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• Building services with .Net Part 1

  - by Allan Rwakatungu

  On the 26th of May 2010 , I made a presentation to the .NET user group meeting (thanks to Malisa Ncube for organizing this event every month … ). If you missed my presentation , we talked about why we should all be building services … better still using the .NET framework. This blog post is an introduction to services , why you would want to build services and how you can build services using the .NET framework. What is a service? OASIS defines service as "a mechanism to enable access to one or more capabilities, where the access is provided using a prescribed interface and is exercised consistent with constraints and policies as specified by the service description." [1]. If the above definition sounds to academic , you can also define a service as loosely coupled units of functionality that have no calls to each other embedded in the. Instead of services embedding calls to each other in their service code they use defined protocols that describe how services pass and parse messages. This is a good way to think about services if you’re from an objected oriented background. While in object oriented programming functions make calls to each other, in service oriented programming, functions pass messages between each other. Why would you want to use services? 1. If your enterprise architecture looks like this   Services are the building blocks for SOA . With SOA you can move away from the sphaggetti infrastructure that is common in most enterprises. The complexity or lack of visibility of the integration points in your enterprises makes it difficult and costly to implement new initiatives and changes into the business - and even impossible in some cases - as it is not possible to identify the impact a change in one system might have to other systems. With services you can move to an architecture like this Your building blocks from Spaghetti infrastructure to something that is more well-defined and manageable to achieve cost efficiency and not least business agility - enabling you to react to changes in the market with speed and achieve operational efficiency and control are services. 2. If you want to become the Gates or Zuckerburger. Have you heard about Web 2.0 ? Mashups? Software as a service (SAAS) ? Cloud computing ?   They all offer you the opportunity to have scalable but low cost business models and they built using services.  Some of my favorite companies that leverage services for their business models include  https://www.salesforce.com/ (cloud CRM) http://www. twitter.com (more people use twitter clients built by 3rd parties than their official clients) http://www.kayak.com/ (compares data from other travel sites to give information to users in one location) Services with the .NET framework      If you are a .NET developer and you want to develop services, Windows Communication Framework (WCF) is the tool for you. WCF is Microsoft’s unified programming model (service model) for building service oriented applications. ( Before .NET 3.0 you had several models for programming services in .NET including .NET remoting, Web services (ASMX), COM +, Microsoft Messaging queuing (MSMQ) etc, after .NET 3.0 the programming model was unified into one i.e. WCF ). Windows Communication Framework (WCF) provides you 1. An Software Development Kit (SDK) for creating SOA applications 2. A runtime for running services on the Windows platform Why should you use Windows Communication Foundation if you’re programming services?   1. It supports interoperable and open standards e.g. WS* protocols for programming SOAP services 2. It has a unified programming model. Whether you use TCP or Http or Pipes or transmitting using Messaging Queues, programmers need to learn just one way to program. Previously you had .NET remoting, MSMQ, Web services, COM+ and they were all done differently 3. Productive programming model You don’t have to worry about all the plumbing involved to write services. You have a rich declarative programming model to add stuff like logging, transactions, and reliable messages in-built in the Windows Communication Framework. Understanding services in WCF The basic principles of WCF are as easy as ABC A – Address This is where the service is located B- Binding This describes how you communicate with the service e.g. Use TCP, HTTP or both. How to exchange security information with the service etc. C – Contract This defines what the service can do. E.g. Pay water bill, Make a phone call A - Addresses In WCF, an address is a combination of transport, server name, port and path Example addresses may include http://localhost:8001 net.tcp://localhost:8002/MyService net.pipe://localhost/MyPipe net.msmq://localhost/private/MyService net.msmq://localhost/MyService B- Binding   There are numerous ways to communicate with services , different ways that a message can be formatted/sent/secured, that allows you to tailor your service for the compatibility/performance you require for your solution. Transport You can use HTTP TCP MSMQ , Named pipes, Your own custom transport etc Message You  can send a plain text binary, Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism (MTOM) message Communication security No security Transport security Message security Authenticating and authorizing callers etc Behaviour You service can support Transactions Be reliable Use queues Support ajax etc C - Contract You define what your service can do using Service contracts :- Define operations that your service can do, communications and behaviours Data contracts :- Define the messages that are passed from and into your service and how they are formatted Fault contracts :- Defines errors types in your service   As an example, suppose your service service shows money. You define your service contract using a interface [ServiceContract] public interface IShowMeTheMoney {   [OperationContract]    Money Show(); } You define the data contract by annotating a class it with the Data Contract attribute and fields you want to pass in the message as Data Members. (Note:- In the latest versions of WCF you dont have to use attributes if you passing all the objects properties in the message) [DataContract] public Money {   [DataMember]   public string Currency { get; set; }   [DataMember]   public Decimal Amount { get; set; }   public string Comment { get; set; } } Features of Windows Communication Foundation Windows Communication Foundation is not only simple but feature rich , offering you several options to tweak your service to fit your business requirements. Some of the features of WCF include 1. Workflow services You can combine WCF with Windows WorkFlow Foundation (WWF) to write workflow type services 2. Control how your data (messages) are transferred and serialized e.g. you can serialize your business objects as XML or binary 3. control over session management , instance creation and concurrency management without writing code if you like 4. Queues and reliable sessions. You can store messages from the sending client and later forward them to the receiving application. You can also guarantee that messages will arrive at their destincation. 5.Transactions:  You can have different services participate in a transaction operations that can be rolled back if needed 6. Security. WCF has rich features for authorization and authentication  as well as keep audit trails 7. Web programming model. WCF allows developers to expose services as non SOAP endpoints 8. Inbuilt features that you can use to write JSON and services that support AJAX applications And lots more In my next blog I will show you how you can use WCF features to write a real world business service.               Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 ]] /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

