Application Monitoring and types

Application monitoring is a very important aspect of a project but unfortunately not much attention is paid to develop the effective monitoring while the project is not live. Once project is live lack of proper monitoring costs in terms of downtime when support persons are not aware if application is having some problems or application not working at all.
1. Proactive Monitoring : Proactive monitoring means monitor the system and application health and take corrective action when it reaches a certain threshold level .The threshold level is defined as the level where application is not showing deterioration but can deteriorate if corrective actions are not taken.
2. Complexity & number of applications: An application may become more complex if it has a global user base. The application has to support multiple languages, culture and currencies. Application may have multiple instances located in different regions of the world and may be using different time or logging format.
3. Shared Systems: Applications are often shared in a system in order to utilize the full capacity of the hardware and this implementation brings in its own set of challenges. For a single application system it is easier to track the resources like memory, CPU, disk, network bandwidth but in shared application environment some application may take the resources and others may get impacted for apparently no fault of their own.
4. Clustered Systems: To avoid a single point of failure applications are hosted in a clustered environment with number of machines in different network and locations.
: Types of Monitoring for applications :
1. Health Monitoring
2. Error Monitoring
3. Performance Monitoring
4.Configuration Monitoring
5. Security Monitoring

Why does svchost.exe need to connect to the Internet

Service Host (Svchost.exe) is the Microsoft Generic Host Process, which acts as a host for other processes running from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). Multiple entries for this process might be present in the Task Manager list. The Svchost.exe file is located in the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder. When Application rules are configured in Comodo Firewall pro, Svchost.exe will have %
SystemRoot%\System32\services.exe as the parent process. Service Host (Svchost.exe) is a core piece of Windows XP code that collects a number of lower-level system-critical services and runs them in a common environment. By gathering multiple functions together, we can reduces boot time and system overhead and eliminate the need to run dozens of separate low-level services. Depending upon the number of Windows system services you have enabled, Service Host may be responsible for the management of up to 47 services, not all of which require Internet connectivity.
Some of key Internet services for which Svchost.exe is responsible are:
§ Automatic Windows Updates - (Service Name) Wuauserv Checks for updates and patches at the Windows Update site and downloads or installs them automatically if you have selected those options.
§ Background Intelligent Transfer Service - (Service Name) BITS Used by Automatic Updates.
§ DHCP Client - (Service Name) Dhcp Acquires an IP Address and other settings from a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) server at startup.
§ DNS Client - (Service Name) Dnscache Caches records of Domain Name System (DNS) lookups to improve performance.
§ Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) / Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) - (Service Name) SharedAccess Provides Network Address Translation, address translation, and firewall services on networks.
§ SSDP Discovery Service - Service Name) SSDPSRV ICF depends on UPnP to provide incoming connections to systems behind the firewall. If SSDP is disabled, you can’t use Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance to access systems across the Internet.
§ Universal Plug And Play Device Host - (Service Name) upnphost See SSDP
§ Windows Time - (Service Name) W32Time Allows you to synchronize the date and time on a computer with a remote server using options you set on the Internet Time tab of Control Panel, Date And Time.
There are others that may need access.
Svchost.exe is considered a safe application by Comodo Firewall Pro. The rules you may have to configure will depend upon your firewall settings.

Difference between Win 2000 Server and Win 2003 Server

1. Win 2000 Server

We can apply 620 group policy, No restore option, Simultaneously 10 users can access on network, We can make nearly 1 million users, It supports of 8 processors and 64 GB RAM, Its Supports IIS 5.0, Its doesn’t support Dot net, It's will not support cross forest trust relationship, In win 2000 IIS .NET FRAMEWORK installed manually, There is no concept of domain renaming, only Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) is available

2. Win 2003 Server

We can apply 720 group policies, Restore option, Simultaneously unlimited users can access on the network, We can make one billion users, Win 2003 supports up to 64 processors and max of 512GB RAM, 2003 Supports IIS6.0, 2003 Supports Microsoft .NET 2.0, Where as in 2003 we can do, In WIn 2003 IIS,.NET FRAMEWORK installed automatically, In Win 2003 domain renaming is possiable, Automated System Recovery (ASR) is available in 2003 server,

Services You Can Disable in Windows XP for More Performance

There are quite a few services you can disable from starting automatically.This would be to speed up your boot time and free resources.They are only suggestions so I suggestion you read the description of each one when you run Servicesand that you turn them off one at a time.

