Luís Rato's Techy thoughts

Moving to another corner

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Depois de alguma reflexão, decidi mudar o meu blog para http://luisprato.spaces.live.com.

As razões movem-se fundamentalmente pelo facto do editor do blogspot ter alguns bugs que me atormentam a paciência, o que torna a edição de conteúdo por vezes um pouco caótica.
O Spaces do Live tem uma enorme vantagem no contexto da edição, nomeadamente pela integração com o Windows Live Writer ser perfeita e facilitar tremendamente a criação e edição de conteúdos.

Contudo, tenho a dizer que o blogspot para mim é sem dúvida excelente do ponto de vista de parameterização do layout do blog, superando e muito o spaces.live.com que nesse aspecto é demasiado limitado, no momento da criação do layout cheguei a odiá-lo, mas para mim foi mais importante a questão da edição pelo facto de me poupar imenso tempo quando crio conteúdos.

Quem tiver interesse ou curiosidade que siga o novo link. Pela maior frequência com que escrevo no blog do live, dá para notar que a questão do editor Windows Live Writer tem um papel importante neste campo.

By the way, eu sei que o writer também pode servir de editor para outros blogs, eu passei por essa fase mas a integração revelou-se um pouco instável.

Um bem haja a todos.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Network Monitor 3.2 is available now!

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:27:00 +0000

Hi ladies and gentleman,

It might sound crazy but here I am again posting new stuff for you guys, this time sharing the announcement from the http://connect.microsoft.com that Network Monitor 3.2 has been released today.

Some bugs have been fixed and there is a lot of new features added based on users feedback. If you are one packet sniffing lover I bet that you will enjoy this new version.

You can check below the link for download and the list of new features.

Where are the bits available for download:

Network Monitor 3.2 is available on Microsoft.com on the link below: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f4db40af-1e08-4a21-a26b-ec2f4dc4190d&DisplayLang=en.They are also available in the downloads section on the Connect site.

Network Monitor 3.2 will also be offered as an optional feature package in the next few weeks via Microsoft Update if you have a previous version of Network Monitor 3.x installed. To check for updates, click on Help>Check for Updates from the product menu (versions 3.1 and higher) or visit the site http://update.microsoft.com/Microsoftupdate.

What's New in Network Monitor 3.2:

Process Tracking: Now you can identify rogue applications sending network data! View all the processes on your machine generating network traffic (process name and PID). Use the conversation tree to view frames associated with each process.
Capture engine re-architecture to improve capture rate in high-speed networks. Network Monitor 3.2 drops significantly fewer frames that Network Monitor 3.1.
Find conversations: You asked for this. Many of our users found conversation tracking to be difficult to use as the view grew hard to manage, and it was difficult to correlate the frames they were seeing with the conversation nodes in the tree. Now, you can quickly isolate frames in the same network conversation. Just right-click on a frame and select a conversation to track, and you will see all the frames in that conversation. View TCP streams, HTTP flows etc.
Extensive parser set: Parsers for over 300 protocols! As before, the parsers are fully customizable.
Better parser management: By default only a subset of parsers are loaded. You can load the full parser set by going to Tools>Options>Parser and choose Full vs. Stub implementations.
CodePlex Ready: In the upcoming months, we plan to place all our Windows parsers on the Microsoft open-source CodePlex site and allow the community to modify and contribute parsers. You can find out more information on this here. This version of Network Monitor seamlessly integrates new parser packages.
Network Monitor API: Create your own applications that capture, parse and analyze network traffic!
More extensive documentation of the API and NPL. Access the documentation from Help > NPL and API Documentation.
IA64 builds.
PCAP capture file support*.
ContainsBin Plug-in: Search frames for arbitrary byte sequences or strings.
. and more. See our Release Notes in the Help directory of the installation folder for a complete list of new features and known issues.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Be proactive with the Microsoft Best Practices Analyzer tools

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:17:00 +0000

Hi boys and girls,

I suppose that you are missing the big daddy over here but for a couple of reasons I have been out of blogging stuff and whatever damn thing related with computing. Long, long, long…. story of my life during the last 9 months, but it is not my purpose to tell or mention anything here… and no, don’t ask about it because I will not answer.

This post symbolizes my return and I think that there’s nothing best than show you something quite useful.

Sometimes administering corporate environments might be as crucial as challenging and to keep your systems up and running with the optimal performance and healthy at the same time I bet that you would love to have an out-of-the-box solution. The Holy Grail is just around the corner with more than a dozen of Microsoft Best Practices Analyzer (aka BPA) tools, they can help you to do some important tasks like system health analysis, performance analysis or performance baseline.
Each BPA tool is designed for a specific product and they can either include tests for components or services that have a direct influence with the tool designed technology, as an example the BPA tool for Exchange will do validation tests on domain controllers, DNS, IIS metabase, 3rd party antivirus, hardware drivers and so on. At the end you will get a report that will pinpoint any issue on your system and present you with the recommendations or considerations to mitigate all those issues and leverage your system for an optimal performance and condition.

I have collected the list of the currently available Microsoft Best Practice Analyzer tools with the corresponding link and brief explanation. Just check it out below, download and install, quit your solitaire or minesweeper and start doing something proactive and useful, I bet that your managers will love that work and results. And dude if you get promoted because of this don’t forget to pay me a beer. :)

Microsoft Best Practices Analyzers
Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server Best Practices Analyzer Tool
The ISA Server Best Practices Analyzer is a diagnostic tool that automatically performs specific tests on configuration data collected on the local ISA Server computer from the ISA Server hierarchy of administration COM objects, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes, the system registry, files on disk, and the Domain Name System (DNS) settings. The resulting report details critical configuration issues, potential problems, and information about the local computer. By following the recommendations of the tool, administrators can achieve greater performance, scalability, reliability, and uptime.

Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer v2.8
The Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer programmatically collects settings and values from data repositories such as Active Directory, registry, metabase and performance monitor. Once collected, a set of comprehensive ‘best practice’ rules are applied to the topology. Administrators running this tool will get a detailed report listing the recommendations that can be made to the environment to achieve greater performance, scalability and uptime.
See the Exchange Team blog for more info on the Exchange 2007 Readiness Check: http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/07/28/428506.aspx. Additional Exchange Analyzer tools are available here.

SQL Server 2005 Best Practices Analyzer
The SQL Server 2005 Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) gathers data from Microsoft Windows and SQL Server configuration settings. BPA uses a predefined list of SQL Server 2005 recommendations and best practices to determine if there are potential issues in the database environment.

Microsoft Best Practices Analyzer for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and the 2007 Microsoft Office System
The Microsoft Best Practices Analyzer for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and the 2007 Microsoft Office System Best Practices Analyzer programmatically collects settings and values from data repositories such as MS SQL, registry, metabase and performance monitor. Once collected, a set of comprehensive ‘best practice’ rules are applied to the topology. Administrators running this tool will get a detailed report listing the recommendations that can be made to the environment to achieve greater performance, scalability and uptime.

Microsoft Forefront Client Security Best Practices Analyzer
The FCS Best Practices Analyzer Tool is designed for administrators who want to determine the overall health of their Forefront computers and to diagnose current problems. The tool scans the configuration settings of the computer and reports issues that do not conform to the recommended best practices.

Office Communications Server 2007 Best Practices Analyzer
The Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Best Practices Analyzer Tool is a diagnostic tool that gathers configuration information from a Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 environment and determines whether the configuration is set according to Microsoft best practices. You can install the tool on a client computer that runs Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, or on a server that runs Office Communications Server 2007.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer
This tool examines a server that is running Windows Small Business Server 2003. The tool collects configuration information from many sources including the following sources:
· Active Directory Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
· Registry
· Metabase
Then, the tool analyzes the collected information, and the tool verifies this information for correctness. After the tool has collected and analyzed the information, the tool presents a list of issues that are sorted by severity. For each issue, the tool provides descriptions of what the problem is and of how you can fix this issue.

ASP .NET Best Practice Analyzer
The Best Practice Analyzer ASP.NET (alpha release) is a tool that scans the configuration of an ASP.NET 2.0 application. The tool can scan against three mainline scenarios (hosted environment, production environment, or development environment) and identify problematic configuration settings in the machine config or web config files associated with your ASP.NET application. This is an alpha release intended to gain feedback on the tool and the configuration rules included with it.

BizTalk Server 2006 Best Practices Analyzer
The BizTalk Server 2006 Best Practices Analyzer performs configuration-level verification by reading and reporting only. The Best Practices Analyzer gathers data from different information sources, such as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes, SQL Server databases, and registry entries. The Best Practices Analyzer uses the data to evaluate the deployment configuration. The Best Practices Analyzer does not modify any system settings, and is not a self-tuning tool.

Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 Resource Kit - Best Practices Analyzer
MDM Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) Tool helps you to analyze the prerequisites for MDM setup and deployment. Because each MDM server component has different prerequisites, the tool helps you to plan and build a successful deployment environment by assessing each server's readiness for MDM before you run MDM Setup.In addition to analyzing each server's individual readiness, BPA Tool helps you to verify the firewall configuration that MDM requires between servers running MDM Device Management Server and servers running MDM Gateway Server.Finally, after you deploy MDM, you can run a post-deployment scan to help make sure your installation works properly and follows MDM best practices.

Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Best Practices Analyzer
The Microsoft Commerce Server Best Practices Analyzer performs configuration level verification, by reading and reporting only. For example, the Best Practices Analyzer gathers data from Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes, Microsoft SQL Server databases, registry entries, IIS Metabase Settings, and other parts of your deployment, and uses the gathered data to determine whether best practices are being followed. The Best Practices Analyzer does not modify any system settings, and is therefore not a self-tuning tool.