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• New Skool Crosstabbing

  - by Tim Dexter

  A while back I spoke about having to go back to BIP's original crosstabbing solution to achieve a certain layout. Hok Min has provided a 'man' page for the new crosstab/pivot builder for 10.1.3.4.1 users. This will make the documentation drop but for now, get it here! The old, hand method is still available but this new approach, is more efficient and flexible. That said you may need to get into the crosstab code to tweak it where the crosstab dialog can not help. I had to do this, this week but more on that later. The following explains how the crosstab wizard builds the crosstab and what the fields inside the resulting template structure are there for. To create the crosstab a new XDO command "<?crosstab:...?>" has been created. XDO Command: <?crosstab: ctvarname; data-element; rows; columns; measures; aggregation?> Parameter Description Example Ctvarname Crosstab variable name. This is automatically generated by the Add-in. C123 data-element This is the XML data element that contains the data. "//ROW" Rows This contains a list of XML elements for row headers. The ordering information is specified within "{" and "}". The first attribute is the sort element. Leaving it blank means the sort element is the same as the row header element. The attribute "o" means order. Its value can be "a" for ascending, or "d" for descending. The attribute "t" means type. Its value can be "t" for text, and "n" for numeric. There can be more than one sort elements, example: "emp-full-name {emp-lastname,o=a,t=n}{emp-firstname,o=a,t=n}. This will sort employee by last name and first name. "Region{,o=a,t=t}, District{,o=a,t=t}" In the example, the first row header is "Region". It is sort by "Region", order is ascending, and type is text. The second row header is "District". It is sort by "District", order is ascending, and type is text. Columns This contains a list of XML elements for columns headers. The ordering information is specified within "{" and "}". The first attribute is the sort element. Leaving it blank means the sort element is the same as the column header element. The attribute "o" means order. Its value can be "a" for ascending, or "d" for descending. The attribute "t" means type. Its value can be "t" for text, and "n" for numeric. There can be more than one sort elements, example: "emp-full-name {emp-lastname,o=a,t=n}{emp-firstname,o=a,t=n}. This will sort employee by last name and first name. "ProductsBrand{,o=a,t=t}, PeriodYear{,o=a,t=t}" In the example, the first column header is "ProductsBrand". It is sort by "ProductsBrand", order is ascending, and type is text. The second column header is "PeriodYear". It is sort by "District", order is ascending, and type is text. Measures This contains a list of XML elements for measures. "Revenue, PrevRevenue" Aggregation The aggregation function name. Currently, we only support "sum". "sum" Using the Oracle BI Publisher Template Builder for Word add-in, we are able to construct the following Pivot Table: The generated XDO command for this Pivot Table is as follow: <?crosstab:c547; "//ROW";"Region{,o=a,t=t}, District{,o=a,t=t}"; "ProductsBrand{,o=a,t=t},PeriodYear{,o=a,t=t}"; "Revenue, PrevRevenue";"sum"?> Running the command on the give XML data files generates this XML file "cttree.xml". Each XPath in the "cttree.xml" is described in the following table. Element XPath Count Description C0 /cttree/C0 1 This contains elements which are related to column. C1 /cttree/C0/C1 4 The first level column "ProductsBrand". There are four distinct values. They are shown in the label H element. CS /cttree/C0/C1/CS 4 The column-span value. It is used to format the crosstab table. H /cttree/C0/C1/H 4 The column header label. There are four distinct values "Enterprise", "Magicolor", "McCloskey" and "Valspar". T1 /cttree/C0/C1/T1 4 The sum for measure 1, which is Revenue. T2 /cttree/C0/C1/T2 4 The sum for measure 2, which is PrevRevenue. C2 /cttree/C0/C1/C2 8 The first level column "PeriodYear", which is the second group-by key. There are two distinct values "2001" and "2002". H /cttree/C0/C1/C2/H 8 The column header label. There are two distinct values "2001" and "2002". Since it is under C1, therefore the total number of entries is 4 x 2 => 8. T1 /cttree/C0/C1/C2/T1 8 The sum for measure 1 "Revenue". T2 /cttree/C0/C1/C2/T2 8 The sum for measure 2 "PrevRevenue". M0 /cttree/M0 1 This contains elements which are related to measures. M1 /cttree/M0/M1 1 This contains summary for measure 1. H /cttree/M0/M1/H 1 The measure 1 label, which is "Revenue". T /cttree/M0/M1/T 1 The sum of measure 1 for the entire xpath from "//ROW". M2 /cttree/M0/M2 1 This contains summary for measure 2. H /cttree/M0/M2/H 1 The measure 2 label, which is "PrevRevenue". T /cttree/M0/M2/T 1 The sum of measure 2 for the entire xpath from "//ROW". R0 /cttree/R0 1 This contains elements which are related to row. R1 /cttree/R0/R1 4 The first level row "Region". There are four distinct values, they are shown in the label H element. H /cttree/R0/R1/H 4 This is row header label for "Region". There are four distinct values "CENTRAL REGION", "EASTERN REGION", "SOUTHERN REGION" and "WESTERN REGION". RS /cttree/R0/R1/RS 4 The row-span value. It is used to format the crosstab table. T1 /cttree/R0/R1/T1 4 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue" for each distinct "Region" value. T2 /cttree/R0/R1/T2 4 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue" for each distinct "Region" value. R1C1 /cttree/R0/R1/R1C1 16 This contains elements from combining R1 and C1. There are 4 distinct values for "Region", and four distinct values for "ProductsBrand". Therefore, the combination is 4 X 4 è 16. T1 /cttree/R0/R1/R1C1/T1 16 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue" for each combination of "Region" and "ProductsBrand". T2 /cttree/R0/R1/R1C1/T2 16 The sum of measure 2 "PrevRevenue" for each combination of "Region" and "ProductsBrand". R1C2 /cttree/R0/R1/R1C1/R1C2 32 This contains elements from combining R1, C1 and C2. There are 4 distinct values for "Region", and four distinct values for "ProductsBrand", and two distinct values of "PeriodYear". Therefore, the combination is 4 X 4 X 2 è 32. T1 /cttree/R0/R1/R1C1/R1C2/T1 32 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue" for each combination of "Region", "ProductsBrand" and "PeriodYear". T2 /cttree/R0/R1/R1C1/R1C2/T2 32 The sum of measure 2 "PrevRevenue" for each combination of "Region", "ProductsBrand" and "PeriodYear". R2 /cttree/R0/R1/R2 18 This contains elements from combining R1 "Region" and R2 "District". Since the list of values in R2 has dependency on R1, therefore the number of entries is not just a simple multiplication. H /cttree/R0/R1/R2/H 18 The row header label for R2 "District". R1N /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R1N 18 The R2 position number within R1. This is used to check if it is the last row, and draw table border accordingly. T1 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/T1 18 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue" for each combination "Region" and "District". T2 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/T2 18 The sum of measure 2 "PrevRevenue" for each combination of "Region" and "District". R2C1 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R2C1 72 This contains elements from combining R1, R2 and C1. T1 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R2C1/T1 72 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue" for each combination of "Region", "District" and "ProductsBrand". T2 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R2C1/T2 72 The sum of measure 2 "PrevRevenue" for each combination of "Region", "District" and "ProductsBrand". R2C2 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R2C1/R2C2 144 This contains elements from combining R1, R2, C1 and C2, which gives the finest level of details. M1 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R2C1/R2C2/M1 144 The sum of measure 1 "Revenue". M2 /cttree/R0/R1/R2/R2C1/R2C2/M2 144 The sum of measure 2 "PrevRevenue". Lots to read and digest I know! Customization One new feature I discovered this week is the ability to show one column and sort by another. I had a data set that was extracting month abbreviations, we wanted to show the months across the top and some row headers to the side. As you may know XSL is not great with dates, especially recognising month names. It just wants to sort them alphabetically, so Apr comes before Jan, etc. A way around this is to generate a month number alongside the month and use that to sort. We can do that in the crosstab, sadly its not exposed in the UI yet but its doable. Go back up and take a look a the initial crosstab command. especially the Rows and Columns entries. In there you will find the sort criteria. "ProductsBrand{,o=a,t=t}, PeriodYear{,o=a,t=t}" Notice those leading commas inside the curly braces? Because there is no field preceding them it means that the crosstab should sort on the column before the brace ie PeriodYear. But you can insert another column in the data set to sort by. To get my sort working how I needed. <?crosstab:c794;"current-group()";"_Fund_Type_._Fund_Type_Display_{_Fund_Type_._Fund_Type_Sort_,o=a,t=n}";"_Fiscal_Period__Amount__._Amt_Fm_Disp_Abbr_{_Fiscal_Period__Amount__._Amt_Fiscal_Month_Sort_,o=a,t=n}";"_Execution_Facts_._Amt_";"sum"?> Excuse the horribly verbose XML tags, good ol BIEE :0) The emboldened columns are not in the crosstab but are in the data set. I just opened up the field, dropped them in and changed the type(t) value to be 'n', for number, instead of the default 'a' and my crosstab started sorting how I wanted it. If you find other tips and tricks, please share in the comments.

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• July, the 31 Days of SQL Server DMO’s – Day 2 (sys.dm_exec_sessions)

  - by Tamarick Hill

    This sys.dm_exec_sessions DMV is another Server-Scoped DMV which returns information for each authenticated session that is running on your SQL Server box. Lets take a look at some of the information that this DMV returns. SELECT * FROM sys.dm_exec_sessions This DMV is very similar to the DMV we reviewed yesterday, sys.dm_exec_requests, and returns some of the same information such as reads, writes, and status for a given session_id (SPID). But this DMV returns additional information such as the Host name of the machine that owns the SPID, the program that is being used to connect to SQL Server, and the Client interface name. In addition to this information, this DMV also provides useful information on session level settings that may be on or off such as quoted identifier, arithabort, ansi padding, ansi nulls, etc. This DMV will also provide information about what specific isolation level the session is executing under and if the default deadlock priority for your SPID has been changed from the default. Lastly, this DMV provides you with an Original Login Name, which comes in handy whenever you have some type of context switching taking place due to an ‘EXECUTE AS’ statement being used and you need to identify the original login that started a session. For more information on this DMV, please see the below Books Online link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms176013.aspx

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• Podcast Show Notes: Evolving Enterprise Architecture

  - by Bob Rhubart

  Back in March Oracle ACE Directors Mike van Alst (IT-Eye) and Jordan Braunstein (Visual Integrator Consulting) and Oracle product manager Jeff Davies participated in an ArchBeat virtual meet-up. The resulting conversation quickly turned to the changing nature of enterprise architecture and the various forces driving that change. All four parts of that wide-ranging conversation are now available. Listen to Part 1 Listen to Part 2 Listen to Part 3 Listen to Part 4 As you’ll hear, Mike, Jordan, and Jeff bring unique perspectives and opinions to this very lively conversation. These are three very sharp, very experienced guys, as and you might expect, they don’t always walk in lock-step when it comes to EA. You can learn more about Mike, Jordan, and Jeff – and share your opinions with them -- through the links below: Mike van Alst Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Business |Oracle Mix | Oracle ACE Profile Jordan Braunstein Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Business | Oracle Mix | Oracle ACE Profile Jeff Davies Homepage | Blog | LinkedIn | Oracle Mix (Also check out Jeff’s book: The Definitive Guide to SOA: Oracle Service Bus) Up Next Next week’s program features highlights from the panel discussion at the Oracle Technology Architect Day event held in Anaheim, CA on May 19. You’ll hear from Oracle ACE Directors Basheer Khan and Floyd Teter, Oracle virtualization expert and former Sun Microsystems principal engineer Jeff Savit, Oracle security analyst Geri Born, and event MC Ralf Dossman, Director of SOA and Middleware in Oracle’s Enterprise Solutions Group. Stay tuned: RSS

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• inetd / xinetd not working under cygwin

  - by Zimmy-DUB-Zongy-Zong-DUBBY

  I am trying to use xinetd (or inetd) with netcat to act as a TCP proxy. This setup works on Linux without issue. Under Cygwin, either as a service or from the a Cygwin command line, the (x)inetd fails to open netcat, with the error "no such file or directory". I have tried specifying /usr/bin/nc, /usr/bin/nc.exe, /cygdrive/d/cygwin/usr/bin/nc.exe, d:\cygwin\bin\nc.exe, and a TON of other combinations of forward flashes, backslashes, Windows paths and Cygwin paths. No matter what, I get errno 2, no such file or dir. Any ideas? I need this working ASAP. Edit: I thought it may have to do with it being in d:\cygwin (lame hardcoding?) but I tested it on a machine with cygwin on C:\, problem exists there too.

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• Packet loss rate with iperf and tcpdump

  - by stefita

  I tested a line for its link quality with iperf. The measured speed (UDP port 9005) was 96Mbps, which is fine, because both servers are connected with 100Mbps to the internet. On the other hand the datagram loss rate was shown to be 3.3-3.7%, which I found a little too much. Using a high-speed transfer protocol I recorded the packets on both sides with tcpdump. Than I calculated the packet loss - average 0.25%. Have anyone an explanation, where this big difference may be coming from? What is an acceptable packet loss in your opinion?

