Microsoft, RIM Enter Licensing Agreement Ahead of BlackBerry 10

Microsoft and RIM have signed a licensing agreement that allows the BlackBerry to use technology for transferring audiovisual files between a desktop and mobile devices.

Microsoft and Research In Motion have entered into a patent-licensing agreement that extends Microsoft's Extended File Allocation Tablet—known as exFAT, which, even more fun, is the predecessor of an earlier FAT system—to select BlackBerry smartphones.

exFAT, Microsoft explained in a Sept. 18 statement, is a modern file system that facilitates the transfer of large audiovisual files between a desktop and mobile devices.

"Today's smartphones and tablet require the capacity to display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones," David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property Licensing at Microsoft, said in a statement. "This agreement with RIM highlights how a modern file system ... can help directly address the specific needs of customers in the mobile industry."

The deal also offers a reminder that—oh, yes!—while Apple, Nokia, Motorola, Amazon and others announce products that will see them through the holiday shopping season, RIM continues to work on the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform and smartphones that it won't introduce until early 2013. Speaking with London's Telegraph in August, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins narrowed that timeline a bit, promising smartphones in January.

Heins stepped into the CEO role in January and soon after began remaking the company, cutting thousands of staff positions to save money, slimming down the executive staff—he replaced RIM's two CEOs and was one of at least two COOs at the company. Heins also announced that RIM would become a leaner, meaner company, focusing intently on exactly what it does best and leaving all the rest to partners.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

"I'm not going to develop games anymore, i'm not going to develop maps—there's a company out there that really can do it better than I can," Heins told eWEEK during a private interview Aug. 14. "So, I need to partner, I need to get [developers] on board, and I need to get them a great programming interface, and off we go."

Heins promised that in addition to RIM's expected enterprise features, BlackBerry 10 will also offer a very strong consumer experience—which is where exFAT may help out.

RIM's agreement with Microsoft seems one more example of the company knowing when to look beyond its Waterloo, Ontario, headquarters for help. Even when the help comes from a direct competitor.

RIM is said to be in competition with Microsoft and its largest handset partner, Nokia, for the coveted third position on the mobile podium—if such a thing exists. While analysts have reported that the wireless carriers want and will aggressively support a third mobile platform, against which they might balance the expenses of the Apple iPhone and high-end Android handsets—others say there's no longer room for a third party.

"Ninety-eight percent of [the mobile market] will be shared by Google's Android and Apple's iOS," Global Equities Research analysts wrote in a Sept. 13 research note. "There will not be any third spot left. Nokia, Microsoft and RIM will struggle in the remaining 2 percent of the market."

RIM, like Nokia, was once a dominant mobile player and is working to regain market share from Apple and Android.

Heins remarked on a Canadian radio program earlier this summer, "I am positive that when we launch BlackBerry 10, there will be huge support from our carrier partners, from our enterprise customers and that we will eemerge—specifically in the U.S. and in Canada—and a very strong player..."

Windows 8 'doesn't move the needle' on security, says Symantec

Symantec said Windows 8 "doesn't move the needle much" on security as it rolled out new versions of its antivirus software and promised to provide users with several so-called "Modern" apps for the new operating system.

On Wednesday, the security developer released new versions of its consumer titles Norton AntiVirus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360.

The new programs are optimized for Windows 8's traditional desktop environment -- the side of the new OS that looks much like Windows 7 -- said Gerry Egan, senior director, product management, in an interview. When Windows 8 ships in late October, Symantec will offer a trio of apps specific for the tile-based user interface (UI) once known as "Metro" and now often referred to as "Modern."

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Those apps, which have not yet been given final names, will include one that connects to Symantec's cloud-based back-end management system to give users a view into the security health of Windows and the hardware; another that uses the company's "whitelist" technology to sniff out suspicious data and files, including corrupted Modern apps; and a third that uses Internet Explorer 10's (IE10) engine inside a customized browser that Egan said will let customers "surf online securely."

The Modern apps will hit the Windows Store -- Microsoft's regulated app store for Windows 8 and Windows RT software -- on or just after the Oct. 26 debut of the operating system upgrade.

Initially, said Egan, those apps will be available free to everyone, hinting that at some point they could be restricted to customers who had purchased the traditional Norton desktop security software and had an up-to-date subscription to Symantec's services.

"It's a way to explore [the new UI], and introduce customers to our presence there," said Egan of Symantec's move into Modern.

"But we need to see where that [malware] flows, what the problems are for our customers, before we do more [on Modern]," Egan continued. "What we do will depend on the attack surfaces in Windows RT and Windows 8. Microsoft has laid down some very stringent guidelines on what's allowable [on Modern], which also ties our hands. So if there is more to do in the future, we may not be able to because it would infringe those guidelines."

Egan was mostly referring to policies set by Microsoft that "sandbox," or isolate, apps from each other and from the traditional desktop in Windows 8 to provide a more secure environment.

Microsoft is relying on sandboxing, as well as the curated Windows Store -- it reviews each app prior to approval, looking for everything from malware to undisclosed rights -- to secure the tiled side of Windows 8, and all of Windows RT, the touch-first, tablet-oriented spin-off.

Not surprisingly, Egan didn't think much of Microsoft's security moves in Windows 8 as he set up several "myths" about the new OS only to then knock each down.

"We're just not seeing any significant improvements in Windows 8 security ... it doesn't move the needle much," Egan said, ticking off everything from the new Secure Boot feature to a beefed-up Smart Screen anti-malware filter.

"It's partially true that Windows 8 is more secure," said Egan, pointing to the concept of the Windows Store and its approved apps. "But underneath is a traditional Windows-Intel desktop, which is backward compatible with both the good code and the bad."

Much of Egan's disparagement of Windows 8's security can be traced to Windows 8's bundling of Windows Defender, an old name for a heavily reworked product.

In Windows 8, Windows Defender combines characteristics of both the earlier anti-spyware program of the same name, and the free Security Essentials, the antivirus program that previously was offered as a separate download.

Windows Defender serves as the operating system's default protection against malware, and will switch itself off only if it detects an active third-party antivirus program that's receiving signature updates.

Although Security Essentials has stirred third-party antivirus vendors in the past to complain that Microsoft wasn't playing fair, the move to bundle Defender with Windows 8 hasn't prodded them to go public with similar beefs.

Egan argued that Symantec's software does a better job of protecting users than Windows Defender. "We believe we add so much more value over and above [Defender]," he said.

But John Pescatore, a Gartner analyst, said Symantec has bigger problems than Windows Defender.

"They're all going after a shrinking pool of machines," said Pescatore of stalled PC sales as smartphones and tablets consume discretionary dollars. "The percentage of devices running Windows is dropping. And there are more players going after that shrinking pool."

Symantec may play up the Windows 8 angle for its new titles, but the truth, said Pescatore, is that Microsoft's decision to mimic Apple and Google by offering an app store means traditional antivirus vendors have an unclear future.

"There's never been a market for security software on iOS," Pescatore observed. "So if Microsoft pushes the whitelist idea of an app store, there's less and less need for the [antivirus] commodity."

Egan's complaint that the hooks into the boot process -- dubbed "Early Load Anti-malware Driver," or ELAM -- doesn't allow software makers to deploy their full set of weapons is actually a good thing, Pescatore argued.

"It's better that the [Windows 8] platform doesn't let security software's root kits work, because that means it also cripples the bad guys' root kits," Pescatore said.

The 2013 editions of Norton AntiVirus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 are available at retail stores and from Symantec's online store. Norton AntiVirus costs $39.99 for a one-year license for a single PC; Norton Internet Security runs $79.99 for one year of protection for up to three Windows machines; and Norton 360 costs $89.99 for a three-PC, one-year.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Highest paid engineers in mobile tech

Engineering salaries are still rising, but not as fast as in the good old days

WASHINGTON -- Engineers working on communications technology were paid a a median salary of $135,087 last year, the highest in the profession, according to new IEEE-USA survey data.

The lowest paid engineers, with a median salary of $107,820, specialize in energy and power engineering, the survey found.

This data was collected from more than 10,200 IEEE-USA members in an annual survey.

