Win2000Mag UPDATE, February 22, 2000 [1/3]
Konstantin Gusev
WINDOWS 2000 MAGAZINE UPDATE
The weekly Windows 2000 and Windows NT industry update newsletter
http://www.win2000mag.com/update
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This week's issue sponsored by
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(below KEEPING UP WITH NT)
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February 22, 2000 - In this issue:
1. FROM THE EDITOR
2. HOT OFF THE PRESS
- Gates Denies Offering to Open Windows Source Code
- Microsoft: Windows 2000/64 to Debut in 2000
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Windows 2000 and Windows NT Seminars Delivered to Your Desktop
4. KEEPING UP WITH NT
- Windows NT 4.0 Bug Fix Update
5. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Boost NT Performance
- BackOffice Server Readiness Kit
- 3-D Presentations
- Remote Management of Documents, Images, and Databases
6. HOT RELEASES (ADVERTISEMENT)
- OpalisRobot - Monitor. Manage. Automate.
- CommVault Galaxy Cures NT Backup Blues
- NetMoves Outsourced Enterprise Fax Services
- BindView's Windows 2000 Migration Solution
7. PICKS OF THE WEEK
- Book Highlight: Mastering Windows NT Server 4, Seventh Edition
- Hot Thread: Lotus Notes
- Tip: Quick Access to Popular Administrator Key
- User Group: Pittsburgh SQL Server Users Group
8. WHAT'S ONLINE
- Instant Poll
- Techfocus
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1. ========== FROM THE EDITOR ==========
Hi all,
This week, I want to wrap up several issues related to the launch of
Windows 2000 (Win2K) and last week's mention of the Microsoft Developer
Network (MSDN) fiasco. As you might recall, Microsoft didn't include
Windows NT 4.0 on the yearly CD-ROM set that it sends to MSDN
subscribers. After the uproar from subscribers, Microsoft decided it
would provide NT 4.0 to Professional and Universal MSDN subscribers.
I received an unbelievable amount of email about MSDN, and the vast
majority supported my position that Microsoft's reversal was a major
win for the NT community. As I told those readers who cheered me (as
well as the handful that questioned my motives), the accolades should
go to those users who complained to Microsoft. Without them, my
editorial would have been just an annoying lone voice in the
wilderness. I don't personally benefit if the MSDN CD-ROM includes NT
4.0, but I can look at the situation and see that it's wrong. In this
case, Microsoft customers took up the call to arms, and Microsoft
listened.
Another concern I meant to mention a few weeks ago in my editorial
condemning Microsoft for so quickly abandoning its 58 million NT
customers is the impending expiration of Microsoft's NT 4.0
certifications. By the end of 2000, you won't be able to be certified
in NT 4.0 any longer. Unfortunately, this situation is not as clear-cut
as the MSDN issue. In fact, some professionals argue that Microsoft
already provides too many NT 4.0 certifications and that the value is
diminished by the ease with which someone can get the certificate. You
probably know people who are relatively inexperienced in NT 4.0 but
have become MCSEs because their employer paid for the classes until
they passed the exams. Recently, I saw the job application of someone
who had secured his MCSE certification and applied for a position
administering a Microsoft network. His most recent job experience was
serving ice cream at a drive-up window. And no, I'm not kidding.
Of course, there are other ways to look at the NT certification
situation. Although users will likely adopt Win2K fairly quickly (or
not, depending on which survey you choose to believe), Microsoft's
discontinuation of NT certification might be a bit premature. I suspect
that the NT market, currently cresting its market penetration wave,
will be healthy for some time to come.
Don't misunderstand me. I don't want to discourage users from
upgrading to Win2K. Despite my cautions about rapid adoption,
especially for large corporations, Win2K is a great upgrade. Yes, the
new OS is huge, and it's a lot to digest, but for end users, Win2K is a
welcome change. Although Microsoft pushes the major changes in Win2K as
reasons for upgrading, as a user, I'm more interested in the minor
ones. The user interface is simpler and more elegant. Graphical
elements fade in and out, and the mouse cursor seems to glide over the
surface of the desktop with a subtle shadow marking its path. Yes,
these features are fluff, but they do make a difference to users--not
so much when you're using Win2K, but when you're not. After using
Windows 98 on a laptop for a week recently, I couldn't wait to get back
to Win2K. I guess it's true; you don't miss something until it's gone.
