Sunday, May 03, 2009
Last year Microsoft
pre-released SP2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 as build 6002.16497 under
KB948465.
| One of the most annoying features of using this build is that it would apply an evaluation watermark to the bottom right hand corner of each of your desktops (if you have 2+ monitors it will appear on both screens). |
 |
Honestly, for months I thought the watermark meant my license was detected as a evaluation license but I know I am using an OEM license.
Afterwards I found some guides to remove the watermark by making some system changes.
I am not one to download DLL’s to override OS libraries for security reasons so I just accepted this annoyance.
April 30th 2009 Microsoft released Vista SP2 RTM to TechNet subscribers.
As KB948465 describes, you need to uninstall any pre-released versions of SP2 prior to the RTM installation.
If it wasn’t for the evaluation build watermark, I may have neglected to update to the RTM build since the pre-release build does not expire until May 1, 2010.
I couldn’t find any other way to detect I was using a pre-RTM build although I only did a couple minor checks;
- Computer | Properties show Service Pack 2.
However, On the same screen Help | About may show a version number; my RTM reads ‘Version 6.0 (Build 6002: Service Pack 2)
- Programs and Features | View installed updates; showed ‘Service Pack for Microsoft Windows (KB948465)’
If you download the 1.4 GB SP2 ISO from TechNet it will tell you if you need to uninstall a previous installation of SP2, it will also tell you if you have the correct build installed.
I am sure their is a better way to detect your build
The x64 SP2 is 591 MB, the x32 SP2 is 356 MB, the I64 SP2 is 461 MB; the TechNet ISO contains all three versions of the KB.
Update:
-------------------------------
As of May 25th 2009, Vista and Windows Server 2008 sp2 downloads are now available.
x86 at this link
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=656c9d4a-55ec-4972-a0d7-b1a6fedf51a7&displaylang=en
64 bit at this link
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=656c9d4a-55ec-4972-a0d7-b1a6fedf51a7&displaylang=en
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
We have been busy organizing a number of community events.
I would like to share some events Regina.NET has been working on and other community events.
All the below events are free and open to the public.
Regina.NET
Date: April 8th @ 6 PM
Speaker:
Rod Paddock
Topic: JQuery with ASP.NET
Web 2.0 is here to stay. jQuery is a JavaScript library that abstracts away all of the gory details of working with JavaScript for web applicatons. This session will demonstrate how to add jQuery to your ASP.NET applications today. This session will focus on proper uses of jQuery including how to organize your JavaScript code, how to use selectors in jQuery and how to manipulate your web content dynamically. Along with uses of the standard jQuery library, time will also be spent exploring some of the most useful jQuery plugs-ins.
More details and registration
http://reginadotnet.blogspot.com/2009/03/rod-paddock.html
Thanks to
DevTeach we will be giving away a conference registration worth $1249 CDN!
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TechNet
Date: April 21th @ 6 PM
Speaker: TBD
Topic: From the Client to the Cloud
Windows 7. Windows Live™. Windows Azure. The Microsoft-based platform presents a bevy of opportunities for all of us. Whether you are an IT Manager, Developer, or IT Pro knowing how these will impact you is critical, especially in the new economic reality.
This session will allow you to understand Microsoft’s Software+Services vision through a combination of presentation, demonstration, and discussion. Learn how you can collaborate more effectively and take your small and mid-sized business to the next level and accessible from virtually anywhere using the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite. You will see Windows 7 in action and gain insight into how you can harness it in your environment. We will demonstrate how Windows 7 and Windows Live allow you to connect and collaborate with friends and family in ways you may not have thought of before. Find out how to develop applications that take advantage of Windows Azure Services providing new levels of scalability. Finally, discover how bringing together the power the Desktop with the flexibility of the Cloud will provide amazing opportunities for you to solve some difficult challenges ahead.
From the Client to the Cloud is your opportunity to learn how to harness the power and flexibility of the Microsoft-based platform from the client to the cloud.
