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# Redundant storage by duplicating it across multiple drives, and the ability to easily add/remove drives. Also, drive letters are gone; WHS treats all drives as one big pool of space. # Remote access of files beyond the LAN, plus the ability to setup a personalized domain to access your server. All of this is optional and disabled by default if you're concerned about security.

This is available in existing NAS boxes you can buy off the shelf. Linksys, etc. Mine is by Buffalo.

I just looked at Buffalo products, but only see RAID support for data redundancy, which I assume imposes specific drive requirements (same size or type, for example). WHS implements data redundancy even for different-sized drives. Also, the remote access capabilities allow for access over the Internet. Can that be done with Buffalo products in a secure manner?

# Backup and restore entire computers on the network. It backs up one copy of duplicate files across the network to save space. You can also restore individual files.

I'm not sure what this means or why I would want to do this. If you're talking about rsync, I've got that. I can also do HD images. The Windows Backup software is horribly bugged and if you're using it you hate your data. If this software is based on that, it WILL suck.

I'll give an example: My house has 5 machines running Windows. Aside from personal files unique to each machine, they also share duplicate files, such as system binaries, installed programs, etc. WHS will back up one copy of those duplicate files. Entire machines can be restored from backups. So it's similar to an HD image, but without wasting space backing up duplicate files for each image. Moreover, rsync requires a certain amount of setup; good luck getting my parents to read through rsync documentation and getting it to work.

Ability to install your own apps on WHS. It's based on Windows Server 2003 R2, and there aren't any restrictions on installing software on it.

I'll give you this. Sort of.

Now if you wanted to build a PC system you use for your home server, you could run this Home Server software on it (which will cost, what, $150 at least?) or you could run one of the many free and mature Linux distributions that are excellent for this purpose. I'm not a big fan of Linux on the desktop, but for THIS purpose, the home or small business LAN server, Linux has lots of advantages, the biggest being that it can easily run on cheap commodity hardware you have lying around.

Funny, I thought you'd reply with "duh, it'd be stupid to not allow software installation." :) Anyhow, one thing to keep in mind is that WHS is intended for regular people who have multiple machines in their house. My parents aren't going to learn about RAID and its requirements, and even if they manage to setup RAID initially, what happens in a few years when they want additional storage + redundancy? Would they have to resetup everything? Buy another NAS box? With WHS they plug in the new drive, and the data will automatically be mirrored.

Additionally, my last Samba experience involved modifying a config file, something that's already beyond my parents. At least Samba has domain mode, which is probably superior to WHS's method of synchronizing usernames and passwords, but XP Professional is required to join domains. Not everyone has Professional.

My current system is actually a hybrid of these approaches: It's a Kuro-box, a NAS that has it's own Linux distribution. It can run Samba, but I'm also running P2P clients and a few little daemons on it for VPN and such. I actually wouldn't reccomend it to other people. I basically wanted a cheap PPC developm

"Redundant storage and hot pluggable drives for those for whom RAID is an insect spray can." If you don't know what RAID is, why would you bother specing a home-pc with hot swappable drives? "To add storage just slip in another drive and you are good to go." Yeah, assuming you got a server chassis with hot swappable drives. Which, by definition, the end-user this is targeted at doesn't.

They don't necessarily have to build their own machine. HP will have MediaMart Server, which is a headless machine with support for hot-swappable drives and will run Windows Home Server.

"Automated backups for every system on the net. Recover older versions of files. Single instance storage" Yeah, that's a good pitch, too. So far? Vapor-ware!

Several thousand are participating in the beta, and there's a forum full of people using it. Yep, sounds like vapor-ware to me.

"Remote access and administration. Remote control over the web --- again, intended for users who have no experience in any of this." Oh, there's a security hole just waiting for a portscan to come along!

Off by default.

This is aimed at Fanbois who just don't have the brains to make the leap to Ubuntu or Fedora.

WHS automatically replicates data across all attached hard drives, which can be internal/external and of different sizes, and will also automatically backup all my networked machines without duplicating files. If Ubuntu/Fedora can do that, then please enlighten me.

