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• Installing Lubuntu 14.04.1 forcepae fails

  - by Rantanplan

  I tried to install Lubuntu 14.04.1 from a CD. First, I chose Try Lubuntu without installing which gave: ERROR: PAE is disabled on this Pentium M (PAE can potentially be enabled with kernel parameter "forcepae" ... Following the description on https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE, I used forcepae and tried Try Lubuntu without installing again. That worked fine. dmesg | grep -i pae showed: [ 0.000000] Kernel command line: file=/cdrom/preseed/lubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash -- forcepae [ 0.008118] PAE forced! On the live-CD session, I tried installing Lubuntu double clicking on the install button on the desktop. Here, the CD starts running but then stops running and nothing happens. Next, I rebooted and tried installing Lubuntu directly from the boot menu screen using forcepae again. After a while, I receive the following error message: The installer encountered an unrecoverable error. A desktop session will now be run so that you may investigate the problem or try installing again. Hitting Enter brings me to the desktop. For what errors should I search? And how? Finally, I rebooted once more and tried Check disc for defects with forcepae option; no errors have been found. Now, I am wondering how to find the error or whether it would be better to follow advice c in https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE: "Move the hard disk to a computer on which the processor has PAE capability and PAE flag (that is, almost everything else than a Banias). Install the system as usual but don't add restricted drivers. After the install move the disk back." Thanks for some hints! Perhaps some of the following can help: On Lubuntu 12.04: cat /proc/cpuinfo processor : 0 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 13 model name : Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.50GHz stepping : 6 microcode : 0x17 cpu MHz : 600.000 cache size : 2048 KB fdiv_bug : no hlt_bug : no f00f_bug : no coma_bug : no fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 2 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr mce cx8 mtrr pge mca cmov clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss tm pbe up bts est tm2 bogomips : 1284.76 clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 32 bits physical, 32 bits virtual power management: uname -a Linux humboldt 3.2.0-67-generic #101-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jul 15 17:45:51 UTC 2014 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS Release: 12.04 Codename: precise cpuid eax in eax ebx ecx edx 00000000 00000002 756e6547 6c65746e 49656e69 00000001 000006d6 00000816 00000180 afe9f9bf 00000002 02b3b001 000000f0 00000000 2c04307d 80000000 80000004 00000000 00000000 00000000 80000001 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 80000002 20202020 20202020 65746e49 2952286c 80000003 6e655020 6d756974 20295228 7270204d 80000004 7365636f 20726f73 30352e31 007a4847 Vendor ID: "GenuineIntel"; CPUID level 2 Intel-specific functions: Version 000006d6: Type 0 - Original OEM Family 6 - Pentium Pro Model 13 - Stepping 6 Reserved 0 Brand index: 22 [not in table] Extended brand string: " Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.50GHz" CLFLUSH instruction cache line size: 8 Feature flags afe9f9bf: FPU Floating Point Unit VME Virtual 8086 Mode Enhancements DE Debugging Extensions PSE Page Size Extensions TSC Time Stamp Counter MSR Model Specific Registers MCE Machine Check Exception CX8 COMPXCHG8B Instruction SEP Fast System Call MTRR Memory Type Range Registers PGE PTE Global Flag MCA Machine Check Architecture CMOV Conditional Move and Compare Instructions FGPAT Page Attribute Table CLFSH CFLUSH instruction DS Debug store ACPI Thermal Monitor and Clock Ctrl MMX MMX instruction set FXSR Fast FP/MMX Streaming SIMD Extensions save/restore SSE Streaming SIMD Extensions instruction set SSE2 SSE2 extensions SS Self Snoop TM Thermal monitor 31 reserved TLB and cache info: b0: unknown TLB/cache descriptor b3: unknown TLB/cache descriptor 02: Instruction TLB: 4MB pages, 4-way set assoc, 2 entries f0: unknown TLB/cache descriptor 7d: unknown TLB/cache descriptor 30: unknown TLB/cache descriptor 04: Data TLB: 4MB pages, 4-way set assoc, 8 entries 2c: unknown TLB/cache descriptor On Lubuntu 14.04.1 live-CD with forcepae: cat /proc/cpuinfo processor : 0 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 13 model name : Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.50GHz stepping : 6 microcode : 0x17 cpu MHz : 600.000 cache size : 2048 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 1 core id : 0 cpu cores : 1 apicid : 0 initial apicid : 0 fdiv_bug : no f00f_bug : no coma_bug : no fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 2 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss tm pbe bts est tm2 bogomips : 1284.68 clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 36 bits physical, 32 bits virtual power management: uname -a Linux lubuntu 3.13.0-32-generic #57-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jul 15 03:51:12 UTC 2014 i686 i686 i686 GNU/Linux lsb_release -a No LSB modules are available. Distributor ID: Ubuntu Description: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS Release: 14.04 Codename: trusty cpuid CPU 0: vendor_id = "GenuineIntel" version information (1/eax): processor type = primary processor (0) family = Intel Pentium Pro/II/III/Celeron/Core/Core 2/Atom, AMD Athlon/Duron, Cyrix M2, VIA C3 (6) model = 0xd (13) stepping id = 0x6 (6) extended family = 0x0 (0) extended model = 0x0 (0) (simple synth) = Intel Pentium M (Dothan B1) / Celeron M (Dothan B1), 90nm miscellaneous (1/ebx): process local APIC physical ID = 0x0 (0) cpu count = 0x0 (0) CLFLUSH line size = 0x8 (8) brand index = 0x16 (22) brand id = 0x16 (22): Intel Pentium M, .13um feature information (1/edx): x87 FPU on chip = true virtual-8086 mode enhancement = true debugging extensions = true page size extensions = true time stamp counter = true RDMSR and WRMSR support = true physical address extensions = false machine check exception = true CMPXCHG8B inst. = true APIC on chip = false SYSENTER and SYSEXIT = true memory type range registers = true PTE global bit = true machine check architecture = true conditional move/compare instruction = true page attribute table = true page size extension = false processor serial number = false CLFLUSH instruction = true debug store = true thermal monitor and clock ctrl = true MMX Technology = true FXSAVE/FXRSTOR = true SSE extensions = true SSE2 extensions = true self snoop = true hyper-threading / multi-core supported = false therm. monitor = true IA64 = false pending break event = true feature information (1/ecx): PNI/SSE3: Prescott New Instructions = false PCLMULDQ instruction = false 64-bit debug store = false MONITOR/MWAIT = false CPL-qualified debug store = false VMX: virtual machine extensions = false SMX: safer mode extensions = false Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology = true thermal monitor 2 = true SSSE3 extensions = false context ID: adaptive or shared L1 data = false FMA instruction = false CMPXCHG16B instruction = false xTPR disable = false perfmon and debug = false process context identifiers = false direct cache access = false SSE4.1 extensions = false SSE4.2 extensions = false extended xAPIC support = false MOVBE instruction = false POPCNT instruction = false time stamp counter deadline = false AES instruction = false XSAVE/XSTOR states = false OS-enabled XSAVE/XSTOR = false AVX: advanced vector extensions = false F16C half-precision convert instruction = false RDRAND instruction = false hypervisor guest status = false cache and TLB information (2): 0xb0: instruction TLB: 4K, 4-way, 128 entries 0xb3: data TLB: 4K, 4-way, 128 entries 0x02: instruction TLB: 4M pages, 4-way, 2 entries 0xf0: 64 byte prefetching 0x7d: L2 cache: 2M, 8-way, sectored, 64 byte lines 0x30: L1 cache: 32K, 8-way, 64 byte lines 0x04: data TLB: 4M pages, 4-way, 8 entries 0x2c: L1 data cache: 32K, 8-way, 64 byte lines extended feature flags (0x80000001/edx): SYSCALL and SYSRET instructions = false execution disable = false 1-GB large page support = false RDTSCP = false 64-bit extensions technology available = false Intel feature flags (0x80000001/ecx): LAHF/SAHF supported in 64-bit mode = false LZCNT advanced bit manipulation = false 3DNow! PREFETCH/PREFETCHW instructions = false brand = " Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.50GHz" (multi-processing synth): none (multi-processing method): Intel leaf 1 (synth) = Intel Pentium M (Dothan B1), 90nm

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• NLog Exception Details Renderer

