Interesting press conference, not because of what they said, but if you read between the lines, it is obvious that they are quite nervous. I think Microsoft has enough smart people to replace Gates; however, there is a big psychological problem now for the company.

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Many Windows admins turn up their nose when it comes to Linux system administration. Although there are good graphical desktop interfaces for Linux, most of the system management is still based on simple text files. Centeris Likewise is a Linux management solution targeting this kind of Windows sysop.

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Marathon Technologies offers an interesting fault tolerance solution for Windows using virtualization technology. Server virtualization usually means that you have multiple virtual servers running on one physical server. EverRun FT is software that does the opposite. It unites two physical servers to one virtual server.

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I just added a new tool to my collection of CDP tools for Exchange. Atempo LiveServe for Microsoft Exchange supports Continuous Data Protection with brick level backups. Unfortunately, they don’t have a demo version ready for download. There is “trial link” on their web site, but after filling out the form, I only got a message telling me that a sales representative will contact me with download instructions. I made similar experiences with the other CDP tools in the list. So far I was only able to test Lucid8 DigiVault. The other vendors seem to be a bit shy.

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This is what Microsoft says about ISA Server 2004: ISA Server 2004 does not demonstrate Microsoft’s commitment to provide solutions that maximize customer security and productivity. ISA Server 2004 does not provide a comprehensive set of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services publishing tools, streamlined security and connectivity for branch offices, and an expanded array of OEM appliance offerings.

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Some days ago, I posted a list of backup tools for Microsoft Exchange supporting Continuous Data Protection (CDP). Meanwhile, I tested Lucid8 DigiVault, a CDP solution that is easy to manage and an interesting option for bigger companies.

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More and more sys admins are realizing the danger of rootkits. However, I’ve known only a few, who spent enough time to estimate how big the threat really is. Since the main purpose of rootkits is to hide themselves from users and sysops, you usually don’t know of them. I guess there are not many Windows administrators out there, who never had problems with computer viruses. But how many ever realized that they have rootkits in their network?

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Microsoft released a public beta of Windows Vista. It can be downloaded here. Somehow I think that Gartner was wrong with the prediction that Microsoft will postpone its final release again.

I just read an interesting article (only available in print) about PowerConvert from Platespin in a German magazine, Windows IT Pro (5/2006). PowerConvert supports the virtual machine formats of VMware and Microsoft. You can do any kind of imaginable conversion with these two formats including physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-physical.

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There certainly are more professional screenshot programs than Gadwin PrintScreen 3.1. The most famous one, probably, is Snagit. If you have to create screenshots only, every now and then, buying software for this purpose might not make much sense. Gadwin PrintScreen has all important features and it is freeware.

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