Underground And Other Stuff

Microsoft has released a new benchmark that compares an optimized
implementation of PlantsByWebSphere using both EJBs and JDBC in
WebSphere 6 to a comparable application in .NET 2.0 called
DotNetGardens.
http://www.theserverside.net/articles/showarticle.tss?id=NET2BMNovember

MORE INFO:

Learn how FastSOA could give .NET a boost
http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid26_gci1138616,00.html?track=NL-131&ad=532613&bucket=NEWS

There are many, equally critical steps you must take to protect
Windows from viruses, spyware and other threats. Malware guru Kurt
Dillard offers tools and best practices to help you reduce
privileges, secure new builds, avoid untrustworthy code and more.

Click here for the tip:
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1108843,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=523009USCA

MORE INFO:
Check out Kurt Dillard's Prevention Guide on detecting and removing
rootkits
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1086476,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=523009USCA

Read about the differences between spyware and adware
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1102643,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=523009USCA

DumpEvt is a free command-line utility from SomarSoft that dumps
events from Windows event logs and is more powerful than Microsoft's
DUMPEL. Contributor Serdar Yegulalp explains some of the perks and
quirks of DumpEvt in his look at this must have tool.

Click here for the tip:
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1118208,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=526223

MORE INFO:
How to make the most of your security log data
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1107594,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=526223

How to tune your event log auditing criteria
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1116378,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=526223

We recently asked you -- our readers -- to submit your favorite free
Windows security tools. Here is your list of favorites along with
SearchWindowsSecurity.com's top 10 most popular freeware downloads
for 2005.

Click here for the list of free tools:
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/general/0,295582,sid45_gci1129069,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=529013

MORE INFO:
Our experts list their top five free Windows security tools
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/general/0,295582,sid45_gci1106961,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=529013

WinDump, the Windows version of tcpdump, can help you analyze network
traffic to look for signs of active malware. Contributor Serdar
Yegulalp explains how to use WinDump and some of its applications.
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1147392,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=532656

MORE INFO:

Analyzing security logs
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid45_gci1104239,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=532656

Detecting rootkits
http://searchwindowssecurity.techtarget.com/featuredTopic/0,290042,sid45_gci1110450,00.html?track=NL-122&ad=532656

know how annoying Windows messenger can be; popping up, taking up a space on your quicklaunch bar, and making waste of useful memory to stay running. If you want to disable it completely so that it does not start when Windows does, just follow the steps as follows:

1) Go to Start-->Run and when the prompt comes up type regedit and hit enter.
2) When the window opens, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwarePoliciesMicrosoft.
3) Create a new key. To do this, go to Edit then select New then Key
4) Name this new key Messenger
5) Select this newly created key and create another key called Client
6) Now we need to add what is called a DWORD Value. To do this, right click on the Client key you just made and go to New then DWORD.
7) Name the new DWORD PreventRun then hit enter.
8) Now all you need to do is give it a data value of 1 (Double click on it then enter 1 in the box).
9) Restart Windows and you will find that Windows messenger has been disabled.

When it comes to most PC repairs nowadays, you don't have to do a lot of board-level work and soldering. It's a good idea, however, to know your way around the field of electronics on system components to diagnose, and potentially repair, trouble spots. Among the common components you'll find inside your computers are capacitors. With your trusty multimeter, you can diagnose problems with capacitors. Here's how.

http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?c=754070-993479&brand=techrepublic&ds=5&fs=0

Learn how to configure Windows with the Registry Editor (Regedit) to increase security on your network. Download this chapter from Microsoft Windows Registry Guide, Second Edition, which describes two methods of deploying custom permissions in Windows, both of which require the help of the registry. Find out how to set permissions for keys, map default permissions, deploy security templates, and more.
continued:
http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?c=681935-993479&brand=techrepublic&ds=5&fs=0

One of the most effective ways to secure a Windows XP workstation is to turn off unnecessary services. This reference sheet lists each Windows XP SP 2 service, describes each service's function, specifies whether you can safely disable the service, and outlines the ramifications of doing so.
continued:
http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?c=681797-993479&brand=techrepublic&ds=5&fs=0

When installing SQL Server, you can specify the default drive and directory for each file type, but suppose the installer doesn't. See how easy it is to fix this problem.

By default, SQL Server locates all its files on the same drive as the server. In addition, it places the log file for each database on the same drive. All that disk access can cost you a significant amount of performance. When installing SQL Server, you can specify the default drive and directory for each file type, but suppose the installer doesn't.

Fixing this problem is easy. When creating a new database, reject the defaults and specify the locations for each file, as follows:

1.) Place the data file on a different drive from the one that houses SQL Server.
2.) Keep only the master database on the default drive/directory.
3.) Place the log file on a third drive.

This assumes that you have at least three drives available on your server, which may not be possible. However, at the current cost of disk drives, this upgrade will not be expensive. If your budget won't allow you to add new drives, you could partition the drive. This will increase performance somewhat, but not as much as truly separate drives.

For an existing database, perhaps the simplest way to rearrange its layout is to back it up and then restore it, refusing the default options and specifying your preferred locations.

In Enterprise Manager, select the database of interest and then back it up. Next, restore it. On the Restore Database dialog box, click the Options tab, which specifies the actual locations of the data and log files. Edit the current values, placing the data on one drive and the log on another, and then restore the database. Your users should experience an immediate performance gain.

Creating basic data access stored procedures is time consuming and boring work. Relieve the tedium by writing code that writes these stored procedures for you.

continued: http://www.devx.com/codemag/Article/29319

ASP.NET offers a few solutions for handling long-running processes. One of the best methods is to combine threading with either a polling solution or AJAX.

continued: http://www.devx.com/asp/Article/29617