Year: 2010

Registration is now open for first Windows Summit this May in Redmond

We would like to invite you and others in your community to explore in-depth how Window 7 and Internet Explorer can help you provide great solutions for your customers at our first Windows Summit!

Windows Summit 2010 runs May 25-27 at the Microsoft Conference Center on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, WA and is designed for people who engineer and test Windows 7 PCs, devices, and software.  We will offer three technical tracks to help you create the best systems, devices, and software using Windows 7 and Internet Explorer:

· System Track – includes sessions on optimizing performance and energy efficiency, tips and tricks to implement touch-enabled PCs, user experience design guidance, Windows Logo Program, and image creation and deployment.

· Device Track – offers sessions on Windows 7 Device Experience, the Windows Device Logo Program process, and how to use the Windows 7 platform to create a custom device experience.

· Software Track – provides sessions on touch, the Windows desktop, libraries, the Windows Sensors and Location platform, Windows Error Reporting, and building rich web applications using Internet Explorer.

· Besides networking with Microsoft technical experts and leaders at breakout sessions and chalk talks, we will have an Ask the Experts and social evening, all starting with an opening keynote by  Michael Angiulo, General Manager of Windows Planning and PC Ecosystem Teams.

Register and get more information on Windows Summit 2010 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-summit/default.aspx.

 

 

"Microsoft announces U-Prove technology, an advanced form of cryptographic protocols and tokens when combined with information cards, enables people to disclose a minimal amount of identifying information to access applications and services."

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS

Microsoft U-Prove technology release: open standards and Community Technology Preview (CTP)

Microsoft Corporation, 2010

U-Prove, a privacy-enhancing security technology, helps address people’s need to protect their identity-related information. U-Prove tokens make it possible for people to disclose minimal amounts of identifying information when they can access applications and services. At Microsoft, we are taking an initial step to make the U-Prove technology available to the public and interested parties.

First, we have partially opened up the U-Prove intellectual property with a cryptographic specification under the Microsoft Open Specification Promise (OSP). Two open source software toolkits are being donated —C# and Java editions—so the broadest audience of commercial and open source software developers can access the technology.

Second, we released a public Community Technology Preview (CTP), which is an integration of the U-Prove technology with the Microsoft identity platform technologies. The purpose of the CTP is to gather feedback from the technical community on the technology.

Although this release is a community preview, the U-Prove technology is especially important for enhancing the security and privacy of e-government initiatives and national ID programs. To demonstrate how minimal disclosure works, Microsoft has partnered on a project with Fraunhofer FOKUS, a research institute that hosts the German government’s eID (electronic identification) system, which will begin to roll out electronic identity cards to citizens in 2010. The project brings together the legal, privacy, and technology aspects of the eID system and extends them into a university setting, featuring key capabilities of Microsoft’s identity platform, information cards, and U-Prove tokens.

to see video go here

This is a SHARE THIS PAGE from Microsoft.

Support will ended April 13th, 2010, and it is no longer able to get security updates.

The first step is to find out which version of the Windows operating system am I running? and what if you installed Service Packs.

Click the Start button, type winver in the search box, and then press Enter

This window displays the version and edition of Windows you’re running. Each version of Windows comes in different editions with different features. This window also displays a service pack number if your version of Windows has been upgraded with a service pack.

 

You need at Service pack 1 or higher is you do not update you Vista you will have an unsupported Windows Version

What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?

An unsupported version of Windows will no longer receive software updates from Windows Update. These include security updates that can help protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information. Windows Update also installs the latest software updates to improve the reliability of Windows—new drivers for your hardware and more.

You should always install the latest service packs from Microsoft for your version of Windows. You can download and install these through Windows Update.

 

Just found this you can download a FREE Windows Server 2008 R2 E-Book today!  This is the Microsoft press book written by Charlie Russell and Craig Zacker This guide is a 200 page. This   books covers how to get you up to speed on how R2’s new features and including Hyper-V and RDS virtualization, management, and IIS.

Get the E-book Here

Here are some video on HPC that I found on the Microsoft site

HPC R2 Demo:New heat map and Location –based node Management

In this short video (7 min.), Cathy Palmer, lead PM in the HPC team, demonstrates some of the new features for managing and monitoring large-scale clusters with Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta 1.

See it here

HPC R2 Demo: New diagnostics extensibility features

In this video, Rae Wang, a PM in the HPC team, demonstrates the new features for adding custom diagnostics tests to a cluster running the Beta 1 release of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.

