SecureIDA delivers remote users and branch offices highly secure access to servers, applications, and desktops over economical public Internet connections – and all traffic is encrypted. This is accomplished in minutes, with near-zero complexity and rock-solid security. The SecureIDA portal provides an uncomplicated and intuitive way to add systems to the network, control who has access to these corporate resources, and for end users to instantly and effortlessly access those same resources. Systems go online instantly, and there is near-zero impact on your IT staff, and none on your users.
Unlike hardware solutions that require significant network expertise and large commitments of capital, SecureIDA is a low-cost and low-risk alternative. Beyond secure remote networking, we extend applications that were once confined to the office to anywhere on the planet, without extra software licenses or IT administration. SecureIDA can also connect mobile workers to their office desktops, keeping them continually productive. All this is accomplished without additional hardware, and without having to install any client software. You can effectively budget secure networking while meeting your internal and regulatory requirements, all without impacting your staff.
Click here to download the "Secure Remote Desktop and Application Publishing Solution"
Source: dabcc.com/downloadfile.aspx?id=328
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Windows HPC Server 2008 Launched By Microsoft
Microsoft India has recently introduced its latest offering in the High Performance Computing (HPC) segment with the Release to Manufacture (RTM) of Windows HPC Server 2008. The product aims to provide an easy-to-deploy, cost-effective and scalable high-performance computing solution combining its rich, out-of-the-box functionality with the capabilities of the Windows Server platform to help enhance productivity and reduce complexity of any given HPC environment.
“The success achieved by Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 in the last few years is a strong testament of our value proposition in the High Performance Computing market. We are confident that as the successor, Windows HPC Server 2008 will help us further build on this momentum by offering an easy to deploy, cost effective and scalable HPC solution for firms to leverage their existing resources and scale from workstation to cluster, all in a familiar Windows environment,” said Pallavi Kathuria, Director, Server Business Group, Microsoft India.
Based on Windows Server 2008, the solution is designed to deliver improved productivity of systems administration and cluster interoperability by dramatically simplifying the overall deployment, administration and management over the entire system lifetime while ensuring interoperability with existing systems infrastructure.
The product will enable rapid HPC application development through integration with Visual Studio 2008 with its parallel programming environment. In addition to supporting standard interfaces such as OpenMP, multiprocessor interconnect (MPI) and Web services, the solution will also support third-party numerical library providers, performance optimizers, compilers and debugging toolkits.
In India specifically, apart from the academic space, the company has experienced a great rise in the adoption curve of its HPC solutions in commercial scenarios such as Manufacturing, BFSI and Media & Entertainment.
The HPC solution will be available to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and computer manufacturers for final distribution. Evaluation copies of Windows HPC Server 2008 are now available for download on the company’s website.
Via:networkcomputing.in/Server-018Nov008-Microsoft-Introduces-the-Windows-HPC-Server-008.aspx
“The success achieved by Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 in the last few years is a strong testament of our value proposition in the High Performance Computing market. We are confident that as the successor, Windows HPC Server 2008 will help us further build on this momentum by offering an easy to deploy, cost effective and scalable HPC solution for firms to leverage their existing resources and scale from workstation to cluster, all in a familiar Windows environment,” said Pallavi Kathuria, Director, Server Business Group, Microsoft India.
Based on Windows Server 2008, the solution is designed to deliver improved productivity of systems administration and cluster interoperability by dramatically simplifying the overall deployment, administration and management over the entire system lifetime while ensuring interoperability with existing systems infrastructure.
The product will enable rapid HPC application development through integration with Visual Studio 2008 with its parallel programming environment. In addition to supporting standard interfaces such as OpenMP, multiprocessor interconnect (MPI) and Web services, the solution will also support third-party numerical library providers, performance optimizers, compilers and debugging toolkits.
In India specifically, apart from the academic space, the company has experienced a great rise in the adoption curve of its HPC solutions in commercial scenarios such as Manufacturing, BFSI and Media & Entertainment.
The HPC solution will be available to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and computer manufacturers for final distribution. Evaluation copies of Windows HPC Server 2008 are now available for download on the company’s website.
Via:networkcomputing.in/Server-018Nov008-Microsoft-Introduces-the-Windows-HPC-Server-008.aspx
Monday, November 10, 2008
Can Windows 7 overcome Vista driver woes?
Microsoft has revealed some staggering figures showing how often driver installations fail in Vista.
Microsoft is hoping for zero hardware install problems when Windows 7 finally hits the market, but is that really realistic when more than 10% of printer drivers for Vista are still failing to work properly?
