Just got done installing the new version of AVG 8.0 and it rocks! We’ve been using AVG for close to a year now since I got tired of ridiculous pricing from Symantec/Norton. We use the network edition in 7.5 and I was worried we wouldn’t be eligible for free updates to 8.0; went to AVG’s website and it claimed we were so I downloaded and installed!
They completely reworked the interface and made it much easier to use! The 7.5 version GUI required a lot of scrolling and multiple menus just to access certain features. The newest version also has some really neat additions such as Rootkit scanning and a very increased presence in the web browser; with a very big focus on web/link security. Apparently with the optional IE toolbar addin it can scan links/search results before you click and notify you of potential issues in the site. I did notice it adds a 1-2 sec. delay in IE7s load time but it could be worth it considering all the positive things it offers to the normal web user.
The Remote Admin. utility has also matured since 7.5. Installation was quick and a host of new wizards makes setup a snap; don’t forget the convenient network install options! Looks like AVG changed the port numbers from 4156 to 4158 as default although you can change that in setup.
Overall this new and improved AVG is quite good; I really like the rootkit and deeper layers of scanning/detection that this new version offers….really looks like AVG is responding to the mass of new threats out there. The web and toolbar integration does seem a little young and hopefully will improve with age. I am very happy with it so far; and the crazy thing is the low amount of system resources it uses even with all/most modules installed! If your using Symantec or someone else you might really want to give AVG a look; they offer VERY good nonprofit discounts. I’ll post more as I begin to roll this out to the actual users/desktops…looks exciting so far!
Got some exciting projects up and coming…..they are….
1) One of my consulting customers will be going to Exchange 2007. I will definitely be blogging about that transition and making notes so perhaps someone else can avoid the pitfalls I know will happen. Also want to try and setup the replication/HA features that Microsoft claims Exchange 07 can do; will be interesting to see how well it works. Both instances of Exchange will be running on my good buddy Vmware 
2) Virtualizing Shelby. With our recent push to virtualize anything/everything it just makes sense to try Shelby. Has anybody done this successfully yet? My early tests did not go well but we’ve done some equipment upgrades so perhaps better results will follow? I know reading of someone (maybe Tony Dye or Cliff Guy?) who did and suffered wicked performance issues. So if you have done it, drop me an email and let me pick your brain.
3) SAN/NAS/Storage Decision. Going back to my previous posts we are still looking into a storage solution. I am going to be ordering some more SCSI drives to pop into our secondary Vmware host just till I can get this storage issue solved. As pricing is coming back from vendors I am seeing the iSCSI SAN idea fading away; I just don’t want to try and justify that expense right now. Considering going the NAS route and just keeping all staff/media/tech files on that box and letting our 2 vmhosts run from internal storage. I’ve devised a clever (or at least I think so) way to mimic the benefit of having a SAN for failover should a physical machine die, but without actually having a SAN. What I want to do is make identical copies of every virtual machine on both hosts, leaving one in an “off” state while the other is active. My thinking is that if one box should die I could shift to the other box; grab the latest backup of data and be back up in running in under 30 minutes. For example…..we have our Shelby server image copied to both machines in a blank data state….one is production, one is backup. If primary dies I can start the backup vm, import the latest database and be good to go. Now I just need to begin testing this and see how it works. I know Windows responds well to moving servers; have had some issues with Linux…mostly with networking. Working on some sort of script that can help Linux migrate a little easier; I’ve seen something similiar on the Vmware Communities a while back.
Those are some of the latest things up and coming. Two posts in a day will be making up for close to 3 weeks without postings. Our Easter production rehearsals/programming is just ramping up and the next month will be crazy. Starting next week we have 3 rehearsals a week plus 2-3 tech. meetings. Crazy stuff, but all for the glory!
Hope all of you reading are well; good luck with your Easter productions!
Its almost embarassing to show, but we just retired this little beauty from our Facilities Department. Its an old school, Pentium 2 Gateway 300mhz. We upgraded it to one of our new thin client devices that I have mentioned previously. What a speed difference!