Some possibilities are:

1. AlerterApplication
2. ManagementClipbook
3. Fast UserSwitching
4. Human Interface Devices
5. Indexing ServiceMessenger
6. Net Logon
7. NetMeeting
8. QOS RSVP
9. Remote Desktop
10. Help Session Manager
11. Remote RegistryRouting & Remote Access
12. SSDP Discovery
13. ServiceUniversal
14. Plug and Play Device
15. HostWeb Client

Cleaning the Prefetch Directory:

WindowsXP has a new feature called Prefetch. This keeps a shortcut to recently used programs.However it can fill up with old and obsolete programs.To clean this periodically go to:Star / Run / PrefetchPress Ctrl-A to highlight all the shortcutsDelete them.

Not Displaying Logon, Logoff, Startup and Shutdown Status Messages

To turn these off:

Start RegeditGo to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\systemIf it is not already there, create a DWORD value named DisableStatusMessagesGive it a value of 1

Clearing the Page File on Shutdown

Click on the Start button Go to the Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Local Security>PolicyLocal Policies>Click on Security Options, Right hand menu - right click on "Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile"Select "Enable"RebootFor regedit users.....If you want to clear the page file on each shutdown:Start RegeditGo to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdownSet the value to 1

No GUI BootIf:- you don't need to see the XP boot logo,Run MSCONFIGClick on the BOOT.INI tabCheck the box for /NOGUIBOOT

Speeding the Startup of Some CD Burner Programs:- If you use program other than the native WindowsXP CD Burner software,you might be able to increase the speed that it loads.Go to Control Panel / Administrative Tools / ServicesDouble-click on IMAPI CD-Burning COM ServiceFor the Startup Type, select DisabledClick on the OK button and then close the Services windowIf you dont You should notice

Getting Rid of Unread Email Messages:-

To remove the Unread Email message by user's login names:Start RegeditFor a single user: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\UnreadMailFor all users: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\UnreadMailCreate a DWORD key called MessageExpiryDaysGive it a value of 0

Decreasing Boot Time:-

Microsoft has made available a program to analyze and decrease the time it takes to boot to WindowsXPThe program is called BootVisUncompress the file.Run BOOTVIS.EXEFor a starting point, run Trace / Next Boot + Driver DelaysThis will reboot your computer and provide a benchmarkAfter the reboot, BootVis will take a minute or two to show graphs of your system startup.Note how much time it takes for your system to load (click on the red vertical line)Then run Trace / Optimize SystemRe-Run the Next Boot + Drive DelaysNote how much the time has decreasedMine went from approximately 33 to 25 seconds.

Increasing Graphics Performance: -

By default, WindowsXP turns on a lot of shadows, fades, and slides etc to menu items. most simply slow down their display.To turn these off selectively:Right click on the My Computer iconSelect PropertiesClick on the Advanced tabUnder Performance, click on the Settings buttonTo turn them all of, select Adjust for best performanceMy preference is to leave them all off except for Show shadows under mouse pointer and Show window contents while dragging.

Increasing System Performance:-

If you have 512 megs or more of memory, you can increase system performanceby having the core system kept in memory.Start RegeditGo to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutiveSet the value to be 1Reboot the computer

Increasing File System Caching:-

To increase the amount of memory Windows will locked for I/O operations:Start RegeditGo to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory ManagementEdit the key IoPageLockLimit

Resolving Inability to Add or Remove Programs:-

If a particular user cannot add or remove programs, there might be a simple registry edit need.Go to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\UninstallChange the DWORD NoAddRemovePrograms to 0 disable it

