W2Knews[tm] (the original NTools E-News) Electronic Newsletter
Vol. 5, #46- September 25, 2000 - Issue #220
Published by sunbelt-software.com since 1996 - ISSN: 1527-3407
'Immediate Notification Of Important Windows NT/2000 Events'
*******************over 600,000 subscribers**************************
This Issue of W2Knews contains:
1. EDITORS CORNER:
* New SunPoll! // Now scan your _own_ IP for holes.
2. TECH BRIEFING:
* "My users and management do not allow disk quotas"
3. NT/2000 RELATED NEWS:
* Need Help Cost Justifying Your IT Purchases? Try "REJ".
* MS Launches Datacenter Infrastructure Vendor Program (DIV)
4. NT/2000 THIRD PARTY NEWS:
* Promote your NT-Server into an NT Domain Controller!
* New Security Explorer V4 Has Cool New Features
* Sunbelt Now Offers Double-Take Installation Service
* Need To Monitor Exchange? NEW TOOL: Real-View
5. W2Knews 'FAVE' LINKS:
* NEW: This Week's 3 Cool HotLinks
6. HINTS AND TIPS: / BOOK OF THE WEEK:
7. THE NT/2000 STOCK WATCH - The BloodBath of 09/29/00
8. HOW TO USE THE MAILING LIST
Instructions on how to subscribe, sign off or change your address.
*********************** SPONSOR: MAIL.COM****************************
Control operating costs while gaining access to world-class
capabilities by outsourcing your collaboration needs to Mail.com.
Mail.com's Groupware offers secure web-based solutions to help
you share information and collaborate with select audiences
anywhere, anytime. Groupware can be used on its own or integrated
with Mail.com's e-mail solution. Free yourself from buying,
deploying, or upgrading hardware or software ever again.
http://www.netmoves.com/groupware102
**************************What Is W2Knews?***************************
Sunbelt W2Knews is the World's first and largest e-zine designed
for NT/2000 System Admins and Power Users that need to keep these
platform up & running. Every week we get you pragmatic, from-the-
trenches news regarding NT/2000 and 3-rd party System Management
Tools. W2Knews will help you to better understand NT/2000 and pass
your Certification Exams. You will get breaking news like new
tools, service packs, sites, or killer viruses via W2KNewsFlashes.
Sunbelt Software is THE NT/2000 e-business tools site. At the end
of this message are links to all indexed and searchable back issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1. "EDITORS CORNER"
Hi NT/W2K Pros,
Two short point for you.
1) Dang, time flies. It's already the fourth quarter of Year 2000!
Windows 2000 is now finally completely there with the Datacenter
release so we have a new SunPoll for you. Want to see what your
colleagues are doing? Fill out the survey and find out: (we delete
entries of people that vote more than once, but it's a so called
non scientific survey)
Question: Are you pursuing Windows 2000 MCSE certification?
1) No, I'm too overloaded to even think about it
2) Perhaps, when I can create some time for it
3) Yes, I'm planning to do that for sure
4) Already cramming for my first exams!
Left column on this page: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/index.htm
You told us in our earlier survey that you wanted an HTML version,
so we will come out with one before the end of the year. But this
one will look _very_ different from any other HTML news you get,
and will be combined with something very special we have customized
especially for system administrators.
---
2) QualysGuard has had a Tsunami of interest. Thousands of you
wanted to see what it would be like to 'hack' your own networks.
The web-based demo we had showed a fast 'canned demo' but many of
you wanted to scan your own IP's. YOU CAN DO THAT NOW! Most of you
took step #1 (web-demo) and you have seen how it works. Step #2 is
to fill out a form for a ONE TIME, ONE IP scan of one of your own
IP-addresses. Go to the bottom end of the QualysGuard Page, click
on this link: 'Run QualysGuard Web-based DEMO', fill out the form
and then fill out the special FAX FORM and fax it to Qualys. They
will fax you back an account, username and password after confirming
that you really own the IP address you want to scan. (Why fax? Duh,
Security!) http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=545
Make sure you come and see us at the Microsoft Exchange Conference
http://www.microsoft.com/corpevents/MEC2000/ in Dallas, Oct 10-13-th.
For a special promotional give-away we have 2,500 actual steel
'QualysGuard handcuffs'. Check 'em out on the QualysGuard page.
(link above)
Warm regards,
Stu.
