Byte and Switch profiled three separate data deduplication vendors: Data Domain, Avamar and ExaGrid. Each is having a great quarter, with sales up significantly. 

Dedupe is still young, but it's accelerating fast into mainstream enterprise traffic.

So, since nothing has changed except the SAN for the past few months, what could it be? No error messages from the OS. No problem running the SQL that develops the ORA-600s at the command line. Only when we run batch programs do we get ORA-600s.

Hmmm. EMC doesn't want to know since we can't supply any OS error messages. Oracle have now latched onto the fact that the only thing that is the same between the databases and machines is the SAN. IBM are saying nothing because well their OS isn't saying anything. Hot potato anyone ?

Have to stress the fact that of all the people that I've come across from EMC, I haven't met one with any sort of intelligence. In a company that large there must be some bright sparks, but I guess that they're kept well hidden from EMC's users.

Anyway, I'm off for a long weekend tomorrow away from 0s and 1s. Happy happy joy joy.

Yet Another Mark Lewis Keynote

I was unable to track Mark down before his keynote. The keynote was disappointing, but in different ways than at EMC World. The first was that it spent more time talking about EMC as a whole and less on the Content Management and Archiving group. I understand why that decisions was made, and it was probably a good marketing move. My only thought is that when I sit down to listen listen to the head of the CMA group speak, I want to hear about the vision and where things are going within that CMA group. Adding context about how it fits in at EMC is great, but that context shouldn't be the bulk of the presentation.

I didn't hear a lot of positives on his presentation skills at the forum. Mark presented better here than at EMC World, and I have a theory as to why. Before I get into that, let's go over the content.

The Empowerment of Information

That sums up EMC's vision. Sounds familiar...

Enterprise Content Management is the empowerment of all content within an organization. This is accomplished through the centralized management of content, allowing for people and systems to access and manage content from within any business context using platform agnostic standards.

I'm not saying that it was taken. I'm saying that it is a good vision. I think that my proposed ECM definition would be a great vision for how the CMA group is going to contribute to the execution of EMC's vision. Instead of that though, Mark stayed focus on the word information.

A key point that has been hammered-out by the EMC people recently, including Mark, is Search and the ability to find information. It ties nicely into the buzzword eDiscovery. Search, and its variations, are becoming a common theme that people are starting to address more and more. The concepts aren't new, just the importance.

Mark finally got to talking about the CMA group. It was very little new information presented since EMC World. It hasn't been two months yet, so no problems there. The one thing that struck me was Mark's statement that EMC is not an application company. A poor choice of words perhaps as Documentum is a software application, but I understand his point. Documentum is a platform. Their goal is not to build Content Applications but to make it easy for people to create their own Content Applications through configuration and a minimum of customization.

Mark went over the four areas of the CMA. The only point that I want to really share is that Mark said that Transactional Content Management is what ECM should do best. I disagree. Compliance is what it should do best. It does transactions well because that is what it has been doing for well over a decade. The problem here is that sometimes it makes sense to use outside applications to drive the business, but retention and RM is best applied in the repository directly.

In fact, I think basic retention support should be core to the product. Make basic RPS part of the Content Server and have an additional license for RM. They'll never do it unless someone else does it first, but RPS is something that needs to become as basic to an ECM offering as full-text search.

Is it just me, but isn't Magellan and the Interactive Content Management interfaces (WCM and DAM) Content Applications and not platform characteristics? They are important Content Applications for them to offer, but it runs counter to the stated strategy.

Maybe if the strategy was to separate the platform and the Content Applications and just do them both well. Use an ECM SOA standard to connect them and you are done.

At the end, Mark did offer a light vision (only a few minutes). It was the combination of Web 2.0, Mining and Analytics, Virtualization, and SOA with XML holding it together and SaaS as a new, auxiliary component. Hey WAIT!!! Isn't that the vision from pre-Mark days? Add a little SaaS and good old fashioned XML and you have the "new" vision. There was one thing new, the phrase "Platform as a Service". Nice concept and spin, but will people like it or take a PaaS? (I apologize to everyone for that.)

Meeting Mark

After Mark's talk, Whitney led a roundtable. It was entertaining, especially as I knew one of the panel members. I was really waiting for the break to track down Mark. When the end came, I walked up to Mark and introduced myself and even confessed to my previous post, just in case he had missed it.

