December 15, 1996
Sunbelt Windows NToolstm Electronic
Newsletter
Vol. 1, # 19
USA:
www.ntsoftdist.com
EUROPE:
www.sunbelt.co.uk
Sunbelt Windows NTools E-News Sunbelt
Windows NTools E-News is the world's largest E-newsletter
designed for NT System Managers that have the job of getting and
keeping WinNT up & running in a production environment.
Sunbelt launched this electronic newsletter so that we could keep
members of the Windows NT community informed and aware of what is
happening with 3-rd party NT System Management Tools, and to
provide hints and tips that will enable you to better understand
and utilize Windows NT. You'll find general Windows NTools
related and third party news, technical information, and 3-rd
party beta and release information. By subscribing to NTools
E-News, you are
also a charter member of the Sunbelt Field Test Bonus Program.
Sunbelt Software is the first and largest distributor worldwide
of Third Party System Management Tools for Windows NT.
This Issue of Windows NToolstme-news contains:
2. "TECH
BRIEFINGS"
* SUPERCACHE-NT: SPEED UP DISKS 500% - DOWNLOADABLE!
* NT PERFORMANCE WHITE PAPER DOWNLOADABLE
* FEEDBACK ON SYMANTEC DEFRAGGER
* WHY CHOOSE FORTRESS-NT INSTEAD OF RESKIT WINEXIT.SCR
3.
"NT RELATED NEWS"
* MICROSOFT RELEASES "VIPER"
TRANSACTION SERVER
* MICROSOFT ACQUIRES NETCARTA WEB-MAPPER.
* MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES NEW WEBMASTER CERTIFICATION
* WINDOWS NT BOSS PROMOTED TO MICROSOFT TOP MANAGEMENT
4.
"THIRD PARTY NEWS"
* NEW VERSION OF PERFMAN PERFORMANCE
MANAGER
* MICROSOFT USES QUOTA MANAGER INTERNALLY
* FINALLY NT SUPPORT FOR JAZ & ZIP DRIVES
* NT 4.0 NET MANAGEMENT UTILITY
6. "HOW
TO USE THE MAILING LIST"
*Instructions on how to subscribe, sign off
and change addresses.
"EDITORS
CORNER"
Dear NT-ers,
First, for all of you, Joyous Holidays! Your next NTools E-News
will appear the first week of 1997. Time flies doesn't it?
Last year has been a fantastic success for WinNT. The product
has made the successful transition from a pioneer's tool to the
phase of Early Adopters in the market, which means NT is now
mainstream and in the Big Time. We will see a major wave of NT
development until at least the end of the decade and massive
adoption of the O/S in wide layers of the IT community. Both
Microsoft and 3-rd parties will sink in massive development
efforts to ride this wave and create a rich NT based computing
environment. You have chosen the right (and FUN) place to be,
well done for all of you.
Just one illustration is Sunbelt Software, this last year we
have seen hypergrowth in the company and this list now has over
11,000 subscribers. Thank you all for supporting us and telling
your friends about us. We have some nice goodies for you again
in this issue!
Let's get busy :-)
Warm regards,
Stu
*************************************************************************
2. "TECH
BRIEFINGS"
* SUPERCACHE-NT: SPEED UP DISKS 500% - DOWNLOADABLE!
As we already announced, there is a _very_ interesting new
utility that will speed up your whole system significantly.
SuperCache is a caching tool that takes the most read disk
blocks and keeps them in a dynamic cache. Dynamic in the sense
it will expand and shrink the RAM it uses based on system
requirements for memory. We have the 1.2 eval version of
SuperCache _now_ on our website for you to play with. You
may ask yourself "but NT has a native cache, why do I need
another one?" Well, NT's cache keeps _everything_ the OS
uses in the cache like network packets, images, data, all
kinds of stuff. SuperCache only keeps the most used disk
blocks and uses a smart algorithm to determine which to keep.
If you want to dramatically improve your NT performance or
are already bogged down by a direct (disk) I/O bottleneck
I suggest you give this puppy a spin on a test machine and
see how it performs.
