SOFTWARE
Microsoft unveils latest operating system Windows 7
Software giant Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled Windows 7, saying its latest operating system won't be as annoying.
At the company' Professional Developers Conference here, Microsoft said the new version will not have the rampant notifications that have irked many users of Windows Vista.
People can choose to see fewer alerts and warnings from their computers in the new Windows 7, said the company, adding that people will be able to test out the next version of Windows early next year.
The design of Windows 7 will make it easier for people to switch between open windows, files and applications. It also is supposed to give PC users faster access to recently used files, making home networking more automatic, according to the company.
And overall, the version is faster and can run on less-powerful computers, said the company.
Windows 7, the successor to Windows Vista
Solaris Operating System
The Solaris Operating System—supported on over 1000 x86 and SPARC platforms—delivers the performance, stability and security your users and customers demand. With more applications available than for any other open operating system, one OS can span your entire enterprise: the Web tier, the data warehouse, and the most demanding technical compute applications. Moving to Solaris 10 is easy, whether you're upgrading from an older Solaris release or migrating from another OS.
FEATURES:
1.) Virtualization for Business in Real-Time Sun provides the full spectrum of technologies needed today to build a virtual enterprise and is on the cutting edge of innovative technologies that will improve Virtualization in the future. Virtualization is another way that Sun provides enterprise-wide solutions, anywhere, anytime. Connecting to required resources and managing them intelligently is Sun's commitment—no matter where they exist, or what technology is necessary to provide them.
2.) Sun provides developers and systems administrators with a superior alternative for building and deploying Web services and applications. Using the Solaris 10 OS plus Sun's optimized Apache, MySQL, and PHP/Perl/Python stack (Solaris OS + AMP), you can easily develop and test AMP-based applications; and deploy them faster and more efficiently than commercial or other open-source options. By leveraging the following five easy steps – Sun's "recipe for success" guideline – you can get AMP based Web tier applications up and running quickly and affordably while taking advantage of Sun's multiple levels of assistance and support.
3.) High Availability Learning CenterKeep your business-critical applications and essential services up and running 24x7. Simplify administration. Be proactive and guard against unplanned disruptions. Build operational resiliency. With the Solaris 10 Operating System and Solaris Cluster software, you get best-in-class, high availability so you can increase uptime through 
4.) Secure Your Web Servers with Solaris 10
Sun makes it simple to deliver sophisticated web services right out of the box by integrating and supporting the open source Apache Web server with Solaris.
»
Safely host multiple Web servers on a single system with complete fault and security isolation with Solaris Containers
»
Increase your web server availability and reliability with Predictive Self-Healing and its Apache manifest
»
Increase the security of your Web servers in the event of a security compromise by leveraging Solaris 10 features like User and Process Right Management
»
Maximize performance and availability for your Web services using Solaris Dynamic Tracing (DTrace)
LATEST OPERATING SYSTEM FROM LINUX
Mandriva is proud to present its latest distribution: Mandriva Linux 2009. This new version has been designed to meet the expectations of our users and offers an ever more efficient solution to their needs.
Mandriva Linux 2009 goes further in its innovations and offers a thoroughly modern and cutting-edge graphical environment: KDE 4.1. Personalizable, modular, scalable, and full of visual effects that enhance the environment, KDE's new version is usable everywhere, from the oldest hardware to the newest.
Mandriva’s team has gone to great lengths to integrate this new environment in a way that ensures everyone can jump right in to using it, with a customized graphical theme, careful choice of the most powerful applications, and a default configuration tuned to your system's particular hardware.
Beyond the features that contributed to the success of Mandriva Linux 2008 and Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring, Mandriva Linux 2009 integrates the latest innovations, from office applications to the latest virtualization technologies. Mandriva Linux 2009 gives you not only the most advanced andeasy-to-use Linux operating system on the market but also the latest software demanded by the community.