  - by jtimperley

  Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/jtimperley/archive/2013/07/28/nlog-exception-details-renderer.aspxI recently switch from Microsoft's Enterprise Library Logging block to NLog.  In my opinion, NLog offers a simpler and much cleaner configuration section with better use of placeholders, complemented by custom variables. Despite this, I found one deficiency in my migration; I had lost the ability to simply render all details of an exception into our logs and notification emails. This is easily remedied by implementing a custom layout renderer. Start by extending 'NLog.LayoutRenderers.LayoutRenderer' and overriding the 'Append' method. using System.Text; using NLog; using NLog.Config; using NLog.LayoutRenderers;   [ThreadAgnostic] [LayoutRenderer(Name)] public class ExceptionDetailsRenderer : LayoutRenderer { public const string Name = "exceptiondetails";   protected override void Append(StringBuilder builder, LogEventInfo logEvent) { // Todo: Append details to StringBuilder } }   Now that we have a base layout renderer, we simply need to add the formatting logic to add exception details as well as inner exception details. This is done using reflection with some simple filtering for the properties that are already being rendered. I have added an additional 'Register' method, allowing the definition to be registered in code, rather than in configuration files. This complements by 'LogWrapper' class which standardizes writing log entries throughout my applications. using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Reflection; using System.Text; using NLog; using NLog.Config; using NLog.LayoutRenderers;   [ThreadAgnostic] [LayoutRenderer(Name)] public sealed class ExceptionDetailsRenderer : LayoutRenderer { public const string Name = "exceptiondetails"; private const string _Spacer = "======================================"; private List<string> _FilteredProperties;   private List<string> FilteredProperties { get { if (_FilteredProperties == null) { _FilteredProperties = new List<string> { "StackTrace", "HResult", "InnerException", "Data" }; }   return _FilteredProperties; } }   public bool LogNulls { get; set; }   protected override void Append(StringBuilder builder, LogEventInfo logEvent) { Append(builder, logEvent.Exception, false); }   private void Append(StringBuilder builder, Exception exception, bool isInnerException) { if (exception == null) { return; }   builder.AppendLine();   var type = exception.GetType(); if (isInnerException) { builder.Append("Inner "); }   builder.AppendLine("Exception Details:") .AppendLine(_Spacer) .Append("Exception Type: ") .AppendLine(type.ToString());   var bindingFlags = BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.Public; var properties = type.GetProperties(bindingFlags); foreach (var property in properties) { var propertyName = property.Name; var isFiltered = FilteredProperties.Any(filter => String.Equals(propertyName, filter, StringComparison.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase)); if (isFiltered) { continue; }   var propertyValue = property.GetValue(exception, bindingFlags, null, null, null); if (propertyValue == null && !LogNulls) { continue; }   var valueText = propertyValue != null ? propertyValue.ToString() : "NULL"; builder.Append(propertyName) .Append(": ") .AppendLine(valueText); }   AppendStackTrace(builder, exception.StackTrace, isInnerException); Append(builder, exception.InnerException, true); }   private void AppendStackTrace(StringBuilder builder, string stackTrace, bool isInnerException) { if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(stackTrace)) { return; }   builder.AppendLine();   if (isInnerException) { builder.Append("Inner "); }   builder.AppendLine("Exception StackTrace:") .AppendLine(_Spacer) .AppendLine(stackTrace); }   public static void Register() { Type definitionType; var layoutRenderers = ConfigurationItemFactory.Default.LayoutRenderers; if (layoutRenderers.TryGetDefinition(Name, out definitionType)) { return; }   layoutRenderers.RegisterDefinition(Name, typeof(ExceptionDetailsRenderer)); LogManager.ReconfigExistingLoggers(); } } For brevity I have removed the Trace, Debug, Warn, and Fatal methods. They are modelled after the Info methods. As mentioned above, note how the log wrapper automatically registers our custom layout renderer reducing the amount of application configuration required. using System; using NLog;   public static class LogWrapper { static LogWrapper() { ExceptionDetailsRenderer.Register(); }   #region Log Methods   public static void Info(object toLog) { Log(toLog, LogLevel.Info); }   public static void Info(string messageFormat, params object[] parameters) { Log(messageFormat, parameters, LogLevel.Info); }   public static void Error(object toLog) { Log(toLog, LogLevel.Error); }   public static void Error(string message, Exception exception) { Log(message, exception, LogLevel.Error); }   private static void Log(string messageFormat, object[] parameters, LogLevel logLevel) { string message = parameters.Length == 0 ? messageFormat : string.Format(messageFormat, parameters); Log(message, (Exception)null, logLevel); }   private static void Log(object toLog, LogLevel logLevel, LogType logType = LogType.General) { if (toLog == null) { throw new ArgumentNullException("toLog"); }   if (toLog is Exception) { var exception = toLog as Exception; Log(exception.Message, exception, logLevel, logType); } else { var message = toLog.ToString(); Log(message, null, logLevel, logType); } }   private static void Log(string message, Exception exception, LogLevel logLevel, LogType logType = LogType.General) { if (exception == null && String.IsNullOrEmpty(message)) { return; }   var logger = GetLogger(logType); // Note: Using the default constructor doesn't set the current date/time var logInfo = new LogEventInfo(logLevel, logger.Name, message); logInfo.Exception = exception; logger.Log(logInfo); }   private static Logger GetLogger(LogType logType) { var loggerName = logType.ToString(); return LogManager.GetLogger(loggerName); }   #endregion   #region LogType private enum LogType { General } #endregion } The following configuration is similar to what is provided for each of my applications. The 'application' variable is all that differentiates the various applications in all of my environments, the rest has been standardized. Depending on your needs to tweak this configuration while developing and debugging, this section could easily be pushed back into code similar to the registering of our custom layout renderer.   <?xml version="1.0"?>   <configuration> <configSections> <section name="nlog" type="NLog.Config.ConfigSectionHandler, NLog"/> </configSections> <nlog xmlns="http://www.nlog-project.org/schemas/NLog.xsd" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <variable name="application" value="Example"/> <targets> <target type="EventLog" name="EventLog" source="${application}" log="${application}" layout="${message}${onexception: ${newline}${exceptiondetails}}"/> <target type="Mail" name="Email" smtpServer="smtp.example.local" from="[email protected]" to="[email protected]" subject="(${machinename}) ${application}: ${level}" body="Machine: ${machinename}${newline}Timestamp: ${longdate}${newline}Level: ${level}${newline}Message: ${message}${onexception: ${newline}${exceptiondetails}}"/> </targets> <rules> <logger name="*" minlevel="Debug" writeTo="EventLog" /> <logger name="*" minlevel="Error" writeTo="Email" /> </rules> </nlog> </configuration>   Now go forward, create your custom exceptions without concern for including their custom properties in your exception logs and notifications.

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• Video Games from the Bad Guys’ Perspective [Video]

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  We’re so used to seeing video games from our perspective–the hero with the endless power ups and do-overs–but how does the video game world look from the perspective of the bad guys? Rather grim and confusing, as the video above highlights. [via Geekosystem] How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic How to Make Your Laptop Choose a Wired Connection Instead of Wireless HTG Explains: What Is Two-Factor Authentication and Should I Be Using It?

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• SSAS 2008 R2– Little Gems

  - by ACALVETT

  I have spent the last few days working with SSAS 2008 R2 and noticed a few small enhancements which many people probably won’t notice but i will list them here and why they are important to me. New profiler events Commit: This is a new sub class event for “progress report end”. This represents the elapsed time taken for the server to commit your data. It is important because for the duration of this event a server level lock will be in place blocking all incoming connections and causing time out...(read more)

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• Try out Windows Phone 7 on your PC today

  - by Matthew Guay

  Anticipation has been building for the new Windows Phone 7 Series ever since Microsoft unveiled it at the Mobile World Congress in February.  Now, thanks to free developer tools, you can get a first-hand experience of the basic Windows Phone 7 Series devices on your PC. Windows Phone 7 Series represents a huge change in the mobile field for Microsoft, bringing the acclaimed Zune HD UI to an innovative phone platform.  Windows Mobile has often been criticized for being behind other Smartphone platforms, but Microsoft seeks to regain the lead with this new upcoming release.  A platform must have developers behind it to be useful, so they have released a full set of free development tools so anyone can make apps for it today.  Or, if you simply want to play with Windows Phone 7, you can use the included emulator to try out the new Metro UI.  Here’s how to do this today on your Vista or 7 computer. Please note: These tools are a Customer Technology Preview release, so only install them if you’re comfortable using pre-release software. Getting Started First, download the Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP (link below), and run the installer.  This will install the Customer Technology Preview (CTP) versions of Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Phone Emulator, Silverlight for Windows Phone, and XNA 4.0 Game Studio on your computer, all of which are required and cannot be installed individually. Accept the license agreement when prompted. Click “Install Now” to install the tools you need.  The only setup customization option is where to save the files, so choose Customize if you need to do so. Setup will now automatically download and install the components you need, and will additionally download either 32 or 64 bit programs depending on your operating system. About halfway thorough the installation, you’ll be prompted to reboot your system.  Once your computer is rebooted, setup will automatically resume without further input.   When setup is finished, click “Run the Product Now” to get started. Running Windows Phone 7 on your PC Now that you’ve got the Windows Phone Developer tools installed, it’s time to get the Windows Phone emulator running.  If you clicked “Run the Product Now” when the setup finished, Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone should have already started.   If not, simply enter “visual studio” in your start menu search and select “Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone”. Now, to run the Windows Phone 7 emulator, we have to test an application.  So, even if you don’t know how to program, we can open a phone application template, and then test it to run the emulator.  First, click New Project on the left hand side of the front page. Any of the application templates would work for this, but here let’s select “Windows Phone Application”, and then click Ok. Here’s your new application template, which already contains the basic phone application framework.  This is where you’d start if you want to develop a Windows Phone app, but for now we just want to see Windows Phone 7 in action. So, to run the emulator, click Debug in the menu and then select Start Debugging. Your new application will launch inside the Windows Phone 7 Series emulator.  The default template doesn’t give us much, but it does show an example application running in Windows Phone 7.   Exploring Windows Phone 7 Click the Windows button on the emulator to go to the home screen.  Notice the Zune HD-like transition animation.  The emulator only includes Internet Explorer, your test application, and a few settings. Click the arrow on the right to see the available applications in a list. Settings lets you change the theme, regional settings, and the date and time in your emulator.  It also has an applications settings pane, but this currently isn’t populated. The Time settings shows a unique Windows Phone UI. You can return to the home screen by pressing the Windows button.  Here’s the Internet Explorer app running, with the virtual keyboard open to enter an address.  Please note that this emulator can also accept input from your keyboard, so you can enter addresses without clicking on the virtual keyboard. And here’s Google running in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone 7 supports accelerometers, and you can simulate this in the emulator.  Click one of the rotate buttons to rotate the screen in that direction. Here’s our favorite website in Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7 in landscape mode. All this, running right inside your Windows 7 desktop… Developer tools for Windows Phone 7 Although it may be fun to play with the Windows Phone 7 emulator, developers will be more excited to actually be able to create new and exciting apps for it.  The Windows Phone Developer Tools download includes Visual Studio Express and XNA Game Studio 4.0 which lets you create enticing games and apps for Windows Phones.  All development for Windows Phones will be in C#, Silverlight, and the XNA game framework.  Visual Studio Express for Windows Phone includes templates for these, and additionally has code samples to help you get started with development. Conclusion Many features are still not functional in this preview version, such as the search button and most of the included applications.  However, this still gives you a great way to experience firsthand the future of the Windows Phone platform.  And, for developers, this is your chance to set your mark on the Windows Phone 7 Series even before it is released to the public.  Happy playing and developing! Links Download Windows Phone Developer Tools CTP Windows Phone Developer Site Similar Articles Productive Geek Tips Keep Track of Homework Assignments with SoshikuWeekend Fun: Watch Television On Your PC With TVUPlayerEasily Manage Your Downloads with Download StatusbarCreate a Shortcut or Hotkey to Mute the System Volume in WindowsHow-To Geek on Lifehacker: How to Make Windows Vista Less Annoying TouchFreeze Alternative in AutoHotkey The Icy Undertow Desktop Windows Home Server – Backup to LAN The Clear & Clean Desktop Use This Bookmarklet to Easily Get Albums Use AutoHotkey to Assign a Hotkey to a Specific Window Latest Software Reviews Tinyhacker Random Tips Revo Uninstaller Pro Registry Mechanic 9 for Windows PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 PCmover Professional Convert the Quick Launch Bar into a Super Application Launcher Automate Tasks in Linux with Crontab Discover New Bundled Feeds in Google Reader Play Music in Chrome by Simply Dragging a File 15 Great Illustrations by Chow Hon Lam Easily Sync Files & Folders with Friends & Family

