TipWire

XML: How to get the benefits without the heartache, part 2

2008-06-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

From bitter experience, I have learned that the only way to approach document-centric XML applications is from the content creation and modification side of the application functionality spectrum. There is little point in having a wonderful back-end system for content management and exploitation if there is no author-friendly way of creating and modifying that content. ...continue reading 'XML: How to get the benefits without the heartache, part 2'

XML: How to get the benefits without the heartache, part 1

2008-06-03T11:13:00.002-07:00

Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

Much has been written and continues to be written about the "angle bracket tax". Now let us start by calling a spade a spade. XML is not a silver bullet and if you unilaterally spray it over your application space you can get into trouble. ...continue reading 'XML: How to get the benefits without the heartache, part 1'

Five Mac maintenance myths

2008-06-03T11:13:00.001-07:00

Dan Frakes, Macworld

You know you need to change the oil in your car every 3,000 miles, clean your house's gutters every fall, and brush your teeth at least twice a day -- but do you know what's necessary to keep your Mac in good shape? Despite what you may read in online forums or on email mailing lists there are some things you just don't need to do. Here are 5 such Mac maintenance myths. ...continue reading 'Five Mac maintenance myths'

Making a USB flash drive letter persistent

2008-06-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

If you're like me, you've accumulated an astounding number of flash drives. And, if you're like me, you've found that when you plug two flash drives your workstation, you don't know which window belongs to which drive. Wouldn't it be great if you could assign a flash drive a persistent drive letter? Well, you're in luck. ...continue reading 'Making a USB flash drive letter persistent'

Virtualizing onto mainframes: Analyzing workloads to determine fit

2008-05-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Andrew Hillier, CiRBA

Consolidating application workloads onto the mainframe platform is a great strategy to consider in many IT environments. By properly assessing the suitability of applications to consolidate, the results they will give, and the overall TCO of the solution, it is possible to simplify IT infrastructure, improve reliability, increase resilience, decrease power consumption and ultimately drive down the costs associated with servicing these workloads. Here's some advice for getting started. ...continue reading 'Virtualizing onto mainframes: Analyzing workloads to determine fit'

Verify web server availability using portqry

2008-05-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

Say you have an IIS7 Web server somewhere on your Intranet, and users start calling Helpdesk complaining that "our internal website is down." Here's one solution for verifying if this is really the case. ...continue reading 'Verify web server availability using portqry'

Removing robots from your web traffic analysis

2008-05-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

The top visitors to web sites are often robots, crawlers and spiders -- the programs that run on systems whose job it is to index the contents of the web so that the rest of us can effectively search it. And those robots can so distort web traffic reports as to make them practically useless. Here are some steps you can take to identify robotic traffic in your web log files. ...continue reading 'Removing robots from your web traffic analysis'

Unix tip: ZFS administration

2008-05-23T11:10:00.001-07:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

From the looks of it, ZFS administration is significantly simpler than administration of other complex file systems such as Solaris Disk Suite and Veritas Volume Manager. You can get a lot more done with fewer commands and the chance of making an error that is difficult to back out of is practically non-existent. On the other hand, it's still new to most Unix sysadmins and even those of us who have been working with other Unix file systems such as ufs or efs are going to have to devote some time to getting used to new vocabulary, commands and ways of thinking. ...continue reading 'Unix tip: ZFS administration'

Remotely obtain MAC addresses

2008-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

If you're logged on locally to a computer running Microsoft Windows, you can determine the system's MAC address by typing ipconfig /all and looking for the entry labeled Physical Address. But what if you're system is somewhere else on your network? ...continue reading 'Remotely obtain MAC addresses'

Windows XP SP3 reboot hell (and how to get out of it)

2008-05-23T11:04:00.001-07:00

Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

Microsoft's having a tough year with reboots. First it was a reboot ad infinitum in February, brought on by a flawed update to Windows Vista. Now the same thing's happening to some users who have updated to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). Here are some answers to the most pressing questions about this latest Windows snafu. ...continue reading 'Windows XP SP3 reboot hell (and how to get out of it)'

Leopard tamers: 9 terrific interface tweaks

2008-05-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ryan Faas, Computerworld

At first, modifying Leopard required a level of comfort and experience using the Mac OS X command line and/or modifying system files. Over the past six months, however, the options for tweaking Leopard have become more sophisticated and easier to manage. Today, most changes can be done easily by any Mac user without trepidation. Here, we'll highlight ways to make Leopard more Tiger-like, customize its look and feel to reflect your personality, and show you how to improve certain Leopard features. ...continue reading 'Leopard tamers: 9 terrific interface tweaks'

Verify web server availability using portqry

2008-05-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Removing robots from your web traffic analysis

2008-05-23T10:54:00.001-07:00

Beware of 'free' infosec

2008-05-09T06:37:00.001-07:00

By Brent Huston, MicroSolved, Inc.

