12/21/2008 - Code thoughts

I have been wondering what a laptop is like with just ubuntu.  I am a .NET guy and I would have to convert to Apache, PHP, mySQL.  Which are all free.

 

__________________________________________

Robert B. Dannelly, Jr. MCTS

http://www.mmwebs.com/

http://moojjoo.blogspot.com/

 

Configure Firefox to work with localhost.

Here is the Solution for Other Users
Firefox - Enter username and password for "" at http://localhost - Solution
IIS uses Integrated Authentication and by default IE has the ability to use your windows user account...but don't worry, so does Firefox but you'll have to make a quick configuration change.

1) Open up Firefox and type in about:config as the url

2) In the Filter Type in ntlm

3) Double click "network.automatic-ntlm-auth.trusted-uris" and type in localhost and hit enter

4) Write Thank You To Blogger


As Always, Hope this helped you out.

Christmas is coming

Christmas is coming, SANTA, SANTA....

December post

Well, I must say life has been busy for November I got handed over 43 servers for a true dev to prod environment of SharePoint.

Outlook notes on desktop

Credit to http://www.onetipaday.com/2006/10/15/how-to-save-put-outlook-notes-on-your-desktop

I often use the Microsoft Outlook Notes to store To-Do lists that are not related to work. I discovered this great tip a few months which allows me to put my notes on my desktop, and I love it as it means I can access my notes without having to open up Outlook.

To create a note in Outlook:

1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Note.
2. Type the text of the note.
3. To close the note, click the × in the upper-right corner of the note.

Then to put the notes on your desktop do the following:

1. Right-click the desktop, point to New, and click Shortcut.
2. In the Type the location of the item box, type the following path: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX\OUTLOOK.EXE” /c ipm.stickynote (note OfficeXX - XX needs to be replaced with your version of Office.
3. Click Next, name the shortcut, and then click Finish.

Now, when you double-click the shortcut, an Outlook note will appear on your desktop.

Excel Services Event ID: 5226

If you have installed SharePoint per default configurations you will most likely not get issues like this, but in most enterprise installs logs and temp files are relocated. To fix the error below. Please review error then read below for solution.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Office SharePoint Server
Event Category: Excel Calculation Services
Event ID: 5226
Date: 10/15/2008
Time: 9:32:36 AM
User: N/A
Computer: CR2RCHIISIME
Description:
Unable to create or access workbook cache at D:\Temp\Excel Server\FileCache\BaselII-CIT-SSP-423345403\Charts. Excel Services is unable to function without a workbook cache.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Solution I manually created the D:\Temp\Excel Server\FileCache\BaselII-CIT-SSP-423345403\Charts directory then on the Security tab for the Temp directory, the WSS_ADMIN_WPG Windows group should have Full Control and the WSS_WPG Windows group should have Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, and Read permissions or higher on the folder. If they do not, assign these permissions by using the procedure in the "Assign sufficient permissions" section.

Also, this solution works if you get Trace Log errors.

Date in Task Bar

Got this from Windows XP site. Worth re-post

To display the date as well as the time, you need to make the taskbar "taller" by dragging the top edge upward. This procedure is fairly simple but it does require reasonably precise mouse handling. If you are new to computing and still developing your mouse-skills, expanding the taskbar, or returning it to the default height, may prove to be a little problematical. If you are not yet confident with fiddly mouse manipulation, I would suggest that you postpone using this tip until you gain more mousing experience.

Here's how to expand the taskbar:

The taskbar needs to be "unlocked" before you can expand it. To check, right-click the taskbar and ensure that "Lock the Taskbar" is not ticked. If there is a tick, click "Lock the Taskbar" to untick it.

Close any running programs so that the taskbar is uncluttered and easier to manipulate.

Move your mouse to the top edge of the taskbar until the cursor turns into a doubled-ended arrow.

With the doubled-ended arrow displayed, hold down the left mouse button and drag the taskbar upward until it is about twice the normal height.

The day and date should now be displayed below the Notification Area clock.

If desired, you can now re-lock the taskbar.
The expanded taskbar not only permanently displays the day and date, it also provides extra display space for taskbar and notification area icons. Of course, the downside of an expanded taskbar is that you have less screen display area for programs and files.

To return the taskbar to its original height, follow the procedure outlined above but reverse the drag direction specified in step 4. That is, with the doubled-ended arrow displayed, hold down the left mouse button and drag the taskbar towards the bottom of the screen until it is the normal height.

SQL Server Reporting Services Datasource Security

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms160330.aspx

Stored Credentials
You can store the credentials used to access an external data source. Credentials are stored in reversible encryption in the report server database. You can specify one set of stored credentials for each data source used in a report. The credentials you provide retrieve the same data for every user who runs the report.

Stored credentials are recommended as part of a strategy for accessing remote database servers. Stored credentials are required if you want to support subscriptions, or schedule report history generation or report snapshot refreshes. When a report runs as as a background process, the report server is the agent that executes the report. Because there is no user context in place, the report server must get credential information from the report server database in order to connect to a data source.

The user name and password that you specify can be Windows credentials or a database login. If you specify Windows credentials, the report server passes the credentials to Windows for subsequent authentication. Otherwise, the credentials are passed to the database server for authentication.

Windows Integrated Security
When you use the Windows Integrated Security option, the report server passes the security token of the user accessing the report to the server hosting the external data source. In this case, the user is not prompted to type a user name or password.

This approach is recommended if Kerberos is enabled. If Kerberos is not enabled, you should only use this approach if all the servers that you want to access are located on the same computer.

