Monthly Archives: October 2011
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Syndication
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October 29, 2011
File Server Enhancements in Windows Server 8
By Jim BanachFor as long as there have been corporate networks, people have needed a place to store files for collaboration. File servers are almost as ubiquitous as the computer with even home networks having small network appliances or entry servers such as Windows Home Server to allow people to access data. While SharePoint has come a long way and is improving every day, it’s still not a replacement for the file server (yet!). Large flies and files and services that need sustained throughput still perform best when backed by file servers.
Over the last few releases, the Windows server team has made some great pushes forward in file services such as SMB2, DFS-N and R, Failover Clustering and Access Based Enumeration. All of these have helped enhance performance, scalability and security of file services in the enterprise. Windows Server 8 builds on those enhancements and brings in some enhancements that really have the potential to be game changers in the world of file services.
In Windows Server 8, the SMB protocol has been updated to SMB 2.2. The latest update of the protocol builds on a lot of the performance improvements that were made in SMB 2 and works to add in a lot of additional features to build in additional redundancy. Some of those features include:
- Transparent failover and fault tolerance: One of the downsides of failover file clusters had been that during a failure of a node, all of the active sessions were disconnected. The new SMB 2.2 services will allow for services to fail between nodes without active sessions being disconnected
- Multi-Channel and Multi-Pathing: One of the new features will be for the ability to store Hyper-V VHDs and SQL databases on network file shares. To be able to support these services that require to have an always on connection to the data, SMB now takes on many of the same techniques that have been used by block level network storage such as iSCSI and can aggregate bandwidth and handle network failures without a disruption in service.
- Active – Active File Sharing: Traditionally, in a file server cluster, one node would do all the processing and the other node would sit idly by waiting for the other node to fail. By taking advantage of Cluster Shared Volumes, file services will be able to spread the CPU and network across multiple servers to help better optimize the resource usage and improve the client experience.
Microsoft has also been partnering with storage vendor such as EMC and NetApp to ensure that come release time large solution providers are able to provide fully integrated solutions.
These enhancements have the ability to help everyone from large enterprises to small businesses. Large enterprises will be able to consolidate their infrastructures and where previously they had to maintain both iSCSI and SMB networks to support their workloads would be able to do with SMB alone. Small Businesses will be able to realize a lower cost of entry into services such as scalability and performance that had only been available to large enterprises or specialized storage implementations.
You can check out SMB 2.2 and other new features of Windows Server 8 at the Microsoft Developer Preview Site.
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October 28, 2011
New Signature Teams Up with Mobile Commons for New Website
By Ben ByrneToday, the new website for Mobile Commons
— designed and built by New Signature — launched. We worked closely with Mobile Commons to update their brand and develop a new site architecture that would make it easier for potential clients to quickly understand what the Mobile Commons platform is — and what the benefits of using it are.The new brand was developed with the goal of presenting Mobile Commons as friendly and inspiring. We adapted the existing logo to be more dynamic and paired it with an expanded color palette (the blue is new) and new fonts to achieve a more welcoming presentation.
But the look was only a small part of the challenge. More important was re-architecting the site to more quickly communicate to users what Mobile Commons offers. This posed a unique challenge, as the audience for the site consists both of those who are looking to find out what mobile marketing is and how it works, and those who are looking for information on the Mobile Commons platform and what separates it from the competition. We also sought to position Mobile Commons as a leader in mobile marketing strategy by highlighting ideas and successes.
The new website is built on WordPress, an open source Content Management System (CMS) on top of PHP and MySQL. Often used as a blog platform, WordPress has many powerful features — including a plugin architecture and theming system — that allow it to be extended far beyond just blogging (see Mobile Commons’s case studies page for an example).
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New Signature Launches Americans United Website
By Craig Zingerline
New Signature is proud to announce a new website launch for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. We worked with the team at Americans United from discovery through launch for this new website. The website explores the issues surrounding Church and State Separation and is positioned to be both informational and action oriented.Discovery
Through analysis and research conducted during our discovery phase (which we call Phase 0), we explored several key components of the old website that were in need of updating, and also brought fresh ideas and recommendations to the table to drive change for the website.
