August 2004 - Posts
So I suspect none of you know, but next week I fly off to sunny India for 3 weeks .... not for a Holiday, but to work in Bangalore
My plan is to blog my experiences, so if anyone has any suggestions of ways to fill my weekends (I have two - I plan to spend one week in Delhi and the Taj Mahal)
Let me know.
I'm more that sure that you have all seen this, but just incase:
Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/exchange/archive/2004/08/30/222719.aspx
I'd like to introduce a relatively new Exchange 2003 tool called xdr-fixup. It's a handy tool, because it allows Exchange 2003 servers to continue to function after a Windows 2003 domain rename procedure. xdr-fixup is not technically part of Exchange 2003 SP1, but did release at the same time as SP1. Anyway, before this tool released, customers were in bad shape if they renamed a domain with Exchange in the mix. The System Attendant would not start; the resolution was to rename the domain BACK to the original name.
Source: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032252568&Culture=en-US
Thursday, September 02, 2004 12:30 PM - Thursday, September 02, 2004 2:00 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
The UrlScan security tool goes hand-in-hand with IIS 4.0, 5.0, and 5.1, but how does the latest version of the tool apply to IIS 6.0? This session outlines the specifics of UrlScan 2.5, explaining when and how you should use it with IIS 6.0. Join this webcast to learn about the changes in UrlScan 2.5 that support the new IIS architecture and how to troubleshoot problems by using the UrlScan log.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=351F0616-93AA-4FE8-9238-D702F1BFBAB4&displaylang=en
The InfoPath 2003 Software Development Kit (SDK) download contains sample forms, tools, and documentation to assist with Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 and InfoPath 2003 Service Pack 1 form development and deployment.
The Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Software Development Kit (SDK) is designed for solution providers (SPs), value-added resellers (VARs), and other developers who are interested in developing solutions with InfoPath 2003 and InfoPath 2003 Service Pack 1.
The InfoPath SDK includes documentation and samples that demonstrate development techniques for customizing and implementing InfoPath features, including integration with Microsoft Office Access 2003, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft SQL Server, XML Web Services, Component Object Model (COM) components, and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).
Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 SDK contents:
Section 1: Getting Started
Section 2: Common Developer Tasks
Section 3: Best Practices
Section 4: Developer Sample Forms
Section 5: Tools
Section 6: Macros
Section 7: Code Libraries
Section 8: InfoPath Developer's Reference
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=AA7D3048-D063-45B7-A445-5EE0C6F9C949&displaylang=en
PUBLISHED June 2004. Deploying a Worldwide Site Consolidation Solution for Exchange Server 2003 at Microsoft. Detailed discussion on how Microsoft IT used Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Office System 2003 to enable a consolidation of Exchange sites from 75 to just seven worldwide.
Deploying a Worldwide Site Consolidation Solution for Exchange Server 2003 at Microsoft. Detailed discussion on how Microsoft IT used Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Office System 2003 to enable a consolidation of Exchange sites from 75 to just seven worldwide. To accomplish this task, the IT Messaging team gathered and analyzed detailed wide area network (WAN)-level network measurements on a site-by-site basis to determine if consolidation was viable. It then consolidated its mailbox server infrastructure on Windows server clusters using storage area network (SAN) storage enclosures. Follow-up network measurements were taken after each group of sites was migrated to ensure latency and performance requirements were met.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9D438545-7697-4384-BD24-87E0CD3378CD&displaylang=en
The Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 store is a storage platform that provides a single repository in which you can manage multiple types of unstructured information. This guide provides in-depth information to make administration and troubleshooting tasks easier for you to perform.
The Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 store is a storage platform that provides a single repository in which you can manage multiple types of unstructured information. A single Exchange topology may include store components (mailbox stores and public folder stores) that reside on multiple servers.
Because of the inherent complexity and flexibility of the store components, the store can be one of the most difficult parts of Exchange Server 2003 to administer. This guide provides in-depth information to make administration and troubleshooting tasks easier for you to perform.
This guide builds on the basic concepts presented in the Exchange Server 2003 Administration Guide. It examines several features of the store in depth, such as the way in which public folders replicate, how free/busy folders work, and how offline address books work. This information includes detailed explanations of how these features work, and guidance for using them effectively.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=BC3A8D76-FC58-4E3C-9152-1CE35E9466EA&displaylang;=en
Reposted 3/18/2004. See Additional Information for details. This article discusses strategies for server consolidation using Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003.
As e-mail messaging continues to grow in both volume and business importance, organizations are looking for new options to manage future demand in a reliable and cost-effective way. One option is to build a messaging strategy based on advanced technologies available in Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. This article discusses strategies for server consolidation using Exchange 2003.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=847774D9-DB4A-444B-A5C9-D0B01958F6B7&displaylang;=en
This guide provides information about working with Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 and client access. It describes the new features for Exchange 2003 and Office Outlook® 2003, in addition to improvements in Outlook Web Access 2003.
This guide provides information about working with Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 and client access. It describes the new features for Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003, in addition to improvements in Outlook Web Access 2003. It contains configuration information, such as how to secure your messaging environment, deploy the server architecture, and configure Exchange servers for your supported client access methods. This guide also describes how to manage protocols, Exchange Virtual Server, Outlook Web Access, Exchange ActiveSync®, and Outlook Mobile Access.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=98E45481-1458-4809-97D6-50D8AEEBD8A1&displaylang=en
Last reviewed August 2004. This guide will help you make the most of Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 by explaining the core concepts of Exchange administration
This guide explains how features work in the Exchange Server architecture, and how to configure and manage these features for optimal results. This content ranges from configuring global settings at an organizational level, to managing individual servers, to managing Exchange clusters. After reading this guide, you will have a solid understanding of what it takes to configure and manage your Exchange Server 2003 organization.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E64666FC-42B7-48A1-AB85-3C8327D77B70&displaylang=en
Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server Front-End and Back-End Topology: Replaces "Using Microsoft Exchange 2000 Front-End Servers"
Updated: August 2004. Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server support using a server architecture that distributes server tasks among front-end and back-end servers. In this architecture, a front-end server accepts requests from clients and proxies them to the appropriate back-end server for processing.
Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server support using a server architecture that distributes server tasks among front-end and back-end servers. In this architecture, a front-end server accepts requests from clients and proxies them to the appropriate back-end server for processing. This guide discusses how Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange 2000 Server support the front-end and back-end server architecture. This guide also describes several front-end and back-end scenarios and provides recommendations for configuration
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Date Published: |
8/25/2004 |
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Version: |
2.1 |
Found this today .. very interesting
Source: http://www.ngsec.com/docs/advisories/NGSEC-2004-7.txt
Overview
NtRegmon is a Registry monitoring utility that will show you which applications are accessing your Registry, which keys they are accessing, and the Registry data that they are reading and writing - all in real-time.
For its task NtRegmon hooks some kernel mode funtions (Registry functions) for its logging purposes.
Regmon suffer from an unvalidated pointer referencing in some of this kernel hooks.
While any privileged user is using NtRegmon, any local and unauthorized user can crash the system.
Technical description:
NtRegmon is a Registry monitoring utility that will show you which applications are accessing your Registry, which keys they are accessing, and the Registry data that they are reading and writing - all in real-time.
For its task NtRegmon hooks some kernel mode funtions (Registry functions) for its logging purposes.
Regmon suffers from some unvalidated pointer referencing in some of this kernel hooks. In example NtRegmon hooks ZwSetQueryValue declared as follows:
NTSTATUS ZwSetQueryValue(DWORD KeyHandle, DWORD ValueName, DWORD TitleIndex,
DWORD Type, DWORD Data, DWORD DataSize);
The problem exists because NtRegmon does not properly check if some argument pointers are valid or not. While any privileged user is using Regmon, any local and unauthorized user can crash the system.
Recommendations:
Upgrade to NtRegmon version 6.12.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=BA8BC720-EDC2-479B-B115-5ABB70B3F490&displaylang=en
Addition and correction of policies for Office 2003 Resource Kit. Includes Explain Text workbook
To support changes to Office 2003 SP1, additions and corrections to policies for administrative support of Office in corporate settings using Active Directory and Group Policy. This update includes explain text in the form of two Excel workbooks that describe the basic intent of the policies listed in the various ADM and OPA files.
