Local share access with no network cable

I was in a situation today where I needed to have some boxes talk to a local share on their box, while disconnected from the network. Who knew it wouldn't work out of the box (besides those who have tried before :). When you disconnect the network cable, windows decides that even local shares are inaccessible. This is a similar problem to the one Dave Burke had for his code camp 3 presentation. Had I turned to his blog first, I would have seen the reply from Robert Hurlbut on the loopback adapter, but I didn't, and found this post instead. Once I made the change to the registry, it worked perfectly (after a reboot that is).

HP company nc6000 slow when running on battery

I was setting up my new laptop this weekend, and ran across a slight issue. First off, the nc6000 has quickly grown on my, and although I miss minime, I'll be just fine with this super fast replacement :)

Back to the issue at hand. Our IT group gave it to me with all of the updates on Friday, but over the weekend I figured I would check windows update anyway to look through optional updates. Hey look at that, I have a few driver updates. Lets do 'em all.

No problems after that. I keep setting this or that up, and all is well. Then, I unplug the power. I swear, this thing was acting like I was trying to run XP on a celeron 300. So I started searching. I found this post, which really started to make me queasy. How happy is the IT group going to be when they give me a laptop on Friday, and I hand it back on Monday to get it replaced. Something doesn't seem right, though, since it was running just fine on battery just yesterday.

So, if you updated your network, video, modem, and sound driver, which would you roll back first? I picked video, and won the gold star. Right after the reboot the machine was fast as hell again on battery. I normally wouldn't post this to my blog since, well, you probably don't care. HP's forum registration site was broken, though, and if I don't post this today I will forget about it :)

Network Engineer Position around Hartford

It's time for another job opening. This position is at the company I work for. We are a small-medium sized company specializing in healthcare transactions (intentionally vague :). We are a very technology oriented company with very forward technology plans, and a great working environment. We are also still looking for a DBA. Details :

The Systems Architect is an operational role responsible for supporting key Intel based servers; Cisco based networks, and Application Development staff. The environment is all new software and equipment installed in 2004 and there is growth planned for 2005. The position is based in Avon, CT and does not require overnight travel on a regular basis. This person will be on call as required.Supervising one staff administrator is anticipated.

Desired Tech Skills :

• 5-10 years proven knowledge of Cisco Security, LAN, WAN, and High Availability Architectures
• Knowledge of general E-Commerce architectures, preferably with .Net
• Experience with/knowledge of the following Microsoft technologies:
• Active Directory
• 2003 Server
• SQL Server 2000 (Clustering is a plus)
• IIS 5.0/6.0
• BizTalk 2002 (2004 experience is a plus)
• Operations Manager 2000 (2005 experience is a plus)
• ISA 2000 (2004 experience is a plus)
• Experience with the following administrative software a plus:
• Veritas Backup Solutions Practices
• Symantec Anti-Virus Solutions Practices
• Enterprise Storage and SAN
• Other Qualifications:
• This position requires excellent verbal and written communications skills; a can do, enthusiastic attitude toward work and internal customers; the ability to adapt to environmental changes; and strong troubleshooting skills.
• The candidate must be a well organized self-starter, able to deliver assigned tasks on time, and manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Previous supervisory experience also a plus.
• Microsoft and Cisco certifications are preferred.

Please contact tranqy a t gmail d o t com for more information.

Gimme my network back

It was Thursday night, and things were pretty normal. I was on the couch with the laptop doing this or that, and I was going to termserv into one of the boxes in my office. DNS error. Hmmm.. But I was just on that box a few minutes ago, and I'm on the internet on the laptop, so what gives. Oh hey, I'm on "linksys", not my wireless.

I'm guessing one of my neighbors just got a shiny new linksys, and as far as I can tell it's closer to my couch then my office is, since I can't even see my network anymore. No biggie. I knew my Netgear wireless was a bit weak, and I have a fresh new WRT54G waiting to be configured. I'll do that this weekend. Until then, thanks for the cable speeds.

Saturday, and it's time to get back my network. I break out the linksys, install the Sveasoft beta, and things are looking good. I boost up the signal a little bit and go find the laptop to connect to my new superpower wifi. Hmm.. Where's my network? NetStumbler tells me it's there, but still much weaker then my neighbors linksys. Maybe I need to move it around a bit. I bet if I balance it on this stack of boxes and books, right by the door, and don't walk by too fast I'll get a good connection. Yeah that's what I'm talking about, 10 minutes of good solid connection. Score one for me.