One thing I'm glad I missed, however, was the Win2K launch. I
attended a boring satellite broadcast of the event from New York City,
and let's just say Star Trek's Patrick Steward (Captain Pickard) was on
hand and the words "enterprise" and "next generation" were thrown
around a lot (Star Trek fans will understand). If ham-handed humor from
sports-coated Microsoft employees and groan-inducing segues into over-
the-top video segments are your cup of tea, then I recommend the next
Microsoft product launch. As for me, I think I'll pass.
Paul Thurrott
Windows 2000 Magazine UPDATE News Editor
thur...@win2000mag.com
2. ========== HOT OFF THE PRESS ==========
(contributed by Paul Thurrott, thur...@win2000mag.com)
* GATES DENIES OFFERING TO OPEN WINDOWS SOURCE CODE
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates reportedly
told Bloomberg News that Microsoft would consider opening Windows
source code if that would help to settle its historic antitrust case.
However, within hours of the supposed concession, Microsoft
spokespeople were busy denying the rumor.
Bloomberg News originally reported that Gates said, "Microsoft would
be willing to open the source code for Windows software to competitors
to settle the antitrust case filed by the U.S. Department of Justice."
However, Bloomberg quickly issued a correction stating that Gates
didn't actually say the words attributed to him but had agreed with the
comment. Microsoft and Gates deny this.
"We've talked to Bill, and Bill said he never said that [he'd
release the Windows source code to competitors]," said Microsoft
spokesperson Jim Cullinan. "That issue is not even related to this
case. All he said was, we would try to do our best to settle this
case."
* MICROSOFT: WINDOWS 2000/64 TO DEBUT IN 2000
Microsoft and Intel announced that the 64-bit version of Windows 2000
(Win2K), currently called Windows 2000/64, would ship this year along
with Intel's first 64-bit microprocessor, the Itanium. Both releases
are expected by midyear. To ease the transition for developers,
Microsoft has released its IA-64 Software Development Kit (SDK) and
opened a porting lab at its Redmond campus called the 64-bit Windows
Developer's Lab.
Although details about Windows 2000/64 remain scarce, comments that
Bill Gates made at the Win2K launch suggested that Microsoft would port
each of the 32-bit editions--Windows 2000 Professional (Win2K Pro),
Windows 2000 Server (Win2K Server), Windows 2000 Advanced Server (Win2K
AS), and Windows 2000 Datacenter (Datacenter) to the Itanium. And the
first beta of Windows 2000/64 is due sometime in Quarter 2 2000.
Windows 2000/64 will support up to 16TB of RAM, compared to the 4GB
upper limit in 32-bit Win2K.
3. ========== ANNOUNCEMENTS ==========
* WINDOWS 2000 AND WINDOWS NT SEMINARS DELIVERED TO YOUR DESKTOP
There's no substitute for learning about technology from the
professionals. Now you can watch and listen to our experts conveniently
from the comfort of your home or office. Windows 2000 Magazine TV, our
online video library, provides more than 40 hours of searchable
content, with seminars added monthly. Industry authorities
such as Mark Minasi, Sean Daily, Mark Russinovich, and Paula Sharick
discuss a wide range of topics including Windows 2000 (Win2K)
preparation, Registry management and security, and cross-platform
networking. Learn more about this subscription-based service and check
out a seminar sample at http://www.win2000tv.com.
4. ========== KEEPING UP WITH NT ==========
(contributed by Paula Sharick, pa...@win2000mag.com)
* WINDOWS NT 4.0 BUG FIX UPDATE
Microsoft has released numerous bug fixes for Windows NT 4.0 problems
during the last several weeks. Here's a rundown of a few that look
important. If you need a specific bug fix, you must call Microsoft
Support directly--none of the fixes are available for public download.
- A TCP/IP crash. If you're running a multiprocessor FTP server, your
system might crash and display stop code 0x0000000A from tcpip.sys. A
buffer-management error that occurs when the system processes TCP/IP
packets from non-Windows systems causes the crash. Call Microsoft
Support to obtain the bug fix, a February 4 version of tcpip.sys.
Microsoft documents the bug, which exists in all versions of NT 4.0, in
Microsoft Support Online article Q252664
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q252/6/64.asp.
- LPD access violation. Yep, another bug fix for printing from a UNIX
client to a Line Print Daemon (LPD) printer. When a print job from a
UNIX system contains invalid bytes at the end of the job, the LPD
service generates an access violation (Dr. Watson) from tcpip.sys. Call
Microsoft for the February 7 update of lpdsvc.dll, which processes the
invalid bytes without crashing the printing service. Microsoft
documents the issue in Microsoft Support Online article Q253714