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• Slides and links for Looking at the Clouds through Dirty Windows :-)

  - by Eric Nelson

  Tomorrow (Friday 23/4/2010) I am delivering a session at the Cloud Grid Exchange in London at SkillsMatter (A top training company and superb supporter of development communities). To be perfectly honest – I’m more interested in attending than presenting as the sessions and speaker line up look great. But in the middle of all that I will be doing the following (rather cheekily named) session: Looking at the Clouds through dirty Windows Many developers assume that the Microsoft Windows Azure Platform for Cloud Computing is only relevant if you develop solutions using Microsoft Visual Studio and the .NET Framework. The reality is somewhat different. In the same way that developers can build great applications on Windows Server using a variety of programming languages, developers can do the same for Azure. Java, Tomcat, PHP, Ruby, Python, MySQL and more all work great on Azure. In this session we will take a lap around the services offered by the Azure PaaS and demonstrate just how easy it is to build and deploy applications built in .NET and other technologies. The session will be a mix of slides and demos – currently I plan to demo .NET and Ruby on Rails running on Azure – but I may flex that depending on how the morning sessions go and who turns up. Looking at the clouds through dirty windows View more presentations from Eric Nelson. Links: Getting started: Details on how to sign up for FREE to try out Windows Azure http://bit.ly/azure25  Getting started with Windows Azure UK Site http://bit.ly/startazure UK Azure Site http://bit.ly/landazure UK Community http://ukazure.ning.com Examples of Azure and none .NET technologies: http://ukinterop.cloudapp.net Restlet based, using Windows Azure Storage http://rubyukinterop.cloudapp.net Rails based clone using Windows Azure Storage (down at time of posting) http://rubysqlazure.cloudapp.net Simple rails using SQL Azure http://bookingbug.com Real world “Ruby on Rails on Azure” (Work in progress for conversion to Azure) Domino’s Pizza migration of Java/Tomcat on Solaris to Java/Tomcat on Windows Azure Main Azure Interop site http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsAzure/interop/: Eclipse Tooling http://windowsazure4e.org Java support http://www.windowsazure4j.org/ Rails on Azure skeleton project for Visual Studio http://code.msdn.com/railsonazure Azure Runme utility for spawning processes http://azurerunme.codeplex.com Feedback www.mygreatwindowsazureidea.com

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• Samba4 advice for production use

  - by pgb

  I have an old Samba 3 + LDAP server installed that needs to be rebuilt. I'm weighting my options, and Windows Server seems too expensive at the moment, and Samba 4 appeared to be a nice option, coupled with the last Bind 9 that can dynamically add the computers to the DNS. I have about 30 workstations, so I still consider it a small network. My questions are: Is Samba 4 stable enough for production? It seems as if the Samba team is too cautious on when to call their version final, or even beta, as compared with other open source projects. What Linux distribution would you recommend to set it up? I usually use Ubuntu Server, but may use another one if installing / maintaining Samba 4 is better on that one.

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• Unix : `nc` on Ubuntu vs Redhat (netcat)

  - by bguiz

  How do I achieve the equivalent of nc -q in Redhat 5? Details? nc -q -1 local host ${PORT} ${CMD} In Ubuntu, nc may be use as above, with the -q option. See manpage. -q after EOF on stdin, wait the specified number of seconds and then quit. If seconds is negative, wait forever. However, this option is not available in Redhat 5. See manpage. (Note: The Red Hat website is horrible to search, if someone finds their manpage for nc, please edit this post or comment with the new link).

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• Bump the Bill

  - by David Dorf

  I'm writing this from 3,400 feet in the air somewhere between Chicago and Austin. GoGo In-flight strikes again. Is there anywhere I can't get a WiFi connection? While listening to Deacon Blues by Steely Dan and skimming the news, I just came across an interesting article on mobile payments. Remember when I wrote about the iPhone Bump application and its possible use in retail? Well it looks like PayPal updated their mobile payments application to include the bump technology. Now its possible to transfer money between individuals by bumping iPhones. According to the WSJ, Paypal did 24 million transactions in 2008 and 140 million in 2009 on mobile phones. As the technology gets easier to use, that number is bound to increase. Alternatives to Paypal include Google Checkout, Amazon Payments, wireless carriers ("put it on my phone bill"), smart cards (using your phone's SIM card), and iTunes. That last one comes courtesy of a story Joe Skorupa wrote on mobile payments. It looks like Apple allows iPhone apps to take micro-payments via iTunes accounts, so there may come a time when its possible to use your iPhone to make a purchase in a retail store and have your credit card charged via your iTunes account. There are still some improvements in usability to be made before using a phone will be easier than swiping a credit card, but its already better than fussing with cash.

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• The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better

  - by The Geek

  We’re big fans of hacking the Windows Registry around here, and we’ve got one of the biggest collections of registry hacks you’ll find. Don’t believe us? Here’s a list of the top 50 registry hacks that we’ve covered. It’s important to note that you should never hack the registry if you don’t know what you’re doing, because your computer will light on fire and some squirrels may be injured. Also, you should create a System Restore point before doing so. Otherwise, keep reading Latest Features How-To Geek ETC The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better The How-To Geek Holiday Gift Guide (Geeky Stuff We Like) LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology The How-To Geek Guide to Learning Photoshop, Part 8: Filters Improve Digital Photography by Calibrating Your Monitor Our Favorite Tech: What We’re Thankful For at How-To Geek Snowy Christmas House Personas Theme for Firefox The Mystic Underground Tunnel Wallpaper Ubunchu! – The Ubuntu Manga Available in Multiple Languages Breathe New Life into Your PlayStation 2 Peripherals by Hooking Them Up to Your Computer Move the Window Control Buttons to the Left Side in Windows Fun and Colorful Firefox Theme for Windows 7

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• Why is gcc failing with "unrecognized command line option "-L/lusr/opt/mpfr-2.4.2/lib" "?

  - by Mike

  My sysadmin recently installed a new version of GCC, in /lusr/opt/gcc-4.4.3. I tested it as follows: mike@canon:~$ cat test.c int main(){ return 0; } mike@canon:~$ gcc test.c /lusr/opt/gcc-4.4.3/libexec/gcc/i686-pc-linux-gnu/4.4.3/cc1: error while loading shared libraries: libmpfr.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory After informing my sysadmin about this, he said to add /lusr/opt/mpfr-2.4.2/lib:/lusr/opt/gmp-4.3.2/lib to my LD_LIBRARY_PATH. After doing this, I get the following error: mike@canon:~$ gcc test.c cc1: error: unrecognized command line option "-L/lusr/opt/mpfr-2.4.2/lib" First, my sysadmin wasn't entirely sure this was the best workaround(though he did say it worked for him...), so is there a better solution? Second, why am I getting a linker error from cc, and how can I fix it? Some information which may be helpful: mike@canon:~$ env | grep mpfr OLDPWD=/lusr/opt/mpfr-2.4.2/lib LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/lusr/opt/mpfr-2.4.2/lib:/lusr/opt/gmp-4.3.2/lib: mike@canon:~$ echo $LDFLAGS (the above is a blank line)

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• REST: How to store and reuse REST call queries

  - by Jason Holland

  I'm learning C# by programming a real monstrosity of an application for personal use. Part of my application uses several SPARQL queries like so: const string ArtistByRdfsLabel = @" PREFIX rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> PREFIX rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> SELECT DISTINCT ?artist WHERE {{ {{ ?artist rdf:type <http://dbpedia.org/ontology/MusicalArtist> . ?artist rdfs:label ?rdfsLabel . }} UNION {{ ?artist rdf:type <http://dbpedia.org/ontology/Band> . ?artist rdfs:label ?rdfsLabel . }} FILTER ( str(?rdfsLabel) = '{0}' ) }}"; string Query = String.Format(ArtistByRdfsLabel, Artist); I don't like the idea of keeping all these queries in the same class that I'm using them in so I thought I would just move them into their own dedicated class to remove clutter in my RestClient class. I'm used to working with SQL Server and just wrapping every query in a stored procedure but since this is not SQL Server I'm scratching my head on what would be the best for these SPARQL queries. Are there any better approaches to storing these queries using any special C# language features (or general, non C# specific, approaches) that I may not already know about? EDIT: Really, these SPARQL queries aren't anything special. Just blobs of text that I later want to grab, insert some parameters into via String.Format and send in a REST call. I suppose you could think of them the same as any SQL query that is kept in the application layer, I just never practiced keeping SQL queries in the application layer so I'm wondering if there are any "standard" practices with this type of thing.

