IT Pro

Gmail Chat Bug: Excessive CPU Usage when Chat is blocked

Gary Pronych — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:15:00 GMT

For those of you using Gmail and the integrated Gmail chat client you could be affected by this bug if access to the Google talk server is blocked by a firewall or another method.

The past 2 weeks I noticed that Gmail is using 100% of one of my processors when I am at the office.
Access to the Google talk servers is blocked at our firewall so my Gmail integrated chat client is disabled when in Gmail, at least that is what Gmail tells me.
See the attached picture on the right.

However, when the integrated chat is expanded (+) it uses 100% of one processor even though it reads 'chat is disabled'.
If I collapse the chat module (-) this problem goes away, processor usage goes to normal levels.

I assume the Gmail chat client is unneccessarily trying to connect to the chat server even though the client is 'disabled'.
Fail!

I have posted this bug on Google forums and I will update this post once I have been notified this has been resolved.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/gmail/thread?tid=4ba2c7660e1a21d6&hl=en

For now, if your chat client is disabled, collapse the feature or else you will be running with one less processor.

*Gmail integrated chat client expanded

I have confirmed this a problem with
- FireFox 3.5.2
- Chrome 2.0.172.43

Gary Pronych

Tether your BlackBerry for Internet Sharing

Gary Pronych — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:20:39 GMT

There is some confusion in how-to setup a BlackBerry in tether mode to share internet with your laptop or PC so I would like to share my setup process.

Overview:

Since you are already paying for a data plan why not take advantage of this data connection when you are away from home? Hotels and other facilities can charge you $15+ per day for Internet access.
BlackBerry and other hardware providers allow you to tether your smart phone as a modem to your laptop or computer.

Keep in mind that your tethered modem will not operate any faster than your data plan.
GPRS and EDGE will give you 2G speeds of approximately 56 – 114 kbit/s depending on signal strength; which will be similar to a dialup modem connection.
3G can provide up to 14.4 MBit/s download and 5.8 MBit/s upload.

RIM has provided instructions on how-to connect to the Internet using a GPRS, EDGE or UMTS smart phone as a tethered modem.
I had to make some modifications to these instructions to allow my smart phone to properly allow tethered access to the Internet. It is possible that each smart phone provider has slightly different setup so these instructions may not work for you.
These instructions work on the Rogers Canada wireless network, in particular, a BlackBerry Curve 8300.
These instructions should work with other data devices in tether mode.

Setup:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 1) Download the Software
Do this first, Download the BlackBerry Desktop Software 4.1 or later which will install the USB and virtual com ports.
Otherwise your computer will not discover your mobile device.

The desktop software will allow you to copy files to your smart phone such as MP3, videos and load applications.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2) Setup an APN (If Required)
Task 2 of the RIM instructions states you need to setup an Internet APN (Access Point Name), some data providers may not require an APN.
I found an APN is not needed as part of the Rogers wireless network. Do not setup an APN if you use Rogers or else your tethered modem will not work.

If you do not know your Internet APN or have connection troubles, contact your service provider.

To Set up Internet APN
From your PC:

Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel
Double-click Phone and Modem Options
In the Phone and Modem Options window, click the Modems tab
Select Standard Modem and click Properties
In the Standard Modem Properties window, Click the Advanced Tab
In the Extra initialization commands field, type the following: +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”your Internet APN”
ie. +cgdcont=1, “IP”, “Internet.com”
Click OK
In the Phone and Modem Options window, click OK

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3) Configure Dial-up Network

Windows Vista

Click Start.
Select Connect To.
Click Setup a connection or network.
Click Setup a dialup connection.
In the Dial-up phone number field type *99#.
Type the user name and password provided by your service provider.
In the Connection Name field type BlackBerry (or any name you wish).
Click Dialing Rules.
Make sure the APN profile created in Step 2 has been selected (if required), and then click OK.
Select Connect to establish an internet.

Windows XP operating system

Click Start > Settings > Network Connections.
Double-click New Connection Wizard. The New Connection Wizard opens.
Click Next.
Select the Connect to the Internet option. Click Next.
Select Set up my connection manually. Click Next.
Select Connect using a dial-up modem. Click Next.
If the Select a Device screen appears, select the Modem - Standard Modem check box. Click Next.
In the ISP Name field, type a name for your connection. Click Next.
In the Phone number field, type *99#. Click Next.
Indicate which users will have access to the connection. Click Next.
Type the user name and password provided by your service provider. Click Next.
Click Finish.
In the Connect window, click Properties.
In the Properties window, verify that Modem - Standard Modem appears beneath the Connect using heading, and then click Configure.
In the Modem Configuration window, clear the Enable hardware flow control check box and make sure none of the other check boxes are selected. Click OK. In the Properties window, click OK.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4) Connect to the Internet using Dial-up Network

Power on your BlackBerry smart phone and connect it to the computer / laptop.
Open BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
Click Start > Settings > Network Connections > <name of your new connection>.
Type the user name and password provided by your service provider.
Click Dial.