4096 - 32megs of memory or less

8192 - 32+ megs of memory

16384 - 64+ megs of memory

32768 - 128+ megs of memory

65536 - 256+ megs of memory

20 things you didn't know about Windows XP:-

You've read the reviews and digested the key feature enhancements and operational changes. Now it's time to delve a bit deeper and uncover some of Windows XP's secrets.1. It boasts how long it can stay up. Whereas previous versions of Windows were coy about how long they went between boots, XP is positively proud of its stamina. Go to the Command Prompt in the Accessories menu from the All Programs start button option, and then type 'systeminfo'. The computer will produce a lot of useful info, including the uptime. If you want to keep these, type 'systeminfo > info.txt'. This creates a file called info.txt you can look at later with Notepad. (Professional Edition only). 2. You can delete files immediately, without having them move to the Recycle Bin first. Go to the Startmenu, select Run... and type ' gpedit.msc'; then select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer and find the Do not move deleted files to the Recycle Bin setting. Set it. Poking around in gpedit will reveal a great many interface and system options, but take care – some may stop your computer behaving as you wish. (Professional Edition only). 3. You can lock your XP workstation with two clicks of the mouse. Create a new shortcut on your desktop using a right mouse click, and enter 'rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation’ in the location field.Give the shortcut a name you like. That's it – just double click on it and your computer will be locked.And if that's not easy enough, Windows key + L will do the same. 4. XP hides some system software you might want to remove, such as Windows Messenger, but you can tickle it and make it disgorge everything. Using Notepad or Edit, edit the text file /windows/inf/sysoc.inf, search for the word 'hide' and remove it. You can then go to the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, select Add/Remove Windows Components and there will be your prey, exposed and vulnerable. 5. For those skilled in the art of DOS batch files, XP has a number of interesting new commands. Theseinclude 'eventcreate' and 'eventtriggers' for creating and watching system events, 'typeperf' for monitoringperformance of various subsystems, and 'schtasks' for handling scheduled tasks. As usual, typing the command name followed by /? will give a list of options --they're all far too baroque to go into here. 6. XP has IP version 6 support -- the next generation of IP. Unfortunately this is more than your ISP has,so you can only experiment with this on your LAN. Type 'ipv6 install' into Run... (it's OK, it won't ruin your existing network setup) and then 'ipv6 /?' at the command line to find out more. If you don't know whatIPv6 is, don't worry and don't bother. 7. You can at last get rid of tasks on the computer from the command line by using 'taskkill /pid' and thetask number, or just 'tskill' and the process number. Find that out by typing 'tasklist', which will alsotell you a lot about what's going on in your system.
8. XP will treat Zip files like folders, which is nice if you've got a fast machine. On slower machines, youcan make XP leave zip files well alone by typing 'regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll' at the command line. If you change your mind later, you can put things back as they were by typing 'regsvr32 zipfldr.dll'. 9. XP has ClearType -- Microsoft's anti-aliasing font display technology -- but doesn't have it enabled bydefault. It's well worth trying, especially if you were there for DOS and all those years of staring at ascreen have given you the eyes of an astigmatic bat. To enable ClearType, right click on the desktop,select Properties, Appearance, Effects, select ClearType from the second drop-down menu and enablethe selection. Expect best results on laptop displays. If you want to use ClearType on the Welcome loginscreen as well, set the registry entry HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Controlpanel/Desktop/FontSmoothingType to 2. 10. You can use Remote Assistance to help a friend who's using network address translation (NAT) on ahome network, but not automatically. Get your pal to email you a Remote Assistance invitation and edit thefile. Under the RCTICKET attribute will be a NAT IP address, like 192.168.1.10. Replace this with yourchum's real IP address -- they can find this out by going to http://www.whatismyip.com/ -- and get them to makesure that they've got port 3389 open on their firewall and forwarded to the errant computer. 11. You can run a program as a different user without logging out and back in again. Right click the icon, select Run As... and enter the user name and password you want to use. This only applies for that run. Thetrick is particularly useful if you need to have administrative permissions to install a program, which many require. Note that you can have some fun by running programs multiple times on the same system asdifferent users, but this can have unforeseen effects. 12. Windows XP can be very insistent about you checking for auto updates, registering a Passport,using Windows Messenger and so on. After a while, the nagging goes away, but if you feel you might slip the bonds of sanity before that point, run Regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Explorer/Advanced and create a DWORD value called EnableBalloonTips with a value of 0. 13. You can start up without needing to enter a user name or password. Select Run... from the start menuand type 'control userpasswords2', which will open the user accounts application. On the Users tab, clear the box for Users Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer, and click on OK. An Automatically Log On dialog box will appear; enter the user name and password for the account you want to use. 14. Internet Explorer 6 will automatically delete temporary files, but only if you tell it to. Start thebrowser, select Tools / Internet Options... and Advanced, go down to the Security area and check thebox to Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed.
15. XP comes with a free Network Activity Light, just in case you can't see the LEDs twinkle on your network card. Right click on My Network Places on the desktop, then select Properties. Right click on the description for your LAN or dial-up connection, select Properties, then check the Show icon in notification area when connected box. You'll now see a tiny network icon on the right of your task bar that glimmers nicely during network traffic. 16. The Start Menu can be leisurely when it decides to appear, but you can speed things along by changing the registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop/MenuShowDelay from the default 400 to something a little snappier. Like 0. 17. You can rename loads of files at once in Windows Explorer. Highlight a set of files in a window, thenright click on one and rename it. All the other files will be renamed to that name, with individual numbers in brackets to distinguish them. Also, in a folder you can arrange icons in alphabetised groups by View,Arrange Icon By... Show In Groups. 18. Windows Media Player will display the cover art for albums as it plays the tracks -- if it found the picture on the Internet when you copied the tracks from the CD. If it didn't, or if you have lots ofpre-WMP music files, you can put your own copy of the cover art in the same directory as the tracks. Justcall it folder.jpg and Windows Media Player will pick it up and display it. 19. Windows key + Break brings up the System Properties dialogue box; Windows key + D brings up thedesktop; Windows key + Tab moves through the taskbar buttons. 20. The next release of Windows XP, codenamed Longhorn, is due out late next year or early 2006 andwon't be much to write home about. The next big release is codenamed Blackcomb and will be out in 2007.