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• Don’t learn SSDT, learn about your databases instead

  - by jamiet

  Last Thursday I presented my session “Introduction to SSDT” at the SQL Supper event held at the offices of 7 Digital (loved the samosas, guys). I did my usual spiel, tour of the IDE, connected development, declarative database development yadda yadda yadda… and at the end asked if there were any questions. One gentleman in attendance (sorry, can’t remember your name) raised his hand and stated that by attempting to evangelise all of the features I’d missed the single biggest benefit of SSDT, that it can tell you stuff about database that you didn’t already know. I realised that he was dead right. SSDT allows you to import your whole database schema into a new project and it will instantly give you a list of errors and/or warnings pertaining to the objects in your database. Invalid references (e.g a long-forgotten stored procedure that refers to a non-existent column), unnecessary 3-part naming, incorrect case usage, syntax errors…it’ll tell you about all of ‘em! Turn on static code analysis (this article shows you how) and you’ll learn even more such as any stored procedures that begin with “sp_”, WHERE clauses that will kill performance, use of @@IDENTITY instead of SCOPE_IDENTITY(), use of deprecated syntax, implicit casts etc…. the list goes on and on. I urge you to download and install SSDT (takes a few minutes, its free and you don’t need SQL Server or Visual Studio pre-installed), start a new project: right-click on your new project and import from your database: and see what happens: You may be surprised what you discover. Let me know in the comments below what results you get, total number of objects, number of errors/warnings, I’d be interested to know! @Jamiet

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• Oracle WebCenter Partner Program

  - by kellsey.ruppel

  In competitive marketplaces, your company needs to quickly respond to changes and new trends, in order to open opportunities and build long-term growth. Oracle has a variety of next-generation services, solutions and resources that will leverage the differentiators in your offerings. Name your partnering needs: Oracle has the answer. This week we’d like to focus on Partners and the value your organization can gain from working with the Oracle PartnerNetwork. The Oracle PartnerNetwork will empower your company with exceptional resources to distinguish your offerings from the competition, seize opportunities, and increase your sales. We’re happy to welcome Christine Kungl, and Brian Buzzell, from Oracle’s World Wide Alliances & Channels (WWA&C) WebCenter Partner Enablement team, as today’s guests on the Oracle WebCenter blog. Q: What is the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN)?A: Christine: Oracle’s PartnerNetwork (OPN) is a collaborative partnership which allows registered companies specific added value resources to help differentiate themselves from their competition. Through OPN programs it provides companies the ability to seize and target opportunities, educate and train their teams, and leverage unparalleled opportunity given Oracle’s large market footprint. OPN’s multi-level programs are targeted at different levels allowing companies to grow and evolve with Oracle based on their business needs.  As part of their OPN memberships partners are encouraged to become OPN Specialized allowing those partners additional differentiation in Oracle’s Partner Network Community.  Q: What is an OPN Specialization and what resources are available for Specialized Partners?A: Brian: Oracle wanted a better way for our partners to differentiate their special skills and expertise, as well a more effective way to communicate that difference to customers.  Oracle’s expanding product portfolio demanded that we be able to identify partners with significant product knowledge—those who had made an investment in Oracle and a continuing commitment to deliver Oracle solutions. And with more than 30,000 Oracle partners around the world, Oracle needed a way for our customers to choose the right partner for their business. So how did Oracle meet this need? With the new partner program:  Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized. In this new program, Oracle partners are: Specialized :  Differentiating themselves from the competition with expertise that set them apart Recognized:  Being acknowledged for investing in becoming Oracle experts in specialized areas. Preferred :  Connecting with potential customers who are seeking  value-added solutions for their business OPN Specialized provides all partners with educational opportunities, training, and tools specially designed to build competency and grow business.  Partners can serve their customers better through key resources:OPN Specialized Knowledge Zones – Located on the updated and enhanced OPN portal— provide a single point of entry for all education and training information for Oracle partners. Enablement 2.0 Resources —Enablement 2.0 helps Oracle partners build their competencies and skills through a variety of educational opportunities and expanded training choices. These resources include: Enablement 2.0 “Boot camps” provide three-tiered learning levels that help jump-start partner training The role-based training covers Oracle’s application and technology products and offers a combination of classroom lectures, hands-on lab exercises, and case studies. Enablement 2.0 Interactive guided learning paths (GLPs) with recommendations on how to achieve specialization Upgraded partner solution kits Enhanced, specialized business centers available 24/7 around the globe on the OPN portal OPN Competency Center—Tracking ProgressThe OPN Competency Center keeps track as a partner applies for and achieves specialization in selected areas. You start with an assessment that compares your organization’s current skills and experience with the requirements for specialization in the area you have chosen. The OPN Competency Center then provides a roadmap that itemizes the skills and the knowledge you need to earn specialized status. In summary, OPN Specialization not only includes key training resources but a way to track and show progression for your partner organization. Q: What is are the OPN Membership Levels and what are the benefits?A:  Christine: The base OPN membership levels are: Remarketer: At the Remarketer level, retailers can choose to resell select Oracle products with the backing of authorized, regionally located, value-added distributors (VADs). The Remarketer level has no fees and no partner agreement with Oracle, but does offer online training and sales tools through the OPN portal.Program Details: RemarketerSilver Level: The Silver level is for Oracle partners who are focused on reselling and developing business with products ordered through the Oracle 1-Click Ordering Program. The Silver level provides a cost-effective, yet scalable way for partners to start an OPN Specialized membership and offers a substantial set of benefits that lets partners increase their competitive positioning. Program Details: SilverGold Level: Gold-level partners have the ability to specialize, helping them grow their business and create differentiation in the marketplace. Oracle partners at the Gold level can develop, sell, or implement the full stack of Oracle solutions and can apply to resell Oracle Applications.Program Details: GoldPlatinum Level: The Platinum level is for Oracle partners who want the highest level of benefits and are committed to reaching a minimum of five specializations. Platinum partners are recognized for their expertise in a broad range of products and technology, and receive dedicated support from Oracle.Program Details: PlatinumIn addition we recently introduced a new level:Diamond Level: This level is the most prestigious level of OPN Specialized. It allows companies to differentiate further because of their focused depth and breadth of their expertise. Program Details: DiamondSo as you can see there are various levels cost effective ways that Partners can get assistance, differentiation through OPN membership. Q: What role does the Oracle's World Wide Alliances & Channels (WWA&C), Partner Enablement teams and the WebCenter Community play?  A: Brian: Oracle’s WWA&C teams are responsible for manage relationships, educating their teams, creating go-to-market solutions and fostering communities for Oracle partners worldwide.  The WebCenter Partner Enablement Middleware Team is tasked to create, manage and distribute Specialization resources for the WebCenter Partner community. Q: What WebCenter Specializations are currently available?A: Christine:  As of now here are the following WebCenter Specializations and their availability: Oracle WebCenter Portal Specialization (Oracle WebCenter Portal): Available NowThe Oracle WebCenter Specialization provides insight into the following products: WebCenter Services, WebCenter Spaces, and WebLogic Portal.Oracle WebCenter Specialized Partners can efficiently use Oracle WebCenter products to create social applications, enterprise portals, communities, composite applications, and Internet or intranet Web sites on a standards-based, service-oriented architecture (SOA). The suite combines the development of rich internet applications; a multi-channel portal framework; and a suite of horizontal WebCenter applications, which provide content, presence, and social networking capabilities to create a highly interactive user experience. Oracle WebCenter Content Specialization: Available NowThe Oracle WebCenter Content Specialization provides insight into the following products; Universal Content Management, WebCenter Records Management, WebCenter Imaging, WebCenter Distributed Capture, and WebCenter Capture.Oracle WebCenter Content Specialized Partners can efficiently build content-rich business applications, reuse content, and integrate hundreds of content services with other business applications. This allows our customers to decrease costs, automate processes, reduce resource bottlenecks, share content effectively, minimize the number of lost documents, and better manage risk. Oracle WebCenter Sites Specialization: Available Q1 2012Oracle WebCenter Sites is part of the broader Oracle WebCenter platform that provides organizations with a complete customer experience management solution.  Partners that align with the new Oracle WebCenter Sites platform allow their customers organizations to: Leverage customer information from all channels and systems Manage interactions across all channels Unify commerce, merchandising, marketing, and service across all channels Provide personalized, choreographed consumer journeys across all channels Integrate order orchestration, supply chain management and order fulfillment Q: What criteria does the Partner organization need to achieve Specialization? What about individual Sales, PreSales & Implementation Specialist/Technical consultants?A: Brian: Each Oracle WebCenter Specialization has unique Business Criteria that must be met in order to achieve that Specialization.  This includes a unique number of transactions (co-sell, re-sell, and referral), customer references and then unique number of specialists as part of a partner team (Sales, Pre-Sales, Implementation, and Support).   Each WebCenter Specialization provides training resources (GLPs, BootCamps, Assessments and Exams for individuals on a partner’s staff to fulfill those requirements.  That criterion can be found for each Specialization on the Specialize tab for each WebCenter Knowledge Zone.  Here are the sample criteria, recommended courses, exams for the WebCenter Portal Specialization: WebCenter Portal Specialization Criteria Q: Do you have any suggestions on the best way for partners to get started if they would like to know more?A: Christine:   The best way to start is for partners is look at their business and core Oracle team focus and then look to become specialized in one or more areas.  Once you have selected the Specializations that are right for your business, you need to follow the first 3 key steps described below. The fourth step outlines the additional process to follow if you meet the criteria to be Advanced Specialized. Note that Step 4 may not be done without first following Steps 1-3.1. Join the Knowledge Zone(s) where you want to achieve Specialized status Go to the Knowledge Zone lick on the "Why Partner" tab Click on the "Join Knowledge Zone" link 2. Meet the Specialization criteria - Define and implement plans in your organization to achieve the competency and business criteria targets of the Specialization. (Note: Worldwide OPN members at the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond level and their Associates at the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond level may count their collective resources to meet the business and competency criteria required for specialization in this area.) 3. Apply for Specialization – when you have met the business and competency criteria required, inform Oracle by completing the following steps: Click on the "Specialize" tab in the Knowledge Zone Click on the "Apply Now" button Complete the online application form Oracle will validate the information provided, and once approved, you will receive notification from Oracle of your awarded Specialized status. Need more information? Access our Step by Step Guide (PDF) 4. Apply for Advanced Specialization (Optional) – If your company has on staff 50 unique Certified Implementation Specialists in your company's approved Specialization's product set, let Oracle know by following these steps: Ensure that you have 50 or more unique individuals that are Certified Implementation Specialists in the specific Specialization awarded to your company If you are pooling resources from another Associate or Worldwide entity, ensure you know that company’s name and country Have your Oracle PRM Administrator complete the online Advanced Specialization Application Oracle will validate the information provided, and once approved, you will receive notification from Oracle of your awarded Advanced Specialized status. There are additional resources on OPN as well as the broader WebCenter Community: v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0 false false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

