Cisco bug could put hackers in driver's seat

<font size="3">Cisco bug could put hackers in driver's seat</font>

Networking giant Cisco Systems warned customers on Wednesday about a security flaw that could compromise two products used to manage wireless local area network devices and data center switches.

The company said in the warning posted on its Web site that a preset username and password coded into its Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE) and Hosting Solution Engine (HSE) could give attackers complete control of the devices. Attackers could use this control to add new users, modify details of existing users or even change the device's configuration, the company said.

Full Story: cnet-news.com

Exam 70-285 now available

<font size="3">Exam 70-285 now available for MCSE: Messaging on Windows 2003 candidates</font>

Microsoft on March 26 released the latest exam in its MCSE roster, 70-285, Designing a Exchange Server 2003 Organisation. The exam counts as an elective toward the MCSE on Windows 2003, but it also counts as a core exam aimed specifically at messaging specialists planning to obtain the MCSE: Messaging on Windows 2003 title.

According to the exam guide, candidates who plan to take 70-285 should have at least one year of experience planning, designing and managing an enterprise-scale, Exchange-based messaging system.

News Source: mcpmag.com

Thunderbolt and lightning, very very... cooling?

<font size="3">Thunderbolt and lightning, very very... cooling?</font>

Scientists are working on a method to cool down chips that is based on the same principles as an electrical storm

Researchers at Purdue University said Thursday that they have come up with a way to cool computer chips by using the power of electrical storms.

Mechanical engineers at Purdue have filed patents for technologies that eventually could be used to create a device that would cool computer chips by generating lightning and wind on a microscopic level using carbon nanotubes. The patents arose from a research project funded in part by the National Science Foundation.

The researchers have only demonstrated the idea conceptually, but they assert that it could help future computer builders tackle the growing problem of chip generated heat in a more reliable way than they could through liquid cooling.


Michael Kanellos
CNET News.com
March 26,...

CompTIA Releases New Server+ Objectives; Reviewing Network+

<font size="3">CompTIA Releases New Server+ Objectives; Reviewing Network+ </font>

CompTIA recently posted the objectives for the upcoming revision of its Server+ certification exam.

Server+ is a one-exam title exam that certifies candidates' skills on a variety of vendor-neutral server technologies. CompTIA announced in February that it would be updating the exam this year.

The new objectives can be downloaded in PDF format here. The revised objectives contain a new category -- General Server Hardware Knowledge -- that encompasses 30 percent of the material covered. It includes 15 sub-objective items covering knowledge of various system architectures, server types and technologies like ATA, SCSI and clustering. The exam will continue to be 90 minutes long.

Full Story:...

Microsoft hit by record EU fine

<font size="3">Microsoft hit by record EU fine</font>

Microsoft have been fined 497 Million Euros ($613m, £331m). This is approximately 8% of the profit Microsoft makes in Europe. EU Competition Commissioner Mario Monti is giving Microsoft 90 days to comply with the ruling which states Microsoft must make a seperate version of Windows without Windows Media Player for Europe and within 120days show some of their code for Windows.

Microsoft have stated they will appeal against the decision and legal battles will likely last years.

A harsh decision by the EU but one that reflects attitudes to Microsofts monopoly of the desktop PC market. Maybe Mario Monti is secretly working on a case against Apple who bundle Quicktime and iTunes (a dominate music service) in their Apple OSX operating system. Such a move is fair since iTunes dominates the market share of online music services. Should the EU force Microsoft to comply this will damage...

IPv6 rollout in 2005 for China and Japan

<font size="3">IPv6 rollout in 2005 for China and Japan</font>

China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are all dedicating time and effort to the research and development of Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) technology, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK), a division of Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). IPv6 is the replacement for the more than 20-year-old IPv4 protocol, which is quickly running out of available addresses.

Full Story: digitimes.com

New rules sought for Internet wiretaps

<font size="3">New rules sought for Internet wiretaps</font>

Technology companies should be required to ensure that law enforcement agencies can install wiretaps on Internet traffic and new generations of digital communications, the Justice Department says.

The push would effectively expand the scope of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, a 1994 law that requires the telecommunications industry to build into its products tools that U.S. investigators can use to eavesdrop on conversations with a court order.

Fearful that federal agents can't install wiretaps against criminals using the latest communications technologies, lawyers for the Justice Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration said their proposals "require immediate attention and resolution" by the Federal Communications Commission.

Full Story: cnn.com

Project Management Experts Exam Now Live

<font size="3">Project Management Experts Exam Now Live </font>

Microsoft Corp. has released Exam 70-281, Planning, Deploying, and Managing an Enterprise Project Management Solution, to the general public on March 2. The exam counts as an elective toward the MCSE on Windows 2003 track.

According to the exam guide, Microsoft targets IT professionals tasked with managing medium and large-scale projects, typically using Microsoft Enteprise Implementation Framework. Those environments typically involve the deployment of IIS 6.0 (IIS), Windows SharePoint Services, SQL Server 2000, Project Server 2003, Project Professional 2003, and OLAP data services, among other technologies.

View: 70-281 exam guide
View: MCSE requirements
News Source:...

Windows XP SP2 could break existing apps

<font size="3">Windows XP SP2 could break existing apps</font>

Some software developers may find their applications no longer work on machines using Microsoft Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, which will be released later this year.

Microsoft has made something of a trade-off with the update, focusing on security improvements at the expense of backward compatibility. The company has called on all software developers to test their code against the beta version of Service Pack 2, or face the possibility that the update will break their handiwork.

Full Story: ComputerWeekly.com

Study: Training Leads to Promotion, Employee Retention

<font size="3">Study: Training Leads to Promotion, Employee Retention</font>

Investing in training could be a good step toward a promotion, according to a survey by The Training Camp.

The November 2003 survey showed that of the more than 500 IT employees polled (including contract workers), 87 percent were promoted after taking a training course or certification program.

In addition, 82 percent of survey takers returned to their current job after participating in a training course or certification program. Over half of those polled were lucky enough to have company-sponsored training.

Full Story: mcpmag.com