Well, first let me thank everyone for their support and start by saying I did pass the exam 70-680 Windows 7, Configuring. I did want to take this chance to discuss my experience with the MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician 7. I had previously written about Exam 70-680 Windows 7 Configuring now available.
To begin with, keep in mind that this exam is intended to be a "full" Windows client software exam, and not just an upgrade from Vista or XP. Therefore, there is the normal collection of questions that you would expect covering items like sharing permissions, installing printers, etc. and I would say that roughly 70% of the questions on my exam could be researched and answered using study materials for the Windows Vista, Configuring exam 70-620.
As far as Windows 7 specific content; If my test is any indication, you want to be very familiar with Internet Explorer 8. There were 4 (out of 45) questions dealing with new IE8 security features. For that I recommend working with IE8 and clicking the help on each feature so that you know you have a strong understanding of what each setting does.
I had 5 questions dealing with migration and 2 questions dealing with using the User State Migration Tool. However, none of my migration questions involved the new DISM tool. They focused on use of Imagex and Windows PE. That doesn't mean that DISM wont be involved on each test but it should tell you that migration will probably be addressed on just about every exam. A lot of the new features questions were more about concepts than specific files paths. For example, in one question would you make a new applocker rule or use the defaults to solve the situation stated. But I did have one very precise question regarding configuring Branch Cache using a command prompt command. I still don't know where I would have gone to research the answer to that one. But that type of question is to be expected. Just like the one asking how you view the automatically assigned IPv6 address on a client without using ipconfig. I did know the answer to that but of course the solution takes about 6 more steps than just using MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration.
So overall, I would say to anyone looking to take this exam, grab the Sybex or similar book for the exam 70-620 (Vista) and study it well before navigating through the various web sources and white papers regarding Windows 7 if you are new to IT certifications for MS. If you are already experienced with client software like Windows XP, you are probably best served by taking a class like the 6291 "Upgrading your IT skills from Win xp to Win 7 Beta". We actually offer that class at Springhouse and the content is based on the Beta release but still relevant to the RTM version. Of course that course will most likely be re-named with the Beta tag removed in the near future.
Based on what I have seen so far from our interaction with the free Microsoft practice tests, there is a LOT of interest in fast, early adoption of Windows 7 and if you're an IT pro looking to increase your marketability, Win7 certification could be a real nice addition to your resume.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Microsoft Sends Invites for Feb. 10 Internet Explorer 9 Event
Microsoft on Friday sent out invites to a February 10 Internet Explorer 9 event that WinRumors says will likely include the unveiling of the IE9 release candidate.
"Members from the Internet Explorer team (and some special guests) will be visiting San Francisco in two weeks to share some important news. I know it's an extremely busy news week already, but we're hoping you can join us," according to the invite.
WinRumors says an escrow build of IE9 appeared online Friday, and screenshots suggest that Microsoft will add a location privacy feature in the updated browser.
Earlier this month, Microsoft revealed that the IE9 beta had been downloaded over 20 million times. The beta, which launched on September 15, accounted for 4.6 percent of all Internet traffic worldwide, according to year-end numbers from Net Applications. Separate numbers from Adobe's Omniture SiteCatalyst site-traffic monitoring software put the overall Internet average of IE9 beta usage at an even 0.5 percent for December.
PCMag will be at the February 10 event, so stay tuned for more details.
"Members from the Internet Explorer team (and some special guests) will be visiting San Francisco in two weeks to share some important news. I know it's an extremely busy news week already, but we're hoping you can join us," according to the invite.
WinRumors says an escrow build of IE9 appeared online Friday, and screenshots suggest that Microsoft will add a location privacy feature in the updated browser.
Earlier this month, Microsoft revealed that the IE9 beta had been downloaded over 20 million times. The beta, which launched on September 15, accounted for 4.6 percent of all Internet traffic worldwide, according to year-end numbers from Net Applications. Separate numbers from Adobe's Omniture SiteCatalyst site-traffic monitoring software put the overall Internet average of IE9 beta usage at an even 0.5 percent for December.
PCMag will be at the February 10 event, so stay tuned for more details.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Apple Patches QuickTime for Windows
Apple has issued QuickTime version 7.6.7 for Windows to fix a vulnerability in that product. The Mac version of QuickTime is not affected.
The vulnerability is a stack overflow in QuickTime's error logging. As a result, viewing a malicious movie file can lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.
Earlier this week, Apple also issued a fix for the PDF hold that allowed the "Jailbreakme" Web-based jailbreak.
The vulnerability is a stack overflow in QuickTime's error logging. As a result, viewing a malicious movie file can lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.
Earlier this week, Apple also issued a fix for the PDF hold that allowed the "Jailbreakme" Web-based jailbreak.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hands On with Windows Phone 7 Series
BARCELONA – Microsoft on Monday launched its Windows Phone 7 Series, the most radical change that Microsoft smartphones have ever seen. WP7 – there's no "Windows Mobile" any more – uses a bold array of tiles and pivoting panels to let users easily access their personal information, Zune music and Xbox Live gamer card.
WP7 phones will come from Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba, Microsoft said at the Mobile World Conference here. Carriers will include all of the U.S.'s Big Four – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon – as well as Deutsche Telekom, Orange, SFR, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telstra, and Vodafone.
"Windows Mobile is dead," said Aaron Woodman, director of the Mobile Communications Business for Microsoft's Consumer Experiences Product Management team.
But it's a long road before WP7 hits shelves. The first phones will appear for the 2010 holiday season, Woodman said.
A brand new interface
WP7 looks like nothing you've ever seen before from Microsoft. All the ancillary gewgaws – the Start Menu, the soft keys, the home screen as you know it – are gone. The main WP7 user interface is a bold array of five "live tiles," boxes containing text and photos: Internet Explorer, Phone, Text, People, Pictures and Multimedia (Zune). Alerts appear within the tiles themselves – if you have unanswered calls, the number appears within the phone tile. Your most recent pictures fade into the Pictures tile, and so on. If you click on the Multimedia tile, your phone turns into a Zune, but it isn't a "Zune phone." Zune is just one app.
"It's content, not chrome. We really used the idea of fierce reduction" in the interface, said Albert Shum, the lead interface designer.
Scroll down to find more big, live tiles: Calendar, Exchange, Windows Live, Me and Xbox Live. Scroll right to find the list of all apps on your phone.
The same interface theme of big, bold words, large square pictures and sliding tiles appears in individual apps. Search Bing and you can "pivot" between modes for local and business search using large words across the top. Head into your contacts list, and you slide between large tiles representing your favorite people and a scrolling list of your contacts with their social-networking updates.
The new Web browser is based on Internet Explorer, and includes pinch-to-zoom and automatic column reformatting. It doesn't have Adobe Flash, and Flash probably won't be available at launch, Woodman said. An "Office Hub" will provide full Microsoft Office support, Woodman said.
Partners such as HTC will no longer be able to "re-skin" phones with their own user interfaces. Instead, their energies should be drawn to "hubs," or tiles in the standard Microsoft interface that could then expand into app-like experiences, Woodman said.
Microsoft is also throwing out ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center. You'll now sync with a new version of the Zune software. And yes, that means no Mac support for now.
Hands-on and hardware
I received a few minutes with a Windows Phone 7 Series prototype today, and the software looked beautiful but felt very, very early. Tiles responded sluggishly. When I scrolled down a contact list, it scrolled into a great black abyss that only filled with contacts after a few seconds. That wasn't what Microsoft showed in its demo, of course – and remember, this software is ten months from launch.
On the other hand, if it actually performs properly, WP7 has the intangibles that Microsoft phones have lacked for years. It's fun to explore. The interface makes sense. It's easy to find the things you need. Nothing is buried. It uses the power of a mobile computer to put important information at the fore – possibly even more immediately than the iPhone.
Microsoft stayed coy about the hardware requirements, saying that more would come out at the MIX developer conference in mid-March. But it's pretty obvious that old Windows Mobile software won't run on this phone, as the user interfaces have zero in common. Microsoft also said Qualcomm would supply chipsets for the first set of WP7 phones, while specifically neglecting to mention Nvidia.
All WP7 phones will have five hardware buttons: back, home, search, camera, and power. The prototype I saw had a capacitive touch screen, both front and rear facing camera, and no QWERTY keyboard. Microsoft said that the company will allow OEMs to design their own slide-out QWERTY keyboards – though BlackBerry-like candybar-style phones with keyboards are a no-go.
"The phones will be owned by OEMs, and you'll see different form factors and choices," Woodman said.
Microsoft also left multitasking a mystery, saying only that "music will play in the background." Once again, there are more details to come at MIX.
Windows Phone 7 is pretty amazing. But it still has ten months before launch – and we're going to see a bunch of competing upgrades between now and then. With iPhone 4, Symbian^3 and who-knows-what from Google appearing this summer and fall, the question isn't whether WP7 is amazing for February 2010. It's whether it will still be amazing in December.
WP7 phones will come from Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba, Microsoft said at the Mobile World Conference here. Carriers will include all of the U.S.'s Big Four – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon – as well as Deutsche Telekom, Orange, SFR, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telstra, and Vodafone.
"Windows Mobile is dead," said Aaron Woodman, director of the Mobile Communications Business for Microsoft's Consumer Experiences Product Management team.
But it's a long road before WP7 hits shelves. The first phones will appear for the 2010 holiday season, Woodman said.
A brand new interface
WP7 looks like nothing you've ever seen before from Microsoft. All the ancillary gewgaws – the Start Menu, the soft keys, the home screen as you know it – are gone. The main WP7 user interface is a bold array of five "live tiles," boxes containing text and photos: Internet Explorer, Phone, Text, People, Pictures and Multimedia (Zune). Alerts appear within the tiles themselves – if you have unanswered calls, the number appears within the phone tile. Your most recent pictures fade into the Pictures tile, and so on. If you click on the Multimedia tile, your phone turns into a Zune, but it isn't a "Zune phone." Zune is just one app.
"It's content, not chrome. We really used the idea of fierce reduction" in the interface, said Albert Shum, the lead interface designer.
Scroll down to find more big, live tiles: Calendar, Exchange, Windows Live, Me and Xbox Live. Scroll right to find the list of all apps on your phone.