After using my neighbors linksys, and netstumbler, I was able to try a number of settings and placements. It's odd that I'm using their router, hoping to bring it to it's knees with my v83r1337 tech skills and super hackable router. Alas, my efforts fail. Their signal is just too powerful for me to keep a connection. Maybe one of these cool homemade antennas could help. With my superior craftsmanship (1), and quality supplies (2), I yield a an apparatus only fit for NASA. Although my slightly crumpled foil was only partially ripped, I still only saw a decline in my signal. Maybe I should purchase something.

Sunday, and it's time to get back my network. After browsing the Sunday ad's on said linksys network, I realize Compusa has a hawking technology antenna on sale for 5$ (after rebate), and they open early. Sweet. By 10:00 I was back with an iced coffee and my new network savior. By 10:30 I had seen a significant jump in signal strength, and was connected to my network again. By 11:00 I was ready to throw my coffee at my stack of routers, again connected to linksys. Maybe if I balance the antenna on some empty bottles and that shoe I could get a better signal. Yeah, its better, just not better enough. But wait, every time I move the antenna, my signal is fantastic. Maybe I could commission an intern from UConn for a study on wifi signals in the home, and adoption in suburban America. S/He could hold my antenna.

Now, and it's time to get back on my network. Oh who the hell am I kidding. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do yet, short of setting up a VPN, and hoping my neighbor never hears about wep. I am getting used to the cable speeds, though. Maybe I should use their router for outbound traffic, and my dsl for in.. Guess I should talk to them before doing that ;)

I guess it's on to the technical details. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. My old router was on channel 10 and I always had good luck. They moved in on channel 6 and took over. Now when I try any of my routers on any channel but 6, I get a horribly low signal, or really high noise. When I am on 6, I can connect for about 20 minutes to an hour, then my card loses connection and moves over to the linksys network, where of course its rock solid. My signal to noise ratio is ranges from about 40-45, where linksys ranges between 55-60. I use an orinoco minipci card, which never really gave me any problems. I also use win2k3 to manage the connection, but tried to install some custom orinioco (now proxim) utils, but they didn't find my card.

Sit tight network, I'll be back soon.

(1) Craftsman? Heh. (2) An old box from a cordless phone, some aluminum foil, and scotch tape.

Scriptomatic 2
Saw over on ActiveWin that ms released Scriptomatic2.  This is a cool little app that creates scripts based on the numerous WMI sources on a machine.  It's a neat little tool to easily create some really powerful scripts.  The new version adds perl, and python generation, as well as some new output's.  Check it out here.

MSN toolbar suite? Not on 2k3! Bah!

Bah.  More and more people are using 2k3 as a workstation.  Although not it’s intended use, it certainly works, and offers additional functionality to the advanced user (read developer).  I got the idea after seeing some MSCS (Microsoft Consulting Services) consultants used it for development.  They did not give me a recommendation to do it, I just thought it was a great idea. 

Now what I don’t understand, is why cripple where the toolbar suite can be installed.  I can understand the reasoning for an AV company, but not a product like this.  Maybe there is a technical reason way in the bowels of 2k3, but I really doubt it.  It’s still NTFS, and my mail is in the same OST/PST it would be on XP.  Bah

I’m hoping this is adjusted in subsequent releases, or someone find a hack.  I don’t see a business reason to not allow it on a 2k3 server, and highly doubt its a technical reason.

Anyway, no msn toolbar for me.  Good thing I uninstalled the google one first huh?  :)

 

Ear candy: The Doors - Ghost song

[Edit]

Man blogs are great.  Within 5 minutes of my complaining, I find this, which may or may not work for the installer, but at least worth a shot.  Updates will be coming.

[Edit2]

Found the answer here.  Just finished the install.

MSN Desktop Toolbar (aka MSN Desktop Search)

All the rumors were correct.  MSN has released their own desktop search agent.  I’m downloading as I type.

This is good since last week I was just complaining about the google one.  Not that its a web server, not that it’s on my google home page, but just that I didn’t find everything.  I would search outlook for “xxx” domain term, and find at least 50 emails.  The same search in google, although 100x faster, would return 12.  Not quite sure why, didn’t look into, just frustrating.

So either way, I’ll be at least trying out the msn offering.  And news over the weekend shows Yahoo coming to the plate soon too.  Lots of competition firing up. 

Check out the MSN toolbar here

Ear candy: Coldplay - Don't Panic

Easy popup of cookies in IE

Another dev here showed me this cool trick where if you enter javascript:alert(document.cookie); in your address bar it will show your cookies.  So I quickly added a shortcut to my links bar and now I'm 2 clicks away from seeing my cookies on any page.  Very easy and cool.

