Microsoft is investigating a newly reported flaw that could put websites at risk of attack, affected operating systems include Windows XP Professional SP2, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. For a full list visit the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 951306

Microsoft has warned that companies that make extensive use of user-provided code, such as site hosts, are especially vulnerable.

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Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) is a set of tools designed to allow remote desktop management of a Windows Server environment and is an updated version of what was called ADMINPAK.MSI available on Windows Server 2003RSAT includes the following tools which can be used to manage Windows Server 2008 servers:

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With Windows Vista Service Pack 1 now available to the general public, Microsoft has made available for download it’s free toolkit designed to streamline and automate the deployment of both Desktop and Server operating systems.

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This post is just a reminder to those considering taking one of Microsoft’s new certifications – MCTS, MCITP or MCPD on Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft have updated their exam retirement policy, unlike the MCSA & MCSE certifications on Windows Server 2003 which once passed will at the time of writing never retire, Microsoft have introduced a lifecycle policy for the MCTS, MCITP or MCPD, to ensure that these certifications are kept relevant and up to date.

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On the February 27 Microsoft officially launched Windows Server 2008 and Windows Visual Studio 2008 and announced SQL Server 2008, which is due to become available in the third quarter of this year. Windows Server 2008 is going to be available in eight different versions with release dates staggered over the year and is designed to run on 32-bit and 64-bit processors from both Intel and AMD.

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Windows Server 2008 release candidate one (RC1) is now available on the Microsoft Website for customers to download and evaluate.

The following links can be used to download a 30 day evaluation

• Windows Server 2008 Standard RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Web Server 2008 RC1 (x86 and x64)

• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems RC1

NOTE: Customers who register for a product key (using the Microsoft Website link above) or who already have a product key for Beta 2, Beta 3, or RC0 may use that product key to extend their 30-day trial of the Release Candidate software to the 30 June 2008.

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The following exams are now available in beta format with limited availability until 21 December 2007 at Prometric test centers:

• 71-640: TS: Windows® Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
• 71-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
• 71-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring

70-640, 70-642, and 70-632 count as credit toward three respective Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certifications.

For preparation guides please use the following links to the Microsoft website: 71-640 , 71-642 , 71-643

For further information please visit the Trika Harms zum Spreckel blog

Good Luck

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This article has been written to introduce the 18 Windows Server 2008 roles and show the command line tool which can be used to view, add or remove these roles

The Windows Server 2008 roles include:

• Active Directory Certificate Services: (AD CS) provides a customizable service for issuing and managing public key certificates.

• Active Directory Domain Services: (AD DS) stores directory data and manages communication between users and domains, including user logon processes, authentication, and directory searches. An example of a server running AD DS is an Active Directory domain controller.

• Active Directory Federation Services: (AD FS) provides Web single-sign-on (SSO) technologies to authenticate a user to multiple Web applications over the life of a single online session.

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