Membership Software
- What products and services are included in the Developer AA membership?
- products and services are included in the Designer AA membership?
- What exactly is the Electronic version?
- What version of Visual Studio 2005 will be included in MSDN AA?
- How often will I receive update shipments?
- What is the difference between the retail and volume license versions of Windows XP?
- Can versions of the Windows operating system included with the program membership be installed on naked PC's?
- What is Microsoft Visio 2002 Professional?
- What is the Microsoft Platform SDK?
- Is Microsoft Services for Unix included in MSDN AA?
- Does the membership include Windows XP Home Edition?
- Does the membership include Office and FrontPage?
- What beta software do we receive and what are the usage terms?
- Is the program available in languages other than English?
- What are ISO image files and how do I use them?
- Why is there a Designer AA program if the Expression products are included in MSDN AA?
- What are the exact usage rights I have with the products offered in Designer AA?
Q. What products and services are included in the Developer AA membership?
A. Developer AA membership includes:
- Visual Studio .NET Professional (including Student and Faculty Tools)
- Windows XP, Windows 2000, and other Microsoft operating systems
- .NET Enterprise Servers: Windows servers, SQL Server, Exchange Server, Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, Host Integration Server, Systems Management Server, Sharepoint Portal Server, and several others
- Microsoft Project Professional
- Microsoft Visio Professional
- MSDN Library (updated quarterly), documentation, technical articles, and code samples
- Software development kits (SDKs), betas, new releases, and updates
- Development tools for Windows CE
- Professional technical support for the program administrator that includes unlimited setup and install support and 4 regular support incidents
- Technical support newsgroups for faculty members
- Regular CD-based software shipments with updated software
Q. What products and services are included in the Designer AA membership?
A. Designer AA membership includes:
- Windows Vista Business
- Expression Web
- Expression Blend
- Expression Design
- Expression Media
- Microsoft Project
- Visual Studio 2005
- Visual Studio .NET
- Windows Server
- SQL Server
- Professional technical support for the program administrator that includes unlimited setup and install support and 4 regular support incidents
- Technical support newsgroups for faculty members
Q. What exactly is the Electronic version?
A. The Electronic version of Developer AA, formerly referred to as MSDN A,A contains the exact same usage rights and available products as the original version. It’s priced lower than the original version because it costs us less money to deliver the product to our customers. All Developer AA products, distribution rights, and usage rights apply to the Electronic version. The administrator will be given one login to the Microsoft download center and the use of ELMS to distribute the software tools among students on campus. We encourage all of our customers to GO ELECTRONIC!
Q. What version of Visual Studio 2005 will be included in MSDN AA?
A. Visual Studio 2005 Professional will ship to MSDN AA members, including Developer and Designer AA, and be made available via the secure download site.
Q. How often will I receive update shipments?
A. When you join the Developer AA, formerly referred to as MSDN AA, you receive an initial Welcome Kit that contains all the software, your Membership Kit and the End User License Agreements. After the initial shipment, you will receive regular DVD updates approximately every month. Sometimes the the shipment schedule will vary according to the release dates of the software included in the updates.
The schedule of past and upcoming shipments is posted on the MSDN Subscriptions Web site.
Q. What is the difference between the retail and volume license versions of Windows XP?
A. The volume license version of Windows XP does not require product activation and should only be used to install the software on departmental lab machines. A single volume license key (VLK) is given to each member department, and the program administrator is responsible for keeping the volume license key safe. It is extremely important that the VLK be kept secure and out of the hands of unauthorized individuals.
The retail version of Windows XP is meant to be checked out to students and faculty for installation on their personal machines. Unique product keys may be downloaded from MSDN Subscriber Downloads, and should be provided to each student or faculty member who checks out or downloads Windows XP. Keys are distributed in blocks of 25. You may request additional keys via MSDN Subscriber Downloads..
Please do not distribute the volume license versions of software to students. We appreciate your cooperation.
Q. Can versions of the Windows operating system included with the program membership be installed on naked PC's?
A. The software provided under the MSDN Academic Alliance program, including all versions of the Windows operating system, is not intended to be installed on naked PC's or to replace the end user licensing agreements that accompany and apply to such software. However, the software provided under the MSDN AA Program may be installed on a naked PC to facilitate educational or non-commercial research specific to MSDN AA program software. Please refer to the usage guidelines page for additional information.
Q. What is Microsoft Visio 2002 Professional?
A. Microsoft Visio 2002 Professional provides developers with a powerful diagramming tool that assists in software and database design. You can organize your ideas graphically and share them with other people, thus making Visio an excellent collaboration tool for students working on group projects. In addition, it is a good habit for students to design their software before implementing.