See it here

 

HPC R2 Demo: New job progress, job troubleshooting

Ryan Baker, UX Researcher in the HPC team, demonstrates the new UI changes in the Beta 1 release of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 for job progress and job troubleshooting. He also demonstrates how the new service-balanced scheduling policy works in this release. This demo was recorded during the SC 09 conference in Portland.

See it here

HPC Templates with Josh Barnard

HPC PM Josh Barnard discusses how to use templates in High Performance Computing. Job templates provide a way to control the job submission process—partitioning the cluster, prioritizing the jobs, and limiting the resources used by jobs. They let the IT administrator specify different handling for different types of jobs. For the user, job templates provide a way to easily submit a job without having to obtain an in-depth understanding of how the Job Scheduler works.

See it here

 

I just found some new tools for integrating SharePoint and HPC (High Performance Computing) on Microsoft here, the docs are here.

HPC Pack 2008 Integration with SharePoint document.

Applies To: Office SharePoint Server 2007, Windows HPC Server 2008

This section includes information about using the HPC Pack 2008 SharePoint Integration Sample. The sample includes Web Parts that a SharePoint Server 2007 administrator can install on the server. A SharePoint site administrator can use the HPC Web Parts to create a Web-based interface to a Windows® HPC Server 2008 cluster.

You can download the sample at HPC Pack 2008 SharePoint Integration Sample.

In this section:

• What is Included in the HPC Pack 2008 SharePoint Integration Sample
• Requirements for Installing and Using the HPC Web Parts
• Deploy the HPC Web Parts Solution and Specify the Head Node
• Create an HPC SharePoint Site
• Troubleshooting the HPC Web Parts

    On the Microsoft download you can find the;

HPC Pack 2008 SP1 SDK Supplement: SharePoint Integration Sample includes a set of SharePoint Web Parts (in a SharePoint solution file) that adds a job submission interface for a Windows HPC Server 2008-based cluster. You can add the Web Parts to an existing site hosted in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to provide a Web-based interface for HPC users. The sample also includes the source code as an example for developers who want to modify the Web Parts or develop new Web Parts to access the cluster.
For detailed information about the sample Web Parts and system requirements, steps for deploying the solution file, specifying the head node, creating a SharePoint site that uses the HPC Web Parts, and troubleshooting

You can get it here

Download Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta 2

To download the Beta 2 release of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, you must be registered on the Microsoft Connect site for the Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta Program: After you join the program, you can download Beta 2.

On the HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta Program site, click Downloads on the left pane to go to the Downloads page. On the Downloads page, you can find:

• Microsoft® HPC Pack 2008 R2 Beta 2: The high performance computing component of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2. It includes management tools, a job scheduler, and Microsoft Message Passing Interface (MS-MPI). HPC Pack 2008 R2 Beta 2 must be installed on a computer running Windows Server® 2008 R2 HPC Edition, or any other 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2008 R2. HPC Pack 2008 R2 can also be used to install the management tools on a client computer.
• Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC Edition : The evaluation version of the operating system.
• HPC Pack 2008 R2 SDK: The software development kit for writing applications that call the HPC scheduler APIs.

 

I recently got a notice for a bank I deal with the they wanted to verify a charge I did, to protect my identify. But this is where it get stupid.

——————————————————

They send me a e-mail

If you look at the link

Transaction Authorized -  it links to https:// activityconfirmation.chase.com/p/Chase_Fraud_RTM/ProdResponseHash?seq=&resp=Y

Note: Real sequence number has been changed to protect data

Upon clicking the link, the next site I see

activityconfirmation.chase.com and then get redirected to

https:// profile.na.epidm.net/ChaseRTM/HandleResponse.aspx?skey=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd&curres=Y

Note:Real sequence number has been changed to protect data

Who Is profile.na.epidm.net ??? and the web site has broken links on it !

——————————————————

So I call Chase and they do not know who epidm.net is  but they say contact Abuse @ Chase.com  so i do

and this is the best part

the reply is

——————————————————

Hello,

Thank you for forwarding your recent e-mail to our Abuse mailbox. We have reviewed the message and it is a valid notification from us regarding Urgent Chase Confirmation ?

Recent transaction for account ending in xxxx. If you have any questions or concerns about this e-mail, please contact us at 1-877-CHASEPC. Thanks for choosing Chase.

