While working on some draft content for Virtual Machine Manager, I have compiled the list below of Virtual Machine Remote Client (VMRC) keyboard controls.

Is this the complete list? Is this the way you would want to see them displayed in content? Right ordering? Any missing? Leave comments.

 VMRC Keyboard Controls

Host Key = right Alt key by default. Pressing the Host key will release the mouse/keyboard from guest access to host access

Set Host Key (Right Alt) = Host+H

Connect to Server = Host+C

Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete = Host+Delete

Switch to Administrator Display = Host+A

Connection Properties = Host+I

View Only = Host+V

About VMRC Client = Host+B

Educate your users and friends/family...Microsoft never sends patches (updates) in an e-mail. According to Techweb today, a couple of Trojans are posing as Microsoft patches/updates.

The first line of the spoofed e-mail "Microsoft Cooporation" [sic] -- is a dead give-away that the message is not genuine, the article states.

If users click on the embedded link as instructed to "download the patch and protect your computer against WinLogon attacks" they actually download a keystroke logger "BeastPWS-C" .

Direct your users to the How to tell whether a Microsoft security-related e-mail message is genuine page that reminds them that "We never attach software updates to our security e-mail notifications." "We never send notices about security updates or incidents until after we publish information about them on our Web site. Check the Security site on Microsoft.com to see whether the information is listed there."

Among the cool demos today at WinHec is the Scalable Networking Pack. Through the introduction of new architectural innovations like TCP Chimney Offload and NetDMA, the Scalable Networking initiative seeks to deliver support for the latest network acceleration and hardware-based offload technologies without requiring changes to existing applications or network management practices.

The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack is the first delivery of this initiative. It enables Windows Server 2003 administrators to cost-effectively scale their network-based applications while optimizing server performance and maximizing network throughput.

Windows Server 2003 Scalable Networking Pack: Frequently Asked Questions

Oh, and if you those of us who are perf-junkies, the Windows Virtualization demo showed the following virtual machines running concurrently on the same system:

Uni-proc Windows Server 2003 Standard x86
Uni-proc Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
Dual-proc Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition
Quad-proc Longhorn Server x64 Edition (Beta 2)

I am reading a new book written by some friends of mine: Anxious to Please: 7 Revolutionary Practices for the Chronically Nice. One of the things they talk about is taking the time to examine your core beliefs. This is an essential pre-req to what they call "warrior practice." Makes sense, it is a lot easier to fight for something you believe in.

What's this got to do with blogging?

When I started blogs.technet.com last year, folks were dubious that  IT Pros would take to blogging, either as writers or as readers. New IT Pro bloggers typically ask for advice, and one of the best pieces from the TechNet bloggers is "don't hide your personality."

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the GS risks a lot, not only in helping the half-dead stranger in the ditch, but he deliberately does NOT do it anonymously.

I am continuously amazed and inspired by the courageous sharing that IT Pros are doing, with "personality", on blogs.technet.com.

To all of you, and to the new bloggers to come, I say thanks. Keep practicing. As a famous warrior once said "Honi soit qui mal y pense."

Now that the WinHec demo and announcement are live, I can reveal the name of the new product I have been working on the last few months: System Center Virtual Machine Manager. This is the product formerly code-named Carmine.

I am the writing lead on the Carmine team. Leave comments here on what we can do to bring you the Carmine content, um, I mean Virtual Machine Manager content you need.

The following are good official sources of info that have jsut launched with the public unveiling:

The Microsoft.com site

The Virtualization Blog

You should also keep an eye on the Windows PowerShell blog...

And the TechNet ScriptCenter Windows PowerShell section.

Want to get the bits when Beta1 posts this summer? Go to http://connect.microsoft.com and select “Available Programs” from the left navigation bar. You must have a Microsoft Passport account to proceed with the process. Select “System Center Virtual Machine Manager” from the list of programs and select “apply” or “details” to learn more about the beta program.

Don't forget to keep an eye on blogs.msdn.com. About 20% of IT Pro and Dev "audiences" self-identify as both (when we ask).

For example, there is a promising new blog on SharePoint here.

I downloaded the Powershell RC1 and documentation as soon as they came out. I didn't think much about the Passport sign-in required. After all, usually that's just for marketing purposes, right?

Turns out, there is a benefit! When the re-release came out, I got the following e-mail to the account I used to register:

Dear Valued Customer,

Microsoft is contacting you because you downloaded the RC1 version of Windows PowerShell. As commonly happens with pre-release software, Microsoft identified two issues that we wanted to address as quickly as possible. Microsoft re-released Windows PowerShell RC1 in order to address two newly discovered issues. Existing users of Windows PowerShell RC1 should uninstall the original Windows PowerShell RC1 version and install the re-release of Windows PowerShell RC1 (download location) which addresses these issues.

One issue affected the digital signature verification on some file types such as msi and .vbs files. For the affected file types, signed files will appear to be unsigned and the publisher will be listed as unknown. Users will also be prevented from signing new files. A second issue prevented customers from installing Windows PowerShell on 64-bit machines running Windows Vista.

We have put processes in place to ensure these issues do not happen again. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you.

Thanks for helping make Windows PowerShell a great product.
Windows PowerShell Team

Relevant Windows PowerShell Resources
Download location: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=2B0BBFCD-0797-4083-A817- 5E6A054A85C9&displaylang=en

Official Windows PowerShell Web Site: http://www.microsoft.com/powershell

Windows PowerShell on TechNet ScriptCenter: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/hu bs/msh.mspx

Windows PowerShell NewsGroup: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/newsgroups/d gbrowser/en-us/default.mspx?dg=microsoft.public.windows.server.scripting&lang=en&cr=US

The Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 RC has released on Microsoft Connect. Once you sign in with Passport, you can download the SDK and two labs as well. Support is provided through newsgroups.

Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 is an integrated, standards-based compute clustering platform built on top of Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition.

Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 is comprised of two CDs. The first CD is Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition (CCE), and the second CD is the Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack (CCP)—a combination of interfaces, utilities, and management infrastructure that makes up Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003.

Microsoft Research has released one of its Strider tools, URL Tracer.  Security Watch says it "reveals all of the links beneath a given URL. This allows you to see what third-party domains are being linked to from within a given site, possibly links to adware and/or spyware domains. The tool can also scan for domains that are based on typo errors related to the desired URL. Some typo-squatting sites serve up adult content, and URL Tracer allows you to block such domains."

This is a godsend to parents who are concerned about what their kids might access. Download now. 

Refreshed PowerShell bits are available here.

Check out the blog here and Windows PowerShell on TechNet ScriptCenter

Official Windows PowerShell Web Site and NewsGroup

Here's hoping other product teams follow the DPM team lead and post their error message catalogs. Kudos to DPM team.

Others who downloaded Data Protection Manager 2006 Error Code Catalog also downloaded:

1. Extended Security Update Inventory Tool
2. April 11, 2006 Enterprise Update Scan Tool (standalone version)
3. The WMI Diagnosis Utility
4. Scenarios and Procedures for Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003: Security
5. Windows PowerShell RC1 Documentation Pack

Now if there was just one website that had searchable, filterable list of these things...

Wait a minute..looks like a start has been made http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/ee/ee_advanced.aspx

Keep an eye on the new Jeff Jones Security Blog. Great new post On Disingenuous Analysis and Transparency from a guy who's CV looks like: