The new SQL Server installation is so different, I thought I would take a second to write about it. For starters, the whole thing is now called the SQL Server Installation Center. 
This tool is broken down into seven sections which include the following: - Planning - This section gives you access to documentation and allows you to run the upgrade advisor.
- Installation - This is where the rubber meets the road. You can install stand-alone instances, clusters, add-nodes to existing clusters, and even start upgrades from 2000 or 2005.
- Maintenance - Here you can change your edition of SQL Server (that's right - change - did you install developer edition on production by accident, here you can change to to enterprise), repair an installation, or remove a node from a cluster.
- Tools - Access to a few handy tools such as the System Configuration Checker, a report to tell you what SQL Server features are installed, and an SSIS upgrade wizard.
- Resources - Links to helpful documentation on SQL Server
- Advanced - This section lets you install SQL Server based on a configuration file, perform advanced cluster prep, or complete a cluster from already cluster-prepared SQL Servers.
- Options - Allows you to specify the architecture (x86, x64, or ia64) and the location of the install media.
Enough about the Installation Center, let's take a look at the stand alone installation. I am not going to walk through step-by-step, I just want to highlight some of the new features that I think are pretty cool. This is the face of the new instillation wizard. 
The first few screens are just some checks and then the installation of the prerequisites. After that's done we get to the meat of the installation. Even here, the first few screens are pretty straight forward asking if you are installing a new instance or changing an existing instance and another screen allowing you to enter you product key. The first screen that grabbed my attention was the Instance Configuration. Here you not only specify and instance name, but you an also specify the instance ID. The instance ID is used in folder naming instead of random numbers. By default the ID will be the name of your instance. 
The next few screens are your standard drive space overview and service account set up, nothing really new here. Ah, but then we get to the Database Engine Configuration screen which abounds with new options for security, file locations, and the new FILESTREAM type. The first tab, shown below, lets you set the authentication mode and set up accounts that will be administrators of SQL Server. Gone are the days of BUILTIN\Administrators and here are the days of telling SQL Server who you want to be administrators. 
The second tab, Data Directories, allows you to set up the default locations of some common files used by SQL Server. This really gives you a level of control that was previous a registry hack, done manually, or done after the installation was complete. You can set up individual locations for the following: - Data Root
- User Database Files
- User Database Log Files
- Temp DB Data
- Temp DB Log
- Backup Files
Last but not least, the third tab allows you to enabled FILESTREAM for T-SQL access. I won't get into FILESTREAM here, but it is a feature of SQL Server 2008 worth your further investigation. That's the bulk of the installation....one more check to look for problems that might cause the installation to fail and your off and running. I know the installation wizard isn't the sexiest new thing in SQL Server 2008, but there are some neat new things that made me happy so I wanted to share my rather geeky bliss.
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Come and get it, CSTechcast.com has the latest podcast for IT professionals posted for download. This week we get an IT compliance education with Don Jones. Find Don's vast expertise at his website concentratedtech.com. The news brings enhanced search for Adobe Flash on the web, no critical Microsoft patches this Tuesday, the VLC Player has buffer overflow security problem, Google gives away Rat Proxy to check for security on your websites, the Coreflood Trojan is waiting for an admin to logon, NVidia has heat problems with laptop chips, and Microsoft gets serious with a new yearly subscription model for Office. Twitter downtime gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at cloud computing security, and "The Weekly Tech Tip" is all about SQL auditing.
Links to stories discussed during the show:
Adobe, Google, Yahoo Team for Flash Search (eWeek)
Four Microsoft Patches Due Tuesday; Not Rated Critical (PC World)
Critical vulnerability found in VLC Media Player (InfoWorld)
Google gives away free Web app security scanner (InfoWorld)
Trojan lurks, waiting to steal admin passwords (InfoWorld)
Nvidia reports problem with laptop chips (InfoWorld)
Microsoft Hopes Office Subscription Plan Will Counter Free Software (InformationWeek)
Get on the bandwagon, tweet us on Twitter @cstechcast or friend us at FriendFeed, friendfeed.com/cstechcast. As always, give us a call, post on the blog, or send us some feedback on the main website cstechcast.com. Stay tuned for some changes and enhancements coming soon to CS Techcast. If you like us, post a review on your favorite podcast directory or blog about it. Thanks for listening.
Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=32
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The latest CSTechcast.com podcast is up. This week we discuss social networking and how we take it into business and gain personally with Patrice-Anne Rutledge, author of The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking . Be social and visit patricerutledge.com. In the news; Microsoft stops selling Windows XP, but keeps a loophole for business and extends support, Hyper-V goes RTM, Cisco updates its edge network solution with VMWare support, new tools are released to deal with recent SQL injection attacks, database market share shows Oracle in the clear lead, and IT spending is not reducing security threats. Suing web sites over negative comments gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Look Back" at Bill Gates' time at Microsoft, and we give SQL Server admins plenty of detail to avoid worst practices in "The Weekly Tech Tip". Links to stories discussed during the show:
Microsoft Pledges Windows XP Support Through 2014 (InformationWeek)
Hyper-V: It’s here (ZDNet)
Virtualization Key Enhancement To Cisco Data Center 3.0 (InformationWeek)
Microsoft Puts Bull's-Eye on SQL Injection Attacks (eWeek)
IDC: Oracle Maintains Lead in Database Market (PC World)
2008 Security Survey: We're Spending More, But Data's No Safer Than Last Year (InfomationWeek)
Car dealership sues consumer site over bad feedback, loses (ArsTechnica) Look for a not so hidden blooper in this episode. Support us by sending in your comments and posting a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast directory. See you next week and thanks everyone for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=31 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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We even podcast on vacation, bringing you the latest tech information for IT professionals at CStechcast.com from fabulous Las Vegas. This week, we delve into Vista with the authors of Using Microsoft Windows Vista Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel. In the news, Firefox gets it's 3.0 on while Microsoft previews more IE8 features, the new iPhone gets some enterprise functionality while hopefully not tarnishing its cool factor, Oracle adds social networking to CRM, Microhoo finally break up (could Bradgalena be next?) while Yahoo gets on the rebound with Google, and PC shipments stay healthy in Asia. Short sighted middle management gets our "Worst Tech Move of the Week" and "The Weekly Tech Tip" presents the incredible, shrinking partition. Links to stories discussed during the show:
Mozilla to release Firefox 3 on June 17 (InfoWorld)
Next Internet Explorer 8 beta targets IT pros (PC Advisor)
Coming To The iPhone: Enterprise Apps (Information Week)
Oracle Touts Social Networks For Salespeople (Information Week)
Yahoo `Damaged Goods' After Yang Fails to Revive Deal (Bloomberg)
IDC Calls for PC Market to Grow 15 Percent (eWeek) We bring you CS Techcast even when on vacation, and we will keep bringing you more shows you can use to stay informed every week. Help us out by putting your review of our show on your preferred podcast directory and especially on iTunes. Help us grow the show and keep in contact with us, all our contact information is on the web site CStechcast.com. Thanks for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=29 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Info for IT pros, get ready to download the latest audio at CStechcast.com. Crimeware is the focus this week, as we interview expert Markus Jakobsson, author of Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses. In the news; Adobe gives a preview of the new Acrobat 9 integrated with the new acrobat.com web site, Microsoft warns on the monthly round of patches, spear phishing catches 15,000 big fish, AMD starts to make a serious notebook push with Puma, Opera one ups the browser competition in the fight against malware, and we review the latest rumor mill around the next generation Apple iPhone. Spying end users for targeted ads is first place in "The Worst Tech Move of the Week" and "The Weekly Tech Tip" gives the accidental SQL DBA some great pointers. Links to stories discussed during the show:
Adobe offers Acrobat 9 (InfoWorld)
Microsoft Patch Tuesday: 7 Security Bulletins (eWeek)
Spear-phishing Attacks Have Hooked 15,000, Says Verisign (PC World)
AMD's Puma pounces; misses red-hot netbook market (ArsTechnica)
Opera Bolsters Web Browser with New Malware Protection (eWeek)
Next-Gen iPhone Preview: Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference '08 (Information Week)
Breaking: Exclusive leaked pics of the iPhone 2! (CrunchGear) Keep the love coming with reviews on your preferred podcast site, especially iTunes. Give us your comments and feedback on the blog, via e-mail, or by voicemail. All details are available at CStechcast.com. Thanks to everyone for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=28 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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While remote access solutions have given us a unique way to access our networks and applications -- and provide a new level of worker productivity -- these solutions can inadvertently provide hackers a portal to your entire network if the security features are compromised.