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Date Published: |
8/23/2004 |
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Version: |
11.6359.6360 |
Just got this Spam from Cisco:
Cisco Systems invites you to attend the next Cisco Technology Update on Business Ready Branch Networking - the convergence of Data, Voice and Video applications.
In many organisations a large proportion of the workforce are located in Branch Offices, remote from the Company Headquarters. Operating the Branch Office as a fully integrated extension of the Headquarters Network, offering full access to the same services available to Headquarters staff presents both opportunities and challenges.
During this free half-day seminar, you will hear from experienced Cisco Engineers and Consultants on the latest Cisco technologies and products which provides the architecture to support the convergence of Data, Voice and Video applications on a single IP communications infrastructure.
Please note that places are limited, so please register early to avoid disappointment.
Session Overview
Cisco Business Ready Branch – Overview
This session provides an overview of the Business Requirements for Branch Networks, the Challenges, the Opportunities and the Technology Trends which are addressing these requirements.
Cisco Business Ready Branch – Technology Update
This session will provide an update on the latest Cisco Technologies being deployed in Branch Networks to enable the convergence of Data, Voice and Video applications on a single IP infrastructure.
The focus will be on Security (including dynamically provisioned VPNs and QoS and IP Multicast enabled VPNs, router based Firewalling and Admission Control), Quality of Service (including bandwidth optimisation techniques such as Queuing, Shaping, Network Based Application Recognition (NBAR) and Optimised Edge Routing (OER), Availability (including Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP), Stateful NAT and IPSec) and Management (including AutoQoS, AutoSecure and Router and Security Device Manager (SDM)).
Cisco Business Ready Branch – Product Update
This session will provide an update on the latest Cisco Products applicable in Branch Networks to enable the convergence of Data, Voice and Video applications on a single IP infrastructure.
A full copy of the agenda and timings for each session can be found on the registration site by clicking here.
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The Cisco Technology Updates will be held at the following locations: |
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London |
Tuesday 14th September 2004 |
Register now |
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Manchester |
Wednesday 15th September 2004 |
Register now |
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Feltham |
Thursday 16th September 2004 |
Register now |
|
Bellshill |
Wednesday 22nd September 2004 |
Register now |
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Dublin |
Thursday 23rd September 2004 |
Register now |
Doh
Source:http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000261
A company called Pentest has released an advisory about a major vulnerablity in widespread bluetooth software, used both on Windows PCs and PocketPC handhelds.
This vulnerability in WIDCOMM Bluetooth Connectivity Software allows arbitrary code execution with priviledges of the user that is currently logged in. Which means that in theory, using this vulnerability it would be possible for a malicious party to write a wireless worm that spreads between PCs or PDAs using Bluetooth over the air. Worms like this could spread very fast, especially in an environment like a seminar or a conference.
This vulnerability is fairly serious since WIDCOMM software is very widespread and seems to be used in most Bluetooth dongles and Bluetooth-enabled computers.
WIDCOMM has not yet released a software update that would fix the vulnerability, so in the meanwhile users are recommended to set their Bluetooth-enabled devices into non-discoverable mode and keep bluetooth switched off when you don't need it.
Damm, I thought this system rocked! ...
Source: http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page;=consainsburys04.htm
An attempt to bring supermarket shopping in Chiswick into the 21st century has led to an embarrassing failure for retail giant Sainsbury's. The self check out mechanism called Fast Track which was previously hailed as major step forward has been ditched after a flood of complaints from shoppers.
The service had been intermittently closed with staff blaming technical problems but they are now telling customers that Fast Track will be removed permanently from September 1st. One customer said of the service, 'the Self-checkout procedure should be avoided if you have high blood pressure, as it is the most infuriating automated system ever invented.'
Saw this and thought I had better save it for a rainy day ... get mine tomorrow :-D
Source: http://www.modaco.com/viewtopic.php?t=113022
The Orange SPV C500 is on sale now in UK - people there can just enter a shop on the street and get one, and sometimes some problems may appear - as a result of installing some unsatable software for example. So to bring your Orange SPV C500 to initial sane state, just do hard reset:
1. Press and hold soft1 and soft2 keys.
2. Press and hold power button for around 1 to 1.5 seconds. Release power button. Keep hold soft1 and soft2 keys.
3. Later, screen shoould show instructions to ask user to press '0' key to reset to factory default.
4. Press '0' within the timeout period, which is only several seconds only.
5. If no instruction is shown on the screen, repeat steps 1 to 4. The timing is sensitive.
To read more click here.
I saw his on Adam's Blog and I think it deserves a look by everyone
http://blogs.geekdojo.net/adam/archive/2004/08/20/2872.aspx
This made me laugh
Source: http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39123304,00.htm
Microsoft's lack of political savvy has cost the Redmond behemoth millions and seen its products banned in some of the biggest markets on earth - and it's all because of eight wrongly coloured pixels, dodgy choice of music and a bad English-to-Spanish dictionary.
Source: http://cars.msn.co.uk/CarNews/CarNews18august2004/
Over a year before it’s due to go on sale pictures of the next generation BMW 3 Series have been leaked. Such a comprehensive glimpse into a new car is extremely rare so far in advance of its on sale date, but the pictures show interior and exterior shots, dimensions and even colour choices.Â
Â
A hugely important model for the Bavarian firm they show the new 3 Series to be rather more conservatively styled than BMW’s recent, controversial Chris Bangle designed cars. Given that the 3 Series accounts for over 50% of BMW’s sales that’s hardly surprising, BMW simply cannot afford to alienate customers with a radical design on such an important volume model. new BMW 3-seriesÂ
Â
Simplified i-drive
Bigger than the car it replaces the new 3 Series should prove roomier than the rather cramped existing car, rear seat shots show drastically improved legroom. The dash is smartly designed but the simplified version of BMW’s iDrive interface that allows climate control, stereo, navigation and other systems to be operated from a single controller, will be optional on some models. new BMW 3-seriesÂ
Â
Engine choices will initially include four-cylinder 2.0-litre units in petrol or diesel, and six cylinder engines of 2.5 and 3.0-litre capacities; larger capacity diesels and more powerful petrol engines will be introduced later. Six-speed manual transmissions are expected to be standard, while an optional six-speed automatic will also be available. Due to be officially unveiled at next year’s Geneva Motor Show the early leak isn’t expected to change BMW’s plans for a late 2005 on sale date for the new car, meaning if you like what you see here you’ll need to be patient.Â
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Source: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=872963
SYMPTOMS
After you install Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1), the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service may crash periodically. When this problem occurs, events that are similar to the following may be recorded in the system event log on the server.
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7034
Date:
Time:
User: N/A
Computer: Computer_Name
Description:
The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 1 time(s).
CAUSE
This problem may occur when there is a malformed e-mail message or other malformed item in the information store. Additionally, the processing of parameters in a HTML close tag may cause the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service to crash.
RESOLUTION
A Hotfix is available
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
Excellent
Source: http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/#00000266
If you've received SMS text messages to your phone talking about a "T-Virus", relax. This is not a new mobile phone virus, but a goofy marketing campaign for the new Resident Evil game.
See http://www.t-virus.co.uk.
Source: http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&link=http://nnet-server.com/server/common/concc04.htm
and
Source http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/cc-ex/index.shtml
The Mayor has announced a new transport strategy which sees the congestion charge zone extended west as far as Shepherd Bush and White City and down to Chelsea Embankment.
Ken Livingstone says that the extension will reduce traffic by up to 10 per cent - and congestion as much as 20%. This would lead to reduced pollution and improved bus journey times.
The proposal will extend the existing charging zone to include the area to the west of the current central London charging zone, broadly bounded by Harrow Road, Scrubs Lane, West Cross Route, Earls Court Road and Chelsea Embankment, encompassing most of the boroughs of Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea. The area suffers congestion throughout the day, comparable with that experienced in the central area.
This map shows the new enlarged congestion charging scheme. It is proposed that the western extension be broadly bounded by Harrow Road, Scrubs Lane, West Cross Route, the Earls Court one-way system and Chelsea Embankment. An alternative boundary following the West London Railway Line in the Earls Court area has been suggested as well as an alternative southern boundary of the River Thames. These alternatives are not currently part of the proposal, but views on these matters would be welcome.
