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2008-12-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

Apple Laptops : The Hits Keep Coming
The latest MacBook and MacBook Pro enhancements should keep the hot streak going

Apple (AAPL) is the only company I know that can tell its customers what they want and make them like it. Nobody else has pulled that off since Henry Ford decreed that consumers could get a Model T in any color they liked as long as it was black. The latest MacBook and MacBook Pro computers suggest that Apple has not lost its touch.

The difference between Apple and the rest of the industry is stark. Dell (DELL) sells 26 laptop models, each available in many configurations, while Apple offers five, with few hardware options. The average selling price for MacBooks and MacBook Pros in September was $1,483, compared with $689 for Windows notebooks, according to market researcher NPD Group. The point isn't that Macs are overpriced for what they are but that Apple offers only high-end products. Yet despite these seeming disadvantages in variety and price, NPD notes, Macs grabbed nearly 18% of the U.S. retail notebook market in September, a jump of nearly three percentage points since last year.

It's not easy to come up with a dramatic design breakthrough in what is largely a mature product category. Last year, Apple offered the revolutionary MacBook Air, but its extreme thinness and lightness was achieved at a sacrifice in functionality that wouldn't be O.K. in its workhorse laptops.
A Solid Lineup

The latest notebooks should keep Apple's winning streak going. The two new products are a 15-in. MacBook Pro (from $1,999) and a 13.3-in. MacBook (from $1,299), now in a Pro-like aluminum case. Rounding out Apple's family are the old white MacBook ($999), the 17-in. MacBook Pro (from $2,799), and the Air (from $1,799). The last two models got processor and graphics upgrades but are otherwise unchanged.

The most striking feature of the new laptops is their huge and extremely usable touch pad. I have long preferred pointing sticks to touch pads, but Apple's latest innovation might change my mind. As in the last generation of MacBooks, this pad uses multitouch: One finger moves the cursor, two fingers scroll the display. What's new is there's no button—just press firmly on the pad, and you feel a button-like click. One finger gives a standard mouse click. Press with two and you bring up a menu appropriate for what you are doing, just like a right click on the mouse. It's simple, and it works.

The MacBook Pro is equipped with two Nvidia (NVDA) graphics adapters. Users can switch between a GeForce 9600M GT to get maximum performance for games, video editing, or other graphically intense applications, and a less capable 9400M chip for best battery life. Expect similar dual-graphics technology to show up on high-end Windows notebooks as well.
Older Hardware Connections Impacted

MacBook fans may find some other changes disconcerting. Apple is relentless in scrapping old technologies. This time, that may be painful for users of older external monitors and video cameras. Both new Mac models use an external video connector called DisplayPort that only plugs directly into the new $899 Apple LED Cinema Display. For all other monitors, you'll need a $29 adapter. Try using an older video camera and there's a worse catch. Apple has eliminated the FireWire port on the MacBook, rendering cameras that connect to computers only with a Firewire cable unusable. The Pro does have a FireWire port, but it's a new version, called 800, so you'll need another adapter cable to use it with a FireWire 400 camera.

With special software, it is now easy to run Microsoft Outlook and other Windows programs on the Mac. I use VMware's Fusion 2.0 virtual machine software on the MacBook Pro, and the results are so good that I'm longing to take a Mac laptop on the road. But that's where Apple's limited variety is a problem. At 4½ lb., even the 13-in. MacBook is too heavy, while the Air is too limited. Oh, well. Apple has never tried to be all things to all people. It may not solve my problem, but Apple's way seems to work just fine for the company and most of its fans.

2008-12-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

Cisco's Bid To Remake the Net for the Video Age

Cisco Systems has dominated its markets for the past fifteen years. But compared with the other great tech companies, the company has always seemed to be more of a beneficiary of mega-trends, than a creator of them. IBM created the computer industry in its image in the 1960s and 1970s. Microsoft and Intel drove the PC revolution in the 1980s and 1990s. Google is leading the way into the cloud computing era. But Cisco? Whether fair or not, the general impression is that it was in the right place at the right time, as the top maker of basic networking gear just as the Net Economy was exploding.

Now, Cisco wants to put its stamp on the next epoch of the Net’s development, with a concept it calls the “MediaNet.” The idea is to meld together a range of technologies and services that will make the Net far better at handling video and other rich media. For many people, video is kind of sideshow on the Net—a medium for watching the occasional YouTube video before getting back to real work. But MediaNet “will make video the natural language of the Internet,” says Cisco senior vice president of emerging technologies Marthin De Beer. “We think this will be as big or bigger than the World Wide Web. This is Web 3.0 we’re talking about here.”

At a high level, MediaNet is a powerful, and necessary, idea. One element in a range of announcements today is a new study that predicts a six-fold increase in Net traffic by 2012—by which time 90% of the bits will be for video rather than the text and images the Web was initially designed for. Of course, Cisco has every reason to set such expectations, since video is a bandwidth hog that could keep the company on a steep growth path for many years to come. (Interestingly, Cisco thinks the vast majority of this video will be of the professional type, rather than user-generated media. By then, Cisco believes Hollywood and other professional content creators will have embraced IP as a more efficient means to reach the world’s consumers, whether delivered straight over the Net to your PC or via your cable or phone carrier's IPTV service).

So what will the MediaNet do? For starters, it will enable the Net to bear the burden of this increased video load. (Here's a CNET piece with their view of the initiative.) But the company also feels video can be delivered in far more useful, entertaining ways. Just as Cisco has built aspects of security, VoIP and other technologies right into its basic networking products, it wants to do the same with promising new technologies such as video search. That way, it would be far easier to not only find a particular video clip (say, of Obama’s inauguration address), but actually find the few seconds you’re interested in (say, Obama’s comments about the Detroit bail-out). Companies would be able to do the same with in-house video content--including, if Cisco has its way, of hours of videoconferencing sessions you're company will be having using its tele-presence systems.

Here's another key part of the vision: Cisco says Moore’s Law has progressed to the point that it can now solve the incompatibility problems that have plagued the Net video world. One job of a new product announced today called the Media Experience Engine will be to automatically handle conversions between data formats, screen sizes and device sizes. That way, a video shot on a Flip video camera would be adjusted within milliseconds to look as good as possible on a 50-inch LCD. Or an HD broadcast of this week's Bears game could be compressed and resized for quick viewing on an iPhone while you're in the cab from the airport. “Everyone is going to have to buy a lot more bandwidth [as the amount of video on the Net increases]," says De Beer. “But the MediaNet answers a different question: how do we make video pervasive and useful, to anyone on any device.” He even foresees the day when businessman from different lands could have videoconferences with instantaneous language translation.

It’s all very sweeping and sexy, which is what makes me skeptical. For now, MediaNet seems to be an overly-broad marketing initiative, large enough to include pretty much any video-related product the company chooses to sell (or acquire; here's a good New York Times piece on new video search offerings). Also, I wonder how Cisco will garner industry support, for a plan that would clearly enhance the company's already dominant position in a host of markets.

And yet that same breadth of influence is why MediaNet just might give Cisco the thought leadership it covets. As the dominant networking provider across all major segments, it has a say over how a movie studio distributes its flicks via the Net; over the wired and wireless networks the phone and cable companies use to get them to their destination; and over the in-home gear consumers will use to receive and watch those movies. As such, Cisco is the only company that can influence the entire online video ecoystem. “Cisco was the inventor of the Internet from a router point of view, and we will be very involved in building the next phase of the Internet and the next generation of Internet experiences,” says De Beer.

So get ready to hear a lot more about the MediaNet, starting with CEO John Chambers’ comments at its annual meeting with Wall Street analysts on Dec. 9. But what’s your hunch? Will this MediaNet idea help Cisco upgrade its reputation from the Internet's top plumber, to one of its key architects? Or will MediaNet be forgotten a year from now--just one more breathless marketing campaign that failed to find traction?

2008-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

Study: OpenOffice five times more popular than Google Docs
But both still lag behind Microsoft, which hopes to cement its lead with Office Web

November 14, 2008 (Computerworld) Confirming recent comments by Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer, an independent study released Friday found OpenOffice.org's free office suite to be five times more popular among adult U.S. internet users than Google Docs.
Microsoft Office remains dominant, with 51% of American internet users over age 18 using it, according to a 6-month study conducted by market researcher ClickStream Technologies.
OpenOffice.org was used by 5% of people, versus Google Docs' 1%, according to the survey of 2,400 users on their home PCs conducted between May and November of this year. OpenOffice.org was also found to be used more often, 8.7 days, versus 1.5 days; and longer, an average of 9.3 minutes, versus 3.4 minutes for Google Docs, according to ClickStream's panel, of which two-thirds was comprised of women.
During a keynote speech at a Gartner Inc. conference last month, Ballmer said: "We have better competition today than Google Docs and Spreadsheets. We get more competition from OpenOffice and StarOffice, frankly."
Microsoft hopes to cement that domination with its upcoming Office Web, as well as online versions of its Exchange and SharePoint products to be announced on Monday.
OpenOffice.org may provide some resistance, however. The latest version, OpenOffice.org 3.0, had a strong first week in October, with more than 3 million downloads. After one month, OpenOffice.org 3.0 had been downloaded 10 million times, the group said.
ClickStream also found that 68% of Google Docs or Spreadsheets users also used Microsoft Word at least once, "indicating that Google Docs has yet to be considered a stand-alone product by most of its users."
In contrast, 74% of OpenOffice users didn't use Word at all.
"Although Google Docs and Spreadsheets has been touted as a potential competitor to the Microsoft Office Suite, OpenOffice is currently the more likely app to take that position, possibly indicating the value of offline and local processing enabled by installed applications," said ClickStream.
A Google spokesman said in response to ClickStream's finding, "Google Docs has millions of active users and hosts tens of millions of documents. It has seen strong and steady growth since it launched two years ago as people have increasingly shifted to the cloud in order to access and collaborate on documents online."
ClickStream's figures are not surprising. A NPD Group Inc. survey reported similar findings last year.
But the ClickStream findings may arouse some skepticism. The company's CEO, Cameron Turner, formerly worked at Microsoft doing similar market research on Microsoft Office and its competitors.
Turner said ClickStream was not paid by Microsoft to conduct this study.
He added that ClickStream does paid research projects for a number of software vendors, including Microsoft and a major competitor, Adobe Systems Inc. It also monitors the use of Mac and Linux software.
According to ClickStream's findings, Google Docs was even less popular than Corel Corp.'s WordPerfect suite.
Version 12 of WordPerfect alone was used by 3% of users, according to ClickStream's panel, which includes users recruited through cash and prizes, making it the third most popular productivity application behind OpenOffice.org. Adding up versions 9 through 13 of WordPerfect gave it a total usage of 6%, though ClickStream said the likelihood of overlap meant that its actual share was still lower than that of OpenOffice.org.
ClickStream's figures for OpenOffice.org include usage of StarOffice, a near-identical version that is sold for $70 and officially supported by Sun Microsystems Inc. Google began distributing StarOffice via its free Google Pack download service in August 2007.
But it recently pulled StarOffice from Google Pack, suggesting that Google is starting to feel competitive with OpenOffice.org.
Not so, says Google. "We are constantly evaluating which products to include in Google Pack to make it more valuable to users. At this time the agreement to distribute StarOffice through Google Pack has expired, and we have decided with Sun not to renew the agreement," a spokesman said.
Other free Microsoft word processers are actually far more popular than OpenOffice.org or Google Docs. Notepad was used by 48% of those surveyed by ClickStream, though more sparingly than OpenOffice.org. WordPad, meanwhile, was used by 21% of apparently thrifty users.
Fewer than 1% of users used Zoho Office, while none of ClickStream's sample used ThinkFree or WriteBoard.

2008-11-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Intel launches Core i7 as PC demand softens
The processors are much more powerful than Intel's current desktop products

November 15, 2008 (IDG News Service) Intel began sales of its high-end Core i7 desktop chips in Tokyo late Saturday night, bringing to market a series of processors that are significantly more powerful than any of the company's current desktop products.
In a move intended to stoke demand among Japanese PC enthusiasts, shops in Akihabara, Tokyo's main electronics district, stayed open past midnight to put the first Core i7 chips on sale. The launch preempted a San Francisco news conference planned for Monday, as signs increasingly point to softening global demand for computers.
"This is a major new architecture for Intel and to be able to launch it here first to the user-community that Akihabara supports is a really exciting thing for us to do," said Steve Dallman, vice president of sales and marketing and general manager of Intel's worldwide reseller channel organization, shortly after the midnight launch. He was referring to the PC hobbyists and gamers who crowd the areas electronics stores in search of components to build their own computers.
"One of the features in the new processor I think they are going to be very excited about is Turbo-mode," he said. "There's also Turbo-tuning, which allows them to go in for the first time and tune 20 different parameters to optimize the performance of the processor."
The 3.2GHz Core i7 965 Extreme Edition is priced at $999, while the 2.93GHz Core i7 940 and 2.66GHz Core i7 920 are priced at $562 and $284, respectively. Additional versions of Nehalem targeted at other market segments, including laptops, are expected to be released next year.
Several hundred people crowded stores that were open from around 10 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday to check out the new chip and buy it. It was offered alongside compatible motherboards and other components.
"We ran-out of the high-end ones, the 965 processors, and the motherboards above ¥40,000 (US$410)," said Keisuke Kurashi, manager of the Faith store in the electronics district.
Core i7 is the first chip series based on Intel's Nehalem architecture to hit the market. Manufactured using a 45-nanometer process, these chips differ from Intel's existing products in several ways, most notably with the inclusion of an on-chip memory controller and faster links that connect the processor with main memory.
The chips that went on sale late Saturday aren't for the average user.
The first Core i7 processors were designed for systems aimed at gamers and other high-end users, and not the mass market, said Bryan Ma, director of personal systems research at IDC Asia-Pacific.
Despite the challenging economic environment, the release of Core i7 gives Intel a boost by strengthening its desktop product line and will keep the company one step ahead of rival AMD in the high-end desktop space. "They need to stay competitive," Ma said.

The Core i7 launch comes as overall PC demand is weakening in markets around the world. To what extent the new chips will convince buyers to upgrade their systems remains to be seen, and industry observers will be watching closely.

On Wednesday, Intel sent stock markets diving with a warning that it's fourth-quarter revenue will be sharply lower than the company's earlier estimates, signaling that demand for PCs was falling short of expectations. The chip maker also warned that gross margins, a broad measure of the company's profitability, will be lower than expected at 55 percent instead of the previous estimate of 59 percent.

"Revenue is being affected by significantly weaker than expected demand in all geographies and market segments," Intel said in a statement.

Intel said the revised gross margin estimate was primarily caused by lower revenue projections, but also blamed "other charges associated with the weaker-than-expected demand environment."

Those other charges include the cost of excess capacity and inventory write-offs, according to a research note put out by Credit Suisse analyst John Pitzer, who said the slowdown in PC demand will persist beyond December.

"We expect the weaker demand environment to persist into at least 1H09," Pitzer wrote, referring to the first half of next year.

As a result, Pitzer lowered his 2009 revenue forecast for Intel to $33.8 billion, a decline of 12% compared to his 2008 forecast. He also said Intel's gross margin could fall to 50% during the first quarter of 2009 due to lower revenue, the cost of carrying excess production capacity, inventory write-offs, and startup costs for Intel's upcoming 32-nanometer process technology.

2008-10-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

Intel's Moorestown platform to get 3.5G support

HSPA support in Moorestown hints Intel recognizes that users will want an alternative to WiMax for connecting wirelessly outside of Wi-Fi hotspots

Intel's upcoming Moorestown chip platform will include optional support for high-speed cellular data services when it hits the market in 2009 or 2010, Intel said Monday.

Moorestown will be based on Lincroft, a system-on-chip that includes an Atom processor core and a memory controller hub, and a chip set called Langwell. Designed for small, handheld computers that Intel calls MIDs (mobile Internet devices), Moorestown will offer optional support for both WiMax and HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) cellular networks.

[ See related story, "Intel video shows first Moorestown device." And get the latest on mobile developments with InfoWorld's Mobile Report newsletter. ]

Intel is heavily pushing WiMax, which it sees as the best option for future wireless broadband services. But WiMax availability is very limited and it will take time for networks to enter commercial operation and expand their coverage areas. The addition of HSPA support to Moorestown hints that Intel recognizes that WiMax may not be extensively deployed as quickly as it would like, and users will want an alternative way of connecting wirelessly outside of Wi-Fi hotspots.

This isn't the first time Intel has flirted with offering 3G support to computers. In 2007, the company shelved an agreement with Nokia to provide 3G modules for Centrino laptops, saying customer interest in the technology was lukewarm.

That appears to be changing. At the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco during August, Belgium's Option showed off HSPA modules it developed for MIDs based on Intel's Atom. On Monday, Intel announced that Option and telecom equipment maker Ericsson will make low-power HSPA modules that will be offered as an option with Moorestown.

Intel is making its own WiMax module for Moorestown. The module, code-named Evans Peak, made an appearance at the Ceatec show in Japan during late September.

2008-10-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

Ericsson achieves 100Mbps rates in LTE trials

Ericsson expects that the first commercial network of LTE next-generation mobile technology will go live in the fourth quarter of 2009

Ericsson has managed to achieve rates in excess of 100Mbps with next-generation mobile technology LTE (Long Term Evolution) during recent field trials.

LTE is pitched as a successor to the 3G (third generation) mobile services such as the European UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and similar wide-band CDMA (W-CDMA) services.

[ For more on LTE and its struggle to become the dominant architecture for broadband wireless infrastructure , read "The looming battle over wireless broadband." And find out more about rival WiMax in InfoWorld's report "Does WiMax work in the real world?" ]

Ericsson's goal in the field trials was to show that LTE works all the way from the base station to the terminal. "It's always easy to say that you can get a certain speed in a lab environment, but here we have used real antennas and real distances to the terminals, and also in a moving vehicle," said Lars Tilly, head of research at Ericsson Mobile Platforms.

Using four transmit streams (the maximum number supported in the LTE standard), four receive antennas and bandwidth of 10MHz, the measured peak rates exceeded 130Mbps. This translates into approximately 260Mbps, given the maximum bandwidth of 20MHz, according to an article in Ericsson Review.

"Not everyone will be able to get 100Mbps. You need pretty good conditions for it to work, and you need to be relatively close to the base stations, a couple of hundred meters," said Tilly.

The company also evaluated application-level performance using two transmit and two receive antennas, and the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) bit rate was more than 40Mbps at least 50 percent of the time and more than 100Mbps at least 10 percent of the time along a test route, which a majority of the time stayed within 1 kilometer from the test site.

The test also shows how important it is to use MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) to get the most out of LTE. Using four transmit and receive antennas increase performance by a factor of three compared to a basic setup. But at the same time Ericsson warns that MIMO-related gains are strongly dependent on radio conditions.

All the major telecommunications equipment vendors are currently working at full speed to get LTE out the door, according to Martin Gutberlet, analyst at Gartner.

He isn't worried about the base stations. Instead it's the lack of access to the necessary spectrum, which still hasn't been handed out in many European countries, including U.K., France, and Germany, that could lead to delays, according to Gutberlet.

Ericsson expects that the first commercial LTE network will go live in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to a spokeswoman.

2008-10-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

Google set to release Android source code
By making the source code for its mobile OS open, Google expects that a wide variety of applications will appear as well as cheaper and faster phones

Google planned to announce on Tuesday that the source code for its mobile operating system, Android, is now available for anyone to use free. The move was expected, although the timing was uncertain.

» Back to special report: Google Android: Invader from beyond

Developers can find the source code on the Web site for the Android Open Source Project.

[ Read the review of T-Mobile's new Android-based phone, and take InfoWorld's slideshow tour of the T-Mobile G1. | Catch up on all the developments with Google Android in InfoWorld's special report. ]

"An open-sourced mobile platform, that's constantly being improved upon by the community and is available for everyone to use, speeds innovation, is an engine of economic opportunity and provides a better mobile experience for users," said Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google, in a statement.

The first Android phone isn't yet on the market -- the G1 goes on sale in the United States from T-Mobile on Wednesday. Journalists were first able to publish reviews of the G1 last week.

Google expects that by making the source code for the operating system open, a wide variety of applications will appear, as will cheaper and faster phones.

But Google's model for Android has some critics. The LiMo Foundation, which publishes specifications for middleware for mobile Linux devices, and of which Google is not a member, says that Google's model might be too open.

"There's a debate about whether Google's approach to openness is sustainable and good for the industry," said Andrew Shikiar, director of global marketing for the LiMo Foundation.

Android will be released under the Apache license, which doesn't require developers to share their changes to the code back with the community, he said. This is one of the reasons why some people wonder whether Android will become fragmented as various incompatible versions of the software appear in phones across the market.

In the FAQ section of the site for the Open Handset Alliance, the group supporting Android, Google says that using the Apache license will let manufacturers innovate on the platform and allow them to keep those innovations proprietary as a way to differentiate their offerings.

Shikiar floats a more sinister reason that he's heard for why Google may have chosen the Apache license. "If it's fragmented and scattered, and the only common version is the Google-optimized one, it's good for them," he said. That's because the G1, which is optimized by Google, comes loaded with many Google services that can eventually bring in revenue for the search giant. If that turns out to be the best version of an Android phone, more people will use it and so, presumably, more people will be using Google apps.

LiMo and Symbian, which also is going open source, each use different licenses, but both include obligations for people who change their code to share their changes, Shikiar said.

Shikiar also criticized Google because he said the search giant hasn't created any sort of governance model for the Open Handset Alliance and doesn't publicly publish the group's membership agreement. A governance model spells out for participating companies exactly how their intellectual property can be used by other members. Without it, members might be reluctant to contribute, he said.

The OHA did not reply to questions recently posed regarding its choice of license and its governance model. Google also was not immediately able to respond to similar questions.

2008-10-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

Top 10: Microsoft's bug, Greenspan speaks, Android launches

This week's roundup of the top tech news stories includes Microsoft's critical bug, Android's launch, the tech economy, and more

Soon after Microsoft released a patch for a critical bug in its Windows Server software, attack code surfaced, and by Friday afternoon an early sample of the code was out, which led to the week ending on a warning note. Between the beginning and the end of the week, former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan blamed the U.S. economic crisis at least in part on the use of bad data. Perhaps next week will bring better news.

1. Attack code for critical Microsoft bug surfaces and New worm feeds on latest Microsoft bug: It didn't take long after Microsoft provided information about a critical Windows flaw, along with a patch, before attack code showed up. Developers of the Immunity security testing tool had an exploit written within a couple of hours of Microsoft's announcement on Thursday. Although the developer's software is only for paying customers, security researchers said they expected a version of the code to go public soon. That happened Friday afternoon when sample code appeared on the Web. The flaw, in Windows Server service, which is used to connect network resources, was also being exploited by a worm.

[ Video: Catch up on the news of the week with the World Tech Update ]

2. Greenspan, Cox tell Congress that bad data hurt Wall Street's computer models: Insufficient and faulty data used in risk management models contributed to the financial mess embroiling the U.S. and rippling across the globe, said former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. Financial firms made business decisions using "the best insights of mathematicians and finance experts, supported by major advances in computer and communications technology," Greenspan told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. "The whole intellectual edifice, however, collapsed in the summer of last year because the data inputted into the risk management models generally covered only the past two decades -- a period of euphoria."

3. Microsoft expanding Surface access: In order to get the SDK for Microsoft's touch-based apps platform, developers had to buy Surface hardware, which could be a pricey proposition. Well, no more: Microsoft will give the SDK to developers who attend a Surface workshop at its Professional Developers Conference next week.

4. Android phone launch day relatively quiet: Google's Android phone went on sale Tuesday, with people here and there standing in short lines outside of stores to be first to get their handsets. While there wasn't anything approaching the buzz surrounding the first iPhone sales, T-Mobile stores reported a steady stream of customers for its G1 phone, which is the first on the market to run the Android operating system.

[ Special report: All about Google Android ]

5. Intel repudiates executives' criticism of the iPhone: Comments from Intel executives who criticized the iPhone weren't appropriate, Intel said, after reports on the statements emerged from the company's developer forum in Taipei. Shane Wall and Pankaj Kedia said the iPhone is slow and incapable of running the "full Internet" because the smartphone has an Arm processor instead of, you guessed it, an Intel processor. "Apple's iPhone offering is an extremely innovative product that enables new and exciting market opportunities. The statements made in Taiwan were inappropriate, and Intel representatives should not have been commenting on specific customer designs," the company said later in a statement posted on its Chip Shots Web site.

6. Gmail activation problem in Apps finally solved: A problem was finally solved this week with Google Apps that kept those who recently subscribed to its Web-hosted office suite from being able to get to their new Gmail accounts. The problem kept Gmail accounts from being activated for new Apps users, starting late last week. The company said Monday the problem would be fixed by Tuesday, but it didn't work out that way, to the consternation of many Apps users, or would-be users.

7. Sun tussles with startup over noted systems designer: In an oddball of a story, startup Arista Networks set off a mini firestorm with Sun Microsystems when it announced that Andreas Bechtolsheim is the company's new chief development officer. Bechtolsheim, you see, is Sun's chief scientist and a top-notch systems designer, so Arista's news led to reports that he had resigned from Sun, which Sun denied, sending e-mail to journalists saying those reports were inaccurate and that he would continue at the company, though part time. That led Arista's director of marketing, Mark Foss, to say that as far as the startup is concerned Bechtolsheim is working full time at Arista, and that there was "a miscommunication" between his company and Sun that they were working to clarify. Bechtolsheim then did the clarifying -- he works full time now at Arista, which he cofounded and where he also serves as chairman, but he's going to advise Sun on a part-time basis of "no more than one day a week."

8. Intel shows off new laptop platform: Users got a glimpse of Intel's upcoming laptop platform, code-named Calpella, at the Intel Developer's Forum in Taiwan. The primary focuses of Calpella are efficiency and battery life.

9. Microsoft looks to secure Web content: At its Professional Developers Conference next week, Microsoft will show off its Web Sandbox initiative, which seeks to secure Web content by isolating it. The technology includes a cross-browser JavaScript virtualization layer that provides a secure standards-based programming model without requiring any add-ons.

10. Where the presidential candidates stand on tech issues: Both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain bring technology experience to the table as presidential candidates, though the experiences are quite different. Obama is an avid user of technology -- he's among the capital's BlackBerry enthusiasts -- while McCain admits he's not much for using electronic devices, but he has been on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for a long time, and a lot of technology-related legislation passes through that group before going to the full Senate. IDG News Service took a look at where they each stand on five key technology areas: telecommunications, national security, privacy, IT jobs, and innovation.

2008-10-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Office 2007 Service Pack 2 due in spring '09
SP2 of Office 2007 will introduce support for ODF and PDF as well as a more reliable calendar and faster performance for Outlook and other improvements

Microsoft said via a company blog Wednesday that Service Pack 2 (SP2) of Office 2007 will ship between February and April of next year.

The software maker had already said that SP2 will introduce support for the Open Document Format (ODF) used by Office's chief competitor, OpenOffice.org, the Portable Document Format (PDF) created by Adobe Systems, and its own XML Paper Specification (XPS) that is meant to compete with PDF.

The Office Sustained Engineering blog confirmed those features, and some others:

A more reliable calendar and faster performance for Outlook 2007;
Improvements to Excel 2007's charting;
Enabling Object Model support for charts in PowerPoint 2007 and Word 2007;
An uninstallation tool for Office 2007 service packs;
Improvements to server editions of Office 2007.

This is in contrast to SP1 of Office 2007, released last December, which mostly provided bug fixes rather than new features.

Office 2007 was released to businesses in November 2006, the same time as Windows Vista, with shipments to consumers and small businesses in January the following year.

Office 2007 was far different than prior versions, using a new "Ribbon" interface. Despite the risk of customer rejection, Office 2007 has been widely considered a sales and marketing success, unlike Vista.

Microsoft said it plans to divulge more details in Office blogs in the next few weeks. It will also begin inviting Office enterprise customers to a private SP2 beta in the next few days, which may or may not turn into a public one.

2008-10-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

Google patches Chrome 'carpet bomb' bug

The months-old bug can be used to trick people into downloading and launching malicious code
Google has patched its Chrome browser to block a months-old bug that can be used to trick people into downloading and launching malicious code.

The fix has not been pushed out to most users, however.

[ For more on Google's Chrome browser, see InfoWorld's special report. ]

The security researcher who reported the vulnerability, which involves a combination of the "carpet bomb" bug with another flaw disclosed in August, called the fix "enough for the time being," but said Google's patch wasn't the final word.

Google plugged the hole in a developer-only version of Chrome that has not yet been sent to all users via the browser's update mechanism. Chrome users, however, can reset the browser to receive all updates, including the developer editions, with the Channel Chooser plug-in.

According to a Google blog, Chrome 0.3.154.3, which was released last week, changes the browser's download behavior for executable files, such as .exe, .dll, and .bat files on Windows.

"These files are now downloaded to 'unconfirmed_*.download' files," said Mark Larson, Chrome program manager, in the blog post. "In the browser, you're asked if you want to accept the download. Only after you click Save is the 'unconfirmed_*.download' file converted to the real file name. Unconfirmed downloads are deleted when Google Chrome exits."

Last month, Israeli security researcher Aviv Raff demonstrated how hackers could create a new "blended threat" -- so named because it relies on multiple vulnerabilities -- to attack Chrome. Raff's proof-of-concept code used an auto-download vulnerability (aka "carpet bomb") along with a user interface design flaw and an issue with Java.

Chrome contributed to the vulnerability by making downloaded files appear as buttons at the bottom of the browser's frame, Raff said then.

Tuesday, after examining the 0.3.154.3 developer build, Raff proclaimed the fix sufficient for the short term, but nothing more. "The fix is not good enough. [But] it's enough for the time being, until other small issues might popup and be used to exploit the auto download problem," Raff said in an interview conducted via instant messaging. "The best solution was if they just won't download the files until the user approves, or download them to a random directory..., as it's done with other browsers, like Internet Explorer's Temporary Internet Files folder or Firefox's random profile directory."

On the plus side, Raff said, Chrome shows the full filename -- the "unconfirmed_*.download" that Google's Larson described -- so that users can see if the file is, in fact, an executable and potentially dangerous.

But Chrome still has holes. "Even if [Google assigns executables] a random filename, it might still be possible to predict the downloaded filename," Raff said. "They delete the automatically downloaded files only after the user shuts down the browser. What happens if the browser crashes? The malicious files might still exist after the crash."

The best solution would be for Google to prevent any files from downloading through Chrome without user permission. "I think that downloading any file without user interaction to a predictable location, [for example] the default download directory, is still bad," Raff argued. "Even if the extension is not an executable, there might be other ways to execute those files. For example, through the Windows command line you can execute any file with a PE header, even if they have a different extension."

Chrome accounted for less than 1 percent of the browser market share during its first month of availability, according to data from Net Applications.

2008-10-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

Attack code for critical Microsoft bug surfaces

Security developers were able to write an exploit code in two hours after Microsoft released an emergency patch

Just hours after Microsoft posted details of a critical Windows bug, new attack code that exploits the flaw has surfaced.

It took developers of the Immunity security testing tool two hours to write their exploit, after Microsoft released a patch for the issue Thursday morning. Software developed by Immunity is made available only to paying customers, which means that not everyone has access to the new attack, but security experts expect that some version of the code will begin circulating in public very soon.

Microsoft took the unusual step of rushing out an emergency patch for the flaw Thursday, two weeks after noticing a small number of targeted attacks that exploited the bug.

The vulnerability was not publicly known before Thursday; however, by issuing its patch, Microsoft has given hackers and security researchers enough information to develop their own attack code.

The flaw lies in the Windows Server service, used to connect different network resources such as file and print servers over a network. By sending malicious messages to a Windows machine that uses Windows Server, an attacker could take control of the computer, Microsoft said.

Apparently, it doesn't take much effort to write this type of attack code.

"It is very exploitable," said Immunity Security Researcher Bas Alberts. "It's a very controllable stack overflow."

Stack overflow bugs are caused when a programming error allows the attacker to write a command on parts of the computer's memory that would normally be out of limits and then cause that command to be run by the victim's computer.