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• External USB drive is failing

  - by dma_k

  I have an external USB 2.0 drive WD My Book Mirror Edition, running in RAID 1 (mirroring) mode. A while ago the hard drive started to fail: it stops responding (directories are not listed returning an error after a big timeout). Sometimes it works for weeks before a failure, sometimes – few hours. Small write operations (like removing few files or editing a small file) do not harm, but when copying large files to the drive over the network, or creating the archive locally, the kernel dumps. Also interesting to note that once kernel has failed, Linux does not want to reboot normally (reboot hangs); when Linux box is shutdown with power button, WD drive does not go to sleep mode (as it usually does): leds continue to run, pressing and holding the "shutdown" button on drive's back panel does not do anything; only unplugging the power cord helps. Here goes the boot log: Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.514106] ehci_hcd: USB 2.0 'Enhanced' Host Controller (EHCI) Driver Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.657738] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: PCI INT A -> GSI 23 (level, low) -> IRQ 23 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.673747] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: setting latency timer to 64 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.673751] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: EHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.725224] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.741647] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: using broken periodic workaround Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.761790] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: cache line size of 32 is not supported Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.761873] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: irq 23, io mem 0xfdfff000 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.796043] ehci_hcd 0000:00:1d.7: USB 2.0 started, EHCI 1.00 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.879069] usb usb1: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0002 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.895446] usb usb1: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.911796] usb usb1: Product: EHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.928015] usb usb1: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5-686 ehci_hcd Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.944331] usb usb1: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.7 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.961285] usb usb1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 1.994412] hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.010864] hub 1-0:1.0: 8 ports detected Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.085939] uhci_hcd: USB Universal Host Controller Interface driver Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.191945] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 23 (level, low) -> IRQ 23 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.226029] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: setting latency timer to 64 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.226034] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.243237] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 2 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.260390] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.0: irq 23, io base 0x0000fe00 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.277517] usb usb2: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.294815] usb usb2: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.312173] usb usb2: Product: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.329534] usb usb2: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5-686 uhci_hcd Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.346828] usb usb2: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.0 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.412989] usb usb2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.430651] usb 1-2: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.449046] hub 2-0:1.0: USB hub found Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.466514] hub 2-0:1.0: 2 ports detected Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.484639] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: PCI INT B -> GSI 19 (level, low) -> IRQ 19 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.537750] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: setting latency timer to 64 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.537756] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.555085] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 3 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.572231] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.1: irq 19, io base 0x0000fd00 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.589593] usb usb3: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.606869] usb usb3: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.624134] usb usb3: Product: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.641329] usb usb3: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5-686 uhci_hcd Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.658505] usb usb3: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.675843] usb usb3: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.692864] hub 3-0:1.0: USB hub found Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.709651] hub 3-0:1.0: 2 ports detected Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.727378] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: PCI INT C -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.768252] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: setting latency timer to 64 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.768258] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.806679] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 4 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.824117] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.2: irq 18, io base 0x0000fc00 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.841405] usb 1-2: New USB device found, idVendor=1058, idProduct=1104 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.858448] usb 1-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.875347] usb 1-2: Product: My Book Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.892113] usb 1-2: Manufacturer: Western Digital Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.908915] usb 1-2: SerialNumber: 575532553130303530353538 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.943242] usb usb4: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.960405] usb usb4: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.977615] usb usb4: Product: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 2.994687] usb usb4: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5-686 uhci_hcd Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.011711] usb usb4: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.2 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.029589] usb usb4: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.082027] sd 2:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.103953] usb 1-2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.122625] hub 4-0:1.0: USB hub found Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.140484] hub 4-0:1.0: 2 ports detected Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.161680] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.3: PCI INT D -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.181257] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.3: setting latency timer to 64 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.181263] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.3: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.198614] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.3: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 5 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.216012] uhci_hcd 0000:00:1d.3: irq 16, io base 0x0000fb00 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.249877] Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.267765] usb usb5: New USB device found, idVendor=1d6b, idProduct=0001 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.284947] usb usb5: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=2, SerialNumber=1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.302023] usb usb5: Product: UHCI Host Controller Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.319215] usb usb5: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32-5-686 uhci_hcd Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.336298] usb usb5: SerialNumber: 0000:00:1d.3 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.368377] Initializing USB Mass Storage driver... Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.390652] usbcore: registered new interface driver hiddev Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.408109] scsi4 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.425281] sr 0:0:1:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr0 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.438978] sr 0:0:1:0: Attached scsi generic sg0 type 5 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.456328] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.474564] usb-storage: device found at 2 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.474567] usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.475320] sd 2:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.492587] USB Mass Storage support registered. Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.510930] usb usb5: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.531076] hub 5-0:1.0: USB hub found Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.548399] hub 5-0:1.0: 2 ports detected Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.591743] input: Western Digital My Book as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.7/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.1/input/input2 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.609515] generic-usb 0003:1058:1104.0001: input,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Device [Western Digital My Book] on usb-0000:00:1d.7-2/input1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 3.627466] usbcore: registered new interface driver usbhid Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.581664] usb-storage: device scan complete Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.624270] scsi 4:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD My Book 1008 PQ: 0 ANSI: 4 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.655135] scsi 4:0:0:1: Enclosure WD My Book Device 1008 PQ: 0 ANSI: 4 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.675393] sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.698669] scsi 4:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 13 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.723370] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] 1953513472 512-byte logical blocks: (1.00 TB/931 GiB) Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.750477] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.769411] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 10 00 00 00 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.769414] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.822971] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.841978] sdb: sdb1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.905580] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 8.924173] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 11.600492] XFS mounting filesystem sdb1 Aug 16 00:32:21 kernel: [ 12.222948] Ending clean XFS mount for filesystem: sdb1 After a while the following appears in a log: Aug 16 09:30:56 kernel: [32359.112029] usb 1-2: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2 Aug 16 09:31:59 kernel: [32422.112035] usb 1-2: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2 Aug 16 09:33:00 kernel: [32483.112029] usb 1-2: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2 And then it is followed by few kernel dumps, which I think, are not good: Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.428027] INFO: task xfssyncd:1002 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.462689] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.497422] xfssyncd D c3d84a60 0 1002 2 0x00000000 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.532117] f6c9aa80 00000046 c1132742 c3d84a60 00000286 c1418100 c1418100 00000000 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.566867] f6c9ac3c c2808100 00000000 f653b18b 00001d76 00000001 f6c9aa80 c3c3f0e0 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.601343] 08e59242 f6c9ac3c 2e41392b 00000000 08e59242 00000000 c3f7fb48 0067385a Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.635533] Call Trace: Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.668991] [<c1132742>] ? cfq_set_request+0x0/0x290 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.702804] [<c126b532>] ? io_schedule+0x5f/0x98 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.736555] [<c1128be0>] ? get_request_wait+0xcb/0x146 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.770360] [<c10437ba>] ? autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x2d Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.804110] [<c112907c>] ? __make_request+0x2cc/0x3d9 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.837713] [<c1128230>] ? blk_peek_request+0x135/0x143 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.871265] [<f8582987>] ? scsi_dispatch_cmd+0x185/0x1e5 [scsi_mod] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.904407] [<c1127cf1>] ? generic_make_request+0x266/0x2b4 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.937007] [<c10cf821>] ? bvec_alloc_bs+0x95/0xaf Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32520.969033] [<c1127dfb>] ? submit_bio+0xbc/0xd6 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.000485] [<c10cffd1>] ? bio_add_page+0x28/0x2e Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.031403] [<f8918d38>] ? _xfs_buf_ioapply+0x206/0x22b [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.061888] [<f89197bd>] ? xfs_buf_iorequest+0x38/0x60 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.091845] [<f8907230>] ? xlog_bdstrat_cb+0x16/0x3d [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.121222] [<f8905781>] ? XFS_bwrite+0x32/0x64 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.150007] [<f89059be>] ? xlog_sync+0x20b/0x311 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.178214] [<f89112fc>] ? xfs_trans_ail_tail+0x12/0x27 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.205914] [<f8906261>] ? xlog_state_sync_all+0xa2/0x141 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.233074] [<f8906611>] ? _xfs_log_force+0x51/0x68 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.259664] [<c103abaf>] ? process_timeout+0x0/0x5 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.285662] [<f8906636>] ? xfs_log_force+0xe/0x27 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.311171] [<f89202df>] ? xfs_sync_worker+0x17/0x5c [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.336117] [<f891fbb7>] ? xfssyncd+0x134/0x17d [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.360498] [<f891fa83>] ? xfssyncd+0x0/0x17d [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.384211] [<c1043588>] ? kthread+0x61/0x66 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.407890] [<c1043527>] ? kthread+0x0/0x66 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.430876] [<c1003d47>] ? kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.453394] INFO: task flush-8:16:12945 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.476116] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.498579] flush-8:16 D 00000000 0 12945 2 0x00000000 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.520649] f4e4d540 00000046 e412e940 00000000 00000002 c1418100 c1418100 c14136ac Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.542426] f4e4d6fc c2808100 00000000 00000000 000008b4 00000001 f4e4d540 c3c3f0e0 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.563745] 02e905a8 f4e4d6fc 007a5399 00000000 02e905a8 00000000 f4e2db48 00670b98 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.585077] Call Trace: Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.605790] [<c126b532>] ? io_schedule+0x5f/0x98 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.626184] [<c1128be0>] ? get_request_wait+0xcb/0x146 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.646133] [<c10437ba>] ? autoremove_wake_function+0x0/0x2d Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.665659] [<c112907c>] ? __make_request+0x2cc/0x3d9 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.684716] [<f891796e>] ? xfs_convert_page+0x30a/0x331 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.703366] [<c1127cf1>] ? generic_make_request+0x266/0x2b4 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.721644] [<c10cf821>] ? bvec_alloc_bs+0x95/0xaf Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.739465] [<c1127dfb>] ? submit_bio+0xbc/0xd6 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.756896] [<c10cfa45>] ? bio_alloc_bioset+0x7b/0xba Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.774046] [<f8917af0>] ? xfs_submit_ioend_bio+0x3b/0x44 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.790694] [<f8917ba3>] ? xfs_submit_ioend+0xaa/0xc4 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.806736] [<f891817d>] ? xfs_page_state_convert+0x5c0/0x61c [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.822859] [<c113705b>] ? __lookup_tag+0x8e/0xee Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.838958] [<f891840d>] ? xfs_vm_writepage+0x91/0xc4 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.855039] [<c108bbcc>] ? __writepage+0x8/0x22 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.871067] [<c108c17b>] ? write_cache_pages+0x1af/0x29f Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.886616] [<c108bbc4>] ? __writepage+0x0/0x22 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.901593] [<c108c285>] ? generic_writepages+0x1a/0x21 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.916455] [<f8918338>] ? xfs_vm_writepages+0x0/0x38 [xfs] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.931484] [<c108c2a5>] ? do_writepages+0x19/0x25 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.946648] [<c10c80d9>] ? writeback_single_inode+0xc7/0x273 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.961675] [<c10c8c44>] ? writeback_inodes_wb+0x3dd/0x49c Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.976831] [<c10c8e18>] ? wb_writeback+0x115/0x178 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32521.991778] [<c10c901f>] ? wb_do_writeback+0x121/0x131 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.006538] [<c103abaf>] ? process_timeout+0x0/0x5 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.021091] [<c10c9050>] ? bdi_writeback_task+0x21/0x89 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.035493] [<c10979e5>] ? bdi_start_fn+0x59/0xa4 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.049765] [<c109798c>] ? bdi_start_fn+0x0/0xa4 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.063792] [<c1043588>] ? kthread+0x61/0x66 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.077612] [<c1043527>] ? kthread+0x0/0x66 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.091260] [<c1003d47>] ? kernel_thread_helper+0x7/0x10 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.104966] INFO: task smartctl:13098 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.118883] "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message. Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.133012] smartctl D 00000020 0 13098 13097 0x00000000 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.147221] e50b9540 00000086 c11d28a8 00000020 00000770 c1418100 c1418100 c14136ac Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.161720] e50b96fc c2808100 00000000 e53e8800 00000000 00000020 c3cec000 c13886c0 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.176217] f99dab68 e50b96fc 007a4f1e 00000001 c4082f24 c4082ed8 00000001 c3c3f0e0 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.190737] Call Trace: Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.205038] [<c11d28a8>] ? __netdev_alloc_skb+0x14/0x2d Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.219605] [<c126b799>] ? schedule_timeout+0x20/0xb0 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.234144] [<c112820d>] ? blk_peek_request+0x112/0x143 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.248649] [<f85873b6>] ? scsi_request_fn+0x3c1/0x47a [scsi_mod] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.263233] [<c103aba8>] ? del_timer+0x55/0x5c Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.277773] [<c126b6a2>] ? wait_for_common+0xa4/0x100 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.292342] [<c102cd8d>] ? default_wake_function+0x0/0x8 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.306958] [<c112b3d1>] ? blk_execute_rq+0x8b/0xb2 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.321569] [<c112b2ac>] ? blk_end_sync_rq+0x0/0x23 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.336070] [<c112b58b>] ? blk_recount_segments+0x13/0x20 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.350583] [<c1127307>] ? blk_rq_bio_prep+0x44/0x74 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.365059] [<c112b0b2>] ? blk_rq_map_kern+0xc5/0xee Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.379439] [<c112e2a5>] ? sg_scsi_ioctl+0x221/0x2aa Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.393801] [<c112e672>] ? scsi_cmd_ioctl+0x344/0x39a Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.408140] [<c1024c87>] ? update_curr+0x106/0x1b3 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.422566] [<c1024c87>] ? update_curr+0x106/0x1b3 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.436832] [<f87676aa>] ? sd_ioctl+0x90/0xb5 [sd_mod] Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.451228] [<c112c35f>] ? __blkdev_driver_ioctl+0x53/0x63 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.465689] [<c112cbbf>] ? blkdev_ioctl+0x850/0x891 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.479982] [<c1020474>] ? __wake_up_common+0x34/0x59 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.494138] [<c10244cd>] ? complete+0x28/0x36 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.507986] [<c1086c64>] ? find_get_page+0x1f/0x81 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.521671] [<c10abed5>] ? add_partial+0xe/0x40 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.535285] [<c1086e68>] ? lock_page+0x8/0x1d Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.548797] [<c1087432>] ? filemap_fault+0xb5/0x2e6 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.562141] [<c109941c>] ? __do_fault+0x381/0x3b1 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.575441] [<c10d0c30>] ? block_ioctl+0x27/0x2c Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.588708] [<c10d0c09>] ? block_ioctl+0x0/0x2c Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.601858] [<c10bcd78>] ? vfs_ioctl+0x1c/0x5f Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.614917] [<c10bd30c>] ? do_vfs_ioctl+0x4aa/0x4e5 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.627961] [<c10350db>] ? __do_softirq+0x115/0x151 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.640901] [<c126e270>] ? do_page_fault+0x2f1/0x307 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.653803] [<c10bd388>] ? sys_ioctl+0x41/0x58 Aug 16 09:33:40 kernel: [32522.666674] [<c10030fb>] ? sysenter_do_call+0x12/0x28 Then again few messages reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2. I have browsed and read similar error reports here and there and I tried: I have upgraded the kernel from v2.6.26-2 to 2.6.32-5, which has not solved the problem. They say, this might a cable problem. I have tried to replace the USB-to-miniUSB cable (that connects external drive with computer) with another one. No changes. Somebody suggests to try another USB port. I have only 4 external USB ports, tried another one with no success. They say to try uhci_hcd. I have unmounted the device, unloaded ehci_hcd and mounted again. The difference was that now in log I get reset full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 2 and similar kernel dumps after a while. They say to echo 128 > /sys/block/sdb/device/max_sectors. I tried it with ehci_hcd with no success (note: I have issued this command after the drive was mounted but before using it actively). I have lauched smartmond and checking periodically the output of smartctl: drive temperature is OK, number of bad sectors and uncorrectable errors is 0. Nothing suspicious is reported by S.M.A.R.T. except maybe the following: Aug 16 12:40:12 kernel: [43715.314566] program smartctl is using a deprecated SCSI ioctl, please convert it to SG_IO Aug 16 12:40:13 kernel: [43715.705622] program smartctl is using a deprecated SCSI ioctl, please convert it to SG_IO Of course, I have not tried all combinations of above. But unfortunately, I am run out of cardinal ideas. If anybody can advice something specific about the problem, you are very welcome.

