Get Mailbox Statistics about specific user and export those records to a text file.

Get-MailboxStatistics “nelson” | Format-List StorageLimitStatus,TotalItemSize,TotalDeletedItemSize,ItemCount,DeletedItemCount > c:\nelsonmailboxstats.txt

Get mailbox size quota out of a specific user and export that info to a text file:

Get-Mailbox “nelson” | Format-List *Quota > c:\nelsonquota.txt

get quota info of all users in a specific database in exchange and export that info to a text file:

Get-Mailbox -Database “Mailbox database” | Format-List DisplayName, *Quota > c:\DBquotas.txt

On this post I hope to document the process of exporting a certificate from IIS to Apache as clear and complete as possible for those newbies like me doing this process for the first time.

Exporting The Certificate From IIS 6.0

Login to your IIS server ( Windows Server ) and go to the RUN command and type “mmc” and click OK.. the MMC management console will come up. on the console click on File  and then Add/Remove Snap-in then click on Add and then choose Certificates from the snap-in list and click on Add again:

Select Computer account on the following window, and then click on Finish. click on close in the rest of the windows you have open. then on your Certificates tree under the  Personal folder click on Certificates. you should see the certificates on the right hand side. Right-click on the certificate you want to export and choose  All Tasks and then Export:

the Certificate Export Wizard will come up. click on Next. on the following window make sure you select “Yes, export the private key”

click on Next, choose Personal Information Exchange –PKCS #12 (.PFX) on the following window, and then enter a password for your certificate on the following screen. save the file in the following screen. preferably you should name the file the same as the domain you’re exporting. for example I called my certificate forevergeeks.com click on Finish on the last screen, and you should be done exporting the cert.

Importing The Certificate To Apache

upload the exported .PFX file to your Apache web server. I’m putting my file at the /var directory. it does not matter in what directory you put your file, just make sure you know the path of that directory. once the certificate is uploaded to the server establish a SSH console connection to the server so you can run some commands. I use putty.exe for this.

you also will need openSSL to execute these commands. type Sudo apt-get openssl if if openSSL is not installed on your server. then, the first thing we will do is to export the private key from the .PFX file. to do that, type this command in terminal:

openssl pkcs12 -in filename.pfx -nocerts -out key.pem

for example, my file is on the “var” directory on the apache web server, so I type “openssl pkcs12 –in /var/forevergeeks.com.pfx -nocerts –out /var/key.pem”

you will be asked for the import password. this is the password you entered when exporting the certificate. then the command will ask you for a MAC password, and verify it.

Next we will need to export the certificate from the .pfx file. to do that, execute the following command:

openssl pkcs12 -in filename.pfx -clcerts -nokeys -out cert.pem

again, substitute the filename.pfx with your file name. for example, I’ll type “openssl pkcs12 –in /var.forevergeeks.com.pfx -clcerts -nokeys –out /var/cert.pem”

Now we need to remove the passphrase from the private key, so the web server does not ask for it every time it starts. to do that execute the following command:

openssl rsa -in key.pem -out server.key

again, you need to pay attention to the path where your files are. for example, my key.pem file is in the /var directory in my web server. so that command for me will be openssl rsa –in /var/key.pem –out /var/server.key

that’s it, you are done importing the certificate. now you need to make your web server recognize the certificate so when people go to your site using SSL they get a green URL instead of the certificate warning saying the certificate is not valid.

to enable the SSL functionality on your apache web server, type the following command:

sudo a2ensite default.ssl

hence that command is to enable the default.ssl file on your apache server. if you already have a virtualhost file please substitute this name with yours.

now using your FTP client open the default.ssl file located at /etc/apache2/sites-available folder, and add the following lines:

SSLEngine on

SSLCertificateFile /path/to/certificate/cert.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /patch/to/key/server.key

in my example that will look like this:

SSLEngine on

SSLCertificateFile /var/cert.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /var/server.key

save the file and restart your apache server with the following command:”

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

your certificate should be working now! that’s it, you’re done.

let’s kick off the installation.

