I had the hardest time finding this information. I'm currently making a whole bunch of Animated Gifs to demonstrate the functionality of some of my SQL Server/PowerShell scripts (using a combination of Camtasia and iMovie. I'm trying to keep the size of the file (and thus the video dimensions) small but the version of …

After a December 2013 patching downtime, I noticed an abrupt decrease of almost 50% in the performance of 2 SQL Servers.  Both servers were running on HP DL580 G7s.  After many hours of testing and data collection, we finally updated the BIOS firmware from 7/01/2013 to 10/31/2013.

The issue immediately resolved itself. …

I've always found basic administration of SQL Server to be fairly straight-forward, but for a long while, I felt very uneasy about troubleshooting SQL Server performance issues.  Any DBA knows that the most productive periods of learning arise when there are problems.  For the past few months, I've been trying to track …

Recently, we decided to buy a few licenses of Confio Ignite (Now SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor) to monitor some of our high-profile SQL Servers.  I'm definitely not posting a sales pitch, but for me, it's provided insight into SQL Server that is much more difficult to obtain through traditional methods.  One …

As DBAs, one of the most  common tasks performed is the installation of new SQL Servers.  While I've installed hundreds of SQL Server instances over the years, I only recently come across the error described below.  In the past, I've seen the SSPI context error, but it is usually tied to an issue with a domain …

Recently, while trying to use New-WebServiceProxy to automate some SharePoint form entries, I ran into a lookup issue.

First, I got this rather generic error: Exception calling "GetListItems" with "7" argument(s): "Exception of type 'Microsoft.SharePoint.SoapServer.SoapServerException' was …

One of the things I love most about SuSE is how well it integrates with Active Directory. Joining a domain is easy when using yast. First I ensured that the Linux server's DNS server is pointed to my DC, then yast -> Network Services -> Windows Domain Membership. …

I've been using Mac OS X for a while now, but upgraded to a 13-inch Macbook Pro Retina about a year ago.  I love having access to the command line and I just RDP when I need to do anything on a Windows machine at work.  I often find myself needing to access my NAS and networking is one of the only features of OS X to …

Need your External IP address? Just use the following in PowerShell 3 and above

$ip = (Invoke-WebRequest https://ipinfo.io/ip).Content.Trim()

As a bonus, you can also get additional IP information using ipinfo.io's JSON web service.

$jsonip = Invoke-WebRequest https://ipinfo.io/json $ipinfo = Convertfrom-JSON …

Note: This article assumes you know how to setup Lync 2013 already and just need to know the intricacies of changing the default ports.

Ever since I was exposed to Lync in 2011, I've been a huge proponent of using chat to communicate at work. Years ago, I recall corporate chat being a hard sell, but now it seems …