Changes include:
An updated set of commercial applications in the Powerpack edition: Fluendo audio and video codecs, advanced touching-up of digital images with LightZone, virtualisation with VmWare, and Google applications;
Complete overhaul of the graphic installer;
Simplification and improved reliability of application installations and updates: notification of new distribution versions via Mandriva Online, and automatic configuration of official repositories;
Latest versions of leading open source applications: integration of KDE 4.1, GNOME 2.24, OpenOffice.org 3, Firefox 3;
Faster boot time;
Improved parental control utility, now with time-based restrictions;
Installer now capable of detecting low-resource systems or netbooks, and installing an appropriate environment (GNOME is default for netbooks);Detection and optional automatic removal of packages known as orphans (packages previously installed which are no longer required) to optimize free space and future updates;
Constantly improving hardware support (kernel 2.6.27) with particular attention paid to netbooks.
Easy, 100% graphical synchronization with mobile devices: Windows Mobile 2002 and 2003 as well as Windows Mobile 5 and 6, all Blackberry devices, and many Nokia devices.
Mandriva Linux 2009 is available in three editions: Powerpack (the commercial edition, including exclusive commercial software, support, and services), One (a live CD which can also be installed to the system permanently) and Free (an edition which contains only free / open source software).
HARDWARE
Intel Launches New Desktop Processor
Following AMD's launch of its latest server chips last week, it's Intel's turn to be in the spotlight.
Intel plans to launch its newest generation of desktop processors on Monday. Called Core i7, the chips are aimed at the high-end desktop and gaming market.
The move puts Intel ahead of its rival AMD by more than a few months, as AMD's comparable desktop processor isn't scheduled to launch until early next year.
"AMD now just doesn't have a competitive chip against Intel on the desktop," says Patrick Wang, an analyst with brokerage firm Wedbush Morgan.
And until AMD launches its product, Intel is going to be the only option for consumers who want the latest chips for their computers, says Wang.
The Core i7 will be almost four to six times faster than Intel's current platform, says the company, and will have greater power efficiency than ever. It is based on the 45-nanometer production technology that first appeared in a server chip called Xeon (aka Penryn), which debuted earlier this year.
The 45-nm chips utilize smaller circuitry than the previous, 65-nm generation, making them faster, and also enabling Intel to manufacture them more cheaply.
The new Core i7 chips are based on a newly designed microarchitecture called Nehalem, which includes major design changes in areas such as power management and integrated memory control.
The first three quad-core Core i7 chips from Intel will reintroduce "hyperthreading" technology, which gives the chips the ability to execute 8 threads simultaneously on 4 processing cores, greatly increasing their processing power. Hyperthreading was seen earlier in Pentium 4 chips and some Xeon processors from Intel.
Core i7 processors are also different from their predecessors in that they have "QuickPath," a new microarchitecture that integrates memory controller into each microprocessor. QuickPath will replace Front Side Bus used in Xeon and Itanium platforms.
The move increases the bandwidth directly available to the processor, reducing lag time before a CPU can begin executing the next instruction.
"Core i7 will be one of the first Intel chips to integrate a memory controller," says Shane Rau, PC analyst at research firm IDC, "though it is something AMD has had for a while."
Intel is taking no chances with Core i7. The company has spent millions to test the chips and ensure flaws in it don't trip it up, says The New York Times.
In the past, both Intel and AMD have paid a big price for bugs in their chips. In 1994, Intel's Pentium chips sported a tiny error in floating-point calculation that led to a product recall.
Intel® Server Processors
Intel® server processors are the ideal platform for virtualization and data-intensive business applications. Powering a range of multi-core, 64-bit servers¹, Intel server processors enable you to optimize computing environments and maximize server utilization, while providing you with headroom for growth.