The same interface theme of big, bold words, large square pictures and sliding tiles appears in individual apps. Search Bing and you can "pivot" between modes for local and business search using large words across the top. Head into your contacts list, and you slide between large tiles representing your favorite people and a scrolling list of your contacts with their social-networking updates.
The new Web browser is based on Internet Explorer, and includes pinch-to-zoom and automatic column reformatting. It doesn't have Adobe Flash, and Flash probably won't be available at launch, Woodman said. An "Office Hub" will provide full Microsoft Office support, Woodman said.
Partners such as HTC will no longer be able to "re-skin" phones with their own user interfaces. Instead, their energies should be drawn to "hubs," or tiles in the standard Microsoft interface that could then expand into app-like experiences, Woodman said.
Microsoft is also throwing out ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center. You'll now sync with a new version of the Zune software. And yes, that means no Mac support for now.
Hands-on and hardware
I received a few minutes with a Windows Phone 7 Series prototype today, and the software looked beautiful but felt very, very early. Tiles responded sluggishly. When I scrolled down a contact list, it scrolled into a great black abyss that only filled with contacts after a few seconds. That wasn't what Microsoft showed in its demo, of course – and remember, this software is ten months from launch.
On the other hand, if it actually performs properly, WP7 has the intangibles that Microsoft phones have lacked for years. It's fun to explore. The interface makes sense. It's easy to find the things you need. Nothing is buried. It uses the power of a mobile computer to put important information at the fore – possibly even more immediately than the iPhone.
Microsoft stayed coy about the hardware requirements, saying that more would come out at the MIX developer conference in mid-March. But it's pretty obvious that old Windows Mobile software won't run on this phone, as the user interfaces have zero in common. Microsoft also said Qualcomm would supply chipsets for the first set of WP7 phones, while specifically neglecting to mention Nvidia.
All WP7 phones will have five hardware buttons: back, home, search, camera, and power. The prototype I saw had a capacitive touch screen, both front and rear facing camera, and no QWERTY keyboard. Microsoft said that the company will allow OEMs to design their own slide-out QWERTY keyboards – though BlackBerry-like candybar-style phones with keyboards are a no-go.
"The phones will be owned by OEMs, and you'll see different form factors and choices," Woodman said.
Microsoft also left multitasking a mystery, saying only that "music will play in the background." Once again, there are more details to come at MIX.
Windows Phone 7 is pretty amazing. But it still has ten months before launch – and we're going to see a bunch of competing upgrades between now and then. With iPhone 4, Symbian^3 and who-knows-what from Google appearing this summer and fall, the question isn't whether WP7 is amazing for February 2010. It's whether it will still be amazing in December.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Microsoft Unloads Massive Patch to Users
Microsoft released a record fourteen security bulletins on Tuesday, eight of them with a maximum rating of Critical. In total, Microsoft fixed a record-tying total of thirty-four vulnerabilities.
One of the updates addresses a vulnerability report that was released by third parties several days ago. Another addresses a vulnerability disclosed long ago.
The eight critical updates include:
* MS10-049: Vulnerabilities in SChannel could allow Remote Code Execution—Two vulnerabilities are fixed in this update, one of them rather old and famous. CVE-2009-3555, the TLS/SSL Renegotiation Vulnerability was first disclosed late last year. This is a spoofing attack which could allow an attacker to insert traffic into a TLS session. The other bug is in SChannel, in the client validation of certificate requests. On Windows XP and Server 2003 a malicious web site could cause remote code execution in the client.
* MS10-051: Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services Could Allow Remote Code Execution— Version 3.0 of Microsoft XML Core Services 3.0 (the current version is 6.0) is vulnerable to a memory corruption error which could lead to remote code execution on all versions of Windows, but is only rated Critical on client versions.
* MS10-052: Vulnerability in Microsoft MPEG Layer-3 Codecs Could Allow Remote Code Execution—The DirectShow MP3 filter on Windows XP and Server 2003 could allow remote code execution through a malicious audio file.
* MS10-053: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer—6 vulnerabilities are fixed in this update to IE. All versions on all platforms have at least one critical vulnerability fixed in this update.
* MS10-054: Vulnerabilities in SMB Server Could Allow Remote Code Execution—This update fixes 3 vulnerability, the first of which (CVE-2010-2550) is much more severe and interesting than the others, which only allow denial of service. CVE-2010-2550 allows remote code execution through unauthenticated network attack on Windows XP, Server 2003, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. On Vista and Windows Server 2008 it only allows elevation of privilege. Firewalls would normally block SMB packets, certainly unsolicited ones, from the outside, but an infected system inside the network might be able to attack peers. In Vista and Windows 7, if the network profile is set to "Public" the system is not affected. Microsoft does state that only inconsistent exploit code is likely, and that "Exploitation is more likely to result in a denial of service rather than code execution."
* MS10-055: Vulnerability in Cinepak Codec Could Allow Remote Code Execution—The Cinepak codec on client versions of Windows has a remote code execution vulnerability in the decompression of some files.
* MS10-056: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution—4 vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word affect all versions, including viewers, except for Office 2010. Strangely, only Word 2007 is rated Critical.
* MS10-060: Vulnerabilities in the Microsoft .NET Common Language Runtime and in Microsoft Silverlight Could Allow Remote Code Execution—Vulnerabilities in Silverlight have been rare. This update includes one which affects some versions of Silverlight and another which affects both Silverlight and some versions of.NET..
6 of the updates have a maximum rating of Important:
* MS10-047: Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—Three vulnerabilities could result in a denial of service on the most recent versions of Windows or an elevation of privilege on most earlier ones.
* MS10-048: Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—4 Privilege elevation vulnerabilities and one DOS in Win32K affect all versions of Windows. This appears to cover the same vulnerability disclosed a few days ago.
* MS10-050: Vulnerability in Windows Movie Maker Could Allow Remote Code Execution—Windows Movie Maker in Windows XP and Windows Vista is vulnerable to a remote code execution bug through specially-crafted project files. Windows Live Movie Maker is unaffected.
* MS10-057: Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution—Several versions of Excel, including XP, 2003, Mac 2004, 2008, and the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac are vulnerable to a memory corruption vulnerability with remote code execution through specially-crafted Excel files. Works 9, Excel 2007 and more recent products are not affected.
* MS10-058: Vulnerabilities in TCP/IP Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—Two elevation of privilege bugs affect Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and R2.
* MS10-059: Vulnerabilities in the Tracing Feature for Services Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—Two elevation of privilege bugs affect Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and R2. For reasons undisclosed, one is rated more severe than the other.
Several of the usual non-security fixes were also released, including the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, Junk Mail Filter for Windows Mail and Compatibility List View for Internet Explorer. This is the malware being added to the MSRT:
One of the updates addresses a vulnerability report that was released by third parties several days ago. Another addresses a vulnerability disclosed long ago.
The eight critical updates include:
* MS10-049: Vulnerabilities in SChannel could allow Remote Code Execution—Two vulnerabilities are fixed in this update, one of them rather old and famous. CVE-2009-3555, the TLS/SSL Renegotiation Vulnerability was first disclosed late last year. This is a spoofing attack which could allow an attacker to insert traffic into a TLS session. The other bug is in SChannel, in the client validation of certificate requests. On Windows XP and Server 2003 a malicious web site could cause remote code execution in the client.
* MS10-051: Vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services Could Allow Remote Code Execution— Version 3.0 of Microsoft XML Core Services 3.0 (the current version is 6.0) is vulnerable to a memory corruption error which could lead to remote code execution on all versions of Windows, but is only rated Critical on client versions.
* MS10-052: Vulnerability in Microsoft MPEG Layer-3 Codecs Could Allow Remote Code Execution—The DirectShow MP3 filter on Windows XP and Server 2003 could allow remote code execution through a malicious audio file.
* MS10-053: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer—6 vulnerabilities are fixed in this update to IE. All versions on all platforms have at least one critical vulnerability fixed in this update.
* MS10-054: Vulnerabilities in SMB Server Could Allow Remote Code Execution—This update fixes 3 vulnerability, the first of which (CVE-2010-2550) is much more severe and interesting than the others, which only allow denial of service. CVE-2010-2550 allows remote code execution through unauthenticated network attack on Windows XP, Server 2003, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. On Vista and Windows Server 2008 it only allows elevation of privilege. Firewalls would normally block SMB packets, certainly unsolicited ones, from the outside, but an infected system inside the network might be able to attack peers. In Vista and Windows 7, if the network profile is set to "Public" the system is not affected. Microsoft does state that only inconsistent exploit code is likely, and that "Exploitation is more likely to result in a denial of service rather than code execution."
* MS10-055: Vulnerability in Cinepak Codec Could Allow Remote Code Execution—The Cinepak codec on client versions of Windows has a remote code execution vulnerability in the decompression of some files.
* MS10-056: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution—4 vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word affect all versions, including viewers, except for Office 2010. Strangely, only Word 2007 is rated Critical.
* MS10-060: Vulnerabilities in the Microsoft .NET Common Language Runtime and in Microsoft Silverlight Could Allow Remote Code Execution—Vulnerabilities in Silverlight have been rare. This update includes one which affects some versions of Silverlight and another which affects both Silverlight and some versions of.NET..
6 of the updates have a maximum rating of Important:
* MS10-047: Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—Three vulnerabilities could result in a denial of service on the most recent versions of Windows or an elevation of privilege on most earlier ones.
* MS10-048: Vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—4 Privilege elevation vulnerabilities and one DOS in Win32K affect all versions of Windows. This appears to cover the same vulnerability disclosed a few days ago.
* MS10-050: Vulnerability in Windows Movie Maker Could Allow Remote Code Execution—Windows Movie Maker in Windows XP and Windows Vista is vulnerable to a remote code execution bug through specially-crafted project files. Windows Live Movie Maker is unaffected.
* MS10-057: Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution—Several versions of Excel, including XP, 2003, Mac 2004, 2008, and the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac are vulnerable to a memory corruption vulnerability with remote code execution through specially-crafted Excel files. Works 9, Excel 2007 and more recent products are not affected.
* MS10-058: Vulnerabilities in TCP/IP Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—Two elevation of privilege bugs affect Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and R2.
* MS10-059: Vulnerabilities in the Tracing Feature for Services Could Allow Elevation of Privilege—Two elevation of privilege bugs affect Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and R2. For reasons undisclosed, one is rated more severe than the other.