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• Why do apache2 upgrades remove and not re-install libapache2-mod-php5?

  - by nutznboltz

  We repeatedly see that when an apache2 update arrives and is installed it causes the libapache2-mod-php5 package to be removed and does not subsequently re-install it automatically. We must subsequently re-install the libapache2-mod-php5 manually in order to restore functionality to our web server. Please see the following github gist, it is a contiguous section of our server's dpkg.log showing the November 14, 2011 update to apache2: https://gist.github.com/1368361 it includes 2011-11-14 11:22:18 remove libapache2-mod-php5 5.3.2-1ubuntu4.10 5.3.2-1ubuntu4.10 Is this a known issue? Do other people see this too? I could not find any launchpad bug reports about it. Platform details: $ lsb_release -ds Ubuntu 10.04.3 LTS $ uname -srvm Linux 2.6.38-12-virtual #51~lucid1-Ubuntu SMP Thu Sep 29 20:27:50 UTC 2011 x86_64 $ dpkg -l | awk '/ii.*apache/ {print $2 " " $3 }' apache2 2.2.14-5ubuntu8.7 apache2-mpm-prefork 2.2.14-5ubuntu8.7 apache2-utils 2.2.14-5ubuntu8.7 apache2.2-bin 2.2.14-5ubuntu8.7 apache2.2-common 2.2.14-5ubuntu8.7 libapache2-mod-authnz-external 3.2.4-2+squeeze1build0.10.04.1 libapache2-mod-php5 5.3.2-1ubuntu4.10 Thanks At a high-level the update process looks like: package package_name do action :upgrade case node[:platform] when 'centos', 'redhat', 'scientific' options '--disableplugin=fastestmirror' when 'ubuntu' options '-o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold"' end end But at a lower level def install_package(name, version) run_command_with_systems_locale( :command = "apt-get -q -y#{expand_options(@new_resource.options)} install #{name}=#{version}", :environment = { "DEBIAN_FRONTEND" = "noninteractive" } ) end def upgrade_package(name, version) install_package(name, version) end So Chef is using "install" to do "update". This sort of moves the question around to "how does apt-get safe-upgrade" remember to re-install libapache-mod-php5? The exact sequence of packages that triggered this was: apache2 apache2-mpm-prefork apache2-mpm-worker apache2-utils apache2.2-bin apache2.2-common But the code is attempting to run checks to make sure the packages in that list are installed already before attempting to "upgrade" them. case node[:platform] when 'debian', 'centos', 'fedora', 'redhat', 'scientific', 'ubuntu' # first primitive way is to define the updates in the recipe # data bags will be used later %w/ apache2 apache2-mpm-prefork apache2-mpm-worker apache2-utils apache2.2-bin apache2.2-common /.each{ |package_name| Chef::Log.debug("is #{package_name} among local packages available for changes?") next unless node[:packages][:changes].keys.include?(package_name) Chef::Log.debug("is #{package_name} available for upgrade?") next unless node[:packages][:changes][package_name][:action] == 'upgrade' package package_name do action :upgrade case node[:platform] when 'centos', 'redhat', 'scientific' options '--disableplugin=fastestmirror' when 'ubuntu' options '-o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold"' end end tag('upgraded') } # after upgrading everything, run yum cache updater if tagged?('upgraded') # Remove old orphaned dependencies and kernel images and kernel headers etc. # Remove cached deb files. case node[:platform] when 'ubuntu' execute 'apt-get -y autoremove' execute 'apt-get clean' # Re-check what updates are available soon. when 'centos', 'fedora', 'redhat', 'scientific' node[:packages][:last_time_we_looked_at_yum] = 0 end untag('upgraded') end end But it's clear that it fails since the dpkg.log has 2011-11-14 11:22:25 install apache2-mpm-worker 2.2.14-5ubuntu8.7 on a system which does not currently have apache2-mpm-worker. I will have to discuss this with the author, thanks again.

