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International Tech travel tips for Talk, Text, and Data

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International tech travel is important talking point as you prepare for you international trip.  Many of us would like to untether the work and personal lives when they go on vacation but the reality is a lot of us can’t or won’t.    We are hoping to gain your feedback as we build out this blog on what digital connectivity solutions work while traveling internationally.

Laptop Vs Tablet Vs Phone

Laptop:

It can be beast in bulkiness and a pain to take everywhere.  Do you need it?  It depends what are willing to tolerate in longer waits in the airport and the weight of lugging around.  Shopping around for a Dell XPS 13 and 15 may be worth it.  They are definitely smaller and lighter.  The bonus for most worker bees is you’re going to need your laptop to still be productive.

Tablet or IPad:

Some road warriors will be able to take advantage of Tablets lighter portability.  I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and at 9.7” in size I struggle to find its purpose in my life.  I read more on my phone and the tablet ends up being dead when I want to lay on the beach on the bigger device.

Pro Tip:  Place on Airplane mode to make the device battery last for days.  Also, get an integrated cell data with a special rate through purchasing from your cell phone service provider.

Why then do you recommend a Tablet or Ipad?

I imagine purchasing a 2 in 1 keyboard and mouse accessory is a great solution if you need to shoot off some emails or basic remote in support.   I will let you know when my next Amazon order arrives.

 Phone:

The phone use is all the general public needs.  You have a mini computer in your pocket.   It’s not worth the bulk.

 

What About Phone Plans?

T-Mobile

While I understand certain providers are better than others in certain areas.  I live in Mission Beach, San Diego and T-Mobile reigns supreme here locally and worldwide.  Verizon is terrible here.   Check out this very special T-Mobile plan:

Phone:  Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data is $75 plus tax is known as the T-Mobile One plan and also includes the North American Plan and Simple Global
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2: Free data 200 megabytes.  I can’t justify to the extra cost for more data.

Verizon

Travel Pass is good for a few days outside of Mexico and Canada.  It’s advisable to pay a flat $40 in addition to your regular phone for anything longer.  I will grab more details on this subject as they come in.

How About International Phone Plans?

My bad.   The two items in bold come bundled with my T-Mobile One Plan

North  America Plan:

North America plan includes Canada, Mexico, and US.   It contains unlimited Talk, Text, and Data.

Simple Global:

The Simple Global plan is 140 Countries.   There is no agreement with Cuba.  As France as the example…

It has unlimited texting and data; and call will be 20 cents a minute.   2G towers, 2G service but going to France.  I could binge on Netflix if I wanted to without being charged.

 

So what do I with my phone in Cuba?
International Tech travel tips
You need to unlock the device.    Request T-Mobile unlock the device on their device and add SIM Card to enable.  Purchase SIM card while in Cuba.  It is probably best to get your old phone or borrow your friend iPhone 5s that has the ability to pop in a SIM card to be safe rather than lose your nice newer phone.  I’m not going to drill down further on this topic because the information will be out dated as soon as I publish it.

 

Any info on WiFi and general internet connectivity?

Use www.speedtest.net to see where the speeds are at in the country you are visiting.  There’s a Speedtest app you can download or ask people in the country before you leave.  The road warriors needs this information to perform work reliably.

Cuba’s Internet

I hear it’s pretty poor and the hotels may have safer and more reliable internet.  Someone also told me about the schools being a place for quality internet.  I’m not sure.   Here’s an updated list of WiFi locations.  You will need reliable 2 megabits up and down for remoting into a much faster computer in the states using LogMeIn.

What’s LogMeIn?
International Tech travel tips
Logmein requires 1.5 megabits both up and down.  Maybe a little less if you turn on black and white mode.   It’s a service a lot of people use to remote into certain computers to get their work done.  It is also way an awesome way to avoid a slow international connection.  As far as I know, China is the only place that restricts LogMeIn connectivity.

Power

This compact travel adapter kit should help you out of most jams.

International Tech travel tips for Talk, Text, and Data Summary

Hopefully, you have most of the necessary technology items and you just need to make subtle refinements as you prepare for your trip or perhaps you need technology overhaul.  Whatever the case, we will keep updating this post with the latest and greatest technological improvements for your road warrior lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post International Tech travel tips for Talk, Text, and Data appeared first on Network Antics.


Veeam backup and replication disaster and recovery support

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Veeam Backup and Replication is a very powerful backup program.   It was designed for use in VMware and Hyper V virtual machines environment.  To understand the complexities of the program, requires a basic understanding of backup locations first.  General backup locations can be found here:

  • The computer’s very own C drive
    • This is good for quick retrieval disaster/recovery. However, in a true disaster  (fire, flood, and theft) you are most likely SOL if you attempt to retrieve your data from this location.
  • The computer’s external drive
    • This should be two portable terabyte Hard Drives that rotate weekly. They are usually labeled D, E, or F drive.
  • Cloud based solution
    • There are plenty of cloud backup solutions. We will build on this later.

 

The Computer’s C Drive

Below is the organized structure of a backup.  Let’s break down the backed up folder and reveal some details of what we found.

  • Backup Copy to Disk – Contains recent VIB extention files. It’s a keeper.
  • Del Mar Med Onsite – One VMB file from 2016. This is a user folder and should be deleted if you have more recent VBM files.
  • Veeam ConfigBackup – Recent .BCO files here. It’s a keeper
  • Veeam Backups – One VBM file from 2014. This is a useless folder and should be deleted.

 

Let’s focus on #1 and #3 now that we understand what’s useful and what’s not

 

1 – Backup Copy to Disk
VBK is full and VIB is incremental.   Sort by name to view backup chains.  VMB is the record meta-data.  It is critical file to copy too.  This is the meat of your backup data and should take a significant amount of time to copy to another location.  Our “backup copy to disk” is just under 600 gigs in size.

 

 

 

3 – VMware Configuration backups

Albeit much smaller in size, the configuration backup is a critical to your backup and recovery.  Make sure you have a plenty of copies of it just like VBK, VIB, and VBM files mention in #1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The computer’s external drive

This is the same story but different location for data to be backed up.   Please make sure you rotate your external hard drives on a weekly basis…  Possibly sooner depending how critical your real-time data is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional locations to store your data.

  • Backup to a NAS
  • Cloud

 

How to setup Veeam Backup on a new server or workstation.

Stop and disable all the jobs on the current backup server.   Then proceed with updating your current backup server to the latest and greatest version of Veeam.   Utilize the KB article for performing a backup of the configuration file and migrating it to the new backup server.

Copy the Data

Copy all recent backup data mentioned in the prior segment to another Windows backup server as seen below.

But I can’t Find All Backup Locations

Start exploring within the Veeam Backup program.  Configuration backup option under “main menu” is a good place to start

 

 

Configuration Backup Settings

There’s plenty of good information.  Make sure the box is checked for “Encrypt Configuration Backup”  and understand what the “backup repository” is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Externals and Volume Mappings

Assign new computer’s external hard drive with same drive letter.    Doing this plus “encrypt configuration backup”  when save you a lot of time and spare you lots grief later.  Otherwise, you have to recreate credentials for service accounts like seen below.  Nobody wants to do that.

It saves passwords if encrypted.   Worst scenario, need to retype service account password with in Veeam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View Default Repository

 

Check up on what’s being backed up to where by viewing the default backup repository.  Note: Default repository changes when Veeam prompts if you like to make a new default repository.  External repository it is important to have on the external hard drive during a disaster/recovery.   Make sure you add the configuration to the backup of the external.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run the Manual Configuration Backup

 

Again, you need to update your Veeam to be on version 3 of 8.0 or later before proceeding with the manual configuration backup.  Use the existing instance when you get prompted.   I need to build this part of the post out more but yeah…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copy the old backup Server Backup Configuration File

The backup configuration file as discussed in the introductory part of this Veeam Backup and Replication post is also known as the file extension . BCO.   Copy the latest BCO file just created from the manual configuration backup and place it the directory of the backup and replication server path of c:\backup\VeeamConfigBackup.  Then perform the restore function on the new Veeam Backup and Replication server.  This will restore all you schedule tasks and other settings from the prior backup server.

Schedule Your first Veeam Backup on Your New Server

Veeam is all set and ready to backup on your data.  Confirm your email is working for successful completions and possible failures of your backups

 

 

 

 

 

More Educational Resources

Are you not comfortable want you learned can get you through your next backup or recovery?   Not to worry.  We have a list of resources to educate on what is out there.

http://veeam.foonet.be/

https://www.veeam.com/kb1889

https://www.youtube.com/user/YouVeeam/playlists

 

In addition to this below is the user’s guide if you need it for reference as well:

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backup/vsphere/overview.html?ver=95

 

 

The post Veeam backup and replication disaster and recovery support appeared first on Network Antics.

AutoCAD Support for Term Based vs Perpetual

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Support to AutoCAD licensing has become incredibly confusing if you are not already utilizing best practices to manage your licenses.  Please note:  Adobe is going the same route for managing their licenses so it’s to your benefit to learn this now.

Perpetual Licenses AKA Owned Licensed or Legacy Option:  This is how most productivity software has been purchased until now.  This is an initial cost, plus the annual subscription that includes updates and support.  This license costs less over time but if you fail to renew your perpetual license, it will not work.  However,  you will not receive updates or upgrade to a later release if the subscription is not maintained.