This is especially true now that the mobile workforce has become a reality for organizations across all industries, and the ubiquitousness of the Internet is fueling more cost effective remote solutions, the security perimeter is anywhere your employees can hang their hats.
The latest white paper, "Like Stealing Candy: Recent Security Threats Leave Passwords in the Open", from authors Eric Beehler and Eric Johnson is now posted at Redmond Magazine's Tech Library: www.redmondmag.com/techlibrary. There is also a companion web cast recorded that we finished last week. Get the latest on threats to remote access and solutions available to neutralize those threats.
Link to white paper: http://redmondmag.com/techlibrary/resources.asp?id=667
Link to webcast: http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=109811&s=1&k=228FC12DBA871955999704159BAD33EA&partnerref=library
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Another podcast is up and available at CStechcast.com, the podcast for IT professionals. This week we talk about the history and the future of networks with John Day, author of Patterns in Network Architecture. The news brings cloud computing to your data center with a new product from HP, easier Web 2.0 APIs from Google, details on Windows 7 and Ruby on .NET, and a warning on Apple Safari on Windows. Lack of data breach disclosure "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", getting Vista's search to work right in the "Weekly Tech Tip", and we take "A Closer Look" at smartphone security in your network. Links to stories discussed during the show:
HP Building Out Web 2.0 Infrastructures (eWeek)
Google Delivers New AJAX APIs (eWeek)
Google's Gears Gains Ground (eWeek)
Google Shows Off Android (eWeek)
Microsoft linking Silverlight, Ruby on Rails (InfoWorld)
Windows 7 to have touch-screen interface (InfoWorld)
Court finds Dell guilty of fraud (InfoWorld)
Dell shares jump after solid 1Q results (Business Week)
Microsoft Warns Of Security Vulnerability Arising From Apple's Safari (Information Week)
Microsoft Security Advisory (953818) (Microsoft.com) Check out the review of our podcast at That Podcast Show: http://www.imaginatepro.com/thatpodcastshow/?p=78 As always, show your appreciation for CS Techcast by dropping us an e-mail, voicemail, or blog post. You can also write a review in your favorite podcast directory and in iTunes. This will help get the word out and help us continue to bring you a great podcast every week. Thanks to everyone for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=27 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Six months of weekly podcasts all for the IT professional and we continue our march forward at CStechcast.com. This week we explore VMware ESX virtualization with Edward L. Haletky, author of VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise. Find information from the author at http://astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization. In the news; Microsoft announces support for ODF and PDF in an upcoming Office service pack, Citrix debuts its Branch Repeater for remote office support over the WAN, Google gives us the Safe Browsing Diagnostic Tool to check web sites for malware, jobs openings involving virtualization skills are up 40 percent, and some companies look to allow employees to use their own laptops on the corporate network. Microsoft gets rid of their academic search tools for the "Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at how to get started with virtualization, and a quick "Weekly Tech Tip" on how to make a shortcut in Vista with admin privs to help save you some time. Links to stories discussed during the show:
All eyes on how Microsoft pulls off ODF support (InfoWorld)
Google's Safe Browsing Diagnostic Tool (Search Engine Land)
Microsoft, Citrix Unveil 'Swiss Army Knife' Remote System (Information Week)
Virtualization Job Openings Jump 40% (eWeek)
Microsoft embraces 'Bring Your Own Laptop' model (CNet News.com)