Community server beta released!

You heard it right, there is a beta released.  Congrats to Telligent on the release.  I'm sure it will be a good one from that group of rock stars.

I was just talking to another blogger yesterday about when we might see this, and if we should edit .text .095 or not.  Guess not  :)

I will probably try to upgrade over the weekend, and run parallel until I see how the new beta is.  I will let you guys know when the new bits are live.

Check it out here

Need a job? Need to hire?

Jeremy C. Wright has started up a blogger jobs blog.  The idea is to post jobs for bloggers, or for bloggers to post jobs.  Nice.  Check it out here.

[Edit]
Little did I know but Jeremy is also the person behind ResumeWiki, a new community resume site for posting, and critiquing resumes.  Just wanted to spread the good word.

Mondays : From the makers of dot net rocks

Do you like to laugh?  Do you go to work?  Do you ride a unicycle?

Then Mondays is for you. 

From the folks who brought us Dot Net Rocks comes what promises to be a fantastic weekly radio talk show.  If you listen to dot net rocks, then you’re already sold.  If not, DNR is a talk radio show about .net programming.  It is a streaming radio show with a mix of technical content, and fun.  The DNR crew decided it was time to break the once 2 hour show into a couple shows. 

DNR will continue to be a technical broadcast once a week, while the rest of the fun, and some new fun, is pulled into Mondays, along with interviews that are not as technical in nature as what you will expect to see on DNR. 

Here Carl gives us a little teaser of what Mondays will have in store for us.  Be sure to check back Monday and get the full show, and tell all your friends!

Biztalk 2004 bits

Well it's official, I will be taking on a bit of a Biztalk 2004 role here at work.  I'm pretty excited as I have wanted to learn Biztalk for quite a while, but it's not really the kind of thing I could see myself just doing for kicks. 

So you can expect to see more about biztalk as I go down this road. 

With absolutely no Biztalk experience, I figured I would start by reading the documentation (seems logical).  Our resident Biztalk expert (who has no blog) reminded me to do the documentation update, so thats where I started.  Not to rant, but why the hell do I need to have the original biztalk CD to install the documentation upgrade?  Of course I don't carry around our msdn binders (for fear of the IT folk cutting off my hands), so I was SOL.  I think it's kind of ridiculous to require the original CD for a documentation upgrade, but whatever.  Thats out.

So I started to read the bloggers guide to biztalk.  After making it through just a couple of the essays in here, I can say this is going to be a huge resource for me.  There is just a ton of content here, and at least what I saw was good content.  Real good.  I also appreciate that it is off the cuff, so it seems very honest. 

By the way, the biztalk install went pretty smoothly.  Our IT crew provided me with the staging doc that was used for the production build, and with a couple alterations I was up and going.  One word of warning, though.  When you install Biztalk make sure you have a path to your domain controller.  I run my domain at home, so my laptop is actually a member of my personal domain, not the corporate one.  This meant that I couldn't finish the config wizard until I was at home.  I hope this is an isolated requirement since I really dont want to promote my laptop to a DC. 

Ah some other links I found that I want to save. 

Aaron Skonnard on Biztalk and SOA
Jame's Blog with some interesting biztalk posts a while back I need to read (subscribed)
Jan Tielen with some biztalk 2004 downloads (subscribed)
Some biztalk articles refered to by James (above) by Canonical

 [Edit] Added biztalk category.

Job Posting : SQL Server DBA in the Hartford CT area

Here's another job posting.

We are looking for a SQL Server DBA in the Hartford area.  Candidates should be very well versed in SQL Server.  This is a perm position for a dedicated software company with a healthcare focus.  You will have the opportunity to work with the newest of technologies with a (small and growing) fantastic team. 

If you are interested in more details, please contact me using the link on the left, or email tranqy at gmail dot com.

Core technologies
SQL Server 2000
Biztalk 2004

More details here

More on trillian3

As I posted earlier, cerulean studios is working on the next release of Trillian, of which I am a huge fan.  Just went throught the product tour, and there are certainly some features I am looking forward too.

The serverless IM looks very cool.  Will be nice to be able to IM to co-workers without going through a server.  I really like what they have done with the history, that looks like a huge improvement.  I also like that the windows will automaticlly turn interesting words into what looks like links to wikipedia, very, very cool. 

There are too many new features for me to talk about them here, and I haven't even touched the product yet.  Looks like it is a closed alpha, of which I did not sign up to participate, so I will be waiting on the bench.  Guess it's time to finally renew my membership.

