Business Server Support Services and Solutions

Business Server Support has become a major part of our lives. Any business or office is almost completely dependent on server support today for their operation. Once an office is computerized it may tend to have problems with the server hardware or may end up with some software related issue some time or the other. To take care that the functioning of the business is not affected due to these problems most companies hire the services of an On-Site or Online server support firm which would provide it with the necessary small business server support that it needs from time to time. In case of any problem this firm would give the server support solutions that are required to overcome the problem.

IT experts do a wide variety of jobs which include designing and installation of computer networks, managing the system and various other tasks. Some server support lending firms have such advanced technology that they identify a problem at a very early stage and that tends to work as an alert system. This works as an alarm and major problems can be avoided and huge expenses can be prevented. The server support services firm monitors the functioning of the servers and being a continuous process, problems are identified and addressed at the earliest saving both time and money.

Hiring a competent server support services firm is of utmost importance as it would have all the server solutions which would make the functioning of the business an absolutely smooth process. Over a period the servers tend to slow down and a server support firm which has the right expertise would help you deal with this issue by monitoring the servers and providing effective maintenance at regular intervals. The most well equipped firms offer online server support and this would help in saving a lot of time. They are even capable of identifying a failing hardware which would ensure that no data is lost as recovery measures can be setup at the earliest.

Security issues are a big concern as far as servers are concerned. A capable and proficient server support partner would help in getting the very best out of your servers. Most of the time companies have a requirement of programs which are to be made with certain specifications meeting the demands of the company. Such server solutions can be brought about only with a well experienced team of an efficient server support firm.

If the server is managed by an experienced hand then you can concentrate completely on the functioning of the business. There are such firms which look into the needs of Companies requiring small business computer support to enterprise level support. Such competent firms also have well experienced staff to attend to every problem at the earliest and offer the very best solution.

One should conduct a thorough survey before hiring the server support of any such firm. There are plenty of such support providers but an efficient one is of utmost importance as the functioning of your enterprise is largely dependent on their service and effectiveness.

Network Server Monitoring Support

Have you ever got the feeling that you are being drawn in closer and closer into situation without really taking an active decision to get involved? Ever since I set up my business, I feel that my investments in technology as well as my dependence on it are growing by leaps and bounds on what seems like an everyday basis! First it was PC's, then laptops, then servers and then tech support. Ever since my servers were installed, my latest project is networking support.

I think the jury is unanimous in saying that network is a must and an important investment as network performance issues can result in expensive business delays. There are really three methods of network monitoring support available to a business. The first being having a full time IT person on board who serves as your network resource. I am not really in favor of this method of network for a business such as mine as it is cost intensive and not a 100% reliable. There could be knowledge and availability issues with regard to support that could prove troublesome. The network it must be remembered continues to work for the business even when the office is closed. Therefore, the network that I need has to be 24/7 and one employee would just not cover it.

The second option is of course support software for network. This software available from most major manufacturers is often considered a reliable means of networking support. This network software will track your network and diagnose system issues and look out for virus and the like. Most software will also be able to tell you when you need to expand capacity. It acts like your local vigilante and this software will monitor not only website activity but also employee computer usage.

I have read serious articles on the net that even say that network support software can be worth its wait in gold! Of course caution and due diligence must be exercised while buying network software. There are even free versions of the network support available on the internet.

The third option is remote network via a remote tech services company. The advantage with such a network server support option is that it really marries options one and two and offers you a really workable, affordable and efficient support option. Of course as I mentioned earlier due caution and diligence must be exercised while selecting a vendor. Security is major concern with regard to network support. Another concern with regard to vendor selection is certification and experience. For example if you are looking at a Linux server, your vendor must have Red Hat certification. The norm really is certification on a Microsoft platform and The Microsoft Certified Systems Administration (MCSA) certification assures knowledge of networking

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How to Repair Event ID 454 in Exchange Server?