Several of the usual non-security fixes were also released, including the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, Junk Mail Filter for Windows Mail and Compatibility List View for Internet Explorer. This is the malware being added to the MSRT:
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Microsoft Offers Free NGO Licenses Amidst Russian Raids
Microsoft on Monday said it would fundamentally alter the way it provides software licenses to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) after a newspaper article accused Russian authorities of raiding the offices of anti-government organizations under the auspices of Microsoft piracy crackdowns.
Microsoft pledged to create a new, unilateral software license for NGOs that will ensure they all have free, legal copies of the company's products.
"We must accept responsibility and assume accountability for our anti-piracy work, including the good and the bad," Brad Smith, senior vice president and Microsoft general counsel, wrote in a blog post.
Smith's post came after The New York Times published an article on Sunday that said Russian authorities were raiding the offices of organizations participating in anti-government activity. Baikal Environmental Wave, for example, was organizing protests against government plans to re-open a paper factory that had polluted a nearby lake. Police officers recently stormed the group's office and seized their computers, but said they were there to search for pirated Microsoft software.
The Times said Microsoft backed the police activity in an effort to crack down on piracy.
"Whatever the circumstances of the particular cases The New York Times described, we want to be clear that we unequivocally abhor any attempt to leverage intellectual property rights to stifle political advocacy or pursue improper personal gain," Smith wrote Monday. "We are moving swiftly to seek to remove any incentive or ability to engage in such behavior."
Microsoft was already examining this issue with the help of human rights advocates, Smith said, but is now accelerating those efforts in light of the Times article. Microsoft plans to retain an international law firm that has not been involved in the company's anti-piracy work to conduct an investigation and advise Microsoft on the steps it should take, according to Smith.
That investigation will take some time, however, so effectively immediately, Microsoft will create this new unilateral software license for NGOs, he said.
For years, Microsoft has donated software to NGOs, which they can use free of charge. Each NGO is entitled to six Microsoft software titles for use on up to 50 PCs, and they can obtain 300 new licenses every other year. Many NGOs, however, are unaware of the program or that donated software can be ordered through a Microsoft re-seller, Smith wrote.
"We'll make this new, non-transferable license applicable to NGOs in a number of countries, including in Russia," Smith said. "We will also make it available to appropriate journalists' organizations in order to include small newspapers and independent media. Because it's automatic, they won't need to take any steps to benefit from its terms."
These NGO licenses will be valid until 2012, by which time Microsoft hopes that participants will be made aware of its standard program and move over to that.
"Now our information will fully exonerate any qualifying NGO, by showing that it has a valid license to our software," Smith said.
To help NGOs through a potential legal minefield, Microsoft also said it will create a new NGO Legal Assistance Program, which will help NGOs present their case to authorities. Microsoft also said it will make its new policies available to the relevant Russian authorities, and make Microsoft contact information available to NGOs.
The company also pledged to crack down on people pretending to be Microsoft officials in order to extort money from those running illegal software. This includes a Web-based list of Microsoft's authorized counsel, which people can check against those claiming to be Microsoft staff.
"We aim to reduce the piracy and counterfeiting of software … [b]ut none of this should create a pretext for the inappropriate pursuit of NGOs, newspapers, or other participants in civil society," Smith concluded. "And we certainly don't want to contribute to any such effort, even inadvertently."
Microsoft pledged to create a new, unilateral software license for NGOs that will ensure they all have free, legal copies of the company's products.
"We must accept responsibility and assume accountability for our anti-piracy work, including the good and the bad," Brad Smith, senior vice president and Microsoft general counsel, wrote in a blog post.
Smith's post came after The New York Times published an article on Sunday that said Russian authorities were raiding the offices of organizations participating in anti-government activity. Baikal Environmental Wave, for example, was organizing protests against government plans to re-open a paper factory that had polluted a nearby lake. Police officers recently stormed the group's office and seized their computers, but said they were there to search for pirated Microsoft software.
The Times said Microsoft backed the police activity in an effort to crack down on piracy.
"Whatever the circumstances of the particular cases The New York Times described, we want to be clear that we unequivocally abhor any attempt to leverage intellectual property rights to stifle political advocacy or pursue improper personal gain," Smith wrote Monday. "We are moving swiftly to seek to remove any incentive or ability to engage in such behavior."
Microsoft was already examining this issue with the help of human rights advocates, Smith said, but is now accelerating those efforts in light of the Times article. Microsoft plans to retain an international law firm that has not been involved in the company's anti-piracy work to conduct an investigation and advise Microsoft on the steps it should take, according to Smith.
That investigation will take some time, however, so effectively immediately, Microsoft will create this new unilateral software license for NGOs, he said.
For years, Microsoft has donated software to NGOs, which they can use free of charge. Each NGO is entitled to six Microsoft software titles for use on up to 50 PCs, and they can obtain 300 new licenses every other year. Many NGOs, however, are unaware of the program or that donated software can be ordered through a Microsoft re-seller, Smith wrote.
"We'll make this new, non-transferable license applicable to NGOs in a number of countries, including in Russia," Smith said. "We will also make it available to appropriate journalists' organizations in order to include small newspapers and independent media. Because it's automatic, they won't need to take any steps to benefit from its terms."
These NGO licenses will be valid until 2012, by which time Microsoft hopes that participants will be made aware of its standard program and move over to that.
"Now our information will fully exonerate any qualifying NGO, by showing that it has a valid license to our software," Smith said.
To help NGOs through a potential legal minefield, Microsoft also said it will create a new NGO Legal Assistance Program, which will help NGOs present their case to authorities. Microsoft also said it will make its new policies available to the relevant Russian authorities, and make Microsoft contact information available to NGOs.
The company also pledged to crack down on people pretending to be Microsoft officials in order to extort money from those running illegal software. This includes a Web-based list of Microsoft's authorized counsel, which people can check against those claiming to be Microsoft staff.
"We aim to reduce the piracy and counterfeiting of software … [b]ut none of this should create a pretext for the inappropriate pursuit of NGOs, newspapers, or other participants in civil society," Smith concluded. "And we certainly don't want to contribute to any such effort, even inadvertently."
Saturday, January 22, 2011
SXSW: Digg.com Teases Ambitious New Version
AUSTIN, Texas - Digg.com's annual "shindiggs" have become something of an institution at SXSW Interactive here, but this year, Digg CEO Jay Adelson tried to slip a genuine product announcement into the evening's festivities.
Adelson took the stage at Stubbs BBQ and announced Digg's bold new vision for the future in front of hundreds of attendees. The details were hard to make out over the crowd noise, but it seems like Digg is going to deliver more personal feeds, allow every key term to be a Digg category, and let users vote up stories without directly logging into the service.
Adelson said the new Digg is "five years in the making" and the project certainly seems ambitious enough. This new model could allow Digg to rate millions of articles every day, creating a a traffic-shaping tool similar to Google's vaunted Page Rank, but determined by users instead of an algorithm. At the same time, Digg is going broad. Adelson also said Digg would be reinstating the leader-board for top users.
Adelson didn't say when the new site would be live, but if you go to new.digg.com, you can sign up for the alpha.
Adelson took the stage at Stubbs BBQ and announced Digg's bold new vision for the future in front of hundreds of attendees. The details were hard to make out over the crowd noise, but it seems like Digg is going to deliver more personal feeds, allow every key term to be a Digg category, and let users vote up stories without directly logging into the service.
Adelson said the new Digg is "five years in the making" and the project certainly seems ambitious enough. This new model could allow Digg to rate millions of articles every day, creating a a traffic-shaping tool similar to Google's vaunted Page Rank, but determined by users instead of an algorithm. At the same time, Digg is going broad. Adelson also said Digg would be reinstating the leader-board for top users.
Adelson didn't say when the new site would be live, but if you go to new.digg.com, you can sign up for the alpha.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Microsoft Advisory Tackles Unpatched IE Vulnerability
Microsoft has issued an advisory for an unpatched vulnerability affecting all versions of Internet Explorer on all platforms. The vulnerability could allow a malicious Web page to trigger a denial of service or remote code execution in the context of the IE user. Exploit code for the vulnerability has been published, but there are no reports yet of active exploits in the wild.
The vulnerability is of a type known as "use-after-free" and is in the CSharedStyleSheet::Notify function in the CSS parser in mshtml.dll. Multiple @import calls in the attack document trigger the vulnerability. It was first reported by wooyun.org.
The exploit bypasses Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) by taking advantage of a library it loads (mscorie.dll). This was not compiled with the /DYNAMICBASE option that enables ASLR and therefore loads predictably at the same address. Microsoft doesn't say why this, and apparently other libraries, weren't compiled with this option, but suggests that you use its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit to force all loaded DLLs to dynamically rebase. This change should make the exploits highly unlikely to succeed. A video on the Microsoft Web site demonstrates the process.
Microsoft also stresses that protected mode in Internet Explorer 7 and 8 on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 mitigate the vulnerability by limiting the privileges of attack code that succeeds in exploiting the vulnerability.
The vulnerability is of a type known as "use-after-free" and is in the CSharedStyleSheet::Notify function in the CSS parser in mshtml.dll. Multiple @import calls in the attack document trigger the vulnerability. It was first reported by wooyun.org.
The exploit bypasses Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) by taking advantage of a library it loads (mscorie.dll). This was not compiled with the /DYNAMICBASE option that enables ASLR and therefore loads predictably at the same address. Microsoft doesn't say why this, and apparently other libraries, weren't compiled with this option, but suggests that you use its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit to force all loaded DLLs to dynamically rebase. This change should make the exploits highly unlikely to succeed. A video on the Microsoft Web site demonstrates the process.
Microsoft also stresses that protected mode in Internet Explorer 7 and 8 on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 mitigate the vulnerability by limiting the privileges of attack code that succeeds in exploiting the vulnerability.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Microsoft Sues Motorola Over Android Phones
Microsoft on Friday sued Motorola for patent infringement relating to the company's Android-based smartphones.
Microsoft filed its complaint with the International Trade Commission and in a Washington state district court. At issue are nine patents that deal with, among others, sending and receiving e-mail on smartphones, managing calendars and contacts, and managing a phone's memory.
