My Notes to Myself and Others...

The fact that NT Backup is nowhere to be found on Vista and Windows 2008 disappointed me.
Given, NT Backup wasn't the tool of choice for backing up systems but I always had the comfort
of knowing that it's there in the background and that if I needed a quick and dirty solution
it would help me out...

There are several solutions for this problem,one of them is to copy over a few files and have
NT Backup up and running again (not sure if this doesn't violate the EULA though). A nagging
question though is what happens if you ran a backup on Win2k3 or XP and you want to restore
it on Win2K8 or Vista...Well here is the solution, Microsoft released a restore utility that
will work on Win2k8 and Vista:

Windows NT Backup - Restore Utility Download

You can download either the x86 or the 64 bit version. Once downloaded make sure to start the
Removable Storage Management service and then install the file.

Continuing my Microsoft fanboy weekend- In an article called: Microsoft vs. Apple: Who
patches zero-days faster? (by Computeworld) the writer describes a research done by
the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The research looked at how many times in the past
six years did the two vendors (Microsoft and Apple) have a patch ready for a zero day
vulnerability.

In other words they tried to designate (using statistics) which of the two companies is
better to react when a vulnerability is discovered. Well the result was/is surprising to many
as it turns out that according to the results Apple lags in patching.

An additional interesting fact is that the research found 658 vulnerabilities in Microsoft products
and 738 in Apple products...

So as usual: perception is everything.

Microsoft® Remote Server Administration Tools enables IT administrators to
remotely manage roles and features in Windows Server® 2008 from a computer
running Windows Vista® with Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Download

Ok,so as a Microsoft fanboy it is my turn to gloat. Vista Ultimate still stands strong
after the 2nd day of the PWN 2 OWN contest. Basically the contest provides three
laptops that have Windows Vista Ultimate, OSX 10.5.2 and Ubuntu.

The hacker receives a prize of 10k and the laptop he hacks...

After the first day(only network attacks were allowed) all three systems were still standing
on the 2nd day contestants were allowed to instruct organizers to work on the
systems...Charlie Miller (responsible for the first iPhone hack) pointed one of the organizers
to a website-and that was it (2 minutes).

Ok,so I am not really happy about this but it's still fun to see that after all the bashing
Vista is still standing!

You see I know change
I see change
I embody change
All we do is change
Yeah, I know change
We are born to change
We sometimes regard it as a metaphor
That reflects the way things ought to be
In fact change takes time
It exceeds expectations
It requires both now and then
See although the players change
The song remains the same
And the truth is
You gotta have the balls to change

Change (Vinnie Jones Intro) - Joss Stone

It's been five years and it was fun...so leaving does feel odd/sad. The people were great
but most of all the pride of being part of this group was great...So, Sally,Shiri and especially
Olivier: Thank you for the opportunities and support!

Yes,I am no longer an MVP... :(

Yes I know,a bit late and no I don't want to get a haircut(you know who you are).

So after these cryptic messages do I have something new to tell you about this release?
Not really,except that finally all those holding out until SP1 can finally install Vista and
that SP1 comes packed with a few new cool features (e.g. the ability to apply Bitlocker
encryption to all volumes including flash based ones...).

In addition to that you may also want take a look at the list of incompatible drivers that
may block the SP from being installed:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=948343

So if you have the time and you finally want to become SP1ed take the plunge!!

It was bound to happen. I even thought of doing it but obviously someone
managed to beat me to it. For the full review (by X-bit labs)of how it preformed take a look at:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mobile/display/apple-macbook-air.html

Good luck on your new journey and may you rest in peace...

Since the advent of USB devices the question of their ejection has always been looming,specifically
for storage devices? Is it safe to remove them,will I lose the data I saved to them? After losing
quite a few files this way I have decided to safely eject every device I have by using the Safely
Remove Hardware dialog box.

