Alex Marin Gasga : Innovation

HMC 4.5 is available now!!! deploy deploy deploy

alexmga — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:04:00 GMT

This weekend the most expected version of HMC was released for service providers to deploy it. With this version, service providers can offer OCS (IM, Collaboration, PC-toPC VoIP) services as part of their online services. At the same time support to Windows 2008 and WSS 3.0 SP1 is included in this solution.

You can have access to the bits of the solution from the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C9CBBC69-4AE4-450D-AF5E-F49E7C701CF4&displaylang=en

Or for those who are interested in developing on top of MPS (i.e. self-service portal, namespaces, increase the business logic of the current APIs, etc.) there is a SDK available as well for developers to consume:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=CE3FC537-86AE-4802-9A05-43E2A27A4B45&displaylang=en

The documentation to migrate from previous versions is still pending, but it will be released soon. If you have HMC 4.0, you shouldn't expect too much of impact in your APIs or portals already implemented. If what you have is HMC 3.5 or earlier, you should consider a similar migration path like to HMC 4.0 with the addition of migrating LCS to OCS 2007. Don't forget to consider these migrations paths while deploying the solution.

Windows 2008 - online sessions (Videos)

alexmga — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:26:00 GMT

I'm excited with the new changes and functionalities that Windows 2008 will provide to the enterprise and hosters. To mention some of these features, Windows 2008 provides a minimal version of the OS (Server Core - the most efficient Windows version ever), expansion in the capabilities of powershell and how the server can be administered (you'll be able to obtain a script for almost any correspondant UI control or task), additional HA features are incorporated/enhanced into Windows Server (failover clusters, Network Load Balancing, dynamic hardware partitioning, robust storage options, and advanced machine-check architecture), enhanced OS-virtualization mechanism to consolidate and optimize the resources in the DataCenters (Hyper-V), let's don't forget IIS 7.0 and its additional features (PHP integration, security enhancements, larger no. of web-sites supported per server).

If you want to know more about these features, check out the following set of online videos which presents the capabilities of Windows 2008:

Windows Server 2008 Deployment Overview - Michael Niehaus, Tim Mintner
The 10 Most Important Things About Failover Clustering - Jim Teague
Power Management: Windows Server - Stephen Berard
Dynamic Partition: Windows Server - Davis Walker
Windows Server Longhorn - Iain McDonald
Windows Server virtualisation - solution scenarios - David Hitchen
Windows Server 2008 Kernel Advances - Mark Russinovich
Active Directory Domain Services in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 - Stephanie Cheung
Virtualization in Windows Server - Mike Neil
Managing Windows Server 2008 with Server Manager - Dan Harman
Using Group Policy with Windows and Windows Server 2008 - Mazhar Mohammed, Derek Melber
Microsoft.com: Employing Windows Server 2008 and Internet Information Services 7 - Paul Wright, Brad LeRoss
Living the Longhorn Life: What's Up With Windows Server 2008 - Mark Minasi

Feel free to share with me your views and comments.

Enterprise Search in Microsoft? What's that?

alexmga — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:53:00 GMT

If you haven’t heard about MS Enterprise Search solutions, let me summarize the relevant points and what are the options available in Microsoft to address this space.

The people in the organizations are hard at work making things happen. When they need publicly available information to get the job done, they know how to search on the Internet to find it. But when they need information in their business, they need Enterprise Search.

In the world of business, Search isn’t just about finding information. That’s the starting point. To be valuable to an organization, a search has to result in the ability to do something meaningful and profitable with the information you find. It has to be an integral part of a business productivity infrastructure. Microsoft is changing the Enterprise Search landscape by delivering a solid solution that fills the gap left by current offerings.

Microsoft provides a search experience that is at the same time richly innovative and comfortably familiar. Office SharePoint Server 2007 as part of an Enterprise Search solution provides the following features:

· Deploy Search as an Integrated Service

o Integrate Search into Important Business Applications

o Integrate with Desktop Search

o Integrate into Tools and Applications with Rich, Actionable Interfaces

· Deploy a Secure and Managed Solution

o Control Access to Information With Permissions

o Manage Your Search Solutions

o Scale Your Deployment

· Unlock Unstructured and Structured Information

o Find Information in Unstructured Repositories

o Use Search as an Interface for Line-Of-Business Systems

o Refine Results and Save Important Queries

· Find People and Expertise

o Build Rich Personal Profiles

o Publish Personal Profiles Using SharePoint My Sites

o Identify People Who Can Help

Our vision for the future of Enterprise Search is people-centric. It builds on the strengths of key technologies like Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server to provide a platform that not only helps people find what they need, but also helps them do something meaningful with what they’ve found. After all, Enterprise Search isn’t simply about finding information. It’s about real people and real problems, and the tools that help them get their jobs done.

As you read above our main player in this space is MOSS 2007, however for those SMB customers or hosters who want to leverage Searching capabilities Search Server 2008 is an option which relies on Windows Sharepoint Services.