(Email feedback to [EMAIL PROTECTED])
PS, Want to work in Paris, France for a few years as an in-house
Account Rep? Check: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/techjobs.cfm
PPS, want to have a good laugh? Try: http://www.mslinux.org/
*************************SPONSOR: SURFCONTROL************************
WARNING: Networks bottleneck & costs climb as workers squander
hours online ... surfing, listening to the radio over the net,
downloading MP3s, video & other bandwidth hogs. Install Surf-
Control on your network & in 20 minutes you'll know exactly WHO
is doing WHAT, WHEN and WHERE on the Internet. Monitor, record &
manage all TCP/IP protocols. You've got responsibility for the
network, download an easy way to manage it. *FREE* 30-day trial.
http://www.surfcontrol.com/promo/W2K930
*********************************************************************
Want to sponsor W2Knews? Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2. TECH BRIEFING:
* "My users and management do not allow disk quotas"
At many sites, user storage consumption on NT/W2K servers is out of
control. You tried just throwing more disks at the problem only to
delay the inevitable; 6 months later you’re back to where you started.
You like the ideas of quotas, but management and your users complain.
What are you going to do?
In a recent survey only 14% of IT managers wanted the functionality
to _enforce_ quotas on their users, but 86%(!) of these same managers
would like to be able to track and monitor user-based disk consumption.
Why? Make sure that each user on the system has enough space to do his
or her job effectively.
You need some tool to make sure the guy down the hall does not fill
up the server with the pictures of his kids only to cause your real
data not to be backed up, or become unavailable when the server runs
out of space.
What are Smart Quotas?
To begin with, there are hard- and soft quotas. Hard quotas are the
ones that are enforced and do not allow a user to write to the disk
until he has deleted some files. Soft quotas combined with automated
user education could also be called Smart Quotas. If you could
monitor disk space consumption, then be able to have flexible reports
emailed to whomever you want (including the user), now that would
allow you to implement a strategy where you can put in some control
without being the 'bad guy'.
Smart Quotas educate your users on proper storage habits
There is a tool that you can use for this: StorageCeNTral. It generates
real-time disk usage reports. These reports identify over 200 common
file problems, from identifying excessive MP3, jpeg and wav files, to
identifying duplicate files that have not been accessed in over a year.
The best part is that you can send these reports dynamically to your
users. They can use them to actually perform their own file management
on the files identified in the report, and they can do that right from
Internet Explorer.
No more printing out file listings only to set out on a manual seek
and destroy mission. This way you can monitor and control storage
usage without curtailing user storage consumption until you determine
it to be a problem. It's a smart solution and in most organizations
it is perceived as politically correct and has a high acceptance rate.
Waiting for the quota functionality in Windows 2000?
Microsoft has deployed Smart Quotas in their corporate data centers
worldwide. What version of Windows are they running? W2K of course.
I need it! But I don’t have time to solve the problem!
With StorageCeNTral’s Smart Quota technology, configuration takes
less than 30 minutes. If you don’t have 30 minutes call Sunbelt's
implementation help line. We can walk you through a configuration
over the phone, or our implementation team can come to you to solve
the problem of runaway storage once and for all. 30-day eval here:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=423
*********************************************************************
3. NT/2000 RELATED NEWS:
* Need Help Cost Justifying Your IT Purchases? Try "REJ".
OK, here is the latest concept to shake loose budget money for those
cool latest hard- and software releases you have been wanting to roll
out. Microsoft has come up with a new term that makes ROI (Return On
Investment) obsolete.
The magic word is now "Rapid Economic Justification". MS claims that
with REJ you can "plan and effectively prove that IT projects aligned
with the organization's goals and strategies deliver the maximum
business value." For me, that is simply a different way of saying that
this tool will pay back for itself in 6 months, make the work of a
whole bunch of people more efficient, and saves us X thousand per year
from the seventh month forward.
But many times you need to fluff it up a bit, and come with at least
one page of justification. Otherwise, how are you going to get those
dollars you need? Here's how to build a bridge of common language
between IT nerds like us, and Management that thinks in 'shareholder
value terms'. http://www.microsoft.com/solutions/value/REJwp.htm
-------------------------
* MS Launches Datacenter Infrastructure Vendor Program (DIV)
At the same time as the Datacenter Launch last Sept 26, Microsoft
launched their new DIV program to qualify strategic infrastructure
vendors such as enterprise storage and enterprise backup vendors.
The DIV provides you with additional choice while preserving
overall system integrity.