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• Racing MMO for Linux - 2D or 3D - Massively Multiplayer Online Racing Games for Linux

  - by Paulocoghi

  I really like multiplayer racing games, like Need for Speed World or similar. I wonder if there is any MMO racing game for Linux (2D or 3D). Browser-based games are also accepted. Note: I tried this question in the Gaming Q&A of StackExchange (see link below), but one user said that my question was off-topic. http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/16329/racing-mmo-for-linux-2d-or-3d-massively-multiplayer-online-racing-games

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• SSIS packages incompatibilities between SSIS 2008 and SSIS 2008 R2

  - by Marco Russo (SQLBI)

  When you install SQL 2008 R2 workstation components you get a newer version of BIDS (BI Developer Studio, included in the workstation components) that replaces BIDS 2008 version (BIDS 2005 still live side-by-side). Everything would be good if you can use the newer version to edit any 2008 AND 2008R2 project. SSIS editor doesn't offer a way to set the "compatibility level" of the package, becuase it is almost all unchanged. However, if a package has an ADO.NET Destination Adapter, there is a difference...(read more)

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• Serious about Embedded: Java Embedded @ JavaOne 2012

  - by terrencebarr

  It bears repeating: More than ever, the Java platform is the best technology for many embedded use cases. Java’s platform independence, high level of functionality, security, and developer productivity address the key pain points in building embedded solutions. Transitioning from 16 to 32 bit or even 64 bit? Need to support multiple architectures and operating systems with a single code base? Want to scale on multi-core systems? Require a proven security model? Dynamically deploy and manage software on your devices? Cut time to market by leveraging code, expertise, and tools from a large developer ecosystem? Looking for back-end services, integration, and management? The Java platform has got you covered. Java already powers around 10 billion devices worldwide, with traditional desktops and servers being only a small portion of that. And the ‘Internet of Things‘ is just really starting to explode … it is estimated that within five years, intelligent and connected embedded devices will outnumber desktops and mobile phones combined, and will generate the majority of the traffic on the Internet. Is your platform and services strategy ready for the coming disruptions and opportunities? It should come as no surprise that Oracle is keenly focused on Java for Embedded. At JavaOne 2012 San Francisco the dedicated track for Java ME, Java Card, and Embedded keeps growing, with 52 sessions, tutorials, Hands-on-Labs, and BOFs scheduled for this track alone, plus keynotes, demos, booths, and a variety of other embedded content. To further prove Oracle’s commitment, in 2012 for the first time there will be a dedicated sub-conference focused on the business aspects of embedded Java: Java Embedded @ JavaOne. This conference will run for two days in parallel to JavaOne in San Francisco, will have its own business-oriented track and content, and targets C-level executives, architects, business leaders, and decision makers. Registration and Call For Papers for Java Embedded @ JavaOne are now live. We expect a lot of interest in this new event and space is limited, so be sure to submit your paper and register soon. Hope to see you there! Cheers, – Terrence Filed under: Mobile & Embedded Tagged: ARM, Call for Papers, Embedded Java, Java Embedded, Java Embedded @ JavaOne, Java ME, Java SE Embedded, Java SE for Embedded, JavaOne San Francisco, PowerPC

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• Will Python 3.0's backwards-incompatibility affect adoption?

  - by George Stocker

  I visited Slashdot this morning to find out that Python 3.0 has been released. I know C# and Perl, but have wanted to learn Python for some time, especially after I saw its ease of use to create useful tools, not to mention its use in game scripting. My question is, how does the intentionally backwards-incompatible release of Python 3.0 affect adoption, and should I learn Python 2? Or should I take the dive and learn Python 3.0 first, and wait for the libraries to be ported?

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• An XEvent a Day (11 of 31) – Targets Week – Using Multiple Targets to Debug Orphaned Transactions

  - by Jonathan Kehayias

  Yesterday’s blog post Targets Week – etw_classic_sync_target covered the ETW integration that is built into Extended Events and how the etw_classic_sync_target can be used in conjunction with other ETW traces to provide troubleshooting at a level previously not possible with SQL Server. In today’s post we’ll look at how to use multiple targets to simplify analysis of Event collection. Why Multiple Targets? You might ask why you would want to use multiple Targets in an Event Session with Extended...(read more)

