MKS Interoperability Times

• Redmond Readers' Choice Awards 2007: MKS Toolkit Wins for Best Interoperability Product
• MKS X/Server is NOW Vista and 64-bit compatible
• Customer Alert: Upgrade your MKS Toolkit products if you plan to deploy Windows Vista!
• How Much Interoperability Do You Want?
• MKS Upcoming Events
• MKS Toolkit Quick Tips
• Buy MKS Products Online

The Readers' Choice awards are a clear and accurate view of Redmond Magazine readers' opinions. Once a year Redmond Magazine sends out a survey to their readers (where they can elect to take part or not) to choose the best of the best within various categories of software tools. Some of the categories are network management, application management, interoperability, performance management and general network to name a few.

Interoperability continues to be a big issue. Getting Windows to play nice and cohabitate with Linux and UNIX isn't always easy, but there are several strong tools that are helping ease that pain.

For the second year running, the Readers chose MKS Toolkit as the Best Interoperability product. MKS Toolkit wins here with a commanding 19 percent of the votes. This one is Cliff Brown's favorite solution. "One word: UNIX. Make that four words: architectural support for Windows." Centrify's DirectControl earned 7.9 percent of the votes and Centeris' Likewise was right behind with 7.8 percent.

See the full cover story: Star Power: Redmond Readers' Choice Awards 2007

If you are currently using Hummingbird Exceed, or any other PC X Server, the MKS X/Server can save you money!
Windows-based PCs continue to grow in the Enterprise but the fact remains - there will always be end users needing the computing power of UNIX/Linux. Whether you are looking for new PC X Servers or you are interested in reducing your existing X Server maintenance costs, we can help you save money.

• An immediate cost savings versus your yearly Exceed maintenance.
• Ongoing annual cost savings which could be as high as 80%
• Significant savings on any new PC X Server licenses you may need in the future.

• Secure Shell 2 Support included
• FTP and secure FTP clients
• 3D Graphics - OpenGL and GLX support. No additional 3D license is needed

MKS X/Server brings the Power of UNIX/Linux to Windows. Learn more on how you can better meet business demands, yet save substantial dollars.

MKS Toolkit v9.1 now supports Microsoft Windows Vista. Call us today to update your MKS Toolkit products, as earlier versions of MKS Toolkit will not work. All customers will need to update to version 9.1.

Microsoft had created some incompatibilities with their release of Window Vista, which is why you need to update older version of MKS Toolkit. Here are some examples of what functions will no longer work:

1. They broke the #1 rule of development and put security over backward compatibility
2. Some tricks are broken, like undocumented APIs are not present in DLLs, APPInit_DLLS no longer processed (DLL hooking)
3. Users run in a Penalty Box for example: users are asked are you sure you want to move the mouse there?
4. Virtualization
5. Some XP enabled features are now disabled by default

If you have a current PCS contract and wish to update your MKS Toolkit license(s) please contact us and you will receive an email with update instructions. PLEASE NOTE if you do not have a current PCS contract for all copies of MKS Toolkit currently in use, including MKS Toolkit and Runtime licenses you will either need to update your current licenses (depending on when your PCS contract expired), or purchase new licenses, as your current version will NOT run on Windows Vista.

So you're thinking of bringing Microsoft Windows into your UNIX environment. Well you are not alone. According to research by International Data Corporation (IDC), a leading industry analyst firm, global companies have invested in 1.5 million Windows server licenses.

Over the past few years, working in a heterogeneous environment has become the norm rather than the exception. Your decision lies not with whether to integrate UNIX and Windows but rather how and to what extent do you integrate these two environments?

Configuration Management Workshop - The Netherlands
Date: 26-Sep-2007 Mierlo, Netherlands

The last three years TOPIC Embedded Systems and Philips Applied Technologies have organized CM Workshops based on the use of Telelogics CM Synergy configuration management environment.
The program will again be filled with interesting subjects and speakers, including keynotes and three separate tracks. In between presentations there is room for networking with attendees from other companies. Companies that will be present are A.O. Philips, NXP Semiconductors, Siemens VDO, Oc, Bosch and Vanderlande.
Details & Registration: click here http://www.topic.nl/nl/cm-workshop/index.php

Q: Can I install MKS Toolkit in a clustered server environment?
A: Yes, normally, to install MKS Toolkit on the individual systems (or nodes) that make up a clustered server, you simply install it on each of those systems. If, however, you are planning on using MKS Secure Shell with such a cluster, there are additional steps that need to be taken. Installing MKS Toolkit on Clustered Nodes (PDF) will walk through those steps as well as the rationale for their need.

Q: How can I switch text files between UNIX and PC format?
A: The MKS Toolkit products include a command called flip which allows you to switch between the single newline character, used for line termination in UNIX files (ie. \n), and the carriage return + linefeed format used on PC's (ie. \r\n). To move from PC to UNIX, use flip -u, and from UNIX to PC, use flip -d.

Q: How do I convert path names in system() or exec()?
A: MKS Toolkit porting products pass path names in NuTCRACKER format, in which Windows drive letters are represented by /=/. For example, the path a:/setup.exe in NuTCRACKER format is /a=/setup.exe. You cannot pass such a path to a native Win32 program without first converting it to Windows format. Use one of the _NutPathToXXX() functions (_NutPathToNutc(), _NutPathToWin32(), _NutPathToWin32FS()) to convert it. Refer to the Windows Concepts section of the UNIX to Windows Porting Guide.

To get more MKS Toolkit Tips visit our knowledge base at: http://www.mkssoftware.com/support/kb/
To see more on the Porting Guide visit: http://www.mkssoftware.com/docs/sg/#uwpg

MKS offers the convenience of purchasing our products directly from our Web Store. Buy and download today!
MKS now offers a 30-day UNCONDITIONAL guarantee:

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