----------------------------
* NT PERFORMANCE WHITE PAPER DOWNLOADABLE
On the Sunbelt Website, the first page, we have a very useful
White Paper on NT Performance written by Scott Suhy who is a
senior consultant with Microsoft Consulting Services, responsible
for enterprise architecture, design and optimization for Fortune
500 sites. This 116K zip file expands to a 2 Megabyte WinWord
file with LOTS of super interesting data on NT performance
tuning and optimization. Warmly recommended reading for a cold
winter morning with a cup of hot java.
----------------------------
* FEEDBACK ON SYMANTEC DEFRAGGER
This is an interesting field. Many people asked me where Speedisk
could be found and have made the comparison themselves. The jury
is still out on the results. About 50% came back with positive
results, and the other half ran into problems. I have taken a few
of the feedback emails I got so you can have a sampling of the
current state of affairs. More will follow!
****************
>I have have tried both defragmenters and I know one thing for
sure
>Symantec's product makes too many changes here and there in
registry.
>if you remove Speedisk you can't get its traces out easely.
And it
>does not easily integrate with NT's My Computer.
****************
>Well, I've had some experience now, yes, and ditched
speedisk. Here
>are the reasons why:
>- it refuses to defragment the drive with the system files on
it
>- it GPF's on certain occasions in the middle of a
defragmentation job
>- it hasn't the abilities and flexibility that diskeeper
posseses
***********************
>Stu,
>The Speed Disk from Symantec seemed to work like a charm. I
also have
>the complete Norton Utilities on my Win95 machine, and have
come
>to rely on them heavily in times of crisis. Anyway, NT Speed
Disk,
>installation no hitch, operation the same, got some space
back.
>I'll try it on another machine that I know is very fragged.
***********************
>I got the following error: Application popup: System Process
- Out
>of Virtual Memory : Your system is running low on virtual
memory.
>The application, , generated an application error The error
occurred on
>12/11/1996 @ 14:13: 6.593 The exception generated was
c0000005 at address
>00252875 (<nosymbols>)
>I have a Dell Optiplex XL 590 with 24 meg memory, swap of 82
meg on all
>vols. It crashes everytime I run the bata. No other apps
running. Granted
>it's a BETA version, but it should work to some degree... :)
********************
>I have tried the Symantec defragger for NT and it seems to do
the job.
>I disagree with your comment about it being suitable for NTW
and
>Diskeeper for NTS. Because the Symantec version allows
command line
>options, I plan to use it with the AT command each night.
-----------------------------
* WHY CHOOSE FORTRESS-NT INSTEAD OF RESKIT WINEXIT.SCR
WINEXIT is a utility that has been in the Reskit since 3.51 but
users
reported there were problems with it. It was one of the reasons
why
Fortress-NT was developed.
Here are some reasons why Fortress-NT is better than WINEXIT:
1. Can force logoff from the workstation at a specified time with
or without a screen saver. (Next version will be able to log user
off after x idle minutes even without a screen saver)
2. While guaranteeing that the user will have a password
protected
screen saver enabled with a specifiable maximum delay, still
allows
users to change their desktop appearance (wallpaper, color
schemes),
screen saver delay (up to the maximum), and screen saver (unless
the
Logout screen saver is required).
3. Actively prevents anything from inhibiting the screen saver.
Reports attempts to the Event Log.
**********************************************************************
3. "NT
RELATED NEWS"
* MICROSOFT RELEASES "VIPER" TRANSACTION SERVER
Dec. 10 - Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of
Transaction
Server 1.0, formerly code-named "Viper," a key
component of the
Microsoft Active Server platform. Developers and information
management professionals can evaluate Microsoft Transaction
Server
at no charge for 120 days by downloading it from the following
site:
http://www.microsoft.com/transaction/ (Warning: connect-time
charges
may apply).
-----------------------------
* MICROSOFT ACQUIRES NETCARTA WEB-MAPPER.
Dec. 10 - Microsoft today announced its agreement to acquire
NetCarta
Corp., the Scotts Valley, Calif.-based developer of highly
regarded
client/server Web management and navigation solutions.
