Exchange 2007 get Mailbox sizes
If you ever have had the pleasure to administer an Exchange system for some time, then you’ve run into the scenario where you need to know how big people’s mailboxes are. Depending on your workload, I suggest that you take some time regularly take some time to check the sizes of the mailboxes on your server. Now this is more important if your business doesn’t now have any limits on their users and you’ve recently noticed a huge spike in the database size.
Exchange 2007 Power Shell gives you the option to get a report of the mailbox sizes which is helpful for a quick glance, but if you want to keep a running tab, then you’re going to want it in a savable format. Also I tend to want the data in MB and not the default KB, just gives me an easier time looking over it. That’s the intention of the code below:
Get-MailboxStatistics -Database “DATABASENAME” | Sort -Property DisplayName | ft DisplayName, @{expression={$_.totalitemsize.value.ToMB()};label=”Mailbox Size(MB)”}, itemcount, lastlogontime, lastlogofftime,lastloggedonuseraccount > Database.txt
*NOTE: make sure you replace DATABASENAME with the actual exchange database name.
This code will run and output the information to a text file names Database.txt (or whatever you want to change it to) and you can save this and put it in a report if you like.
XP Mode “Virtual Windows XP could not be restored”
I recently ran into a weird problem with my Windows XP mode program in Windows 7. While trying to turn on the virtual machine, I kept getting a pop up with the following error:
“windows xp mode could not be restored because of either host processor type mismatch”
Regardless of what I tried to do, I couldn’t get the Windows XP Mode virtual machine to start back up, yet I had another virtual machine (running Windows Vista) that I could get working. I tried to reinstall the virtual machine, but it wouldn’t let me, and didn’t make the first version worked. But I did the following steps to get this working again:
- I went to the following location:C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
*replace {UserName} with your username - and in this directory I saw the virtual machines, backup of the machines and .vsv files (these are the ones you want)
- Rename the .vsv file (i recommend changing it to .old)
i.e.: If the file name is Windows XP Mode.vsv, rename it to Windows XP Mode.old - Now Restart the virtual machine and now it should come up without any problems!
Now the important thing is to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the future, you should change the machine to shutdown of the Virtual PC and not the default of hibernation. To do this, it’s just as simple as the fix:
- Open the Virtual PC
- On the menu click on Tools and then click on Settings.
- Under the Close tab, change the option from Hibernateto shutdown.
- Then finally restart your computer (my suggestion) and then start your Virtual PC.
Ever since I’ve done the above steps, I’ve never had another problem. Of course I’ve never really liked Hibernation mode anyway, this is a smart move.
How to Become a Better Manager
On a couple of different occasions I’ve mentioned that when I first became a manager, there was a learning curve that I needed to master, before becoming somewhat efficient at at. I’ve decided to give some more key pointers that help you become a better manager
1: Go to other’s offices for meetings
When you have your own office you want to use it, but it’s sometimes easier to have meetings in other people’s offices. For one I found this makes you appear more accessible, and second I found it’s easier to get out of someone’s office than to get others out of yours.
2: Meet with users, clients, or customers
Make sure you keep in touch with every aspect of your job and have constant communications with all important parties. I know this seems like a tall order and adding extra things in your already packed schedule. Though keeping contact with users, vendors and employees lets them know that you are on top of things and keeps you in the loop.
3: Use praise
During meetings make sure you give praise where praise it due. Make sure that you praise employee’s who are doing better than expected. Also praise vendors who don’t waste your time or your money.
4: Use a smart phone in a smart way
I think we’ve all run into times where we’ve had a brilliant idea or plan and forgotten to write it down. I’ve had ideas on how to improve a process or upgrade a user experience and completely forget an hour later. Use the memo or recorded notes option on your phone to capture brilliant thoughts.
5: Relax
I’ve made the bad mistake of getting so wrapped up in my work that I lost all sense of up or down. I’m not sure if many management books would tell you this, but I find it important to remember that it’s just a job. It’s important to get everything done and be as productive as possible, but in the end it is a job and you need to relax. I’ve found that relaxing has actually helped in the job, because I was able to break away and look with fresh eyes from a new angle.