Thank you,

Email Customer Service Representative

email address abuse9@cigpopmail.bankone.net

——————————————————

So not I get reply from not Chase but another company and they do not understand why I think their security stinks.

I then call Chase and after speaking to 20 people i get—you guessed, it no it not a issue.

——————————————————

Why the Chase Bank does not understand is it not good to deal with a bank you redirects you to 3 different domains and they think that fine.

My warning is to deal with banks who understand security and practice it. Do not use a bank if they do not understand on-line security. Sorry Chase you lost me as a customer.

 

 

At the RSA Conference a talk / case study about MOBOTS: A Pocketful of Pwnage was presented.

The idea was to create a application that would be downloaded to an Iphone or  Android. The application which seamed harmless had the opportunity to demonstrate how they could control lots of smartphones. This was a concept not a real attack but proves it very possible to read the full article please go to

 TippingPoint Digital Vaccine Laboratories blog and look for

MOBOTS: WeatherFist Exposed By Daniel Tijerina

or you can click here

The Microsoft Learning Content Development System (LCDS) is a free tool that enables the Microsoft Learning community to create high-quality, interactive, online courses. It is the same tool Microsoft Learning uses internally to (also check out the beta of SnackBox where we can host your LCDS-created Learning Snacks http://beta.snackbox.microsoft.com/)

The LCDS allows anyone in the Microsoft Learning community to publish e-learning courses by completing the easy-to-use LCDS forms that seamlessly generate highly customized content, including interactive activities, quizzes, games, assessments, animations, demos, and other multimedia.

 

What does the LCDS offer?

– With the LCDS, the Microsoft Learning community can:

– Develop and deliver content quickly, while it is timely and relevant.

– Deliver Web content that conforms to SCORM 1.2, and which can be hosted in a learning management system.

– Upload or attach existing content. (LCDS supports multiple file formats.)

– Choose from a wide variety of forms for authoring rich e-learning content and Silverlight-based interactive components.

– Develop course structure and easily rearrange it at any time.

– Download sample courses (LCDS must be installed)

Highlights of this release

New v2.4 features for learners and for authors of E-Learning courses and Learning Snacks include:

• E-learning courses are Firefox 3.5–compatible • LCDS authoring is Windows 7–compatible • LCDS authoring and e-learning courses are Microsoft Silverlight 3.0–compatible • Indexing, spell check, and print are compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and Office 2010 • Refreshed thumbnail user interface is available, including for the single SCO package option • Community authors get packaging options (SCORM 1.2 and single SCO options) for the first time • Minimum topic limit is now 1 instead of 4 • Kazakh language added for the viewer

Also available on the site are 7 localized LCDS v2.3 versions: Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified), Russian, Hindi, Polish, Turkish, and Spanish.

Get it here

 

 

I heard that Microsoft collected lots of information during Windows 7 beta process, A few weeks ago i went to a talk about the process Microsoft uses to track and look at bugs. ‘They share the following information with me.

 

What else was interesting it to understand how Windows error reporting works. (WER).

Windows Error Reporting (WER) is a set of Windows technologies that capture software crash data and support end-user reporting of crash information. Through Winqual services, software and hardware vendors can access reports in order to analyze and respond to these problems. WER technologies are implemented in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and later.

• Broad-based trend analysis of error reporting data shows that across all the issues that exist on the affected Windows platforms and the number of incidents received:
• Fixing 20 percent of the top-reported bugs can solve 80 percent of customer issues.
• Addressing 1 percent of the bugs would address 50 percent of the customer issues.

Vendors can use WER to view error reports at no charge. This service is available for all products, even those that do not qualify for the "Windows hardware" logo—although Microsoft  recommends that you submit your products to the Windows Logo Program.

For vendors to join the WER site and be able to, view error reports:

1.  Establish a Winqual account.
   To protect companies from impersonation and to ensure that the error reports go to a representative from the correct company, the Winqual Web site requires your company to have a valid VeriSign ID. Check with your Legal Department; your company might already have a VeriSign ID (also called a Software Publisher’s Digital ID for Authenticode).
2. Check on Winqual to see if your company already has an account.
3. Accept the Windows Error Reporting Agreement.
4. Sign in to the Winqual site.
5. Click Windows Error Reports.

If you do not see your company’s error reports, users of your products might not have submitted error reports to Microsoft. However, it might also be because Microsoft does not have sufficient information to match your company with error reports related to your products.

FYI all personal data,  i.e. Who you are are scrubbed form these reports.