Bloggers guide to biztalk

Saw think link over on Scoble's link blog, and wanted to post about it so I can at least find it later.  Biztalk is something I have been wanting to jump into for a while, but of course never have the time.  When and if that time comes, it looks like this chm might be a terrific starting point.

Check it out here

[UPDATE]
GDN seems to be having issues.  Here is a direct link to the blog of the person who is aggregating this great info.

Check it out here

 [Edit] Added biztalk category.

Job posting : Windows/Cisco admin in Hartford area

I'm interested to see what kind of response I get from this.

We are looking for a network admin/engineer.  Candidates should be well versed in windows technologies, cisco knowledge is a plus.  This is a perm position for a dedicated software company with a healthcare focus.  You will have the opportunity to work with the newest of technologies with a (small and growing) fantastic team. 

If you are interested in more details, please contact me using the link on the left, or email tranqy at gmail dot com. 

The position is in the Hartford area, approximately 20 minutes out of Hartford.

Core technologies :

Windows 2003
Biztalk 2004
SQL 2000 (Very large databases)
All new stuff, on a new infrastructure.

 [EDIT]

Got some more details from mgmt.  Here is the official job. (Word doc)

Update : Microsoft wireless notebook mouse

Just over a month ago, I purchased the new MS wireless notebook mouse.  I figured it was time to update the blog with my thoughts.

In a word, this mouse is awesome.  I still find it to be very comfortable, and in fact now I wish I had one on every PC I own.  My old Logitech and MS wired optical mice just don't feel right anymore.  I love the shape and the feel of the mouse. 

Performance wise I couldn't be happier either.  The response time is very good (much faster then older wireless products I had tried).  I like my mouse fast.  I set the speed to the top end, and acceleration about 3/4's the way up.  Most people that try to use my mouse or trackpoint take have to take a second to get used to it.  The amazing part, though, the mouse keeps up.  I am yet to even feel like it's lagging behind me, at all.  This is also on any surface because I use the mouse on the couch ALOT.

The best part is the battery.  I am still using the battery that came with the mouse, the single, included AA battery.  And don't think that I use this thing for a couple minutes a day.  This battery has lasted through a month of continuous pounding, at least 10 hours a day, sometimes more.  I have even forgotten to put the base back in the mouse to “turn it off” a few times over night.

In the end, I have been very happy with the purchase, and would highly suggest this mouse to anyone looking for a wireless mouse.  You won't be disappointed.

 

When did dns get so fast?

Since when can you register a domain, and have it ping through later that day?  Thanks zoneedit and dotster.

A case of the Mondays

I hate that saying.  Today is def one of those days though.

Knee deep in code, deadline thursday.  Couple quick bits.

Any locals (boston/hartford/nyc) should be looking to go to code camp 2.  The list of speakers is pretty impressive.  I've been too busy to get excited, but since it's 2 weekends away now I'm really getting excited.  Nothing beats a good nerd weekend.

Also, logged into gmail this morning, and found a couple new things.  First off, a new contacts section.  Thats nice and all, but what was really impressive was the new ATOM syndication link.  I use a gmail desktop sidebar panel for notifications, but could see some great uses with ATOM.  Go google!

PS : Expect more posts after deadline.  Will be nice to have some time again.  I'm really hoping to get better acquainted with Whidbey past deadline.

Got the wireless notebook mouse

I ordered the ms wireless notebook mouse a couple days back, and a shiney new cardboard box was waiting for me today. 

After I open it up, the first thing I notice is there's no CD.  I was a bit surprised to not have a intellipoint CD in the box.  No big deal, I would have probably checked for a newer version anyway.  The mouse is definitely small, but it is a little bigger then I expected.  It's very comfortable though, which easily makes up for its size.  Light too. 

After I put in the included battery, it's time to do the install.  The initial install is a breeze.  I plugged in the USB connector, adjusted it up, and within a few seconds the mouse was working.  I was immediately impressed with the response time, especially since it's on the couch. 

I browsed around for a bit, and decided it was time to try to track down intellipoint.  I'm pretty surprised when the microsoft site does not list the “Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse” as an option in the downloads.  I figure that intllipoint is pretty standard, but was pretty upset to see no windows 2k3 driver.  A bit of searching and all I net out with is some unhappy posts about not being able to install intellipoint or intellitype on 2k3. 

Also of note, this means your bluethooth mice and keyboards won't work with 2k3.  Not something I had really thought about in the past, but something I'll keep in mind for the future. 