"Microsoft innovations at issue in this case help make smartphones 'smart,'" Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, wrote in a blog post. "Indeed, our patents relate to key features that users have come to expect from every smartphone."
Gutierrez pointed to functionality that lets users send and receive e-mail on-the-go and get messages from multiple services in real-time. "Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync, a proprietary technology that we developed, makes this possible," he wrote.
Microsoft technology, he continued also "enables people to see their calendar and e-mail contacts on their phone, and to manage their calendar and contacts from whatever device they are using." Smartphones must also handle multiple apps at once, and manage memory efficiently, Gutierrez said.
"Microsoft's patented technologies tackle all of these challenges," he said.
Microsoft has been working on this technology for 30 years, he said. "It is imperative that companies address IP issues related to the software that makes possible this new class of devices. Our action today merely seeks to ensure respect for our intellectual property rights infringed by Android devices; and judging by the recent actions by Apple and Oracle, we are not alone in this respect."
Apple sued HTC in March for patent infringement, with some of the claims addressing the Android operating system. In August, Oracle sued Google over Android Java use.
"Motorola has not received a copy of the complaint, therefore we cannot comment at this point," Motorola said in a statement. "Motorola has a leading intellectual property portfolio, one of the strongest in the industry. The company will vigorously defend itself in this matter."
Microsoft filed its complaint with the International Trade Commission and in a Washington state district court. At issue are nine patents that deal with, among others, sending and receiving e-mail on smartphones, managing calendars and contacts, and managing a phone's memory.
"Microsoft innovations at issue in this case help make smartphones 'smart,'" Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, wrote in a blog post. "Indeed, our patents relate to key features that users have come to expect from every smartphone."
Gutierrez pointed to functionality that lets users send and receive e-mail on-the-go and get messages from multiple services in real-time. "Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync, a proprietary technology that we developed, makes this possible," he wrote.
Microsoft technology, he continued also "enables people to see their calendar and e-mail contacts on their phone, and to manage their calendar and contacts from whatever device they are using." Smartphones must also handle multiple apps at once, and manage memory efficiently, Gutierrez said.
"Microsoft's patented technologies tackle all of these challenges," he said.
Microsoft has been working on this technology for 30 years, he said. "It is imperative that companies address IP issues related to the software that makes possible this new class of devices. Our action today merely seeks to ensure respect for our intellectual property rights infringed by Android devices; and judging by the recent actions by Apple and Oracle, we are not alone in this respect."
Apple sued HTC in March for patent infringement, with some of the claims addressing the Android operating system. In August, Oracle sued Google over Android Java use.
"Motorola has not received a copy of the complaint, therefore we cannot comment at this point," Motorola said in a statement. "Motorola has a leading intellectual property portfolio, one of the strongest in the industry. The company will vigorously defend itself in this matter."
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Steve Jobs, Get Well Soon
Jobs is an important personality in the tech world, and I hope he is able to continue to run Apple and deliver more of his stellar presentations.
The above headline is a far cry from how many felt about Steve Jobs in the 1980's when his sheer genius was getting in the way of any effectiveness he had as a CEO. Maturity, marriage, and a clear vision changed a lot of things since then. He's now King Jobs.
His style is much the same as before, but the string of amazing successes at the company since his return as CEO has managed to temper the kind of criticism he was subject to 30 years back.
Above all, he is a character that is more important to the tech scene than he is to Apple. With the exception of Larry Ellison, most of the personalities who have a high enough profile to represent the industry are either semiconductor guys more interested in golf than anything else or awkward individuals like Mark Zuckerberg who appears to have no personality at all.
Right now, along with Larry Ellison, Jobs sets the standard for industry representatives who have charisma, personality, and something to say. It's the "something to say" part that we need the most.
While Jobs has flaws like every other CEO in the world, he's not about to start biting his tongue when it comes to telling it like it is. He's say what he thinks and acts upon his thoughts too. Unlike almost every other CEO of his stature, he has a sense of show business.
The Jobs public presentations are far superior to anything you've ever seen by a CEO except for the crazy stuff you see once in a while by a CEO who likes to jump out of a cake or fly in on a rope. Jobs actually has stage presence. He uses the drama of his own personality to get attention. That isn't easy. It takes the skills of a great stage actor.
These presentations began during the rollout of the Macintosh and continued to improve over time. He knew enough to pack the audience with employees who adored him and would whoop it up on cue, looking like the raucous audience in a Betty Boop cartoon. The media was always positioned in such a way that they didn't quite realize that it was an audience of shills. Pretty soon, they were on board, and they were clapping and hooting too. I've never seen anything quite like it.
The only gimmick that I know of was at Mac World New York in 1999 when Noah Wyle came out as Steve Jobs. Wyle at the time was a dead ringer for Jobs and had just finished playing him in the Pirates of Silicon Valley movie. I didn't get to see this event live, but it was quite hilarious on video. And a rare gimmick. The fact is Jobs doesn't need gimmicks.
We all know of Jobs' health issues, and he hasn't looked his old self for a few years. If he has to retire for health purposes, I wish him well. But, to be honest, I'd rather hope he returns to become his old self again and things fall into place. Jobs will be 56 in February, and I'd like to personally see him in charge of Apple for another decade whether he takes my calls or not.
Hopefully, Jobs is just taking a mini-vacation to recuperate from the day-to-day hassles.
The above headline is a far cry from how many felt about Steve Jobs in the 1980's when his sheer genius was getting in the way of any effectiveness he had as a CEO. Maturity, marriage, and a clear vision changed a lot of things since then. He's now King Jobs.
His style is much the same as before, but the string of amazing successes at the company since his return as CEO has managed to temper the kind of criticism he was subject to 30 years back.
Above all, he is a character that is more important to the tech scene than he is to Apple. With the exception of Larry Ellison, most of the personalities who have a high enough profile to represent the industry are either semiconductor guys more interested in golf than anything else or awkward individuals like Mark Zuckerberg who appears to have no personality at all.
Right now, along with Larry Ellison, Jobs sets the standard for industry representatives who have charisma, personality, and something to say. It's the "something to say" part that we need the most.
While Jobs has flaws like every other CEO in the world, he's not about to start biting his tongue when it comes to telling it like it is. He's say what he thinks and acts upon his thoughts too. Unlike almost every other CEO of his stature, he has a sense of show business.
The Jobs public presentations are far superior to anything you've ever seen by a CEO except for the crazy stuff you see once in a while by a CEO who likes to jump out of a cake or fly in on a rope. Jobs actually has stage presence. He uses the drama of his own personality to get attention. That isn't easy. It takes the skills of a great stage actor.
These presentations began during the rollout of the Macintosh and continued to improve over time. He knew enough to pack the audience with employees who adored him and would whoop it up on cue, looking like the raucous audience in a Betty Boop cartoon. The media was always positioned in such a way that they didn't quite realize that it was an audience of shills. Pretty soon, they were on board, and they were clapping and hooting too. I've never seen anything quite like it.
The only gimmick that I know of was at Mac World New York in 1999 when Noah Wyle came out as Steve Jobs. Wyle at the time was a dead ringer for Jobs and had just finished playing him in the Pirates of Silicon Valley movie. I didn't get to see this event live, but it was quite hilarious on video. And a rare gimmick. The fact is Jobs doesn't need gimmicks.
We all know of Jobs' health issues, and he hasn't looked his old self for a few years. If he has to retire for health purposes, I wish him well. But, to be honest, I'd rather hope he returns to become his old self again and things fall into place. Jobs will be 56 in February, and I'd like to personally see him in charge of Apple for another decade whether he takes my calls or not.
Hopefully, Jobs is just taking a mini-vacation to recuperate from the day-to-day hassles.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Google Docs Adds Video Player
Google on Friday added another nifty cloud feature to Google Docs: a video player. Rather than having to download a video and watch it in a separate player, you can now stream a video within your browser. But to do so, you'll need Flash installed in your device.
To begin, upload a video of up to 1GB to Google Docs in one of the following formats: Google's WebM (Vp8 codec and Vorbis Audio codec), .Mpeg4, 3GPP, MOV, .AVI, .MPEGPS, .WMV and .FLV. The maximum resolution for optimal playback is 1920x1080. Once you've uploaded your video, simply click on the file from your Documents list and it will start streaming in the Google Docs Video Player. Over at the Google Docs Blog, software engineer Patrick Lacz asked users to be patient with newly uploaded videos as they "may take some time to process before they are available for viewing." Furthermore, he warned, some videos uploaded last year have yet to be processed for viewing.
To begin, upload a video of up to 1GB to Google Docs in one of the following formats: Google's WebM (Vp8 codec and Vorbis Audio codec), .Mpeg4, 3GPP, MOV, .AVI, .MPEGPS, .WMV and .FLV. The maximum resolution for optimal playback is 1920x1080. Once you've uploaded your video, simply click on the file from your Documents list and it will start streaming in the Google Docs Video Player. Over at the Google Docs Blog, software engineer Patrick Lacz asked users to be patient with newly uploaded videos as they "may take some time to process before they are available for viewing." Furthermore, he warned, some videos uploaded last year have yet to be processed for viewing.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mcitp 70-680 Certification Exam
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You are not about to purchase a disposable product. 70-680 practice exam updates are supplied free of charge. Regardless of how soon you decide to take the actual 70-680 examination certification, you will be able to walk into the testing room as confident as the Certification Administration.
There are many online resources for preparing for the 70-680 exam. Read below to discover why Certkingdom is your premier source for practice tests, and true testing environment.
We are all well aware that a major problem in the MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration is that there is a lack of quality study materials. Our 70-680 Preparation Exam Material provides you everything you will need to take a certification examination. Details are researched and produced by Certification Experts who are constantly using industry experience to produce precise, logical for the answers. You may get questions from different web sites or books, but logic is the key.
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Generally, people may select to buy a 70-680 braindumps to pass the MCTS 70-680 Exam. Actually, There is no man selling the real 70-680 dumps of Microsoft 70-680 Exam, Microsoft is keeping updating the 70-680 Exam, so people can't pass the 70-680 Exam easily, Microsoft 70-680 Braindumps is not torward for the real 70-680 exam. In real MCTS 70-680 Exam, Microsoft is not only test the MC only, MCITP 70-680 Exam contain the lab question that is not possible to make for braindumps, but it is most importain to pass the exam, so we are not recommend to purchase the MCITP 70-680 dumps. Our services help the man who have enough experience(or 70-680 Training) but seeking the way to get MCSE exams passed. Or any SME who is willing to get MCTS 70-680 or MCITP 70-680 to get any Microsoft product discount.