Overall, engineers in electrotechnology and IT, which includes electrical engineering, the survey had a median income of $120,000 last year, according to the survey.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Ed Kirchner, who chairs the employment and career services committee at IEEE-USA, said "communications technology" label is broad and reflects the fusion of computers and mobile tech. "It is literally everybody who would fall under the umbrella of electrical or computer engineering," said Kirchner.

By job skills, the category would include circuit designers, software engineers, computer engineers and network engineers, he added.

"The breadth of engineers who can work in that technology has really spread out," said Kirchner, an IEEE-USA volunteer and works for a communications company as a project engineer and deputy program manager.

The growth of the smartphone industry has been explosive, said Kirchner, and engineering salaries are directly tied to the financial performance of the companies they work for.

Engineering and IT salaries increased by 1.7% last year, less than half the rate of the prior year, reports the IEEE-USA, in its latest salary survey.

"I think it's very good news that salaries are still rising. The fact they are rising at a smaller rate reflects the fact that raises are smaller, bonuses are smaller," said Kirchner.

In normal economic times, the raise budgets are more on the order of 6% or so, he said.

Some other median levels for engineering salaries include: circuits and devices, $129,000; signals and applications, $127,000; industrial applications, $110,000 and systems and control, $112,000.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Certkingdom Releases Small Business Server 2012 Training

Certkingdom, Inc the global leader in professional computer training, announced the release of its new Small Business Server 2012 Training.

Just because a business is small, doesn’t mean it can get by without a business server. Microsoft’s Small Business Server 2012 offers small to medium size businesses an updated suite of powerful server software including Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Exchange 2010 and SharePoint Foundation 2010, all in a single package. Businesses that need a robust database server can add the Small Business Server 2012 Premium Add-On, which provides a SQL Server 2008 R2 for Small Business server license as well.

Microsoft’s SBS 2012 is a full-featured server environment for small businesses. SBS 2012 offers a lower cost server solution without the additional overhead and complexity of the company’s flagship Windows Server product.

Certkingdom’s SBS 2012 Training instructor Ed Liberman said, “SBS 2012 is a cost effective way to get a lot of services on a single server. It’s a great tool for making small businesses more efficient, as one administrator can handle all of the server tasks, whether it’s managing the network, Exchange or SharePoint.”

While Microsoft has done an admirable job of simplifying the installation and management of SBS 2012, software this powerful requires some technical knowledge to maximize its potential for small businesses. That is why Certkingdom’s first to market SBS 2012 training is so valuable.

Certkingdom’s Small Business Server 2012 Training course teaches network administrators and small business owners how to install, configure, manage and optimize an SBS 2012 environment. The SBS 2012 course also covers how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 or Small Business Server 2008. Students looking to prove their SBS 2012 competency will be glad to know that Certkingdom’s SBS 2012 training offers full coverage of Microsoft certification exam 70-169: Windows Small Business Server 2012 Standard, Configuring.

This Small Business Server training will help get a small business up and running with ease. The full level of coverage means that students can take advantage of the enormous potential provided by all of SBS’s eight Microsoft products in one package, including Windows Server 2008 R2, Exchange Server 2010 Standard SP1, SharePoint Foundation 2010, SQL Server 2008 R2 Express, WSUS 3.0 SP2, Integrated Migration Prep Tool and Remote Web Access.

Matt Elias, Certkingdom’s Product Team Manager, said, “SBS 2012 is a collaboration of different Microsoft products that are designed to work together seamlessly. The product has really come a long way in the last decade and in our SBS 2012 training we show users how to take advantage of the complete SBS Package.”

The instructors for this course are networking and Windows Server expert Ed Liberman and SharePoint and Exchange expert J. Peter Bruzzese.

Ed Liberman has 18 years of experience and numerous industry certifications including MCSA, MCSE, MCT, MCTS, MCITP, CWNA, CWTS, CWNT. He has been a certified instructor since 1998 and has helped thousands of people advance their IT careers. While Liberman ensures students have the knowledge to pass a certification exam, his real focus is on helping students develop the skills needed to succeed in the real world.

J. Peter Bruzzese, who covers the SharePoint and Exchange topics in the SBS 2012 course, also has multiple certifications including a Triple-MCSE, MCT, MCSA, MCITP: Messaging and is a Microsoft MVP for Exchange. He has published numerous books including Exchange 2007 SP1 How-To, Server 2008 How-To and Windows 7 Unveiled, all from publisher Que. Bruzzese is also a regular contributor to Redmond Magazine, Windows IT Pro, Realtime and TechTarget, as well as being a regular speaker at Microsoft TechEd Conferences and IT 360 Tech Conferences in Canada.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Gosia Niklinski, Certkingdom’s Product Development Specialist, said, “Our SBS 2012 training is perfect for beginners. Ed and Peter not only show you how to do everything, they explain in detail why you’re doing it. But the course is also great for those moving from previous versions of SBS as the migration steps from 2003 and 2008 are covered in detail.”

Certkingdom’s Small Business Server 2012 Training provides almost 16 hours of training broken down into 25 lessons. Students receive three DVDs in the mail, including two DVDs of video lessons and an additional content DVD. However, students don’t have to wait for their disks to arrive to get started. Certkingdom offers instant online access to all course materials, content and notes almost immediately after signing up.

Like all Certkingdom courses, all lessons come in multiple audio and video formats ensuring that students can access the training on virtually any device. In addition, all instructor notes are included in PDF format for reading on the go, or following along with the training videos.

Certkingdom’s Small Business Server 2012 Training is offered at just $397 and comes backed by a 90 Day Total Experience Guarantee.

About Certkingdom: Founded in 2002, Certkingdom provides computer-based “Total Experience” training that gives individuals the tools and confidence to tackle real-world challenges, pass their certification exam and succeed in today’s competitive global IT market.

Certkingdom offers a wide range of computer training packages covering Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, VMware, and Microsoft Office. In addition to its Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2010, and SQL Server 2008 courses, Certkingdom offers training for over fifty different training courses including: VMware vSphere training, Cisco CCNA training, Windows 7 training, and more.

A privately-held company, Certkingdom is based in Schaumburg, IL. For more information about Certkingdom, please visit http://www.certkingdom.com

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Japan gets first 'Mango' Windows Phone Aug. 25

The first phone equipped with the "Mango" update to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system will be available in Japan Aug. 25, Fujitsu has revealed. The Fujitsu Toshiba IS12T will have a massive 32GB of storage, a 13.2 megapixel camera, plus both water (IPX5/8) and dust (IP5X) resistance, according to the company.
The "Mango" Windows Phone update, first promised in February by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, enables application multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer, and fast application switching. Holding a phone's back button down will provide a card-like view (pictured) of all running applications.

On July 26, Microsoft said it had released Mango to manufacturing, putting it in the hands of phone manufacturers and carriers. (For extensive details on the upgrades included in Mango and the revised developer tools, see our previous coverage.)

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Observers immediately began to grumble, however, that carrier customization could delay the operating system upgrade's availability to end users until mid-September or later.

For example, responding to a July 26 "we can't wait to get it into your hands" posting on the Windows Phone Blog by Terry Myerson, a Microsoft vice president of Windows Phone Engineering, commenter "tsrbike" griped, "first the cell makers get to fiddle with it, then the providers get it. So even if the cell makers only take six weeks to 'optimize,' AT&T and others will likely test for another six-plus weeks, putting us into October at the earliest."

But now, Fujitsu and the Japanese carrier KDDI -- who on July 27 announced what was touted as the first phone that would come with Mango preinstalled -- have pulled a rabbit out of a hat. Instead of being offered in September as initially promised, the IS12T (below) will go on sale Aug. 25, the companies say.

The Fujitsu IS12T
(Click to enlarge)

The early launch of the IS12T is doubly surprising in that Nokia, thanks to its special relationship with Microsoft, was widely expected to be the first company to release a Mango-equipped phone. Back in June, Nokia Stephen Elop showed off a device code-named Sea Ray at a "private" meeting for employees that wound up being leaked on video.