[PR HYPE ALERT]
"With the delivery of the Windows Datacenter Program, we have changed
the way we do business," CEO Ballmer said. "Microsoft has teamed with
industry leaders to provide innovative technology and broad alter-
natives to expensive proprietary systems, offering customers
uncompromising reliability, flexibility and scalability."
[/ALERT]
But I think you got the general idea anyway. W2K Datacenter server
will at long last allow Microsoft to make a bid for new datacenter
business opportunities. MS teamed up with major players in the
industry and the creation of a rigorously pre-tested and certified
bundle of hard- and software pits W2K Datacenter against the status
quo UNIX-based solutions.
The funny thing is that these status quo companies MS teamed up
with _are_ the existing Unix players (HP, Unisys, Compaq, IBM,
Hitachi and others) so they are now competing with themselves. It
is going to be interesting how they will justify this. Watch out
for some crafty PR-language.
Obviously MS claims that Datacenter achieves higher reliability,
better scalability and availability over UNIX. Personally I think
that is more PR exaggeration. They probably will be cheaper than
Unix, but not by all _that_ much, since Datacenter is not cheap,
and MS increased SQL 2000 Enterprise version prices dramatically.
Veritest has begun testing/certifying applications for Datacenter,
which they have done for years for the other MS OS-es. To earn the
Datacenter Cert, apps must work correctly on up to 32-way systems
and four-way clusters.
MS put a few case studies on their website you can check out here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/guide/datacenter/studies/default.asp
*********************************************************************
4. NT THIRD PARTY NEWS:
* Promote your NT-Server into an NT Domain Controller!
U-Promote is a Best Seller in the Sunbelt OnLineShop. Did you know
you can promote your NT Server into an NT Domain Controller? U-Promote
is the only software utility that can promote your NT server to an NT
Domain Controller (PDC or BDC) without having to go through the pain
of re-installing the whole OS.
Don't make the wrong choice! When you installed Windows NT Server,
you were asked if you wanted to create a domain controller (DC). Your
choice was permanent. If you declined, you could never create one
later (KB article Q193219). You can get it from the OnLineShop in less
than a minute.
With U-Promote you can:
Change a standalone NT server to a Primary Domain Controller (PDC).
Change a Primary Domain Controller to a standalone NT server.
Change a standalone NT server to a Backup Domain Controller (BDC).
Change a Backup Domain Controller to a standalone NT server.
The benefits are clear as daylight:
Save days of downtime.
Lose none of your applications or preferences.
Upgrade even NT Workstation.
Create new BDCs.
Demote a DC to a Standalone Server.
Move a BDC to another domain.
Move a BDC to a Windows 2000 domain.
Cost? Practically nothing. Single Computer: $99. Unlimited: $239.95.
Buy it here: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=700
---------------------------
* New Security Explorer V4 Has Cool New Features
Simplifying W2K's new NTFS inheritance model and extended permissions,
Security Explorer does the trick. Small Wonders Software released
SE4.0, a useful security assessment tool for managing permissions.
This latest release fully supports W2K's new NTFS inheritance model
and extended permissions. What that means? You can now modify any
permissions without affecting any other users, for both NT and W2K.
Unlike Windows 2000's native ACL editor, Security Explorer shows
progress as it is setting inherited permissions on child objects along
with any errors that occur. Additionally, this new version of Security
Explorer auto detects the target operating system, allowing you to
properly modify permissions on both Windows NT and Windows 2000.
Lots of your colleagues use Security Explorer for one-time lock downs
and security analyses, managing permissions on a daily/weekly basis,
backing-up security descriptors on folders and files and being able
to restore these when needed, as well as for web-based security
administration.
"Security Explorer does all this and more, it is simply much easier
to use than the new Windows 2000 permissions editor. Security Explorer,
version 4.0 offers noteworthy time and money savings for small, medium
and large enterprises," said Brian Small, President of Small Wonders
Software. Download your eval over here and see how this works:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=788
---------------------------
* Sunbelt Now Offers Double-Take Installation Service
To start in the USA, now you can have a Sunbelt System Engineer on-
site to help you install our Number One selling Double-Take product.
It is a High-Availability and Disaster Recovery solution in-one.
Recently, the developer also introduced its second product called
GeoCluster and this allows you to break two MSCS cluster nodes apart
and spread them from each other with their own separate storage to
make sure that disasters would not wipe your cluster (and business)
out.
Double-Take is the industry's most popular utility for continuous
data availability and real-time data replication. It basically boils
down to just one career-saving concept: DOWNTIME-PREVENTION. Find out
why Compaq, Data General/EMC, Dell, HP, IBM, and Microsoft recommend
Double-Take and GeoCluster for their server solutions, and have it
installed for you.