"Redundant storage and hot pluggable drives for those for whom RAID is an insect spray can." If you don't know what RAID is, why would you bother specing a home-pc with hot swappable drives? "To add storage just slip in another drive and you are good to go." Yeah, assuming you got a server chassis with hot swappable drives. Which, by definition, the end-user this is targeted at doesn't.

They don't necessarily have to build their own machine. HP will have MediaMart Server, which is a headless machine with support for hot-swappable drives and will run Windows Home Server.

"Automated backups for every system on the net. Recover older versions of files. Single instance storage" Yeah, that's a good pitch, too. So far? Vapor-ware!

Several thousand are participating in the beta, and there's a forum full of people using it. Yep, sounds like vapor-ware to me.

"Remote access and administration. Remote control over the web --- again, intended for users who have no experience in any of this." Oh, there's a security hole just waiting for a portscan to come along!

Off by default.

This is aimed at Fanbois who just don't have the brains to make the leap to Ubuntu or Fedora.

WHS automatically replicates data across all attached hard drives, which can be internal/external and of different sizes, and will also automatically backup all my networked machines without duplicating files. If Ubuntu/Fedora can do that, then please enlighten me.

I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.

It'd be nice if you would at least familiarize yourself with the product before you bash it. Windows Home Server provides a variety of services, including:

• Redundant storage by duplicating it across multiple drives, and the ability to easily add/remove drives. Also, drive letters are gone; WHS treats all drives as one big pool of space.
• Remote access of files beyond the LAN, plus the ability to setup a personalized domain to access your server. All of this is optional and disabled by default if you're concerned about security.
• Backup and restore entire computers on the network. It backs up one copy of duplicate files across the network to save space. You can also restore individual files.
• Ability to install your own apps on WHS. It's based on Windows Server 2003 R2, and there aren't any restrictions on installing software on it.

So can the Linksys and Airport Extreme devices do the above? Don't be a blind basher.

Now regarding alternatives to WHS: If you simply need network storage without backup, remote access, and a full Windows OS environment, then stick with Linksys, Airport Extreme, and the variety of other devices that let you attach hard drives. But WHS sounds like a great option if you want those additional features.

I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.

It'd be nice if you would at least familiarize yourself with the product before you bash it. Windows Home Server provides a variety of services, including:

• Redundant storage by duplicating it across multiple drives, and the ability to easily add/remove drives. Also, drive letters are gone; WHS treats all drives as one big pool of space.
• Remote access of files beyond the LAN, plus the ability to setup a personalized domain to access your server. All of this is optional and disabled by default if you're concerned about security.
• Backup and restore entire computers on the network. It backs up one copy of duplicate files across the network to save space. You can also restore individual files.
• Ability to install your own apps on WHS. It's based on Windows Server 2003 R2, and there aren't any restrictions on installing software on it.

So can the Linksys and Airport Extreme devices do the above? Don't be a blind basher.

Now regarding alternatives to WHS: If you simply need network storage without backup, remote access, and a full Windows OS environment, then stick with Linksys, Airport Extreme, and the variety of other devices that let you attach hard drives. But WHS sounds like a great option if you want those additional features.

I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.

It'd be nice if you would at least familiarize yourself with the product before you bash it. Windows Home Server provides a variety of services, including:

• Redundant storage by duplicating it across multiple drives, and the ability to easily add/remove drives. Also, drive letters are gone; WHS treats all drives as one big pool of space.
• Remote access of files beyond the LAN, plus the ability to setup a personalized domain to access your server. All of this is optional and disabled by default if you're concerned about security.
• Backup and restore entire computers on the network. It backs up one copy of duplicate files across the network to save space. You can also restore individual files.
• Ability to install your own apps on WHS. It's based on Windows Server 2003 R2, and there aren't any restrictions on installing software on it.

So can the Linksys and Airport Extreme devices do the above? Don't be a blind basher.