Perpertual License of  AutoCAD $8125
Yearly subscription $1220

Desktop Subscriptions:  It’s the same old Autodesk but can be thought as renting a software license year to year.  There’s the benefit of lower cost per entry ($3600) However, it does cost more over time.  Startups prefer this route for conserving money for maintaining strong cash flows.

Larger businesses prefer Perpetual licenses because while it costs more up front, it costs less over time, and it never expires.

Helpful Tips and Updates

  • Autodesk is not perpetual. They only sell term based license now.
  • AutoCAD subscription means Term based or rental. This is helpful when viewing licenses under https://manage.autodesk.com Please see the picture below.
  • Each AutoCAD software should be assigned to the user. Subscription licenses must be assigned to the end user. The user must access their account through manage.autodesk.com and reset their password if they don’t recall it.  ***You cannot resend invitations to the management site or send a reset for user’s password through there as well.
  • AutoCAD Design Suite Standard contain more than just AutoCAD. Some users need more features.  Make sure you clarify their CAD needs.
  • Open AutoCAD and view about, product information. Then compare serial number or product name to understand who has perpetual vs term based
  • Starting now there is an option to switch from maintenance to subscription or M to S.  This will come up during the maintenance renewal cycle.

Additional Resources:

AutoCAD Support

Downloads and License Management Console

AutoCAD Support for Term Based vs Perpetual Summary

AutoCAD licensing can be complicated if you don’t under the basics.  Hopefully, we helped filled in the management of AutoCAD licensing  gaps.  There are plenty of additional articles to help you further along if you need additional user management assistance.

The post AutoCAD Support for Term Based vs Perpetual appeared first on Network Antics.

Restaurant IT Support

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Restaurant IT Support can make or break a business.  To have a personable IT professional come in and immediately assess the situation, get to work, and not break anything is hard to find.  Expect a large percentage of your first project to be consumed by discovery before any implementation or migration begins.  However, the percentage is reduced depending on your needs and how much current documentation is in place.

We have all sorts of restaurant IT support requests.  We will list out some of the examples the requests as well as what actually we end up doing for them.

Request

  • Point of Sales System traffic be segmented from the rest of network.

What we end up doing

  • Replacing the router because the current router is not capable of segmenting traffic
  • Adding VLAN switches because they can’t run any new Ethernet drops. Maybe it’s too labor inten$ive.
  • Adding new cable drops or cable runs because some restaurants it is not that difficult to add new drops.

Request

  • Migrate the internet from Time Warner Spectrum to ATT fiber

What we end up doing

  • One of our larger accounts had over 24 drops or network connections throughout the restaurant. The setup was a mess. The documentation was out of date.  We ended up spending 10 hours on discovery.  This included test, tone, and mark cable.  Create an excel spreadsheet of the IT inventory as well as well as helpful IT navigation guide; and finally a password database file.
  • Migrated the internet service once we bought a new router, port forwarded the security cameras, and segmented the guest traffic from the rest of network.
  • Ran new drops for optimizing bandwidth and removed all rogue switches on the network.
  • PCI compliance risk assessment

Request

  • Setup security cameras for streaming on phone

What we end up doing

  • New router for segmentation and QOS of traffic
  • Port forwarding cameras
  • Adding large network scope for guest traffic

Restaurant IT Support Summary

While we want to be a quick as possible, expect the first project to be ten to fifteen hours if you really want things working smoothly around your work.

More Resources:

The post Restaurant IT Support appeared first on Network Antics.

Synology Snapshot Replication and File Versioning

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Files get lost, edited incorrectly, or corrupted by malware and other not so pleasant issues.  Large office environments take advantage of the features built into Microsoft File Server environment called File Versioning.  Other backup software of their version of file edits versioning depending on the frequency.  This luxury is nice but most likely does not contain the latest version of your file.   Moreover, it does not protect you from malware such as ransomware where you files are no longer readable and the data you want back is held up for large sums of money.  You are probably thinking you have some form of backup so you are good.  This is not necessarily the truth.  Reality sets in when you are trying perform a recovery from a disaster or even a mini file crisis, and the file you need is simply not there.  The file most likely locked during the backup and therefore was skipped by the backup process.

Multi prong Approach

There’s no silver bullet for a Disaster and Recovery plan.  Read our post to prepare from future threats and some virus removal utilities when you are knee deep in the threat.

Incorporating BTRFS File System into Disaster and Recovery Process

BTFRS is the Next Generation file system, built by multiple parties with the same goal.  This is a big deal.  Snapshots feature was not available on the old HFS4 File system.  These developers built a file system with the best data integrity and the most efficient method for snapshots.  The next-generation BTFRS file system brings these tools to the Synology NAS or file servers.  Synology’s BTRFS allows organizations to reduce maintenance overhead all while efficiently storing their data.  The benefits are plain and simple, no more file corruption combined with some easy to use recovery tools for employee self-service recovery.

File Recovery Tool – Snapshot Replication

Synology BTRFS for Snapshot Replication and File Versioning

Snapshot technology maintains the integrity of a backup.

Below is one picture summary of all of what happens during the Synology Snapshot file recovery process.

  1. Open the Snapshot Replication.
    – Snapshot Replication is a package that must be downloaded and configured before using. We will build out a section below on how to configure this.
  2. Click on “Recovery” in Synology Snapshot Replication application
  3. Select the Shared Folder to recover the file from.
    -Browse the Synology Snapshot Recovery dates
    -This executes a file explore window better known as File Station in Synology File Station or DiskStation terminology.
  4. Selection “Action” in the Synology Snapshot Replication recovery tab gives you two options
    • Restore in-place if you want to write over the existing file.
    • Clone with a new name

Synology BTRFS for Snapshot Replication and File Versioning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snapshot Retention

The policy can be set to just about anything and it won’t significantly compromise your space.

 

 

 

 

 

More Nerdy Stuff – Synology Snapshot Manager

Take advantage of those Window version features with Synology Snapshot Manager.   It’s plug-in allows you to take application-consistent snapshots directly from DiskStation Manager (DSM). After installing and activating Synology Snapshot Manager on Windows Server or VMware ESXi Server, you can click NAS Register List to see the registered clients.

  • In the VMware environment, you need to install Synology Snapshot Manager on the Windows server where VMware vCenter Server has been installed. When a snapshot taking is triggered on DSM, VMware vCenter Server will be notified and flush all the data from memory to the LUN on which the snapshot is taken to guarantee data consistency. Once the snapshot is complete, VMware vCenter Server will resume normal I/O operations of VMware datastore. Synology Snapshot Manager for VMware vCenter Server is supported on vSphere 5.1 and above.
  • In the Windows environment, you need to install Synology Snapshot Manager on your Windows server. When a snapshot taking is triggered on DSM, Synology Snapshot Manager will leverage Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology to generate consistent point-in-time copies of your data. Synology Snapshot Manager for Windows is supported on Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012, and 2012 R2.
  • Synology Snapshot Manager can be downloaded for free from www.synology.com.

 

Introducing Synology  Snapshot Replication and File Versioning Summary

Most of the Synology Snapshot Replication dry material can be found in Synology’s knowledgebase.  I thought I break down the most essential material in one little blog post because the information for this particular topic is vague and confusing.  However, this could save you hours or maybe your livelyhood if you invest some time in enabling this feature.  You’re welcome.

 

The post Synology Snapshot Replication and File Versioning appeared first on Network Antics.

Amazon Glacier Setup for Synology

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Amazon Glacier setup for Synology is one service in a vast suite of Amazon Web Services.  It’s the last resort option for restoring files from backup.  It cost very little to backup to Amazon Web Services, better known as AWS.  Though, Amazon shakes you down when you perform a recovery on these files.  Let’s hope you have better local recovery options available to you if disaster ever strikes.

 

Amazon Glacier Preparation

  • It’s better to do this off hours
    • Glacier backups will prevent Hyper backup task from running.
  • Need generic email account for Amazon.
  • Grab POC information and CC
  • Generate service account user/password
  • Know your hardware
    • Any Synology lacking the plus symbol in the model has a pretty weak processor
    • Weak processor can’t process tasks that well.
  • Break up backup tasks for weak processors
    • I’m not sure how big is too big before you create its own shared folder for backup. I’ll update as I go.  Let’s just say 40 gig should have its backup task and it will take weeks to upload to the cloud.

Glacier Setup on AWS

  • Create amazon account for AWS
  • Setup contact information
  • Input Credit Card Number
  • Authenticate phone
  • Create service for Synology and AWS
  • Login AWS Console
  • Click on Services, select IAM under Security
  • Skip MFA for now
  • Select Manage Users and add your Synology service account
    1. Check mark, “Programmatic access”
  • Create group and add user/service account to “Glacier-Full”
  • Review setup and record “access key ID” and “secret access key”
  • Click on Services, select Glacier under Storage

Synology Diskstation Manager Setup

  • Log into DiskStation Manager and download Glacier Backup package
  • Open Glacier Backup and create new backup
  • Keep defaults but enable “transfer encryption” and select some far off location in your timezone. *California is a bit more expensive.

