With the release of SP1 for W2K3 , there was a number of changes to the HTTP API, which I find very useful.

There is some very obvious changes like the support for 64bit, but there has been lots more as well.

The basic list of these changes are:

• Improved Performance and Scalability
• Enhanced HTTP Error Logging
• HTTP API Kernel-Mode SSL Support
• HTTP API Parser Enhancements
• HTTP API Parser Exceptions
• WOW64 Support

Examples of the changes are the default hard limit of simultanous connections that was around 8000 or so (AFAIK). Obviously pre-SP1, you could overide this behavior (with the MaxConnections registry key), but thankfully in SP1 this default hard limit has been removed, with the only constraint being the physical resources of the tin (which on a good x64 kit, is very high indeed). For example, in this report on a standard 4way HP box, they cranked up x64 Windows to over 160,000+ open TCP sesssions, SWEET.

Also there has been lots of changes to the logging and the very strict parsing of HTTP headers. For me the new knobs to change the parsing behavior/compilance to HTTP 1.1 is a welcome addition.

With the following keys – AllowWeakHeaderNameSyntax, AllowWeakHeaderValueSyntax,  AllowCaseInsensitiveVerbs, AllowUnEscapedRestrictedChars – you have some very useful options for the rare case that you are using a funky piece of technology and making calls to a web service on W2K3. Obviously its better to try and make the funky technology generate valid HTTP 1.1 headers, but sometimes this is not an option and I have been bitten by this more than once over the last few years.

– Paul

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 3:39:04 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

One of the hidden treasures within SP1 for W2K3, is a new registry key that enables the processing of SSL to be performed in Kernel mode, as opposed to the current User mode process.

This optimisation gives a nice performance boost, but it pales in comparsion when you enable this feature on a x64 version of Windows 2003. Here you will find a comparsion of x86, x64 of Windows and the 64-bit 2.6.7 kernel in RHEL 4.0 and Solaris 10 64-bit Edition.

To enable the feature, you have to use the following reg key.

HKLM\System\Current Control Set\Services\HTTP\Parameters\EnableKernelSsl = (DWORD)1

After that...do a quick net stop http & net start http and Kernel Mode will be used tranparently.

[info via Windows Server Division blog]

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 3:44:04 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [2] | 

Windows Server: Taking Advantage of 64-Bit Computing

<extract>
The Windows Server 2003: Taking Advantage of 64-Bit Computing course provides detailed information for ISVs, customers, and developers seeking to migrate existing applications and functionality from Windows 32-bit to Windows 64-bit.
</extract>

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 1:38:30 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

My good friend, Eamon O'Tuathail of Clipcode ,  – current EMEA Security Champion – has a great idea, that a bunch of us should join together and write a number of freely available public domain books.

The first book we are going to tackle is ASP.NET v2 and you can get the description for the book at http://www.clipcode.cc/books/id/005/index.html

A number of us are already signed up, including Pascal, Kieran, plus a few others

ASP.NET V2 is not the only book on the way, there is lots more, including The Agile Software Development Process, Active Directory For Developers, and more to come. I will blog the complete list later.

If you would like to help write any of these books, please contact publisher@clipcode.cc or place a comment below.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 12:34:11 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

Via, Arul Kumaravel’s blog, Monad beta is available.

“To get Monad Preview

1. go to http://beta.microsoft.com

2. login using  guestid mshPDC

3. You will get information to download the monad bits.”

For more details on what is Monad, you can go to the Monad Wike, at http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.MSHWiki

– Paul

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 7:42:54 AM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

On the latest MSDN TV .NET Show, Robert Hess talks to Larry Sullivan, Volker Will, and Kevin Frei about 64bit Windows.The guys have done a nice piece on covering the 64bit Windows space, especially about how 32bit dll’s are not callable from 64bit processes, as well as how to properly handle ints and pointers, plus lots more.

As someone that has been through the 16–bit to 32bit migration process, I very much agree with them on the fact that the migration process to 64bit is soooo much simpler.

Good viewing and I would highly recommend.

– Paul

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 7:41:26 AM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

As we get closer to Longhorn Beta 1, news about the next releases are beginning to appear.

Bob Muglia, senior vice president for Microsoft's Windows Server Division was interviewed last week at TechEd by EWeek. You can read the interview at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1826615,00.asp

Enjoy,

– Paul

Monday, June 13, 2005 6:37:57 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

Chris Menegay has blogged about some Team System News from TechEd. Some of the news includes that if you are a “MSDN-U subscriber and want Team Suite, it will only be $1000 more per year (retail price), as opposed to the $2299 previously stated”.

More details are covered in Chris’s blog.

Saturday, June 11, 2005 7:34:17 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

This is a free copy of Virtual Server 2005 Enterprise Edition for all TechEd 2005 Europe attenees.

You can get the details at this link.

Friday, June 10, 2005 3:20:25 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

Richard Godfrey has blogged an interesting post on “Is it legal to be an 'Architect'?”, in the context of the title of ‘Architect’ being protected by English Law.

It seems the UK act in question is Architects Act 1997, with some guidance on its use can be found at this link

As pointed out by Richard, the Architects Registration Board (http://www.arb.org.uk), have commented on the use of architect in the ICT industry.

“In particular, the Board is aware of widespread use within the computer and IT industry of the word “architect” being incorporated into certain job descriptions, eg. “Systems Architect” or “Software Architect”. While such use may be a technical breach of the Act, the reason for and intention of continued regulation of title is principally to ensure that consumers of architects’ services are guaranteed a certain standard and quality of work.

