what it could mean for the computing industry -- Microsoft especially.

By the way, I need this by the start of whatever class you want this to be applied during the week of July 23.

MS Excel - 7/16/2007

Today was taken up soley by our first test - over Chapters 1 and 2. There are still tests out there, so I'm trusting you to not pass around your graded exams. Next week, we will be working in Chapter 3, which will give us a nice lesson in cell formatting.

It may come as a shock to some of you (I know it did to me) but it's already time to start registering for the fall semester. I've already seen everyone in this class that I need to, but make sure you keep a lookout for your lead instructor so you can save your spot in next fall's classes.

Homework:

• Would I assign homework on the day of an exam? What kind of jerk do you think I am???
• Don't answer that NSA students...

Strategies - 7/11/2007

Today we talked about listening and who we listen to: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, teachers, friends, strangers and even ourselves. We what happens when we "lock on" to one version of what's true and then "lock out" every other possibility. Ever been in one of those funks that doesn't seem to ever go away? Maybe your brain is subconciously making bad stuff happen. Or maybe you're just in one of those funks :)

We took DiSC assessments and briefly talked about what personality types various class members are. Next week, Jeremy Atwell will drop by with your printed results talk in depth about what they mean for you and your interactions with others (and yourself too).

See ya next week!

Pro/Server - 7/10/2007

Tonight was a (admittingly frustrating) Chapter 9 study. We covered the ins-and-outs of software distribution, covering the differences between Assigning and Publishing a software program (make sure you know the difference). We also looked at a few compatibility tools that would make Grandma proud, if ya know what I mean.

Homework:

• Chapter 9: Review Questions
  

Designing Network Infrastructure - 7/10/2007

WINS is what we discussed today, covering the various situations that we would need to look at when deploying/maintaining a WINS solution. Remember to look at client/server needs and any WAN speeds.

Homework:

• Chapter 3: Review Questions #1-6.
  

Managing a Windows Network - 7/10/2007

Today, in our increasingly smelly classroom, we discussed remote connection techniques to different computers. The two main ones we discussed were M$ implementations, but keep in mind there are other options out there (the C-Word!). We then messed around with Remote Desktop and connected to our various virtual machines. Then, over a break, I sprayed this orange air freshener stuff and now it smells like oranges and mildew! Yay.

Homework:

• Chapter Five: Review Questions 1-12.
  

Pro/Server - 7/9/2007

Permissions were the topics at hand tonight -- covering chapters 7 and 8 which dealt with NTFS and sharing permissions respectively. Remember, when dealing with effective permissions from an NTFS standpoint, Allows will merge together, while Denies override everything. Keep that in mind and you'll be fine.

Homework:

• Chapter 7: Review Questions 1-10
• Chapter 8: Review Questions 1-14

MS Excel - 7/9/2007

Formulas were the topic of the discussion today and we did all kinds of stuff with them, including cutting and pasting, manipulating them, creating them, applying them with the Fill Handle -- all sorts of fun stuff. We did the entireity of chapter 2!

We're having our first test next week, which will include a mixture of True/False questions, multiple choice questions and assessment questions. You will not be able to use your books(!) so study up! What to study? I'd suggest going back over your homework and practicing exercises from the book. See ya next week!

Homework:

• Chapter 2: Matching; Fill-in-the-blank; Project 2D.

Bees!

Being that this is a holiday week, and I a) don't feel like typing up some technical server-type of thing and b) will be traveling all day tomorrow, I will submit this completely random link about a bee infestation and its subsequent removal. I need to caution you and let you know there is some rough language on this page, but I think a majority of you will think this is extremely cool, so I'll link to it anyway. Enjoy.

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1845064

Pro/Server - 7/3/2007

Tonight was all about Printers. We installed local printers. We pointed to network printers. We installed IIS and accessed printers via a localized web server. Bobbi Steelman came in with a big bag of Columbian fine-powder cocaine.

Homework:

• Chapter Six: Review Questions #1-9.

Remember, test & homework due on Monday, July 9!

Designing Network Infrastructure - 7/3/2007

D to the N-S, gangstas.

We looked at DNS design -- starting with looking a current DNS implementation and then following it up with a whiteboard discussion about a fictional situation where we had our company, a subsidary company, and a partner company. We talked about this company's requirements and based on those, designed set up some zone transfers and forwarding between servers. After deciding what was getting forwarded where (and what wasn't) we sat down and used Computer 1 and Computer 2 to make that happen. Then, we went home!

Homework:

• Chapter 2: Review Questions #1-9; Scenario 2.1

Managing a Windows Network - 7/3/2007

This morning's class focused on Chapters 3 & 4, which dealt with Group Policy and Users and Groups, respectively. Remember, if you have any virtual implementations of Server you're running at home for class (you are, right?) make sure that you download the Group Policy Management Console from Microsoft, as it makes your GP experience easier AND you're expected to use it on your certifications.