Microsoft Shuts Down Book Search (PC World) For those looking for the Google Browsing Diagnostic Tool, just use the following URL and put the URL for your web site at the end: http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site= As I mentioned above, CS Techcast is celebrating six months of expert interviews, news for IT pros, segments that can help you out and give you more insight, and having fun just by having an outlet to express our personalities. We've brought you technical leaders and industry expertise such as Bill Inmon, John C. Dvorak, Kalen Delaney, and Greg Shields just to name a few. We've also brought you extras such as our special video episode from SQL PASS Camp. We would love for you, a member of our loyal audience, to spread the word about our show so we can continue to bring you everything we have and more. You can help us by writing a review in your favorite podcast directory, filling out our listener survey, blogging about us, and telling your friends to subscribe. Thanks for listening and we will continue to bring you more at CStechcast.com. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=26 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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IT pros get another podcast chock full of information and irreverence, at CStechcast.com. This week we put the focus back onto the brand new Windows Server 2008 operating system with Rand Morimoto, author of Windows Server 2008 Unleashed. Tech news sees the demise of the MicroHoo merger, Windows XP Service Pack 3 gets PCs to go on endless reboots, a new security bulletin on a new Trojan infecting half a million PCs, patch Tuesday sees 4 new patches, Office 2007 SP1 is coming to automatic updates, Google sets up a new enterprise hosted security service, and we take a peek at the 10 worst workplaces in tech. A continuing trend of knocking a good app developed with Microsoft tools gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", fanboys get a freestyle rant in the "IT Pet Peeve", and the "Weekly Tech Tip" helps you hack the Vista experience index. Links to stories discussed during the show:
The MicroHoo Fallout (eWeek)
Trojan Infects More Than 500,000 PCs (eWeek)
Continuous Reboots Plague Windows XP SP3 Users (PC Magazine)
Four Patches Coming in May (ENT News)
Google gains on Microsoft with hosted security offering (C|Net News.com)
The 10 Worst Workspaces in Tech (ValleyWag)
Building a web app the Microsoft way (ThinkVitamin.com)
Maybe Microsoft isn't completely useless on the web, after all (C|Net Blogs) Thanks everyone for downloading and listening to the CS Techcast. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=24 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Our latest weekly podcast for IT Pros, available at CStechcast.com, is released to the world. This week we try to tap our inner CSI with Keith J. Jones, author of Real Digital Forensics, available alone or in the Computer Forensics Library Boxed Set. Find more info at realdigitalforensics.com. The news finds Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Vista Service Pack 1 pulled back from Windows Updates, the BlueHat conference exposes easy antivirus hacks, third party solutions aim to help Ruby on Rails scale, SharePoint gets a new administration toolkit, and dirty secrets of the security industry are revealed. Eric Schmidt's obsession with Microsoft gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at the recent SQL injection attacks and what you can do about it, and joining a domain from afar using Vista is our "Weekly Tech Tip". Links to stories discussed during the show:
XP update delayed over glitch (C|Net News.com)
Vista SP1 auto updates also halted (C|Net News.com)
Antivirus holes, browser spies are highlights at Microsoft's BlueHat hacker sessions (C|Net News.com)
Making Ruby on Rails Scale (eWeek)
Twitter Said To Be Abandoning Ruby on Rails (TechCrunch)
Announcing the First Release of the Microsoft SharePoint Administration Toolkit (Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Team Blog)
7 dirty secrets of the security industry (InfoWorld)
Schmidt in CNBC interview: We're concerned about Microhoo (C|Net News.com)
SQL Injection Attacks on IIS Web Servers (BillS IIS Blog) We love bringing you the show and hope everyone who listens appreciates the effort. Let us know what you think; post to the blog, send us an e-mail, or call us. Details for contacting us can be found at CStechcast.com. Review our show at your favorite podcast directory, including iTunes, and let everyone know how you like CS Techcast. Thanks everyone for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=23 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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