However, Microsoft's own internal evidence shows that not everything is working that well in Vista. In a presentation on how to build drivers more effectively in collaboration with Microsoft, senior program manager lead Chris Matichuk disclosed rarely-seen figures from Microsoft's own internal systems that collect data on how Vista performs, principally its Online Crash Analysis and Customer Experience Improvement Program schemes. The data, which covers attempted driver installations for Vista SP1 users during September 2008, shows that in many categories, a significant number of users are still having problems even getting their hardware to work properly.
The biggest embarrassment category is printers, where more than 10% of installations failed. For Windows 7, Microsoft is hoping its new integrated approach in Windows 7 to device management will allow more successful installations of multi-function printers, which in Vista often show up as multiple devices. However, if a tenth of them don't show up at all, there's clearly some more fundamental work to be done.
Modems, though utilised by far fewer people, were also a major source of problems, with 8.64% failing to install. (I'd hazard a guess that 3G broadband modems, which are notoriously fickle under Vista, are a big part of the problem here.)
"Typically, anything above 3% is not good," Matichuk conceded. "If you look at printers for example, we've got some gaps we need to work through."
Another major challenge for Microsoft is getting more 64-bit drivers released. 64-bit versions of Vista now account for 25% of new system sales in the US, though the global figures are much lower. The performance improvements of the 64-bit version have been somewhat offset by a lack of drivers. Microsoft's own research suggests that while 92% of 32-bit Vista systems could find core drivers in the OS or online, for 64-bit systems the figure is just 83%.
Getting vendors to agree to make drivers available through Windows Update had also proved a time consuming process, and one that doesn't always succeed. Currently for Vista, there are more than 8,000 messages in place in Windows Update pointing users to third-party sources because the drivers can't be incorporated into Microsoft's own update technology. "We're continuing to add approximately 50 a week," Matichuk said.
Despite those challenges, Matichuk remains hopeful that driver nirvana can be reached. "Imagine that once the OS gets released right out of the box, devices just work. We need to nail this for Windows 7."
The most crucial moment for achieving that goal may have already passed, though. Matichuk suggested that drivers included as part of Microsoft's Inbox program, and thus in the core OS at installation, would already need to be present in the pre-beta in order to ensure widespread compatibility. "Ultimately, you need those drivers into the beta build." Other device manufacturers could ensure a successful installation by making their drivers online via Windows Update, he said.
Source: apcmag.com/can_windows_7_overcome_vista_driver_woes.htm
Microsoft is hoping for zero hardware install problems when Windows 7 finally hits the market, but is that really realistic when more than 10% of printer drivers for Vista are still failing to work properly?
However, Microsoft's own internal evidence shows that not everything is working that well in Vista. In a presentation on how to build drivers more effectively in collaboration with Microsoft, senior program manager lead Chris Matichuk disclosed rarely-seen figures from Microsoft's own internal systems that collect data on how Vista performs, principally its Online Crash Analysis and Customer Experience Improvement Program schemes. The data, which covers attempted driver installations for Vista SP1 users during September 2008, shows that in many categories, a significant number of users are still having problems even getting their hardware to work properly.
The biggest embarrassment category is printers, where more than 10% of installations failed. For Windows 7, Microsoft is hoping its new integrated approach in Windows 7 to device management will allow more successful installations of multi-function printers, which in Vista often show up as multiple devices. However, if a tenth of them don't show up at all, there's clearly some more fundamental work to be done.
Modems, though utilised by far fewer people, were also a major source of problems, with 8.64% failing to install. (I'd hazard a guess that 3G broadband modems, which are notoriously fickle under Vista, are a big part of the problem here.)
"Typically, anything above 3% is not good," Matichuk conceded. "If you look at printers for example, we've got some gaps we need to work through."
Another major challenge for Microsoft is getting more 64-bit drivers released. 64-bit versions of Vista now account for 25% of new system sales in the US, though the global figures are much lower. The performance improvements of the 64-bit version have been somewhat offset by a lack of drivers. Microsoft's own research suggests that while 92% of 32-bit Vista systems could find core drivers in the OS or online, for 64-bit systems the figure is just 83%.
Getting vendors to agree to make drivers available through Windows Update had also proved a time consuming process, and one that doesn't always succeed. Currently for Vista, there are more than 8,000 messages in place in Windows Update pointing users to third-party sources because the drivers can't be incorporated into Microsoft's own update technology. "We're continuing to add approximately 50 a week," Matichuk said.
Despite those challenges, Matichuk remains hopeful that driver nirvana can be reached. "Imagine that once the OS gets released right out of the box, devices just work. We need to nail this for Windows 7."