In the end, even without intellipoint, this mouse rocks.  It will be even better if it lives up to it's battery claims. 

 

Win2k3 as workstation, and virus protection

A while back I upgraded my thinkpad to 2k3.  Details here.  I've been working with it for a while now, and well, I love it.  I love having full sql, iis6, azman, etc, with me all the time.  It also allows me to test things in win2k3 before they even go to the sandbox staging environment, which is another side effect/benefit.  So all in all, I doubt this box will ever see XP again, except in a VPC. 

There is 1 glaring side effect of using 2k3 as a workstation, though.  Virus protection.  When I first installed 2k3 the first thing I was going to do was load Nor...  Symantec client protection.  No go.  So then I fell back on an old favorite, and installed McAfee.  I've been running with McAfee with no problems since the install, other then I miss some of the features from the Symantec suite.

After a conversation with a friend last night, I was really interested in trying Panda antivirus.  I'm not going to go into details, but my very security minded friend suggested it, and I take his word as bible when it comes to security.  Thanks bro BTW  :)

Again, though, I was faced with the fact it won't install on 2k3.  To get to the point, I love running 2k3 as a workstation.  One thing to consider when you are thinking about making the switch, though, is protection.  Most AV client's won't install, since they require a “server” package to run on 2k3.   

GDI+ Mess

You have got to be kidding.  I saw all the people complaining in the blogs for the past week or so, and finally decided I better patch my boxes last night.  What a mess.  Windows update installs a patch that tells you to get another one?!  Office update only has some junk mail update.  Download and install some file from a KB article (yeah, sure, my mom will be able to find that file, and will care enough to do it).  Meanwhile I see other people predicting Blaster like outcome from this. 

This is bad.  Very bad.  Obviously everyone else has been screaming about it for a while now, so it's not new news.  But c'mon MS.  This could be a huge problem.  You guys have worked so hard to make us (relatively) trust windows update again, and you will ruin all of it in one swoop if this gets loose.

To top the cake, saw this, ran the “search” app, and according to this, I'm still not out of the water.  If I don't know how to protect myself, how can I protect my clients (read professional, personal, family). 

Oh, and in case you need it, here is where I got the MS patch since its not obvious where to get it. 

If anyone has definitive instructions on how to fix, and check to make sure it's fixed, please let (me and) the community know. 

[EDIT] More useless links.  Ms detection tool.  Tells me I might still have issues.  Redirects me to this instructions page. (Note again, all after running the 2k3 update from link above).  Tells me to update office.  Ok, I will install that junk email update. (WTF?!) Junk email filter update needs a reboot.  Ok.  Brb.

[EDIT 2] After that update I bit the bullet and decided to give .net 1.1 sp1 a whirl.  A week before a deadline is not the time to patch the framework, but it's even worse to lose a workstation.  After all of this (doing everything I could find), the MS tool tells me I might still be vuln, but the third party tool gives many more details, and even though I have some dll's that might be bad, the core dll's seem to be ok. Now it's just time to test our app and make sure 1.1 sp1 didn't break it.

Do I feel safe?  Hell no.  Do I feel I have done all I can?  Yes.  Will I be ripshit when I notice a reverse telnet shell to some country and someone rifling through my files?  Absolutely.

[EDIT 3] Found a couple more links with details here.  Someone has to step up on this front and give us a way to be sure we are ok.  If it's not MS, maybe one of the virus companies will step up to bat.  Well, more really good details are found within the link at this article. 

 

If I find more, I'll update more in comments.

VPC in remote desktop for performance

I have been trying to find time to spend with whidbey, so I decided to resurrect my plan for a vm on my laptop with whidbey.  After a couple hours of installing, I'm almost ready to go. 

One thing that really bugs me about vpc, though, is when the window doesn't have priority vpc decides it should drop its usage to like nothing.  Although I see the reasoning behind this, I think this should be controlled via a set of options, as I'm sure it must be in virtual server.  This would at least let me use the other 10 or 15% of resources that are left for doing things like typing this post.

So after a couple minutes of thinking, I saved the state of my vm, rpc'd back into my box (thanks 2k3), and started up my VM again.  Result, VM taking all the resources it wants, while I'm free to use the rest.  Of course theres the overhead of the second desktop, but the overhead seems pretty minimal. 

 

Gmail in desktop sidebar

I have been testing a gmail panel for a friend of mine, and things are going well enough that it looks like he is ready to release some early bits.  If you use desktop sidebar, and gmail, this is a natural fit.  It has replaced the gmail notifier for me, and is working pretty well.

