Entries tagged with over the edge - TechNet Edge

IE 8 security PM video interview

David Tesar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:19:00 GMT

Kymberlee Price, Program Manager for the IE 8 team, gives us insight into IE 8 and browser security. She starts off by answering why there sometimes is a perception IE 8 is less secure than other browsers. The rest of the interview breaks down as follows:

[1:47] Some areas where IE 8 stands out with innovation in security

Smart Screen Filter
[3:27] Cross-Site-Scripting (XSS) - [4:22] Why we chose to protect against just one of the types of attacks
[5:15] Click Jacking – what it is, [7:36] what we’re doing to tackle this problem, and general guidelines [8:43] to know if you’re website is susceptible to this type of attack

[10:10] What are the most prevalent threats in browser security and how it relates to the “Month of browser bugs”

[13:31] What the IE team does to stay ahead of the curve with security

[16:02] Personal story with IE 8 and family security features

If you decide to tune in to “Over the Edge” at [17:34] you’ll hear about: stained glass, Blue Hat, US Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation, IE 8 on Win 7, Hack or Halo, Kim Possible, Ship It, Spawn’s Agent 8, Cat woman, Rosie the Riveter, Dilbert, Def Con, and her book recommendations.

Interview with Mark Russinovich: the future of Sysinternals, Security, Windows

David Tesar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:35:00 GMT

I was able to get some time to chat with Mark Russinovich in his office and ask about the future of the sysinternals tools, security, and windows (beyond Windows 7). Here's how it breaks down:

What surprises Mark has had since he joined Microsoft
How much time he spends on Sysinternal tools and other things
02:53 - His interaction and stories with Bill Gates
06:16 - What the future of sysinteral / winternal tools looks like
- 08:21 - considerations for integration with Netmon 3
- 09:25 - Security monitoring (i.e. AD, WMI, other objects)
12:14 - A day where we don't have to go into so much depth to fix software/computer problems
17:06 - What the future of security holds
24:57 - Problems with behavioral based security mechanisms versus whitelisting / blacklisting
27:10 - With talks of things like Midori, do we need to scrap the entire Windows code base and start over?
- MinWin
- The limitations of Windows now and the future of Windows
34:03 - Should Microsoft make their own PC hardware?

If you decide to tune in for "Over the Edge" at 36:18, you'll find out about:

What he likes to do in his free time
What country he was born in
What languages he speaks
What books he reads and recommends
If he considers himself an IT Pro or Developer
Awards he's receieved
Famous Paintings

See other interviews with Mark done on Channel 9:
Mark Russinovich: From Winternals to Microsoft, On Windows Security, Windows CoreArch
Mark Russinovich: On Working at Microsoft, Windows Server 2008 Kernel, MinWin vs ServerCore, HyperV,

SBS 2008 Setup PM demo and interview

David Tesar — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Becky Ochs, Program manager for setup and OEM of Small Business Server 2008 (codename Cougar), tells us what changes have been made in the product since SBS 2003. She demos the setup wizard of an OEM server using the unattend file, shows the new feature set on the SBS console, and explains the majority of the GUI options on the new SBS Answer File tool (SBSAfg). Also, she explains things you might ask yourself like: why you can't rename the domain name for an SBS server and why you can't use a routable public IP.

If you decide to tune in to "Over the Edge" at 23:49, you can hear from Becky about what it's like being a woman in IT, her opinion on why more women are not in IT, the IGNITE program, and a general tip for women who want to get started in IT.

Download the public preview version of EBS & SBS at: MultiplyYourPower.com

Essential Business Server (EBS) demo with Bjorn

David Tesar — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

The 1st public preview and pricing was announced for SBS and EBS yesterday and I had an interview with one of the program managers for EBS. Bjorn Levidow has been at Microsoft for 12 years and in this video he shows us the remote administration console for EBS, the easy recovery from problematic add-ins to EBS, and the licensing changes/enhancements which were made in the new version of the product.