Q. What is the Microsoft Platform SDK?
A. The Platform SDK provides the header files, libraries, and documentation for developing software for a wide range of Microsoft products and technologies. The SDK includes resources for writing applications for Windows, SQL Server, DirectX, Speech API, ASP, and ADO. It is updated regularly as new products and technologies are released. The latest release is for Windows .NET Server.
Developer AA, formerly MSDN AA, members receive the Platform SDK on CD and can also download it from the Microsoft Web site.
Q. Is Microsoft Services for Unix included in MSDN AA?
A. Yes, we include Microsoft Services for Unix with Developer AA, formerly known as MSDN AA, to help departments with their Unix networks to use Windows machines. This software package provides common Unix utilities and programs such as Grep and Perl that run on Windows NT/2000. Clients with these services installed are able to easily access resources on Unix networks.
For more information on Microsoft Services for Unix, please visit the product Web site.
Q. Does the membership include Windows XP Home Edition?
A. No, the MSDN Academic Alliance membership does not include Windows XP Home Edition. Because the Professional Edition is a superset of the Home Edition, there is no need to include the Home Edition.
Q. Does the membership include Office and FrontPage?
A. No, the membership does not include Office or FrontPage. The focus of the MSDN Academic Alliance is on providing departments, faculty, and students with the tools necessary for specialized research and study in software development and testing. Thus, we provide products and technologies such as Windows XP, Visual Studio .NET, SQL Server, and Platform SDK.
Office and FrontPage are not in line with these specific goals, since the program is primarily focused on high-end technologies rather than basic web design and consumer applications. Note: the MSDN Library does include developer documentation for Office.
Departments may obtain Office and other products at academic discounts through existing licensing programs from Microsoft. Please visit the Microsoft Education Web site for more information.
Q. What beta software do we receive and what are the usage terms?
A. Member departments receive beta software that are in line with the goals of the MSDN Academic Alliance, such as Visual Studio .NET. Under the End User License Agreement amendment from MSDN AA, beta software may be used in the same fashion as other MSDN AA software. Therefore, faculty and students may check out and install beta software on their personal computers. We do not recommend the installation of beta software on production machines. It is best to load it on a few computers for testing purposes.
Q. Is the program available in languages other than English?
A. The MSDN Academic Alliance program materials are available in 10 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Portuguese.
If active members need immediate access to the software, it is now available online for download at MSDN Subscriber Downloads.
Q. What are ISO image files and how do I use them?
A. Many products are posted as ISO-9660 image files. An ISO-9660 image file is an exact representation of a CD or DVD, including the content and the logical format. The most common use of an image file is to write it to a blank CD-R or DVD-R, resulting in an identical copy of the original disc including file name and volume label information. ISO image files may also be opened and their contents copied to a local folder, much like ZIP files. ISO files may also be virtually mounted and accessed as a device. These three methods of using ISO images are described below. Note: You may have to rename the file extension from .IMG or .UDF to .ISO, depending on your software.
- Writing ISO files to CD-R or DVD-R
- Most CD-R/DVD-R writing software includes a feature to create a disc from an image file. Note: you must use the special "copy image to CD" or "burn image" functionality. See your software’s Help for detailed information.
- The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit includes the DVDBURN.EXE command line tool.
- Testing CD-Rs and DVD-Rs
After a CD/DVD-R has been written, you can use the CRC tool to verify that the file was successfully written. - The CRC305.exe tool can be downloaded from MSDN Subscriber Downloads in the Tools, SDKs, DDKs folder.
- From a command prompt, run CRC305 filename (where filename is the image file name).
- Run CRC305 x (where x is the drive letter of the drive containing the CD/DVD-R). The CRC values should match.
Alternatively, there are many freeware programs available for calculating an SHA-1 hash value that is provided on each download page on MSDN Subscriber Downloads. Use your favorite Internet search engine to look for sha1 hash to find them.
- Copying the contents of ISO files
The contents of image files may be accessed directly using third-party tools. Using this method you can extract the files from an image file to a temporary folder on your hard drive, then run setup. The following tools offer such image file support:
The products listed above have been known to work. Other products that can manipulate ISO files may work, but have not been tested.
Q. Why is there a Designer AA program if the Expression products are included in MSDN AA?
A. The MSDN AA program is designed and intended to be used in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs. The Designer AA program is targeted toward designers and allows all products contained in the program to be used in Visualization, Illustration, Design, and Art (VIDA) subjects.
Q. What are the exact usage rights I have with the products offered in Designer AA?
A. The usage rights at a high level involve Academic use in all VIDA subjects, but the exact usage rights are described in the End User License Agreement.