There has been a lot of hype in the last few weeks about security vendors who offer assessments on the "we find holes or it's free" basis. What's wrong with this approach? First off, security testing choices should not be based on price. They should be based on risk. ...continue reading 'Beware of 'free' infosec'

Preventing unplanned reboots

2008-05-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

By Mitch Tulloch, ITworld

I like the "set it and forget it" aspect of having Automatic Updates automatically download and install updates when they become available, mainly because I'm a procrastinator. Unfortunately, things that are automatic can sometimes get in the way of things that have to be done manually. Here's Group Policy's answer for this. ...continue reading 'Preventing unplanned reboots'

Intranets have eyeballs too

2008-05-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

By Sean McGrath

We live in a world that is fixated on the idea of aggregating eyeballs. Advertising is the obvious example of eyeball aggregation writ large. Print, radio, TV and now Internet technologies are heavily involved in finding better, faster, cheaper ways of getting more and more eyeballs tuned in to particular world views, particular value propositions, particular products. At a blogging event I attended recently, Michael Breidenbrücker put it bluntly in the title of his talk: "Let's face it: Web 2.0 is all about advertising." ...continue reading 'Intranets have eyeballs too'

Rescuing files from lost+found

2008-05-09T06:34:00.001-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker

The lost+found directory included in (Unix) file systems is usually empty. Only used when fsck doesn't know what to do with files that have lost their place in the file system, they stand as a temporary holding place for those rare instances in which fsck can't put everything back together after file systems have become corrupt in some way. Moving the files back to their proper places in the OS and renaming them is largely an exercise in recognizing them and issuing the proper mkdir and mv commands to rebuild the contexts in which they previously resided. ...continue reading 'Rescuing files from lost+found'

Three rules for entry-level hiring

2008-05-09T06:32:00.002-07:00

By Virgina Robbins, Computerworld

What could be easier than filling an entry-level job opening? You just match the skills you need, narrow the candidates down to those you click with in the interview and then go with a youngster -- someone who might stick around for years. After all, you have real work to do. ...continue reading 'Three rules for entry-level hiring'

FAQ: What you should know before installing Windows XP SP3

2008-05-09T06:32:00.001-07:00

By Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

To paraphrase -- and, at the same time, contradict -- Winston Churchill, although this isn't the end of Windows XP, it's certainly the beginning of the end. But we come not to bury XP, but to praise it -- and to answer a few last-minute questions now that service pack 3 is really, truly, yes-indeed available to anyone who wants it. ...continue reading 'FAQ: What you should know before installing Windows XP SP3'

The Sun system life cycle

2008-05-09T06:31:00.001-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

If you have ever tried to contract for hardware support for an older Sun system, you are undoubtedly aware of the fact that Sun systems eventually reach an "end of life" stage. This is the equivalent of a retirement age for computers, the date at which Sun informs customers that support for those systems is coming to an end. While the systems may still be performing extremely well, Sun maintenance will have been assigned a predictable end date. ...continue reading 'The Sun system life cycle'

Six downloadable boot discs that could save your PC

2008-05-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Spector, PC World

Way back in the 20th century, Windows came with a program that formatted a bootable floppy disk, complete with diagnostic and repair utilities. If you had the forethought to create that floppy while Windows was still working, you were ready when it eventually failed. Since Microsoft no longer supplies you with the ability to create an emergency boot disk, others have stepped in to fill the void. Here are six worthwhile emergency boot CDs, all downloadable, and most of them free. ...continue reading 'Six downloadable boot discs that could save your PC'

How to protect against IM threats

2008-05-05T08:59:00.001-07:00

Did you know that IM programs automatically create and store logs of all conversations on a user's computer? Do your users know that? They should. Your first step in protecting against IM threats is to learn about the best safety and security practices, educate users, and create policies around instant messaging.

When choosing an integrated development environment, prefer lumberjacks to magicians

2008-04-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

By Sean McGrath, ITworld

There are two types of integrated development environments (IDE) in the world, which is convenient, because there are two types of developers in the world. To make things even more symmetrical and just super peachy, there are two types of opinions about IDEs in the world -- those that make grand generalizations and make everything look nice and binary and those that do not. ...continue reading 'When choosing an integrated development environment, prefer lumberjacks to magicians'

3 lessons CIOs can learn from successful politicians

2008-04-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Matt Eventoff, PPS Associates

CIOs do not often look to politics for examples of better ways to run their IT organizations, but there are lessons to be learned. Let's begin with three rules that work well for politicians that may help CIOs operate more effectively within their IT organization and within the larger confines of their company. ...continue reading '3 lessons CIOs can learn from successful politicians'