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@Services: U can disable/put on manual startup more services than that :start -> RUN type services.mscok most important altought these tips wont do any software damage to ur OS its recom. That u creates a restore point. all programs->accesories->system tools -> system restore and click create restore point. if at any point u feel that ur previous system was better then u can start system restore again and click restore to previous date and choose ur own restore point.how to change the startup: double click on the service and the properties window will show up there ull see a combo box statup type change the setting as req.1. Automatic updates if u dont wish to use automatic updates(neways its just wasting ur internet resources. u can update regularly when so u wish. else it slows down ur other downloads.)2. BITS supports automatic updates u can disable this one too3. Error reporting service. dont worry disabling this wont stop the system from showing u rerrors it stops logging them.4. Help and support. if ur not one of those naive users i think u can do without this one too. it still shows u tooltips but the main help will be disabled. the choice is urs.5.IMAPI burning com service. if u use cd burning software like nero u wont be needing this one. this is just the winxp default cd burning service. u can safely say bye bye(disable it)6. print spooler. if u dont have a printer disable it. if u do have one put this one on manual so that ur driver will enable this service ONLY when u need it. if ur driver doesn’t do that u can set this to auto again.7. remote access conn. manager. for LAN if u dont have LAN put this one on manual(just in case u ever decide to have LAN this wont cause probs. if ur not sure abt ne service u can turn it to manual manual starttup causes the service to run only when an app asks for it. at other times it stays putt.)8. network provisioning service. LAN thing again.9.NTLM security service provider. LAN again10.Office source engine. IF u use MS office (i think XP and later) ull find this service else it wont be there. used for downloading updates for ur office installation. id suggest u disable this and update manually10.performance logs and alerts. if uv never used this one or dont kno what this does disable it. it just logs down all the activities on ur comp. altough the typical user never actually uses it to check on.11. portable media serial no. if u dont have mp3 players feel free to disable it. if u do put it to manual.12.secondary logon. if ur a single user (same as fast user switching below) u can disable this.13. smart cards. if u dont use one disable this service. if u dont kno abt this then probably u wont be using one.14.unintrr. power supply. if u use a ups monitoring software u need this one else disable.15. network DDE again for LAN if u dont have LAN/network u can disable this.16. DDE DSM same as above17.server. same as above18. security center. same as above.19. task scheduler hogs on system resources. it does what the name suggests schedules tasks if u open the task scheduler(Control panel) ull se a list of tasks. most of them by ur antivirus etc. its safe to disable it. most of the updates id suggest u do manually as automatic updates use a considerable amount of sys resouces. be it any software including the OS. and that realplayer is another @#$@#$ it keeps a file realshed.exe in memory whenever u start realplayer. this file will keep on accesing the net and use ur internet resources. use ur firewall to stop this. altought realplayer is useful on the net it still acc to me is a menace. the way it adds itself to ur startup etc. 20.workstation. same as 1721. themes. a lot of opinions on this one some love the way windows xp looks some just want it to work faster. the choice is urs looks or performance? what u can do is when u play high resource req. games u can disable this at other times u can leave this ON. the choice is entirely urs. (someone was talking abt the performance thing in my computer properties theres a visual themes checkbox over there. disabling this service and unchecking that checkbox does the same thing. try it u can always change it back.)but one thing it is GUARANTEED that disabling visual themes will improve sys performance drastically!! try it.what u already suggested has some flaws in it. i dont know if u wrote it or got it from somewhere (thanx for the effort!) but some of them needed xplanations and others needed correction. iv tried to do my best here. if neone has ne probs let me know.Alerter. System events alerter serviceApplication Management. Software publishingClipbook. if u dont know what this is u wont be needing itFast UserSwitching if u have more than 1 accounts and use all of them freq. like say more than 1 person using the same comp and all having diff accounts and change into their accounts freq/occasionally