Large-scale enterprise computing & server consolidation
Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series
· Extending today's lead in virtualization performance with built-in hardware assisted features and breakthrough gains in performance and energy efficiency²
· Built for data-demanding enterprise applications with up to 6 cores and a large shared 16MB L3 cache per processor, enabling more transactions per server
· More headroom, improved reliability, and the highest scalability available for large scale server consolidation and business-critical virtualization
Features and benefits:
Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series
Leading scalable performance with decreased footprint and power demands
Industry's lowest watt per core platform with available 65 watt processor
Based on 45nm Intel® Core™ microarchitecture enabling low voltage options for ultra-dense deployments
Compatibility with previous generation Intel® Xeon® processor 7300 series
Hardware-assisted virtualization technology
Highest virtualization performance, leading on all industry standard virtualization benchmarks¹
More virtual machines on all servers
Investment protection and flexibility with Intel® Virtualization Technology FlexMigration (Intel® VT FlexMigration)¹
More efficient disaster recovery and high availability through virtualization
Broadest ecosystem support with virtualization software providers and leading OEMs
Up to16 MB, shared L3 cache
Keeps more needed data closer to the cores for access faster than off-chip memory
Intel® 64 architecture²
Enables extended memory addressability for server applications
Enhanced reliability and manageability
Many memory controller features, together with PCI Express* RAS features combine for outstanding platform reliability
Error Correcting Code (ECC) system bus, new mem ory mirroring and I/O hot-plug
Features and benefits
Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series
- Leading scalable performance with decreased footprint and power demands
- Industry's lowest watt per core platform with available 65 watt processor
- Based on 45nm Intel® Core™ microarchitecture enabling low voltage options for ultra-dense deployments
- Compatibility with previous generation Intel® Xeon® processor 7300 series
Hardware-assisted virtualization technology
- Highest virtualization performance, leading on all industry standard virtualization benchmarks¹
- More virtual machines on all servers
- Investment protection and flexibility with Intel® Virtualization Technology FlexMigration (Intel® VT FlexMigration)¹
- More efficient disaster recovery and high availability through virtualization
- Broadest ecosystem support with virtualization software providers and leading OEMs
Up to16 MB, shared L3 cache
- Keeps more needed data closer to the cores for access faster than off-chip memory
Intel® 64 architecture²
- Enables extended memory addressability for server applications
Enhanced reliability and manageability
Many memory controller features, together with PCI Express* RAS features combine for outstanding platform reliability
Error Correcting Code (ECC) system bus, new mem ory mirroring and I/O hot-plug
AMD to Release Quad-Core Processor for Notebooks
Advanced Micro Devices will be more than a year after Intel Corp. with its quad-core microprocessors aimed at notebooks. The first quad-core chip for laptops from AMD will only emerge in 2010.
The first quad-core central processing unit (CPU) for notebooks in AMD’s line will be code-named “Champlain” and will be the base of the code-named “Danube” platform, AMD revealed at last week’s meeting with financial analysts. There are no details about the chip, but since the processor will only emerge sometime in 2010, it has good chances to be made using 32nm process technology.
Before the “Danube” platform emerges in 2010, AMD plans to release “Tigris” platform in 2009. The forthcoming platform will be based on dual-core code-named “Caspian” CPU manufacturing using 45nm fabrication process as well as next-generation RS880M+SB710 core-logic set.
It is interesting to note that both “Caspian” and “Champlain” microprocessors will be made in the same – socket s1 3rd generation – form-factor.
According to Jon Peddie Research analysts, desktop replacement notebooks for gamers are “showing strong gains”. Therefore, it is pretty regrettable that AMD decided not to introduce quad-core mobile microprocessors in 2009. Intel already has a quad-core processor for high-performance notebooks and the lineup is likely to expand next year.While popularity of quad-core chips for mobile computers is unlikely to be high, the lack of appropriate option in AMD’s arsenal effectively means that the world’s No. 2 x86 chipmaker will not be able to compete against Intel in high-performance/desktop replacement laptop market segment.
Latest Expansion Slots
BLADECENTER HS20 FC EXPANSION CARD
Manufacturer: IBM
Part Number: 48P7061
Specifications: Data transfer rate: 2.12 Gbps ; Connectivity technology: Wired See full specs
Algoithm in installing the Operating System
Step #1: Plan your installation.
When you run the Windows XP Professional Setup program, you must provide information about how to install and configure the operating system. Thorough planning can make your installation of Windows XP Professional more efficient by helping you to avoid potential problems during installation. An understanding of the configuration options will also help to ensure that you have properly configured your system. I won't go into that part right now but here are some of the most important things you should take into consideration when planning for your XP installation: window.google_render_ad();
Check System Requirements
Check Hardware and Software Compatibility
Determine Disk Partitioning Options
Choose the Appropriate File System: FAT, FAT32, NTFS
Decide on a Workgroup or Domain Installation
Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist
After you made sure you can go on, start the installation process.
Step #2: Beginning the installation process
You can install Windows XP in several methods - all are valid and good, it all depends upon your needs and your limitations.