Our 70-680 practice exams and study questions are composed by current and active Information Technology experts, who use their experience in preparing you for your future in IT.
Commitment to Your Success:
At Certkingdom.com we are committed to you ongoing success. Our exams and questions are constantly being updated and compared to industry standards.
You are not about to purchase a disposable product. 70-680 practice exam updates are supplied free of charge. Regardless of how soon you decide to take the actual 70-680 examination certification, you will be able to walk into the testing room as confident as the Certification Administration.
There are many online resources for preparing for the 70-680 exam. Read below to discover why Certkingdom is your premier source for practice tests, and true testing environment.
We are all well aware that a major problem in the MCTS: Windows 7, Configuration is that there is a lack of quality study materials. Our 70-680 Preparation Exam Material provides you everything you will need to take a certification examination. Details are researched and produced by Certification Experts who are constantly using industry experience to produce precise, logical for the answers. You may get questions from different web sites or books, but logic is the key.
1. Send us the enquiry email with your personal information (first name, last name, tel no and country), then we will reply you with all easy procedure steps to pass exams and Payment Information.
2. Send us the payment and you will get passed within 3 days.
3. Get Certified with Microsoft and you can continue the next test.
Generally, people may select to buy a 70-680 braindumps to pass the MCTS 70-680 Exam. Actually, There is no man selling the real 70-680 dumps of Microsoft 70-680 Exam, Microsoft is keeping updating the 70-680 Exam, so people can't pass the 70-680 Exam easily, Microsoft 70-680 Braindumps is not torward for the real 70-680 exam. In real MCTS 70-680 Exam, Microsoft is not only test the MC only, MCITP 70-680 Exam contain the lab question that is not possible to make for braindumps, but it is most importain to pass the exam, so we are not recommend to purchase the MCITP 70-680 dumps. Our services help the man who have enough experience(or 70-680 Training) but seeking the way to get MCSE exams passed. Or any SME who is willing to get MCTS 70-680 or MCITP 70-680 to get any Microsoft product discount.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Search Engine News
The DOJ is reportedly drafting a lawsuit to block Google's $700 million bid for ITA Software. This is good news for the FairSearch.org group, which wants the deal nixed.
Google's $700 million acquisition of ITA Software may be halted by the U.S. Justice Department, which is reportedly preparing for a possible antitrust lawsuit to put the kibosh on the deal.
ITA's software helps airlines, search engines and online travel companies organize flight information, including flight times, availability and prices.
Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the Justice Department has yet to decide whether to bless or block the deal, which would give Google access to data to improve its air travel and fare-search results.
The Wall Street Journal said the DOJ could decide whether to bless or block the deal this month or in February.
The search engine triggered preparation for the government's possible lawsuit last month by invoking a provision of federal law that forces the government to decide within 30 days whether to challenge the deal.
Such a move is common in the industry where companies fear regulatory scrutiny is not moving quickly enough. Google bid to buy ITA last July 1, and the DOJ filed a second request for information about the deal in August.
Any wheel-greasing for the deal was slowed in October, when Expedia, Sabre Holdings, Kayak, Farelogix and their associated brands formed the FairSearch.org coalition to urge the DOJ to stop Google’s acquisition of ITA.
These companies, most of which pay ITA to use its data for their own travel-search services, fear that if Google gets ITA, it will become a travel-search powerhouse that will cut off their access to the valuable ITA data, or jack up fees to license the data.
Google has promised to honor all existing agreements and continue to work with companies if the deal is consummated.
When asked about the DOJ's lawsuit preparation, a Google spokesperson said: "While we continue to cooperate with the Justice Departments review, we are ultimately confident that this acquisition will increase competition," a Google spokesperson told eWEEK.
Tom Barnett, counsel to FairSearch.org member Expedia, told eWEEK:
"We respect that the Department of Justice is working hard to conduct a thorough investigation. We remain very engaged in the process, and in our view, Google's proposed acquisition of ITA presents a serious threat of harm to competition and consumers. Combining Google's online search dominance with ITA's flight-search dominance would position Google to undermine competition across the online travel search industry."
Barnett and Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich debated the matter for CNN Dec. 29.
Google has been down this regulatory road before. In 2008, the DOJ blocked Google's offer to power search for Yahoo.
Google is also currently facing opposition abroad by the European Commission, which is investigating whether the company unfairly positions its own Web services on Google.com above search results of smaller rivals.
Google's $700 million acquisition of ITA Software may be halted by the U.S. Justice Department, which is reportedly preparing for a possible antitrust lawsuit to put the kibosh on the deal.
ITA's software helps airlines, search engines and online travel companies organize flight information, including flight times, availability and prices.
Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the Justice Department has yet to decide whether to bless or block the deal, which would give Google access to data to improve its air travel and fare-search results.
The Wall Street Journal said the DOJ could decide whether to bless or block the deal this month or in February.
The search engine triggered preparation for the government's possible lawsuit last month by invoking a provision of federal law that forces the government to decide within 30 days whether to challenge the deal.
Such a move is common in the industry where companies fear regulatory scrutiny is not moving quickly enough. Google bid to buy ITA last July 1, and the DOJ filed a second request for information about the deal in August.
Any wheel-greasing for the deal was slowed in October, when Expedia, Sabre Holdings, Kayak, Farelogix and their associated brands formed the FairSearch.org coalition to urge the DOJ to stop Google’s acquisition of ITA.
These companies, most of which pay ITA to use its data for their own travel-search services, fear that if Google gets ITA, it will become a travel-search powerhouse that will cut off their access to the valuable ITA data, or jack up fees to license the data.
Google has promised to honor all existing agreements and continue to work with companies if the deal is consummated.
When asked about the DOJ's lawsuit preparation, a Google spokesperson said: "While we continue to cooperate with the Justice Departments review, we are ultimately confident that this acquisition will increase competition," a Google spokesperson told eWEEK.
Tom Barnett, counsel to FairSearch.org member Expedia, told eWEEK:
"We respect that the Department of Justice is working hard to conduct a thorough investigation. We remain very engaged in the process, and in our view, Google's proposed acquisition of ITA presents a serious threat of harm to competition and consumers. Combining Google's online search dominance with ITA's flight-search dominance would position Google to undermine competition across the online travel search industry."
Barnett and Google spokesman Adam Kovacevich debated the matter for CNN Dec. 29.
Google has been down this regulatory road before. In 2008, the DOJ blocked Google's offer to power search for Yahoo.
Google is also currently facing opposition abroad by the European Commission, which is investigating whether the company unfairly positions its own Web services on Google.com above search results of smaller rivals.
Google Closed 2010 with 66.6% Search Share
Google finished 2010 with 66.6 percent share, up from 66.2 percent in November, comScore said. Microsoft Bing held 12 percent, while Yahoo fell to 16 percent, its lowest total in years.
Google completed the 2010 campaign with 66.6 percent search share, tying its highest ever stake in the market as rivals Yahoo and Microsoft Bing failed to make headway versus the leader.
ComScore said Jan. 14 Google's share was up from 66.2 percent in November. Microsoft grew search share to 12 percent from 11.8 percent, while Yahoo, whose search and search ads have been powered by Bing since August, dropped to 16 percent from 16.4 percent.
These comScore numbers counted explicit core search, where users hit enter on a result or clicks on an organic or paid result, a refinement link or on a vertical search tab.
The researcher in August split its metrics into explicit core search and core search buckets to distinguish between traditional clicks and those automatically sustained by slideshows and contextual shortcuts.
Together, Yahoo and Bing finished 2010 with 28 percent share combined, well less than half of Google's plot in the market.
Bing's rise from 8 percent in May 2009 to 12 percent through December 2010 is a solid achievement considering Microsoft's search reputation to that point.
The company has rolled out some impressive innovations in 2010, including tapping Facebook to integrate social network results and user "likes."
Google also upgraded its search in 2010, rolling out its Google Instant predictive search technology to surface results as users type their queries.
It's clear Google's search kingdom has yet to be threatened by Bing or even Facebook.
However, industry experts believe that could change in 2011, as Facebook's nearly 600 million users are spending more time on the social network than ever.
That could either mean less time spent searching on Google, or more time spent on the Web.
Google completed the 2010 campaign with 66.6 percent search share, tying its highest ever stake in the market as rivals Yahoo and Microsoft Bing failed to make headway versus the leader.
ComScore said Jan. 14 Google's share was up from 66.2 percent in November. Microsoft grew search share to 12 percent from 11.8 percent, while Yahoo, whose search and search ads have been powered by Bing since August, dropped to 16 percent from 16.4 percent.
These comScore numbers counted explicit core search, where users hit enter on a result or clicks on an organic or paid result, a refinement link or on a vertical search tab.
The researcher in August split its metrics into explicit core search and core search buckets to distinguish between traditional clicks and those automatically sustained by slideshows and contextual shortcuts.
Together, Yahoo and Bing finished 2010 with 28 percent share combined, well less than half of Google's plot in the market.
Bing's rise from 8 percent in May 2009 to 12 percent through December 2010 is a solid achievement considering Microsoft's search reputation to that point.
The company has rolled out some impressive innovations in 2010, including tapping Facebook to integrate social network results and user "likes."
Google also upgraded its search in 2010, rolling out its Google Instant predictive search technology to surface results as users type their queries.
It's clear Google's search kingdom has yet to be threatened by Bing or even Facebook.
However, industry experts believe that could change in 2011, as Facebook's nearly 600 million users are spending more time on the social network than ever.
That could either mean less time spent searching on Google, or more time spent on the Web.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory
70-297 test prepares you for various job roles, which include: systems engineer, systems administrator, network administrator, information systems administrator, technical support engineers, systems analysts, network analysts and technical consultants. If you would like to know more about the MCSE Certification Design Active Directory 70-297 test please visit the Microsoft website.
This 70-297 exam is appropriate for you if you are working or want to work in a typically complex computing environment of medium-to-large organizations. There are no specific prerequisites for this test, although it is recommended that you should have at least one year of experience in implementing and administering network operating systems in network environments.
