Next-Generation Hard Drives

<font size="3">Next-Generation Hard Drives</font>

It's a hard-drive industry mantra: Each succeeding generation must be faster and fit more data into less space. But while performance gains have been modest recently, areal density (gigabytes per square inch) continues to grow. The result: roomy desktop drives, tiny portable hard drives that hold truly useful amounts of data, and other new products such as easy-to-install network-attached drives for homes and small businesses. And you can expect to see new functions and greater capacities in 2004.

A couple of years ago, adding an external drive meant choosing between easily portable low-capacity models and bulky high-capacity units. But that has gradually changed as hard-drive makers squeeze additional storage into ever-shrinking forms. Consider the smaller-than-a-floppy Archos 20GB ARCDisk ($250; no other capacity currently available). Based on Hitachi's...

Attempted attack on Linux kernel foiled

<font size="3">Attempted attack on Linux kernel foiled</font>

An unknown intruder attempted to insert a Trojan horse program into the code of the next version of the Linux kernel, stored at a publicly accessible database. Security features of the source-code repository, known as BitKeeper, detected the illicit change within 24 hours, and the public database was shut down, a key developer said Thursday. The public database was used only to provide the latest beta, or test version, of the Linux kernel to users of the Concurrent Versions System (CVS), a program designed to manage source code.

The changes, which would have introduced a security flaw to the kernel, never became a part of the Linux code and, thus, were never a threat, said Larry McVoy, founder of software company BitMover and primary architect of the source code database BitKeeper. "This never got close to the development tree," he said. "BitKeeper is...

Exchange 2003 Exam Goes Live Next Week

<font size="3">Exchange 2003 Exam Goes Live Next Week </font>
New exam for Exchange specialist titles debuts November 10.

According to the recently updated exam objective guide on the Microsoft Learning Web site, Microsoft expects to release Exam 70-284, Implementing and Managing Exchange Server 2003 on Monday, November 10. The exam is an elective option for the MCSA and MCSE on both Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 tracks. It's also a prescribed exam for the Exchange specializations for the MCSA and MCSE.

Exam 70-284 was only recently beta tested (see "Exchange 2003 Exam Beta Tested This Week" in the News archive), and follows quickly on the heels of the release of Microsoft Exchange 2003 and the Microsoft Office System in mid-October.

Exam 70-284 is aimed at IT professionals who have about a year's experience working in an Exchange messaging environment; Microsoft recommends this exam to...

Veritas drills into disk with new NetBackup

<font size="3">Veritas drills into disk with new NetBackup</font>

Veritas is getting down and dirty with data management, rolling out a new version of NetBackup and a host of complementary products that can scan deep into a customer's data stockpiles.

The centerpiece of Veritas' latest product dump is NetBackup 5.0. The most immediate gain customers will see over the 4.5 product is a 50 percent reduction in backup times and better restore speeds. Customers can now preform a synthetic backup that combines smaller, incremental data changes into the full backup without taking any systems down.

In addition, Veritas has added a desktop and laptop option for the NetBackup product. Admins can set a user's PC or notebook to perform automatic backups of data on the hard drive, or let users perform these backups manually on their own.

"There is tons of data out there such as a new presentation or business model...

Microsoft to offer bounty on hackers

<font size="3">Microsoft to offer bounty on hackers</font>

Microsoft will announce on Wednesday that it will offer two $250,000 bounties for information that leads to the arrest of the people who released the MSBlast worm and the SoBig virus, CNET News.com has learned.

The two programs attacked computers that run Microsoft's Windows operating system, causing havoc among companies and home users in August and September. The reward, confirmed by sources in both the security industry and in law enforcement, will be announced in a joint press conference with the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service and Interpol that's scheduled for 10 a.m. EST Wednesday.

The rewards are the first time a company has offered money for information about the identity of the cybercriminals. "It's a new approach," said Chris Wysopal, a security researcher from digital security company @stake, who hadn't known about the bounties and was...

70-297 Active Directory Exam Released

<font size="3">70-297 Active Directory Exam Released</font>

Microsoft makes available core exam for MCSE on Windows 2003 track.

Microsoft released Exam 70-297, Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure, on Monday, Oct. 20. (As we went live with this story, the exam guide hadn't been updated on the Microsoft Learning site.) The exam is one of many core exams that candidates must pass in order to obtain the MCSE on Windows 2003. Specifically, Exam 70-297 is one of two core options for the Core: Design portion of the track. (Exam 70-298, Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network, is the other; it's slated for release later this year.)

Exam 70-297 is aimed at candidates who have in-depth experience designing and implementing Active Directory in a medium- to enterprise-sized network, including logical and physical design elements...

Beta Testing of Desktop OS Exam 70-271 Nov. 3

<font size="3">Beta Testing of Desktop OS Exam 70-271 Nov. 3</font>

New exam for MCDST gets beta tested from Nov. 3 through Nov. 10.

Just announced weeks ago, Exam 70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Windows XP Operating System, is expected to be beta tested from November 3 to November 10; Exam 70-272, Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Windows XP Operating System, will be beta tested from November 14 to November 20. Both exams are listed online on the VUE registration site.

Exam 70-271, numbered 71-271 while in beta, is aimed at those who offer on-site, phone, or remote support to users of Microsoft's Windows XP Home and Professional Editions. According to the exam objective guide, candidates should also have working knowledge of workgroup computing or Active Directory domains. The exam is one of two core offerings that must be...

SQL Server on a non MS platform? Never!

<font size="3">SQL Server on a non MS platform? Never!</font>

The analyst community has long been saying that it’s only a matter of time before Microsoft starts porting its applications, especially its server-based business applications, to Linux. But one Microsoft notable, in the form of Gordon Mangione, corporate vice president, SQL Server Team, made a strong and clear statement that SQL Server would never be ported to other environments, when he addressed developers last week at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles.

He was preaching the beauty of web services and how in the forthcoming Yukon version of SQL server, which is currently in beta, a stored procedure in an SQL database can be exposed as a web service, when he said: “Now, some of you are probably scratching your head and going, 'Why would I want to do that?' You know, a question I get asked a lot is, 'Gee, Gord,...

Processing at the Speed of Light

<font size="3">Processing at the Speed of Light </font>

Thanks to Tripwire45 for this article.

HERZLIYA, Israel -- An Israeli startup has developed a processor that uses optics instead of silicon, enabling it to compute at the speed of light, the company said.

Lenslet said its processor will enable new capabilities in homeland security and military, multimedia and communications applications.
"Optical processing is a strategic competitive advantage for nations and companies," said Avner Halperin, vice president for business development at Lenslet. "Processing at the speed of light, you can have safer airports, autonomous military systems, high-definition multimedia broadcast systems and advanced next-generation communications systems."

An optical processor is a digital signal processor (DSP) with an optical accelerator attached to it that enables it to perform functions at very high speeds. "It is an...

MiMail worm uses ZIP files to rampage across corporations

<font size="3">MiMail worm uses ZIP files to rampage across corporations</font>

A NEW variant of the MiMail worm family, version C, is proliferating across the world, according to security firm iDefense. MiMail.C has a DDoS component to attack DarkProfits domains and there's likely to be increased activity on Port 80, according to Ken Dunham a security officer at the firm.

He says it's dangerous for corporation, many of which allow people to transfer ZIP files to each other using email. That means, he says, that MiMail.C "has the upper hand when infiltrating networks configured to allow ZIP attachments".

Anti-viral programs should be tweaked to check compressved archives, he warns. But some AV progs might experience difficulties scanning such archives. There is a free removal tool. The EXE file can be found at Bit Defender, Dunham said.

Download:...