Now regarding alternatives to WHS: If you simply need network storage without backup, remote access, and a full Windows OS environment, then stick with Linksys, Airport Extreme, and the variety of other devices that let you attach hard drives. But WHS sounds like a great option if you want those additional features.

I'm not sure what all your "home server" does, but coming from you it probably uses far more hardware than most people want to buy for the purpose and it probably locks me into using one of your buggy, insecure operating systems to access it. Put another way, you're going to have a tough time convincing people who want to have a hard drive shared on the network (probably 99.99% of all people who would want a "server" in the house) to go with your buggy crap rather than the linksys router.

It'd be nice if you would at least familiarize yourself with the product before you bash it. Windows Home Server provides a variety of services, including:

• Redundant storage by duplicating it across multiple drives, and the ability to easily add/remove drives. Also, drive letters are gone; WHS treats all drives as one big pool of space.
• Remote access of files beyond the LAN, plus the ability to setup a personalized domain to access your server. All of this is optional and disabled by default if you're concerned about security.
• Backup and restore entire computers on the network. It backs up one copy of duplicate files across the network to save space. You can also restore individual files.
• Ability to install your own apps on WHS. It's based on Windows Server 2003 R2, and there aren't any restrictions on installing software on it.

So can the Linksys and Airport Extreme devices do the above? Don't be a blind basher.

Now regarding alternatives to WHS: If you simply need network storage without backup, remote access, and a full Windows OS environment, then stick with Linksys, Airport Extreme, and the variety of other devices that let you attach hard drives. But WHS sounds like a great option if you want those additional features.

[...] this issue was first brought to [Microsoft] in late December 2006 and we've been working on our investigation and a security update since then.

Keep an eye on this and specifically this.

I own a sole proprietorship which specializes in helping businesses use open source software. So I know a little bit about labor laws, and other aspects of this article.

In general, if Google didn't employ some workers as hourly, that would be problematic in my view, not from a legal perspective, but rather that some work is best managed in terms of hours. Hourly workers must take lunch breaks (min. 30 minutes in most states), and in most states (including Washington) these are unpaid. Certain other break requirements apply, and these may be paid or not depending on state law (in Washington, you are entitled other short breaks, which are paid).

I have also subcontracted through companies such as WorkforceLogic. Interestingly enough, one of my customers through them is Microsoft. I am the author of the MySQL and PostgreSQL papers on Port25. While I certainly have some complaints with WorkforceLogic, they are not overwhelming. If Microsoft wants to retain the services of my business indefinitely, that is fine. I am just a service provider, and Microsoft is not my only customer. Whatever my (reasonable but small) complaints with WorkforceLogic, I do not think they are a Permatemp problem.

I would certainly consider offering services to Google as well if they wanted to be my customer. Why is this a bad thing? Isn't there a time and place to bring in outside ideas and people?

If that is the case, then this might well be the solution:

http://blogs.technet.com/dst2007/archive/2007/03/1 1/time-zones-not-updating-on-windows-2003-windows- xp-or-windows-2000.aspx

"It doesn't support open standards like Microsoft OpenXML. *snark*"

You have to be kidding, but I will address the one issue. In your alternative universe how is an ISO approved standard - not standard. Why didn't MS use OpenDocument as the default file format, that way there wouldn't have to be a file converter written. What was the Microsoft Linux lab doing up to now. 'OpenDocument is an approved ISO standard .. Office Open XML is an approved Ecma standard'

Not to defend Microsoft, but... (Score:3)

Microsoft's Mark Russinovich acknowledges the risk factor but says it was a 'design choice' to balance security with ease of use."