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server Power Tools with TFS BPA
The Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server Power Tools is a set of enhancements, tools and command line utilities that improve the Team Foundation Server user experience. This download includes Best practice analyzer for TFS along with other important tools

Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer for Windows Server 2003 (32 bit and 64 bit Editions)
The Microsoft Group Policy Diagnostic Best Practice Analyzer (GPDBPA) for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 is designed to help you identify Group Policy configuration errors or other dependency failures that may prevent settings or features from functioning as expected.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Social network Netlog.com offline during all day

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:26:00 +0000

Hi camaradas,

o dia 31 de Março de 2008 irá ficar marcado certamente na memória dos representantes do site http://www.netlog.com/. Se tentaram aceder ao site devem-se ter deparado certamente com alguma coisa de errado.

"We have power in one of the rooms in the datacenter and will connect the other room to a mobile power plant with diesel generator which will arrive in the next hour"

São situações como esta que se tornam devastadoras em termos de credibilidade, além de representar uma elevada perda de dinheiro. Num site de uma rede social como este que provavelmente deve gerar milhares de dólares em publicidade, creio que o dia de hoje terá que servir para questionar algumas coisas, como por exemplo:

Questão 1:
Porque não havia um plano de Disaster Recovery?

Questão 2:
Porque é que o único datacenter existente não tem um gerador para suportar um Power Outage? Será que existia e por coincidência avariou? Será que o gerador alguma vez foi testado ou é testado periodicamente?

Questão 3:
Porque é que o site não está também alojado num site de Disaster Recovery?

Conhecendo eu o mercado nacional da forma que conheço, espanta-me que ainda não tenha surgido um "apagão da cegonha" que venha por a nú a verdadeira realidade nacional.
Que isto sirva de aviso a todos os gestores que dizem e pensam que "temos mais onde gastar o dinheiro", depois queixem-se como os amigos do Netlog que agora devem estar a dar com a cabeça nas paredes.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Technology: Vision of the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Em Fevereiro de 2008 durante a minha participação num evento em Seattle, tive o privilégio de assistir a uma sessão geral do físico teórico e Futurologista Dr. Michio Kaku (http://www.mkaku.org/).
Como apaixonado que sou pelas tecnologias (não sou nenhum nerd, tenho outras paixões na minha vida :P), poder assistir a uma sessão de futurologia tecnológica é algo que realmente agarra a atenção de qualquer um, neste caso estou a falar sobre "Vision of the Future".

A essência da visão do Dr. Michio Kaku é que os chips vão estar em todo o lado, não estamos a falar daquilo que é tradicional nos dias de hoje, como usar chips em computadores, dispositivos electrónicos de toda a ordem, carros, aviões, etc., estamos a falar em recorrer ao uso de chips em tudo aquilo que nos rodeia, nomeadamente em infra-estruturas como estradas, paredes de edifícios ou em materiais como chapa de veículos, vidros de janelas e até dentro de nós próprios, tudo isto irá permitir-nos dotar certos componentes ou corpos com algum nível de inteligência, algo que nós vamos poder medir, observar e analisar.

Tudo isto só será possível porque os chips serão cada vez mais pequenos e até mais baratos que o papel. As nossas exigências e ambição evolutiva vai levar-nos a atingir metas que nunca antes foram possíveis, com os chips a assumirem aqui um papel fundamental.

Outra das suas visões prende-se com a estagnação da Lei de Moore, 'in a nut shell' estamos a falar da duplicação da capacidade de processamento em cada 24 meses (ou 18 meses em teorias mais recentes) com a manutenção do mesmo nível de custos - tese defendida pelo co-fundador da Intel Gordon Moore numa publicação sua em 1965 (porque será que lhe chamaram lei de "Moore"??? Duh!).
A explicação para isto é simples, os CPUs consomem energia eléctrica que é dissipada por acções de componentes do CPU, como é o caso dos transístores. Estes servem para amplificar e chavear sinais eléctricos, mas alguma dessa energia é perdida em forma de calor.

Atendendo ao facto que o aumento da capacidade dos processadores está também relacionado com o aumento do número de transístores dentro de um CPU, leva-nos a que a arquitectura de um CPU seja direccionada para a compactação dos transístores.
Actualmente temos CPUs com uma arquitectura de 45 namómetros, quer isto dizer que cada transístor fica distanciado entre outros a 45 milionésimos de um milímetro, com um maior número de transístores e redução da distância entre eles, estamos perante um grave problema de aumento de calor.

Percebem agora porque é que os dissipadores dos CPU's são cada vez maiores e as caixas dos vossos PC's têm diversas ventoinhas?

Obviamente que os construtores de CPU's estão atentos a este fenómeno do "aumento da capacidade = aumento de calor", daí que para combater esta situação começaram a surgir CPU's com múltiplos cores. Actualmente já estão disponíveis no mercado CPU's com 2 (dual) e 4 (quad) cores, estando inclusivamente previsto para o próximo semestre CPUs com 6
(hexa) cores. Agora se vocês repararem, os Cores em si não passam dos 3Ghz, tal facto deixa bem evidente que este é o limite razoável de "processamento Vs Calor". Doravante vamos continuar a assistir a um aumento da capacidade em função do crescimento do número de Cores, algo que é também possibilitado por uma redução do tamanho da arquitectura dos CPUs (namómetros, lembram-se?).

As complicações não ficam por aqui, o facto de termos múltiplos cores dentro de um processador com o objectivo de aumentar a sua capacidade de processamento, isto é possibilitado através do método de paralelismo de processamento, quer isto dizer que uma determinada instrução no CPU pode ser distribuída por diversos cores e processada de forma paralela.
A grande questão é que isto acarreta outro problema, através do multiprocessamento paralelo a complexidade de desenvolvimento e programação de software aumenta exponencialmente.

Neste aspecto as empresas que desenvolvem software e sistemas operativos podem ter um papel importante se criarem frameworks que possibilitem tornar a programação em Multi-core tão simples como em single-core.
A Microsoft pretende continuar a desenvolver novas soluções de software que possibilitem uma integração tecnológica com as pessoas de forma cada vez mais natural (natural computing ou natural user interface, vão ouvir falar muito disto no futuro), pelo que o aumento da capacidade de processamento tem aqui um papel importante. Se voltarmos atrás à mesma questão da complexidade de desenvolvimento de software em paralelismo multi-core, Empresas como a Microsoft estão perante um sério problema que remete para uma questão, como é que evoluímos o nosso software se não adaptarmos os meios de desenvolvimento ao multiprocessamento paralelo?

A resolução deste problema é altamente complexa e crucial para a evolução de software nos próximos 10 anos, daí que a Microsoft Research estar a trabalhar activamente neste assunto (ver link em baixo).

Microsoft Research - Safe and Scalable Multicore Computing
http://research.microsoft.com/ur/us/fundingopps/RFPs/SafeScalableMulticore_RFP.aspx

Por todas as limitações já aqui referenciadas impõe-se uma mudança radical, de tal forma que o fim da era dos transístores de Silicone pode estar já ao virar da esquina. O Dr. Michio Kaku revela-nos que o Quantum Computing pode tornar todos os actuais sistemas ridiculamente obsoletos.

Computador Quântico:
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computador_qu%C3%A2ntico
"Um computador clássico tem uma memória feita de bits. Cada bit guarda um "1" ou um "0" de informação. Um computador quântico mantém um conjunto de qubits. Um qubit pode conter um "1", um "0" ou uma sobreposição destes. Em outras palavras, pode conter tanto um "1" como um "0" ao mesmo tempo. O computador quântico funciona pela manipulação destes qubits."

Em termos teóricos, as tremendas capacidades de processamento de um computador Quântico podem decifrar problemas de cálculo de uma forma tão eficaz que os actuais algoritmos de cifra de chaves públicas podem ser quebrados de uma forma tremendamente rápida. Isto leva-nos para o problema da possibilidade de quebra das actuais protecções, tão comuns para a protecção de dados e privacidade (como exemplo o home banking), pelo que estão já a ser estudados novos métodos de protecção como é o caso da cifra em Quantum.

Todas estas e outras visões do Dr. Michi Kaku, tais como a evolução da inteligência artificial, homem vs máquina, natural user interface, evolução na medicina, etc., estão registadas num documentário, pelo que perante o enorme interesse que revelam, partilho aqui convosco os diversos links do Youtube onde o documentário foi particionado em forma de episódios.

Confesso que uma parte da visão do Dr. Michi Kaku é um pouco assustadora, especialmente no que está relacionado com a forma como o homem vai coexistir com a tecnologia. Acham que não é possível? Acreditem que é, o que é preciso é irem-se habituando à ideia, nada mais.

Vision of the Future:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDfwpA-iYnI&feature=related

Vision of the Future 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsG5QENb4FY&feature=related

Vision of the Future 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-e2n0F1L8s&feature=related

Vision of the Future 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yoRTHDOjgQ&feature=related

Vision of the Future 5:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl1hmOT4ZJ0&feature=related

Vision of the Future 6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAmJRn4EPmM&feature=related

Vision of the Future 7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rddCz96muuo&feature=related

Vision of the Future 8:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opVZbSRdp5g&feature=related

Vision of the Future 9:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfdaVPNJPj0&feature=related

Vision of the Future 10:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbx087RtToc&feature=related

Vision of the Future 11:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMBmpWB_b7E&feature=related

Vision of the Future 12:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9QNUBpov2A&feature=related

Vision of the Future 13:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DonYL6vyj3k&feature=related

Vision of the Future 14:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aqkTmvo-IY&feature=related

Vision of the Future 15:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6IsAWIHRtk&feature=related

Vision of the Future 16:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arj7vwxu3Cw&feature=related

Vision of the Future 17:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZNJA4Iu5A&feature=related

Vision of the Future 18:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtNUkSsb_mY&feature=related

Vision of the Future 19:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzc-qpQbpg&feature=related

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luís Rato

How to install Huawei E220 on Windows Vista 32/64 bit

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:12:00 +0000

Olá a todos,

provavelmente já muitos de vós se depararam com problemas em máquinas Windows Vista 32/64 bits na instalação do modem USB 3G Huawei E220 (aka sabonete) que é distribuído por uma série de ISPs nacionais.