Now you don't need to spend your time and money searching for 70-297 study materials, 70-297 books, 70-297 PDF, etc. This 70-297 tutorial kit contains everything you need to get certified. Just follow the instructions, focus on the MCSE Exams and getting certified will be easy.
Generally speaking, the duration of 70-297 exams is approximately 120 minutes. But please remember that the time varies from one exam to another, but it will not exceed four hours under normal circumstances. In addition to answering the exam questions, you will have time to review instructions and provide comments after the exam is completed. To request the duration of your exam, contact Prometric, the Microsoft Learning test provider; however, because Microsoft reserves the right to change the exam content and time at any time.
What is the total mark or what is the passing score for 70-297?
Generally speaking, we need at least 700 scores to pass 70-297 exam.And the maximum score is 1000 ,however there have been a few people on various forums who have said that they've scored over 1000. To be sure, you should get 70% of the maximum score. And the Microsoft said that the maximum score on the free Cisco practice tests exams would vary depending on the complexity of the skills being measured.
This 70-297 exam is appropriate for you if you are working or want to work in a typically complex computing environment of medium-to-large organizations. There are no specific prerequisites for this test, although it is recommended that you should have at least one year of experience in implementing and administering network operating systems in network environments.
Now you don't need to spend your time and money searching for 70-297 study materials, 70-297 books, 70-297 PDF, etc. This 70-297 tutorial kit contains everything you need to get certified. Just follow the instructions, focus on the MCSE Exams and getting certified will be easy.
Generally speaking, the duration of 70-297 exams is approximately 120 minutes. But please remember that the time varies from one exam to another, but it will not exceed four hours under normal circumstances. In addition to answering the exam questions, you will have time to review instructions and provide comments after the exam is completed. To request the duration of your exam, contact Prometric, the Microsoft Learning test provider; however, because Microsoft reserves the right to change the exam content and time at any time.
What is the total mark or what is the passing score for 70-297?
Generally speaking, we need at least 700 scores to pass 70-297 exam.And the maximum score is 1000 ,however there have been a few people on various forums who have said that they've scored over 1000. To be sure, you should get 70% of the maximum score. And the Microsoft said that the maximum score on the free Cisco practice tests exams would vary depending on the complexity of the skills being measured.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Develop secure software using the Microsoft SDL process
Microsoft has put its first-hand knowledge of dealing with buggy software to very good use by releasing the Trustworthy Computing Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) to the general public. The document is based on the same process used internally at Microsoft.
The Microsoft SDL documents a process for developing secure software that can withstand attacks. It works in conjunction with the usual software development cycle, so security is a consideration throughout the development process.
Principles
If you adhere to the following principles in the Microsoft SDL, you should be on your way to reducing and mitigating security holes.
* Mandatory education: This involves the education on the many facets of building secure applications. In addition, you must continue to stay abreast of industry developments regarding security. The net effect is fewer security bugs up front since the code is developed with security in mind.
* Design decisions based on threat models: The various ways an application may be attacked are considered during application design, thus thwarting such threats. The net effect is fewer security design bugs up front.
* Do not use known insecure APIs: Only secure APIs are used in the building of an application, thus avoiding introducing bugs via the APIs. The net effect is fewer security bugs up front.
* Static analysis tools: The use of static analysis code scanning tools allows you to discover issues that may be missed during design and development. The net effect is fewer security bugs in the code.
* Avoid known weak crypto primitives and key lengths: You should only use robust crypto elements to avoid possible security breaches once an application is deployed.
* Tool requirements: The Microsoft SDL includes an appendix that defines requirements for tools used in the development of applications. This includes compiler and linker requirements and provides extra defenses, in case you miss a bug.
* Employ fuzz testing: Fuzz testing is a technique that provides random data to program inputs. If the program fails, the defects are noted. This allows you to discover bugs that may be introduced during development before a product ships.
* Code review: Inter- and intra-team code review is used to ensure solid code is created that addresses all security issues.
* Metrics: Metrics are used by every product team to measure security flaws. These measurements are used to manage the process.
The application of these principles is performed in the many phases that comprise the Microsoft SDL.
Phases
The Microsoft SDL is divided into phases that may be mapped onto the software development lifecycle. The Microsoft SDL phases include the following:
* Requirements: Security considerations are a key component of the initial design of an application. Developer education ensures the necessary knowledge in this phase. Microsoft has a central security team, with members of this team assigned to projects to advise on security issues.
* Design: The security architecture is created in this phase. Also, possible attacks and threats are documented to ensure they are considered during development.
* Implementation: The application is coded and tested in this phase, while security flaws are discovered and removed.
* Verification: The software is delivered to users as a beta version. Usage during this phase may yield more security flaws, which will be addressed before final shipment.
* Release: The software is released to the user community. Before release, a final security review is performed to ensure it is ready for release.
* Support and Servicing: After it is released, security vulnerabilities may still arise. Any bugs must be addressed and recognized in timely manner.
These phases offer a blueprint for developing secure applications, but you may choose to adapt one or all phases of the Microsoft SDL to fit your environment.
Guidance
A key point with the Microsoft SDL is that it is a guide. That is, it spells out how security can be an integral aspect of software development, but it is language and platform agnostic, so you can take it and apply it to any software development environment and team. However, the appendices in the Microsoft SDL document do provide information on tools that may be used, and these tools focus on the Windows platform.
A proactive approach
The use of the Microsoft SDL during application development may seem like a no-brainer, but developers often avoid such considerations when they’re concentrating on meeting project requirements.
With the release of the Microsoft SDL, Microsoft provides a process that coincides with the software development life cycle. This makes it easy to apply to existing processes to deliver secure applications.
Download the Microsoft SDL document and make it a part of your development process today. For more in-depth information, read The Software Development Lifecycle by Michael Howard and Steve Lipner. I also recommend taking a look at the MSDN Security Development Lifecycle blog.
Do you plan to use the Microsoft SDL?
Is security a major component in your approach to software development? Will you utilize the Microsoft SDL? Share your thoughts with the Web Development community.
Tony Patton began his professional career as an application developer earning Java, VB, Lotus, and XML certifications to bolster his knowledge.
The Microsoft SDL documents a process for developing secure software that can withstand attacks. It works in conjunction with the usual software development cycle, so security is a consideration throughout the development process.
Principles
If you adhere to the following principles in the Microsoft SDL, you should be on your way to reducing and mitigating security holes.
* Mandatory education: This involves the education on the many facets of building secure applications. In addition, you must continue to stay abreast of industry developments regarding security. The net effect is fewer security bugs up front since the code is developed with security in mind.
* Design decisions based on threat models: The various ways an application may be attacked are considered during application design, thus thwarting such threats. The net effect is fewer security design bugs up front.
* Do not use known insecure APIs: Only secure APIs are used in the building of an application, thus avoiding introducing bugs via the APIs. The net effect is fewer security bugs up front.
* Static analysis tools: The use of static analysis code scanning tools allows you to discover issues that may be missed during design and development. The net effect is fewer security bugs in the code.
* Avoid known weak crypto primitives and key lengths: You should only use robust crypto elements to avoid possible security breaches once an application is deployed.
* Tool requirements: The Microsoft SDL includes an appendix that defines requirements for tools used in the development of applications. This includes compiler and linker requirements and provides extra defenses, in case you miss a bug.
* Employ fuzz testing: Fuzz testing is a technique that provides random data to program inputs. If the program fails, the defects are noted. This allows you to discover bugs that may be introduced during development before a product ships.
* Code review: Inter- and intra-team code review is used to ensure solid code is created that addresses all security issues.
* Metrics: Metrics are used by every product team to measure security flaws. These measurements are used to manage the process.
The application of these principles is performed in the many phases that comprise the Microsoft SDL.
Phases
The Microsoft SDL is divided into phases that may be mapped onto the software development lifecycle. The Microsoft SDL phases include the following:
* Requirements: Security considerations are a key component of the initial design of an application. Developer education ensures the necessary knowledge in this phase. Microsoft has a central security team, with members of this team assigned to projects to advise on security issues.
* Design: The security architecture is created in this phase. Also, possible attacks and threats are documented to ensure they are considered during development.
* Implementation: The application is coded and tested in this phase, while security flaws are discovered and removed.
* Verification: The software is delivered to users as a beta version. Usage during this phase may yield more security flaws, which will be addressed before final shipment.
* Release: The software is released to the user community. Before release, a final security review is performed to ensure it is ready for release.
* Support and Servicing: After it is released, security vulnerabilities may still arise. Any bugs must be addressed and recognized in timely manner.
These phases offer a blueprint for developing secure applications, but you may choose to adapt one or all phases of the Microsoft SDL to fit your environment.
Guidance
A key point with the Microsoft SDL is that it is a guide. That is, it spells out how security can be an integral aspect of software development, but it is language and platform agnostic, so you can take it and apply it to any software development environment and team. However, the appendices in the Microsoft SDL document do provide information on tools that may be used, and these tools focus on the Windows platform.
A proactive approach
The use of the Microsoft SDL during application development may seem like a no-brainer, but developers often avoid such considerations when they’re concentrating on meeting project requirements.
With the release of the Microsoft SDL, Microsoft provides a process that coincides with the software development life cycle. This makes it easy to apply to existing processes to deliver secure applications.
Download the Microsoft SDL document and make it a part of your development process today. For more in-depth information, read The Software Development Lifecycle by Michael Howard and Steve Lipner. I also recommend taking a look at the MSDN Security Development Lifecycle blog.
Do you plan to use the Microsoft SDL?
Is security a major component in your approach to software development? Will you utilize the Microsoft SDL? Share your thoughts with the Web Development community.
Tony Patton began his professional career as an application developer earning Java, VB, Lotus, and XML certifications to bolster his knowledge.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
70-297 Test Prepares
This 70-297 exam of mcse certification consists of Multiple Choice, Hot Area, Drag, and Drop, Build list and reorder, and Build a Tree questions. The MCSE 2003 can be adaptive and simulation questions might be asked. This test includes Case study type questions. You will be required to attempt approximately 50 questions in 150 minutes. To pass, you need a score of 700.To know more about this exam please read the following : Everything you want to know about 70-297 exam. Download 70-297 practice test.
