Sun Microsystems to Distribute Microsoft Live Search-Powered Toolbar as Part of Java Runtime Environment
Microsoft Corp. today announced a search distribution deal with Sun Microsystems Inc. to offer the MSN Toolbar, powered by Microsoft Live Search, to U.S.-based Internet Explorer users when they download the Java™ Runtime Environment (JRE™), effective as of today.
Through this agreement, Internet Explorer users downloading Sun’s JRE will have the option to download the MSN Toolbar and have one-click access to Live Search features, as well as news, entertainment, sports and more from the MSN network and direct access to Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger.
“This agreement with Sun Microsystems is another important milestone in our strategy to secure broad-scale distribution for our search offering, enabling millions more people to experience the benefits of Live Search,” said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Audience Business at Microsoft. “With the vast array of Java software-based Web applications that are downloaded every month, this deal will expose Live Search to millions more Internet users and drive increased volume for our search advertisers.”
With more than 6.5 million Java software developers around the globe, Java is one of the most widely available and popular software platforms. It is already present on 91 percent of Internet-connected PCs worldwide. The Java Runtime Environment is one of the highest-volume consumer downloads on the Web, with tens of millions of downloads each month from http://java.com.
“With over 800 million Java desktop users around the world, our goal is to provide Java users with compelling and immersive business and consumer solutions powered by Java technology and value-added solutions from world-class software partners,” said Rich Green, executive vice president of Software at Sun Microsystems. “Our customers expect top-quality products when they choose to download technology from Sun, and we are confident that they will find great value in both Microsoft’s MSN toolbar and Live Search.”
Source- Microsoft Press Release
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Download DirectX Software Development Kit
This DirectX SDK release contains updates to tools, utilities, samples, documentation, and runtime debug files for x64 and x86 platforms.
For additional information please see Microsoft DirectX Developer Center along with reviewing the Readme for last-minute updates.
Download Office Live Update 1.3
The Office Live Update 1.3 installs (1) performance updates to make using Office Live Workspace with Microsoft Office programs faster, (2) the latest Office Live Add-in for Microsoft Office that enables you to access your workspaces directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, (3) the Firefox add-in to allow users of the Firefox browser to use Office Live Workspace with Microsoft Office.
The Office Live Update 1.3 auto-detects and installs these necessary updates to ensure optimum performance:
- MSRC 9×0 Cumulative Security Update
- Update for Office 2007 (KB951944)
- Update for Windows Vista (KB 933860)
- Update for Windows Vista (KB 945145)
- Update for Windows Vista (KB 945435)
- Update for Windows Vista (KB 947864)
- Update for Windows Vista (KB 948531)
- Windows Live Sign-in Assistant
The Office Live Add-in adds new menu options in the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite and a toolbar in Microsoft Office XP and Office 2003. You will be able to open documents located in Office Live Workspace directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You will also be able to save files directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to Office Live Workspace.
If you use the Mozilla Firefox browser, the Microsoft Office Live Workspace Plug-In for Firefox lets you open, edit, and save Microsoft Office documents in Office Live Workspace directly from the browser using Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Firefox is a registered trademark of the Mozilla Foundation.
Now Available!!!! Windows Server 2008 Evaluation Virtual Hard Drive Images (for Hyper-V)
Are you working with Hyper-V?? Want to save some time creating virtual machines? Then take a look at the Virtual Machine download site, there are two virtual machines available: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Server CORE installation and Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Server FULL installation.
These VHD’s are only available in English only and is only for evaluation and testing purposes. Evaluating Windows Server2008 software does not require product activation or entering a product key. Any edition of Windows Server 2008 may be installed without activation and evaluated for an initial 60 days.
Need an Evaluation Period Longer Than 60 Days ?
If you need more time to evaluate Windows Server 2008, the 60 day evaluation period may be reset (or re-armed) three times, extending the original 60 day evaluation period by up to 180 days for a total possible evaluation time of 240 days. After this time, you will need to uninstall the software or upgrade to a fully-licensed version of Windows Server 2008. To extend the initial evaluation and testing period, please go here and follow the instructions.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Neither virtual machine has anti-virus installed, so it is highly recommended you install anti-virus softeware BEFORE you connect the machines to any network. THe virtual machines are patched with all updates as of May 8, 2008, so make sure you also get the latest updates installed after .
Source- Technet Blog
Identity Lifecycle Manager "2" RC Release
This package contains the Microsoft® Identity Lifecycle Manager "2" (ILM "2") Release Candidate client and server components.
