Roundup Cosmos DB has rolled out a free tier, staff members are getting their mittens on the stable Edge, and Azure DevOps services are taking a step back from removing TLS 1.0. For the moment. Yes, it’s the weekly summary of everything Microsoft hasn’t covered already.
TLS 1.0 / 1.1 in Azure DevOps Services granted a stay of execution
Sometimes Microsoft will listen to the lamentations of its users: deactivation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in DevOps services has been postponed “until further notice”.
The removal of the aged TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol was to take place on March 31, preceded by brief one-hour interruptions between 00:00 and 01:00 UTC and 14:00 and 1500 UTC on March 10.
Insisting that 95% of customers were using TLS 1.2 anyway and that the self-hosted version, Azure DevOps Server, would not be affected, Microsoft canceled the news on February 27. Once TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are disabled, connections to Azure DevOps services may have failed from the 2010, 2012, and 2013 versions of Visual Studio. In addition, some of the company’s older operating systems, such as Vista, do not support the latest protocol while others, such as Windows Server 2008, require an update to activate.
Since Windows 8, however, TLS 1.2 is the default.
Microsoft has tried to remove TLS 1.0 (first defined in 1999) from its products in favor of something a little more recent and secure, even to the point of porting TLS 1.2 back to XP POSReady 2009. Azure DevOps Services is just the latest in a long line of platforms to deal with.
Except not now. Quoting “early comments from some customers,” Redmond said the depreciation was extinguished for the time being.
The pause gives affected developers a little more respite, but we suggest that you deal with the problem immediately. It is surely only a matter of time before the ax tips over again.
Cosmos DB becomes free, with strings attached
In a surprise to absolutely no one (thanks to last week’s premature blurtage), Microsoft announced a free level for its distributed Cosmos DB database.
On the surface, that’s a good thing – the previous test was incredibly limited – the new level of introduction will make it much easier to play with technology. Once the free level is activated, customers will benefit from a speed of 400 RU / s and 5 GB of storage per month on their account.
It’s enough to tinker, that’s for sure. However, beware – exceed these numbers and you will start to incur costs. It is also possible to have one free level account per Azure subscription. On the positive side, these 400 RU / s can be shared by up to 25 containers in a shared speed database.
Microsoft cited examples, including an Alexa app to help commuters, or a web app designed to manage online resources, as one might do with its largesse. We suggest that you train developers to keep an eye on usage. While the first 400 RU / s may be free, these costs can quickly rise for the unwary.
Microsoft slows down its dogfood browser
Last week, Microsoft began rolling out the stable version of its Chromium-based Edge browser to staff. 100,000 employees played with pre-release embodiments, and the Microsoft IT team spent the past year validating deployment scenarios and processes.
And now it seems like the time has come for New Edge to spread throughout the organization.
The first wave will see the stable version deployed to 15,000 employees and the main portals (like HR) checked for stability. New deployments in waves of 20,000 to 40,000 employees will then be reached, probably continuing until April.
Interestingly, these employees on the beta marked the new browser in the range of 150 to 160 out of 200 for net user satisfaction (NSAT), which doesn’t seem so fantastic if you consider that the old Edge was between 70 and 80.
Good Microsoft guy?
Finally, these deployments may face a challenge or two in the Seattle area, as Microsoft employees have started to adapt to working from home. Admittedly, posts on social media have changed in relation to complaints about the company’s open plan policies.
Sending staff home is one thing. However, Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that the hourly workers who work at its facilities to support it will not lose, as the impact of the COVID-19 virus continues to be felt in the Puget Sound area and rest of California.
Even if there will not be much work to do in terms of staffing canteens or shuttles, Microsoft has committed to pay its hourly service providers their regular compensation.
The company recognized that not all companies had its resources, but as it could afford, so it was the right thing to do.
Other tech giants, like SalesForce, have taken the same step.
Although it hurts our cranky vulture hearts to say it, and whatever the point of view on the argument of the pandemic against panic, it is an elegant decision from Microsoft and for which the company has was applauded. ®
Sponsored:
M3 – The Register, ML, AL and Analytics conference
Roundup Cosmos DB has rolled out a free tier, staff members are getting their mittens on the stable Edge, and Azure DevOps services are taking a step back from removing TLS 1.0. For the moment. Yes, it’s the weekly summary of everything Microsoft hasn’t covered already.