I confronted him on the lack of the work Content in his talks. He told me that it is a conscious decision that he and Whitney have made. That made me feel a little better. I strongly disagree with that approach, but at least it is a decision and not a deficiency. You have to know your audience, and the audience knows ECM. ECM is part of the Information Management world, but it still has its own identity. When most of the room has Documentum, content is not a dirty word.

I did tell Mark that I like where he seems to be taking the CMA group and that I hear good things from his product people. Mark was very engaging and genuine. I sensed a little awkwardness because of the "Content" issue, but he didn't try to get away from me quickly.

I think Mark does better the more intimate the discussion. I saw him talking to a group of about 6 people and he was very animated. I'm not sure if it is the group size or the amount of interaction that makes the difference. I think it is the discussion. He seems to thrive on intelligent discourse and it shows. When you put him in front of a crowd, his communication skills seem to degrade.

The next year is key. We need to see the promises in SaaS, Magellan, and DAM delivered. I'd also like to see a keynote at EMC World that is heavy on vision. Something that will make the audience sit up and go Cool. I would like enthusiasm to ooze off of the stage when Mark shares that vision.

I'd also like an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle.

Reference: 1215510632

8th July 2008 at 10:50 BST by Nikki Ambler. Permalink.

Our client is seeking a Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer to conduct EMC testing on a wide variety of system and equipment. The role will involve production of test plans and work instructions; analysis of test results; production of test reports; provision of advice and assurance services and the support for fabrication of electronic designs and electromagnetic research projects.

Location

Aldermaston

Salary

Competitive salary depending on qualifications and experience

Job Responsibilities

To support & conduct Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) & Electromagnetic Field (EMF) testing.

To analyse and report on test results.

To provide advice and assurance services on Radio Frequency (RF) Safety issues.

To provide support for fabrication of electronic designs.

To provide basic IT programming support.
Act as a Nominated Person Electrical Specialist for Team activities.

Act as a Nominated Person Electrical Specialist for the company's RF Safety.

To ensure that responsibilities with regard to the Company’s Environment, Health, Safety, Security and Quality Standards are met and understood.

To maintain EMC facilities.

Report and action equipment/procedure maintenance requirements.

Ensure welfare of personnel and equipment at all times.

Test to established procedures.

Electrical safety assurance.

Radio Frequency safety within a defined boundary.

For more details contact ERS Tel: 01454 203 460 or Submit an CV cv@energyrs.co.uk

Reference: 1215510632

8th July 2008 at 10:50 BST by Nikki Ambler. Permalink.

Our client is seeking a Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineer to conduct EMC testing on a wide variety of system and equipment. The role will involve production of test plans and work instructions; analysis of test results; production of test reports; provision of advice and assurance services and the support for fabrication of electronic designs and electromagnetic research projects.

Location

Aldermaston

Salary

Competitive salary depending on qualifications and experience

Job Responsibilities

To support & conduct Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) & Electromagnetic Field (EMF) testing.

To analyse and report on test results.

To provide advice and assurance services on Radio Frequency (RF) Safety issues.

To provide support for fabrication of electronic designs.

To provide basic IT programming support.
Act as a Nominated Person Electrical Specialist for Team activities.

Act as a Nominated Person Electrical Specialist for the company's RF Safety.

To ensure that responsibilities with regard to the Company’s Environment, Health, Safety, Security and Quality Standards are met and understood.

To maintain EMC facilities.

Report and action equipment/procedure maintenance requirements.

Ensure welfare of personnel and equipment at all times.

Test to established procedures.

Electrical safety assurance.

Radio Frequency safety within a defined boundary.

For more details contact ERS Tel: 01454 203 460 or Submit an CV cv@energyrs.co.uk

Læs den her: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/06/23/3512488.htm

Artiklen er ca. 8 sider.