Microsoft has spent millions of dollars trying to eliminate this type of flaw from its products in recent years. And one of the architects of Microsoft's security testing program had a frank assessment of the situation Thursday, saying that the company's "fuzzing" testing tools should have discovered the issue earlier. "Our fuzz tests did not catch this and they should have," wrote Security Program Manager Michael Howard in a blog posting. "So we are going back to our fuzzing algorithms and libraries to update them accordingly. For what it's worth, we constantly update our fuzz testing heuristics and rules, so this bug is not unique."

While Microsoft has warned that this flaw could be used to build a computer worm, Alberts said that it is unlikely that such a worm, if created, would spread very far. That's because most networks would block this type of attack at the firewall.

"I only see it being a problem on internal networks, but it is a very real and exploitable bug," he said.

2008-10-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Perl 6 isn't vaporware
A Perl project contributor takes me to task for selling the next-gen dynamic language short

At least one of you was a little miffed at something I said in last week's post about dynamic languages and virtual machines, and there was probably more than one of you, so I thought it would only be fair to air the issue in the open. Specifically, on the subject of Perl 6, I declared, "some would say it has officially graduated to vaporware status."

First, I should apologize. Weasel words like "some would say" and "many believe" are the crutches of lazy journalists everywhere, and I shouldn't have fallen back on such phrasing. Let me come clean, then, and confess that the "some" includes me, and from here on, I speak for myself. Perl 6, in my opinion, is pretty much vaporware.

As I said, however, not everyone agrees. (I'll leave it to someone else to decide whether the dissenting base consists of "some" or "many" people.) Reader "chromatic," a longtime contributor to the Perl codebase and the online managing editor of O'Reilly Media, weighs in:

I believe anyone who considers Perl 6 or Parrot to be "vaporware" has not bothered to look at the project or ask anyone involved with it about its current state. It's a small nit in an otherwise correct article, but it's a glaring nit.

As far as I've always heard, "vaporware" meant "a project, long promised by marketing, which doesn't actually exist." For that to be true of Perl 6, we'd have to have a marketing department (which we don't) and Perl 6 would have to not exist (which it does).

At this point, I should own up some more. I admit that I am not as in-tune with the Perl community as I once was. Years ago, back when I wrote more lines of code than sentences, I hacked out my share of incredibly functional Perl scripts and CGIs. I've since recanted. I've gone over to the camp that says Perl's loose C-like syntax encourages bad habits and results in maintenance-proof code, and I now think that Python is a better choice.

That said, I also have a hunch that a lot of professional developers are starting to agree with me. I don't hear much about large organizations -- such as Google, for example, or Oracle -- doing much with Perl. But here chromatic takes issue again:

How about Oracle (ships Perl), IBM (ships Perl), Microsoft (used in several build systems), Amazon (entire front end written in Perl), Morgan Stanley (heck, most of Wall Street, most of London's financial institutions)....?

Amazon's front end written in Perl? I'll take his word for it. But that's Perl 5; Perl 6 is another story.

I can accept that maybe Perl 6 "exists," as chromatic claims -- but so do countless other experimental languages, in labs and open source projects. At one time Ruby was just such a curiosity. The difference is that a couple of years went by and all of a sudden everyone is abuzz about Ruby. Major Web applications, such as Twitter, are now running (or stumbling) on Ruby. Where's Perl 6?

I fixed at least six bugs in Parrot today (which probably brings me to ten for the week, if not more). You can see my checkins at cia.vc or Ohloh and review the tickets I've closed at rt.perl.org. If Parrot and Perl 6 don't exist, what exactly what I was working on?

But come now -- there's existing and then there's existing. It only took two years to go from version 2.4 of the Linux kernel to version 2.6. That was a pretty significant upgrade, with an awful lot of people relying on that particular piece of software to work, work well, and work consistently. And yet they pulled it off. Further, it took only nine years to go from version 1.0 of the Linux kernel to version 2.6.

Meanwhile, Perl 6 has been in development for eight years, and there's still no production release in sight. And don't tell me there have been lots of upgrades to Perl 5 in the meantime; that might be true, but it doesn't count when everyone's supposed to be planning for an earth-shattering, backward-compatibility-breaking release that promises to be so important that Larry Wall started throwing around the word "apocalypse."

To me, it doesn't matter if there's a binary called Perl 6 that I can execute or not. How can the Perl 6 language not be vaporware if the Perl hacker community can't use it for real-world jobs?

Let's be generous and say that between Patrick [Michaud]'s funding (which has expired) and Jonathan Worthington's funding and Daniel Ruoso's funding ($3000 for SMOP, an alternate implementation), Perl 6 has 0.5 paid full-time developers. Off of the top of my head, I can name a couple of *dozen* full-time paid [Linux] kernel developers. That's at least an order of magnitude more potential work in that period. Even Fred Brooks might agree that, sometimes, more people can get more work done.

In my mind the question of "vaporware" hinges on "does it actually exist?" If you want to raise the question, "sure, it may exist, but will it ever be stable and widely deployed and ready for production use," that's a very different question -- but I don't believe that's a question of vaporware.

I published working Perl 6 code three years ago. That means people could have downloaded, read, run, and modified working Perl 6 code every day for over a thousand days. If you're going to introduce the question of utility for a majority of a language's hackers, Python 3000 will be vaporware for a couple of years. Heck, PHP 5 is barely not vaporware, if you look at installed base among $4.95- a-month virtual hosting plans.

So what's the bottom line for Perl 6, then? Is it here now or isn't it?

While the software isn't finished ... it does exist and has existed for years. We do all of our development in public; we even have a graph of passing specification tests updated daily.

Through Pugs and Rakudo (and other projects -- Perl 6 is a specification which we expect to have multiple compatible implementations), people have been able to and have in fact run real Perl 6 code for over three years. In fact, the Parrot project has released a new stable version of Parrot on the third Tuesday of every month for the past two years. This includes a new stable version of Rakudo, the Perl 6 implementation running on Parrot.

Indeed, their most recent release was this Tuesday. And there you have it, folks!

infoworlds.com

2008-10-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

Looking for job security? Try Cobol
As long as there are mainframes, there will be Cobol. Learn the language and the culture and you might land a job that that lasts until retirement

A career as a Cobol programmer might not be as sexy as slinging Java code or scripting in Ruby, but if you buckle down and learn hoary old Cobol, you could land one of the safest, most secure jobs in IT.

Analyst reports indicate that Cobol salaries are on the upswing. The language is easy to learn, there's a healthy demand for the skills, and offshore Cobol programmers are in short supply -- plus, the language itself holds the promise of longevity. All that loose talk about mainframes going away has subsided, and companies committed to big iron need Cobol pros to give them love.

[ To learn about other skills in high-demand during tight times, read "Recession-proof IT jobs." ]

In a troubled economy, with analysts forecasting IT spending slowdowns, secure IT positions could quickly become scarcer than they are today. Seasoned Cobol programmers, in contrast, "should be in pretty good shape job-wise. If they have a position at an organization that intends to keep its legacy Cobol apps, then they are probably set for life," says industry analyst Jeff Gould, director of research at Interop Systems. "Many mainframe customers with large mission-critical Cobol apps are locked into the mainframe platform. Often there is no equivalent packaged app, and it proves to be just too expensive to port the legacy Cobol to newer platforms like Intel or AMD servers."

Why Cobol is alive and well
William Conner, a senior manager in Deloitte's technology integration practice, comments that "salaries for Cobol programmers have been rising in recent years due to a lack of supply. Demand is outstripping supply because many Cobol programmers are reaching retirement age and college leavers tend to focus on Java, XML, and other modern languages."

Deloitte also found that three-fifths of respondents are actually developing new and strategic Cobol-based applications. Yes, right here in 2008.

Retired Cobol programmer William C. Kees, who coded in Cobol for 25 years, says that the language is easy to learn and that he mastered it without taking any classes. Another career Cobol programmer requesting anonymity seconds that sentiment: "It's easy to learn, read, and follow. After looking at code for .Net or VisualBasic, give me Cobol any day. At least it's readable."

What's more, Cobol programmers are not as prone to having their job outsourced, according to Brian Keane, CEO for Dextrys, an outsourcing company based in China and the United States. "The Chinese don't have mainframe experience. Because Chinese computer science graduates have come late to the technology table they are starting with the latest architectures and systems and don't have the experience with legacy languages and systems," he says.

Latin American countries are in a situation similar to that of the United States, according to Gabriel Rozman, executive vice president for emerging markets at Tata Consultancy Services. "Many Latin countries are still stuck with legacy mainframes where Cobol is a common skill," says Rozman, "so that anyone who has [that and] the latest Java skills, for example, would be sought after."

Bridging the old and the new
Mainframes aren't going anywhere mainly because they do an extremely reliable job with high-volume transaction processing. But increasingly, companies are benefiting from integrating legacy mainframe Cobol applications with the rest of the enterprise, to leverage their power and work toward real-time business operations.

SOA, for instance, opens all sorts of opportunities to expose Cobol apps to the wider world. "Many mainframe users are actively pursuing SOA as a way to integrate their legacy Cobol apps with newer nonmainframe apps," explains Jeff Gould of Interop Systems.

infoworld.com

2008-10-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

Palm vs. Pocket PC-The Great Debate
Is there a right choice?

From About.com

Talking PDAs is a lot like talking Politics. Everyone has their own opinions and sometimes it's easier to respect those opinions than to argue them. But what makes a person so passionate about their PDA? A lot of it has to with how you use it and how much you rely on it. Power Users sometimes have their lives so interwoven with their PDAs that to lose it or have it break can be downright gut-wrenching. Now don't smirk, I bet the last time your computer crashed, you remembered a few choice words from your college days. If you've ever lost your Day Runner you know what I mean--you thought it was just a binder till everything was gone. The great thing about a PDA is that it's a Day Runner that has the ability to be backed up, saving all of your valuable information.

What truly brings out passionate conversation is the question: What's better: Palm or Pocket PC. Heck, that question alone has resulted in some scenes reminiscent of those infamous Thanksgiving get-togethers (of course you've never had one of those have you?).

The first thing we need to do is clarify some facts versus perceptions.

Some facts are:

* Pocket PC multitasks (you can run several programs at once), Palm is intended to run one program at a time (although Palm OS 5.0 introduced some multitasking ability)
* In 2001, there were over 13,000 commercially available software programs for Palm versus 1,600 for Pocket PC (although the gap is shrinking)
* In 2001 Palm had a market share of 72% while Pocket PC had about 15%
* Palms start at around $99 while Pocket PCs start around $200.

Some (sometimes faulty) user opinions/perceptions are:

* Palm is easier to learn and use
* Palm is more stable, Pocket PC crashes more
* Pocket PC is more powerful
* Pocket PC integrates better with Windows Office
* Palm has more freeware and the software is cheaper
* Palm is an Organizer, Pocket PC is a computer

As you see, the users' opinions are as varied as the users themselves. Palm has been a more popular platform in the past mainly because of the perceived easier learning curve and the price. In fact, until late last year, a Palm would cost you around $200 while a Pocket PC would run about $500. Many people weren't willing to spend $500 to see if they would even use a PDA. In fact, many Pocket PC users will tell you their first PDA was a Palm because of low cost, but they upgraded to Pocket PC because they wanted the Windows feel. Currently both platforms offer PDA's around the $200 range, making it affordable to try either Pocket PC or Palm.

Is the Palm easier to use use than Pocket PC? If you're somewhat computer illiterate, the Palm may be a little easier to use. If you're familiar with computers, than both platforms will probably have the same learning curve. One of the biggest misconceptions of Pocket PC is that it runs regular windows programs. It does not. Programs for Pocket PC are developed for Pocket PC and will not run on Windows computers and vice versa, although many Pocket PC programs were developed from the same source code as their Windows counterpart. The thing that many developers for both Palm and Pocket PC are doing is creating a desktop and PDA version of their product. That way information can be entered on either the PDA or the computer and then synced to the other.

A big part of the debate over which PDA to use is a lot like the Mac vs. PC debate. Many people feel that Mac is easier to use and many even enjoy bucking the "Everyone should use a PC" trend. If you hate Windows and think Bill Gates is the epitome of evil, you'll probably want to stick with Palm. If you love Windows and want the Windows feel, you'll probably want to try Pocket PC. The best way to know is go to your local electronics store and play around with different PDAs. Also do some research online. There are a lot of sites dedicated to handhelds with news and reviews of different PDAs. PDA forums are great if you want to solicit some opinions on the best bet for you (be ready to open Pandora's box!). In reality, both Operating Systems are more similar than some people want to give them credit for. With a few exceptions, they have equal power to help you run your business or your everday life.

One thing to remember is the validity of a PDA user's opinion. While the opinions of others can be beneficial to making a buying decision, be sure to ask questions. Some PDA users will tell you the Operating System they use is the best while the other one sucks. The thing to know is that many of those die-hards have never tried the other Operating System. If you want a true comparison, talk to someone who has used both platforms so that you can understand how the PDA they use might compare to your needs.

Hopefully you weren't looking for the answer to which PDA is better. Only you can answer that question, but hopefully we've given you some things to think about so that you can make an informed buying decision.

2008-10-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

What is Ajax?

Building Web Applications Just Got More Fun

By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com

Web applications are fun to build. They are like the fancy sportscar of Web sites. Web applications allow the designer and developer to get together and solve a problem for their customers that the customers might not have even know they had. That's how the blogging tools like MovableType and Blogger came about after all. I mean, before Blogger, did you know you needed an online tool to build your Web site blog?

But most Web applications are slow and tedious. Even the fastest of them has lots of free time for your customers to go get a coffee, work on their dog training, or (worst of all) head off to a faster Web site. It's that dreaded hourglass! You click a link and the hourglass appears as the Web application consults the server and the server thinks about what it's going to send back to you.
Ajax is Here to Change That

Ajax (sometimes called Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a way of programming for the Web that gets rid of the hourglass. Data, content, and design are merged together into a seamless whole. When your customer clicks on something on an Ajax driven application, there is very little lag time. The page simply displays what they're asking for. If you don't believe me, try out Google Maps for a few seconds. Scroll around and watch as the map updates almost before your eyes. There is very little lag and you don't have to wait for pages to refresh or reload.
What is Ajax?

Ajax is a way of developing Web applications that combines:

* XHTML and CSS standards based presentation
* Interaction with the page through the DOM
* Data interchange with XML and XSLT
* Asynchronous data retrieval with XMLHttpRequest
* JavaScript to tie it all together

In the traditional Web application, the interaction between the customer and the server goes like this:

1. Customer accesses Web application
2. Server processes request and sends data to the browser while the customer waits
3. Customer clicks on a link or interacts with the application
4. Server processes request and sends data back to the browser while the customer waits
5. etc....

There is a lot of customer waiting.
Ajax Acts as an Intermediary

The Ajax engine works within the Web browser (through JavaScript and the DOM) to render the Web application and handle any requests that the customer might have of the Web server. The beauty of it is that because the Ajax engine is handling the requests, it can hold most information in the engine itself, while allowing the interaction with the application and the customer to happen asynchronously and independently of any interaction with the server.
Asynchronous

This is the key. In standard Web applications, the interaction between the customer and the server is synchronous. This means that one has to happen after the other. If a customer clicks a link, the request is sent to the server, which then sends the results back.

With Ajax, the JavaScript that is loaded when the page loads handles most of the basic tasks such as data validation and manipulation, as well as display rendering the Ajax engine handles without a trip to the server. At the same time that it is making display changes for the customer, it is sending data back and forth to the server. But the data transfer is not dependent upon actions of the customer.
Ajax is Not New Technology
Ajax is instead a new way of looking at technology that is already mature and stable. If you're designing Web applications right now, why aren't you using Ajax? Your customers will thank you, and frankly, it's just fun!

Asynchronous Javascript and XML

By Stephen Chapman, About.com

Sunday June 19, 2005
One of the biggest limitations on using a client side language like javascript has always been that there was no easy way of interacting with the server without having to reload the whole web page. This problem has been rectified by recent browsers which have gradually implemented ways for Javascript to request information from the server and have that information passed back without having to reload the entire page. This process is done asynchronously (which means that the request is passed but the Javascript doesn't wait for the reply but gets on with something else). When the reply does come it triggers some further Javascript to complete the processing. The biggest problem with this has been that the commands to do this are not identical on each browser. This process of sending a request back to the server and retrieving information without having to load a whole new page has now been given a name - AJAX - and there are a number of projects underway to produce classes that hide the different methods that the various browsers use and give you a common set of calls to provide this function.

AJAX like DHTML is not a new technology as such. Rather it is a combination of existing technologies in order to create a new effect. DHTML combined Javascript with HTML and CSS to create dynamic effects for your web page. AJAX combines Javascript with XML and a server side language (eg. PHP) to provide a way for your web page to actually interact with the server without the overhead of downloading a brand new page every time a simple request is made.

One example of where this could be useful is if you have a new user selecting a logon id. Using Javascript alone the only validation you can perform is to verify that the logon id meets the minimum and maximum lengths that you accept and does not contain any invalid characters. To validate that the selected logon id is not already in use by someone else you need to check the database to see if the id already exists. Javascript by itself can't do this but by using AJAX the Javascript can pass the requested logon id back to the server for checking and receive a reply that can be dynamically displayed on the page (again through Javascript) without having to wait for the form to be submitted and a whole new web page to load.

There are a number of web sites that have information on AJAX and books that mention the subject are just starting to appear in the bookshops.

2008-10-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Description:

Invisible Browsing will mask or hide or spoof your IP address preventing the banner ad campaigns and e-commerce applications from logging your internet address without your permission.
Invisible Browsing is also an efficient Internet Explorer Privacy Protection, Popup Blocking and Internet Sharing Solution.
This software allows you to mask your IP address.
Invisible Browsing will also protect you by blocking ActiveX controls which can harbor malicious code such as viruses and invasive code such as JavaScript.
Invisible Browsing is also an efficient Internet Explorer Privacy Protection and Popup Blocking Solution that automatically erase, in real time, all your online tracks and stops all the annoying popups to be displayed on your screen.
Invisible Browsing allows you to connect your entire home or small office network to the same Internet Connection thus giving you simultaneous access to Web browsing, online gaming, chat, downloading music, films and much more.

Here are some key features of "Invisible Browsing":

· Masks, Hides Your IP Address
· Auto Change Proxy
· Internet Connection Sharing
· Blocks Potentially Harmful Code (ActiveX)
· Blocks Invasive Code (JavaScript)
· Browser Cleaner.
Download :
http://rapidshare.com/files/149438183/InvisibleB67.rar
Pass : appz-http://www.wareznet.net/

Description:

Advanced PC Tweaker offers the results-oriented solutions for Windows users who can tweak the PC system to the optimal performance with the built-in powerful components, allowing you repair problems, clean up drive space, manage backups, optimize system and other advanced toolkits like eliminating privacy tracks, administering startup applications, uninstalling unwanted applications and permanently erasing files.
If you have been frustrated with hassles of solving the massive problems on your PC, then take it for a spin...

- Support all Windows-based Operating Systems
Advanced PC Tweaker is fully compatible with all the major Windows-based systems, including the latest Windows Vista, Windows XP/ 2003/ 2000 and even Windows 98 and ME.

- Advanced PC Tweaker Effectively Solves Problems
Fix PC Errors: Advanced PC Tweaker will repair your registry problems with only several clicks as you can make choice on the listed items detected by the engine which will automatically repair all the specified problems.
In addition to the selection and deselection operations, you can exclude any items to Ignore List where Advanced PC Tweaker will reference and ignore the excluded entries at the next-time scanning; Errors Utility scans and fixes the commonly-known Windows problems, protecting your Windows system from crashing, freezing and blue screen problem;
Advanced PC Tweaker includes BHO (Internet Browser Helper Objects) manager and IE Restore utilities to ensure a better and healthier internet experience by blocking malicious plugins and restore Internet Explorer to sound performing states; Safeguard your computer and solve curious problems by Blocking/Re-Registering ActiveX objects or controls.

- Top-Notch Hardcore Registry Cleaning and Fixing
Advanced PC Tweaker offers several useful functions to prevent your computer from slowing down. Registry Repair contains a total of 17 dedicated categories for your registry scanning and detecting.
By choosing the category you want, the smart scanning engine will find out and list the detected problems that make your PC's performance unstable or insufficient and repair the problems, thus to boost PC performance.

Key Features and Benifits :

- 1-Click Maintenance
- Clean Invalid Registry Entities
- Repair Registry Errors
- Repair Windows system Errors
- Repair/Restore Internet Explorer
- Block ActiveX Objects
- Register ActiveX Objects
- Clean up Junk Files
- Indentify and Clean up Duplicate Files
- Manage Registry Backups
- Utilize System Restore Point
- Tweak Memory Management
- Optimize System Settings
- Set Settings for Optimal Performance
- Allow Perform Scheduled Task
- Remove Tracks of Internet Activities
- Administer Startup Applications
- Uninstall Unneeded Applications
- Permanently Remove Files or Folder
- Submit PC Problems to Solutions Center
- Unlimited Free Technical Support
- Automatically Updated during the Subscribed Period

Download:

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/149437930/AdvancedPCT410.rar

Password:

Code:

appz-http://www.wareznet.net/

2008-10-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Description:

Spyware Doctor is an advanced adware and spyware removal program that will detect and clean thousands of potential spyware, ad ware, keyloggers, trojans, spy ware cookies, trackware, spybots and other malware from your computer.

Spyware Doctor is a multi-award winning spyware removal utility that detects, removes and protects your PC from thousands of potential spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, spybots and tracking threats.

The Spyware Doctor remover tool allows you to remove, ignore or quarantine identified Spyware for free in the trial version. It also has an OnGuard system to immunize and protect your system against hundreds of privacy threats as you work.

By performing a fast detection at Windows start-up you will be alerted with a list of the potential threats identified.

Here are some key features of "Spyware Doctor":

· Detects and removes malware infections including spyware, adware, browser hijackers, Trojans, keyloggers, dialers and tracking cookies
· Frequent Smart Updates to detect and guard against new infections as well as adding enhancements to Spyware Doctor
· Rootkit scanning
· Spider Scanning Technology (patent pending)
· ADS detection & removal capability
· Malicious KL (Kernel Level) Process killer
· A wide range of other sophisticated scanning tools
· The OnGuard feature, designed for continual protection against malware infections and associated activities on your computer
· Ability to quarantine and restore items that have been detected

What's New in This Release:

· A new OnGuard real-time protection tool, IM Guard, protects users of Instant Messaging applications such as MSN Messenger from access to any potentially malicious URLs received. Such URLs can lead to phishing sites or sites which attempt to exploit your web browser.
· Some recent malware infections are installed as drivers which protect themselves from removal and along with other installed drivers, are protected from deletion by the operating system. However, Spyware Doctor has the capability of removing these malicious driver threats.
Spyware Doctor is also capable of removing threats that attempt to shut down the Spyware Doctor application itself.
· The Ignore List is used to prevent Spyware Doctor from detecting specific items that you wish to keep. However, some recent threats have been found to add themselves to the Ignore List in an attempt to compromise Spyware Doctor?s detection capabilities.
Therefore, the security of the Ignore List has been enhanced and integrity checks implemented to prevent such threats from attempting to compromise Spyware Doctor?s effectiveness.
· Spyware Doctor includes significant enhancements to its scanning tools. The Disk Scanner tool has the ability to detect and remove threats that attempt to avoid detection by using alternative character formatting.
The Browser Activity Scanner is now also able to detect potentially malicious cookies stored by Mozilla Firefox web browser.
· Spyware Doctor provides the option of creating a Windows System Restore point prior to threat removal. This works as a supplementary feature to Spyware Doctor's own Quarantine and Restore features.

Download: http://rapidshare.com/files/149443405/SpyD60362.rar
Pass : appz-http://www.wareznet.net/

PCMedik is a tool for all that allows you to modify your computers' settings to increase performance and prevent crashes. No modifications to your hardware are made and all adjustments and settings are done in an easy to use interface that a child could use. Most 'other' cpu/computer enhancers promise that they work while you notice no difference at all in performance. PCMedik on the other hand has been tried and tested and proven to work. Are you tired of working on a class paper for school and all of a sudden your computer crashes? Or your running a web server and notice your server keeps crashing? PCMedik not only fixes these errors from occurring it also enhances your computers performance. Speed up your Windows environment with this tool, while fixing errors that are halting your productivity. You no longer have to put up with crashes as if they were normal, PCMedik is medicine for your computer.

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2008-10-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

Revenge of the Wii, Part 1

By Walaika Haskins E-Commerce Times Part of the ECT News Network 10/04/08 4:00 AM PT

Nintendo had a breakthrough in the '80s with the NES, then came through with a strong follow-up in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. However, after that, its strategy to focus on family-friendly games and pass on incorporating the latest technology cost the company its lead. It had to plot a revolution to regain its footing in the sales charts.

In the take-no-prisoners environment of the video game console industry, Nintendo Latest News about Nintendo was not so long ago considered an also-ran. The video game console pioneer and one-time market leader had been outmaneuvered and outsold by video game juggernaut Sony (NYSE: SNE) Latest News about Sony and even upstart entrant Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft, as their respective PlayStation and Xbox platforms made Nintendo's offerings look like children's toys in comparison.

However, Nintendo has come back strong in the current generation of gaming consoles with the Wii Latest News about Wii. It has outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 Latest News about PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Microsoft's Xbox 360 Latest News about Xbox 360 by a significant margin in every market from the U.S. to Europe to Japan.

At a certain point, success or failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy -- and at this point, no one is going to pull ahead of the Wii, said Michael Goodman, an independent gaming and digital media analyst.

"Nintendo is so far ahead, no one is going to catch up to them. It's a battle for second place. The bottom line is that at the start of any generation, it's anybody's game, and Sony really blew it coming out of the gate. They were overpriced. They had no games. It was just a console that no one wanted," he told the E-Commerce Times.

How did Nintendo go from zero to hero in less than a decade? It was, in essence, the decision for the company to stick with what it knew from its 20 years in the business and what it had always done: creating a platform that would appeal to gamers from the very young to the very old.

Leading the Way

Up against Sony and Microsoft consoles that offered gamers a more technologically advanced gaming system and appealed to the core demographic of hardcore gamers -- young males -- Nintendo at one point found itself quickly pushed from first place to third in a market that it had owned since the 1985 U.S. release of its first console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

Sold for US$199 -- the equivalent of about $400 today -- the bundled NES, along with a competing console from Sega, helped further lay the foundation for the console market created by Atari and its Atari 2600 platform.

The NES offered game play that was much more graphically advanced than earlier systems from Atari. In an inspired move, Nintendo bundled the console with what would become one of the best-selling video game franchises ever, "Super Mario Bros." Consumers responded well to the bundling and eventually purchased nearly 62 million units of the NES worldwide. In fact, the NES is credited with helping to revitalize the flagging video game industry in the U.S. after the industry suffered a crash in 1983.

Nintendo's follow-up, 1990's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), was another hit, selling more than 49 million units.

A leader in the so-called golden age of video games, the SNES marked the start of Nintendo's focus on game play rather than graphics and other technical wizardry.

This concentration on the game itself rather than the creation of a console with all the latest technological bells and whistles would become the company's guiding ethos in future generations. That philosophy perhaps also contributed to its loss of the alpha position among gaming consoles.
Start of the Slide

Released in September of 1996, the Nintendo 64 (N64), which contained a 64-bit graphics processing unit (GPU), was part of the fifth generation of video game consoles. Its cohorts were Sega's Saturn, launched in May of 1995, and Sony's PlayStation (PS) platform, released in December of 1994.

Technologically, the N64 trailed the Saturn and PS -- it used cartridges, whereas the other two consoles stored games on compact discs. However, that did not stop the console from selling some 500,000 units in the first four months on its way to total worldwide sales of just fewer than 33 million consoles.

Game titles including "Donkey Kong Country" and "Super Mario 64," along with the first controller to include an analog stick, helped sales. However, it was Sony that came out on top in this generation; PS sales topped 102 million units.

The start of Nintendo's slide from market leader is attributed in part to the console's continued use of ROM cartridges, which were sometimes a hindrance to game play. CDs offered much more memory and were less expensive.

The irony for Nintendo is that the PS was born from a defunct partnership between Nintendo and Sony, which sought to create an add-on CD accessory for the SNES.

The company's missteps continued into another generation. Released in November 2001, the Nintendo GameCube Latest News about GameCube sold a scant 21.74 million units worldwide. Its rivals were the PlayStation 2 Latest News about PlayStation 2 (PS2), launched in October of 2000, and the Xbox, released in November of 2001. In this class, Sony had the clear winner: The PS2 has sold some 140 million units to date, and it's still in stores. The Xbox sold 24 million units by May 2006.

With the GameCube, Nintendo had finally moved from cartridges to discs. However, its competition had moved on as well. GameCube titles were stored on 8-centimeter optical discs; PS2 and Xbox games came on standard-sized DVD-ROM discs. Adding to the GameCube's marketing Learn how you can enhance your email marketing program today. Free Trial - Click Here. woes was the "family-friendly" strategy. Launch titles included "Luigi's Mansion," "Super Monkey Ball," and "Disney's Tarzan Untamed," none of which resonated greatly with the hardcore gamers attracted to Sony and Microsoft.

The rise of first-person shooters and the breakthrough "Grand Theft Auto III" led gamers to forgo the GameCube in favor of the PS2, Sega Dreamcast and Xbox, which had built-in online capabilities.
Designing a Revolution

However, by the time the GameCube hit store shelves in 2001, Nintendo had already begun development on the Wii, originally codenamed "Revolution."

"They rethought the system and took it back to more of what the original Atari focused on -- games that are shared or play well in living rooms rather than bedrooms," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told the E-Commerce Times.

"The original name for the Wii was the 'Revolution' because Nintendo intended to do something revolutionary: appeal to all, instead of focusing solely on the hardcore," Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Morgan analyst, told the E-Commerce Times.

However, "Wii" reflected the company's goal to build a system that would attract a variety of consumers. The two lowercase i's are meant to visually represent two people standing side by side playing the game. Easily remembered, it's also easy for people to say, no matter their native language.

"The PS3 and the Wii are going after everyone, but the key difference at the outset was price, with the Wii launching at $250 and the PS3 at $600. That was too great a difference to attract any but the most hardcore fans. The Wii gained an advantage because of its differentiated controller and hasn't looked back. The number of games is not as much of a differentiator as price or 'fun factor,'" Pachter said.

Stay tuned for "Revenge of the Wii, Part 2"

Source : technewsworld.com

2008-10-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

Microsoft to Launch Windows Cloud

October 2, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- According to several reports on Thursday, Microsoft's (microsoft.com) CEO Steve Ballmer revealed the company may soon be launching a cloud version of its Windows operating system, unofficially named "Windows Cloud," later this month.

Speaking yesterday at a Software Plus Services event in London, UK, Ballmer said the OS would be aimed at developers writing cloud computing applications and more details would be provided at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles near the end of October.

"We need a new operating system designed for the cloud and we will introduce one in about four weeks, we'll even have a name to give you by then. But let's just call it for the purposes of today 'Windows Cloud'," said Ballmer, according to reports by The Register. "Just like Windows Server looked a lot like Windows but with new properties, new characteristics and new features, so will Windows Cloud look a lot like Windows Server."

Although extensive details weren't shared, Ballmer hinted at some of the features that would be built into the new OS including geo-replication techniques (a way to replicate data across many physical servers in different locations), management modeling and a service-oriented architecture model.

According to reports on My Broadband, Ballmer reportedly also said that Windows Cloud would be separate from Windows 7, the OS Microsoft is developing to succeed Windows Vista, and the company wasn't expecting to completely move its Office productivity suite online, even though there would likely be a "lite" version of the software available online.

Cloud computing is a concept that has stirred up a lot of buzz over the last year, and despite some criticisms about its consistent reliability or readiness for the enterprise market, many hosting providers have been launching their own cloud-based services to stay ahead of the game and remain competitive. Certainly, technology giants like Microsoft, Google and Amazon have been heavily playing in this space as well.

"What we are really witnessing here is the transformation of an industry, and Microsoft is trying to play catch-up with everyone else," writes John Brandon for ComputerWorld. "They have a corner on server software, productivity software, and the desktop OS but are not clear market leaders in the cloud. That distinction belongs to Amazon, Google, and companies like 3Tera. I'm not exactly sure what Ballmer is hinting at, but it reminds me of the slip Bill Gates made recently in prematurely announcing Windows 7. Windows Cloud, which is a name that Ballmer seems to have made up on the spot, will use geo-replication techniques and compete directly, it seems, with Amazon EC2 and Google App Engine."