Registration Information
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032405565&Culture=en-CA
Community Link
http://reginadotnet.blogspot.com/2009/02/technet-community-event-energizeit.html
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Regina.NET
Date: May 5th @ 6 PM
Speaker: Uwe Schmitz
Topic: Introducing SOLID Object-Oriented Design Principles and Microsoft Unity
SOLID is an acronym for
- Single Responsibility Principle,
- Open/Closed Principle,
- Liskov Substitution Principle,
- Interface Segregation Principle, and
- Dependency Inversion Principle.
In this session, we’ll introduce SOLID principles which help developers to
- simplify the implementation,
- minimize the impact of change, and
- facilitate testing
by emphasizing high cohesion and low coupling using techniques centered around abstraction, inheritance and polymorphism. In addition, we’ll introduce the Microsoft Unity Application Block, a lightweight, extensible dependency injection container for applying the Dependency Inversion Principle.
More details and registration
http://reginadotnet.blogspot.com/2009/04/uwe-schmitz-solid.html
Monday, February 16, 2009
Taking a GreenIT approach does not mean that you have to scrap entire projects.
As IT professionals it is native for us to look for the most efficient way to complete tasks; why not take this skill to the next level?
Everyone in the IT community can participate in GreenIT. Here are some roles and how they can contribute
- Architect : Green design, integration
- Developer : Reduce the "energy footprint" of your applications, CPU cycles, bandwidth/traffic
- SQL Professional : Performance tuning, indexes, Access to SQL back-end as hugely green
- DBA : balancing the other 3 and managing actual execution of the green data center
- Network / Hosting Environment : Designing, building, maintaining the green data center through virtualization, terminal servers, power management.
- Procurement : Small form factor computer components, LED LCDs, Energy Star, RoHS compliance
- Everyone : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Stakeholders : The more of the above you implement, it reduces your energy footprint which saves $$$$
DevConnections is now offering GreenIT tracks starting with their Orlando conference March 22, 2009.
I met Kathy Malone at DevConnections in Las Vegas 2008, she runs the Green .NET User Group.
Kathy will be hosting 3 of the Green IT sessions
- What Green Means to IT Professionals and Why You Should Care
- Green Across the Supply Chain: A Global Perfect Storm is Brewing for Chemicals. Will You Ride the Wave or be Washed Away By It?
- Greening Your Business Case and Your Corporate Culture: Using Green to Support Your Projects
For those that cannot attend DevConnections there are resources for you as well.
Stay green,
Gary Pronych
Thursday, January 29, 2009
As I work in the steel industry, working with individuals wearing hard hats is common in my daily activities.
You can easily point out a consultant from Pittsburgh when you see the black helmet and the yellow strip; I get a kick out of seeing these helmets when compared to the plain helmets we are commissioned with.
With the Super Bowl right around the corner, I would like to share this factual story with you.
Article Source: American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
-----------------------
What do Troy Polamalu, Coca-Cola and Steel have in common? As fate* would have it, Steelers safety Polamalu will appear in a Coca-Cola ad Super Bowl Sunday — and not only bring back memories of the 1980 commercial where “Mean Joe Green gets comforted by a kid who hands him a coke(1)” — but will carry two strong brands and the crushing strength of the Steelers’ defensive line with him.
The Pittsburgh Steeler’s famed three-star logo is one of the most familiar symbols in sports, partly because steel’s inherent strength and toughness is a perfect match for the Steelers’ highly-touted, bone-crunching defense. Only the Steel trademarked logo found on the Steelers helmet brings worldwide recognition and appreciation for these strengths.
Seven decades after Art Rooney purchased the NFL franchise and five Super Bowl victories later, it has come to symbolize the strength of the team and the Steel City it represents. But how many fans know what the starlike figures mean and where the logo came from?
