Some of the decisions that the team has to make are:

What runtimes should we support?
What programming languages should the SDK support?
What improvement can we make on our validation process?

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The two most common issues causing app rejections are:
• Applications are not using the SDK(beta) or not using the SDK(beta) correctly.
• Applications are not packaging correctly according to our packaging requirements.
(Most applications are failing the packing requirement – “Silent installation – Your application must install without any required input from the user.”)

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The usage models for netbooks fits right in between a mobile phone and a laptop. Users are demanding applications related to entertainment, productivity, communications and security without compromising on either performance or usability.

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Listen to a rebroadcast of the show.

Ajith Illendula answered a few questions that Gael & I had on "Fast call for Help"

Q: What is this "Fast Call for Help" feature? - Can you tell about the fast call for help feature? 

A: This is a new feature introduced in 2008 as part of the Intel AMT 4.0/ 5.0 release. It helps your systems to connect back to the corporate network when you are in need of IT help regardless of the operating state of th system. (even if you OS is crashed you will still have the ability to connect back to your corporate network)

Q: What kind of business problem does this feature solve?

A: Most of the current manageability solutions support systems that are inside the corporate firewall and requires a functioning Operation System. Fast call for Help feature is designed to help "road warriors" to help connect to the IT even if they are outside the network and out of band. 

Q: Is there any differences between how this feature works for a desktop & mobile laptop?

A: Yes, this feature is available in both the laptops and desktops in the 2008 generation of platforms. Note that this feature is only available in the wired interface, but there is no difference between how it works on the desktops or laptops. All it needs is a right configuration and firmware for it to work.

Q:What is the required infrastructure to make this feature work? 

A: On the corporate DMZ you need a vPro enabled gateway and the managment software needs to accept connections from the clients outside the firewall. Gateway will be mediating the connections between the end clients and the management software and establishes a secure channel for this communication to happen.  

Q: Are there any restrictions on the internet connectivity for this feature to work?

A: Yes, there are certain restrictions. The internet connection should be open without the need for any login credentials. For example, from a hotel if your connection to the internet requires you to open a browser and accept the terms and conditions then it is not considered a open connection. 

A: What are the different ways to initiate the Fast Call help and Who can initiate the fast call for Help?

Q: We provide multiple ways for the end user to initiate this connection. 

1. User Initiated - User can initiate the connection using the security & management icon in the OS or through BIOS. 
2. Remote Scheduled Maintenance - Device can configured to check in with the vPro enabled gateway on a periodic basis for maintenance operations.
3. Remote Alerts - Anytime a platform event occurs, Intel AMT device will establish the secured connection and send the alert via this connection.

Q: What are the steps an ISV developer should take to implement this feature?  

A: As an ISV developer. You need to modify the application to listen to the interminiently connected systems and manage them when connected. You need to look into how to configure the system. Leverage the solutions provided in the SDK. Apps should be able to pass the right parameters to the vPro enabled gateways to initiate the connections. 

Q: How can the ISV using this feature test for the capabilities?

A: Yes. We provide the binary of the vpro enabled gateway as part of the SDK. During the release we recommend that you test your applications with the actual gateway provider. 

On our next show we will talk to one of the Authors of the Book "Intel AMT Demystified".

The objective of the Idea Zone is to harness the wealth of community knowledge for product innovation. I am hoping that Idea Zone will establish an ongoing conversation where you have an opportunity to share your new ideas on existing products (new features, improvements), provide product suggestions as well as provide feedback on Intel Software Network. You now have the ability to influence the products/tools features.

The products included in the initial launch are Intel Graphic Performance Analyzers, Intel Parallel Studio, Visual Adrenaline Program and Intel vPro Technology. The most important thing to note is that all the ideas will be passed to the product groups/owners for them to consider in their roadmap/ product requirements. 

Through the Idea Zone, developers will be able to share their own ideas, vote for their favorite ideas, discuss ideas posted by you and those posted by others, and get feedback on your ideas. The ideas with the highest scores will bubble up to the top. A team of experts will review every idea and ideas will be rolled up based on novelty, clarity and number of votes & comments it receives from the community. So, here is your chance to influence what you want Intel to do.

Ideas will then be classified as ‘Active’ OR ‘Under consideration’ OR ‘Future consideration’ in order to close the loop with you and  provide transparent updates on how we plan to use your ideas. We want to successfully put your ideas into use.

We are here to listen and make the changes you need.  So, whether it is a small change request or a completely new feature, we are excited to hear from you! 

Check out the Intel Software Network Idea Zone. I am really looking forward to your participation. Thank you!