Amazon Glacier setup for Synology

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSM Network Settings

For best results confirm DNS and NTP Settings:

Please try setting the DNS server settings (DSM Control Panel>Network>check off “Manually configure DNS server”) to use the Google public DNS servers of 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for the preferred and alternative respectively.

Check current time settings for NTP synchronization (DSM Control Panel>Regional Options>Time Settings) If the time is offset, click Update Now on the bottom of the tab.

Setup Tioga email account  companyname.general@gmail.com

2 factor authentication

 

Amazon Glacier setup for Synology Summary

The post Amazon Glacier Setup for Synology appeared first on Network Antics.

How to Add an Office 365 Exchange Account

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Exchange Email Account

Microsoft has created an email branding mess and knowing who hosts your email is half the battle.  The very first step to start is using an MX Lookup command line or a user friendly MX lookup site that does the same thing.   The results from submitting your domain will vary.  Here are some samples…

Your email service provider is “Office365”

Or

Your email service provider is “Rackspace”

Or

Your email service provider is “Google Apps”

 

Great, we have Office365!  What now? 

Slow down there cowboy.   The fancy hosted version of Microsoft Exchange is Office 365.  They give you a suite of cloud based Office Suite apps like Outlook, Word, and Excel but it can be hosted through several third parties.

What are the Office 365 Exchange Parties?

Typically, the go to ones are Microsoft, GoDaddy, and Rackspace.

Ok, we have Microsoft hosting our Office 365 Exchange.  What’s the URL for administrative access?

https://portal.office.com – admin access

https://outlook.office.com – mail access or OWA

 

Ok, we have GoDaddy hosting our Microsoft Office 365. 

https://outlook.office.com – mail access or OWA

Use GoDaddy.com login for most administrative needs.  It’s honestly a mess to administrate through GoDaddy and their support doesn’t seem to know theor own product.  I will build out some resource links as I create the time to do so.

I’m in the admin console.  What now?

Click the Main Menu button on the top left corner and select “admin”.Disable or “block” user and delete their Office 365 subscription license.  Please make sure the mailbox does not need to be archived before proceeding.  Read the IT workflow of terminating an employee on Office 365.  This is important because you may want to retain their data and you may need that license freed up immediately for the new employee.

Add an Office 365 Exchange Account Summary

Knowing office 365 can save you a lot of time and aggravation.  Here are some additional time saving features.

Time Saving Questions for IT Admin email related work

  • Name
  • Email Address
  • Role
  • Name existing user account who’s role is similar to the new employee
  • Any user accounts that need to be disabled and perhaps their license can be recycled?

Additional Links:

OutlooExchange server supportk and PST Backup Tips

Purchasing an Exchange Mail Server or Cheaper Alternative

Outlook and Email Hosting Pricing Information (bottom section of link)

A Server Implementation Guide

Rackspace Setup for Hosted Exchange

The post How to Add an Office 365 Exchange Account appeared first on Network Antics.

Synology Best Practices for Migrating, Restoring, or Recovering data

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Synology Recovery Quick Notes

  • Additional Synology IT resources can be found here.
  • The time it takes for this whole process to complete tends to be the biggest issue when migrating data to a flashy new upgrade Synology NAS chassis. Restore process of 1TB of data took approximately 6 hours.  The very first thing I recommend is run updates on packages and the Synology OS itself.  A mismatch of these items can only complicate the recovery process.
  • Hyper Backup is the cleanest way for backing up not only your data but your applications, file permissions, and user/group settings. Here are the steps towards backup
    1. Document apps on Synology: Glacier, Cloudstation, Photostation, DS Get, etc.  Note:  All these applications at this time do not backup their configuration except for PhotoStation.
    2. Glacier: Make sure you have the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key or delete the backup because it will be useless for any disaster and recovery of those files.  Use these credentials after you restore your data to continue incremental backups.
    3. DS Get: The configuration does not get backed up
    4. CloudStation: The configuration does not get backed up
  • Continue running your current Synology in the meantime with a broken mirror if you plan to repurpose the drive for the new unit and you can’t afford down time while the Hyper Backup recovery process is being run.

Hyper Backup Recovery

Open and cancel backup wizard.  Then select restore button, restore from existing repositories, and choose “usbshare” for the backup destination shared folder followed by the Directory “DiskStation_Name”

  • System Configuration
    – Restore System Configuration
  • Data Restoration
    • Select all shared folders to be restored
  • Application Restoration
    • Select applications
Synology Best Practices

Hyper Backup Application Restoration

Synology Best Practices

Hyper Backup Restoration Process

 

 

 

 

Alternative Migration of Data or Recovery Method

 

Alternatively, below are some messy steps to transfer data without the use of Hyper Backup for recovery. This may decrease time but it’s definitely not as user friendly restoration process.  Who knows maybe you just need the data?  This may be your answer.

 

Migration of Data from old file format and chassis to another

1)  Make sure you have latest updates to your Synology

2) Backup applications, data, and configuration using Hyper Backup

***This process alone could take several days depending on the amount of data that needs to be backed up

3)  Break mirror by taking one hard drive from the old volume if you plan to recycle the drives and repurpose for the new Synology NAS chassis.

4)  Pop in the hard drive from the old unit to the new Synology NAS chassis

5)  Reset to reinstall the Operating System or continue with migration; and remove and recreate the new volume with BTRFS in Storage Manager

*The Clean Installation option takes five to ten minutes and only retains your data.

Synology Best Practices Synology Best Practices Synology Best Practices

 

 

 

 

 

About Step #5

The reset option to reinstall the OS does not work always.  This is why we provided an alternative route with pictures about to walk you through the process.  Again, we have one hard drive in the system if it is a 2 bay and we will eventually use the other drive once we are confident that data was fully recovered.  But first, we must wipe the drive by eliminating or remove the volume so we can create a new BTRFS volume.

Pro Tip!   The configuration file magically restores itself when you insert the old drive or volume into the Synology chassis.  You will still need yet if you have an old volume to migrate.  Otherwise, you will have Shared Folders competing for the same name when the old hard drive is added.

Synology Best Practices

 

 

Two Options for Transferring Data without using Hyper Backup

  1. Do not restore configuration

This allows you to go into the “Shared Folder” under control panel and change the location from one volume to the other.

ProTip!  This is like “move” command in Windows.  Don’t do unless you absolutely prepared for the consequences.  Ie the power goes out half way through transferring data.  Again, a working/recoverable Hyper Backup will help your confidence.

Synology Best Practices

 

 

 

 

2. Restore the old configuration file

Pop in the old hard drive volume and highlight all contents with each shared folder and paste in each recreated shared folder in the new BTRFS volume.

Synology Best Practices

Delete Old Volume

Delete the old volume once you are confident that all the data has been copied or restored safely.

 

 

 

Add Drive

“Manage” gives you the option to add the drive you just removed to the existing for volume for a mirror or RAID 1 setup.

Synology Best Practices for Migrating, Restoring, or Recovering data Summary

Synology Hyper Backup file recovery is by far the best way to restore data after trying several options here.  Try it and see it for yourself.

The post Synology Best Practices for Migrating, Restoring, or Recovering data appeared first on Network Antics.


Optimization and eMail backup in Outlook

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All business professionals run into mailbox space issues at some point.  There are mailbox limitations whether you have you server hosted locally or in the cloud.  We break down several ways to free up space in your mailbox, archive your older email, and backing it up.  Archiving is essential to optimizing your mailbox, protecting your organization from the threat of legal action, and compliance.  EMail backup in Outlook comes in many different forms and understanding all the lingo that comes with it can make or break your potential day of disaster.  We have additional posts on optimization and setup too if below is not what you are looking for.

Quick Link Resources:

Additional Resources:

Organizations without Exchange

In the past, it was best to copy the PST to your file server.  This evolved if you migrated to Microsoft Exchange or Office 365 but for now let’s talk about that database file called PST.  The copy of your PST is typically stored in the  H:\ drive.

Backup That PST eMail backup in Outlook

Alternatively, the user should have backup software for the Outlook files location of your documents if you don’t have a file server.  Otherwise, you will lose your archived email data when the local workstation fails.  Does that make sense?  Please have a copy of your 2016 PST database file and older in your documents (outlook files) and a redundant copy on your file server in case the desktop or laptop fails.  Here’s a nice little illustration of Mozy backup software to break it down for you.

eMail backup in Outlook

 

Auto Archive

For the exchange users, we are all for Online Archiving.  Archiving to PST is a minefield of lost data & corrupt files.  But for the IMAP mailboxes I can’t really think of a good option outside of AutoArchive in outlookOnline Archiving’s only caveat is backup/data protection.  We are not opposed to auto archiving. We just feel data protection and central management makes it more appealing.  We only do manual archiving for our IMAP clients, I move all the data out by year (typically) into managed PST files that are backed up. Well worth the time for those with years of data.