Each Event ID has a different meaning, like Event ID 454 suggests that the Information Store database has got corrupted due to any cause. In the description part, you would see different error numbers, through which the source of corruption and hence cure can be judged out:

"Information Store (976) Database recovery/restore f th unexpected error Error Number

With Event ID 454, the application wants to tell that there is a problem with the restore or recovery operation with the database. If Exchange Server has detected a missing file, any different version file or the corrupted files in the database, this Event ID can be seen. Now, with different Error numbers, you can find the culprit:

Error 1216: During recovery process, when ESE attempts to bring all the databases in a storage group into a consistent process and finds a database missing, the error may be seen. So locate and restore the missing databases to the appropriate folder. Another cause could be the missing or replaced transactions logs with different versions and hence restore them and have soft EDB recovery. While the restore option, the non-access to the Active Directory can also contribute and so replay the log files.

Error 552: D e generation of patch files which use the same name as of database having .pat file extension, the error may be seen. During restoration from the online backup, these files are written in a single folder and hence only one patch file is available due to overwriting and restoration fails. So try to uniquely name the databases in the single storage group.

Error 2204: If the streaming files have been moved, the error may be seen. So locate or restore them from backup.

Error 501: This occurs due to the corruption of log files. So if the database files are consistent, move all the log files from the folder and if they are not, have Exchange Server support / Recovery from backup or using Eseutil/p.

The situations may arise where you don´t have backup and also don´t want to sacrifice the data with the destructing act of Eseutil. This is the stage when you need some third party help of EDB recovery software. The software prove as a safe play with the corrupted database, giving the extract mecha the affected database.

Stellar Phoenix Mailbox exchange Recovery is the application to have the valuable results of Exchange Server repair. This uses the most powerful EDB repair targeted scanning algorithms to extract the mailboxes. This Exchange Server support software is compatible with Exchange Server 5.5, 2000 and 2003. You can get all the e-mails, notes, cale pointments and other EDB objects, with Exchange Server recovery done.

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Verizon Business Launched Cloud-based Computing-as-a-service

Verizon Business has launched a cloud-based computing-as-a-service product for enterprises and government agencies.

Launched on Wednesday, Verizon Computing as a Service (CaaS) is designed to give medium-sized and large organizations access to computing resources as and when they need them. The resources — server services, network and storage — are accessible through the Verizon Enterprise Center web-based portal.

According to Verizon, a key advantage of cloud-based services such as CaaS is scalability — businesses do not need to buy equipment to deal with seasonal or peak demand, as they can effectively rent capacity in the cloud.

Verizon said CaaS can be used for web-based or corporate applications running over Verizon's public IP network or Private IP, Verizon's multiprotocol label switching-based private network.

The provider added that its CaaS service involves secure connections to resources, a multi-tiered network with a virtual firewall and an audit trail for any changes made to those resources. Its datacentres are also audited for physical security.

Verizon worked with HP, VMware and Red Hat on the development of its CaaS architecture, which lets customers provision either physical and virtual server environments, depending on the type of application that needs to be deployed.

Source: news.zdnet.co.uk

How to Manage Small Business Computer Support Services?

Your small business encounters numerous security threats, some more obvious than others. These events can lead to data loss, cause harm to your competitive advantage, or spoil your daily operations. With increasing technology thefts and security violations, computer security has become a critical part of your overall IT infrastructure.

Small businesses necessitate that additional steps must be taken to secure data on their desktops and workstations. To get the work done, you can look forward to any good technical support company like iYogi Technical Services.

From preventing virus from your computer, averting hackers to access PC, blocking unauthorized access to key company data and helping enforce your computer security, their computer support technicians offer you a comprehensive array of PC security services to protect your small business data.

Here, you can avail services like spyware removal solutions to PC security problems, Install critical system updates, personalized solution to meet your computing needs, and remove unnecessary clutter slowing down your PC. Such tech support resources offer you the best value of your money and can advise the best computer as well as technical work-outs for your small business.

Even if you are just a beginner, you don’t need to worry. Tech support technicians ensure to provide you with the best solutions for your technical queries at their own level.
Whether your small business has computer related needs pertaining to computer hardware or software, you can consider small business tech support resources as a one stop shop for all your computer support requirements.

Tech support resources hire professional staff that can help customers with everything without letting them down on their expectations. They usually take your computer problem through remote session and manage your systems over the Internet. This help[s you to eliminate the expense and headaches of hiring, training, and managing your own internal IT staff.

You earn advantages by having more highly trained support available to you to keep your systems operating at peak efficiency and effectiveness at all times as tech support resources run their services 24x7. This saves you time and money because you are not experiencing downtime waiting for any tech support personnel to get them back into operation.

