Ever came across a declaration like int * (* (*fp1) (int) ) [10]; or something similar that you couldn't fathom? This article will teach you to interpret such complex C/C++ declarations, including the use of typedef, const, and function pointers.

http://www.codeproject.com/cpp/complex_declarations.asp?print=true

Summary

I'll look at changes in the areas of processes and threads, and in I/O. Future installments will cover memory management, startup and shutdown, reliability and recovery, and security.
The scope of this article comprises changes to the Windows Vista™ kernel only, specifically Ntoskrnl.exe and its closely associated components. Please remember that there are many other significant changes in Windows Vista that fall outside the kernel proper and therefore won't be covered. This includes improvements to the shell (such as integrated desktop search), networking (like the new IPv6 stack and two-way firewall), and the next-generation graphics model (such as Aero™ Glass, Windows® Presentation Foundation, the Desktop Window Manager, and the new graphics driver model). Also not covered are the new Windows User-Mode and Kernel-Mode Driver Frameworks (UMDF and KMDF) since these are back-level installable on earlier versions of Windows

3 Parts
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/02/VistaKernel/Default.aspx?pf=true
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/03/VistaKernel/Default.aspx?pf=true
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/04/VistaKernel/Default.aspx?pf=true

Microsoft security strategy director Jeff Jones this week published a report comparing the security vulnerability profile for various high-profile operating systems in the 90 days of their existence. Surprisingly, Vista came out in front: Vista had 5 vulnerabilities in its first 90 days, one of them fixed, and one pending with a High severity rating. By comparison, XP had a total of 17 vulnerabilities in its first 90 days, 8 of which were rated High, when it shipped in 2001. The surprises, however, come when you compare the non-Microsoft competition. Mac OS X 10.4, a darling of the press, actually suffered from 20 vulnerabilities in its first 90 days, 8 of which were rated High. Worse, OS X 10.4 still suffered from 17 publicly disclosed but unpatched vulnerabilities at the end of those 90 days. "The data doesn't support [Apple's] marketing," Jones writes. Linux fared even worse: Ubuntu 6.06 suffered from a whopping 71 vulnerabilities in its first 90 days, 27 of those rated High. And there were at least 29 unpatched vulnerabilities in that OS after the 90 day period ended. And so on. You can read the entire report (PDF), and look forward, as I am, to Jones' 6-month and 1-year updates.

Report: http://www.csoonline.com/pdf/Vista_Vuln_Report.pdf (or below)
Source: http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/ArticleID/95554/95554.html?Ad=1
Local cache: Vista_Vuln_Report.pdf (385.96 KB)

You snooze, you win!

According to new studies, nothing tunes up mind and body like a good nap. But there's an art to catching the right kind of z's.

When billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett broke the record for around-the-world solo jet flight last March, he slept just 60 minutes in 67 hours of flight time -- 60 minutes broken into two- and three-minute naps. "I slept when I needed it and awoke refreshed," he says

A cheap desktop printer that prints 60 full-color pages per minute? That's among the remarkable claims being made for a new printing technology, dubbed 'MemJet', from one of the world's most mysterious inventors - a man who holds over 1400 patents but hasn't granted an interview in 15 years.

http://texyt.com/silverbrook+memjet+printer+inkjet+canon+epson+hp+mems+iprint+lyra
http://texyt.com/silverbrook+memjet+printer+inkjet+mems+lyra+canon+epson+hp+kodak
http://texyt.com/silverbrook+memjet+technology+available+desktop+photo+wideformat+hp+edgeline+comparison

It had to be done.  No more spilling juice all over the counter.  No more pouring juice everywhere except in my glass.  (When the lid is 'closed', juice tends to come out everywhere except the spout when an unsuspecting user pours.)

As you all know, I've always been a fan of Promise FastTrak controllers.  Their high-end cards are absolutely excellent, and well worth the money.  These cards always get excellent reviews online.

Here's an old SX-6000, being kept safely in my house.  It will be worth millions someday when the world realises the quality and engineering that goes into these cards.  I shall E-Bay it off and retire.

SIX IDE channels - good for TWELVE IDE drives.  An advanced PCI-33 MHz interface ensures that all 12 of these disks get optimal bandwidth, delivered by the onboard ASIC chip, as well as the 64 MB of PC-100 RAM (as you can see in this picture.)

I sincerely hope quality motherboard manufacturers like PC-Chips start to OEM Promise RAID chipsets with their boards in the near future.

Right.  Now, back to the midterms.

The sidebar takes up valuable screen space when it is set to be always on top.

Going into the tray and finding the icon is so much work.