Since then, though, Nokia still hasn't provided a Sea Ray announcement date or final name for its device. Microsoft and Nokia staged an Aug. 17 event at the GamesCom convention in Cologne, during which some had expected the phone to surface. Since it didn't, observers are now looking to the manufacturer's annual Nokia World conference in October for the Mango phone's final launch.

More about the IS12T

While the press release noting Aug. 25 availability for the IS12T came from Fujitsu, the phone appears to feature Toshiba logos and is described by KDII as the "Windows Phone IS12T by Toshiba." This branding ambiguity is the result of a 2010 agreement though which Fujitsu and Toshiba agreed to merge their mobile phone businesses, leaving Fujitsu as the majority shareholder in the new company.

Enjoying bragging rights as the first Mango device, the IS12T is also noteworthy for being one of the most lavishly equipped smartphones around. It comes with 32GB of built-in memory "and a 13.2 megapixel camera that is among the top of its class in smartphones," according to Fujitsu.

The IS12T will pack 32GB and a 13.2 megapixel camera
(Click to enlarge)

Fujitsu says the IS12T, capable of capturing HD video at 720p, will have a 3.7-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. Offered in yellow, pink, or black, the phone is claimed to be waterproof (IPX5/8) and dustproof (IP5X).

The IS12T features GSM and CDMA compatibility, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a FM receiver, according to Fujitsu. Other specifications released by the company include the following:

Dimensions -- 4.64 x 2.32 x 0.4 inches (118 x 59 x 10.6mm)
Weight, with battery -- 4 ounces (113g)
Standby time -- approx. 280 hours
Talk time -- approx. 400 minutes

The phone's CPU wasn't revealed by Fujitsu. According to reports by WPCentral and others, however, the device will feature a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor.

The initial crop of Windows Phone 7 devices, whose hardware specifications were tightly controlled by Microsoft, all featured Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 or 8650 processors. Both chipsets feature "Scorpion" application processors, but the QSD8250 supports only GSM, GPRS, EDGE and HSPA networks, whereas the QSD8650 supports both these and CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO 0/A/B networks, according to the chipmaker.

A new Windows Phone 7 hardware specification unveiled at Microsoft's MIX11 conference in April added support for additional Snapdragon CPUs: the MSM7x30 and the MSM8x55. While still single-core devices, these processors allow OEMs to offer a wider range of clock speeds (from 800MHz on the MSM7x30 to 1.4GHz on the MSM8x55, according to Qualcomm), and they also provide Adreno 205 graphics -- said to offer over twice the performance of the Adreno 200 included with the earlier QSD8x50.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

Earning a MCITP Enterprise Administrator certification in Windows 2008 is a definite step up for your career in the IT industry. This well recognised MCITP certification is held in high regard and will provide to your current and future employers that you have the skills and knowledge to implement and maintain a Windows Server 2008 network infrastructure. People who hold a MCITP Enterprise Administrator certification have one of the highest salaries on average compared to other MCITP certifications, if you wish you can view our comparison of the average MCITP salaries.

To gain MCITP: EA status you will need to gain a pass mark in 5 exams. Four of these are core exams and the last one is an elective which you get to choose.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

MCITP Enterprise Administrator core exams: (you need to pass all 4 these)
Exam 70-640 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory
Exam 70-642 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure
Exam 70-643 TS: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure
Exam 70-647 Pro: Enterprise Administrator, Windows Server 2008

MCITP Enterprise Administrator Elective exams: (you need to choose and pass 1 of these)
Exam 70-680 TS: Configuring Windows 7
Exam 70-681 TS: Deploying Windows 7 and Office 2010
Exam 70-620 TS: Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client
Exam 70-624 TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops (retired)

The best place to start when studying to become a MCITP Enterprise Administrator is by getting yourself a copy of MCITP Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator Self-Paced Training Kit. This package below contains all the study material you need to pass all 4 core exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, and 70-647..

Windows 7 Upgrade: Isolated Problems, Not Disaster

Speed Up Windows XP With System Mechanic 10.8

System Mechanic 10.8 Put Through The Test

We've all seen those annoying television commercials that promise to speed up a slow computer, but do such solutions really work? The CRN Test Center put Iolo's System Mechanic 10.8 through its paces and was impressed with the results.

Our test subject was an old Pentium III-era PC running Windows XP so slowly that the machine was completely unusable. Just opening the Start menu easily took 20 seconds, opening an app required about a minute, and we could fix a steak-and-egg breakfast in the time it took to reboot this dinosaur.

But it was perfect for our purposes. We installed System Mechanic 10.8 and, after running a scan, the tool reported that the overall system status was poor and health and security were at alarming levels.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

As expected, the floodgates were opened last week on Windows 7 upgrades. From some of the histrionics on the blogosphere, one would almost surmise that an upgrade to Windows 7 was nothing short of a painful, abysmal failure. Much of the spotlight focused on upgrade problems with the Windows 7 Student edition -- one of the more understandable gripes about the upgrade process. Accusations about a host of glitches, such as endless loops of Windows 7 startup, abounded.

However, some of the outrages over Windows 7 upgrades are dubious, at best. As Channelweb.com's Kevin McLaughlin reported, many users are complaining that that they cannot do clean installs with Windows 7 upgrade media.

Say what? When has Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) ever made it an option for a user to do a from-scratch install with an upgrade CD? Legitimately, that is, without any workarounds?

It became a bit hard, during the course of last week, to separate justifiable gripes about the Windows 7 upgrade process from the lone freak incidents and overall general biases against Microsoft. However, upon a deeper dig into a disparate sampling of users all over the Internet recording their Windows 7 upgrade experiences, our verdict is that most problems were more incidental with third-party hardware drivers, line-of-business applications, and just random quirkiness.

We conducted our own independent tests on the upgrade process. What we found were very specific, yet irritating incidents that don't significantly undermine Microsoft's promise that "if it works in Vista, it will work in Windows 7." Furthermore, we did not find any issues in our testing that should render a business system inoperable. Note, all upgrades were done using 32-bit software.

In our initial test, we upgraded a Toshiba Portege 500 laptop from Vista SP2 to Windows 7 Ultimate. The full-blown version of Ultimate, and not an upgrade version, was used for the test. We first attempted to do a clean install over an upgrade, but Toshiba's native hard disk drive software prevented a complete wipe-out of the system. So, we moved on, doing just a plain old upgrade. The upgrade process was successful. There were no issues with drivers or any other preinstalled software.

One nuisance we noticed after upgrading to Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 was a persistence of IE8 to open new IE sessions and tabs at 150 percent zoom. Somewhere during the upgrade process, the previous settings for IE were adjusted, but that is probably more of an issue with the upgrade from IE7 to version 8.

Next, we upgraded a year-old Dell (NSDQ:Dell) XPS laptop, again, with Vista SP2 to Windows 7. There also were no issues with the upgrade process, save for a broken link to a shortcut we had on the Vista OS desktop to wireless networking.

An upgrade of a Dell Vostro 220 mini-tower also gave no problems. All shortcuts and drivers transitioned over to Windows 7 without incident.

This should be of some comfort to home users. From our testing, all of the major OEMs seem to really have prepared for the final release of Windows 7. For business users and those in the channel, it appears that the biggest headaches will be caused by incompatibility issues with LOB software and any other proprietary software or unique hardware. Of course, a solid testing plan along with backing up of mission-critical data and system registries should alleviate any major issues with a Windows 7 upgrade.

Our expectation is that most businesses will opt for clean installs anyway, or replace dated machines with preinstalled Windows 7 ones. It would seem that so far, the Windows 7 upgrade process is a relatively painless one and does not merit the drama it has seemed to attract.

.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

Microsoft announces 7 bulletins for May 2012 Patch Tuesday, closes book on MAPP data leak

In addition to its advance notification for Patch Tuesday, Microsoft uncovers the party responsible for leaking security information and exposing customers to attacks against RDP


Just hours after releasing the advance notification for May's Patch Tuesday release, which consists of seven bulletins, Microsoft brought some closure to its biggest security threat of the year.

RELATED: Microsoft's MAPP reportedly hacked, RDP exploits coming sooner than expected

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

In a post on its TechNet blog, Microsoft blamed March's information leak in the Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) that led to several threats against a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) vulnerability on Chinese partner company Hangzhou DPTech Technologies.