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• Selecting Your Theme

  - by Ruth

  Would you like to personalize CRM On Demand? You can quite easily with CRM On Demand Release 17. Whether your company wants a custom theme that matches your company brand, or you have a preference about the look and feel of the application, you can select your theme in a few clicks. If you are interested in creating a custom theme, take a look at the Themes - Create Your CRM Style blog article. Selecting Your Company Theme If you are the company administrator, you can select the company theme from the company profile. Click the Admin link. Navigate to Company Administration Company Profile. In the Company Theme Setting section, click the Theme Name field to select a new theme. Selecting Your Personal Theme Even if you are not an administrator, you can select a theme for CRM On Demand on your computer. Your company may not allow access to this option, so talk to your company administrator if you are unable to select your theme. Click the My Setup link. Click the My Profile link. Click the Personal Profile link. In the Additional Information section, select the theme that you want in the Theme Name picklist. Here are some standard themes to help you find the look that you want:

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• Windows - Use Local Service and/or Network Service account for a windows service

  - by user19185

  I've created a window's service that monitors files on a specific directory on our Windows OS. When a file is detected, the service does some file I/O, reads the files, creates sub-directories, etc. This service also uses database connectivity to connect to another server. My plan is to have the service run as the default "Local Service" account. Since I need to allow write/read privileges, which apparently the "Local Service" account does not do by default, I'm going to explicitly set "Full Control" privileges for the "Local Service" account on the folder that I'm reading/writing to and from. I believe the above is a good . My question is, for the folder that I'm reading and writing to, do I need to setup a "Network Service" role with full control access? I'm wondering since my service uses database connectivity to another server, if I'll need the "Network Service" account setup. I may be misunderstanding what the "Network Service" account does.

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• Lotus Notes 8.5.3 "Unable To Invoke Program"

  - by Ross Doughty

  Just got a little issue with some of my users today, when trying to open an email attachment in Lotus Notes, they get the error Unable To Invoke Program. Now, they can always just save the attachment and then open it through windows explorer, which is fine, but I would rather get a proper solution for this. Knowing almost nothing about Lotus Notes does not help me I know but I think it may have something to do with the default file association, however my colleague tells me that Notes uses the windows file associations, which are working. Any ideas anyone?

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• Sendmail Failing to Forward Locally Addressed Mail to Exchange Server