The problem with this dialog box is that first of all you need to find it in an already cluttered systems
tray. The second problem is that it is confusing and if you do not want to disconnect the incorrect
you need to double click the item to make sure...too long of a process for a simple ejection.

So, looking for a solution I have found a neat application called 'USB Disk Ejector'. This application has
a CLI version and a GUI version that can be used to display the devices that are connected and eject
them. It's main advantage is it's clear display of the devices connected to the system:

Instead of having to guess you are simply shown what each line represents and as I mentioned it can also be
used as a CLI command which enables some scripting if needed:

You can download this small and useful tool at:

http://quick.mixnmojo.com/usb-disk-ejector

[Disclaimer:This is a rant, or my opinion on a specific subject. You may agree with
me,you may disagree with me (use the comments) but these are still my opinions
and no one else's...]

In recent weeks Microsoft has announced that it will be providing access to several
of it's products as managed services. In other words, if you own a company that is
interested in one of Microsoft's products yet you don't want to mess around with the
design, setup, deployment  and maintenance of the product you can purchase it as a
service.

Among the services announced we can find:

1. Microsoft Exchange
2. SQL server
3. SharePoint
4. Office Communication
5. Office Live Meeting

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/mar08/03-02AllSizeBusinessesPR.mspx

Is this new?

Microsoft is calling this service - The Cloud. The Cloud is an unknown location that
provides services without any concern to your location. So is this something new?

In my opinion this isn't new notion, it is an old one repackaged and marketed with
a catchy name. So where have we already encountered this- outsourcing.
Outsourcing is a trend that has been moving in and out of view every once in a while.

Outsourcing

The main motivator to outsource is that as a business you shouldn't have to
mess around with anything except your core business: let the professionals take care
of "less important" stuff such as IT services, you concentrate on your business.

The question is how does this affect your business and what is the definition
of core business?

Hoe does this affect your business: Advantages/Disadvantages of outsourcing

There are many advantages to outsourcing:

1. You do not have to deal with something that is not in your field of expertise -
You bring in the experts, you can have the IT personnel located at your facilities or the
outsourcing companies facilities. You can host the hardware needed for the IT services
at your facility or at the outsourcing companies facility-flexibility at it's best.


2. You have a lower headcount -Your headcount is lower, you have to pay less salaries
   and benefits.
   
3. Your expenditures are lower -errm...in my personal opinion this is a myth. In most
   cases with outsourcing your expenditures actually grow. You pay a lot more for the
   service but due to some creative bookkeeping it might seem that it lowers costs (you
   have a lower headcount...).
   
4. You set the level of service you would like to receive by clearly defined Service
   Level Agreements (SLAs) - You define an SLA for every existing service you can think
   of(more about those that you don't think of later...).
   
5. You harness the power and experience of companies that are experts in the
   field that you are outsourcing -  Since the company you hire is an expert in the field
   that you are outsourcing they will always have better resources then yours to deal with
   the issues that arise.
   
6. Scale your outsourced operation according to your growth - If the company grows
   you can easily get additional support on the other hand there is no problem reducing services.
   
7. You are free to terminate the outsourcing contract and move to a different company
   or bring the service back in-house- Since you are bound by contract you have the
   freedom/flexibility to move to a different company whenever you like...
   

At first sight outsourcing appears to be the greatest invention of all times. Yet before you
run out into the street and start waving flags consider the disadvantages as I see them:

1. You do not have to deal with something that is not in your field of expertise -
   This is the plug and play approach to the subject, consider what happens if your hardware,
   data and business logic is with the company that is the expert. Consider what happens
   if that company is sued or brought to bankruptcy. Your data is still your data, but if it will
   take litigation to access it, consider your company functioning without IT services during the
   proceeds(and I am not talking about keyboard replacements but about the inability to access
   e-mail, data, or any other IT based service).
   
2. You have a lower headcount - Even though you have a lower headcount there are people
   out there doing the work for you. These people feel no loyalty to your company (they work
   for the outsourcing company), they do not understand or care about your companies goals
   (they might be working shifts, their next shift might be with your competitor). In my opinion in
   a successful company every employee should understand their role and how this role helps the
   company reach it's goals.
   