In addition to showing a large featured content rotator on the home page, we moved key content above the fold that we knew people were regularly seeking out. During the discovery process we leveraged both qualitative and quantitative information to help determine actual user behavior on the site, and re-worked the information architecture based on this information.
Design
Working with the AU team, we outlined the goal for the site design. We wanted to create a new visual design for the website that conveyed an authoritative, current, dynamic feel, while at the same time evoking the organization’s deep history. We also wanted the design to evoke a connection to the grassroots foundation which is one of the core elements of their action-oriented mission.For this, we expanded on the existing color pallet that AU was using, but made sure to maintain the brand’s colors of red, white and blue.
Integration
The site was built using the open-source CMS Drupal, and incorporates many new modules developed to handle custom (and sometimes complex) features and functionality. We built out multiple Drupal content types, and tied in a very powerful faceted-search mechanism through Apache SolR.
To see a great example of SolR in action, check out this SolR search results page on the new site: http://www.au.org/search/site/separation
We built a very robust set of Donation management tools for the site, which include one-time and monthly giving options. This toolset allows the AU staff to create donation pages on the fly, including the ability to integrate custom “asks” for setting donation levels on the fly for repeat supporters. We built functionality that allows for posting payment through major credit cards as well as through PayPal.
We also integrated a custom SDK based map that starts at the country level, then allows for drill-down into individual state pages. These pages show local chapter information as well as legal and legislative information relevant to that state.If you have any Drupal needs, please contact us today to learn more about what we offer and how we can help.
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October 23, 2011
Windows PowerShell Web. Yeah, You Heard Me.
By David TrejoExciting news that came out earlier this month in the world of Windows PowerShell. Jan Egil Ring wrote about a great innovation in his “Windows PowerShell Web Access” blog post. “In the Windows Server Developer Preview (“Windows 8 Server”) released recently, a preview version of Windows PowerShell 3.0 is also included. In addition to the many news in the next version of PowerShell which I won`t cover in this article is a brand new feature named Windows PowerShell Web Access. As the name indicates this makes it possible to use Windows PowerShell using a browser from a computer, in addition to mobile devices.” Read his whole post for more and juicy screenshots! We have already been using Windows PowerShell Web Access here at New Signature and in brief–it rocks! I highly recommend you check it out!
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October 17, 2011
Two New Signature Projects Honored with Silver W3 Awards
By New Signature
One of two sites to win Silver Awards, Iamworkingmerica.com made use of HTML5 video to create an impact
The Winners of the 2011 W3 Awards were announced by the International Academy of the Visual Arts today, and we’re pleased to announce that two sites designed and built by New Signature were recognized. I Am Working America picked up a 2011 Silver Award in the Activism category, and ioby picked up not one but two 2011 Silver Awards — one for the Charitable Organizations / Non-Profit category and one for the Environmental Awareness category.
Receiving over 3,000 entries, the W3 Awards honors outstanding websites, web marketing, web video, and mobile apps created by the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide.
“This year’s W3 Winners demonstrate the out-of-the box thinking and creative execution that exemplifies what the Web is all about,” said Linda Day, the Executive Director of the IAVA. “On behalf of the entire Academy, congratulations to this year’s W³ Award entrants and winners for their dedication to pushing the limits and finding new ways to raise the bar in Web Creativity.”
We’re delighted to be so honored, and feel fortunate to work with clients that give us the opportunity to build webites of such high caliber.
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Jon Roskill Corporate Vice President @ Microsoft Speaks With Christopher Hertz About Windows Intune
By New SignatureChristopher Hertz and Jon Roskill, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft sat down to discuss how Microsoft Partners and their customers are winning with Windows Intune.
Jon has posted the video of this conversation to his blog as part of his post “Partners are Winning with Windows Intune. New release is even better.” As Jon mentions in his post, Windows Intune is a breakthrough product, helping customers manage and secure PCs using Windows cloud services and Windows 7 Enterprise. You can watch the video on his post, or embedded below.