A. A certificate being handed from the server to the client once authentication has been
established. If you have a pass, you can wander throughout the network. BUT limited
access is allowed.
B. If your token does not grant
you access to certain information, that information will
either not be displayed or your access will be denied.FN0-202 The authentication system creates a
token every time a user or a session begins. At the completion of a session, the token is
destroyed
C.
Leading the way in IT testing and certification tools, www.certifyme.com
- 23 -

The authentication process uses a Key Distribution Center (KDC) to orchestrate the
entire process. The KDC authenticates the network. Principles can be users, programs, or
systems. The KDC provides a ticket to the network.
HH0-200 Once this ticket is issued, it can be
used to authenticate against other principles. This occurs automatically when a request or
service is performed by another network.
D. The initiator sends a logon request from the client to the server. The server sends a
challenge back to the client. The challenge is encrypted and then sent back to the server.
The server compares the value from the client and
HH0-270 if the information matches, the server
grants authorization. If the response fails, the session fails and the request phase starts
over
Answer: D
Explanation:
The initiator sends a logon request from the client to the server. The server sends a
challenge back to the client. The challenge is encrypted and then sent back to the server.
The server compares the value from the client and if the information matches, the server
grants authorization. If the response fails, the session fails and the request phase starts
over

Incorrect Answers:
A: This is known as the Certificate system.
B: This is known as the Security Token system.
C: This is known as the Kerberos system.

References:
Mike Pastore and Emmett Dulaney, Security+ Study Guide, 2nd Edition, Sybex,
Alameda, 2004, p. 14-16.

If you already attending or speaking at the forum, let me know and I'll look out for you.

While I don't plan on blogging this event like I did EMC World, I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for any fun news to share with everyone. I'm hoping to chat with a few speakers, including Mark Lewis, and get an update on the D6.5 release date.

A. network interface card (NIC) TX/RX lights are flashing
B. Show Icon in 642-544 Notification Area is unchecked in LAN properties
C. computer firewall
D. inadequate page file

Leading the way in IT testing and certification tools, www.certifyme.com
- 47 -

Answer: C

A. 100Base-FX and 1000Base-SX
B. 10 GBase-ER and 10 GBase-LR
C. 1000Base-SR and 10 GBase-SR
D. FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface)
Answer: B
Explanation:
10 GBase-ER and 10 GBase-LR 70-220 use single-mode fiber-optic cable.

Incorrect Answers:
A: 100Base-FX and 1000Base-SX use multimode fiber-optic cable.
C: 1000Base-SR and 10 GBase-SR 70-221 use multimode fiber-optic cable.
D: FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) uses multimode fiber-optic cable.

References:
David Groth and Toby Skandier, 70-222 Network+ Study Guide (4th Edition), Sybex, Alameda
CA, 2005, pp. 23-24

A. Control Panel/Computer Management.
B. Control Panel/System/Device Manager.
C. Control Panel/System/Performance.
D. Control Panel/System/Advanced.
Answer: D
Explanation:
You can configure MB6-282 the size and placement of the virtual-memory swap file in Windows
2000 and Windows XP in the Advanced Tab of the System applet in Control Panel.

Incorrect Answers:
A: Computer Management is located in Control Panel/Administrative Tools and is used
to manage the System Tools,MB6-283 Storage space, and Services and Applications. It does not
manage virtual memory.
B: Device manager is used to manage devices, not virtual memory.
C: You can MB6-284 configure the size and placement of the virtual-memory swap file in
Windows 9x in the Performance Tab of the System applet in Control Panel.

Reference:
David Groth and Dan Newland, A+ Complete Study Guide (Second Edition), Sybex,
Alameda, CA, 2001, pp. 609-617.

Whether you are a leader, follower, innovator, or disrupter, a company's focus must remain on their customers, vision, and the market at large. Too often companies become enamored with their own technology, success, wealth, analyst reports, articles, speeches, etc. and lose focus, execution, desire, hunger, and more. While the highs are incredible, the lows determine the winners from the one-hit-wonders.

VMware did not pioneer virtualization technology, that honor belongs to IBM, but they were one of the first to recognize and develop it's application within the x86 world of Intel and AMD. One can only surmise that VMware has poured thousand of development hours to perfect their vaunted hypervisor. The end-result is an enterprise class application that is well designed, stable, and widely deployed.

Energized with their acquisition by EMC, VMware continued perfecting their hypervisor, improving their server and workstation products, and watched their sales soar. Blinded by their success and market dominance, VMware lost sight of the market pulse while EMC hit the jackpot with their IPO spin-off. In the meantime the market began to shift as enterprises realized that the virtualization value proposition of server consolidation actually created new challenges of security, virtual machine sprawl, and management worries. Virtualization had an impact on the consolidation of servers, but overall sever sales and capacity continued to grow.