Ora bem, a instalação do famoso sabonete numa máquina Windows XP está ao alcance de qualquer newbie, mas no que toca à instalação do dito sabonete numa máquina Vista pode tornar-se num verdadeiro momento de "apanha o sabonete", desculpem a expressão mas é mesmo assim.

O que acontece é que grande parte destes modems foram distribuídos com uma Firmware antiga e sem drivers para Vista (dashboard dentro da storage do modem), o que torna o processo de instalação verdadeiramente complexo. Muitos dos que já passaram por isto, devem ter notado que assim que ligam o modem por USB, este é detectado como um dispositivo USB Mass Storage. Tentar aplicar drivers para Windows Vista em cima deste dispositivo revela-se quase impossível, é preciso ter muita arte e engenho para conseguir transformar o dispositivo USB Mass Storage num Modem 3G Huawei.

Aquilo que pretendo com este post é tornar acessível ao comum dos mortais o processo de instalação do Modem USB Huawei E220 (sabonete) num Windows Vista.

Agora chega de conversa e vamos ao que é realmente importante.

Existem 3 componentes essenciais no Modem USB Huawei E220:

- Driver do Windows Vista;
- Firmware do Modem compatível com Windows Vista;
- Dashboard Software (software de ligação e drivers que ficam guardados num espaço de storage do próprio modem, possibilitando a instalação na máquina a partir daqui);

A instalação destes 3 componentes é feita em 2 acções separadas, as quais irei explicar já a seguir.

FASE 0 - Remover Software do Modem Huawei E220

Se já instalaram algum tipo de software que acompanha o modem que é disponibilizado pelo pacote do vosso ISP ou através da instalação a partir da Storage do próprio modem, recomendo que procedam à sua desinstalação.

Ir ao Botão de Start no Windows > Control Panel > Programs and Features, na lista de software instalado, clicar em cima do respectivo software do modem e clicar no botão "Uninstall";
Assim que estiver concluído o processo de remoção façam Restart ao computador;

FASE 1 - Instalar os 3 componentes através do DataCard Update Tool

Os 3 componentes supracitados podem ser instalados através de uma única ferramenta. Mas há um deles que numa fase posterior iremos substituir, passo a explicar porquê.

Através do site da VodaFone Mobile Connect iremos fazer download do software de actualização do modem através do seguinte link:
http://www.mobileconnected.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/software/E220_update_Vista.zip

Este software de actualização permite actualizar os drivers do Vista, fazer upgrade do firmware do modem e actualizar o Dashboard com os drivers e software de ligação com o perfil da Vodafone.

Já devem estar a perguntar, "então e eu que tenho TMN ou Optimus?"

A resposta é simples, o Dashboard da Vodafone vai ser substituído por um Dashboard nativo da Huawei que é compatível com qualquer um dos 3 ISPs nacionais. Explico isso mais daqui a pouco.

Eis os passos a seguir para instalar a actualização:

Depois de terem feito download do ficheiro E220_update_Vista.zip, façam unzip do pacote;

Executar o ficheiro 'Datacard Update Tool.exe';

Na janela da aplicação clicar em 'Patch';

Aguardem algum tempo para que seja concluído o processo de instalação de drivers do Modem Huawei E220. Certamente irão notar a alteração do dispositivo USB Mass Storage para o Modem 3G Huawei;
Assim que o driver tiver instalado, vai aparecer a janela de actualização do Firmware do modem. É obrigatório terem a versão de firmware 11.110.05.00.00. Provavelmente no final da actualização é capaz de surgir um erro mas não se assustem porque a actualização é feita com sucesso;

NOTA: ESTE PROCESSO DEMORA ALGUNS MINUTOS. NÃO CANCELEM O PROCESSO DE UPGRADE A MEIO DA ACTUALIZAÇÃO DE FIRMWARE PORQUE PODEM DANIFICAR O MODEM INUTILIZANDO O FIRMWARE. DEIXEM CORRER ATÉ AO FIM.

Finalizado o processo de upgrade da firmware, chega o momento de actualização do Dashboard . Visto que o Dashboard vai ser actualizado mais tarde com a versão nativa da Huawei, podem até cancelar este processo aqui, caso queiram levar o processo até ao fim, vão seguindo as instruções de actualização;

No fim da instalação cliquem no botão de Exit;

FASE 2 - Actualizar o Dashboard do Modem Huawei E220

Recomendo vivamente que usem o novo software de ligação da Huawei que dá pelo nome de 'Mobile Partner'. Este software substitui o antigo software 'Remote Connect' que tinha alguns bugs de ligação.

Para terem acesso ao software é preciso actualizar o Dashboard do Modem Huawei E220. O Dashboard é apenas uma storage que existe dentro do modem onde ficam guardados os drivers do Modem e Software de ligação, é como terem um CD de instalação do Modem, só que em vez de correr a partir de um CD, corre a partir de uma Drive que é disponibilizada pelo modem (Se abrirem o My Computer vão ver que têm uma drive de CD-ROM a mais, trata-se da Storage do Modem).

Antes de mais façam download do novo Dashboard no seguinte link do site da Huawei e sigam os passos em baixo:
http://www.huawei.com/mobileweb/en/file/download.do?f=20517&ctype=1

Depois de terem feito download do ficheiro E220_Client_Software_UTPSB002D03SP16C03_for_WinXP&2K&Vista.zip, façam unzip do pacote;

Executar o ficheiro 'UTPS11.002.03.16.03.B266.exe' e sigam o processo de actualização;

FASE 3 - Instalar e configurar o software de ligação 'Mobile Partner'

Depois de actualizado o Dashboard (ver FASE 2) o vosso modem passou a ter disponibilizado dentro da sua Storage o software para ligação à internet que dá pelo nome de 'Mobile Partner'.

Para instalarem o software de ligação à Internet 'Mobile Partner' sigam os seguintes passos:

Se ligarem o modem por USB o Autorun do software do modem deve abrir de imediato uma janela, se assim for cliquem na opção para fazer 'Setup'. Se por acaso o modem já estivesse ligado e o Autorun não tenha sido despoletado, ao acederem ao 'My Computer' vão verificar que têm uma unidade de CD-ROM com o nome 'Mobile Partner';

Se fizerem double-click na unidade de CD-ROM 'Mobile Partner' o Autorun do software é activado que por sua vez activa também o Setup de instalação. Por algum motivo se o Autorun não for activado, acedam ao conteúdo dessa unidade de CD e façam double-click sobre 'Autorun.exe';

Sigam o processo de instalação até ao fim (Next, next.... Finish);

Findo o processo de instalação façam double-click no ícone 'Mobile Partner' que foi adicionado ao vosso desktop;

Ao acederem ao software de ligação 'Mobile Partner' irá aparecer uma janela onde deverão inserir o 'PIN' do cartão 3G;

Seguidamente teremos apenas que proceder com algumas configurações básicas de modo a possibilitar a ligação. Neste caso particular é necessário criar um perfil de ligação que servirá para todas as ligações futuras à internet. Para tal, no menu cliquem em 'TOOLS' e depois em 'OPTIONS...';

Na janela das opções, do lado esquerdo do ecrã cliquem em 'Profile Management'. Do lado direito cliquem no botão 'NEW', na configuração 'DIAL UP' no campo 'Profile Name' atribuam um nome ao perfil e cliquem no botão 'OK';

Nesta fase o software de ligação já está pronto a ser utilizado para acederem à internet, ainda assim opcionalmente podem configurar o modem para utilizar apenas uma ligação 3G. Para tal, no menu cliquem em 'TOOLS' > 'OPTIONS', do lado esquerdo da janela das opções cliquem em 'NETWORK', no campo de 'NETWORK TYPE' activem a opção 'WCDMA ONLY', por fim cliquem no botão 'OK';

Para mais informações sobre o WCDMA vejam o seguinte link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCDMA

Chegou então o grande momento de acederem à Internet sem qualquer tipo de Stress. Na janela principal deverá aparecer o nome do perfil que criaram, basta clicar no botão 'Connect' e voilá, já podem aceder à net para ver gajas boas!

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luís Rato

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 - Hello World - Acid 2 compatible

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:41:00 +0000

Quando todos menos esperavam eis que é lançada a primeira versão beta do Internet Explorer 8.

Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 Release Notes
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949787/en-us

Uma das grandes preocupações no desenvolvimento do IE8 centra-se na compatibilidade com Standards. Um desses exemplos prende-se com a compatibilidade com o Acid2 (o famoso smile hello world). Podem validar os testes de compatibilidade do Acid2 através do link http://www.webstandards.org/files/acid2/test.html.

Tenho visto alguns artigos na web onde alegam que o IE8 beta 1 ainda não é compatível com o Acid2 falhando o respectivo teste. Isso não é verdade e tal facto até mereceu um post do IE team da Microsoft onde é explicado detalhadamente essa situação.