"During our investigation into the disclosure of confidential data shared with our Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) partners, we determined that a member of the MAPP program, Hangzhou DPTech Technologies Co., Ltd., had breached our non-disclosure agreement (NDA)," Yunsun Wee, director of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, wrote in the blog post. "Microsoft takes breaches of our NDAs very seriously and has removed this partner from the MAPP Program."

The breach, which came at the hands of hackers in China, granted the cybercrime community access to information to attack the RDP vulnerability before Microsoft customers were given the information needed to patch it. Wee added that Microsoft "took actions to better protect our information," while senior program manager Maarten Van Horenbeeck provided more visibility into the inner workings of MAPP.

Given the relatively light load of security bulletins, Microsoft chose an opportune time to close the book on March's security scare. Three of the seven bulletins were rated critical, the most interesting of which was Bulletin 1's critical patch for Office, Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek says.

Threats against Office typically require the user to open a file containing a malicious program, Kandek says. Microsoft has traditionally been more prone to issue the "important" rating to threats that involve user interaction, he added, making this month's critical bulletin "kind of interesting."

Marcus Carey, security researcher at Rapid7, speculated that the Office vulnerability patched with Bulletin 1 "is an underlying issue on how it processes data." Citing the recent phishing attacks against Mac systems, Carey says threats coming through Microsoft productivity software are "becoming a recurring theme for organizations and end users because it's primed for phishing attacks."

Beyond that, the remaining two critical patches will attract the most attention, primarily because they address vulnerabilities in Windows versions XP through 7, Carey says.

"This means that all organizations and the entire user base will be affected by these critical bulletins," Carey says.

The other four bulletins were all rated important. Bulletins 4 and 5 address remote code execution vulnerabilities in Office, while bulletins 6 and 7 address elevation of privilege in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

With seven bulletins in April, Microsoft's total bulletins for 2012 rises to 35, compared to the 36 issued by the same point last year. Interestingly, Microsoft's release schedule has been far more consistent than in years past. From January through May 2012, the total number of Patch Tuesday bulletins issued in a single month has dipped as low as six and risen only as high as nine. In the same period last year, those totals ranged from two in both January and May to 12 in February and 17 in April.

This trend shows a sign of stability in Microsoft research and makes the jobs of systems administrators much easier, Kandek says.

"I'm not sure how they do this internally in terms of planning, but it seems to me going to a more steady stream is a sign of maturity, and from my systems administration perspective I prefer that than every two months getting something bigger," Kandek says. "I personally prefer a steady stream coming out. I can deal with that better, rather than things where suddenly my capacity is stretched more."

Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle, also took note of Microsoft's continued move away from the "feast and famine" approach of last year. However, the number of bulletins is less relevant than the number of common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), Storms says, and the security community should put more focus on Microsoft's increase in that area this year.

"Bulletin numbers don't tell the whole patch story," Storms says. "CVEs correspond to the number of bugs fixed, and this year Microsoft is on a CVE streak. With the 23 CVEs in May's patch, Microsoft's CVE count has already reached 70 for 2012. This time last year Microsoft issued just 59 CVEs."

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Microsoft may take on Kindles and Nooks

Microsoft pays $300M for a Barnes & Noble app for Windows 8 and may build its own e-reader

Microsoft is investing $300 million in a Barnes & Noble spinoff that has agreed to create a free Metro style Windows 8 application so customers can shop at the spinoff's store, but Microsoft reserves the right to compete against Barnes & Noble with its own e-reader hardware presumably based on Windows 8.

As part of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that details the agreement between the two companies, Microsoft can make its own e-reader -- akin to Barnes & Noble's Nook and Amazon's Kindle -- and include an interface to the store and support any content customers buy there.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

HARDWARE: 12 available devices to test drive Windows 8

The new company, called NewCo for purposes of the filing, will create a Metro style application for x86 Windows 8 machines as well as Windows RT for ARM-based devices, including tablets.

"If Microsoft creates a reader, Microsoft may include an interface to the NewCo Store in that reader and may surface in that reader all Content purchased by customers from the NewCo Store," the filing says.

The app itself will be available free at the Windows Store, and NewCo will support it once it's installed on customers' machines. NewCo will also update the application as needed, the filing says.

The application will include other functionality, but what that is exactly is redacted from the SEC filing because Barnes & Noble requested confidential treatment.

Barnes & Noble commits to directly shift its agreements with publishers for content such as e-books and digital magazines to NewCo if possible.

The agreement also hints at more cooperation with Microsoft. "NewCo will make good faith commercially reasonable efforts to enhance the NewCo Windows App to exploit features and functionality available through Windows and its extended Microsoft ecosystem," the filing says.

It further states that the company will help Microsoft software and services interoperate with the NewCo store under specified circumstances. "NewCo will use good faith efforts to enable Microsoft Products and Services to be used with the NewCo Store and distribution system in the following scenarios, the delivery and nature of which will be subject to the Microsoft product and service strategy," the filing says. The scenarios are redacted from the filing.

The agreement has a clause to prevent Microsoft from hijacking the NewCo Store name or masking the fact that Microsoft customers are accessing it and giving the impression that it is a Microsoft store. "Microsoft will not white-label (which for the avoidance of doubt includes rebranding or presenting as Microsoft's) the NewCo Store or obscure NewCo's branding or the fact the NewCo Store is the NewCo Store, including in Microsoft Products and Services," the filing says.

The agreement calls for transferring to NewCo its e-reading assets and content, and to sell the content in a marketplace called the NewCo Store, apparently a replacement for the Barnes & Noble Store. As long as Barnes & Noble holds the majority stake in the company, Barnes & Noble will use its influence to supply digital content to the NewCo Store. The pricing of content available on the Windows application will be set by NewCo, according to the filing.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Learning Microsoft MCTS 70-516 Exam

Microsoft certification exams are a great way to build your resume and let the world know about your level of expertise. Certification exams validate your on-the-job experience and product knowledge. While there is no substitution for on-the-job experience, preparation through study and hands-on practice can help you prepare for the exam. We recommend that you round out your exam preparation plan by using a combination of available study materials and courses. For example, you might use the Training kit and another study guide

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com
for your “at home” preparation, and take a Microsoft Official Curriculum course for the classroom experience. Choose the combination that you think works best for you.

This article will let you understand the core developers who write or support applications that access
data written in C# or Visual Basic using Visual Studio 2012 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 and who also plan to take the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) exam 70-516. Before you begin using this kit, you must have a solid foundation-level understanding of Microsoft C# or Microsoft Visual Basic and be familiar with Visual Studio 2012..

Topics to know in C# or Visual Basic using Visual Studio 2012
ADO.NET Disconnected Classes
ADO.NET Connected Classes
Introducing LINQ
LINQ to SQL
LINQ to XML
ADO.NET Entity Framework
WCF Data Services
Developing Reliable Applications
Deploying Your Application

Most of the examples in the article could run very well on a single server running both the Active Directory and Exchange Server 2010, if you do not have the time or resources to set up a fully functional lab. (Keep in mind that it is highly recommended that the Active Directory Domain Controller and the Exchange Server do not coexist on the same physical or virtual machine in the real world for a variety of reasons.)

Make use of the Testing Engines that are available, as well as the free Webcasts. Practice test material is just for that... PRACTICE. It may help you pass the test but believe me you will only last one day in a job if you don't know what you are doing, so if you use practice material, read the question and if you don't know the answer, research it and learn it, don't just memorize the answer....I will tell you right now that their answers are not always right.

If your ready for career change and looking for Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training or any other Microsoft Certification preparation get the best online training from Certkingdom.com they offer all Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia certification exams training in just one Unlimited Life Time Access Pack, included self study training kits including, Q&A, Study Guides, Testing Engines, Videos, Audio, Preparation Labs for over 2000+ exams, save your money on boot camps, training institutes, It's also save your traveling and time. All training materials are "Guaranteed" to pass your exams and get you certified on the fist attempt, due to best training they become no1 site 2012.