How to prepare for Windows 2003 Design Active Directory exam?
The exam guide for the Microsoft Windows 2003 Design Active Directory test measures an individual's ability to analyze the business requirements and to design a directory service architecture including unified directory services, such as Active Directory and Windows NT/2000 domains connectivity between and within systems, system components, and applications data replication, such as directory replication and database replication. In addition, the 70-297 test measures the skills required for analyzing the business and technical requirements for desktop management, designing a solution for desktop management that meets business requirements, designing a directory service architecture, and designing service locations.By using Certkingdom 70-297 free test practice, you must be able to pass the exam and provide yourself with better job opportunities. Before taking the MCSE Exams, you should practice the following:
Create sites
Install and configure DNS
Make a Windows 2003 domain-based network of two computers. Install Windows Server 2003 with Active Directory on one computer and Windows XP/2000 Professional on the second computer and join the existing domain.
This 70-297 exam is appropriate for you if you are working or want to work in a typically complex computing environment of medium-to-large organizations. There are no specific prerequisites for this test, although it is recommended that you should have at least one year of experience in implementing and administering network operating systems in network environments.
Now you don't need to spend your time and money searching for 70-297 study materials, 70-297 books, 70-297 PDF, etc., this 70-297 tutorial kit contains everything free Microsoft practice IT questions you need to get certified. Just follow the instructions, focus on the 70-297 study material and getting certified will be easy.
How to prepare for Windows 2003 Design Active Directory exam?
The exam guide for the Microsoft Windows 2003 Design Active Directory test measures an individual's ability to analyze the business requirements and to design a directory service architecture including unified directory services, such as Active Directory and Windows NT/2000 domains connectivity between and within systems, system components, and applications data replication, such as directory replication and database replication. In addition, the 70-297 test measures the skills required for analyzing the business and technical requirements for desktop management, designing a solution for desktop management that meets business requirements, designing a directory service architecture, and designing service locations.By using Certkingdom 70-297 free test practice, you must be able to pass the exam and provide yourself with better job opportunities. Before taking the MCSE Exams, you should practice the following:
Create sites
Install and configure DNS
Make a Windows 2003 domain-based network of two computers. Install Windows Server 2003 with Active Directory on one computer and Windows XP/2000 Professional on the second computer and join the existing domain.
This 70-297 exam is appropriate for you if you are working or want to work in a typically complex computing environment of medium-to-large organizations. There are no specific prerequisites for this test, although it is recommended that you should have at least one year of experience in implementing and administering network operating systems in network environments.
Now you don't need to spend your time and money searching for 70-297 study materials, 70-297 books, 70-297 PDF, etc., this 70-297 tutorial kit contains everything free Microsoft practice IT questions you need to get certified. Just follow the instructions, focus on the 70-297 study material and getting certified will be easy.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Get IT Done: Projects go smoother with Microsoft Project Workgroup features
Background issues
Before deciding to implement the Microsoft Project Workgroup features, you should review these two key underlying issues.
OS/mail client compatibility: Workgroup features can be used on any Windows platform from 95 through XP. Team members don’t need to have the full Microsoft Project client installed, and the Workgroup features work with many e-mail programs, including Outlook and Eudora. However, this function integrates best with Microsoft’s own e-mail system, Outlook. In fact, Microsoft Project tasks that are accepted via Outlook mail instantly integrate onto the user’s Outlook Tasks list.
Security: Workgroup features do not pose unique security vulnerabilities in and of themselves. However, these features do demand the same precautions you would take prior to installing any program that makes client systems open to information exchange via the Internet.
For example, these features should only be run on systems that have updated antivirus products. In addition, all users of the Workgroup features should be educated on handling file attachments.
Existing network security architecture may also pose a problem with running Microsoft Project Workgroup features seamlessly. Some organizations block users from running file attachments directly in their e-mail program. Users may get a warning or may not even see the file attachment. Project managers may have difficulty sending out messages because Workgroup features access your e-mail client’s address book, which existing security measures may erroneously detect as a virus at work.
The best way of dealing with these issues is to speak to your MIS department and walk them through how these features work. In most instances, there will be easy workarounds for security blocks without completely disabling them. If you are working with team members outside your organization, make sure you also let the MIS department know.
Setting up
Setting up Microsoft Project Workgroup features requires three primary steps:
1. Install and configure Microsoft Project Workgroup features on the project manager’s system that’s running Project 2000.
2. Distribute installation files and the short tutorial for Microsoft Project Workgroup features to team members.
3. Run a test scenario for Microsoft Project Workgroup features between the project manager and team members.
Installing Microsoft Project Workgroup features on the project manager's system
The steps for installing Microsoft Project Workgroup features on a project manager’s system are:
1. Locate the \WGSETUP folder on the Microsoft Project CD.
2. Click WGsetup.exe to install Project Workgroup features.
3. Click Continue to bypass the startup screen.
4. Type the username and organization in the appropriate fields and click OK.
5. Confirm the installation folder and then click OK. (Change the location for installation if you desire.)
6. Choose the Program Group in which the program icons will appear and then click Continue.
7. Click OK to confirm the successful installation of Project Workgroup features.
Configure Microsoft Project Workgroup features on project manager's system
Only two setup features are mandatory for using workgroup features. First, you need to confirm that e-mail is the default method for handling workgroup messages. The steps are:
1. Open a Microsoft Project file for which you will use the workgroup features.
2. Access Tools | Options and then click the Workgroup tab.
3. Make sure that Email is indicated in the Default Workgroup Messages field, then click OK to return to main Project window. (If you were to select Web in the Default Workgroup Messages field, you’d active the Project Central intranet functionality that we’ll discuss in our next installment.) See Figure A.
Figure A
Second, you need to identify the e-mail addresses for each team member. The most straightforward method is to use the Resource Sheet to type in each team member’s e-mail address.
1. Open the Resource Sheet from the View toolbar to the left of the main Project window.
2. Select the location on the Resource Sheet where you will insert the Email Address column (it will be to the left of the column you highlight).
3. Choose Column from the Insert menu, select the Email Address field from the list window, and click OK.
After adding the Email Address field to the Resources Sheet, enter the e-mail address for each team member in the appropriate cell, as illustrated in Figure B.
Figure B
You can also tell Project to access your e-mail client’s address book to select the correct e-mail profile. Using this method, if a user’s e-mail address is changed in the address book, the Project file will automatically update.
To enable this feature, access the Assign Resources dialog box from the toolbar, select a team member, and click the Address button. Project will prompt you through the selection process. Repeat this for each team member. (See Figure C.)
Figure C
The optional elements for configuring workgroup features are located in the Tools | Customize Workgroup dialog box, as shown in Figure D.
Figure D
From here, you can do the following:
* Customize the list of fields shown in workgroup messages. You can also indicate which ones the recipient can edit.
* Indicate how recipients will report work hours for each task: by day, by week, or for the entire period you have defined in the workgroup message.
* Indicate whether or not you want to track overtime hours.
* Indicate whether or not team members can decline tasks.
You should set all these properties for each project file. To cut down on some overhead, you can create an Microsoft Project template with the settings you prefer and use it for each new project.
Distributing workgroup installation files to team members
Once you have set up your Project file, most of your work is done. At this point, package the workgroup installation files from the Microsoft Project CD in a .zip file or other self-extracting archive. This file can be set via e-mail or placed on a Web/ftp site for team members to download and run on their client systems.
Testing workgroup features
I have used Project’s Workgroup features on several projects and have learned through trial and error that it’s best to run a test scenario to uncover any possible issues or questions. This test should involve the project manager, team members, and MIS if necessary. It involves sending out only a few workgroup messages, having team members respond, and taking note of any issues that arise.
You will not have to run this test for every project, but you might have to for any major elements that may change (e.g., working with different organizations, changes to e-mail/security configurations.) It may take a day or two to actually complete the whole drill, but if you don’t uncover any big issues, you will spend only a few minutes actually running the test.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Breaking down Microsoft exam 70-270
Microsoft has raised the bar with the microsoft exams and is attempting to make its certifications much more valuable in the industry. To pass exam 70-270, Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional, you must have an in-depth understanding of the broad topics discussed in this Daily Drill Down.
To prepare for this exam, I highly recommend using one of the many practice exam products available, such as the Exam Essentials practice module. While reading a book and getting hands-on experience will serve you well, actually being quizzed by the practice exam will definitely pay off when you're in the testing room.
Exam 70-270 is on the upper end of the difficulty scale, and you must be well prepared to pass it. It's not an impossible task, though, so with a good deal of studying and some experience, you'll soon be walking out of the testing center with a smile on your face because you have met the challenge and passed this exam.
Given the length of this exam, you'll need to be well versed in every facet of Windows XP Professional. I'm going to break MCP certification down into several broad categories, including installation, basic administration, hardware devices and drivers, monitoring and optimizing, configuring the desktop environment, network configuration, and security. I'll cover each of these categories in depth in the following sections.
Another type of installation is the unattended variety that employs an answer file created with either a text editor or the Setup Manager Wizard. Ensure that you're familiar with the five levels of user interaction, as well as with creating a Uniqueness Database File (UDF). This file is used in conjunction with the answer file, allowing you to perform many individual installations with a single answer file.
You'll be tested on installing Windows XP using the Remote Installation Services (RIS). You should also know the RIS client requirements and understand how to create a Remote Installation Preparation (RIPrep) image.
The final type of automated installation that you'll be challenged on is the System Preparation Tool, Sysprep.exe. Know the four modes that have been added under Windows XP and be very familiar with the Sysprep switches and their functions.
Other installation topics you might find covered by exam 70-270 include upgrading to Windows XP, uninstalling Windows XP, performing a dynamic update, and configuring dual-boot workstations. Pay special attention to troubleshooting installations and upgrades. Microsoft seems to free Cisco IT certification test questions along this line.
To prepare for this exam, I highly recommend using one of the many practice exam products available, such as the Exam Essentials practice module. While reading a book and getting hands-on experience will serve you well, actually being quizzed by the practice exam will definitely pay off when you're in the testing room.
Exam 70-270 is on the upper end of the difficulty scale, and you must be well prepared to pass it. It's not an impossible task, though, so with a good deal of studying and some experience, you'll soon be walking out of the testing center with a smile on your face because you have met the challenge and passed this exam.