Homework:

• Chapter 3: Textbook Review - #1-4
• Chapter 4: Textbook Review - #1-9

Pro-Server - 7/2/2006

Tonight we covered more Windows XP stuff -- Chapters 4 and 5.

Basically chapter four was over hardware management, and we got to see visually a lot of the stuff we learned in A+. Some of the stuff we did was print out a hardware profile, and create new hardware profiles for special uses (airplane).

In chapter five, we did all kinds of fun stuff designed to enhance the end-user experience. A lot of the methods were familiar to us (like changing screen resolution), but other things (like Toggle Keys) were not.

Homework

• Chapter Four: Review Questions 1-5 & Scenario 4.2 (textbook); Lab Manual 1-5
• Chapter Five: Review Questions 1-6 & Scenario 5.1 (textbook)

MS Excel - 7/2/2007

Today we finished up the end of Chapter 1, covering basic formulas and getting introduced to a few "friends" such as AutoComplete (where you start typing and Excel finishes your sentence), AutoFill (where you click on the little black square and drag and it copies and modifies formulas on the fly. Awesome), and Undo, which lets you time travel a few seconds to correct any mistakes you might have made. I failed to mention this in class, but if you Save your document, your undo information goes away.

Homework

• Chapter 1 - Matching (pg 65); Fill in the Blank (pg 66); Project 1D (pg 69-72)

See ya next week!

Server Core 2008

One of the new features of Windows Server 2008 makes me kind of shiver with dred. Why?

Because I suck at command prompt.

And you all know this. As I'm typing, I make typos, I hit enter too early, I forget syntax, etc. Basically every single error that I could possibly make, I make. Which makes for frustrating times for Ben.

Command prompt? Isn't this a step backwards?

Well, yeah, in a way. Server Core is an installation of Windows Server 2008 which installs nothing but the bare essentials. And when I say "nothing", I mean nothing! Gone is the familiar desktop icons and even the Start button and taskbar. All we're presented with is a command prompt window. Creepy. This scaled down version of Server is Microsoft's way of reducing the attack surface of a server to almost nothing. That, from a security point of view, is pretty nice.

Installing Server Core is easy enough. At installation, you are presented with a screen asking which Windows implementation you'd like to install. Mostly, you'll be choosing the first choice, which is to install Windows normally (and that's with a Start button), but if you're wanting this handy-dandy-extra-secure-no-frills OS, then you'll want to click on the Core installation. Windows will install normally, but you'll notice that there is no opportunity to set up, well, anything! All this must be done later, manually, through the command prompt.

Changing User Information

Logging onto Server Core was kind of weird the first time after installation. I had never set up a user or anything, but there I was: looking at a logon screen requesting logon credentials. Hmm. Typing in Administrator with no password worked. Obviously, this is extremely wide-open, so we'll need to seal up the user account with a nice, complex password. But with no Users and Computers app, how would we do this?

net user administrator *

This now presents us with a place to type in a password for the administrator account. I type in the password (our class-favorite P@ssw0rd, if you're wondering). There! Account locked-down and secure!

Computer Naming and Joining a Domain

Now, taking advantage of Server's new "whoami" command, I see that my computer name is something freakin' strange: lh-7y6gi6m11swi. Hardly memorable. I'd like something just a touch easier to remember, like ServerCore. So, here we go in command prompt land:

netdom renamecomputer lh-7y6gi6m11swi /newname ServerCore

After a warning message about some services possibly getting messed up, and a message saying I need to reboot, I now have a much friendlier computer name on my network.

As you can see, not exactly hard stuff, but still enough to stump the uninitiated. Ok, we'll reboot with this command:

Shutdown /r /t 0

And once we're back, we'll join the domain:

netdom join ServerCore /domain:bensbaldhead.com /userd:bbedo /passwordd:P@ssw0rd

... and then reboot just like above.

Installing a Server Role

We're going to use this ServerCore computer as a DNS server. Installing DNS onto a 2003 Server or even 2008 "normal" server required going to Add/Remove Programs, but since there is no Control Panel in Server Core, we'll have to use the old fashioned command prompt for this too:

start /w ocsetup DNS-Server-Core-Role

After about 2 minutes, I see the command prompt again and DNS is installed. No wizards, no messages in the command line, even. What about administering DNS? Ha ha ha! We're using the DNSCMD tool (or just administering remotely).

I must say, after using it for a while, it does start to feel better -- learning commands, etc. and with the lowered vulnerability, Server Core is pretty nice.