Map in PDF format
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=875427
INTRODUCTION
This article discusses the ratio of global catalog servers to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 computers or to Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server computers in your Exchange organization. Additionally, this article describes some of the issues that you should consider when you run Exchange Server on a domain controller.
MORE INFORMATION
Global catalog server ratio and global catalog server placement
The ratio of servers to global catalog servers in your Exchange organization depends on all the following:
For scalability and for fault tolerance, we recommend that you configure at least two global catalog servers in each Active Directory site. If a site spans multiple domains, we recommend that you configure a global catalog for each domain where Exchange 2000 Server computers or Exchange Server 2003 computers and clients reside.
A general guideline is to deploy one global catalog server for every four Exchange computer processors. Therefore, by using this general guideline, you might deploy your global catalog servers as follows.
Note This general guideline assumes that all the computer processors are of the same type and of the same speed.
- One single-processor global catalog server to support one four-processor Exchange 2000 Server computer or Exchange Server 2003 computer.
- Two single-processor global catalog servers to support one eight-processor Exchange 2000 Server computer or Exchange Server 2003 computer.
- Four quadruple-processor global catalog servers to support eight eight-processor Exchange 2000 Server computers or Exchange Server 2003 computers.
You can adjust these guidelines to meet the specific requirements of your Exchange organization.
Exchange Server computer placement
For performance and for scalability, we recommend that you install Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 on a member server instead of on a domain controller. However, sometimes you may have to install Exchange on a domain controller. Consider all the following if you install Exchange on a domain controller:
- The domain controller must not be a node in a server cluster. We do not support Exchange 2000 Server clusters or Exchange Server 2003 clusters that are configured on Active Directory domain controllers.
- The installation of Exchange on a domain controller may affect the performance of that domain controller. In some scenarios, this performance effect prevents the Exchange-related services from starting successfully when you start the computer. In these scenarios, you must manually start the Exchange-related services.
- The domain controller that is running Exchange must also be a global catalog server. If the domain controller that is running Exchange is not also a global catalog server, the following problems may occur:
- The DSAccess component, the DSProxy component, and the Message Categorizer Exchange component do not load-balance or fail over to another domain controller or to another global catalog.
- All directory requests are sent to the local directory server, and DSAccess load balancing and failover do not occur.
- All the Exchange-related services run under the Local System security account. Therefore, you may be at more risk if you run Exchange on a domain controller, and if a problem is discovered in Exchange.
- If you permit Exchange administrators to log on locally to the domain controller that is running Exchange, a malicious user could try to elevate their permissions in Active Directory directory service.
- You may experience slow shutdown times on a domain controller that is running Exchange. In some scenarios, the domain controller may take 10 minutes or more to shut down. This behavior occurs because the Lsass.exe service shuts down before the Exchange-related services shut down. (Lsass.exe is an Active Directory service.) Therefore, the DSAccess component times out many times before it shuts down.(The DSAccess component is an Exchange component.) To work around this issue, manually stop the Exchange-related services before you shut down or restart the domain controller. Specifically, shut down the information store service before you restart the domain controller that is running Exchange.
REFERENCES
For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322801 Exchange System Attendant does not start, and you receive a "Global catalog servers not responding" error message
829361 Exchange Server 2003 computer takes longer than you expect to shut down
313994 How to create or move a global catalog in Windows 2000
304403 Exchange considerations for promoting a domain controller to a global catalog server
305065 Exchange Server-related considerations for demoting a global catalog server to a domain controller
813033 Availability of the "Understanding and Troubleshooting Directory Access" book
For additional information about how to plan and configure an Exchange messaging system, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:
Best Practice Active Directory Design for Exchange 2000
Planning an Exchange Server 2003 Messaging System
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=317362
SYMPTOMS
When you view a recurring appointment by using Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) or when you open that recurring appointment by using a Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) program, your mailbox size increases to the point where you might exceed your mailbox quota.
CAUSE
This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:
-
The recurring appointment contains a message attachment.
-
You view the appointment by using Monthly view or Weekly view in OWA, or you open that appointment by using a CDO program that expands the instances of that appointment.
This problem occurs because when an appointment item is expanded by CDO, the size of each instance of that expanded appointment item is counted toward the mailbox storage limit. CDO expansion of an appointment item occurs when you view that item from the OWA calendar or when you access that item by using CDO.
Therefore, if a recurring appointment item contains an attachment, the size of each instance of that attachment together with the size of each instance of that appointment item is counted against the mailbox storage limit that is assigned in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server.
For example, you have a recurring appointment that contains a 50 kilobyte (KB) attachment. In this scenario, this attachment counts as 50 KB toward your mailbox storage limit. However, if you view that appointment by using the Monthly view in OWA, the recurring appointment is automatically expanded with each instance of that 50 KB attachment counting toward your mailbox storage limit. Depending on the recurrence of the appointment, this attachment could count as hundreds of KB toward your mailbox storage limit even though the actual size of the message in the Microsoft Exchange Information Store has not changed.
STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003.
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=842541
SYMPTOMS
When you try to synchronize the calendar on your Pocket PC device or the calendar on your Smartphone device with your Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server mailbox, you receive an error message that is similar to the following:
Synchronization failed due to an error on the server.
Try again later
Error Code: SYNC_5
CAUSE
This problem may occur if your calendar contains very many calendar items.
In this scenario, a Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) search request that contains thousands of REPL tags may generate a SYNC_5 error code.
RESOLUTION: A Hotfix!
MSNMOBILES reports that the Motorola MPx will not reach shops before Christmas 2004 and is delayed to year 2005!
Read more: http://msmobiles.com/news.php/2964.html
I'm sure you all read about it, but it would be rude not to ram this information down your neck :-|
This Update Rollup resolves problems that were found in Exchange 2000 since Exchange 2000 SP3 was released.
You can download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=363A57A4-8BED-4BBB-BBE4-ABC11AB04611&displaylang=en
The KB is here: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=870540
and some additional stuff can be found here: http://blogs.msdn.com/exchange/archive/2004/08/17/216084.aspx
Found this blog up on Brian's site (http://weblogs.asp.net/btrst4/archive/2004/08/17/216034.aspx), and I must admit that Scriptomatic is the excellent.
But it gets even better, If you open up scriptomatic.hta with notepad and find the line that says:
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Now you can change the \root\cimv2 for any wmi provider on your server so you could change it to one of these:
\root\CIMV2\Applications\MicrosoftIE
\root\MicrosoftDNS
\root\CIMV2\Applications\Exchange
\root\MicrosoftExchangeV2
Then save the file and run it ... Hey presto ... isn't that cool
For a full list check out MSDN here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/wmi_providers.asp
You can get Scripomatic from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&familyid=9ef05cbd-c1c5-41e7-9da8-212c414a7ab0
Oh just get a life!!!!
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/17/at_copyright/
Updated Of all the tiresome little email scams which have crawled from the sewer inhabited by charlatans, chancers and out-and-out scumbags, the following - forwarded by reader Richard Panton - must rank among the most audacious.
Step forward "Robert-Alan Lucht", who has been sending out invoices for use of @. That's right, and it's a pretty good deal, too - just ten bucks a year grants you electronic publishing rights for @ "Internet and E-Mail use". Remember, these rights are only conferred on users with a "valid account", so you'd better cough up before the IP Stasi kick in your front door
This sexy new smartphone has hit the streets
Source: http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/show/handset/orange_spv_c500/detail
If you’re looking for a phone that puts equal emphasis on enhancing productivity and creating pleasure, then the SPV C500 is your perfect companion.
Packed with bells and whistles, the SPV C500 goes one step further in making your office mobile. You can connect to the Internet, check your email and keep in touch with colleagues via Instant Messaging. You can also syncrhonise or transfer data to compatible PCs using ActiveSync®, Infrared or Bluetooth ®. The C500’s headset enables you to make a voice call simply by saying a name or number and its built-in VGA digital camera ensures you can capture and photos and video.
The SPV C500 joins Orange’s Signature range, which brings you a number of customised services like access to Orange Backup, so you can store your personal and business data securely on the Orange network, and Orange Update, so you can trial and download new applications like ringtones and maps, and play digital music and video directly on your phone.
