Windows NTools E-News[tm] Electronic Newsletter
Vol. 5, #2- Jan 24, 2000
Published by sunbelt-software.com since 1996 - ISSN: 1527-3407
'Immediate Notification Of Important Windows NT/2000 Events'
******************* over 550,000 SUBSCRIBERS*****************
This Issue of NTools E-News contains:
1. EDITORS CORNER
2. GUEST COLUMN: What Other Certifications Are There?
3. NT RELATED NEWS
* MICROSOFT LONG TERM OUTLOOK
* WINDOWS 2000 CONFERENCE 4-30 TO 5-3 PHOENIX, AZ
4. NT THIRD PARTY NEWS
* MYSTERY PERFORMANCE BOOSTER PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
* NT THIRD PARTY TOOLS NEWLY CATEGORIZED
* DEVELOPER OF OCTOPUS GETS CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS
* WINDOWS NT MAG CHOOSES DOUBLE-TAKE FOR FAULT TOLERANCE
5. HINTS AND TIPS
6. THE NT STOCK WATCH
7. HOW TO USE THE MAILING LIST
Instructions on how to subscribe, sign off or change your address.
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********************WHAT IS NTOOLS E-NEWS?***************************
Sunbelt Windows NTools E-News is the World's first and largest
E-Newsletter designed for NT/2000 System Managers that have the job
to get and keep NT up & running in a production environment. Sunbelt
launched this electronic newsletter early 1996. Every week we keep
the Windows NT/2000 community informed and aware of new developments
of NT and 3-rd party NT System Management Tools. You get hints and
tips that will enable you to better utilize and understand Windows
NT/2000 and help you to pass your Certification Exams.
Via (separate) NTools E-NewsFlashes we will send you important
breaking news like new service packs, killer viruses, etc. Sunbelt
Software is the first and largest provider worldwide of Third
Party System Management Tools for Windows NT. Tell Your Friends!
All back issues are here, searchable and indexed on key words:
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1. "EDITORS CORNER"
Hello again!
A lot of interesting news again this week. We have Ed Tittel's
third column discussing what other certifications there are, a
long term outlook on Microsoft and an exciting announcement. And
also an apology from one of our business partners.
A few of you have been getting 3 or even 4 newsletters from a
company called ForeFront Direct. They have suffered an internal
glitch (loop) with their own list server. This is a company that
Sunbelt has used to advertise our NT tools. Due to an internal
ForeFront misunderstanding, they used the Sunbelt name in their
unsubscribe instructions, but Sunbelt is not involved with Fore-
Front except as an advertiser, but we have both large databases
and they overlap somewhat. Our apologies for the confusion this
has generated. Sorry guys, this kind of thing sometimes happens.
And, since this list is rapidly getting up to the 600,000 level
subscribers, we decided to give it a new dedicated server. This
is now sent to you from a refurbished Dell 4300 Dual 500 with
256Meg Ram and a 19 Gig RAID 5 set we got from the Dell Outlet,
hooked up to a double T1 in the Sunbelt Data Center. This puppy
is smokin' :-)
I always love feedback, this is a nice example I got this week:
> Good Morning,
> I just wanted to let all of you know that your E-News Flash is
> THE BEST! I have subscribed to many other "techmails", and I am
> still signing up for more (to give them a chance). However,
> after finally finding the time to actually read them, I usually
> end up deleting the others and saving yours.
>
> I have actually considered unsubscribing to all Microsoft
> techmails. By the time I find any useful information directly
> from MS, I've already found out from you. Keep up the good work!
> I love it! Thanks, Karen Lewis
Let's have a look at the news this week:
Warm regards,
Stu.
Email me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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2. GUEST COLUMN: What Other Certifications Are There?
Dear Readers:
My name is Ed Tittel. You may recognize me as the co-author of
Stu's wildly successfully book "The Windows NT Power Toolkit." That
probably explains why Stu asked me to guest-author several columns
for his online news, of which this column will be the third out of
three I'm doing for him. In fact, he and I agreed last week that
this collaboration was so successful (I've averaged about 250 e-mail
for each column so far), that I'll become a monthly contributor to
his newsletter from now on!