Earlier this week, Amazon said its rival Elastic Computer Cloud service would run on Windows Server and the SQL Server database beginning this fall.

2008-10-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

Google Data Centers Most Efficient

By Liam Eagle, theWHIR.com

October 3, 2008 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- In a posting to its blog made earlier this week, Google described some advances it has made in data center efficiency, calling its data centers "the most efficient in the world."

The post, made Wednesday and attributed to Urs Hölzle, senior vice president of operations, includes a chart that shows Google's servers and data centers using considerably less electrical power than "typical" data centers and servers.

The chart shows Google's energy use in comparison to typical servers and data centers.

"We achieved this milestone by significantly reducing the amount of energy needed for the data center facility overhead," writes Hölzle, in the post. "Specifically, Google-designed data centers use nearly five times less energy than conventional facilities to feed and cool the computers inside. Our engineers worked hard to optimize every element in the data center, from the chip to the cooling tower."

The blog post links to a data center efficiency section on the Google site, in which the company describes in much greater detail its plans and practices for energy efficiency, walking the reader through a five-step plan that includes efficient servers, efficient data centers, water management, server retirement and "an efficient future."

On the data center site, the company points out the strategic advantage of sustainability, saying, "most of our work is focused on saving resources such as electricity and water and, more often than not, we find that these actions lead to reduced operating costs. Being 'green' is essential to keeping our business competitive. It is this economic advantage that makes our efforts truly sustainable."

Google's green ambitions go well beyond lip service, and even beyond the deep, involved effort in building its own facilities to be energy efficient. In another Wednesday blog post, Google announced its "clean energy 2030 proposal," a plan designed to wean the US off power produced by coal and oil by the year 2030

2008-10-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

AppRiver Spots September Virus Trends

By David Hamilton, theWHIR.com

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Although virus activity tapered off in September, sophisticated phishing, Storm Worm and image spam attacks have contributed to the problems plaguing email according to email security provider AppRiver (appriver.com).

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While the total volume of spam emails fell in September to less than 11 billion messages, a three percent decrease from the previous month, more advanced spam and malware led to more focused and effective campaigns.

AppRiver reported that the most notable phishing campaigns featured the US Presidential election, Hurricanes Gustav, Hannah, and Ike, and a fictitious nuclear meltdown in Canada. These attention-grabbing stories link to video that redirects them via embedded in Flash (.swf) files hosted on legitimate domains in order to direct victims to their spam sites.

First discovered in January 2007, a Storm Worm, a backdoor Trojan horse, made an appearance on September 16, offering PC users a chance to play a game designed for the Apple iPhone on their desktops called "Penguin Panic," infecting their computer with the Asprox botnet.

In analysing attachment spam by file type and frequency, AppRiver found that image spam, where the message text of the spam is presented as a picture, has been gaining popularity over the past months. Image spam circumvents traditional spam filtering because it does not contain standard text and most email clients will render image files by default, presenting the message image directly to the user. September levels of image spam were more than one-and-a-half times higher than in the previous month.

The US, Turkey and Russia topped the top ten spam countries of origin list in September, and the UK returned to the top ten list, while the Republic of Korea made its first appearance in ninth position.

Spam originating in Asia fell nearly 10 percent from August. However, Europe's spam increased seven percent, making it the hottest spamming region and there were also increases in North America. Africa showed an explosion in spam transmission, jumping from 12.2 million messages in August to more than 300 million in September

2008-10-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

Red Hat undercuts Microsoft on high-performance OS pricing

Linux HPC stack adds device drivers, cluster management tools and more

By Elizabeth Montalbano

October 2, 2008 (IDG News Service) Red Hat Inc. Thursday released a Linux software stack for compute-intensive IT environments that it said costs less than Microsoft Corp.'s price for its comparable Windows offering.

Red Hat charges a subscription of $249 (U.S.) per node, or server, per year for Red Hat HPC Solution, a new offering that combines Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Platform Open Cluster Stack 5, clustering software it has licensed from Platform Computing.

Red Hat HPC Solution also includes device drivers, a cluster installer, cluster management tools, a resource and application monitor, interconnect support and a job scheduler. The yearly subscription also includes ongoing technical support, bug fixes and any future software updates, said product marketing manager Gerry Riveros.

Comparably, Microsoft's Windows HPC Server 2008, which also combines the OS with components needed for clustering and managing the HPC environment, costs a one-time fee of $475 per node, which, on the surface, seems less expensive than Red Hat's annual price tag.

However, to get maintenance and software updates, Microsoft requires that enterprise customers purchase an Enterprise Assurance (EA) maintenance agreement for three years. Though Microsoft will not disclose publicly what those agreements cost, those familiar with them said they typically cost about 25% to 29% of the price of the product.

Factoring in the cost of the EA, the cost of one Windows HPC 2008 Server over three years would be more than $800, while a comparable HPC offering from Red Hat is about $750.

Through its public relations firm, Microsoft Thursday declined to provide estimates about how much Windows HPC Server 2008 will cost over three years for customers beyond the per-node pricing, saying that information will be available on its Web site on Nov. 1.

Customers who require HPC environments perform tasks such as data modeling or complex, computer-generated simulation that require complex computational power.

Before Thursday, Red Hat offered only a version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux for HPC environments; customers have had to assemble other components of the software needed to build a full-scale HPC environment themselves, Riveros said.

He acknowledged that pressure from Microsoft in the HPC market inspired the company to sell an all-in-one offering for a competitive price. Customers, too, asked Red Hat to combine the components with the OS to make for easier deployment and management, he said.

"We wanted to remove the chief roadblocks, the whole hassle of trying to put it together themselves," Riveros said.

Linux is the OS most used for HPC environments and has been dominant in the market for some time. However, over the past several years, Microsoft -- a relative newcomer to the space -- has stepped up its efforts because the company wants people to use Windows in that market.

Source : computerworld.com

2008-10-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Grand jury indicts two Europeans over denial-of-service attacks in 2003

DDOS indictments come four years after two U.S. residents were charged in same attacks

By Jeremy Kirk

October 3, 2008 (IDG News Service) A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has indicted two European men for allegedly orchestrating distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks against a pair of U.S.-based Web sites in 2003.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictments yesterday. Two U.S. residents were charged in connection with the same attacks in 2004, in what the DOJ describes as its first successful investigation of large-scale DDOS attacks waged against Web sites for commercial purposes.

The men indicted yesterday face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of charges of conspiracy and intentionally damaging a computer system, according to the DOJ. One of them, a 25-year-old German named Axel Gembe, is believed to be the programmer behind Agobot, a well-known malware program used to create botnets of compromised PCs.

Charged along with Gembe was Lee Graham Walker, a 24-year-old from England. The two were allegedly hired to carry out DDOS attacks by Jay R. Echouafni, who was the owner of Orbit Communications Corp., which sold home satellite systems. The DOJ said that the attacks targeted the Web sites of two of Orbit's competitors, Miami-based Rapid Satellite and Los Angeles-based Weaknees.

The attacks halted Weaknees' business for two weeks in October 2003, causing the company $200,000 in losses, the DOJ said, adding that Rapid Satellite also suffered business losses as a result of the attacks.

Echouafni, a Moroccan native who also uses the first name Saad, was one of the men charged in 2004; he remains at large and may have fled to Morocco, according to the FBI. The second man charged then, Paul Ashley, who prosecutors describe as one of Echouafni's business associates, pleaded guilty and has already completed a two-year prison sentence for his role in the conspiracy.

The new indictments allege that Echouafni ordered Ashley to block access to the rival Web sites, and that Ashley in turn asked Walker "and others" to launch DDOS attacks against the sites. Walker allegedly used a botnet that he created along with Gembe to carry out the attacks. According to the indictment, the two communicated via Internet Relay Chat to discuss ways to make the code behind the botnet more powerful and damaging to Web sites.

As part of the attacks, computers in the botnet were allegedly used to send a flood of syn — short for synchronization — data packets to both Web sites. Syn packets initiate communication between two computers, but they can be configured with false information and then sent in an overwhelming stream to jam up the receiving server. The DOJ said that Gembe's botnet could also direct large amounts of HTTP traffic toward a Web site, which has the same damaging effect.

Source : computerworld.com

2008-10-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Microsoft fights Ballmer testimony in 'Vista Capable' suit

By Gregg Keizer

October 4, 2008 (Computerworld) The only thing CEO Steve Ballmer knew about Microsoft's Windows Vista Capable marketing campaign was what he was told by subordinates, and he should not have to testify in the class-action lawsuit that accuses the firm of deceiving customers, the company said Friday.

In a motion filed Friday, Microsoft asked U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman to block the move by plaintiffs' attorneys to depose Ballmer later this month. Lawyers for the plaintiffs want Ballmer on record in the case, which charges Microsoft duped consumers when it touted then-current PCs as "Vista Capable" in the months leading up to the late-2006 launch of the new operating system.

A Microsoft spokesman said the opposing lawyers were grandstanding. "This unnecessary request to depose Steve Ballmer is part of an effort by class action lawyers to generate media interest in topics that fall outside the narrow theory the court allowed them to pursue in this lawsuit in February," said company spokesman David Bowermaster.

In a declaration submitted to Pechman, Stephen Rummage, an attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, which is representing Microsoft in the case, said that he told plaintiffs' attorneys that Ballmer would not be available for a deposition before the Nov. 14 cut-off. "After briefly describing our understanding of the law, I told [plaintiffs' attorneys] that Mr. Ballmer had no unique or superior personal knowledge of any disputed facts, asked them to explain why they thought Mr. Ballmer's testimony was necessary, and requested that Plaintiffs rethink their request to depose Mr. Ballmer," Rummage told the judge.

Ballmer echoed that in his own declaration, also filed Friday. "I was not involved in any of the operational decisions about the Windows Vista Capable program," he said. "I was not involved in establishing the requirements computers must satisfy to qualify for the Windows Vista Capable program. I was not involved in formulating any marketing strategy or any public messaging surrounding the Windows Vista Capable program.

"To the best of my recollection, I do not have any unique knowledge of nor did I have any unique involvement in any decisions regarding the Windows Vista Capable program," Ballmer added.

All he knew about Vista Capable was what subordinates, particularly Jim Allchin, the Windows development chief who took Vista to market before retiring in early 2007, and Will Poole, the former senior vice president responsible for the client version of Windows, told him. Ballmer admitted having had only "brief discussions about technical requirements and timing" for the marketing effort with high-level executives at partners such as Intel Corp.

Microsoft's Bowermaster declined to comment late Friday when asked why Ballmer was not more involved in the Vista Capable marketing campaign. At the time of Vista's debut in November 2006, Microsoft touted the unveiling as its "biggest ever in the history of Microsoft product launches."

Source : computerworld.com

2008-10-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

The Norton Removal Tool uninstalls all Norton 2009/2008/2007/2006/2005/2004/2003 products from your computer. Before you continue, make sure that you have the installation CDs or downloaded installation files for any Norton products that you want to reinstall. Also, if you use ACT! or WinFAX, back up those databases and uninstall those products.

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Windows XP Pro SP3 Gold Cobra Loaded | RAR | 697MB
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ICONPACKAGER v.3.2 (REGISTERED)
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UxTheme - patch enabled
Sys.File Protection - disabled

TWEAKS FOR LOOKS AND SPEED:
Explorer-Add ‘Command Prompt’ to folder context menu
Explorer-Disable shortcut arrow
Explorer-Recycle Bin: allow to rename and delete
Explorer-Show Drive Letters in front of Drive Names
Internet Explorer-Set Homepage-www.google.com
Internet Explorer-Set Internet Explorer to accept 10 connects at a time
Performance-Disable Warn on low disk space
Start Menu-Reduce popup delay
Start Menu-Remove Windows Catalog shortcut
Start Menu-Remove Windows Update shortcut
Taskbar-Disable Balloon Tips
Taskbar-Disable Language-Bar
Taskbar-Hide Volume Control Icon in System Tray
Visual Effects-Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing-Disable
Visual Effects-Combo box animation-Disable
Visual Effects-Cursor shadow-Disable
Visual Effects-Display mouse pointer trails-Disable
Visual Effects-Fade out selection-Disable
Visual Effects-Gradient captions in windows-Disable
Visual Effects-Menu animation-Disable
Visual Effects-Menu shadows-Disable
Visual Effects-Show translucent selection rectangle-Enable
Visual Effects-Show window contents while dragging-Enable
Visual Effects-Slide taskbar buttons-Disable
Visual Effects-Smooth edges of screen fonts-ClearType
Visual Effects-Smooth-scroll list boxes-Enable
Visual Effects-Tooltip animation-Disable
Visual Effects-Use a background image for each folder type-Disable
Visual Effects-Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop-Enable

ADDED:
Netframe 2 Sp1
Vis.C Redis.2005 Sp1
Vis.C Redis.2008
DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtime
ImageResizer v1.2
WMP11 Vista Customized
BurnCDCC
CabTool v1.8
ClearType v1.1
CPL Bonus v.8.2.2
7-Zip 4.57
7zSplit 0.2.0.740
DAMN NFO Viewer v2.10.0032
CursorsCGlass v1.2
Firefox 2.0.0.14
HashTab v.2
Hunt Virus Utilities (Including HijackThis)
Image Format Cnvtr Shell v.2.0
IZArc 3.81 Build 1550
LClock v.1.62b custom
PowerCmd v.1.9 (registered)
Sysinternals Tools 25.07.2007
AIOVistaAeroCursors v7.07.03
CCleaner2.07.575
Standalone Flash Player (Macromedia)
StylerTB1401
VistaRTMFonts v1.1
VistaSceenSavers v1.1
VistaSoundsReplacement
WindowsSidebarSP3 AlkyXP1.0 (Customized)
WindowBlinds v.6.1 enhanced plus, Xp Transparent Skin (pre-patched - just save license)
IconPackager.v.3.2 (registered)
Klite Codecs v.3.9.0
RocketDock v.1.3.5 (customized)
Unlocker v.1.8.7
uTorrent 1.7.7 (8179) (BLUE) + SBG
WinRAR.v.3.71 (registered)
VistaLoud
SP3UpdPk1.0.9 RepacK
Black Theme (Customized)
Gold Theme (Customized)
IE7
Links:

http://rapidshare.com/files/143666834/xp.pro-sp3-final-GoldCobra_Loaded_.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/143666825/xp.pro-sp3-final-GoldCobra_Loaded_.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/143666757/xp.pro-sp3-final-GoldCobra_Loaded_.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/143666648/xp.pro-sp3-final-GoldCobra_Loaded_.part4.rar

Pass: c4links.com

Magic Video Converter can convert and split almost any media format (Look at Supported Files) such as AVI, MPEG, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, VCD, DVD, SVCD, RMVB, RM, and WMV and some new format such as .flv which is used on youtube, h.264, .mkv etc. Besides, it is compatible with DVD burning which is very easy to use. You can also create burning menu with it.

Magic Video Converter is a program that is very easy to use, it's simple and has a great interface. It works great with WIndows Vista.
Version 8.0.2.18 is a bug fixing release.

For other great products or updates from Magic Video Software, click on my name.
Enjoy!
Magic Video Converter can convert to following files:
-3GP
-AAC
-AC3
-AMR
-ASF
-AVI
-MOV
-MP2
-MP3
-MP4
-MPEG
-RM
-SWF
-WAV
-WMV
-VOB
Magic Video Converter supports following files:
.3gp........................... - 3GPP Files and 3GPP2 Files
.aac........................... - AAC Files
.ac3........................... - Raw AC3 Files
.amr........................... - AMR Audio Files
.avi........................... - AVI Files
.cmf........................... - Casio Movie Format Files
.dv or .dif.................... - DV Video Files
.flv........................... - Flv files (youtube)
.gif........................... - Animated GIF Files
.h261.......................... - Raw h261 Files
.h261 or h.264................. - Raw h264 Video Files
.m4a or .mp4a.................. - MPEG-4 Audio Files
.m4v........................... - Raw MPEG4 Video Files
.mjpg or .mjpeg................ - MJPEG Video Files
.mkv........................... - Matroska Files
.mov or .qt.................... - QuickTime Files
.mp2........................... - MP2 Files
.mp3........................... - MP3 Files
.mp4........................... - MPEG-4 Files
.mpc or .mpp................... - Mousepack Audio Files
.mpg, .mpeg, .mpa, .dat or .vob - MPEG Files
.nut........................... - NUT Files
.ogg........................... - Ogg Vorbis Files
.rm or .rmvb................... - Real Media Files
.str........................... - Old PlayStation Files
.swf........................... - Macromedia Flash Files
.ts or .trp.................... - HDTV Transport Stream Files
.wav, .au or .aiff............. - WAV Files
.viv........................... - VIV Files
.wma, wmv or .asf.............. - Windows Media Files
.yuv........................... - Raw Video Files
Download :

http://rapidshare.com/files/111931607/Magic_Video_Converter.rar
Pass :

BeNI&AnA-www.dsforums.org

Advanced features for advanced users
NEW! Integrated anti-virus protection - our powerful anti-spyware software now includes extended anti-virus protection.
NEW! Advanced real-time protection against spyware, viruses, worms, Trojans, password stealers, and other malicious programs
NEW! Enhanced Rootkit removal system
NEW! Extended detection database with detection of more than 1.2 million cyber threats
NEW! Substantially reduced use of computer memory
Web navigation control with the Hosts File Editor
Customizable Scans
Compatible with Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit)
Faster, more efficient, automatic Updates
Free technical support
Ad-Watch Real-Time Monitor - Detect deceptive malware and spyware applications before they integrate into your PC and attack your personal information.
Advanced Code Sequence Identification (CSI) Technology - Ensure your privacy protection with precise detection of embedded malware including Trojans, worms, spyware, and other forms of deceptive malware.
NEW! Enhanced Rootkit Removal System - Rootkit detection technology to find and remove hidden threats.
NEW! Extended Threat Detection - Lavasoft's new extended anti-virus engine boosts detection to include over one million additional virus and malware threats, with continuous updates to guard your privacy against cyber attacks.
TrackSweep - Control your privacy by erasing tracks left behind while surfing the Web on multiple browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera, with one easy click.
System Restore Point - Easily revert to your clean system to recover from a spyware attack.
Ad-Watch RegShield - Improved detection of attempted registry changes, a favorite target for many malware distributors.
Process Watch Module - View an in-depth snapshot of all running processes and quickly stop known offenders.
Ad-Watch Process - Immediately detects all recognized malicious processes to prevent them from further integration in your system.
Hosts File Editor - Take control of your Web navigation by blocking advertisement sites, reversing browser hijack entries, assisting with parental controls, and creating navigation shortcuts.
NEW! Substantially reduced use of computer memory - Significant reduction in resources used while in watchguard mode.
NEW! Faster Updates - Protect against the latest forms of spyware and malware with free software updates throughout the license duration. New download compression results in faster product updates for users on all systems.
NEW! Lavasoft ThreatWork - Directly submit suspicious files for analysis via ThreatWork, an alliance of global anti-spyware security volunteers actively fighting online threats.

Download :

http://rapidshare.com/files/146695219/4d4v3r.rar

Pass :

sxforum.org

Avira presents the Premium Security Suite with Full protection: Includes basic and advanced antivirus protection, email protection, AntiPhishing, Anti-Spyware and Anti-Adware PLUS: Anti-Spam, Firewall, WebGuard (Safe Surfing), Game Mode and more.! Complete security for workstations! The repeatedly awarded and worldwide used virus and malware protection by over 30 million users now also with WebGuard!

Avira is a German antivirus software company. Its antivirus applications are based on the AntiVir antivirus engine, first launched in 1988. It was called "H+BEDV Datentechnik GmbH" when it was founded. One of the antivirus software, AntiVir Personal, is free for personal usage.
Avira is launching a new, comprehensive protection package for end-users as well as small offices and home workers: the Avira Premium Security Suite is a combination of Avira’s brand-new firewall and the proven anti-virus software AntiVir Personal Premium. Even less experienced users can cope with the numerous security threats from the Internet with the central, intuitively operated user interface of the Suite.

Premium Security Protection:

* AntiVir
* AntiAd/Spyware
* AntiPhishing
* AntiRootkit
* AntiDrive-by
* AntiBot
* EmailScanner
* WebGuard
* RescueSystem
* BackupSystem
* AntiSpam
* FireWall
* GameMode

Premium Security Suite functions and advantages:

* Protection against viruses, worms and Trojans
* Protection against expensive dialers
* Detects and deletes rootkits
* NEW: Raised scan speed
* NEW: Redesigned visual appearance
* Protection against phishing
* Protection against spyware
* Special protection against email viruses (POP 3)
* Fast updates through Premium Server
* 5 Euro donation to Auerbach Foundation
* Protection against annoying adware
* NEW: System to create a Rescue-CD
* WebGuard to surf and download safely
* Firewall included
* AntiSpam and proactive AntiPhishing
* Game Mode
* NEW: Function for Data BackUp

Highlights from the WebGuard:

* Checks Internet downloads against viruses
* Recognizes defective files before they are loaded on your computer
* Affected websites can be blocked, isolated or ignored
* Specific files and URLs can be excluded from the examination
* Works independently from the browser you are using
Download :

http://rapidshare.com/files/147170303/avirass8.rar

Norton Internet Security 2008
Key Technologies

* Spyware protection
* Anti virus
* Antispam and Parental Controls **
* Two-Way Firewall

* Advanced Phishing Protection
* Intrusion Prevention
* Rootkit Detection

Features
* Spyware protection: detects and eliminates spyware
* Removes viruses and Internet worms automatically
* Anti virus security: protects email and instant messaging from viruses
* Protects against hackers
* Blocks identity theft by phishing Web sites
* Improved performance delivers faster starts and scans. NEW
* One click access to expert support. NEW
* Network security monitoring helps protect your wireless network. NEW
* Norton Identity Safe delivers enhanced identity theft protection. NEW
* Works quietly in the background. NEW
* Prevents virus-infected emails from spreading
* Rootkit detection searches underneath the operating system using patented technology
* Includes protection updates and new product features as available throughout the renewable service period ***
* On-going Protection option automatically renews your subscription ****

Award-Winning Protection

* May 2008 PC World: The 100 Best Products of 2008
* February 2008 Computer Shopper's "Shopper's Choice Awards":
Best Software for Internet Security
* December 2007 PC Magazine: Best Software of the Year
* December 2007 PC World: PC World Best Buy
* September 2007 PC Magazine: Editors' Choice Award *****
* January 2007 LAPTOP Magazine: Editors' Choice Award
* January 2007 Computer Shopper Magazine: Best Internet Security Software
* January 2007 Small Business Computing: Product Excellence Award
* November 2006 PC Magazine: Best of 2006
* October 2006 PC Magazine: Editors' Choice Award *****
* May 2006 RedmondMag.com: Readerâ€™s Choice Award
* May 2006 PC World: Best Buy Award

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Windows VistaÂ® Home Basic/ Home Premium/Business/Ultimate â€*
WindowsÂ® XP with Service Pack 2 Home/XP Pro/XP Media Center
Edition
Designed for Windows

* 300MHz or higher processor
* 256MB of RAM
* 350MB of available hard disk space

â€* Must meet minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements.
Email scanning supported for POP3 and SMTP compatible email clients.
Supported instant messenger clients:

* AOLÂ® â€“ 4.7 to 5.9
* Yahoo!Â® â€“ 5.x and 6.x
* MicrosoftÂ® â€“ 6.0 or higher
* Trillianâ„¢ â€“ 3.1 or higher

Internet browsers (phishing protection)

* MicrosoftÂ® Internet Explorer 6.0 (32-bit only) or higher
* MozillaÂ® FirefoxÂ® 2.0 or higher

Download :

http://rapidshare.com/files/127831322/Sec.zip

Patch :

http://rapidshare.com/files/127830665/NP.rar

Mandriva announces a new solution for netbooks: Mandriva Mini

2008-09-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Mandriva, the leading European Linux publisher, presents its latest Linux product, focused on netbooks and aimed at OEMs and ODMs.

Netbooks, small in size and cost, are big in functionality. The market is growing fast, rising from a million units in 2007 to industry forecasts of over 50 million by 2010. The products are attractive for emerging markets where they help provide Internet access to the largest number of users,
and to highly developed markets where they are seen as mobile tools or a second PC.

Mandriva, which has been a leader in the market since its inception (having been the first official distributor of Linux for Intel’s Classmate PC, and customized its 2008 Spring release for the Asus Eee) offers ODMs and OEMs a full service:

An attractive and competitive product for the end user
Product certification and optimization for the target hardware
Customization of the distribution for the needs of the OEM or ODM
Management of ongoing maintenance for the distribution

To strengthen its offering for OEMs in the netbook market, Mandriva introduces Mandriva Mini, a Linux distribution customized for netbooks:

Fast boot
Comprehensive connectivity support (Wi-Fi, 3G cellular data and Widgets)
Multimedia (major codecs are included)
Small size
Efficient power management
Optimized for flash memory management
VGU (very graphical user) interface adapted for small screens

Mandriva Mini is adapted to netbook hardware, working on key netbook platforms (such as the Intel Atom).

“We are very proud to bring to the market a product which answers the needs of OEMs and ODMs and we are busy distributing it to clients and prospective clients,” said Mandriva CEO François Bancilhon.

About Mandriva

Mandriva, formerly known as Mandrakesoft, is the publisher of Mandriva Linux, an easy-to-use and innovative operating system. It is one of the most popular Linux editions in the world. Dedicated to making open source technologies accessible to all users, the company offers a full range of products and services to individuals, enterprises and government organizations.
Mandriva products are available online in 80 languages and in more than 140 countries through dedicated channels. Headquartered in Paris, France, the company is publicly traded on the Euronext Marche Libre.
More information at http://www.mandriva.com
http://www.mandriva.com/enterprise/en/partners/oem

Mandriva Linux 2009 Releases New Test Version

2008-09-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Following the kernel bug that plagued Linux distros earlier this week, Mandriva Linux has issued a second release candidate for its upcoming Mandriva Linux 2009 release.

Mandriva warns, however, that there have been reports of EEPROM corruption on e100 network cards similar to the EEPROM corruption seen on e1000e cards. The team says that e1000e support is disabled in 2009.0 RC2 to prevent any damage but that users should exercise caution and backup their network card EEEPROM as a precaution.

Mandriva Linux 2009 RC 2 - codenamed Sophie - boasts faster boot times than previous releases as well as improved support for netbook hardware.

Other improvements in this release include support for encrypted partitions in the installer and DiskDrake using LUKS, support for the Intel G41 graphics chipset, and a new installer.

Mandriva Linux 2009 RC2 also includes Gnome 2.24 which was released yesterday.

For full details of Mandriva Linux 2009 RC2 see the release notes.

Downloads can be found on one of the mirrors.

DEFCON Badge Hacking Contest

2008-09-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the DEFCON Badge Hacking Contest

Well, here we are again! For the 3rd year in a row, I've had the honor of designing the DEFCON badge. And, for the 3rd year in a row, DT has been gracious enough to let me host a contest around hacking the badge. This is the first year that it will be an official contest announced in advance, etc., as previously we've kept the whole thing under wraps until the first day of the con.

Here's a little description of the contest...

The DEFCON Badge Hacking Contest awards the top 3 most ingenious, obscure, mischievous, obscene, or technologically astounding badge modifications created over the weekend. No longer just a boring piece of passive material, the badge is now a full-featured, active electronic product, and it exists for your hacking pleasure.

We've had some amazing hacks in previous years. For info on the past badges and badge hacking contest entries, check out:

http://www.grandideastudio.com/portf...fcon-15-badge/

and

http://www.grandideastudio.com/portf...fcon-14-badge/

I can't release much information on the particular badge design until the first day of DEFCON, for various security purposes, but I'll be posting some clues and information in this forum every once in a while to make sure you guys (and girls) are prepared for the contest and don't have to waste the weekend installing tools and messing with drivers (like people had to do in previous years).

Unlike last year, where I staged a "badge hacking table" in the corner of the vendor area (complete with a real-life engineer from Freescale providing support), this year people are more than welcome to use the Hardware Hacking Village up in the Skybox area to hack the badges. There will be some equipment there for public use and I'll be spending much of my unused time there hanging out, helping out, etc. So, even if you don't bring your own soldering iron, multimeter, or whatever, lots of tools and resources will be available to you.

As for prizes, no black badges as far as I'm aware, but we'll still have some cool swag that you can't get from any other contest. Plus, bragging rights that can earn you "cool" points all over the world (somehow).

That's it for now. More later.

-Joe Grand (Kingpin)
http://www.kingpinempire.com (will be up by DEFCON)

Source : defcon.org

MIT's New Underwater Robot

2008-09-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

MIT's new underwater robot can hover in place
Odyssey IV could be a boon for oil explorers, archaeologists and more

David Chandler, MIT News Office
September 25, 2008

MIT researchers have designed a new robotic underwater vehicle that can hover in place like a helicopter -- an invaluable tool for deepwater oil explorers, marine archaeologists, oceanographers and others.

The new craft, called Odyssey IV, is the latest in a series of small, inexpensive artificially intelligent submarines developed over the last two decades by the MIT Sea Grant College Program's Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Laboratory. The Odyssey series revolutionized underwater research in the 1990s by introducing the thrifty and highly capable underwater robots. But the previous Odyssey vehicles still had one significant limitation: Like sharks, they could only operate while continuously moving forward.

No more. The new Odyssey IV, which has just completed sea trials off Woods Hole, Mass., can move through the deep ocean, up to 6,000 meters down, stopping anywhere in the water column and constantly correcting for currents and obstacles. Navigating to its preprogrammed destination, it can hover in place, making detailed inspections of the footings of an offshore oil platform, or photographing the flora and fauna around an undersea vent.

"Our old subs needed to swim, to go forward, in order to maintain maneuvering capability," says Chryssostomos Chryssostomidis, director of the MIT Sea Grant Program. "People wanted to be able to work in the ocean and stop and hover to do a specific task. In the past, you could only fly over a scene, take a picture, then fly over again and take another picture. Now, I can stop over a scene that's of interest, and stay and make measurements. We'll be able to observe underwater scenes in much more detail."

This summer, this latest-generation craft has been demonstrating its new abilities on its first scientific mission, a study of the George's Bank area of the Gulf of Maine, which is hugely important to the region's commercial fisheries. Odyssey is being deployed in a series of dives to map and observe an invasive species of sea squirt called Didemnum that has been infesting New England waters. MIT Sea Grant's Judy Pederson has been tracking the Didemnum invasion for several years, hoping to prevent it from smothering important native species; Odyssey IV will be her eyes on the seafloor.

And the new craft's unique capabilities go beyond just looking at objects. "Like a giant helicopter, this can pick up cargo underwater," Chryssostomidis says. "Now, we can visit an oil well, pick up a sample and bring it back to shore." With the addition of a mechanical arm, the vessel will be able to do manipulations such as twisting a valve open or closed.

Not only can the craft hover, it can move quickly, up to two meters per second going straight ahead. Both its speed and its ability to stop in place are achieved through the combined action of fins and thrusters on each side, and at the bow and stern of the two-meter-long craft.

The new vehicle may be able to stop in place, but Chryssostomidis and his colleague Franz Hover, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and their team, research engineers Jim Morash, Victor Polidoro, Justin Eskesen and graduate student Dylan Owens, certainly are not. With the initial sea trials of Odyssey IV just completed, they are focused squarely on moving ahead to their goals. They need to develop vastly improved power-storage and communications capabilities, to enable these vehicles to stay underwater longer, cover more terrain, and send back more data to scientists on shore. Ultimately, Chryssostomidis says, he hopes his team will produce an AUV that can spend a full year underwater, collecting data and transmitting it to its home base, without any need to surface at all.

"Once we prove the hovering capability foolproof, as we think it is now, the next challenge for me to worry about is the issue of recharging, so that I can be free of the surface vessel," he says. He also hopes to develop better manipulator arms that will be able to interact more flexibly with the undersea environment, to pick up objects or carry out repairs.

But for now, Chryssostomidis is reveling in the fact that Odyssey IV, after years of development, has passed its initial tests in the ocean with flying colors. No matter how good the design, that's not something you can take for granted, he explains. "The sea is very unforgiving. If there's anything that can go wrong, the sea will find it."