The SPV C500: not big, but clever.
Features:
battery life:
- talk time 5.0 hours
- standby 4.0 days
weight: 100g
features:
- Bluetooth technology
- built-in camera
- colour screen
- email
- GPRS
- infrared connection
- instant messaging
- Java™ capable
- MP3 player
- Photo Messaging
- polyphonic ring tones
- predictive text input
- selection of games
- tri band technology
- vibrating alert
- voice memo
- wallpapers
This is an interesting article for all you PocketPC Boyz & Girlz
Source: http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/2951.html
We are standing on the verge of revolution in cell phone industry: first phones with built-in Wi-Fi are coming! While it is possible to attach Wi-Fi adapter to some existing phones (for example: some existing Pocket PC phones), it is not possible to extend existing Microsoft Smartphones with it (even C500 and MPx220 have no Wi-Fi). Having built-in Wi-Fi brings also some fantastic features like seemless Internet connection handover from cellular (GPRS) to Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) ! So if you would like to buy yourself, in upcoming weeks/months a cell phone with built-in Wi-Fi, then you must buy one of these 3
Ooops ... I Like this KB ;-)
... After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), some programs may seem not to work. By default, Windows Firewall is enabled and blocks unsolicited connections to your computer. This article discusses how to make an exception and enable a program to run by adding it to the list of exceptions. This procedure permits the program to work as it did before the service pack was installed.
Source: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842242
Adam found a doc on RootKits from MsResearch ... Looks quite interesting:
Source: http://blogs.geekdojo.net/adam/archive/2004/08/11/2793.aspx
MS Research have released a paper on a tool called Strider that can be used to find hidden rootkits on your PC that cant be discovered using standard tools.
But there is more ... oh yes, Susan found this handy link too: You guys also know about www.rootkit.com website, right?
Source: http://msmvps.com/bradley/archive/2004/08/14/11837.aspx
I like this blog by Robert... have a read
Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/robert_hensing/archive/2004/08/09/211383.aspx
....So without further ado I give to you my 'Hacker Personas' . . . these are based on my pesonal experience over the last 2 years working with Microsoft customers who have suffered security intrusions / incidents in their environment. The percentages given below are my 'gut feeling' based on what I see escalated to my team, the PSS Security team, inside of Microsoft. I'm going to talk about who “they” are, why “they” are hacking you, the skills they have, the tools they use etc. This will give you a good feel for what the security landscape is right now for Windows networks and who you should be worried about and what you should focus on.
If you any kind of organisation that is using Automatic updates / windows update read this blog from Colin NOW!
BTW, I dont think it will be available on automatic update/ windows update for a couple of weeks
Source: http://randomelements.me.uk/blog/Lists/Blog/DispForm.aspx?ID=279
Recognising that organisation may need time to double check the compatibility of XP SP2 with their exisiting systems, Microsoft have made a toolkit and executable available to prevent AU from installing Service Pack 2.
I felt a need to share these two blogs with you.
The first from is Evan Dodds and goes like this:
Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/evand/archive/2004/08/08/210926.aspx
Raymond has posted several posts about the /3GB switch and about how it affects the Kernel. This is a frequent topic of discussion for highly scaled Exchange 2003 servers due to the recommendation that most servers with >=1gb RAM have this switch applied (see KB.823440 or KB.810371 or KB.328882 or KB.266096 or... well, that's enough for now; there are a bunch of KBs on the Exchange memory management topic.)
Since Exchange is such a memory intensive app we talk about this a bunch, but I was in a meeting the other day where the /3GB switch was discussed in terms of relating directly to physical memory. I think it's critical to understand the virtualized nature of the way memory is used on modern operating systems, and Raymond hits it on the head here.
Short version: You can run the /3GB switch on a machine with 128mb. You can run a machine with 4gb and not run the /3GB switch. There's absolutely no connection. The /3GB switch controls the allocation of the virtualized memory space provided to each process (which is generally 2gb per process, regardless of how much physical memory is present). All you're doing when you specify /3GB is changing this 2gb virtual space to be 3gb. Will you ever use the full 3gb on a machine with 128mb? Let's hope not! Your pagefile would be going crazy if you did!
Think your Exchange server is not as fast as it should be? Could be caused by any number of things... Have a look at the Exchange 2003 Performance and Scalability guide and the Troubleshooting Exchange 2003 Performance guide. You won't be sorry
The second is from Raymond Chen
source: http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2004/08/10/211890.aspx
Virtual memory is not virtual address space (part 2).
This myth is being perpetuated even as I write this series of articles.
The user-mode virtual address space is normally 2GB, but that doesn't limit you to 2GB of virtual memory. You can allocate memory without it being mapped into your virtual address space. (Those who grew up with Expanded Memory or other forms of bank-switched memory are well-familiar with this technique.)
HANDLE h = CreateFileMapping(INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE, 0,
PAGE_READWRITE, 1, 0, NULL);
Provided you have enough physical memory and/or swap file space, that 4GB memory allocation will succeed.
Of course, you can't map it all into memory at once on a 32-bit machine, but you can do it in pieces. Let's read a byte from this memory.
BYTE ReadByte(HANDLE h, DWORD offset)
{
SYSTEM_INFO si;
GetSystemInfo(&si);
DWORD chunkOffset = offset % si.dwAllocationGranularity;
DWORD chunkStart = offset - chunkOffset;
LPBYTE pb = (LPBYTE*)MapViewOfFile(h, FILE_MAP_READ, 0,
chunkStart, chunkOffset + sizeof(BYTE));
BYTE b = pb[chunkOffset];
UnmapViewOfFile(pb);
return b;
}
Of course, in a real program, you would have error checking and probably a caching layer in order to avoid spending all your time mapping and unmapping instead of actually doing work.
The point is that virtual address space is not virtual memory. As we have seen earlier, you can map the same memory to multiple addresses, so the one-to-one mapping between virtual memory and virtual address space has already been violated. Here we showed that just because you allocated memory doesn't mean that it has to occupy any space in your virtual address space at all.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS04-026.mspx
Issued: August 10, 2004
Version: 1.0
Summary
Who should read this document: System administrators who have servers running Microsoft® Exchange Server 5.5 Outlook® Web Access
Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution
Maximum Severity Rating: Moderate
Recommendation: Customers should consider applying the security update.
Security Update Replacement: This update replaces the security update that is provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-047.
Caveats: Customers who have customized any of the Active Server Pages (ASP) pages that are listed in the File Information section in this document should back up those files before they apply this update because those ASPs will be overwritten when the update is applied. Any customizations would then have to be reapplied to the new ASP pages.
Version Requirements for Dependent Components for This Update:
To install successfully, this update requires that the Microsoft Outlook Web Access server have either: Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 3 (SP3) installed when using Windows 2000 SP3; Internet Explorer 5.01 SP4 installed when using Windows 2000 SP4; or Internet Explorer 6 SP1installed when using other supported operating systems.
Version Recommendations for Dependent Components on the Outlook Web Access Server:
At the time of this writing, the following versions are recommended for dependent components on the Outlook Web Access server:
- Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS):
- IIS 4.0 on Windows NT 4.0 SP6
- IIS 5.0 on Windows 2000 SP3 or later
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations:
Affected Software:
- Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 SP4
Non-Affected Software:
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2003
Affected Components:
The software in this list has been tested to determine if the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support lifecycle for your product and version, visit the following Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site. Support for Outlook Web Access for Exchange Server 5.0 has ended.
I have been searching for this to ages, and I discovered it today and I thought it was time to share it.
If your sad like me and want to display your Operating System and Version on your desktop automagically, then check this out:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\PaintDesktopVersion
Specifies whether the version and build number of Windows is visible on the desktop. If desktop version painting is enabled, the following text appears in the lower-right corner:
Windows 2000 <version>
Build <build-number>
| Value |
Meaning |
| 0 |
Disabled. The version and build number of Windows does not appear on the desktop. |
| 1 |
Enabled. The version and build number of Windows appears on the desktop. |
You need to reboot your system for this to take affect.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/default.asp?url=/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/en-us/regentry/81207.asp
Update @ 1917: GO get it baby!
