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Wile E Coyote is a true geniusI will NEVER lose my passion for chasing things with inventive fervour, usually blowing myself up in the process
October 02 Linking to DataAfter nearly 2 years of trying, I still have not come up with a stable, simple, secure, reliable and universal way to link to a data file. There is always some degree of trade off in doing anything with data.
I am familiar with MS Access as a data store for small projects. It works very well and if designed correctly it will scale up to say 1 gb of data. It does get quite wobbly at 100 mb... but at 50mb... any design flaws start to hurt.
The beauty of using it is that it has the entire container of access/security in the one object. That is also its drawback... Its ODBC ships with the Windows OS now... so you don't even need office loaded on the client to invoke it. For legacy systems, its easy to install the odbc as part of your own application install. It just fails to stand up to remote connection. It gets extremely unstable, and unreliable once you get into ASPx.
No worries... use an SQL Express or SQL Clone for small applications.... admittedly it makes it easier to connect, but installation becomes the stumbling block...
So how do you get around the indecision of which way to leap?
I think in planning your application you need to look hard at how easy it is to install in environments of XP AND Vista. You can not ignore legacy systems if you want market penetration. So stay tuned and I will tell you what I decide, and over the coming months we can learn together how to have confidence in your data sources.
Cheers. September 30 Timely PostI have been ill for most of this month... I hate being sick...
I wanted to respond to Joannes Comment but realised I need to join yet another blogging fraternity to do so... So in stead I shall just say Joanne that Rudd is to Turnbull as Gough was to Fraser... Although I feel that Turnbull's comments on the state of our financial stability in the face of Rudd's appeal for calm were irresponsible. They did him no favours with me. Those who dont learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
A lot of people will be hurt if panic sets in as it already has overseas. Bottom line, its a time when politics should unite to give us a strong front... not jockey for position and damn the consequences.
I wish I could say I have answers, but wiping billions off the value of peoples investments because a bunch of drongos panic - well one answer is not to act like a drongo - Dont Panic...
People stop spending when they have no money and can't borrow any. simple fact. Nothing to spend. Further they therefore convert assets to repay debt. More assets for sale wipes their value even lower. Gloom and Doom merchants' fodder.
Stop spending folks and people lose jobs - etc etc etc... we lower inflation sure, and of course interest rates fall because the money hoarders can't shift it, cause there is no one to lend it to who can pay it back. So the hoarders buy up the cheap assets, and rent them out .... and turn even more money out.
August 13 HappinessThere appears to be a reoccuring meme about my life... Happiness. A lot is being said and thought of around me, its pursuit (Mitch), its lack of (Myself), its indifference to - my current Boss.
I can't help but notice that people who have a fulfilling life tend to be happy. They tend to have set some goal and can measure positive achievement.
Your view of your goal achievement gets clouded by pressure, abuse, demands of your job, or your relationships, fatigue and even diet.
IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO WRITE OUT YOUR GOALS AND TICK THEM OFF.. PUT THEM UP WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM.
Simple but effective happiness.
Cheers. August 05 Build a Sandpit Server EpilogueIt has been some time since I posted to this... The idea is now to tell you how this ended....
The system ended up built with the sharepoint and exchange platforms loaded. I did not load on MOSS and Web Server will not work on this platform... I opted for the basics... I did not build it as a Web Server...
That is a job for another box...
So picking up from where I left off in May... I made a huge mistake next... I tried to put on Exchange before I had any user groups or roles installed...
I ended in a world of hurt... It was on reflection a better idea to create my test roles first, then to put on my user groups... and the necessary CALs. Given that I was using system authentication in my SQL Server, I should have created these groups and users BEFORE I installed the SQL Server... so this is what I should have done:
Put the native 2003 Server install on and run the service pack right away. We need to install IIS in addition to the default components you need to do this through windows components in the control panel... and IIS is an indexing service.... In there I found a couple of other bits which might be useful to our platform build, so i decided to put them on as well. ASP.net was in there and message queing, I really have no idea what I am doing to this box. The good news was they went on... and all seemed well with it. I checked the services from the Administration tools... and the IIS seemed quite happy... it certainly started....