About The Author
Hi I educated in the U.K. with working experienced for 5 years in multinational companies, As an IT Manager and IT Instructor, I am attached with certkingdom.com here they provide IT exams study material, the study materials included exams Q&A with Explanation, Testing Engine, Study Guides, Training Labs, Exams Simulations, Training Videos, Audio Exams Training, etc. for certification like MCTS Training, MCITP MCTS, MCSD, MCSA, MCSE Training, CCNA exams preparation, CompTIA A+ Training, and more Certkingdom.com provide you the best training 100% guarantee. “Best Material Great Results”

My Specialties
I’ve worked with a lot of technologies, but these are where my focus has been in recent years:
* Microsoft SQL Server (particularly high availability and disaster recovery)
* VMWare Virtualization
* Oracle (yes, Oracle, I’ve worked on 7-11)
* Microsoft Clustering
* Red Hat Linux (I can still write shell scripts)

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Over View Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 : MCTS 70-662 and MCITP 70-663

A number of articles have been published on Windows PowerShell, but very few of these are dedicated to Exchange Server 2012. I am an Exchange administrator. I am not a developer. Yet, I have found an increasing need to improve my development skills in order to be an effective administrator—first with Exchange Server 2007, then with Windows Server 2008, and now with Exchange Server 2010. Fortunately, with Windows
PowerShell and Exchange Management Shell, I can do so without having to learn a complicated language and extensive developmental concepts—something I really have no desire to do as an administrator. With just a simple verb-noun combination, I can achieve fantastic things in the Exchange organization and still be able to sleep at night without pieces of code swirling around in my head as I dream.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

What’s New in PowerShell 2.0
Microsoft Windows PowerShell is a combined command-line shell and scripting language designed primarily for administrators, not developers. Prior to the introduction of Windows PowerShell into operating systems, administrators were forced to learn a programming language such as Visual Basic to fully manipulate objects in the Active Directory and Exchange environment if the graphical user interface (GUI) did not provide
an easy means for administration. Mainly, an administrator found the need for additional tools, such as custom VB scripts, when he or she wanted to manage objects in bulk. PowerShell 2.0 includes significant changes from the original version.

Topics To Understand Exchange Server 2010 Portable Command:
An Overview of Windows PowerShell 2.0 for Exchange 2010
New Features and the Exchange Management Shell
Basic Techniques
Achieving a Comfort Level with PowerShell
Advanced Techniques
Customizing the PowerShell Environment
PowerShell and the Exchange 2010 Deployment Process
Standard Deployments
Disaster Recovery Deployments
PowerShell and Recipient Objects
Working with Recipient Objects
Bulk Management of Recipients
PowerShell and the Transport Roles Message Routing
The Hub Transport Role
The Edge Transport Role
Configuring Rules and Agents on Transport Servers
PowerShell and the Client Access Server Role
CAS Services
Working with Certificates
PowerShell and the Mailbox Role
Mailbox Servers and Databases
Working with Mailboxes
Using the Recovery Database (RDB)
PowerShell and the Unified Messaging Role
Working with Unified Messaging (UM) Role Objects
Managing Unified Messaging (UM) Users
PowerShell and Message Routing
Exchange Server 2010 Message Routing
Integrating Exchange Server 2010 into an Existing Exchange
Server 2003 Environment
PowerShell and High Availability in Exchange 2010
Database Availability Groups (DAGs)
Mailbox Database Copies
Using DAG to Mitigate Failures
Monitoring Highly Available Databases
PowerShell and Public Folders
Public Folder Database Management
Managing Public Folders
Public Folder Permissions
Troubleshoot Exchange Server 2010 Using PowerShell
Troubleshooting with the Test Cmdlets
Event Logging with PowerShell
PowerShell and Automating Exchange Server 2010 Administration
Using and Finding Scripts to Automate
Monitoring Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Permissions,
Mailbox Audit Logging, and Reporting with PowerShell in Exchange Server 2010
Configuring Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Permissions
Using Mailbox Audit Logging to Monitor Exchange Server
Reporting and Other Useful Cmdlets

Most of the examples in the article could run very well on a single server running both the Active Directory and Exchange Server 2010, if you do not have the time or resources to set up a fully functional lab. (Keep in mind that it is highly recommended that the Active Directory Domain Controller and the Exchange Server do not coexist on the same physical or virtual machine in the real world for a variety of reasons.)

Make use of the Testing Engines that are available, as well as the free Webcasts. Practice test material is just for that... PRACTICE. It may help you pass the test but believe me you will only last one day in a job if you don't know what you are doing, so if you use practice material, read the question and if you don't know the answer, research it and learn it, don't just memorize the answer....I will tell you right now that their answers are not always right.

If your ready for career change and looking for Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training or any other Microsoft Certification preparation get the best online training from Certkingdom.com they offer all Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia certification exams training in just one Unlimited Life Time Access Pack, included self study training kits including, Q&A, Study Guides, Testing Engines, Videos, Audio, Preparation Labs for over 2000+ exams, save your money on boot camps, training institutes, It's also save your traveling and time. All training materials are "Guaranteed" to pass your exams and get you certified on the fist attempt, due to best training they become no1 site 2012.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Microsoft 70-640 Exam Quick Pass Tips (Windows Server 2008)

As the your know that getting good job you need pass Microsoft exams and get certified to eligible for the job. Some Microsoft exams are not as simple and easy to pass; you need get the core concept of the exam this article will help you to under stand Microsoft Server 2008 for the exams of 70-640, 70-642.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

WHAT IS WINDOWS SERVER 2008
Windows Server 2008 R2, or simply R2 for short, is the second release of Windows Server 2008 . It isn’t a completely new release, but rather adds additional features and refinements to the existing release . In this book, we focus on the new features and refinements in R2 . We assume you have at least a general knowledge of Windows Server, and that you have some familiarity with Windows Server 2008, although we don’t assume you’re actively running Windows Server 2008 . Where an R2 feature is a refinement of a feature that was new in Windows Server 2008, we provide background on the Windows Server 2008 feature to provide context .

THE ROLE OF SERVER ADMINISTRATOR
Windows server administrators who are responsible for hands-on deployment and day-to-day management of Windows-based servers for large organizations . Windows server administrators manage file and print servers, network infrastructure servers, Web servers, and IT application servers . They use graphical administration tools as their primary interface but also use Windows PowerShell commandlets and occasionally write Windows PowerShell scripts for routine tasks and bulk operations . They conduct most server management tasks remotely by using Terminal Server or administration tools installed on their local workstation .

9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WINDOWS SERVER 2008
1. What’s New in Windows Server R2
2. Installation and Configuration: Adding R2 to Your World
3. Hyper-V: Scaling and Migrating Virtual Machines
4. Remote Desktop Services and VDI: Centralizing Desktop and Application Management
5. Active Directory: Improving and Automating Identity and Access
6. The File Services Role
7. IIS 7.5: Improving the Web Application Platform
8. DirectAccess and Network Policy Server
9. Other Features and Enhancements

Make use of the Testing Engines that are available, as well as the free Webcasts. Practice test material is just for that... PRACTICE. It may help you pass the test but believe me you will only last one day in a job if you don't know what you are doing, so if you use practice material, read the question and if you don't know the answer, research it and learn it, don't just memorize the answer....I will tell you right now that their answers are not always right.

If your ready for career change and looking for Microsoft MCTS Training, Microsoft MCITP Training or any other Microsoft Certification preparation get the best online training from Certkingdom.com they offer all Microsoft, Cisco, Comptia certification exams training in just one Unlimited Life Time Access Pack, included self study training kits including, Q&A, Study Guides, Testing Engines, Videos, Audio, Preparation Labs for over 2000+ exams, save your money on boot camps, training institutes, It's also save your traveling and time. All training materials are "Guaranteed" to pass your exams and get you certified on the fist attempt, due to best training they become no1 site 2012.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Recycle It! SharePoint’s First Line of Defense

Introduction
With the introduction of SharePoint 2007, Microsoft saw fit to give us the recycle bin for catching and holding onto tossed away information before it was lost forever. Not only did the recycle bin provide us with the opportunity to recover items for a defined period of time, but this recycle bin actually had two parts. The first stage held items tossed away by users, from which they could retrieve said items if they discovered they still needed them. The second stage provided a catch-all bucket for items that were subsequently dumped by users from the first stage, out of which a Site Collection Administrator could then retrieve these items, provided their expiration time had not passed.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

While SharePoint 2010 continues the tradition of this two-stage recycle bin, it seems that there is still some confusion as to just how the recycle bin functions. This article will delve into the mystery that seems to be this little wonder of restoration and hopefully provide the clarity to its configuration and usage.