Ps* We require that you have to register to the IdeaZone site separately and we are working on integrating the registration/login on ISN and the ideazone site in the near future. Thanks for your patience as we work through this process.

First let me introduce the show. Gael Holmes and I will be hosting a regular Manageability Show. In this show we plan to talk to technical experts about tools, code, tips, features and techniques that will help you develop manageability and security applications for Intel vPro technology with Intel Active Management Technology (Intel AMT). We plan to host this show (~15mins long) on a bi-weekly schedule and we are still working out the exact time and day that works best for the show. In the very near future we are also planning to take advantage of some of the Video capabilities on ISN. And, we are also planning on listener question shows.

In this show, I talked about a few highlights on the community including the availability of the new Intel AMT trainings - Introduction to Intel AMT and How to develop applications for Intel AMT?  . I also talked about the launch of a new site called IdeaZone (I will be writing a detailed blog post on this launch shortly).

Then Gael Holmes and I talked to Lance Atencio about the new Alarm Clock Feature of Intel AMT SDK 5.1. Lance answered some questions related to this feature.

Q: Can you tell us about the Alarm Clock feature?

A: Alarm Clock is a relatively new feature that came out earlier this year. It provides a capability to remotely schedule systems to wake up at a specified time so that they can perform scheduled tasks. At the time of the wake up you need a network connection and can wake up  

Q: What kind of business problem does this feature solve?

A: Ability to perform management tasks more efficient. Patch management, virus scan at scheduled times performed at any power state. So, essentially you can bring the system up from OFF state, perform the task and shut down the system. Thus you don't have to keep the systems ON just to run scheudled tasks.  This can be good energy saving policy.

Q: What kind of business scenarios can you think of that can take advantage of this feature?

A: Backup, patch management, Virus scans, etc.

What version of the Intel AMT SDK is required to support Alarm Clock feature?

A: Supported in SDK 5.1. Currently only on the desktops, but there are plans in the future to support this capability on laptops as well.

Q: Does Intel AMT also have a Snooze feature that goes along with Alarm Clock?

A: ISVs can implement this feature. Probably a good new feature request.

Q: What kind of developer resources are available on the community to find out more about this features?

A: Intel AMT SDK has a lot of documentation, Lance recently hosted a webinar where he disucssed this feature in more detail, lance is also writing a white paper to discuss alarm clock feature in more detail (the white paper will be published on the manageability community). 

Q: Is this feature implemented in the DTK? 

A: No, not currently supported in DTK.

In our next Manageability Talk on May 20th we'll be talking with Intel Application Engineer Ajith Illendulla about another Intel AMT feature  "Fast Call for Help". If you would us to ask Ajith any question related to "fast call for help" please leave a comment w/t your question on this blog post. thank you.

"How to develop applications for Intel AMT?" course provides you with all the information you need to build an manageability application that takes advantage of Intel AMT. The course walksthrough the application development flow using either C# or C++. I am hoping the training makes it easy to develop manageability application using Intel AMT. We are always looking for feedback/suggestions to make the training more relevant and better fit your needs. Also, do read the inside scoop "Making of the web-based training" by Aharon Robins.

Training Goals:

• Provides an overview of Intel AMT and the Intel AMT SDK
• Gives Software Developers a quick and easy introduction to Intel AMT Application Programming
• Reviews Intel AMT capabilities and benefits
• Demonstrates how to compile and run samples in the Intel AMT SDK

I will be very happy to take any feedback you may have on this training. 

Training Interface

I was thinking about how dependent I have become on technology and I simply cannot imagine my life without it. Let me confess that I had a bad dream last night around what would happen to me if technology is taken away from me.  Yeeeks .. Pretty scarrry…. I am actually curious to hear from you on what other skills you are forgetting because of extensive use of technology in your life?

