Kurt Shintaku's Blog

I’m a little late on posting this as it’s been sitting in my Blog drafts folder but here it is:

Azure Automation is generally availabile in the new Azure portal as of December 2. Azure Automation is used to create, monitor, deploy, and manage resources in your Azure environment, in other clouds, or within your datacenter.

Some new features in the Azure Automation service include:

• Hybrid runbooks workers
• Webhooks
• Graphical runbooks
• PowerShell script runbooks
• Runbook Gallery with search
• Improved runbook authoring and testing experience

For more information about Azure Automation, visit the Automation page. For comprehensive pricing information, visit the Automation Pricing Details page.

• BLOG: General Availability of Azure Automation
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/general-availability-azure-automation-2/
• TRAINING: Automating the Cloud with Azure Automation
  https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/automating-the-cloud-with-azure-automation-8323?l=C6mIpCay_4804984382
• SITE: Azure Automation
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/automation/
• ANNOUNCEMENT: Automation–Microsoft Azure Automation–The Evolution of Cloud Automation
  http://blogs.technet.com/b/privatecloud/archive/2014/04/25/automation-microsoft-azure-automation-the-evolution-of-cloud-automation.aspx
• EBOOK (FREE): Microsoft Azure Essentials- Azure Automation
  http://aka.ms/
  azureautomation_pdf

If you are having issues with Outlook crashing on your Surface (in my case, it was on a Surface Book, but I’m told this also applies to Surface Pro 4 and possibly other PCs), try disabling hardware graphics acceleration” within Outlook.

DISABLE OUTLOOK HARDWARE GRAPHICS ACCELERATION
Outlook has an Advanced setting in Options (in 2010, 2013 & 2016, I believe) that by default, takes advantage of your workstation’s GPU hardware.  Recently, I think there have been issues with the Intel Core series 6th generation Skylake CPUs where the integrated graphics acceleration/GPU has been a little buggy.  I don’t know if it’s the firmware or the device drivers.

If you look in FILE – OPTIONS, then click “Advanced” and scroll down the dialog box for a bit, you’ll see an entry there called “Display” with a checkbox value of, “Disable hardware graphics acceleration”.

Uncheck that box if you’ve been having crashes and that may fix your issues.

UNINSTALL DISPLAYLINK DRIVERS
Also, if you have DisplayLink drivers installed, there is a known bug with these drivers that will cause Outlook 2013/2016 to crash. Remove the DisplayLink drivers by running the DisplayLink cleaner (click here). Note: Make sure you’re not using other docks before removing DisplayLink drivers.

• DOWNLOAD: DisplayLink Installation Cleaner (8.0.453)
  http://www.displaylink.com/downloads/file?d=64

Props to David Gewirtz for digging up this gem for Verizon Wireless subscribers but there’s a tool called Verizon Wireless Message+ that enables you send & receive SMS text messages from your Windows desktop.

It adds an icon to your system tray that allows easy access and pops up toast notifications when you receive inbound text. 

On the downside, it maintains it’s own contact list/database of names-to-phone numbers.  You can import stuff but the only import source is Verizon Wireless’ backup tool for contacts which I never use. Basically, I’ve been manually entering people’s names to map to phone numbers as they come in.

On the upside, it’s extremely fast.  It’s actually much faster than using your phone.  And it’s totally FREE.

If you use Windows, grab it here.

• DOWNLOAD: Verizon Wireless Message+ – Desktop SMS Text Message Utility
  http://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/verizon-messages/

Here’s David’s article from ZDnet on the tool which has a bit more about it:

• http://www.zdnet.com/article/if-you-have-verizon-you-have-desktop-sms-you-just-may-not-know-it/#comments-cd26ea80-631a-428b-bfc8-d7a442d6d3d1

A new eBook has been compiled by The famous Don Jones over at Powershell.org called “The DevOps Perspective”.  Quote the authors:

We’ve recently released a new, free eBook entitled DevOps: The Ops Perspective. So much of the DevOps conversation centers around software development – Agile methodologies and so on – that we wanted to step back and take a look at what IT Operations needs to bring to the table. DevOps, after all, isn’t “no Ops,” and so this short book is designed to give Operations some perspective on their role in the new world order.

It’s available in .PDF, ePub, Word, HTML, Word .DOC, text, etc. however there is a documented warning about .PDF:

“PDF Users: Penflip’s PDF export often doesn’t include the entire ebook content. We’ve reported this problem to them; in the meantime, please consider using a different format, such as EPUB, when you’re downloading the book.”

I recommend .DOC.  You can then PDF the thing if you wish.  Or republish to Kindle MOBI for you Kindle users like me.

• DOWNLOAD: Free eBook, “DevOps: The Ops Perspective”
  http://devopscollective.org/2016/01/04/free-ebook-devops-the-ops-perspective/

Keep your existing 15GB base storage on OneDrive before it drops to 5GB on Jan 31, 2016. Go to the link below, click on the button while signed in to OneDrive and your account will not be affected when the amount of free storage changes from 15 GB to 5 GB and the +15 GB camera roll bonus is discontinued.*

REDEMPTION: Keep your 15GB based storage on OneDrive
https://preview.onedrive.com/bonus/

With the introduction of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, a new Surface Dock is now available and the current Surface Pro 3 Docking Station will be discontinued as the new Surface Dock is also compatible with Surface Pro 3.

