Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 - posted by Matt on 25th Jun 2010

"So what’s new in the latest version of Exchange" I hear you ask.  Well Microsoft have once again produced a fine piece of kit that will have an impact on the performance and capabilities of any current email solution.

Some of its new features include a simplified approach to high availability & DR, self-service capabilities for users, mail to voice, archiving and a variety of safeguards for sensitive information.  Microsoft has also homed in on a number of user annoyances current with previous versions.  One of which is Outlook Web Access (now Outlook Web App) now works well in non-Microsoft browsers and on non-Microsoft platforms.  It is so enriched with features that I can see users using it as their main email client.

The major improvement we see is the limitation in the maximum size of the Exchange database. Microsoft recognises users want to work with very large inboxes & folders. Two important changes help users achieve this – removal of maximum size of the Exchange databases and the vast performance improvements in disk i/o performance. The claims are for 70-90% performance gains which allow the Exchange databases to be held on lower cost SATA drives.

With new advancements comes the need for more power so Microsoft is insisting 64bit and tons of memory.  With all this in mind you would expect some form of performance difference.  Microsoft are boasting 70-90% over Exchange 2000 and the ability to run on slow SATA drives.  This is due to reducing O/I loads write bursts within Exchange.

Over 5 million users are already taking advantage of Exchange 2010, however there is undoubtedly going to be issues as there always are with new advancements.  SP1 is due for release this month which and is packed with enhancements and hot fixes.  Exchange 2010 is here to stay so my training is booked and my first live installations are scheduled.

Jump Lists in Windows 7 - posted by Albert on 27th May 2010

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I really like the new Jump Lists feature in Windows 7.

If you right-click on a button in the task bar you get a menu list pop-up with the recently used documents and application tasks. A left-click on your mouse will take you into the document.

You can increase the number of recently used items that are shown. To do this, go into the Taskbar Properties (right-click in taskbar blank space), choosing the Start Menu tab, and then clicking the Customize button. At the bottom of this window you can choose the amount of items you want to show up in the Jump Lists (Default is 10 Items/programs ) .

For anyone using the same documents regularly this can be a very handy feature.