Microsoft paves the way for third-party interoperability

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DAVE KEARNS ON WINDOWS NETWORKING TIPS
08/15/05
Today's focus: Microsoft paves the way for third-party
interoperability

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* The Active Directory Interoperability Program for ISVs
* Links related to Windows Networking Tips
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Microsoft paves the way for third-party
interoperability

By Dave Kearns

Any sentence that includes the words "Windows" and
"interoperability" usually is not flattering to the Redmond
software giant. Frequently we're tempted to laugh or chuckle at
what the company means when it uses the term "interoperability."
CEO Steve Ballmer reflected the company's take on
interoperability when he told the Massachusetts Software
Council, at a meeting a year ago, that Microsoft's platforms
offer better interoperability with the company's other
technology
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2004/090604ballmer.html?rl.>,
such as .Net, thereby reducing the total cost of ownership of
Windows. So it was really refreshing to note that at last
month's Tech Ed Europe conference, one of the highlights was the
many new and revised interoperability initiatives that Gates and
Co., were launching.

In particular, Kim Saunders Microsoft's director of
Interoperability Programs (who even knew Microsoft had one?)
talked about new initiatives for Active Directory
interoperability. The new offerings include the Active Directory
Interoperability Program, which features the Active Directory
Password Change Notification Service for use by independent
software vendors (ISV), a third-party-developed OpenLDAP
(Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) Management Agent for
Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003, plus new third-party
support for Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS), due
with Windows Server 2003 R2.

While this initiative doesn't commit Microsoft to developing
interoperability software, it does ease the path for ISVs to
create products that interoperate among various operating system
platforms - most notably, Windows and Linux.

The Active Directory Interoperability Program for ISVs includes:

* Interoperability Developer Labs - For testing Active Directory
  interoperability projects in Redmond.
  * Active Directory Password Change Notification Service - A
  technology package that enables ISVs and enterprise customers to
  deploy solutions that more easily integrate their Active
  Directory infrastructures with non-Active Directory applications
  and services.
  * IP and Protocol Technology Licensing for Active Directory
  Interoperability -Provides intellectual property and protocol
  technology licensing for identity and directory services
  interoperability.

Some of the IP and protocol technology offered for licensing
include:

* Kerberos PAC (Privilege Attribute Certificate) Group
  Membership, which provides the Kerberos PAC authentication and
  key distribution protocol used to authenticate two principals to
  each other and establish a cryptographic key that the two can
  use to secure any messages. The license may be used in client-
  and server-side implementations. Scenarios include communicating
  for Windows 2000-specific group membership authorization data
  carried in the field of a Kerberos ticket for use by servers in
  performing access control.

* Authentication/Directory Servers - Provides authentication and
  authorization service protocols used between Windows clients and
  Windows domain controllers. The license is for use in
  server-side implementations (e.g., application and Web servers).
  Scenarios include communicating with Windows client logon and
  security subsystems for authentication, authorization and access
  control, policy enforcement, or usage accounting and audit
  information data packets.

* Active Directory Client - Provides authentication and
  authorization service protocols used between Windows clients and
  Windows domain controllers. The license is for use in
  client-side implementations (on desktops, workstations or other
  devices, including servers acting as clients). Scenarios include
  communicating with Windows domain controllers for local logon
  and communicating with other Windows servers for network access
  using Windows domain user credentials.

* Group Policy Client - Provides group policy service protocols
  used between Windows clients and Windows servers. The license is
  for use in client-side implementations (on desktops,
  workstations or other devices, including servers acting as
  clients). Scenarios include communicating with Windows domain
  controllers for application of group policy for enabling the
  management of configuration and other policies for all machines
  and users in a domain.

* Domain Services Interaction (DSIP) - Provides authentication
  and authorization service protocols used between Windows member
  servers and Windows clients, and between Windows member servers
  and Windows domain controllers. The license is for use in
  server-side implementations (e.g., application and Web servers).
  Scenarios include communicating with Windows clients and servers
  and with Windows domain controllers for pass-through
  authentication of remote requests from Windows clients and
  servers to Windows domain controllers.
  
  Some vendors have already released versions of the above noted
  scenarios, but they had to reverse-engineer Windows in order to
  do it and that method is notorious for breaking very easily when
  a new version of Windows is shipped. This new program should go
  a long way towards making the care and feeding of heterogeneous
  networks more efficient and elegant. That, in turn, should lead
  to a more secure, robust network as well as one that's more
  "administrator friendly." Sounds good to me.

There's more to the Windows interoperability story, so browse
over <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/interop/> at
your leisure and take a look.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Cisco to double Catalyst 6500 switch capacity in coming
months, report says
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwnt5040>

2. Ex WorldCom CFO Sullivan gets 5 years in jail
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwnt5041>

3. Microsoft open source exec: Not the loneliest guy in Redmond
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwnt4830>

4. Cisco mulls acquiring Nokia, report says
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwnt5042>

5. IT staff shortage looming
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwnt5043>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Dave Kearns

Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. He's
written a number of books including the (sadly) now out of print
"Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks." His musings can be
found at Virtual Quill <http://www.vquill.com/>.

Kearns is the author of three Network World Newsletters: Windows
Networking Tips, Novell NetWare Tips, and Identity Management.
Comments about these newsletters should be sent to him at these

respective addresses: <mailto:windows@vquill.com>,
<mailto:netware@vquill.com>, <mailto:identity@vquill.com>.

Kearns provides content services to network vendors: books,
manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing,
technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill
provides "words to sell by..." Find out more by e-mail at
<mailto:info@vquill.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avaya
Network World Executive Guide: Evaluating VoIP in the Enterprise

Got VoIP? More and more companies are answering yes...the
reasons vary from cost savings, network flexibility, and ease of
administration. Yet others are drawn to the promise of advanced
VoIP applications such as unified messaging and collaboration.
Register now and get a free copy of Network World's Got VoIP?
Executive Guide, which outlines the keys to successful VoIP
deployments.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=110564
_______________________________________________________________
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