Microsoft plans to integrate NetCarta's best-of-breed WebMapper
Web-site management tool into the BackOffice(TM) family, giving
Microsoft a comprehensive intranet and Internet Web site
life-cycle
solution that spans authoring, dynamic Web application
development,
and complex site management and content analysis. Web site
profes-
sionals who use Internet server products from the BackOffice
family,
including Internet Information Server (IIS) version 3.0, will
gain
the ability to manage Web content and structure across multiple
servers.
-------------------------------
* MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES NEW WEBMASTER CERTIFICATION
Microsoft announced an Internet certification program. The
new credential is part of the existing Microsoft(R) Certified
Product Specialist (MCPS) certification, which requires the
mastery
of at least one desktop or server operating system. It is called
MCPS: Internet Systems. Microsoft made the announcement on the
eve
of the Internet World trade show in New York City.
"With this credential, Microsoft continues to extend its
programs and
products to embrace the Internet," said Nancy Lewis, general
manager of
worldwide education and certification at Microsoft.
"Microsoft is doing
so in ways that best benefit customers -- their feedback led to
the
creation of this certification."
The MCPS: Internet Systems credential qualifies Web server
managers to
install and configure Microsoft Internet-related server products,
manage Web server resources, extend Web servers to run CGI and
ISAPI
scripts, plan Internet system security, monitor and analyze Web
server performance, and troubleshoot Internet system-related
problems.
More info: 800-636-7544 or visit the company's Web site, at
http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert/.
---------------------
* WINDOWS NT BOSS PROMOTED TO MICROSOFT TOP MANAGEMENT
Microsoft has shuffled top management last week , promoting its
Windows NT guru into the upper echelon of executives running
the company.
Under the reorganization plan, an Executive Committee replaces
the
Office of the President as the company's most senior management
team.
Senior Veeps Jim Allchin - who heads up Microsoft's Windows NT
efforts -
and Brad Silverberg have joined Microsoft's inner circle, keeping
Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Bob Herbold, Pete Higgins, Paul
Maritz,
Nathan Myhrvold and Jeff Raikes company. Both Allchin and
Silverberg
have assumed more expanded responsibilities.
Allchin, who was responsible for he implementation of networking
in
NT, will now head up the company's personal and business systems
group. This area is the total of the Windows operating systems
division, server application division and associated marketing.
**********************************************************************
4."THIRD
PARTY NEWS"
* NEW VERSION OF PERFMAN PERFORMANCE MANAGER: FEATURES
Remember the golden rule: You cannot manage what you don't
measure!
Enhanced multi-threading - Previous versions of the PerfMan
Collector service were single-threaded during initialization
potentially causing long service initialization times in cases
where many systems are managed by a single PerfMan Collector.
Version 1.1 of the PerfMan Collector uses a multi-threaded
initialization phase that substantially improves the startup
time of the service.
Enhanced fault-tolerance and scalability - Previous versions of
the PerfMan Collector may lock-up when trying to communicate with
certain systems whose Windows NT system files (most notably in
the
RPC libraries) have been patched by third party software. Version
1.1 of the PerfMan Collector includes enhanced handling of
network
communication errors and timeouts. Also, logging of Explain Text
has been improved to reduce the load on the network as new
systems
are added to the collector. These enhancement improves the
general
fault-tolerance and scalability of PerfMan Server.
Reduced event-logging - Informational event logging has been
reduced
in general, and a facility has been added to PerfMan Server Admin
to select verbose vs. normal event logging for each PerfMan
Collector.
New PerfMan Collector command line switch - A new command line
switch, "-S", has been added to PerfMan Collector to
specify that
the command should wait until the start/stop of the service has
completed before returning to the command prompt. This allowing
the
user to script commands to the service with a greater level of
control.
Updates to PerfMan Server Administrator:
-A "verbose logging" switch has been added to the
PerfMan Collector
properties dialog to control the level of informational event
logging desired on a collector-by-collector basis.
