Microsoft has released the second service pack for its Windows Vista and Server 2008 operating systems.

Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2, which pull together various updates to the operating systems that have already been rolled out by Microsoft in a piecemeal fashion, were uploaded to Microsoft’s Download Center on Tuesday. The two service packs are combined in a standalone package that lets system administrators deploy and support both client and server updates in one operation.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft has not said precisely when the service packs will be rolled out as automatic updates, although Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc said in a blog post on Tuesday that this would happen “sometime during the coming months.”

Once the service packs become automatic updates, business customers who want more time to prepare for the implementation of SP2 can use the same blocking tool that Microsoft provided for Vista SP1, LeBlanc wrote.

Some of the updates included in SP2 cover third-party application compatibility, such the new ability for Spysweeper and ZoneAlarm to work with POP3 e-mail accounts. Microsoft has also included version 4.0 of its Windows Search technology in the new service pack.

SP2 also adds support for the Bluetooth v2.1 specification, improves performance for Wi-Fi connections after resuming from sleep mode, and makes it possible to natively record data to the Blu-Ray optical disk format. The service pack also adds support for Via’s new 64-bit CPUs.

For enterprise customers, SP2 fully integrates Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization environment into Server 2008. The service pack also introduces the ability to manage server and desktop power management settings via group policy.

The standalone installer for both service packs–aimed at system administrators–weighs in at 390MB for the x86 version, and 622MB for the x64 version.

Those installing SP2 through Windows Update will, however, get away with much lower data usage, as that service only downloads the bytes that are changed. Using this method, the x86 versions of Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2 will involve 43MB and 47MB of downloads respectively, and the x64 versions will involve 60MB and 90MB of downloads respectively.

There are a few prerequisites for the installation of Vista and Server 2008 SP2, one of which is that the first service packs for the operating systems must already be installed.

IT managers who publish applications with Citrix XenApp will also need to install and configure Terminal Services (TS) Licensing before installing Windows Server 2008 SP2, otherwise their Citrix clients will not be able to connect to the server.

Source: CNET

Symantec Corp (SYMC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is looking to expand offerings of cloud-based security and storage services in a bid to accelerate sluggish revenue growth, Chief Executive Enrique Salem said on Monday.

Salem, who took the helm of the world’s largest maker of security and storage software in April, told the Reuters Global Technology Summit that he wants to boost sales from data backup and other services that Symantec delivers over the Internet, so that they account for 15 percent of revenue within three to five years.

Profit margins for Web-based software tend to be thinner than for traditional software because vendors have to foot the cost of running computer centers to host the programs, on top of the developments costs for the software.

But Salem said he believes Symantec will be able to generate margins from hosted storage that are “comparable” to selling traditional software within three to five years.

“The lifetime value of a customer will potentially be higher,” the CEO said of such offerings, which are commonly known as Software as a Service, or SaaS.
The 17-year company veteran also said he is in no hurry to make acquisitions, even though Symantec has $2 billion in cash, as he expects valuations of private companies to decline over the next year. Symantec has bought 30 companies in the last decade.

“Private company expectations on valuation are still too high,” Salem said. “We can afford to be patient.”

Salem said the company will use acquisitions to add products in security, services delivered over the Internet, systems management and virtualization.

He pointed to recent purchases of Swap Drive and Message Labs, which sell online backup and messaging services, as examples of how he is using acquisitions to add such products.
…….

Source: Reuters.com

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. — This highly successful television quiz show is the latest challenge for artificial intelligence.

What is “Jeopardy”?

That is correct.

I.B.M. plans to announce Monday that it is in the final stages of completing a computer program to compete against human “Jeopardy!” contestants. If the program beats the humans, the field of artificial intelligence will have made a leap forward.

I.B.M. scientists previously devised a chess-playing program to run on a supercomputer called Deep Blue. That program beat the world champion Garry Kasparov in a controversial 1997 match (Mr. Kasparov called the match unfair and secured a draw in a later one against another version of the program).

But chess is a game of limits, with pieces that have clearly defined powers. “Jeopardy!” requires a program with the suppleness to weigh an almost infinite range of relationships and to make subtle comparisons and interpretations. The software must interact with humans on their own terms, and fast.

Indeed, the creators of the system — which the company refers to as Watson, after the I.B.M. founder, Thomas J. Watson Sr. — said they were not yet confident their system would be able to compete successfully on the show, on which human champions typically provide correct responses 85 percent of the time.

…………

Source: NY Times

Microsoft is trying to make it easier to sway users of Windows XP onto the latest version of its operating system.

For some time now, the company has been quietly building a “Windows XP mode” that uses virtualization to allow Windows 7 to easily run applications designed for Windows XP. According to sources familiar with the product, the application compatibility mode is built on the Virtual PC technology that Microsoft acquired in 2003, when it scooped up the assets of Connectix.

By adding the compatibility mode, Microsoft is aiming to address one of the key shortcomings of Windows Vista: its compatibility issues with software designed for Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.

Details of the Windows XP mode, previously known as Virtual Windows XP, were first published earlier Friday by the Windows SuperSite blog.

The technology has not been part of the beta version of Windows 7 or previously disclosed by Microsoft, but is expected to be released alongside the upcoming release candidate version. Microsoft said on Friday that it will release it to developers next week and publicly starting May 5.