There's a keyboard shortcut to access the sidebar in Vista: Windows key + Spacebar will quickly cause the Vista sidebar to popup, on top of other windows.

Oops.  You deleted your Recycle Bin by accident, in Vista RTM.

What do you do, you ask?

1. Right click on the desktop then click Personalize
2. On the left side of the screen/pane, click Change Desktop Icons
3. Check the box next to Recycle Bin.

Error Messages

• An error occurred accessing the website application data folder...
• Could not connect to Virtual Server. Access was denied.  You can specify an alternate Virtual Server below...
• Please install IIS-Metabase (IIS6 Management compatibility) prior to installing this software

Working Procedure

• Download the installation file from Microsoft.  Extract contents of EXE file.
• Configure IIS

• Enable Windows Authentication in IIS MMC

• Install Virtual Server.
• Start Internet Explorer as an account with Administrative privileges and launch the website.

Better solution

Use VMWare Server

I've begun Windows 2003 Server SP2 deployment.

Here are the direct links, and more information:

• x86
  • http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/f/1/5f104409-2736-48ef-82e1-692ec3da020b/WindowsServer2003-KB914961-SP2-x86-ENU.exe
• x64
  • http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/c/5/3c5c6364-27d3-4e18-bd04-244d0ec09dd4/WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB914961-SP2-x64-ENU.exe
• Support tools x86
  • http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/e/4/6e481b67-54af-4340-a534-25de4229cfc6/support.cab
  • http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/e/4/6e481b67-54af-4340-a534-25de4229cfc6/suptools.msi
• System Prep
  • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=93f20bb1-97aa-4356-8b43-9584b7e72556&DisplayLang=en
• More information
• http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=914961
• Points of interest
• I've deployed on all my DCs running Windows 2003 SP1 or Windows 2003 R2 SP1 without problems (Enterprise and Standard)
• A 2003 R2 SPS2007 server on 2003R2 SP1 EE
• Exchange x64 2007 EE server on 2003R2 SP1 EE - this box's IS failed to start automatically on reboot - this is something I need to check up on at next reboot.
• ISA 2006 EE on 2003R2 SP1 EE
• File servers with Adaptec 2410 SATA, 1210SA, and 3Ware 9550 SATA controllers.  Dell PERCs seem fine as well.
• All NICs seem fine - no network issues.

Background:

Exchange 2007 complains that your outbound and inbound emails are too large.  As you send them, you're told that you should "make the message smaller" by "removing attachments".  By default, the limit is set at 10 MB.

#550 5.3.4 ROUTING.SizeLimit; message size exceeds fixed maximum size for route ##

Solution:
Fire up the Exchange console and get a listing of your connectors with their current size limits:
get-receiveconnector | select identity,maxmessagesize

Then change the limit:
set-receiveconnector "Connector Name" -maxmessagesize 30MB

All Edge-Sync Servers will need to download their configuration again from the DCs.  Run this on all EdgeSync bridgeheads:
start-edgesynchronization

Update:

As mentioned, you may also have issues with the transport limit.

get-transportconfig | fl *

If the limit is set to "unlimited", you will need to explicitly put a limit in:
set-transportconfig -MaxRecieveSize 30MB

More information:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb310771.aspx

Migrated from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007. I have a mix of clients in Outlook 2003 and 2007 - and I'm not convinced anyone is running the update tool.

1. Granted my Administrator account Send-As access:
   Get-mailboxserver EXCHANGE | add-adpermission –user Administrator -accessrights GenericRead, GenericWrite -extendedrights Send-As, Receive-As, ms-Exch-Store-Admin
   (Where EXCHANGE == Exchange server name, Administrator == user to grant access to.)
2. Dismount and mount mailbox store (during maintenance, of course.)
3. I notified all users to patch their systems  (OS and Outlook patches).  Print paper copies of calendar items.  Deploy patches as necessary.
1. OS patches http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931836/en-us
2. Office patches.
4. Make sure server OS patches are installed.
5. Find a machine with Outlook 2003/2007 on it, NOT the Exchange server.
   1. Download TZMove http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?amp;displaylang=en&familyid=E343A233-B9C8-4652-9DD8-AE0F1AF62568&displaylang=en
   2. Download the Exchange Calendar Update Tool (just a wrapper) http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?amp;amp;displaylang=en&familyid=a9336886-4b28-4010-9416-36d38429438d&displaylang=en
6. Run MsExTmzCfg.exe, answer questions, which will generate a BAT file for you.
7. Run the BAT file to update all appointments on servers.  If you get errors, check the INI file to make sure the /O= line is updated with the appropriate server path in the AD.

As an aside, if you're on Exchange 2003 SP2, you'll need to patch your Exchange server as well in step 4: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=926666