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=111
---------------------------
* Need To Monitor Exchange? NEW TOOL: Real-View
This tool allows you to control and visually display your Exchange
network health and usage. You can see the availability of servers,
queue levels, failed message transfers, user-defined thresholds
and much, much, much more. PROMOTIONAL PRICING UNTIL OCTOBER 31,
2000 IS ONLY $995 PER SERVER (Which is a steal for a tool like
this).
Real-View gathers data directly from your Microsoft Exchange
Server and Windows NT system and displays them as an intuitive
Network Topology. Real-View dynamically places these objects
in its object store. With a simple mouse click and drag,
Administrators can place objects on the Network Topology view
and obtain data. The Dynamic animated changes of objects display
availability of servers, queues, failed message transfers and
user-defined thresholds.
- Real-Time Queue Management
Exchange Administrators can now monitor various connectors
including direct connectors to the Internet Mail Connector,
cc:Mail connector, Exchange Information Store statistics and
Exchange MTA Queue Monitoring.
- End to End Object Management
With Real-View, you can monitor all objects from point to point.
You can track the complete route of messages and view number of
messages coming both in and out of a specific server or connector.
- Trend Analysis - Real-Time Charting
Administrators can now monitor both peaks and valleys of messages
coming through their system to analyze where their bottlenecks
may arise. Real-View charting diagnoses message trends coming
through Exchange Servers, Internet Mail Connector, cc:Mail
Connector and the Exchange Information Store.
- Java Enabled Real-View Console
The Real-View java console allows you to view Real-View data over
the Internet and arrange objects on the network topology just
like they would arrange in the main Real-View Network Topology.
Take a look at the Java Console and click on node status for objects.
- Exchange Service Center
Administrators can now monitor which Exchange Services are running
on an NT server through the Service Center. Real-View will indicate
the services’ current status and display the last time it checked
on the services’ status.
- Exchange Event Management
When user-defined thresholds for message queues through connectors
(Exchange, Internet and cc:Mail) are exceeded and/or message transfers
fail, you will recognize visual changes in objects and flag them as
Real-View events.
- Real-View Response Technology
>From Real-View, you will be able to manipulate start/shut down services
for their Exchange servers. No additional tasks are placed on the
server. Real-View remains passive. This enables you to respond
proactively when there are bottlenecks or system failures within the
Exchange environment.
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=341
*********************************************************************
5. W2Knews 'FAVE' LINKS:
==============
What is WBEM? Web-Based Enterprise Management. 'WMI' is Microsoft's
implementation of this. http://www.dmtf.org/spec/wbem.html
==============
The best FAQ for all NT and 2000 questions is John Savill's one at
http://www.ntfaq.com/
==============
Did you know that Sunbelt has a glossary on-line with a lot of
NT-related terms? http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntfaq.cfm
==============
*********************************************************************
6. HINTS AND TIPS: / BOOK OF THE WEEK:
Q. Where are the Security event ID's listed?
A: They are defined in the MS Knowledge Base article Q174074 but
here is a link with all of them nicely lined up in a table:
http://www.ntfaq.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=15361
-------------
BOOK OF THE WEEK: Windows 2000 Essential Reference. The 40% Discount
ends October 6-th so you have only a few days left!
Designed to streamline information on Windows 2000, this concise
reference enables you to navigate quickly to find the answers you need.
Using a series of jump tables, cross-references, frequently asked
questions, and concise steps, this unique tutorial-reference goes
beyond the help files to give you what you need to demystify Windows
2000. Within the logically ordered sections on such topics as directory,
file, and network services management, security, remote access and
dynamic DNS you can find details on where to find additional information.
A unique "Going Deeper" section enables you to dig further into Windows
2000 capabilities.
Find it at the -- http://www.sunbelt-software.com/bookclub/ --
*********************************************************************
7. THE NT/2000 STOCK WATCH - Week of September 29, 2000 -
It was a bloodbath this week !!
