CS Techcast

"Basically, the portal looks like your basic app user interface, which can be accessed from “almost all major Internet browsers” (i.e. Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer 7). The manager offers a single login and password entry that grants access to multiple work and personal apps. Some examples include SalesForce.com, Facebook, Google, and WebEx. Such a program would come in handy for employees on-the-go who need to access files and accounts easily and quickly from mobile devices. IT administrators would be able to add more third-party apps with provisioning-ready APIs when needed, and they can also monitor entitlement to almost any cloud application using a centralized application catalog." - Eric from Bookmarklet

"Installing Redhat Linux 5.3 on Hyper-V with Linux Integration Components v2 RC2" - Eric from Bookmarklet

"The Samsung Series 5, in particular, will be sold in two different versions: with Wi-Fi only for $429 and a Wi-Fi/3G version for $499. Now hold on for a minute: What happened to the $199-$299 price model that Google spoke of at its last conference? Why would anyone pay for a laptop running on what’s basically a Web Browser app, an unproven Linux platform that failed for so many others in the past? The updates that Google made to it Chrome OS aren't worth cheering for, either: There are some visual enhancements to its file managers, a new media player, and support for cameras, Google Docs and Gmail in offline mode, and business clients like Citrix. These are minor updates, at best, and certainly isn’t worth using over Windows 7—especially if it costs more. You can get netbooks and full-size laptops that cost less than a Samsung Series 5, run on a full-blown version of Windows 7, and a plate full of other features." - Eric from Bookmarklet

In this post, I’d like to talk about the first few things to look at when experiencing performance problems on your SQL Server. Inevitably, every DBA will be faced with a phone call or email stating that “the database server is slow”. For most of us, this conversation usually entails trying to extract the meaning [...]

For many seasoned DBAs and system administrators, the double-hop authentication problem is a known issue. However, that doesn’t make it any less of a pain to resolve. For those who don’t know what I mean, consider this scenario: Your environment has 3 servers: 1. ServerA – Hosts a SQL Server 2008 Database Engine instance. 2. ServerB – Hosts [...]

I’ve always wanted to make a declarative statement like this. Even though tech journalists tend to talk in absolutes to attract the all mighty click, I have been one to usually operate in the grey, sort of. I did want to update our fans on The Podcast for IT Pros. When we started, Josh had [...]

Yet another enterprise level application that is often installed and then forgotten about (in terms of SQL Server administration) is Project Server. Ever since Project Server 2003, Microsoft’s project management system is more than just an application with Gantt charts; it sports a full range of team collaboration features, and a robust back end to [...]

This week at CSTechcast.com we talk what it takes to support a modern data center holding your cloud services with Anthony Foy of Interxion. Find more at Interxion.com. In the news, Internet Explorer 9 is coming, Oracle is suing Google over Java in the Android, Gartner lowers the forcast for tech spending, and some uptick [...]

In my last post, we talked about how often times Microsoft Office SharePoint Servers (and specifically their supporting SQL Servers) get forgotten about. This time, let’s talk about a SQL Server that supports another popular Microsoft Product, Team Foundation Server (TFS). With TFS, the complication of the installation process alone will likely mean the DBA was [...]

Many of us who manage SQL Server environments spend a great deal of our time being watchful over servers that house main line applications, such as your online sales system, your credit card system, et. al. However, there are often SQL Servers that get forgotten in the mix. Typically, these are SQL Server instances that [...]

"In an incident that highlights the growing security challenges around wireless apps, Citi said its iPhone app accidentally saved personal account information in a hidden file on users' iPhones. Information that may have been stored includes their account numbers, bill payments and security access codes." - Eric from Bookmarklet

"Oops!" gah. - ωαřмaiden TeamOtto

DOH! - Mark Davidson

Oh, the superiority of a black turtleneck backed brand. It’s easy to laugh at the unclean masses using Windows; those running those laughable netbooks, and those ugly $499 PCs. Yes, it’s easy to laugh as a convert, as most of you Apple fans are. I doubt there are many Apple users left that have been [...]

CSTechcast.com has the good on NetFlow and how it could help save your network with guest Vess Bakalov, CTO of SevOne. Find more info at SevOne.com. In the news, hackers are going fishing with the power of the cloud, there is a serious shortage of security experts, Dell has to settle with the SEC, and [...]

"Christopher Budd, security response communications lead at Microsoft said a Windows Shell Fix It, a temporary automated patch that implements the recommended workaround, disables .LNK and .PIF file functionality. Administrators should test the workaround before widely deploying it, Budd said. "We encourage customers to review this new information and evaluate it for their environment while our teams continue their work to develop a security update that addresses this vulnerability," Budd wrote on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog. Microsoft issued an advisory last week, warning that it had detected limited attacks targeting a flaw in Windows Shell. The vulnerability affects all versions of Windows. It enables attackers to exploit malicious code when a shortcut icon is displayed. The attack can be carried out via a USB drive, remotely through network shares and WebDav or in specific document types that support embedded shortcuts, Microsoft said." - Eric from Bookmarklet

"Dell is apparently warning customers that "a small number" of its PowerEdge R410 server motherboards may contain malicious software." - Eric from Bookmarklet

"A zero-day flaw being used in targeted attacks against organizations worldwide -- most notably on SCADA systems -- has security experts worried that the threat could spread further. Concerns about additional attacks using the so-called "LNK" vulnerability in Windows machines via USB devices and fileshares prompted the SANS Internet Storm Center today to raise its Infocon alert level to "yellow," up from "green," or normal, status." - Eric from Bookmarklet

This is already spreading! - Eric

As much as it can be a pain, a lot of projects still require that you import data from Excel to SQL Server. If you work in the world of SSIS, then you might have a problem. Most modern equipment, from laptops to servers, can, and often does, run the 64 bit versions of their [...]