Post IE team blog sobre compatibilidade com Acid2:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/03/05/why-isn-t-ie8-passing-acid2.aspx

Links para Download:
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows Vista 64-bit Edition and Windows Server 2008 64-bit Edition
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows XP
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 for Windows Server 2003 SP2 64-bit Edition or Windows XP Professional 64-bit Edition

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luis Rato

Rollup Package 1 for Exchange 2007 SP1

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:37:00 +0000

Carissímos,

temos o Rollup Package 1 do Exchange 2007 SP1 acabadinho de sair do forno.

Link para download do Rollup Package 1 do Exchange 2007 SP1:

Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (KB945684)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C29A6AA8-CA44-43EA-A88F-7500C4BD3D31&displaylang=en&displaylang=en

Link com detalhes do kb945684 referente ao Rollup Package 1 do Exchange 2007 SP1:

Descrição do Conjunto de Actualizações 1 para o Service Pack 1 do Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=945684

Problemas corrigidos pelo o Rollup Package 1 para Exchange 2007 SP1:

925252 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925252/) O processo Store.exe utiliza quase 100 por cento dos recursos da CPU, e o tamanho do arquivo Pasta Pública aumenta rapidamente no Exchange 2007
935894 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935894/) Sinalizações na Web e formulários HTML em anexos de mensagens de correio electrónico estão bloqueados independentemente do parâmetro FilterWebBeaconsAndHtmlForms Definir para o directório virtual do Outlook Web Access no Exchange Server 2007
938957 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938957/) A operação GetItem no serviço Web Exchange Obtém cadeias duplicadas no Exchange Server 2007
940053 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940053/) Mensagem de erro quando um utilizador tenta aceder a uma caixa de correio e transferir mensagens de correio electrónico, utilizando um programa do cliente de correio electrónico DAV: " HTTP 500 - Erro de servidor interno "
941655 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941655/) O processo Store.exe deixa de responder e é registado num servidor do Exchange Server 2007 evento ID 9659
941805 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941805/) Mensagem de erro quando tentar iniciar agendar um compromisso periódico anual no dia 31 de determinados meses: " A data de periodicidade é inválida "
941851 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941851/) Uma mensagem de correio electrónico HTML aparece distorcida no Outlook quando de enviar a mensagem a um utilizador Exchange Server 2007
942374 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942374/) Legacy informações Free / Busy já não são apresentadas para compromissos que estão reservados contra uma caixa de correio no Exchange Server 2007
942418 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942418/) A linha Assunto de uma mensagem de correio electrónico de delegado está danificada no Outlook 2007
942424 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942424/) Num computador baseado no Exchange Server 2007-, o serviço Microsoft Exchange Information Store pára inesperadamente quando inicia o serviço ou quando montar um arquivo de base de dados
942647 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942647/) O nome do endereço de e-mail não é codificado correctamente de acordo com RFC 2047 quando utiliza caracteres expandidos no Exchange Server 2007
942814 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942814/) O processo de teste da conta é falhou quando tenta configurar um cliente Outlook 2007 para estabelecer ligação com uma caixa de correio do Exchange Server 2007 utilizando uma ligação POP3 ou IMAP4 uma ligação
943149 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943149/) Não é possível escrever o carácter Polaco "? " na caixa Assunto, na caixa Para, ou no cc caixa quando compõe uma mensagem de correio electrónico no Outlook Web Access para o Exchange Server 2007
943163 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943163/) O cmdlet teste-OwaConnectivity e o cmdlet ActiveSyncConnectivity teste-não execute com êxito num computador que esteja a executar o Exchange Server 2007
943264 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943264/) O serviço IMAP devolve uma resposta EXISTS untagged antes do comando EXPUNGE no Exchange Server 2007
943371 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943371/) ID de eventos 8206 8213, e 8199 são registados num ambiente do Exchange Server 2007
943479 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943479/) Algumas caixas de correio de origem são intercaladas da caixa de correio um destino depois de utilizar um cmdlet Mailbox mover-para migrar as caixas de correio de uma organização Exchange 2003 para uma organização do Exchange Server 2007
944321 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944321/) O processo Edgetransport.exe poderá deixar de forma inesperada ou num servidor baseado no Exchange Server 2007-Contorno
944451 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944451/) Apenas as entradas no registo MailSubmission são devolvidas quando executa o cmdlet Get-MessageTrackingLog contra um servidor que hospeda a função de transporte concentrador e a função da caixa de correio do Exchange Server 2007
945046 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945046/) Receber uma mensagem NDR quando envia uma mensagem de correio electrónico por utilizar um servidor do Exchange Server 2007 Rectangular
945141 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945141/) Os clientes IMAP4 poderão experimentar latências ou slowness quando os clientes estiverem a executar contra servidores do Exchange Server 2007-baseada em
945428 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945428/) Uma mensagem de correio electrónico está a ser disorder e é legível de um ambiente do Exchange Server 2007

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luís Rato

Exames de certificação Microsoft retirados a 31 de Março de 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 10:23:00 +0000

Exchange 2007 - Deploying Server roles in a nut shell

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:07:00 +0000

Boas a todos,

para os entendidos em Exchange 2007 já não é novidade que o Exchange 2007 é composto por diversos papéis, nomeadamente:

Client Access
Edge Transport
Hub Transport
Mailbox
Unified Messaging

Existem diversas instalações possíveis, como por exemplo, com excepção do Edge Transport, todos os outros podem ser instalados num só servidor (non-clustered), ou então por outro lado podem ser todos distribuídos por servidores independentes.

O desenho e implementação de uma arquitectura de Exchange 2007, pode levantar uma série de questões e obedece até a alguns critérios rigorosos, um exemplo disso, é o facto de quando é disponibilizado um Mailbox server é obrigatória a disponibilização do Client Access e Hub Transport no mesmo site AD.

Quando se começa avançar mais nesta matéria, podem ser levantadas questões do tipo:

Questão 1: Numa situação em que distribuo os papéis de Exchange por várias máquinas, há alguma recomendação em relação à ordem de instalação de cada papel?

Resposta 1: Sim. Na realidade há uma recomendação em relação à ordem de instalação dos diferentes papeis de Exchange, quando separados por diversas máquinas. O critério é o seguinte:

1.) CAS
2.) Hub Transport
3.) Mailbox
4.) UM

Questão 2: No Exchange 2003 havia uma recomendação em relação a upgrades de service Pack de Exchange ou hotfixes, em que primeiro eram actualizados os Front-end servers e só por fim os Back-ends. No Exchange 2007 também há algum tipo de recomendação em relação à ordem de upgrades nos diferentes papéis?

Resposta 2: Sim, eu até nem diria recomendação, neste caso particular prefiro chamar-lhe mais uma obrigação, em que updates e Service Packs devem seguir a mesma ordem referida anteriormente.

1.) CAS
2.) Hub Transport
3.) Mailbox
4.) UM

Deixo aqui a recomendação para a leitura de um artigo Technet, uma espécie de Deploying Exchange 2007 Server roles in a nut shell. Muito útil para quem quer tirar aquelas dúvidas existenciais sem ter que ler uma espécie de ebook das páginas amarelas.

Deploying Server Roles
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa997610.aspx

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luís Rato

MS08-001 - Proof of concept with Attack code for critical Windows flaw - Crashes systems with DoS

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:25:00 +0000

Boas a todos,

prometido é devido e eis o primeiro post em Português.
O tema de hoje está relacionado com o boletim de segurança Microsoft MS08-001: Vulnerability in TCP/IP could allow remote code execution (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941644/en-us).

De acordo com o artigo do site infoworld http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/17/Attack-code-released-for-critical-Windows-flaw_1.html, investigadores de segurança desenvolveram código para ataque a sistemas, a ser usado por profissionais de segurança que usam o software de testes de segurança Immunity's Canvas (http://www.immunitysec.com/products-canvas.shtml).
Este código de prova de conceito provoca crashes em máquinas Windows que estão susceptíveis à vulnerabilidade descrita no MS08-001 / kb 941644.
Em referência no artigo – “It reliably crashes Windows machines," disse Dave Aitel, CTO da Immunity. "In fact, it blue-screened our print server by accident -- this is a broadcast attack, after all.”

Caracteristicas técnicas da vulnerabilidade:
O Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) router discovery é usado nas mensagens ICMP para descobrir a default gateway num segmento de rede, quando a default gateway não está definida manualmente e não está assignada aquando a utilização de DHCP.
O ICMP router discovery consiste em duas mensagens ICMP: A 'router solicitation' e a 'router advertisement'. A router solicitation é enviada por um host para descobrir routers na rede. A router advertisement é enviada pelo router em resposta a uma solicitação e periodicamente notificar hosts na rede sobre o facto do router ainda estar disponível.
O Windows TCP/IP lida incorrectamente com mensagens fragmentadas de ICMP router advertisement. (Quando a mensagem é muito grande para ser enviada num só chunk, o protocolo IP permite que seja fragmentada em várias partes, a máquina que a recepciona é responsável por voltar a agrupar a mensagem original). Mensagens de router advertisement fragmentadas podem fazer com que o sistema leia memória inválida, levando a um crash no sistema. Visto que por este motivo a máquina tem um crash e não é possível executar código, estamos perante um tipo de ataque denial-of-service (DoS).

Notas importantes:
[WINDOWS 2000]
· O Windows 2000 não é afectado pela vulnerabilidade Windows Kernel TCP/IP/IGMPv3 e MLDv2 (CVE-2007-0069), pelo facto de usar IGMP v2 a qual não é afectada.