DO NOT DISABLE THIS SERVICE. IT WILL SLOW DOWN UR LOG ON - LOGOFF TIME!!! if u have only one account other than the admin its safe to disable it.Human Interface DevicesIndexing Service: Used for indexing ur files. reduces the search time drastically. the choice is urs. if u dont do much of searching on ur comp(NOT internet searching) and organize ur data cleanly then u probably wont be needing this one.Messenger got nothing to do with msn/yahoo/windows messenger. u may disable thisNet Logon if u dont have proxy safe to disableNetMeeting QOS RSVP if u dont have LAN u wont be needing this. a lot of services on XP run for networks if u dont have LAN at home u can disable these services. Remote Desktop Help Session Manager the remote desktop help app. disables it if u really dont need it. if u dont know abt it be sure u wont need it. reduces the security a bit.Remote Registry same as above Routing & Remote Access wont need if u dont have LANSSDP Discovery ServiceUniversal Plug and Play Device Host if u user pen drives/ Dcams etc DONOT DISABLE THIS!!! PUT IT ON MANUAL BUT DONT DISABLE IT!!Web Clientagain im saying create a restore point! Not that these will cause any problems. But prevention is better than cure!@prefetch: Theres an app which will do all this for u dont use system mechanic! It’s a huge system hogger! Try it out for urself. Be the judge. Get system mechanic the latest one if out, try the clean registry thing and go here ->http://www.stevengould.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=69/ and download it. It’s FREEWARE no ads no malware no spyware. Both of them will do the same job but ccleaner will take almost 1/10th the time of what system mechanic takes!@clearing the pagefile on shutdown. The page file is a physical file on your hard disk drive (hdd) which is used in place of RAM. i.e. when there’s not much ram on the machine etc. ok that reminds me in my computer properties the place where u set the pagefile select manual and enter a value that is twice the size of ur RAM in both min and max. this will keep the system from freq changing the size of the pagefile and slowig down the system. if uhave a huge amount of RAM say around 1.5GB then u wont need any pagefile just incase leave it on auto. but for ppl who have around 512 id suggest ud do as above!Ok back to pagefile on shutdown thing DO NOT DO THAT. it will free up that much amount on ur hdd but tell me when the machine is off what do u intend to do with that free space????? moreover when the system restarts it will take time to create a pagefile again! also when it clears the pagefile on shutdown (try it!) it will take a hell lot of time!!!to reduce startup time use Hibernate instead on switching ur machine off. in the power tab on ur screensave tab, theres this option enable hibernation. check to see if its checked.Hibernating saves all the contents of ur RAM on ur hdd and when restarted loads them again. to hibernate : Start-> shutdown press the shift key and watch the standby button change to hibernate. u may use the shortcut key 'H' also or if u have a sleep button on ur keyboard u may use this too. Its fabulous try it ppl! its a whole new experience. ppl who use it will kno. suppose ur writing a word document and are halfway through and also playing a small game. and u hibernate at this point! when u start ur comp it will be AS U LEFT IT! the same words typed in the word document the same level on ur game etc. but beware the more the no. of apps running the more the time taken to restart. try leaving winamp on and see what happens on the logon (u hear music play even before u log on )STARTUP ITEMS : start->run msconfigthe last tab is called startupremove all the apps u dont want. like messengers can be started from the start menu instead of them starting automatically. it just INCREASES startup time. uncheck all ur messengers all ur media players etc. leave ur antivirus intact. if u see something tht isnt named or the name is unfamiliar its probably a virus (eg. the blaster worm some time back) u can do the same thing thru registry run regeditsearch for run and run once (separately ) and see the keys and delete the ones u dont wish to use.wow a whole new post this could have been. but neways i just wanted to let u ppl kno that ur comp can work faster than u think it can. ok for ppl who already kno this take time to appreciate and not tell us that u already kno it. iv seen it a lot of times on forums even on DT ppl want to show that they kno it. the point isnt that u kno, the point is we SHARE what we kno. so if u already kno appreciate the work(check and correct if necessarry) and if u dont then man what r u waiting for try it go aheadok for the nth time USE SYSTEM RESTORE FIRST! CREATE A RESTORE POINT!!(Read above)au revoir!DO take time to read the whole thing. After all ull save time (not to mention the frustration that rises with the boot time )