-The PerfMan Collector properties dialog has been redesigned to
reduce confusion over applying changes to collector settings
versus
issuing commands to the collector.
-The automated ability to release a log file has been restricted
to
a range of 1 to 24 hours to prevent confusion.
------------------------------
* MICROSOFT USES QUOTA MANAGER INTERNALLY
As all NT System Admin's know, an NT server with a bunch of users
with home directories on it and no disk quota management is a
time
bomb. One user that gets it in their mind to backup the local
hard drive to the server can consume all server disk space. The
result is the server going down and everybody sitting on their
hands costing tons of money. Microsoft has seen this problem also
and is a Quota Manager customer. The eval copy of Quota Manager
V2.5 is downloadable from our website: http://www.ntsoftdist.com
----------------------------
* FINALLY NT SUPPORT FOR JAZ & ZIP DRIVES
Iomega Tools 1.41 for Windows NT 4.0 is ready. This new upgrade
has support for NT4.0 Copy Machine which is a program that copies
the contents of a hard disk to a Zip or Jaz cartridge. You can
also
mirror the contents of one cartridge to another. This version
includes a parallel-port accelerator to increase Zip drive
throughput. Get your copy right now, this is a
"must-have".
Name of the file is WINNT141.EXE, pick it up at their site:
http://ftp.iomega.com
----------------------------
* NT 4.0 NET MANAGEMENT UTILITY
Sequel Technology is providing improved performance on Net Access
Manager with version 1.5. This new version manages and reports
on a company's Internet, intranet and online usage. It runs on
SQL 6.5 and Windows NT 4.0, and will ship by year's end.
More into at http://www.sequeltech.com or 206-646-6780
*********************************************************************
5."HINTS
AND TIPS"
Did you know that in NT 4.0 you have a command line HELP
interface?
simply type HELP DIR to get help on NT's directory functions
*** You can also get help for most property sheets and dialogs
in NT 4.0 by pressing the good old F1 function key, even if
the window does not show a Help Button.
*** The Right Mouse Button for NT4.0 has some goodies:
- To get faster to: Start,Settings,Control Panel, Double click
Network:
Right-Click your desktop background and then click the Properties
and bring up the Display Properties form, Voila!
- A shorter path for: Start,Settings,Control Panel, Double click
System
is: Right-Click your My Computer, Properties, and bring up the
System
Properties form, Voila 2x!
6. "HOW TO
USE THE MAILING LIST"
Instructions on how to subscribe, sign off
and change addresses
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE LIST
send the command 'subscribe nt-list firstname lastname'
as the first line of your message to listproc@intnet.net
_____________________________________________________
TO QUIT THE LIST
send the command 'signoff nt-list' or 'unsubscribe nt-list'
as the first line of your message to listproc@intnet.net
_____________________________________________________
TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS
First unsubscribe and then resubscribe as per the
procedure above.
*************************************************
FOR MORE INFORMATION
On the World Wide Web point your browser to:
For the newsletter:
http://www.ntnews.com
USA:
http://www.ntsoftdist.com
EUROPE: http://www.sunbelt.co.uk
Email for US sales information to:
ntsales@ntsoftdist.com
Email for US Tech support to:
daved@pssi.com
Email for European Sales to:
chris@sunbelt.fr
Email for European Tech support to:
robdixon@sunbelt.demon.co.uk
webmaster
Legal Stuff:
This document is provided for informational purposes only. The
information contained in this document represents the current
view of Sunbelt Software Distribution on the issues discussed as
of the date of publication. Because Sunbelt must respond to
changes in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be
a commitment on the part of Sunbelt and Sunbelt cannot guarantee
the accuracy of any information presented after the date of
publication.
INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS
IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM
FROM INFRINGEMENT.
The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use
of this document. This document may be copied and distributed
subject to the following conditions: 1) All text must be copied
without modification and all pages must be included; 2) All
copies must contain Sunbelt's copyright notice and any other
notices provided therein; and 3) This document may not be
distributed for profit. All trademarks acknowledged.
Copyright Sunbelt Software Distribution, Inc. 1996.
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