  - by DomainSoil

  I've recently gained employment as a web developer with a small company. What they neglected to tell me upon hire was that I would be administrating the server along with my other daily duties. Now, truth be told, I'm not clueless when it comes to these things, but this is my first rodeo working with a rack server/console.. However, I'm confident that I will be able to work through any solutions you provide. Short Description: When a customer places an order via our (Magento CE 1.8.1.0) website, a copy of said order is supposed to be BCC'd to our sales manager. I say supposed because this was a working feature before the old administrator left. Long Description: Shortly after I started, we had a server crash which required a server restart. After restart, we noticed a few features on our site weren't working, but all those have been cleaned up except this one. I had to create an account on our server for root access. When a customer places an order, our sites software (Magento CE 1.8.1.0) is configured to BCC the customers order email to our sales manager. We use a Microsoft Exchange 2007 Server for our mail, which is hosted on a different machine (in-house) that I don't have access to ATM, but I'm sure I could if needed. As far as I can tell, all other external emails work.. Only INTERNAL email addresses fail to deliver. I know this because I've also tested my own internal address via our website. I set up an account with an internal email, made a test order, and never received the email. I changed my email for the account to an external GMail account, and received emails as expected. Let's dive into the logs and config's. For privacy/security reasons, names have been changed to the following: domain.com = Our Top Level Domain. email.local = Our Exchange Server. example.com = ANY other TLD. OLDadmin = Our previous Server Administrator. NEWadmin = Me. SALES@ = Our Sales Manager. Customer# = A Customer. Here's a list of the programs and config files used that hold relevant for this issue: Server: > [root@www ~]# cat /etc/centos-release CentOS release 6.3 (final) Sendmail: > [root@www ~]# sendmail -d0.1 -bt < /dev/null Version 8.14.4 ========SYSTEM IDENTITY (after readcf)======== (short domain name) $w = domain (canonical domain name) $j = domain.com (subdomain name) $m = com (node name) $k = www.domain.com > [root@www ~]# rpm -qa | grep -i sendmail sendmail-cf-8.14.4-8.e16.noarch sendmail-8.14-4-8.e16.x86_64 nslookup: > [root@www ~]# nslookup email.local Name: email.local Address: 192.168.1.50 hostname: > [root@www ~]# hostname www.domain.com /etc/mail/access: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/access Connect:localhost.localdomain RELAY Connect:localhost RELAY Connect:127.0.0.1 RELAY /etc/mail/domaintable: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/domaintable # /etc/mail/local-host-names: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/local-host-names # /etc/mail/mailertable: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/mailertable # /etc/mail/sendmail.cf: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/sendmail.cf ###################################################################### ##### ##### DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE! Only edit the source .mc file. ##### ###################################################################### ###################################################################### ##### $Id: cfhead.m4,v 8.120 2009/01/23 22:39:21 ca Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: cf.m4,v 8.32 1999/02/07 07:26:14 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### setup for linux ##### ##### $Id: linux.m4,v 8.13 2000/09/17 17:30:00 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: local_procmail.m4,v 8.22 2002/11/17 04:24:19 ca Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: no_default_msa.m4,v 8.2 2001/02/14 05:03:22 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: smrsh.m4,v 8.14 1999/11/18 05:06:23 ca Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: mailertable.m4,v 8.25 2002/06/27 23:23:57 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: virtusertable.m4,v 8.23 2002/06/27 23:23:57 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: redirect.m4,v 8.15 1999/08/06 01:47:36 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: always_add_domain.m4,v 8.11 2000/09/12 22:00:53 ca Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: use_cw_file.m4,v 8.11 2001/08/26 20:58:57 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: use_ct_file.m4,v 8.11 2001/08/26 20:58:57 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: local_procmail.m4,v 8.22 2002/11/17 04:24:19 ca Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: access_db.m4,v 8.27 2006/07/06 21:10:10 ca Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: blacklist_recipients.m4,v 8.13 1999/04/02 02:25:13 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: accept_unresolvable_domains.m4,v 8.10 1999/02/07 07:26:07 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: masquerade_envelope.m4,v 8.9 1999/02/07 07:26:10 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: masquerade_entire_domain.m4,v 8.9 1999/02/07 07:26:10 gshapiro Exp $ ##### ##### $Id: proto.m4,v 8.741 2009/12/11 00:04:53 ca Exp $ ##### # level 10 config file format V10/Berkeley # override file safeties - setting this option compromises system security, # addressing the actual file configuration problem is preferred # need to set this before any file actions are encountered in the cf file #O DontBlameSendmail=safe # default LDAP map specification # need to set this now before any LDAP maps are defined #O LDAPDefaultSpec=-h localhost ################## # local info # ################## # my LDAP cluster # need to set this before any LDAP lookups are done (including classes) #D{sendmailMTACluster}$m Cwlocalhost # file containing names of hosts for which we receive email Fw/etc/mail/local-host-names # my official domain name # ... define this only if sendmail cannot automatically determine your domain #Dj$w.Foo.COM # host/domain names ending with a token in class P are canonical CP. # "Smart" relay host (may be null) DSemail.local # operators that cannot be in local usernames (i.e., network indicators) CO @ % ! # a class with just dot (for identifying canonical names) C.. # a class with just a left bracket (for identifying domain literals) C[[ # access_db acceptance class C{Accept}OK RELAY C{ResOk}OKR # Hosts for which relaying is permitted ($=R) FR-o /etc/mail/relay-domains # arithmetic map Karith arith # macro storage map Kmacro macro # possible values for TLS_connection in access map C{Tls}VERIFY ENCR # who I send unqualified names to if FEATURE(stickyhost) is used # (null means deliver locally) DRemail.local. # who gets all local email traffic # ($R has precedence for unqualified names if FEATURE(stickyhost) is used) DHemail.local. # dequoting map Kdequote dequote # class E: names that should be exposed as from this host, even if we masquerade # class L: names that should be delivered locally, even if we have a relay # class M: domains that should be converted to $M # class N: domains that should not be converted to $M #CL root C{E}root C{w}localhost.localdomain C{M}domain.com # who I masquerade as (null for no masquerading) (see also $=M) DMdomain.com # my name for error messages DnMAILER-DAEMON # Mailer table (overriding domains) Kmailertable hash -o /etc/mail/mailertable.db # Virtual user table (maps incoming users) Kvirtuser hash -o /etc/mail/virtusertable.db CPREDIRECT # Access list database (for spam stomping) Kaccess hash -T<TMPF> -o /etc/mail/access.db # Configuration version number DZ8.14.4 /etc/mail/sendmail.mc: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/sendmail.mc divert(-1)dnl dnl # dnl # This is the sendmail macro config file for m4. If you make changes to dnl # /etc/mail/sendmail.mc, you will need to regenerate the dnl # /etc/mail/sendmail.cf file by confirming that the sendmail-cf package is dnl # installed and then performing a dnl # dnl # /etc/mail/make dnl # include(`/usr/share/sendmail-cf/m4/cf.m4')dnl VERSIONID(`setup for linux')dnl OSTYPE(`linux')dnl dnl # dnl # Do not advertize sendmail version. dnl # dnl define(`confSMTP_LOGIN_MSG', `$j Sendmail; $b')dnl dnl # dnl # default logging level is 9, you might want to set it higher to dnl # debug the configuration dnl # dnl define(`confLOG_LEVEL', `9')dnl dnl # dnl # Uncomment and edit the following line if your outgoing mail needs to dnl # be sent out through an external mail server: dnl # define(`SMART_HOST', `email.local')dnl dnl # define(`confDEF_USER_ID', ``8:12'')dnl dnl define(`confAUTO_REBUILD')dnl define(`confTO_CONNECT', `1m')dnl define(`confTRY_NULL_MX_LIST', `True')dnl define(`confDONT_PROBE_INTERFACES', `True')dnl define(`PROCMAIL_MAILER_PATH', `/usr/bin/procmail')dnl define(`ALIAS_FILE', `/etc/aliases')dnl define(`STATUS_FILE', `/var/log/mail/statistics')dnl define(`UUCP_MAILER_MAX', `2000000')dnl define(`confUSERDB_SPEC', `/etc/mail/userdb.db')dnl define(`confPRIVACY_FLAGS', `authwarnings,novrfy,noexpn,restrictqrun')dnl define(`confAUTH_OPTIONS', `A')dnl dnl # dnl # The following allows relaying if the user authenticates, and disallows dnl # plaintext authentication (PLAIN/LOGIN) on non-TLS links dnl # dnl define(`confAUTH_OPTIONS', `A p')dnl dnl # dnl # PLAIN is the preferred plaintext authentication method and used by dnl # Mozilla Mail and Evolution, though Outlook Express and other MUAs do dnl # use LOGIN. Other mechanisms should be used if the connection is not dnl # guaranteed secure. dnl # Please remember that saslauthd needs to be running for AUTH. dnl # dnl TRUST_AUTH_MECH(`EXTERNAL DIGEST-MD5 CRAM-MD5 LOGIN PLAIN')dnl dnl define(`confAUTH_MECHANISMS', `EXTERNAL GSSAPI DIGEST-MD5 CRAM-MD5 LOGIN PLAIN')dnl dnl # dnl # Rudimentary information on creating certificates for sendmail TLS: dnl # cd /etc/pki/tls/certs; make sendmail.pem dnl # Complete usage: dnl # make -C /etc/pki/tls/certs usage dnl # dnl define(`confCACERT_PATH', `/etc/pki/tls/certs')dnl dnl define(`confCACERT', `/etc/pki/tls/certs/ca-bundle.crt')dnl dnl define(`confSERVER_CERT', `/etc/pki/tls/certs/sendmail.pem')dnl dnl define(`confSERVER_KEY', `/etc/pki/tls/certs/sendmail.pem')dnl dnl # dnl # This allows sendmail to use a keyfile that is shared with OpenLDAP's dnl # slapd, which requires the file to be readble by group ldap dnl # dnl define(`confDONT_BLAME_SENDMAIL', `groupreadablekeyfile')dnl dnl # dnl define(`confTO_QUEUEWARN', `4h')dnl dnl define(`confTO_QUEUERETURN', `5d')dnl dnl define(`confQUEUE_LA', `12')dnl dnl define(`confREFUSE_LA', `18')dnl define(`confTO_IDENT', `0')dnl dnl FEATURE(delay_checks)dnl FEATURE(`no_default_msa', `dnl')dnl FEATURE(`smrsh', `/usr/sbin/smrsh')dnl FEATURE(`mailertable', `hash -o /etc/mail/mailertable.db')dnl FEATURE(`virtusertable', `hash -o /etc/mail/virtusertable.db')dnl FEATURE(redirect)dnl FEATURE(always_add_domain)dnl FEATURE(use_cw_file)dnl FEATURE(use_ct_file)dnl dnl # dnl # The following limits the number of processes sendmail can fork to accept dnl # incoming messages or process its message queues to 20.) sendmail refuses dnl # to accept connections once it has reached its quota of child processes. dnl # dnl define(`confMAX_DAEMON_CHILDREN', `20')dnl dnl # dnl # Limits the number of new connections per second. This caps the overhead dnl # incurred due to forking new sendmail processes. May be useful against dnl # DoS attacks or barrages of spam. (As mentioned below, a per-IP address dnl # limit would be useful but is not available as an option at this writing.) dnl # dnl define(`confCONNECTION_RATE_THROTTLE', `3')dnl dnl # dnl # The -t option will retry delivery if e.g. the user runs over his quota. dnl # FEATURE(local_procmail, `', `procmail -t -Y -a $h -d $u')dnl FEATURE(`access_db', `hash -T<TMPF> -o /etc/mail/access.db')dnl FEATURE(`blacklist_recipients')dnl EXPOSED_USER(`root')dnl dnl # dnl # For using Cyrus-IMAPd as POP3/IMAP server through LMTP delivery uncomment dnl # the following 2 definitions and activate below in the MAILER section the dnl # cyrusv2 mailer. dnl # dnl define(`confLOCAL_MAILER', `cyrusv2')dnl dnl define(`CYRUSV2_MAILER_ARGS', `FILE /var/lib/imap/socket/lmtp')dnl dnl # dnl # The following causes sendmail to only listen on the IPv4 loopback address dnl # 127.0.0.1 and not on any other network devices. Remove the loopback dnl # address restriction to accept email from the internet or intranet. dnl # DAEMON_OPTIONS(`Port=smtp,Addr=127.0.0.1, Name=MTA')dnl dnl # dnl # The following causes sendmail to additionally listen to port 587 for dnl # mail from MUAs that authenticate. Roaming users who can't reach their dnl # preferred sendmail daemon due to port 25 being blocked or redirected find dnl # this useful. dnl # dnl DAEMON_OPTIONS(`Port=submission, Name=MSA, M=Ea')dnl dnl # dnl # The following causes sendmail to additionally listen to port 465, but dnl # starting immediately in TLS mode upon connecting. Port 25 or 587 followed dnl # by STARTTLS is preferred, but roaming clients using Outlook Express can't dnl # do STARTTLS on ports other than 25. Mozilla Mail can ONLY use STARTTLS dnl # and doesn't support the deprecated smtps; Evolution <1.1.1 uses smtps dnl # when SSL is enabled-- STARTTLS support is available in version 1.1.1. dnl # dnl # For this to work your OpenSSL certificates must be configured. dnl # dnl DAEMON_OPTIONS(`Port=smtps, Name=TLSMTA, M=s')dnl dnl # dnl # The following causes sendmail to additionally listen on the IPv6 loopback dnl # device. Remove the loopback address restriction listen to the network. dnl # dnl DAEMON_OPTIONS(`port=smtp,Addr=::1, Name=MTA-v6, Family=inet6')dnl dnl # dnl # enable both ipv6 and ipv4 in sendmail: dnl # dnl DAEMON_OPTIONS(`Name=MTA-v4, Family=inet, Name=MTA-v6, Family=inet6') dnl # dnl # We strongly recommend not accepting unresolvable domains if you want to dnl # protect yourself from spam. However, the laptop and users on computers dnl # that do not have 24x7 DNS do need this. dnl # FEATURE(`accept_unresolvable_domains')dnl dnl # dnl FEATURE(`relay_based_on_MX')dnl dnl # dnl # Also accept email sent to "localhost.localdomain" as local email. dnl # LOCAL_DOMAIN(`localhost.localdomain')dnl dnl # dnl # The following example makes mail from this host and any additional dnl # specified domains appear to be sent from mydomain.com dnl # MASQUERADE_AS(`domain.com')dnl dnl # dnl # masquerade not just the headers, but the envelope as well dnl FEATURE(masquerade_envelope)dnl dnl # dnl # masquerade not just @mydomainalias.com, but @*.mydomainalias.com as well dnl # FEATURE(masquerade_entire_domain)dnl dnl # MASQUERADE_DOMAIN(domain.com)dnl dnl MASQUERADE_DOMAIN(localhost.localdomain)dnl dnl MASQUERADE_DOMAIN(mydomainalias.com)dnl dnl MASQUERADE_DOMAIN(mydomain.lan)dnl MAILER(smtp)dnl MAILER(procmail)dnl dnl MAILER(cyrusv2)dnl /etc/mail/trusted-users: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/trusted-users # /etc/mail/virtusertable: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/mail/virtusertable [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] /etc/hosts: > [root@www ~]# vi /etc/hosts 127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost ::1 localhost6.localdomain6 localhost6 192.168.1.50 email.local I've only included the "local info" part of sendmail.cf, to save space. If there are any files that I've missed, please advise so I may produce them. Now that that's out of the way, lets look at some entries from /var/log/maillog. The first entry is from an order BEFORE the crash, when the site was working as expected. ##Order 200005374 Aug 5, 2014 7:06:38 AM## Aug 5 07:06:39 www sendmail[26149]: s75C6dqB026149: from=OLDadmin, size=11091, class=0, nrcpts=2, msgid=<[email protected]>, relay=OLDadmin@localhost Aug 5 07:06:39 www sendmail[26150]: s75C6dXe026150: from=<[email protected]>, size=11257, class=0, nrcpts=2, msgid=<[email protected]>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1] Aug 5 07:06:39 www sendmail[26149]: s75C6dqB026149: [email protected],=?utf-8?B?dGhvbWFzICBHaWxsZXNwaWU=?= <[email protected]>, ctladdr=OLDadmin (501/501), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=71091, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (s75C6dXe026150 Message accepted for delivery) Aug 5 07:06:40 www sendmail[26152]: s75C6dXe026150: to=<[email protected]>,<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:01, mailer=relay, pri=161257, relay=email.local. [192.168.1.50], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent ( <[email protected]> Queued mail for delivery) This next entry from maillog is from an order AFTER the crash. ##Order 200005375 Aug 5, 2014 9:45:25 AM## Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4O030021: from=OLDadmin, size=11344, class=0, nrcpts=2, msgid=<[email protected]>, relay=OLDadmin@localhost Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30022]: s75EjQm1030022: <[email protected]>... User unknown Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4O030021: [email protected], ctladdr=OLDadmin (501/501), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=71344, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=5.1.1, stat=User unknown Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30022]: s75EjQm1030022: from=<[email protected]>, size=11500, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<[email protected]>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1] Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4O030021: to==?utf-8?B?S2VubmV0aCBCaWViZXI=?= <[email protected]>, ctladdr=OLDadmin (501/501), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=71344, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (s75EjQm1030022 Message accepted for delivery) Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4O030021: s75EjQ4P030021: DSN: User unknown Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30022]: s75EjQm3030022: <[email protected]>... User unknown Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4P030021: to=OLDadmin, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=42368, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=5.1.1, stat=User unknown Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30022]: s75EjQm3030022: from=<>, size=12368, class=0, nrcpts=0, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1] Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4P030021: s75EjQ4Q030021: return to sender: User unknown Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30022]: s75EjQm5030022: from=<>, size=14845, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<[email protected]>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1] Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30021]: s75EjQ4Q030021: to=postmaster, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=43392, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (s75EjQm5030022 Message accepted for delivery) Aug 5 09:45:26 www sendmail[30025]: s75EjQm5030022: to=root, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=45053, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent Aug 5 09:45:27 www sendmail[30024]: s75EjQm1030022: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:01, xdelay=00:00:01, mailer=relay, pri=131500, relay=email.local. [192.168.1.50], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent ( <[email protected]> Queued mail for delivery) To add a little more, I think I've pinpointed the actual crash event. ##THE CRASH## Aug 5 09:39:46 www sendmail[3251]: restarting /usr/sbin/sendmail due to signal Aug 5 09:39:46 www sm-msp-queue[3260]: restarting /usr/sbin/sendmail due to signal Aug 5 09:39:46 www sm-msp-queue[29370]: starting daemon (8.14.4): queueing@01:00:00 Aug 5 09:39:47 www sendmail[29372]: starting daemon (8.14.4): SMTP+queueing@01:00:00 Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29465]: s75Ee2vT029465: Authentication-Warning: www.domain.com: OLDadmin set sender to root using -f Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29464]: s75Ee2IF029464: Authentication-Warning: www.domain.com: OLDadmin set sender to root using -f Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29465]: s75Ee2vT029465: from=root, size=1426, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<[email protected]>, relay=OLDadmin@localhost Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29464]: s75Ee2IF029464: from=root, size=1426, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<[email protected]>, relay=OLDadmin@localhost Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29466]: s75Ee23t029466: from=<[email protected]>, size=1784, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<[email protected]>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1] Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29466]: s75Ee23t029466: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=31784, dsn=4.4.3, stat=queued Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29467]: s75Ee2wh029467: from=<[email protected]>, size=1784, class=0, nrcpts=1, msgid=<[email protected]>, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1] Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29467]: s75Ee2wh029467: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=31784, dsn=4.4.3, stat=queued Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29464]: s75Ee2IF029464: to=OLDadmin, ctladdr=root (0/0), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=31426, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (s75Ee23t029466 Message accepted for delivery) Aug 5 09:40:02 www sendmail[29465]: s75Ee2vT029465: to=OLDadmin, ctladdr=root (0/0), delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=relay, pri=31426, relay=[127.0.0.1] [127.0.0.1], dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent (s75Ee2wh029467 Message accepted for delivery) Aug 5 09:40:06 www sm-msp-queue[29370]: restarting /usr/sbin/sendmail due to signal Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29372]: restarting /usr/sbin/sendmail due to signal Aug 5 09:40:06 www sm-msp-queue[29888]: starting daemon (8.14.4): queueing@01:00:00 Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29890]: starting daemon (8.14.4): SMTP+queueing@01:00:00 Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29891]: s75Ee23t029466: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:04, mailer=local, pri=121784, dsn=5.1.1, stat=User unknown Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29891]: s75Ee23t029466: s75Ee6xY029891: DSN: User unknown Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29891]: s75Ee6xY029891: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=33035, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29891]: s75Ee2wh029467: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:04, mailer=local, pri=121784, dsn=5.1.1, stat=User unknown Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29891]: s75Ee2wh029467: s75Ee6xZ029891: DSN: User unknown Aug 5 09:40:06 www sendmail[29891]: s75Ee6xZ029891: to=<[email protected]>, delay=00:00:00, xdelay=00:00:00, mailer=local, pri=33035, dsn=2.0.0, stat=Sent Something to note about the maillog's: Before the crash, the msgid included localhost.localdomain; after the crash it's been domain.com. Thanks to all who take the time to read and look into this issue. I appreciate it and look forward to tackling this issue together.