Windows Tip: Tools for testing for bad memory

2008-04-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

I recently upgraded memory in half a dozen of our office systems, and of course I had problems: two of the machines wouldn't boot afterward. I ran some memory tests on them but without results. So I ended up following the Monte Carlo approach, which in my case involved randomly swapping memory between the two machines to see what happens. Eventually I got both of them working, but it got me wondering if there are better tools available for testing memory integrity. ...continue reading 'Tools for testing for bad memory'

Unix Tip: Using SCAT (Solaris CAT) for analyzing crash dumps

2008-04-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Want to do something with those crash dump files other than remove them? Want to extract some useful information without a lot of work? Take a look at Sun's free crash analysis tool, scat. ...continue reading 'Using SCAT (Solaris CAT) for analyzing crash dumps'

Unix Sleuthing: One problem leads to another

2008-04-23T06:11:00.001-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

When tracking down an unusual problem on a Unix system, you may encounter many turns and dead ends on the path toward the solution as some problems may have little connection to what first appears to be troubling your system. This is such a tale. ...continue reading 'Unix Sleuthing: One problem leads to another'

Managing Remote Desktop settings on a remote computer

2008-04-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

By Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

An article I wrote almost four years ago about remotely enabling Remote Desktop on a Windows Server 2003 machine is still generating a lot of discussion. One reader recently shared a script he wrote that takes the ideas in my article one step further. His company has a corporate policy in place that says remote desktop should be disabled by default on all Windows computers. So he wrote a simple script that he could use to remotely enable Remote Desktop, perform his work on the remote machine, and then disable Remote Desktop again easily. ...continue reading 'Managing Remote Desktop settings on a remote computer'

Customizing your default Outlook template

2008-04-14T12:39:00.002-07:00

Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

You can customize the default formatting of your Outlook messages by specifying margins, setting tabs, configuring line spacing, and more, and then applying your changes to the Normal template for Outlook messages. Here's how in 7 steps. ...continue reading 'Customizing your default Outlook template'

Facing tough times may be here to stay

2008-04-14T12:39:00.001-07:00

Joel Shore, ITworld.com

With the economy going south, what's an integrator to do? Consider the tactic used by the IBM of old, in the mainframe era, before PCs had even been dreamed up. When MIS (we didn't call it IT back then) spending declined, the company put more salespeople on the street, not fewer. ...continue reading 'Facing tough times may be here to stay'

Dot What!? sites for file extensions

2008-04-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

With nearly 9,000 file extensions listed and 50 users browsing the site on a Saturday night, the Dot What!? claims to be the net's #1 file extension website. It offers visitors an opportunity to suggest additional file extensions and to add comments concerning their uses and associations. While writing this column, I suggested .pl, an extension sometimes used for Perl scripts, and offered explanations for .cgi extensions. A review by a member of the Dot What!? team is necessary before updates and changes are posted. ...continue reading 'Dot What!? sites for file extensions'

How to think big by thinking small

2008-04-03T12:51:00.001-07:00

By Sean McGrath

Computer programming logic is easy really. It all boils down to endless variations of the following pseudo-English constructs: do | if | while. That's it. Nothing else to it. Granted, there are a million and one ways to express all three of these. There are also a million and one poetically beautiful ways to creating new language constructs that hide the do/if/while stuff from direct view. But, when it is all boiled down, it is just do/if/while in endless permutations and combinations. ...continue reading 'How to think big by thinking small'

Windows Tip: Creating template emails for Outlook 2007

2008-04-03T12:50:00.001-07:00

By Mitch Tulloch

If you work in an organization and use Outlook, you'll often find yourself sending the same types of emails, with variations, again and again. Examples of this might include memos, press announcements, expense reports, and so on. How can you avoid having to type the same information again and again when you do this? A friendly geek made my life easier by showing me how to create an email template in Outlook 2007, and now I have a bunch of them on my system and they save me tons of time. Here's what I did: ...continue reading 'Windows Tip: Creating template emails for Outlook 2007'

Unix Tip: Terminating unattended processes

2008-03-27T09:01:00.001-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

An easy way to terminate processes left running after users log off a system. ...continue reading 'Terminating unattended processes'

Unix Tip: More on bc

2008-03-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

In a previous column, we looked at bc, the surprisingly high precision and big value capable Unix tool that you will find on most versions of Unix today. The bc utility is not just a command line tool, however. You can also write numerically intensive scripts in bc. The tool incorporates enough syntax to assign values to variables, write and call functions, collect responses from users and print annotated results. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: More on bc'

Customizing Vista's Instant Search

2008-03-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Mitch Tulloch, ITworld.com