1. Use Task Manager to set the game priority as "Above Normal". This should help the game get priority above all other programs, however if you need to task switch out for something your OS will be sluggish. This will work on any Windows.
2. Go to the shortcut Compatibility tab in properties and disable "desktop composition", which will disable Aero Glass while you're running the program, saving you 5-15% CPU while it's running in some cases. Of course Aero Glass is automatically turned off in fullscreen mode so this is only useful if you like running games windowed, and it's running slow.
3. You can go and disable all themes using the Compatibility tab, as well, which is also doable on XP. This won't grab you as much of a performance gain.
4. Lastly, you can kill as many programs and services as possible before gaming. Services you won't need to care about too much, however non-Microsoft services usually aren't vital and are most likely to chew up CPU (MS services take their role as "background" services seriously). If you want to take it to the extreme, try this, keeping in mind it was written for Windows XP, not Vista.

Adrian responded to this on the Microsoft Security Response Blog.

Issue regarding Windows Vista Speech Recognition

Hey everyone this is Adrian and I am writing to try and clear up some concerns regarding a recently reported vulnerability in the Speech Recognition feature of Windows Vista. An issue has been identified publicly where an attacker could use the speech recognition capability of Windows Vista to cause the system to take undesired actions. While it is technically possible, there are some things that should be considered when trying to determine what the threat of exposure is to your Windows Vista system.

He goes on to list reasons why this is not a major issue. The first being that voice commands have to be turned on and configured for this to work.

He ends with

While we are taking the reports seriously and investigating them accordingly I am confident in saying that there is little if any need to worry about the effects of this issue on your new Windows Vista installation.

I think he's right. If this was a serious problem, the MacOS and OS/2 "exploits" mentioned above would've received a lot more press. Still, I expect in a future version, the voice software will be smart enough to ignore the computer's own output.

Personally, I don't like voice commands. They are necessary for users with certain impairments and useful for certain applications such as kiosks, but they are counterproductive in a shared-office environment and just plain weird on my desktop. Even on Star Trek - The Next Generation much of the computer input was via control consoles not voice.

According to the FTC, the software also exposed consumers to significant security risks and was unreasonably difficult to uninstall.

I went to a MS Vista/Office/Exchange launch event. The presenter, a Michael Murphy, demoed Vista, Office 2007, and Exchange 2007. Each demo took a little less than an hour.The biggest takeaway I remember is his prediction that all software would be delivered in 5 years - ala Google Office.

Also, it's all going happen on a little portable device - the end of computing as we know it. So gather those motherboards while ye may, for the times, they are a changin.

Nice black launch t-shirt, though.

Err... Not quite. Not all of the SysInternals tools were migrated, and NONE of the source code was. Microsoft's hiding behind some pretty lame excuses (e.g. "They're using undocumented APIs!" or "Hackers are using it to make spyware!") for not distributing the source code.

The Winternals Administrator's Pak is also ">being discontinued, and have its functionality available only to those with Software Assurance agreements.

"Oh, and just how is Microsoft going to be fostering interoperability?"

Go visit http://port25.technet.com/

Take some time and actually read what they are doing over there. Note that Microsoft and Firefox folks have been working together...

It isn't all bad folks.

by exposing 0-day bugs other than helping bad hackers but I would love to see someone poke holes in MS SQL server.

Its been 1 year with no known exploits in SQL Server 2005 (zero in the product lifetime)
http://blogs.technet.com/security/archive/2006/11/ 07/sql-server-2005-1-year-and-not-yet-counting.asp x

I found that this blog was kind of interesting in the sense that it clears up a bunch of things that people are worried about. However, I think that at the same time, there are a lot of people going 'where the heck is the PROOF of the patients!?' I'd like to have SM give some of the patients that they claim are being infringed upon and then I might be willing to loosen up on the whole idea. At the same time however, I think that there is something that people have to realize, and that is, like it or not, there is going to be some changes in Novell, and I know that people are going to think that that would then mean that they are in Microsoft's pocket, there is nothing that can really support that as of now. I am going to take this whole thing with an open mind and at the same time, a dash of skepticism and a hint of hope that it is going to be different than before with other companies.