for this tutorial I am using a demo virtual machine, but the tutorial can be used when setting up a production server as well. if you are installing from a CD, pop-in the openSUSE CD on your server CD ROM or if you are using a virtual machine like me start the VM with the ISO image.. and the openSUSE welcome screen will come up:

choose installation from the menu and hit Enter:

openSUSE will load up.. wait for a few minutes depending on your hardware speed. after awhile the configuration screen wizard will show up:

choose your language and the keyboard layout, normally the default and click on Next.

on the above screen choose your installation mode. most likely this is a new installation so choose that, and click Next.

choose your time zone and click on Next.

select your Desktop… I choose GNONE desktop because is what I am most comfortable with, but you can choose KDE if you like.

next choose your partition.. choose Partition Based and click Next ( if you need to partition your hard drive differently click on edit partition setup, and configure the partition as you like ) 

Enter your full name, and choose a username, and  a password, check “use this password for system administrator” and uncheck “Automatic Login”  after doing that, click on Next:

Review your installation settings, and click on Install. confirm the installation, and the installation wizard should start.

after a long while openSUSE should get installed,  and present you with a login screen:

that’s it for now, in the next post we will install the required components in openSUSE to install iFolder.

Server Hardware Requirements

If you are planning to deploy iFolder in an organization with 450 users of more, then you will need a good server with a fast processor and enough memory. as a minimum reserve 1GB or 2 for the OS and applications,and then add 4 MB of memory for each user added to the iFolder server. for example, if you are planning to deploy iFolder for 450 users,reserve 2GB for openSUSE and other required applications and then add 4 MB for each user, that would be around 3.5 GB of memory in total. for a processor, a Qua-Core with 2.x GHz speed should be enough.

also make sure you have a sort of disk redundancy on the server like RAID 5. if you are using a SAN for data storage then you should be fine without using any RAID.. the advantages of iFolder is that it is redundant in itself. if the server fails, then files are still saved locally in all users devices, and if client devices fail, the data is in the server, but to add reliability to your server is always better to setup a sort of redundancy at the server level like RAID 5.

next, we will start with the installation of openSUSE, and we should be in our way of setting up our iFolder server.

Benefits of implementing your own in house Dropbox alike solution are:

• Data never leaves your network ( it stays in house )
• total control of account provisioning and storage quotas
• make sure your data on the server is really encrypted with a reliable encryption method.
• strong password enforcement ( through Active Directory )
• easy account management ( though Active Directory )
• etc.

I know there are many other benefits that I probably missed on my bullets above, but let’s assume your primary reason to develop an in house Dropbox alternative solution is security, so let’s build the solution with that on mind.

my solution is based on iFolder , an open source standalone synchronization tool developed by Novell. iFolder is also packaged by default in Novell Open Enterprise Server. if you want to get support from Novell when things go wrong with iFolder that’s the best route to go. my tutorial is based on the standalone open source solution so there is not a dime spent on this process, but some knowledge of openSUSE and Apache web server is assumed.. in other words, we have to do it all by ourselves. from setting up the server to compile the iFolder files. don’t be intimidated by that, is not hard, but be patient there is a great deal of educated clicks you have to do.. 

iFolder Features are:

• SSL communication between clients and server ( this could be a self assigned cert, or an Internet CA )
• only Internet connection required to sync ( it does not matter where the user is located, either within the company network or in another continent, the content in iFolder will sync to the server  as long as the client device has Internet connection )
• 128-bit Blowfish file encryption at server level
• LDAP integration support ( force or adopt already implemented AD strong password policy. import and provision user accounts from AD..  )
• File sharing and collaboration between coworkers ( users set permissions who can collaborate or share files with on their iFolders ) 
• passphrase enforcement to view files on the server ( users can set a passphrase to view their content on the server, in other words, no one will be able to see ( not even the admin ) what iFolder users are storing in their iFolders without the passphrase they choose when setting up their iFolder.
• Windows, MACs and any version of Linux is supported as clients
• and many other enhancement features.

Follow Up

our next step will be to install and configure openSUSE 11.1 ( my tested solution ) on which our iFolder server will eventually be installed. stay tuned for that .

cheers,

Nelson.