Internet Information Services (Version's or Feature's)

Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS, formerly called Internet Information Server) is a set of Internet-based services for servers using Microsoft Windows. It is the world's second most popular web server in terms of overall websites, behind Apache HTTP Server. As of March 2008 it served 49.38% of all websites and 35.20% of all active websites according to Netcraft. The servers currently include FTP, SMTP, NNTP, and HTTP/HTTPS.HistoryIIS was initially released as an additional set of Internet based services for Windows NT 3.51. IIS 2.0 followed adding support for the Windows NT 4.0 operating system and IIS 3.0 introduced the Active Server Pages dynamic scripting environment.IIS 4.0 dropped support for the Gopher protocol and was bundled with Windows NT as a separate "Option Pack" CD-ROM.The current shipping version of IIS is 7.0 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, 6.0 for Windows Server 2003 and IIS 5.1 for Windows XP Professional. Windows XP has a restricted version of IIS 5.1 that supports only 10 simultaneous connections and a single web site.[2] IIS 6.0 added support for IPv6. A FastCGI module is also available for IIS5.1, IIS6[3] and IIS7.[4]Windows Vista does not install IIS 7.0 by default, but it can be selected among the list of optionally installed components. IIS 7.0 on Vista (Vista Basic does not handle ASP and ASP.NET) does not limit the number of connections allowed but restricts performance based on active concurrent requests.SecurityEarlier versions of IIS were hit with a number of vulnerabilities, chief among them CA-2001-19 which led to the infamous Code Red worm; however, version 7.0 currently has no reported issues that affect it. In perspective, as of 11 September 2007, the free software Apache web server has one unpatched reported issue,[5] affecting only MS Windows systems, and rated "less critical". In IIS 6.0, Microsoft has opted to change the behavior of pre-installed ISAPI handlers,[6] many of which were culprits in the vulnerabilities of 4.0 and 5.0, thus reducing the attack surface of IIS. In addition, IIS 6.0 added a feature called "Web Service Extensions" that prevents IIS from launching any program without explicit permission by an administrator. With the current release, IIS 7.0, the components were modularized, so that only the required components have to be installed, thus further reducing the attack surface. In addition, security features such as URLFiltering were added that rejects suspicious URLs based on a user defined rule set.In IIS 5.1 and lower, by default all websites were run in-process and under the System account,[7] a default Windows account with elevated rights. Under 6.0 all request handling processes have been brought under a Network Services account which has significantly fewer privileges. In particular this means that if there is an exploit in a feature or custom code, it wouldn't necessarily compromise the entire system given the sandboxed environment the worker processes run in. IIS 6.0 also contained a new kernel HTTP stack (http.sys) with a stricter HTTP request parser and response cache for both static and dynamic content.[edit] Authentication MechanismsIIS 5.0 and higher support the following authentication mechanisms:* Basic access authentication* Digest access authentication* Integrated Windows Authentication* .NET Passport Authentication[edit] Version 7.0Debuting with Windows Vista, and also included in Windows Server 2008, IIS 7.0 features a modular architecture. Instead of a monolithic server which features all services, IIS 7 has a core web server engine. Modules offering specific functionality can be added to the engine to enable its features. The advantage of having this architecture is that only the features required can be enabled and that the functionalities can be extended by using custom modules.IIS 7 will ship with a handful of modules, but Microsoft will make other modules available online.[8] The following sets of modules are slated to ship with the server:1. HTTP Modules2. Security Modules3. Content Modules4. Compression Modules5. Caching Modules6. Logging and Diagnostics ModulesWriting extensions to IIS 7 using ISAPI has been deprecated in favor of the module API, which allows modules to be plugged in anywhere within the request processing pipeline. Much of IIS's own functionality is built on this API, and as such, developers will have much more control over a request process than was possible in prior versions. Modules can be written using C++, or using the IHttpModule interface from a .NET Framework language. Modules can be loaded globally where the services provided by the module can effect all sites, or loaded on a per-site basis. IIS 7 has an integrated mode application pool where .NET modules are loaded into the pipeline using the module API, rather than ISAPI. As a result ASP.NET code can be used with all requests to the server.[9] For applications requiring strict IIS 6.0 compatibility, the Classic application pool mode loads asp.NET as an ISAPI.A significant change from previous versions of IIS is that all Web server configuration information is stored solely in XML configuration files, instead of in the metabase. The server has a global configuration file that provides defaults, and each virtual web's document root (and any subdirectory thereof) may contain a web.config containing settings that augment or override the defaults. Changes to these files take effect immediately. This marks a significant departure from previous versions whereby web interfaces, or machine administrator access, were required to change simple settings such as default document, active modules and security/authentication. It also eliminates the need to perform metabase synchronization between multiple servers in a farm of web servers.IIS 7 also features a completely rewritten administration interface that takes advantage of modern MMC features such as task panes and asynchronous operation. Configuration of ASP.NET is more fully integrated into the administrative interface.Other changes:* PICS content ratings, support for Microsoft Passport, and server-side image maps are no longer included.* Executing commands via server-side includes is no longer permitted.* IISRESET -reboot has been removed.* The CONVLOG tool, which converts IIS log files into NCSA format, has been removed.* Support for enabling a folder for "Web Sharing" via the Windows Explorer interface has been removed.* IIS Media Pack (see below), which allows IIS to be used as a bare-bones media server, without using Windows Media Services.[10]* New FTP module, that integrates with the new configuration store, as well as the new management environment