AT THIS POINT BACK UP EVERYTHING... ghost the image of the drive...
Now create the roles .... I need DHCP; Data Server; Supervisor; MIS; Exchange and Remote Host roles... so those get created and set
Now create the groups... I need Admin Sales Marketing Personel Management Visitor - and attach the appropriate roles Now I need a user in every group... I kept the names simple... and you will note that I have 6 users... meaning I need to have 10 CALs (Client Access Licences) installed.. These I have and duly install. Test your log ins for each and every user on the sever first... then plug in a workstation and try to host it... guess what... you need to turn on your DHCP service first... setting it up does not turn it on. Now you should be able to plug in a router on your card which is configured during the DHCP set up. This should be the internal facing card. Your second card should be your gateway card, facing your firewall/modem - but not plugged in. Remember, your service packs and updates should be downloaded on a separate system and burned to DVD for installation.
If you wish to invoke any policies... now is the time to plan setting them up... obviously you cant install / implement them until your platforms are installed. I decided only to impose quotas on my users, to ensure they do not overload my flimsy server.
Once you are able to log onto the domain you created using a workstation, back everything up again... ghost off the server to a spare drive.
You now have a functioning server. Now put on your antivirus software... I use ESET NOD server Admin.
You are now ready to put on SQL Server... again make sure you have the base software, the service pack updates and security patches all on disk... We still have no wish to plug it into the internet. It will ask you to register... DO NOT DO IT. DO NOT PLUG IT INTO THE INTERNET YET. Do not register it. Check that IIS is up and running. If Active Directory is running - TURN IT OFF... Now put on SQL Server. Then load up the service pack.... again DO NOT PLUG IT INTO THE INTERNET.
Check that it is all happy... check your system logs for errors ... you will be surprised at the number of warnings in the logs... check anything which has a critical status... but do not be concerned at this point.... DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO FIDDLE... leave it running just like it is for at least 12 hours...
OK... now you can plug it into the net BUT DO NOT REGISTER ANYTHING YET. THIS WAY ONLY THE CRITICAL UPDATES WILL DOWNLOAD... if you have done it right... nothing should download at this point. Unplug it from the net.
Ghost off the image again.
Ok... Now put on Exchange... then run its service packs... and implement the exchange role. Your server will require a domain certificate. It is a good idea to have a properly registered certificate ready to go. AGAIN DO NOT PLUG INTO THE NET. Leave it sit for an hour after install... DO NOT LOG INTO IT... just let it sit and settle... You will find it will sort out its own hierachy of processes.
Check that Exchange is up... It should have sorted out your users and set up personal directories etc for each one. This now means you have a public and private directory under each user. The mailbox framework is set up, but you will need to attach account confirmations to each user. this will include passwords etc. You need to verify the processes are all happy... IIS should be running. You may find that ACTIVE DIRECTORY is running again... if so leave it... if not TURN IT ON NOW and leave the server sit until it settles again.
Now using the second card, plug into the internet, and register the web domain... and run all the required registrations. You are now legal.... and working... again test all the logins... if everything works then ghost the drive again.
You will find that Sharepoint is installed but not activated... now using the roles wizzard activate the sharepoint site... and register the web certificate.
I chose to stick with Operating System Authentifications... leaving it up to the internal security, as this seemed easier to manage. I noted however this option rather taxed my system in terms of resource. I was all working beautifully. Back up the drive one final time... its now up and running as a blank system server... IIS Host and Active Directory DHCP server. The basic framework is here... and I can import functioning CRM Datafile to the SQL Server. I am now ready to hook up my client box and start coding..
This of course took me months of trial and error. Hopefully it will take your only a couple of days to get up and running. Cheers. August 03 Walkin ManSometimes you run across interesting people during your day... This chap called into the shop on Saturday morning...
He is actually walking around the world. I thought him worthy of a mention... he is headed south for OUR WINTER>.... sheesh it will take him 3 months to get to Melbourne. His website is http://www.walkingman.org/ and I felt humble at meeting someone who flys into a country... walks around it... then flys off to the next one.
That is the shop in the background... impressive hu!...
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