The user name and password for the Rogers Wireless network is
user name: wapuser1
password: wap

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Troubleshooting:

There are all sorts of posts on various forums looking for setup instructions and APN values.
Be sure to contact you data phone provider for APN settings, it is very likely they will offer you very little to no support on this setup process (I have been told by family and friends).

Common problems I found are
- APN issues
- Desktop Manager must be running in order tether your device

Happy Tethering!

Gary Pronych

Vista SP2 Release, Evaluation Build 6002 Removal

Gary Pronych — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:54:00 GMT

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

GreenIT Communities and Events

Gary Pronych — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:26:09 GMT

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.

Florida.NET is hosting a Live meeting for anyone Feb 18th on Does Green IT Matter?
Check out Kathy Malone’s blog
Check out the Microsoft Sustainability Panel at TechEd Online
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/events/teched/cc676818.aspx put in keyword “sustain” and it should get you there (low resolution mp3 gets all the content).
Hypothesis on GreenIT
Green Computing on Wikipedia

Stay green,

Gary Pronych

Regina.NET Event January 22nd: SQL 2008 Community Launch

Gary Pronych — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 02:32:12 GMT

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

Affordable SQL Server High Availability

Gary Pronych — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:20:00 GMT

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

A Meaningful Christmas

Gary Pronych — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:36:36 GMT

I would like to take a moment and talk about my 2008 Christmas experience.

My wife and I have all of our basic needs (and more) and we currently have no children.
Our nieces and nephews are also well taken care of so we wanted to do something different this Christmas.
We have been lucky as the poor market conditions have not hit us personally but we know there are likely many families that have been.

We decided this year for Christmas we were going to find some children that would not be receiving gifts and visit them.
There is a local organization called 'Kids House' that accepts children under 12 that are recently taken from their homes while they are in 'transition' to foster parents or an orphanage.

In most care homes / orphanages the Canadian Government provides gifts to those children.
We called Kids House and the care worker said she had 4 kids that will not be receiving gifts because they are between the registration period; 3 of these children were from the same family.

Christmas morning we went to Kids house with treats and gifts from Santa and us.
When we entered the home, one of the kids asked 'Who are these people?' I replied 'Santa sent us'.

Kids House just opened in September 2008 so they didn't have many community toys, the children themselves had next to nothing.
A co-worker of ours donated a couple kids board games to the house.
We gave these 4 children simple gifts and you can see from their expressions we made their day and possibly a great experience for their entire life.
Kids House took pictures and will give them a copy for their scrapbook; I attached a couple of pictures so you can see the joy in their faces for yourself.

The moral of my story is just a reminder to remember the less fortunate.
You don't need to go and find less fortunate children like us, there are many organizations that will do the middleman work for you.

My call to action is take a look around, you or your family may have things around the house that you do not need or use anymore.
There is likely a person or organization that can use any furniture, toys, etc that you no longer find useful.

Seasons Greetings and God Bless,

Community Launch Hits Regina, SK

Gary Pronych — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:37:04 GMT

WoW, it took a couple weeks to get everything in order; but we are excited to be hosting Heroes Happen {Regina} April 30th in Regina, Sask, Canada.
I worked with the local IT Pro user group to create this night of community run technology sessions.

What is interesting, is that we are holding 3 sessions concurrently, then we are running the same session again so attendees can participate in 2 of our 3 sessions.
They layout will look like this

	Windows Server 2008; Room X	SQL Server 2008; Room Y	Visual Studio 2008; Room Z
6:30	AD, Hyper-V	New Datatypes, Resource Governer	LINQ, AJAX
7:30	AD, Hyper-V	New Datatypes, Resource Governer	LINQ, AJAX

We thought about doing it code camp style; 3 session rooms, 2 unique sessions.
We decided against this because attendees are often torn 'Man, I want to be in room Y but room Z sounds sweet'.
Stress no longer my friends.

Will Craddock will be providing the Windows Server 2008 sessions.
Vance Petriew will be providing the SQL Server 2008 sessions.