3. Your expenditures are lower - They aren't. In most cases you will pay more for the
   outsourced service then you pay for an in-house solution. The reasoning is that you utilize
   the power of a company that has more expertise then an in-house solution thus you should
   pay more. Bottom line though is that you pay more.
   
4. You set the level of service you would like to receive by clearly defined Service
   Level Agreements (SLAs) - In utopia this actually does work. In the real world if you need to
   recover a file/email that has been mistakenly deleted, or you need to urgently terminate an
   employees account due to criminal activities you (just as the outsourcing company) are bound
   to the initial SLA. Not much to do about it. You can renegotiate the SLA but it will be too
   late for preventing the usage of the account you needed terminated or the recovery of the
   file that you needed urgently.Now if you forgot a service or you want a new one it's a whole new
   ball game, negotiation and obviously extra costs...
   
5. You harness the power and experience of companies that are experts in the field that
   you are outsourcing - Now this one is somewhat problematic, based on my past experiences the
   method that outsourcing companies use is to have large teams of average people that act as foot
   soldiers and for every such team they have a few experienced people that are considered
   experts/Tier 2/subject matter experts (I have encountered situation in which the 'experts' were
   outsourced from a third company...). The problem is that these experts are usually needed by
   several companies at once and are not available on the spot. In addition to that these experts are
   not familiar with your environment as they do not live it on a 24/7 basis thus they may or may not
   provide you with good solutions.
   
6. Scale your outsourced operation according to your growth - Sounds good in theory yet when
   implemented you need to keep in mind that the people designing the solution have a double loyalty:
   on one hand they want to provide a professional solution that will solve the problems you are facing
   yet on the other hand they are employed by an outsourcing company that has it's own interests.
   The designer (who is employed by the outsourcing company) is torn between loyalties...or is he?
   Going larger means more money and going smaller means still having to pay since you are contract
   bound.
   
7. You are free to terminate the outsourcing contract and move to a different company
   or bring the service back in-house- Sounds simple enough, yet after investing vast amounts of
   money,designating operational procedures, moving data centers you will not be able to easily terminate
   contracts for several reasons: your own dignity and image inside your company will be damaged,
   admitting  that you were wrong is not simple.
   In addition to that once you are dependent on the outsourced service moving it back (or to a different
   company) is technically difficult since it is a long and costly process.
   Lastly, most outsourcing contracts are defined for a few years without an exit clause.
   

The definition of Core Business

So what is that elusive core of your business? Who is part of the business and who isn't? Who simply supports
while others drive? In my opinion this is a relatively hard question to answer. For the sake of this discussion
I would like to purpose an example: I would like to realize my old dream of owning a company. Our
product is a device (that can be connected to a computer...dah!) that enables computers to create a specific
atmosphere by creating smells. This will revolutionize the gaming world, imagine playing Crysis while being able
to sniff out your enemies!

This device is part hardware and part software. I would like to have my company to build this device, market it,
ensemble it and sell it. Which parts of the company would be considered core business and which parts
would be considered supporting roles that are outsourceable?

1. The idea - sounds impossible to outsource,but is it? Aren't investors outsourcing for ideas when they
   look for opportunities in startup fairs?
   
2. Management - Since all I can do is come up with wacky ideas for companies I would need a
   solid managerial staff. I wouldn't want to hire them because I would prefer to have proven and
   experienced managers that come from a company with a strong record-so lets outsource the managers.
   
3. Marketing - Same as management, why hire people, simply buy the service they provide from a good
   marketing company.
   
4. Finance - I can't balance a checkbook, so I need someone from the outside. I can't really tell a good accountant
   from a bad one,so lets outsource that too.
   
5. Developers - These guys are the technical professionals that will make my device workable. Technical
   professional should not be part of the company, they can be outsourced-I simply need the solution not
   the people.
   