 

Slicing and Dicing Your PST

eMail backup in Outlook

 

 

 

 

 

This is not recommended if you have the right processes in place.  Copy the data in small chunks or Outlook will crash; and you will have to start the process again.  Here’s snap of what 2 months of email data looks like during its transfer phase.  You may have repeat months over and over again to grab all data if you using Exchange.  IMAP behaves a little differently and the data may be transferred but it may repopulate under their inbox.  Whatever the case, confirm the data has been moved and delete from the inbox if absolutely necessary.

eMail backup in Outlook

 

 

 

Organizations on Exchange

The best option for the Exchange accounts is just to set outlook to only cache the last year or two years’ worth of email, this way the outlook performance is improved without having to do manual archive, the  user can then also search for these emails if required and they are stored centrally in Exchange.

 

Office 365 Exchange

 

Local Hosted Exchange

Exchange has retention policies that you can control the age to move the emailsand still have the users have access to them If they are in exchange 2007 or newer.  Messaging records management (MRM) is the records management technology in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 that helps organizations reduce legal risks associated with e-mail and other communications. MRM makes it easier to keep messages needed to comply with company policy, government regulations, or legal needs, and to remove content that has no legal or business value.

Organizations formulate MRM policies that specify the retention period for different classes of e-mail messages. However, in the past, enforcing those policies has often been challenging. Attempts to automate the MRM process have met with limited success. The MRM functionality in Exchange 2010 addresses these challenges.  Refer to Technet for more details on the retention policies topic.

Looking for management tasks related to MRM? See Deploying Messaging Records Management.

 

Compact the Size of Your Mailbox

PSTs database files remain ridiculously big even if you move or deleted files.  Run the “Compact Now” feature in Outlook to decrease the size of your PST.

 

 

Indexing

Rebuilding your index is a quick way to get your Outlook to behave properly when the search functionality has decided to freak out.

 

Optimization and eMail backup in Outlook Summary

Email backup in outlook along with all the associated optimization techniques can be a bit overwhelming.  Hopefully, this IT guide provides a bit more clarity.

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Power Consumption and UPS Battery Backup Support

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There’s nothing worst when working on a document, performing research, or breaking down the numbers in your books and the power goes out.  The computer goes out, the server reboots, and the internet is nowhere to be found.  We all have been there at some point but it doesn’t have to be this way.  Protecting your data and your IT infrastructure from power outages should be on the top of the to-do list.  The most critical pieces to protect are your desktop computers if you habit of storing data locally on your computer followed by your servers.  Your modem, routers, and switches tend to get neglected but it’s definitely worth considering if you can budget for it.

How do I budget for the right UPS or UPS’s?

An average desktop computer has a power usage of between 80 and 250 watts, depending on graphics cards and additional peripherals.  The cost to the University to operate a typical computer and monitor workstation (130 watts @ 11c kW/h) for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, is $129.73

For instance, one server can use between 500 to 1,200 watts per hour, according to Ehow.com. If the average use is 850 watts per hour, multiplied by 24 that equals 20,400 watts daily, or 20.4 kilowatts (kWh). Multiply that by 365 days a year for 7,446 kWh per year.

 

Fun Fact!  According to the US Energy Information Administration (PDF), the average kWh cost for commercial use from January 2012 through January 2013 was 9.83 cents. So that means it would cost $731.94 to power the aforementioned server for one year.

UPS Backup of Computers Scenarios

DC to Watts Conversion and Watts Lost Table

 

Computers Usage Example

 

 

 

 

Costs Per Year

 

 

UPS Backup Hardware Options

Baseline Server Option

Note:  Make sure the PowerAlert software to manage your hardware from http://www.tripplite.com/products/poweralert/

  • APC Smart-UPS 1000VA  – $400 – Something, better than nothing

 

Second Tier

  • APC Smart-UPS 1500VA – 2 servers, 2 switches – $500

 

Third Tier

  • APC SMX3000LV – Better, remote management, handless more servers, and remote in function.  Note: requites power reciprocal l5-30r – $1400

 

Additional Resources

 

Power Consumption and UPS Battery Replacement Tips

https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

 

 

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Microsoft Volume License Support, Office 365 and Windows 10 Activation

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Computer’s Product Key = Purchase Sale Receipt

Your product key is like a receipt.  If you buy a book but kept the receipt, does that give you the right to go to the bookstore and just take another off the shelf?  NO!  You could try, but honest and ethical people would know quickly this was stealing.  You need to keep both to continue to use both.  You lose one, you may have to go buy a new copy if you ever want to use it again (re-install).

 

Microsoft Volume License Support

 

 

 

 

 

Volume Licensing

Volume license are typically used in 15 users or above.  The de facto standard in software is Microsoft Volume License Standard but Subscription based licenses are becoming more and more popular.

MVLSC 866-230-0560 option 4, opt 1.

Expired Status for Volume Licensing

The expired part simply means you cannot purchase additional licenses without opening a new volume license agreement.  To open an agreement you need to purchase 5 licenses (ANY 5 licenses).  Once you have that agreement open, you can buy licenses one at a time.  Once the agreement expires, you need to buy 5 more licenses in order to open a new agreement.

 

MAK, KMS, License ID and Activations

Microsoft Volume License Support

The organization had multiple orders of whatever software (Office Standard 2010 with SP1) if there more than one License ID.  The person who order it most likely didn’t place it under the same authorization number.

Under Type, a KMS key is for a Key Management Server (KMS).   You can ignore it if you don’t use a KMS server.  (KMS requires a MINIMUM of 25 seats)

Used activations/total activations.  These CAN be increased for legitimate reasons by calling Microsoft, but again, Activations are NOT licenses!

Upgrading Office Standard 2010

You will need software assurance to upgrade to your office suite.  Consult your documentation from when you purchased the product.

What is a Software License?

A license is an AGREEMENT between two parties – the user (who you are acting on behalf of if you are the IT guy) and the entity granting the right to use the software (Microsoft in the case of Windows).   Admittedly, far too often, people don’t read the agreement and know what they are agreeing to.  However, that does not make it right that you violate licensing on their behalf.  At a minimum you should read the license agreements for the various editions of Windows.  And you should also become familiar with the laws in your area that govern those agreements.  For example, OEM copies of Windows are tied to the hardware they are first installed on and if that hardware dies, that copy of Windows dies.  EXCEPT, I *THINK*, there is a major European country where the laws of that country invalidate that particular clause in the license agreement.  Put simply, there can be laws that change what the agreement allows you to do.  In my opinion you should interpret ALL clauses in the agreement as fully in effect UNTIL you can learn definitively from a trusted source that a clause in question does not apply.

Windows 10 Licensing
Now that said, Systems upgraded to Windows 10 have a digital license and you can just download the media and reinstall – the key is assigned to Windows activation servers and the media isn’t specific.

Windows 10 Activations

Volume Licensing provides downgrade rights which include keys and media.  The number of activations is how many activations you have NOT how many licenses.  For example, you can purchase ONE license for Windows 10 Pro Volume License.  Then, using Reimaging rights, you can create an image and deploy that to other computers.  Microsoft grants you 45 total activations though technically, if you can provide proof that you are staying within licensing, you can contact them and they should increase it (at least in the case of Windows Pro.  Further, sometimes you may need to uninstall and re-install.  So you have multiple activations.  Again, they are not licenses, they are activations.
Dell and HP Licensing Upgrades to 10

The user needs the key and an appropriate media if the computer had another version of Windows installed.  Meaning, a Dell with Windows 7 Home can GENERALLY use any other Dell branded Windows 7 Home or Professional CD.  Likewise, HP, etc.

No More CDs – Backup Media

Many systems more recently stopped shipping with media and only had recovery partitions. It was up to the purchaser to create backup installation media from that partition.  Again, so long as the manufacturer and edition of Windows matched, you should be fine using a created set of disks from one on another.  Anything else is questionable at best.

 

 

Office 365 vs a License

Office 365 – The subscription surpasses the cost ($300) of owning it after three years but you have on-going support, Office authentication into sites, and Microsoft Store plug-ins.

Office Home and Business – Many users still utilize Office 2010 and don’t enough gains in functionality to make the switch.

Bottom line, stay with what you like and what is reliable or until Microsoft no longer patches it or makes it compatible with Exchange.

Office 365 Exchange Outlook Clients

 

You need to use a version of outlook that is under full support starting in 2020 if you use Office 365 with Email.  That means at some point in 2021, you won’t be able to use Office 2016 to connect to Office 365 Exchange.  However, if you don’t use Exchange on Office 365 OR you use Exchange on your own network and don’t plan on upgrading it for a few years, then purchasing a “regular” copy of the Office that you don’t upgrade for 6-8 years may be just fine AND would likely be cheaper than Office 365.  Do the math.  Open an excel sheet and calculate the number of seats you need and the monthly cost over 2, 4, 6, 8 years and then compare that to a single purchase of office that you only upgrade 8 years later. What is cheaper?

Note: Office 365 does have other benefits but you need to understand if they are useful to you or not.  For example, every user typically gets the right to install Office on 5 computers.  For example, a user could install it on their laptop, desktop, home computer, Windows Tablet, and an RDS server.

 

Microsoft Volume License Support Addition Resources and Facts

 

  • Do not use a different OEM disk as OEM licenses are not transferrable.
  • Do not use a different Retail or Volume License disk as then you will have to pay to activate it.

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Canon MX setup basics

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Canon MX setup varies between MX models.  In this MFP printer scenario, we break down a Canon MX 512 and MX860 most commonly used in a home office environment.

