Here are links to some useful web-based bandwidth testing tools:
Monthly Archives: May 2012
Web-based DNS Tools
Here are some useful web-based tools for troubleshooting DNS issues, or simply to garner more information about a given domain:
DNSViz A DNS visualization tool (from Sandia National Laboratories)
Determine Exchange Mailbox Database Backup Status
Here’s a useful PowerShell command to display the backup status of your mailbox databases. Just open the Exchange Management Shell and run the following command:
Get-MailboxDatabase -Status | fl Identity, LastFullBackup, LastIncrementalBackup, LastDifferentialBackup, BackupInProgress
This will generate a report such as the following:
Identity : System-EXCHSRV1 LastFullBackup : 5/17/2012 7:00:50 PM LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : BackupInProgress : False Identity : MDB03 LastFullBackup : 5/16/2012 2:59:56 PM LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : 5/18/2012 10:30:49 AM BackupInProgress : False Identity : MDB04 LastFullBackup : 5/17/2012 6:35:16 AM LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : 5/18/2012 11:31:04 AM BackupInProgress : False Identity : System-EXCHSRV2 LastFullBackup : 5/17/2012 7:03:13 PM LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : BackupInProgress : False Identity : MDB01 LastFullBackup : 5/17/2012 6:35:22 AM LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : 5/18/2012 12:36:38 PM BackupInProgress : False Identity : MDB02 LastFullBackup : 5/17/2012 6:35:07 AM LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : 5/18/2012 1:31:08 PM BackupInProgress : False
SQL Resources
Here are some great resources for learning more about SQL and finding tips for troubleshooting:
SQLskills.com
MSSQLTips.com
SQLServerCentral.com
SQL Server Performance
Optimizing SQL Transaction Log Throughput
Here are a few links to some great references on optimizing SQL transaction log throughput. In particular, these articles discuss key tips regarding the sizing of transaction logs and the impact too many or too few virtual log files (VLFs) can have on overall performance:
8 Steps to better Transaction Log throughput
Transaction Log VLFs – too many or too few?
Bug: log file growth broken for multiples of 4GB
How to determine SQL Server database transaction log usage
Geek City: Exploring the Transaction Log Structure
Understanding Logging and Recovery in SQL Server
How to move SQL Server databases to a new location by using Detach and Attach functions in SQL Server
Here’s a link to a Microsoft KB article you never want to be without when moving SQL databases:
RAID Levels
Here’s a link to a great website explaining the various RAID levels and the pros and cons of each.
Blogs we like :)
Here are links to some useful blogs on various subjects:
EMC Navisphere/Unisphere Engineering Mode Password
To access the engineering mode on an EMC Navisphere or Unisphere storage array, press Ctrl-Shift-F12, then enter messner
when prompted for the password. Why messner
? Check out the following link for some interesting trivia about EMC:
Monitoring NearPoint Index Movement using SQL
Here’s a quick SQL query to show the status of currently active mailbox index movement tasks:
select * from TaskStatus where TaskName = 'IndexMove' AND ProcessedCount = 0 AND FailedCount = 0
Note that the ProcessedCount
will equal 0 for all currently active jobs and previously failed jobs. To list failed mailbox index relocation attempts, set the FailedCount = 1
, e.g.,
select * from TaskStatus where TaskName = 'IndexMove' AND ProcessedCount = 0 AND FailedCount = 1