Two More Reasons to Go 64-Bit: MOM 2005, and Antivirus Protection

by Alex Woodie

The first major update to Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005, Service Pack 1 (SP1) became available this week, enabling the systems management software to run on, and monitor, the new crop of 64-bit servers running the X64-editions of Windows Server 2003. While Microsoft has 64-bit-enabled much of its core infrastructure components, including Windows Server and SQL Server, users are still waiting for most third-party security products to be re-written for 64 bits.

MOM is one of the key elements of Microsoft's Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) strategy to provide tools that ease the task of managing Windows servers and applications. With MOM and the array of management packs for SQL Server, Exchange, Active Directory, and third-party applications, operations and administration personnel can get a better idea of the current state of their systems through a variety of reports, graphs, charts, and alerts. The latest version of the software, MOM 2005, became available about 10 months ago (see "Microsoft Gives MOM 2005 to Manufacturing".

With MOM 2005 SP1, Microsoft has delivered support for Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SQL 2000 SP4 and the capability to run on and monitor X64 systems for the first time. The SP1 release also includes new license usage alerting, which enables users to receive alerts when product usage exceeds the configured threshold of licensed Operations Management Licenses (OMLs), which are applied to the devices being managed.

Microsoft says it has made several other customer-requested enhancements, including support for NETBIOS names containing dot, support for disjoint namespaces with mutual authentication; and improved robustness of heart beating and Microsoft Connector Framework.

A 64-Bit Barrier

With this release, MOM 2005 becomes one of the latest Microsoft products to be retrofitted for X64-bit computing, following the introductions of the X64 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 this spring, and the delivery of SQL Server 2000 SP4, which brought 64-bit hooks to the relational database. Delivering X64 support across its product lines is obviously one of the goal's of Microsoft as it looks for innovations that provide better value, especially compared to previous generations of its own products.

Sixty-four bit computing is projected to become mainstream within a few years. Even today, most mass-produced servers are equipped with the X64 processors from Intel or AMD, which enable 32-bit and 64-bit applications to run on the same chip.

While 64-bit computing is the obvious long-term goal, there are some roadblocks to the adoption of 64-bit computing in the near term. Practically all device drivers need to be rewritten to work with Windows new X64 architecture; most of them are still 32-bit. And any application that touches the kernel, such as antivirus software, also needs to be rewritten.

The problem is, most of the major antivirus software developers are not expected to release X64 versions of their security software until 2006. This includes McAfee and TrendMicro, two of the largest antivirus software vendors. Neither is expected to start shipping antivirus products for X64 systems for at least five months. The one exception is Symantec, which delivered an X64-edition of its Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition 10.0 software when Microsoft shipped its X64 operating systems back in April.

Now, San Diego-based ESET is offering antivirus protection for smaller businesses for whom Symantec's enterprise-strength software may not be the best fit. Last week, the vendor announced NOD32 version 2.5, which introduces malware protection for X64 versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

While there are no known 64-bit Windows viruses currently in the wild, common sense dictates the use of scanners to protect against 64-bit viruses when they arrive, which they undoubtedly will. Andrew Lee, ESET's chief technology officer, says the lack of 64-bit antivirus software may deter users from adopting X64 systems.

"Most of the major antivirus vendors do not have comprehensive anti-malware solutions for 64-bit systems, and malware writers are constantly looking for holes in security defenses," Lee says. "As 64-bit computing continues to gain momentum, we want to make sure that our customers stay protected as they migrate to this new architecture."

NOD32 features ESET's "ThreatSense" technology, which utilizes several methods for detecting continuously evolving viruses, worms, and spyware, including emulation, advanced heuristics, and generic signatures. NOD32 pricing for 50-user small business is $1,495 for one year, which includes licenses for a file- and mail server and 50 desktops. Pricing for individual home and home office users begins at $39.