Para maior detalhe técnico sobre os detalhes da vulnerabilidade ao nível do sistema Windows 2000 visite o link em baixo:

MS08-001 (part 2) – The case of the Moderate ICMP mitigations

[WINDOWS 2003]
· O Windows Server 2003 não tem activo por defeito o UPnP - Universal Plug and Play (*) nem outro tipo de serviços que usem endereços multicast, como tal pode não ser afectado por esta vulnerabilidade. Contudo, ao activar manualmente o UPnP ou instalar aplicações 3rd-party que usem IP multicasting, pode expor o sistema operativo a esta vulnerabilidade.

(*) UPnP: É um serviço de rede que assenta sobre IP multicast, estando activo por defeito apenas no Windows XP e Vista.

Recomendo ainda a leitura do post referido em baixo do site da equipa Microsoft Security Vulnerability & Defense, onde são respondidas diversas questões sobre a incidência desta vulnerabilidade no Windows 2003.

Link: MS08-001 - The case of the missing Windows Server 2003 attack vector

Um dos aspectos importantes a registar, é que o Windows 2003 se estiver adicionado ao grupo IGMP por defeito que é o 224.0.0.1 não está vulnerável. A razão para tal é porque o Windows ignora quaisquer queries IGMP para esse endereço.

Para analisar qual a configuração por defeito no Win2k3 Server execute na linha de comandos:

>netsh int ip show joins

Output esperado:
Interface Addr Multicast Group
--------------- ---------------
10.1.1.1 224.0.0.1

Se o servidor Windows 2003 tiver sido juntado a qualquer outro grupo multicast que não o 224.0.0.1, está vulnerável ao ataque IGMP.

Mais uma vez se executarem o comando netsh é possível identificar quais os grupos multicast a que a máquina pertence.

>netsh int ip show joins

Para ilustrar um caso de vulnerabilidade ao IGMP, se uma máquina Win2K3 Server tiver o componente WINS activo ao executar o comando netsh vão obter o seguinte output:

Interface Addr Multicast Group
--------------- ---------------
10.1.1.1 224.0.0.1

10.1.1.1 224.0.1.24

224.0.1.24 é o grupo IP multicast para o WINS. Num caso como estes, se o servidor não tiver sido actualizado está vulnerável ao ataque IGMP.

[WINDOWS XP e VISTA]

Se os sistemas descritos em baixo estão simplesmente alcançáveis e a vulnerabilidade é explorada, podem ficar comprometidos sem que para tal seja necessária a intervenção do lado do utilizador. O vector de ataque passa por criar pacotes de rede formatados de forma especial e enviá-los para o sistema que está vulnerável. Visto que se trata de um problema ao nível do TCP/IP, o sistema é afectado assim que recebe a comunicação.

· Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2, Windows Vista e Windows Vista x64 Edition são afectados de forma crítica quando ligados em rede.

Para obter maior detalhe técnico sobre o impacto desta vulnerabilidade ao nível do Windows XP e Vista visite o link MS08-001 (part 3) – The case of the IGMP network critical.

Recomendo também a leitura do artigo technet relacionado:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-001 – Critical
Vulnerabilities in Windows TCP/IP Could Allow Remote Code Execution (941644)

A imagem em baixo ilustra de forma mais clara o impacto da vulnerabilidade em cada um dos produtos:

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luís Rato

New year, new thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Greetings for all,

this is my first post of the year and I´ll take the moment to wish you the best for 2K8.
New year, new thoughts, this blog is on the same wave and for now on I will do some posts in Portuguese.

The main reasons to shift the blog to a more Portuguese version are:
First - I work with Portuguese customers and a blog may be a nice tool to show them information.
Second - There's tons of information around the cloud with English articles, I cannot say the same about Portuguese content.

Note: If you think that would be of your interest that some of my posts should be either published in English or Portuguese, just let me know. Depending on the request I might consider to do it.

R-Tape Loading Error,
Luís Rato

The 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 is now available

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:54:00 +0000

Greetings folks,

as announced a few days ago the 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 is available today for download. I am already downloading the SP1 which means that all the links are already working.

Take a look on the additional information and resources below.

Links for Download:
2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Microsoft Office Visio 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Microsoft Office Project 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Microsoft Office Language Pack 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Overview:
By deploying the 2007 Office system SP1, home users and businesses can quickly reap benefits in the following areas:

Stability

Using data from the Dr. Watson bug-reporting system, Microsoft fixed, at minimum, the five software bugs that most frequently caused each application in the 2007 Office system to crash. The 2007 Office system SP1 also improves the stability of server components in the 2007 Office system and compatibility with Windows Server® 2008, so companies can more confidently move forward with upgrade plans.

Performance

The 2007 Office system SP1 improves performance in applications that are pervasive in modern offices, most notably: Microsoft Office Excel® 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2007, and Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007.

Security

By incorporating incremental advances in security and results from application testing, the 2007 Office system SP1 offers home and office users better protection against malicious software and potential threats to privacy.

Resources
See the links below for more detailed resources about the 2007 Microsoft® Office system Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Office 2007 Resource Kit
The 2007 Microsoft Office system resource kit includes detailed information that is useful for IT administrators. To read more, please visit http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/9df1c7d2-30a9-47bb-a3b2-5166b394fbf51033.mspx.

Applications Issues Fixed in the 2007 Office System SP1

Issues fixed in the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office Access™ 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office Excel® 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office InfoPath® 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office OneNote® 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office Project 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

Issues fixed in Microsoft Office Word 2007 by the 2007 Office system SP1

2007 Office System SP1 Knowledge Base Articles

Description of the 2007 Microsoft Office system SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office Project 2007 SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office SharePoint® Designer 2007 SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office Visio® 2007 SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office Proofing Tools 2007 SP1

Description of the Calendar Printing Assistant for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office PowerPoint Viewer 2007 SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 SP1

Description of the Office 2003 Web Components SP1 for the 2007 Microsoft Office system

Description of the Office Compatibility Pack SP1

Description of the Microsoft Office Language Interface Pack 2007 SP1

Updating and Deployment Resources

Office 2007 Resource Kit

Microsoft Download Center – Office

Office Online Downloads

Office System TechCenter

Microsoft Systems Management Server

Microsoft Systems Management Server TechCenter

Patch Management Using Systems Management Server 2003

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Windows Server 2008 RC1 available for download

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:32:00 +0000

Yesterday Microsoft released the Windows Server 2008 RC1. The new release candidate 1 adds the Group Policy Preferences feature, known as PolicyMaker Standard Edition and Policy Share Manager where you can control things like internet settings, control panel preferences, drive mappings, printer or network shares, this is a big step forward to configure user settings that were not available on the predecessor product.

As we are getting more closure to the final release this is a good opportunity for enterprise customers and 3rd party developers to evaluate potential bugs and issues with the product and compatibility with their applications.

Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate Evaluation Software
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/audsel.mspx

Overview
This time-limited release of Windows Server® 2008 Release Candidate will expire on June 30, 2008. After this time, you will need to uninstall the software or upgrade to a later release or a fully-licensed version of Windows Server® 2008.This product requires a valid product key for activation within 30 days of installation..If you have received a product key via email confirmation, you may use the key with the software you download from this site or with a DVD containing Windows Server® 2008 Release Candidate.

If you have not received a product key, you can obtain one by visiting one of the following sites:
Developers
IT Professionals

Some copies of this pre-release software do not include an updated "Privacy Information for Installation Features" document. The correct document can be read online here.

You can download each version of the Windows Server 2008 RC1 on the links below:

Windows Server 2008 Standard RC1 (x86 and x64)
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise RC1 (x86 and x64)
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter RC1 (x86 and x64)
Windows Web Server 2008 RC1 (x86 and x64)
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems RC1

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 has been released

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Hi ladies and gentleman,

on 29th of November Microsoft released a most waited Service Pack, Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1. There's a lot of new features and improvements for every server role, support for a new continuous replication model (SCR), suppport for IPv6, more rich GUI management tools and much more. This is one of those Service Packs that everyone must have.

Exchange 2007 SP1 Overview:
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) has been designed specifically to help meet the challenges of any business and the needs of all the different groups with a stake in the messaging system. Exchange Server 2007 SP1 is a mission-critical communications tool that enables employees to be more productive and access their information anywhere and anytime while providing a messaging system that enables rich, efficient access to e-mail, calendar items, voice mail, and contacts. For the administrator, Exchange Server 2007 SP1 provides advanced protection options against e-mail security threats, such as spam and viruses, as well as the tools to help manage internal compliance and high availability needs.

In Exchange Server 2007 SP1, several new features and improvements will extend the Anywhere Access capabilities of Exchange Server 2007 to help make employees more productive on whatever device they’re using, provide additional Operational Efficiency tools for administrators seeking a streamlined management and deployment experience, and enable advanced Built-in Protection for more robust high availability and compliance scenarios.

Improvements in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 include:

Anywhere Access
• Integrated Exchange Unified Messaging functionality with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.
• Outlook Web Access additions, including public folder access, S/MIME support, personal distribution lists, and mailbox rules editor.
• Webready document viewer supports Microsoft Office 2007 documents in addition to Microsoft Office 2003 documents.
• Extended language support in Outlook Web Access with Arabic and Korean spell checking.

Operational Efficiency
• Support for Windows Server 2008 deployments, including benefits in flexible clustering, native virtualization, advanced networking, and simplified management.
• Additional tools in the Exchange Management Console, including public folder management and configuration options for clustering and POP/IMAP access.
• Improvements to the Exchange Management Shell syntax and import-export PST in the move-mailbox command.
• Wider variety of web services for application development, including public folder access, delegate management, and folder level permissions.