I'll admit it, I'm a Wikipedia addict. Here's how you can add a "Search Wikipedia" option to the Instant Search box on your Start menu. ...continue reading 'Customizing Vista's Instant Search'

Windows Tip: Sizing your event logs

2008-03-19T07:04:00.001-07:00

By Mitch Tulloch, MVP

The Windows Event Logs are a good thing -- they're a primary source you can mine when troubleshooting server problems or monitoring server security. Because of this, it's a good idea to collect as much information as possible in these logs in order to provide you with a historical baseline of your server's operations to help you troubleshoot difficult issues, and also to create an audit trail for security purposes. But can you have too much of a good thing? ...continue reading 'Windows Tip: Sizing your event logs'

Using bc for big calculations

2008-03-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

For sysadmins who want to perform simple calculations on the command line, there's a considerably more useful tool than expr. Try bc.

Unix Tip: Burning bootable DVDs

2008-03-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

One of the messages that you don't want to see when getting ready to upgrade a system to Solaris 10 is "can't open boot device". The problems this kind of error suggests, such as bad CD/DVD reader or improper device alias, can be troublesome. So, when I ran into this problem on a Friday afternoon, I was not amused. I had tried various boot commands, but got the same basic response each time... continue reading 'Unix Tip: Burning bootable DVDs'

Windows Tip: Getting RunAs Back in Vista

2008-03-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, MVP

I've been on the Service Pack 1 beta for Windows Vista for awhile and in my opinion SP1 has fixed most of the issues that the original RTM release had, especially relating to performance. Therefore, I'm confident that enterprises will begin accelerating their deployment plans for Vista now that SP1 is about to be released. One thing that is still missing from Vista however it the capability you had in XP to right-click on a program or shortcut on your desktop or in Windows Explorer, select RunAs, and run the program with any credentials you want to specify ... continue reading 'Windows Tip: Getting RunAs Back in Vista'

Unix Tip: Terminating Options Processing with --

2008-03-04T13:55:00.001-08:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Before we get beyond the topic of working around files and directories with oddball names, there's one more trick that's useful to know about -- how to terminate options processing with "--" (excuse the grammatical pun!). Typing -- within a Unix command essentially tells the shell to stop processing the text in the command line as if it contained command line options. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: Terminating Options Processing with --'

Connecting A to B: a decision tree approach

2008-02-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

By Sean McGrath, ITworld

One of the most common problems tackled by IT teams is integration. In its most basic form the question is "How to connect A to B?" (for arbitrary systems A and B). In my travels, I've observed a tendency to jump straight to technology to answer this sort of question. But it may be more useful to first follow a decision tree process to zoom in on the most suitable approach. ...continue reading 'Connecting A to B: a decision tree approach'

Windows Tip: Outlook 2007 formatting tips

2008-02-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, MVP

Recently, I pointed out how to retrieve misplaced email in Outlook 2007. I said that if you wanted to issue a query against all your mail items and not just the currently selected folder, you had to click the fiddly little dropdown arrow to the right of the Instant Search box and select Search All Mail Items. Two readers pointed out to me that there's an easier way. ...continue reading 'Windows Tip: Outlook 2007 formatting tips'

Unix Tip: More on filenames

2008-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Two weeks ago, we looked at some tricks for displaying file names that include unprintable characters. Another -- and simpler -- way to do this is to use the -b option available with the ls command on some versions of Unix (e.g., Solaris), which forces a display of non-printable characters. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: More on filenames'

Lack of a document-retention policy can spell trouble

2008-02-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

Joel Shore, ITworld.com

Most techies hate the process of writing policies. Can't say I blame them. But you really do need a document retention policy because when the courts come looking for information, you need to be able to say 'the files in question no longer exist and we can prove that for a fact.' ...continue reading 'Lack of a document-retention policy can spell trouble'

How to retrieve misplaced email in Outlook 2007

2008-02-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, MVP

I dragged an important folder into the RSS Feeds folder, one of the default folders in Outlook 2007. No problem, I'll just drag the message from there into the folder it was intended for, right? Not so simple - when you select the RSS Feeds folder in the Folder List pane, Outlook displays a page showing various RSS feeds you can subscribe to and not the messages in the folder. Yikes, how do I retrieve my misplaced message? ...continue reading 'How to retrieve misplaced email in Outlook 2007'

Learn to shut up. 6 ways to speak more concisely

2008-02-13T13:33:00.001-08:00

Mike Staver, The Staver Group

Shutting up is a valuable skill to learn in business, in personal relationships -- really, in all areas of life. Shutting up makes you appear more confident and intelligent, and you may actually learn something. ...continue reading 'Learn to shut up. 6 ways to speak more concisely'

