TechNet Flash - Volume 10, Issue 14: July 9, 2008
Note from the Editor
Greetings and welcome to TechNet Flash.
This is truly exciting. The next generation hypervisor-based server virtualization technology for Windows Server 2008 is here. Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is now released to manufacturing (RTM) and is available for deployment into production environments. You can download the Hyper-V role update here.
With Hyper-V you can consolidate workloads of underutilized server machines onto a smaller number of fully utilized machines. Fewer physical machines can lead to reduced costs through lower hardware, energy, and management overhead. The thin microkernel hypervisor architecture with integrated management tools allows you to manage both physical and virtual resources. Hyper-V easily plugs into your IT infrastructure to leverage your existing patching, provisioning, management, support tools, and processes. See how Microsoft goes about identifying server candidates for virtualization.
We also have released to manufacturing the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1. The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Solution Accelerator is a tool that makes it easy for you to assess your current IT infrastructure for a variety of technology migration projects. It includes the features previously provided with the Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Solution Accelerator. Check out the newly revised MAP Overview.
What’s New from Sysinternals
You’ll find Sysinternalsutilities to help you manage, troubleshoot, and diagnose your Windows systems and applications.
" Process Monitor 1.34
Adds the ability to filter on result values.
" ZoomIt 2.10
Includes a zoom-out effect when you exit zoom mode, and enables you to specify a background bitmap for the break timer.
" BgInfo 4.13
BgInfo now displays correct version information for Windows Server 2008.
Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash
Your Featured Content
Ensure that the content most relevant to you is presented in this section.
Popular Entertainment Site Handles Up to 35 Million Daily Page Views on Two Web Servers
As a popular entertainment site with an advertising-based revenue model, Break.com must support high traffic volumes while enticing visitors to spend time on the site. The company handles up to 35 million page views per day with only two Web server computers.
TechNet Magazine: Top Tips for Effective Database Maintenance
Far too often, people who are not trained database administrators somehow end up responsible for a database. They lack the proper training and knowledge to maintain their database, and problems begin to develop. Here’s a primer for all those involuntary DBAs who need a crash course in database maintenance best practices.
Download Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Release Candidate
Microsoft Application Virtualization is a virtualization solution that can deliver applications that are never installed, yet securely follow users anywhere, on demand.
Application Compatibility and User Account Control Tools
Get tools and resources to reduce the time, cost, and complexity of addressing application compatibility.
Solution Accelerator: Security Compliance Management
Monitor the security compliance state of your IT environment for computers running Windows.
Windows Vista Wireless Networking Evaluation Guide
This document outlines deployment scenarios to support wireless networking with the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system.
Security Compliance Management Overview
This toolkit provides information to help you establish security baselines and use compliance industry best practices from Microsoft. This guidance then demonstrates how your organization can efficiently monitor the implementation of security baselines for three of the most widely used Microsoft operating systems.
Planning and Monitoring SQL Server Storage for Office SharePoint Server
Key recommendations and best practices to help administrators of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 plan and monitor their SQL Server storage requirements to support optimal performance and operation of their server farms.
SharePoint Administration Toolkit (Office SharePoint Server)
This article provides information for farm administrators about Batch Site Manager and the updatealert operation for the Stsadm command-line tool, which are available in the April 2008 release of the administration toolkit for Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies.
Blog Post: Wanna Speed up Vista? Get Windows Search 4.0
IT pro evangelist Jeff Alexander found Windows Search 4.0 came with some unexpected performance benefits.
Video: Windows Vista Deployment with the Springboard Series
Join network specialist Stephen Rose as he discusses Windows Vista deployment, and offers tips and tricks based on real IT pro deployment experiences. Stephen talks about BitLocker and other laptop tools, secure deployment, improvements in SP1, and his thoughts on Windows Vista over Windows XP.
Microsoft Unveils New Internet Explorer Security Features
InformationWeek - July 2, 2008
Coming to IE8 is a set of cross-site scripting defenses to defeat hackers looking to steal cookies and browser history, logging keystrokes, stealing credentials, or just evading phishing filters.
How Microsoft IT Handles Master Data Management
July 29, 9:30 A.M. Pacific Time
Microsoft IT is developing a system-of-record for key customer information, but also as a meta-directory, holding references to customer data in other business applications, helping Microsoft realize over US$200 million in revenue and cost savings.
On Demand Webcast: How Microsoft IT Secures Mobile Devices
Microsoft IT empowers the mobile workforce, but in doing so, secures mobile devices to protect corporate assets and resources.