USING THE SURFACE PRO 4 ON THE SURFACE PRO 3 DOCKING STATION:
If you decide that you don’t want to purchase the new Surface Dock, but instead use your existing Surface Pro 3 Docking Station with your new Surface Pro 4 (which has changed dimensions), we have made available an adapter that attaches to your Surface Pro 3 Docking Station so your Surface Pro 4 can snugly hold your new Surface Pro 4.

CHOICES:

• You can get this adapter at no charge (plus shipping and handling) through Microsoft’s Customer Support or through your commercial reseller.
• However, if you don’t want to wait for this to be shipped to you or you want to avoid the shipping and handling, you can print out your own adapter with a 3D printer.

See downloads page for instructions and schematics. Please note that the quality of the 3D printing will depend on the printer used to make these and your 3D printer must be able to accommodate a build volume of 10.3mm x 100.8mm x 285.4 mm. The Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Adapter schematics is available in two different file formats, .STP and .STL. Please choose the format best suited for your 3D printer. Please note that these instructions are for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

• DOWNLOAD: Schematics for 3D printed Surface Pro 3 Docking Station Adapter https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=50006&tduid=%242f33f37b8deb68e4398d0f0f3f778c86%24%24256380%24%242459594%24%24TnL5HPStwNw-oVdCFdpz1Pdz0CxBAZeSEw%24%24%24

This is a neat tool that allows Windows 10 users to adjust the audio volume of each specific application in Windows.  The utility sits in the system tray and will register a setting for each running application. 

It is completely free.

• DOWNLOAD: EarTrumpet for Windows 10
  https://github.com/File-New-Project/EarTrumpet/releases

There’s the great site called “Fast Track Resources” that lists out basically everything that someone would want to have in order to successfully get Office 365 adopted in their organization.  For example:

• Define a vision and identify business scenarios
  Executive Sponsorship Template (3mb)
  Getting to know Office 365 (1.5mb)
  Identify Key Stakeholders (2.5mb)
  Identify Scenarios Template (2.3kb)
  Define Vision Template (2.1mb)
  Customer Case Studies 
• Prioritize solutions and create an adoption plan
  Adoption Plan Guide (7kb)
  Champions Program Guide (2.2mb)
  Define and Prioritize Solutions Template (2.1mb)
  Project Template (53kb)
  Sample Adoption Plan (1mb)
  Adoption Planning Tool 
• Commit resources and execute an adoption plan
  Office 365 Learning Center BoM (228kb)
  Troubleshooting Guide (42kb)
  Teasing Videos (48.9mb)
  Communication Guide (296kb)
  Order your SWAGs 
  Office 365 Learning Center 
  Office Videos YouTube Channel 
• Measure, share success, and iterate
  Measuring Success Guide (2.2mb)
  Sample User Satisfaction Surveys (147kb)
  Office Blogs 
  Office 365 Roadmap 

The site’s located here:

• SITE: FastTrack Resources
  http://fasttrack.office.com/resources

One of the references on this site is “Order your SWAG”.  This is a pointer to the Marketing Merchandise Store for Office 365. 

If you’re looking to purchase stuff like pens, notepads, mugs, t-shirts, posters, and all that jazz that are Office 365 branded, (aka SWAG) this is the place to purchase them from.

• SITE: Office 365 Excitement Merchandise Store
  http://www.co-store.com/iw

Get the Microsoft Office 365 training you need. Gain the skills needed to set up and manage Microsoft Office 365 for your organization.

• Managing Office 365 Identities and Requirements
• Enabling Office 365 Services
• Office 365: A day in the life of the End User
• Designing for Office 365 Infrastructure
• Introduction to Office 365

Read more at the link below:

• LEARNING: Microsoft Office 365 Training
  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/office365-training.aspx

[this is a 3rd party event driven by Catapult Systems – a Gold Solutions Provider of Microsoft, and not driven by Microsoft per se]

Taken from the System Center Universe web page:

Join us for the FIFTH annual SCU, a one-day globally available technical event featuring Microsoft product gurus and community experts. The 2016 event will include two full breakout tracks to allow for more speakers, topics and content.

• Track One – Enterprise Client Management: This track will feature cutting edge presentations from Microsoft experts including Wally Mead, Johan Arwidmark, Kent Agerlund, John Savill, and Cameron Fuller.
• Track Two – Cloud & Datacenter Management: This track will feature renowned technology gurus Symon Perriman, Dieter Wijckmans, Pete Zerger, Steve Rachui, Roman Yuferev, Matt Dowst, and more expert level insight.

The live event will be centered at the Irving Convention Center, with a live-streaming broadcast for all virtual attendees and simulcasts. Don’t miss out on this cosmic experience of knowledge and community interaction.

DATE/TIME:
January 19, 2016, 8:45AM

LOCATION:
Irving Convention Center
Dallas, TX

REGISTRATION:
http://www.systemcenteruniverse.com/