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• Toorcon14

  - by danx

  Toorcon 2012 Information Security Conference San Diego, CA, http://www.toorcon.org/ Dan Anderson, October 2012 It's almost Halloween, and we all know what that means—yes, of course, it's time for another Toorcon Conference! Toorcon is an annual conference for people interested in computer security. This includes the whole range of hackers, computer hobbyists, professionals, security consultants, press, law enforcement, prosecutors, FBI, etc. We're at Toorcon 14—see earlier blogs for some of the previous Toorcon's I've attended (back to 2003). This year's "con" was held at the Westin on Broadway in downtown San Diego, California. The following are not necessarily my views—I'm just the messenger—although I could have misquoted or misparaphrased the speakers. Also, I only reviewed some of the talks, below, which I attended and interested me. MalAndroid—the Crux of Android Infections, Aditya K. Sood Programming Weird Machines with ELF Metadata, Rebecca "bx" Shapiro Privacy at the Handset: New FCC Rules?, Valkyrie Hacking Measured Boot and UEFI, Dan Griffin You Can't Buy Security: Building the Open Source InfoSec Program, Boris Sverdlik What Journalists Want: The Investigative Reporters' Perspective on Hacking, Dave Maas & Jason Leopold Accessibility and Security, Anna Shubina Stop Patching, for Stronger PCI Compliance, Adam Brand McAfee Secure & Trustmarks — a Hacker's Best Friend, Jay James & Shane MacDougall MalAndroid—the Crux of Android Infections Aditya K. Sood, IOActive, Michigan State PhD candidate Aditya talked about Android smartphone malware. There's a lot of old Android software out there—over 50% Gingerbread (2.3.x)—and most have unpatched vulnerabilities. Of 9 Android vulnerabilities, 8 have known exploits (such as the old Gingerbread Global Object Table exploit). Android protection includes sandboxing, security scanner, app permissions, and screened Android app market. The Android permission checker has fine-grain resource control, policy enforcement. Android static analysis also includes a static analysis app checker (bouncer), and a vulnerablity checker. What security problems does Android have? User-centric security, which depends on the user to grant permission and make smart decisions. But users don't care or think about malware (the're not aware, not paranoid). All they want is functionality, extensibility, mobility Android had no "proper" encryption before Android 3.0 No built-in protection against social engineering and web tricks Alternative Android app markets are unsafe. Simply visiting some markets can infect Android Aditya classified Android Malware types as: Type A—Apps. These interact with the Android app framework. For example, a fake Netflix app. Or Android Gold Dream (game), which uploads user files stealthy manner to a remote location. Type K—Kernel. Exploits underlying Linux libraries or kernel Type H—Hybrid. These use multiple layers (app framework, libraries, kernel). These are most commonly used by Android botnets, which are popular with Chinese botnet authors What are the threats from Android malware? These incude leak info (contacts), banking fraud, corporate network attacks, malware advertising, malware "Hackivism" (the promotion of social causes. For example, promiting specific leaders of the Tunisian or Iranian revolutions. Android malware is frequently "masquerated". That is, repackaged inside a legit app with malware. To avoid detection, the hidden malware is not unwrapped until runtime. The malware payload can be hidden in, for example, PNG files. Less common are Android bootkits—there's not many around. What they do is hijack the Android init framework—alteering system programs and daemons, then deletes itself. For example, the DKF Bootkit (China). Android App Problems: no code signing! all self-signed native code execution permission sandbox — all or none alternate market places no robust Android malware detection at network level delayed patch process Programming Weird Machines with ELF Metadata Rebecca "bx" Shapiro, Dartmouth College, NH https://github.com/bx/elf-bf-tools @bxsays on twitter Definitions. "ELF" is an executable file format used in linking and loading executables (on UNIX/Linux-class machines). "Weird machine" uses undocumented computation sources (I think of them as unintended virtual machines). Some examples of "weird machines" are those that: return to weird location, does SQL injection, corrupts the heap. Bx then talked about using ELF metadata as (an uintended) "weird machine". Some ELF background: A compiler takes source code and generates a ELF object file (hello.o). A static linker makes an ELF executable from the object file. A runtime linker and loader takes ELF executable and loads and relocates it in memory. The ELF file has symbols to relocate functions and variables. ELF has two relocation tables—one at link time and another one at loading time: .rela.dyn (link time) and .dynsym (dynamic table). GOT: Global Offset Table of addresses for dynamically-linked functions. PLT: Procedure Linkage Tables—works with GOT. The memory layout of a process (not the ELF file) is, in order: program (+ heap), dynamic libraries, libc, ld.so, stack (which includes the dynamic table loaded into memory) For ELF, the "weird machine" is found and exploited in the loader. ELF can be crafted for executing viruses, by tricking runtime into executing interpreted "code" in the ELF symbol table. One can inject parasitic "code" without modifying the actual ELF code portions. Think of the ELF symbol table as an "assembly language" interpreter. It has these elements: instructions: Add, move, jump if not 0 (jnz) Think of symbol table entries as "registers" symbol table value is "contents" immediate values are constants direct values are addresses (e.g., 0xdeadbeef) move instruction: is a relocation table entry add instruction: relocation table "addend" entry jnz instruction: takes multiple relocation table entries The ELF weird machine exploits the loader by relocating relocation table entries. The loader will go on forever until told to stop. It stores state on stack at "end" and uses IFUNC table entries (containing function pointer address). The ELF weird machine, called "Brainfu*k" (BF) has: 8 instructions: pointer inc, dec, inc indirect, dec indirect, jump forward, jump backward, print. Three registers - 3 registers Bx showed example BF source code that implemented a Turing machine printing "hello, world". More interesting was the next demo, where bx modified ping. Ping runs suid as root, but quickly drops privilege. BF modified the loader to disable the library function call dropping privilege, so it remained as root. Then BF modified the ping -t argument to execute the -t filename as root. It's best to show what this modified ping does with an example: $ whoami bx $ ping localhost -t backdoor.sh # executes backdoor $ whoami root $ The modified code increased from 285948 bytes to 290209 bytes. A BF tool compiles "executable" by modifying the symbol table in an existing ELF executable. The tool modifies .dynsym and .rela.dyn table, but not code or data. Privacy at the Handset: New FCC Rules? "Valkyrie" (Christie Dudley, Santa Clara Law JD candidate) Valkyrie talked about mobile handset privacy. Some background: Senator Franken (also a comedian) became alarmed about CarrierIQ, where the carriers track their customers. Franken asked the FCC to find out what obligations carriers think they have to protect privacy. The carriers' response was that they are doing just fine with self-regulation—no worries! Carriers need to collect data, such as missed calls, to maintain network quality. But carriers also sell data for marketing. Verizon sells customer data and enables this with a narrow privacy policy (only 1 month to opt out, with difficulties). The data sold is not individually identifiable and is aggregated. But Verizon recommends, as an aggregation workaround to "recollate" data to other databases to identify customers indirectly. The FCC has regulated telephone privacy since 1934 and mobile network privacy since 2007. Also, the carriers say mobile phone privacy is a FTC responsibility (not FCC). FTC is trying to improve mobile app privacy, but FTC has no authority over carrier / customer relationships. As a side note, Apple iPhones are unique as carriers have extra control over iPhones they don't have with other smartphones. As a result iPhones may be more regulated. Who are the consumer advocates? Everyone knows EFF, but EPIC (Electrnic Privacy Info Center), although more obsecure, is more relevant. What to do? Carriers must be accountable. Opt-in and opt-out at any time. Carriers need incentive to grant users control for those who want it, by holding them liable and responsible for breeches on their clock. Location information should be added current CPNI privacy protection, and require "Pen/trap" judicial order to obtain (and would still be a lower standard than 4th Amendment). Politics are on a pro-privacy swing now, with many senators and the Whitehouse. There will probably be new regulation soon, and enforcement will be a problem, but consumers will still have some benefit. Hacking Measured Boot and UEFI Dan Griffin, JWSecure, Inc., Seattle, @JWSdan Dan talked about hacking measured UEFI boot. First some terms: UEFI is a boot technology that is replacing BIOS (has whitelisting and blacklisting). UEFI protects devices against rootkits. TPM - hardware security device to store hashs and hardware-protected keys "secure boot" can control at firmware level what boot images can boot "measured boot" OS feature that tracks hashes (from BIOS, boot loader, krnel, early drivers). "remote attestation" allows remote validation and control based on policy on a remote attestation server. Microsoft pushing TPM (Windows 8 required), but Google is not. Intel TianoCore is the only open source for UEFI. Dan has Measured Boot Tool at http://mbt.codeplex.com/ with a demo where you can also view TPM data. TPM support already on enterprise-class machines. UEFI Weaknesses. UEFI toolkits are evolving rapidly, but UEFI has weaknesses: assume user is an ally trust TPM implicitly, and attached to computer hibernate file is unprotected (disk encryption protects against this) protection migrating from hardware to firmware delays in patching and whitelist updates will UEFI really be adopted by the mainstream (smartphone hardware support, bank support, apathetic consumer support) You Can't Buy Security: Building the Open Source InfoSec Program Boris Sverdlik, ISDPodcast.com co-host Boris talked about problems typical with current security audits. "IT Security" is an oxymoron—IT exists to enable buiness, uptime, utilization, reporting, but don't care about security—IT has conflict of interest. There's no Magic Bullet ("blinky box"), no one-size-fits-all solution (e.g., Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs)). Regulations don't make you secure. The cloud is not secure (because of shared data and admin access). Defense and pen testing is not sexy. Auditors are not solution (security not a checklist)—what's needed is experience and adaptability—need soft skills. Step 1: First thing is to Google and learn the company end-to-end before you start. Get to know the management team (not IT team), meet as many people as you can. Don't use arbitrary values such as CISSP scores. Quantitive risk assessment is a myth (e.g. AV*EF-SLE). Learn different Business Units, legal/regulatory obligations, learn the business and where the money is made, verify company is protected from script kiddies (easy), learn sensitive information (IP, internal use only), and start with low-hanging fruit (customer service reps and social engineering). Step 2: Policies. Keep policies short and relevant. Generic SANS "security" boilerplate policies don't make sense and are not followed. Focus on acceptable use, data usage, communications, physical security. Step 3: Implementation: keep it simple stupid. Open source, although useful, is not free (implementation cost). Access controls with authentication & authorization for local and remote access. MS Windows has it, otherwise use OpenLDAP, OpenIAM, etc. Application security Everyone tries to reinvent the wheel—use existing static analysis tools. Review high-risk apps and major revisions. Don't run different risk level apps on same system. Assume host/client compromised and use app-level security control. Network security VLAN != segregated because there's too many workarounds. Use explicit firwall rules, active and passive network monitoring (snort is free), disallow end user access to production environment, have a proxy instead of direct Internet access. Also, SSL certificates are not good two-factor auth and SSL does not mean "safe." Operational Controls Have change, patch, asset, & vulnerability management (OSSI is free). For change management, always review code before pushing to production For logging, have centralized security logging for business-critical systems, separate security logging from administrative/IT logging, and lock down log (as it has everything). Monitor with OSSIM (open source). Use intrusion detection, but not just to fulfill a checkbox: build rules from a whitelist perspective (snort). OSSEC has 95% of what you need. Vulnerability management is a QA function when done right: OpenVas and Seccubus are free. Security awareness The reality is users will always click everything. Build real awareness, not compliance driven checkbox, and have it integrated into the culture. Pen test by crowd sourcing—test with logging COSSP http://www.cossp.org/ - Comprehensive Open Source Security Project What Journalists Want: The Investigative Reporters' Perspective on Hacking Dave Maas, San Diego CityBeat Jason Leopold, Truthout.org The difference between hackers and investigative journalists: For hackers, the motivation varies, but method is same, technological specialties. For investigative journalists, it's about one thing—The Story, and they need broad info-gathering skills. J-School in 60 Seconds: Generic formula: Person or issue of pubic interest, new info, or angle. Generic criteria: proximity, prominence, timeliness, human interest, oddity, or consequence. Media awareness of hackers and trends: journalists becoming extremely aware of hackers with congressional debates (privacy, data breaches), demand for data-mining Journalists, use of coding and web development for Journalists, and Journalists busted for hacking (Murdock). Info gathering by investigative journalists include Public records laws. Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is good, but slow. California Public Records Act is a lot stronger. FOIA takes forever because of foot-dragging—it helps to be specific. Often need to sue (especially FBI). CPRA is faster, and requests can be vague. Dumps and leaks (a la Wikileaks) Journalists want: leads, protecting ourselves, our sources, and adapting tools for news gathering (Google hacking). Anonomity is important to whistleblowers. They want no digital footprint left behind (e.g., email, web log). They don't trust encryption, want to feel safe and secure. Whistleblower laws are very weak—there's no upside for whistleblowers—they have to be very passionate to do it. Accessibility and Security or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Halting Problem Anna Shubina, Dartmouth College Anna talked about how accessibility and security are related. Accessibility of digital content (not real world accessibility). mostly refers to blind users and screenreaders, for our purpose. Accessibility is about parsing documents, as are many security issues. "Rich" executable content causes accessibility to fail, and often causes security to fail. For example MS Word has executable format—it's not a document exchange format—more dangerous than PDF or HTML. Accessibility is often the first and maybe only sanity check with parsing. They have no choice because someone may want to read what you write. Google, for example, is very particular about web browser you use and are bad at supporting other browsers. Uses JavaScript instead of links, often requiring mouseover to display content. PDF is a security nightmare. Executible format, embedded flash, JavaScript, etc. 15 million lines of code. Google Chrome doesn't handle PDF correctly, causing several security bugs. PDF has an accessibility checker and PDF tagging, to help with accessibility. But no PDF checker checks for incorrect tags, untagged content, or validates lists or tables. None check executable content at all. The "Halting Problem" is: can one decide whether a program will ever stop? The answer, in general, is no (Rice's theorem). The same holds true for accessibility checkers. Language-theoretic Security says complicated data formats are hard to parse and cannot be solved due to the Halting Problem. W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines: "Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust" Not much help though, except for "Robust", but here's some gems: * all information should be parsable (paraphrasing) * if not parsable, cannot be converted to alternate formats * maximize compatibility in new document formats Executible webpages are bad for security and accessibility. They say it's for a better web experience. But is it necessary to stuff web pages with JavaScript for a better experience? A good example is The Drudge Report—it has hand-written HTML with no JavaScript, yet drives a lot of web traffic due to good content. A bad example is Google News—hidden scrollbars, guessing user input. Solutions: Accessibility and security problems come from same source Expose "better user experience" myth Keep your corner of Internet parsable Remember "Halting Problem"—recognize false solutions (checking and verifying tools) Stop Patching, for Stronger PCI Compliance Adam Brand, protiviti @adamrbrand, http://www.picfun.com/ Adam talked about PCI compliance for retail sales. Take an example: for PCI compliance, 50% of Brian's time (a IT guy), 960 hours/year was spent patching POSs in 850 restaurants. Often applying some patches make no sense (like fixing a browser vulnerability on a server). "Scanner worship" is overuse of vulnerability scanners—it gives a warm and fuzzy and it's simple (red or green results—fix reds). Scanners give a false sense of security. In reality, breeches from missing patches are uncommon—more common problems are: default passwords, cleartext authentication, misconfiguration (firewall ports open). Patching Myths: Myth 1: install within 30 days of patch release (but PCI §6.1 allows a "risk-based approach" instead). Myth 2: vendor decides what's critical (also PCI §6.1). But §6.2 requires user ranking of vulnerabilities instead. Myth 3: scan and rescan until it passes. But PCI §11.2.1b says this applies only to high-risk vulnerabilities. Adam says good recommendations come from NIST 800-40. Instead use sane patching and focus on what's really important. From NIST 800-40: Proactive: Use a proactive vulnerability management process: use change control, configuration management, monitor file integrity. Monitor: start with NVD and other vulnerability alerts, not scanner results. Evaluate: public-facing system? workstation? internal server? (risk rank) Decide:on action and timeline Test: pre-test patches (stability, functionality, rollback) for change control Install: notify, change control, tickets McAfee Secure & Trustmarks — a Hacker's Best Friend Jay James, Shane MacDougall, Tactical Intelligence Inc., Canada "McAfee Secure Trustmark" is a website seal marketed by McAfee. A website gets this badge if they pass their remote scanning. The problem is a removal of trustmarks act as flags that you're vulnerable. Easy to view status change by viewing McAfee list on website or on Google. "Secure TrustGuard" is similar to McAfee. Jay and Shane wrote Perl scripts to gather sites from McAfee and search engines. If their certification image changes to a 1x1 pixel image, then they are longer certified. Their scripts take deltas of scans to see what changed daily. The bottom line is change in TrustGuard status is a flag for hackers to attack your site. Entire idea of seals is silly—you're raising a flag saying if you're vulnerable.