Wireless or LAN

The blue light with the international symbol for WiFi is the most notable indication that your printer is connected to your router/AP or Access Point via the WiFi SSID.

 

Canon MX setupCanon MX setup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google Query for Drivers

Query “Canon mx 512 drivers” or whatever make and model you have and it will take you to the support site.

Pro Tip!  Canon MX setupThe Canon 510mx series does not require USB connectivity for setup while other Canon MX series printer like mx860 do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MX860 Software

Use the MX860 series Mini Master Setup and select “network” setup vs USB.  Then “printer is already connected to the network” for setting up a previously existing Canon printer on the network.

MX860 Driver

 

Select the MX510 series MP Driver and use printer with wireless LAN if going the wireless route.  Then head over to the software tab for MP Navigator EX Ver. 5.1.1.  Once downloaded and installed, setup the scan folder under preferences for  “Scanner Button Settings”  Documents\My Scans.  Do the same when you save from the Windows interface instead of from the Canon as seen in the second pic.

 

Canon MX setupScanner Software Setup – MP Navigator

Canon MX 512

 

 

 

 

 Canon MX Printer

 

Canon MX Setup Basics Summary

Not all Canon MX setup are equal.  In fact, they are very different and sometimes cumbersome but you can solve anything if you have your baseline skills to work with.

 

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GoDaddy Office 365 Exchange Email Setup

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Many requests come in from our GoDaddy Office 365 accounts in regards to new domain setup, specifically with GoDaddy Office 365 Exchange Email Setup.  Go under the main GoDaddy account and scroll through all products to query the domain in question.  Add email “Email and Office” from the products section once the domain is confirmed.  Then click “add user” from the “Manage All” button to buy what is most likely a GoDaddy Office 365 Business Premium or a Premium Security user account.

Document!

Document any new domains under your main Godaddy account into network info sheet.  Create new password database file for any new clients or for internal use for your organization to reference.  Use the spreadsheet to confirm and make absolutely sure you know what service you are getting.

Office 365

 

ProTip!  You are purchasing a Business Premium user account that are used  across all domains for this GoDaddy customer account.  You may be able to recycle an old account rather than purchase a new one.

GoDaddy Business Premium is listed $10mo here.  Recycle quote template to lay out all options and present to client when ready to pull the trigger; and request CC information.

GoDaddy New Domain Email Hosting Quote –  Office 365 Mailboxes
Terms Name Email Archive Account Active Account Mailbox Annual Price Notes
1 year Eddy S eddy@acme.com Yes Yes $132                     Premium Security
Anastasia H Anastasia@acme.com Yes Yes $132         Set alias on Anastasia email
***Alias Info@acme.com No             Set Alias on Eddy Email

 

Resume Adding User

Go back to the browser tab for “Email and Office” and click “Add User” again.

 

 GoDaddy Office 365 Exchange Email Setup

GoDaddy Office 365 Admin Center

 Select the admin and users section of Office 365 admin center to change user information..  Go to GoDaddy console for adding users if utilizing GoDaddy as the email host provider for Office 365.

 

Admin Center – Add Alias

Again, login to the Office Admin Center AKA the Office 365 Microsoft Portal and select  users followed by alias as displayed below.  Additional directions can be found here.

 

Build out Google InfoSheet and Keepass

Do not walk away from this setup without good notes to back it up.  Lay out a spreadsheet of helpful bread crumbs to help staff who will follow in your foot steps and store passwords in your password database program.

 

GoDaddy Office 365 Exchange Email Setup Summary

 

Additional Resources:

 

Office 365 Setup

 

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eClinical OCR and body images support

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eClinical OCR and body images support flow together with our Scan and Fax blog post.   So if you aren’t finding what you need here.  Check out that post.  Front Desk staff at small practices just don’t know what they are missing when converting documents into electronic form but not taking advantage of OCR or Optical Character Recognition.  Let’s begin with OCR.  Scanning documents is one thing but the ability to lift text off the scanned image and insert into your EMR’s patient notes is another.   The copy and paste functionality becomes a lot more difficult if you are using PDF with eClinicalworks.  It is recommended you use TIFF because eClinicalworks was designed to work with Microsoft Office Document Imaging tool or MODI.

The eClinicalworks built-in inbox viewer called ECWDigink.exe will be sufficient for most.  The viewer features are:

  • Basic document viewing
  • Text and Ink Notations
  • Time Stamp
  • Copy and Paste the OCR text into the EMR

The MODI installed update to eCW include enhanced features like:

  • Better document management.  ie.  Delete unnecessary pages included in the fax document viewer
  • Rearrange pages in the viewer
  • Improved text and ink notations
  • Better overall viewing experience.   Windows document viewer is a poor default app for viewing documents.

MODI is a free tool that enabled editing and annotating document.  Documents scanned by your organization’s scanner or faxes received by your organization’s fax server are aggregated in an inbox or scanned shared folder.  These images or hopefully TIFF files are then assigned to charts and other areas of your Electronic Health Record system.

 

eclinical scanning and fax support

Pro Tip! – The labeling of EMR or EHR is dependent on whether the system is dedicated solely for Patient Health Information (PHI) or more.   The system is called an EHR when it contain more than just PHI.

The bottom line, request your IT guy use MODI in conjunction with eClinicalworks for the most productivity out of your staff.  Check it out in action…

 

 

 

 

Eclincal scanning and fax support are critical pieces in the eCW EMR architecture.

 Make “MODI” Microsoft Office Document Imaging Default

c:\program files (x86)\common files\microsoft shared\MODI\12.0\mspview.exe

To change ECWDigink.exe to MODI….

MODI

The History of Microsoft Office Document Imaging and MODI Installation

By default, newer windows computer do not have MODI.  It was first introduced in Office XP, and was included in Office 2003, Office 2007, and  Sharepoint Designer 2007.  Although it is not available in Office 2010, it is possible to install it from a previous version of Microsoft Office and use it with Office 2010 or later.

 

To use MODI together with Office 2010 or later, use one of the following methods:

  • You can install MODI from the 2007 Office system setup if you have 2007 Office ISO or CD installed on a computer that has Office 2010 or later installed,  To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Start the 2007 Office setup process.
    2. Click Customize.
    3. On the Installation Options tab, select Not Available for all items except for the items under Microsoft Office Document Imaging, and then click Install Now.
    4. Click Close.
  • The better option for most is to use MODI from Sharepoint (no license required)  if you don’t have a legacy copy of Office:
    1.  Download Sharepoint Designer 2007
    2.  This download does have the ability for the admin to create a customization file in the Office customization tool (OCT) to install MODI. You will need to download the main .exe; SharePointDesigner.exe, then extract the files with the command line. For example:

    \\Servername\ShareName\SharePointDesigner2007_download\SharePointDesigner.exe /extract:\\servername\sharename\
    This will extract the setup.exe, Admin folder, etc. to \\servername\sharename
    Make sure you perform this step with appropriate administrative rights.

    3. From the extracted folder location, run the following command to create the customizations in the OCT:
    \\Servername\ShareName\SharePointDesigner2007\setup.exe /admin

    4.  Within the OCT, you would go to Set feature installations state, and make everything “not available,” except MODI, as in the screenshot here. Changing the OCT settings to hidden and locked, if you do not want users to utilize SharePoint Designer, will hide it from within the Add/Remove Programs.

    5.  Save the resultant .msp (file>save) file and save it in the ‘updates’ folder where you extracted the Sharepoint Designer resource files. When you double-click setup.exe the install will use this file to define its installation parameters (no need to call it from the command-line).

    6.After the installation of SharePoint Designer, if you are using SharePoint document libraries, it is recommended to unregister the Name.dll for SharePoint Designer (unless you have the actual Designer component installed). Unregistering the Name.dll for SharePoint Designer will address the interaction of Office files stored on a SharePoint document library and having two different versions of Office products (Office 2010 and SharePoint Designer 2007) on the computer.

    eClinical OCR and body images support summary

I will continue to build this out as I gather more information on the subject.  Until then, feel free to check out my other eCW blogs.  Google “Network Antics eclinicalworks”.

 

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Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

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Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook can be a pain in the butt but we post some helpful content to make it less painful.  We will walk you through some key topics such as IMAP.  IMAP rules the world.  Most people use it for accessing their email and syncing it among all devices.  IMAP is an email protocol that’s better than POP but not as feature rich as Exchange Active Sync.   With that said, we will display how bizarre and frustrating it can be work with these protocols if you do not have the right mail configuration information to set it up.  Sometimes, it’s as easy as automatic config where you enter the email and password in the email client; and you are good to go.  The complications usually reside with residential ISPs providing their own email hosting that user’s utilize and attempt to configure on their Mac or PC email client.  For these less fortunate, read below.

Copy and Paste Password

Use a notepad to type out the password and maybe some other  pertinent information.  Then you can paste the password first into webmail.  Once successful login there, use it for pasting the password into the email client setup.  I don’t know how many times I’ve fouled up setup through fat fingering a password.  Please remember this tip and save those email settings once you figure them out for later.

What are my email settings?

In this scenario, we are setting up a Time Warner residential email.