In fact, the three four-pointed starlike figures within the circle, called hypocycloids for their geometric origin, made it to the NFL in 1962, when Rooney adopted the Steelmark for his football team. The Steelers logo is based on the Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The Steelmark was originally created for United States Steel Corporation to promote the attributes of steel: yellow lightens your work; orange brightens your leisure; and blue widens your world. The logo’s meaning was later amended to represent the three materials used to produce steel: yellow for coal; orange for iron ore; and blue for steel scrap.
Back in the early 60s, the Steelers had to petition the AISI in order to change the word “Steel” inside the Steelmark to “Steelers” before the logo was complete. Cleveland’s Republic Steel suggested to the Steelers that they use the Steelmark as a helmet logo.
The Steelers are the only NFL team that sports their logo on only one side of the helmet. At first, this was a temporary measure because the Steelers weren’t sure they would like the look of the logo on an all-gold helmet. They wanted to test them before going all-out.
Equipment manager back then Jack Hart was instructed to put the logo only on one side of the helmet — the right side. The 1962 Steelers finished with a 9-5 mark and became the team with the most wins in franchise history to date. The team finished second in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the Playoff Bowl. They wanted to do something special for their first postseason game, so they changed the color of their helmets from gold to black, which helped to highlight the new logo.
Because of the interest generated by having the logo on only one side of their helmets and also due to the team’s new success, the Steelers decided to leave the helmet that way permanently. Today’s helmet reflects the way the logo was originally applied and it has never been changed.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 25 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 130 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry. AISI’s member companies represent over 70 percent of both U.S. and North American steel capacity. For more news about steel and its applications, view AISI’s Web site at www.steel.org.
*Coca-Cola planned the commercial before they knew the Steelers were going to the Super Bowl.
(1) USA Today, Troy Polamalu is the New Mean Joe Greene, by Tom Weir, November 21, 2008.
---------------------
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Regina.NET is participating in the INETA SQL PASS sponsored SQL 2008 launch.
We have 2 sessions at this years event on January 22nd at the University of Regina.
What is a community launch?
Microsoft and others provide registered speakers with Web Casts, PowerPoint, code sample and / or hands on labs for a number of areas in the promoted product.
The beauty of this type of event is that ANYONE can qualify to be a speaker. As a registered speaker, you are provided guidance in the launch topic.
Speakers can provide the sessions verbatim, but the samples are often from beta software may be to general or specific for your needs. I typically get ideas from the web casts and create my own schedule.
Occasionally Connected Systems (OCS) is something that adds value to me personally and I can see it being very useful to others, so that is my topic of choice for this event.
These launch events have been great for small communities that do not have access to many local speakers such as my community, Regina.NET.
Regina.NET and Regina IT Pro participated in the Windows Server 2008 / SQL 2008 / Visual Studio 2008 community launch back in May 2008; it was an excellent cross community event.
Regina.NET SQL 2008 Launch
For the SQL 2008 launch, we are holding 2 sessions.
Vance Petriew and I have been invited to give these sessions at the Saskatoon .NET user group; we haven’t confirmed any dates yet.
ADO.NET Sync Services using SQL 2008 and Visual Studio 2008
Presented by: Gary Pronych .NET User Group Leader (Me)
Abstract:
Do you have client applications that are not always connected to the network? Do you develop using smart clients?
Do you have large tables that contain static data or Slowly Changing Dimensions? What methods do you use to cache this data?
There are time consuming manual methods you can implement to replicate data to these systems but then you must also handle conflicts and sharing cached data.
In this presentation, we will discover how we can use SQL CE 3.5 in standalone and smart client development.
We will advance this topic and discover how SQL CE allows us to develop occasionally connected systems and synchronize changes from the client cache back to the source database.
What's new in SQL Server 2008 for DBAs
Presented by: Vance Petriew, SQL Database Analyst
Abstract:
In this session we will provide an overview of the important new features found in SQL Server 2008.