As some of you may already know, I am also the series editor for
Certification Insider Press's equally popular "Exam Cram" series
for MCSE and CNE topics, and helped to design the series in the
first place. My colleague and co-worker, Dr. Bill Brogden, is also
the author of and Exam Cram and an Exam Prep on the Java 2 Programmer
certification.
My company, LANWrights, Inc., follows the certification market
closely, and helps to design and develop all kinds of study aids for
MCSE and CNE certification. In this column, Stu asked me to talk
about what kinds of certifications people are pursuing beyond the
MCSE, CNE, and Cisco, and to give you folks some pointers should
you want to learn more about any of this stuff. So here goes...
Vendor-Specific Programs
Most certification programs are built by vendors for their specific
products and programs. This gives them a great way to flog their
products and to explain their capabilities in great detail. In fact,
most vendor certifications cover their subject matter very well. But
alas, many of them don't acknowledge defects in their products and
technologies.
Likewise, to promote good PR and to stimulate sales, vendor programs
can't be as candid about problems that users or technicians are
likely to encounter with their products and program. Nor do they
typically expose the various known "gotchas" that working experts
must learn to overcome when they dig deeply into such environments.
This lack of ultimate truth is a sad way of life for vendor certs.
You have to expect a certain lack of candor if you're going to walk
hand-in-hand with a vendor toward that vendor's certification.
* Sun Certified Java Programmer
http://www.sun.com/service/suned
Sun offers certification Solaris and the Sun OS, but Sun also offers
certs for users of its trendy Java programming language. Today, this
environment incorporates related technologies like Java Beans, JDBC
and Java Servlets. Java is so popular today that companies like IBM,
Novell, and Netscape assembled to accept Sun's own entry-level Java
certification--the Certified Java Programmer--as THE entry-level
certification for their Web developer programs and other related
certifications.
Although Java certification is not exactly vendor-neutral, multi-
vendor support makes the Certified Java Programmer title valuable.
The Certified Java Programmer exam costs $150 and comes in three
versions, for each Java Development Kit currently available.
* Oracle Database Certifications
http://education.oracle.com/certification
Because Oracle databases are popular, and its certified population
is still pretty small, anybody who's interested in databases, be it
their operation, administration or development, has a golden oppor-
tunity to jump onto a big potential winner here. Oracle offers
several certs, ranging from the one-test Database Operator (DBO),
to multi-exam certifications for Database Administrators (DBAs) and
Application Developers. Expect to pay $125 per test and to take 3-5
tests for more advanced credentials.
Note: If your company isn't an Oracle shop, or you've already learned
some other DBMS--be it DB2, Informix, or whatever--don't bemoan your
fate. Most DBMS vendors offer certs worthy of your pursuit. Visit
their Web sites for more information!
* SAP Certified R/3 Consultants
http://www.sap.com
SAP offers a popular cert that approaches Cisco-like potential. SAP
Certified R/3 Consultants or Certified Technical Consultants can name
their terms and prices in today's workplaces. In fact, SAP's online
job postings include spots at partner and affiliate companies, plus
in-house listings. WARNING!: be prepared to pay around $1,000 just
to take exams. If you take a prep class at SAP's Partner Academy,
you'll pay more than $10K for that privilege!
Note: Other ERP/MRP companies like J.D. Edwards have great training
and certs. They aren't as hot as SAP's, but they can offer strong
career advancement. In this market, get ready to spend serious bucks
--as certs go--for training and exams.
* 3COM Master of Network Sciences
http://www.3com.com/support/mns
3COM's co-called "Master of Network Sciences" gives IT professionals
a chance to specialize in numerous LAN, WAN, or remote access topics.
To complete this 3COM certification means completing 1 of 6 tracks
ranging from LAN solutions to network architectures. Each track
requires taking 5-8 web-based exams for $100 each; the kicker is an
8-hour hands-on exam for $495. Note: Access to 3COM equipment is
necessary to chase this certification.
* Compaq Accredited Systems Engineers
http://www.compaq.com/training/home.html
Compaq offers a 3-tiered certification program for Accredited Systems
Engineers (ASEs). The number of tests and requirements increases for
each tier. ASE certification is for organizations that use Compaq
servers and other computers. The ASE program has a strong reputation
and requires individuals to obtain additional certifications from NOS
vendors like Novell or Microsoft to get to the 2nd and 3rd tiers.