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) provides new proactive security technologies for Windows XP to better defend against viruses, worms, and hackers. In addition to a more robust security infrastructure, SP2 improves the security configuration options of Windows XP and provides better security information to help users faced with security decisions.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
This installation package is intended for IT professionals and developers downloading and installing on multiple computers on a network. If you're updating just one computer, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/protect.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Resources for IT Professionals: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Center for IT Professionals: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=WindowsXPSP2it
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 835935: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=835935
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 811113: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811113
Windows XP Service Pack 2: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 328010:http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=328010
Guidance, and resources for customers who wish to temporarily disable delivery of this Windows XP Service Pack 2 via Automatic Updates and Windows Update is available here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/winxpsp2
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/winxpsp2.mspx
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) provides an enhanced security infrastructure that defends against viruses, worms, and hackers, along with increased manageability and control for IT professionals and an improved experience for users.
Aug 2, 2004: Windows XP SP 2 Release Candidate 2 (RC2) Removed from the Web
This signifies the end of the pre-release distribution program in anticipation of the final release of SP2. Windows XP SP2 remains on schedule for release this month.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=351F0616-93AA-4FE8-9238-D702F1BFBAB4&displaylang=en
The InfoPath 2003 Software Development Kit (SDK) download contains sample forms, tools, and documentation to assist with Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 and InfoPath 2003 Service Pack 1 form development and deployment.
The Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Software Development Kit (SDK) is designed for solution providers (SPs), value-added resellers (VARs), and other developers who are interested in developing solutions with InfoPath 2003 and InfoPath 2003 Service Pack 1.
The InfoPath SDK includes documentation and samples that demonstrate development techniques for customizing and implementing InfoPath features, including integration with Microsoft Office Access 2003, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft SQL Server, XML Web Services, Component Object Model (COM) components, and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).
Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 SDK contents:
Section 1: Getting Started
Section 2: Common Developer Tasks
Section 3: Best Practices
Section 4: Developer Sample Forms
Section 5: Tools
Section 6: Macros
Section 7: Code Libraries
Section 8: InfoPath Developer's Reference
|
Date Published: |
8/5/2004 |
|
Version: |
SP |
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=D70097C2-4317-40E0-B7DA-FEB52C6B6386&displaylang=en
This update enables and configures the Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 on Windows Small Business Server 2003 networks.
By default, the Windows Firewall, that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes, is disabled by a Group Policy setting in all Windows Small Business Server 2003 networks. To enable the Windows Firewall on computers running Windows XP SP2, install this QFE on the computer running Windows Small Business Server 2003.
|
Date Published: |
8/4/2004 |
|
Version: |
1.0 |
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1B0E29F6-F6E1-4B18-89FC-31D7CFD74E19&displaylang=en
A compiled help file (CHM) for use with the Fabrikam sample files.
The CHM provides an overview of the FabriKam project and how to use the FabriKam virtual PC environment and documentation to best learn about the rich potential of the Microsoft Office System as a development platform. Each solution and platform component section described the salient points that help developers focus on areas of interest.
The full list of FabriKam documentation is as follows:
- Introduction to FabriKam
- FabriKam Platform Component: Active Directory User Data Web Service
- FabriKam Platform Component: SQLXML Adapter
- FabriKam Platform Component: SharePoint Routing Service
- FabriKam Platform Component: SharePoint Multi-Library List View Web Part
- Expense Report Solution
- Budget Planning Solution
- Technical Manual Creation Solution
- Team Weekly Status Report Solution
- Sales Order Solution
- FabriKam Inc. Solutions Environment Overview
The FabriKam Platform Component documents and the solutions provide architectural descriptions, code reviews, usage instructions, and notes on customization. The FabriKam Inc. Solutions Environment Overview provides a description of the FabriKam infrastructure. For example, the document describes the server components installed (such as Certificate Services) and any special configuration used.
The FabriKam documentation is the developer’s window into the FabriKam solutions. Developers who read the documentation, familiarize themselves with the solutions, and really dive into the code within with virtual PC environment will find that they are well-equipped to create powerful and relevant business process solutions with the Microsoft Office System
|
Date Published: |
8/6/2004 |
|
Version: |
Aug |
source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=CCC3640B-0680-4EC8-A6E1-D77C8771C232&displaylang=en
This Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation provides a technical overview of the Microsoft Office Information Bridge Framework.
The Information Bridge Framework is a set of tools, technologies, and prescriptive guidance used to build solutions that facilitate easy, efficient connections between the Microsoft Office applications and enterprise line-of-business information. This white paper provides a technical overview of the Information Bridge Framework including architecture, the Information Bridge Framework components, and the typical scenarios for solutions in the enterprise.
|
Date Published: |
8/6/2004 |
|
Version: |
Aug |
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=837979F9-A889-4D8A-B87E-26A421681FFC&displaylang=en
The Release Notes Update contains new information for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003 Standard Edition.
The Release Notes Update contains new information for Live Communications Server 2003 Standard Edition. It contains all of the information in the release notes that shipped with the product, as well as, a new section containing the most up-to-date information.
|
Date Published: |
8/6/2004 |
|
Version: |
2 |
No Way! ...
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/08/xbox_murder_florida/
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Published Sunday 8th August 2004 20:13 GMT
The console wars took a horrible turn last week after a missing Xbox was blamed as the motive for a mass murder in Florida.
Four men were charged with first-degree murder after police in Deltona, Florida found the bodies of six people - two women and four men - who were apparently beaten to death with baseball bats. Attempting to explain the slaying, police have offered up no better cause than describing the murders as payback for missing clothes and an Xbox. One man allegedly recruited three others to exact revenge on those believed to be responsible for his stolen items.
Troy Victorino, 27, Robert Cannon, 18, Jerone Hunter, 18, and Michael Salas, 18, were charged.
"After questioning all four defendants, officials struggling to come up with a motive for the crime believe the killings were committed over the theft of some clothes and an Xbox game system owned by Victorino," the Volusia County Sheriff's office said in a statement. "Given the nature of the crime, investigators immediately zeroed in on the likelihood that the suspect or suspects knew their victims. Their hunch led them to Victorino, who recently had become embroiled in a squabble with one of the victims because he blamed her for the theft of his property."
"Victorino’s clothes and game system apparently were stolen while he was temporarily staying at a home on Providence Boulevard."
Some of the victims worked at a local Burger King restaurant. Co-workers at the Burger King called police on Friday morning after one of the victims failed to show up for work. One of the employees went to check on the missing worker and discovered the gruesome murder scene. The restaurant has temporarily been closed.
Sheriff Ben Johnson has called for the death penalty for the four alleged murderers.
The sheriff's office identified the victims as Michelle Ann Nathan, 19; Anthony Vega, 34; Roberto "Tito" Gonzalez, 28, of New York; Francisco Ayo Roman, 30; and Jonathan Gleason, 18. The sixth victim has yet to be identified with authorities saying her face was unrecognizable after the beating.
What the future has in hold for www.microsoft.com/exchange/assistance
Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/exchange/archive/2004/08/06/209956.aspx
On August 3rd we went live with a revamped content Web site at www.microsoft.com/exchange/assistance, which is the first step in improving our Exchange customers’ online content experience. Our goal is to reduce the sea of content that customers have to wade through to get to the information they really want or need. And who better to tell us about that than Exchange developers and administrators themselves! That’s why we decided to launch Exchange Online in several phases, which will allow us to collect feedback and continue to make changes to the way we present content on the Web, with ongoing improvements to navigation, feedback and search.
Oh I LIKE this post from KC
Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/kclemson/archive/2004/08/06/210069.aspx
This is one of those features that a lot of people love to hate, where you have to wait a few seconds or go to the little chevron on the bottom of the menu to expand it:
It doesn't bug me too much - except when it hides the MRU (most recently used) list in any Office application, which drives me batty. It makes sense on some levels - if you remember the Tools menu in Outlook 97, it was a scary long list of many many options, intimidating to many users. So hiding things that aren't frequently used is one way to help that (of course, another way is just smarter menu usage in general, and Outlook 98 did have a much cleaner look than 97).