Manual installations usually come in 3 flavors:
Boot from CD - No existing partition is required.
Boot from the 6 Setup Boot Disks, then insert the CD - No existing partition is required
Boot from an MS-DOS startup floppy, go to the command prompt, create a 4GB FAT32
Boot from an MS-DOS startup floppy, go to the command prompt, create a 4GB FAT32
partition with FDISK, reboot, format the C partition you've created, then go to the CD
drive, go into the I386 folder, and run the WINNT.EXE command.
Run an already installed OS, such as Windows NT 4.0 Server. From within NT 4.0 go to
the I386 folder in the W2K installation CD and run the WINNT32.EXE command.
If you want to upgrade a desktop OS such as Windows 98 into Windows 2000 Professional
you can follow the same procedure as above (You cannot upgrade Windows 98 into W2K Server).
There are other non-manual installation methods, such as using an unattended file along with a uniqueness database file, using Sysprep, using RIS or even running unattended installations from within the CD itself, but we won't go into that right now. It doesn't matter how you run the setup process, but the moment it runs - all setup methods look alike.
Step #3: The text-based portion of the Setup program
The setup process begins loading a blue-looking text screen (not GUI). In that phase you will be asked to accept the EULA and choose a partition on which to install XP, and if that partition is new, you'll be asked to format it by using either FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.
1.) Start the computer from the CD.
2.) You can press F6 if you need to install additional SCSI adapters or other mass-storage devices. If you do you will be asked to supply a floppy disk with the drivers and you CANNOT browse it (or a CD for that matter). Make sure you have one handy.
3.) If you want, you can press F2 to run the ASR sequence. For that you need a good backup created by the Windows XP backup program, and the ASR floppy disk. If you plan to install a new copy of XP - don't do anything.
4.) Setup will load all the needed files and drivers.
5.) Select To Setup Windows XP Professional Now. If you want, and if you have a previous installation of XP, you can try to fix it by pressing R. If not, just press ENTER.
6.) Read and accept the licensing agreement and press F8 if you accept it.
7.) Select or create the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. Depending upon your existing disk configuration choose one of the following:
- If the hard disk is unpartitioned, you can create and size the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional.
- If the hard disk is already partitioned, but has enough unpartitioned disk space, you can create an additional partition in the unpartitioned space.
- If the hard disk already has a partition that is large enough, you can install Windows XP Professional on that partition. If the partition has an existing operating system, you will overwrite that operating system if you accept the default installation path. However, files other than the operating system files, such as program files and data files, will not be overwritten.
- If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can delete it to create more unpartitioned space for the new partition. Deleting an existing partition erases all data on that partition.
If you select a new partition during Setup, create and size only the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. After installation, use Disk Management to partition the remaining space on the hard disk.
8.) Select a file system for the installation partition. After you create the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional, you can use Setup to select the file system with which to format the partition. Windows XP Professional supports the NTFS file system in addition to the file allocation table (FAT) and FAT32 file systems. Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, and Windows NT are the only Microsoft operating systems that you can use to gain access to data on a local hard disk that is formatted with NTFS. If you plan to gain access to files that are on a local Windows XP Professional partition with the Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating systems, you should format the partition with a FAT or FAT32 file system. We will use NTFS.
9.) Setup will then begin copying necessary files from the installation point (CD, local I386 or network share).
10.) .) Note: If you began the installation process from an MS-DOS floppy, make sure you have and run SMARTDRV from the floppy, otherwise the copying process will probably last more than an hour, perhaps even more. With SMARTDRV (or if setup was run by booting from CD) the copying will probably last a few minutes, no more than 5 max.
11.) The computer will restart in graphical mode, and the installation will continue.
Step #4: The GUI-based portion of the Setup program
The setup process reboots and loads a GUI mode phase.
It will then begin to load device drivers based upon what it finds on your computer. You don't need to do anything at this stage.
1.) Click Customize to change regional settings, if necessary.
- Current System Locale - Affects how programs display dates, times, currency, and numbers. Choose the locale that matches your location, for example, French (Canada).
- Current Keyboard Layout - Accommodates the special characters and symbols used in different languages. Your keyboard layout determines which characters appear when you press keys on the keyboard.
If you don't need to make any changes just press Next.