Sylvan offers the ASE exams; each one costs $100.
* DELL Certified Systems Expert
Recently, we've learned about a Dell Certified Systems Expert (DCSE)
cert, which sounds a lot like Compaq's ASE program. Visit Dell
at http://www.dell.com/products/poweredge/service/dcse.htm
* IBM Certifications
http://www.ibm.com/education/certify
>From a company that handles everything from mainframes to vertical
applications, you should expect an equally broad set of certs. In
fact, IBM offers more than 100 programs that cover topics from AIX
to ViaVoice. Likewise, big IBM offshoots like Tivoli Systems and
Lotus Computing have their own certs, too. If your shop is in with
Big Blue, check out the plethora of certifications on their web
site. Because IBM's certs go from simple, one-product programs, to
multi-product, multi-system certs, you can spend anywhere from $100
to more than $10,000 for one of their certs, depending on what
you're after.
* Vendor-neutral Certifications
Some companies and industry groups create certs that cover topics
without becoming vendor-specific. Such certifications tend to be
broader, but also, less tightly focused. HyCurve's Web Design
Specialist certification, covers design and maintenance of web sites,
and incorporates vendor-specific components so that would-be "experts"
can show their knowledge of specific toolsets, as well as their
mastery of general concepts and techniques. Other certs, like
CompTIA's A+, Network+, and iNet+, maintain strict vendor neutrality
throughout.
Building a neutral Cert means a committee takes input from vendors,
users, researchers, and academics along the way. For that reason
vendor-neutral certs, are often more demanding of test-takers. But
they are normally more candid about the problems and perils inherent
in vendor-specific implementations.
Because a vendor-neutral cert can demand a bigger knowledge base,
there's a trend for vendors to allow people who pursue their certs
to substitute vendor-neutral equivalents like the Chauncey CTT exam
for their own specific instructor exams. This helps make vendor-neutral
certs more valuable, because their holders can use them to pursue
multiple certifications.
Comptia A+, Network+, and iNet+ Certs
http://www.comptia.com
Ed Tittel 2207 Klattenhoff Dr, Austin, TX 78728-5480
LANWrights, Inc: Network-oriented writing & consulting
Please visit our Web site at http://www.lanw.com
The expanded version of this article will appear here on Monday:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/guest-columns
********************************************************************
3. "NT RELATED NEWS"
* MICROSOFT LONG TERM OUTLOOK
So, what can we expect from MS in the years coming? It's almost a
full-time job to follow what MS is doing, and there are actually
people making a living off doing just that. For us in the trenches
it is not really possible to follow everything, but I have made
a best effort.
Quite a few things have happened, the Department of Justice issue,
Gates giving Ballmer the reigns, Windows 2000 release, and more.
Where is all this going? Let's look at the big picture.
The Internet has only just started making an impact on MS. Bill saw
the light just in time, but they have a long way to go. The 'Net
really changes the way computing will develop in the near future.
MS will have to follow. I personally think that this is the reason
Bill will be the Chief Software Architect. He sees that if MS does
not come out with new tools for that environment, they will die.
Having his long-time Harvard buddy Ballmer run the day-to-day ops
is a good idea. Steve Ballmer will have to remake Microsoft into
an outfit more focused on marketing, revenues and the existing and
new MS customers. Basically they need to become customer-focused
instead of product-focused and he's doing that as we speak.
He ditched the longtime slogan "A computer on every desk and in
every home" for the more generic "Empower People through great
software, anyplace, any time and on any device". See how the 'Net
comes into play here? They see it but there are no real products
yet. MS's revenue growth is planned to come out of home consumers
and small businesses for the coming 3 years.
MS now has more than 30,000 employees, about $20 billion in revenues
and a total market capitalization of about $580 billion. Ballmer
will have to define goals, close deals and motivate teams while
performing the high-wire act of keeping all this coordinated.
He will also need to reduce the red-tape and political system inside
MS, and get people more focused on production.
Ballmer has announced a new Jihad (definition: religious war) to
launch 'Next Generation Windows Services' NGWS which is slated to
dominate the next-generation platform for Internet services. And
that is what Bill is going to build: stuff to dominate the Internet
with Windows and Windows-based services. Nutshell: Windows for
the Internet.