If you don't like this feature, you can turn it off:
1. Right click on a toolbar in any office app and choose Customize
2. On the Options tab, check “Always show full menus”
3. Click Close
This is a global setting, so turning it off in one app turns it off for all Office apps.
Source: http://research.microsoft.com/displayArticle.aspx?id=685
by Suzanne Ross
Kids who graduated from balsa wood bi-planes to radio-controlled airplanes will love what's coming around the corner.
Faculty and students at Cornell University have built an unmanned airplane with its own on-board, embedded control system. The large-scale model plane flies by accessing coordinates from an off-the-shelf GPS unit.
"The plane is capable of GPS guided flight, surveillance, and is very modular," said Kevin Kornegay, one of the faculty advisors for the project.
Last year, the group won an Innovation Excellence Award from Microsoft Research to continue their previous work in designing an autopilot system for a large scale model aircraft. Schools around the globe received awards from the Microsoft Research University Relations program to enable them to conduct research in emerging technologies.
"Our previous design represented a very early prototype for an autonomous aircraft. The autopilot system was extremely heavy, it lacked software functionality, but it was a strong version one," said Kornegay.
This year the system is based on a PC/104 form factor Windows XP Embedded computer and has a variety of navigational sensors.
"The software is written in C#, and is broken into four large applications. The autopilot software resides on the airplane and allows the plane to fly complete missions without any assistance from the ground. The plane also has wireless modems, which it uses to relay telemetry to the ground, and to allow for updated mission guidelines," explains Kornegay.
The client software is written to display telemetry to the end user, for instance, where the plane is on a map or how fast it is traveling. The group developed two applications, one for a laptop or desktop computer, and one for a Pocket PC. Students monitored the airplane's flight from the Pocket PC application.
The students entered the resulting prototype in the second annual Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVSI) student competition. In 2003, they placed first in the contest. This year, however, they lost most of their equipment in a fire just before the competition. "We still gave our software demonstration though, allowing us to place 'best of teams that didn't fly," said Kornegay.
The mission for the competition requires the plane to take off manually or autonomously, then autonomously navigate a course with five to ten GPS waypoints while using an onboard video or camera system to locate a series of man-made objects on the ground.
Each team has 30 minutes of flight time to complete their mission. The planes will be judged on time, aircraft cost and weight, navigation accuracy, efficiency, safety and ability to locate the objects.
To test their flight control algorithms, the group used Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, running the algorithms for hundreds of hours. They used a SIG Rascal aircraft with a 110" wingspan. The aircraft is 75 ¾" long and weighs thirteen pounds.
The students modified the vehicle for unmanned flight by replacing the factory tail with a custom lifting tail, which moved the center of gravity further towards the rear of the plane. They also installed large in-wing flaps because the wings on the airframe had a heavier than designed for load. The in-wing flaps allowed a slower stall speed and improved takeoff and landings.
The system runs off two 512 MB compact flash cards, which provides a storage system with no moving parts able to withstand up to 10,000 Gs. One compact flash card holds the operating system in a protected write mode, while the other stores a real-time flight log - a 'black box' that can be examined to diagnose problems, even if the vehicle crashes.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B04C073-E58F-4F42-B76D-6B565A45CDC3&displaylang=en
Project 2003 Service Pack 1 contains significant security enhancements, in addition to stability and performance improvements.
Project 2003 Service Pack 1 provides the latest updates to Microsoft® Office Project 2003. Some of the fixes included with Service Pack 1 (SP1) have been previously released as separate updates. This service pack combines them into one update.
|
Date Published: |
7/27/2004 |
|
Version: |
1 |
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AFCA0578-E1FB-4540-B0CC-FF83DEF61CC6&displaylang;=en
Visio 2003 Service Pack 1 contains significant security enhancements, in addition to stability and performance improvements.
Visio 2003 Service Pack 1 provides the latest updates to Microsoft® Office Visio® 2003. Some of the fixes included with Service Pack 1 (SP1) have been previously released as separate updates. This service pack combines them into one update.
|
Date Published: |
7/27/2004 |
|
Version: |
1 |
Saw this and thought .. hummm
Source: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=pub&aid=3920
Rob Fahey 15:52 04/08/2004
Wishful thinking from the world's richest man?
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has told a German financial magazine that he remains interested in buying Nintendo, stating that "if Hiroshi Yamauchi phones me, I will pick up at once."
Gates told WirtschaftsWoche magazine that he would immediately make an offer for the company if Yamauchi, who remains the largest shareholder in the firm despite retiring from his position as president over two years ago, indicated willingness to sell.
However, his comments seem to be largely in the realms of wishful thinking, as Yamauchi retains a keen interest in the running of the company, which has been in his family for over a century, and is highly unlikely to consider a sale to the American software giant.
Indeed, Yamauchi rebuffed an offer from Microsoft only a few years ago, just after the firm decided to enter the console market with the Xbox. The final decision to develop its own console operation is believed to have been taken only after attempts to buy both Nintendo and Sega failed.
The fact that Gates is still keen on acquiring Nintendo can be seen as a statement of his respect for the Japanese company, which remains the most profitable business in the games industry, but is unlikely to lead to any business deal - with the two companies, whose US headquarters are only a stones throw away from each other in Redmond, Washington, set to continue battling for second place in the current generation of console hardware
Just saw this bolgged by Colin up on http://randomelements.me.uk/blog/Lists/Blog/DispForm.aspx?ID=260
oooohhhh http://webmessenger.msn.com/default.aspx?R=1
MSN Web Messenger lets you talk online and in real-time with friends and family using just a web browser! Use it on any shared computer - at school, at work, at a friend's house or anywhere you can't install the MSN Messenger software.
You must have the following to use MSN Web Messenger:
- A web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, Netscape 7.0 or later, or Mozilla 1.6 or later, running in Microsoft Windows.
- An Internet connection (56 Kbps or faster recommended)
- A Microsoft .NET Passport. If you have a hotmail.com or msn.com account, you already have a Passport.
- Popups enabled for this web site if you are using popup blocker software like the MSN Toolbar
Note: MSN Web Messenger is the official way to communicate with your MSN Messenger contacts using a web browser.
So I thought I would be brave and I setup ISA 2000 to work with Exchange 2003 and it works like a dream. Not being an ISA Expert, I just followed the idiots guide Microsoft provided.
So being cocky, I thought, hey lets blast my ISA 2000 box away and rebuild it using ISA 2004.
Oh my GOD! To start with it looks very different. Suppose I'm gonna have to read the manual or atleast search the web for an idiots guide.
So far I have found this: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/plan/exchage2003.mspx
Update #1: Got SMTP and DNS to work :-D. Found another doc to get OWA to work: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/plan/owa.mspx.
Update #2: I HATE Certificates. Now getting this error, but I have found another doc to look at now: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/plan/digitalcertificates.mspx.
500 Internal Server Error - The target principal name is incorrect. (-2146893022)
Update #3: With Exchange 2003 SP1 I set up my HTTP/RPC setting and it works like a dream. What I do like is the Monitoring & Logging as it shows things in real time so I can see my http / https connections come in .. Nice!
Using Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 with Exchange 2003
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2ee9e6c2-1b9d-49b6-a751-0ec0ad849f8b&displaylang=en
This article describes how to deploy ISA Server 2000 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Feature Pack 1 as your advanced firewall server to protect your messaging environment.
This article describes how to deploy ISA Server 2000 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Feature Pack 1 as your advanced firewall server to protect your messaging environment. Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 are designed to work closely together in your network environment to provide a more secure messaging environment than previous versions of Exchange. When you use ISA Server to handle all inbound requests from client applications such as Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 and Outlook Web Access, your Exchange front-end servers no longer need to be located in the perimeter network.
|
Date Published: |
10/24/2003 |
|
Version: |
1.0 |
Remember this post (bet you don't): http://flaphead.dns2go.com/blog/archive/2004/07/20/177.aspx, where MS RSS'ed the communities website (http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/community/default.mspx)
Well now they have done it to the TechNet Portal:
Source: http://hellomate.typepad.com/exchange/2004/08/microsoft_excha.html
There is an updated portal in TechNet on the Microsoft website called the Microsoft Exchange Server Assistance Center.