According to the SuperSite report, written by bloggers Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera, the XP mode won’t come in the box with Windows 7, but will be made available as a free download for those who buy the professional, enterprise, or “ultimate” versions of Windows 7. The site also has some screenshots of the mode in action.

There had been rumors of a secret user interface, but until Friday, no mention of the XP mode.

Update: Late on Friday, Microsoft confirmed XP Mode in a blog posting.

“Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7,” Microsoft’s Scott Woodgate said in the blog. “Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC.”

According to the post, “all you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.”

Microsoft said it “will be soon releasing the beta of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.”

Source: CNET

Highly sensitive details of a US military missile air defence system were found on a second-hand hard drive bought on eBay.

The test launch procedures were found on a hard disk for the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) ground to air missile defence system, used to shoot down Scud missiles in Iraq.

The disk also contained security policies, blueprints of facilities and personal information on employees including social security numbers, belonging to technology company Lockheed Martin – who designed and built the system.

A missile launch in California: Details of the ground-to-air defence system were found on a computer hard drive

British researchers found the data while studying more than 300 hard disks bought at computer auctions, computer fairs and eBay.

The experts also uncovered other sensitive information including bank account details, medical records, confidential business plans, financial company data, personal id numbers, and job descriptions.

The drives were bought from the UK, America, Germany, France and Australia by BT’s Security Research Centre in collaboration with the University of Glamorgan in Wales, Edith Cowan University in Australia and Longwood University in the US.

A spokesman for BT said they found 34 per cent of the hard disks scrutinised contained ‘information of either personal data that could be identified to an individual or commercial data identifying a company or organisation.’

And researchers said a ’surprisingly large range and quantity of information that could have a potentially commercially damaging impact or pose a threat to the identity and privacy of the individuals involved was recovered as a result of the survey.’

Two disks appear to have been formerly used by Lanarkshire NHS Trust to hold information from the Monklands and Hairmyres hospitals including patient medical records, images of x-rays, medical staff shifts and sensitive and confidential staff letters.

In Australia, one disk came from a nursing home and contained pictures of patients and their wounds.

Confidential material including network data and security logs from the German Embassy in Paris were also discovered on a disk from France.

And the trading performances and budgets of a UK-based fashion company, corporate data from a major motor manufacturing company were discovered along with details of a proposed 50 billion currency exchange through Spain involving a US-based consultant.

Dr Andy Jones, head of information security research at BT, who led the survey, said: ‘This is the fourth time we have carried out this research and it is clear that a majority of organisations and private individuals still have no idea about the potential volume and type of information that is stored on computer hard disks.

‘For a very large proportion of the disks we looked at we found enough information to expose both individuals and companies to a range of potential crimes such as fraud, blackmail and identity theft.

‘Businesses also need to be aware that they could also be acting illegally by not disposing of this kind of data properly.’

Dr Iain Sutherland of the University of Glamorgan said: ‘Of significant concern is the number of large organisations that are still not disposing of confidential information in a secure manner. In the current financial climate they risk losing highly valuable propriety data.’

A spokesman for Lockheed Martin, who make the THADD launch system, said: ‘Lockheed Martin is not aware of any compromise of data related to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence programme.

‘Until Lockheed Martin can evaluate the hard drive in question, it is not possible to comment further on its potential contents or source.’

A spokesman for NHS Lanarkshire said: ‘This study refers to hard disks which were disposed of in 2006. At that time NHS Lanarkshire had a contractual agreement with an external company for the disposal of computer equipment.

‘In this instance the hard drives had been subjected to a basic level of data removal by the company and had then been disposed of inappropriately. This was clearly in breach of contract and was wholly unacceptable.’

The spokesman said the trust now destroy equipment containing data on the premises, so no longer use external companies to dispose of IT equipment.

Source: MailOnline

Research In Motion on Monday announced the availability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0, the next generation of the company’s push-based server software for BlackBerry business users.

Enterprise Server 5.0 beefs up integration between BlackBerry smartphones and corporate enterprise systems, enabling mobile workers to be more productive, RIM said in a statement.

Additionally, RIM announced a new interface that will let developers push real-time data to consumer BlackBerry users. Until now, push technology was available only in corporate environments. BlackBerry owners will be able to receive news, weather reports, music purchases, games, and other updates.

Enterprise Server lets users tap into corporate e-mail, instant messaging, voice mail, wireless networks, and enterprise applications. Corporate BlackBerry users can access their network files and documents, view and send e-mail attachments, and manage their calendars. Version 5.0 helps IT administrators more easily manage the BlackBerry within a corporate environment, RIM said. Using push technology, the IT staff can send software updates and other content to their BlackBerry users.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 has already been tested in real-world environments over the past year and is currently in use by companies such as IBM, RIM said.

“We are proud to unveil the next generation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server software,” Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO at RIM, said in a statement. “BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 significantly raises the bar for advanced IT manageability, high availability, system monitoring, and reporting. It has undergone testing in real-world environments for over a year and is available now for customers.”

BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 is the first mobile platform to win the Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4+ (EAL4+) certification, RIM said.

A new version of BlackBerry Mobile Voice Server (MVS) has also hit the market. Optimized for use with Cisco Unified Communications Manager version 6.1 or later, MVS offers corporate BlackBerry users such benefits as a single, “read me anywhere” corporate phone number, and simultaneous or sequential ringing of up to four devices.

Source: CNET