From the EditorUnder the Covers

WINDOWS VISTA IS POISED to have a major impact on corporate IT departments in 2007. As reported in InformationWeek, a recent IDC report estimates that 100,000 IT jobs will be created in the U.S. this year as a direct result of the Windows Vista "bounce." About 90 million new machines worldwide will come with Windows Vista installed this year, and by next year 80 percent of new machines being shipped to businesses will have Windows Vista preinstalled. Meanwhile, you have to decide whether it’s time to deploy the OS in your organization. We can help.

This month’s issue of TechNet Magazine launches a series that will take an in-depth look at what makes Windows Vista tick—the kernel. True, Windows Vista has some nice new user experience features, but if that were the main reason to migrate, we’d be wary. The kernel represents the heart of the OS, and there are significant improvements in the way the Windows Vista kernel works.

Who better to write about such changes than Mark Russinovich, who knows as much about the Windows kernel as anyone on the planet? His book Windows Internals, coauthored with David Solomon, has become the top resource for anyone looking to understand what’s going on under the covers.

This month, Mark tells us about CPU allocation improvements, which will make desktop applications more responsive, then describes how Windows Vista enhances multimedia performance at the kernel level. The article also looks at important changes in the I/O model in Windows Vista, including file-based symbolic links, the new ability to cancel synchronous I/O operations (the top change, in my opinion), and the concept of I/O priority. Be sure to read Mark’s comprehensive article as you evaluate Windows Vista for your enterprise.

Of course, there are still the everyday tasks to get through and we can help you there as well. This issue covers a lot of Windows administration territory, with articles on delegating authority in Active Directory, new Group Policy templates in Windows Vista, Group Policy troubleshooting, and monitoring Active Directory with MOM.

Finally, if you like playing games and staying secure, you’ll want to take a look at our feature on gaming in a secure environment. You know what they say about all work and no play. —JOSHUA TRUPIN

Thank you to the following Microsoft technical experts: Matt Ayers, Eugene Bak, Vijay Bharadwaj, Michael Fortin, David Hicks, Khushru Irani, Mehmet Iyigun, Arun Kishan, Mark Lawrence, Pavel Lebedynskiy, Ben Mickle, Michael Murgolo, John Orefice, Ravisankar Pudipeddi, Jeffrey Richter, David Solomon, Jim Truher, Landy Wang, and Andy Zeigler.

© 2008 Microsoft Corporation and CMP Media, LLC. All rights reserved; reproduction in part or in whole without permission is prohibited.