From ActiveWin.com

The ActiveWin Team is proud to present part one of our Windows Server 2008 Review. In it we take a look at some old and new technologies. Some common scenarios such as promoting Windows Server 2008 to a Domain Controller, install and configure DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), DNS (Domain Name System) and IIS 7.0 (Internet Information Server). Windows Server 2003’s revolving theme was doing more with less; Server 2008 is about strengthening that foundation and providing new opportunities to take advantage of the latest in processing power and hot new technologies like virtualization.

Check it out here

There are two types of time constraints for embedded systems: stringent and mild.
Stringent time constraints require that the system react in a predefined time frame; otherwise, ca tastrophic events happen. Take for instance a factory where workers have to handle materials being cut by large equipment. As a safety precaution, optical detectors are placed around the blades to detect the presence of the specially colored gloves used by the workers. When the system is alerted that a worker’s hand is in danger, it must stop the blades immediately. It can’t wait for some disk I/O operation involving reading data in from a Linux swap device (for example, swapping back in the memory storing safety management task code) or for some running task to relinquish the CPU. This system has stringent time requirements; it is a hard real-time system. If it doesn’t respond, somebody might lose an arm. Device failure modes don’t get much more painful than that.

Streaming audio systems and consumer devices such as MP3 players and cell phones would also qualify as having stringent requirements, because any transient lagging in audio is usually perceived as bothersome by the users, and failure to contact a cellular tower within a certain time will result in an active call being dropped. Yet, these latter systems would mostly qualify as having soft real-time requirements, because the failure of the application to perform in a timely fashion all the time isn’t catastrophic, as it would be for a hard real-time system. In other words, although infrequent failures will be tolerated—a call being dropped once in a while is an annoying frustration users already live with—the system should be designed to have stringent time requirements. Soft real-time requirements are often the target of embedded Linux vendors that don’t want the (potential) liability of guaranteeing hard real-time but are confident in the abilities of their product to provide, for example, reliable cell phone base-band GSM call management capabilities.

Mild time constraints vary a lot in requirements, but they generally apply to systems where timely responsiveness isn’t necessarily critical. If an automated teller takes 10 more seconds to complete a transaction, it’s generally not problematic (of course, at some point, the user is going to give up on the system and assume it’s never going to respond). The same is true for a PDA that takes a certain number of seconds to start an application. The extra time may make the system seem slow, but it won’t affect the end result. Nonetheless, it’s important that the system make the user aware that it is, in fact, doing something with this time and hasn’t gone out for lunch. Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing whether a system is still working or has crashed.

Source of information : OReilly Building Embedded Linux Systems

• Microsoft’s goal is to deliver both SP2 releases before it delivers Windows 7 in order to lessen confusion among users as to whether to deploy Vista and Windows Server 2008 — or to wait for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (a k a Windows 7 Server). Currently, Microsoft is believed to be attempting to RTM Windows 7 in the second half of 2009. The Softies have said Windows Server 2008 R2 is on track for 2010.
• Because Microsoft is trying to keep Windows client and server code in lock-step, Windows Server 2008 was built around the Vista SP1 codebase. That’s why the first standalone service pack for Server 2008 is being called SP2. As many customers still are reticent to deploy a new OS until the first standalone SP goes out, Microsoft also is pushing to get SP2 for server out there to convince these users to consider upgrading.
• The biggest deliverable in SP2 for Windows Server 2008 will be the integration of the Hyper-V bits with the server OS.

We’ve covered setting  up a two node failover cluster in Windows Server 2008 and now that we have that running we can start to cluster some services and/or applications.  In this example we’ll cluster File Services to create a highly available file share.  To start we can simply right-click Services and Application under the cluster and choose Configure a Service or Application.

From there we are presented with a list of services and applications that can be clustered.

 

Simply choose the service or application you want to make highly available…

 

A quick system check will ensure you have the required components in place.  The proper install order would be:

• Clustering Role
• Role, Service or Application to be clustered

We will choose the File Server role as it is already installed.

 

You will have to provide a name (used by NetBIOS and DNS) as well as the public IP address you wish to use.  This will be the IP that users connect to gain access to resources.

 

Next select the disk you wish to assign to this cluster.  This will be the disk that contains the shares and files.

 

Finish out the wizard and once it is complete you will see the service or application appear in the list as well as it’s status, the type and the current owner (aka the node holding the role at this time).

 

If you wish to move it to the other node in the cluster simply right-click the name and choose Move this Service or Application to Another Node and choose the node.

 

The resources will be re-assigned to the other node and after a brief outage be back online for users to access.

For more information see:

TechNet Virtual Lab: Creating a Highly Available Infrastructure

TechNet Virtual Lab: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Failover Clustering Lab

Step-by-Step Guide for Configuring a Two-Node File Server Failover Cluster in Windows Server 2008

Failover Clustering Resource Center

Rarely would you see a computer owner be satisfied with the usual default themes and images that they see on their desktop at first boot. Themes can be changed and so can the default locations of things components such as the sidebars. Before you know it, you have a unique looking computer desktop that suits you perfectly and makes it easier for you to use.

Ideally, it would be best to turn to simple looking desktops. But the problem is defining simplicity and complicated desktops. We all have our own ways of making good desktops based on our taste. Perhaps the best way to go about it is to look around for ideas and tips on how to conceptualize a unique but ideal desktop.

Here are some tips and tricks you may want to consider to get the ideal desktop that varies from the ordinary ones today:

1. Get a Constantly Changing Background
2. Cleaning up those Icons
3. Download a Dock
4. The Ultimate Background
5. Get even more wallpapers
6. Move the Sidebar
7. Style your Sidebar

Now this may be easy for Windows Vista. For the other users who are still hooked on Windows XP and other prior releases, you can do the same. The ways to go about it is simple since all you have to do is to go to the control panel and click on the Display settings or Themes (if you have one) and you are on your way to get that unique desktop you have in mind.

Source