In other words each user would need to be added access to the Database Hosted on SQL Server

SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified or Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL S

The problem was that the remote connection needed to utilize Named Pipes, but in order to utilize Named Pipes both the machine hosting the instance of SQL and the my local machine must have the alias:

With Supports instruction I went to SQL Server configuration Manager, expanded SQL Native Client Configuration and right clicked Aliases and created the alias on the machine and did the same for my personal machine and what do you know, it worked.

How to determine what ports are open

start -> run -> cmd
netstat -na

look for :3306 and LISTEN on the same line...

OR..also from command prompt

telnet localhost 3306

Vitual PC 2007

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged due to the project I am working on at work. The project MOSS 2007 from dev, test, and prod.

Before dev there is a place called pre-dev, where developers like myself need a place to develop, so this past March I attended the SharePoint 2007 conference where I met some great resources and obtained a VHD of MOSS 2007 and learned that most developer's develop in this fashion by downloading and installing the software from the MSDN Subscription, and routing code to a source control server.

Well I installed and could not get it to run, due to my lack of knowledge of Virtual PC 2007. I have a laptop with 1 gig of RAM and a external HD with 500 gig so I installed the VHD and fired up the Virtual PC, but I kept getting an error. Not enough memory on the host machine.

I thought to myself, "That is strange 1 gig should be enough memory to get my image up and running." Well it turns out I had to much memory allocated to the VM, so I set it back to 512mb and bam... The VM started to run, but it is also running dog slow, so in closing have 2 gig of RAM so you can allocate 1 gig to the VM.

Hope this helps out my fellow developers.

OUT... Moojjoo

Upgrading from SQL Express 2005 to SQL 2005 Developer Edition

Upgrading from SQL Express 2005 to SQL 2005 Developer Edition (2 hours)


Note: First ensure you have access to the following key in the registry


You are most likely an admin if you are installing Developer Edition of SQL 2005 so be sure the following setting is set.


Go to Start > Run > enter regedit>


SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Security ß Give Admins Full Contrl (Be sure to change this back so you don’t get yourself into trouble) >








Next slap the DVD or CD’s into your Rom Drive>


Start > Run > cmd>




Follow the prompts>










User your UID, PWD and Domain>


Your good to go when you see:>






Don't forget Service Pack 2

MCTS - SharePoint Developer

Passed the Microsoft Exam SharePoint 2007 Developer

I am now officially and Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist.

Back versus Attaching to MDF

Chintal my new programming parnter taught an old dog a new trick today. Instead of backing up and restoring databases simply open Windows Explorer and copy the .MDF and .LDF and zip move, copy, cut and attach back with SQL Server Management Studio SSMS.

Working with Infrastructure in the Enterprise as a Programmer Analyst

For 10 years I have been working as an analyst first then putting on the programmer hat and developing applications. In corporate America you need to concentrate on your ability to work with your infrastructure architects and be very open minded. I have learned that you must take time to explain in great detail what your solution design is doing. Most web solutions involve web servers and database servers along with needing separate environments for development, user acceptance testing and production. Your solution may be Intranet or Internet, but the key to working with your infrastructure architect is to document, document, document. Use applications such as Visio to convey to them what you are trying to accomplish in the form of a picture (Remember a picture speaks a thousand words). It will save you your sanity and provide a great working relationship with your architect. Humans are not mind readers so document and draw your solution with time and patience. And last, but not least be sure to consult with your architect and have your environments built before coding a solution and ensure all the environment mirror one another, that way you will not freak out when your app works in one environment and not the other.

Words of Wisdom from an individual who loves what they do, but has pulled a bit of hair out learning the ropes.

Thanks to my mentors

Doug Cain
Larry Leonard
Eddie Clodfelter
Troy Tucker
Robert Petree
Shaun Todd
Saran
Garry Blanks
Kelly O'Donnell

Start explorer in C:

Start Windows Explorer In The C Drive
In the Explorer property sheet use this path and switches in the target:

C:\windows\explorer.exe /n,/e,c:\

Since the first days Windows Explorer appeared, the list of switches reproduced below has been floating around the internet. I'm not sure who was the first to assemble the list but here it is in its entirety. Play around with it and see if one of the views is what you're seeking. Just copy and paste the bold text into the Target line on the Property Sheet of Windows Explorer. If it's not what you expected you can always switch back to the default view by using C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe in the Target line.

"My Computer" highlighted in left side with all drives visible but not expanded and C: highlighted in right side: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,c:

Desktop highlighted and nothing expanded: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/n,/select,/root,c:

All drives visible and the system drive highlighted and expanded in full screen: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select

All drives visible and the system drive expanded in small screen: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,%systemroot%

Only Windows Directory visible highlighted and expanded: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,%systemroot%

All drives visible but only C: highlighted and expanded: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,c:

Nothing expanded and My Computer highlighted in right side: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,/select,

Opens the Windows folder as a folder: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %systemroot%

Opens as "My Computer": %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %systemroot%,

This opens the Desktop folder with "My Computer" highlighted: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %systemroot%,/select,

"Desktop" highlighted in the left side and no drives visible:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D},/select

"My Computer" highlighted in left side and all drives visible but none expanded:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

"Desktop" in left side highlighted and "My Computer" highlighted in right side and no drives visible:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

Kill Instance of Application

Recently I was receiving an issue with an application I am supporting.

 

Problem

The application is a .NET Console application that using Microsoft Word to create reports. The problem is that an exception error would occur if Microsoft Word (WINWORD = Instance Name) was running.

 

Solution

// Code to kill Word issues if WINWORD is running on the current machine

// if word is running the reports will throw an exception so

// we must ensure the Microsoft Word application is not running

Process[] wordProcess = System.Diagnostics.Process.GetProcessesByName("WINWORD");
if (wordProcess.Length <= 1)
{

 foreach (Process p in wordProcess)

{

p.Kill();

}

}