Windows Server 2008 is the host with the most, and the perfect guest

2008-09-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Microsoft's slimmer and stronger server OS, bolstered by virtualization, networking, and security advances, is an upgrade that IT can't refuse, a 200-pound gorilla that eats commercial Linux

A standing complaint about Windows Server is its resource footprint. Those in IT just take as rote that it requires lots of memory, lots of CPU, and lots of disk to put any substantial services on the air with Windows Server 2003. I think it's safe to say that the typical x86 rack server's characteristics reflect the requirements of Windows Server. Microsoft's big OS has always been designed under the presumption that it will have a full physical server to itself.

In Windows Server 2008, Microsoft delivers a 64-bit server OS with a smaller minimum resource footprint than Windows Vista. It varies by edition; Windows Server 2008 Datacenter doesn't focus so much on shedding the pounds, but it, too, picks up the speed benefits from the slimmer Server Core, which was created to be a practically weightless virtualized guest OS. IT shops are likely to use Windows Server 2008 the same way they use Windows Server 2003 now, only now they can run lots of independent virtual Windows Servers that scale in features and footprint across a broad range of options.

[ Read InfoWorld's tips on making the most of Windows Server 2008's easy-to-miss new options ]

Windows Server 2008 remains a component of the Windows Server System, so Microsoft has not instituted a free lunch program. Functions like e-mail and collaboration, database, and robust edge services are add-ons that most deployments will require. But these can be placed at the host level, with virtualized guests distributing applications and services that utilize Windows Server components. In other words, one license of Exchange Server or SQL Server will stretch further than ever before.

How low it can go
I spent most of my time testing Windows Server 2008 Enterprise on an eight-core, two-socket AMD Barcelona reference server. When you align the features of the Barcelona architecture with Windows Server 2008's capabilities, you come away with the impression that AMD designed its CPU with Windows Server 2008 in mind. Having talked with Barcelona's architects, I'll bend nondisclosure just enough to say that to call Barcelona a Windows Server 2008 hardware architecture is not far-fetched.

Windows Server 2008 is built for virtualization. All SKUs up to Datacenter are tooled for what you might call "buffet" scalability. You can choose, with finer granularity than is possible under Windows Server 2003, the server features you want to run, where you want to run them, and what portion of total resources are dedicated to them. For example, Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 has split Web application services functionality into some 40 independently loadable plug-ins. It is similar in concept to Apache's modular approach, but IIS's approach is safer, more transparent, and much easier to manage. This is a nice fit for server roles, a feature introduced in Windows Server 2003 that provides simple on/off switches and wizards that bring up and shut down groups of services according to need. Windows Server 2008 continues Windows Server's tradition of server roles, but adds finer-grained, modular control over individual features. You can still do a blunderbuss deployment in which a Windows Server host or guest role is "all," but it is well worth IT managers' and administrators' time to learn to match server roles, and modular services within those roles, to user and application requirements. Do that, and you'll have servers that will make physical-to-virtual transitions and virtual machine relocation uncommonly easy.

One road you won't need to take to slenderize Windows Server 2008 is to run it as a 32-bit (x86) OS instead of 64-bit (x64). You've heard hype that the overhead of going to 64 bit, especially for virtual guests, is substantial enough to blow x64 off unless you know you need access to a 64-bit virtual address space (as if that knowledge were easy to come by). Dismiss this as noise. The 32-bit server OS is the HD DVD of IT, even for virtual guests. It's time to step into the future.
Tom Yager is chief technologist of the InfoWorld Test Center. He also writes InfoWorld's Ahead of the Curve and Enterprise Mac blogs.

Windows Server 2008 Review

Windows Server 2008 is the most substantial upgrade to the Windows Server product line since Windows 2000, with a sweeping set of capabilities and a reengineered core that will usher in a new era of 64-bit server computing. Like its Windows Vista stable mate, Windows Server 2008 was in development an achingly long time, and some of its many features were originally slated for its predecessors, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2. Unlike Vista, however, this lengthy schedule hasn't proven problematic. In fact, it's arguably worked to the product's advantage: This is a refined, mature, and stable operating system that will no doubt power server systems of all kinds for years to come.

Though Windows Server 2008 utilizes an evolved version of the Active Directory (AD) infrastructure that first debuted in Windows 2000, many of the features of this new OS are radical and revolutionary. Key among these major advances are Server Core, which provides a lightweight version of the server aimed at specific workloads, and Hyper-V, Microsoft's hypervisor-based virtualization technology. (This latter technology is currently available only in beta form; see below for details.) As befits a major Windows Server upgrade, however, Windows Server 2008 also includes a slew of smaller functional advances as well as key gains in scalability, reliability, manageability, performance, and security.
Charting the changes: A look at new Windows Server 2008 functionality

Windows Server 2008 is feature-rich upgrade with numerous functional advantages over its predecessors. Here are some the changes in this release that I feel will have the biggest customer impact.
Componentization with a purpose

Microsoft has completely rearchitected Windows Server to be functionally componentized, a major change that has wide-reaching ramifications. At a high level, componentization allows for a more easily serviceable system, both for Microsoft and its customers. It also provides for a more secure and reliable system, because communication and dependencies between individual components is kept to a minimum.

More specifically, componentization enables some of Windows Server 2008's most exciting new functionality, such as its image-based deployment facilities, roles-based management, and Server Core.
Server Manager

While previous versions of Windows Server featured separate management consoles for all of the various roles and features in the OS and, in Windows Server 2003, a simple Manage Your Server dashboard, Windows Server 2008 provides the new Server Manager. This is a true one-stop shop for daily management needs and is the only tool that many Windows administrators will need to use on a regular basis.

The MMC-based Server Manager provides a user interface for managing each installed role and feature on the system, including Active Directory Domain Services, Application Server, DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Terminal Services, Web Server, and many others. It also includes numerous valuable troubleshooting tools like Event Viewer, Services, and Reliability and Performance utilities, configuration tools like Task Scheduler, Windows Firewall, WMI Control, and Device Manager, and the new Windows Server Backup.

What makes Server Manager even more useful is that each section of the console's UI gets its own dedicated home page, each of which includes information pertinent to the role or feature at hand, along with links to fix problems, get more information, and access other tools. It's a thoughtful, well-designed application, both logical and useful.
Server Core

Unlike previous Windows Server versions, most Windows Server 2008 product editions can be installed in two modes, the traditional GUI-based server we've had since Windows NT 3.1 and a lightweight new command line-based environment called Server Core. In this new installation mode, Microsoft has stripped out virtually all the GUI, so there's no shell (Start Menu, taskbar, Explorer windows, etc.), and little in the way of end user applications; such things as Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, and Windows Mail are all missing, though a few GUI-based applications, like Notepad and Task Manager, are still available. For the most part, the only user interface you'll see in Server Core is a single command line window floating over an empty blue backdrop. It's the ultimate anti-demo.

So what's the point? Server Core is designed to reduce the attack surface of the server to be as small as possible. As such, a Server Core install is also more limited than that of a standard Windows Server 2008 installation. It supports just nine roles, including AD, AD LDS, DHCP, DNS, File, Print, Virtualization (Hyper-V), Web Server, and WMS, compared to 18 roles in the full server.

Because Server Core is still Windows Server 2008, all of the familiar GUI-based management tools will work just fine remotely against this server. What won't work, in addition to the missing roles, is anything that requires a true GUI or the .NET Framework. This cancels out some key Windows Server 2008 functionality, unfortunately, including ASP .NET: Server Core's Web Server role is pretty much static only, supporting only older, non-.NET technologies like ASP.

My expectation is that Server Core will prove hugely popular as an infrastructure (AD, DNS, DHCP, file, print) server and as a low-cost, low-end Web server. It's a product that should compete well with Linux-based solutions.
BitLocker Full-Drive Encryption

BitLocker is a full-drive encryption solution that first debuted in Windows Vista as a way to protect data stored on easily lost and stolen executive notebook computers. It requires TPM 1.2-based hardware to store encryption keys and can be configured via Group Policy.

On the server, BitLocker is particularly valuable for machines stored in branch offices, because those servers are often less well physically protected than the machines back in the home office. If a thief walks off with a BitLocker-protected server, they won't be able to access any of the data stored on the system's hard drives. BitLocker also works really well with some of the other technologies discussed here to create a truly secure and useful branch office solution. (See the RODC section below for an example.)
Read-Only Domain Controller

Read-Only Domain Controller (RODC) is new functionality that allows administrators to optionally configure the AD database as read-only, where only locally cached user passwords are stored on the machine and AD replication is unidirectional, rather than bidirectional.

So why would you want to do this? Today, many organizations are installing servers in branch offices and other remote locations, and these servers often connect back to the home office using slow or unreliable WAN links. That makes AD replication--and even authentication--an arduous and lengthy process. With RODC, the server is typically set up and configured in the home office, shipped to the remote location, and then switched on. From then on, only the user names and passwords of users who hit the server locally--and not the administrator account--are cached locally on the server.

Like BitLocker, RODC is an excellent solution for physically insecure remote servers. Indeed, if you combine RODC with other new Windows Server 2008 technologies like BitLocker and Server Core, you can configure the most secure remote server possible. That way, even hackers who gain physical control of the server can't take over your network. And removing the stolen RODC from your AD is as simple as checking a switch: Only those users who logged on to that machine will need to change their passwords. You won't have to institute an organization-wide emergency, because most users' accounts will not have been cached on that machine.

RODC is somewhat limited in that it can only support a subset of the roles and functionality normally supported on Windows Server 2008. For example, RODC-based servers can support technologies such as ADFS, DHCP, DNS, Group Policy (GP), DFS, MOM (Microsoft Operations Manager), and SMS (System Management Server).
Internet Information Services 7

The new Web server in Windows Server 2008 is driven by a major new update to Internet Information Services (IIS). Like the server itself, IIS 7 is completely componentized so that only those components needed for the desired configuration are installed and, thus, need to be serviced. It sports a drastically improved management console, supports xcopy Web application deployment and delegated administration, and is backed by a new .NET-based configuration store, which replaces the previous, monolithic, configuration store.
Terminal Services

Terminal Services (TS) sees some major changes in Windows Server 2008. The new TS RemoteApp functionality allows admins to remotely deploy individual applications to desktops, instead of entire PC environments, which can be confusing to users. These applications download and run on user desktops and, aside from the initial logon dialog box, function and look almost exactly as they would were they installed locally. This functionality requires the new Remote Desktop client, which shipped in Windows Vista and can be downloaded for Windows XP with SP2 and above.

TS Gateway lets you tunnel TS sessions over HTTPS outside the corporate firewall, so that users can access their remote applications on the road without having to configure a VPN client. This is particularly useful because VPN connections are often blocked at wireless access points, whereas HTTPS rarely is.

TS gets a few small but useful changes as well. These include TS Easy Print, which makes it easy to print to local printers from remote sessions, 32-bit color support in TS sessions; and seamless copy and paste operations between the host OS and remote sessions.
Network Access Protection

Microsoft first planned to ship simple and easily configurable network quarantining functionality in Windows Server 2003, but it's here at last with Network Access Protection (NAP). This feature allows you to setup security policies for your network: When a client system connects, NAP examines the device to make sure it meets the requirements of your security policies. Those that do are allowed online. Those that do not--typically machines that only connect infrequently to the network, such as those used by travelling employees--are pushed aside into a quarantined part of the network, where they can be updated. How these updates happen depends on the configuration of your environment, but once that's complete, the system is given full access again and allowed back on the network. NAP includes remediation failback to Windows Update or Microsoft Update if the local Windows Server Update Services server is unavailable, and compatibility with Cisco's Network Admission Control (NAC) quarantining technologies.
Windows Firewall

For the first time, Windows Server ships with a firewall that is enabled by default. The new Windows Firewall is bidirectional and works seamlessly with all of the roles and features you can configure in Windows Server 2008. In fact, the Firewall is part of the new roles-based management model: As you enable and disable various roles and features, Windows Firewall is automatically configured in the background so that only the required ports are opened. This is a major change, and one that could hamper compatibility with third party products, so testing will be crucial.
Command line and scripting goodness

Those who prefer to automate their servers will rejoice at the new command line and scripting enhancements in Windows Server 2008, though I'm a bit concerned by the haphazard and temporary nature of some of these changes. In this version of Windows Server, we're seeing the beginning of the transition from the old DOS-like command line to the new .NET-based PowerShell environment. For now, however, you'll need to have a toe in both environments to best take advantage of the new capabilities. Server Core, for example, does not support PowerShell.

One the command line side, we get two major additions: A Server Core management utility called oclist.exe and a command line version of Server Manager called servermanagercmd.exe. Both are designed with the same premise, providing ways to configure and manage the roles that are possible under each environment.

PowerShell is a complex but technically impressive environment, with support for discoverable .NET-based objects, properties, and methods. It provides all of the power of UNIX command line environments with none of the inconsistencies. The issue, of course, is whether Windows-based administers will quickly move to this new command line interface. Sadly, Windows Server 2008 doesn't help matters much: It doesn't ship with any PowerShell commandlets--fully contained scripts that can be executed from the command line--that can handle common management tasks. Microsoft tells me it will ship Windows Server 2008 commandlets on its Web site over time, however, and it expects a healthy community to quickly evolve as well.
Hyper-V

One of the most important and future-looking technologies in Windows Server 2008 isn't even available in the initial shipping version of the product. Instead, Microsoft is shipping a beta version of its Hyper-V virtualization platform with Windows Server 2008 and will update it automatically when the technology is finalized sometime after mid-2008. Hyper-V is a hypervisor-based virtualization platform that brings various performance advantages when compared to application-level virtualization platforms like Virtual Server. Compared to market leader VMWare, Microsoft's offering is immature and unproven, but its inclusion in Windows Server 2008 is sure to garner Microsoft some attention and market share. And there are advantages to this bundling: From a management perspective, Hyper-V is installed and managed as a role under Windows 2008, just like DHCP, file and print services, and other standard roles. That means it's easy to configure, manage, and service.

Hyper-V ships only with x64-based versions of the product and relies on hardware virtualization features that are only available in the latest AMD and Intel chipsets. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit guest operating systems, up to 32 GB of RAM in each guest OS, and up to 4 CPU cores for each guest OS. Hyper-V is compatible with virtual machines created for Microsoft's earlier virtualization products, like Virtual PC and Virtual Server.
Availability and licensing

As with Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 is available in several different product editions. These editions support different hardware platforms (32-bit x86, 64-bit x64, and Itanium), some of which include support for the Hyper-V virtualization technologies and some that do not. (Note that Hyper-V is only enabled on x64 versions of Windows Server 2008; Microsoft sells versions with and without Hyper-V included.)
Windows Web Server 2008

Availability: Separate 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) versions
Pricing: $469
Supported processors: 4
Supported RAM: 4 GB (x86) or 32 GB (x64)
Notes: Windows Web Server is designed specifically around the Web Server role and cannot be used as an AD domain controller. (It can, however, be configured as a domain member.) This version does not include Hyper-V, but does support Server Core installs.
Windows Server 2008 Standard, Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V

Availability: Separate 32-bit (x86), 64-bit (x64), and 64-bit (x64) without Hyper-V versions
Pricing: $999 (with five Client Access Licenses, or CALs); $971 without Hyper-V
Supported processors: 4
Supported RAM: 4 GB (x86) or 32 GB (x64)
Notes: Includes one virtual instance per license.
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V

Availability: Separate 32-bit (x86), 64-bit (x64), and 64-bit (x64) without Hyper-V versions
Pricing: $3,999 (with 25 CALs); $3,971 without Hyper-V
Supported processors: 8
Supported RAM: 64 GB (x86) or 2 TB (x64)
Notes: Includes four virtual instances per license. Builds on Standard edition and adds Windows Clustering.
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter, Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V

Availability: Separate 32-bit (x86), 64-bit (x64), and 64-bit (x64) without Hyper-V versions
Pricing: $2,999 per processor; $2,971 per processor without Hyper-V
Supported processors: 32 (x86) or 64 (x64)
Supported RAM: 64 GB (x86) or 2 TB (x64)
Notes: Includes unlimited virtual instances per license. Builds on Enterprise Edition.
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems

Availability: A single 64-bit version designed for Intel Itanium-based servers
Pricing: $2,999 per processor
Supported processors: 64
Supported RAM: 64 GB
Notes: This version of Windows Server 2008 does not support Hyper-V or Server Core and is designed for three discrete usage scenarios: Large databases, line-of-business (LOB) applications, and custom applications.
Microsoft Hyper-V Server

Availability: A single 64-bit (x64) version
Pricing: $28 (no, that's not a typo)
Notes: The new Hyper-V Server is a special version of Windows Server 2008 that only supports the Hyper-V role, providing a near "bare metal" install option for those who wish to run extensively virtualized environments. This version of the product won't ship until Microsoft finalized Hyper-V later in 2008.

In addition to these products, Microsoft recently announced that two new Windows Server 2008-based products will debut in the second half of 2008, Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008.

Windows Small Business Server 2008, codenamed Cougar, is aimed at businesses with up to 50 PCs. It will ship in two versions, one of which includes Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, SharePoint Services 3.0, and one-year trial subscriptions to Forefront Security for Exchange Server Small Business Edition and the new Windows Live OneCare for Server. A Premium version of the product adds a second copy of Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition and can be installed on two servers.

Windows Essential Business Server 2008, previously codenamed Centro, is a new product aimed at medium sized businesses with up to 250 desktops. This product is installed on three separate servers and includes Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, System Center Essentials 2007, and the next version of Internet Security and Acceleration Server. A Premium edition of the product will also include SQL Server 2008. Windows Essential Business Server requires at least three physical servers.

Both products will be sold only in 64-bit (x64) versions.
Final thoughts

This review only touches the surface of the new functionality in Windows Server 2008, highlighting but a subset of the improvements Microsoft has shipped in this release. There is a lot more to say about this impressive update, and of course my Windows IT Pro Magazine compatriots and I will do just that over the coming months. Though familiar on the surface, Windows Server 2008 enables so much new functionality, and comes with so many changes, that you will need to dedicate some time to understanding how these changes will benefit your own requirements and needs. This effort is worthwhile: Windows Server 2008 is a solid and impressive upgrade that should meet the needs of virtually any business customer. I see no serious downsides to this product at all. Highly recommended.

--Paul Thurrott
February 24, 2008
Updated February 25, 2008

Ubuntu server team wants to know – how do you Ubuntu?

2008-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu server team wants to know – how do you Ubuntu?

Co-sponsored by Canonical and RedMonk, survey asks community about its server usage

LONDON, September 25, 2008 – Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is asking users of Ubuntu Server edition just exactly how they are using it and in what kind of organisations.

Ubuntu is the popular Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop, thin client and server which brings together the best of open source software every 6 months. Ubuntu is free, and is downloaded from mirror sites around the world.

The Ubuntu Server community wants to ask a broad set of users to share their experiences. A previous shorter survey from Canonical was completed (public results at: www.canonical.com/campaign/server) by those requesting free server CDs, but this is the first time the Ubuntu server team is requesting information from the community worldwide.

Co-sponsored by RedMonk Research, the survey [http://survey.ubuntu.com/] will gather more detailed knowledge in order to:

* Improve future product releases
* Prioritize feature requests
* Guide partnerships to add technologies
* Drive the focus at the next Ubuntu Developer Summit in December 2008

The anonymous survey takes 10 to 20 minutes to complete and is open to anyone deploying Linux servers today, whether or not they use Ubuntu. The Ubuntu Server Community Team will present the results in the beginning of December.

“Our survey earlier this year provided insight into the diversity and global reach of the Ubuntu Server customer base,” said Nick Barcet, Ubuntu Server product manager at Canonical. “With this survey, we hope to understand more about them – including how they are using our software in their businesses – in order to better serve them in the future.”
About Canonical and Ubuntu

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is headquartered in Europe and is committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24x7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical's global support team and partners. Since its launch in October 2004, Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world.

Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the centre of a global open source software ecosystem. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com.

Canonical to Offer Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop through Ubuntu (R) Partner Repository

Ubuntu users now have direct access to Zimbra’s next generation email and calendaring solution

Sunnyvale, Calif., August 7, 2008 – Zimbra has announced that Canonical, sponsors of Ubuntu, the fastest growing Linux distribution, will give users direct access to Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop, which provides a centralized hub to manage multiple e-mail accounts and calendars online and offline, through the Ubuntu Partner Repository. Zimbra, a Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO) company, is a leader in open source, next-generation messaging and collaboration software.

“Since we first announced general availability of Zimbra for Ubuntu last year, we have seen incredible adoption within the Ubuntu community,” said Andy Pflaum, senior director of business management, Zimbra Business Unit, Yahoo!. “We are eager to offer our world-class collaboration experience, Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop, to the vibrant community of Ubuntu users worldwide.”

The inclusion of Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop in the Ubuntu Partner Repository provides Ubuntu users with best-of-breed collaboration technology that is built natively for the Linux platform. With Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop, Ubuntu users will have access to Yahoo! Mail, Gmail™, AOL Mail and any IMAP or POP enabled e-mail account, such as work, personal and school accounts, from the same place, even when they are not connected to the Internet. Additionally, Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop allows people to use the iCal standard to take their calendar offline.

Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop provides the same sleek collaboration experience as the Zimbra Web client version including advanced calendaring, self-organizing mailboxes, powerful search, tagging, and mash-ups with Web services including Flickr, Yahoo! Maps and Amazon. In addition, Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop offers a number of features designed to help users stay organized, such as document creation, spreadsheets, task management and document storage, giving users a robust alternative to other desktop applications.

"The addition of Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop to our Partner Repository gives millions of Ubuntu users instant access to best-in-class messaging and collaboration,” said Malcolm Yates, global ISV partner manager at Canonical. "As we broaden the user base of Ubuntu, our users’ needs are becoming more diverse and more complex. Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop is just the type of productivity tool they need, and we look forward to seeing adoption and deployment rates increase for this excellent tool within the Ubuntu community."
Pricing and Availability

Yahoo! Zimbra Desktop Beta Version 3 is available for free download at Zimbra.com/desktop. Anyone with access to Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS), Yahoo! Mail, Gmail™, AOL Mail, or an IMAP/POP enabled server can use Zimbra Desktop (www.zimbra.com/desktop).

Zimbra’s Web client and server, the Zimbra Collaboration Suite 5.0 Open Source Edition is free. The commercially supported ZCS 5.0 Network Edition is available for a 60-day free trial on the Zimbra website. Zimbra's Hosted Demo (www.zimbra.com/demo) is available for an immediate test drive of ZCS.

ZCS Network Edition includes product support as well as software subscriptions to new releases, updates and patches. ZCS is available on-premise or as a hosted service and is available at a significant educational or non-profit discount. Please contact sales@zimbra.com for information. Users can discuss topics related to the Zimbra Collaboration Suite and provide feedback at www.zimbra.com/forums.
About Zimbra

Zimbra, a Yahoo! company, is a leading provider of messaging and collaboration software for universities, businesses and service providers. Zimbra's rich AJAX interface is available on or offline to dramatically improve the collaboration experience. Zimbra is available on-premise or on-demand through our extensive hosted partner program. More information at www.zimbra.com.
About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit pressroom.yahoo.com or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal.

Source : ubuntu.com

Python 2.6 Release

2008-09-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Python 2.6

These are the release candidates for Python 2.6. While not ready for production use, we highly recommend that you can test these releases and report any last minute bugs you might find. The NEWS file contains a listing of everything that's new in Python 2.6rc2.

PEP 361 includes the schedule and will be updated as the schedule evolves. At this point, any testing you can do would be greatly appreciated.

Please report bugs at http://bugs.python.org

Python 2.6rc2 Released: 12-Sep-2008

Download

This is a release candidate; we currently support these formats:

Gzipped source tar ball (2.6rc2) (sig)
Bzipped source tar ball (2.6rc2) (sig)
Windows x86 MSI Installer (2.6rc2) (sig)
Windows AMD64 MSI Installer (2.6rc2) (sig)

MD5 checksums and sizes of the released files:

bc915d57f0711d039c91616d29e617dc  12875446  Python-2.6rc2.tgz
49666f0ab3e4b6d8bd54e35c6913af35  10801794  Python-2.6rc2.tar.bz2
1dcbb3baf954e5e226f6cabbce3d3a38  14370816  python-2.6rc2.amd64.msi
105463200b89ea9e26acc9bdc0112f19  13860352  python-2.6rc2.msi

The signatures above were generated with GnuPG using release manager Barry Warsaw's public key which has a key id of EA5BBD71.

What's New?

Here is What's new in Python 2.6rc2.
For the full list of changes, you can poke around in Subversion.

Vista Note

Administrators installing Python for all users on Windows Vista either need to be logged in as Administrator, or use the runas command, as in:

runas /user:Administrator "msiexec /i \.msi"

Documentation

The documentation has also been updated:

Source : python.org

Fedora Turns Five !

2008-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Fedora Turns Five!

by Fedora Team

Happy 5th Birthday, Fedora! On September 24, 2008 the Fedora Project celebrated five successful years of leading the advancement of free, open software and content. So don your party hat — we suggest a Fedora — and help us celebrate five years of innovation and a thriving Fedora community that’s primed for many more years to come.

We’ve hit many milestones and would like to share just a few numbers to recap the past 1,826 days:

Released nine distributions with another, Fedora 10 (Cambridge), slated for release in November 2008

More than 13,500 Fedora Account System members – many of whom are building packages, checking in code, editing the wiki, etc.

About 6,500 total source packages in Fedora with more than 10,000 binary packages in the development branch that will become Fedora 10

Over 550 volunteer representatives in Fedora’s global Ambassadors program

Sixteen Fedora User and Developer Conferences (FUDCons) worldwide, and an undisclosed number of tasty beverages at FUDPub events!

Millions of happy Fedora users worldwide!

Thank you to all who have devoted your time and energy to making Fedora a great platform, and a fantastic community!

Red Hat Positioned in Challengers Quadrant for Horizontal Portal Products Magic Quadrant

by JBoss Team

We’re proud to share that Red Hat has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the challengers quadrant in the ‘Magic Quadrant for Horizontal Portal Products’* report.

There were a few points from the report we thought important to call out. According to Gartner:

“Since its inception in 1998, the portal product market has undergone significant consolidation. However, this market is likely to experience a major shift driven by open-source software, SaaS delivery models and cloud computing. These two forces will cause this relatively stable market to expand dramatically during the next few years.”
“By 2011, Gartner expects at least 10% of new enterprise portal projects in the Global 2000 to use open-source horizontal portal frameworks.”
“The addition of interportlet communication in JSR 286 should promote interest in the adoption of open-source portal alternatives supporting this specification.”

We’re excited about our positioning in the Horizontal Portal Products Magic Quadrant, and believe our inclusion underscores the level of penetration open source horizontal portal products have achieved in the enterprise. Out-of-the-box support for JSR 268 will be included in JBoss Portal 2.7, and is a development we agree will further promote interest in open source portal solutions.

If you are interested, learn more about the JBoss Enterprise Portal Platform online.

*Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Horizontal Portal Products” by David Gootzit, Gene Phifer, Ray Valdes, September 12, 2008.
—–
More about the Magic Quadrant:
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted September 12, 2008 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the “Leaders” quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Source : redhat.com

FreeBSD Summer of Code 2008

2008-09-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

FreeBSD Summer of Code 2008

The FreeBSD Project is proud to have taken part in the Google Summer of Code 2008. We received more high quality applications this year than ever before. In the end it was a very tough decision to narrow it down to the 21 students selected for funding by Google. These student projects included security research, improved installation tools, new utilities, and more. Many of the students have continued working on their FreeBSD projects even after the official close of the program.

We are happy to report that the 19 students listed below completed the program successfully.

Information about the student projects is available from our Summer of Code wiki and all of the code is checked into Perforce. The summaries below were submitted by the individual students and their mentors with minor editing for consistency.
2008 Student Projects

* Project: Implementation of MPLS in FreeBSD
Student: Ryan French
Mentor: Andre Oppermann
Summary:

MPLS is a networking protocol used for routing information quickly and efficiently. It is used extensively in the internet's backbone networks. Over the course of the program, code has been ported to FreeBSD from the OpendBSD/NetBSD operating systems. Basic functionality of sending and receiving packets was the main goal of the project, but unfortunately this was not acheived. It is very close to having this functionality, but there are a few minor bugs preventing the code from integrating fully with the FreeBSD networking stack.

This project will continue to be worked on until sending, receiving, label swapping, tunnels, and the LDP daemon has been successfully implemented.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: No.
* Project: TCP/IP regression test suite (tcptest)
Student: Victor Hugo Bilouro
Mentor: George V. Neville-Neil
Summary:

As a testing tool, it can perform regression, protocol conformance, and fuzz tests. The tool may also be employed as an aid to protocol developers and both testing and debugging of firewalls/routers.

It is built on top of PCS(Packet Construction Set) "PCS is a set of Python modules and objects that make building network protocol code easier for the protocol developer. PCS enables testing at OSI layers 3, 4, and 5."

Tcptest mainly is a python module and one script for each test covered (more then one per script often) The module count with methods acting as fasteners, doing things like (a)three way handshake, (b)active/passive close and (c)several createXX and assertXX, where XX=(ip, tcp, rst, urg, fin, syn, psh, so on...) As the tests are being created, the number of 'fasteners' are growing, turning each moment easier to create new tests.

Use of small tests. So we can cover a wide range of traffics, events and transitions predetermined separately. The development would be like a protocol, but without covering all possible events and transitions, only traffic previously determined. Instead of targeting a TCP Finite State Machine (FSM) like the implementation of TCP/IP protocols, the development will be based towards flow of packets, where traffic is composed of packets that are sent and received in a previously registered way.
Links: project wiki FreeBSD Perforce project repository source code download source code documentation Packet Construction Set
* Project: Porting Open Solaris Dtrace Toolkit to FreeBSD
Student: Liqun Li
Mentor: John Birrell
Summary:

Sun Open Solaris Dtrace is pretty useful feature. Users can find performance bottlenecks with Dtrace in real production environment. Since many probes implemented in Open Solaris are not supported in FreeBSD, the Open Solaris Dtrace Toolkit should be ported to FreeBSD. Its main job is to find whether a given probe is supported by FreeBSD, if so, find it; if not, develop one to support this function. This summer, at first, I went throught all DTK script commands, found some of them work directly. But most do not. Under my mentor John Birrell careful help, I retrieved the respective FreeBSD kernel variables, and ended up making system/uname.d work. In addition, I tried to make sar-c.d work under FreeBSD. Since we need to investigate in Sun Open Solaris Kernel how Open Solaris defines the probe and what probes it needs, this work is realy time consuming, and not done yet. From this project, I got to know much about FreeBSD kernel and Dtrace probes. I found kernel hacking/coding pretty interesting.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: not decided
* Project: Adding .db support to pkg_tools --> pkg_improved
Student: Anders Nore
Mentor: Florent Thoumie
Summary:

This project is a replication of the pkg_install tools with several new features and speed improvements due to the caching of some package-information to a B-Tree Berkeley DB file. Some of the new features is the adding of installtime to the installed packages +CONTENTS file, human-readable size-output in pkg_info(1), progress indication to pkg_add's remote option. Installtime range searches with pkg_info(1) and pkg_delete(1) similar to that of version search is now available using the -M option.

A new tool pkg_convert(1), caches some parts of the existing /var/db/pkg/ flat database into a Berkeley DB file, and the tools check for this file and uses it for speed improvements if it is available and updates it according to pkg_{add|delete}'s. You can also use pkg_convert(1) to view the entries in the cache. The tools will give you an indication if the database is corrupt, and it is fully recoverable by using pkg_convert(1).