VM Monitor provides free ESX server monitoring

VM Monitor tool, the picture that is provided is worth a whole lot more. Although this teaser product is limited to monitoring a single ESX server, the output is incredibly useful and provides true at-a-glance status information about the health of your ESX server.

The product installation couldn’t be easier. Simply install SolarWinds VM Monitor, provide the IP address or name of your ESX server as well as that server’s read-only SNMP string, and output like you see below is generated.



n this capture from one of our live ESX servers, you can see that this machine has nine of 10 installed virtual machines powered on with one VM in a critical state due to CPU running at full-throttle. You’ll notice that it’s only the virtual machine’s CPU that’s running at 100% though. The ESX server CPU is still running at only 16% capacity.

To install and use SolarWinds VM Monitor, follow these steps:

1. Using a tool such as PuTTY, SSH to your ESX server and log in as the root user.
2. Allow SNMP traffic to traverse the firewall: esxcfg-firewall -e snmpd.
3. Enable ESX’s SNMP service: service snmpd start.
4. Download the SolarWinds VM Monitor.
5. Extract the contents of the downloaded ZIP file.
6. Double-click SolarWinds-VM-Monitor-v1.0.exe.
7. Run through the installation.
8. When prompted, provide the name or IP address of your ESX server along with the public SNMP string from your ESX server monitoring. The default string is public. If your public string is different, you can find it on your ESX server in the /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf file on the line that starts with rocommunity.

Source: blogs.techrepublic.com.com/datacenter/?p=1027

Nokia Launches Its Most Affordable 3G Phone

Finland's Nokia might be hurting under the economic downturn just like everyone else, but it's still the world's largest maker of mobile handsets, based largely on the enormous numbers of phones it has been able to sell into developing markets around the globe. And Nokia looks to be keeping the pressure on its competitors, today announcing three new handsets aimed specifically at emerging and developing markets…and they're all Internet-ready and capable of tapping into Nokia's growing stable of online and mobile services.

"The power of the internet is undeniable," says Nokia VP Alex Lambeek, in a statement. "We've seen mobile technologies catalyze the growth of the informal sector across the world, empowering local entrepreneurs, and having an immediate and lasting impact on people's lives. Services like Nokia Life Tools and Ovi Mail, combined with the mobile phones we're launching today, bring powerful solutions that can be the gateway to knowledge, entertainment and people, without the need for a PC."

The 2730 and 2730 Fold should be available in the third quarter of 2009; the 7020 will land in selected markets in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Tips for Choosing Right IT Support Services Provider

You need to make sure your computer networks more secure and work efficient to avoid any future loss. Whenever you find problem with your computer systems, you have to take IT support services from a professional support company. IT support services help a company to face troubles with existing information technology infrastructure.

Tips for choosing right IT support Services provider

· Whether large or small, every business requires a range of IT support services from a safe and reliable IT support provider.
· Every IT support provider should have the experience as well as expertise to provide all necessary network installation, network management, email management, network planning, server upgrades and migrations, and disaster recovery solutions.
· IT support providers can advice on improved systems and procedures for better business outputs, using the latest technologies.
· You need to have IT support services provider that can ensure their service matches your support requirements and also stay within your budget.

You can find various reliable and trustworthy IT support companies in UK and they look after your critical data, applications and hardware. As other IT support services, IT Solutions Midlands guides you through daily computer security and network issues and solve them, which as a result helps in improving the efficiency of your computer network system. To focus on your business it is essential to have IT support services when computer problems strike at the most unpredictable times and you need quick reaction times.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Role-and-Tips-For-Choosing-IT-Support-Services&id=2233512

Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Server

Google Apps Connector plugging into BlackBerry Enterprise Server, RIM’s back-end that handles companies’ BlackBerry data. Although e-mail is the main thing, Google Calendar and Contacts will also be synced to your work BlackBerry with this new Google Apps Connector.



Google Maps as a BES install pack for those who want to roll it out internally. That’s a sweet option, since Google Maps for Mobile easily beats the built-in BlackBerry Maps application. Premier and Education Apps users should have Apps Connector available this July, so keep your eyes peeled for the upgrade.

Source: intomobile.com

HP Unveiled a New Server: G6 Server

The HP Proliant G6 line is energy efficient and the company claims that it also maximises productivity for its users.

