UserAccountControl Values

Something that's always been difficult for me, probably because I rarely use this information, is remembering what the userAccountControl values mean in Active Directory.  So, I finally tracked down what the values are, and have assembled some of the more common values for easy reference.

• 512 - Normal Account
• 514 - Disabled Account
• 528 - Locked out Account
• 530 - Locked out and Disabled Account
• 544 - Password Not Required
• 66048 - Normal Account, Password Does Not Expire
• 66050 - Disabled Account, Password Does Not Expire
• 8389120 - Password Expired, Normal Account
• 8389122 - Password Expired, Disabled Account

I hope this information helps you in your day-to-day job duties!

PowerShell script to get Password Expiration

A little something I just wrote that will dump to a .CSV file the Password Expiration date for a list of users from an input text file.  It's one line.  I love PowerShell. :)  

NOTE:  This script was tested only on Windows Server 2008 SP2 in a Windows Server 2003 forest, and requires the Quest ActiveRoles Management Shell be installed.  I make no guarantees about other OSes. You assume all risk associated with running this script in your environment and I cannot be held liable for any damage that may occur from your use of this script.

get-content -path "[path to input text file]" | Get-QADUser -IncludeAllProperties | Select-Object dn, SamAccountName, passwordexpires | Export-Csv -Path [insert path to CSV file] -NoClobber

Enjoy!

Reflections on my Lenovo T500

In June 2009, I purchased a Lenovo T500 laptop.  I selected it because it was, at the time, near the top-of-the-line for specs - T9400 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, upto 8GB RAM, 7200rpm hard drive, DVD burner, 15" screen and a dedicated graphics card.  I also was able to get an open-box model at a very reasonable price.  At the same time I also upgraded the RAM to 4GB with a purchase from Newegg.

After 21 months of use, I can't say enough good things about my T500.  Durable.  Flexible (I have dual-booted from VHD a couple of times and it's nice).  Still fast.  Basically, a rock-solid laptop.  I've traveled with it a couple of times, and while it does have a bit of weight that comes with it, I haven't found it to be overly heavy when traveling thru the airport.  Performance has been outstanding - I can have multiple browser windows open, along with a couple of apps like Word, Excel, maybe Acrobat, and I cannot notice a discernible performance hit on any of the applications.  Of course, I use Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, so that could help in that department.  I also tend to refresh my Windows install every 6-9 months, or else whenever I try out things like installing the IE9 beta on top of the Windows 7 SP1 beta and it blows up my browser. ;)

I have another 12 months or so of the 3-year factory warranty left, so I'm not driven to find a new laptop yet.  But at the same time, I am driven to see what's out there.  Why?  I want a portable, or semi-portable, self-contained lab environment.  Even if I bumped the RAM on my T500 upto 8GB, I still could "only" run two or three VMs (Hyper-V R2, of course) at any given time.  That doesn't allow me much of a test environment to have going.

What am I looking for in my next laptop?  Quad core (probably an Intel i7), room for LOTS of RAM (16GB minimum), and enough storage to keep 6-8 VM's local on the machine at any given time.  The storage piece is an interesting one for me.  Do I go with a larger 5400rpm hard drive, a slightly smaller 7200rpm hard drive, or an SSD?  The hard drives keep the cost down and provide roomy storage space, while the SSD drives up the price for less storage but pays off with maximum performance.  The models I'm looking at include a Lenovo W510, an Acer Asprire, and the HP Elitebook 8740w (which a friend has and recommends unequivocally).  I obviously have a sweet spot for Lenovo, who's ThinkPad's I've used off-and-on for the past 6 years, both personally and professionally, and have yet to have a single problem or failure.  The Acer gives the features I'd like at a good price point, while the HP Elitebook walks in and flexes a lot of muscle, for a price.  All have multiple glowing reviews, so it may come down to which one "feels" right.


Whatever happens, I'll be sure to put it thru its paces and report back here.  It's something I'd like to do more often, as well as just blog more about my profession and experiences in general.


Until next time, thanks for reading!

Time flies....

Time flies when you don't pay attention to your blog. :) It's been a year, I figure it's time to update this puppy.

I'm with a different company now, having been terminated by my former employer for "not meeting my billable revenue target" and "not improving consulting skills to a level we think is appropriate". All talk and no action, that was their treatment of me. Talk about having a problem with me, but do nothing to help. The billable revenue target was garbage also - I'm not responsible for selling my services, the Sales team is/was. My opinion of my Practice Lead is, shall we say, somewhat derogatory and it was that way for many months prior to my departure. The guy has no clue, no leadership skills, and no communication skills. My departure was their loss, not mine - I'm working and making more than I was there, so I can't complain. I received an astounding amount of well-wishes from people within the company after I was let go, and I was humbled to know I had a positive relationship with so many people.

What else....

Exchange 2007 SP1 is out! I expect this to spur adoption of the Exchange 2007 platform, which is sad because Exchange 2007 RTM was a solid product out of the gate. Not perfect, but still really good. I hope to help companies roll this out in the coming months.

Vista SP1 is out! But.... it's not available to the unwashed masses yet. You need to be an MSDN or TechNet Plus subscriber to get it right now. GA is estimated as later this month. I did some beta testing with this and it definitely makes the Vista experience better, especially with file copying.

Windows Server 2008 is RTM! I think this is going to be something between revolutionary and evolutionary. Microsoft finally stripped the OS down to it's core components and let admins add in what they need. And I'm excited to be able to play with Hyper-V someday! I'm somewhat versed in VMware's ESX Server, so I'm naturally curious about a competing product and how they stack up to one another.

Shameless plug - see Kevin Remde's blog (the link is listed on the right column) for a code to get $100 off of a TechNet Plus subsccription. The code is good thru May 2008, I believe.

That's it for now. Have a good one... if anyone reads this. :)