Unix Tip: Stripping file extensions with the basename command

2008-02-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered a new trick for using basename to extract filenames from a full pathnames. This can be useful if you want to extract some portion of a file's name and then reuse it. For example, if you want to find the differences between a number of files with .old extensions and the original files. ...continue reading 'Stripping file extensions with the basename command'

5 ways to flirt online

2008-02-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

Dan Tynan, PC World

Finding a mate online doesn't have to entail filling out endless forms, dropping hefty fees at matchmaking services, or navigating the seven circles of social networking hell. It starts with flirting, which you can do cheaply, easily, and at a distance. Better yet: All the rejection happens offline, so you'll never have to suffer the embarrassment of seeing your best lines fall flat or learning that you have spinach stuck in your teeth. Here are five of the right places to look for love--or something approximating it. ...continue reading '5 ways to flirt online'

The best Internet Explorer add-ins

2008-02-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Preston Gralla, Computerworld

To get the most out of the Web, you need add-ins that give your browser plenty of extra features. Firefox is well known for its plug-ins, but there aren't as many available for Internet Explorer. Still, IE users needn't feel left out in the cold. In fact, there are plenty of add-ins for IE as well. Here are some favorites. ...continue reading 'The best Internet Explorer add-ins'

Unix tip: How-to rename an oddball file

2008-02-06T13:06:00.002-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker

Every now and then I come across a file that just doesn't display properly in a file listing. In fact, it can be a little tricky to determine the name of a file that contains odd characters. You might think a file's name is "myfile.txt" only to find out that it's really "myfile.txt " (note the extra blanks). Here's a way to rename it. ...continue reading 'How-to rename an oddball file'

Simple productivity tips for PC users

2008-02-06T13:06:00.001-08:00

Sean McGrath, ITworld

Six tips that might surprise you -- pencil and paper? a plain text contacts list? -- but that could also make you more productive. ...continue reading 'Simple productivity tips for PC users'

When the economy gets tough, do you get going?

2008-02-06T13:05:00.001-08:00

Joel Shore, ITworld

When there no money to spend, there is always money to be saved. Consider IBM's actions after the oil embargoes of the mid 1970s: When the outlook for sales were growing dim, the company put more shoe leather on the street, revving up the sales machine, knocking on doors, calling on dormant accounts, finding ways to help customer boost productivity in the MIS departments (long before anyone called it IT). ...continue reading 'When the economy gets tough, do you get going?'

8 signs it's time to look for a new job

2008-02-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

By Tom Hoffman, Computerworld

A variety of career experts, headhunters, recruiters, CIOs and IT staffers share their takes on when it's time to move on from your job and when to stay put. ...continue reading '8 signs it's time to look for a new job'

Windows Tip: Keep Outlook 2007 messages in outbox before sending

2008-02-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

Here's a nifty way of keeping sent messages in your outbox for a few minutes before they are sent - It's a good way to cover yourself in the unfortunate event that you forgot to attach a file, or catch a typo. ...continue reading 'Windows Tip: Keep Outlook 2007 messages in outbox before sending'

Windows Tip: WMIC and non-admins

2008-01-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

More on Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC), a powerful tool that lets you query Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers directly from the command line or using batch files, and if you're an administrator then it's well worth your while exploring its capabilities. ...continue reading 'Windows Tip: WMIC and non-admins'

SQL Server Backup Help

2008-01-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

SQL Server Backup Help
By James Gaskin, ITworld

Pity the poor modern DBA, now that SQL Server gets attacked by some of the same scripts that PCs do. Pity the poor modern DBA who has to keep building Microsoft SQL Servers because some idiot vice president up the line bought the Microsoft party line and stopped all higher-end database purchase. Yes, that's the same idiot vice president who won't allow MySQL servers in the building because they're not "secure" enough. ...continue reading 'SQL Server Backup Help'

Unix Tip: Shuffling file systems with rsync

2008-01-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

I recently found myself needing to move several very large file systems into roomier data quarters on a disk array and began thinking about the most efficient and reliable way to get the job done. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: Shuffling file systems with rsync'

Information security is everyone's job

2008-01-15T07:58:00.002-08:00

Paula W. Hamm, Symantec Corp

The effectiveness of even the best technology and processes put in place by IT personnel is frequently undermined if employees do not understand both the value of the organization's information assets and their role in securing these assets. With proper education and training, employees can become an organization's strongest line of defense and its most valuable security asset. ...continue reading 'Information security is everyone's job'

Use WMIC to track down all services running on a Windows server

2008-01-15T07:58:00.001-08:00

Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

In one of my recent tips I showed how the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) is a powerful tool that enables you to query WMI information directly from the command line instead of using a script. This week, I'll show you how to use WMIC to get detailed information concerning all the services currently running on a Windows server. ...continue reading 'Use WMIC to track down all services running on a Windows server'