Two bugs in the existing pkg_tools have also been discovered and fixed, everything is ofcourse backwards-compatible with the older/original pkg_install tools.
* Project: Porting BSD-licensed text-processing tools from OpenBSD
Student: Gabor Kovesdan
Mentor: Max Khon
Summary:

At the moment, BSD grep seems to be ready and highly compatible with the GNU version. However, there are differences in the regex handling, which is a result of the different interpretations, that the different regex libraries use and thus it is not really possible to fix at the level of grep. As for diff, some progress has been made, but some important features are still missing. The sort utility seemed to be badly constructed concerning the wide character support and the overall implementation. Because of these difficulties, the efforts were prioritized for grep and diff. Probably sort needs a complete rewrite or at least an extreme amount of modifications.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: If we can accept the regex differencies in grep, it is ready to enter SVN after some thorough testing. As for diff and sort, they can be installed via the Ports Collection.
* Project: Multibyte collation support
Student: Konrad Jankowski
Mentor: Diomidis D. Spinellis
Summary:

Collation is what allows for current language/encoding correct sorting/ordering of strings. This project aimed to add proper collation in UTF-8 encodings for all languages for FreeBSD. This summer I have accomplished:
o imported data from the Unicode Consortium: POSIX locale files and regression test data
o written converter scripts to extract collation data from this files
o ported Apple's version of colldef (which is our version, but much extended by them)
o extended the colldef even more, to work on collation data from the Unicode Consortium
o added some performance improvements, the biggest one not used by default now (no time to test yet) - reading the charmap only once for all languages
o ported Apple version of strcoll, wcscoll, strxfrm, wcsxfrm and locale/collate.c, taking out xlocale (rationale on wiki)
o Written regression test scripts. It appeared that Apple's code doesn't full Unicode Collation Algorithm - the part which deals with expansions. It is needed for half of languages to pass the more advanced regression tests.
o for last few days I am working on implementing expansions, I will not rest until they work
o I was not able to start writing manpages and create a megapatch agains HEAD, I'll do that when the algorithm is 100% correct for all the languages.

Current informatin will be available on my wiki: http://wiki.freebsd.org/KonradJankowski/Collation
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: After finishing expansion support and cleanup.
* Project: VM Algorithm Improvement
Student: Mayur Shardul
Mentor: Jeff Roberson
Summary:

A new data structure, viz. radix tree, was implemented and used for management of the resident pages. The objective is efficient use of memory and faster performance. The biggest challenge was to service insert requests on the data structure without blocking. Because of this constraint the memory allocation failures were not acceptable, to solve the problem the required memory was allocated at the boot time. Both the data structures were used in parallel to check the correctness and we also benchmarked the data structures and found that radix trees gave much better performance over splay trees.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: We will investigate some more approaches to handle allocation failures before the new data structure goes in CVS.
* Project: TCP anomaly detector
Student: Rui Paulo
Mentor: Andre Oppermann
Summary:

The TCP Anomaly Detector (tcpad, for short) project went reasonably well. I am currently tracking some bugs and lowering the number of false positives.

tcpad tries to monitor TCP connections and detect non-conformant hosts. It does this by sniffing packets on the wire and creating, what I would like to call, a virtual TCP stack on each end. When an error is detected, tcpad creates a pcap file with all the packets exchanged between the two hosts and the state of each virtual TCP stack.

tcpad is still being developed, so expect it to "detect" dozens of "problems" after running for some minutes.

I was a bit late developing results because the SoC began before my exams did (I was still having classes), but now, that "damage" is partly fixed. ;-) Overall, this SoC was a really interesting learning experience. I must say that my TCP knowledge has increased a few points. :-)

Andre Oppermann is my mentor. I blogged a bit about this project at my blog. The wiki page is located here.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: No.
* Project: FreeBSD auditing system testing
Student: Vincenzo Iozzo
Mentor: Attilio Rao
Summary:

The project was focused on testing the audit system. The first part of the project consisted of writing a patch for /dev/auditpipe in order to preselect events by process' pid. The second half was focused on creating a testing framework for audit. Some auxiliary functions and modules were written. What is missing: - More abstraction in the framework - More tests for events
* Project: Dynamic memory allocation for dirhash in UFS2
Student: Nick Barkas
Mentor: David Malone
Summary:

Modified dirhash code in perforce is now able to free up memory used by older dirhashes when the VM system invokes vm_lowmem events. This will allow the default dirhash_maxmem value to be increased, improving performance on large directory lookups when there is memory to spare on they system. There are versions of the low memory event handling code for both -CURRENT and 7-STABLE. A number of tests have been run showing the new event handler seems to work properly.

I intend to do further testing and benchmarking to find the best default values to use for vfs.ufs.dirhash_reclaimage (the number of seconds a dirhash can sit unused before the dirhash low memeory event handler will unconditionally delete it) and the minimum percentage of memory that will be freed upon vm_lowmem events even if there are not enough hashes older than dirhash_reclaimage (currently this is hard coded to 10%). I would also like to add some code to choose a reasonable new default vfs.ufs.dirhash_maxmem value based upon the amount of memory in the system, set automatically at boot time and tunable via sysctl. Once these tweaks have been made I plan to ask for testing from more users to shake out any bugs or potential workloads where the new code may hurt overall performance.

Current details about status are on the wiki.
* Project: Reference implementation of the SNTP client
Student: Johannes Maximilian Kohn
Mentor: Harlan Stenn
Summary:

A reference implementation of the SNTP client based on the latest ntpv4 document. SNTP is a lightweight client that enables admins to synchronize with NTP servers. SNTP's networking code is written protocol independent and should work with almost any protocol like IPv4 or IPv6. SNTP supports MD5 authentication to verify the authencity of the queried server.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: Not determined yet.
* Project: NFSv4 ACLs
Student: Edward Tomasz Napierala
Mentor: Robert Watson
Summary:

The aim of my GSoC project was to implement NFSv4 ACLs in a similar way POSIX.1e ACLs are supported. That was done by extending user utilities (setfacl(1)/getfacl(1)), libc API and adding neccessary kernel stuff, for ACL storage and enforcement on both UFS and ZFS. Regression tests were implemented to ensure correct operation. Semantics is supposed to be identical to the one in SunOS. There is also a wrapper (distributed separately) that implements SunOS-compatible acl(2)/facl(2) API, to make porting applications like Samba easier.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: not yet
* Project: Enhancing FreeBSD's Libarchive
Student: Anselm Strauss
Mentor: Tim Kientzle
Summary:

The idea was to work on some missing parts of Libarchive. Despite the many goals, only few of them could be implemented. So far the project contributed a ZIP writer with tests. It supports basic functionality, except compression, ZIP64 and some fancy features of the ZIP specification. Work will now continue free from GSOC. It will include finishing the ZIP writer, and working a bit on the other goals, like PAX frontend, and others.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: not yet
* Project: Allowing for parallel builds in the FreeBSD Ports
Collection Student: David Forsythe
Mentor: Mark Linimon
Summary:

This project added locks to targets taken from bsd.port.mk that could perform conflicting operations if multiple builds were running at the same time. First, fake-pkg was modified to obtain a lock over PKG_DBDIR to prevent clobbering of the database in case more than one port tries to register at a time. Next, a lock called BASE_LOCK was added for every port to obtain at the beginning of a build. This lock is located in a ports directory, and prevents any port from being built by multiple make processes. Locks were then added for other sensitive targets, and the pkg_install tools were modified to honor locks on PKG_DBDIR.

Once these locks were added, a new variable, FAKE_J, to take advantage of makes -j flag. This allows make to fork multiple processes to handle dependencies and fetching, without passing the -j flag onto the actual build of a port.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: Probably not.
* Project: Ports license auditing infrastructure
Student: Alejandro Pulver
Mentor: Brooks Davis
Summary:

This project is about adding license support to the Ports Collection, so ports with certain licenses can be identified. The ports makefile part is functional (may need some adjustements though): definition of licenses by port, notions of permissions (sell and redistribute, for distfiles and packages) replacing NO_{PACKAGE,CDROM} and RESTRICTED, configuration (one-time, and saved; with checksum in case the license changes), verbose/diagnostic output of the internal processing logic (how it is accepted or rejected, if by the user, by default or by saved configuration), registration of license information and license itself in the package (so that both packages and ports can be searched for properties such as license types or restrictions), and more can be easily added to the current code.

The license database (a list of them and their properties) was going to be mirrored from FOSSology: a tool to analyze software licenses. We are working on getting FOSSology to automatically classify ports (I've sent suggestions and patches to the developers, who accepted them and provided very good support). So for the moment it is not usable (at least licenses/properties are defined manually, and each port is marked manually to indicate its license).

I will continue working on the FOSSology's port, and on the missing features such as multiple licenses support (AND, OR, etc). For more information see the wiki page: Ports license auditing infrastructure
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: not yet
* Project: Improving layer2 filtering
Student: Gleb Kurtsou
Mentor: Andrew Thompson
Summary:

Project aimed to improve layer2 filtering in ipfw and pf. All of the project goals are achieved: pfil framework is extended to handle ethernet packets, ipfw layer2 filtering is greatly simplified, added l2filter and l2tag per interface flags. Both ipfw and pf firewalls support filtering by ethernet addresses, support stateful filtering with ethernet addresses and firewall's lookup tables are extended to contain ethernet addresses.

ipfw was extended to perform arp packet filtering: arp-op, src-arp and dst-arp options added.

Details and usage examples are on my blog.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: Not yet, diff is submitted to freebsd-net@ for public review.
* Project: Porting FreeBSD to Efika (PPC bring up)
Student: Przemek Witaszczyk (vi0@)
Mentor: Rafal Jaworowski
Summary:

The main aim of the project is to port FreeBSD operating system to MPC5200B evaluation board. Among subleading tasks, there were objectives such as making kernel proceed to device drivers initialization, modelling newbus hierarchy of devices, writing the programmable interrupt controller driver, writing the PCI driver. The ultimate goal is reaching multiuser mode.

As for now, half of the project is realized. After solving a few difficult problems at the basic level (binary interface issues with entry point to the SmartFirmware on the device), the boot procedure reaches the device drivers initialization stage, and hits the PIC driver init. At this point, the driver skeleton is constructed and is called. The driver uses ofwbus bus driver which intermediates between the openfirmware and the FreeBSD newbus devices hierarchy. After completing the PIC driver, I'll be in the position to write the remaining drivers for peripherals integrated on the MPC5200B chip using the newbus architecture.

I am determined to continue the work on the project after the formal GSoC end date in order to bring at least the interrupt controller driver to operation.

More info available at project's wiki : http://wiki.freebsd.org/PrzemekWitaszczyk and at my GSoC 2008 blog: http://bitbay.blogspot.com/
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: not yet, at least PIC driver required.
* Project: Audit Firewall Events from Kernel
Student: Diego Giagio (diego@)
Mentor: Christian S.J. Peron
Summary:

This project is part of TrustedBSD project and aims to provide auditing support to security-related events generated by various firewall implementations on FreeBSD such as IPFW, PF and IPFILTER.

Currently both administrative events (such as add/remove rules) and network events (such as network connection establishment) are being audited on IPFW. This means that all IPFW security-related events are already being audited the way we planned it to. Although PF and IPFILTER auditing support aren't yet finished, all the hard infrastructure work needed to implement that is already committed.

The next step is basically finish implementing PF and IPFILTER's auditing support. On the IPFW side, my research showed that the way it handles statefull connections (even before my work) needs improvement. I will also work on this. I will keep working on this project in order to polish every rough edge we might find. Once this is finished, I'll probably begin working on other interesting TrustedBSD projects.

More information can be found here: http://wiki.freebsd.org/DiegoGiagio/Audit_Firewall_Events_from_Kernel
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: Not determined yet, perhaps parts of it.
* Project: Create a tiny operating system from FreeBSD
Student: James Harrison
Mentor: Warner Losh
Summary:

This project was a success and a failure at the same time. I started work imagining that I would be creating, genuinely creating, a new tiny operating system from FreeBSD. This was to be a worthy goal, a challenging goal, and overall a fun goal. I imagined it would involve making a bunch of shell scripts for stripping out various parts of the OS, integrate a custom kernel, and bob's your mother's brother, everything's done. This was even reflected in the name of the project; it's the same approach as TinyBSD, so I called mine ShinyBSD as a kind of homage.

Instead, I gained respect for TinyBSD, which is a fantastic tool. A truly, truly, fantastic tool. Ultimately, with just a few tweaks, it could do exactly what I needed it to do; building a small OS has been completed for some time.

The second portion was to cross compile and boot an arm device. I had more hardware issues than you can shake a large stick at, so though I can verify that I was working hard on cross compiling, I cannot verify that the cross compiled product I had made sense as a bootable image. I've started configuring qemu now to see if I can verify via that. In discussion with my mentor, I believe a profitable method of applying my knowedge post-GSOC is to get a Makefile prepared for TinyBSD that cross compiles out of the box.
Ready to enter CVS/SVN: Not yet, though when the Makefile is complete it would be good to offer it up for inclusion in base.

Source : freebsd.org

Multiple vulnerabilities in Ruby

2008-09-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Multiple vulnerabilities in Ruby

Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Ruby. It's recommended that you upgrade to the latest versions.
Details

The following vulnerabilities have been discovered.
Several vulnerabilities in safe level

Several vulnerabilities in safe level have been discovered.

*

untrace_var is permitted at safe level 4.

trace_var(:$VAR) {|val| puts "$VAR = #{val}" }

Thread.new do
$SAFE = 4
eval %q{
proc = untrace_var :$VAR
proc.first.call("aaa")
}
end.join

*

$PROGRAM_NAME may be modified at safe level 4.

Thread.new do
$SAFE = 4
eval %q{$PROGRAM_NAME.replace "Hello, World!"}
end.join

$PROGRAM_NAME #=> "Hello, World!"

*

Insecure methods may be called at safe level 1-3.

class Hello
def world
Thread.new do
$SAFE = 4
msg = "Hello, World!"
def msg.size
self.replace self*10 # replace string
1 # return wrong size
end
msg
end.value
end
end

$SAFE = 1 # or 2, or 3
s = Hello.new.world
if s.kind_of?(String)
puts s if s.size < safe =" 4" mask =" Syslog::LOG_UPTO(Syslog::LOG_EMERG)" port =""> 2000, :DocumentRoot => "/etc").start

Attack:

require 'net/http'
res = Net::HTTP.start("localhost", 2000) { |http|
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new("/passwd")
req['If-None-Match'] = %q{meh=""} + %q{foo="bar" } * 100
http.request(req)
}
p res

The request likely won't finish in this universe.

This vulnerability was reported by Christian Neukirchen.
Lack of taintness check in dl

dl doesn't check taintness, so it could allow attackers to call dangerous functions.

require 'dl'
$SAFE = 1
h = DL.dlopen(nil)
sys = h.sym('system', 'IP')
uname = 'uname -rs'.taint
sys[uname]

This vulnerability was reported by sheepman.
DNS spoofing vulnerability in resolv.rb

resolv.rb allow remote attackers to spoof DNS answers. This risk can be reduced by randomness of DNS transaction IDs and source ports, so resolv.rb is fixed to randomize them.

* see also: CVE-2008-1447

This vulnerability was reported by Tanaka Akira.
Vulnerable versions

1.8 series

* 1.8.5 and all prior versions
* 1.8.6-p286 and all prior versions
* 1.8.7-p71 and all prior versions

1.9 series

* r18423 and all prior revisions

Solution

1.8 series
Please upgrade to 1.8.6-p287, or 1.8.7-p72.

*
*

1.9 series

Please check out the latest version using Subversion.

$ svn co http://svn.ruby-lang.org/repos/ruby/trunk ruby

Please note that a package that corrects this weakness may already be available through your package management software.

Voices That Matter 2008

Pearson Education is running a Voices That Matter Ruby conference this fall in Boston. The conference, from the same people who Addison-Wesley's Professional Ruby Series, will give you a chance to meet and learn from those very same authors. Don't miss a chance to interact with so many Ruby professionals.

Source : ruby-lang.org

Fujitsu and Sun arm juttejutsu server with quad-core processor

2008-09-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Fujitsu and Sun arm juttejutsu server with quad-core processor

Sword not included

By Timothy Prickett Morgan • Get more from this author

Earlier this week, John Fowler, the executive vice president of the Systems group at Sun Microsystems, hinted that Sun and server partner Fujitsu would be bringing a new "gap filling" server to market based on the new quad-core Sparc64-VII processor. Turns out, it is indeed an entry server, even if it might compete against Sun's own "Niagara" family of servers, which use Sun's own multi-core Sparc T series of chips.

The forthcoming machine - which Fowler said would ship before the end of 2008 - is code-named Ikkaku. Presumably, that's a nod to the 17th century Japanese martial art known as Ikkaku-ryū juttejutsu, which teaches how to fight with short swords, short staffs, grappling, and something called the war fan. (Go ahead, have fun with that).

The box will be sold as the Sparc Enterprise M3000 and is a single-socket machine that comes in a 2U rack-mounted chassis that is aimed at developers who need a modestly powered machine or for workloads where horizontal scaling works better than an SMP box. The Ikkaku server might also see use in supercomputer clustering, given that a single Sparc64-VII chip can deliver 40 gigaflops of number-crunching power with all four cores running at 2.5 GHz.

The Ikkaku server will have a single "Jupiter" Sparc64-VII processor with the four cores running at 2.53 GHz and 5 MB of L2 cache on the chip. The server is expected to have eight DDR2 memory slots, for a maximum of 64 GB using wickedly expensive 8 GB DIMMs and will have four PCI-Express slots and four on-board Gigabit Ethernet ports. The motherboard for the Ikkaku server will have a RAID disk controller and the chassis has room for four 2.5-inch SAS drives.

According to the documents I have seen, the Ikkaku server will be available in the fourth quarter. Pricing information was not available. The machine will obviously run Solaris 10 and is binary compatible with other Sparc boxes. ®

Fox Interactive Media, Sun Microsystems and Greenplum Create Enterprise Data Warehouse to Support Web Monetization Efforts

Los Angeles, SANTA CLARA, CALIF. September 24, 2008 Fox Interactive Media (FIM), Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA), and Greenplum today announced that the three companies have developed and deployed a new data warehouse designed to support monetization efforts for FIM's portfolio of leading Web properties. The data warehouse solution is built upon the industry-leading Sun Fire x4500 storage server and the Solaris Operating System (OS) and provides complex, real-time analysis in support of FIM's advanced targeted advertising systems.

"Sun and Greenplum will be invaluable collaborators as we continue to put our data to work in new ways that will improve both the user and advertiser experience on our network of sites," said Arnie Gullov-Singh, EVP of Product, Technology and Operations for the FIM Audience Network. "Both of these companies are at the cutting edge of data collection and analysis, and we're excited this new working relationship has been established that we know will help drive our business forward."

The data warehouse solution will combine the highly-powerful and scalable Sun Fire X4500 storage server with the Greenplum Database, the industry's first massively parallel database capable of processing petabytes of data on general purpose hardware. The Sun Fire X4500 storage server combines the performance of a four- way Sun Fire x64 server and the highest storage density available at about half the cost of traditional solutions. This solution is also powered by Sun's Open Storage technologies including the Solaris 10 Operating System (OS) and Solaris ZFS, the world's most advanced file system.

"Sun is a leader in helping the world's largest Web brands build, grow and monetize high quality Web experiences for hundreds of millions of users," said John Fowler, executive vice president, Systems Group, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Fox Interactive Media's use of Sun's Open Storage technologies like Solaris ZFS and the Sun Fire x4500 storage server speaks volumes to our ability to scale and efficiently manage massive amounts of content."

"This is an incredibly exciting time for Greenplum as the investments we have made in both our technology development and our relationship with Sun are now resulting in tremendous momentum in the marketplace. Fox Interactive Media is a perfect example of how companies can differentiate themselves, and change the game by intelligently leveraging their own data," said Bill Cook, CEO of Greenplum. "With most of Fox Interactive Media's nearly 190 million active users generating new content every day, Greenplum's database will be handling one of the world's most demanding analytical workloads."

About Fox Interactive Media

A division of News Corporation, Fox Interactive Media (FIM) is a portfolio of leading social networking, entertainment, sports and information sites that offer a platform and tools for consumers to express themselves, communicate with each other, and engage with media. The company's worldwide network includes such category leaders as MySpace, Photobucket, IGN, FOXSports.com, RottenTomatoes, AskMen, Flektor and more that together comprise one of the largest audiences on the Web.

About Greenplum

Greenplum develops the world's fastest, most scalable database software for Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing. Greenplum Database, the company's breakthrough database software product, enables companies to analyze terabytes of information faster and more cost effectively than traditional data warehouse solutions, allowing organizations to fully leverage their data to gain critical insights into the past, present and future and achieve and extend their competitive advantage in the marketplace. Greenplum Database also powers the Sun Data Warehouse Appliance, which integrates servers, storage and database to deliver industry leading performance, scalability, and cost of ownership. For more information about Greenplum, visit www.greenplum.com.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Sun Fire, Solaris, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. and its subsidiaries, in the United States and other countries.

Source : sun.com

IBM Helps Mid-Sized Clients Tackle E-mail Management

2008-09-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

IBM Helps Mid-Sized Clients Tackle E-mail Management

Launches Enhanced Offering to Help SAP Clients
Meet Archiving Demands

ARMONK, NY, September 8, 2008 -- IBM today announced IBM Content Collector Preload Edition, a new hardware and software offering that will enable clients to quickly install and automate an e-mail management solution. The new offering helps users to improve e-mail system performance and to easily and quickly retrieve email to satisfy compliance audit reviews and legal discovery requirements.

IBM also today announced retention management and eDiscovery enhancements to IBM CommonStore for SAP. This solution will help all organizations using an SAP solution to more efficiently manage and archive their SAP data for lower cost and reduced compliance risk.

IBM Content Collector Preload Edition will help customers expand beyond the process of “just archiving” to bring intelligence to information with Content Collection and Archiving -- the process of collecting, enhancing, managing and discovering all types of content including e-mail, regardless of creation type.

“Organizations of all sizes struggle to meet the growing needs of e-mail archiving as well as additional requirements driven by legal and regulatory compliance demands,” said Craig Rhinehart, director, product strategy, compliance and discovery, IBM Enterprise Content Management. “IBM is the only vendor that can offer customers the combined breadth, flexibility and simplicity of a complete hardware and software solution that doesn’t create an e-mail archive silo – instead it can be seamlessly upgraded for additional content types or additional capabilities as needed.”

IBM Content Collector Preload Edition includes IBM CommonStore, IBM Content Manager, and the recently introduced IBM eDiscovery Manager. The new offering, which can be installed quickly and is easy-to-use, will help manage e-mail for retention and compliance. Content Collector Preload is designed to help address critical eDiscovery issues by bringing key phases of the eDiscovery process in-house, enabling clients to take control over e-mail and to help reduce overall legal discovery costs and risk, while improving litigation responsiveness.

This new offering is pre-integrated with IBM server and storage offerings and includes:
IBM CommonStore for Lotus Domino and Exchange Server: Provides the ability to integrate e-mail content with other contextually similar documents and facilitate retention and archiving, helping clients to achieve compliance with regulatory, government and industry mandates.

IBM Content Manager: Serves as the archive repository. It provides secure support up for large volumes of archived content and does so without creating another “silo” of information. It addition to email, it supports other content types and can be upgraded to seamlessly integrate other capabilities such as advanced classification, search and analytics, records management, and business process management

IBM eDiscovery Manager: Helps clients more easily manage electronically stored information; provide earlier insights into collected evidence; and prioritize downstream evidence review, analysis and production. eDiscovery Manager helps authorized IT and legal users search, cull, hold and export case-relevant e-mail evidence. Utilizing IBM’s ECM technology as a base, eDiscovery Manager helps customers address the crushing volumes of uncontrolled, electronically stored information and enable a more productive, agile response to litigation.

IBM CommonStore for SAP
Additionally, IBM also is announcing enhancements to its IBM CommonStore for SAP product for SAP archiving. The new offering supports the “Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) from SAP” solution, integrated with IBM System Storage DR550, that will enable storage-enforced retention periods and legal holds to be placed on archived SAP information, helping their customers disposition and protect critical SAP business data throughout its lifecycle, in addition to reducing risk, storage costs and the cost of compliance.

The IBM Content Collector Preload Edition will be available later in 2008 from selected IBM Business Partners. IBM CommonStore for SAP with enhancements supporting “ILM from SAP” will also be available later in 2008.

For more information on IBM’s Enterprise Content Management offerings, visit: http://www-306.ibm.com/software/ecm.

Oracle Introduces The HP Oracle Database Machine

2008-09-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Delivering 10x Faster Performance Than Current Oracle Data Warehouses

Oracle Transforms Data Warehouse Deployments with Oracle® Exadata Storage Servers, the First-Ever Smart Storage Designed for Oracle Data Warehouses

ORACLE OPENWORLD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 24, 2008
News Facts
In a keynote address to nearly 43,000 OpenWorld attendees, Oracle Chief Executive Officer, Larry Ellison unveiled the HP Oracle Database Machine, a system designed for extreme performance data warehouses.
The HP Oracle Database Machine consists of a grid of Oracle Database Servers and a grid of new Oracle® Exadata Storage Servers packaged in a single rack ordered as a complete system from Oracle.
The latest offering resulting from Oracle’s and HP’s long-time engineering relationship, HP Oracle Exadata Storage Servers break the performance bottleneck between database servers and conventional storage by shipping less data through larger pipes.
No changes are required to existing queries or business intelligence applications to deliver extreme performance for large Oracle data warehouses.
HP Oracle Exadata Product Family:
The product family consists of two components.
HP Oracle Database Machine is pre-configured for performance, pre- tuned, and certified for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition tools and Oracle Real Application Clusters. Complete configurations can be ordered from Oracle, with hardware support by HP. The HP Oracle Database Machine is a high-performance system configured for data warehousing that includes a grid of eight database servers featuring: 64 Intel processor cores, and Oracle Enterprise Linux; and a grid of 14 HP Oracle Exadata Storage Servers that include up to 168 terabytes of raw storage and 14 GB/sec data bandwidth to the database servers.
HP Oracle Exadata Storage Servers are key performance enablers for the database machine and can be ordered separately if customers have an existing data warehouse and merely require the storage enhancements. Customers can build data warehousing solutions using HP Oracle Exadata Storage Servers, which feature industry-standard components including two Intel processors, up to 12 TB of raw storage and InfiniBand connectivity delivering 1 GB/sec of data bandwidth per storage server.
The HP Oracle Exadata Storage Server uses a massively parallel architecture to dramatically speed up Oracle data warehouses by shifting the data-intensive part of query processing away from Oracle Database Servers and closer to the data.
HP Oracle Exadata Storage Servers deliver 10x or more performance improvements in data-intensive query processing, have virtually unlimited I/O scalability, are easier to optimize for data warehousing, and provide mission-critical availability and reliability.
Availability & Delivery
The HP Oracle Database Machine and HP Oracle Exadata Storage Servers are available today.
Complete configurations can be ordered from Oracle.
Oracle is responsible for sales and system support.
HP is responsible for hardware delivery and hardware service.
Supporting Quote
“For the first time, customers can get smart performance storage designed for Oracle data warehouses, that is ten times faster,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

Oracle and Intel® Collaborate to Accelerate Enterprise-Ready Cloud Computing

Companies to work on technology and standards to make clouds more efficient and secure
Oracle OpenWorld, San Francisco, CA – September 23, 2008

Oracle and Intel Corporation today announced that they are collaborating to help accelerate enterprise readiness of cloud computing and make it more efficient and secure. The companies will also identify and drive standards to enable flexible deployment across private and public clouds.

Cloud computing is an efficient way to run programs and store data which a large number of users can access through Internet technologies. Enterprise customers are already running applications on shared infrastructure within their firewalls using Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) and Oracle Grid Computing technologies, including Oracle® Database, Oracle Real Application Clusters, Automatic Storage Management, Oracle Application Grid, Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle VM. With this foundation, enterprises are now looking to create private clouds for their internal applications and to have the ability to extend them to public, multi-tenant clouds with the same level of security, flexibility and efficiency.

“Oracle understands that enterprises would like the flexibility of choosing to run their enterprise systems in either private or public clouds, but in order to do that, cloud computing needs to be highly efficient, secure and standards based,” said Robert Shimp, group vice president, Oracle Global Technology Business Unit. “Intel and Oracle are collaborating to make this happen.”

“Intel and Oracle are taking a leadership role to expand the reach of enterprise-ready cloud computing,” said Doug Fisher, vice president, Software and Solutions Group (SSG), and general manager of SSG's Systems Software Division at Intel Corporation.

“By collaborating to improve efficiency, extend standards and enhance security, we’re making cloud computing more of an option for enterprise deployments.”
Oracle and Intel will cooperate in three broad areas:
Efficiency – Recent collaboration between Oracle and Intel on Oracle VM and the Xen open source hypervisor with Intel VT has yielded a 17 percent performance improvement of Oracle Database running virtualized on Intel Xeon® processors. As Intel introduces new server platforms, and further enhances virtualization technology, Oracle and Intel will continue their joint software optimization work to achieve performance and power efficiency gains.
Security – Enterprises running software in public clouds must have assurances that the environment is secure, private data can be accessed only by authorized applications, and activities are tracked for auditing and compliance reporting. Oracle and Intel will work together to further strengthen the security of virtual machines in a shared cloud environment to help ensure customer data is protected. As Intel develops new virtualization security features to ensure trusted environments for cloud computing, Intel and Oracle will optimize this technology on Oracle software. Both companies will continue to better integrate their data encryption technologies to help ensure data privacy and security in shared public cloud environments.
Standards – Intel and Oracle will work with other industry leaders to extend standards that enable portability of virtual machine images, such as the Open Virtual Format (OVF), and to create Web services standards for provisioning and management of cloud-based services.

Oracle Partners Respond to Customer Demand for SOA-based Integrations

More than 60 New Integrations Validated through Oracle Application Integration Architecture for Partners Initiative Over the Past Year
Oracle OpenWorld, San Francisco, CA – September 22, 2008

In response to growing customer demand for validated integrations, Oracle today announced that more than 60 new integrations have completed testing through the Oracle Application Integration Architecture for Partners (AIAP) initiative.
This initiative provides partners tools and best practices for integrating to Oracle’s broad portfolio of applications. Over the past 18 months since the launch of Oracle Application Integration Architecture, Oracle has seen an increase in cross-application business process integration validation requests. These integrations utilize Oracle® SOA Suite and Oracle Application Integration Architecture as the integration platform.
Oracle PartnerNetwork members who have recently validated their SOA-based integrations include: En-soft, Gesplan, Informatica, Softway-Softcomex, New Soft Intelligence, Nexo, Techware, Xactly and XRT.
Oracle also formed the Oracle Application Integration Partner Strategy Council in November 2007. Council members contribute to the future direction of Oracle’s partner initiatives and provide Oracle with a deeper understanding of the challenges ISVs face while gaining unique insight into Oracle’s go-to-market strategy. This in turn helps ensure that partner products are aligned with Oracle product directions, while giving each partner’s customers assurance that their needs are being represented. Charter members of this council include: 170 Systems, 3i Infotech, Acxiom, APPLIMATION, Cisco Systems, CRM IT Solutions, Data Systems International, Enigma, Development Dimensions International, Enwisen Inc, Genesys, HCR, IFS, InFact Group, MavenWire, Motorola, Nakisa Inc, New Soft Intelligence, Open Text, Trillium, Zebra Technologies.
Based on feedback from council members, initial changes have been enacted, including additional educational webcasts, updates to integration best practices documentation, and easier web access to an increasing amount of integration related information.
Benefits of AIAP-Validated Integrations

Integration validation provides customers with the confidence that the integration between products has been tested and validated as functionally and technically sound, that the product is integrated with Oracle Applications in a reliable, standards-based way, and that the integration operates and performs as documented.

