Error When Viewing Roles in Server 2008 Server Manager

Today, I was checking on some things in our virtual server host environment when one of the servers displayed the following when clicking on the “Roles” module in Server Manager.

 
“No signature was present in the subject. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800B0100)”

This was not a happy thing to find as the virtual host in question is a production server with virtual machines running.  The last thing I wanted to do in the middle of the day was to reboot this server.

As the error message suggests, I looked in an area of the Server 2008 Event Logs that I’ve never been before.  This event log gets noted as “Microsoft-Windows-ServerManager/Operational”.  The error event ID I had in this log was 1601.

A little BING-ing and I happened upon the following article - http://dwjack.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3EE7D7517C0BC5AE!250.entry.  This provides a great run down of the steps involved to resolve this issue.  To my surprise, the result of this did NOT require a reboot of the server to implement the changes.

However, I found that the documentation here was a little thin in just the right place.  Part of the solution for this “no signature” error is to copy the missing files from a Windows Update into the C:\windows\servicing\Packages directory.  The way to do that is to take ownership of the Packages folder and add yourself with full control.  However, the initial owner of the folder is TrustedInstaller.

Microsoft Starting with Windows Vista and Server 2008 Windows incorporates Mandatory Integrity Control, which adds Integrity Levels (IL) to processes running in a login session. MIC restricts the access permissions of applications that are running under the same user account and which may be less trustworthy. Five integrity levels are defined: Low, Medium, High, System, and Trusted Installer.
^{From WikiPedia}

When I went back to add TrustedInstaller as the owner, I was not able to find the account.  Turns out that the account is an NT SERVICE.  I followed the steps in this article to restore ownership to correct account, http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/159360-trustedinstaller-restore-owner.html.  When specifying the account, be sure to change the “Locations…” to the local machine.

Expanding the Virtual

At the end of 2008, we virtualized our core infrastructure and upgraded from Small Business Server (SBS) 2003 to Essential Business Server (EBS) 2008.  We virtualized this platform on two “big” servers and have a great experience so far operating our business in this way.  However, as many businesses grow, we found ourselves a little short on space to continue testing and integrating new Microsoft products. 

To overcome this, we purchased additional RAM and a Storage Area Network (SAN).  In this post, I plan to cover the conceptual idea we have for “expanding the virtual” as expanding something that’s virtual sounds like it should be pretty straight forward.

The idea in expanding this environment goes like this. 

• Upgrade the RAM in the main virtual host servers
• Configure the SAN to house the data for the virtual servers
• Move the virtual hard drive files from the host servers to the SAN
• Reconnect the virtual machines with their data through the host servers

So far, we’ve installed the RAM in the host servers and are adding the SAN to our network and configuring it.  More details to come as progress through this project.

From a business perspective, this expansion has some important implications on how we operate.  We will be able to test new products and upgrades by creating a mirror image of our production environment, installing the new software, and test.  If we need to add a dedicated server for some purpose, we’ll be able to add it as needed in the virtual environment without having to purchase new server hardware.  We will extend our use of Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager to virtualize the remaining physical servers in our production environment, to monitor the virtual environment for issues, and to create a true test platform – all without additional hardware or software.

The SAN and the additional RAM moves the virtual “ceiling” for scalability much higher and gives us some room to breath.

More to come on this topic as we continue to have more clients introduce virtual technologies in their environments and as we expand our infrastructure.

SharePoint 2010 - Anywhere Access and Customizations:

 

Anywhere Access

​Mobile work isn’t just for the sales force anymore. Today, most businesses support telecommuting, and they expect employees to be “always on, always connected,” even when they are away from the office. SharePoint 2010 offers a diverse set of capabilities that extends people’s access to resources and allows them to be productive regardless of the tools or devices they have available.

Customize

In times when business volatility is on the rise and time-to-market is key, SharePoint 2010 enables all users (end users, power users, designers, and professional developers), to customize the out-of-box platform and deploy solutions that will enable them to address specific business needs more quickly and more effectively. SharePoint 2010 includes tools and capabilities that allow businesses to maximize the impact of existing investments and knowledge, and to provide all users with bi-directional interaction with line-of-business data. These tools and capabilities make it possible to shorten the time between recognizing a business need and delivering a business productivity solution to address it.​

Read the full article here.