How SharePoint’s Recycle Bin Works
Let’s begin with the basic operation of SharePoint’s recycle bin. To start with, the recycle bin is both user-specific and site-specific. This means that from the user’s perspective they will only see items in the trash that they have deleted from the specific site they are currently visiting.

And just what goes into the recycle bin? List and library items, as well as lists and libraries themselves all get caught in the recycle bin when a user chooses to delete said items from SharePoint. If a list or library is deleted, all of the items contained in that list or library are deleted as well. However, if a user decides to delete their entire site, don’t expect to go into the recycle bin and find it. It won’t be there. Service Pack 1 for SharePoint 2010 adds a Site recycle bin to capture deleted sites, but we’ll review that later. For now, simply bear in mind that only items, lists and libraries can be found in the user’s trash. Therefore, users are able to retrieve an item or an entire library, without the aid of an administrator, if they discover that they really did need that material.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Deleted items can only be restored to their original location. This means that if you have deleted items from a library and then the library itself is subsequently deleted, you must first restore the library before you can restore a specific item from that library. Simply creating a new library with the same name will not work. Items are all identified and referenced by their Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs), so, creating a new library would generate a new GUID.

Since the recycle bin is user/site-specific, what happens if someone deletes an item that another user needs? This is where the Site Collection recycle bin comes in. The Site Collection recycle bin, viewable by Site Collection Administrators, provides a comprehensive view of everything in the trash throughout the entire Site Collection. Think of the Site Collection recycle bin as the dumpster out back where all the trash for the entire building goes. Viewing the Site Collection recycle bin, a Site Collection Administrator will see all the deleted items from all of the sites within the collection and can then restore any item that a user has deleted.

It is from the Site Collection recycle bin that Site Collection administrators have access to the second stage of the recycle bin. This is where items go that have been deleted from the user recycle bin before they are purged. Item purging is based upon the recycle bin settings that can be found in Central Administration and are configured for the web application. It is also here, in the second stage, where a Site Collection administrator will find sites that may have been deleted by users. This is, of course, if you have installed SP1 for SharePoint 2010.

So just what are these settings and how do they work? In Central Administration, under the Application Management heading, Manage Web Applications, select the web application you want to adjust the recycle bin settings for and then select General Settings from the ribbon. Scroll down until you find the Recycle Bin settings section as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 – Recycle Bin Settings Section
First of all, we have the ability to turn off the recycle bin completely. While there are some organizations where this is the chosen method of operations, most of us will want to avail ourselves of this handy option and leave it on. The default setting is for the recycle bin to store items for 30 days. Items held within the recycle bin will count towards any Site Collection quota settings you might have configured, so you will want to take this into consideration when planning your SharePoint environment. Switching this to the Never option will simply allow items in the recycle bin to accumulate until a user manually deletes items from the trash (and we know how often that will happen) and could therefore use up all of the quota space for a Site Collection eventually. Setting the purge duration is a good idea. Furthermore, I would suggest giving some serious thought to increasing the time that items are kept within the recycle bin itself. From a disaster recovery perspective, when comparing the cost of restoring data from backups vs. the cost of additional disk space for longer recycle storage, my point should become increasingly clear.

The second stage of the recycle bin seems to be where most of the confusion abounds. Let’s start with the storage setting. By default, items in the second stage will take up no more than 50 percent of the quota assigned to the Site Collection. If you have set a Site Collection quota of 100mb, items in the second stage can take up to an additional 50mb of disk space. Once this limit is reached and as newer items are dumped from the first stage and caught by the second stage, older items that are lying around in the second stage will be purged. There is no catch-all for items that are removed from the second stage. This also means that for collections that do not have a quota assigned, the recycle bin can simply grow and possibly fill up your entire database disk space.

The second stage can also be turned off. Before doing this, think very hard about how often it is needed to recover items that users have tossed from the trash to make room for something else because they were running out of disk space. By planning storage needs properly and taking into account the extra space for your second stage bin, it can be a very handy part of a recovery plan.

Now, let’s revisit the 30-day delete items setting. This 30 days, (or whatever preferred range it is set to) applies to both the first and second stages of the recycle bin. This is a one-setting, cover- all situation that covers 30 days total, not 30 days each. When a user deletes an item from a list or library, the 30-day timer starts. If at 28 days into the count the item is then deleted from the first stage, it rolls over to the second stage where it will sit for two more days before being purged for good. If the item would cause the second stage bin to hit its quota maximum, then an older item in the second stage would be deleted to make room for the new arrival.

Information Summary and Consideration Points
Plan a strategy well when implementing SharePoint’s recycle bin. Remember to account for the added storage needs when planning databases and consider hold times when planning a recovery model. A well-implemented recycle bin is an important element in a Disaster Recovery plan and can save both time and money over the SharePoint farm’s lifespan.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Is an IT boot camp the way to shape up for Windows Vista?

Because we all know how well cramming for exams worked in college


Computerworld - The attractions of an accelerated tech training course are obvious. Why spend weeks or months reading boring computer books or lurching through online courseware when you can have high-energy instructors helping you to cram all that information in over a single long weekend?

Nicknamed boot camps for their abbreviated length and grueling methods -- 12 hours in class per day, along with assigned homework at night, is not unusual -- some even have students taking certification exams by weekend’s end -- and still boast a respectable pass rate.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Unsurprisingly, a number of boot camps aimed at training both system administrators and end users in Vista and Office 2007 are starting to spring up.

The courses aren't cheap. Prices typically start at more than $1,000 for a long weekend’s course, and the costs go up rapidly from. But some experts see value in these crash courses. IT boot camps "are very helpful to get a team up to speed prior to a software deployment," said Cushing Anderson, an analyst at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC.

A constellation of camps

Training Camp, the boot camp division of TechTrain, will begin offering Vista boot camps in June with a three-day course aimed at helping Microsoft Certified Technology Specialists (MCTS) pass the certification exam for configuring Vista.

Jeff Porch, director of educational services at Philadelphia-based Training Camp, says the $2,195 course is aimed at people who provide IT support, both in person and via call centers.

All of the instructors employed by Training Camp are Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT). Classes are limited to 10 students, allowing them to get a lot of one-on-one attention, Porch said. They are also worked hard. "The camp will run from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner," Porch said.

Training Camp is also developing courses for Office 2007 and Exchange that should be available by the end of the summer, Porch said.

Other providers include Vigilar Inc.'s Intense School, which is holding a series of five-day Vista-Office 2007 boot camps starting in August. The $2,495 course will prepare students for the Vista configuration exam. Intense School Chief Technology Officer Barry Kaufman said 97% of students in Intense’s MCSE classes pass their exams.

Atlanta-based CED Solutions’ six-day, $2,995 course claims to go one better by preparing students for two MCTS exams on configuring and deploying Vista and Office 2007.

Meanwhile, Houston-based ETEC is, until the end of this month, letting students who register for a 14-day, $5,990 course for Microsoft Certified System Engineering (MCSE) certification also attend a three-day Vista boot camp for free.

Learn IT is offering three-day Vista deployment courses for $1,400 in San Francisco and Santa Clara, Calif. Compared to Training Camp's courses, Learn IT's weekday classes run at a relatively light pace -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. -- and the company makes no mention of preparing students for passing certification tests.

Certifications less valuable today

One reason why not all training companies offer certification exam preparation may be because of the recent decrease in the prestige of technical certifications. The dot-com crash left many IT workers, even those with certifications and years of experience, unemployed for many years..

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

Microsoft patches critical Windows zero-day bug that hackers are now exploiting

Fixes first security flaw in Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Microsoft today delivered six security updates to patch 11 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer (IE), Office and several other products, including one bug that attackers are already exploiting.

