Windows Vista

[Download] TransNTFS v1.0.0.1 - support for folders, symbolic and hard links and more

Gaurav Khanna — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 17:09:21 GMT

I have updated TransNTFS, my managed implementation for the transactional NTFS APIs that have been introduced with Windows Vista. TransNTFS now also supports the following operations under a transaction:

Creation and deletion of folders
Deletion of files
Creation of symbolic links
Creation of hard links

It comes with complete documentation (as always) and can be downloaded from http://www.wintoolzone.com/ListDotNET.aspx?Listtype=3

[Download] TransNTFS - Managed implementation of Transactional NTFS (TxF) APIs

Gaurav Khanna — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:30:31 GMT

Sometime back, I had made a post regarding a native C++ class I had authored for using some of the Transactional NTFS (TxF)APIs introduced in Windows Vista.

Almost two weeks from that post, I just finished my managed implementation, TransNTFS, that enables you to use the TxF APIs from managed code. As always, Managed C++ enabled the implementation with excellent ease. It comes with complete documentation and can be downloaded from http://www.wintoolzone.com/ListDotNET.aspx?Listtype=3.

Below is an example usage of how to copy a file under a transaction:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using WinToolZone;
namespace ManagedTransactionCopyDemo
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            TransNTFS refTC = new TransNTFS();
            // Init the transaction
            bool fSuccess = refTC.BeginTransaction();
            if (fSuccess)
            {
                fSuccess = refTC.CopyFile("d:\\transcopy.pdb", "d:\\t.pdb", false);
                if (fSuccess)
                {
                    fSuccess = refTC.Commit();
                    if (fSuccess)
                    {
                        Console.WriteLine("Copy successful!");
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        ShowErrorAndExit("Commit failed!", refTC.LastError);
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    ShowErrorAndExit("Copy failed!", refTC.LastError);
                }
            }
            else
            {
                ShowErrorAndExit("Unable to start the transaction!", refTC.LastError);
            }
        }
        private static void ShowErrorAndExit(string p, int p_2)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("ERROR: {0}", p);
            Console.WriteLine("CODE: {0}", p_2);
            System.Environment.Exit(1);
        }
    }
}

Programming the Transactional NTFS (TxF)

Gaurav Khanna — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 07:37:29 GMT

One of the key new features of Windows Vista is a component called the Kernel Transaction Manager (KTM) that brings inherent support for transactional development in not just the kernel-mode but also for user mode. Infact, NTFS has been enhanced to use and support transactions such that couple of new APIs (e.g. CopyFileTransacted, MoveFileTransacted just to name a few) have surfaced up. You can get more details on Transactional NTFS here.

To demonstrate the power of the new APIs, I wrote a C++ class library (unmanaged), CTransCopy, that allows you to:

Copy files under a transaction
Move files under a transaction
Commit or Rollback the transaction
Let you wire up a callback handler for copy/move progress

You can download it from http://www.wintoolzone.com/ListWin32.aspx?Listtype=5. The zipped archive also contains a sample client source code. BTW, since the .LIB file containing the class was compiled using VC++ 2005 compiler, you will need the same to link against it and write an application. You can use VC++ 2005 Express Edition. Below is an example usage of the same:

CTransCopy tcopy;

if (tcopy.IsOSSupported() == FALSE)
{
    printf("This application requires Windows Vista or later.");
    return -1;
}

if (tcopy.Init() == FALSE)
{
    printf("Init failed with error %08X\n",tcopy.LastError());
    return -1;
}

// Setup a callback for progress
tcopy.SetCopyCallback(ProgressCallback);

if (tcopy.CopyFileW(L"D:\\KGK\\Development\\VS\\Windows Vista\\VC\\TransCopy\\debug\\transcopy.pdb",
                    L"D:\\transcopy.pdb",FALSE) == FALSE)
{
    printf("Copy/move failed with error %08X\n",tcopy.LastError());
    tcopy.Rollback();
    return -1;
}

if (tcopy.Rollback() == FALSE)
{
    printf("Rollback failed with error %08X\n",tcopy.LastError());
    return -1;
}

if (tcopy.Commit() == FALSE)
{
    printf("Commit failed with error %08X\n",tcopy.LastError());
    return -1;
}

printf("Copy/move successful!\n");

The ProgressCallback function is implemented as shown below:

void ProgressCallback(LARGE_INTEGER total, LARGE_INTEGER transferred)
{
    double percent = (transferred.QuadPart*100.00)/total.QuadPart;
    printf("%f%% over\n",percent);
}

Technorati : API, KTM, Kernel Transaction Manager, NTFS, Programming, Transaction, Transactional NTFS, TxF, WinToolZone, Windows Vista
Del.icio.us : API, KTM, Kernel Transaction Manager, NTFS, Programming, Transaction, Transactional NTFS, TxF, WinToolZone, Windows Vista
Ice Rocket : API, KTM, Kernel Transaction Manager, NTFS, Programming, Transaction, Transactional NTFS, TxF, WinToolZone, Windows Vista

Service Oriented Architecture: Your thoughts

Gaurav Khanna — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 19:36:00 GMT

Of late, I have had a chance to attempt to understand SOA. Just like OOP was a shift in the development mindset from procedural, same is SOA from OO/Component based mindsets.

Going ahead, technologies like Indigo will be based upon the SOA philosophy. Here are couple of links to help you understand SOA better:

1) Understanding Service Oriented Architecture
2) Service Orientation and Its Role in Your Connected Systems Strategy
3) Envisioning the Service Oriented Enterprise - presentation by Pat Helland

And I am fortunate enough to speak at SAF 2004 India, where Pat is also speaking :)

Back from Yatra...

Gaurav Khanna — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 02:18:00 GMT

I returned this part Friday [8th Oct] after a 10 day long MSDN Yatra - Yatra, in Hindi, literally means travel. And MSDN Yatra is very close a concept to the same.

When on a Yatra, Microsoft India Evangelists visit different cities across the country where they engage with SIs, ISVs and Academia, in addition to delivering a MSDN Session at the city in question. And I just returned from Kolkatta and my hometown, Chandigarh after these engagements and sessions, with an excellent response - particularly the sessions.

Well, that said, I just got geared up for the upcoming MSDN Session on introspecting some of the CLR aspects. Its titled Inside the Guts of the CLR - visit http://www.microsoft.com/india/msdn/events/ to register for the same. This time I am coming to Hyderabad and Pune to deliver the same. Would be visiting Pune after a long time - 3 years.

BTW, SAF 2004 is taking place at Bangalore on 19th and 20th of October 2004. For details and registration, visit http://www.microsoft.com/india/events/saf. What am I doing? Talking about Indigo...

Oh yes, almost forgot this - on 25th October, I am at Hyderabad speaking at the Mobility and Embedded Devices Yatra. Its free attendence! Register for it at http://www.microsoft.com/india/msdn/events/yatra/.

Longhorn Community Preview Available

Gaurav Khanna — Wed, 12 May 2004 18:39:00 GMT

The community preview (build 4074) of Longhorn is available for download at MSDN Subscriber downloads here. The SDK for the same is also downloadable.

Here is a video that talks about where Longhorn is headed and how it has progressed since build 4051. Some changes/introductions are:

There is no build of Visual Studio that locks with this Longhorn build.
MSBuild is included
MSAvalon namespace becomes System.Windows