EDITOR'S NOTE: Windows & .NET Magazine welcomes feedback from readers about the magazine. Please include your name, email address, and daytime phone number with your letter. We edit all letters and replies for style, length, and clarity.
A New Wrapper
Notice a difference? This month's Windows & .NET Magazine debuts our latest look and feel. We're listening! Readers said, "Some of the artwork looks too much like advertising, so we end up missing some good articles." In response, Senior Art Director Larry Purvis designed sleek, straightforward new layouts to eliminate any confusion for readers. You also said, "Don't get too far ahead of us, and make it easy for us to find the articles we need." So we've organized and tagged our content and streamlined our Table of Contents so that you can easily identify which articles are must-reads for you.
Want quick-reads that highlight IT industry trends and essential news about key technologies and products? Then visit the Scope It section first. Need in-depth strategic content that will help you make sound IT business decisions for your enterprise? The Plan It section is next on your list. Check out the Buy It section for the information you need to make smart technology and product purchasing decisions. And for all of you who must keep the IT infrastructure up and running, the Solve It section provides in-depth knowledge and advice, step-by-step instructions, and answers to questions about how to configure, manage, troubleshoot, and maintain your enterprise environment. Finally, if your job requires you to support remote employees or telecommuters, the Connected Home Office section addresses the special concerns you face to securely connect a remote office to your enterprise network.
As IT environments continue to increase in complexity, staying up-to-date so that you can plan for and support new technology, keep multiple platforms coexisting harmoniously, and maintain highly available, secure environments becomes even more important. Windows & .NET Magazine renews its commitment to provide the information you need to successfully carry out your ever-evolving jobs. We're here to serve you. Please continue to keep us aware of what you need, and we'll continue to deliver the people, content, and products that make your job easier.
—Janet Robbins
Editor in Chief
My Help Desk Software
I read Mark Weitz's Market Watch: "Help Desk Software" (May 2002, InstantDoc ID 24550), which is informative but doesn't include the software I'm evaluating. The product, Leigh Business Enterprises' LBE Web Helpdesk (http://www.lbehelpdesk.com) is Web-based, has a robust feature set, and is very easy to set up. I emailed LBE's tech support for help, and within 2 hours, I received an answer that solved the problem.
This software costs less than the products you mention in the article. Does the magazine consider more than price when it evaluates quality software?
—Daniel Wyatt
dwyatt@galaxycable.com
We're always glad to hear about other products that are full-featured and backed with good technical support. Starting next month, we'll run a new column, What's Hot, in the Buy It section to showcase products that readers rave about. To recommend a product that's made your systems administrator job easier, send your story to whatshot@winnetmag.com.
—Mark Weitz
Software Update Service
Paul Niser's "Managing Security Hotfixes" (July 2002, InstantDoc ID 25316) came out just a few weeks too early to include Microsoft Software Update Services. SUS lets network administrators host a Microsoft Windows Update server internally and automatically push critical updates to Windows XP and Windows 2000 clients and servers through Active Directory (AD) Group Policy. (AD isn't a requirement; registry hacks are available.) Administrators control which critical updates to approve for distribution, and they can schedule these updates to take place overnight so that if needed, a reboot doesn't inconvenience users. SUS is available as a free download from Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com). One SUS server can support 15,000 or more clients.
—Brian Barnicle
bmb@uic.edu
SUS is a very exciting option for Windows environments. Creating an SUS server and configuring the clients is quite simple, and best of all, SUS is free. However, you'll want to think about how to best implement SUS in your network. Determining which workstations and servers will use the update service and scheduling the updates are critical components to an SUS deployment. SUS doesn't solve all the update concerns. For example, only XP and Win2K clients will run the new Automatic Update client. Windows NT workstations and servers can't rely on SUS. Also, the Automatic Update client must be installed individually unless you're running XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), Win2K SP3, or any of the Windows .NET Server (Win.NET Server) products. In those cases, the client is included, and you only need to configure it through the registry or Group Policy.
—Paul Niser
OOPS
New & Improved Product Spotlight: "Monitor Your Systems 24 X 7" (July 2002) includes incorrect phone numbers for MKS. You can reach MKS at 703-803-3343 or 800-637-8034. We apologize for any inconvenience this error might have caused.