Category: XP

This drives a important point and maybe why Google email is still BETA.  When you use a Online provide for your email do you have a guarantee uptime ? What can they do with your data, can they profile you  by searching your email ?

This comes from Google

Dear Google Apps customer,

Between approximately 9AM to 12PM GMT / 1AM to 4AM PST on Tuesday, February 24, 2009, some Google Apps mail users were unable to access their accounts. The actual outage period varied by user because the recovery process was executed in stages. No data was lost during this time. The root cause of the problem was a software bug that caused an unexpected service disruption during the course of a routine maintenance event. The root cause of this unexpected service disruption has been found and fixed.

Additional Details

A few months ago, new software was implemented to optimize data center functionality to make more efficient use of Google’s computing resources, as well as to achieve faster system performance for users.

Google’s software is designed to allow maintenance work to be done in data centers without affecting users. User traffic that could potentially be impacted by a maintenance event is directed towards another instance of the service. On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, an unexpected service disruption occurred during a routine maintenance event in a data center. In this particular case, users were directed towards an alternate data center in preparation for the maintenance tasks, but the new software that optimizes the location of user data had the unexpected side effect of triggering a latent bug in the Google Mail code. The bug caused the destination data center to become overloaded when users were directed to it, and which in turn caused multiple downstream overload conditions as user traffic was automatically shifted in response to the failures. Google engineers acted quickly to re-balance load across data centers to restore users’ access. This process took some time to complete.

The recently launched Apps Status Dashboard includes greater detail on this February 24th incident, including actions we are taking to continually improve performance. For a direct link to this Incident Report, visit http://www.google.com/appsstatus/ir/1nsexcr2jnrj1d6.pdf (English only).

For ongoing service performance information, please access the Apps Status Dashboard at http://www.google.com/appsstatus (English only).

We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this incident has caused. We understand that system problems are inconvenient and frustrating for customers who have come to rely on our products to do many different things. One of Google’s core values is to focus on the user, so we are working very hard to make improvements to our technology and operational processes so as to prevent service disruptions. We are confident that we will achieve continuous improvements quickly and persistently.

Once again, we apologize for the impact that this incident has caused. Thank you very much for your continued support.

Sincerely,

The Google Apps Team

As a request of Neverfail I am removing the past post and Including this instead

READING, UK and AUSTIN, Tex. – Feb. 24, 2009 – Neverfail^®, a leading global software company providing affordable continuous availability and disaster recovery solutions, today announced a new OEM license agreement with VMware.  The deal incorporates Neverfail’s continuous availability technology and application management framework (AMF) software into the new VMware vCenterTM Server Heartbeat, a new VMware product that monitors and manages the automatic failover of VMware vCenter Server.

VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat can provide proactive protection against planned and unplanned downtime for VMware vCenter Server, protecting customers’ investments in their VMware Infrastructure deployments and ensuring that key capabilities such as VMware VMotionTM and VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) are continuously available.

With this OEM agreement, VMware extends its ability to protect VMware vCenter Server against a broad range of downtime risks by replicating the server configuration and data to a passive standby server. It monitors VMware vCenter Server connectivity and components, including the license server and VMware Update Manager, and can restart the entire VMware vCenter Server instance on the passive server. This helps ensure the consistent, reliable operation of VMware vCenter Server if it is threatened by unplanned or planned downtime, and it provides the broadest range of protection against operator errors, operating system or hardware failure, or external events.

“Over the years, our customers have come to depend on VMware Infrastructure as a flexible and reliable platform on which they can run their production applications.  At the same time, they have turned to VMware vCenter Server to ensure proper management of their virtualized applications and infrastructure,” said Patrick Lin, vice president, product management, server business unit, VMware. “By utilizing Neverfail’s proven industry-leading availability technology to provide comprehensive protection for the entire VMware vCenter Server stack, customers can help ensure that VMware vCenter Server’s virtualization management capabilities are continuously available.”

In January 2008 Neverfail introduced Neverfail for VMware VirtualCenter (now called VMware vCenter Server) which has seen a growing level of interest and use by blue-chip organizations. The same technology behind Neverfail for VirtualCenter forms the basis of VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat.
“As a recognized leader in keeping users productive 24×7, we’re delighted that VMware chose Neverfail as the technology provider to power this new product,” said Nick Harmer, VP Alliances, Neverfail. “VMware vCenter Server is a mission-critical application that requires continuous availability. With thousands of organizations around the world already leveraging Neverfail to deliver continuous availability of their critical applications such as email and databases, it was a natural fit for our technology to be used to assure the resiliency and reliability of VMware
vCenter Server.”

VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat will be available in March 2009. It will be available directly through VMware reseller and distribution channels and supported directly by VMware

This posted has been rmove on the request of NeverFail

 

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows® 7 enables IT administrators to manage roles and features that are installed on computers that are running Windows Server® 2008 R2, Windows Server® 2008, or Windows Server® 2003, from a remote computer that is running Windows 7.

Are you look to easy manage a Windows 2008 Core Server with the use of the Remote Server Administration Tools can be use to control and manage a core server with a GUI.

The best part of Server core is you do not load parts of the operating system that you do not need.

