AT&T launches wireless-wireline bundle for small businesses

AT&T launched a bundled service for small businesses that combines wireless service, Internet and WiFi service and traditional landline voice service for under $100 per month.

The carrier said the services will be available to small businesses that have one to four lines in a single location, and that the services will come in a single bill. The plan includes 450 wireless minutes per month per wireless device, support for up to 11 email accounts, access to AT&T WiFi hotspots and unlimited local and long distance wireline service.

However, there is a caveat: To qualify for the plan, customers must already have wireless service or purchase new wireless service from AT&T, on top of new or existing local voice, long-distance voice and broadband services.

AT&T is touting the offer as the first in the industry to offer bundled wireless, Internet and wireline services to small businesses. In a release, the carrier noted that, according to the research firm In-Stat, small businesses with between one and four employees spent nearly $17 billion last year on wireless, broadband and local and long-distance voice services and equipment.

Source: fiercewireless.com

Second service packs released for Vista, Server 2008

Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2, which pull together various updates to the operating systems that have already been rolled out by Microsoft. were uploaded to Microsoft's Download Center. 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.


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 email 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 virtualisation 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 390 MB 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 47 MB 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: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39656666,00.htm

AMD and Intel computer server share partnership news

SAN FRANCISCO The battle between Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc for server market share heated up on Monday with AMD's release of a six-core Opteron server processor codenamed "Istanbul". But AMD's celebration may be short-lived: Intel is due to launch its own eight-core Nehalem EX chip in the first quarter of 2010. AMD, which gained server market share when it launched its Opteron family of processors six years ago, has struggled to maintain an edge since its much larger competitor released its own 64-bit processor in 2004.


Intel is hard to beat on performance benchmarks and has developed a technique that allows each core to handle multiple instructions at once -- something AMD has not done -- and says is not always useful, Kanter added. Intel and AMD have clashed in past years over performance and price, and squeezing as many "cores", or processors, into a single microprocessor has been one way to boost benchmarks.

Intel now supplies about 89 percent of so-called x86 server chips worldwide, while AMD supplies the remaining 11 percent. Intel had dominated the server chip market, with a greater than 95 percent market share in the early part of the decade, Rau said. But AMD gained traction with the 2003 introduction of the Opteron and hit its highest market share - just under 26 percent - in the second quarter of 2006.

Its market share was cut in half a year later, as Intel switched to its Core architecture, and that loss was compounded when AMD was late with its Barcelona chip in 2008. "Nehalem EX and Nehalem EP are extending our leadership in the server market and we are very confident of maintaining that platform leadership," said Intel spokesperson Nick Knupffer.


Intel and AMD are battling over a shrinking market. The x86 server chip market was worth $5.7 billion in 2008 but is expected to decline 22 percent to $4.45 billion in 2009, according to research house IDC.Server shipments slid 26.5 percent in 2009's first quarter, the worst three months on record, but should begin to improve in the second half and recover in 2010, IDC said.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5510EU20090602

Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2: Why

Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2, which pull together various updates to the operating systems that have already been rolled out by Microsoft. were uploaded to Microsoft's Download Center . 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.

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 quickly 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 Zone Alarm to work with POP3 email 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 virtualisation 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 Licensing before installing Windows Server 2008 SP2, otherwise their Citrix clients will not be able to connect to the server.

Source:http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10249913-75.html

New Powerful Server Chip by Intel

Intel Corp will start producing a new, more powerful version of its Xeon multiprocessor chip for servers in the second half, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The new chip, code-named Nehalem EX, will go on sale in the first quarter of next year. No prices have been announced for the new chip, which will succeed the Xeon 7400, priced from $1,100 to $2,700.

The Nehalem EX will provide two improvements. First, it will increase the number of cores inside a single chip from six to eight. Second, each core will be able to handle two "threads" of software instead of just one.

Severs will be able to handle up to eight of the sockets for the powerful new chips, and third parties can expand beyond that, according to Intel's Nick Knupffer.

Further technical details are available here .

Intel produces several lines of central processing units. Its multiprocessors are its most expensive, sophisticated line, used for running large servers. It also has smaller, powerful chips to run desktop and laptop machines.

Source: Reuters

Basic information of Remote desktop

Remote Access Services lets you connect your computer from other location location, such as your home. We can access computer remotley home to office or office to home. when we take remote that time client site automatically lock the computer. choose will depend on many factors such as cost, connect and transfer speeds, reliability, availability, etc.remote access to SLAC Windows resources. The remote client, using dialup or cable modem or DSL with a public Internet Service Provider(ISP), connects to the Citrix/Windows Terminal Server farm within the SLAC internal network. The processing of applications for the remote client session is moved completely off a user's desktop and onto the centralized server farm. Only screen, mouse, and keyboard information is passed between the client and the server using thin-client technology. we take remote locally entire netork.

Remote Access service:
combination of hardware and software to enable the remote access to tools or information that typically reside on a network of IT devices. Microsoft when referring to their built-in NT remote access tools, RAS was a service provided by Windows NT which allows most of the services which would be available on a network to be accessed over a modem link. It is not necessary to run Windows NT on the client - there are client versions for other Windows operating systems.RAS works with several major network protocols, including TCP/IP, IPX, and NBF. vpn is also part of remote. but some diffrence.

Remote desktop:
This software package already installed but we want only configuration. server site and client portion of Remote Desktop on any of the following operating systems Windows 95, Windows 98 and 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000, Windows XP Service. When we enable this option that time ask me you want access remotley your computer another people. we can not configure this option on remotley. this option should be we configure locally computer.remotely connect to a computer running Windows XP Professional with Remote Desktop enabled.With the Remote Desktop feature in Windows XP, you can remotely control a computer from another office, from home, or while traveling. This allows you to use the data, applications, and network resources that are on your office computer, without being in your office.

Remote installation service:
Remote Installation Services was introduced with Windows 2000 as an optional component when installed on Windows 2000 Server. Initially, it supported only the distribution of Windows 2000 Professional, but with Service Pack 3 allowed for the remote installation of Windows 2000 Server. RIS was updated twice; once to support Windows XP, and again to support Windows Server 2003. With the release of Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2003, RIS was replaced with Windows Deployment Services.Windows 2003, two services are required to provide Remote Installation Services: DHCP and Remote Installation Service. without dhcp we can not install remotly.

Basic information of group policy, windows server 2003

Group policy:
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Group Policy management solution allows administrators to define configurations servers and user machines. Local policy settings can be applied to all machines Group Policy to set policies that apply across a given site, domain, or range of organizational units, Support for Group Policy is available on machines Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003.Group Policy we used to define user-related policies as well as security, and other policies applied at the machine level. Group Policy enables management of domain controllers and member servers as well as desktop user machines.

Group Policy Management Console provides a unified, graphical user interface. managing Group Policy implementations and enables script-based management of Group Policy operations Server 2003 adds even greater administrative control to Group Policy, including more than 200 new policy settings for the operating system. administrators can be configure standard computing environments for groups of users and computers. Group Policy, administrators could be define the policies that determine how applications and operating systems are configured and keep users and systems secure.

Administrator can be configure registry based policies for applications, the operating system and its components administrators can configre security options for computers and users within the scope of a GPO. Local computer, domain, and network security. Administrators can be configure application installation, updates, and removal centrally with Group Policy. group policy is a more powerfull part of windows server 2003. user what to do administrator can be configure. user can't change his group policy without admin permition or take admin right.