If you tune in for "Over the Edge" at 17:54, you'll learn what a Thrakkorzog is, a bit about Bjorn's medieval experience, and a technique to help you memorize things more easily. One other thing I noticed after the camera was off was his PHD and a couple of patents hanging on the wall.

Download the public preview version of EBS & SBS at: MultiplyYourPower.com

Robots in the Data Center?

Adam Bomb — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:01:00 GMT

We were really excited when the Robotics Research team approached us to debut their latest piece of technology. We've seen robots used extensively in manufacturing and other industries, but this is the first time we've seen general purpose robotics put to use in IT.
David got the full scoop and product demo directly from the research team.
Truly revolutionary work. Can't wait to see one in every datacenter.
(hopefully, you've realized that this video is a joke. April Fools!)

Windows Server 2008 - AD RODC PM interview

David Tesar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:59:00 GMT

I met up with Gregoire Guetat, a program manager (PM) who has worked on Dcpromo, ADPrep, Replication Engine, and RODC. In this video, he tells us why the team decided to create the RODC, recommendations for best practices with RODC (RODC + Server Core and Bitlocker), his take on virtualization of DCs, why "USN Bubbles" are bad and why you can't have one on a RODC, tip on where the RODCs should point for DNS, explanation of details for two-staged DC promotions & Install from Media (IFM). Also, the DS team is planning on coming out with a white paper for guidance on having RODCs in the DMZ. He also tells us a couple other things which are coming up on the DS team and explains what interoperability there is currently with RODC and Exchange.

If you decide to tune into "Over the Edge" at ~20:45, you'll hear about where he's from in France, what are the best places to visit there, and also hear about his Whirlyball experience.

Server 2008 launch interview with Iain McDonald

David Tesar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:59:00 GMT

Iain McDonald helped create the vision document for Windows Server 2008 and saw it through with his team to completion. In this interview, he tells us some of the things he likes they have accomplished with the launch of WS08 today. You'll discover Iain is an IT pro too, with 12TB of storage at home. Also, you'll get the inside scoop on what really goes on behind naming our server products and the release cycle.

To break this down a little further, you'll get to hear about:

Some of the challenges he experienced going from vision of WS08 server to launch and overcame, such as:

Cadence of releases to customers
Getting the right server for the job
Building in a more connected system
Improving storage and backup
Creating more secure access to data & automatically fixing errors/problems
Better management

Explanation the role the IT Pro has played in shaping the product and what he does to create the vision for the upcoming server products.

Why we are calling Windows Server 2008 SP1 on its RTM release

"Mommy, Why is there a server in the house?" - Iain gives us an idea of his own personal IT setup at home.

How they really come up with the names for the server products and a little history behind how we came up with the codenames whistler, blackcomb, and longhorn and how we no longer use these anymore. He doesn't think anyone enjoys the codenames - do you?

How they determine the release schedule

If you decide to tune in for "Over the Edge" @ 20:33, some of the things you'll see:
Windows Server 2003 R2 comedic poster, Windows 95 launch pass, Iain driving Brian Valentine wearing a pink ballerina outfit (tutu) on his motorcycle, Iain's band from 1985, an Australian $10 bill, "big mofo" heat sinks, and a picture of Iain at the Nasdaq.

Windows Server 2008 - Server Core PM Andrew Mason

David Tesar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 07:59:00 GMT

I was able to meet with Andrew during the one week he was in Redmond for the month to talk about the new Server Core functionality which is available with Server 2008. In this interview, we cover: why server core exists, explanation of what MinWin is, the differences between MinWin and server core, why MinWin was created, see what ideas Andrew has on the future of server core, see what practical application you could currently have with a USB stick, his personal viewpoints on whether or not powershell and the .Net framework should be on server core, and get some management and other tips: see his server core blog, check out the step-by-step guide for server core, use unattend files, and enable the mmc to work through the firewall.

For "Over the Edge", in the office Andrew works he'll come out of "night vision" and we'll see his true colors. Also, be prepared for a server on rollerblades, some Windows branded alcohol (yes, whiskey) which looks like a JD bottle, a Server 2008 shot glass, some old school books & games he used to read/play, and a tiny little bit about what Andrew does outside of working on server core.

