Quest: Spotlight-on-windows

Amazing tool, it allows to visually explain to ordinary users what is wrong with PC performance, as well as help IT guys to identify the technical cause.

Even more - it's free! Too good to be true!

http://www.quest.com/spotlight-on-windows/

P2V for MS Virtual Server?

Have a look at the method described here:

http://justanothersysadmin.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/reliable-free-p2v-solution/

Apache + PHP Performance

We have an application called EasyVista from Staff&line. It is based on Apache, PHP, MS SQL. In our configuration it uses NTLM user authentication and Single Sign On (SSO). The average performance on 256K link was about 40 seconds to open first page.

To improve performance following change were implemented:

1) Enable compression in PHP.ini
2) Enable deflate module in Apache for all JS, CSS, HTML files
3) Expire module enabled
4) NTLM Authentication disabled for all images, JS and CSS using FilesMatch
5) WAN priority increased for this server

As the result with most of the pictures and Js in cache, the main page opens in 3 seconds over 256K link.

Introduction to Web caching

http://www.mnot.net/cache_docs/

How to recover hard-deleted items in Outlook 2003, Exchange 2003

You probably know that you can recover deleted items in Outlook, by selecting "Recover Deleted Items" in the menu. But there is also an another method that can be useful sometimes. If the message was deleted by Shift-Del (so called hard delete) or it was recalled then there is no copy of it neither in the Deleted items nor in Recover deleted items. However, each folder (Inbox as example) has it's own deleted basket. To access it you can use OWA: https://server_name/exchange/user.name/inbox/?cmd=showdeleted

Read more at http://www.petri.co.il/using_owa_2003_to_recover_deleted_items.htm

Secunia vulnerability scan

Quite nice online tool to scan the software vulnerabilities (versions of software)
http://secunia.com/software_inspector/

There is free personal version of it: http://psi.secunia.com

Corporate users will have to buy a license (it is still beta).

ActiveSync Remote Display for WinCE devices

This tool allows to see screen of the device on the Pc connected to it.

http://msmobiles.com/news.php/1764.html

Problem opening Word

Most of the problems are related to normal.dot. Workaround - delete it and let Word recreate it. See more: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/ProbsOpeningWord.htm


One of the examples of error:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Microsoft Office 11
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Date: 2/6/2008
Time: 10:30:48 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SCHGVAWS016
Description:
Faulting application winword.exe, version 11.0.8169.0, stamp 465f2a40, faulting module winword.exe, version 11.0.8169.0, stamp 465f2a40, debug? 0, fault address 0x008dd0ac.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 41 00 70 00 70 00 6c 00 A.p.p.l.
0008: 69 00 63 00 61 00 74 00 i.c.a.t.
0010: 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 20 00 i.o.n. .
0018: 46 00 61 00 69 00 6c 00 F.a.i.l.
0020: 75 00 72 00 65 00 20 00 u.r.e. .
0028: 20 00 77 00 69 00 6e 00 .w.i.n.
0030: 77 00 6f 00 72 00 64 00 w.o.r.d.
0038: 2e 00 65 00 78 00 65 00 ..e.x.e.
0040: 20 00 31 00 31 00 2e 00 .1.1...
0048: 30 00 2e 00 38 00 31 00 0...8.1.
0050: 36 00 39 00 2e 00 30 00 6.9...0.
0058: 20 00 34 00 36 00 35 00 .4.6.5.
0060: 66 00 32 00 61 00 34 00 f.2.a.4.
0068: 30 00 20 00 69 00 6e 00 0. .i.n.
0070: 20 00 77 00 69 00 6e 00 .w.i.n.
0078: 77 00 6f 00 72 00 64 00 w.o.r.d.
0080: 2e 00 65 00 78 00 65 00 ..e.x.e.
0088: 20 00 31 00 31 00 2e 00 .1.1...
0090: 30 00 2e 00 38 00 31 00 0...8.1.
0098: 36 00 39 00 2e 00 30 00 6.9...0.
00a0: 20 00 34 00 36 00 35 00 .4.6.5.
00a8: 66 00 32 00 61 00 34 00 f.2.a.4.
00b0: 30 00 20 00 66 00 44 00 0. .f.D.
00b8: 65 00 62 00 75 00 67 00 e.b.u.g.
00c0: 20 00 30 00 20 00 61 00 .0. .a.
00c8: 74 00 20 00 6f 00 66 00 t. .o.f.
00d0: 66 00 73 00 65 00 74 00 f.s.e.t.
00d8: 20 00 30 00 30 00 38 00 .0.0.8.
00e0: 64 00 64 00 30 00 61 00 d.d.0.a.
00e8: 63 00 0d 00 0a 00 c.....

How Microsoft calculates Processor license for multi-core processors

For Microsoft software with processor limits, each processor counts as a single processor regardless of the number of cores and/or threads that the processor contains.

For software licensed on a per-processor basis, each processor counts as a single processor, regardless of the number of cores and/or threads that the processor contains.


http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/1/e/f1ecd771-cf97-4d98-9a1b-b86e3f24e08f/multicore_hyperthread_brief.doc

PC slowing down?

Check what programs/driver/dlls, etc., are starting at Windows start http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

Domain Keys Identified Mail FAQ

Quite a good written summary of the DKIM - Antispam methods to authenticate email

http://www.dkim.org/info/dkim-faq.html

New Cisco ASA vulnerability

A crafted IP packet vulnerability exists in the Cisco PIX 500 Series Security Appliance (PIX) and the Cisco 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) that may result in a reload of the device. This vulnerability is triggered during processing of a crafted IP packet when the Time-to-Live (TTL) decrement feature is enabled.

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifier CVE-2008-0028 has been assigned to this vulnerability.

Cisco has released free software updates that address this vulnerability. A workaround that mitigates this vulnerability is available.

This advisory is posted at http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/cisco-sa-20080123-asa.shtml.

Quad core

It is funny that HP sell Quad core CPU servers (DL380G5) cheaper than Dual core CPU. I like promotions like that.

Cisco Secure Desktop new release

Cisco released Version: 3.2.1.118 of it's CSD client for ASA platform on 14 January 2008