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| Resources for Your Developer Toolbox |
| Theresa W. Carey |
ISA Server 2000 Intelligence Center
.gif) Aelita Software has added support for Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 through the EventAdmin IT intelligence center. ISA Server is the newest addition to the Microsoft .NET platform, geared to empower companies to Internet-enable their businesses and to allow developers to build products for the next generation of services that will be available on the Web.
EventAdmin collects, consolidates, and reports on ISA Server 2000 events to improve management, capacity planning, and security auditing. EventAdmin also collects, consolidates, and archives event logs across multiple directory services, applications, and systems. It takes advantage of the capabilities of Microsoft SQL Serverâ„¢ 7.0 and SQL Server 2000 to provide efficient warehousing and extensive data mining and analysis capabilities. It also includes a tool for event log archiving and mining called EventBank, which combines data compression, storage management, and online analytical processing (OLAP) to efficiently archive, access, and analyze huge amounts of data.
On Microsoft ISA Server 2000, EventAdmin collects and analyzes Web proxy and firewall event logs to monitor and report on incoming Internet traffic, security incidents, and firewall configuration. The product provides over 60 reports for ISA Server 2000 and can be configured to provide automatic notification of events that may indicate attempted security breaches.
Aelita Software
3978 North Hampton Drive
Powell, OH 43065
800-263-0036, 614-336-9223
https://www.aelita.com
Analyze Database Problems
.gif) Intrinsic Design Inc. has announced the availability of a new database analysis program, Coefficient, which is designed to assist users of SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 2000 in examining database activity and locating performance bottlenecks before these problems show up in a production environment. Coefficient uses the ability of SQL Server to trace database activity, then analyzes the output and produces results in HTML.
Coefficient monitors more than 49 different types of database activities, and then generates statistical information for those items. Developers can share the results with others in their organization since the output is not in a proprietary format. Coefficient can save you time by automatically interpreting and analyzing your database activity. You can examine execution plans for best and worst case scenarios for all SQL statements and stored procedures, and have a base level of performance on hand for comparison of each new version of your database. See which stored procedures and other SQL statements are consuming the most database resources and locate missing indexes and missing column statistics.
Coefficient tracks deadlocks, timeouts, attentions, errors, and warnings, and monitors stored procedure recompilation and caching. You can trace database activity using Coefficient's wizards, then run the analysis on the database trace. The program runs on any client computer or directly on your database server (no server components required). Check out a demo of the program on the company Web site.
Intrinsic Design Inc.
210 Barclay Drive
Hockessin, DE 19707
888-241-9411, 302-239-6100
https://www.idisoft.com
Wireless Software Architecture
.gif) SYWARE Inc. recently introduced mEnable, a wireless software architecture that allows mobile users to access and modify server data in real time. With mEnable, enterprises and integrators can develop or extend data-driven applications with interactive, wireless access to corporate data. The mEnable architecture allows any application written in C++ or Visual Basic® to wirelessly read from or write to any ODBC-enabled data source, such as SQL Server, Oracle, Microsoft Access, and Sybase. Using the TCP/IP protocol, mEnable communicates over LAN, WAN, or Internet connections, whether wireless or wired.
With mEnable, synchronization is no longer required to access server data. mEnable allows every developer using Visual Basic or C++ to instantly become a wireless developer. Support for TCP/IP also allows mEnable to work with the Bluetooth protocol for short-range wireless communication, enabling users to operate a handheld data device while a cell phone provides the long-range connection. mEnable solves synchronization problems for users who have had to rely on local data that had been previously downloaded and was no longer current. All users, both mobile and fixed, work from a consistent up-to-date data source.
mEnable runs on Windows®-powered mobile devices, including Pocket PCs and all devices running Windows CE, Windows 9x, Windows 2000, or Windows NT®.
SYWARE Inc.
P.O. Box 425091
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-497-1300
https://www.syware.com
.gif) STATmedia limited has announced the release of its Instant Buttons & Controls (IB&C) plug-in, Transparencies. Transparencies enables the use of Lingo, behaviors, sound, and images packaged together for drag and drop installation into Macromedia Director 8 movies.
The first series consists of three sets of colored buttons: the Fire, Smoke, and Water series. Within each set are nine distinct types of button, each with a set of visual characteristics and behaviors: 360-degree Arrows, Quicksilver Arrows, Dial, Droplet, Pill, Toggle, Video Controllers, and Magnifier. These buttons allow backgrounds to shine through for cool visual effects.