“The line delivers double the performance of our previous bunch of servers,” said Vincent Lee, country business manager for the industry standard servers and technology solutions group at HP Malaysia.

The range comprises tower, rack and blade servers, and is targetted at all levels of business — from small- and medium-sized companies to conglomerates, he said.

Lee also highlighted the line’s energy-saving features, which is claimed to save up to 80% in energy costs for users, which should be attractive especially now with companies being more environmentally friendly and today’s expensive sources of energy.

HP has fitted its servers with 32 smart sensors that automatically track thermal activity within each device. These sensors adjust system components, such as fans and input/output processors, to optimise cooling activities and increase energy efficiency.

Another power management feature is the servers’ common power-slot design. HP said this helps minimise power waste by allowing users to choose from four power supplies to match their specific workload.

Also, Intel’s Nehalem Xeon 5500 processor enables the Proliant G6 servers to have twice the memory and storage capability of HP’s older line of servers.

For More Details: www.hp.com/go/proliant

Verizon Launches Managed Remote Backup for PCs

Verizon Business today announced that its suite of managed services, Verizon Remote Backup and Restore, will now include PCs as well as servers and will be available globally -- initially in the European/Middle East/African market and coming soon to Asia/Pacific.

The Verizon Remote Backup and Restore service enables enterprises to replace the tape systems many use today to back up their data and applications to protect against computer network failures. By providing an automatic, network-based backup system, Verizon simplifies the process of keeping data backups up-to-date while alleviating the burden on corporate networks, said Anthony Kessel, senior product manager, IT Solutions.

Additionally, Verizon also uses a technology known as "de-deuplication" in order to sift through the data and make sure that it doesn't copy any data that it has been already stored in its data center. Verizon says eliminating redundant data has the added benefit of reducing bandwidth requirements for companies sending their data over the Verizon data centers every day.

Chris Alvord, the CEO of business continuity software vendor COOP Systems, says his company has used the Remote Backup and Restore service for company servers for the past few years and has found it to be a real time saver.

"We'd much rather spend our time on more complicated tasks in our business such as dependency graph mapping instead of figuring out how we have to adjust our hardware infrastructure for backup," he says. "It would take a lot of time, effort and money and we don't want to do that."

Verizon's backup services for PCs will become available this week in the United States and Europe. The company says the services will be available to enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year.

Source: pcworld.com

Role of IT Support Services

IT support Services companies ensure to keep business data safe while maintaining network security, server upgrades and migrations, email management services and disaster recovery solutions. Such qualified and experienced technicians help you to run your business smoothly. Therefore, there is high need to have a contract with an IT support service company as well as recommended.

It is the responsibility of the IT support provider to ensure the effortless running of all computer systems and entire network.

• Install and configure operating systems as per the agreed standards.
• Give assistance in maintenance and compilation of all significant software and hardware.
• In server failure condition, IT support services provides the facility for disaster recovery solutions for your data as well as server upgrade and if needed migrate to other improved systems.
• Provide secure backup services with complete email management, even remotely.
• Provide repair services and troubleshooting for small and large businesses and always help you get access to the newest technology.
• Find solutions to all those problems that can hinder the smooth working of an organization or business.
• Provide proactive network installation for your network support requirements and a complete range of support packages and systems.
• Most IT support firms offer phone and online support and no need to wait for an engineer to come out to your office.
• Network support services include data security that helps you to detect promptly any computer virus and hacker threats.
• Ensure that all the software and the help desk systems are being kept up-to-date.

Source: Ezinearticles

Dell Offers SMBs Managed IT Services

Computer maker Dell announced the availability of ProManage-Managed Services, which the company said was “built from the ground up” for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs). The Web-based service actively monitors and manages IT networks and helps prevents system issues before they occur. Service packages start at $9 per month with no long-term contract required.

ProManage-Managed Services offers three levels of service; alerts, which provides round-the-clock remote monitoring that checks the health of networks, servers, PCs and applications, including non-Dell systems; resolution, monitoring with remote issue resolution for all monitored hardware, applications, anti-virus software, and Windows Services, and Management, which couples alerts and resolution with end-user support, increased security functions, asset tracking and assessment services.