Resources:

 

Additional Support

https://store.office.com

 

 

Why Multiple Email Configuration Resources?

This is a very tricky email setup.  Some email settings work well from the TWC website.  Others, you may have to defer to a third party like Microsoft support for a successful setup.  In out case,  the first link worked best for the Mac.  The second link worked best for Windows.   However, they vary from app to app in Mac as explained below.

ProTips!

TLS and SSL tend be pretty interchangable on the Mac.  Not so much on Windows

Also, simply download and subscribe to Office 2016 and use the support link above if you give up and need a third party hand.  The site below is very good resource in general for email.

http://settings.email/

Notepad –  Scratch Notes

Incoming Mail:  mail.twc.com  143 none
Sending:  mail.twc.com 587 TLS  (SSL sometimes works just as well)
*use password  as the authentication method
Full email address:
johndoe@[division].rr.com

Apple Mail – Accounts

Below is the main menu for email account setup and a proven successful setup for Apple Mail.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Mail – SMTP

SMTP delivery settings for sending Apple Mail.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

Apple Mail – Incoming Mail Settings

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook usually comes down to sending… incoming mail server or sending… SMTP server.  Setting for incoming mail works port 993 and SSL enabled.  This will not be a successful setting on Outlook and is completely different on Outlook for Mac.  Outlook for Mac uses the default SSL port.

Apple Mail – Doctor Diagnose

The little hazard symbol features a doctor diagnoses feature that comes in handy when troubleshooting.

 

Apple Mail – Import Mailboxes

Many people can’t store all their email on the email server hosting provider.  There are numerous reasons behind this.  The mail server may have limited space or you simply have too much email for IMAP to function properly.  Whatever the case, you need to import mailboxes if you ever lose those messages all the local drive of the computer.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

Apple Mail – Backup and Recovery

 

Knowing where the mail database is key to a successful disaster recovery plan.  Viewing the date modified will give you clue of how recent or stale the mailbox is.  This is important in disaster recovery.  Pay attention to the path of where the mail was stored on the computer.   You need to restore it to the same location.

 

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Mail – Import location

Once the recovery data is downloaded, unzip it, and restore it or copy it back to the proper location.  Then import inbox.mbox and it will appear below in the Apple Mail client interface.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and OutlookApple Mail Imported mail is burried below in the left mail.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

 

Outlook 2016 for Mac – Accounts

Displayed below is a proven setup on Outlook 2016 for Mac

Incoming Mail: mail.twc.com: 143 (SSL enabled)
SMTP: mail.twc.com:587 (SSL)

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

Outlook 2016 for Mac – SMTP (More Options)

Authenticate with the incoming mail server.

 

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

 

 

Outlook 2016 for Mac – Advanced

Sometimes the IMAP Root Folder:  need “inbox” added.  Not in this case.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and OutlookOutlook 2016 for Mac – Advanced – Security

The defaults are pretty much always fine here.

 

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

 

 

Outlook 2011 for Mac – Accounts.

The settings are very similar to Outlook 2016 for Mac.  However, I could not get 2011 to send.  I will work on this at some future point.  We simply upgraded to Outlook 2016 and the email address automatically configured itself once the email and password were submitted.  Apparently, port 587 using SSL does not work with Outlook 2011.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

Outlook 2016 for Mac  – 3rd Party Email Clients

What can you import?

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

 

 

 

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook Summary

Much of this email configuring headache can be avoided if the user went away from the abysmal email hosting provider to something like Exchange Office 365 subcription service or if they want free.  Then use Gmail and forward their existing TimeWarner (San.rr.com) account to their new email provider.  No more issues Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook. Fin. The end.

Troubleshooting Apple Mail and Outlook

 

 

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Data Backup Support 101

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Data Backup Support is a highly sensitive topic.  It’s people’s lively hoods at stake and can be very intense situation if the individual supporting the recovery process does not successfully restore the file or files.  Anyone who has been in IT long enough recognizes the need for multiple forms of backup.  We need to ensure your data has multiple forms or processes of protection.  There is nothing worse than performing data recovery only to find out the DR (Disaster Recovery) process you have in place wasn’t working or was working poorly.  Not only do you need healthy backup process but also a way to expedite the recovery of the data in the event of a disaster.

External Disks – Local Backup

The external disk rotation makes me sleep better at night that my clients have a solid disaster/recovery solution place.  This is in addition to some cloud based back up like Amazon Glacier.

I understand that a local backup using external hard drives is not ideal but yes, it is a typical solution for a small business.  Iron Mountain has a whole business model surrounding it…  See below.   We will talk additional alternatives once we plow through external hard drive based backup.

I’m discussing the local external disks because it will not be a huge expense; and it will alieve most of our immediate concerns your data backup support issues.  Again, I understand it is not ideal but once successfully completed, you will have your first full backup and hopefully centralized backup.  Thus, it contains all your data.

AWS – Glacier – Cloud Backup

Amazon Web Services – Glacier is a if all recovery options fail then go to Glacier to recover.  While it’s very reasonably priced service, it breaks from time to time.  Bottom line, every business needs more than one method of backup.

Hyper Back Up – Off Site Backup – Remote Synology NAS

The other option is to have another offsite or Remote Synology NAS at another site but that can involve more billable time and hardware.  Fortunately, Network Antics provides a Remote Synology NAS for storing your data.  Technically, Synology’s Hyper Backup Remote Synology NAS is another cloud based solution.  The difference is your team can easily retrieve and recover the data if the remote site is somewhat local to your place of business.

I’ve pushed all clients to do this because Ramsomware is your worst enemy and I want you prepared for when it comes knocking.   I have had too many businesses come to me when it is too late and nothing can be done.

Iron Mountain – External Disks Storage – How it works:

With Iron Mountain® Secure Offsite Tape Vaulting service, you’ll have safe storage of your tapes until you need them – whether that’s tomorrow or next year, you can retrieve them on-demand. It’s also the most efficient way to utilize long-term archiving of your backup data. Your tapes are stored in a few simple steps:

  • You prepare your pickup request with their online portal
  • Iron Mountain picks up your container, scanning the barcode before and after transit
  • Your tapes are stored offsite in an environmentally controlled facility
  • Manage schedule changes, reporting, and retrievals with the portal.

Home Storage – External Disks Alternative Storage Location

Many clients forgo Iron Mountain and carry it home.

 

Data Backup Support for Hyper Backup – External Disk Setup Steps

 

Synology Backup covers the backup process for all shared folder data, the configuration file for the Synology system , and some Synology applications like PhotoStation.  Select the backup destination after you opened Hyper Backup for the first time to perform your first backup.

 

Purchase External Hard Disks and Plug Into NAS

The Synology NAS has a recommended or compatible device list for external hard drives.   It is recommended you attach one drive at a time, once your new drives have arrived.  Please confirm which external disk it is under external devices and label accordingly.

  • Week 1 and Week 3 for external drive #1
  • Week 2 and Week 4 for external drive #2

Data Backup Support

 

Rename Shared Folders

USBShare1 to Backup1
USBShare2 to Backup2

Data Backup Support

 

 

Backup Destination Settings:

Create a new backup task if you are trying to alternate week between external drive one and external drive two.  This is the preferred backup method.  Otherwise, relink to existing task if you are trying to resume the backup task after completing a migration to a new chassis.

 

Data Backup:

Get familiar with your data.  Some data may not be worth backing up their shared folder.

Backup Settings:

This one is worth a snapshot.  The data can be backed up daily or once a week.  Daily makes sense but you may want to select “remove destination external device when task has successfully finished” if you are rotating external drives.  This eliminates an extra step when rotating drives.  My preferred settings are set below for that reason.

Week  1 – 3 Backup Task

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rotation Settings:

I don’t have a complete understanding of this setting yet.  It does not have to do with rotating external hard drives.  Here are the recommended settings with what little knowledge I know of this setting.

Data Backup Support

 

 

 

 

Backup Processes

Kick off your first backup and label the external drives

  • Week 1 and Week 3 for external drive #1
  • Week 2 and Week 4 for external drive #2

Backup Destination Settings For Second Drive

 

Data Backup Support

 

 

 

 

Backup Settings:

Change task to “week 2 – 4” and copy additional settings below

Data Backup Support

 

Rotation Settings:  Setup the same settings as prior task setup located above.

Hyper Backup Dashboard

You should have two tasks labeled “week 1 – 3” and “week 2 – 4” once you have completed the setup

Data Backup Support

 

 

 

 

The Physical Setup of Hyper Back to the Synology NAS

There are two USB external drives currently plugged in as displayed below.  The local external disk backup is set to 3a every Thursday.  Remove on Thursday or Friday the week completed.  Plug in  Week 1 and 3 for the following week’s backup or week 2 and 4 if the following is week 2 or 4 of the month.

Data Backup Support

Rear external USB attachments for Synology NAS 2 Bay Unit.

 

External Drive Backups Labeling

How do I know which drive is which?

The drives are labeled accordingly as displayed below.

Data Backup Support

 

 

 

 

Data Backup Support Summary

This post covers all the options for backup through the Synology NAS using Hyper Backup.  We broke down step by step setup of the external drive setup and we have additional posts to cover the other critical ways to pursue backup of your organization.