Integration Validation offers partners a competitive advantage:
Partners with validated integrations are able to provide customers with standards-based product integrations, reviewed, tested and validated by Oracle.
Customers benefit from improved risk management and smoother upgrade capability, enabling a lower total cost of ownership and greater overall satisfaction.
Integrating solutions with Oracle's industry-leading application products helps partners open new markets and discover new sales opportunities.
Integration Validation helps ensure standards compliance. Validated integrations comply with standard integration technologies, such as Oracle Application Integration Architecture, Oracle Fusion Middleware, BPEL, Web Services, XML/EDI, integration adaptors, and other published and approved application program interfaces (APIs)

Membership in the Oracle Application Integration Architecture for Partners Initiative offers partners access to:
Application integration information for Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, JD Edwards World and Siebel applications
Development guidance and design review for integrations based on Oracle SOA Suite or Oracle Application Integration Architecture
Product specific “how-to” integration guides
Best practices and integration design guides
Integration training and education roadmaps
Eligibility to apply to receive:
Oracle Application Integration Architecture product software development licenses, including a set of pre-built business processes, integration packs, enterprise business objects and services, and enterprise services repository
Oracle Application Integration Architecture solution design guidelines, integration best practices, training programs, and product roadmaps
Eligibility to apply for Application Integration Validation testing
Integration validation testing available for native, point-to-point, SOA-based and AIA-based integrations

Partners with Validated Integrations receive:
Integration Validation Branding – exclusive “Integrated with Oracle” logo
Integration Datasheet with Oracle and partner product logos
Inclusion in select global or regional marketing efforts. For example, exhibiting Oracle OpenWorld partners this year were offered “Validated Integration” monitor buttons for easy identification by interested customers.
Supporting Quotes
“Validation requests through our AIAP initiative continue to rise as partners are responding to the demand from customers requiring lower cost, lower risk implementations,” said Tom Herrmann, vice president, ISV Management and Programs at Oracle. “These validations help our partners to offer the most functional and flexible solutions to their customers.”
“Validating our application integration under the AIA for Partners Initiative was part of our strategy this quarter. Oracle SOA Suite is now being used to leverage our integration with Oracle E-Business Suite R12. We'll be able to maintain and manage a single technology middleware platform helping to reduce its TCO and enhancing our customers' experience regarding future upgrades and manageability." André Barros, Business Manager, New Soft Intelligence
Supporting Resources
Oracle Applications Integration Architecture for Partners
Oracle SOA
Oracle PartnerNetwork
Oracle Application Integration Architecture
Application Integration Architecture for Partners Initiative
Application Integration Validation
Validated Integration listing on Oracle.com
Application Integration Partner Strategy Council members support
About the Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork is a global business network of more than 20,000 companies who deliver innovative software solutions based on Oracle software. Through access to Oracle’s premier products, education, technical services, marketing and sales support, the Oracle PartnerNetwork program provides partners with the resources they need to be successful in today’s global economy. Oracle partners are able to offer their customers leading-edge solutions backed by Oracle’s position as the world's largest enterprise software company. Partners who are able to demonstrate superior product knowledge, technical expertise and a commitment to doing business with Oracle qualify for the Certified Partner levels.

Source : oracle.com

Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Jabber

2008-09-27T11:10:00.001-07:00

Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Jabber
Jabber's Presence and Messaging Software to Enhance Cisco's Collaboration Portfolio

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 19, 2008 - Cisco today announced its intent to acquire privately held Jabber, Inc., a provider of presence and messaging software. Based in Denver, Jabber will work with Cisco to enhance the existing presence and messaging functions of Cisco's Collaboration portfolio.
Cisco Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Jabber

The acquisition will enable Cisco to embed presence and messaging services "in the network" and provide rich aggregation capabilities to users through both on-premise and on-demand solutions, across multiple platforms including Cisco WebEx® Connect and Cisco Unified Communications.

"Enterprise organizations want an extensible presence and messaging platform that can integrate with business process applications and easily adapt to their changing needs," said Doug Dennerline, Cisco senior vice president, Collaboration Software Group. "With the acquisition of Jabber, we will be able to extend the reach of our current instant messaging service and expand the capabilities of our collaboration platform. Our intention is to be the interoperability benchmark in the collaboration space."

Jabber provides a carrier-grade, best-in-class presence and messaging platform. Jabber's technology leverages open standards to provide a highly scalable architecture that supports the aggregation of presence information across different devices, users and applications. The technology also enables collaboration across many different presence systems such as Microsoft Office Communications Server, IBM Sametime, AOL AIM, Google and Yahoo!. Jabber's platform leads the market in system robustness, scalability, extensibility and global distribution.

The Jabber acquisition exemplifies Cisco's "build, buy and partner" innovation strategy to move quickly into new markets and capture key market transitions. In addition to internal software innovations, Cisco actively employs investments in, and acquisitions of, other companies to support its software strategy; recent purchases include industry leaders WebEx, IronPort, Securent and PostPath.

The transaction will be accounted for in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed. The acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to be complete in Cisco's first half of fiscal year 2009. Upon completion of the acquisition, Jabber employees will become part of the Cisco Collaboration Software Group (CSG). CSG is part of the recently established Software Group, consisting of Cisco's major software businesses; including the IOS network operating system, network and service management, Unified Communications solutions, policy management, and SaaS offerings.
About Cisco Systems

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com

Cisco Targets $34B Market with New Collaboration Portfolio
Open Collaboration Portfolio Integrates Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco TelePresence and Cisco WebEx

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2008 - Cisco today announced a new collaboration portfolio designed to help companies accelerate business processes, increase productivity and speed innovation. The Cisco® collaboration portfolio consists of Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco TelePresence and a new Web 2.0 application platform, all of which use the network as the platform to help enable people to connect, communicate and collaborate from any application, device and workspace. The portfolio of unified communications, video and a Web 2.0 platform is designed to integrate with business applications, existing IT infrastructures and other Web services and to allow developers to create customized applications and network-based services. The new portfolio products include the following:

* Unified Communications: Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 offers significant improvements in total cost of ownership, ease of use, and interoperability with business applications.
* Video: Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand integrates the immersive Cisco TelePresence experience into the contact center for high-value, in-branch customer service and the ability to summon expertise directly from a Cisco TelePresence meeting.
* Web 2.0 Applications Platform: Cisco WebEx® Connect, a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, integrates presence, instant messaging, Web meetings and team spaces with traditional and Web 2.0 business applications.

"Collaboration is the next phase of the Internet, a phase that analysts see as a $34 billion market opportunity, and at the center of this phase is the network," said Don Proctor, senior vice president, software group, Cisco. "Our network platform uses open-standards protocols to expose critical collaboration services such as presence, instant messaging, call control and policy to a broad range of devices and applications. The Cisco collaboration portfolio uses this network architecture to create an integrated collaboration experience that encompasses everything from simple text messaging to immersive Cisco TelePresence sessions."

"Having the right collaborative platform helps speed our decision making, increase productivity and improve relationships within the organization and with our customers and partners. I think our ability to collaborate is a competitive advantage for Activision," said Thomas Fenady, senior director, information technology, Activision. "Cisco's approach to collaboration takes advantage of our underlying corporate network to provide our teams with a seamless communications experiences, helping us collaborate within the context of business processes."

With the network as the platform, the Cisco collaboration portfolio is designed to interoperate with business applications, communications devices and Web-based tools while allowing IT departments to maintain their mandates regarding security, policy and compliance. An open architecture and standards-based application programming interface (API) exposes application and network services and supports end-user customization, IT integration and third-party application and hardware interoperability. Customers can create collaborative mash-ups with public Web-based tools as well as with corporate applications such as those for customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). The open architecture also allows Cisco collaboration capabilities to be delivered to a range of devices including Windows and Mac OS desktops, and mobile phones running Symbian, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile operating system.

Cisco provides open application development environments based on Web 2.0 tools and APIs. These include:

* Cisco Unified Applications Environment, to deliver Web applications to the Cisco Unified IP Phone screen
* Cisco Applications eXchange Platform, to expose capabilities within the router to applications in branch offices
* Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance 8.0(4), to provide an open network security appliance that allows businesses to extend their collaboration capabilities with a high degree of security via a converged data and voice virtual private network
* And now, Cisco WebEx Connect, to bring together business applications, Web tools and team workspaces

Cisco Unified Communications Release 7.0

Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 enables organizations to collaborate in ways that help them quickly adapt to market changes and improve competitive advantage through speed and innovation. Accelerating the deployment of Unified Communications applications requires a company to use its existing infrastructure and applications. Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 offers enhancements to its applications development environment and provides deeper integration with desktop products from IBM and Microsoft. Mobility enhancements help extend productivity features across workspaces. Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator now supports devices running on Windows Mobile as well as Symbian and BlackBerry operating systems. Cisco Unified Communications Release 7.0 continues to help reduce system and management costs by increasing Cisco Unified Presence scalability to 30,000 users and Cisco Unity to 15,000 users on a single server and by enabling optimization of network management through an easy-to-use appliance deployment environment. For more information, visit www.cisco.com/go/unifiedworkspace.
Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand

Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand provides a collaborative, high-touch customer service experience, enabling customers to connect with subject-matter experts for tailored, in-person service at the touch of a button. Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand combines the power of Cisco Unified Communications and Cisco Unified Contact Center with the immersive "in-person" experience of Cisco TelePresence to transform the way organizations deliver high-touch customer and point-of-sale services. Users can summon expert assistance directly in a Cisco TelePresence meeting or use a dedicated Cisco TelePresence endpoint and get face-to-face assistance. For example, a retail bank could provide "in-person" services to bank customers in every location via Cisco TelePresence, while optimizing highly trained resources. This gives organizations the ability to scale scarce resources or expertise in a cost-effective manner, irrespective of geographic location. For more information, visit, http://cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7060/index.html
Cisco WebEx Connect

Cisco WebEx Connect is a cloud-based application platform for collaborative business mash-ups. Cisco WebEx Connect includes a number of standard applications including enterprise instant messaging, team spaces, document management, calendaring and discussions, which can be combined with third-party widgets that are built using open APIs, enabling companies to work from a single workspace. Extensive administrative controls support enterprise policy, security and compliance requirements to enable highly secure inter-company collaboration. Cisco WebEx Connect works with enterprise messaging solutions and Cisco Unified Communication system to deliver integrated communication capabilities within the context of a collaborative mashup. For more information, visit, http://www.webex.com/go/connect_tour
Availability

Cisco Unified Communications System Release 7.0 and Cisco TelePresence Expert on Demand are available immediately. WebEx Connect is currently available as a desktop and Web-based client; support for mobile clients is scheduled to be available in early 2009.
Links

* Cisco Collaboration Homepage

* Cisco Unified Communications Product Portfolio

* Cisco WebEx Connect Page

* Cisco WebEx Connect Quick Tour

About Cisco

Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at www.cisco.com for ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com

Pascal

2008-09-27T10:23:00.001-07:00

Learn Pascal in Three Days (3e.) is an update of one of the best-selling introductions to Pascal on the market for beginning programmers. The title is recognized as one of the best introductions to Pascal suitable for students or anyone wanting a solid foundation in structured programming. Pascal is considered an ideal programming language to begin programming because of its highly structured syntax.

About the Author
Sam Abolrous is a technical writer at Microsoft and a successful computer book author. He is the author of the highly successful Learn Pascal in Three Days, 2e. (1-55622-567-9) and the forthcoming Learn C++ In Three Days (1-55622-707-8) from Wordware Publishing, Inc. Abolrous is also the author of over 20 computer books in Egypt. He has a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Alexandria, Egypt. Abolrous lives and works in Redmond outside of Seattle, Washington. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details

* Paperback: 324 pages
* Publisher: Wordware Publishing, Inc.; 3rd edition (April 15, 2001)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1556228058
* ISBN-13: 978-1556228056

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Pass :
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Book Description
Pascal is the standard structured programming language for the personal computer. The novice programmer needs a strong grounding in the fundamentals of structured programming, whether preparing to program under Microsoft Windows, DOS, or the Apple Macintosh. Pascal is also a precursor to programming languages such as C++, Java, and Delphi. Learn Pascal teaches the novice programmer the basics of Pascal through hands-on examples and easy-to-follow drills in each chapter, and guides readers from the basic fundamentals to advanced techniques needed to effectively program real-world applications. The book also includes advanced material on problem-solving algorithms, which provide the experienced Pascal user with specialized tools to solve specific programming problems.

The companion CD contains the examples and drills discussed in the book, along with the drill solutions. Also included is a full retail version of Delphi 4 Standard Edition.

About the Author
Sam Abolrous is a software engineer with an extensive background in software design and programming. He earned his electrical engineering degree from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, and is currently a programmer/writer with Microsoft Corp. Abolrous has published articles for leading programming journals and has written over 50 books on computer science ranging from C++ to COBOL programming, including Wordware’s Learn C in Three Days and Learn Pascal in Three Days, Second Edition.
Product Details

* Paperback: 344 pages
* Publisher: Wordware Publishing; Pap/Cdr edition (April 2000)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 155622706X

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http://rapidshare.com/files/111887201/Learn_Pascal.pdf

VoIP

2008-09-27T09:46:00.001-07:00

Beyond VoIP Protocols: Understanding Voice Technology and Networking Techniques for IP Telephony
By Olivier Hersent, Jean-Pierre Petit, David Gurle

* Publisher: Wiley
* Number Of Pages: 284
* Publication Date: 2005-03-11
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0470023627
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780470023624
* Binding: Hardcover

Book Description:

In 1999-2000, VoIP (Voice-over-IP) telephony was one of the most successful buzzwords of the telecom bubble era. However, in 2001-2003, VoIP faced a very tough reality check. Now, manufacturers and service providers are drawing on what they have learnt from past experience in order to prepare to participate in the next major challenge faced by the telecommunications industry.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the issues to solve in order to deploy global revenue-generating effective “multimedia” services. Drawing on extensive research and practical deployment experience in VoIP, the authors provide essential advice for those seeking to design and implement a post-bubble VoIP network.

Beyond VoIP Protocols: Understanding Voice Technology and Networking Techniques for IP Telephony

* Introduces the basics of speech coding and voice quality
* Demonstrates how quality of service may be built into the network and deals with dimensioning aspects, e.g. multipoint communications and how to model call seizures.
* Explores the potential of multicast to turn an IP backbone into an optimized broadcast medium
* Includes amply illustrated, state-of-the-art practical advice for formulating a complete deployment strategy

A companion volume to “IP Telephony: Deploying VoIP Protocols”, this book takes the reader a stage deeper into how to prepare the network and exploit VoIP technology to its full potential.

Download Description:

Software defined radio (SDR) is a hot topic in the telecommunications field, with regard to wireless technology. It is one of the most important topics of research in the area of mobile and personal communications. SDR is viewed as the enabler of global roaming and a platform for the introduction of new technologies and services into existing live networks. It therefore gives networks a greater flexibility into mobile communications. It bridges the inter-disciplinary gap in the field as SDR covers two areas of development, namely software development and digital signal processing and the internet. It extends well beyond the simple re-configuration of air interface parameters to cover the whole system from the network to service creation and application development. Reconfigurability entails the pervasive use of software reconfiguration, empowering upgrades or patching of any element of the network and of the services and applications running on it. It cuts across the types of bearer radio systems (Paging to cellular, wireless local area network to microwave, terrestrial to satellite, personal communications to broadcasting) enable the integration of many of today’s disparate systems in the same hardware platform. Also it cuts across generation (second to third to fourth). This volume complements the already published volumes 1 and 2 of the Wiley Series in Software Radio. The book discusses the requirements for reconfigurability and then introduces network architectures and functions for reconfigurable terminals. Finally it deals with reconfiguration in the network. The book also provides a comprehensive view on reconfigurability in three very active research projects as CAST, MOBIVAS and TRUST/SCOUT. Key features include: Presents new research in wireless communications Summarises the results of an extensive research program on software defined radios in Europe Provides a comprehensive view on reconfigurability in three very active research projects as CAST (Configurable radio with Advanced Sodftware Technology), MOBIVAS (Downloadable MOBIle Value Added Services through Software Radio and Switching Integrated Platforms), TRUST (Transparently Re-configurable Ubiquitous Terminal) and SCOUT (Smart User-Centric Communciation Environment)

http://mihd.net/zrixnb

How to Cheat at Voip Security (How to Cheat) (How to Cheat) (How to Cheat)
By Thomas Porter, Michael Gough

* Publisher: Syngress
* Number Of Pages: 432
* Publication Date: 2007-05-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 1597491691
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781597491693
* Binding: Paperback

Book Description:

The Perfect Reference for the Multitasked SysAdmin
This is the perfect guide if VoIP engineering is not your specialty. It is the perfect introduction to VoIP security, covering exploit tools and how they can be used against VoIP (Voice over IP) systems. It gives the basics of attack methodologies used against the SIP and H.323 protocols as well as VoIP network infrastructure.
* VoIP Isnt Just Another Data Protocol
IP telephony uses the Internet architecture, similar to any other data application. However, from a security administrators point of view, VoIP is different. Understand why.
* What Functionality Is Gained, Degraded, or Enhanced on a VoIP Network?
Find out the issues associated with quality of service, emergency 911 service, and the major benefits of VoIP.
* The Security Considerations of Voice Messaging
Learn about the types of security attacks you need to protect against within your voice messaging system.
* Understand the VoIP Communication Architectures
Understand what PSTN is and what it does as well as the H.323 protocol specification, and SIP Functions and features.
* The Support Protocols of VoIP Environments
Learn the services, features, and security implications of DNS, TFTP, HTTP, SNMP, DHCP, RSVP, SDP, and SKINNY.
* Securing the Whole VoIP Infrastructure
Learn about Denial-of-Service attacks, VoIP service disruption, call hijacking and interception, H.323-specific attacks, and SIP-specific attacks.
* Authorized Access Begins with Authentication
Learn the methods of verifying both the user identity and the device identity in order to secure a VoIP network.
* Understand Skype Security
Skype does not log a history like other VoIP solutions; understand the implications of conducting business over a Skype connection.
* Get the Basics of a VoIP Security Policy
Use a sample VoIP Security Policy to understand the components of a complete policy.

*Provides system administrators with hundreds of tips, tricks, and scripts to complete administration tasks more quickly and efficiently
*Short on theory, history, and technical data that ultimately is not helpful in performing their jobs
*Avoid the time drains associated with securing VoIP

http://mihd.net/2×6e78

* Paperback: 384 pages
* Publisher: Newnes; 1 edition (April 11, 2006)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 075068206X

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the future of Internet telephony. And this book is your guide to that future.

IPv6 is the replacement for the currently used IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4). IPv6 will offer increased IP addresses (full 128-bit addresses, compared to the 32-bit addresses of IPv4), enhanced security, and greater robustness. It will also be fully backwards compatible with existing IPv4 systems. These capabilities will finally make Internet telephony a viable competitor to conventional switched telephone networks. In this book, Dan Minoli clearly explains IPv6 and how telephone networks can be built on its foundations.

This is not just another IPv6 book; instead, it focuses on those aspects of IPv6 relevant to Internet telephony systems and voice networks. Minoli uses a compare/contrast approach, exploring where IPv6 is similar to IPv4 and where it differs, to let you quickly grasp the essence of IPv6 and the similarities (and differences) between current IPv4-based systems and IPv6-based systems.

If you will be designing, implementing, or maintaining the next generation of Internet telephony systems, then you need the information in this book!

*Explains the essential concepts of IPv6 and how they relate to Internet telephony
*Describes how Internet telephony systems using IPv6 are different from, and better than, Internet telephony systems based on the older IPv4 standard
*Discusses how to transition existing IPv4 Internet telephony systems and conventional switched systems to IPv6-based systems
*Extensive treatment of security issues, including IP layer encryption and authentication methods
*Explains connection techniques, including plug and play approaches, for equipment used in IPv6 systems

* The first title describing how the next generation Internet protocolIPv6can be used for Internet telephony
* Explains IPv6 as it applies to Internet telephony (VoIP)
* Shows how IPv6 gives better security, QoS, and signal integrity in Internet telephony

Download:

http://w15.easy-share.com/14128921.html

Operating System

2008-09-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

By Brian Livingston, Paul Thurrott,
* Publisher: Wiley
* Number Of Pages: 672
* Publication Date: 2007-01-10
* ISBN / ASIN: 0764577042

Book Description:
"If one book can help you master Vista, this is it." --Fred Langa, former editor-in-chief of Byte Magazine

"These two know more about Windows than Microsoft does." --Chris Pirillo, editor of Lockergnome.com

Go beyond Microsoft's Help guide and discover the true secrets of Windows Vista that are essential to power users. Written by two of the most recognized Windows authorities, this resource provides you with numerous tips, tricks, and undocumented features that aren't available anywhere else. You'll find extensive screenshots, tables, and illustrations that clearly show how to achieve optimal performance, fix desktop problems, and take advantage of the robust features of Windows Vista.

The Insider's Guide to

* Installing and upgrading your system (see Chapter 2)
* Quickly finding and organizing all of your files (see Chapter 5)
* Taking advantage of new security features (see Chapter 8)
* Creating your own movies and DVDs (see Chapter 12)
* Playing state-of-the-art games with amazing effects (see Chapter 14)
* Going wireless using Windows Vista mobility features (see Chapter 15)
* Managing your schedule with Windows� Calendar (see Chapter 20)
Download :
http://depositfiles.com/files/7861311

Windows Vista: Beyond the Manual is a comprehensive guide to installing, configuring, exploiting, and using the richest Microsoft client operating system on the market. It guides you through the complexities of configuring and running a successful Windows Vista client computer. It also takes an in-depth look at the wealth of features and functions comprising the various flavors of the software.

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Paperback: 672 pages
Publisher: Sybex; 1st edition (May 15, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0782129870
ISBN-13: 978-0782129878

Expert Advice for Windows XP Power Users
Created for Windows power users and anyone who aspires to be one, Mastering Windows XP Registry provides focused, practical coverage of Windows' most important--and most challenging--element: the registry. Inside, you'll learn to customize Windows XP, optimize the network, and avoid scores of potential disasters, all by working with registry settings. If you're a power user, a system administrator, programmer, or consultant, this guide is absolutely essential.

Coverage includes:
* Understanding registry keys and data types
* Applying the secrets of the most important registry keys
* Adjusting the Windows GUI through registry settings
* Using the registry in networking
* Optimizing performance by editing registry settings
* Working with registry tools
* Recovering from disasters
* Eliminating unwanted keys, entries, applications, and files
* Taking advantage of the registry in your own programs
* Tracking registry changes made by applications
* Navigating registry entries

Book Info
Provides focused, practical coverage of Window's most important and most challenging-element: the registry. If you're a power user, a system administrator, programmer, or consultant, this guide is absolutely essential. Softcover.
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http://rapidshare.com/files/116908621/MasteringWindowsXPRegistry.rar

Microsoft is in the process of migrating its Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification to the Windows XP and .NET environment, which means you need to be prepared for the new material if you're coming up for renewal or want to earn your MCSE ab initio. Curt Simmons, the author of MCSE Windows XP Professional Study Guide, has applied his well-known tutorial skills--he wrote a couple of this book's predecessors--to the latest material (exam 70-270, specifically). As is typical of books in the Osborne-McGraw Hill Study Guide series, this one has headings that correspond to sections on the Microsoft outline of tested subjects. It'll be reassuring to test-preppers that the author has covered the complete set of requirements.

As for the coverage itself, it tends to go into more detail than do the actual exam questions. This is commendable, both because it makes the test go easier (unless you tend to "think too much" and interpret questions as more complicated than intended) and because it makes the book a useful reference after you've passed the test. Explanatory material combines conceptual prose with a lot of illustrations and quite a few procedures. Almost every page has at least one graphic, though they're almost exclusively screen shots. Conceptual diagrams would help clarify subjects like Active Directory. --David Wall

DownloadLink:

http://rapidshare.com/files/44835595/SMMWXG05EB.Lemon

File Instructions: Rename the file from .Lemon to .Rar . Extract it with Winrar.
Password = www.lemonshare.net

Paperback: 216 pages
Publisher: Que; 1 edition (December 7, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0789737272
ISBN-13: 978-0789737274

Tired of clawing your way through computer books that start at the beginning of recorded history just to find one tiny nugget of information you need? Tired of wrenching your back to pull that massive Windows tome off your bookshelf? Tired of wishing you could find a simple answer to what should be a simple problem? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then 100 Things You Need to Know about Microsoft® Windows Vista™ is just the book you’ve been looking for. Chock full of timesaving tips, heady solutions, and expert know-how, this book doesn’t break the bank nor does it require a Bowflex body to hoist it around. Inside you’ll find step-by-step help for the 100 things every Windows user needs to know when making the big switch between Windows XP and Vista. Even if you’re brand new to Windows (meaning Vista is your first-ever operating system), you’ll find the advice here indispensable. In this book, we assume, for instance, that you really don’t give a hoot about what TCP/IP is. We’re betting you just want to get your Internet connection up and running, and leave the techy muck to the propeller heads.

• Want all the cool new cutting-edge features and interface Windows Vista offers? Well, before you run out and buy the software, you need to ensure your system will support it! We walk you through, step-by-step, how to manually check if your PC and other hardware and software are supported for use with Windows Vista. We show you how to perform common upgrade tasks, if needed, before you install Vista. In addition, we provide tips and procedures on backing up your data.
• Having to choose between five different versions (yes, Vista comes in FIVE flavors!) can be confusing! Don’t sweat it, though--we’ve got you covered. We show you how to decide which flavor of Vista is best suited to you! Then we walk you through installing and setting up Vista for the very first time.
• Next we dig into the new Vista interface, which is quite a change from the old XP! Then we give you a tour of the many new and enhanced features. While you might fancy yourself a wicked-smart Windows user, don’t skip this section! We’re positive you’ll find things you didn’t know that will help you make Vista do thy bidding.
• Don’t like the slick new Vista interface? (Macintosh, anyone?) We show you how to harness the power of Vista while keeping the look and feel of your XP. Who says change has to be painful?
• After you have the basics nailed, we then show you some of the cool things you can do with Vista, from customizing its performance, to disabling annoying security controls, to connecting to a wireless network.

About the Author
Eric Geier is the author of many computing and wireless networking books, including Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access (Cisco Press, 2006). Eric is also a regular contributor of tutorials at Wi-FiPlanet.com, an online resource for wireless network administrators and users. Through spending countless days and nights in front of the computer since he could type, and working in the Information Technology (IT) field, Eric has gained an expertise in computers and Microsoft Windows. For more information about Eric Geier and his writings, visit his website at www.egeier.com.
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Security

2008-09-26T11:44:00.001-07:00

Contents
Chapter 1 Hacking the Casinos for a Million Bucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 2 When Terrorists Come Calling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Chapter 3 The Texas Prison Hack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Chapter 4 Cops and Robbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Chapter 5 The Robin Hood Hacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Chapter 6 The Wisdom and Folly of Penetration Testing . . . . . . . . . . .115
Chapter 7 Of Course Your Bank Is Secure — Right? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Chapter 8 Your Intellectual Property Isn’t Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Chapter 9 On the Continent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Chapter 10 Social Engineers — How They Work
and How to Stop Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Chapter 11 Short Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261

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Terry Escamilla “Intrusion Detection: Network Security Beyond the Firewall"
Wiley | 1998-09-17 | ISBN: 0471290009 | 368 pages | HTML | 2,3 Mb

A complete nuts-and-bolts guide to improving network security using today's best intrusion detection products
Firewalls cannot catch all of the hacks coming into your network. To properly safeguard your valuable information resources against attack, you need a full-time watchdog, ever on the alert, to sniff out suspicious behavior on your network. This book gives you the additional ammo you need. Terry Escamilla shows you how to combine and properly deploy today's best intrusion detection products in order to arm your network with a virtually impenetrable line of defense. He provides:
* Assessments of commercially available intrusion detection products: what each can and cannot do to fill the gaps in your network security
* Recommendations for dramatically improving network security using the right combination of intrusion detection products
* The lowdown on identification and authentication, firewalls, and access control
* Detailed comparisons between today's leading intrusion detection product categories
* A practical perspective on how different security products fit together to provide protection for your network

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Description:
Book Description
Praise for Virtual Honeypots
&quot;A power-packed resource of technical, insightful information that unveils the world of honeypots in front of the reader’s eyes.&quot;

—Lenny Zeltser, Information Security Practice Leader at Gemini Systems

&quot;This is one of the must-read security books of the year.&quot;

—Cyrus Peikari, CEO, Airscanner Mobile Security, author, security warrior

&quot;This book clearly ranks as one of the most authoritative in the field of honeypots. It is comprehensive and well written. The authors provide us with an insider’s look at virtual honeypots and even help us in setting up and understanding an otherwise very complex technology.&quot;

—Stefan Kelm, Secorvo Security Consulting

&quot;Virtual Honeypots is the best reference for honeypots today. Security experts Niels Provos and Thorsten Holz cover a large breadth of cutting-edge topics, from low-interaction honeypots to botnets and malware. If you want to learn about the latest types of honeypots, how they work, and what they can do for you, this is the resource you need.&quot;

—Lance Spitzner, Founder, Honeynet Project

&quot;Whether gathering intelligence for research and defense, quarantining malware outbreaks within the enterprise, or tending hacker ant farms at home for fun, you’ll find many practical techniques in the black art of deception detailed in this book. Honeypot magic revealed!&quot;

—Doug Song, Chief Security Architect, Arbor Networks

&quot;Seeking the safest paths through the unknown sunny islands called honeypots? Trying to avoid greedy pirates catching treasures deeper and deeper beyond your ports? With this book, any reader will definitely get the right map to handle current cyber-threats.

Designed by two famous white hats, Niels Provos and Thorsten Holz, it carefully teaches everything from the concepts to practical real-life examples with virtual honeypots. The main strength of this book relies in how it covers so many uses of honeypots: improving intrusion detection systems, slowing down and following incoming attackers, catching and analyzing 0-days or malwares or botnets, and so on.

Sailing the high seas of our cyber-society or surfing the Net, from students to experts, it’s a must-read for people really aware of computer security, who would like to fight against black-hats flags with advanced modern tools like honeypots.&quot;

—Laurent Oudot, Computer Security Expert, CEA

&quot;Provos and Holz have written the book that the bad guys don’t want you to read. This detailed and comprehensive look at honeypots provides step-by-step instructions on tripping up attackers and learning their tricks while lulling them into a false sense of security. Whether you are a practitioner, an educator, or a student, this book has a tremendous amount to offer. The underlying theory of honeypots is covered, but the majority of the text is a ‘how-to’ guide on setting up honeypots, configuring them, and getting the most out of these traps, while keeping actual systems safe. Not since the invention of the firewall has a tool as useful as this provided security specialists with an edge in the never-ending arms race to secure computer systems. Virtual Honeypots is a must-read and belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who is serious about security.&quot;

—Aviel D. Rubin, Ph.D., Computer Science Professor and Technical Director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and President and Founder, Independent Security Evaluators

—Anton Chuvakin

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Book Description
Authors Carl Endorf, Eugene Schultz, and Jim Mellander deliver the hands-on implementation techniques that IT professionals need. Learn to implement the top intrusion detection products into real-world networked environments and covers the most popular intrusion detection tools including Internet Security Systems' Black ICE &amp; RealSecure, Cisco Systems' Secure IDS, Computer Associates’ eTrust, Entercept, and the open source Snort tool.

Book Info
Text shows step-by-step how to mount a comprehensive defense against hackers, perform real-time security monitoring, and implement a proactive incident response plan. Covers many examples of IDS software, including TCPDump, RealSecure, Cisco Secure IDS, Network Flight Recorder, and Snort 2.0. Softcover.

See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details

* Paperback: 500 pages
* Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (December 18, 2003)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0072229543
* ISBN-13: 978-0072229547

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Intrusion Prevention and Active Response: Deploying Network and Host IPS
By Michael Rash,&nbspAngela D. Orebaugh,&nbspGraham Clark,&nbspBecky Pinkard,&nbspJake Babbin,

* Publisher: Syngress
* Number Of Pages: 424
* Publication Date: 2005-04-12
* Sales Rank: 458536
* ISBN / ASIN: 193226647X
* EAN: 9781932266474
* Binding: Paperback
* Manufacturer: Syngress
* Studio: Syngress
* Average Rating: 4
* Total Reviews: 8

Book Description:
This book provides an introduction to the field of Intrusion Prevention and provides detailed information on various IPS methods and technologies. Specific methods are covered in depth, including both network and host IPS and response technologies such as port deactivation, firewall/router network layer ACL modification, session sniping, outright application layer data modification, system call interception, and application shims.

* Corporate spending for Intrusion Prevention systems increased dramatically by 11% in the last quarter of 2004 alone

* Lead author, Michael Rash, is well respected in the IPS Community, having authored FWSnort, which greatly enhances the intrusion prevention capabilities of the market-leading Snort IDS

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Delphi

2008-09-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Delphi 5 Developer's Guide is a complete reference showing developers what they need to know most about Delphi 5. The text begins with a tour of Delphi 5 basics, including improvements since version 1. After observing object-oriented Pascal programming, including advanced language features, the authors turn to the strengths of using the Visual Component Library (VCL) application frameworks. They include several invaluable sections for corporate developers, including a "coding standards" document. Sections on combining VCL with ActiveX controls round out the basic tour. Advanced topics include graphics programming, building dynamic link-libraries (DLLs), printing, and multithreading.

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Still the Best Delphi Resource--Now Fully Updated and Expanded
Whether you're new to Delphi or just making the move from an earlier version, Mastering Delphi 7 is the one resource you can't do without. Practical, tutorial-based coverage helps you master essential techniques in database, client-server, and Internet programming. And the insights of renowned authority Marco Cantù give you the necessary knowledge to take advantage of what's new to Delphi 7--particularly its support for .NET.

