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August 2006 |
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Welcome to B&D System Engineers newsletter for August.
We would like to keep you up to date with the latest IT developments and
trust you will enjoy reading this newsletter.
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| There is already a beta 2 version of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) which customers can run on Windows XP - or it is included
in the Customer Preview version of Windows Vista - so quite a few people have seen what it looks like. |
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| There are two core points to make. One is the wholly revised and new user interface and the other, largest change is the range of
security improvements that have been made from the code level up. |
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| The new user interface is based on extensive research concerning how people use a browser and what the common tasks are.
There were three basic elements that people wanted which they didn't have in IE 6: default tab browsing, putting common features right
in front
of the user and not to clutter or crowd out the working area with additional toolbars. |
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| We have put common functions like back, refresh, search, clear history and so on - right up top and there is less need for using
multiple drop down menus. Obviously, the toolbar is smaller, simpler and the viewing area is increased. |
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| There are two versions of IE7, one for Windows XP and one for Windows Vista. There is a slight difference in appearance but
the functionality is quite similar, except for advanced features, like running in Protected mode, which are only available with Vista. |
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| Usability is vastly improved in both versions. Take print preview, which allows a view of what the printed page will look like - and
allows the user to edit what they want off that page - or the zoom function that allows you to enlarge a page to see fine print or small pictures. |
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| Manageability is increased. A major point here is that, using Windows Server 2003 and Active Directory, Group policies can be extended
to the browser on domain and machine levels. This really helps administrators who need to enforce a company's Internet usage policies. |
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| One security principle that has been applied with IE7 is that it practically runs in its own memory space - virtually a sandbox environment.
This really shows up when you run protected mode on Windows Vista. This limits the browser's ability to access other domains on the machine like the main
C drive - to prevent any hacking. |
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| There is color coding in the address bar and on the tabs so that a user can immediately see whether a site is regarded as safe or unsafe. |
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| Feature list. |
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Tabbed browsing |
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Quick tabs |
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Tab groups |
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Toolbar search box |
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Printing advances |
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Page zoom |
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RSS feed support |
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Protection against malware |
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URL handling protections |
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Protected mode |
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Fix my settings |
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Security status bar |
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Address bar in every window |
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Administration improvements |
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| What is terminal server? |
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| Terminal Server is a Terminal Services role service that supports sharing Windows - based programs or the full Windows desktop.
Users can connect to a terminal server to run programs, save files, and use network resources on that server. |
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| Descriptions of Managed Entities for Terminal Services. |
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| Terminal Services gateway - Provides
secure connectivity to remote computers on the corporate
network, from anywhere on the Internet. With Terminal Services
gateway, users can now easily connect to remote computers that
are located behind firewalls and network address translators. |
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| Terminal Services Licensing - is a
Terminal Services role service that manages the Terminal Server
client access licenses that are required to connect to a
Terminal server. You use Terminal Services licensing to install,
issue, and monitor the availability of Terminal Services Client
access licenses. |
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| Terminal Services Session Directory - is
a Terminal Services role service that supports reconnection to
an existing session on a terminal server that is a member of a
load - balanced terminal server farm. The Terminal Services
Session Directory managed entity consists of nodes that
represent a collection of system messages for the Terminal
Services Session Directory role service. |
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| Why would you use a Terminal Server? |
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| Terminal services provides remote access to a
Microsoft Windows desktop through "thin client" software,
allowing the client computer to serve as a terminal emulator. Terminal Services transmits only the user interface of the program to the client. The client then returns keyboard and mouse clicks to be processed by the server. Each user logs on and sees only their individual session, which is managed transparently by the server operating system and is independent of any other client session. To connect to a computer via Terminal Services, use Remote Desktop Connection (the new Terminal Services client). Terminal Server uses Terminal Services technology to provide an effective and reliable way to distribute Windows-based programs with a network server. With Terminal Server, a single point of installation allows multiple users access to the desktop of a computer running one of the Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 family operating systems, where they can run programs, save files, and use network resources. Terminal Server is not installed by default. Terminal Server has its own method for licensing clients that log on to terminal servers, separate from the licensing method for clients running one of the Windows Server 2003 family operating systems. Clients must receive a valid license issued by a license server before they are allowed to log on to a Terminal Server. A Terminal Services connection provides the link clients use to log on to a session on the server. A TCP/IP connection is configured on port 3389 when Terminal Services is installed. Using Terminal Services Configuration, you can change the default properties of the connection, as well as other settings that apply to Terminal Services sessions.
User accounts
can be set up and managed for a specific computer using Local
Users and Groups or for a domain of computers using Active
Directory Users and Computers.