Other than the .Net framework and Powershell being able to run on server core (which they are working on), what would you like to see in the next versions of server core?

MSCOM OPS with Microsoft.com, WS08, IIS7, and the Lone Server

David Tesar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:14:00 GMT

I sat down with Jeff Toews, a member of the Microsoft.com Operations (MSCOM OPS) Engineering Team which is responsible for managing, maintaining, and deploying all of the servers which host Microsoft.com and thousands of other MS websites.

In this interview, you get to learn a little bit about Microsoft's hosting environment and configuration, some good tips on migrating from WS03 / IIS 6, knowledge into some of the new IIS 7 features, and we learn the truth behind the Lone Server!

Because this one is a little bit long, I'm providing the breakdown for what is where in the video:
00:00 - Who Jeff is and what he and his team does
04:29 - What the environment & hardware config is like
06:20 - Steps they took to migrate from the start

Get it to install (worked with it in alpha)
Feedback / work with IIS7 product team
Configuration to test server
Performance testing & tuning (i.e. with WCAT, etc)
Move to single production box

12:32 - Challenges they had in the migration
14:37 - Specific tips on how to migrate from IIS6 to IIS7
18:18 - Migration from classic to integrated mode difficult?
19:30 - Benefits of Integrated Mode
28:58 - Performance Tips: Caching/compression/tuning dynamic content
33:15 - Does the Lone Server really exist?
35:40 - A final summary and information about failure request event buffering (FREB).
37:56 - Over the Edge

For "Over the Edge", learn about special edition Jimi Hendrix vodka, KEXP, see liquid which is "the size of a small infant" and the Beatles, and get Jeff's IIS7 book recommendations.

Solution Accelerators Beta release PM interview - Part 2

David Tesar — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:00:00 GMT

In this second and final part of the interview with Baldwin Ng, we dive straight into a demo of the new Beta version of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) solution accelerator. Check out what the console looks like as we walk through a sample discovery and see what some of the reports look like. After this, we talk to Baldwin about what some of the biggest challenges there are with the MAP tool and tips for using or deploying MAP in your environment.

The 1st part to this series can be found here.

Also, don’t miss out on the “Over the Edge” section at the end where Baldwin tells us about his most embarrassing moment and gives his personal book tip.

What would you like to see in the next version of the solution accelerators?

An interview with Kyril Faenov on High Performance Computing (HPC) / Windows Compute Cluster Server

David Tesar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:01:00 GMT

I chatted with Kyril Faenov, the general program manager of HPC, and asked things like why Microsoft even decided to get into the high performance computing environment, what can be done with the product, and why you might use Microsoft’s HPC solution over the others. My knowledge of HPC was pretty limited, so this is a great one to watch for an interesting intro. HPC for the stock market, video rendering, people already using 10s of thousands of nodes? If you care to listen over the edge, you’ll find elephants from Thailand, and some other interesting pieces from a known Russian artist.

Interview with Windows Server 2008 Virtualization program managers

David Tesar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:01:00 GMT

We sat down with couple program managers who are responsible for the development of Windows Server 2008 Virtualization – Mike Sterling and Arno Mihm. We asked them things like why you’d care to run Microsoft’s solution versus the competition, what hypervisor is, how hypervisor works, and plans for the future of Virtualization. If you care to listen over the edge, you’ll find a Darth Vader Potato head and insight into how some Microsoft employees spur creativity. As a side note, I need to say it’s truly not cool to be overheated in a single office with three people.

What is Microsoft Centro and why do I care?

David Tesar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:14:00 GMT

I sat down with Israel Hilerio, a program manager on the project codenamed Centro - now known as "Windows Essential Business Server", to figure out what this future product is all about. Is it just a new version of Small Business Server (SBS)? Definitely not. Check out a demo of what it looks like, what it provides, and if you care to listen over the Edge – hear some words from Star Wars’ Yoda.