15 of the worst data breaches

The company also issued the first patch for Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the beta-like build Microsoft released at the end of February.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

But it was MS12-027 that got the most attention today.

"Things got a bit more interesting today," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Security, "because Microsoft is reporting limited attacks in the wild."

Flaws that attackers exploit before a patch is available are called "zero-day" vulnerabilities.

The single vulnerability patched in MS12-027 is in an ActiveX control included with every 32-bit version of Office 2003, 2007 and 2010; Microsoft also called out SQL Server, Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, Visual FoxPro and Visual Basic as needing the patch.

Storms, other security experts and Microsoft, too, all identified MS12-027 as the first update users should install.

Hackers are already using the vulnerability in malformed text documents, which when opened either in Word or WordPad -- the latter is a bare bones text editor bundled with every version of Windows, including Windows 7 -- can hijack a PC, Microsoft acknowledged in a post to its Security Research & Defense (SRD) blog today.

"We list MS12-027 as our highest priority security update to deploy this month because we are aware of very limited, targeted attacks taking advantage of [the] CVE-2012-0158 vulnerability using specially-crafted Office documents," said Elia Florio, an engineer with the Microsoft Security Response Center, in the SRD blog post.

Microsoft did not disclose when it first became aware of the attacks, or who reported the vulnerability to its security team.

Storms speculated that an individual or company had been attacked, uncovered the bug and notified Microsoft.

Microsoft rarely deploys a patch "out of cycle," meaning outside its usual second Tuesday of every month schedule. The last such update was shipped in December 2011, and was the first for that year.

Also affected is software written by third-party developers who have bundled the buggy ActiveX control with their code or called it. Those developers will have to provide their own updates to customers.

"Any developer that has released an ActiveX control should review the information for this security bulletin," said Jason Miller, manager of research and development at VMware. "These developers may need to release updates to their own software to ensure they are not using a vulnerable file in their ActiveX control."

Attackers can also exploit this bug using "drive-by download" attacks that automatically trigger the vulnerability when IE users browse to a malicious site, Microsoft admitted.

That means the flaw patched by MS12-027 is a double threat. "There are two attack scenarios. There's the malicious website [scenario] and then RTF documents, which are pretty common," Miller said.


Miller expects to see attackers glom onto the vulnerability once they have a chance to analyze the bug and craft their own exploits. "More and more will jump on this this month," Miller argued.

Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer at Qualys, agreed. "Now that [the advisory] is published, other malware authors will be looking at it to see what's there," Kandek said. "We're sure to see more attacks against this vulnerability."

Eight of the 11 bugs patched today -- including the one in MS12-027 -- were rated "critical" by Microsoft, its highest threat ranking. Another was pegged "important," and the remaining two were tagged as "moderate."

Microsoft identified MS12-023, a five-patch fix for IE, as the other update to roll out ASAP.

The company typically releases an IE security update in even-numbered months; on those months, security professionals usually recommend that users apply the browser update first.

Not this month.

"MS12-027 trumps the IE update this month," said Miller.

Storms also remarked on the downgrading of the IE bulletin. "When has there been a month when IE hasn't been the one to patch first?" Storms asked. "I can't remember one."

Two of the five vulnerabilities in MS12-023 were rated critical for IE9, the newest edition of Microsoft's browser that runs on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Other bulletins today applied to Windows, .NET, Microsoft's VPN (virtual private networking) tool and Office 2007 and the ancient -- and no longer sold -- Microsoft Works.

Miller pointed out that MS12-024, which patches a critical vulnerability in all supported versions of Windows, also applies to Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Although the MS12-024 advisory does not mention Windows 8 Consumer Preview, anyone running that sneak peek will be offered the update, said Miller. Computerworld confirmed that MS12-024 was among several other non-security fixes Microsoft delivered to Windows 8 today.

According to Qualys, the bug in MS12-024 lets hackers hitch a ride inside legitimate software installation packages.

Amol Sarwate, manager of Qualys' vulnerability research lab, said the vulnerability would be very attractive to purveyors of phony antivirus software, a category often called "scareware" or "rogueware."

April's six security updates can be downloaded and installed via the Microsoft Update and Windows Update services, as well as through Windows Server Update Services.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

70-630 Q&A / Study Guide / Testing Engine

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

---

QUESTION 1
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. You have just the completed the
insertion of new content in the root site. However, later that day the users complained that the new
content is not added in the search results when they run searches on the root site. You need to
make sure that the relevent content is included in query results.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. The best option is to set the Complete Through constraint.
B. The best option is to reset the crawled content and start a full crawl.
C. The best option is to set the Resource Center view.
D. The best option is to edit the CSS style sheet to include the new content.

Answer: B

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 2
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. One of Certkingdom.com branch offices
consists of a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory domain. You have received instructions from
the CIO to extend SharePoint user profiles to include the userID property from the users' domain accounts.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. The best option is to add a Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) server.
B. The best option is to create a custom Microsoft Management Console that can access the branch office.
C. The best option is to create a new user profile property that is configured with import mapping.
D. The best option is to run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration.

Answer: C

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 3
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. The Certkingdom.com network contains a
SharePoint Portal Server 2003 server named Certkingdom-SR44. Certkingdom-SR44 hosts a SharePoint portal
that is accessed through a hyperlink on the users' client computers. The hyperlink points to
http://www.Certkingdom.com/ms/certifications.
You want to migrate Certkingdom-SR44 to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. You need to
ensure that the SharePoint portal will be accessible after the migration.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. By running the stsadm command with the osearch operator.
B. By editing the hyperlink so it will point to the new URL of the migrated content.
C. By running the stsadm command with the enumsites operator.
D. By enabling the Shared Services Provider Synchronizing job.

Answer: B

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 4
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. Certkingdom.com contains a Microsoft
Content Management Server 2002 computer named Certkingdom-SR11. You have received instructions
from the CIO to uCertkingdomrade Certkingdom-SR11 to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007.
What actions should you take to perform this task?

A. The best option is to run the stsadm command with the addwppack operator.
B. The best option is to run the stsadm command with the installfeature operator.
C. The best option is to run the CMS Assessment utility on Certkingdom-SR11.
D. The best option is to run the Optimize HTML command in SharePoint Designer.

Answer: C

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 5
You work as a SharePoint Server administrator at Certkingdom.com. Certkingdom.com has a Development
department with a database server named Certkingdom-DB02. Certkingdom-DB02 hosts a database named
CkdProducts. Certkingdom.com has implemented a Web application in the SharePoint site that must
access data in CkdProducts.
What actions should you take?

A. The best option is to obtain and install an application definition file from the Development department.
B. The best option is to enable the Save for Sharing option, then save CkdProducts in the Development department.
C. The best option is to save CkdProducts as a Microsoft Excel 2007 worksheet.
D. The best option is to create a custom group in the Site Settings page to the trusted file locations list.

Answer: A

Explanation:

---

Microsoft MCTS Certification, MCITP Certification and over 2000+
Exams with Life Time Access Membership at http://www.actualkey.com

8 reasons why Windows 8 may not be ready for the desktop

Microsoft recently released the beta version of Windows 8, and there’s been much early praise, particularly for how well it’s designed to run on tablets and smartphones. But how does this early version work as a traditional desktop/notebook OS?

Because an obvious question is why Microsoft elected to position Windows 8 for tablets instead of refactoring Windows Phone 7 (their smartphone OS) for mobile devices, similar to how Apple has OS X and iOS platforms.

The answer is most likely that Microsoft hopes to leverage Windows, which has the commanding OS market share, to try to break into the tablet space dominated by iOS. But at what cost does this come for those of us who use Windows on a traditional desktop or notebook?

1. The familiar Start button is gone
Just prior to the launch of the Consumer Preview, Microsoft declared that the Start button would be removed from Windows 8. Literally, that’s true, but the button’s essential purpose remains. Under Desktop mode (the GUI which looks and works mostly still like the classic Windows desktop you’re familiar with), you move the pointer to the left corner of the screen, and a thumbnail of the Start Metro panel opens up. (The Start Metro panel is basically the new Start Menu for Windows 8.) So the Start button still exists, though in a “ghost” form. But when Windows 8 is used on a traditional desktop or notebook computer, we wonder if its absence in Desktop may confound the uninitiated.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

2. Metro UI not optimized for traditional Windows apps
In Windows 8, the Start Metro panel replaces the old Start Menu. The new UI favors touchscreen interactivity, which comes off as a bit too glossy for use on a traditional desktop/notebook.