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DB2

2008-09-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

* Hardcover: 1056 pages
* Publisher: IBM Press; 2 edition (January 8, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0131580183

The Easy, Visual Way to Master IBM® DB2 for Linux®, UNIX®, and Windows®—Fully Updated for Version 9.5

IBM DB2 9 and DB2 9.5 provide breakthrough capabilities for providing Information on Demand, implementing Web services and Service Oriented Architecture, and streamlining information management. Understanding DB2: Learning Visually with Examples, Second Edition, is the easiest way to master the latest versions of DB2 and apply their full power to your business challenges.

Written by four IBM DB2 experts, this book introduces key concepts with dozens of examples drawn from the authors’ experience working with DB2 in enterprise environments. Thoroughly updated for DB2 9.5, it covers new innovations ranging from manageability to performance and XML support to API integration. Each concept is presented with easy-to-understand screenshots, diagrams, charts, and tables.

This book is for everyone who works with DB2: database administrators, system administrators, developers, and consultants. With hundreds of well-designed review questions and answers, it will also help professionals prepare for the IBM DB2 Certification Exams 730, 731, or 736.

Coverage includes

* Choosing the right version of DB2 for your needs

* Installing and configuring DB2

* Understanding the DB2 environment, instances, and databases

* Establishing client and server connectivity

* Working with database objects

* Utilizing breakthrough pureXML™ technology, which provides for nativeXML support

* Mastering administration, maintenance, performance optimization, troubleshooting, and recovery

* Understanding improvements in the DB2 process, memory, and storage models

* Implementing effective database security

* Leveraging the power of SQL and XQuery

About the Author
Raul F. Chong, DB2 on Campus Program Manager at the IBM Toronto Laboratory, is a DB2 Certified Solutions Expert in administration and application development with ten years of experience in DB2. He has helped customers resolve DB2 migration, performance, and design issues; developed new DB2 solutions; taught DB2 workshops; contributed to DB2 exam tutorials; and was the lead author of the first edition of Understanding DB2.

Xiaomei Wang, a technical consultant at the IBM Toronto Laboratory, has nine years of DB2 experience. She has handled critical DB2 customer and business partner situations worldwide.

Michael Dang, DB2 Technical Sales Specialist, specializes in solution design, database sizing, product licensing, and Balanced Warehouse configurations. He formerly served as a DB2 Support Analyst and spent seven years as a DB2 DBA.

Dwaine R. Snow, DB2 Senior Product Manager, has worked with DB2 for seventeen years. He is the coauthor of Advanced DBA Certification Guide and Reference for DB2 Universal Database for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, DB2 UDB for Windows, and the first edition of Understanding DB2.

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IBM’s DB2 Express Edition is one of the most capable of the free database platforms available in today’s marketplace. In Beginning DB2, author Grant Allen gets you started using DB2 Express Edition for web sites, desktop applications, and more. The author covers the basics of DB2 for developers and database administrators, shows you how to manage data in both XML and relational form, and includes numerous code examples so that you are never in doubt as to how things work. In this book, you’ll find

* A friendly introduction to DB2 Express Edition, an industrial–strength, relational database from IBM
* Dozens of examples so that you are never in doubt as to how things work
* Coverage of important language interfaces, such as from PHP, Ruby, C#, Python, and more
* Aimed at developers who want a robust database to back their applications

What you’ll learn
# Install and manage DB2 Express Edition on Linux and Windows.
# Manage IML data seamlessly using IBM’s pureXML storage engine.
# Connect DB2 databases to web and desktop applications via languages such as PHP, Ruby, C#, Python, and more.
# Protect your data with a sound backup and restore strategy.
# Design and manage database schemas and security within the database.
# Know when and why to upgrade to more powerful editions of DB2.

Who is this book for?

Application developers, including web application developers, looking for a robust, zero–cost database to back their applications. Database administrators looking to get up to speed quickly with DB2.
About the Apress Beginning Series

The Beginning series from Apress is the right choice to get the information you need to land that crucial entry–level job. These books will teach you a standard and important technology from the ground up because they are explicitly designed to take you from “novice to professional.” You’ll start your journey by seeing what you need to know—but without needless theory and filler. You’ll build your skill set by learning how to put together real–world projects step by step. So whether your goal is your next career challenge or a new learning opportunity, the Beginning series from Apress will take you there—it is your trusted guide through unfamiliar territory!

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DB2® 9 builds on the world’s number one enterprise database to simplify the delivery of information as a service, accelerate development, and dramatically improve operational efficiency, security, and resiliency.

Now, this new edition offers complete, start-to-finish coverage of DB2 9 administration and development for Linux®, UNIX®, and Windows® platforms, as well as authoritative preparation for the latest IBM DB2 certification exam.

Written for both DBAs and developers, this definitive reference and self-study guide covers all aspects of deploying and managing DB2 9, including DB2 database design and development; day-to-day administration and backup; deployment of networked, Internet-centered, and SOA-based applications; migration; and much more. You’ll also find an unparalleled collection of expert tips for optimizing performance, availability, and value.

Coverage includes:
Important security and resiliency enhancements, including advanced access control; fine-grained, label-based security; and the new security administrator role
Breakthrough pureXML™ features that make it easier to succeed with service-oriented architecture
Operational improvements that enhance DBA efficiency–including self-tuning memory allocation, automated storage management, and storage optimization
Table-partitioning features that improve scalability and manageability
Powerful improvements for more agile and rapid development, including the new Eclipse-based Developer Workbench and simple SQL or XQuery access to all data

Whatever your role in working with DB2 or preparing for certification, DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, Sixth Edition is the one book you can’t afford to be without.
Download Complete DB2 V9 Trial Version

Visit ibm.com/db2/9/download.html to download a complete trial version of DB2, which enables you to try out dozens of the most powerful features of DB2 for yourself: everything from pureXML support to automated administration and optimization.
Straight from IBM, the ultimate guide to running DB2 9 and preparing for the latest IBM DB2 certification exam!
Covers powerful DB2 9 enhancements ranging from automated management to improved compression
Covers the full spectrum of DBA responsibilities, including server management, data placement, XML concepts, activity analysis, high availability, and security
Presents expert tips and best practices from the DB2 customer support organization

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Oracle

2008-09-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Professional Oracle Programming :
790 pages

* One of the only Oracle books to focus exclusively on database programming rather than administration
* Oracle owns sixty percent of the commercial database market
* Provides full coverage of the latest Oracle version, 10g-including new features such as regular expressions and the MODEL SQL clause-as well as versions 8, 8i, and 9i
* The authors are well-known as Oracle gurus-Greenwald is the author of Oracle in a Nutshell and the coauthor, with Stackowiak, of Oracle 9 Essentials
* Shows how to use Oracle data and data structures to build robust, scalable database applications using Java, SQL, and PL/SQL

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Get a thorough understanding of Oracle Database 10g from the most comprehensive Oracle database reference on the market, published by Oracle Press. From critical architecture concepts to advanced object-oriented concepts, this powerhouse contains nearly 50 chapters designed to enlighten you. Upgrade from earlier versions, use SQL, SQL Plus, and PL/SQL. Get code examples and access popular

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* Paperback: 670 pages
* Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (December 6, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0071496637

The Essential Resource for Oracle DBAs–Fully Updated and Expanded

Manage a flexible, highly available Oracle database with help from the expert information contained in this exclusive Oracle Press guide. Fully revised to cover every new feature and utility, Oracle Database 11g DBA Handbook shows how to perform a new installation, upgrade from previous versions, configure hardware and software for maximum efficiency, and employ bulletproof security. You will learn to automate the backup and recovery process, provide transparent failover capability, audit and tune performance, and distribute your enterprise databases with Oracle Net.

*
Plan and deploy permanent, temporary, and bigfile tablespaces
* Optimize disk allocation, CPU usage, I/O throughput, and SQL queries
* Develop powerful database management applications
* Guard against human errors using Oracle Flashback and Oracle Automatic Undo Management
* Diagnose and tune system performance using Oracle Automatic Workload Repository and SQL Tuning Sets
* Implement robust security using authentication, authorization, fine-grained auditing, and fine-grained access control
* Maintain high availability using Oracle Real Application Clusters and Oracle Active Data Guard
* Respond more efficiently to failure scenarios by leveraging the Oracle Automatic Diagnostic Repository and the Oracle Repair Advisor
* Back up and restore tables, tablespaces, and databases with Oracle Recovery Manager and Oracle Data Pump Export and Import
* Work with networked databases, data warehouses, and VLDBs
* Put the latest Oracle Database 11g tools to work–Oracle Total Recall, Oracle Flashback Data Archive, and more

About the Author

Bob Bryla has more than 20 years of MIS experience as a database designer, systems analyst, and DBA. He currently handles the DBA activities on Lands’ End’s Oracle Internet databases. Bob is the coauthor, with Kevin Loney, of the previous edition of this book.

Kevin Loney is a veteran Oracle consultant, developer, and DBA. He is a regular presenter at Oracle User Group conferences and is the bestselling author of several Oracle Press titles.

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* Paperback: 602 pages
* Publisher: Apress (November 15, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1590599101

Oracle Database 11g: New Features for DBAs and Developers is a comprehensive, example–laden review of the most significant new features and improvements offered by the latest release of Oracle Corporation’s flagship database product.

* Learn what’s new in Oracle that really counts.
* See actual examples and test run output.
* Make sound decisions on new feature adoption.

Sift the gold from the silt and discover which new features of the latest release of Oracle’s flagship database product are really worth adopting. Years of database administration experience from authors Sam Alapati and Charles Kim are combined with sound, step–by–step testing and a heart–felt emphasis on what matters in the real–world to help you get the most out of Oracle Database 11g.
What you’ll learn

* Which new features really can make your day–to–day work easier
* How to automate more of your DBA work than ever before

Who is this book for?

Oracle Database 11g: New Features for DBAs and Developers is for developers, DBAs, project managers, consultants, and other technically minded users of the Oracle database. The book will be of use to any professional in the field who wants to quickly review the new features offered by the Oracle Database 11g release.
Related Titles

* Expert Oracle Database 10g Administration
* Pro Oracle Database 10g RAC on Linux: Installation, Administration, and Performance
* Oracle Insights: Tales of the Oak Table
* Mastering Oracle SQL and SQL*Plus

About the Author

Sam R. Alapati is an experienced Oracle database administrator who holds the Oracle OCP DBA and the Hewlett-Packard UNIX System Administrator certifications. He currently manages Oracle databases at the Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters in Los Colinas, Texas. Alapati has been dealing with databases for a long time, including the Ingres RDBMS in the mid 1980s. He is also well versed in the Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, and IBM DB2 database management systems.

Director of Database Technologies at Novara Solutions, Inc. Charles is the author of the 107+ page Maximum Availability Architecure case study at Oracle’s Website (http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/htdocs/FNF_CaseStudy.ht ml ), and is an Oracle Certified DBA, Redhat Certified Technician, and Microsoft Certified Professional. He has over 16 years of IT experience and has worked with Oracle since 1991. Charles is also a technical editor for Oracle Press. Charles has presented advanced topics for IOUG and Oracle OpenWorld on such topics as RAC/ASM and 7×24 High Availability Considerations using Oracle Advanced Replication, Hot Standby and Quest Shareplex. Charles also runs the dbaexpert.com website (http://www.dbaexpert.com) and provides technical solutions to Oracle DBAs and developers.

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* Paperback: 406 pages
* Publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc.; 4 edition (November 1, 2007)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0596514549

Oracle is an enormous system, with myriad technologies, options, and releases. Most users-even experienced developers and database administrators-find it difficult to get a handle on the full scope of the Oracle database. And, as each new Oracle version is released, users find themselves under increasing pressure to learn about a whole range of new technologies. The latest challenge is Oracle Database 11g.

This book distills an enormous amount of information about Oracle into a compact, easy-to-read volume filled with focused text, illustrations, and helpful hints. It contains chapters on:

* Oracle products, options, data structures, and overall architecture for Oracle Database 11g, as well as earlier releases (Oracle Database 10g, Oracle9i, and Oracle8i)
* Installing, running, managing, monitoring, networking, and tuning Oracle, including Enterprise Manager (EM) and Oracle’s self-tuning and management capabilities; and using Oracle security, auditing, and compliance (a new chapter in this edition)
* Multiuser concurrency, data warehouses, distributed databases, online transaction processing (OLTP), high availability, and hardware architectures (e.g., SMP, clusters, NUMA, and grid computing)
* Features beyond the Oracle database: Oracle Application Express, Fusion Middleware (including Oracle Application Server), and database SOA support as a Web services provider

The latest Oracle Database 11g features: query result set caching, Automatic Memory Management, the Real Application Testing, Advanced Compression, Total Recall, and Active Data Guard Option Options, changes to the OLAP Option (transparently accessed and managed as materialized views), the Flashback transaction command, transparent data encryption, the Support Workbench (and diagnosability infrastructure), and partitioning enhancements (including interval and new composite types)

For new Oracle users, DBAs, developers, and managers, Oracle Essentials provides an invaluable, all-in-one introduction to the full range of Oracle features and technologies, including the just-released Oracle Database 11g features. But even if you already have a library full of Oracle documentation, you’ll find that this compact book is the one you turn to, again and again, as your one-stop, truly essential reference.

“Oracle Essentials gives a clear explanation of the key database concepts and architecture underlying the Oracle database. It’s a great reference for anyone doing development or management of Oracle databases.”

–Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Vice President, Database Server Technologies, Oracle Corporation

About the Author
Rick Greenwald has been active in the world of computer software for nearly two decades, including stints with Data General, Cognos, and Gupta. He is currently an analyst with Oracle Corporation. He has published six books and countless articles on a variety of technical topics, and has spoken at conferences and training sessions across six continents. Robert Stackowiak is Senior Director of E-Business Intelligence for Oracle Corporation’s Enterprise Technology Center. He works with Oracle’s largest customers in North America, providing insight into the company’s products and data warehousing strategy. In addition, he frequently assists Oracle Corporate in developing product strategy and training. Articles written by Bob have appeared in publications including The Journal of Data Warehousing, Informix Tech Notes, and AIXcellence Magazine. Jonathan Stern has more than 13 years of IT experience, including senior positions in consulting, systems architecture, and technical sales. He has authored papers and presented at internal and external conferences on topics such as scaling with Oracle’s dynamic parallelism and the role of reorganizing segments in an Oracle database. He is the Technical Director at Ariba, Inc., the leading vendor of value chain solutions for electronic commerce.

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SQL Server

2008-09-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

SQL Server Magazine, April 2008
PDF | English | 4.1 MB

The Next Generation: Visual Studio 2008
Take a tour of the new features and functionality in Visual Studio 2008.

LINQ to Your SQL Server Data
Build efficient queries using LINQ, which is included in Visual Studio 2008.

Debugging and Logging in SSIS
Easily debug packages, Control Flow tasks, and Data Flow tasks as well as log package-execution information using the capabilities in SSIS.

SQL Server Backup Compression Shootout
Learn which SQL Server backup compression tool is right for your organization from this SQL Server expert's detailed comparison.

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Author: Michael Coles
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: APRESS ACADEMIC (1 May 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1590599837
ISBN-13: 978-1590599839
Format: pdf
Details:
Knowledge and ability to apply XML are de rigueur in todayâ€™s world, and SQL Server developers and administrators are no exception to that rule. Pro SQL Server 2008 XML is your key to unlocking the powerful XML feature set first introduced in SQL Server 2005 and since refined in SQL Server 2008. Author Michael Coles shows how to store XML using SQL Server™s built in XML data type. Learn to query and manipulate XML data using standard technologies such as XQuery and XSLT. No SQL Server database professional can afford to be without knowledge of the XML feature set. Pro SQL Server 2008 XML delivers on the knowledge that you need to remain competitive in your career.
Shows how to store, query, and manipulate XML documents in SQL Server
Provides step by step examples showing best practices and advanced features
Accurately discusses how SQL Server™s XML feature set stacks up against the ISO XML standards
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* Publisher: Wiley
* Number Of Pages: 1293
* Publication Date: 2006-11-06
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0764542567
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780764542565
* Binding: Paperback
Book Description:

Use this comprehensive tutorial and reference to increase productivity and write stored procedures using the language with which you’re most familiar. The revised content covers new features such as XML integration, Web services, the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR), and security updates, making this book a must for any developer or database administrator transitioning to the new version of SQL Server. You’ll learn to develop SQL Server database and data connections, administer SQL Server, and keep databases performing at their peak. In addition, you’ll find dozens of specific examples in both a graphical format and as SQL code as well as numerous best practices describing the most effective way to accomplish a given task. A companion Web site provides all of the code examples found in the book.
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SQL Server Reporting Services is the customizable reporting solution for report designers and programmers. This hands-on guide will get you up to speed quickly so you can design, deploy, manage, and even customize reporting solutions. You can create powerful reports without programming knowledge and extend reporting solutions using VB, C#, and ASP.NET.

Packed with detailed examples of building reports, designing report solutions, and developing deployment strategies for interacting with various platforms, this book prepares you to take full advantage of this revolutionary tool. Plus, you'll learn how to extend practically every feature of Reporting Services by implementing your own security architecture or adding custom data access.
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SQL Server 2008 is a first–rate database management system. It offers more capability than any previous release of SQL Server. More than just a classic relational database management system, SQL Server 2008 includes exciting and powerful features that make it useful for everything from large corporate data warehouses to ad hoc departmental databases. You’ll find enhanced support for XML, new support for spatial data, transparent data encryption, a policy–based management system, and more.

Author and developer Robin Dewson will show you the way from beginner to SQL Server 2008 professional. Learn to install SQL Server 2008 and navigate around Management Studio before getting right to the heart of mastering fundamental SQL Server 2008 tasks: creating tables, storing data, securing data, and retrieving it again. Dewson ensures you’ll be fully prepared to use all the basics and create a solid foundation for your own projects.

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Learning SQL on SQL Server 2005 (Learning)
By Sikha Bagui, Richard Earp

* Publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc.
* Number Of Pages: 336
* Publication Date: 2006-04-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0596102151
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780596102159
* Binding: Paperback
Book Description:

Anyone who interacts with today’s modern databases needs to know SQL (Structured Query Language), the standard language for generating, manipulating, and retrieving database information. In recent years, the dramatic rise in the popularity of relational databases and multi-user databases has fueled a healthy demand for application developers and others who can write SQL code efficiently and correctly.

If you’re new to databases, or need a SQL refresher, Learning SQL on SQL Server 2005 is an ideal step-by-step introduction to this database query tool, with everything you need for programming SQL using Microsoft’s SQL Server 2005-one of the most powerful and popular database engines used today. Plenty of books explain database theory. This guide lets you apply the theory as you learn SQL. You don’t need prior database knowledge, or even prior computer knowledge.

Based on a popular university-level course designed by authors Sikha Saha Bagui and Richard Walsh Earp, Learning SQL on SQL Server 2005 starts with very simple SQL concepts, and slowly builds into more complex query development. Every topic, concept, and idea comes with examples of code and output, along with exercises to help you gain proficiency in SQL and SQL Server 2005. With this book, you’ll learn:

* Beginning SQL commands, such as how and where to type an SQL query, and how to create, populate, alter and delete tables
* How to customize SQL Server 2005’s settings and about SQL Server 2005’s functions
* About joins, a common database mechanism for combining tables
* Query development, the use of views and other derived structures, and simple set operations
* Subqueries, aggregate functions and correlated subqueries, as well as indexes and constraints that can be added to tables in SQL Server 2005

Whether you’re an undergraduate computer science or MIS student, a self-learner who has access to the new Microsoft database, or work for your company’s IT department, Learning SQL on SQL Server 2005 will get you up to speed on SQL in no time.
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http://rapidshare.com/files/47968197/0596102151__OReilly_1_.Learning.SQL.on.SQL.Server.2005.Apr.2006.chm

Windows Server

2008-09-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

1008 Pages | 2008-07-21 | English | PDF | 11.8 MB

Product Description:
Quote:

This version of the Server Bible will be the largest yet, catering to what is certainly the most advanced operating system
introduced by Microsoft. The book will cater to the needs of the server
administration community and will be designed to be a critical
reference. The book will extensively cover the most notable new feature
of Windows Server
known as the "Server Core." Server Core is a significantly scaled-back
installation where no graphical shell (explorer.exe) is installed, andall configuration and maintenance is done entirely through thecommand-line windows, or by connecting to the machine remotely usingMicrosoft Management Console. Server Core will also not include the.NET Framework, Internet Explorer or many other features not related tocore server features. A Server Core machine can be configured for fourbasic roles: Domain controller,DNS Server, DHCP Server, and file server. Chapters on setup andinstallation will also cover the new componentized operating system Image-based setup and deployment tools, using WIM. In addition to the already extensive Active Directory support this book will now fully cover the "Read-Only Domain Controller" operation mode in Active Directory, intended for use in branch office scenarios where a domain controller may reside in a low physical security environment, was introduced in Windows Server 2003 R2 and will be extended in the 2008 version. Chapters covering policy-based networking, branch management and enhanced end user collaboration will be extended. Windows Server 2008 will also ship Internet Information Services 7 and the current chapters on IIS will thus be extended.
Coverage of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 will also be introduced into this part of the book. We will also include coverage of the improved hot patching technology, which is a feature that allows non-kernel patches to occur without the need for a reboot. A significantly upgraded Terminal Services component, supporting RDP 6.0. will be covered in the chapter on terminal services. The most notable improvement is the ability to share a single application over a Remote Desktop connection, instead of the entire desktop. This will be added to an already extended chapter on this remote access technology. In addition to these new features the book will also carry over existing features brought over from (SP1/R2) of Server 2003. These include covering of new security features of the operating system, Group Policy management, change control and service level, and administration practices.
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http://rapidshare.com/files/138774848/0470170697_www.softarchive.net.7z

Auther: Joseph Davies and Tony Northrup
Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Microsoft Press; Pap/Cdr edition (January 19, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0735624224
ISBN-13: 978-0735624221
Format: pdf
Details:
Get the official resource for deploying, administering, and troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 networking and Network Access Protection (NAP) technologies, direct from the experts who know the technologies best. This definitive resource from award-winning MicrosoftÂ® networking author Joseph Davies and Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) author Tony Northrup also offers expert insights direct from the Windows Server Networking team at Microsoft. You get detailed information about all major networking and network security services, including the all-new Network Access Protection (NAP), authentication infrastructure, IPv4 and IPv6, remote access, virtual private networks, IP security, quality of service, scalable networking, wireless infrastructure and security, DNS, DHCP, WindowsÂ® Firewall, and more. You also get a companion DVD with a fully searchable eBook version of the book, plus eBook samples from Understanding IPv6 2nd Edition, Windows Server 2008 TCP/IP Protocols and Services, and TCP/IP Fundamentals. This official Microsoft resource delivers what every Windows administrator needs to master Windows Server 2008 networking.
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Wiley Publishing, Inc. | ISBN-13: 978-0-470-18043-3 | English | PDF | 3.84 MB RAR Compressed | 435 Pages | No Password

If you’re curious, but hesitant, about finding your way around

Microsoft’s new Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 For Dummies is the book for you. This friendly reference shows you everything you need to know — from installation and deployment to building and running a Windows Server 2008 network. Server-based networking really is a big deal, and this 1000lain-English guide helps you make the most of it. You’ll find out about Windows Server 2008’s important functions, capabilities and requirements; develop a network implementation plan; take a step-by-step walkthrough of the installation process; and get valuable tips on how to boost your bandwidth beyond belief! Before you know it, you’ll be configuring connections to the Universe, working with active directory, and treating domains and controllers like old pals. Discover how to:

- Build and connect your network
- Install and configure Windows Server 2008
- Set up and manage directory services
- Manage users and groups
- Install and manage print servers
- Secure your network
- Troubleshoot active networks
- Plan for installing Active Directory
- Proclaim and manage your own domain
- Resolve names between TCP/IP and NetBIOS
- Manage shares, permissions, and more
- Develop and implement a regular backup protocol Windows Server 2008

For Dummies may be easy-going, but it’s simply packed with need-to-know stuff that will send you diving into Windows Server 2008 experience just for the fun of it. So start now!

Download :
http://www.ziddu.com/downloadfile/2121486/WindowsSer2008ForDummiesMar2008.rar.html

# Publisher: Apress (October 29, 2007)
# Language: English

# ISBN-10: 1590598989
# ISBN-13: 978-1590598986

If you’re searching for a practical and comprehensive guide to installing, configuring, and troubleshooting
Micr*s*fts Windows Home Server, look no further. Inside Windows Home Server User’s Guide, you’ll learn
how to install, configure, and use Windows Home Server and understand how to connect to and manage
different clients such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Media Center, and more. It’s straightforward
and easy-to-understand style will help you maximize all the benefits that Windows Home Server can bring.
This guide includes the following:

* Step-by-step instructions for configurations
* Lots of troubleshooting tips
* Comprehensive coverage of different clients that can connect to, manage and be managed by Windows Home Server
* Many useful illustrations for a quick-to-learn approach

Packed with handy hints, tips, and extensive walkthroughs to get you up and running as quickly and painlessly
as possible, author Andrew Edney is your expert guide to help you get the most out of Windows Home Server.

What you’ll learn:

* Discover the benefits of Windows Home Server.
* Centrally back up all of your home machines.
* Manage the configuration and operation of all computers in your household.
* Configure centralized storage so all computers can store files in one location.
* Bring many of the benefits of a Windows Server–based domain to your house without the overhead and expense of a traditional server product.
* Understand how to monitor and maintain the health of all of your machines.

Who is this book for?

This book is for IT administrators, or anyone with some professional IT experience, who wants to learn about the
Windows Home Server and how it can be used in their homes. Experience with Windows Server will be beneficial,
but even with only some general computing experience, you will find this book a valuable companion to
Windows Home Server.

Download :
http://www.directransfer.net/?download/1187994226/books/0909/WindowsHomeServer.pdf

Paperback: 656 pages
Data: June 2, 2008
Format: PDF
Description: Microsoft hails the latest version of its flagship server operating system, Windows Server 2008, as "the most secure Windows Server ever". However, to fully achieve this lofty status, system administrators and security professionals must install, configure, monitor, log, and troubleshoot a dizzying array of new features and tools designed to keep the bad guys out and maintain the integrity of their network servers. This is no small task considering the market saturation of Windows Server and the rate at which it is attacked by malicious hackers. According to IDC, Windows Server runs 38% of all network servers. This market prominence also places Windows Server at the top of the SANS top 20 Security Attach Targets. The first five attack targets listed in the SANS top 20 for operating systems are related to Windows Server. This doesn"t mean that Windows is inherently less secure than other operating systems; it"s simply a numbers game. More machines running Windows Server. More targets for attackers to hack.

As a result of being at the top of the "most used" and "most hacked" lists, Microsoft has released a truly powerful suite of security tools for system administrators to deploy with Windows Server 2008. This book is the comprehensive guide needed by system administrators and security professionals to master seemingly overwhelming arsenal of new security tools including:
1. Network Access Protection, which gives administrators the power to isolate computers that don"t comply with established security policies. The ability to enforce security requirements is a powerful means of protecting the network.
2. Enhanced solutions for intelligent rules and policies creation to increase control and protection over networking functions, allowing administrators to have a policy-driven network.
3. Protection of data to ensure it can only be accessed by users with the correct security context, and to make it available when hardware failures occur.
4. Protection against malicious software with User Account Control with a new authentication architecture.
5. Increased control over your user settings with Expanded Group Policy.
...to name just a handful of the new security features. In short, Windows Server 2008 contains by far the most powerful and complex suite of security tools ever released in a Microsoft Server product. Securing Windows Server 2008 provides system administrators and security professionals with the knowledge they need to harness this power.
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es/139195910/Securing.Wind

ows.Server.2008.pdf

Sams Teach Yourself Windows Server 2008 in 24 Hours (c) by Sams
The type of the release is: eBook In the CHM format with ISBN: 0672330121 and Pub Date: May 24, 2008
The size of the release is: 13 disks x 5.00mb
And released on: 05/18/2008

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you will be able to install and configure Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and its various services for any size network. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Windows Server® 2008 from the ground up.

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common tasks. Q&As at the end of each hour help you test your knowledge. By the Way notes present interesting information related to the discussion.
Did You Know? tips offer advice or show you easier ways to do something. Watch Out! cautions alert you to possible problems and give you advice on how to avoid them.

Joe Habraken is a computer technology professional and best-selling author with more than fifteen years of experience in the information technology field. He has written more than twenty computer and information technology publications including Home Wireless Networking in a Snap, Skinning Windows XP, and Sams Teach Yourself Networking in 24 Hours (with Matt Hayden). Joe, a Microsoft Certified Professional and Cisco Certified Network Associate, currently serves as an associate professor at the University of New England in Biddeford, ME, where he teaches a variety of new media and information technology-related cours es.

Learn how to…
-Install the latest version of the Windows network operating system
-Design and implement Active Directory Forests, Trees, and Domains
-Configure Windows servers for a number of different roles including domain controller, remote access server, file server, print server, Web server, and much more
-Add users to your domain’s Active Directory and organize users in groups and organizational units
-Implement network services such as DNS, DHCP, Windows Deployment Services, and Routing and Remote Access
-Secure your servers with the Windows Firewall and IPSec and make your domain more secure using the Active Directory Certificate Services
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http://rapidshare.com/files/132200798/akhareshe.info_Sams_Teach_Yourself_W-S-2008_in-24-Hours_May-2008.rar

Joseph Davies, “Windows Server 2008 TCP/IP Protocols and Services”
Microsoft Press | ISBN: 073562447X | Ja nuary 19, 2008 | CHM | 14MB

This in-depth technical reference delivers must-know information on TCP/IP for any IT professional working with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems. This comprehensive guide starts with the fundamentals, delivering coverage of TCP/IP protocols layer by layer to help build mastery of protocols and their implementation. It focuses on Internet layer protocols such as IP, ICMP, IGMP, and includes a preview of IPv6; transport layer protocols such as TCP and UDP; and application layer protocols such as DNS, DHCP, and WINS. Written by a leading TCP/IP author, plus peer reviews from experts on the WindowsÂ® Networking Team, this is the definitive guide to TCP/IP for Windows Server 2008.

Download :
http://depositfiles.com/files/5359241

Windows Server 2003 Network Administration
Date: Sep 2005
Filesize: 8.71 Mb
Format: CHM
Author: Craig Hunt and Roberta Bragg
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.

This book is the Windows Server version of the classic TCP/IP Network Administration. Like the book that inspired it, Windows Server 2003 Network Administration provides an overview of the essential TCP/IP protocols, and explains how to properly manage and configure the services based on these protocols. Any skilled network administrator knows that understanding how things work is as important as knowing how things are done. This book is the essential guide to both, containing everything a network administrator needs to exchange information via the Internet, and to build effective reliable networks. This must-read guide is divided into three distinct sections: fundamental concepts, tutorial, and reference. The first three chapters are a basic discussion of the network protocols and services. This discussion provides the fundamental concepts necessary to understand the rest of the book. The remaining chapters provide a how-to tutorial for planning, installing and configuring various important network services. The book concludes with three appendixes that are technical references for various configuration options. Content specifics include how to:
Install, configure, and manage a Microsoft DNS and Windows DHCP server
Control remote communications with Microsoft RRAS software
Protect hosts with Internet Connection Firewalls
Configure Internet and Intranet Web services with IIS
Design proper security into your network
Troubleshoot the network when problems develop
After you've turned the final page of Windows Server 2003 Network Administration, you'll not only understand how to network, but also why it needs to be done.

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http://rapidshare.com/files/89018920/OWS2003NA.rar.html

Unix

2008-09-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Author: Robin Burk and Salim M. Douba
Hardcover: 1704 pages
Publisher: Sams; 3 Har/Cdr edition (December 30, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0672314118
ISBN-13: 978-0672314117
Format: pdf
Details:
Unix Unleashed, Third Edition is written with the power user and system administrator in mind. This book will help the reader understand the nuances of the major Unix variants including SVR4, HP-UX, Solaris, AIX, BSD, IRIX, SunOS, and Linux. It will help the reader decide which Unix shell works best for their particular situation. Other topics such as Kernel Configuration, Networking, User Administration, and File Management are covered extensively for the administrator who wants a variety of options to choose from for best performance. The book also provides in-depth coverage of configuring and optimizing mail, DNS, HTTP and other services many companies deploy across their intranet and on the Internet.
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http://rapidshare.com/files/128086375/u.NI.x.Unleashed.3rd.Ed-virTuAlZin.rar

DB2® 9 builds on the world’s number one enterprise database to simplify the delivery of information as a service, accelerate development, and dramatically improve operational efficiency, security, and resiliency.
Now, this new edition offers complete, start-to-finish coverage of DB2 9 administration and development for Linux®, UNIX®, and Windows® platforms, as well as authoritative preparation for the latest IBM DB2 certification exam.