• I used to be good at reading maps. I am slowly forgetting the skill to use maps, fold maps and search for quickest routes to get to my destination. I am doing to be "navigationally impaired" because I depend on my GPS to get me anywhere. I don't even have a map book in my car anymore --- I don't know what will happen to me if my GPS stops working.
• I used to be pretty good at remembering phone numbers. I no longer use that memory skill anymore. I am now completely dependent on my cell phone - phone book and I also use the voice activated blue tooth in my car to call people. I don't know what will happen to me if I am lost somewhere without my cell phone and I can't remember any phone numbers to call for HELP! (Note to self - remember a few important numbers).
• I used to be pretty good at writing letters. I am now completely dependent on a word processor and email. The only time my pen touches a paper is when I have to sign. I have become a slave of spell checkers and email. I don't even shop for greeting cards anymore. It is all done online. I have not posted (snail mailed) a letter or a card to anyone in many many years. I am really scared if someone takes away my email and a word processor and forces me to write a real letter.
• I used to be pretty good with numbers. I could pretty much do complex math/ calculations on paper. I used to be really proud that I could use logarithmic tables to perform complex divisions. I have now become "math challenged". I am now totally dependent on a calculator. I look for a calculator on my phone or my computer even to do simple math. I really don't know what will happen to me if I have to solve a complex math problem on paper.
• I used to be pretty good at remembering birthdays, and other important dates for my family and friends. I now use services like Amazon birthday reminders and facebook birthday reminders. I have even scheduled  reminders for my wife's birthday on Amazon and I get a email 1 week before and on the day of her birthday -- just so that I don't forget. Oh my god, what would happen to me if that service is taken away from me. I know I will be in big trouble.
• I used to be pretty good at finding the meaning of words using a dictionary. I don't own a dictionary or a thesaurus anymore. I am completely dependent on the web to find the meaning of words or use a word processor to find synonyms, etc. I am now completely dependent on a word processor program.
• I used to be pretty good at organizing tasks, remembers things-to-do, etc. I now use my email calandar, google calendar and task lists to manage my life. Everything in my life is a task or a calendar item -- work priorities, reponding to emails, doctor appointments, travel plans, dinner with my wife, strecth break, tea break .. everything I have to do should be reminded. I don't think I can get anything done without it being on the task list. I am a task list/calendar addict. 
• I used to be good at remembering email addresses and web site URLs. I am now totally dependent on google to take me to a website or use bookmarks. I use email contact list to find people and remember only a very few email addresses. If I lose my email contact list, I know I will be doomed.
• I used to be pretty good at finding the right books in the library and used to enjoy setting in the library and doing my reasearch. I have not stepped into a library in ages to conduct research. I am completely dependent on the web to find the information I want. Take away the internet from me and I will be really hard pressed to do anything. I might have seizures with extreme withdrawal symptoms. 
• I used to enjoy scanning/reading the newspaper and I used to actually eagerly wait for one to be delivered everyday in the morning. I now only read news online. Especially after my Amazon kindle addiction… I am afraid that I will eventually forget how it feels like to hold a real book or a printed newspaper.
• I used to be good at finding new music. I used to enjoy going to the music store to look for new music. I am now completely dependent on iTunes and Pandora radio to help me find new music I like. I only buy music online. I have not bought a music CD in a long long time.
• I used to depend on my friends for advice on buying things or for movie suggestions. I am now completely dependent on online user reviews for buying things and deciding on which movie to go watch.
• I used to be good at calling my friends and talking to them regularly. I only send facebook messages or write on orkut scrapbook or IM or send an email. I don't think I can recognize voices anymore, I hate when somebody calls and asks me .. "can you guess who this is" - sorry, I have lost that skill.

I am not sure how long I can actually survive without any technology,  PC, cellphone, email or web. It will be a nice experiment. I think I will survive with the help of some therapy and support groups, but I won't be happy about it. What scares me the most is that I see a new generation of kids growing up without even learning any of the skills I am afraid of losing. I don't know if it is a good or a bad thing.

We also promised that we will be reporting back to you on our findings, so here is the  summary presentation  reportout from the focused group discussions submitted  to us by OnSurvey Inc.  

You should already be noticing  some changes we are making on various commuity home pages based on your input.  I, along with other ISN team members, will continue to highlight what we are doing with your feedback. Please don't wait for the next focused group discussion to give us your suggestions. All of us at Intel Software Network really believe in continous improvement and this can only happen by listening to you "the users of the commnity".  Any and all your opinions/suggestions/rants are most welcome.

• Extreme uses of Serial-over-Lan - Shows routing TCP traffic and initiative remote control sessions using VNC
• Extreme uses of IDE redirection -  Shows video & image redirection and how to copy large amounts of data from the Intel AMT system back to the management console at a relatively high speed. 
• Extreme uses of Agent Presence - Shows some innovative power management techniques (sleep and hibernate modes) 
• Extreme uses of 3PDS - Shows how to build a peer-to-peer file transfer mesh network and remotely reading the 3PDS blocks. 

I can guess what you might be thinking now..all this guy talks about is this bootcamp. I know that last couple of my blog posts talked about this event. To be honest with you, this event did consume a lot of my time in the last couple of weeks. I am hoping to write more interesting posts in the future.