When the dust had settled, VMware awoke to a host of competitors on multiple fronts including; the hypervisor, management, desktop virtualization, P2V, Policy and Security, Virtual Desktops, and more. From IBM, Citrix, Sun, HP, and BMC to Parallels, Quaramet Qemu, Embotics, Veeam, Scalent, Cassatt, and more, VMware is under attack with no where to hide. To make matters worse, VMware awoke the sleeping giant in Microsoft and must now contend with a competitor with seemingly unlimited money, talent, R&D, and marketing power.

Faced with mounting competition, the rapid commoditization of the hypervisor, downward pricing pressure, and unrealistic expectations of both EMC and Wall Street, someone had to take the fall. To add insult to injury, Diane Green was replaced by ex-Microsoft executive Paul Maritz. The emperor has no clothes, the enemy has entered the building, and it is clear that EMC is firmly in charge of their public subsidiary.

VMware is to virtualization as Xerox is to copiers. Whether they can remain relevant is now in the hands of Mr. Maritz, EMC, and the rest of VMware's leadership team. Will VMware disappear like Inktomi or Netscape, or will they re-invent themselves like BlueCoat or GE? Will other companies learn from their mistakes? Or, is history doomed to repeat itself?

Power, money, hyper-growth, or a fancy new HQ campus, does not guarantee success. Only innovation, humility, partnerships, people, strategy, vision, and a mindful eye on the market will create a lasting entity. In the end, it all comes down to leadership. The evidence is clear; Buffett, Gates, Coffin, Welch, Walton, Merck, Packard, and more inspired, served, and led their organizations to greatness. Be mindful of history, learn from the mistakes of others, and never be satisfied, innovate, and lead.

Another factor is the departure of VMware CEO Diane Greene, the company's chief since she founded the software firm with engineer husband, Mendel Rosenblum, in 1998. EMC CEO Joseph Tucci reportedly said VMware had outgrown Greene's leadership skills, and when Greene reportedly refused to take another position at VMware she was fired.

Anyone who knows Greene knows she's impatient, peripatetic and inclined to chart her own course. Number 22 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list, Greene is an independent, free-spirited entrepreneur, as my colleague Adam Lashinsky portrayed her last fall in Fortune's 2007 Most Powerful Women in Business issue.

Greene's "boring life ," as she called it, started when she settled in Silicon Valley following a stint at Windsurfing International (she's an avid sailor). She jumped from Sybase to Tandem to Silicon Graphics (SGIC), then to two startups.

At VMware - which offers "virtualization" technology that tricks servers and computers into running multiple operating systems - she maintained her independent streak. She reluctantly sold her startup to EMC for $625 million in 2003.

However, the companies remained entirely separate entities. Greene says after inking the deal she realized that association with EMC threatened VMware customers IBM (IBM), HP (HPQ), Dell (DELL) and others who were its now-parent company's direct competitors.

Only an anti-establishment type like Greene would frame her shot to stardom as "boring." EMC spun off a piece of VMware in an August IPO last year that raised more than $1 billion. It achieved the highest market valuation since Google (GOOG) went public in 2004. VMware's stock rose from $29 to $52 on the first day of trading.

Despite such success, Greene's departure is not so suprising. VMware's stock fell steadily since reaching its $125 peak last fall. Meanwhile Greene and her crew continued to clash with EMC's senior executives. Reportedly Greene was pushing for VMware to be spun off early next year. And as her husband pointed out to Lashinsky last year, "If you look at her resume, this is far longer than any other job she has ever held."

Now as former Microsoft (MSFT) executive Paul Maritz takes charge at VMware, Greene is likely headed for another big adventure. As Tucci told Fortune last year, "The No. 1 item that makes anyone successful is passion. Never bet against a person with passion. She [Greene] has an intense desire to win." --Jessica Shambora

A. Stop using the battery and use alternating current (AC) power for the laptop.
B. Replace the AC adaptor by purchasing a new adapter from the manufacturer.
C. Note on the work order that 350-021 the laptop is losing battery capabilities and the laptop
must be replaced.
D. Replace the battery by purchasing a new battery from the manufacturer.

