Exchange Server Badmail Deletion and Archiving

On Exchange Server if messages have problem, those messages are moved into bad mail directory. Too many Bad mails can fill up space on server. To lower the burden of bad mails on System Admins, Microsoft released Bad Mail Admin utility. It can:

• Automaticall delete / archive files in badmail directory of SMTP virtual servers
• Put a limit on the size of the bad mail folder

You can download this free utility for Microsoft Exchange from http://tinyurl.com/6pxo5

EMS MS SQL Manager

MS SQL Enterprise Manager is a powerful tool. But if you are looking for some administration tool for MS SQL / MSDE go for EMS MS SQL Manager.

 

It comes in two versions Professional & Lite (Compare). It’s a powerful database management tool with:

 

• Easy Management of db objects
• Advanced Data Manipulation Tools
• Powerful Security Management
• Visual / Text tools for Query building
• Data import / exports
• Administrative Tasks
• & tons of other features

 

EMS MSSQL Manager Lite for Windows is free. You can download a copy from their website.

Microsoft Virtual Desktop Manager

Virtual Desktop Manager is a small tool in Microsoft Power Toys for XP. It allows you to:

- manage 4 desktops from your taskbar
- gives you 4 times the monitor space
- Preview button provides a snapshot of 4 desktops

http://tinyurl.com/2meyw

Flow diagrams of Code (T-SQL)

At my work I had a long SQL stored procedure code (coded by someone else) which was difficult to understand at first. I was Looking for some tool which could do the job of creating flow diagram of the code. But didn't find any.

Few days later a friend sent me an email with a link to a tool which can create flow diagrams of almost any code (T-SQL, Java, VB, .NET etc). I've tried its demo version which created a flow diagram of my code in 5 sec. Wow.. That was gr8 if I compare it with the 2 days efforts I took to manually create the flow diagram in Visio. Though after comparison I like my Visio :). But still it’s a handy tool for a quick look at the code.

Check it out these tools.

Visustin v3 Flow chart generator (I've tried this one)
http://www.aivosto.com/visustin.html

SQL Diagrams 2004
http://www.skilledsoftware.com/sqldiagrams.htm

Data Flow Diagram (with Case Studio 2)
http://www.casestudio.com/enu/dataflow.aspx

Later on while searching I found another interesting tool. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks like you can code (or edit code) just by making diagrams.

Code Visual to Flow Chart v3.3
http://www.fatesoft.com/flowchart/

BartPE

A free Repair and Recovery Tool:

http://tinyurl.com/ajnr3.

Windows - SAM (Software Assessment Management)

SAM (Software Assessment Management) from Microsoft allows you to do:

• Software Inventory
• Matching Software with Licenses
• Review Policies & Procedures
• Developing a SAM Plan

Step-by-step procedure for SAM walk you through the process of SAM. A list of downloadable documents and templates are available to help you with the implementation of SAM.

Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer (MSIA) a free tool from Microsoft allows you to make an inventory of installed Microsoft products on local system or on network.

Windows! AD Group Policy Site

This links is on Active Directory (AD) Group Policy. It elaborates some good features of AD. Check it out at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_policy

Also check the site for other information. It’s a nice site with good information.

SMTP log Analyzer

Sawmill offers a log analyzer which can parse a range of log file formats. It can be a good tool to analyze SMTP logs.

http://www.sawmill.net/

Microsoft Security Assessment Tool (MSAT)

Download the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool (MSAT) and install it on your computer to obtain information and recommendations about best practices to help enhance security within your information technology (IT) infrastructure.

Unlike the MBSA, which scans and assesses your systems directly, the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool is a detailed questionnaire that you fill out. The MSAT processes your responses and evaluates your organization’s security practices in such areas as Infrastructure, Applications, Operations, and People.

https://www.securityguidance.com/