The following table summarizes the features of each available option:

Product Features click each to learn more	Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express **	Microsoft Search Server 2008 **	Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007*
Search Center	X	X	X
No Pre-Set Document Limits	X	X	X
Extensible Search Experience	X	X	X
Relevance Tuning	X	X	X
Continuous Propagation Indexing	X	X	X
Federated Search Connectors	X	X	X
Indexing Connectors	X	X	X
Security-Trimmed Results	X	X	X
Unified Administration Dashboard	X	X	X
Query and Results Reporting	X	X	X
Streamlined Installation	X	X
High Availability and Load Balancing		X	X
People and Expertise Searching			X
Business Data Catalog			X
SharePoint Productivity Infrastructure			X

*This list represents features included with the Enterprise Client Access License version of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

** Microsoft Search Server 2008 relies on Windows SharePoint Services to provide its functionality

For more details:

http://www.microsoft.com/enterprisesearch/default.aspx (Enterprise Search Overview)

http://www.microsoft.com/enterprisesearch/products.aspx (Products: Search Server 2008, Search Server 2008 Express, MOSS 2007)

http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000000149 (Case Study: TV Guide Online)

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb871550.aspx (MS Search Server 2008 - Technet)

http://www.fastsearch.com (Microsoft announces offer to acquire FAST – Jan 17^th, 2008)

Activesync Policies in E2k7 SP1

alexmga — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:02:00 GMT

After Exchange 2007 SP1 got released, additional mobility features were included along with extra policies settings to restrict their usage. Following you'll find a comprehensive matrix of these policies comparing the different versions of messaging platform available:

Settings	Ex2003 SP2	Ex2007 RTM	Ex2007 SP1 STD CAL	Ex2007 SP1 ENT CAL
EAS Protocol Version	2.5	12	12.1	12.1
Corresponding WM Client	WM 5 MSFP	WM 6	WM 6.1	WM 6.1
Password Required	X	X	X	X
Min Password Length	X	X	X	X
Alphanumeric pwd	X	X	X	X
Inactivity Timeout	X	X	X	X
Max Failed Password Attempts	X	X	X	X
Policy Refresh Interval	X	X	X	X
Allow non-provisionable devices	X	X	X	X
Attachments Enabled		X	X	X
Storage Card Encryption		X	X	X
Password Recovery Enabled		X	X	X
Allow Simple Device Password		X	X	X
Max Attachment Size		X	X	X
WSS Access Enabled		X	X	X
UNC Access Enabled		X	X	X
Password Expiration		X	X	X
Password History		X	X	X
Require Manual Sync When Roaming			X	X
Min Device Pwd Complex Characters			X	X
Max Calendar Age Filter			X	X
Allow HTML Email			X	X
Max Email Age Filter			X	X
Max Email Body Truncation Size			X	X
Max Email HTML Body Truncation Size			X	X
Require Signed SMIME Messages			X	X
Require Encrypted SMIME Messages			X	X
Require Signed SMIME Algorithm			X	X
Require Encryption SMIME Algorithm			X	X
Allow SMIME Encryption Algorithm Negotiation			X	X
Allow SMIME Soft Certs			X	X
Require Device Encryption			X	X
Allow Storage Card				X
Allow Camera				X
Allow Unsigned Applications				X
Allow Unsigned Installation Packages				X
Allow Wi-Fi				X
Allow Text Messaging				X
Allow POP/IMAP Email				X
Allow Bluetooth				X
Allow IrDA				X
Allow Desktop Sync				X
Allow Browser				X
Allow Consumer Email				X
Allow Remote Desktop				X
Allow Internet Sharing				X
Unapproved InROM Application List				X
Approved Application List				X

Something to consider is that not all the features are supported by the current wave of high-tech mobiles, still we'll have to wait for some time for mobile operators to consider all these policies in their HW.

The original matrix and extended note can be found in Exchange Team blog's site:

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/11/19/447551.aspx

For details on how these policies can be administered via Exchange 2007 and a brief description of them, the following articles provide this information:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123783.aspx (how to manage them)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123484.aspx (description)

Improving the productivity of information workers (Groove Networks acquisition)

alexmga — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 19:31:00 GMT

Microsoft has just announced the acquisition of Groove Networks; with this initiative MS is complementing its collaboration products by improving the services offered to mobile workers and remote offices.

As part of this acquisition Ray Ozzie, Groove founder and the creator of IBM’s Lotus Notes, will become Chief Technical Officer of Microsoft.

Access this link to read the complete note.

Windows XP 64 bits?? have you heard of this??

alexmga — Tue, 22 Feb 2005 15:36:00 GMT

Yes… soon we’ll have a 64 bits version for XP… this is not a rumor… for those of you who are wondering why to use a 64 bit version instead of a 32?? Well… here there are a few reasons why to do it:

High performance platform for the next generation of applications: 64-bit native applications can deliver more data per clock cycle
Large memory support: support up to 32 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 16 terabytes of virtual memory
Flexibility: ability to move to 64-bit computing without having to sacrifice their existing investment in 32-bit software (Windows on Windows 64 -WOW64- x86 emulation layer)
Multiprocessing and multicore: support up to two single or multicore x64 processors
Same programming model: virtually identical to the development environment for 32-bit Windows

A 64 bit processor is not necessary “faster” than a 32 bit processor but… it allows the computer to use more memory and easily process huge files like videos, images, etc.