Then we will dive into feature examples including data compression, encryption, filestream objects and spatial indexes.
How to find Events in your area?
There is a listing for SQL 2008 Launch events located here http://www.microsoft.com/sql/experience/Events.aspx?loc=en
For the previous community launch there was a web site that you can search for an event in your area, it was to the point and easy to use.
I think they dropped the ball this time, the site is quite painful to use and they missed my submission somehow (Bastards!).
Coordinating international events can be difficult so I can give them some slack.
Helpful Links
If you are interested in great SQL 2008 material here is another resource I found; you just need to skip through the cheesy ‘Get on the Case’ theme.
http://www.isvinnovation.com/SQL/Challenge.aspx
Gary Pronych
Friday, January 09, 2009
SQL server high availability comes in 2 basic categories.
1) Clustering using a SAN drive and multiple physical servers attached to the disk storage
2) Stand alone equipment acting in parallel
A SAN configuration is an expensive solution; typically a disk storage array needs to be purchased with high speed communication channels (typically fibre).
Therefore #2 is often the recommended configuration for smaller shops and less critical databases.
Awareness of this topic is important for developers to be able 'talk the talk' and provide recommendations so I will expand on this topic today.
First, let me define some of the terminology used so we are all on the same page
Redundant - Not to be confused with high availability (see redundant); meaning having more than necessary (ie. Redundant power supplies mean there are 2 power supplies or more).
High Available - Meaning available often, unaffected by failures and downtime.
High Performance Mode (asynchronous) - Transactions are commit without waiting for the mirrored servers to commit, which maximizes performance.
High Safety Mode (synchronous) - A committed transaction is committed on all systems in replication before the next transaction is processed, but at the risk of increased transaction latency (I have tested up to a 30% performance hit).
Replication - Making a copy
Failover - The capability of switching to another system
Quorum - A group of servers required; in this topic, a Principal, Partner and Witness are required
Principal - The server or database instance that is processing transactions
Partner - The server that is being replicated to and is available for failover
Witness - Required to decide if a failover is required (participates in a quorum 'vote')
Split Brain - Principal and Partner databases become out of sync
Load Balancing - Share the transaction load between multiple servers
Automatic Recovery - System is able to process any missed transactions during failover / downtime
Principal and Partner
Pros: High Availability, both servers could be available for queries (great for Business Intelligence(BI))
Cons: Manual Failover* (see programming considerations), manual recovery is required
Description:
2 servers are required; you can replicate to as many servers as you wish.
I know about environments replicating to 10+ environments to provide Slowly Changing Dimensions (SCD) to remote sites; I will cover my recommendations on using the ADO.NET Sync Services in a future post and a community presentation.
In this diagram, YTSdb1 is the principal server and is replicating to YTSdb2.
This model suffers from split brain, as it is can allow transactions written directly to the partner.
Recovery from split brain (because of failures, downtime, etc) is a manual process as you can see the information flow is one-way; from the principal to the partner.
*Note: You cannot query the Partner database if you are using the Mirror configuration as it is unavailable. Only when using replication methods such as log shipping are you able to access the replicated tables.
Log Shipping allows you to replicate to many databases as the Partner database consumes transaction log files.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Replication
Pros: Allows load balancing (manual), Automatic Recovery
Cons: Asynchronous transactions, Manual failover* (see programming considerations), not the next P2P Kazaa
Description:
2 or more servers act in asynchronous replication, each database is known as a node.
In a non-clustered environment, this is the only method that can provide load balancing. Load balancing would be configured by the developer utilizing different servers in their connection strings.
Transactions are asynchronous; if you are using this method for load balancing there is a risk that not all the servers have been replicated to all servers.
Recovery is automatic; once the failed server comes back online, the missed transactions are replicated.
Principal, Partner and Witness Quorum
Pros: Can run in Safety or Performance Mode, Automatic Failover* (see programming considerations), Automatic Recovery
Cons: Witness is required but I can be any version SQL, Partner is not available for queries
Description:
This is the most powerful configuration for High Availability.