Built-in Protection
• Addition of Standby Continuous Replication (SCR) for site resilient high availability deployments.
• Extended Exchange ActiveSync policies for mobile policy enforcement.
• Information rights management pre-licensing by the Hub Transport role.
• Secure Real Time Protocol (SRTP) support in the Unified Messaging role.
• Support for IPv6 when using Windows Server 2008.

You can find all the Exchange 2007 SP1 documentation and resources on the following links:

[KEY NOTES]
1. Need to Upgrade Forefront Security for Exchange to SP1 before installing the Exchange 2007 SP1

Do bear in mind that the Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 release notes mention that you cannot use the Exchange 2007 SP1 with the product Forefront Security for Exchange RTM. You should upgrade the ForeFront Security for Exchange to SP1 before upgrading Exchange 2007 to SP1.
The Exchange 2007 SP1 pre-installation check will verify this and stop the installation process if the Forefront Security for Exchange RTM is found.

Forefront Security for Exchange SP1 is available on the link below:

Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server with Service Pack 1
Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server with Service Pack 1 Release Notes

2. You cannot manage Exchange 2007 Clustered Mailbox Servers from Windows Vista RTM

At the moment, Exchange 2007 SP1 adds support to use the Exchange 2007 Management Tools on Windows 2008 RTM and Windows Vista RTM with one exception, you will not be able to manage Exchange 2007 Clustered Mailbox Servers from Windows Vista RTM machines.
It is expected that in a forthcoming Administration Tools for Windows Vista (I believe that it will be included in Windows Vista SP1) you will be able to manage Exchange 2007 Clustered Mailbox Servers (Failover Clustering: RSAT-Clustering).

You can check this information on the technet article Upgrading Clustered Mailbox Servers to Exchange 2007 SP1.

Managing Clustered Mailbox Servers Running Exchange 2007 RTM or Exchange 2007 SP1

You can use the Exchange 2007 RTM version of the Exchange management tools (the Exchange Management Console and the Exchange Management Shell) to manage clustered mailbox servers running Exchange 2007 RTM from a computer running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP.

You can use the Exchange 2007 SP1 version of the Exchange management tools to manage clustered mailbox servers running Exchange 2007 SP1 from a computer running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP. Remote management of clustered mailbox servers using Windows Vista is currently not possible. Remote management from Windows Vista may be possible in a forthcoming Administration Tools Pack for Windows Vista. You can manage stand-alone computers running Exchange 2007 SP1 from Windows Vista.
Because the Cluster service does not allow you to use the cluster management tools for remote administration of failover clusters across different operating systems, you can't use the Exchange management tools for remote administration of failover clusters across different operating systems. For example, you cannot:

Manage a clustered mailbox server running on Windows Server 2008 from a computer running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP.
Manage a clustered mailbox server running on Windows Server 2003 from a computer running Windows Server 2008.

R-Tape loading error,
Luís Rato

Exchange 2007 Virtualization supportability

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:37:00 +0000

Greetings everybody,

Today's post is regarding Exchange 2007 Virtualization supportability for Microsoft and non-Microsoft hardware Virtualization.

In a way that Virtualization is taking over server boxes and changing the Datacenter paradigm, many architects and system administrators come across with some design doubts. Can we virtualize Exchange 2007 or not?

I am afraid that this is not the answer you were waiting for, but I have to say that at the moment you just can't use hardware virtualization for the supported version of Exchange 2007 (64-bit). You may use hardware virtualization on Exchange 2007 32-bit for testing on a lab environment.

Here is the full explanation from the Technet article Exchange Server 2007: Platforms, Editions, and Versions for Exchange 2007 virtualization supportability with Microsoft Virtual Server and Microsoft Virtual PC.

Neither Exchange 2007 nor Exchange 2007 SP1 is supported in production in a virtual environment. However, as stated previously, Microsoft Virtual Server is a good environment for training, labs, and demos. Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2007 SP1 are supported in production environments using only the 64-bit version of Exchange 2007, and currently neither Microsoft Virtual Server nor Microsoft Virtual PC supports 64-bit guest systems. Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2007 SP1 are also not supported in production in a virtual environment using virtualization software that is not Microsoft software. For details about the Microsoft support policy for third-party virtualization software, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 897615, Support policy for Microsoft software running in non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. The first 64-bit guest support is expected to be included with Hypervisor, which is an add-in for Windows Server 2008 from Microsoft that is scheduled to ship within 180 days of Windows Server 2008. Note that this is within 180 days, meaning it could ship the same day as Windows Server 2008, or it could ship 180 days after Windows Server 2008 ships. For more information about Microsoft virtualization plans, see the Microsoft Machine Virtualization Roadmap Chat Transcript.

Regarding the support policy for Exchange 2007 for non-Microsoft virtualization, the kb article 897615- Support policy for Microsoft software running in non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software addresses that situation which also applies to all other Microsoft products.

Supportability for non-Premier customers running non-Microsoft hardware virtualization: Microsoft does not test or support Microsoft software running together with non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. For Microsoft customers who do not have a Premier-level support agreement, Microsoft will require that the issue to be reproduced independently from the non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. Where the issue is confirmed to be unrelated to the non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software, Microsoft will support its software in a manner that is consistent with support provided when that software is not running together with non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software.

Supportability for Premier customers running non-Microsoft hardware virtualization:
For Microsoft Premier-level support customers running non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software from vendors with which Microsoft does not have an established support relationship that covers virtualization solutions, Microsoft will use commercially reasonable efforts to investigate potential issues with Microsoft software running together with non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. As part of that investigation, Microsoft may require the issue to be reproduced independently from the non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. Where issues are confirmed to be unrelated to the non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software, Microsoft will support its software in a manner that is consistent with support provided when that software is not running together with non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software.

Supportability for customers running non-Microsoft hardware virtualization from vendors with a joint support relationship:
Microsoft will jointly support certain non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software from vendors with which Microsoft has established a support relationship that covers virtualization solutions. This joint support will include coordinating with the vendor to investigate support issues. As part of the investigation, Microsoft may require the issue to be reproduced independently from the non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. Where issues are confirmed to be unrelated to the non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software, Microsoft will support its software in a manner that is consistent with support provided when that software is not running together with non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software.

For a complete list of vendors that Microsoft has established a joint support relationship for non-Microsoft hardware virtualization check the kb article 944987 - Support partners for non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software.

At the moment the only company listed is Novel, Inc. but it is subject to change.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

New Windows Live products and services + MSN Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:52:00 +0000

Today Microsoft marked a big step forward with the launch of the new generation of Windows Live.

This release brought for the first time an integrated suite of Windows Live products and services at the same time, making it easy for customers to connect and share anywhere.

Windows Live represents a great upgrade for the Windows experience that 1 billion people around the world enjoy every day. The integrated approach combined with the power of software plus services create a compelling reason for customers to choose Windows Live. One experience that really shines in this release is photos – capturing, managing, and most importantly, sharing photos.

Try this new release by visiting http://www.windowslive.com/ and start using Windows Live to share photos, communicate with your friends and family, as well as help protect your PCs and your family while on-line.

Here are just a few of the great new capabilities in this release of Windows Live:

· Now you can post your photos to Flickr in addition to Windows Live Spaces directly from inside Windows Live Photo Gallery
· Going on vacation and want to let your friends and family know? Set up a vacation auto-reply in Windows Live Hotmail
· Use the unified contacts for all your communications in Windows Live, including pictures and gleam notifications in Windows Live Messenger to keep up with updates from your contacts on Windows Live Spaces
· Automatically rotate and group your photos by time when you import them using Windows Live Photo Gallery
· Windows Live Writer lets you work off-line and easily add maps, videos, pictures, and more to your blog
· Keep all your e-mail in one place using Windows Live Mail
· Use Windows Live OneCare Family Safety to keep track of your what children are doing on-line
· Set up your events, manage invitations, and collect photos from everyone using Windows Live Events

I am also proud to annouce that today Microsoft launched the MSN Portugal (http://pt.msn.com). Great news for the Portuguese community.

R-Tape Loading error,

Luís Rato

Troubleshoot Active Directory Client applications ADInsight v1.0

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:52:00 +0000

Hi guys,

just to announce that Microsoft released ADInsight v1.0. This is another tool from sysinternals that does real-time monitoring to troubleshoot Active Directory client applications during client-server communication.

It is a nice tool to solve issues with Windows authentication, Exchange, DNS, and other problems.

Check for more details and download on the link below:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/adinsight.mspx

Here are some more useful tools in their latest version:

PsExec v1.90: This version of PsExec, a command-line tool for executing programs locally and remotely, significantly improves handling of arguments passed to the specified application by not modifying spacing or quotation marks. It also fixes a number of minor bugs, including ones related to running programs in alternate terminal server sessions.

Process Explorer v11.04: This update fixes a memory leak in the threads tab.

ADExplorer v1.01: This release of ADExplorer, an Active Directory browser/editor, fixes a number of minor issues.

DebugView v4.72: DebugView, a real-time debug output monitor, has several minor bug fixes.

Process Monitor v1.26: This release of Process Monitor contains minor bug fixes

BgInfo v4.12: Improved reporting of CPU cores and logical processors for multi-core and multi-proc machines.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Whats new in Exchange 2007 SP1

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:10:00 +0000

Hi there,

Many people is still asking about what is new in Exchange 2007 SP1, so here is the link to answer that.

Check out the article 'What's New in Exchange Server 2007 SP1' on Technet':
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb676323.aspx

Topics covered on this article:

New deployment options
Client access role improvements
Improvements in Transport
Mailbox server role improvements
High availability
Unified messaging server role improvements
Development improvements

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Microsoft Sharepoint resources

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:00:00 +0000

Hi Ladies & Gentleman,

just to share with you a couple of Microsoft Sharepoint Technology related resources. I hope you find this learning material useful.