Basiclly, it shows your inbox much like an outlook panel, including showing the first few lines when you hover over a message. 

Check it out here

Copernic Desktop Search Followup

After working with both lookout and desktop search for a couple days, I uninstalled lookout.  Desktop search definitly suits me better, although it's still not perfect. 

My desktop search has my whole hd indexed, code and all (including a pretty big number of open source projects).  The entire database is around 80 megs, which isn't really bad when you consider how much code is actually indexed.  Searching through emails and code is very simple, and very fast.  I also much prefer the desktop search ui for displaying the results to lookout.  Lookout was great for email searching, this really fills in the rest of the gaps.

A few complaints still, though.  The indexing process took a very very long time.  It may be because it was pushed to a back thread a number of times, but it really took about 2 days of normal for the whole index to be updated.  Of course I could have let it sit overnight one night, but what kind of test would that be?

Also, the search app hogs is a bit slow sometimes, and can be a memory hog at times.  This would be expected, though, considering all the work its doing, so I can live with it.  The trade off is well worth it.  Also, outlook idles about 30 megs less after uninstalling lookout, so desktop search may actually take less persistant ram. 

So far, though, I am very happy with the desktop search.  I love searching through code cause yes, I am just that geeky.  Also what prompted this post was actually finding an email from months ago with a code snipplet I needed by the sender's last name, and the word “filter”, and it was the 5th email down.  Sweet.  (of course the time I saved in looking for the email, I used twice writing this post  :)

Copernic Desktop Search

I have been using lookout for a while now, and it certainly meets my needs for searching my non gmail mail.  Today, though, I saw a post from The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog about an app that cpernic has just released that aligns itself as competion.  Well, I'm a sucker for something new, and figured I would give it a shot. 

So far so good.  As with Greg, I like the idea of being able to search without outlook open.  It also seems to handle file searching more “naturally” then lookout (as it is now indexing a couple ebook pdf's that I have on my desktop).  I haven't used it nearly enough to decide if I will be uninstalling lookout, but will re-post when I have a better idea of how this thing will work out. 

Original Post
Link to product site

More gmail bits

Couple things on gmail.

First, go vote for what you want in gmail.  Its an independent site for gmail users, and hopefully the votes are taken into consideration.  I voted what what I'd like to see.  Check it here

Also, did you know your gmail can accept “alias” mails.  Send something to

gmailusername+sometag@gmail.com

Interesting.  So I'm guessing this could be used to setup filters based on diff “aliases” that are added to your address.  Wish I had know this when I started the account, maybe I would have tagged everything without a + to be spam, and only qualified aliases would hit my inbox.  On well.

Some gmail invites for my blog

Since it was just my 100th post, and I have a few spare invites, the next two people to leave a comment on this thread or off the contact page asking for some gmail invite luvin will be emailing from a fresh new gmail account, complete with the new gmail account smell.

Been using mine for a couple months now, and I don't think I could go back.  If you've been wanting to check it out, let me know.

Sorry no more invites.

Speed up vss over vpn

If you have ever worked through a vpn using vss, you know the pain it can cause.  I still have a bald spot from where I hit my head on my desk one to many times waiting to check something in.  Something like a 1 line change, where you wonder how it could take literally minutes. 

So after some searching, I found a little app that seems to be working extremly well.  Vssconnect from VoxCode software has server bits that runs as a service on the VSS box, and client bits.  Server is pretty simplistic, and offers a couple options over the normal vss server, but nothing to cheer about.  The client, on the otherhand, is a very fresh perspective on vss.  Make to look like vss with a facelife, the ui does everything the normal vss ui does and a few extras.  It also seems much faster then the normal ui.

The best part, though, is it does what it promises.  I have been checking in and out all day long, and its so fast.  As fast as being at my desk, and it even seems faster sometimes.  Get latest still takes a bit, but much less then without the addin. 

I didn't setup the server, but that part seemed to go very quickly.  The client setup was cake, and the integration into vs.net is done behind the scenes, so you still deal with the same vss dialogs. 

I did have 1 minor complaint though.  I was having some networking issues at the time.  I was connected to the VPN, but was unable to get to a specifc vlan via tcp (although I could get there \\server).  I had the client installed, and it took over vss in the IDE.  VSS normally talks over netbios (forgive me if my protocol is wrong, been a while  :) so I could get to the DB from the vss ui, but I couldnt ping the machine, and thus I couldnt connect to the vssconnect service.  I searched for a way to turn off the plugin so I could at least use the old integration, but coulnd't find one.  Figure I would have had to uninstall.  Fixed it with a static route, and all was well, but I would have liked a way to “disable” vssconnect.