Spot the warning signs in configuration file design

2008-01-15T07:56:00.001-08:00

Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

Say you have identified a set of parameters for your application and you are now looking at how to store them, edit them, read them in and so on. You could start with a simple ini or you might be inclined to XML-ize. I like to use Python syntax for parameterization from the get-go. If I need to, I will write a parser for whatever subset of Python my application ends up using in the real world. But I wait for real-world experience using the application to tell me what that subset is. I don't try to second-guess it. ...continue reading 'Spot the warning signs in configuration file design'

23 XML fallacies to watch out for

2008-01-15T07:55:00.001-08:00

By Sean McGrath

XML is truly wonderful stuff, but there are some major fallacies that are worth bearing in mind in order to maximize the very considerable return on investment that you can get from XML. Here are some of my favorites, including Fallacy #7 that XML tags do not cost money and Fallacy #17 that it is only a matter of time before structure-controlled XML editors become as easy to use as word processors. ...continue reading '23 XML fallacies to watch out for'

Making power management pay off

2008-01-15T07:54:00.001-08:00

Chris Hamlin, Intel

With rising energy costs and growing awareness of the environmental costs of power production, companies of all sizes are increasingly interested in implementing power management and today's PCs make it easier than ever to get work done in a more energy-efficient manner. So why isn't everyone implementing power management? Because understanding the available settings and standards is only half the battle. ...continue reading 'Making power management pay off'

Career Tip: Making the Best of a Missed Promotion

2008-01-09T14:08:00.001-08:00

Katherine Spencer Lee, Robert Half Technology

Getting passed over for a promotion may not carry the same sting as being laid off, but it can definitely throw your career off track. By following a few important steps, you can turn this minor setback into a new start toward a more satisfying career. ...continue reading 'Making the Best of a Missed Promotion'

Unix Tip: Local message processing with syslog

2008-01-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

The syslog deamon (syslogd) on Unix systems provides message logging for other services so that each service doesn't have to duplicate the same basic functionality to manage logging for itself. The messages issued and their severity level depends on the applications, but where these messages are logged and how they are filtered when using the services of syslogd depends on how syslog is configured. The basic format of a line in syslog's configuration file specifies a message type and how messages matching the type will be handled. ...continue reading 'Local message processing with syslog'

Use YouTube for knowledge management? You bet!

2008-01-08T11:35:00.001-08:00

By Sean McGrath, ITworld

Next time you need to de-brief (yourself or someone else) after a big project, consider capturing your brain dump on video. ...continue reading 'Use YouTube for knowledge management? You bet!'

Windows Tip: Migrating Office documents

2008-01-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

Companies that have tons of documents, spreadsheets, and other filessaved in Microsoft Office 2003 and earlier formats face a couple of interesting issues when considering whether to upgrade to the 2007 Office family of products. Here are a couple of places to get help. ...continue reading 'Windows Tip: Migrating Office documents'

Five steps to evaluating business continuity services

2008-01-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Stacy Collett, CSO

Companies are stepping up their use of hosted business continuity and availability services--not just for those acts of nature, but also for everyday occurrences that might interfere with stringent uptime requirements. Here are some points to consider when evaluating business continuity and availability services and software. ...continue reading 'Five steps to evaluating business continuity services'

How to choose the right application development technologies

2008-01-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

By Sean McGrath, ITworld

Application design can involve dizzying oscillations as a result of the power of the available technologies. Should you start with a C# application and embed bits of XSLT as required? Or, alternatively, should you start with XSLT and step out into C# if/when required? ...continue reading 'How to choose the right application development technologies'

Windows Tip: Five ways to expand a virtual hard drive

2008-01-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

When I created my virtual machine I had foolishly set the maximum size of the dynamically expanding virtual hard drive (VHD) too small and now I was running out of space, yikes! What to do? Find some way of expanding my VHD to make some more room. Here are five possible ways I found of doing this, in order from most geeky to least.