Given the length of this exam, you'll need to be well versed in every facet of Windows XP Professional. I'm going to break MCP certification down into several broad categories, including installation, basic administration, hardware devices and drivers, monitoring and optimizing, configuring the desktop environment, network configuration, and security. I'll cover each of these categories in depth in the following sections.
Another type of installation is the unattended variety that employs an answer file created with either a text editor or the Setup Manager Wizard. Ensure that you're familiar with the five levels of user interaction, as well as with creating a Uniqueness Database File (UDF). This file is used in conjunction with the answer file, allowing you to perform many individual installations with a single answer file.
You'll be tested on installing Windows XP using the Remote Installation Services (RIS). You should also know the RIS client requirements and understand how to create a Remote Installation Preparation (RIPrep) image.
The final type of automated installation that you'll be challenged on is the System Preparation Tool, Sysprep.exe. Know the four modes that have been added under Windows XP and be very familiar with the Sysprep switches and their functions.
Other installation topics you might find covered by exam 70-270 include upgrading to Windows XP, uninstalling Windows XP, performing a dynamic update, and configuring dual-boot workstations. Pay special attention to troubleshooting installations and upgrades. Microsoft seems to free Cisco IT certification test questions along this line.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions about MCITP certificate
Q:Is there a re-certification policy for the MCITP certification 70-680 Exam?
A:We no longer require a "refresh" or re-certification of the MCITP certification within three years. To better meet our customers' needs, we now retire a certification when mainstream support for the related technology phases out. If you earned an MCITP certification before the policy change, no action is required—the updated policy applies to your certification, which will remain valid until mainstream support for the related technology ends.
Q:Does MCSA equate to MCITP: Server Administrator and does MCSE equate to MCITP: Enterprise Administrator?
A:No, not exactly. The MCITP on Windows Server 2008 certification requires a new skill set—in some cases, a more robust one—that differs from the skill set needed for MCSA and MCSE certifications.
MCITP: Server Administrator certification covers more operations-related job skills than the MCSA certification.
MCITP: Enterprise Administrator maps to an actual job role profile, whereas the MCSE certification does not. The latter combines technology and job skills.
Q:Are the MCTS and MCITP certifications replacing the MCSA and MCSE certifications?
A:No. The MCSA and MCSE certifications are not being replaced. There is no change to the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 tracks and certifications. The MCTS and MCITP certifications 70-680 are for Windows Server 2008.
Q:Am I a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) if I earn an MCITP certification?
A:Yes and no. The term MCP is used both as a general term for all Microsoft Certified Professionals and as the name of a certification. As an MCITP, you become part of the Microsoft Certified Professional community, with access to all related benefits, information, and activities. You do not earn a certification titled "MCP." You should use the MCITP certification on your resume and in business collateral, which indicates your specialty and shows that you are a member of the MCP community.
Q:How long will my certification be valid?
A:All Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) certifications retire when Microsoft discontinues mainstream support for the related technology.
After a certification retires, it still appears on your transcript but is listed as "inactive." In most cases, an upgrade path is available for people who have that certification, which allows them to demonstrate their skills on the newest version free MCITP PDF questions of the technology without completing all exams associated with the new certification. The following certifications will not be retired: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Applications Developer (MCAD).
A:We no longer require a "refresh" or re-certification of the MCITP certification within three years. To better meet our customers' needs, we now retire a certification when mainstream support for the related technology phases out. If you earned an MCITP certification before the policy change, no action is required—the updated policy applies to your certification, which will remain valid until mainstream support for the related technology ends.
Q:Does MCSA equate to MCITP: Server Administrator and does MCSE equate to MCITP: Enterprise Administrator?
A:No, not exactly. The MCITP on Windows Server 2008 certification requires a new skill set—in some cases, a more robust one—that differs from the skill set needed for MCSA and MCSE certifications.
MCITP: Server Administrator certification covers more operations-related job skills than the MCSA certification.
MCITP: Enterprise Administrator maps to an actual job role profile, whereas the MCSE certification does not. The latter combines technology and job skills.
Q:Are the MCTS and MCITP certifications replacing the MCSA and MCSE certifications?
A:No. The MCSA and MCSE certifications are not being replaced. There is no change to the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 tracks and certifications. The MCTS and MCITP certifications 70-680 are for Windows Server 2008.
Q:Am I a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) if I earn an MCITP certification?
A:Yes and no. The term MCP is used both as a general term for all Microsoft Certified Professionals and as the name of a certification. As an MCITP, you become part of the Microsoft Certified Professional community, with access to all related benefits, information, and activities. You do not earn a certification titled "MCP." You should use the MCITP certification on your resume and in business collateral, which indicates your specialty and shows that you are a member of the MCP community.
Q:How long will my certification be valid?
A:All Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) certifications retire when Microsoft discontinues mainstream support for the related technology.
After a certification retires, it still appears on your transcript but is listed as "inactive." In most cases, an upgrade path is available for people who have that certification, which allows them to demonstrate their skills on the newest version free MCITP PDF questions of the technology without completing all exams associated with the new certification. The following certifications will not be retired: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA), Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Applications Developer (MCAD).
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Prepare for MCTS: Windows Vista
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With Windows Vista, Microsoft has added some accoutrement while introducing absolutely fresh set of tools. For the exam, you will charge to apperceive accessibility accoutrement and affectionate control. Of course, back the advanced acceptance of IPv6 is appropriate about the corner, you will charge to apperceive how to configure IPv4 and IPv6. In addition, back wireless technology has become commonplace, you will charge to apperceive how to bureaucracy wireless connections.
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Sunday, January 2, 2011
Qualifying for the Microsoft 70-291 exam
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Saturday, January 1, 2011
Windows Vista Technology Specialist requirements of 70-620 Exam
The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) on Windows Vista credential is advised for advice technology (IT) professionals who plan in the circuitous accretion ambiance of average to ample companies. The MCTS applicant should accept at atomic one year of acquaintance in Tier 1 or Tier 2 buzz abutment in an high midsize alignment or action environment.
MCTS candidates should accept acquaintance absolute issues apropos arrangement connectivity, desktop operating systems, security, and applications. Their acquaintance should aswell cover acclamation logon problems, assuming countersign resets, and absolute a lot of issues with desktop applications.
Designed to advice abstraction for and canyon this important MCTS assay on the Vista operating arrangement on the way to MCITP status
Targeted to newcomers to Microsoft acceptance and humans who ambition to advancement their Windows 2003 MCSE/MCSA
THE absolute antecedent of assay day tips, techniques, and warnings not accessible from Microsoft
Comprehensive abstraction adviser guarantees 100% advantage of all Microsoft's assay objectives
Interactive FastTrack e-learning modules advice abridge difficult assay topics
Two full-function ExamDay convenance exams agreement bifold advantage of all assay objectives
Free download of audio FastTracks for use with iPods or added MP3 players
Certkingdom offers you a absolute acceptance analysis band-aid to advice you become microsoft exams professional. This acceptance alertness adviser comes with chargeless abstraction guide, sample questions and answers, pdf exam, braindumps and answers lab that accord you the acquaintance of absolute Microsoft Webaf Server-Side Application Development acceptance exam. This alertness kit aswell contains abstraction notes, 70-620 pdf, 70-620 download, 70-620 convenance analysis and 70-620 review.
One of the arresting appearance of Microsoft 70-620 Certkingdom is its appropriate absorption on applied ability of the candidates. For the purpose it offers 70-620 lab, which helps break all the lab problems of the candidates with attention to exam. With certkingdom Microsoft 70-620 test, you can acquisition all 70-620 answers with hundred percent achievement guarantee. The abstraction 70-620 Certkingdom has benefited a abundant amount of aspirants of 70-620 test. The acknowledgment by our barter can be apparent at our website. Many circuitous issues apropos 70-620 analysis accept been fabricated awfully simple with basic demonstrations, termed as 70-620 simulation. By analytic the convenance exams, you affected the abhorrence of 70-620 absolute assay and appropriately accomplish abiding a audible success. The Free practice exams for MCTS is, in fact, 70-620 training which enhances your abilities as an IT professional.
MCTS candidates should accept acquaintance absolute issues apropos arrangement connectivity, desktop operating systems, security, and applications. Their acquaintance should aswell cover acclamation logon problems, assuming countersign resets, and absolute a lot of issues with desktop applications.
Designed to advice abstraction for and canyon this important MCTS assay on the Vista operating arrangement on the way to MCITP status
Targeted to newcomers to Microsoft acceptance and humans who ambition to advancement their Windows 2003 MCSE/MCSA
THE absolute antecedent of assay day tips, techniques, and warnings not accessible from Microsoft
Comprehensive abstraction adviser guarantees 100% advantage of all Microsoft's assay objectives
Interactive FastTrack e-learning modules advice abridge difficult assay topics
Two full-function ExamDay convenance exams agreement bifold advantage of all assay objectives
Free download of audio FastTracks for use with iPods or added MP3 players
Certkingdom offers you a absolute acceptance analysis band-aid to advice you become microsoft exams professional. This acceptance alertness adviser comes with chargeless abstraction guide, sample questions and answers, pdf exam, braindumps and answers lab that accord you the acquaintance of absolute Microsoft Webaf Server-Side Application Development acceptance exam. This alertness kit aswell contains abstraction notes, 70-620 pdf, 70-620 download, 70-620 convenance analysis and 70-620 review.
One of the arresting appearance of Microsoft 70-620 Certkingdom is its appropriate absorption on applied ability of the candidates. For the purpose it offers 70-620 lab, which helps break all the lab problems of the candidates with attention to exam. With certkingdom Microsoft 70-620 test, you can acquisition all 70-620 answers with hundred percent achievement guarantee. The abstraction 70-620 Certkingdom has benefited a abundant amount of aspirants of 70-620 test. The acknowledgment by our barter can be apparent at our website. Many circuitous issues apropos 70-620 analysis accept been fabricated awfully simple with basic demonstrations, termed as 70-620 simulation. By analytic the convenance exams, you affected the abhorrence of 70-620 absolute assay and appropriately accomplish abiding a audible success. The Free practice exams for MCTS is, in fact, 70-620 training which enhances your abilities as an IT professional.
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