The most crucial moment for achieving that goal may have already passed, though. Matichuk suggested that drivers included as part of Microsoft's Inbox program, and thus in the core OS at installation, would already need to be present in the pre-beta in order to ensure widespread compatibility. "Ultimately, you need those drivers into the beta build." Other device manufacturers could ensure a successful installation by making their drivers online via Windows Update, he said.
Source: apcmag.com/can_windows_7_overcome_vista_driver_woes.htm
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Ten Surprises in Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2003 felt like a refresh of Windows Server 2000. There were few radical changes, and most of the improvements were fairly under the surface.
Windows Server 2008, on the other hand, is a full-sized helping of 'new and improved'. While the overall package is good, there are a few surprises and hidden delights you may want to know about before deciding if you will be moving to Windows Server 2008 any time soon.
1. The 64-bit revolution is not complete:-
There have been 64-bit editions of Windows Server for years now, and Microsoft has made it quite clear that it wants all of its customers to move to 64-bit operating systems.
That does not mean that you can throw away your 32-bit Windows Server 2008 CD, however.
Over the last few months, I have been shocked, on more than one occasion, by the pieces of Microsoft software that not only do not have 64-bit versions but will not run under a 64-bit operating system (OS) at all. This list includes Team Foundation Server and ISA Server.
If you are planning on moving to 64-bit Windows Server 2008, be prepared to have a 32-bit server or two around, whether on physical hardware or in a virtual machine.
2. Who moved my cheese?
While the changes to the user interface in Windows Server 2008 are not nearly as sweeping as those implemented by the Aero interface in Vista, it has undergone a dramatic rearrangement and renaming of the various applets around the system.
In retrospect, the organisation of these items is much more sensible, but that hardly matters when you have years of experience going to a particular area to find something, only to find it has suddenly changed places. Expect to be a bit frustrated in the Control Panel until you get used to it.
3. Windows Workstation 2008 might catch on
Microsoft has provided the ability to bring the 'Vista desktop experience' into Windows Server 2008.
I doubt that many server administrators were asking for this, but the unusual result is that a number of people are modifying Windows Server 2008 to be as close to a desktop OS as possible.
There have always been a few people who use the server edition of Windows as a desktop, but this makes it much easier and friendlier. These home-brewed efforts are generally referred to as 'Windows Workstation 2008', in case you're interested in trying it out on your own.
4. Hyper-V is good, but…
Hyper-V was one of the most anticipated features of Windows Server 2008, and it's surprisingly good, particularly for a version-one release from Microsoft.
It is stable, easy to install and configure, and does not seem to have any major problems.
For those of us who have been beaten into the 'wait until the third version' or 'don't install until Service Pack 1' mentality, this is a refreshing surprise.
5. …Hyper-V is limited
Hyper-V, while high-quality, is sorely lacking in features.
Considering that it was billed as a real alternative to VMware and other existing solutions, it is a disappointment — to say the least — that it does not seem to include any utilities for importing virtual machines from products other than Virtual PC and Virtual Server. Even those imports are not workaround-free.
6. NT 4 domain migration — it's not happening
If you have been putting off the painful migration from your NT 4 domain until Windows Server 2008 was released, don't keep waiting.
The older version (3.0) Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) supports migrations from NT 4, but not to Windows Server 2008.
The latest version (3.1) supports migrations to Windows Server 2008, but not from NT 4.
Either migrate from NT 4 before changing your domain to be a Windows 2008 domain or get your NT 4 domain upgraded first.
7. The ashtrays are now optional
In prior versions of Windows Server, a lot of applications came installed by default.
No-one ever uninstalled them because they didn't cause any harm, even if you didn't use them or installed an alternative.
Now, even the 'throwaway' applications, like Windows Backup, are not installed by default.
After installation, you need to add features to get the full Windows Server suite of applications. This can be frustrating if you are in a hurry, but the reduced clutter and resource overhead are worth it.
8. Licensing is bewildering
Continuing a hallowed Microsoft tradition, trying to understand the licensing terms of Windows Server 2008 feels like hammering nails with your forehead.
The Standard Edition makes sense, but when you get into the issues around virtualisation in the Enterprise Edition and Datacenter Edition, things can get a bit confusing.
Depending upon your need for virtual machines and the number of physical CPUs (not CPU cores, thankfully) in your server, Enterprise Edition may be cheaper or it may be more expensive than Datacenter Edition.
Windows Server 2008, on the other hand, is a full-sized helping of 'new and improved'. While the overall package is good, there are a few surprises and hidden delights you may want to know about before deciding if you will be moving to Windows Server 2008 any time soon.