Reboot Mystery Solved

2008-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

If you remember a column that I wrote back in November when I was baffled by a periodic reboot of a Windows box that I manage and trying my hand at various DOS commands to determine when and why the system was rebooting, you might be interested in knowing the cause of the problem. ...continue reading 'Reboot Mystery Solved'

How to choose the right application development technologies

2008-01-03T11:19:00.001-08:00

Five Leadership Tactics That Will Make 2008 a Pivotal Business Year

2007-12-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Want to make a New Year's Resolution that not only improves your bottom
line but actually has staying power? Quint Studer, author of the
bestseller 'Results That Last', offers five simple tips for turning it all
around...fast. ...continue reading 'Five Leadership Tactics That Will Make 2008 a Pivotal Business Year'

Unix Tip: The crossover LAN

2007-12-19T11:42:00.000-08:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

You have probably heard that a two-node LAN can be configured by stringing a crossover cable between the network ports on two systems. Not only is this true, but it's not all that hard to do provided you have a few tools, a length of CAT 5 cable and a couple RJ45 connectors. Using a crossover cable has one decided advantage over a traditional network hookup -- it avoids the requirement that a hub be used to connect the two systems, saving both money and rack space. So, let's examine what is needed to create your own crossover cable. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: The crossover LAN'

The folder is corrupt

2007-12-18T13:18:00.001-08:00

Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

Recently, a user contacted me about a problem involving Internet Explorer 7. Every time she tried to open IE, she got a message saying "folder is corrupt". Here are steps you can take to troubleshoot an issue like that. ...continue reading 'The folder is corrupt'

How to be a good CCIE mentor

2007-12-18T13:16:00.001-08:00

Emmanuel Conde, ITworld.com

For all my efforts in locating mentors for future CCIEs I had not given much time to sharing my thoughts on what makes a good mentor. A CCIE with a 4 digit number is a good prospect. He or she has been in the industry for some time, and will have recertified and watched the emerging technology take hold and have an impact on the real world. More recent CCIEs will have the testing and lab experience fresh and often they benefited from being mentored themselves. Beyond this, what should a CCIE mentor bring to the table? A good ear is a starting place. ...continue reading 'How to be a good CCIE mentor'

Printing privacy - A problem or a feature?

2007-12-18T13:14:00.001-08:00

Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

If multiple users share the same shared printer attached to a print server, then each user will be able to see all the documents queued up for printing from all other users. The question arises, is this a "problem" or a "feature"?

Maximizing your technology dollar

2007-12-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

James Gaskin, Network World

Your trusted technology advisor (you did get one since I recommended that last time, right?) can help you in more ways than you know. In fact, that's exactly why they can help you: they know ways technology can improve your business you don't know. So let's look at three steps to get even more bang for your technology buck. ...continue reading 'Maximizing your technology dollar'

Windows: Five tips from Santa

2007-12-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

Troubleshoot Group Policy issues using this cool tool. Find out more about the hardware on your box than Device Manager or Msinfo32.exe can display. Print labels or do a mail merge from Excel. And so on. ...continue reading 'Windows: Five tips from Santa'

One-on-one with a global CCIE headhunter

2007-12-13T06:40:00.002-08:00

Eman (Emmanuel Conde) is a global CCIE headhunter. He connects with CCIEs in over a dozen countries and uses innovative techniques to find great new minds. Today, he shares his thoughts on recruiting smart IT professionals, things you need to do now to prepare for 2008 and his exciting email mentor efforts. ...continue reading 'One-on-one with a global CCIE headhunter'

How to network: 12 tips for shy people

2007-12-13T06:40:00.001-08:00

Meridith Levinson, CIO

Networking helps you find jobs, recruit talent, win new customers and discover investors who'll support your ideas. But it can be a trial for shy people - geeks especially. Here's some common-sense advice for increasing your networking mojo. ...continue reading 'How to network: 12 tips for shy people'

Ten ways to create a culture of execution

2007-12-13T06:39:00.001-08:00

Companies frequently develop vision and mission statements about being number one in their industry, the great service they provide to customers, and their rewarding work environment. Yet more often than not, these statements are so far from reality that they become joke fodder for customers and employees alike. It doesn't have to be this way, says Richard Lepsinger. Your company really can keep the promises you make -- but first you must create a culture of execution. ...continue reading 'Ten ways to create a culture of execution'

Using VNC to access remote systems

2007-12-13T06:38:00.001-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

Similar to Remote Desktop, VNC (Virtual Network Computing) provides its users with access to remote systems' displays from their desks.

VNC is platform-independent. You can have a viewer on almost any type of system and a server on almost any type of system. You might control your Solaris system from a Windows desktop, your Windows system from your Linux desktop and so on. Plus, an added bonus is that many people can connect to the same server at the same time. ...continue reading 'Using VNC to access remote systems'

Ensuring software compatibility in XP

2007-12-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Simon Williams, PC Advisor

Compatibility issues have been a major concern since Vista's launch in early 2007. But XP isn't innocent in all this. It, too, has it's own fair share of conflicts and, equally, tricks to get around them. ...continue reading 'Ensuring software compatibility in XP'

Making programs work with Vista

2007-12-07T08:42:00.001-08:00

Simon Williams, PC Advisor

Windows Vista hasn't changed the world after all, and compatibility issues have been a major concern. Here are six simple things you can do to get around the conflicts. ...continue reading 'Making programs work with Vista'