Yes, I am trying to hide my session since this will be my *first* public presentation; I might be a little nervous and possibly a lot drunk. ;)
I will be providing the Visual Studio 2008 sessions.
I am pretty excited actually, I am hoping to provide a couple more sessions this year.

If you are in the local area, I hope to see you out.
Registration can be found here
http://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=127735

Cheers

The Shortcomings of Windows 2008 Server Core

Gary Pronych — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:46:31 GMT

I spent a couple hours today installing Windows Server 2008 on my home server.
I have to admit, this was the easiest and fastest Windows OS software install I *EVER* completed.

My goal was to build a Windows 2008 Server as a VPC host using Hyper-V; I literally spent more time installing the Hyper-V Role than installing the Win2k8 OS (I suppose this is the benefit of Role based installations).
Do yourself a favor and download this utility (http://www.grc.com/securable.htm) to verify your BIOS is configured properly if you are going to use Hyper-V.
They do a good job in explaining WTF these features are, and how to enable them.

Now I had my VPC host running, my next task was to answer this question, 'What is all the buzz about Windows 2008 Server Core... and could it make my life easier?'
The simple answer (as a .NET user / developer)? No

The concept of a Server Core is solid;
- Smaller footprint, smaller attack surface
- Install only the features you need in the form of Roles

Why Server Core sucks?
1) I am a Windows guy, not a *nix guy, so the lack of GUI was going to make my life difficult
2) None of these features currently work in Server Core (Known Issues)

IIS-ASPNET
IIS-NetFxExtensibility
IIS-ManagementConsole
IIS-ManagementService
IIS-LegacySnapIn
IIS-FTPManagement
WAS-NetFxEnvironment
WAS-ConfigurationAPI

The key reason for issue #2 is explained as
'The Web Server (IIS) role does not support ASP.NET in Server Core installations.
Because there is no support for managed code, the following IIS features are not available in Server Core installations'

Now, read the second line carefully and say with me, "NO SUPPORT FOR MANAGED CODE".

Yes folks, that means all .NET code, ASP.NET, WinForms, SQL 2005... any and ALL products build on .NET.
WoW, I have to catch my breath... no .NET support on a Microsoft product; I might as well install Windows NT 4.
Well, at least Server Core 2008 supports ASP and PHP (!)... well, so does NT 4.

At least I can convert my VPC / Virtual Server 2005 R2 VHD's to be Hyper-V compatible.

Regina Community Connection Event: Post-Op

Gary Pronych — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:45:34 GMT

As D'Arcy shared on his blog last night, Will Craddock and Rodney Buike hosted a Community Connection event sponsored by CIPS and Microsoft in Regina, Sask, Canada.
We had a great turn out, expected 175 people, I would assume 100+ attended although I did not get the final numbers.

This event type was certainly new to our market; it followed the idea of Open Spaces that has been all the rage in the community.
What I was most impressed with, is the fact that Microsoft made an effort to enforce community and bring new ideas to market.
Our learning circle topics where
1) Impact of virtualization on the IT industry
2) Application lifecycle
3) Importance of security – Data, management, privacy
4) ICT skills shortage and declining interest in ICT careers.
5) Software plus services and the impact on the industry.

For each topic we had a host that gave each topic some guidance.
4 principals are a part of open spaces

Whoever comes are the right people
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
Whenever it starts is the right time
When it's over, it's over

D'Arcy hosted the 'software plus service', or SOA (Service Oriented Architecture), track which I attended.
Our group had about 10 attendees with mixed experienced with SOA; a couple attendees had no experience.
At first we attempted what SOA means to us by defining it.
They we talked about the benefits, challenges and how to implement an SOA.

My only caveat is each group needs to have at least 1 individual with some knowledge or experience to give the conversation some credibility; which may challenge 'whoever comes are the right people' principal.
In technology, there is often no silver bullet, and often no less than a dozen ways to complete the same task; which is why I agree with this principal.

As a user group leader, I plan on offering similar events to my local user group because of this positive experience.

For all my readers, I highly recommend that you can attend the community connection event, or similar events in your area.
You do not have to be an expert to attend, all you need is interest in the topic and you qualify.

I wanted to give special thanks to D'Arcy Lussier for attending our event and hosting one of the learning circles; even though he is from Winnipeg; the home of the Grey Cup champions, and Ridernation, welcomed even a lowly 'pegger.
D'Arcy, in my opinion, has gone out of his way time and time again to build and assist user communities.
Mad props D.
Takeaways;
- Always bring a camera to user group events (for user group leaders)
- Pilsner beer is king on the prairies
- Should I fear or embrace the igloo of love? TBA