Transparencies extends the franchise of earlier IB&C sets with a multilayered architecture; all Lingo, behaviors, sound, and images are interchangeable. This means that any layer of one colored button (such as the top layer of a Fire button) may be used to create a hybrid button (such as the base layer of a Smoke button, for example), giving it a Water graphic when rolled over. Transparencies is available for electronic purchase and download at https://www.statmedia.com/transparencies.html. It must be used with the Instant Buttons & Controls v3.7 CD-ROM, a Macromedia Director Xtra.
STATmedia limited
7077 E. Shorecrest Drive
Anaheim Hills, CA 92807
714-280-0038
https://www.statmedia.com
Manage Access Control Lists
.gif) Trusted Systems Services Inc. (TSS) announced the release of SuperCACLS 3.0, the command-line utility for managing Access Control Lists (ACLs) for Windows 2000. SuperCACLS 3.0 is a suite of four utilities for printing, replacing, and modifying the regular ACLs and Audit SACL of both the NTFS file system and Registry on local or remote hosts. The SuperCACLS commands handle all ACL configurations common on Windows NT and Windows 2000 platforms. Internally, they always apply the standard Windows NT or Windows 2000 ACL manager format so that all ACLs they apply or change are compatible with standard interfaces in Windows NT or Windows 2000. The commands support a privilege override mode that lets privileged administrators override almost all of Windows NT and Windows 2000 ACL protections.
TSS has also researched and created security installation guidelines for Windows NT funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) Research Group, and has published a textbook on installing and using Windows NT-based networks securely called Windows NT Security Guide by Stephen A. Sutton (Addison-Wesley, 1996). They also offer a Windows NT administrator security software tool called AdvancedChecker.
Trusted Systems Services Inc.
1107 South Orchard
Urbana, IL 61801
217-344-0996
https://www.trustedsystems.com
.gif) FairCom Corporation is now publishing the FairCom ODBC Driver version 3.10 in both 16-bit and 32-bit models. Both drivers support full read/write capabilities, enhanced file opening, and are thread-safe. This new version of the FairCom ODBC Driver can also read and update huge files (greater than four gigabytes) created by the FairCom server.
Full integration of the driver allows both the ODBC drivers and the FairCom Crystal Reports driver to share DLLs. FairCom Driver SDK developers need only develop one custom DLL for all three drivers.
In client/server mode, the driver supports SPX, TCP/IP, and NetBIOS communication protocols. Other features include a dictionary creation option, OEM to ANSI data conversion, debut settings, and padding for fixed-length strings.
FairCom also offers a new Driver SDK, which extends the functionality of the FairCom ODBC Driver, allowing the programmer to intercept c-tree Plus records before writing to disk, and before displaying to the user by building a customer c-tree Plus DLL.
FairCom Corporation
2100 Forum Boulevard,
Suite C
Columbia, MO 65203
800-234-8180, 573-445-6833
https://www.faircom.com
The Bookshelf
M & T Books (an imprint of IDG Books Worldwide Inc.) has published The Official InstallShield for Windows Installer Developer's Guide, providing insights into Windows Installer technology for developers. Written by software installation expert and InstallShield insider Bob Baker, the book is a guide to the Windows Installer Service and the Microsoft guidelines for its use. Baker developed the guide based on first-hand industry experience gleaned while training InstallShield customers. The book also features a CD-ROM containing an evaluation copy of InstallShield for Windows Installer version 1.52. You can pick up a copy from any book retailer or order it online at https://www.installshield.com/training.
.gif) C#, the new language in .NET, is described in Ben Albahari's C# Essentials, published by O'Reilly. In this succinct overview of the language, the book introduces C# and the .NET common language runtime (CLR) and Base Class Libraries that support it. C# Essentials will help experienced programmers grasp the fundamentals of C# programming. In addition, C# Essentials includes coverage of C# language elements and syntax in reference format, major C# data types with code examples, basic C# programming tasks, interoperations with legacy Win32® APIs and COM components, and the use of C/C++ style pointers within the managed context of the CLR.
C# Essentials is written for developers who are already familiar with an object-oriented language such as C++, Smalltalk, Java, or Delphi. This book will help experienced programmers to get up to speed quickly on this new language for the Microsoft .NET platform. The introduction is available online at https://www.oreilly.com/catalog/csharpess/chapter/ch01.html.
Send your New Stuff to Theresa at newstuff@microsoft.com.
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Theresa W. Carey is a freelance writer who lives in California. Her byline has appeared in Barron's and PC World.
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