How to filter out bad ideas from your boss

2007-12-06T07:54:00.001-08:00

James Gaskin, ITworld

Crap flows downhill, and bad ideas from your boss can end up mucking up the whole department. But these tips can help you filter out the worst and gently guide your superiors in the right direction. ...continue reading 'How to filter out bad ideas from your boss'

File Typing with Magic

2007-12-06T07:53:00.001-08:00

Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

Several readers suggest the /etc/magic file and the file signatures that it provides to identify file types regardless of how the files are named -- even, in fact, when no file extensions are used. ...continue reading 'File Typing with Magic'

System restores made easy

2007-12-04T11:54:00.001-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

Restore a backup to a different hardware platform using virtualization. ...continue reading 'System restores made easy'

Access storage arrays remotely, securely

2007-12-04T11:53:00.001-08:00

By David Hill, Mesabi Group

Your business can benefit from remote management, but take the necessary actions to ensure security. ...continue reading 'Access storage arrays remotely, securely'

Mitigate the pain of storage growth with active archiving, data deletion, and data de-duplication

2007-11-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

David Hill, Mesabi Group

Estimates of annual storage growth are 60% and annual budget growth around 4-5%. While your storage growth may not be that high, the growth rate of storage is still likely to exceed the annual overall decline in storage prices. Can you afford it? This problem isn't new, nor is it only about how to squeeze out enough dollars to pay the bill. It's also a question of management. Throw in power and cooling requirements, and will you be able to handle the extra environmental demands? ...continue reading 'Mitigate the pain of storage growth'

Unix tip: File extensions and you

2007-11-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

It's good to have a resource available to help you identify the type of unusual files when you run across them or to learn a little more about the format of a familiar file type. ...continue reading 'File extensions and you'

Optimizing virtual machine performance

2007-11-28T12:36:00.001-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

Virtualization is popular in the enterprise today, but getting the best performance from a virtualized operating system can be challenging. One issue you may not have considered has to do with the different types of virtual hard disks (VHDs) supported by Microsoft virtualization products such as Virtual PC and Virtual Server. For instance, one choice you can make is to choose between fixed-size or dynamically expanding VHDs. ...continue reading 'Optimizing virtual machine performance'

Ten ways to strengthen critical business relationships

2007-11-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

Ty Freyvogel, Freyvogel Communications

Even the smartest, most hardworking entrepreneurs depend on other people for their success. Ty Freyvogel, founder of MakingSenseOfYourBusiness.com, suggests you make 2008 the year you start showing them you know that. Here are ten ways you can start strengthening your business relationships in the upcoming year. ...continue reading 'Ten ways to strengthen critical business relationships'

The rise of thin provisioning

2007-11-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

By David Hill, Mesabi Group

Thin provisioning gets you out of the guessing game as to how much storage a server or application will demand, but it's not a panacea. Here's what you need to know.

Tracking down a reboot using DOS commands

2007-11-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

When one of only a handful of Windows servers that I manage dropped off my radar for a while, I wasn't sure what to think. I had been running an application, for which this system was the server and it stopped responding. When I tried reconnecting, it was clearly not available. The system was rebooting, but it took me a while to figure that out. How do I go about determining if a Windows server has rebooted?

Who's Got the NAC? Best Practices in Protecting Network Access

2007-11-20T13:50:00.002-08:00

Carol Baroudi, AberdeenGroup

Some organizations have effectively shut down unauthorized access, eliminated network downtime attributable to attacks and dramatically reduced the incidence of malware infection and data loss. For others, their worlds are getting worse on all counts. The good news is there are things they can do to make things better. ...Continue

Windows Tip: Configuring ALT+TAB in Vista

2007-11-20T13:50:00.001-08:00

Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

The behavior of ALT+TAB has changed subtly in Vista. What other changes do you like in Vista? What changes don't you like? Have you found ways of reverting such changes so that Vista behaves like previous versions of Windows? Do you think doing that is a good idea? ...Continue

2007's Top applications with known vulnerabilities

2007-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Brian Gladstein, Bit9, Inc.

To help IT departments understand and ultimately close the gap in endpoint protection, Bit9 has compiled the following list of applications with known vulnerabilities for the year 2007. ...Continue

Employ storage technologies in the right order to maximize benefit

2007-11-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

David Hill, Mesabi Group

Sooner or later you'll need to buy into technologies that manipulate the layout of bits on storage media, and the order in which you deploy these technologies is important. Repeat after me: Data de-duplication. Compression. Encryption. Here's what you need to know.

When no password can be best

2007-11-13T13:12:00.000-08:00

By Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft MVP

Best and worst approaches for securing built-in Administrator accounts. ...Continue