Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Visio 2003 Connector for the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
Do you know the security status of your network? Get a visual. The Visio Connector for MBSA lets you view the results of a Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer scan in a clear, comprehensive Microsoft Office Visio 2003 network diagram. You must have both Visio 2003 and the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer — a free security tool from Microsoft — for this connector to function.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/d/3/6/d3690340-74e6-47db-8fa6-b3e6019eb8eb/Visio%20Connector%20for%20MBSA.msi

Microsoft Windows Rights Management Services with Service Pack 1
Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) 1.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Microsoft Windows Server 2003, a security service for Windows Server 2003, is information protection that works with RMS-enabled applications to help safeguard digital information from unauthorized use – both online and offline, inside and outside of the firewall. For more information about RMS SP1, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/rms.

Since this server component is provided as a premium service for Windows Server 2003, a Windows RMS Client Access License (CAL) is required for each user publishing and/or consuming Rights Management Services (RMS)-protected content. However, up to two users may simultaneously access or use RMS solely for administration of the software without a CAL. For more details on licensing requirements, please review the End User License Agreement when downloading this premium service.
Although RMS is designed for and tested with database servers running SQL Server 2000 and MSDE, and Microsoft does not support the usage of RMS together with a database provider other than either SQL Server 2000 or MSDE, RMS can be run on other database servers that use the ADO.NET interfaces that are provided by the Microsoft .NET Framework. Therefore, other database vendors may have developed compatible database providers for RMS. You may use any database provider together with RMS on the condition that the corresponding database server complies with the following criteria:
The database server must be Transact-SQL compliant because RMS initialization scripts and RMS stored procedures use Transact-SQL.
The database server must support any Microsoft SQL Server-specific extensions.
The database provider must be able to:
Respond to method calls of the System.Data.SqlClient namespace of the .NET Framework.
Provide the corresponding functionality of the System.Data.SqlClient namespace.
Use Windows Integrated Authentication instead of SQL authentication.
If you use RMS in any other configuration, contact the relevant database vendor or solution provider whose database provider you are using in your customized deployment.

http://www.microsoft.com/rms

Got EA? 

Because WinXP Pro licensees with SA get WinXP x64 at NO CHARGE.

That’s right.  Volume Licensing customers who have Microsoft Windows XP Professional Upgrade Licenses or Software Assurance on the Windows XP Professional Edition operating system are eligible to install the recently released Windows XP Professional x64 Edition using Windows XP Professional x64 Edition media. Eligible customers can now deploy Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, or Windows XP Professional x64 Edition under their existing license agreements.  

Here’s a fun technical exercise:
Did you know you if you really want to, can technically dual boot WinXP Pro & winXP x64 on the same 64-bit Extended workstation?  Both will run flawlessly on the same machine as long as there’s an AMD Athlon64 or Intel Pentium EM64T chip on board and is a good way to upgrade your system if you want to leave your existing 32-bit installation intact as you slowly migrate your 32-bit applications over to run on WinXPx64.  Remember that WinXPx64 runs Win32-bit applications at native processing speeds without emulation.

As the industry rapidly evolves to 64-bit processor computing, WinXPx64 will become the premier operating system for all desktop computing.  With flawless execution of 32-bit applications on the x64 bit platform, combined with the elegant path for re-compiling Win 32-bit applications to 64-bit, there is little doubt that people with Windows on Software Assurance/Maintenance have saved a huge amount of licensing long term through this grandfathering opportunity.

There are small number of issues with using MOM2005 and WinSvr2003 SP1.  Consider this a heads up.

49594 – Windows Server 2003 SP1 breaks MMPC alert and discovery forwarding. [KB 895951]

50432 – Push agent install fails on w2k3sp1 when MOM server installed using action account with no admin rights on target box. [QFE released April 4th, KB895195]

50436 – Consoles are unable to connect to remote management servers that are running Windows Server 2003 SP1. [KB 895952]

51199 – Access denied when trying to commit configuration changes as a MOM Administrator on a remote UI. [KB in process]

51209 – Remote procedure call failures after applying OS service pack 1 to W2k3. [QFE in the works, KB896989]

In addition there might also be an issue of a clean install of MOM 2005 Reporting on Windows 2003 SP1, which was related to SQL Reporting Services. The workaround to the issue is: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=896861

Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions (with SP1 built in) has released!  (Sorry for the late notice but I’ve been out of town for the last couple weeks)

Features:
www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/mar05/03-30WinServSP1.asp
 
The press release:
www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/mar05/03-30WinServSP1PR.asp

SP1 on Download center:
·     SP1 x86: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=22CFC239-337C-4D81-8354-72593B1C1F43
·      SP1 Ia64: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=890C5C44-815C-45BD-8B08-4FE901BB8FDF
 
Web Page Links going live :
·     TechCenter: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkID=36940
·     Microsoft.com: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkID=37353
·     MSDN: http://www.microsoft.com/security/productinfo/server2003/default.aspx
·     CD ordering: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/cdorder.aspx
·     Trial Software ordering: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/trial/default.mspx
Tools:
·     SMS PDF: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=56691B0A-5D47-4EA6-9039-552CA80013E2
·     Deployment tools x86: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=A34EDCF2-EBFD-4F99-BBC4-E93154C332D6 

·     Deployment tools ia64: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E414D11C-AB8F-411F-935A-3C4D16E3FDAC

·     Support tools x86 (English only): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6EC50B78-8BE1-4E81-B3BE-4E7AC4F0912D  

·     Support tools ia64 (English only): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8FF14D19-2E1D-4014-AC09-C13B7A538EE0

Top KBs:
·     SP1 list of updates: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824721
·     Release Notes for SP1: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889101
·     How to obtain the latest service pack for WS03: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889100
·     SP1 support tools: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892777
·     SP1 deployment tools: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892778
·     Hard disk space requirements for SP1: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892807
·     How to deploy SP1 by using Systems Management Server: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894712