As head of the Worldwide Partner Group, Jon Roskill is responsible for Microsoft’s worldwide channel strategy for the company’s commercial products and cloud offerings. In this capacity, Roskill leads a global sales and marketing team comprised of 5,000 employees and Microsoft’s 640,000 independently owned-and-operated partner companies, a channel that drives 95% of Microsoft’s annual revenue. Roskill leads the effort to activate Microsoft’s diverse partner ecosystem, which includes distributors, system integrators, value-added resellers, independent software vendors, and Web application developers, to Microsoft’s new cloud offerings.
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Windows Server 8 and Hyper-V 3.0
By David TrejoIt’s been a few weeks since the Microsoft BUILD conference and the Internet is still abuzz with talk of Windows Server 8. The next generation of Microsoft’s general purpose server operating system promises to be a revamped virtualization platform that introduces the world to Microsoft’s latest hypervisor, Hyper-V 3.0. ArsTechnica and others have covered the feature set in depth, but here is a summary of the most eye-catching Hyper-V 3.0 items for those of you that haven’t had a chance to see them yet:
- Up to 63-nodes, 4000 Virtual Machine Clusters
- Up to 32 vCPUs, 512GB RAM, and 2TB of disk space per Virtual Machine
- Increased Guest NUMA Support (memory segmentation for better performance)
- New VHDX storage containers with 16TB of capacity
- Support for concurrent Live Migrations using SAN (Storage Area Network) and DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
- Support for NAS (Network Attached Storage) using SMB 2.2 and NFS Protocols
- “Hyper-V Replica” built-in Asynchronous Virtual Machine Replication
- Integrated Source and Destination De-depulication
- Network Virtualization
- Cisco Nexus Virtual Switching and Routing Infrastructure Support
While the list is certainly impressive and is sure to make many Windows system administrators giddy, this release marks something greater than just an incremental upgrade for the Windows Server platform. Since it’s beginnings, Hyper-V’s deliverables have been commendable but have lagged significantly behind competing products. While Microsoft has supported it with the robust System Center platform to great acclaim, the hypervisor itself has always been outmatched by its competitors. With this release of Hyper-V, Microsoft has finally started focusing of achieving feature-parity with competitor hypervisor offerings. The promised updates to the Windows Server platform represent a more mature approach to virtualization, providing a feature-rich and high-performance platform that starts with hypervisor itself, allowing it to stand on it’s own now more than ever.
Few expect the next release of the Windows Server platform to dethrone the latest release of VMware’s vSphere out of the gate, but it will definitely mark the tipping point for a lot of businesses on the fence out there. Until now, Windows Server platform’s Hyper-V has always been the “value add” hypervisor platform, with low cost and easy management as its two main selling points. Don’t get me wrong, Hyper-V is a fantastic product that has allowed many businesses to benefit greatly from the efficiency increases that virtualization brings, but many feel that they have done so at the cost of a greater feature set and performance. System Center has certainly helped, but customers and administrators alike have still wanted more at the root of the platform. Customers want better cost savings, better integration, and better performance now more than ever – and from what we have seen so far, Hyper-V 3.0 stands to deliver.
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Windows Intune 2.0
By Reed Wiedower
New Signature is extremely excited about the latest upgrade to Microsoft’s flagship cloud-based systems management product: Windows Intune. The upgrades just went into effect this morning, and Intune administrators can see some of the changes already in the interface. Customers just signing up for Intune can immediately begin to take advantage of the new features including:- Software distribution from the public cloud (of up to 20gb stored in Windows Azure for free)
- Advanced remote capabilities (remote scanning, rebooting and signature updating)
- Better reporting of hardware and software (customized reports can now be built and saved)
- Enhanced policy conflict handling (no more troubleshooting whether an on-premise group policy overwrote your Intune policy)
- 3rd party license management
- Read-only administration delegation
- An upgraded GUI to ease control of features and policies
The changes for existing Intune customers will begin to roll-out over the next few weeks, but new customers who sign up now can immediately begin experiencing these advanced features. Want to experience Intune’s ability to save money, provide greater security and manage machines regardless of whether they are in the office, on the road, or half the globe away? New Signature is a designated black belt Intune partner, the highest level of achievement Microsoft can bestow upon a partner. Reach out to us today to help you gain control over your desktops, increase staff satisfaction and reduce costs.
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October 14, 2011
Win Pro Bono IT Services and Solutions from New Signature!