I doubt very much that Zend would evaluate a partnership like this as being, or creating a business disadvantage to the PHP platform. I also doubt very much that Zend ever had a mission of being exlusively on any one platform. That says to me they will aggressively develop PHP - and use this to their advantage in providing best of breed web scripting technologies. The real question is how this will or will/not work with ASP. Also interesting to see Andi's response to Microsoft's interview on the lab site: http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/10/31/Talki ng-with-Andi-Gutmans-about-Zend-and-working-with-M icrosoft-to-improve-PHP-Performance-on-Windows.asp x

This is not a browser bug. The browser is just being used as an attack vector. The exploit bug is in Outlook Express:

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/10/19/an-ie7 -security-vulnerability.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2006/10/19/i nformation-on-reports-of-ie-7-vulnerability.aspx

In case you're interested Port 25 just posted some information about using the Vista Boot Manager to boot Linux last week: http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/10/13/Using -Vista_2700_s-Boot-Manager-to-Boot-Linux-and-Dual- Booting-with-BitLocker-Protection-with-TPM-Support .aspx

Microsoft have published some instructions for how to use BCD in other dual-boot / multi-boot scenerios over on the port25 web site
http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/10/13/Using -Vista_2700_s-Boot-Manager-to-Boot-Linux-and-Dual- Booting-with-BitLocker-Protection-with-TPM-Support .aspx

This looks like the right link:

http://blogs.technet.com/security/archive/2006/09/ 29/459749.aspx

sorry for the bad link-here is the fixed version http://blogs.technet.com/security/archive/2006/09/ 29/459749.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/security/archive/.../29/4 59749.aspx Now make your own judgement on why Symatec and McAfee are trying to get rid of the security console altogether. Taking it to the EU was an easy slam dunk for them-so now it is business as usual-MS full of holes before so it needs to stay full of holes. I know that Trend, PC cillian, CA, and Kaspersky all work with the new security console and coded to work correctly. I never want to use McAfee again-so bloated and nagging me to purchase more of thier products. Stick with Avast-free and works super.

Take a look at this blog and then decide for yourselves why Symantec and McAfee want to remove the security console completely. http://blogs.technet.com/security/archive/.../29/4 59749.aspx Yes-Avast, Trend, CA, and Kaspersky all run within the security console right now the way it stands.

I'm not sure if this feature is in build 5728, but figured the /. community would want to know anyway given the heated discussion on this topic a month or so back.
After much feedback, and many arguments, the Vista startup sound is finally getting a toggle! Yes, you read that right, someone finally yelled loud enough that marketing/upper mgmt realized that users in fact do want to be able to control their own computer!

The regular sound control panel has a new checkbox to control the startup chime as described here: http://blogs.technet.com/windowsvista/archive/2006 /09/22/458320.aspx

Are they disabling the Windows notification sounds (aside from the mandatory Microsoft Windows-brand Startup event sound) in Vista?

Apologies for the mis-info, but they are comming soon as this explains - http://blogs.technet.com/windowsvista/default.aspx

Windows Vista RC1 has been made available to the general public, with keys available here.

There are various websites that report this build is far more stable than previous versions, but as Microsoft themselves have said "quality will continue to improve. We'll keep plugging away on application compatibility, as well as fit and finish, until RTM"

These builds are set to expire on June 1st 2007

From the Vista Team Blog:

# re: It's Official: Windows Vista RC1 Is Complete
Friday, September 01, 2006 2:59 PM by nwhite
Hey everybody: just wanted to clarify that the TechBeta/TAP site is not open to the public, so RC1 is not currently available to you if you're not part of one of those programs.

**However,** we're planning to make RC1 available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers next week, and to
the general public shortly thereafter. Also, anyone who participated in testing of Beta 2 will also be given the opportunity to download/order RC1. Windows Vista Team Blog

Too bad such a beast will never exist...

Really? I guess you haven't heard about Windows Server Longhorn's "Server Core" installation mode, then, which is essentially a command-line driven version of Windows. No GUI shell, no applications, no server services, nothing. They've been busy with untangling the dependency hell of Windows so that it can be a lot more modular. That work won't be done for Server Longhorn, but that's their long-term goal.