Server core roles include;

Active Directory Domain Services

DC, and a Read Only DC (great for security)

Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services

DHCP Server

DNS Server

File and Print Server

Hyper-v Server

IIS server (no support for ASP.net yet- Coming in Server 2008 R2)

Download the Remote Server Administration Tools

 

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to rally the public around the idea that the technology industry will be a driver of an eventual economic recovery. He also has urged Congress to support new technical skills training for the unemployed.

Microsoft wanted to do its part to help workers acquire the technology skills they need now and over the next decade.

So, Microsoft will create a new Web portal where visitors can learn what skills they lack and easily find resources to learn them.

On the site, they also will be able to access various Microsoft online training programs in order to learn some basic skills, such as how to use the Internet, send e-mail and create a resume, according to a Microsoft statement.

In conjunction with state and local governments, Microsoft also will provide a broad range of training programs and certification exams for free or at low cost.

Specifically, the company will give away 1 million vouchers so people can access Microsoft’s eLearning software courses and some Microsoft business certification exams.

Access the site  here

Microsoft and Citrix Systems have tightened their virtualization partnership to help both companies compete more effectively with market leader VMware, they announced Monday.

Citrix said it plans to release a new suite of virtualization management tools in April, called Citrix Essentials, that will be offered in two versions: one for Microsoft’s Hyper-V software and another for Citrix XenServer.

Citrix has more advanced management tools than Microsoft for virtual environments, and Microsoft hopes the partnership will help spread the use of Hyper-V in datacenters. In return, Microsoft has pledged to manage XenServer environments with the next version of its Systems Center management software, which currently works only with Hyper-V and VMware’s ESX. It will also market and sell Citrix Essentials for Microsoft Hyper-V to its customers worldwide, the companies said.

One of the complaints is that the hard to find information on Microsoft Products in ONE place. There is a resource you need to know about Discover > Explore > Pilot > Deploy > and Manage

Products covered on the site include

XP, Vista, Windows7, and Server 2008.

Include on the site are Downloads, Troubleshoot, Answer to common questions.

Check the site out

Executive Summary Protecting and ensuring the resiliency of the critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) of the United States is essential to the Nation’s security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life. Attacks on CIKR could significantly disrupt the functioning of government and business alike and produce cascading effects far beyond the targeted sector and physical location of the incident. Direct terrorist attacks and natural, manmade, or technological hazards could produce catastrophic losses in terms of human casualties, property destruction, and economic effects, as well as profound damage to public morale and confidence. Attacks using components of the Nation’s CIKR as weapons of mass destruction could have even more devastating physical and psychological consequences.

Introduction The overarching goal of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) is to

Build a safer, more secure, and more resilient America by preventing, deterring, neutralizing, or mitigating the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit elements of our Nation’s CIKR and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery of CIKR in the event of an attack, natural disaster, or other emergency.The NIPP provides the unifying structure for the integration of existing and future CIKR protection efforts and resiliency strategies into a single national program to achieve this goal. The NIPP framework supports the prioritization of protection and resiliency initiatives and investments across sectors to ensure that government and private sector resources are applied where they offer the most benefit for mitigating risk by lessening vulnerabilities, deterring threats, and minimizing the consequences of terrorist attacks and other manmade and natural disasters. The NIPP risk management framework recognizes and builds on existing public and private sector protective programs and resiliency strategies in order to be cost-effective and to minimize the burden on CIKR owners and operators.

Protection includes actions to mitigate the overall risk to CIKR assets, systems, networks, functions, or their inter-connecting links. In the context of the NIPP, this includes actions to deter the threat, mitigate vulnerabilities, or minimize the consequences associated with a terrorist attack or other incident (see figure S-1). Protection can include a wide range of activities, such as improving security protocols, hardening facilities, building resiliency and redundancy, incorporating hazard resistance into facility design, initiating active or passive countermeasures, installing security systems, leveraging “self-healing” technologies, promoting workforce surety programs, implementing cybersecurity measures, training and exercises, business continuity planning, and restoration and recovery actions,among various others.

The 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) is available at www.dhs.gov/NIPP. 

 

As part of the agreements, Microsoft will run Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 and 5.3 as a guest in Hyper-V environments, and will lend its hand to technical support and documentation. Red Hat will also run Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows 2000 Server SP4, and Windows Server 2008 as guests on Red Hat virtualization technologies, with similar tech support offered. Future products will be supported, and customers can expect the first pieces of support for these options sometime this year.

Microsoft has also announced plans to monitor and manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5 in System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, due sometime before midyear. Among other things, SCOM 2007 R2’s Red Hat support means customers will be able to manage applications that are distributed among Windows Server and Red Hat environments.

Smart Computing Magazine has some great support information for end users. I have written articles for the publication and the style of are aimed at the non technical users, you can find more  information at;

http://www.smartcomputing.com 

The tech support section of their site has some great information for fixing common problems you computer may have.

Some are that have great information for end user include the;

How To Get Rid Of …
We’ll tell you what to do to eliminate malware programs from your computer.

Basic Security & Privacy Troubleshooting Articles:

Browser Hijackers
Fake Web Sites
Malicious Ads
Phishing Email Messages
Rootkits
Spam
Spyware
Trojan Horses
Viruses
Worms