By New SignatureTransform your nonprofit organization’s IT department with free services from New Signature, free cloud solutions from Microsoft, and inspiration from top IT experts — good toward practically any IT or online initiative! New Signature invites you to enter your organization in our 2011 Cloud Accelerate Giveaway, open to 501(c)(3) charitable organizations located in the United States and its territories, possessions and commonwealths.
The organization that wins the Grand Prize will receive 100 hours of pro bono IT services from New Signature, plus up to 25 licenses of Microsoft Windows Intune. One organization selected as the runner-up will receive 50 hours of pro bono IT services from us plus up to 10 licenses of Microsoft Windows Intune. And all entrants will have the opportunity to receive a free 25-license trial to Windows Intune and one hour of pro bono advisory Windows Intune support on how to leverage this powerful Microsoft Cloud solution.
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET on October 13th, 2011 until 5:00 p.m. ET on November 4, 2011, you may enter your organization in the 2011 Cloud Accelerate Giveaway by visiting our contest website and completing the online entry form (there’s a limit of one online entry, per valid email address, per eligible organization, per day). Please see the contest website for complete, official rules.
Windows Intune is a cloud-based service for Windows PC management and security, and includes a subscription license to Windows 7 Enterprise (and future versions of Windows). The Windows Intune cloud service centrally manages and secures PCs – whether in the main office, at a branch office, or on the road. A recent IDC study found that firms who deployed Windows Intune achieved a total savings of $702 per PC per year.
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October 12, 2011
Going Live With HTML5
By Seamus Leahy and Ben ByrneWe’ve been following HTML5 for several years now, and have been coding most of our web projects in HTML5 for the last year or two.
It was back in 2004 that Mozilla and Opera wrote a joint-position paper in support of HTML (over XHTML) to solve real-life problems, which resulted in the formation by Apple, Mozilla, and Opera of the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) that has spearheading the creation of HTML5. HTML5 provides solutions for many long-standing issues in developing websites. We’ve been using parts of HTML5 to provide a leg up for our clients, utilizing portions that have support among the latest versions of all browsers while gracefully degrading in older browser versions.
One major difference between HTML5 and what came before is enhanced form support. Forms are everywhere on the web, and for years developers have turned to Javascript enhancements to provide a better experience (such as the date pickers on nearly every travel-related website). HTML5 turns these common Javascript enhancements into native features — offering the possibility of increased performance and accessibility. HTML5 has support for color pickers, a date and time picker, number spinners, sliders, validation and more.
The accessibility is a great hidden feature because it doesn’t just benefit users that need special assistant devices (screen-readers); it benefits users on non-desktop devices such as smartphones and tablets. As an example, if an HTML5 text field is set to accept only email address or URLs, the small virtual keyboard on a smartphone could show either the ‘@’ symbol or the forward slash key, saving the user time.
Thanks to Apple’s not supporting Flash on the iPhone and iPad, the mostly widely known feature of HTML5 is probably the HTML5 video element. Besides its being great by not requiring additional plugins to watch videos in the browser, it can easily be integrated into the design and interaction in ways that would be time consuming with Flash. For example, on the I Am Working America site, we used the video element to create a moving background for real visual messaging impact. For those browsers that don’t support HTML5 video, the display gracefully falls back to a static image.
Probably the biggest usage of HTML5 video on the web is YouTube, which proves HTML5′s viability: Most people aren’t even aware when they’re using YouTube’s Flash video player and when they’re seeing the HTML5 video player.
But HTML5 is not all fancy controllers and multimedia elements. HTML5 offers a variety of new HTML elements, allowing for more semantic coding that facilities indexing and other machine-reading. HTML5 also provides a whole slew of Javascript APIs for creating richer and more powerful web applications. Just going over the list of high-level features is impressive: Web Workers, File API, WebGL, Web Storage, Offline Application Cache API, Geolocation, Audio and Video API, etc.
We used the Web Storage API for Factory Farm Map to store results for location, animal, and year after the first visit in order for subsequent visits to load up without requiring a call to the server. This provides a snappier response – even a month between visits.
At New Signature, HTML5 is a real benefit because it means that less work needs to be put into doing solving trivial problems such as date pickers. It gives us technology to create ever more stunning websites.