YTSdb1 is the principal in this diagram, if it fails, a vote is taken place to see if the Partner should be promoted. Once YTSdb1 is back online, it will be given all the missed transactions and it will assume the role of Partner. If YTSdb2 then fails, then YTSdb1 will then be restore back to the Principal.
Programming Considerations
ADO.NET 2.0+ (Visual Studio 2005+) supports a Failover Partner configuration in the connection string as shown below.
Data Source=SQLA\INST1;Failover Partner=SQLB\INST1;Initial Catalog=DBMTest;Integrated Security=True
This attribute allows both manual and automatic failover since the application then becomes aware of the principal / partner configuration.
Automatic failover will happen when connected to a Quorum configuration.
If even there is no Partner set in the configuration file, the ADO.NET provider will be sent the partner connection information and cache it. If a failure happens during application processing, the application will then failover to the new principal once the failover has been completed. My tests have shown a 20 second delay in failover; this may depend on your timeout configuration.
You can prevent any transactions from being lost by implementing retry logic into your applications, otherwise there is a risk of losing 1 transaction per client.
Summary:
All the above I have tested so these are my notes on my research and tests.
I completed these tests using SQL Server 2008; I would suspect most of these configurations can apply to SQL 2005.
I can certainly go into more depth and include additional strategies, but the purpose of the post is for awareness of these methods.
Hope this help you in your SQL Server configurations,
Gary Pronych
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Steve Riley, Microsoft Senior Security Strategist provided a keynote at DevConnections in Las Vegas.
The topic was, ‘Next 10 years of IT’.
The keynote was very unique and thought provoking, so I would like to share some thoughts.
Green IT
How many servers do you have in your server room? What is their utilization?
Personally, over my last few clients I know of a handful of servers that running less than 20% CPU utilization. Is this efficient?
If these machines where VM’d they could be reallocated and share resources on a single box.
This is a very important strategy in an area where businesses have growing concerns with their bottom line as the market tightens.
Streamline IT
In an era with SOA taking the stage, it is very possible program developers will only write services.
Information workers can use tools like WorkFlow (WF) to connect single responsibility services, this tool will allow them to assign business rules and logic.
A lot of productivity is lost explaining business logic / rules to programmers. If we could provide our business users with the tools to write their own rules, there will be signification productivity gains.
Consolidation of Vendors and Services
We did a quick review of hardware vendors from the 80’s to today; there were 20+ server vendors from this area. Today there are less than 10.
Is this because these companies could not adapt to change? Or they could not innovate?
IT must be Adaptive to Change
We did a quick review of the mainframe era, how IBM ruled the industry; soon thereafter, the PC came available.
It was desirable for end users to use personal devices, the mainframe systems could not adapt, therefore were left behind.
IBM ended up being left behind and lost significant market share.
How do we predict the future?
By looking at the past; history tends to repeat. We need to be agile and open to new ideas.
Microsoft has announced the launch Patterns and Practices for SharePoint at DevConnections Las Vegas.
http://www.codeplex.com/spg
The MOSS P&P launch affirms that MOSS will be around for some time.
Microsoft has been pushing MOSS as their portal solution; Intranet and Internet. It is becoming clear that MOSS is becoming much more than a portal solution.
The director of SharePoint, Thomas Rizzo, wouldn’t comment on the release date of SP1 but he did recommend that all SharePoint users should install the infrastructure update.
Recently I have been working on a Business Intelligence (BI) planning team; we are looking to migrate to SQL 2008 as a BI platform.
A part of our process was to have a webcast with some Microsoft team members to showcase some of the features with company stakeholders.
Our agenda was to discuss reporting services in particular (SSRS). When it came time for the webcast, the demonstration focused more on Performance Point 2007 than SSRS.