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• Desktop Fun: Merry Christmas Wallpaper Collection [Bonus Edition]

  - by Asian Angel

  Are you ready for all of the gifts, assorted goodies, and great food that are a part of Christmas? As part of the build-up to the festivities, we have a larger than normal set of wallpapers to help add those final bits of holiday cheer and decoration to your desktops. Note: Click on the picture to see the full-size image—these wallpapers vary in size so you may need to crop, stretch, or place them on a colored background in order to best match them to your screen’s resolution. For more Christmas desktop goodness be sure to check out our Merry Christmas icon packs & fonts collections (links at bottom)! Note: You can download an additional wallpaper of Rudolph by himself here. Note: There are two wallpapers from “Frosty Returns” available here and here. Note: The Garfield image will need to be slightly sharpened in a photo program and placed on a background to increase the height. Desktop Fun: Merry Christmas Icon Packs Desktop Fun: Merry Christmas Fonts Looking for more Merry Christmas wallpapers? Browse through our 2009 collection here: Awesome Holiday Themed Desktop Wallpapers For more wallpapers be certain to see our great collections in the Desktop Fun section. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC The Complete List of iPad Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better The How-To Geek Holiday Gift Guide (Geeky Stuff We Like) LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology The How-To Geek Guide to Learning Photoshop, Part 8: Filters Improve Digital Photography by Calibrating Your Monitor The Spam Police Parts 1 and 2 – Goodbye Spammers [Videos] Snow Angels Theme for Windows 7 Exploring the Jungle Ruins Wallpaper Protect Your Privacy When Browsing with Chrome and Iron Browser Free Shipping Day is Friday, December 17, 2010 – National Free Shipping Day Find an Applicable Quote for Any Programming Situation

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• HTG Explains: What’s a Solid State Drive and What Do I Need to Know?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  Solid State Drives (SSDs) are the lighting fast new kid on the hard drive block, but are they a good match for you? Read on as we demystify SSDs. The last few years have seen a marked increase in the availability of SSDs and a decrease in price (although it certainly may not feel that way when comparing prices between SSDs and traditional HDDs). What is an SSD? In what ways do you benefit the most from paying the premium for an SSD? What, if anything, do you need to do differently with an SSD? Read on as we cut through  the new-product-haze surrounding Solid State Drives. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Get Amazing Color from Photos in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? Save Files Directly from Your Browser to the Cloud in Chrome and Iron The Steve Jobs Chronicles – Charlie and the Apple Factory [Video] Google Chrome Updates; Faster, Cleaner Menus, Encrypted Password Syncing, and More Glowing Chess Set Combines LEDs, Chess, and DIY Electronics Fun Peaceful Alpine River on a Sunny Day [Wallpaper] Fast Society Creates Mini and Mobile Temporary Social Networks

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• Tamilnadu HSC (+2) exam results – List of Websites

  - by samsudeen

  Tamilnadu State Board HSC ( +2 ) exam  results is expected to be release around the mid of this month ( probably on May 19). School students can get their marks at the same time from their respective schools. The results are usually published on websites or can availed from  mobile phone service providers through SMS. But it is for sure  most the sites will not be accessed for at least couple hours at the  time of result announcement Below are some of the quality web sites ( includes mirror sites to directly access the results page) that publishes the result links. http://www.tnresults.nic.in/ http://www.squarebrothers.com/ http://results.sify.com/ http://indiaresults.com/ http://www.dge1.tn.nic.in/ http://www.dge2.tn.nic.in/ http://www.dge3.tn.nic.in/ http://www.tngdc.in/ http://www.collegesintamilnadu.com/ http://www.classontheweb.com/ http://www.schools9.com/ http://www.chennaivision.com/ http://www.mygaruda.com/ http://www.tnagar.com/ http://www.indiacollegefinder.com/ http://www.chennaionline.com/ http://www.nakkeeran.com/ http://www.getyourscore.in/ http://www.examresults.net/ http://results.webdunia.com/ http://www.jayanews.in/ http://www.findchennai.com/ Join us on Facebook to read all our stories right inside your Facebook news feed.