At this time.. maybe you are thinking… “all this is good.. but… do I need an expensive workstation instead of a simple PC to install this version??”… the short answer is NO… you don’t need it… you have some options…. Intel has chosen to release some of the Pentium 4 (600 series) with this capability (64 bits supportability) and the other option is using intel’s competitor processors: Athlon...

Do you want more details??

Windows XP Professional x64
Intel releases information on their new 64-Bit Processors

Security Innovation - Billg

alexmga — Sun, 20 Feb 2005 17:43:00 GMT

With interest in computer security at a high, Billg delivered the keynote address Feb. 15 during RSA Conference 2005. Speaking to an audience of IT security professionals at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center, he provided an overview of a number of important new innovations from Microsoft that will help enhance customer security, including plans to release a new version of Internet Explorer, the company’s business model for the final version of Windows AntiSpyware software, the release to manufacturing of Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 Enterprise Edition and plans for the beta release of Microsoft Update.

You can access this keynote presentation from your desktop through:

Video of Billg’s RSA speech: 66 minutes.

Cell - Realidad o Mito

alexmga — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:29:00 GMT

No quería dejar pasar la oportunidad de comentarles del chip en el que están trabajando IBM, Sony y Toshiba - CELL (así nombrado por la tecnología que emplea). Dichos esfuerzos se han venido conjuntando desde hace más de 3 años, pero en estos días se han dado noticias de que es cada vez más una realidad.

Este microprocesador se espera que alcance velocidades 10 veces superiores a los chips actuales, y será utilizado principalmente en el procesamiento de imágenes y mejora en el desempeño de las comunicaciones entre dispositivos como consolas de juegos, PDAs, etc (como primer alcance). Ambas compañías están haciendo fuertes inversiones en el desarrollo de esta tecnología, y se espera que para mediados del 2005 se empiece a comercializar de forma masiva este chip.

Si hablamos de velocidad de este microprocesador pues estará en el orden de teraflops, por ponerles un ejemplo más coloquial, podrá ser 100 veces más rápido que un Pentium 4 actual (eso es poder de cómputo!!! - pensando en un usuario final).

Futuro

Este desarrollo no se queda solo en consolas de juegos, "gadgets" para la gente geek, o aquellos que gusten de tener un mejor desempeño en el procesamiento de imágenes, va más allá. Se rumoraba que para finales del 2004 se liberaría una línea de Estaciones de Trabajo con la nueva arquitectura, además de surgir un nuevo competidor en este mercado, pensemos en las consecuencias de tener a la mano estas capacidades de cómputo: Seguridad - niveles de encripción más altos serán requeridos y nuevas regulaciones a estos estándares deberán establecerse, Comunicaciones - medios de comunicación más eficientes y confiables deberán surgir en el mercado (Ethernet no será suficiente, sino se quiere limitar la capacidad del producto), Investigación - se podrán obtener resultados más acelerados al no depender de equipos únicos, acelerando los resultados de las simulaciones y modelos matemáticos, Salud - se podrán ofrecer diagnósticos de manera más oportuna, al procesar la información casi en tiempo real (tomografías, encefalogramas, etc. - image processing related), sistemas expertos con mayores capacidades de procesar volumenes de información.

También buscan ser el estándar de los dispositivos de red de alta velocidad. Siguiendo la filosofía "Supercomputer in a chip", esperan que se supere a la ya conocida IBM Deep Blue, pero al alcance del consumidor final y obviamente teniendo requerimientos de energía mucho menores.

Retos

Entre los principales retos que estará enfrentando esta tecnología emergente destacan:

Al basarse en una nueva arquitectura (ya no más x86 o Power PC), una nueva línea de programadores deberá surgir
Un Sistema Operativo propietario tendrá que ser desarrollado o adecuado para convivir con el resto de la plataforma existente.
Las Empresas Comerciales tendrán que buscar un modelo rentable para ofrecer sus soluciones en la nueva plataforma
Si lo que se pretende es competir en el mercado de las Workstations, precios competitivos serán un factor clave en su adopción

Reflexión

Si se llega a dar esta tecnología en los tiempos propuestos, los modelos de programación actuales serán adecuados para este tipo de arquitectua?? Será rentable para el usuario final esta tecnología?? En términos de consolas de juegos, cuál será la respuesta de Microsoft ante una mejora "revolucionaria" del ofrecimiento de Sony?? (Xbox-x86 vs Playstation-"Cell"). Las 3 compañías le están apostando mucho a esta tecnología, han invertido un tiempo considerable y dinero, son visionarias en su ramo, pero serán el siguiente parte-aguas o generarán una revolución industrial moderna??.

Te invito a que externes tus comentarios, y aquellas ideas que se te ocurran en la que esta tecnología pudiera impactar en nuestras vidas.

Si quieres revisar algunas notas al respecto:

Sony, IBM to offer Cell workstations for Xmas

IBM, Sony, reveal plans for 'Cell' chip

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., IBM and Toshiba join to develop 'supercomputer-on-a-chip'

Electronics Design Chain