It was never the intention of the Act to regulate the title for its own sake. The Board therefore takes a pragmatic view, and accepts that the use of the word “architect” causes no concern when used in a context which is clearly not related to the design and construction of buildings.”

I wonder is there such a law on the Irish statute books, probably not, phew!!  

Maybe I should cut back on using buildings as analogies, just to be on the safe side

or maybe on second thought……

What would be useful, is a more formalised way to define the architect moniker and better establish the taxonomy, as it is a widely used term and perhaps establishing a better definition of the word architect and how it related to the design and construction of Buildings systems, would clean up the huge variety of roles and the many defintions (for Enterprise, Solution, System, Application, Software and Technical architect). Certainly the upcoming certified architect programme, especially with its strucuture/process being close to that of a PhD board, is a huge leap in the right direction. I have always had great admiration for certain certifications in the industry, such as the Cisco’s CCNA, CCNP and CCIE, these are ultra hard to get and you earn your strips with them.

Friday, June 10, 2005 1:24:59 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

Hi All,

        As blogged by Damien, at the next NIMTUG meeting (Monday 20th June) we are going to cover Indigo. For more information and to register for the talk please visit http://nimtug.org/20-june-2005.aspx. If you're not a member you'll have to join first before registering for the talk. Membership and registration for the talks are free & there's social gathering after the talk with some food & drink.

If you have any special areas of Indigo you would  like covered, please feel free to place a comment below or shot me an email at paul at paulfallon.com.

Hope to see you there,

– Paul

Thursday, June 09, 2005 8:03:55 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

via Scott Woodgate – Lead Product Manager for BTS 

on his blog, he has just posted an entry on a new whitepaper that helps to better understand  Microsoft's Integration Technologies.

<extract>

This whitepaper is a collaborative effort between members of the MSMQ, "Indigo", SQL SSIS, SQL SSB, SQL Replication, Host Integration Server and BizTalk Server teams.  The whitepaper describes the core use-cases for these technologies and when to use which technology.  Accompanying this whitepaper are the TechEd session which I delivered this week and will be on the TechEd DVD.

This paper will be posted to the SQL, BTS MSDN dev centers in due course.  If you want it now then go to groups.msn.com and join the biztalkserverstuff group and then download the file from here (otherwise you will get a download error). ………………….

</extract>

The blog entry can can be found at this link

– Paul

Wednesday, June 08, 2005 11:08:15 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

I’m a bit late with this one, apologies if you have seen it already.

Scott Woodgate – Lead Product Manager for BTS  –  last month did a short 15 mins MSDN TV recording on Biztalk and Indigo.

You can view the video here and see the transcript at this link.

Rgds,

P.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005 11:04:18 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

While watching the TechEd Keynote, there were lots of very interesting demos etc.. but one of the things that perhaps may have been a bit of a shock was the demo where they ran Windows on Sun tin.

It was over a year ago that Sun started to put their kit through some of the WHQL (Windows hardware Quality Labs) compatibility tests. I found this link, that references some of the testing that was taking place back in April of last year. Interesting stuff, as far as I can recall, I think this is the first time that its been demoed by either party.

– Paul

Wednesday, June 08, 2005 12:26:52 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

Hi all,

          I just saw that Joe has kicked off a event reminder (to all registered members of INDA) for the Indigo Session in Cork ( the European Capital of Culture) , on the 29th of June at the National Software Center in Cork, at 6pm.

Just in case there are folks not registered yet, I thought I would blog a reminder also.

You can register at this link, http://www.developers.ie/session.aspx?s=12

Hope to see you all there,

Regards,

Paul

ps

if there any particular topics areas you would like covered, by all means drop a comment below or shot me an email.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005 11:13:37 AM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

Well its a little earlier than I thought, but it seems that we will have quad cores from both AMD (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23747) and Intel (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23748) by Q1 of next year.

Extremely interesting! So, at a guess this means that by this time next year we will have a min. of 20%+ adoption across customers in the market with dual core and low single digit with Quad, which is excellent stuff. And lets not forget the adoption of 64bit! and also that the Whidbey wave can target both x64 and I64 (with RTM in early Nov this year), which means the Fx, SQL2005 and BTS2006 and going forward, so will Indigo and many more coming products/technologies in the pipeline.

Wow, very interesting times indeed. and this is not even mentioning all of the Virtualisation technology coming the pipline in the next 12–24 months.

For example, there is
– the new Beta of SP1 for Vitual Server 2005, which will offer 64bit hosts for 32bit guests, plus much more
– Windows hypervisor (see this ZDNET article that covers some of the announcements/discussions at TechEd this week)
– AMD’s “Pacifica” virtualisation extensions
     – which seems to be focused as an architectural piece/play across the AMD64 product lines (AFAIK).
– Intel’s VT extenstions ( AFAIK, these timelines and packagings are correct)
     – Lyndon coming for the desktop P4 in 2005
     – Averill coming for the desktop P4 in 2006
     – Mobile dual core processor code-named “Yonah” coming in 2006
     – Millington / DP Montvale coming for the DP (dual proc) IPF/Itanium product line in ‘05/’06
     – and in 2006, there will Bensley and Glidewell for the DP Xeon product lines

Hey, lots of things to keep up with!

HTH,

Paul

Wednesday, June 08, 2005 9:29:07 AM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [0] | 

A webcast of Steve Ballmer’s Tech·Ed 2005 Keynote: "Delivering New Value to the Business" can be found here

Tuesday, June 07, 2005 7:18:30 PM UTC |  | Disclaimer | Comments [3] |