Does WSS Require SQL Server?
Karen Forster's Hey Microsoft! column is a good idea. I have a question about Windows SharePoint Services (WSS), the topic of Hey Microsoft!: "Collaborate with Us" (September 2004, InstantDoc ID 43567). The article states that you need only Windows Server 2003 to use WSS. But the information under Server Databases at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/sharepoint/sysreqs.mspx says you must have Microsoft SQL Server installed, a condition that will increase the price of using WSS. Do you really need SQL Server?
--Karla Fisher
kfisher@ymca.org
You need a version of SQL Server, but you can use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE), the free version of SQL Server that you can download from Microsoft's Web site. For more information about MSDE, see http://www.microsoft.com/sql/msde/default.asp. For information about how to choose the version of SQL Server that you need, see http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/wss/2/all/adminguide/en-us/stsd01.mspx.
--Karen Forster
Windows CE .NET PDAs
My company wants to deploy PDAs in all of our retail shops and we're considering two devices. Both devices come with Windows CE .NET 4.2, which I understand has built-in support for Protected EAP (PEAP) but doesn't do encryption. Can Mobile & Wireless author John D. Ruley point me in the right direction for finding an 802.1x client to sit on the PDA to encrypt and decrypt the data?
--Eli Belfer
eliyahub@spotlight.com.au
I don't have any experience with 802.1x on Windows CE .NET devices, but a quick Google search turned up lots of information. I'm under the impression that Windows CE .NET is supposed to have 802.1x support built in, although whether it's automatically configured (which Microsoft recommends) depends on the driver. I'd check with the vendors or just get one of each device, try them, and see what happens.
--John D. Ruley
SCSI Y-Cables
I found Doug Spindler's "Start Clustering!" (June 2004, InstantDoc ID 42603) very interesting and started setting up a cluster in our test environment. This setup is a good way to prove the need for a SAN for high-availability solutions for business. But, I couldn't find an external storage device that I could attach to two servers. I was also unable to find a SCSI Y-cable. I have an external SCSI hard drive that I'm trying to connect to the two servers. Can you help?
--Patrick.Graham
patrick.graham@preferredtrade.com
You probably already have a SCSI Y-cable; it's just a SCSI cable with three SCSI connectors. You might open the external drive box and see whether you can attach to the drive directly. The cable I use has 5 connectors. I attached the drive to one of the
middle connectors and the SCSI cards to the connectors on the ends. As you connect everything, remember to think about your SCSI IDs and the termination.
--Doug Spindler
What "Disabled" Rules Enable
"Windows XP SP2: Centralized Deployment and Defense" (August 2004, InstantDoc ID 43199), states that you can use "disabled" rules to prepopulate the Control Panel Windows Firewall applet's Programs and Services list with unselected exceptions and that doing so makes it easy to temporarily enable certain programs or ports. But this explanation isn't valid, mainly because the GUI doesn't let you edit an entry that you've already entered. The real reason why you'd want to put disabled entries into the exception list is to stop users from getting security warnings for applications that the AD administrators have deemed blockable. Users will get warnings for only unknown programs.
--Philip Colmer
philip.colmer@proquest.co.uk
Windows Server 2003 R2 Addendum
In Need to Know: "Windows Server 2003 Release 2" (August 2004, InstantDoc ID 43081), I discussed the features of the next release of the Windows Server 2003 OS. Since the article was published, Microsoft made several changes to the fledgling product. Although Microsoft will include a number of post-Windows 2003 feature packs in Release 2 (R2), Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) and Windows Update Services (WUS) won't be among them. The company is also unsure whether it will include the Bear Paw update to Windows 2003 Terminal Services in R2. Finally, although Microsoft hasn't yet decided on final pricing and licensing for R2, the company will commit to providing Software Assurance (SA) customers with R2 as part of their agreement.
--Paul Thurrott
EDITOR'S NOTE
Windows IT Pro welcomes feedback about the magazine. Send comments to letters@windowsitpro.com, and include your full name, email address, and daytime phone number. We edit all letters and replies for style, length, and clarity.
End of Article
Register