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• Tellago is still hiring….

  - by gsusx

  Tellago 's SOA practice is rapidly growing and we are still hiring. In that sense, we are looking to for Connected Systems (WCF, BizTalk, WF) experts who are passionate about building game changing solutions with the latest Microsoft technologies. You will be working alongside technology gurus like DonXml , Pablo Cibraro or Dwight Goins . If you are interested and not afraid of working with a bunch of crazy people ;)please drop me a line at jesus dot rodriguez at tellago dot com. Hope to hear from...(read more)

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• Why do enterprise app programmers get higher salaries than web programmers

  - by jpartogi

  I am an enterprise app programmer, mainly using Java, but now I want to move into web programming and build websites that are visited by millions of users. But what is surprising to me is that the salary level is so much different. A Java programmer seems to get a higher salary than a web programmer. Why is this so? Is it perceived that Java/enterprise applications are more difficult, thus the programmers get a higher salary?

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• Chicago SQL Saturday

  - by Johnm

  This past Saturday, April 17, 2010, I journeyed North to the great city of Chicago for some SQL Server fun, learning and fellowship. The Chicago edition of this grassroots phenomenon was the 31st scheduled SQL Saturday since the program's birth in late 2007. The Chicago SQL Saturday consisted of four tracks with eight sessions each and was a very energetic and fast paced day for the 300+/- SQL Server enthusiasts in attendance. The speaker line up included national notables such as Kevin Kline, Brent Ozar, and Brad McGehee. My hometown of Indianapolis was well represented in the speaker line up with Arie Jones, Aaron King and Derek Comingore. The day began with a very humorous keynote by Kevin Kline and Brent Ozar who emphasized the importance of community events such as SQL Saturday and the monthly user group meetings. They also brilliantly included the impact that getting involved in the SQL community through social media can have on your professional career. My approach to the day was to try to experience as much of the event as I could, so there were very few sessions that I attended for their full duration. I leaped from session to session like a bumble bee, gleaning bits of nectar from each session. Amid these leaps I took the opportunity to briefly chat with some of the in-the-queue speakers as well as other attendees that wondered the hallways. I especially enjoyed a great discussion with Devin Knight about his plans regarding the upcoming Jacksonville SQL Saturday as well as an interesting SQL interpretation of the Iron Chef, which I think would catch on like wild-fire. There were two sessions that stood out as exceptional. So much so that I could not pull myself away: Kevin Kline presented on "SQL Server Internals and Architecture". This session could have been classified as one that is intended for the beginner. Kevin even personally warned me of such as I entered the room. I am a believer in revisiting the basics regardless of the level of your mastery, so I entered into this session in that spirit. It was a very clear and precise presentation. Masterfully illustrated and demonstrated. Brad McGehee presented on "How and When to Use Indexed Views". This was a topic that I was recently exploring and was considering to for use in an integration project. Brad effectively communicated the complexity of this feature and what is involved to gain their full benefit. It was clear at the conclusion of this session that it was not the right feature for my specific needs. Overall, the event was a great success. The use of volunteers, from an attendee's perspective was masterful. The only recommendation that I would have for the next Chicago SQL Saturday would be to include more time in between sessions to permit some level of networking among the attendees, one-on-one questions for speakers and visits to the sponsor booths. Congratulations to Wendy Pastrick, Ted Krueger, and Aaron Lowe for their efforts and a very successful SQL Saturday!

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• SQL SERVER – Best Reference – Wait Type – Day 27 of 28

  - by pinaldave

  I have great learning experience to write my article series on Extended Event. This was truly learning experience where I have learned way more than I would have learned otherwise. Besides my blog series there was excellent quality reference available on internet which one can use to learn this subject further. Here is the list of resources (in no particular order): sys.dm_os_wait_stats (Book OnLine) – This is excellent beginning point and official documentations on the wait types description. SQL Server Best Practices Article by Tom Davidson – I think this document goes without saying the BEST reference available on this subject. Performance Tuning with Wait Statistics by Joe Sack – One of the best slide deck available on this subject. It covers many real world scenarios. Wait statistics, or please tell me where it hurts by Paul Randal – Notes from real world from SQL Server Skilled Master Paul Randal. The SQL Server Wait Type Repository… by Bob Ward – A thorough article on wait types and its resolution. A MUST read. Tracking Session and Statement Level Waits by by Jonathan Kehayias – A unique article on the subject where wait stats and extended events are together. Wait Stats Introductory References By Jimmy May – Excellent collection of the reference links. Great Resource On SQL Server Wait Types by Glenn Berry – A perfect DMV to find top wait stats. Performance Blog by Idera – In depth article on top of the wait statistics in community. I have listed all the reference I have found in no particular order. If I have missed any good reference, please leave a comment and I will add the reference in the list. Read all the post in the Wait Types and Queue series. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Tracking Session and Statement Level Waits Filed under: Pinal Dave, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL Wait Stats, SQL Wait Types, T SQL, Technology

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• c++ ide & tools with clang integration

  - by lurscher

  recently i read this blog about google integrating clang parser into their code analysis tools This is something in which c++ is at least a decade behind other languages like java, but now that llvm-clang is almost c++ iso-ready, i think its possible for c++ code analysis tools to begin using the c++ parser effectively, since it has been designed from the ground up precisely for this so i'm wondering if there are existing open source or known commercial projects taking this path, integrating with clang to provide higher-level analysis tools?

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• An XEvent a Day (15 of 31) – Tracking Ghost Cleanup

  - by Jonathan Kehayias

  If you don’t know anything about Ghost Cleanup, I recommend highly that you go read Paul Randal’s blog posts Inside the Storage Engine: Ghost cleanup in depth , Ghost cleanup redux , and Turning off the ghost cleanup task for a performance gain .  To my knowledge Paul’s posts are the only things that cover Ghost Cleanup at any level online. In this post we’ll look at how you can use Extended Events to track the activity of Ghost Cleanup inside of your SQL Server.  To do this, we’ll first...(read more)

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• Interface contracts – forcing code contracts through interfaces

  - by DigiMortal

  Sometimes we need a way to make different implementations of same interface follow same rules. One option is to duplicate contracts to all implementation but this is not good option because we have duplicated code then. The other option is to force contracts to all implementations at interface level. In this posting I will show you how to do it using interface contracts and contracts class. Using code from previous example about unit testing code with code contracts I will go further and force contracts at interface level. Here is the code from previous example. Take a careful look at it because I will talk about some modifications to this code soon. public interface IRandomGenerator {     int Next(int min, int max); }   public class RandomGenerator : IRandomGenerator {     private Random _random = new Random();       public int Next(int min, int max)     {         return _random.Next(min, max);     } }    public class Randomizer {     private IRandomGenerator _generator;       private Randomizer()     {         _generator = new RandomGenerator();     }       public Randomizer(IRandomGenerator generator)     {         _generator = generator;     }       public int GetRandomFromRangeContracted(int min, int max)     {         Contract.Requires<ArgumentOutOfRangeException>(             min < max,             "Min must be less than max"         );           Contract.Ensures(             Contract.Result<int>() >= min &&             Contract.Result<int>() <= max,             "Return value is out of range"         );           return _generator.Next(min, max);     } } If we look at the GetRandomFromRangeContracted() method we can see that contracts set in this method are applicable to all implementations of IRandomGenerator interface. Although we can write new implementations as we want these implementations need exactly the same contracts. If we are using generators somewhere else then code contracts are not with them anymore. To solve the problem we will force code contracts at interface level. NB! To make the following code work you must enable Contract Reference Assembly building from project settings. Interface contracts and contracts class Interface contains no code – only definitions of members that implementing type must have. But code contracts must be defined in body of member they are part of. To get over this limitation, code contracts are defined in separate contracts class. Interface is bound to this class by special attribute and contracts class refers to interface through special attribute. Here is the IRandomGenerator with contracts and contracts class. Also I write simple fake so we can test contracts easily based only on interface mock. [ContractClass(typeof(RandomGeneratorContracts))] public interface IRandomGenerator {     int Next(int min, int max); }   [ContractClassFor(typeof(IRandomGenerator))] internal sealed class RandomGeneratorContracts : IRandomGenerator {     int IRandomGenerator.Next(int min, int max)     {         Contract.Requires<ArgumentOutOfRangeException>(                 min < max,                 "Min must be less than max"             );           Contract.Ensures(             Contract.Result<int>() >= min &&             Contract.Result<int>() <= max,             "Return value is out of range"         );           return default(int);     } }   public class RandomFake : IRandomGenerator {     private int _testValue;       public RandomGen(int testValue)     {         _testValue = testValue;     }       public int Next(int min, int max)     {         return _testValue;     } } To try out these changes use the following code. var gen = new RandomFake(3);   try {     gen.Next(10, 1); } catch(Exception ex) {     Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message); }   try {     gen.Next(5, 10); } catch(Exception ex) {     Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message); } Now we can force code contracts to all types that implement our IRandomGenerator interface and we must test only the interface to make sure that contracts are defined correctly.

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• ATI Radeon Graphics Processing Units And ATI Radeon Drivers

  Do you like video games? Most people who are into computers do. Whether it';s a role playing game infested with monsters and treasure, or a simulator that allows you to know what flying a real airplan... [Author: Sunny Makkar - Computers and Internet - March 20, 2010]

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• Oracle Data Integration Solutions and the Oracle EXADATA Database Machine

  - by João Vilanova

  Oracle's data integration solutions provide a complete, open and integrated solution for building, deploying, and managing real-time data-centric architectures in operational and analytical environments. Fully integrated with and optimized for the Oracle Exadata Database Machine, Oracle's data integration solutions take data integration to the next level and delivers extremeperformance and scalability for all the enterprise data movement and transformation needs. Easy-to-use, open and standards-based Oracle's data integration solutions dramatically improve productivity, provide unparalleled efficiency, and lower the cost of ownership.You can watch a video about this subject, after clicking on the link below.DIS for EXADATA Video

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• Cartoon Games and Arcade Games SEO - Part 1

  Learn how to SEO cartoon and arcade game sites. This is difficult, and time consuming, but if you are successful you can run a network of arcade sites earning hundreds, even thousands of dollars a month.