6. Manufacturing - That's a no brainer, lets offshore it (cheaper).
   
7. IT - Don't really see the value of having them onboard as everyone else is outsourced and they are in the
   same group of professionals that provide a service I need-I can do without the people.
   
8. Facilities - Not sure that I even need it. I can do my business over the Internet with a webcam.
   
9. Client support - That's a no brainer, lets offshore it (Cheaper. Is it?).

So considering such an operation, what percentage of success would you give it? Would you change it?
Which roles should remain in-house?
Where is the boundary between core and a supporting role?

My major issue with dividing the business this way, is that you lose the employees loyalty and identification with
the brand that you are trying to market. Once you move the employee outside of the "Core" group and you outsource
him, you are essentially telling him that he is not part of your brand and business so you really shouldn't be that
surprised when he is not willing to run the extra mile for you.

Back to Microsoft's announcement

So we started out with Microsoft's announcement which in my opinion simply takes a different
spin on outsourcing. Instead of calling it outsourcing Microsoft calls it 'Services from the cloud'. You have
to admit that it sounds a lot better...

Up until now a large number of companies have been in the field of providing managed service but
with Microsoft's move into the field the rules may change and potential clients that were undecided on wether
to take the plunge might be convinced to do so considering that Microsoft offers the service.

Wrapping it up

I can't really say which way is the correct way, I do hold an opinion which is quite obvious from what I wrote
here and even though IT is a supporting role to the business (as such it is regarded as infrastructure) more
thought should be given before deciding to outsource.

In the last few years there has been some decline in how IT is perceived. IT is no longer perceived as a critical
ingredient to a businesses success but as something that is there and has to be functioning flawlessly
all the time. IT can not dictate how things should happen, the business dictates the method and IT implements
and as such a lot of companies have decided to outsource (some have already gone the other way after
failing to outsource IT and user support). Nevertheless, in my opinion, IT still holds a critical role in each businesses
success as it holds the role of enabling a business to become what it is. Outsourcing it might be a huge mistake.

Windows Live FolderShare is a new service from Microsoft that allows you to
synchronize files across your computers.

As an example if you have several computers that you use (one at work and
one at home) by using this service you can designated Personal Libraries that
will synchronize the information across those computers.

On the other hand you can also designated Public Libraries for files you would
like to share with your friends.

For this to function you need to install client software on the systems you would like to
participate.

You can try it at:

https://www.foldershare.com/

The Windows command line interface is a powerful tool. Most people might shrug away
from it since they feel that it is not flexible enough...to those people I dedicate this post.

Microsoft has a released a command line reference that can be found here.

So for the last few weeks these devices just keep on popping up. This week it seems
that a new device can mouth words for you. In other words if you are unwilling/unable
to say something out loud this device will do it for you.

Another major advantage is that people using cell phones will no longer have to share
their conversation with everyone around them.

The device is called Audeo and it is being developed by a company called Ambient.

Wow-this is a surprise,or is it?

iPhone is cool. iPhone wants to go enterprise.

No matter how you look at it the iPhone is a cool gadget,but then
again would you buy something that's simply cool and ineffective? Dunno.

Adding ActiveSync to the mix opens a whole new world before the iPhone and connects
a large number of iPhone owners (and potential owners) to Microsoft infrastructures
that control the enterprise environment (why use GMAIL/Blackberry).

So if you look at it this way,it makes sense for Apple and Microsoft to co-operate
on this since it's a win-win situation for both.

Oh,bottom line-iPhone will support ActiveSync-and I am getting one...maybe. :)

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2008/mar08/03-06EASqa.mspx

It's always sad to hear about a company go under. In this case
it's a company that has been around the block for quite some time
now so it's even harder-the publisher of PC Magazine (and others)
has filed for bankruptcy. This doesn't necessarily mean that the
company is gone,it means that it's in big trouble.