One of the requirements for Performance Point is that it must run on SharePoint 2007.
To summarize, in order to get to ‘the Microsoft recommend BI platform’ you need to purchase.
1. SQL 2008
2. MOSS
3. Performance Point 2007
I think it is great that all 3 of these products work well together, but that also means our budget and resource requirements multiply by 3x plus.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
As a standard, we use ClickOnce to deploy all of our applications.
I don't want to get into all the benefits as I have discussed some in a previous post.
To summarize my scenario, I do software development for a 24 x 7 x 365 manufacturing plant.
Our systems must always be online and we must provide after hours support.
This week, one of our developers deployed an update to his end users.
It was not until 7 PM that the end user determined there was a significant bug in the application that could cause a mill delay. (Bad!)
I was on call and I was not at all familiar with this application, luckily the developer notified the team of this update and the fixes included. The bug was a part of one of these fixes, so I knew I could rollback to the previous version so the end user can continue his job and this new bug can be resolved during the next business day.
As a developer, you may consider something like
'grabbing the source code for the previous version, build it, and deploy'; which can be time time consuming.
With ClickOnce, you have 2 easy to use options.
1) Change the Version on the Client
- Ask the end user (or remote control) to navigate to the CONTROL PANEL -> ADD REMOVE PROGRAMS
- Scroll down the list of applications until you find your application name, in my case it is called RSA
- Click Change/Remove
- You will then have two options
a) Restore the application to its previous state
b) Remove the application from this computer
Select a) and the previous build will become the current version.
The caveat is the user must use Start -> All Programs -> Your Application Folder -> Your Application Name <RSA> to load the previous version.
They must run the application from the install folder to get the newest update.
This option works for a single client and is a temporary solution, what if a permanant rolback is required?
2) Change the Current Application Version
You have likely published a number of version of your application so you ClickOnce publish folder may look like this.
You will see in this picture, there are a number of <ApplicationName>_<version>.application files as well as folders.
There is only 1 application with the name <ApplicationName>.application, in this my scenario it is called RSA.application.
My latest build is 1_1_0_14, to restore to 1_1_0_12 I need to follow these steps
- delete RSA.application
- Make a copy of RSA_1_1_0_12.application and rename it RSA.application
The next time a user of this application attempts to load their application, they will be notified of an update. Once they select OK, they will be rolled back to 1_1_0_12.
Hope this helps,
Gary Pronych
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I have decided I will be attending DevConnections November 10 - 13th in Las Vegas, NV
DevConnections has a number of events running at the same time, with registration, you can attend any of these events
- ASP.NET Connections
- VS.NET Connections
- SharePoint Connections
- SQL Connections
- DNN Connections
- Exchange Connections
- Unified Connections
- Windows Connections
Some of the speakers include
Dino Esposito, Rick Strahl, Markus Egger, Robert Howard, Miguel Castro, John Papa, Julie Lerman, Juval Lowry, Kathleen Dollard, Itzik Ben-Gan
There are so many topics, I will refer you to the brochure as it has 50+ listed.
DevConnections, Fall 2008, Las Vegas Brochure
http://www.devconnections.com/shows/images/brochurepdfs/F08_DevBroc.pdf
For me, I am most interested attending these preliminary session topics (and sharing on this blog and in the community)
- Best practices for LINQ N-Tier
- Entity Framework Futures
- ADO.NET Data Services Application Patterns
- Productive WCF
- WF, Service-Ortiented Workflows and SOA
I received a User Group coupon for $50 I wanted to share
Coupon (case insensitive):
Regina
The conference cost is $1395 USD if booked by August 27th; $1495 USD after.
If you stay at Mandalay Bay and book before September 8th, you receive a free night stay (free night will be assign to Tuesday Nov 11th); the other nights are at $229 night.
If you are going to be in Las Vegas or at this conference Nov 9 - 13th, be sure to reply to this post or contact me via this blog.
Cheers
Gary Pronych