Software Update: Adobe Flash and Air Update
Adobe has released Flash Player 10.1.82.76 to address multiple vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial-of-service condition. This vulnerability also affects Adobe Air 2.0.2.12310 and earlier versions.
Links for More Information:
http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-16.html
Browser Update: Google Update Chrome to 5.0.375.126
Google has released Chrome 5.0.375.126 for Linux, Mac, and Windows. Chrome 5.0.375.126 contains an updated version of the Flash plugin which addresses multiple vulnerabilities. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code.
Software Update: iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad Update
Apple has released iOS 4.0.2 for the iPhone and iPod touch and iOS 3.2.2 for the iPad to address vulnerabilities in the FreeType and IOSurface packages. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain system privileges.
This is most likely to address the jailbreakme.com website that was able to jailbreak these devices through a website.
Links for More Information:
iPad: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4292
iPod Touch/iPhone: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4291
Q&A Monday: USB Printer in DOS
Question:
I currently have a legacy software at my current job that runs in DOS and have printed to a printer that was connected via parallel cable. Recently that printer has bit the dust and I bought a new USB printer to replace it, but now the program wont print, but the printer works in Windows, please help.
Answer:
This is a common problem with legacy DOS applications in the current environment. When I’ve recently purchased printers all of them fell into two camps, USB only or USB and Wireless. The problem is that DOS programs can’t see any of these ports, you need to print via the LPT ports. Luckily it’s really easy to map an USB port to LPT1
- Install the printer like you normally would
- Share the printer out
- Click the start button
- type “cmd” to enter the command prompt (type without the “”)
- type “NET USE LPT1: \\[Computer Name]\[Printer] /PERSISTENT:YES”
- Please replace [Computer Name] with your computer name
- Please replace [Printer] with the shared printer name
- Test your printer
This will look at the USB printer like a network printer and then tell your computer than this network printer is LPT1, which is a printer port that DOS programs will recognize and you’ll be able to print again.
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If you have any questions that you want Jim to answer, from business servers to home computers, drop him a line at me@jimguckin.com, and he’ll try to answer your question. Check back every Monday for a new Question and Answer session, and during the rest of the week for other technical insights.
Effectively Erasing Files
Thinking about getting rid of a computer can actually be a lot more complicated that initially thought. Many people remember to get their files off and delete any important information from the drive and think that’s the end of it. It’s not just individuals, companies can also fall into this trap. Just selecting delete does not mean that the files are gone forever and could be recovered.
When you actually delete a file from the computer, it generally spends time in a trash bin, and when that’s empty you think it’s gone. It’s actually just hidden from the computer, and part or most of the file may still be hidden waiting for someone to come along and recover it. Some people think that even reformatting their hard drive may delete their files, but the information is still buried somewhere on the drive. Unless those areas of the disk are effectively overwritten with new content, it is still possible that knowledgeable attackers may be able to access the information.
There have been some stories that have popped up in the media recently about hard drives in copiers that were returned to the leasing company with medical, judicial and personal information stored on the drives, and then those drives sold to other companies in other countries. This happened enough to be noticed by a reporter, and you can imagine it happens more than people realize.
With technology becoming more and more prevalent and at the same time becoming more and more disposable leads to real security problems for people and companies. Take a moment to think about all the computers and cell phones you’ve had in your life or the life of the business and think how many of those were properly disposed of in a manner that eliminates your data.
If you or your business is looking towards getting rid of a computer, make sure that you find some software out there that writes over the drive several times. There are many different software choices out there, and a recommend you find something that fits your budget and is comfortable to use. Now depending on the size of the drive, once you find the software it will take a while to run, as it writes and rewrites data to the drive.
Q&A Monday: Increase Simultaneous Downloads
Question:
Because of my job I spent a lot of time downloading files from the internet, my productivity is killed by the simultaneous download limit in Windows. Is there anyway to work around this limit or a nifty program that will let me easily download more?
Joseph James
Dallas, TX
Answer:
Now I have tried many programs that supposedly manage your downloading of file, and really have come up with mixed results. Though there is a way that you can change a setting in Windows to up the limit of simultaneous downloads allowed on your computer.
NOTE: This involves changes to your computer registry, so make sure you know what you are doing and make a backup of your system before making any changes.
- Start->Run->Regedit
- Navigate to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.
