Archives
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Are you prepared for the BlueHat Challenge?
Today we are kicking off a new challenge so you can showcase your security prowess and, if we can, help you build some more. Our BlueHat Challenge is a series of computer security questions, which increase in difficulty as you progress. Only the rare and talented engineer will be able to finish the Challenge on the first attempt. It’s not a contest, so there’s no cash involved here, but there will be some great answers we’ll recognize publicly and you could win yourself a big chunk of bragging rights. You can find complete details about this new program over on the Security Research & Defense blog.
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Important Update on DPM 2012 SP1 Update Rollup 3–Issues and Workarounds (Update: UR3 has been re-released)
The recently released Update Rollup 3 for System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager Service Pack 1 (DPM 2012 SP1) has 2 issues that impact protected server agent upgrade and the ability to modify protection groups. In light of this discovery we have temporarily suspended availability of the update through Microsoft Update. -
Application Request Router (ARR) 3.0 is here!
Good news, everyone! After a long time in Beta, ARR 3.0 is finally out and about. Thanks to tremendous work done by Jenny Lawrance from the IIS Dev team and Pandian Ramakrishnan from the IIS Test team, Application Request Router is here, and has some terrific new features.
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Cumulative Update for Lync 2013: July 2013
Microsoft Support has released a cumulative update for Lync 2013, which includes the Two-factor Authentication feature, as well as new functionality for the Lync 2013 Desktop Client. Author : Tim Rich, Microsoft Technical Writer Publication date...(read more)
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The evolution of Rovnix: Private TCP/IP stacks
We recently discovered a new breed of the bootkit Rovnix that introduces a private TCP/IP stack. It seems this is becoming a new trend for this type of malware.
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Enabling Management of Open Source Software in System Center Using Standards
This post is a part of the nine-part “What’s New in Windows Server & System Center 2012 R2” series that is featured on Brad Anderson’s In the Cloud blog. Today’s blog post covers standards-based management of open source software with System Center and how it applies to Brad’s larger topic of “Transforming the Datacenter.” To read that post and see the other technologies discussed, read today’s post: “What’s New in 2012 R2: Enabling Open Source Software.”
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Dynamic IP restrictions deny action settings.
Like most settings in IIS, the options for deny-action settings in Dynamic IP restrictions can be adjusted from the IIS UI, or via PowerShell. In the UI, this is how it looks like:
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Update Rollup 3 for DPM 2012 Service Pack 1 is now available
UR3 for System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager SP1 has been released and is now available for download. This update rollup contains fixes for the following issues: -
Update Rollup 3 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1 is now available
Update Rollup 3 (UR3) for System Center 2012 SP1 has been released and is now available for download. This update rollup contains fixes for System Center App Controller, Data Protection Manager, Operations Manager, Virtual Machine Manager and more. You can get all the details as well as a download link here: -
Lync Online: Guided Walkthrough for Troubleshooting Communication Between Lync Online Users and Their Federated Contacts
Are you looking for help to set up communication between Lync online users and their federated contacts? This guided walkthrough—based on analysis of Microsoft Support cases—walks you through the essential steps. Contributors : Peter Krebs...(read more)
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A fresh face for the Microsoft Malware Protection Center
Today we launched our new Microsoft Malware Protection Center website.
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Hook me up!
Who doesn’t LOVE reading log files? Probably those who have really busy servers that generate hundreds of mega-bytes of logs every minute. Even though the log format of IIS is standardized and many tools can parse them easily, this still presents three challenges:
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New book on System Center Data Protection Manager
Our MVPs Steve Buchanan, Robert Hedblom, Islam Gomaa, and Flemming Riis wrote a great book on System Center Data Protection Manager and is now available in stores… check it out.
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Log a rhythm
Even before the day logs were just a piece of wood used to measure the speed of a ship, captains have looked for ways to know what’s going on under the deck, and with the new version of IIS in Windows Server 2012 R2 we have kicked the logging ability of IIS multiple notches up.
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What’s New in System Center 2012 R2? Catch the In the Cloud Blog Series!
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DPM: How to plan for protecting VMs in private cloud deployments
Windows 2012 help customers in maximize their ROI of their hardware investments and manage them efficiently. Windows 2012 can support various Hyper-V deployments including Hyper-V over CSV, Hyper-V over Remote SMB and Hyper-V Stand alone. This provides efficient and flexible deployment capability that meets various customer needs.
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What is a Session Border Controller (SBC) and Do I Need It?
This article discusses the functionality of Session Border Controllers, including scenarios where they can be used and how they can be implemented. Author : Steven van Houttum, Lync MVP Publication date : July 8, 2013 Product version : Lync Server...(read more)
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Lync Online Media Port Changes Offer Better Bandwidth Management
Lync Online media ports are now split into three separate categories, giving you much better control over network bandwidth. This article applies to midsized business or enterprise customers with an internal proxy or firewall server. Author : Rob Pittfield...(read more)
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Integrating Lync, SharePoint and Exchange for Value-Add Solutions
The Office Content Group is now introducing a new type of content guidance, one that directly addresses Office Server (Lync, SharePoint and Exchange) integration to solve larger business problems. Check out this article for details. Author : Office...(read more)
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Registration complete!
As I mentioned before, one of the things we had a particular interest in addressing with this release of IIS as part of Windows Server 2012 R2 was its scalability when handling a large number of sites. A key ingredient for this is what we call site “activation” or “registration”. This refers to the interaction between IIS and the Windows HTTP protocol stack (http.sys). When the system loads and the various services start, the HTTP stack and IIS work together to establish queues, which listen for incoming requests.
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Lync Windows Store App: Better Than Ever
The second update to the Lync Windows Store app is now available in the Windows Store. Check out the new features. Authors : Phillip Garding, Lync Senior Program Manager Published : July 2, 2013 Product version : Lync 2013, Lync App, Windows...(read more)
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Expanded Lync Server Support Options
This article provides an overview of the new Lync Server support options for Lync Server customers and Lync Certified Support Partners. Author : Mayank Verma, Senior Partner Marketing Manager, Lync Business Group, Skype Division Published : June...(read more)
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Update: Autoruns v11.62
Autoruns v11.62: This release fixes a bug in version 11.61’s jump-to-image functionality.
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Viewing Vobfus infections from above
Win32/Vobfus is a family of worms that spreads via removable drives and downloads other malware, and a family that is causing people a lot of pain lately. Vobfus was initially discovered in September 2009 and became prevalent with its use of the MS10-046 .LNK vulnerability. The .LNK vulnerability has also been used by Chymine, Sality, and Zbot, though it is no longer used by Vobfus.