Microsoft Messenger Supported O/S

Microsoft Messenger for Mac, styled as Microsoft Messenger:Mac[1] (previously MSN Messenger for Mac) is the official Mac OS X client for the .NET Messenger Service protocol and is developed by the Macintosh Business Unit, a division of Microsoft. However, the feature list is limited in comparison to that of its Windows Live Messenger. The client is still maintained and updated but still lacks a number of features that it's Windows counterpart contains. In response to its lack of features, numerous third-party competitors have been developed, such as Mercury Messenger and aMSN.VersionsMSN Messenger for Mac v2.5.1 running under Classic emulation of Mac OS 9.2.2, under Mac OS X 10.4The versions 3.x and later of Microsoft Messenger for Mac feature new Aqua graphics, whereas version 2.x and below have graphics similar to Windows Messenger 4.0. Versions 5.x use the brushed metal theme.* Version 2.5.1 is an update to version 2.5, which is a mandatory update to version 2.1 that is available for users running Mac OS 9.2.2.* Version 3.5 is available for Mac OS X revisions older to 10.2.8* Version 4.0.1 is available for Mac OS X revisions newer than 10.2.8* Version 5.1.1 is available for Mac OS X revisions 10.3 and newer* Version 6.0.3 is available for Mac OS X revisions 10.3.9 and newer* The latest version of Microsoft Messenger for Mac is 7.0, which was released on April 29, 2008 for Mac OS X v10.4.9 or newer.It should be noted that with the release of Microsoft Messenger for Mac 7.0, Microsoft has discontinued the client's support for older versions of their Corporate messaging systems (such as Live Communications Server 2005). - The latest version to support these older systems is Version 6.03, which is still available for download on the Microsoft website.Features* Chat with Yahoo! Messenger contacts* Status messages that personal contacts can see (can be set to show current song in iTunes)* Full custom emoticon support, usable with personal contacts* Send and receive custom animated emoticons with personal contacts* Conversation history searchable with Spotlight* Spellchecking in instant messages* Personal and corporate (Microsoft Exchange) accounts* Direct link to inbox* Audio and Video chat (initially for Corporate accounts only)CriticismMicrosoft Messenger for Mac is not as fully featured as Windows Live Messenger for Windows, lacking the following features:* Handwritten messages* Screen sharing* Nudges* Winks* Photo backgrounds on current conversation windows* Games that can be played with another contact* Some built-in emoticons* Contact details such as Nicknames and Addresses* Integration with Windows Live Spaces* Windows Live Today* Automatic reconnection if connection is lost* Sharing folders* Color schemes* Audio and Video chat for Personal accounts.