Windows Easy Transfer can’t transfer files from a 64-bit computer to a 32-bit computer:

the error is correct, because of architecture differences between windows 7 64-bit and Windows 7 32-bit OS, the program only works one way, from 32-bit to 64-bit but not vise versa. I know it sucks, but I have a solution for you, not the best one, but still you can get your files back, if that’s critical for you.

you need to install either VMware Server or Virtual PC.  after you install VMware Server, or Virtual PC create a VM and install Windows 7 64-bit  on it. you can download Windows 7 64-bit trial for 90 days from here  after you have installed Windows 7 64-bit on the VM, run the Windows easy transfer from the VM to get the files, and then manually copy the files to your new 32-bit Windows 7 computer.

easy.

I told you it was not the best solution, but it worked for me, and it might work for you.

cheers,

Nelson.

Why easiness is important to me? because if you have worked with remote users, then you know how a pain in the ass is to guide them over the phone to download and configure a software to gain remote access to their computers. not too long ago, I had to write long how-to documents for users on how to download and install the remote screen sharing tool I was using in order for me to get remote access to their computers.

not anymore with join.me

there are only two buttons on join.me, so there is no confusion at all ( this is a huge + when dealing with users ) basically the whole process of gaining access to a remote user computer is inviting that user to go to join.me and click on the share button, and execute the a little executable file that get’s downloaded.  there is no installation. after the user click on the executable file, this menu will appear on top of the desktop:

then just ask the user to send you the link that appear on top, and that’s it… its just that simple.

so far, I have been using Mikogo for screen sharing, but now Mikogo has been substituted by join.me… let’s see how it goes.

before this hack ( more about this below ) to run an Android phone emulator you needed to install and configure the Android SDK package which  on a Windows PC is a pain in the ass to do. but now, thanks to a developer at the xda forums, installing the SDK android developer’s package is not required. Just download the emulator below, and execute it.. that’s all.

please take note that I did not develop the emulator nor I have any association with its development. all credits and feedback should be given to the poster at this forum thread http://forum.xda-developers.com

I downloaded the emulator, added two patches, tested it, and then zipped it and uploaded it to my web server. the original link on the thread above points to a Rapidshare download link, and links there come and go without notice, that’s why I uploaded it to my web server so it can stay there as long as I want to.. please visit the forum link above for updates and improvements on the emulator.

Download the Android phone emulator by clicking on the download image below:

Jomsocial – Open Source

built on top of the famous and robust Joomla engine, Jomsocial is one of the easiest to setup and heavy feature packed open source social networking engines out of there. with Jomsocial it takes less than 30 minutes to have a functional networking website up and running.

Features Include:

• Four default templates included.
• Robust Photo gallery management
• Hot linking from video provider websites supported, or upload own videos option.
• Friend Activity stream like Facebook with spam control filter
• Facebook sign up option ( people can sign up using their Facebook info )
• Full profile page and a lot more

Elgg – Open Source

Elgg is an award-winning open source social networking engine that provides a robust framework on which to build all kinds of social environments, from a campus wide social network for your university, school or college or an internal collaborative platform for your organization through to a brand-building communications tool for your company and its clients.

features include:

• Powerful Data Model – Elgg provides a powerful data model making the creation of different entities simple, yet flexible.
• Activity – StreamsThe granular activity stream API ensures your plugins can push the required content to your users.
• Plugin API – Use Elgg’s powerful plugin API to build and add your required features.
• User Management – Elgg handles your user management and relationship requirements.
• Access controls -All objects in Elgg can have an access control level applied making granular access permissions possible.

Anahita – Open Source

Anahita™ is a developer friendly and open source social networking engine for building the very foundations of your social web project or business idea.

key features include:

• Essential social networking features upon installation
• Lead, Follow, Mutual (LFM) Social Graph
• Story Feeds
• Ability to block unwanted people
• Dashboard
• Comments
• Geolocation Support
• Translatable User Interfaces
• Fully Customizable Look & Feel
• System and Email Notifications
• Powerful CMS Functionality
• Extend Anahita™ Using Custom Social Applications

Social Engine – Open Source

SocialEngine is a feature-rich white label social networking application built to support almost any concept.