Written for both DBAs and developers, this definitive reference and self-study guide covers all aspects of deploying and managing DB2 9, including DB2 database design and development; day-to-day administration and backup; deployment of networked, Internet-centered, and SOA-based applications; migration; and much more. You’ll also find an unparalleled collection of expert tips for optimizing performance, availability, and value.
Coverage includes:
Important security and resiliency enhancements, including advanced access control; fine-grained, label-based security; and the new security administrator role
Breakthrough pureXML™ features that make it easier to succeed with service-oriented architecture
Operational improvements that enhance DBA efficiency–including self-tuning memory allocation, automated storage management, and storage optimization
Table-partitioning features that improve scalability and manageability
Powerful improvements for more agile and rapid development, including the new Eclipse-based Developer Workbench and simple SQL or XQuery access to all data
Whatever your role in working with DB2 or preparing for certification, DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, Sixth Edition is the one book you can’t afford to be without.
Download Complete DB2 V9 Trial Version
Visit ibm.com/db2/9/download.html to download a complete trial version of DB2, which enables you to try out dozens of the most powerful features of DB2 for yourself: everything from pureXML support to automated administration and optimization.
Straight from IBM, the ultimate guide to running DB2 9 and preparing for the latest IBM DB2 certification exam!
Covers powerful DB2 9 enhancements ranging from automated management to improved compression
Covers the full spectrum of DBA responsibilities, including server management, data placement, XML concepts, activity analysis, high availability, and security
Presents expert tips and best practices from the DB2 customer support organization

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http://mihd.net/mw2bcu
http://rapidshare.com/files/88918748/013185514X.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/88971807/013185514X.7z

Linux

2008-09-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Keir Thomas, Jaime Sicam “Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Third Edition "
Apress | 2008-06-24 | ISBN-10: 1590599918 | 768 pages | PDF | 26,2 MB

Beginning Ubuntu Linux, the award–winning and best–selling Ubuntu book for beginners, is now in its third edition, presenting readers with an up–to–the–minute introduction to the world of Linux and the open source community. A detailed overview of Ubuntu’s installation and configuration process encourages you to take the plunge and switch to Linux, and from there you’ll learn how to wield total control over your newly installed operating system. Guided through the most commonly desired tasks such as printer configuration, listening to audio CDs and MP3s, watching movies, performing office and Internet–related tasks, as well as general system maintenance matters, authors Keir Thomas and Jaime Sicam will soon have you using and enjoying Ubuntu Linux and never looking back.

You’ll also find a series of comprehensive tutorials on Linux internals and the command–line prompt—essential for any Linux user—along with special sections on optimization, security, and system maintenance that will broaden your knowledge to professional level.
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http://depositfiles.com/en/files/7533402

Library of Congress Cataloging | English | ISBN-1-931841-99-3 | Oct-2002 | PDF | 3.24 MB | 513 pages

Introduction
This book provides you with comprehensive knowledge about Linux Security. The book is aimed at readers who are familiar with Linux concepts but now want to gain a solid foundation in Linux security features. It is assumed these readers already understand some Linux and networking concepts, such as network protocols, network servers, and so on. This book contains detailed information to help you fortify your Linux environment and provides questions that enable you to check your understanding at the end of key chapters. Chapters 1 through 5 cover security basics in the Linux environment. These chapters give you an overview of Linux security, covering the precautions to be taken while installing and administering Linux. This part of the book also gives you an overview of the various authentication and encryption techniques you can use to protect your data. Chapters 6 through 9 deal with securing networks in the Linux environment. Various kinds of possible network attacks are discussed in this part of the book,
and you are given guidelines for preventing these attacks. Securing network servers—such as Apache Web server, FTP server, Sendmail, DNS, and SAMBA—is the core of this second part of the book. Chapters 10 through 13 focus on preventing intrusion and data recovery. In these chapters, you are provided with an extensive list of signs of intrusions. You will learn to use various tools and security utilities to detect and avoid intrusion. Maintaining logs regularly is a good practice for system administrators. Logs can give you indications of methods used to attack your system, and at times, you can get information about the attacker as well. Chapter 12, “System Logs,” educates you about using logs. In the last chapter of the book, I discuss the importance of making backups. You’ll realize how important backups are if you ever lose data due to system crashes or other reasons. Various commercial and non-commercial tools that you can use to maintain backups are discussed in this chapter.Finally, this book also
includes several appendices. The appendices include best Linux practices and FAQs for Linux security. An appendix on the future of Linux also is included at the end of the book.

Code:
http://uploading.com/files/Z7XH8SBW/Linux%20Security.rar.html

Beginning Linux Programming, 3rd Edition
Neil Matthew, Richard Stones, Alan Cox (Foreword by)

ISBN: 978-0-7645-4497-2
Paperback
888 pages
December 2003
Description :
What is this book about?
If you have some programming experience and are ready to venture into Linux programming, this updated edition of the bestselling entry-level book takes you there. The authors guide you step by step, using construction of a CD database application to give you hands-on experience as you progress from the basic to the complex. You’ll start with fundamental concepts like writing Unix programs in C. You’ll learn basic system calls, file I/O, interprocess communication, and shell programming. You’ll become skilled with the toolkits and libraries for working with user interfaces.
The book starts from the basics, explaining how to compile and run your first program. New to this edition are chapters on MySQL® access and administration; programming GNOME and KDE; and Linux standards for portable applications. Coverage of kernel programming, device drivers, CVS, grep, and GUI development environments has expanded. This book gives you practical knowledge for real wor ld application.
What does this book cover?
In this book, you will learn how to
* Develop programs to access files and the Linux environment
* Use the GNU compiler, debugger and other development tools
* Program data storage aapplications for MySQL and DBM database systems
* Write programs that take advantage of signals, processes and threads
* Build graphical user interfaces using both the GTK (for GNOME) and Qt (for KDE) libraries
* Write device drivers that can be loaded into the Linux kernel
* Access the network using TCP/IP sockets
* Write scripts that use grep, regular expressions and other Linux facilities
Who is this book for?
This book is for programmers with some C or C++ experience, who want to take advantage of the Linux development environment. You should have enough Linux familiarity to have installed and configured users on Linux.
Table of Contents :
Foreword by Alan Cox.
Introduction.
Chapter 1: Getting Started.
Chapter 2: Shell Programming.
Chapter 3: Working with Files.
Chapter 4: The Linux Environment.
Chapter 5: Terminals.
Chapter 6: Managing Text-Based Screens with curses.
Chapter 7: Data Management.
Chapter 8: MySQL.
Chapter 9: Development Tools.
Chapter 10: Debugging.
Chapter 11: Processes and Signals.
Chapter 12: POSIX Threads.
Chapter 13: Inter-Process Communication: Pipes.
Chapter 14: Semaphores, Shared Memory, and Message Queues.
Chapter 15: Sockets.
Chapter 16: Programming GNOME Using GTK+.
Chapter 17: Programming KDE Using Qt.
Chapter 18: Device Drivers.
Chapter 19: Standards for Linux.
Index.

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Who better to fill you in than PC Magazine?
If you can imagine something you’d like your computer to do, you can probably do it with versatile, economical, powerful Linux. Here’s how to tap that power, from installation to Linux desktop environments to getting things done. The accompanying CD-ROM gives you everything you need to get started, and with the dual boot option, you don’t even have to give up the familiar comfort of Windows in order to try it out. What are you waiting for?
If Linux is free, why is it sold?
What’s open source? Is Linux the same as Unix? What do abbreviations like GNU, GNOME, and KDE mean? Why are there so many versions of one operating system? Isn’t Linux just for hackers and geeks? Find the answers here!
A few of the things you’ll learn
* The differences in the various Linux distributions and which is right for you
* How to install Linux, even if you’ve never installed an operating system
* All about the GNOME and KDE desktops
* How the unique Linux terminal works
* Ways to back up data, add and remove software, and manage your Internet connection
* Secrets of security for Linux systems
* The scoop on servers-Apache, Postfix, and Squid

Download :
http://rapidshare.com/files/143137958/PC.Magazine.Linux.Solutions_www.allsofts.net .pdf

* Publisher: Wiley
* Number Of Pages: 809
* Publication Date: 2008-05-12
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 047025128X
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780470251287
* Binding: Paperback

Product Description:

* Covering the most popular Linux shells (such as bash, ash, tcsh, ksh, korn, and zsh), this reference shows how to use commands to create scripts within each shell and demonstrates practical applications for shell scripts (including retrieving information from Web sites and sending automated reports via e-mail)
* For each shell, the author discusses the commands available and explains how to use these commands to create scripts that can automate common functions and reports
* Guides administrators through advanced projects for using shell scripts in real-world applications and features advanced topics such as using a database and Web programming
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AJAX

2008-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

In just a short time, you can learn how to use Ajax, JavaScript, and PHP to create interactive interfaces to your web applications by combining these powerful technologies.
No previous Ajax programming experience is required. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson in this book builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Ajax programming with JavaScript, PHP, and related technologies from the ground up.
Regardless of whether you run Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X, the enclosed CD includes a complete Ajax programming starter kit that gives you all the programming tools, reference information, JavaScript libraries, and server software you need to set up a stable environment for learning, testing, and production.
Learn how to…

* Build better, more interactive interfaces for your web applications
* Make JavaScript, HTML, XML, and PHP work together to create Ajax effects
* Compile an Ajax application
* Create and consume web services with SOAP and REST
* Avoid common errors and troubleshoot programs
* Use popular Ajax libraries to speed up and improve common programming tasks
On the CD
* XAMPP for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux–an easy-to-install package to set up a PHP- and MySQL-enabled Apache server on your computer
* The jEdit programming editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux
* Prototype, Scriptaculous, Rico, and XOAD–popular JavaScript libraries for creating Ajax applications and effects
* A complete Ajax, HTML, XML, and PHP tutorial reference library in searchable PDF format
* Source code for the examples in the book
Phil Ballard is a software engineering consultant and developer specializing in website and intranet design and development for an international portfolio of clients. He has an honors degree from the University of Leeds, England, and has worked for several years in commercial and managerial roles in the high technology sector. Michael Moncur is a freelance webmaster and author. He runs a network of websites and has written several bestselling books about web development, networking, certification programs, and databases.
Category: Web Development
Covers: Ajax, JavaScript and PHP
User Level: Beginning—Intermediate
Download

In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, you’ll learn how to build advanced web sites and applications with ASP.NET Ajax--and upgrade existing pages to deliver more power and business value. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson equips you with sufficient information and guides you to mastery of Ajax in real-world applications.
One step at a time, you’ll discover how to make the most of the Microsoft Ajax Library and Ajax Server Extensions. You’ll develop secure, reliable Web services and applications that solve real problems--including a complete sample e-commerce application.
Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common questions, issues, and tasks.
Quizzes help you build and test your knowledge.
Notes, tips, and cautions point out shortcuts, solutions, and potential problems to avoid.

New terms are clearly defined and explained.
Learn how to…
* Incorporate ASP.NET Ajax into any new or existing web site or application
* Use ASP.NET architecture, key concepts, and client-side scripting techniques
* Design and build a complete e-commerce application
* Use ASP.NET Ajax to create higher-performance web applications
* Use all the key Ajax Server Extensions, including the Ajax Control Toolkit
* Work with the ASP.NET Ajax authentication and profile services
* Extend the Microsoft Ajax Library
* Efficiently debug and trace ASP.NET Ajax code
* Leverage the benefits of Ajax by implementing a sample application
Joydip Kanjilal, honored by Microsoft as an ASP.NET MVP, writes frequently on ASP.NET and other .NET technologies for web sites such as www.asptoday.com, www.devx.com, www.aspalliance.com, and www.aspnetpro.com. He is currently lead architect for a consulting company based in Hyderabad, India. He has designed and architected solutions for various domains. Sriram Putrevu, lead developer for a consulting company in Hyderabad, specializes in Microsoft .NET technologies. He has extensive experience developing large-scale applications in healthcare, supply chain/logistics, EAI, and e-commerce.
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In the ten years or so since I made my first static web page, it’s been amazing to see the evolution of the Web as a platform—first for the exchange of information, and then for actual applications, running right in the browser. And now the AJAX explosion is taking web development to the next level. Using the power of AJAXstyle development, you can create applications that rival desktop apps in their power and responsiveness and, best of all, you don’t have to rely on ugly hacks and kludges to get there. What is AJAX? The acronym originally stood for “Asynchronous JavaScript and XML”—quite a mouthful—but it has since come to refer to a style of development that uses web technologies like XML, DOM, CSS, and JavaScript to create uberinteractive web documents that behave like full-blown applications. None of these AJAX technologies are actually all that new (even the AJAX “secret sauce,” XMLHttpRequest, has been around for years), but not a lot of people really knew how to use them to the fullest. Now, with the proliferation of “Web 2.0” applications that push the web-app envelope, and its cool, easy-to-remember name, the AJAX style of development is really starting to take off. In the early days, web apps used server-side scripting like CGI, as well as simple web forms and image rollovers in the browser. Now we’re seeing developers take major steps forward to enhance the user experience with the ability to update the UI in pieces, instead of requiring a single, enormous redraw, and client-side functionality like drag-and-drop and edit-in-place. Today’s web applications are more interconnected as well, and are sometimes made up of data from multiple services or sources. A browser-based AJAX app is a fantastic platform for providing this kind of super-interactive, networked app experience to users. And the best part is that the AJAX revolution is still just getting started, so now’s a great time to jump in. This book gives me a chance to show some cool ways in which you can use AJAX techniques to add real power and
responsiveness to your web applications while supporting accessibility and backward compatibility. The beauty of AJAX is that it lets you do all this using straightforward, standards-based code, so you won’t be seeing weird hacks or browser-specific code in this book. So, roll up your sleeves—I hope you’re ready to get your hands dirty in some AJAX code!
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Supercharge Your Sites with Ajax Right Now…No Scripting Expertise Needed!
You’ve heard how great Ajax is–how it can help make your Web sites more usable, more interactive, more responsive, more successful. Ajax Construction Kit lets you put Ajax to work right now, even if you’ve never written a script!
Just learn a few essentials, check out a few examples, then run the live CD and discover all the plug-and-play code you need to hit the ground running. Ajax Construction Kit’s built-in applications work right out of the box. And with easy guidance from Michael Morrison, you’ll gradually deepen your understanding–learn how to customize, extend, and reuse these applications—and even build skills for creating new ones. Walk away an expert.
Use Ajax Construction Kit’s ten complete applications to
* Dynamically load Web data
* Dynamically populate lists
* Tap into RSS news feeds
* Use AutoComplete to reduce input errors
* Create more responsive GUIs with real-time validation
* Build a killer interface for viewing images
* Present information or advertising with slick pop-ups
* Provide an up-to-the-minute weather forecast
* Build an e-commerce product shipping calculator
* Add ratings tools to your site
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ASP.NET

2008-09-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

This aggregation is aimed at anyone who wants to create impulsive websites with ASP.NET. Ideally, you’ll hit undergo with a preceding edition of a planning module much as Visual Basic 6 or Java. If not, you should be old with base planning concepts (loops, contingent structures, arrays, and so on), whether you’ve scholarly them in C, Pascal, Turing, or a completely assorted planning language. This is the exclusive responsibility for datum this book.

This aggregation module also attractiveness to programmers who hit whatever undergo with Visual Basic and .NET but haven’t worked with ASP.NET in the past. However, if you’ve utilised a preceding edition of ASP.NET, you’ll belike be more fascinated in a faster-paced aggregation much as Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in VB 2008 (Apress, 2007) instead.
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Building on the revolutionary ASP.NET 2.0 release, ASP.NET 3.5 adds several key new developer features including AJAX, LINQ, and a new CSS designer in Visual Web Developer 2008. The dramatic reduction in code that developers realized from the more than 50 new server controls in ASP.NET 2.0 now allows developers the time to make their applications more interactive with AJAX, to work with data in their preferred language with LINQ, and to build visually attractive and consistent standards-based sites with CSS.
Professional ASP.NET 3.5 helps the experienced programmer put these new technologies into action. Greatly expanded from the original best-selling Professional ASP.NET 2.0, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 covers all the key technologies retained from 2.0 in new depth alongside the hundreds of pages of coverage of the important new 3.5 features. Written by 3 of the most well-known and influential ASP.NET developers who were highly praised by ASP.NET creator Scott Guthrie for their ASP.NET 2.0 books, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 is the book you’ll learn the language from and turn to day after day as you write web applications. And as always, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 features language examples in the book and in the code download in both C# and VB!
Key new coverage for ASP.NET 3.5 includes:
* Thorough coverage of how to implement ASP.NET 3.5 AJAX and the ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit
* An introduction to LINQ and many LINQ examples throughout the book side-by-side with the related SQL example to show you the differences between the two
* Enhanced coverage of XML use in ASP.NET including the new XML Schema Designer Add-on, LINQ to XML, LINQ for XML examples, and XSLTC.exe, a command-line XSLT compiler
* A new chapter on CSS design for ASP.NET and the Visual Web Developer CSS design tools
* A new chapter on the ASP.NET lifecycle and architecture best-practices
* Increased coverage of ASP.NET with SQL Server 2005 and Oracle as the databases
* Coverage of enhancing your ASP.NET applications with Microsoft’s new Silverlight for stunning video and animation uses
* Coverage of Scott Hanselman’s famous productivity tool picks for developers to help make you a more productive ASP.NET developer
* Updated coverage of migrating applications for previous ASP.NET versions
Key coverage retained and improved from the ASP.NET 2.0 book:
* The idea of the server control and its pivotal role in ASP.NET development
* How to create templated ASP.NET pages using the master page feature
* Techniques for debugging and handling errors
* Ways to package and deploy ASP.NET applications
* How to retrieve, update, and delete data quickly and logically
* How to implement the cultures and regions features to localize your web site into multiple languages for different visitors
* An understanding of how to use and extend the provider model for accessing data stores, processes, and more
* How to keep track of your application's performance and health with monitoring tools
Who this book is for
This book is for experienced programmers and developers who are looking to make the transition to ASP.NET 3.5.
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Learning ASP.NET 3.5, Second Edition (c) by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
The type of the release is: eBook
In the PDF format with ISBN: 0596518455 and Pub Date: July 15, 2008
The size of the release is: 04 disks x 2.88mb
And released on: 08/26/2008

Product Description
With this book, you will learn how to create engaging and interactive web applications using the latest version of the world's most popular web development platform: ASP.NET with AJAX, built on the productivity-enhancing features of Visual Studio 2008. All you need to get started is a basic knowledge of HTML and a desire to produce professional quality websites. Learning ASP.NET 3.5 introduces new skills in each new chapter and offers fully annotated and fully functional examples that you can put to work immediately. Each chapter adds detailed summaries, practice questions to ensure comprehension, and exercises so you can apply what you've learned to new situations. Written by the bestselling author team of Jesse Liberty, Dan Hurwitz, and Brian MacDonald, Learning ASP.NET 3.5 offers complete, up-to-date coverage of ASP.NET 3.5 and AJAX. The book includes: Chapters that are designed as a series of tutorials on different aspects of web development Examples in each chapter that illustrate how a new concept works. Different chapters feature either a single running example with several stages, or a series of smaller examples A single large example in the final chapter offers that uses everything the reader has learned VB, JavaScript, and SQL Cheat Sheet sidebars to help readers with no little or no background with those topics AJAX-style fully integrated into ASP.NET programming -- the way it should be taught and used If you want to get up to speed with the world's most popular web development technology, Learning ASP.NET 3.5 is the best resource for the job.
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In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, you’ll learn how to build advanced web sites and applications with ASP.NET Ajax--and upgrade existing pages to deliver more power and business value. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson equips you with sufficient information and guides you to mastery of Ajax in real-world applications.
One step at a time, you’ll discover how to make the most of the Microsoft Ajax Library and Ajax Server Extensions. You’ll develop secure, reliable Web services and applications that solve real problems--including a complete sample e-commerce application.
Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common questions, issues, and tasks.
Quizzes help you build and test your knowledge.
Notes, tips, and cautions point out shortcuts, solutions, and potential problems to avoid.
New terms are clearly defined and explained.
Learn how to…
* Incorporate ASP.NET Ajax into any new or existing web site or application
* Use ASP.NET architecture, key concepts, and client-side scripting techniques
* Design and build a complete e-commerce application
* Use ASP.NET Ajax to create higher-performance web applications
* Use all the key Ajax Server Extensions, including the Ajax Control Toolkit
* Work with the ASP.NET Ajax authentication and profile services
* Extend the Microsoft Ajax Library
* Efficiently debug and trace ASP.NET Ajax code
* Leverage the benefits of Ajax by implementing a sample application
Joydip Kanjilal, honored by Microsoft as an ASP.NET MVP, writes frequently on ASP.NET and other .NET technologies for web sites such as http://www.asptoday.com, http://www.devx.com, http://www.aspalliance.com, and http://www.aspnetpro.com. He is currently lead architect for a consulting company based in Hyderabad, India. He has designed and architected solutions for various domains. Sriram Putrevu, lead developer for a consulting company in Hyderabad, specializes in Microsoft .NET technologies. He has extensive experience developing large-scale applications in healthcare, supply chain/logistics, EAI, and e-commerce.
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FLASH

2008-09-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

Book Description

The long-stale page metaphor for Web sites is finally dying out, replaced by the single-screen rich-Internet apps that Flash MX 2004 is at last bringing to the mainstream. To stay ahead of the curve¿and to start creating the kind of Web sites you used to only dream of¿you need this guide. In these pages you'll learn how to create the sites that more and more companies are demanding¿the kind that pull complex data from multiple sources for delivery via a single Web interface, so that users can perform multiple functions from a single screen. The focus here is on building the Flash MX 2004 front end to work with that complex data. You'll learn how to structure applications to eliminate page refreshes while reducing download time, build real-time and time-delayed applications with Flash Communication Server, integrate technologies like Flash Remoting and Macromedia Central, and more. You can even download all of the source files form the book's companion Web site.

About the Author

Phillip Kerman is an independent programmer, teacher, and writer specializing in Macromedia products. His degree in Imaging and Photographic Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology was earned back when "multimedia" had a different meaning from today. One of Phillip's internships, for example, involved programming multiple slide projector presentations with dissolves synchronized to a sound track—the multimedia of the 1980s. In 1993, he found Macromedia Authorware a natural fit for his interests and skills. After getting his start at The Human Element, Inc., he moved back to Portland, Oregon, to work on his own.
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File Instructions: Rename the file from .Lemon to .Rar . Extract it with Winrar.
Password = www.lemonshare.net

Book Description:
Written by two of the industry's top Flash experts, this new edition of the best-selling classic has been revised and enhanced to cover the very latest release of Macromedia Flash. User-friendly, yet in-depth this is the book that serves as an indispensable reference for anyone - from the web novice to the accomplished web worker - and functions as the perfect, real-world guide to the workings and capabilities of this powerful program
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The ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference for Macromedia Flash 8 is a comprehensive reference manual that describes the application programming interface (API) for Macromedia Flash Player, the most pervasive client runtime environment in the world. It includes valuable syntax and usage information; detailed descriptions of classes, functions, properties, and events; and copy-and-paste code samples for every element in the ActionScript language.

The ActionScript 2.0 Language Reference for Macromedia Flash 8 will help you:
• Learn how to use specific APIs efficiently and effectively
• Understand the range and variety of functionality ActionScript offers
• Repurpose Macromedia-tested code in your own applications

Powerful development and design tools require thorough and authoritative technical advice and documentation. When it comes to Macromedia Flash, no one is more authoritative than Macromedia Development and writing teams. Now their official documentation is available to you in printed book form. As you work, keep this guide by your side for ready access to valuable information on using Flash. We’ve designed it so that it’s easy to annotate as you progress.
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1) Open it with Winrar.
2) Password : www.lemonshare.net

If you're interested in recording and streaming media using Flash Media
Server 3 (FMS3) and Adobe's Real-Time Messaging Protocol, this unique
267-page PDF-only book is the perfect primer. It is not a reference, but
a systematic guide to developing FMS3 applications using ActionScript
3.0, with chapters that focus on specific aspects of the server and how
they work. FMS3 is very different from regular web servers. Because its
open-socket server technology stays connected until users quit the
application, you can stream audio, video, text, and other media in real
time. FMS3 is also quite different from previous versions, a fact that
web developers familiar with Flash Media Server 2 or Flash Communication
Server 1.5 will quickly discover. Don't worry. With Learning Flash Media
Server 3 and a little experience with Flash CS3 and ActionScript 3.0,
anyone can get up to speed in no time. You'll learn how to install FMS3,
organize your development environment with Apache web server, and use
the management console before diving into the whys and hows of:
Recording and playing back streaming audio and video in VP6 and H.264
formats
Using the new Flash Media Encoder to stream and record video
Camera and microphone settings
Non-persistent client-side remote shared objects
Two-way audio-video communications
Broadcasting and server-side bandwidth control
Working with server-side files: the file class
Server-side shared objects
Server-side streams
Setting up a software load handler using FMS3's new server-side
NetStream
Bringing in data and working with configuration files
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NETWORKING

2008-09-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

In this third installment, the all-star cast of authors tackle one of the fastest growing crimes in the world: Identity Theft. Now, the criminal hackers readers have grown to both love and hate try to cover their tracks and vanish into thin air "Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity" is the 3rd book in the "Stealing" series, and continues in the tradition created by its predecessors by delivering real-world network attack methodologies and hacking techniques within a context of unique and original fictional accounts created by some of the world's leading security professionals and computer technologists. The seminal works in TechnoFiction, this "STN" collection yet again breaks new ground by casting light upon the mechanics and methods used by those lurking on the darker side of the Internet, engaging in the fastest growing crime in the world: Identity theft.

Cast upon a backdrop of "Evasion," surviving characters from "How to Own a Continent" find themselves on the run, fleeing from both authority and adversary, now using their technical prowess in a way they never expected--to survive.
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Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow is the final book in Syngress ground breaking, best-selling, Stealing the Network series. As with previous title, How to Own a Shadow is a fictional story that demonstrates accurate, highly detailed scenarios of computer intrusions and counter-strikes. In How to Own a Thief, Knuth, the master-mind, shadowy figure from previous books, is tracked across the world and the Web by cyber adversaries with skill to match his own. Readers will be amazed at how Knuth, Law Enforcement, and Organized crime twist and torque everything from game stations, printers and fax machines to service provider class switches and routers steal, deceive, and obfuscate. From physical security to open source information gathering, Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow will entertain and educate the reader on every page. The books companion Web site will also provide special, behind-the-scenes details and hacks for the reader to join in the chase for Knuth.

The best-selling Stealing the Network series reaches its climactic conclusion as law enforcement and organized crime form a high-tech web in an attempt to bring down the shadowy hacker-villain known as Knuth in the most technically sophisticated Stealing book yet. . As with previous title, How to Own a Shadow is a fictional story that demonstrates accurate, highly detailed scenarios of computer intrusions and counter-strikes. In How to Own a Shadow, Knuth, the master-mind, shadowy figure from previous books, is tracked across the world and the Web by cyber adversaries with skill to match his own. Readers will be amazed at how Knuth, Law Enforcement, and Organized crime twist and torque everything from game stations, printers and fax machines to service provider class switches and routers steal, deceive, and obfuscate. From physical security to open source information gathering, Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow will entertain and educate the reader on every page. The book;' companion Web site will also provide special, behind-the-scenes details and hacks for the reader to join in the chase for Knuth.

About the Authors

Johnny Long is a "clean-living" family guy who just so happens to like hacking stuff. Recently, Johnny has enjoyed writing stuff, reading stuff, editing stuff and presenting stuff at conferences, which has served as yet another diversion to a serious (and bill-paying) job as a professional hacker and security researcher for Computer Sciences Corporation. Johnny has written or contributed to several books, including Google Hacking for Penetration Testers, InfoSec Career Hacking, Aggressive Network Self-Defense, Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity, and OS X for Hackers at Heart.

Tim Mullen (aka Thor) began his career in application development and network integration in 1984, and is now CIO and Chief Software Architect for AnchorIS.Com, a developer of secure enterprise-based accounting solutions. Mullen has developed and implemented network and security solutions for institutions such as the U.S. Air Force, Microsoft, the U.S. Federal Court systems, regional power generation facilities, and international banking and financial institutions. He has developed applications ranging from military aircraft statistics interfaces and biological aqua-culture management, to nuclear power-plant effect monitoring for a myriad of private, government, and military entities. Tim is also a columnist for Security Focus' Microsoft section, and a regular contributor of InFocus technical articles. Also known as "Thor," he is the founder of the "Hammer of God" security co-op group. Mullen's writings appear in multiple publications, such as Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box (Syngress, ISBN: 1-931836-87-6) and Hacker's Challenge, technical edits in Windows XP Security, with security tools and techniques features in publications such as the Hacking Exposed series and New Scientist magazine.

Ryan Russell (Blue Boar) has worked in the IT field for over 13 years, focusing on information security for the last seven. He was the lead author of Hack Proofing Your Network, Second Edition (Syngress, ISBN: 1-928994-70-9), contributing author and technical editor of Stealing The Network: How to Own The Box (Syngress, ISBN: 1-931836-87-6), and is a frequent technical editor for the Hack Proofing series of books from Syngress. Ryan was also a technical advisor on Snort 2.0 Intrusion Detection (Syngress, ISBN: 1-931836-74-4). Ryan founded the vuln-dev mailing list, and moderated it for three years under the alias "Blue Boar."
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Throughout the next decade, 802 wireless systems will become an integral part of fourth generation (4G) cellular communication systems, where the convergence of wireless and cellular networks will materialize through support of interworking and seamless roaming across dissimilar wireless and cellular radio access technologies. IEEE 802 Wireless Systems clearly describes the leading systems, covering IEEE 802.11 WLAN, IEEE 802.15 WPAN, IEEE 802.16 WMAN systems’ architecture, standards and protocols (including mesh) with an instructive approach allowing individuals unfamiliar with wireless systems to follow and understand these technologies. Ranging from digital radio transmission fundamentals, duplex, multiplexing and switching to medium access control, radio spectrum regulation, coexistence and spectrum sharing, this book also offers new solutions to broadband multi-hop networking for cellular and ad hoc operation. The book
Gives a comprehensive overview and performance evaluation of IEEE 802.11, 802.15 and 802.16
Includes a tutorial like introduction to the basics of wireless communication
Discusses challenges in mesh/multi-hop relaying networks and provides profound solutions for their realization with 802 Wireless Systems
Covers spectrum sharing on different levels and provides solutions for coexistence, cooperation and interworking of 802 Wireless Systems that are following the same or different standards, but share the same spectrum
Includes a detailed overview and introduction on cognitive radio and dynamic spectrum access
Accompanying website contains simulation software and provides slides of the figures and tables from the book ready for course presentation
This book is an essential text for advanced undergraduate students with a basic working knowledge of wireless communication, graduate students and engineers working in the field of wireless communications.
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For broadband communications, it was frequency division multiplexing. For optical communications, it was wavelength division multiplexing. Then, for all types of networks it was code division. Breakthroughs in transmission speed were made possible by these developments, heralding next-generation networks of increasing capability in each case. The basic idea is the same: more channels equals higher throughput. For wireless communications, it is space-time coding using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technology. Providing a complete treatment of MIMO under a single cover, MIMO System Technology for Wireless Communications assembles coverage on all aspects of MIMO technology along with up-to-date information on key related issues. Contributors from leading academic and industrial institutions around the world share their expertise and lend the book a global perspective. They lead you gradually from basic to more advanced concepts, from propagation modeling and performance analysis to space-time codes, various systems, implementation options and limitations, practical system development considerations, field trials, and network planning issues. Linking theoretical analysis to practical issues, the book does not limit itself to any specific standardization or research/industrial initiatives. MIMO is the catalyst for the next revolution in wireless systems, and MIMO System Technology for Wireless Communications lays a thorough and complete foundation on which to build the next and future generations of
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