Anyway, check it out here

[Edit] Oh and I forgot to mention.  At 30$ a developer, it's very reasonable also.

Sourceforge score. Dabcos SQL compare compare type util

Was looking around sourceforge and found a couple things I wanted to play with.  One of them was immediately useful, and just a great find. 

DaBCoS works a little like SQL Compare by Redgate.  Now don't get me wrong, SQL Compare is a FAR superior product, offering a ton more functionality, and is well worth the coin.  If your needs are a bit less, though, this little app might just have you covered. 

Ran it against a few databases I have and it quickly gave me an idea of the differences.  It has a synchronize function that I haven't played with yet, but I doubt I would use it for that anyway. 

Checked the authors homesite, and looks like he has some ideas on the next version.  Can't wait.

Check out DaBCoS here
Davide Mauri's Home

VSS bug from 6.0c still kills labels in 6.0d

My hatred for VSS grows daily.  I can't wait until the day I get the ok to move to subversion, at least until we can evaluate team system. 

Once again, a nuance in VSS bites.  We use labels heavily here at work, especially in the Database Project (I talked about a DB project before, again, fantastic way to manage your DB scripts.).  Part of my job is to run it daily, make sure it builds, and label it to the current assembly version.  Well, today's failed.  No problem, I've got a label from yesterday. 

Well, there is a problem.  And it's been a problem.  And how the hell could 6.0d ship with an issue like this that was identified in 6.0c?  C'mon.  When you run analyze (which if your not doing it daily with a decent sized project, your crazy) vss copies out the labels, and, well, just never copies them back.  So without these files, you can't get an old label. 

Now, compound this with the fact that analyze will bail if you have anything in it's “backup” directory, and you have a very good recipe for useless labels.  WTF.

Old post that pointed out the error in 6.0c, and fixed it today for 6.0d

Help makes blogs more visible!

There are by some estimates more than a million weblogs. But most of them get no visibility in search engines. Only a few "A-List" blogs get into the top search engine results for a given topic, while the majority of blogs just don't get noticed. The reason is that the smaller blogs don't have enough links pointing to them. But this posting could solve that. Let's help the smaller blogs get more visibility!

This posting is GoMeme 4.0. It is part of an experiment to see if we can create a blog posting that helps 1000's of blogs get higher rankings in Google. So far we have tried 3 earlier variations. Our first test, GoMeme 1.0, spread to nearly 740 blogs in 2.5 days. This new version 4.0 is shorter, simpler, and fits more easily into your blog.

Why are we doing this? We want to help thousands of blogs get more visibility in Google and other search engines. How does it work? Just follow the instructions below to re-post this meme in your blog and add your URL to the end of the Path List below. As the meme spreads onwards from your blog, so will your URL. Later, when your blog is indexed by search engines, they will see the links pointing to your blog from all the downstream blogs that got this via you, which will cause them to rank your blog higher in search results. Everyone in the Path List below benefits in a similar way as this meme spreads. Try it!

Instructions: Just copy this entire post and paste it into your blog. Then add your URL to the end of the path list below, and pass it on! (Make sure you add your URLs as live links or HTML code to the Path List below.)

Path List
1. Minding the Planet
2. Luke Hutteman's public virtual MemoryStream
3. JayBaz_MS blog
4. Aaron Junod's Blog
5. (your URL goes here! But first, please copy this line and move it down to the next line for the next person).

(NOTE: Be sure you paste live links for the Path List or use HTML code.)

Original Post

Trillian 3 is coming

I've tried to cut down on the number of posts that just point people to other posts.  This is one I have to propogate, though.  Winbeta notes thats Trillian 3 is on its way, with a beta expected soon.  I have been a diehard trillian user for a few years now, and can't wait for a new version.  Not that there is anything wrong with this one, but I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves. 

Check it out here

Windows 2003 upgraded on thinkpad

We are heading into the home stretch at work, and that means a little more time for work, and alot more code.  So I decided to try to squeeze some more performance out of my T30. 

The first step was to move to a gig of ram.  The stick should be here today, and I really can't wait.  This should make quite a difference.  An OS reinstall was on my plate too, as this install had gone through a few major projects, and was showing signs of needing help.  Instead of cleaning out XP, I decided it was time to take the plunge to 2003.  I was a bit worried since my searching on running 2003 on a T30 actually turned up no success stories, other then some random ads of people selling a T30 with 2k3 installed.