TechNet:

o MOSS 2007 Tech Center

Product Evaluation
• What's New for IT Professionals
• Supplemental Documentation
• Understanding Workflow

Planning and Architecture
• Plan Overall Design
• Plan Site and Content Security
• Design Logical Architecture

Deployment
• Install SharePoint Server 2007 in a Server Farm Environment
• Deployment Worksheets
• Upgrade

Design and Build Sites
• Page Design Roadmap
• Workflow Roadmap
• Business Intelligence Roadmap

Operations
• Administration
• Backup and Restore
• Enterprise Search

Security and Protection
• Roadmap to Security Content

Technical Reference
• Stsadm.exe Command-Line Tool
• Setup.exe Command-Line Reference
• Config.xml Reference

For developer information, see the SharePoint Server Developer Portal on MSDN.
Site administrator documentation is available on Office Online.

o Capacity Planning for WSS

In this article:
• Key characteristics
• Test environment
• Usage profile
• Recommendations

This performance and capacity planning scenario incorporates a single Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 farm used for collaboration and document management in an enterprise environment.

o Newly published content for Windows SharePoint Services

o Newly published content for Office SharePoint Server 2007

MSDN:

o SharePoint Server 2007 Developer Portal

o SharePoint Team Blog

Training & Exams:
o Sharepoint end user training kit

The initial release of the kit includes training content for SharePoint's collaboration capabilities and is available at no cost.

Use Learning Manager on Microsoft.com to find more recommended resources

o Exam 70-541: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 - Application Development

The following list includes the topic areas covered on this exam. The percentage indicates the portion of the exam that addresses a particular skill.

• Deploying Windows SharePoint Services and Custom Components (14%)
• Creating Site and Feature Provisioning Components (20%)
• Creating Metadata and Workflow Provisioning Components (15%)
• Developing Windows SharePoint Services Components by Using the .NET Framework (17%)
• Manipulating Site Content by Using the API (20%)
• Manipulating Site Configuration by Using the API (14%)

o Exam 70-542: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 - Application Development

The following list includes the topic areas covered on this exam. The percentage indicates the portion of the exam that addresses a particular skill.

• Managing Enterprise Content (15 percent)
• Creating Business Intelligence Solutions by Using Office SharePoint Server 2007 (15 percent)
• Integrating Business Data with Office SharePoint Server 2007 by Using the Business Data Catalog (BDC)
(15 percent)
• Accessing Office SharePoint Server Application Platform Services (14 percent)
• Searching Data by Using the Search Service (17 percent)
• Targeting Content Based on Audience Membership (13 percent)
• Customizing Functionality by Using Profiles (11 percent)

o Exam 70-630: Configuring Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

A typical candidate for this exam has a minimum of one year of experience in configuring Office SharePoint Server and related technologies. In addition this exam will assume that the candidate is proficient in configuring the following technologies.

• Internet Information Server Administration, and Configuration
• General Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Administration
• General Knowledge Networking Infrastructure services, including TCP/IP, and Clustering
• General Knowledge of Office SharePoint Server 2007
• General understanding of .NET 2.0 as it relates to SharePoint Server 2007
• General Understanding Internet Security and Acceleration Server
• Network Load-balancing for applications
• Administering SQL Server 2000 or 2005 for Office SharePoint Server 2007
• General Security knowledge as it relates to Office SharePoint Server 2007
• Back-up Restoration of data

o Exam 70-631: Configuring Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

A typical candidate for this exam has a minimum of one year of experience in configuring Windows SharePoint related technologies. In addition this exam will assume that the candidate is proficient in configuring the following technologies.

• Web administration/Internet Information Services 6.0
• General Windows Server 2003 directory administration
• General networking infrastructure
• General knowledge of Windows SharePoint Server 2007
• General understanding of Microsoft .NET 2.0 as it relates to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• General understanding of Internet Security and Acceleration Server
• Network load-balancing for applications
• Administering SQL Server 2000 or 2005 for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• General security/authentication practices
• Back-up/restoration of data

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Microsoft Security Paradigm Shift

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 09:49:00 +0000

There’s a lot to talk about security but my focus today will be regarding the shift of the Microsoft Security Paradigm.

Until a few years ago when someone talked about Microsoft Security to a crowd we could hear back a few laughs, so basically it became like a joke.We all know the security issues on Microsoft products until 2004, worms and virus like ‘Melissa’ (March 26, 1999), ‘I love you’ (May 4, 2000), ‘Code Red’ (July 13, 2001), ‘Blaster’ (August 13, 2003), and ‘Sasser’ (April 30, 2004) were easily spread over all computers connected to internet and corporate networks.

At that time networks were flooded with traffic generated by worms, desktop computers and servers got offline or completely shutdown, people lost data, corporate IT teams were busy as hell trying to clean out virus and worms from computers, servers and networks, this was not only chaotic it was an IT Armageddon.

Users lost their trust in Microsoft products and this was something unacceptable for everybody, not only for you but even for Microsoft.
It was the right time for the MS Chairman to ask something like - Why to develop new products and features if customers do not trust Microsoft products?

Yes, it was true, something needed to be done!

Today the MS products security is much, much better, either way is still not perfect but we all know that there's no such thing as perfect security. The whole reason for this is because a lot of things have changed inside Microsoft and it did represent a turnover on this matter, what I can call of the shift of Microsoft Security paradigm.

Today Microsoft is on the top of security for Operating systems, applications, business solutions and this is not joke for you guys.
You might ask about - What happened? What has changed?
There is one simple and broad answer for that, Trustworthy computing!

So what the heck is Trustworthy computing???
"Five year ago, Microsoft committed to Trustworthy Computing. Today, that commitment is a core company tenet. We mark the five year milestone with an examination of our progress to date and an affirmation of the promise of Trustworthy Computing: to provide secure, private, and reliable computing experiences for everyone based on sound business practices."

Ok, ok, it sounds like marketing stuff, so let’s start digging into this.

The big announcement of the commitment to improve security at Microsoft arose on 15th of January of 2002 when BillG sent out an email to all Full Time employees showing is vision about the new priority on Microsoft, and guess what… it was regarding Security.

And why security?
BillG: “In the past, we've made our software and services more compelling for users by adding new features and functionality, and by making our platform richly extensible. We've done a terrific job at that, but all those great features won't matter unless customers trust our software.
So now, when we face a choice between adding features and resolving security issues, we need to choose security.
…we must develop technologies and policies that help businesses better manage ever larger networks of PCs, servers and other intelligent devices, knowing that their critical business systems are safe from harm. Systems will have to become self-managing and inherently resilient. We need to prepare now for the kind of software that will make this happen, and we must be the kind of company that people can rely on to deliver it.
This priority touches on all the software work we do. By delivering on Trustworthy Computing, customers will get dramatically more value out of our advances than they have in the past. The challenge here is one that Microsoft is uniquely suited to solve.”

This is when Trustworthy computing came out of the box with 4 key elements such as Security, Privacy, Reliability and Business practices.

Security: “The security of our customers' computers and networks is a top priority, and we are committed to building software and services to better help protect our customers and the industry. Our approach to security includes both technological and social aspects.”

Privacy: “We believe that people have the right to not receive unwanted communications. We also believe that people need to be able to trust that their personal information is used appropriately—and that any use of that information provides specific value to them.”

Reliability: “We are committed to improving the quality of the technologies, products, and processes that customers need for systems that are reliable and that perform as intended and expected.”

Business practices: “We strive to maintain the highest standards in our business conduct, to ensure integrity and transparency in all of our business practices, and to address society's ethical, legal, and commercial expectations.”

If you want to learn more about Trustworthy Computing follow the link below:
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/default.mspx

So, I think that it is the right time to ask about what was the reflex of Trustworthy Computing concept since 2002 in what Microsoft has done and is doing.
I will try to cover the essentials about this in the following lines.

New tools like Windows Live One care or Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool have been provided to help customers with Security and Privacy. But the major improvements were not only based on tools, it was also the code. Yes, the code!

Microsoft developers are anchored to a process named Security Development LifeCycle (SDL) and automated tools that help to identify programming mistakes and security flaws on the code.
The SDL and some other processes contributed to reduce the number of security-related design, coding defects, and to reduce the severity of any defects that are left.

A pure example of this is Windows Vista. It was the first Microsoft Operating System developed end-to-end with SDL and the results are out there, it is simply the most secure, privacy-enhancing and reliable OS ever shipped by Microsoft. I will show you the facts and results of Windows Vista security improvements right away.

If you want to do a deep dive on Security Development LifeCycle (SDL) I advise you to read the Michael Howard's article "A Look Inside the Security Development Lifecycle at Microsoft". http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/11/SDL/default.aspx

About Michael Howard:
Michael Howard is a senior security program manager at Microsoft focusing on secure process improvement and best practice. He is the coauthor of 19 Deadly Sins of Software Security (McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2005) and Processes to Produce Secure Software (Dept. of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division).

Now it is time to show you some facts about the Microsoft improvements under the Security surface. As I told you before the Windows Vista was the first Operating System developed end-to-end with SDL. More than a half a year has passed since Windows Vista is out for business and consumers, it is enough to get some good pointers about the results of SDL.

One good way to prove the excellent results of SDL is by looking for the vulnerability indicators of Windows Vista and compare it to its predecessor Windows XP and other competitors. This is not an easy task to do and there’s a lot of information to collect and compare.

I will not drain my brains with this because one guy has already done it. His name is Jeff Jones and he has gathered vulnerability indicators about the first 6 months of availability for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 WS, Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Desktop, Novell SUSE Linux Enteprise Desktop 10, Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and did a comparison of all.