With a clean look, Exchange-specific RSS feeds, and random profiles of Exchange Server MVPs, it is surely a mandatory bookmark site for every Exchange administrator
Check it out: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/default.mspx
It now has rss links for (which look very much like the communities ones!)
Top Exchange Downloads
Recent Knowledge Base Articles
It would be nice if they had a feed for the Featured Articles
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0A06E845-57EF-43EB-802F-F274FD937400&displaylang=en
By adding an additional server to your Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server 2003 network, you can enable Terminal Server. Using Terminal Server, you can host your users' desktops. This can save your organization money by allowing you to extend the life of your desktop hardware.
By adding an additional server to your Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server 2003 network, you can enable Terminal Server. Using Terminal Server, you can host your users' desktops. This can save your organization money by allowing you to extend the life of your desktop hardware.
After you have installed Windows Small Business Server 2003 and have completed the To Do List, you can join an additional server to your network and configure it as a terminal server.
|
Date Published: |
8/2/2004 |
|
Version: |
2.0 |
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2305405C-FAF1-488A-A856-AD467BB59B26&displaylang=en
Updated July 2004. This book discusses how, when using S/MIME, encryption protects the contents of e-mail messages and digital signatures verify the identity of a purported sender of an e-mail message.
This book discusses how, when using S/MIME, encryption protects the contents of e-mail messages and digital signatures verify the identity of a purported sender of an e-mail message. In addition, this book provides guidance on how to implement S/MIME with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. In addition, this book provides guidance and pointers to other resources where those are necessary.
|
Date Published: |
8/2/2004 |
|
Version: |
2.0 |
Use ISA? Well do you know about this share - it's damm good!
http://isatools.org/
1) What is the support policy regarding the IMF?
Originally the IMF was going to be offered in two forms;
a) Evaluation Edition – Available for all customers to download however, there would be no support from PSS.
b) Retail – Only available for customers that have enrolled in Software Assurance (SA) and would be entitled to support from PSS.
However, one month before the release of the IMF a decision was made by Exchange Marketing to offer the IMF to everyone. The retail edition is the only version of the IMF available which enables all customers to receive support from PSS. The IMF was released concurrently with Exchange 2003 Sp1.
2) When will there be an update to the Filter?
Currently no date has been set.
3) Why are all my internet messages being moved into the Outlook Junk E-Mail Folder even though I set the threshold to a number higher then 0?
After installing the Exchange Intelligent Message Filter the Active Directory is updated with the gateway and store threshold values. The MSExchangeIS service must be restarted so that store registers for change notifications of these values.
This is applicable to any application that is installed that uses the Spam Confidence Level (SCL) infrastructure within Exchange 2003.
4) Exchange Intelligent Message Filter performance counters do not appear in Performance Monitor
The Exchange Intelligent Mail Filter performance monitor counters only appear in performance monitor once a message has been processed by the Exchange Intelligent Mail Filter.
5) Do I have to install the Exchange Intelligent Mail Filter on all Exchange 2003 servers?
No, the Exchange Intelligent Mail Filter only needs to be installed on internet facing servers. These are the servers within your Exchange topology that are the first to receive mail from the internet.
6) How does Outlook 2003 work with the Exchange Intelligent Mail Filter?
Outlook 2003 Junk-Email settings/actions are different from IMF actions as Outlook uses its own version of smartscreen technology. The SCL set by the Intelligent Message Filter is used in conjunction with the user specified Safe Senders, Safe Recipient and Blocked Senders Lists. These lists can be configured using Outlook2003 or OWA2003.
7) Do exception addresses under connection filtering have impact on Intelligent Mail Filter behavior?
Exception e-mail addresses under connection filtering have no effect on Intelligent Message Filter behavior.
8) How about Allow Address under connection filtering?
IP Allow addresses under connection filtering will bypass the Intelligent Mail Filter and result in messages that have no SCL value stamped. These messages may be filtered by Outlook 2003 Junk E-mail rules. The Intelligent Message Filter does not specify an SCL by design as content scanning was actually bypassed. Setting an SCL of 0 would be falsifying the output from the Intelligent Message Filter based on the connecting IP address being specified on the IP Allow List.
9) Why do some messages get a SCL rating of -1?
Messages submitted to Exchange using authenticated credentials get a SCL value of -1. All users that submit messages from authenticated clients such as Outlook or OWA will have an SCL stamped of -1.
This ensures that authenticated messages will not be moved to the junk folder. Internal Applications should submit mail using authentication to avoid being treated as Junk Mail either because they don’t go through Intelligent Message Filter and get no SCL value, or they go through Intelligent Message Filter and get a value that is high enough that an action is taken that either prevents it from being delivered to the recipient or the message is moved to the users Junk E-mail folder.
For more details regarding connection filtering and controlling spam please download the Exchange Server 2003 Transport and Routing Guide at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2003/library/extransrout.mspx.
10) Is the SCL rating an Intelligent Mail Filter feature?
No, the SCL rating is actually an Exchange 2003 feature. IMF is the first MS application that utilizes the SCL rating. 3rd party applications can also stamp the SCL rating on messages. For more information on the Anti-Spam infrastructure and SCL values please visit
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/e2k3/e2k3/ast_anti_ spam.asp
11) How is the SCL information transferred between Exchange servers?
SCL information is transmitted as part of the EXCH50 blob between Exchange 200x servers. Therefore, if there is a device in between Exchange servers that does not support EXCH50, the SCL rating will be stripped off. EXCH50 blobs can only be transmitted across authenticated connections that have SendAs rights.
For more details regarding connection filtering and information please see the following published article 842763, “Exchange Server Intelligent Message Filter Overview”
Microsoft Executive Circle Webcast: How to Protect Your Enterprise from Spam: Solutions for Microsoft Exchange
Start Time: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 10:00 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032255589&EventCategory=4
The increasing volume of spam and the increasing ingenuity of those who disseminate it have made the battle against spam a priority in the enterprise environment. Current anti-spam weapons must address end users’ needs and concerns without placing excessive demands on company resources or system administrators. Join us online to see the ways that Sunbelt Software's iHateSpam for Exchange can be deployed to easily and effectively protect an enterprise. Spam filtering techniques will be presented along with solutions specifically designed to support Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5, 2000 and 2003 environments.
MSDN Webcast: Using Exchange ActiveSync® Server – Level 300
Start Time: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 11:00 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032255964&EventCategory=4
Exchange Server 2003 now includes the ability to synchronize Windows Mobile™ devices wirelessly using Exchange ActiveSync Server. As more devices running Windows Mobile 2003 enter the market, many users now have an option to enable Always-Up-To-Date sync with the server. This session will: Give an overview of the mechanics of the AUTD system. Describe how to configure devices to use AUTD, Describe the available AUTD administration settings and Give tips and tricks for troubleshooting issues should they arise.
TechNet Webcast: Exchange Server 2003: Technical Overview - Level 200
Start Time: Friday, August 06, 2004 11:30 AM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032255910&EventCategory=4
Have you seen all the new features available Exchange Server 2003? Exchange has new security enhancements which include better anti-spam and anti-virus features. Join this webcast for an up-close look at administration improvements to the Mailbox Recovery Center, Error Reporting, Public Folder management and the Exchange System Manager. Also, see the improvements to the Outlook Client side, Outlook Web Access (OWA) and Outlook Mobile Access (OMA).
This is an excellent Blog from Nino (http://blogs.msdn.com/exchange/archive/2004/08/02/206012.aspx), so have a read.
This seems to be one of most favorite questions ever: "How come that Exchange Store.exe keeps on grabbing more and more memory, even on the server that is not very busy? Is there a memory leak?". This is many times followed by "I am rebooting my server on the weekly basis to keep store memory consumption in check".
Well, let's see what we have here.
Also have a read of Susan Bradley's SBS Blog, it is sooo true and just goes to prove that SBS ROCKS!
http://msmvps.com/bradley/archive/2004/08/02/11152.aspx
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Found these on the Quest Website (http://wm.quest.com/events/default.asp?TypeID=3)
Active Directory – The Next Level (8/9/2004) @ Microsoft in Reading
PLEASE REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT ON MICROSOFT`S WEBSITE http://wm.quest.com/sept8
In this half-day session, you will receive Quest’s field-tested and proven, step-by-step methodologies and product demonstrations that will enable you to make the most of your investment in Active Directory.