The backup process is like pulling teeth, but once I'm relatively sure I got it all (damnit I missed onenote), I take the plunge.  The 2k3 install goes off without a flaw, and it's time to start trying to play Driver Yahtzee.  Look in device manager, and everything looks pretty good.  Video card, modem, and an unknown device need drivers.  Off to IBM's site.

I get the 2K video driver, try to install it, and the installer bails.  Hmm.  Grab the XP driver, install finishes.  Hmm.  Reboot.  Blue screen.  Hmm.  Start over.

This time I just get the 2K driver, and upgrade via Device Manager.  w00t.  So then I run with the 2k versions of everything from the IBM site.  All set, except the unknown device.  We will see if this unknown device rears its ugly head this week.

Once all the drivers are in, its time to get to the meat of the reinstall.  After hours of installing, copying, moving swap files, defragging, clicking checkboxes, etc etc I think I'm ready, and pack it up.  Back at work, and so far everything is looking good.  There is def a difference in speed.  It could be that all the trash is gone, but I think in general 2K3 is just a snappier OS when set as a workstation.  So far I'm really happy.  More on this after I get used to 2k3.

I have 2 very minor complaints so far.  The icons on the desktop have a black background to the text.  Been looking for that setting, but I might not be able to make it transparent.  Also, when I extend my desktop to a second monitor, I don't get to see my wallpaper.  Both minor, but annoyances nonetheless.

 

Ill dress up like OS/2 for halloween this year

Cause this site told me to.

Thanks McP for the link.  I still think I'm DOS tho.

 

 

Which OS are You?

Symantec Client Firewall and Sharepoint

I recently switched from Mcafee virus protection to the Symantec Client Security suite.  Although I was always a fan of Mcafee, I had heard good things about this suite, and wanted to get a more capable software firewall on my thinkpad.  I also hate Zonealarm and its obnoxious interface. 

All in all the swtich went pretty good.  Uninstall mcafee, install symantec, get used to pop-ups about what apps can and can't run.  The biggest issue I found, is suddently I couldn't get to any of the corporate sharepoint portal's.  So over the weekend I try, and fail to getinto my personal sharepoint portals. 

Come to find out, by default the app blocks sharepoint.  It's probably because of all the client side garbage it does, but its hard to tell that since IE reports a DNS error.  So after many trips to ping and nslookup, I tried disabling the firewall.  Low and behold, that works.  So whats the point of the firewall if I have to turn it off to do my work. 

So I start searching.  Nothing comes up on any of my searches, be it newsgroups, web, or Symantec's KB.  After fumbling around the UI for quite a bit, I found a place for Trusted Sited.  It reads as a way to give others access to your shared resources, but thought I should give it a shot.  Bingo. 

So, if you find yourself in this spot, do this. 

Open the firewall admin
Click Client Firewall
Click Configure
Click Networking tab and wait to switch (what are these, swing UI components?  ;)
Add the server name to this box (I added both netbios, and full DNS qualification)
Head back to your favorite portal.

Mac everywhere

Although I've never really played with a mac, I've always wanted to give it a shot.  Thought about getting an imac a couple times, but that's one expensive toy.  Was pretty happy to see Steve Makofsky blog about PearPC.  Looks interesting.  Downloading...

Details here

Lookout's back!
Per ScottWater, lookout is available for download again.  The more I use lookout, the more I like it.  I would highly suggest you check it out.  Thanks MS for re-releasing it. 

Lookout!

Help keep lookout in the community.  Some links that I think are pertinant.

Dustin Mihalik details the situation

Gary Cornell tells us what we can do about it

IE locks when loading sharepoint portal

I had this issue for about a week.  Tried to ignore it for as long as I could.  But alas, today I had to get to one of the portals.

Basically, whenever I would try to go to one of our corporate portals, my IE would just sit and spin (no pun intended).  I was able to get to content that was directly bookmarked, and I was able to get to some of my personal portals (yes I am that geeky).  I had no idea why.

Some searching yielded next to nothing, but it was a pretty feeble attempt.  Tried some of the basics.  Rebooted, laptop had been on for a couple weeks (I use sleep alot), so I thought maybe some hidden monster was eating sharepoint.  No avail.  Did all my non-critical windows updates that might apply, nothing.  Finally, I tried clearing my temp inet files, and alas, I can get back in.

I know the temp inet files was a fix for view source, but now we can add it to the list for a spinning portal also.  I wish IE would see this error, and give us some kind of warning.  It must know somewhere in the background that it was trying to write to disk, and couldn't.  Oh well.