Google is Supporting Operating System (gOS)

gOS was introduced by Everex, a midtier PC vendor, in its inexpensive Green gPC TC2502 computer in late October. This cheap computer is sold for $198 at Wal-Mart stores and online at walmart.com.

 

The operating system is based, like so many desktop Linux’s such as Mint, on Ubuntu. In gOS’ case, it’s built on top of the newly released Ubuntu 7.10 Linux. It includes the usual array of open-source software that users have learned to expect from a Linux desktop such as popular applications from Firefox, Skype and OpenOffice.org. The one difference that Linux users will notice immediately about it is that it uses the Enlightenment E17 desktop interface with a Google-centric theme instead of the far more common KDE or GNOME desktops.

In an interview with a Linux blog, gOS founder David Liu makes it clear that ease of use was at the top of his mind when he helped create gOS. “Basically it has to do with the Ubuntu community and vision. I like their mantra ‘Linux for human beings.’ I wanted to take it further, more like ‘Linux for human beings who shop at Wal-Mart’ (… ‘and who probably have never heard of Linux’).”

Go There and Check it out

What’s New in Service Pack 1 and R2 for Configuration Manager 2007?

• Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 introduces a new feature for out of band management.
• Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 provides significant enhancements to the Asset Intelligence feature introduced in Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 and included in Configuration Manager 2007.
• The length of the evaluation period has changed in Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 to be more consistent with other Microsoft products. In Configuration Manager 2007, the evaluation period is 120 days. In Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, the evaluation period is 180 days.
• The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Connector and the System Center Updates Publisher are no longer included with the Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 installation media.
• Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 provides support for Windows Server 2008 as clients and site systems.

Note

Windows Server 2008 does not include WebDAV by default, which is required for Configuration Manager 2007 management points and distribution points. For more information, see the release notes.

What’s New in Configuration Manager 2007 R2

• Application Virtualization management support
• Forefront Client Security Integration
• SQL Reporting Services Reporting – Allows you to report on Configuration Manager activity using SQL Reporting Services
• Client Status Reporting – Provides a set of tools and Configuration Manager 2007 reports to assess the status of client computers, sometimes referred to as “client health.” Clients that show a change in activity patterns might need administrative intervention.
• Operating System Deployment Enhancements
  • Unknown computer support
    In Configuration Manager 2007 R2, you can deploy operating systems to computers using a PXE service point without first adding the computer to the Configuration Manager database.
  • Multicast deployment
    Previously, all operating system deployments used unicast. Multicast can make more efficient use of network bandwidth when deploying large images to several computers at the same time.
  • Running command lines in task sequences with credentials other than the local system account.

Configuring OCS 2007 for DNS Splitting

Automatic configuration allows Communicator to find and connect to the appropriate OCS server without manually entering a server name into its settings. Communicator has special requirements for DNS and certificates to make this work properly.

The problem that OCS likes other Microsoft UC solutions does not support multiple SIP name. Most of organizations need DNS splitting as security requirement.

Here you are the Scenario: We have organization that its internal domain name is Contoso.ad and have E2K3 server with E-mail Policy @contoso.com, they need to implement new OCS server to support internal and external users.

Easy, maybe it looks like that…The problem that office communicator is designed to log-on using server within same domain name i.e. the OCS FQDN must be in our case OCSSRV.contoso.ad.

Until now, it is okay but the user must log-on with name user@contoso.com so we have to support contoso.com SIP domain.

Are you confused? It is little tricky… here you are the solution

Hosting Domain Contoso.ad, Contoso.com

OCS Computer FQDN OCSSRV.contoso.ad

Supported SIP Domains:

Contoso.ad (default inherited from AD)

Contoso.com

DNS Records (Internal)

Split DNS configuration is a requirement for automatic configuration. Simply put, split DNS means you have two DNS zones for one domain name. One DNS zone exists on internal DNS servers and provides name resolution only for internal clients. Another DNS zone exists on external DNS servers to service external clients.

Split DNS is required so that users can use the same sign-on name in Communicator and have their correct login server resolved inside and outside the network.

First, we have to create primary DNS zone in internal domain with name Contoso.com. Create A record in it for OCSSRV server.

The following SRV records need to be created. Note that these records must be created in the DNS database of the servers authoritative for the particular zone.

Service Records (SRV)	A Record	IP Address
_sipinternaltls._tcp.Contoso.ad	OCSSRV.contoso.ad	192.168.1.11
_sipinternaltls._tcp.Contoso.com	OCSSRV.contoso.com	192.168.1.11

Certificate Configuration

To support multiple domains for encrypted communications we require that all front-ends in the Pool be configured with a certificate. The certificate must match the FQDN returned by any DNS SRV query. Therefore, the certificate must contain multiple entries. We call these SANs (Subject Alternate Name) and the certificate must include the FQDN of the pool and one entry for each supported SIP domain.

Subject Name

OCSSRV.contoso.ad

Subject Alternate Name

Sip.contoso.ad

Sip.contoso.com

OCSSRV.contoso.com

OCSSRV.contoso.ad

I tried to do that through the OCS certificate configuration wizard …It should work.

but if it failed you can do it through another way.

You have to obtain Subject Alternative Name (SAN) to your OCS certificate. The OCS certificate is submitted to a certification authority (CA) that is configured on a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer. The SAN lets you connect to a domain controller by using a Domain Name System (DNS) name other than the computer name. I will explain how to add SAN attributes to a certification request that is submitted to an enterprise CA (ContosoCA)

How to configure a CA to accept a SAN attribute from a certificate request

By default, a CA that is configured on a Windows Server 2003-based computer does not issue certificates that contain the SAN extension. If SAN entries are included in the certificate request, these entries are omitted from the issued certificate. To change this behavior, run the following commands at a command prompt on the server that runs the Certification Authority service.

Certutil -setreg policy\EditFlags +EDITF_ATTRIBUTESUBJECTALTNAME2
net stop certsvc
net start certsvc

How to create and submit a certificate request

When you submit a certificate request to an enterprise CA, the certificate template must be configured to use the SAN in the request instead of using information from the Active Directory directory service.

How to use Web enrollment pages to submit a certificate request to an enterprise CA

To submit a certificate request that contains a SAN to an enterprise CA, follow these steps:

1. In Internet Explorer, connect to http://contoso.ad/certsrv.
2. Click Request a Certificate.
3. Click Advanced certificate request.
4. Click Create and submit a request to this CA.
5. In the Certificate Template list, click Web Server.
6. Provide identifying information as required.
7. In the Name box, type the fully qualified domain name of the OCS server.
8. Under Key Options, set the following options:
   • Create a new key set
   • CSP: Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider
   • Key Usage: Exchange
   • Key Size: 1024
   • Automatic key container name
   • Store certificate in the local computer certificate store
9. Under Advanced Options, set the request format to CMC.
10. In the Attributes box, type the desired SAN attributes. SAN attributes take the following form:

San:dns=OCSSRV.contoso.com&dns=sip.contoso.com

&dns=sip.contoso.ad&dns=OCSSRV.contoso.ad

Multiple DNS names are separated by an ampersand (&).

1. Click Submit.
2. If you see the Certificate Issued Web page, click Install this Certificate.

Now return to OCS deployment and choose configure certificate wizard,

Choose to assign existing certificate and choose OCSSRV.contoso.ad server authentication certificate.

Assign the certificate in the IIS and restart it.

Now you can sign in with user@contoso.com although your pool is OCSSRV.contoso.ad.

Check this also at the UC Guy