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• Google Talk Video Chat with Gmail and 3rd Party App

  - by Tim Lytle

  Google Talk video chat only works in Gmail (because that makes sense, right?); however, other IM apps (I'm using Empathy specifically) support video chat over Google Talk. But can you use video chat outside your 'client'? Can someone on Gmail video chat with someone on Empathy? I'm having problems doing that, and suspect it may because of an older (but certainly not that old) version of Empathy. But before I start troubleshooting I just wanted to make sure ti's possible. Because I believe at one time, it wasn't - correct?

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• Block Fortress is an Awesome Tower Defense Game

  - by Akemi Iwaya

  What do you get when you mix Minecraft, tower defense, and a first-person shooter together? Block Fortress! This awesome game combines the best aspects of three game types into one unique, action-packed romp for survival and victory. Keep in mind that the game has quite a bit going on, so we will only be able to offer a quick glimpse with our post. Also, it may take a few minutes to become familiar with how to maneuver around in the game area using various gestures on your device’s screen. From the Block Fortress homepage: It offers more than 30 different building blocks, 16 different turret blocks, and tons of additional items to build (including mining blocks, lumber blocks, storage crates, power generators, and much more). It also includes many different weapon and item upgrades for your character – all brought to bear against the relentless attacks of the Goblocks! Block Fortress currently comes with three modes of game play: Survival, Quickstart, and Sandbox. As you can see, there should be more modes available at a later date. There are many types of terrain to choose from, or if you wish you can select Random for a nice surprise. For our example we chose Snowy Hills. Time to have a look around and find a nice spot to set up our barracks… This spot looks like it will do rather nicely… Just for fun we set up a castle-style set of walls and entry point for our barracks. Now on to fun and adventure! You can see what the game looks like in action with the official launch trailer… Price: 0.99 (U.S.) Block Fortress [iTunes App Store] Block Fortress Homepage Official Block Fortress Launch Trailer [YouTube]    

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• Pluralsight Meet the Author Podcast on HTML5 Canvas Programming

  - by dwahlin

    In the latest installment of Pluralsight’s Meet the Author podcast series, Fritz Onion and I talk about my new course, HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals.  In the interview I describe different canvas technologies covered throughout the course and a sample application at the end of the course that covers how to build a custom business chart from start to finish. Meet the Author:  Dan Wahlin on HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals   Transcript [Fritz] Hi. This is Fritz Onion. I’m here today with Dan Wahlin to talk about his new course HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals. Dan founded the Wahlin Group, which you can find at thewahlingroup.com, which specializes in ASP.NET, jQuery, Silverlight, and SharePoint consulting. He’s a Microsoft Regional Director and has been awarded Microsoft’s MVP for ASP.NET, Connected Systems, and Silverlight. Dan is on the INETA Bureau’s — Speaker’s Bureau, speaks at conferences and user groups around the world, and has written several books on .NET. Thanks for talking to me today, Dan. [Dan] Always good to talk with you, Fritz. [Fritz] So this new course of yours, HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals, I have to say that most of the really snazzy demos I’ve seen with HTML5 have involved Canvas, so I thought it would be a good starting point to chat with you about why we decided to create a course dedicated just to Canvas. If you want to kind of give us that perspective. [Dan] Sure. So, you know, there’s quite a bit of material out there on HTML5 in general, and as people that have done a lot with HTML5 are probably aware, a lot of HTML5 is actually JavaScript centric. You know, a lot of people when they first learn it, think it’s tags, but most of it’s actually JavaScript, and it just so happens that the HTML5 Canvas is one of those things. And so it’s not just, you know, a tag you add and it just magically draws all these things. You mentioned there’s a lot of cool things you can do from games to there’s some really cool multimedia applications out there where they integrate video and audio and all kinds of things into the Canvas, to more business scenarios such as charting and things along those lines. So the reason we made a course specifically on it is, a lot of the material out there touches on it but the Canvas is actually a pretty deep topic. You can do some pretty advanced stuff or easy stuff depending on what your application requirements are, and the API itself, you know, there’s over 30 functions just in the Canvas API and then a whole set of properties that actually go with that as well. So it’s a pretty big topic, and that’s why we created a course specifically tailored towards just the Canvas. [Fritz] Right. And let’s — let me just review the outline briefly here for everyone. So you start off with an introduction to getting started with Canvas, drawing with the HTML5 Canvas, then you talk about manipulating pixels, and you finish up with building a custom data chart. So I really like your example flow here. I think it will appeal to even business developers, right. Even if you’re not into HTML5 for the games or the media capabilities, there’s still something here for everyone I think working with the Canvas. Which leads me to another question, which is, where do you see the Canvas fitting in to kind of your day-to-day developer, people that are working business applications and maybe vanilla websites that aren’t doing kind of cutting edge stuff with interactivity with users? Is there a still a place for the Canvas in those scenarios? [Dan] Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of us — and I include myself here — over the last few years, the focus has generally been, especially if you’re, let’s say, a PHP or ASP.NET or Java type of developer, we’re kind of accustomed to working on the server side, and, you know, we kind of relied on Flash or Silverlight or these other plug-ins for the client side stuff when it was kind of fancy, like charts and graphs and things along those lines. With the what I call massive shift of applications, you know, mainly because of mobile, to more of client side, one of the big benefits I think from a maybe corporate standard way of thinking of things, since we do a lot of work with different corporations, is that, number one, rather than having to have the plug-in, which of course isn’t going to work on iPad and some of these other devices out there that are pretty popular, you can now use a built-in technology that all the modern browsers support, and that includes things like Safari on the iPad and iPhone and the Android tablets and things like that with their browsers, and actually render some really sophisticated charts. Whether you do it by scratch or from scratch or, you know, get a third party type of library involved, it’s just JavaScript. So it downloads fast so it’s good from a performance perspective; and when it comes to what you can render, it’s extremely robust. You can do everything from, you know, your basic circles to polygons or polylines to really advanced gradients as well and even provide some interactivity and animations, and that’s some of the stuff I touch upon in the class. In fact, you mentioned the last part of the outline there is building a custom data chart and that’s kind of gears towards more of the, what I’d call enterprise or corporate type developer. [Fritz] Yeah, that makes sense. And it’s, you know, a lot of the demos I’ve seen with HTML5 focus on more the interactivity and kind of game side of things, but the Canvas is such a diverse element within HTML5 that I can see it being applicable pretty much anywhere. So why don’t we talk a little bit about some of the specifics of what you cover? You talk about drawing and then manipulating pixels. You want to kind of give us the different ways of working with the Canvas and what some of those APIs provide for you? [Dan] Sure. So going all the way back to the start of the outline, we actually started off by showing different demonstrations of the Canvas in action, and we show some fun stuff — multimedia apps and games and things like that — and then also some more business scenarios; and then once you see that, hopefully it kinds of piques your interest and you go, oh, wow, this is actually pretty phenomenal what you can do. So then we start you off with, so how to you actually draw things. Now, there are some libraries out there that will draw things like graphs, but if you want to customize those or just build something you have from scratch, you need to know the basics, such as, you know, how do you draw circles and lines and arcs and Bezier curves and all those fancy types of shapes that a given chart may have on it or that a game may have in it for that matter. So we start off by covering what I call the core API functions; how do you, for instance, fill a rectangle or convert that to a square by setting the height and the width; how do you draw arcs or different types of curves and there’s different types supported such as I mentioned Bezier curves or quadratic curves; and then we also talk about how do you integrate text into it. You might have some images already that are just regular bitmap type images that you want to integrate, you can do that with a Canvas. And you can even sync video into the Canvas, which actually opens up some pretty interesting possibilities for both business and I think just general multimedia apps. Once you kind of get those core functions down for the basic shapes that you need to be able to draw on any type of Canvas, then we go a little deeper into what are the pixels that are there to manipulate. And that’s one of the important things to understand about the HTML5 Canvas, scalable vector graphics is another thing you can use now in the modern browsers; it’s vector based. Canvas is pixel based. And so we talk about how to do gradients, how can you do transforms, you know, how do you scale things or rotate things, which is extremely useful for charts ’cause you might have text that, you know, flips up on its side for a y-axis or something like that. And you can even do direct pixel manipulation. So it’s really, really powerful. If you want to get down to the RGBA level, you can do that, and I show how to do that in the course, and then kind of wrap that section up with some animation fundamentals. [Fritz] Great. Yeah, that’s really powerful stuff for programmatically rendering data to clients and responding to user inputs. Look forward to seeing what everyone’s going to come up with building this stuff. So great. That’s — that’s HTML5 Canvas Fundamentals with Dan Wahlin. Thanks very much, Dan. [Dan] Thanks again. I appreciate it.

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