ILM "2" offers a comprehensive solution for managing identities, credentials, and identity-based access policies across heterogeneous environments. Users can create their own security and email distribution groups and decide who to include in those groups. They can reset their passwords without calling their help desk. IT Pros can use ILM "2" to manage certificates and smart cards. ILM “2” also embeds self-help tools in Office so users can manage routine aspects of identity and access, gives IT professionals rich administrative tools and enhanced automation, and delivers .NET and Web Services–based extensibility for developers.
Download Windows HPC Server 2008
Microsoft® Windows® HPC Server 2008 (HPCS), the next generation of high performance computing (HPC), provides enterprise-class tools, performance, and scalability for a highly productive HPC environment. HPCS provides a complete and integrated cluster environment including the operating system, a Job Scheduler, Message Passing Interface v2 (MPI2) support, and cluster management and monitoring components. Built on Windows Server® 2008 64-bit technology, HPCS can efficiently scale to thousands of processing cores and includes a management console that helps proactively monitor and maintain system health and stability. Job scheduling interoperability and flexibility enables integration between Windows and Linux-based HPC platforms, and supports batch and service-oriented architecture (SOA) workloads. Enhanced productivity, scalable performance, and ease of use are some of the features that make Windows HPC Server 2008 best-of-breed for Windows environments.
Windows HPC Server 2008 can help shorten user time-to-insight for HPC workloads through easier deployment and management. By using the existing Windows-based information technology (IT) infrastructure, HPCS simplifies management, security, and storage for the cluster, and provides seamless access from the desktop.
HPCS includes improved provisioning based on the Windows Server 2008 Windows Deployment Services technology, a faster Microsoft Message Passing Interface (MS-MPI) that includes new NetworkDirect support, an advanced Job Scheduler, and a new management interface built on the Microsoft® System Center 2007 user interface (UI), which has support for Windows PowerShell™ as a preferred scripting interface.
Windows HPC Server 2008 integrates with other Microsoft products to help increase HPC productivity and improve the overall end-user experience. This includes collaboration through Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007 and the Windows Workflow Foundation, as well as improved management and efficiency by integrating with System Center 2007. Through integration with the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows HPC Server 2008 allows developers working with SOA applications to harness the power of parallel computing offered by HPC solutions.
HPCS uses the failover clustering capabilities of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise and of Microsoft® SQL Server® to provide high availability and redundancy of the head node in your HPC cluster.
Windows HPC Server 2008 is a two-DVD package comprised of Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition and the Microsoft HPC Pack 2008.
Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 4.0
The Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 4.0 is the revised version of the original Microsoft Security Risk Self-Assessment Tool (MSRSAT), released in 2004 and the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 2.0 released in 2006. Security issues have evolved since 2004 so additional questions and answers were needed to ensure you had a comprehensive toolset to become more aware of the evolving security threat landscape that could impact your organization.
The tool employs a holistic approach to measuring your security posture by covering topics across people, process, and technology. Findings are coupled with prescriptive guidance and recommended mitigation efforts, including links to more information for additional industry guidance. These resources may assist you in keeping you aware of specific tools and methods that can help change the security posture of your IT environment.
There are two assessments that define the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool:
- Business Risk Profile Assessment
- Defense in Depth Assessment (UPDATED)
The questions identified in the survey portion of the tool and the associated answers are derived from commonly accepted best practices around security, both general and specific. The questions and the recommendations that the tool offers are based on standards such as ISO 17799 and NIST-800.x, as well as recommendations and prescriptive guidance from Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group and additional security resources valued in the industry.
After completing an Assessment, you will gain access to a detailed report of your results. You may also compare your results with those of your peers (by industry and company size), provided that you upload your results anonymously to the secure MSAT Web server. When you upload your data the application will simultaneously retrieve the most recent data available. To be able to provide this comparative data, we need customers such as you to upload their information. All information is kept strictly confidential and no personally identifiable information whatsoever will be sent. For more information on Microsoft’s privacy policy, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/info/privacy.mspx.
Windows Update Agent Update rolling out over the next couple of months
Over the next couple of months we’ll be rolling out another infrastructure update to the Windows Update agent (client code). This update makes it possible for users to install more than 80 updates at the same time. For more information about this update, please refer to KB949104 (section referring to the 7.2.6001.788 update).
As we blogged about in July, we need to periodically update the client code to provide improvements in reliability and service quality. For more information on infrastructure updates, take a look at our Upcoming Updates to Windows Update July blog post. If you’d like more information about Windows Update, and how the service works, please review the newly launched Windows Update information on windows.com.
Source- MU Team Blog