52 WK 52 WK P/E WEEK
SECURITY CLOSE HIGH LOW RATIO CHNG
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Advanced Micro Devices... 23 5/8 48 1/2 8 1/4 23 -6.4%
BMC Software............. 19 1/8 86 5/8 16 1/8 20 -5.8%
BindView Development Corp 7 9/16 45 3/4 6 -5.4%
Cisco Systems............ 55 1/4 82 32 1/2 -8.3%
Citrix Systems Inc....... 20 1/16 122 5/16 14 1/4 35 +7.3%
Compaq Computer.......... 27 19/32 35 18 1/4 41 -6.6%
Computer Associates...... 25 5/16 79 7/16 23 11/16 12 -4.4%
Data Return Corporation.. 20 1/4 94 1/4 13 1/4 -8.2%
Dell Computer............ 30 13/16 59 3/4 30 1/8 46 -14.2%
EMC Corp................. 99 1/2 104 15/16 30 -3.3%
Electronic Data Systems C 41 1/2 76 11/16 38 3/8 27 -5.9%
Gateway Inc.............. 46 3/4 84 42 5/8 31 -15.7%
Hewlett Packard Co....... 96 7/8 136 3/16 52 1/4 28 -7.0%
Intel Corp............... 41 9/16 75 13/16 32 1/2 37 -13.2%
Intergraph Corp.......... 7 3/16 9 3 3/16 -6.1%
International Business Ma 114 3/4 134 15/16 89 3/4 29 -7.4%
Legato Systems Inc....... 13 7/16 82 1/2 8 1/8 +9.6%
Micron Electronics Inc... 9 20 11/16 8 3/16 21 -25.3%
Microsoft Corp........... 60 5/16 119 15/16 59 5/8 35 -4.6%
NCR Corp................. 37 11/16 47 26 11/16 11 0.0%
NetIQ Corporation........ 65 11/16 81 1/2 21 +6.1%
Network Associates Inc... 22 5/8 37 3/16 16 1/4 65 +2.2%
Novell Inc............... 9 15/16 44 9/16 7 13/16 21 +2.9%
Oracle Corp.............. 78 3/4 93 20 5/8 -2.4%
Qualcomm Incorporated.... 71 1/4 200 45 3/8 81 -2.3%
Quest Software Inc....... 62 3/32 98 1/8 19 1/2 +0.1%
Seagate Technology....... 69 76 26 9/16 51 +3.7%
Silicon Graphics......... 4 1/8 5 3/16 2 +15.7%
Sun Microsystems Inc..... 116 3/4 129 5/16 43 3/4 -1.0%
Sybase Inc............... 23 31 10 3/16 32 -3.1%
Symantec Corp............ 44 81 5/8 32 1/8 15 +2.1%
Unisys Corp.............. 11 1/4 47 7/16 9 1/8 8 +3.4%
Veritas Software Corp.... 142 174 32 3/8 -1.2%
Dow Jones 30 Industrials. 10,650.92 -1.8%
*********************************************************************
8. "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!)
Click: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/scripts/lyris.pl?join=w2knews
and fill out the form, simple & easy: 1 minute work.
Or by email, send a blank message to the following address:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_____________________________________________________
TO QUIT THE LIST
Go here, choose the list you are on, and follow instructions:
http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/scripts/lyris.pl
or follow instructions at the very end of this newsletter.
____________________________________________________
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS
First unsubscribe and then resubscribe as per the procedure above.
*********************************************************************
FOR MORE INFORMATION
On the World Wide Web point your browser to:
For the newsletter and our website:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com
For Tech Support on Sunbelt products mentioned:
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/scripts/rightnow.exe
Back Issues are here, all searchable and indexed. NT-list:
http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=nt-list&text_mode=0
Back Issues of W2Knews are all here:
http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=w2knews&text_mode=0
Cannot unsubscribe? Send an email to a live person:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Email for US sales information to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Email for US Tech support to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Email to the US Editor:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Email for European Sales to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Email for European Tech support to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
At the time of this newsletter's release, all links were
checked to verify their accuracy and validity. However,
due to the ever changing pages of various sites, some links
may later prove to be invalid. We regret any inconvenience
should you be unable to open any of these links.
*********************************************************************
Things Our Lawyers Make Us Say:
This document is provided for informational purposes only.
The information contained in this document represents the
current view of Sunbelt Software Distribution on the issues
discussed as of the date of publication. Because Sunbelt
must respond to changes in market conditions, it should not
be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Sunbelt
and Sunbelt cannot guarantee the accuracy of any informa-
tion presented after the date of publication.
INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS"
WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT.
The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the
use of this document. This document may be copied and
distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All text
must be copied without modification and all pages must be
included; 2) All copies must contain Sunbelt's copyright
notice and any other notices provided therein; and 3) This
document may not be distributed for profit. All trademarks
acknowledged. Copyright Sunbelt Software Distribution, Inc.
1996-2000.