These graphs are a really good picture of how SDL contributed to reduce drastically the number of vulnerabilities in Windows Vista. This process is not exclusive for Vista it was extended to all other Microsoft software.

Check in detail the Windows Vista 6 Month Vulnerability report on the link below:
http://www.csoonline.com/pdf/6_Month_Vista_Vuln_Report.pdf

About Jeff Jones:
Jeff Jones is a Security Strategy Director in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group. In this role, Jeff draws upon his security experience to work with enterprise CSOs and Microsoft's internal security teams to drive practical and measurable security improvements into Microsoft process and products.

And what about tomorrow? There is any possibility to occur a new Security Paradigm shift and regress to what it was before?

Well… I don’t know, no one can predict the tomorrow’s challenges on security, even thou I really doubt that Microsoft will not be at least one step ahead from other competitors.
There’s something we shall not forget, as a teenager Bill had a vision that every business and household would have a computer, it was some kind of bizarre at that time but he made it possible in our today’s world. Regarding security he thinks that Computing should be as secure and reliable as Telephony or Water services and we should have the same principle of Trust, which means we simple don’t care about it in a daily basis.

His ability to see beyond the current models of thinking is what avoided a paralysis in the Microsoft security paradigm shift and is what turns a vision into reality.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Four new Windows Vista updates have been released

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:17:00 +0000

Greetings,

Prior to the Windows Vista SP1 release, on 1st and 2nd of October 2007 Microsoft released four new Windows Vista updates that will address some USB core components issues (kb941600), compability, performance and stability issues (kb941649), Windows Media Center issues (kb941229) and Windows Media Player 11.

Similar patchs for Windows Vista have been released in the past (posted in August on this blog) to address some other compability, performance and reliability issues.

Here are some details about the issues that are addressed on each update:

KB 941600 - Cumulative update rollup for USB core components in Windows Vista

This rollup package addresses the following issues:

• When the computer resumes from a suspend state or from a hibernation state, the computer stops responding. Additionally, you receive a "0x9F" stop message on a blue screen.
• The computer takes a long time to resume from a suspend state or from a hibernation state.
• The computer takes a long time to resume from a suspend state or from a hibernation state when you use a VIA controller.
• The computer stops responding when you use an AuthenTec USB fingerprint reader. Additionally, you receive a "0xFE" Stop error on a blue screen or a "0x9F" Stop error on a blue screen.
• The computer stops responding when you use a USB Bluetooth audio device.
• The computer takes a long time to resume from a suspend state or from a hibernation state when you use an Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) controller.
• The computer stops responding when you remove a USB device. Additionally, you receive a "0xFE" Stop error on a blue screen.
• When a computer resumes from a suspend state or from a hibernation state multiple times, you receive a "0xFE" Stop error on a blue screen.

KB 941649 - An update is available that improves the compatibility, reliability, and stability of Windows Vista

Improvements included on this update:

• It extends the battery life for mobile devices.
• It improves the stability of portable computers and of desktop computers that use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
• It improves the reliability of Windows Vista when you open the menu of a startup application.
• It improves the stability of Internet Explorer when you open a Web page.
• It improves the stability of wireless network services.
• It shortens the startup time of Windows Vista by using a better timing structure.
• It shortens the recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity.
• It shortens the recovery time when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.
• It improves the stability of Windows PowerShell.

This update also resolves the following issues in Windows Vista:
• A compatibility issue that affects some third-party antivirus software applications.
• A reliability issue that occurs when a Windows Vista-based computer uses certain network driver configurations.

KB 941229 - October 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista

This cumulative update resolves the following issues:

• Several issues that are related to the Media Center Extensibility Platform
• An issue that affects digital cable card components when you use Scientific Atlanta cable cards
• Interaction issues that occur between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.
• Autolaunch issues that occur with video CD (VCD) media

KB 941651 - Windows Media Player 11 Update for Windows Vista

This is a reliability update. Install this update to improve the reliability of Windows Media Player 11 for Windows Vista in certain scenarios.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Windows Server 2008 RC0 is now available

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:32:00 +0000

Hi folks,

the so waited Windows Server 2008 RC0 is now available for download. This release includes the first public release of Windows Server virtualization (codenamed Viridian).

Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate helps IT professionals to increase the flexibility and reliability of their server infrastructure while offering developers a more robust web and applications platform for building connected applications and services.

Download Here:
Windows Server 2008 RC0 Standard Edition
Windows Server 2008 RC0 Datacenter
Windows Server 2008 RC0 Enterprise
Windows Web Server 2008 RC0

NOTE: This product requires a valid product key for activation, and expires on April 7, 2008. (Support: ReadMe & Release Notes)

Additional Resources:
Changes in Functionality from Windows Server 2003 with SP1 to Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides
Windows Server 2008 Security Guide
Windows Server 2008 Technical Library
Windows Server 2008 Technical Overviews

Other useful links:
Windows Team blog
TechNet Tech Library
Free e-learning
Product information

You can either download on the link below a VHD image of WIndows Server 2008 beta 3 for use with Virtual Server 2005 R2 :
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9aa65956-4a13-46a3-9711-82939a041792&displaylang=en

Just to remember you that Windows Server 2008 will be launched jointly with Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 on Feb. 27, 2008.

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 has been released

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:06:00 +0000

Hi guys,

for those who don't already know, Office 2003 Service Pack 3 has been released a few days ago.

With Office 2003 service pack 3 your Office suite will work better with Windows Vista, you will be able to exchange files with Office 2007 system, it includes security updates that have been released separately and has stability improvements based on Microsoft product support feedback and Microsoft online crash analysis.

This service pack has major security changes as well to harden the Office suite and reduce the attack surface and possible threats.
Some of these changes can be found on the add-ins, ActiveX controls and COM add-ins that use the QueryInterface() method. When an Office 2003 program is started some tests are performed to validate response of the QueryInterface() method and if the test fails the functionalities may be reduced or even blocked.

Follow the link below for additional details about add-ins, ActiveX controls and COM:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938814

Also to improve security the Office 2003 Service Pack 3 integrates two tools that were already released during this year such as MOICE (Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment) and File Block.

"When MOICE and File Block are used together they are an effective mitigation strategy for customers when the threat of attack using certain Office types exists. This enables customers to continue using Microsoft Office with a high degree of assurance that the files being opened are considered safe and will not infect users with malicious software."

About MOICE:
"The Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) uses the 2007 Microsoft Office system converters to convert Office 2003 binary documents to the newer Office open XML format. The Conversion process helps protect customers by converting the Office 2003 binary file format to the Office open XML format in an isolated environment. In summary, MOICE provides a mechanism for customers to pre-process potentially unsafe Office 2003 binary documents, by virtue of the conversions process it provides customers with a greater degree of certainty that the document can be considered safe."

About File Block:
"The File Block Functionality for Microsoft Office 2003 and the 2007 Microsoft Office system allows administrators to restrict via registry and Group Policy specific Office file types that can or cannot be opened when using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Blocking specific Office file types allows administrators to temporarily deny users the ability to open certain files, such as when a threat of attack from a given Office file type exists."

For complete details about MOICE and File Block check the security advisory 937696 on the link below:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/937696.mspx

Because there are a few changes on the default behavior of Office applications to improve the security were some features are now disabled by default and the COM access is more restricted, before any mass deployment in your corporate environment or any critical workstation, you should test and validate on lab the compatibility with any custom components that use Add-ins for business applications or workflows.

For a complete list of changes on the default behavior of Office applications just check the Office 2003 service Pack 3 download link.

Links to download the Service Pack 3 of Office 2003 suite, applications and viewers:

Office 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Office 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Proofing Tools
Visio 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Project 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
OneNote 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Outlook Live 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3)

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Luis Rato) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:50:00 +0000

Office Communications Server 20007 is available since 29th of August and you can now download the trial version at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/bb684921.aspx.

Introduction
Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 is the first Microsoft product to combine enterprise-ready IM (instant messaging), presence, conferencing, and VoIP (Voice over IP) telephony in a fully integrated unified communications solution. Office Communications Server 2007 provides richer presence capabilities, enhanced support for group IM, and improved deployment and management than its predecessor, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 SP1. To existing features, such as federation and public IM connectivity, Office Communications Server 2007 includes real-time conferencing hosted on servers inside your organization’s firewall and a full-featured, software-powered VoIP solution that can stand on its own or integrate easily with an existing PBX infrastructure.
Like Live Communications Server 2005, Office Communications Server 2007 is available in two editions, Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition:

·Standard Edition.
Hosts all server components, as well as the database for storing user and conference information, on a single computer. Standard Edition provides full functionality for small organizations.

·Enterprise Edition.
Separates server functionality from data storage to achieve higher capacity and availability. An Enterprise Edition pool typically consists of two or more Front End Servers, which are fronted by a hardware load balancer and connected to a Back-End Database. (It is also possible to deploy a single Front End Server without a load balancer.) Optionally, certain conferencing components can be deployed on separate computers for higher capacity and availability. Enterprise Edition is appropriate for medium, large, and very large organizations.

Both editions support the full suite of IM, presence, conferencing, and VoIP features.

Check the link below for complete details about Office Communications Server 2007 Technical Overview:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=09b218ea-6ff6-4679-a117-9767ab98990a&displaylang=en

Office Communications Server 2007 Reference Architecture

Please see the following links for information about planning, deployment, migration, operations and support regarding Office Communications Server 2007.

Office Communications Server 2007 Downloads
Office Communications Server Technical Library

R-Tape Loading error,
Luís Rato