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• Regression testing with Selenium GRID

  - by Ben Adderson

  A lot of software teams out there are tasked with supporting and maintaining systems that have grown organically over time, and the web team here at Red Gate is no exception. We're about to embark on our first significant refactoring endeavour for some time, and as such its clearly paramount that the code be tested thoroughly for regressions. Unfortunately we currently find ourselves with a codebase that isn't very testable - the three layers (database, business logic and UI) are currently tightly coupled. This leaves us with the unfortunate problem that, in order to confidently refactor the code, we need unit tests. But in order to write unit tests, we need to refactor the code :S To try and ease the initial pain of decoupling these layers, I've been looking into the idea of using UI automation to provide a sort of system-level regression test suite. The idea being that these tests can help us identify regressions whilst we work towards a more testable codebase, at which point the more traditional combination of unit and integration tests can take over. Ending up with a strong battery of UI tests is also a nice bonus :) Following on from my previous posts (here, here and here) I knew I wanted to use Selenium. I also figured that this would be a good excuse to put my xUnit [Browser] attribute to good use. Pretty quickly, I had a raft of tests that looked like the following (this particular example uses Reflector Pro). In a nut shell the test traverses our shopping cart and, for a particular combination of number of users and months of support, checks that the price calculations all come up with the correct values. [BrowserTheory] [Browser(Browsers.Firefox3_6, "http://www.red-gate.com")] public void Purchase1UserLicenceNoSupport(SeleniumProvider seleniumProvider) {     //Arrange     _browser = seleniumProvider.GetBrowser();     _browser.Open("http://www.red-gate.com/dynamic/shoppingCart/ProductOption.aspx?Product=ReflectorPro");                  //Act     _browser = ShoppingCartHelpers.TraverseShoppingCart(_browser, 1, 0, ".NET Reflector Pro");     //Assert     var priceResult = PriceHelpers.GetNewPurchasePrice(db, "ReflectorPro", 1, 0, Currencies.Euros);         Assert.Equal(priceResult.Price, _browser.GetText("ctl00_content_InvoiceShoppingItemRepeater_ctl01_Price"));     Assert.Equal(priceResult.Tax, _browser.GetText("ctl00_content_InvoiceShoppingItemRepeater_ctl02_Tax"));     Assert.Equal(priceResult.Total, _browser.GetText("ctl00_content_InvoiceShoppingItemRepeater_ctl02_Total")); } These tests are pretty concise, with much of the common code in the TraverseShoppingCart() and GetNewPurchasePrice() methods. The (inevitable) problem arose when it came to execute these tests en masse. Selenium is a very slick tool, but it can't mask the fact that UI automation is very slow. To give you an idea, the set of cases that covers all of our products, for all combinations of users and support, came to 372 tests (for now only considering purchases in dollars). In the world of automated integration tests, that's a very manageable number. For unit tests, it's a trifle. However for UI automation, those 372 tests were taking just over two hours to run. Two hours may not sound like a lot, but those cases only cover one of the three currencies we deal with, and only one of the many different ways our systems can be asked to calculate a price. It was already pretty clear at this point that in order for this approach to be viable, I was going to have to find a way to speed things up. Up to this point I had been using Selenium Remote Control to automate Firefox, as this was the approach I had used previously and it had worked well. Fortunately,  the guys at SeleniumHQ also maintain a tool for executing multiple Selenium RC tests in parallel: Selenium Grid. Selenium Grid uses a central 'hub' to handle allocation of Selenium tests to individual RCs. The Remote Controls simply register themselves with the hub when they start, and then wait to be assigned work. The (for me) really clever part is that, as far as the client driver library is concerned, the grid hub looks exactly the same as a vanilla remote control. To create a new browser session against Selenium RC, the following C# code suffices: new DefaultSelenium("localhost", 4444, "*firefox", "http://www.red-gate.com"); This assumes that the RC is running on the local machine, and is listening on port 4444 (the default). Assuming the hub is running on your local machine, then to create a browser session in Selenium Grid, via the hub rather than directly against the control, the code is exactly the same! Behind the scenes, the hub will take this request and hand it off to one of the registered RCs that provides the "*firefox" execution environment. It will then pass all communications back and forth between the test runner and the remote control transparently. This makes running existing RC tests on a Selenium Grid a piece of cake, as the developers intended. For a more detailed description of exactly how Selenium Grid works, see this page. Once I had a test environment capable of running multiple tests in parallel, I needed a test runner capable of doing the same. Unfortunately, this does not currently exist for xUnit (boo!). MbUnit on the other hand, has the concept of concurrent execution baked right into the framework. So after swapping out my assembly references, and fixing up the resulting mismatches in assertions, my example test now looks like this: [Test] public void Purchase1UserLicenceNoSupport() {    //Arrange    ISelenium browser = BrowserHelpers.GetBrowser();    var db = DbHelpers.GetWebsiteDBDataContext();    browser.Start();    browser.Open("http://www.red-gate.com/dynamic/shoppingCart/ProductOption.aspx?Product=ReflectorPro");                 //Act     browser = ShoppingCartHelpers.TraverseShoppingCart(browser, 1, 0, ".NET Reflector Pro");    var priceResult = PriceHelpers.GetNewPurchasePrice(db, "ReflectorPro", 1, 0, Currencies.Euros);    //Assert     Assert.AreEqual(priceResult.Price, browser.GetText("ctl00_content_InvoiceShoppingItemRepeater_ctl01_Price"));     Assert.AreEqual(priceResult.Tax, browser.GetText("ctl00_content_InvoiceShoppingItemRepeater_ctl02_Tax"));     Assert.AreEqual(priceResult.Total, browser.GetText("ctl00_content_InvoiceShoppingItemRepeater_ctl02_Total")); } This is pretty much the same as the xUnit version. The exceptions are that the attributes have changed,  the //Arrange phase now has to handle setting up the ISelenium object, as the attribute that previously did this has gone away, and the test now sets up its own database connection. Previously I was using a shared database connection, but this approach becomes more complicated when tests are being executed concurrently. To avoid complexity each test has its own connection, which it is responsible for closing. For the sake of readability, I snipped out the code that closes the browser session and the db connection at the end of the test. With all that done, there was only one more step required before the tests would execute concurrently. It is necessary to tell the test runner which tests are eligible to run in parallel, via the [Parallelizable] attribute. This can be done at the test, fixture or assembly level. Since I wanted to run all tests concurrently, I marked mine at the assembly level in the AssemblyInfo.cs using the following: [assembly: DegreeOfParallelism(3)] [assembly: Parallelizable(TestScope.All)] The second attribute marks all tests in the assembly as [Parallelizable], whilst the first tells the test runner how many concurrent threads to use when executing the tests. I set mine to three since I was using 3 RCs in separate VMs. With everything now in place, I fired up the Icarus* test runner that comes with MbUnit. Executing my 372 tests three at a time instead of one at a time reduced the running time from 2 hours 10 minutes, to 55 minutes, that's an improvement of about 58%! I'd like to have seen an improvement of 66%, but I can understand that either inefficiencies in the hub code, my test environment or the test runner code (or some combination of all three most likely) contributes to a slightly diminished improvement. That said, I'd love to hear about any experience you have in upping this efficiency. Ultimately though, it was a saving that was most definitely worth having. It makes regression testing via UI automation a far more plausible prospect. The other obvious point to make is that this approach scales far better than executing tests serially. So if ever we need to improve performance, we just register additional RC's with the hub, and up the DegreeOfParallelism. *This was just my personal preference for a GUI runner. The MbUnit/Gallio installer also provides a command line runner, a TestDriven.net runner, and a Resharper 4.5 runner. For now at least, Resharper 5 isn't supported.

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• Oracle Retail Point-of-Service with Mobile Point-of-Service, Release 13.4.1

  - by Oracle Retail Documentation Team

  Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service was previously released as a standalone product. Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service is now a supported extension of Oracle Retail Point-of-Service, Release 13.4.1. Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service provides support for using a mobile device to perform tasks such as scanning items, applying price adjustments, tendering, and looking up item information. Integration with Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management (SIM) If Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service is implemented with Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management (SIM), the following Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management functionality is supported: Inventory lookup at the current store Inventory lookup at buddy stores Validation of serial numbers Technical Overview The Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service server application runs in a domain on Oracle WebLogic. The server supports the mobile devices in the store. On each mobile device, the Mobile POS application is downloaded and then installed. Highlighted End User Documentation Updates and List of Documents  Oracle Retail Point-of-Service with Mobile Point-of-Service Release NotesA high-level overview is included about the release's functional, technical, and documentation enhancements. In addition, a section has been written that addresses Product Support considerations.   Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service Java API ReferenceJava API documentation for Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service is included as part of the Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service Release 13.4.1 documentation set. Oracle Retail Point-of-Service with Mobile Point-of-Service Installation Guide - Volume 1, Oracle StackA new chapter is included with information on installing the Mobile Point-of-Service server and setting up the Mobile POS application. The installer screens for installing the server are included in a new appendix. Oracle Retail Point-of-Service with Mobile Point-of-Service User GuideA new chapter describes the functionality available on a mobile device and how to use Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service on a mobile device. Oracle Retail POS Suite with Mobile Point-of-Service Configuration GuideThe Configuration Guide is updated to indicate which parameters are used for Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service. Oracle Retail POS Suite with Mobile Point-of-Service Implementation Guide - Volume 5, Mobile Point-of-ServiceThis new Implementation Guide volume contains information for extending and customizing both the Mobile POS application for the mobile device and the Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service server. Oracle Retail POS Suite with Mobile Point-of-Service Licensing InformationThe Licensing Information document is updated with the list of third-party open-source software used by Oracle Retail Mobile Point-of-Service. Oracle Retail POS Suite with Mobile Point-of-Service Security GuideThe Security Guide is updated with information on security for mobile devices. Oracle Retail Enhancements Summary (My Oracle Support Doc ID 1088183.1)This enterprise level document captures the major changes for all the products that are part of releases 13.2, 13.3, and 13.4. The functional, integration, and technical enhancements in the Release Notes for each product are listed in this document.

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