Letters to Redmond

Readers Respond March 2005

Your take on Bad Product Names, SP2, our Redmond Report newsletter and more.

• 03/01/2005

SP2 Success
I installed SP2 Beta 1 and have been running it ever since [in reference to the February 2005 Your Turn, "SP2: More Ammo for the Security Battle"].

I've installed it on all of my clients' networks. The first phase was to set the firewall to off and get the update in place. Second, we built a Group Policy that turned it on, but added the client PCs to the policy by stages. Of course, the networks were small so the policy could be easily reversed. The same technique will work on a large network. Test each new application set in a separate Organizational Unit or with a separate filter so you can isolate which clients are being affected. It's not that hard.
—Jim Vierra
Caldwell, N.J.

The Importance of Being Online
In the February 2005 issue of Redmond magazine [Product Reviews, "Recover Me"], Chad Todd reviewed the product True Image Server from Acronis. In his review, he stated, "True Image Server differs from other imaging products in that it makes an image of your hard drive while the server is online. Unlike most other products, you don't have to reboot the server to make an image."

Could he please clarify this for me? I'm looking into using Symantec's Live State Recovery (LSR) Advance Server product and was under the impression that LSR (along with its predecessor, v2i from PowerQuest) doesn't require you to take the server off-line to make the images. His review leads me to believe that only Acronis True Image Server has this very important capability.

As he wrote his review and looked at other imaging products—v2i or LSR being one of them I'm sure—what did he learn that caused him to conclude the other products lack the online capability?
—Scott Garver
Peoria, Ill.

In reviewing True Image, I didn't research all competing products—my statement wasn't meant to be an absolute rule.

I haven't used LSR, and was referring to imaging products like Symantec's Ghost or PowerQuest's Drive Image Pro. These require you to reboot your server to make an image.

I still stand behind my statement that of all the imaging software available, most if it requires that you reboot your server. However, I did not mean to imply that True Image was the only software with this capability.
—Chad Todd

The Simple Life
Just a quick word to say how much I appreciate being able to download and read Redmond magazine as a simple PDF. Other electronic formats out there, like Texterity and Zinio, are well-intentioned but simply not convenient for readers. And without readers, what's the point? Keep up the good work.
—Ronny Ong
Garland, Texas

The Truth About Longhorn
Thank you for the article in the first Redmond Report e-newsletter on the Longhorn "non"-launch date [Feb. 2, 2005, "Long, Long, Long Horn"]. I had expected far less from any Microsoft magazine, but was pleasantly surprised by your honest viewpoint, which wasn't the usual approach and rhetoric. We've all been witness to the "coming soon to a PC near you" approach coming out of Redmond. After three or four years of hearing the same thing about Longhorn, the line has gotten very old.

The true insider's perspective you enjoy is relished by many, probably enjoyed by far fewer who are as deserving, and appreciated by no more than us true techs. As a 20-plus year network engineer who lives in the trenches every day, I thank you for not slanting the realistic notion that I may be supporting the 2003 NOS into 2010. Obviously, that notion had already crossed my mind.

I'm refreshed by the straightforward articles and in-depth insight you're sharing. As long as I know what road lies ahead, I'm far more equipped to navigate.
—Wade Hoffarth
Westminster, Md.