If you do need to make changes press Customize and add your System Locale etc.
Note for Hebrew users: Unlike W2K, it is SAFE and it is OK for you to install Hebrew language support at this phase.
To install Hebrew support:
- After pressing Customize go to the Languages tab and select the "Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages".
- A warning message will appear. Press Ok.
- Warning: You must now press Apply!!!
- Setup will copy the necessary files from the installation point.
- You can now go to the Regional Options tab and select Israel in the Location drop-down list, and Hebrew in the Standards and Formats drop-down list. Click Ok.
2.) Type your name and organization.
3.) Type the product key.
4.) Type the computer name and a password for the local Administrator account. The local Administrator account resides in the SAM of the computer, not in Active Directory. If you will be installing in a domain, you need either a pre-assigned computer name for which a domain account has been created, or the right to create a computer account within the domain.
5.) Select the date, time, and time zone settings.
6.) Setup will now install the networking components.
After a few seconds you will receive the Networking Settings window. BTW, if you have a NIC that is not in the HCL (see the What's the HCL? page) and XP cannot detect it, or if you don't have a NIC at all, setup will skip this step and you will immediately go to the final phase of the setup process.
Press Next to accept the Typical settings option if you have one of the following situations:
- You have a functional DHCP on your network.
- You have a computer running Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
- You're in a workgroup environment and do not plan to have any other servers or Active Directory at all, and all other workgroup members are configured in the same manner.
Otherwise select Custom Settings and press Next to customize your network settings.
7.) One thing you CAN do (you don't have to do it, it's your call - read more about it on the Increase Internet Connection Speed in Windows XP page) is to uninstall the Qos Packet Scheduler. Click it and press the Uninstall button. If you want to keep it you can simply remove the mark from the QoS check-box. In anyway you can later install or uninstall it if you want.
Keep the TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks and the File and Print Sharing options selected.
8.) Highlight the TCP/IP selection and press Properties.
In the General tab enter the required information. You must specify the IP address of the computer, and if you don't know what the Subnet Mask entry should be - you can simply place your mouse pointer over the empty area in the Subnet Mask box and click it. The OS will automatically select the value it thinks is good for the IP address you provided.
If you don't know what these values mean, or if you don't know what to write in them, press cancel and select the Typical Settings option. You can easily change these values later.
9.) In the Workgroup or Domain window enter the name of your workgroup or domain.
- A workgroup is a small group of computers on a network that enables users to work together and does not support centralized administration.
- A domain is a logical grouping of computers on a network that has a central security database for storing security information. Centralized security and administration are important for computers in a domain because they enable an administrator to easily manage computers that are geographically distant from each other. A domain is administered as a unit with common rules and procedures. Each domain has a unique name, and each computer within a domain has a unique name.
If you're a stand-alone computer, or if you don't know what to enter, or if you don't have the sufficient rights to join a domain - leave the default entry selected and press Next.
If you want to join a domain (NT 4.0 domain of W2K/2003 Active Directory domain) enter the domain's name in the "Yes, make this computer a member of the following domain" box.
To successfully join a domain you need the following:
- The person performing the installation must have a user account in Active Directory. This account does not need to be the domain Administrator account. and
- The computer must have an existing computer account in the Active Directory database of the domain that the computer is joining, and the computer must be named exactly as its domain account is named.
or
- The person performing the installation must have appropriate permission to create a domain account for the computer during installation.
Also, you need to have connectivity to the domain's domain controllers (only to the PDC if on an NT 4.0 domain) and a fully functional DNS server (only in AD domains). Read the Joining a Domain in Windows XP Pro and Requirements when Joining a Domain pages for more on this issue. Enter the Active Directory domain name (in the form of xxx.yyy, for example: DPETRI.NET) or the NetBIOS name of the NT 4.0 domain (in the form of xxx, for example: DPETRI). Press Next.
Note: If you provide a wrong domain name or do not have the correct connectivity to the domain's DNS server you will get an error message. A username/password window will appear. Enter the name and password of the domain's administrator (or your own if you're the administrator on the target domain).
Note: Providing a wrong username or password will cause this phase to fail.
Screen Shots of Operating Systems
Windows Vista
Windows 2000 Professional
SuSE(linux)