All three levels of service are monitored 24/7. When an event takes place, Dell’s Network Operating Center alerts customers or their solution provider, while the Service Desk can fix the issues remotely. Additionally, each business is assigned a local field force that can be onsite quickly to resolve problems, perform assessments and help plan future growth prospects.

The expansion of the program to more than 5,500 U.S. towns and cities follows two successful pilot tests in Dallas and New York City, where Dell said it helped one customer, Euless, Texas-based TheAttorneyStore, (now GetLegal.com) increase staff productivity by as much as 60 percent.

Source: eweek.com/c/a/Midmarket/Dell-Offers-SMBs-Managed-IT-Services--347762/

Patches to Repair Excel Hole

Microsoft on Thursday said next week's Patch Tuesday would include eight patches, five of them critical, including one addressing a vulnerability in Excel.

the fact that both that Excel vulnerability and the Excel patch slated for Tuesday affect Microsoft Office 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2007, as well as Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for the Mac, it could be the same weakness.

Security firm Symantec said in February that it had discovered malicious files in the wild in Japan that attempt to exploit the Excel Unspecified Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. The attack requires a computer user to open an attachment sent via e-mail that has a maliciously crafted Excel document.

Also on Tuesday, Microsoft will provide updates addressing critical remote code execution vulnerability in Internet Explorer, Windows, and Office, and less severe vulnerabilities in Windows and Microsoft's Forefront Edge Security.

Affected software includes IE 7, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Server 2003, and Server 2008, according to Microsoft's advance-notification bulletin, released on the Thursday before every Patch Tuesday, which is the second Tuesday of the month.

Source: news.cnet.com

Server 2008 R2 set to launch With Windows 7

Microsoft hinted that Windows Server 2008 R2 will be ready to launch alongside Windows 7 later end of this year.

It is already decided that windows server 2008 R2 will released alongside Windows 7 but date is not decided yet. The synchronization of the Server 2008 launch now looks almost certain to be one of those.

Launching the two products simultaneously makes sense, not least because several of the business features in Windows 7 are dependent on a Server 2008 R2 infrastructure.

New additions such as Direct Access (a no-fuss alternative to VPN access to company networks) and Branch Cache (a feature that stores copies of files on local PCs and servers, reducing the amount of time it takes satellite offices to download files) are both only available to companies running Server 2008 R2.

Source: pcpro.co.uk

How to Save Your Computer Against Conficker Virus

Conficker, also known as Downadup or Kido, is the latest super virus to spread around the Internet and has security experts in a panic. When last we checked, about a week ago, Conficker had already spread to 9 million PCs, with little sign of slowing. Now it has infected at least 10 million PCs and experts believe there may be up to 350 million vulnerable computers out there.

The worm isn't just exploiting a networking hole, however; it features a sophisticated method of cracking administrator passwords, making it difficult to remove, and also copies itself to USB drives so that it can spread even when the online flaw is plugged.

But there are easy ways to figure out whether a computer has the Conficker worm. There are also free tools to get rid of it.

Among other things, the worm blocks PCs from accessing the antivirus vendors' and Microsoft's Web sites. That keeps its PC victims from getting updates about the worm and downloading removal tools.

If you can surf the Internet freely except for sites owned by Microsoft or antivirus vendors, that's a good sign your computer is infected.

Here are some suggestions for getting rid of the Conflicker worm:

Computer users should apply the Microsoft patch and update their antivirus and other security software.

Panda also has released a free "vaccine tool" for blocking viruses that spread through USB drives.

Use Microsoft Conficker removal tool.

How to Check Performance Counter from Windows PowerShell?

You can easily use the Get-Counter cmdlet to check the value of a performance counter. If you use the -Continuous switch, the up-to-date value will be displayed. Simply pass the name of the counter you want to view and the server the counter should be monitored on. For example, to monitor the IO Writes counter on CSV Volume 1 on the server SAVDALVS01, run the following command. PS C:\> Get-Counter '\\savdalvs01\Cluster Shared Volumes(\ClusterStorage\Volume1)\IO Writes' -Continuous Timestamp CounterSamples --------- -------------- 3/18/2009 1:23:35 PM \\savdalvs01\cluster shared volumes(\clusterstorage\volume1)\io writes : 1545503 3/18/2009 1:23:36 PM \\savdalvs01\cluster shared volumes(\clusterstorage\volume1)\io writes : 1545504 3/18/2009 1:23:37 PM \\savdalvs01\cluster shared volumes(\clusterstorage\volume1)\io writes : 1545512

Note that you can easily monitor a value on any server, not just the local server. Related Reading: PowerShell 101, Lesson 1 PowerShell Got Smart About Smart Quotes Q. How can I use Windows PowerShell to return a list of machine services in a designated state? VMware and PowerShell: Managing ESX Server from the Command Lin.