By applying the advanced tools and techniques presented in this seminar, you will be able to better secure, delegate, troubleshoot and recover your Active Directory.
Exchange – Management, Auditing & Enforcement (22/9/2004) @ Microsoft in Reading
PLEASE VISIT MICROSOFT`S WEBSITE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT https://msevents-eu.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-GB&eventid=118748119
FREE Microsoft Partner Workshops presented by Quest Software
In this half-day session, you will receive Quest’s field-tested and proven, step-by-step methodologies and product demonstrations that will enable you to make the most of your investment in Microsoft Exchange.
By applying the advanced tools and techniques presented in this seminar, you will be able to better manage, audit, troubleshoot and recover Exchange 2000/3.
About time too!
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/02/mac_migration/
Published Monday 2nd August 2004 13:48 GMT
Swapping broadband providers should be a lot easier following the introduction of a new migration process backed by BT Wholesale and the industry's major players.
The Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) process should mean that punters can sign-up to new providers with the minimum of hassle. Up until now, punters have often faced lengthy delays with some ISPs reluctant to lose customers, while others have experienced disruption to their service.
This new process means that those problems should not crop up, with the downtime between switching providers predicted to be less than an hour.
How to configure Microsoft OWA front end / back end to work with RSA ACE/Agent 5.2
| Fact |
RSA ACE/Agent 5.2 for Web
RSA ACE/Server 5.x
Windows 2000/2003
Exchange 2003 |
| Symptom |
Users get error "page not found" when trying to access their mailbox. |
| Cause |
RSA ACE/Agent has a setting for "cookie API processing". This feature puts information into the cookie header that is used ONLY by the Agents SSO feature set. Currently, OWA is unable to handle this information, and cannot obtain the mailbox. |
| Fix |
If SSO is not a requirement, you can disable the cookie API processing (see screenshot below) and restart IIS Admin. RSA Security continues to pursue a solution that includes SSO.
For more information on SSO see page 71 of the Web Agent Admin guide |
I Stumbled across this website today .. nice! But you might want to talk to the Bank Manager first :-D
http://www.mastercigars.com/
Source: http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/pressrel/uk/20040728topten.html
28 July 2004
Sophos charts virus activity for first six months of 2004
A report published by Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses and spam, reveals that the number of new viruses being written is increasing. In total, Sophos has detected and protected against 4,677 new viruses in the first six months of 2004, up 21% on the same period last year.
The Sasser worm accounted for more than a quarter of all viruses reported to Sophos so far this year, even though the worm only first appeared in May.
Sasser claimed the top spot of the virus chart, in spite of the raging battle between the widespread Netsky and Bagle worms, which has wreaked havoc across the internet from mid-February. This war produced six of the most damaging viruses of the year so far, with Netsky-P proving to be the most prevalent. The good news for computer users was the May arrest of Sven Jaschan, the German teenager who confessed to authoring both the Sasser and Netsky worms.
For the first six months of 2004, the top ten viruses (as recorded by Sophos's global network of virus monitoring stations) are as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:
"Following in the footsteps of last year's hard-hitting Blaster worm, Sasser exploited a critical vulnerability in Microsoft's operating system in order to spread - this type of worm is proving to be extremely 'successful' as Microsoft is finding it tough to ensure computer users apply patches as soon as the flaws are discovered," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Sasser may have taken top spot, but six of the biggest viruses of the last six months were all Netsky and Bagle variants - these caused a continued nuisance for PC users the world over as their authors entered into a very public game of virus writing one-upmanship."
"Reassuringly, virus writers haven't had it all their own way so far in 2004. Increased scrutiny from law enforcement agencies and Microsoft's bounty initiative to encourage people to snitch on virus writers, led to a very high profile arrest in Germany. Sven Jaschan, teenage author of the Sasser worm and member of Skynet, the gang responsible for distributing Netsky, confessed in May. The German virus-writing community has been relatively quiet ever since," continued Cluley.
MyDoom, the fifth most damaging virus so far this year, highlights the increasing trend for virus writers to attempt to create zombie armies of possessed PCs. This worm, which first appeared in January, opened a backdoor into infected PCs, allowing hackers to launch distributed denial of service attacks on the websites belonging to Microsoft and SCO.
The sixth most prevalent virus so far this year, the Zafi-B worm, is a prime example of how virus writers can use their malicious code to distribute political messages. This worm called for the Hungarian government to house the homeless and introduce the death penalty against criminals. It continues to be extremely successful in infecting computer users, spreading itself by email and peer-to-peer filesharing systems.
First mobile phone virus discovered
The Cabir worm, first seen in June, was a proof of concept mobile phone virus. The worm that was written by the virus writing gang 29A, proved that it was possible for a virus to spread via Bluetooth to other compatible mobile phones in the vicinity. The worm posed no threat to mobile phone users as the virus was not released in the wild.
More arrests
The first female to be charged with distributing a virus was arrested in February. Kim Vanvaeck, aka 'Gigabyte', suspected author of several viruses including Coconut-A, Sahay-A and Sharp-A, was arrested by Belgian authorities and charged with computer sabotage. If convicted she faces up to three years in prison and fines of up to 100,000 Euros.
In May, Wang Ping-an, a 30-year-old computer engineer was arrested in Taiwan for allegedly writing and distributing a Trojan horse that enabled hackers to steal sensitive information from the island's government computers.
"These arrests have sent a strong message to the virus community that the authorities will not turn a blind eye to criminal computer activity. However, the real deterrent will be tough sentencing. It will be interesting to see what punishments are dished out by the authorities against convicted virus writers and distributors," added Cluley.
Sophos has made available a free, constantly updated information feed for intranets and websites which means users can always find out about the latest viruses and hoaxes.
Graphics of the virus Top Ten chart are available here.
More information about safe computing, including anti-hoax policies.
About Sophos
Sophos is a world leading computer security specialist, developing anti-virus and anti-spam software. Headquartered in the UK, the company produces solutions tailored for businesses of all sizes - from small enterprises to global corporations. Sophos is acclaimed for delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction and protection in the industry. The company's products are sold and supported in more than 150 countries and protect more than 25 million users.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS04-025.mspx
This update resolves several newly-discovered, public vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is documented in this bulletin in its own Vulnerability Details section. If a user is logged on with administrative privileges, an attacker who successfully exploited the most severe of these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system, including installing programs; viewing, changing, or deleting data; or creating new accounts with full privileges. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer privileges on the system would be at less risk than users who operate with administrative privileges.
Doh!
Source: http://mcpmag.com/features/rss.asp?editorialsid=428
EMC's vitual machine software edges out Microsoft's in overall features.
I'm a longtime fan of virtual machine technology, so it was exciting when Microsoft released Virtual PC 2004 (VPC2004). A little while later, competitor VMware (now owned by EMC) shipped VMware Workstation 4.5 (VMW 4.5)—a free upgrade to VMware Workstation 4.0. All my virtual prayers were answered.
This is quite a good article by John Moh.
John S. Moh, MCP, MCSE, is a Systems Engineering Consultant with Avanade Inc
Source: http://mcpmag.com/features/rss.asp?editorialsid=426
If you don't have the time, money or manpower to run your own messaging environment, it may be time to consider hosted Exchange.
....
What is Hosted Exchange?
Hosted Exchange is a fully managed service—designed, implemented and supported by a service provider. Although it's rarely differentiated, there are two offerings: multi-tenant, also known as shared hosted Exchange, and single-tenant, also known as dedicated hosted Exchange. For this article, I'll focus on the much more common multi-tenant offering, where two or more isolated tenants (customers) share the same Active Directory and Exchange infrastructure.
This made me laugh, but also wonder why!?
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
Holiday-makers capturing precious memories on digital cameras need not worry about losing their snaps.
The memory cards in most cameras are virtually indestructible, found Digital Camera Shopper magazine.
Five memory card formats survived being dipped into cola, put through a washing machine, dunked in coffee, trampled by a skateboard, run over by a child's toy car and given to a six-year-old boy to destroy.
Perhaps surprisingly, all the cards survived these six tests.