An app or program listed on the Metro UI is a shortcut depicted as either a rectangle or square with an icon or thumbnail preview. We prefer setting most of these to squares in order to maximize the usage of screen space. Other apps in the Metro UI are widgets (like what you see on a smartphone or tablet) that show you data within its panel, such as weather information, stock quotes, or social networking notifications. So these tend to display better as rectangles.

3. Full-screen lock-in
Apps specifically designed for the Metro UI are displayed full-screen. You can’t re-size or minimize the running program -- thus, a little ironically, Windows 8 is starting to move away from the windowing GUI concept. For tablets and smart TVs, we can understand the full-screen mode requirement, which helps simplify things and ensures the user’s focus on the immediate program at hand. However, under a traditional desktop/notebook setup, this can feel constraining.

4. Two multitasking environments can get confusing
Because of the full-screen mode of the Metro UI, there’s a new multi-task switcher for jumping between two or more apps/programs. You point to the upper-left corner of the Metro Start panel, or Metro app, and a sidebar opens on the left side of the screen which shows thumbnails of all the active programs running under Metro. Click a thumbnail to jump to the program. Under a desktop/notebook setup, we don’t feel this works as an effective way to move among programs quickly, and to keep your eye on open, running programs at a glance.

Now here’s where things can get confusing: Multitasking under the “classic” Desktop mode not only works the traditional way, it and the Metro multi-task switcher work independently of one another.

5. Too much side-swiping
It looks like Microsoft in recent years has developed a fixation on designing UIs where the user has to do a lot of swiping side-to-side. The Start Metro panel in its default setting is laid out unnecessarily in a wide horizontal fashion, with an emphasis on rectangles over squares.

Using Windows 8 with a mouse or touchpad to scroll horizontally as frequently as you may need to in the Start Metro panel can become a chore on your wrists and fingers. The Windows 8 Store is especially afflicted by The Swipes -- it feels like you have to swipe through the equivalent of a couple of feet in order to go through the entire length of the store’s layout.

6. Synching questions
With the emphasis on Windows 8 serving as an OS for tablets, too, there are now a slew of syncing options in it. The next version of Windows could open a new set of privacy holes, as well as drain system resources while having to keep data across several programs in sync across your devices and with the cloud. To make things easier for the user, Microsoft may need to devise a series of syncing presets (e.g. “minimal” could be designated to sync only your web browser, email and messaging settings).

7. Game room or board room?
We understand and cannot fault Microsoft for wanting to push their services through the Start Metro panel. That said, the prominence of the Xbox brand as two Metro apps in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview strikes us as a little curious, when there is no placing given to those that are “more professional” -- for example, Office 365, Microsoft’s web app version of Office seems like it would not look out of place here. The presence of these Xbox apps seems to hint that Microsoft may be wanting to angle Windows 8 more as a casual computing platform, like for the living-room smart TV, than for the world of business, enterprise, home office.

8. Is Win 8 a desktop OS?
Or a tablet/touchscreen OS? In the desktop/notebook computer environment, Windows 8 asks the user to compromise on the various, convenient ways by which they interacted with programs on prior versions of Windows. The ultimate question: Is this primarily a desktop/notebook OS, or meant for tablets and other touchscreen devices? Microsoft wants to have it both ways by making Windows 8 pull double duty through the Start Metro UI, but the result at this point has a wishy-washy feel for the traditional desktop/notebook platform.

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training
at certkingdom.com

70-659 Q&A / Study Guide / Testing Engine

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com

---

QUESTION 1
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The network consists of a single Active
Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain. All servers run Windows Server 2008 R2 and all
client computers Windows 7 Professional.
The company network consists of an internal LAN and a perimeter network. The two networks are
separated by an internal corporate firewall. An external corporate firewall connects the perimeter
network to the Internet.
The network includes virtual machines (VMs) running on host servers contained in both the
internal network and the perimeter network.
You have recently installed a server named Certkingdom-VMM1 on the internal network. Certkingdom-VMM1 runs
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008 R2 and will be used to manage
the virtual environment.
You are now in the process of deploying VMM agents on the host servers. You have configured
the port number for the VMM agents and configured the internal corporate firewall to allow
communications on the appropriate port number.
What else do you need to configure to ensure that the VMM agents can communicate with CertkingdomVMM1?

A. You need to configure the name of the VMM server (Certkingdom-VMM1).
B. You need to configure the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of a domain controller.
C. You need to configure the name of a SQL Server.
D. You need to configure an encryption key.

Answer: D

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 2
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The network consists of a single Active
Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain. All servers run Windows Server 2008 R2 and all
client computers Windows 7 Professional.
The company network consists of two subnets. The Development subnet is used by the
Development department. The Production subnet is used by all other company departments.
You install a Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V server named Certkingdom-VMHost1 in the Production
subnet. Certkingdom-VMHost1 contains two network interface cards named NIC1 and NIC2. You have
configured NIC1 as a management interface.
You want to configure Certkingdom-VMHost1 to host virtual machines on both the Production subnet and
the Development subnet.
How should you configure Certkingdom-VMHost1?

A. You should use VLAN tags for the VMs and configure NIC2 to use Trunk Mode.
B. You should assign NIC2 as an additional management interface.
C. You should configure both adapters to support jumbo frames.
D. You should configure NIC1 with an IP address in the Production subnet and configure NIC2
with an IP address in the Development subnet.

Answer: A

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 3
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The network consists of a single Active
Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain. All servers in the network run Windows Server 2008 R2.
A server named Certkingdom-VMM1 runs Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008
R2 and is used to manage the company’s virtual environment.
The company includes a Development department. Users in the Development department use
their computers to develop and test software applications for use by other company departments and customers.
You install a Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V server named Certkingdom-VMTest1 in the Development
department. Certkingdom-VMTest1 will host virtual machines (VMs) for the Development department
users to use to test their applications.
You need to ensure that the VMs are completely isolated from production servers.
How can you ensure that the test VMs can communicate with each other while being isolated from
the host server and the rest of the network?

A. By configuring the VMs to connect to a Dedicated virtual network.
B. By configuring the VMs to connect to an Internal virtual network.
C. By configuring the VMs to connect to a Local virtual network.
D. By configuring the VMs to connect to a Private virtual network.

Answer: D

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 4
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The network consists of a single Active
Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain.
You are configuring a virtual environment for the company. You have an iSCSI storage disk array
that will be used to store virtual machines (VMs).
You install a server named Certkingdom-Host1 that runs a Server Core Installation of Windows Server 2008 R2.
You need to configure Certkingdom-Host1 to store to VMs on the iSCSI disk array.
Which two of the following tools could you use?

A. You could use Disk Management.
B. You could use Diskpart.exe.
C. You could use iSCSICLI.exe.
D. You could use iSCSICPL.exe.

Answer: C,D

Explanation:

---

QUESTION 5
You work as a Network Administrator at Certkingdom.com. The network consists of a single Active
Directory Domain Services (AD DS) domain named Certkingdom.com.
The company network consists of an internal LAN and a perimeter network. To comply with
company security policy, servers located in the perimeter network are not members of the
Certkingdom.com domain.
A Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 server named Certkingdom-VMHost1 is located in the perimeter network.
You relocate Certkingdom-VMHost1 into the internal network. You now need to join Certkingdom-VMHost1 to the
Certkingdom.com AD DS domain.
How should you join Certkingdom-VMHost1 to the Certkingdom.com domain?

A. You should use the System Properties control panel applet.
B. You should use the Netsh command line utility.
C. You should use the Hyper-V configuration utility (hvconfig).
D. You should use the dcpromo utility.

Answer: D

Explanation:

---

Best Microsoft MCTS Certification, Microsoft MCITP Training at certkingdom.com