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| Advantages of Terminal Services. |
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| Deploying Microsoft® Office 2003 in a Terminal Services environment provides several key benefits. It enables companies to rapidly deploy the productivity suite to computing devices throughout the organization, providing a central point for administrators to manage the application. It reduces the bandwidth required to access data remotely, since screen views of the data are transmitted rather than the data itself. This combination helps information workers become more productive by enabling access to Office 2003 on any hardware platform at any time. |
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Read more about Terminal Services |
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| Blu-Ray VS HD-DVD |
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| Two formats are limbering up to dominate the home
entertainment and PC markets. |
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| Remember the DVD revolution? Dust off your VHS player, slot in a tape and you'll see why, in all its
grainy vision glory, you signed up despite
the astronomical initial outlay to change format. So why should we be excited about Blu-ray and HD-DVD? The obvious reason is again enhanced picture quality in pre-recorded
movies, allowed by the increase in disc capacity. The different hidef video resolution standards are 720p, 1080i and 1080p. Those p's and i's stand for Progressive and
Interlaced; essentially, progressive scan offers a sharper picture and a smoother transition between frames that interlacing, and is therefore preferable. A film running at
the 1080p standard, the highest HD resolution, runs at 1,920x1,080 pixels. Put that into perspective with you PC's desktop resolution, or indeed the resolution of a standard
DVD movie (usually 720x576), and you're starting to get an idea of just how much more detail you can fit into the image. Of course, you'll also need an HD-Ready TV, as standard CRT
and digital TV's simply aren't capable of outputting an image at these high resolutions. That extra resolution means far more data on a disc, and that's why HD-DVD and Blu-Ray
have been developed. |
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| A single layer Blu-Ray disc can hold 25Gb of movie data, while HD-DVD discs hold up to 15Gb on a single layer disc. This time next year, we're expecting
to see quad layer Blu-Ray discs, holding up to 100Gb of data. |
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| Behind the scenes. |
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| This is all well and good for self - contained hi - def players (the kind that'll live under your TV), but for PC BD and HD-DVD drives, there
will be a certain baseline set of requirements for movie playback, and it's not just about system specs. Every part of your PC will need to be HDCP-compliant (see
'Why DVD won't die'). That means a whole new rack of components in your PC, not just a new TV, so the expenditure for watching movies on your PC is likely to be high.
We're expecting to see multimedia notebook manufacturers benefit from this most of all, as HDCP-compliant components can be built in at the factory level; a notebook
with a BR or HD-DVD drive is going to be a pretty attractive prospect for many of us who might otherwise need to replace every component in our PC's. |
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Blu-Ray |
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| Who's behind it? |
Blu-Ray Disc Association |
| Who's backing it? |
Sony, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer,
Samsung, Sharp, JVC, Apple |
| Who's using it? |
Warner Bros, Paramount, Walt Disney, 20th
Century fox, Sony Pictures, MGM |
| Capacity (one layer) |
25Gb |
| Capacity (two layers) |
50Gb |
| Capacity (three layers) |
N\A |
| Capacity (four layers) |
100Gb |
| Theoretical maximum capacity |
200Gb |
| Theoretical maximum layers |
8 Layers |
| Video codes |
MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC, SMPTE VC-1 |
| Audio codes |
Dolby digital, Dolby digital plus, DTS Digital
suround,DTS-HD, MPEG-2 TS |
| Copy protected system |
AACS, HDCP, BD+, ROM Mark |
| Region coding |
Possible three region system |
| Write speeds at launch |
1 X (36Mbps) |
| Disc types |
BD-Rom(read only), BD-R(recordable),BD-RE(rewritable) |
| DVD Compatible |
Yes |
| Interactive features |
BD-J (java) |
| Pro |
Brand new disc structure increases capacity and
Blu-Ray can scale to 200Gb |
| Con |
Blu-Ray is expensive and features more DRM
technology than HD-DVD. |
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HD-DVD |
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| Who's behind it? |
The DVD Forum |
| Who's backing it? |
Toshiba, Microsoft, NEC, Sanyo,
Fujitsu, HP, Intel |
| Who's using it? |
Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros,
New line Cinema |
| Capacity (one layer) |
15Gb |
| Capacity (two layers) |
30Gb |
| Capacity (three layers) |
45Gb |
| Capacity (four layers) |
N\A |
| Theoretical maximum capacity |
60Gb |
| Theoretical maximum layers |
4 Layers |
| Video codes |
MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC, SMPTE VC-1 |
| Audio codes |
Dolby digital, Dolby digital plus, DTS Digital
suround,DTS-HD, MPEG Audio |
| Copy protected system |
AACS, HDCP |
| Region coding |
No |
| Write speeds at launch |
1 X (36.55Mbps) |
| Disc types |
HD DVD-Rom(read only), HD DVD-R(recordable), HD
DVD-RW(rewritable) |
| DVD Compatible |
Yes |
| Interactive features |
TBC |
| Pro |
A Similar disc structure to DVD means low
production costs for manufacturers |
| Con |
Losing support as big industry names throw
weight behind Blu-Ray. |
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| Please note that when you have logged a call
with us, you will be informed with it via email. On the email
you can reply to us or give us any additional information. When
the support request has been completed, you will also receive an
email, at the bottom of the email, there is a 'survey form' on which you can click and
it will redirect you to a form that you can fill in and give us your feedback on the quality of our support given. For example like the one below: |
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"Please take a moment to click on the survey form and give us some feedback on how you feel your support request was handled." |
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Our Support hours are from 08h00 until 18h00 (Monday to Friday) |
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The central Support number is 086 123 HELP (4357) |
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Technical and on-site support is available during normal
business hours: |
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Monday to Friday 08h00 to 17h00. |
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Telephonic support
is available Monday to Friday 08h00 to 18h00 |
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Support e-mail Address:
support@bdse.co.za |
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Support Desk – Web Access:
http://support.bdse.co.za |
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All support requests must be logged through the support desk, either by telephone, email or through the web portal
A field technician is not able to log a support request on your behalf;
Support requests may only be logged by our designated support staff
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Remember to visit our website at
www.bdse.co.za
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Life at B&D |
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| B&D System Engineers understands that there is more to a job than work. |
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Newsletter |
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| Read more about the
latest technology. |
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