It will come out first as incremental improvements to Win2000,
like voice recognition, smarter storage, and better encryption.
Longer term, they are going to try what they did in the PC market:
build a dominant platform, and them market applications that work
well on that platform. Of course all of this is not so easy as it
was in the PC environment, all of it will have to co-exist with
the existing Internet standards.
NGWS could be seen as the second battle in the Internet Wars, the
first battle was the browser, now MS has moved to the OS platform
and the web-apps. They hope to make a customer out of anyone that
plans to set up web server. This will compete directly with the
likes of SUN, and Linux. MS is committed to make its stuff work
with any kind of Internet device, and that is nothing else than
their old battle cry: "Windows Everywhere", but now off the desktop
as well.
And regarding the DOJ issue, a survey we did last week shows that
an overwhelming majority of about 90% is not letting that stand
in their way of adopting Windows. Quite a few sites will have
multi platforms and stay that way, and that is a very sound way
to conduct business: 'Choose the best platform (HW/OS) for the
specific application'.
Microsoft is betting its future on being that platform of choice.
-------------------------------
* WINDOWS 2000 CONFERENCE 4-30 TO 5-3 PHOENIX, AZ
You should check out this conference. It looks like it's shaping
up to be really interesting. A bunch of really good speakers are
there, like Mark Minasi, Christa Anderson, Dan Balter, Sean Daily,
Clayton Johnson, and Mark Smith (Yours truly will be there too
giving a few sessions about 3-rd party tools, and I'll sign my
book). You can also visit the other ASP Connections conference
held there at the same time: for FREE.
There are 4 days of non-stop opportunity:
- 45 hard-core Win2000/NT sessions
- Ask The Experts (panel discussions)
- Product Showcases and giveaways
- MS Certification testing with 50% discount!
- Hands-on Computer Lab
- Networking Reception & Parties
- Pre- and Post Conference Workshops
This conference is sponsored by Windows NT Magazine and Sunbelt
Software. Click http://www.winconnections.com and register!
********************************************************************
4. NT THIRD PARTY NEWS
* MYSTERY PERFORMANCE BOOSTER PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
One of the independent developers we represent, told us they are
working on a brand new Super Performance Booster tool for NT/2000.
They will announce it in this first quarter. It may even be done
Feb 17, at the same time as the Windows 2000 official release.
The product is unique because it bundles several existing types
of performance booster tools into one, but at a low price. I will
keep you up-to-date on the developments!
---------------------------------
* NT THIRD PARTY TOOLS NEWLY CATEGORIZED
Sunbelt is working on revamping its website. The old warhorse has
been faithful but was walking on its last legs. We decided to use
Cold Fusion and MS SQL Server as the new tools to build the site.
A lot of work behind the scenes has been done already.
Soon our whole site will be dynamic, database driven and look less
cluttered. We'll also have personalized suggestions for you based
on your interests. We have re-categorized our tools, and you can
choose your utilities out of these 6 categories:
* Exchange Utilities
* Network Management Utilities
* Performance Management Tools
* Security Tools
* Storage Management Utilities
* System Admin Tools.
Have a look and browse through this brand new page and I'm sure there
is something that will solve a problem for you. BOOKMARK this page!
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/category_search.cfm
(As you can see, this is now a .CFM page, meaning it's Cold Fusion
pulling the data out of our SQL Server V7.0).
---------------------------------
* DEVELOPER OF OCTOPUS GETS CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS
Legato Systems Inc acquired both the Vinca and Octopus products in
the last 24 months. The company said this week that its auditors
have required it to adopt more conservative accounting practices,
which forced it to restate their third-quarter results. Legato also
missed estimates for its fourth quarter. The company's main revenues
come from backup and recovery software.
Pretty much immediately they were slapped with a whopping 5 class
action lawsuits claiming that that Legato and certain of its officers
and directors violated the federal securities laws by issuing a
series of materially false and misleading statements concerning the
Company's business, financial condition and earnings.