1. The 64-bit revolution is not complete:-
There have been 64-bit editions of Windows Server for years now, and Microsoft has made it quite clear that it wants all of its customers to move to 64-bit operating systems.
That does not mean that you can throw away your 32-bit Windows Server 2008 CD, however.
Over the last few months, I have been shocked, on more than one occasion, by the pieces of Microsoft software that not only do not have 64-bit versions but will not run under a 64-bit operating system (OS) at all. This list includes Team Foundation Server and ISA Server.
If you are planning on moving to 64-bit Windows Server 2008, be prepared to have a 32-bit server or two around, whether on physical hardware or in a virtual machine.
2. Who moved my cheese?
While the changes to the user interface in Windows Server 2008 are not nearly as sweeping as those implemented by the Aero interface in Vista, it has undergone a dramatic rearrangement and renaming of the various applets around the system.
In retrospect, the organisation of these items is much more sensible, but that hardly matters when you have years of experience going to a particular area to find something, only to find it has suddenly changed places. Expect to be a bit frustrated in the Control Panel until you get used to it.
3. Windows Workstation 2008 might catch on
Microsoft has provided the ability to bring the 'Vista desktop experience' into Windows Server 2008.
I doubt that many server administrators were asking for this, but the unusual result is that a number of people are modifying Windows Server 2008 to be as close to a desktop OS as possible.
There have always been a few people who use the server edition of Windows as a desktop, but this makes it much easier and friendlier. These home-brewed efforts are generally referred to as 'Windows Workstation 2008', in case you're interested in trying it out on your own.
4. Hyper-V is good, but…
Hyper-V was one of the most anticipated features of Windows Server 2008, and it's surprisingly good, particularly for a version-one release from Microsoft.
It is stable, easy to install and configure, and does not seem to have any major problems.
For those of us who have been beaten into the 'wait until the third version' or 'don't install until Service Pack 1' mentality, this is a refreshing surprise.
5. …Hyper-V is limited
Hyper-V, while high-quality, is sorely lacking in features.
Considering that it was billed as a real alternative to VMware and other existing solutions, it is a disappointment — to say the least — that it does not seem to include any utilities for importing virtual machines from products other than Virtual PC and Virtual Server. Even those imports are not workaround-free.
6. NT 4 domain migration — it's not happening
If you have been putting off the painful migration from your NT 4 domain until Windows Server 2008 was released, don't keep waiting.
The older version (3.0) Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) supports migrations from NT 4, but not to Windows Server 2008.
The latest version (3.1) supports migrations to Windows Server 2008, but not from NT 4.
Either migrate from NT 4 before changing your domain to be a Windows 2008 domain or get your NT 4 domain upgraded first.
7. The ashtrays are now optional
In prior versions of Windows Server, a lot of applications came installed by default.
No-one ever uninstalled them because they didn't cause any harm, even if you didn't use them or installed an alternative.
Now, even the 'throwaway' applications, like Windows Backup, are not installed by default.
After installation, you need to add features to get the full Windows Server suite of applications. This can be frustrating if you are in a hurry, but the reduced clutter and resource overhead are worth it.
8. Licensing is bewildering
Continuing a hallowed Microsoft tradition, trying to understand the licensing terms of Windows Server 2008 feels like hammering nails with your forehead.
The Standard Edition makes sense, but when you get into the issues around virtualisation in the Enterprise Edition and Datacenter Edition, things can get a bit confusing.
Depending upon your need for virtual machines and the number of physical CPUs (not CPU cores, thankfully) in your server, Enterprise Edition may be cheaper or it may be more expensive than Datacenter Edition.
9. There's no bloat
Maybe it's because Vista set expectations of pain, or because hardware has become so much cheaper, but Windows Server 2008 does not feel bloated or slow at all.
Microsoft has done a pretty good job at minimising the installed feature set to the bare minimum, and Server Core can take that even further.
Depending upon your needs, it can be quite possible to upgrade even older equipment to Windows Server 2008 without needing to beef up the hardware.
10. Quality beats expectations
Microsoft customers have developed low expectations of quality over the years.
While the company's track record for initial releases, in terms of security holes and bug counts, seems to be improving, customers are still howling about Vista.
As a result, it has come as a real surprise that the overall reaction to Windows Server 2008 has been muted, to say the least. The horror stories are not flying around like they were, and are, with Vista.
Maybe it's the extra year Microsoft spent working on the product, or different expectations on the part of people who work with servers, but Windows Server 2008 has had a pretty warm reception so far. That speaks a lot about its quality.
Source:resources.zdnet.co.uk/articles/features/0,1000002000,39486976-2,00.htm
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