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DNS Server Support for Office 365

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DNS Server Support for Office 365 Exchange email is entirely automated if your DNS is hosted by GoDaddy.  You must follow the steps below if your DNS is hosted somewhere else and you want your GoDaddy Office 365 Exchange email functional.

GoDaddy needs to verify ownership with DNS provider

A simple verification process of you having true ownership of the DNS server hosting say like acme.com is to add text file record.

In this scenario, we are using BIND DNS web interface to accomplish our validation process that GoDaddy requested once you point to the DNS IP address.

DNS Server Support for Office 365

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Login into the DNS Server and edit the text record.

DNS Server Support for Office 365

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fill in the fields with the GoDaddy information.

DNS Server Support for Office 365

 

 

 

 

 

Manually look up records:

C:\Users\mfig>nslookup

Default Server:  x.local

Address:  10.70.1.201

> set query=TXT
> acme.com

Server:  x.local

Address:  10.70.1.201

 

Non-authoritative answer:

acme.com   text =

“MS=ms82793785”

acme.com   text =

“v=spf1 a mx a:acme.com ip4:x.x.241.90 ?all”

>exit

 

I got a Successful Validation of Records

Perfect add all the remaining records GoDaddy provides below for Office 365 Exchange email setup.

dns server support san diego

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sender Permitted From or SPF

The most difficult one to add on certain DNS servers is SPF.  Edit Sender Permitted From entry in acme.com zone file.

Copy and paste into a notepad the SPF txt record…  “ v=spf1 a:dispatch-us.ppe-hosted.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all “ so you can correctly add the fields by doing a side by side comparison as displayed below.  Once the entry is saved, the SPF record should look exactly like the notepad.

dns server support san diego

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MX Record or Mail Server Record

The mail server record should be copied and pasted next like below.

dns server support san diego

 

 

 

 

SRV Record or Service Address Records

The SRV records should be copied and pasted next like below.

ProTip!  Make sure the service record has the _ removed from the beginning because Bind automatically adds it.  And the domain acme.com or whatever your domain name has a period at the end like acme.com.

DNS Server Support for Office 365

 

 

 

 

Cname Records or Name Alias Records

DNS Server Support for Office 365

 

Run nslookup command again and verify the SPF record is in place.

 

DNS Server Support for Office 365 Summary

Baring you have some typos here and there, you should now have a functional mail server system hosted through GoDaddy and the DNS hosted somewhere else.  Congrats, you did it!

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Surveillance Cameras Installation Explained

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Surveillance cameras installation explained in five, easy to read pages…  Ready?  Go!!!  Surveillance camera technology can be quite a cumbersome topic to piece together if you never worked with any of the components before.  We will try to break down the camera pricing, NVR, and basic accessories.  First off, we have encountered a lot analog equipment in the market where are they are utilizing DVR technology vs IP based cameras utilizing NVR technology.  This is an important distinction. IP cameras were a huge deterrent simply based on price.  Consumer’s impulses got the best of them and they grabbed the first thing they saw at Costco and regretted it ever since.

 

The Cheap or Costco Surveillance cameras installation Option

 

This is a much cheaper option…  The you get what you pay for:  It comes with four IP cameras, and 4Tb of drive space. You can add 4 more cameras for $80 each:

 

Amcrest UltraHD 4-Megapixel (2688 x 1520P) 8C… DVR plus 4 cameras by Amcrest $550

 

The “one star” reviews on Amazon are… interesting.

 

 

Scrapping the Costco Route and Researching IP Cameras plus NVR Surveillance Cameras Installation

 

Your NAS or in my case, my Synology DS217 + series may not be able handle all your surveillance video recording duties.  Ie.  the CPU, network, and disk usage for 16 cameras. Here is a Synology NVR selector that tells you what NAS models are supported based on what you are trying to record. I picked 16 cameras at 1080p, 10fps, and only 10 days of storage (not all that great):

 

https://www.synology.com/en-us/support/nvr_selector

Configurator Notes:

  • You need a camera license per camera. Each NAS comes with 2 licenses so in order to use 14 cameras you need to purchase 12 more licenses.
  • We don’t make any specific recommendations as to framerate or resolution. I will point out that using a high framerate tends to mean you need a more powerful NAS as that gets multiplied by the number of cameras and it can add up quick if you use 30 frames per second. Just consider your use case and how many frames make sense for it and the level of detail you need determines resolution. If you are unsure I would reach out to one of our resellers and see what they can recommend for your specific environment as this will vary from case to case and budget.

NVR Example

The DS216+ only supports 16 cameras (2 free, need to purchase 14 licenses). The DS216+II supports up to 25 cameras but I would worry about this killing your other disk functions! Some of the cameras I quoted below are greater than 1080p and will eat up even more resources.  Do your NVR research here…  https://www.synology.com/en-us/support/nvr_selector

 

 

VisualStation – Synology DS218 +

After looking at the configurator, the DS218 + seems ideal choice for future scalability.  It comes with two licenses and for my little environment, it would require twelve additional licenses.

NVR 1218

I would select this device with the integrated VGA output but unfortunately it only supports 12 cameras

 

VisualStation or Live Footage PC

A DVR typically uitilzes an attached VGA monitor for viewing camera footage or  you install the clumsy third party software on your computer.  You cannot connect a VGA monitor to the back of a NAS.  The Synology VisualStation series can be used without a computer.   Just make sure your PC has the required specs for doing so.  Alternatively, you can purchase a Geovision NVR.  I’m not sure if there’s much or any value in doing that.

Synology Surveillance Player VisualStation … by Synology for $599.99 http://amzn.to/2CcQSQX

 

Licensing infohttp://sy.to/devicelicensepack
Each NAS comes with 2 free camera licenses but additional licenses will need to be purchased through a reseller such as Newegg or B&H Photo or through distribution.  The licensing is the cost of utilizing the VisualStation software.  It’s very featured rich software and worth price in licenses.  The licenses can be transferred to later Synology NAS hardware upgrades.

 

Additional Visual Station and PC Viewing Live Surveillance Footage Questions

https://www.synology.com/en-global/knowledgebase/Surveillance/tutorial/Live_View/How_do_I_choose_the_right_PC_for_Surveillance_Station_Live_View

https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/Surveillance/tutorial

 

Axis High End Cameras

Axis is the crème de la crème of IP cameras.  While they are high end, we linked some of their more low priced ones here.

Indoor Cameras

These are cheap mountable Axis cameras:
https://www.axis.com/us/en/products/axis-m1025
Axis Communications 0555-004 M1025 Network … by Axis Communications for $230.35

OR

AXIS M2025-LE Network Camera – Monochrome, … by Axis for $297.99

Outdoor Cameras

 

https://www.axis.com/us/en/products/axis-m3026-ve/
Axis 0547-001 M3026-VE Outdoor Fixed Dome C… by Axis Communications for $499.95

OR

https://www.axis.com/us/en/products/axis-p1365-e/
P1365-E MKII 1920X1080 Fixed Camera by Axis for $968.47

Mounting Options

  • Most high end cameras come with a kit and mount. Ie dry wall mount
  • The outdoor has its own enclosure kit.
  • We can use biscuits to terminate each camera location.
  • Running the drops can go through conduit or just run alongside other cabling and conduit and exposed ceilings. Most clients don’t care about this.

 

Geovision (Best Value) Cameras – Combatable with Synology

GeoVision  (outdoor – Fixed Camera) Target GV-EBL2100-1F 2 Megapixel … by GeoVision   for $118.80

http://amzn.to/2Cd7A2r

GeoVision  (Indoor – Fixed Camera) 2MP 3.8mm Low Lux Target series F… by GeoVision for $119.89

http://amzn.to/2CeZTZW

Geovision (Dome – Cheap outdoor) 125-VD2702-AW0 Geovision, GV-VD27… by GeoVision for $453.00

http://amzn.to/2BmrZ7E

GeoVision (Dome – Outdoor)  GV-VD4711 4MP H.265 4.3x Zoom Sup… by GeoVision for $549.99

http://amzn.to/2nXtX9f

 

Surveillance Cameras Installation Likely Scenario

Many clients of ours already have DVR based Surveillance Cameras Installation.  In one recent case, the client had 14 cameras that required removal before proceeding with new surveillance system upgrade.

First Day

5 – 6 Hours Camera deconstruct including old wiring

Second Day

14 drops – 6 – 7 Hours  – Run Cat 5e drops, terminate both ends, and mounting.

Purchase another 24 port switch for 14 cameras

Cisco SG200-26 Gigabit Ethernet Smart Switch … by Cisco http://amzn.to/2j5w7hJ

Third and Fourth Day

NVR install AKA Synology Diskstation implementation. Approximately 13 hours.

