usa visa: The secret of Google's data center [TECH UPDATE]

Welcome to ZDNet's Tech Update Today for Fri., March 4, 2005

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THIS ISSUE:

DAN FARBER - The secret sauce of Google's data center

TOP NEWS HEADLINES FROM ZDNN - Windows for supercomputers likely out by fall - Netscape launches browser beta - Security firm trashes customer e-mails - Microsoft trades Windows discount for piracy info - Security patches issued for RealPlayers - New Lenovo takes shape - Telco agrees to stop blocking VoIP calls

LATEST BLOGS - Whither the ThinkPad? -- David Berlind - This company wants to sell me VoIP? Ha! -- Russell Shaw - Jakob Nielsen reports top 10 intranets -- Chris Jablonski - POA or SOA? -- Britton Manasco - Open source and PR -- Joe Brockmeier - Nelson exiting OSI presidency with non-proliferation swan song? -- David Berlind

DAVID BERLIND'S PICKS - Will social databases give way to social protocols? - Which security vendors make the grade? - Goodbye, SOA grunt work - The most dangerous email attachments aren"t for humans

TUNE IN TO DAN AND DAVID - Intel CIO has wireless, Linux on the brain - Anytime, anywhere secure data access - Phishing: Watch out for scam spam - Finding IT talent still a challenge - Best practices in intrusion prevention

IN THE BLOGS - Could recent Microsoft clamp-downs, missteps accelerate Linux adoption?

REVIEWs - Haul heavy printing workloads with a network-ready laser

VIDEOCAST - Allchin: 64-bit Windows coming next month

COMMENTARY - Open Solaris and strategic consequences

PREVIOUSLY ON TECH UPDATE TODAY - 2006: The year of dual core, virtualization, WiMax - Rearden Commerce transforms business services - Microsoft fires back in database price war - Eclipse lights up Java crowd

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAN FARBER

The secret sauce of Google's data center

News.com's Martin LaMonica reports on the technical wizardry behind Google's data center operations, including dealing gracefully with system failures among its thousands of home-grown, Linux-based PC servers. Urs Hoelzle, Google vice president of engineering and of operations, also talked about the company's custom software for writing programs that run across thousands of servers and for recovering programs that fail. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61802-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOP NEWS HEADLINES FROM ZDNN

Windows for supercomputers likely out by fall http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61803-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Netscape launches browser beta http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61804-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Security firm trashes customer e-mails http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61805-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Microsoft trades Windows discount for piracy info http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61806-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Security patches issued for RealPlayers http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61807-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

New Lenovo takes shape http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61808-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Telco agrees to stop blocking VoIP calls http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61809-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LATEST BLOGS

Whither the ThinkPad? -- David Berlind http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61810-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

This company wants to sell me VoIP? Ha! -- Russell Shaw http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61811-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Jakob Nielsen reports top 10 intranets -- Chris Jablonski http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61812-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

POA or SOA? -- Britton Manasco http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61813-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Open source and PR -- Joe Brockmeier http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61814-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Nelson exiting OSI presidency with non-proliferation swan song? -- David Berlind http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61815-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAVID BERLIND'S PICKS

Will social databases give way to social protocols?

News that LinkedIn will start charging for tying job listings into its social network got me thinking about the long-term prospects for companies like LinkedIn, Ryze, and Plaxo that run hub-and-spoke relationship management databases. Not a week goes by where I don't get an invitation from one of these services to update an electronic Rolodex card that someone else is keeping about me. I'd much rather keep my own Rolodex card somewhere, say, on my blog. Could a protocol instead of a service be handling this? http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61816-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

LinkedIn to introduce fees http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61817-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Which security vendors make the grade?

The IT security business is undergoing profound changes, and not all its players are keeping up the pace. At last month's RSA Conference,

industry watcher Jon Oltsik met with top security companies to discern how business-centric and realistic a view they have of security-- and of

themselves. Some impressed him with their clarity of vision; others baffled with confusing messages. So, he graded them all. Does your security vendor get a passing grade? http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61818-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Charles Cooper: Symantec support, and why service stinks http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61819-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Goodbye, SOA grunt work

Thanks to standardization and Web services specs, today's IT systems and

processes, are pulling data out of stovepipes, and turning it into actionable information. That"s why business intelligence is booming. But Joe McKendrick is looking at deeper ramifications: "We"ve reached the point where most systematic tasks can be automated or standardized, or even outsourced... The ramifications extend to applications and systems development, which may be increasingly turned over to what Microsoft calls 'software factories.'" McKendrick asks: Are you seeing the impact of data center/development automation on your jobs? http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61820-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

The most dangerous email attachments aren"t for humans

In February, three anti-virus vendors -- Symantec, F-Secure, and Trend Micro -- revealed that their scanning systems could be compromised simply by decompressing infected e-mail attachments. The scary thing, writes George Ou, is such attachments require no user participation to trigger the exploit. Ou's advice: Until all your anti-virus scanning engines are

patched, block the offending attachments. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61821-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Take three: Antivirus apps could spread infection http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61822-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TUNE IN TO DAN AND DAVID