According to a press release it hopes to be ok (and get rid of a 225$ mil.
debt) by next year...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ziff6mar06,1,145982.story

Posts and stories have been popping up about this in the
last couple of weeks on the web. Microsoft and Sandisk seem
to be developing a replacement for the U3 software used on disk
on keys that will enable a user to store his "profile" on the disk
on key thus making it portable.

There aren't too many details available so it is unclear at this stage
what "profile" means yet the concept is interesting. As a user you will
be able to carry your personal data and settings between computers
without actually owning one...

Microsoft is releasing a new OS (free of charge for non-commercial and academic use).
The OS is part of a research project lead by Microsoft Research that aims to build
a dependable system by employing innovative solutions from different fields.

Sounds vague enough for me, so to delve deeper go to:

http://research.microsoft.com/os/singularity/

This is the third post on the subject of new user interfaces to computers
in the last couple of weeks and the second one on mind controlled user interfaces
(I hadn't planned it,but it seems that different device just keep popping up).

OCZ has created and demonstrated a mind controlled (erm...Neural Impulse Actuator)
mouse at CES (Vegas...yes it hurts).

Basically this looks like a headband that measures muscle movement, eye movement and
brain waves. It needs to be calibrated and you are ready to go.

This has been in the works for approximately an year or so yet it seems that it has
gone into mass production:

http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/602163/ocz-brain-controller-in-mass-production.html

In a previous post I covered the cold boot attack paper written by the good people
at Princeton. One thing that they mentioned was that they built an application that can
dump the data stored in RAM yet they aren't publishing as it may be used to cause harm...

Well guess what?

Someone else built one and published it-Just for the fun of it.

Wesley McGrew built it and he publishes it on his blog, calling the application msramdmp...

Before publishing this post I thought to myself,is Wesley ethical to create such a tool and
provide it freely?
Am I ethical to give it additional publicity? I mean it is one thing to know that something might be done
yet providing the tools is a different ball game. To be honest, I think that by releasing such a
tool and bringing it's existence to the knowledge of others people actually provide a service
since now the weaknesses have to be fixed.

Looking at the current case, the evolution is very clear:

1. Theoretical researches about RAM residue were published and lingered for years
2. A practical implementation of the theory was documented and published
3. Software/hardware companies responded and reassured
4. A tool to exploit the weakness has been released
5. Hopefully-a solution is being created to solve the weakness

The theoretical research about RAM residues has been around for years without causing much of a fuss. In
contrast when the practical implementation was documented and published the levels of noise were relatively
large- software/Hardware vendors had to provide explanations...now that freely available tools to exploit the
weakness exits hopefully software/hardware manufacturers will have to react.

The Exchange Load Generator (LoadGen) document describes installing Exchange Load Generator
on a client computer and then steps through configuring, creating, running, customizing, repeating,
and stopping the test. Information is provided about the user interface, the XML configuration file, and
the command-line program, each of which performs specific functions of the tool. Additionally, there are
topics for using System Monitor and LoadGen data, things to consider when looking at test results, and
consolidating System Monitor data and analyzing LoadGen. Non-task descriptions include operational
recommendations, features of the tool, and a reference of performance counters.

Exchange Load Generator is used as a simulation tool to measure the effect of MAPI clients on Exchange
servers. LoadGen enables you to test how a server that is running Exchange responds to e-mail loads.
To simulate the delivery of these messaging requests, you run Exchange Load Generator tests on client
computers. These tests send multiple messaging requests to the Exchange server, which causes a mail
load. LoadGen is useful for administrators who are sizing servers and validating a deployment plan.
Specifically, LoadGen helps determine whether each of your servers can handle the load that they are
intended to carry. Another use for LoadGen is to help validate the overall solution.
The Exchange Load Generator and the accompanying documentation replace the Load Simulator
tool and information.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c7534cb2-4234-41f1-b0b2-ed9f376b4cb2&DisplayLang=en

Ok,now seriously...don't mess with Mailstorm-if you do,everyone will know you...