Source: http://windowsitpro.com/mobile/pda/Article.cfm?ArticleID=101749&FAQ=1

A Security Threat - Filesystem Fragmentation

Filesystem fragmentation is a problem with which many computer users are familiar. Many, however, are not.

Filesystem fragmentation reduces performance so that we have to wait for long time to get applications to respond.

One who know these basic problems of filesystem fragmentation also know about defragmentation programs & even even use them. A lot of people don't use them nearly enough. That can be especially important considering the security implications.

The list of immediate security concerns is short, but considering the relative ease with which defragmentation can (usually) be accomplished, they're important enough to go to the trouble when you need it.

Security problems include three key issues:

1. disaster recovery: If your system suffers some kind of filesystem corruption, and you need to recover the data, many recovery tools can do so using a file allocation table. If that is corrupt, though, a longer and more difficult process needs to be used--and if your filesystem was significantly fragmented, that can increase the difficulty of a successful recovery quite a lot, as recovery tools will tend to have a harder time reconstructing complete files. Obviously, you should have good, up-to-date backups, but if the filesystem is corrupted between when critical data arrived and when the next backup was scheduled, this may be a very real problem for your data security.
2. I/O activity: The more fragmented the data on your drive, the more physical operations a drive has to make to read the data your system needs and write data you wish to save. This can consume more power, generate greater heat, and degrade your system more quickly because of wear on the moving parts. Standard SSDs (solid-state drives) are limited to a particular number of write operations due to integral design characteristics required to make them maintain state when power is cut, which means that greater fragmentation can reduce operational lifespan as well, though the defragmentation process itself will also reduce the life of an SSD. Such circumstances can threaten data security in the long run due to the growing likelihood of an eventual crash.
3. performance: You may think that reduced performance is just an annoyance, but it isn't. It also affects the speed, efficiency, and effectiveness of security software such as application layer firewalls and virus scanners. Virus scanners in particular are affected, because they are not only directly affected when the scanner applications and their virus definitions are fragmented, but also because they have to be able to scan the entire filesystem regularly to provide complete protection. Making backups can also suffer.

Source From: http://www.zdnetasia.com/techguide/security/0,39044901,62052220,00.htm

H.P. Home Server Embraces Both Mac and PC

Like cats and dogs, confirmed Mac and PC believers have a few things in common. The USB port, for instance, is one. And both systems use electricity.

Now Hewlett-Packard, while not exactly playing matchmaker, has arranged a way to bring together both sides digitally, if not philosophically.

Home servers — devices that work mainly in the background — are part of a category that doesn’t resonate much with consumers, especially since the options for storing data have become so inexpensive and even fashionable . But H.P. is skewing its new home server, the MediaSmart, as one with a dual personality: it provides a centralized media storeroom — for photos, music, video, and more — for both Windows and Apple computers. And it’s priced not to break the bank, starting at about $600 for the 750-gigabyte version, and expandable to up to nine terabytes.

So what can a home server do?

* Centralize files from all your PCs at home, and provide access to those files over the Web from just about anywhere you can get to broadband via a wired connection;
* Provide a method for backing up data. In the case of the H.P. model, it automatically saves content on machines running Windows or Mac OS X Leopard’s integrated Time Machine system;
* Become a super-jukebox, distributing iTunes content all around the house;
* Push images, from H.P.’s Photo Publisher location, to sharing sites like Facebook or to your family and friends;

The MediaSmart is about 10 inches high, 5.5 inches wide and just over 9 inches deep. It will sit neatly in place of that old beige box on a desktop.