Synology IP CAMERA LICENSE PACK (CLP 8 Pack) by Synology for $380.63 x2  http://amzn.to/2za5K3e

 

Billable Time Summary: 26 Hours

Mandatory Purchases
Cameras
GeoVision  (outdoor) Target GV-EBL2100-1F 2 Megapixel … by GeoVision   for $118.80 120 2 240
GeoVision  (Indoor) 2MP 3.8mm Low Lux Target series F… by GeoVision for $119.89 120 11 1320
Geovision (Dome – Cheaper outdoor) 125-VD2702-AW0 Geovision, GV-VD27… by GeoVision for $453.00 453 1 453
GeoVision  (Dome – Outdoor)  GV-VD4711 4MP H.265 4.3x Zoom Sup… by GeoVision for $549.99 550 0 0
NVR
Synology DS218+ NAS DiskStation, Diskless, … by Synology for $319.49 320 1 320
WD Red 6TB NAS Hard Disk Drive – 5400 RPM C… by Western Digital for $189.99 134 2 268
Synology IP CAMERA LICENSE PACK (CLP 8 Pack) by Synology for $380.63 x2  381 2 762
Switch
Cisco SG200-26 Gigabit Ethernet Smart Switch  24 Port POE – Cisco – Switch $162.90 163 1 163
0 0
 Total $3,526
Nice to Have
Synology (DUAL HDMI) Surveillance Player VisualStation … by Synology for $599.99 600

Surveillance Cameras Installation Summary

You get what you pay for.  This summary does not existing infrastructure like a rack, UPS, router, and internet connectivity.  We cover those aspects in other posts.

Additional Resources:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Surveillance Cameras Installation Explained appeared first on Network Antics.

Network Antics Core Values – Work in Progress

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  • Accountability and No whataboutism.
    • Hold yourself accountable if you make a mistake.
    • Do not deflect the subject matter or muddy the water when the individual has an important point to be made.
  • Genuine and Generous
    • Liars and cheaters never prosper.
    • We will always over-deliver
    • Self centered tendencies…  Check your ego at the door…  No one is bigger than the company.
  • Empathetic
    • We will treat others the same way we wish to be treated
    • Never take advantage of someone in a less powerful position.
    • Never manipulate or have an agenda for your own selfish gain.
    • Take the time to listen and digest what the other person says before responding
  • Fun
    • No sullen behavior or disrespect towards one another.  We celebrate everyone’s achievements; and if we are not having fun, we are doing something wrong.
    • Love everyone.

 

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Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

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Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support is offered by Network Antics.  SharePoint and OneDrive for Business combined give you unlimited amount of communal storage when subscribed to Microsoft Office 365 Business Essentials.  Read the four section below vefore we get to the Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support Install.

Here’s the gist of features:

  • OneDrive for Business – Allows you to store personal data in the cloud and access from anywhere.
  • SharePoint Drive – Is installed when you install OneDrive for Business. It’s a communal storage space.  You can have multiple sharepoint “sites” for storage.
  • Right now, we created a communal site called “sandbox” at the URL https://theplazaorg.sharepoint.com/sites/Sandbox
  • We can also access the same data using OneDrive on our computer and phone as displayed below.
  • Sharing large docs or any type of document becomes easier with OneDrive. Simply right click the document from file explore and share  as displayed below.

Important Resource Links:

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support Things to Consider:

  • Unlimited Storage for Sharepoint Communal Drive.  1 TB for Business Personal.
  • User data loss when user terminated?  Need to review.
  • Mac limitations.  I don’t believe there’s OneDrive software for the Mac.
  • Document Library. 5000 items per library.  Need to set max 5 versions of a file.

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are the results of sharing your document to a third party.

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the important locations when looking at Window desktop and opening file explore

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

One Drive Personal is not important for a business desktop computer setup.  Regardless, each user can have they own personal business drive plus Sharepoint Drive or Sharepoint Library for communal space.

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you have setup Sharepoint prior to the software install OneDrive for Business (Required).  Sharepoint setup is a one and done activity.  From that point forward, you just need to sync/download the OneDrive.  For setting up Sharepoint, skip to the section below.  For One Drive, stick around…

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support Install

Make sure you utilize IE for setup of OneDrive.  Go to portal.office.com to access the OneDrive setup as illustrated below.   It is highly suggested you uninstall the outdated version of OneDrive and download the latest version of One Drive for Business (as seen in step 3) before proceeding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go back to step 2 and “sync” after you have installed Sharepoint One Drive for Business.  Obviously, select “work or school” over “personal” when you setup OneDrive for Business.  The default location for data sync storage from your local computer to the cloud is c:\user\user_name\OneDrive

DO NOT STOP HERE!!!

You need sync/setup the community drive on Sharepoint.  This allows you collaborate with others in your business.  Make sure you setup Sharepoint first as documented below then skip to “Sync Sharepoint Document” section further down this blog point to sync the community drive and have it displayed on your computer.

 

Active Users

 

Create a site – SharePoint

Team Site is ideal for setting up One Drive for Business

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

These are the ideal default settings below for sharepoint setup

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specify which users are owners of the group

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sync Sharepoint Document

Create new Document to perform a one time sync to the desktop.  This will initiate the business client download.

 

 

Sync and download business version

 

 

 

Enable Anonymous Link Sharing

Sending anonymous links to users does not work out of the box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It must be configured in the Sharepoint Admin Center under “sharing”

 

Portal.office.com

 

Admin Center, sharepoint, settings

 

A quick recap, first we synced a local copy of each user’s ODFB (OneDrive for Business), then synced the SharePoint document library for each user. Next, we went onto SharePoint guest vs. anonymous link sharing capabilities. I will also paste in a link with a training video of an intro SharePoint document libraries.

How to sync ODFB and SharePoint document libraries:

  1. Sign into portal.office.com in IE
    2. Click on ODFB sync document library
    3. A sub window will pop up for you to sign into ODFB. Sign in with your Office 365 credentials. When prompted click “Work Account,” and >Next” “Next.”
    4. After this is complete, go back to office in IE. Click on the top left Menu tile, and Select SharePoint.
    a) If you do not see your SharePoint site that you have memeber acces to, please go to Outlook and click on the email invite to the SharePoint group. Once the email invite is open scroll down to “Create Content Seamlessly” and click on “Check it out.”
    5. Click on the Document library and click on “Start Sync.”
    6. Click Next when prompted.

**OneDrive for Business local app vs OneDrive local app:
https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/Which-version-of-OneDrive-am-I-using-19246eae-8a51-490a-8d97-a645c151f2ba

 

 

 

Steps to change external sharing permissions to allow anyone to get shared links

 

This is ideal for sharing out one time links to third party users or organizations with a certain validity period.  The first step is go into the http://portal.office365.com, select sharepoint admin center, click sharing, and adjust “anonymous access links… “ expiration date.  Don’t be feel comfortable in command shell? Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support is a phone call away!

 

 

SharePointAdminCenter2

The second step is to get the SharePoint Online Management Shell. If you already have it downloaded, open the SharePoint Online Management Shell and skip to step 3.

 

  1. Download and run the SharePoint shell from this link:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35588

 

  1. Type ‘sharepoint’ after opening the Start menu and open the SharePoint Online Management Shell.

 

  1. At the command prompt, type, replacing the word ‘organization’ in the Url with your company name:

Connect-SPOService -Url https://organization-admin.sharepoint.com

 

For example, with your organization:

Connect-SPOService -Url https://plaza.net-amin.sharepoint.com-admin.sharepoint.com

 

  1. You will be prompted from a popup window to enter your admin credentials. After you have done so, you will be connected in the command line window.
    1. If you have any problems with this part, see this article with detailed instructions:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/fp161372.aspx

 

  1. At the command line, type, replacing the word ‘url’ with the Url of the site/group whose sharing permissions you want to change (get it from the address bar after navigating to it in SharePoint):

Set-SPOSite -Identity url -SharingCapability ExternalUserAndGuestSharing

Note: With SharePoint when creating a site it converts it to a group so when enabling external sharing it has to be done for each group.

Example:

Set-SPOSite -Identity https://OgranizationName.sharepoint.com/sites/NameofGroup -SharingCapability ExternalUserAndGuestSharing

 

  1. To avoid anonymous links use the following cmdlet:

Set-SPOSite -Identity https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/NameofGroup -SharingCapability ExternalUserSharingOnly

 

For example: with the SharePoint group, “Sandbox,” the command is as follows:

 

Set-SPOSite -Identity https://plaza.net-amin.sharepoint.com/sites/sandbox SharingCapability ExternalUserAndGuestSharing

 

 

After refreshing SharePoint, you should now be able to get an anonymous link to send to anyone (the Anyone option will be available in your Link Settings when you try to share a document).

SharePointCommandShell

 

 

How To Add an External Guest User

This section covers third party users that an organization collaborates frequently with on perhaps some on-going project or projects.

 

  1. From OWA (Outlook Web), click on the Office 365 Group you’d like to add the Guest too.
    1. In my example, the group name is “Test External.”

 

 

 

  1. In the top right corner, click on Members.

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

  1. Go to the Guest tab and click on Add Member. Type in the email address and Save changes.

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Next, user will receive an email, have them open the email and click on “Access Files.” This will take them to an O365 login, where they use the credentials for the email address we used to add the Guest User.

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support

 

 

  1. You will see a message while the account is being activated. Then, the user will be directed to the SharePoint Group Page.

 

 

Sharepoint OneDrive IT Support Summary

Small businesses do not know the benefits or even that it’s a feature of Office 365 Business Essentials.  They are more concerned about their Exchange email but it’s pretty impressive suite of offerings if you start peeling away at all what Office 365 has to offer.

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