Their Stock crashed upon this news and lost as much as half its
value this week. Have a look at these numbers and you'll see:
52 WK 52 WK P/E WEEK
SECURITY CLOSE HIGH LOW RATIO CHNG
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Legato Systems Inc....... 30 82 1/2 15 1/8 -48.2%
Some other NT stocks did great this week. NetIQ for instance is
one you should check out in the NT STOCK WATCH below.
---------------------------------
* WINDOWS NT MAGAZINE CHOOSES DOUBLE-TAKE FOR FAULT TOLERANCE
You can safely say that Windows NT Magazine (it just renamed itself
to Windows 2000 Magazine) are the experts in the NT/2000 field. They
review dozens of tools per year, and are supported by the world's
best experts that do tests, editorials and help create their website.
It is my personal opinion that Windows 2000 Magazine is the best NT/
2000 trade magazine out there.
When Windows NT Magazine needed Fault Tolerance for their own site,
they called Sunbelt and requested Double-Take. It is now installed
and up & running protecting their site in real time. Want proof?
Go to their website, scroll all the way down and click on the badge
that proudly proclaims "Powered by: Sunbelt Software"!
Check it out: http://www.winntmag.com/
********************************************************************
5. HINTS AND TIPS
Looking for cool wallpaper for all your machines?
The definitive source of sources is http://www.cybergeography.com/
********************************************************************
6. THE NT STOCK WATCH Closing Date Friday 21 Jan, 2000
52 WK 52 WK P/E WEEK
SECURITY CLOSE HIGH LOW RATIO CHNG
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Advanced Micro Devices... 36 5/8 45 1/8 14 9/16 -9.2%
BMC Software............. 44 1/2 86 5/8 30 38 -10.4%
BindView Development Corp 55 3/4 61 3/4 17 1/4 -4.1%
Citrix Systems Inc....... 149 9/16 164 3/4 26 1/2 +10.1%
Compaq Computer.......... 31 1/4 51 1/4 18 1/4 55 +2.4%
Computer Associates...... 70 13/16 72 32 1/8 56 +8.0%
Data General Corp........ 22 1/4 23 11/16 9 5/8 93 0.0%
Dell Computer............ 43 3/4 55 31 3/8 73 -1.1%
Gateway Inc.............. 62 84 28 3/8 47 +3.9%
Hewlett Packard Co....... 113 1/8 118 13/16 63 3/8 34 +0.5%
Intergraph Corp.......... 5 1/8 10 1/4 3 3/16 +0.6%
International Business Ma 121 139 3/16 80 7/8 29 +1.1%
Legato Systems Inc....... 30 82 1/2 15 1/8 -48.2%
Micron Electronics Inc... 12 17 3/8 9 29 -5.4%
Microsoft Corp........... 103 3/4 119 15/16 72 64 -8.1%
Mission Critical Software 67 1/4 77 5/8 16 +22.2%
NCR Corp................. 38 3/8 54 9/16 26 11/16 26 +11.2%
NetIQ Corporation........ 69 5/8 77 3/4 14 3/4 +14.6%
Network Associates Inc... 27 3/16 57 1/8 10 1/16 -3.1%
Novell Inc............... 35 7/8 42 7/16 16 1/16 65 +6.4%
Oracle Corp.............. 59 11/16 62 5/8 10 1/2 +11.3%
Qualcomm Incorporated.... 154 3/8 200 7 1/4 +8.7%
Seagate Technology....... 42 1/4 48 13/16 25 1/8 10 -2.1%
Silicon Graphics......... 10 13/16 20 7/8 6 7/8 +13.0%
Sun Microsystems Inc..... 84 7/16 87 15/16 23 1/8 91 +4.8%
Sybase Inc............... 23 1/8 24 15/32 5 5/16 31 +35.5%
Symantec Corp............ 58 17/64 69 5/16 12 1/2 21 +9.9%
Unisys Corp.............. 33 7/8 49 11/16 20 15/16 21 +10.1%
Veritas Software Corp.... 171 9/16 158 20 3/8 +17.7%
Dow Jones 30 Industrials. 11,251.71 -4.0%
********************************************************************
6. "HOW TO USE THE MAILING LIST" Instructions on how to subscribe,
sign off or change your email address
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LIST (Tell your friends!)
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choose the NT-List, use your email address that is at
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2) The Email Way: Simply follow the personalized
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should you be unable to open any of these links.
********************************************************************
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