TLS 1.0 / 1.1 in Azure DevOps Services granted a stay of execution
Sometimes Microsoft will listen to the lamentations of its users: deactivation of TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in DevOps services has been postponed “until further notice”.
The removal of the aged TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol was to take place on March 31, preceded by brief one-hour interruptions between 00:00 and 01:00 UTC and 14:00 and 1500 UTC on March 10.
Insisting that 95% of customers were using TLS 1.2 anyway and that the self-hosted version, Azure DevOps Server, would not be affected, Microsoft canceled the news on February 27. Once TLS 1.0 and 1.1 are disabled, connections to Azure DevOps services may have failed from the 2010, 2012, and 2013 versions of Visual Studio. In addition, some of the company’s older operating systems, such as Vista, do not support the latest protocol while others, such as Windows Server 2008, require an update to activate.
Since Windows 8, however, TLS 1.2 is the default.
Microsoft has tried to remove TLS 1.0 (first defined in 1999) from its products in favor of something a little more recent and secure, even to the point of porting TLS 1.2 back to XP POSReady 2009. Azure DevOps Services is just the latest in a long line of platforms to deal with.
Except not now. Quoting “early comments from some customers,” Redmond said the depreciation was extinguished for the time being.
The pause gives affected developers a little more respite, but we suggest that you deal with the problem immediately. It is surely only a matter of time before the ax tips over again.
Cosmos DB becomes free, with strings attached
In a surprise to absolutely no one (thanks to last week’s premature blurtage), Microsoft announced a free level for its distributed Cosmos DB database.
On the surface, that’s a good thing – the previous test was incredibly limited – the new level of introduction will make it much easier to play with technology. Once the free level is activated, customers will benefit from a speed of 400 RU / s and 5 GB of storage per month on their account.
It’s enough to tinker, that’s for sure. However, beware – exceed these numbers and you will start to incur costs. It is also possible to have one free level account per Azure subscription. On the positive side, these 400 RU / s can be shared by up to 25 containers in a shared speed database.
Microsoft cited examples, including an Alexa app to help commuters, or a web app designed to manage online resources, as one might do with its largesse. We suggest that you train developers to keep an eye on usage. While the first 400 RU / s may be free, these costs can quickly rise for the unwary.
Microsoft slows down its dogfood browser
Last week, Microsoft began rolling out the stable version of its Chromium-based Edge browser to staff. 100,000 employees played with pre-release embodiments, and the Microsoft IT team spent the past year validating deployment scenarios and processes.
And now it seems like the time has come for New Edge to spread throughout the organization.
The first wave will see the stable version deployed to 15,000 employees and the main portals (like HR) checked for stability. New deployments in waves of 20,000 to 40,000 employees will then be reached, probably continuing until April.
Interestingly, these employees on the beta marked the new browser in the range of 150 to 160 out of 200 for net user satisfaction (NSAT), which doesn’t seem so fantastic if you consider that the old Edge was between 70 and 80.
Good Microsoft guy?
Finally, these deployments may face a challenge or two in the Seattle area, as Microsoft employees have started to adapt to working from home. Admittedly, posts on social media have changed in relation to complaints about the company’s open plan policies.
Sending staff home is one thing. However, Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that the hourly workers who work at its facilities to support it will not lose, as the impact of the COVID-19 virus continues to be felt in the Puget Sound area and rest of California.
Even if there will not be much work to do in terms of staffing canteens or shuttles, Microsoft has committed to pay its hourly service providers their regular compensation.
The company recognized that not all companies had its resources, but as it could afford, so it was the right thing to do.
Other tech giants, like SalesForce, have taken the same step.
Although it hurts our cranky vulture hearts to say it, and whatever the point of view on the argument of the pandemic against panic, it is an elegant decision from Microsoft and for which the company has was applauded. ®
Sponsored:
M3 – The Register, ML, AL and Analytics conference