Intel CIO has wireless, Linux on the brain

Intel CIO Stacy Smith sits down with Dan Farber to share his challenge of saving money while increasing performance. Wireless technology, he says, will be outfitted for nontraditional spaces such as construction sites and hospitals. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61823-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Anytime, anywhere secure data access

The increasingly mobile workforce is now accustomed to accessing information from their corporate networks via phones, PDAs and laptops. In this Audiocast, we outline the requirements for provisioning a wireless infrastructure that provides mobile users with secure access to corporate data and applications anytime, anywhere. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61824-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Phishing: Watch out for scam spam

In this ZDNet Audiocast, David Berlind talks to Dave Jevans, chairman of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, about the latest phishing schemes and how to protect computers and networks from these attacks. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61825-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Finding IT talent still a challenge

In a CIO Sessions exclusive, Microsoft CIO Ron Markezich shares his thoughts on a range of topics, from Longhorn to security flaws in Internet Explorer to the biggest IT challenges facing Microsoft. PLAY VIDEO http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61826-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Best practices in intrusion prevention

Intrusion prevention is not just for large organizations anymore. Small and medium-sized businesses can also take advantage of this growing technology.In this audiocast, we'll discuss the advantages of intrusion prevention systems and how organizations can determine which system may be right for them. PLAY AUDIO http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61827-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THE BLOGS

Could recent Microsoft clamp-downs, missteps accelerate Linux adoption?

Is it me, or has there been a recent wave of headlines from Redmond that add up to a Microsoft clamp-down of the sort that could easily drive people away from destkop Windows? The most recent of these--and drawing a heated reaction from some ZDNet readers--is a report that Microsoft will start requiring XP Service Pack 2 for Automatic Update users. Also last week, Microsoft announced that it would no longer support product activation over the Internet for PCs that have Windows pre-installed. Security-wise, it was a dismal week for Redmond as well. Is Microsoft driving you to Linux? Join the discussion http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61828-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Between the Lines-- Subscribe to ZDNet's Feed http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61829-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REVIEWs

Haul heavy printing workloads with a network-ready laser

Our reviewers recommend these laser printers for grinding out your office's daily printing tasks. If you need to send several people's output to one printer that can spool out crisp text documents as well as charts and logos, you might find that animal here. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61830-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VIDEOCAST

Allchin: 64-bit Windows coming next month

We have it on tape: Windows platform Vice President Jim Allchin announces at the Intel Developer Forum that Microsoft's 64-bit versions of Windows for servers and workstations will ship next month. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61831-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMMENTARY

Open Solaris and strategic consequences

Is Sun's move to open Solaris more than just a case of jumping on a moving bandwagon? IT veteran Paul Murphy thinks so. "Like Java," writes Murphy, "Open Solaris may play an unexpected role in Sun's longer term strategic positioning." As IBM uses Linux to take out Microsoft, he predicts Java's data center role becoming "collateral damage" -- with Open Solaris redressing the balance. "Open Solaris may go down in history as one the finest examples of business strategy ever--unless, of course, it's just dumb luck." http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61832-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PREVIOUSLY ON TECH UPDATE TODAY

2006: The year of dual core, virtualization, WiMax

Intel Developer Forum: The way Intel executives see it, 2006 will be a breakout year in processor performance, virtualization technology and wireless broadband. With all the focus on dual- and multicore systems from Intel and AMD (as well as Sun and IBM), buyers who value a major performance boost should consider holding off purchases until those systems ship. By mid-2006, says Gartner's Martin Reynolds, multicore processors and virtualization technologies will deliver the biggest single performance increase ever for many applications. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61833-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Special Report: Intel Developer Forum http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61834-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Rearden Commerce transforms business services

Rearden Commerce's unique and likely successful product is an XML/Web services-based platform for orchestrating and automating travel, package shipping, conferencing and other business service requests for corporate employees and consumers. Founder and CEO Patrick Grady understands what it takes to win in his space. "We will be the lowest cost provider of services because of the stack we built," he says. If it can get a critical mass of business and consumer service providers and customers to map into the software stack, Dan Farber writes, Rearden Commerce just might live up to its hype. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61835-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Microsoft fires back in database price war

In a move that could lead to more price cuts in the database market, Microsoft yesterday introduced a lower cost version of its database software. SQL Server 2000 Workgroup, a version for small businesses priced at $3,899 per processor, is planned for the first half of this year, while the upcoming SQL Server 2005 update is due in the summer. With the revamped product suite, Microsoft intends to offer alternatives

to a range of rival software, including open-source products and databases from rivals Oracle and IBM, each of whom last year introduced lower-cost

editions of their databases in an effort to spur sales to medium-size customers. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61836-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

Eclipse lights up Java crowd

A little more than a year ago, detractors painted the Eclipse open-source project as nothing more than a ploy by IBM to sell its own software. Today, by most accounts, Eclipse is the center of innovation in the Java tools industry. This week's sold-out EclipseCon conference will fete its newest board members--IBM rivals BEA Systems, Sybase and Borland International--and detail the expanding list of development-related projects under Eclipse's purview. http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61837-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

David Berlind: Sun unphased by an Eclipse that's living up to its name http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=61838-45018394&brand=zdnet&ds=5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Friday, March 04, 2005

The secret of Google's data center [TECH UPDATE]