On Demand Webcast: Extending Excel with Excel Services
With Excel Services in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, you can now distribute workbooks or parts thereof, seamlessly and easily protecting the IP in the workbook, ensuring that security is maintained, and keeping a single version of the workbook so that everyone has the right numbers.
After completing this lab, you will be better able to create a configuration item for compliance, import pre-created configuration items, create baselines for assignment, assign baselines to collections, and verify compliance for the assigned baselines.
TechNet Magazine: Scaling ASP.NET Applications
The key to successfully scaling an ASP.NET application is having a collaborative effort between developers and network administrators, starting at the beginning of the application’s lifecycle. Find out what factors are necessary to scale an application, and see how this collaboration can help ensure the application will run as intended.
Sign Up for Microsoft Technical Security Notifications
Help protect your computing environment by keeping up to date on Microsoft technical security notifications. Notifications are available in RSS, instant message, mobile device, or e-mail format, and are always available online at TechNet on the Security Bulletin Search Web page.
Usability Study for System Center Configuration Manager Users
July 21 - 25, Microsoft main campus, Redmond, WA Microsoft Usability is conducting a study on design ideas for the next version of System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). This is a great opportunity for SCCM users to provide feedback and help improve the user experience of SCCM’s next version. You do not need to prepare anything for this. We want to learn from you, the experts, to determine what needs to be improved in our software. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested in participating, please e-mail us at itusable@microsoft.comwith SCCM in subject line.
Evaluation Center Updates
Evaluate Forefront Security for Office Communications Server Beta
Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server provides fast and effective protection against IM-based malware by including multiple scanning engines from industry-leading security partners, and helps reduce corporate liability by blocking instant messages containing inappropriate content.
Download Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 Trial Software
Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 is the integrated edge-security gateway that helps protect IT environments from Internet-based threats while providing users with fast and secure remote access to applications and data.
Scripting for IT Pros
Hey Scripting Guy...
" How Can I Change a Registry Value Named (Default)?
" How Can I Copy Files Based on Multiple Criteria?
" How Can I Copy Specified Sections of an .RTF File to a New Word Document?
See previous comics in the TechNet Flash Web-based archive.
Support and Troubleshooting
How-to Articles
" How to obtain the latest Windows Vista application compatibility update
" How to obtain the latest Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 service pack
Hotfixes
Knowledge Base Articles
" Windows Server System software not supported within a Microsoft Virtual Server environment
See a selection of new Knowledge Base articles on the TechNet Web site. KB articles feature an Article Translations box in the right column. You can select a language from the drop-down list and read the article in the selected language.
Featured Downloads
Evaluate Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 enables large enterprises and upper mid-market organizations to improve their entity’s performance by integrating monitoring, analysis and planning capabilities into one comprehensive solution.
Upcoming Webcasts
Troubleshooting Activation and Validation Issues with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
July 14, 9:30 A.M. Pacific Time
Learn about resolving some of the common issues with Windows product activation in enterprise environments. We provide proactive guidance and the latest updates on Volume Activation 2.0 for the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 operating systems.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Storage Deep Dive
July 11, 11:30 A.M. Pacific Time
Get advanced training and tools to help you design the right storage architecture for your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 deployment, with an emphasis on the Mailbox server role. Expand your knowledge of Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) architecture. Learn how to properly balance disk performance and capacity.
Security
Security Compliance Management Toolkit Now Available
This toolkit provides you with best practices for planning, deploying, monitoring, and remediating a security baseline for your organization. The toolkit offers a proven method that you can use to effectively monitor the compliance state of a security baseline for the Windows Vista, Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 operating systems.
Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for July 2008
On Demand
Troubleshooting Forefront Client Security in Large Enterprises
In this webcast, Craig Wiand, lead support engineer on Microsoft Forefront Client Security, answers your technical questions about Forefront Client Security and reviews common troubleshooting tips for the product.
Easy Access to On-Demand Webcasts
Now you can access most TechNet and IT Manager on-demand webcasts even faster! We have simplified the registration - just enter your name, e-mail, and company name and you can start streaming or downloading a webcast today. To get started, choose a series by product or topic.
Virtual Labs
Introduction to System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007
After completing this lab, you will be better able to use the Configuration Manager Console to verify the site configuration and identify new features of the Configuration Manager including software distribution and maintenance windows, software updates and WSUS integration, operating system deployment of Windows Vista, desired configuration management, and other miscellaneous Configuration Manager features.
Managing Custom Application Updates using System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007
After completing this lab, you will be better able to install the System Center Updates Publisher, create a catalog for a custom update, import a catalog for a synthetic application, publish custom catalog information to Configuration Manager for scanning, perform a scan for custom updates, analyze required updates, and distribute an update using Configuration Manager.
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