One of the developers working on Server Core has a blog, more details are there:
http://blogs.technet.com/server_core/default.aspx

or you can watch a Channel 9 video on it here:
http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=1968 88

http://blogs.technet.com/windowsvista/archive/2006 /08/24/450081.aspx

Apparently Windows Vista will not ship with any 'inherent' ability to play HD content, just as WindowsXP didn't ship with any inherent ability to play DVD content.

The only thing of note from the story is the push of signed 64bit drivers and the fact they will raise the 'possibility' that the next generation HD players will allow the content to run on the computer. But knowing WinDVD and other companies that will be in this market, I truly don't see this becoming much of an issue.

So, as it turns out, not much of a story, so we can all just move along.

Mod parent up.

The patent FUD concerning Mono is now dead, and Mono is included in Fedora are Suse distributions. I am sure Novell would have invested considerable effort in analyzing potential issues. Mono is a from scratch implementation. And no surprise, Miguel appeared in the Microsoft Technet Video explaining Mono last week and it was on slashdot.

Here is a nice article by Paul Graham on SW Patents, which was Slashdotted earlier. What he says makes a lot of sense: But I doubt Microsoft would ever be so stupid. They'd face the mother of all boycotts. And not just from the technical community in general; a lot of their own people would rebel.

I am not sure if this makes a difference for you but there is a podcast of the interview:

http://port25.technet.com/videos/podcasts/miguelde icaza.mp3

The -- (two hyphens) is resolving to %E2%80%94

The link should be: http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/08/11/Let_2 700_s-talk-Mono_3A00_--Sam-interviews-Miguel-de-Ic aza.aspx

but some ass hat probably pasted it into MS Word to spell check the summary, and word resolves -- to it's funky double wide hyphen character.

-Rick

Just goto http://port25.technet.com/ and click the link on the front page.

-Rick

But Microsoft *does* care about this sort of stuff. For example, they have an open-source compatibility lab and they've recently been trying to work around a Samba bug that might break Vista accessing third-party storage units. They do talk to others about interoperability, they just do all their own testing in-house.

How they could release a Rollup Update patch into the wild and not even test it with Microsoft Word XP is beyond reason.
The issue doesn't seem to be caused by Office but rather by (ancient) third-party software. The problems that pop up in Office are a side-effect of verclsid.exe hanging due to badly coded shell extensions.

http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/ is from the horses' mouth rather than a copy/paste article.

According to the MSRC blog here, here. and here, they decided not to do an OOB release because the problem was only seen on a limited number of sites and those sites were being taken down as soon as they came up.

According to the MSRC blog here, here. and here, they decided not to do an OOB release because the problem was only seen on a limited number of sites and those sites were being taken down as soon as they came up.

According to the MSRC blog here, here. and here, they decided not to do an OOB release because the problem was only seen on a limited number of sites and those sites were being taken down as soon as they came up.

"Licensing restrictions permitting we analyze and benchmark open source software in areas where Microsoft competes or has an interest,"

"We share those results with other teams at Microsoft, who use the data to determine how we can improve our own products." Bill Hilf What Licensing restrictions are you referring to here and why does Microsoft itself forbid thirdparty benchmarking. There are NO such restrictions in regards to Open Source software of which you are no doubt fully aware of.

Im not sure if you have looked at that site, but its just typical MS propoganda.

One article http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/03/31/13.as px
is just 'look at how awesome SMS 2003 is, it can manage UNIX/Linux'

Nice work MS.

At least, this makes it seem like they do: "The lab's software is even more diverse, with some 15 versions of UNIX and 50 distributions of Linux--including many lesser-known ones like Asianux, CentOS and NetBSD." http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/03/31/14.as px Looks like there are already a few comments there about it though.

"On a server, the port for SMTP is 25. When you open a port on a server, such as to allow for SMTP traffic, it is commonly referred to as 'listening' on the port. Port 25, therefore, is a metaphor for how we are opening the communication lines to for a discussion around Open Source Software and Microsoft. Cute, huh?"