Answer: D

Some commentary/media coverage:

• Fortune
• ZDNet

This is really surprising, since by most accounts VMware is doing pretty well. They have huge marketshare in a growing space. In the past couple of weeks the competition has increased from Microsoft, and of course Citrix, but VMware had been prepping for the new world order with deals with computer makers and server makers for embedded VMware. VMware has also made a few strategic acquisitions this year to improve management and desktop virtualization so it looks like strategically VMware was on track to weather the storm from open-source, Microsoft and the commoditatization of the hypervisor. So what gives?

Fortune recently did a feature on her, mentioning that there was some head butting at the top. Did it cause her dismissal? Some people think so. Is this a little too much like Carly Fiorina's firing from HP, or was there really trouble in paradise? [Although people didn't agree with Fiorina's choices at the time, after a few years, it is pretty clear she was making the right decisions.]  It seems a bit strange to me that the co-founder is out of the company altogether.  VMware announced they will miss their earning, but they still predict a lot of growth behing billions of dollars in revenue. That is pretty hard, the only other billion dollar company doing that these days is Apple.

I am sure you can recall many times where it was political advantageous to keep the co-founder around in a figurehead position on the board, but Greene isn't a part of VMware in any shape or form at this stage. This definitely looks like a more political than performance-based transition.

Should we expect more high level departures at the company? How will this help morale, since many of the companies employees have been around for a while and worked closely with the orignal team? I think there may be a mass exodus behind the scenes across the ranks at VMware, since by all accounts Greene was pretty hands-on and her team loved her.

No wonder the stock price dropped so much, it looks like there might be a storm brewing behind the scenes at VMware and EMC.

Scenario:

When you have some of the Exchange 2007 Mailbox/CAS server role on Windows 2008 and some of the Exchange 2007 Servers or Management tools installed on Windows 2003 or XP machine. You get below errors on Windows 2003/XP.

Error you get when you see the configuration of Mailbox Server which is on Windows 2008 from Windows 2003/XP EMC.

--------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Exchange Error
--------------------------------------------------------
The following error(s) were reported while loading topology information:
Get-OWAVirtualDirectory
Failed
Error:
Unable to create Internet Information Services (IIS) directory entry. Error message is: Access is denied.
HResult = -2147024891.
Access is denied.
Directory Path: IIS://MB-Server.ATS-Test.com/W3SVC/1/ROOT/Exchange
Detail:
server name: MB-Server.ATS-Test.com
local machine name: WinXP-Work1
local machine fqdn: WinXP-Work1.ATS-Test.com
Access is denied.

Error you get when you see the configuration of CAS Server which is on Windows 2008 from Windows 2003/XP EMC.

--------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Exchange Error
--------------------------------------------------------
The following error(s) were reported while loading topology information:
Get-ActiveSyncVirtualDirectory
Failed
Error:
Unable to create Internet Information Services (IIS) directory entry. Error message is: Access is denied.
HResult = -2147024891.
Access is denied.
Directory Path: IIS://CAS-Server.ATS-Test.com/W3SVC/1/ROOT/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync                                                                                                       Detail:
server name: CAS-Server.ATS-Test.com
local machine name: WinXP-Work1
local machine fqdn: WinXP-Work1.ATS-Test.com
Access is denied.

Get-OabVirtualDirectory
Failed
Error:
Unable to create Internet Information Services (IIS) directory entry. Error message is: Access is denied.
HResult = -2147024891.
Access is denied.
Directory Path: IIS://CAS-Server.ATS-Test.com/W3SVC/1/ROOT/OAB
Detail:
server name: CAS-Server.ATS-Test.com
local machine name: WinXP-Work1
local machine fqdn: WinXP-Work1.ATS-Test.com
Access is denied.

Workaround for these errors:

On TechNet forum “Tommy” has given a workaround to stop getting these errors and get the IIS settings in EMC, thanks to him to share this with us.

On Windows 2003/XP machine –> Go to Start –> Run –> dcomcnfg

Component Services –> Computers –> My Computer –> Properties

Default Properties –> in Default Impersonation Level: set Identify to Impersonate –> Apply - OK

Edit (08/07/08): After changing this DCOM configuration you need to reboot the XP/2003 system to make it effective. Thanks to Andy Grogan for this update.

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