Updating Exchange Distribution Lists from a CSV file

I was recently asked to create a load of distribution lists in Exchange Online. I was also asked to give the owner of the distribution list a simple method of keeping them up to date and frankly, I was more than happy to oblige with that. I have enough to do during the day, keeping …
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PRTG – Flow Monitoring

I have a new favourite toy at work. It hasn’t quite overtaken ConfigMgr as my absolute favourite but it’s close. I’m having fun with it though, and that’s the main thing. Apart from, you know, its entire business function, but that’s minor, right? My new toy is called PRTG which is written by a company called …
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Dell Business Docking Stations

There are a few posts on this site called “The Grand(ish) Experiment” where I talk about using Dell Venue tablets with their respective docking stations, exploring their potential to replace desktop machines. The idea was that every office desk and classroom would have a docking station, teachers would have their own tablets with the software …
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Parallels Mac Management – What’s Been Happening?

Yet another post about the Parallels Mac Management plugin for Configuration Manager. Anyone would think they pay to write this crap! Well, unfortunately for me, they don’t. I have to admit, this post has been an embarrassingly long time in the making; in between work, parenting and being absolutely cream crackered all the time, I …
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SCOM – SQL Management Pack Configuration

SCOM is a bastard of a product, isn’t it? It’s even more so when you’re trying to monitor a SQL instance or two. It’s also quite amusing that Chrome doesn’t recognise SCOM as a word in its dictionary and that it suggests SCAM as a possible word 🙂 My major project at work for the past …
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Building, Deploying and Automatically Configuring a Mac Image Using SCCM and Parallels SCCM Agent

I touched briefly on using the Parallels Management Agent to build Macs in my overview article but I thought it might be a good idea to go through the entire process that I use when I have to create an image for a Mac, getting the image deployed and getting the Mac configured once the image is on there. At …
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The Grand(ish) Experiment – The Latest

Well, I’m no longer using the Venue as my daily driver. I liked the tablet and it proved itself perfectly capable of handling my workload. However, it’s now time for some the intended recipients of these things to try them out and see how they get on with them. To that end, I have given …
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DCM Script – Checking Windows Activation Status

My last script was, out of necessity, a rather laborious one. Using a VBScript to check a status, generating a file from its output, reading files, creating objects and properties etc. Luckily enough, checking Windows activations (and checking Office activations on Windows 8.1) is considerably easier. There is a WMI class called SoftwareLicensingProduct which is where Windows just happens …
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