- Create a new DWORD named MaxConnectionsPerServer and assign it a value of 0000000a
- Create a new DWORD named MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server and assign it a value of 0000000a
This will increase your download limit to 10 simultaneous downloads, and should make downloading multiple files a lot easier.
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If you have any questions that you want Jim to answer, from business servers to home computers, drop him a line atme@jimguckin.com, and he’ll try to answer your question. Check back every Monday for a new Question and Answer session, and during the rest of the week for other technical insights.
Browser Update: Apple Releases Safari 5.0.1 and 4.1.1
Apple has released the following update for their Safari browser, it effects: Safari 4 (Mac OS X 10.4), Safari 5 (Windows), Safari 5 (Mac OS X 10.6), Safari 5 (Mac OS X 10.5). According to Apple’s Support site for this update (HERE) the following vulnerabilities were fixed.
Safari 5.0.1 and Safari 4.1.1
- SafariCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1778
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Accessing a maliciously crafted RSS feed may cause files from the user’s system to be sent to a remote server
Description: A cross-site scripting issue exists in Safari’s handling of RSS feeds. Accessing a maliciously crafted RSS feed may cause files from the user’s system to be sent to a remote server. This issue is addressed through improved handling of RSS feeds. Credit to Billy Rios of the Google Security Team for reporting this issue.
- SafariCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1796
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Safari’s AutoFill feature may disclose information to websites without user interaction
Description: Safari’s AutoFill feature can automatically fill out web forms using designated information in your Mac OS X Address Book, Outlook, or Windows Address Book. By design, user action is required for AutoFill to operate within a web form. An implementation issue exists that allows a maliciously crafted website to trigger AutoFill without user interaction. This can result in the disclosure of information contained within the user’s Address Book Card. To trigger the issue, the following two situations are required. First, in Safari Preferences, under AutoFill, the “Autofill web forms using info from my Address Book card” checkbox must be selected. Second, the user’s Address Book must have a Card designated as “My Card”. Only the information in that specific card is accessed via AutoFill. This issue is addressed by prohibiting AutoFill from using information without user action. Devices running iOS are not affected. Credit to Jeremiah Grossman of WhiteHat Security for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1780
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A use after free issue exists in WebKit’s handling of element focus. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved handling of element focus. Credit to Tony Chang of Google, Inc. for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1782
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in WebKit’s rendering of inline elements. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved bounds checking. Credit to wushi of team509 for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1783
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in WebKit’s handling of dynamic modifications to text nodes. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved memory management.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1784
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in WebKit’s handling of CSS counters. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved memory management. Credit to wushi of team509, working with TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1785
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: An uninitialized memory access issue exists in WebKit’s handling of the :first-letter and :first-line pseudo-elements in SVG text elements. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed by not rendering :first-letter or :first-line pseudo-elements in SVG text elements. Credit to wushi of team509, working with TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1786
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A use after free issue exists in WebKit’s handling of foreignObject elements in SVG documents. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through additional validation of SVG documents. Credit to wushi of team509, working with TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1787
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in WebKit’s handling of floating elements in SVG documents. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved memory management.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1788
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in WebKit’s handling of ‘use’ elements in SVG documents. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved handling of ‘use’ elements in SVG documents. Credit to Justin Schuh of Google, Inc. for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1789
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A heap buffer overflow exists in WebKit’s handling of JavaScript string objects. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved bounds checking. Credit: Apple.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1790
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A reentrancy issue exists in WebKit’s handling of just-in-time compiled JavaScript stubs. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved synchronization.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1791
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A signedness issue exists in WebKit’s handling of JavaScript arrays. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved handling of JavaScript array indices. Credit to Natalie Silvanovich for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1792
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in WebKit’s handling of regular expressions. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved handling of regular expressions. Credit to Peter Varga of University of Szeged for reporting this issue.
- WebKitCVE-ID: CVE-2010-1793
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.8, Mac OS X Server v10.5.8, Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later, Mac OS X Server v10.6.2 or later, Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2 or later
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A use after free issue exists in WebKit’s handling of “font-face” and “use” elements in SVG documents. Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed through improved handling of “font-face” and “use” elements in SVG documents. Credit to Aki Helin of OUSPG for reporting this issue.
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