Source: gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com

10 reasons why Linux isn't triumphing over Windows

1: Cost comparisons are often misleading

Let’s get what may be the most controversial point out of the way early. First, in the server space especially, we should try to compare apples to apples. This means comparing Windows Server to paid Linux. By far the most dominant flavor is Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), with about a two-thirds share of the paid enterprise Linux market, so this seems the most logical comparison. While there are plenty of free options out there, such as CentOS, for a business running mission-critical workloads, an unsupported operating system is a hard pill to swallow.

There are a couple of ways we can look at cost, neither of which is nearly as flattering to Linux as one might expect. First, we can look at the costs directly related to the acquisition of the platform. RHEL is a subscription-based license, meaning that rather than pay for the software itself, you pay for server support. This doesn’t mean just phone tech support or troubleshooting (although that is included too, whether you want it or not) but also includes standard patches and bug fixes. Standard support for RHEL 5 Advanced Platform is $1,499 per year per server, or $4,047 for three years. Compare this with $3,999 for Windows Server 2008 Enterprise edition with free patching and bug fixes, and you can basically call it a wash unless you use a ton of phone support. And there are also features that aren’t included and must be purchased separately, such as Red Hat Directory Server — thousands more per year.

The other way of looking at cost is total cost of ownership (TCO) of the platform, and this leads into our next issue.

2: Expert talent is more readily available

When looking at TCO, we’re not just looking at the software costs but also at staffing and administration costs, costs due to downtime, hardware costs, etc. Of these, staffing is the largest, accounting for more than half of the TCO. Here, Windows wins out because IT pros experienced with Windows are much more plentiful and generally cheaper to hire than Linux experts and because they can often be more productive.

With Linux, efficient management over many machines usually means going to the command line and pounding out a script to automate a process — which is cool. However, with Windows Server 2008, PowerShell is now built in, which means the Windows guys can do that too, arguably better. Add that to the System Center family of tools, where virtually all management tasks are available at the click of a button (and which really have no peer on the Linux side), and Windows is simply easier to manage.

3: Linux isn’t actually trying to compete head-to-head

The last reason Linux isn’t triumphing over Windows in the server space is that it’s not really the primary focus. Right now, both Linux and Windows are gaining in server market share. How is that possible? Old granddaddy UNIX is being thrown under the bus to make it happen. Today, companies are dumping their old mainframe or proprietary UNIX servers for cheaper x86-based commodity hardware. It’s easy for a Linux sales guy to come in and make the value proposition: “It’s essentially the UNIX you know and love, but it runs on hardware a fraction of the cost.”

Unfortunately, the market for UNIX conversions and mainframe modernization is drying up. When those deals are gone, Linux will have to compete head-to-head with Windows to continue its growth, and this is a much harder proposition to make. Why should an organization already using Windows change platforms and have to build whole new skill sets around Linux?

4: Windows offers familiarity and ease of use

Let’s face it: Whatever else you might say about Windows, it is easier to use. We love our Start menu and our Task Manager and our system tray. Some of us are even starting to love our Vista Sidebar and gadgets. Young adults today never had to use MS-DOS, even if they started using computers at an early age, so they aren’t going to be comfortable at a Linux command line.

Don’t get me wrong — Linux has come a long way. But remember how far back it has had to come from — where just managing to install the operating system for a non-expert was considered a major triumph. There are still too many things in the Linux world that are expected to be done manually, like program installation. A majority of users will say, “I might have to compile something myself? No thanks.”

5: More software is available

Here’s another one that’s a pretty clear edge for Windows. It isn’t about being able to play the newest games, even if that is one of the most often raised issues against using Linux. Simply because Windows is the dominant operating system, there is much more software available for it than for Linux. Much of it comes from evil Microsoft itself.

A good example goes straight to one of open source’s greatest recent successes: OpenOffice. OpenOffice is great software… considering it’s free. I use it when I’m in a pinch on somebody else’s computer. It’s almost certainly adequate for a light user or a student typing up a couple of essays. As a writer, however, I can’t imagine being stuck without Microsoft Office for long. When it comes to features like SmartArt, quick table generation, editing and review functions, and inserting basically any kind of object into a document, there is no comparison. When you go beyond the word processor to the presentation software or spreadsheets, the gap grows even wider.

Now of course much of our favorite Windows software can be run using an emulator such as Wine, or on a virtual machine running Windows — but if we find ourselves doing that all the time, why use Linux in the first place?

For next five reasons you can visit here: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=556