Features Include:

• No “powered-by” branding.
• Fully unencrypted source code
• Drag-and-drop Content Management
• Membership levels and moderators
• Buy third-party plugins and themes

Boonex – Open Source

open-source, downloadable, scalable, customizable, full-featured, independent and free software package for building social networks, dating sites and niche communities. Dolphin is the only “all-in-one” bundle of PHP community scripts, Flash plugins, Adobe AIR and Mobile apps that provide full control, freedom and flexibility. Launch your site, customize it and watch it grow!

Features Include:

• Memberships and access levels
• Extensions, Plugins, Add-ons…
• Packed with thousands of social networking and online dating site features.
• Mobile, interactive, fast and secure community software.

Community Builder – Open Source

Add Social networking to your own website, fast and easy with Joomlapolis Community Builder, ‘CB’. CB, the most popular and comprehensive social networking solution gives you all the tools and usability needed to grow and maintain your website community. Let members search for other members, facilitate member interaction, they will want to keep coming back to your site. Extended member registration functions, profile image uploading, membership content creation, messaging, moderation, reporting and more! Open source, many plugins available and Joomla version independent.

Features Include:

• Works natively with all stable flavors of Joomla!TM and Mambo
• Know your members with categorization, lists and reporting features
• Encourage member interaction with member connect features (search, messaging, more!)
• Enable members to create content on your website
• Empower key members to be moderators, ‘front-end’ moderation available!
• Fully translatable language options (front and back)
• Create your own brand by integrating any CB commercially available template plugin
• Additional add ons available
• Scalable, reliable, robust, secure
• Open source with GPL
• And CB is free!

BuddyPress – Open Source

BuddyPress was conceived in 2008 while working to add social networking features to a WordPress MU powered site. The first official stable release was in May 2009. The platform has grown and morphed considerably since then, into the dynamic, easily extensible package you see today.

Features Include:

• Activity Stream
• Extended Profiles
• Friend connections
• Private Messages
• WordPress Integration
• Extensible Groups
• Discussion forums

If you’re a WordPress plugin or theme developer then you already know the fundamentals of BuddyPress. You should be able to start building and designing for BuddyPress with very little extra work.

• AllDup is a freeware tool for searching and removing file duplicates on your Windows computer. The fast search algorithm find duplicates of any file type, e.g., text, pictures, music or movies ( recommended )

• Duplicate Files Finder Duplicate Files Finder is an application which searches for duplicate files (files which have the same content, but not necessarily the same name) and lets the user remove duplicate files, either by deleting them or by creating links. The search is very fast compared to other similar programs which use hashing algorithms.

• Duplicate Cleaner Find and delete duplicate files, mp3s, photos, old documents and much more. This fully featured program will work at home or in a networked environment. Best of all Duplicate Cleaner is freeware, meaning you get the full program and it doesn’t cost a thing.

• Clonespy CloneSpy can help you free up hard drive space by detecting and removing duplicate files. Duplicate files have exactly the same contents regardless of their name, date, time and location. Also, CloneSpy is able to find files that are not exactly identical, but have the same file name. Perhaps you have different versions of a file and you want to find all of them and remove the older versions. CloneSpy can also find zero length files. These are files that have no content.

• Doublekiller DoubleKiller is a fast and easy to use application for finding and removing duplicate files.

• Winmerge WinMerge is an Open Source differencing and merging tool for Windows. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.

• Fast duplicate file finder Fast Duplicate File Finder FREEWARE will help you find fast all duplicate files in a folder and its sub folders. The application will compare the content of your files so it will find duplicates even if they are using different file names. The Professional version can even find similar files regardless of their file types. It will analyze the content of the files in order to find similar files and not just file attributes like name and size as the standard duplicate file finders do

• Yet another duplicate file finder Another duplicate file finder/remover. But this one is ULTRA FAST, safe, easy to use and of course free and open source.

please if you know any other freeware or open source file duplicate finder tool, post the link in a comment, and I will add it to the list, if its worthwhile.