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  • Blog

    Creating a Suspect SQL Database

    Recently, a customer contacted us asking for the steps to force a SQL Server database into a Suspect state.  Although there are other blog posts about doing exactly that, they didn’t quite work for us.  Let’s take a look at how we got this working for them. Initial Attempt To start, we found this guide written by…

    Concurrency
  • Blog

    Active Directory during DR Tests

    Due to their central role in a Windows environment, including Active Directory domain controllers in a disaster recovery test will nearly always be required.  However, how do you ensure that the DCs function correctly, and safely, in a DR environment without having any impact on production?  Let’s look at the best practices around Active Directory…

    Concurrency
  • Blog

    Using the Graph API with SharePoint

    Using the Graph API with SharePoint  The Graph API provides access to SharePoint items such as site collections, lists, document libraries and files.  See the article https://www.concurrency.com/blog/november-2018/authenticate-to-the-graph-api-as-a-service  for a walkthrough on retrieval of an access token needed to use the Graph API. Site Collections Once authenticated to the Graph API it’s possible to retrieve the site collections for the…

    Concurrency
  • Blog

    Authenticate to the Graph API as a service

    Use the Graph API from a service or job with Application only permissions. You may have a requirement to access the Graph API from a Web Job or service type client that is not running in the context of a logged in user.  This article shows the steps required to obtain an access token without…

    Concurrency, Inc.
  • Blog

    Procmon Basics

    Process Monitor, or Procmon is one of the tools in the Sysinternals suite and is invaluable in troubleshooting certain types of Windows and application issues.  Procmon is a real-time monitoring tool that logs all filesystem and registry activity.  It has a robust filtering system that makes it easy to drill down into the data needed…

    Concurrency, Inc.
  • Blog

    Windows Time Settings in a Domain

    Time synchronization is an important part of any Active Directory domain.  In this post, we’ll look at the impact of time being out of sync, how to configure time sync correctly, and how to troubleshoot when things go wrong. Why We Should Synchronize Time When time among the devices in a domain is out of…

    Concurrency
  • Blog

    Active Directory Replication Troubleshooting

    With Active Directory having a decentralized database, healthy replication is extremely important to ensuring it functions correctly.  Replication problems can lead to all sorts of issues, including authentication failures, machines falling off the domain, or worse.  Let’s take a look at some ways to diagnose and troubleshoot basic replication problems. Replication Health Review Before doing anything else,…

    Concurrency
  • Blog

    Testing File Server Performance

    Measuring file server performance can be a little tricky.  To simulate real-world usage, testing a file share from a client on the network is the best way to get a good look at the expected speeds.  However, that test will traverse multiple layers, with the overall speed limited to the slowest link.  At the lowest…

    Concurrency
  • Blog

    Using and Understanding DCDiag

    DCDiag is the comprehensive, built-in utility for checking the health of an Active Directory Domain Controller.  This command runs 20+ checks against the selected DC including DNS health, replication health, general errors, and more.  Here, we’ll look at how to use the command effectively and how to read its output. Command Parameters The DCDiag command…

    Concurrency