While there are a great many books, blogs, and articles out there on T-SQL, there are always a few little “tricks” that many people overlook, or that many authors assume readers know. So this week, let’s take a quick look at two neat little T-SQL tricks that can make your life a little easier. 1. GO [...]

CSTechcast.com brings you the show for IT pros. This week, we discuss the roadblocks to the cloud in your organization and some insight into how to address them in A Closer Look. In the news, a new security vulnerability is making its way via USB keys, Oracle releases several security patches, third party bugs are [...]

"KittyHawk is an attempt by Microsoft to make .Net easier for those outside its traditional developer community. The company’s recently introduced WebMatrix tool suite is one way Microsoft is doing this. WebMatrix is aimed at those developing Web applications. KittyHawk, on the other hand, is targeted at fledgling coders who are interested in building business applications. The idea, my sources say, is to bring the Fox/Access style of programming to .Net. (Remember Visual FoxPro? There is still a vocal and substantial Fox community out there who’ve continued to push Fox, in spite of a lack of much support from the Softies.) “KittyHawk is targeting the corporate guy with some Excel/Access savvy,” said one of my tipsters, who asked for anonymity. “It is a drag and drop, template-driven, visual designer….It’s not code-based, but you can write code if you want to.”" - Eric from Bookmarklet

"The 13 globally distributed server clusters -- known within Internet engineering circles as the Root Zone – will begin cryptographically signing DNS look-ups today." - Eric from Bookmarklet

We have worked hard for over three years and one hundred and twenty five episodes to bring you content you’d love focused on the IT professional. We do it for the love of communicating mostly, since every dime we’ve ever made was sunk back into the show. We want to try to bring you [...]

When deploying Microsoft Hyper-V in your environment, you are likely to focus on the key technical areas such as storage, failover, networks and automation. These pieces are very important, but when you really get moving with virtualization some of the greatest enemies to an infrastructure are virtual machine (VM) sprawl and the lack of visibility [...]

This week at CSTechcast.com we talk HP Vice President Jonathan Martin and bring you a focus on managing changing IT for the mid-size business. In the news, Google saves themselves in China for now, malware seeing a new surge, DBA goes to the big house for internal hacking, Microsoft is back again for Patch Tuesday [...]

"One of our very close AT&T sources just sent us in these images. Yes, it’s a fried iPhone 4. Apparently a customer brought the phone into the store to try and get help with it, although it’s pretty evident that the phone is unrepairable. It’s the first time our guy has seen this happen (us too), but the brand new iPhone 4 caught on fire while being hooked up to a computer using the Apple USB cable that accompanied the device. The customer wanted to exchange the iPhone — obviously — for a new, non-charred unit however the AT&T store in question was out of stock. An Apple Store did confirm to our AT&T connection that this did appear to be a defective USB port and not some sort of user error. Our source went onto say that the phone bezel was extremely hot (obviously), and it slightly burned the customers hand. The USB port in the phone was slightly melted and the cord was badly melted (as is apparent in the pictures). Hopefully this is the only time we see our beloved iPhones meet a fiery death." - Eric from Bookmarklet

o_O - John (bird whisperer)

Burninating the iPhones... - ωαřмaiden TeamOtto

As an active part of the Friendfeed community, heck I’ll even say it, I think I’m still one of the core active members, I am always at a loss as to why the founders of Friendfeed flew the coup to Facebook. I know that if the Friendfeed tech stars had just given Friendfeed just another [...]

". When you add the challenges that come with any corporate acquisition, it's not hard to envision a reverse trend eventually building: a drive to split up tech companies that have grown too large. In other words, the tech consolidation of the past few years could turn out to have wasted shareholders' money." - Eric from Bookmarklet

This week at CSTechcast.com, we talk about how the cloud is moving forward with open-source standards and how cloud computing will look in a few years with Jan Aleman, CEO of Servoy and secretary of EuroCloud compendium. You can find more at Servoy.com. In the news, several major apps aren’t taking advantage of Windows 7 [...]

"Gartner has lowered its outlook for the IT industry from the first quarter of this year when it forecast worldwide IT spending to grow 5.3 percent, primarily due to the devaluation of the euro versus the U.S. dollar since the beginning of the year. "The European sovereign debt crisis is having an impact on the outlook for IT spending," said Richard Gordon, research vice president at Gartner. "The U.S. dollar has strengthened against the euro during the second quarter of 2010, and this trend will likely continue in the second half of 2010, which will put downward pressure on U.S.-dollar-denominated IT spending growth." "Longer-term, public-sector spending will be curtailed in Europe as governments struggle to bring budget deficits under control during the next five years and to reduce debt during the next 10 years," Mr. Gordon said. "Private-sector economic activity will also likely be hindered because of the direct impact of austerity measures on key government suppliers and the... more... - Eric from Bookmarklet

MVB! - Eric

Did you enjoy the wisdom of MVB? - Eric