Microsoft Based or Supported products

Microsoft Visual C++Microsoft Visual C++ is Microsoft's implementation of the C and C++ compiler and associated languages services and specific tools for integration with the Visual Studio IDE. It can compile either in C mode or C++ mode. For C, it follows the ISO C standard with parts of C99 spec along with MS-specific additions in the form of libraries.[28] For C++, it follows the ANSI C++ spec along with a few C++0x features.[29] It also supports the C++/CLI spec to write managed code, as well as mixed mode code (a mix of native and managed code). Microsoft positions Visual C++ for development in native code or code that contains both native as well as managed components. Visual C++ supports COM as well as the MFC library. For MFC development, it provides a set of wizards for creating and customizing MFC boilerplate code, and creating GUI applications using MFC. Visual C++ can also use the Visual Studio forms designer to design UI graphically. Visual C++ can also be used with the Windows API. It also supports the use of intrinsic functions,[30] which are functions recognized by the compiler itself and not implemented as a library. Intrinsic functions are used to expose the SSE instruction set of modern CPUs. Visual C++ also includes the OpenMP (version 2.0) spec.Microsoft Visual C#Microsoft Visual C# is Microsoft's implementation of the C# language, that targets the .NET Framework, along with the language services that lets the Visual Studio IDE support C# projects. While the language services are a part of Visual Studio, the compiler is available separately as a part of the .NET Framework. The Visual C# 2008 compiler supports version 3.0 of the C# language specifications. Visual C# supports the Visual Studio Class designer, Forms designer, and Data designer among others.Microsoft Visual BasicMicrosoft Visual Basic is Microsoft's implementation of the VB.NET language and associated tools and language services. It was introduced with Visual Studio .NET (2002). Microsoft has positioned Visual Basic for Rapid Application Development. Visual Basic can be used to author both console applications as well as GUI applications. Like Visual C#, Visual Basic also supports the Visual Studio Class designer, Forms designer, and Data designer among others. Like C#, the VB.NET compiler also is available as a part of .NET Framework but the language services, that let VB.NET projects be developed with Visual Studio, are available as a part of the latter.Microsoft Visual Web DeveloperMicrosoft Visual Web Developer is used to create web sites, web application and web services using ASP.NET. Either C# or VB.NET languages can be used. Visual Web Developer can use the Visual Studio Web Designer to graphically design web page layouts.Team Foundation ServerIncluded only with Visual Studio Team System, Team Foundation Server is intended for collaborative software development projects and acts as the server side backend providing source control, data collection, reporting, and project tracking functionality. It also includes the Team Explorer, the client tool for TFS services, which is integrated inside Visual Studio Team System.Visual FoxProVisual FoxPro is a data-centric object-oriented and procedural programming language produced by Microsoft. It is derived from FoxPro (originally known as FoxBASE) which was developed by Fox Software beginning in 1984. Visual FoxPro is tightly integrated with its own relational database engine, which extends FoxPro's xBase capabilities to support SQL query and data manipulation. Unlike most database management systems, Visual FoxPro is a full-featured, dynamic programming language that does not require the use of an additional general-purpose programming environment. Microsoft has stated that Visual FoxPro has been discontinued after version 9.Visual SourceSafeMicrosoft Visual SourceSafe is a source control software package oriented towards small software development projects. SourceSafe was initially not a client/server SCM; version 6.0 could only be used locally in a single user system. With Visual SourceSafe 2005, a client-server mode was added, whereby a SourceSafe repository can be shared using SMB shared. Visual SourceSafe 6.0 was included with Visual Studio 6.0, whereas Visual SourceSafe 2005 was available as a stand-alone product and included with the 2005 Team Suite. Visual Studio Team System included Team Foundation Server for source control.Microsoft Visual J++/Microsoft Visual J#Microsoft Visual J++ was Microsoft's implementation of the Java language (with Microsoft-specific extensions) and associated language services. It was discontinued as a result of a litigation from Sun Microsystems, and the technology was recycled into Visual J#, Microsoft's Java compiler for .NET Framework. J# was available with Visual Studio 2005 but with version 2008, it has been discontinued.Visual InterDevVisual InterDev is used to create web applications using Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) technologies. It supports code completion and includes database server management tools. It has been replaced with Microsoft Visual Web Developer.

Microsoft Visual Studio Debugger

The Microsoft VS Debugger is a debugger that ships along with all versions of Microsoft Visual Studio. This debugger owes much of its feel and functionality to CodeView, a standalone, text-based debugger that shipped with Microsoft Visual C++ version 1.5 and earlier.More advanced features of the most recent versions of this debugger include:* Full symbol and source integration.* Attaching and detaching to and from processes.* Integrated debugging across programs written in both .NET and native Windows languages (calls from C# to C++, for example).* Remote machine debugging.* Full support for C++, including templates and the standard library* Debugging ASP.NET Web Services.* Standard as well as more advanced breakpoint features, including conditional, address, data breakpoints.* Many ways of viewing program state and data, including multiple watch windows, threads, call stack, and modules. The way library and user data types are displayed can be configured (e.g., to show contents of a container class, rather than it's raw structure).* Scriptability or the ability to control via a macro or scripting language. Any language which can talk to COM can be used.* Edit and continue support, enabling source code change and recompilation without having to restart the program (32 bit applications only).* Local and remote debugging of SQL stored procedures on supported versions of Microsoft SQL Server.The main shortcoming of the Visual Studio Debugger is its inability to trace into kernel-mode code.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1: Now Available for Download

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5, and includes .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.0 service pack 1.
http://www.microsoft.com/net/Download.aspx

Poof! Hollywood Disappears

It seems that science is finally catching up with Hollywood. When researchers in California revealed over the weekend that they are one step closer to developing an "invisibility cloak," Hollywood sci-fi fans were heartened. In "Memoirs of an Invisible Man," a film based on a book by the same name, Chevy Chase plays a business man who is accidentally rendered invisible by an experiment gone awry.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup?id=5558556