MaSSSoftech

Event Viewer is often the first troubleshooting tool that you will use to diagnose a problem and gather troubleshooting information. Event Viewer has many improvements and new features to help you search for event information on both a local and a remote computer. You can create custom views to save filtered information, subscribe to a remote log to forward events, and view event data for specific Windows applications and services.

Event Viewer can be accessed under the Diagnostics category in Server Manager or by launching it from the command line by typing eventvwr.msc. This opens MMC with the Event Viewer snap-in module loaded. Event Viewer has been categorized into five key areas.

Following are the descriptions of five key areas:

Event Logs Summary: Event Logs Summary aggregates events from key logs. Data is categorized by error, warning, information, and audit success events. You can see a snapshot of events that have occurred over the last hour, 24 hours, and 7 days. You can also view the total number of events, recently accessed nodes, and a summary of log properties.

Windows Logs: The Windows Logs area includes the Application, Security, and System logs. It also includes two new logs, the Setup Log and the ForwardedEvents log. Windows logs store events from earlier applications and events that apply to the entire system.

Applications and Services Logs: Applications and Services Logs have been extended to include new log files for hardware events, Internet Explorer, and key management services, and Windows components. These logs give you a direct approach for gathering troubleshooting and diagnostic information.

Subscriptions: The Subscriptions area gives you the ability to collect copies of events from multiple computers and store them locally. The subscription specifies exactly which events will be collected and in which log they will be stored. Event collecting depends on the Windows Remote Management and the Event Collector services.

Custom Views: The Custom Views lists displays views that you have saved after querying, analyzing, and sorting events. You can use these views for future references. You can select a custom view, apply the underlying filter, and the results are displayed.

How To Install or Remove a Font in Windows

To Reinstall the Accepted Fonts Included With Windows

The afterward fonts are included with Windows and are installed on every computer:

• Courier New (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

• Arial (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

• Times New Roman (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)

• Symbol (TrueType)

• Wingdings (TrueType)

• MS Serif

• MS Sans Serif

If any of the accepted fonts that are included with Windows are missing, you can run Windows Setup again. Setup replaces missing or afflicted files. If these accepted fonts are missing, added Windows files may aswell be missing, and Setup corrects these problems.

Note On Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003, you have to be an ambassador to add and abolish fonts.

Adding New Fonts

Windows supports TrueType fonts or fonts that are distinctively advised for Windows, and these fonts are accessible commercially. Some programs aswell cover appropriate fonts that are installed as allotment of the affairs installation. Additionally, printers frequently appear with TrueType or appropriate Windows fonts. Follow the admonition that appear with these articles to install these fonts.

To manually install or re-install a font:

1. Click Start, and again bang Run.

2. Type %windir%fonts, and again bang OK.

3. On the File menu, bang Install New Font.

4. In the Drives box, bang the drive that has the billowing or CD-ROM that contains the fonts you wish to add. If you are installing fonts from a billowing disk, this is about drive A or drive B. If you are installing the fonts from a bunched disc, your CD-ROM drive is about drive D. Double-click the binder that contains the fonts.

5. Click the chantry you wish to add. To baddest added than one chantry at a time, columnist and authority down the CTRL key while you bang anniversary font.

6. Click to baddest the Copy Fonts To Fonts Binder analysis box. The WindowsFonts binder is area the fonts that are included with Windows are stored.

7. Click OK.

Removing Fonts

To absolutely abolish fonts from the harder disk:

1. Click Start, and again bang Run.

2. Type %windir%fonts, and again bang OK.

3. Click the chantry you wish to remove. To baddest added than one chantry at a time, columnist and authority down the CTRL key while you bang anniversary font.

4. On the File menu, bang Delete.

5. When you accept the “Are you abiding you wish to annul these fonts?” prompt, bang Yes.

To anticipate a chantry from loading after removing it from the harder disk, move the chantry from the Fonts binder into addition folder. Use this adjustment for troubleshooting purposes. This action does not absolutely abolish the font, because chantry anthology advice is not deleted. However, it prevents the chantry from loading.

APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Accepted Edition (32-bit x86)

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 64-Bit Datacenter Edition

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional

• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

• Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

• Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Accepted Edition

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition

Facebook is one of the largest social networking sites. People all around the world use it to connect to each other. It was formerly created for high school and college students. It opened up for everybody in 2006 and then later in 2007 it opened up itself to developers. Therefore, it launched enormous opportunity for its users to make money online. From the time Facebook has opened up for developers, it has seen new applications overflowing.

Many people are constantly developing new applications on Facebook and many of them are even used by various different users to create pages that appeal to their own interests and needs. More than 1,900,000 users access the Facebook Marketplace application, which has now become a trend that is gaining fame.

Following are the few ways, which can help you, generate money online with Facebook:

Selling ad space: This is the most attractive part when it comes to making money online on Facebook. This forms majority of the business people do on it. Some Facebook applications let sellers advertise their wares to Facebook friends and other members. This method can help you make a lot of cash online by selling ad space on their page through ad networks like Lookery, Userplane and Google Adsense. Facebook is free to place ads in this marketplace and there is no limit on how many you can place. You can also try out the Social Ads to see how it benefits you. If you do not wish to sell, there are commission based sales referral programs that can help you a great deal. Following are 3 simple steps that can guarantee you a steady stream of income:

Develop a Facebook page that interests some advertisers. Create a space where ads can be placed on your Facebook pages and for this purpose install the My Stuff application that allows you to install any code on your Facebook profile and pages.

Find an advertiser who is willing to advertise on your Facebook page. Selling goods and services: Facebook application Brand Tracker looks for upcoming concerts, events, and links to ticket selling websites. As predicted, people may start buying things from their own Facebook page.

Sponsorship: this feature has also helped many people in making quick, easy, and handsome amount of money. Write a Facebook Book: it basically means advances and royalties for authors. So, you can make use of this option if you are good at writing content. If you are able to get good appreciators then you can surely earn enormous money online. Write a Facebook Blog: there are already numerous good ones who cover it up all. Surely, there is room for many more. Once you get an audience for your blog, you can begin to earn lot of money online.

Sell your Facebook application: create an application on Facebook, bring it in the notice of some thousand users, try and fetch revenue from it and then offer cast Per Install ads via Adonomics and provide data to get an Adonomics certified valuation. This is a sure shot path to earn handsomely on Facebook.

Facebook applications as a consultant: As of now, there is scarcity of good developers and so they are in huge demand. If you think you have it in you, go and fill up the vacuum there and earn sitting at home. Do not just think of Facebook as a site to have fun and contact people. It can also help you make money online. Facebook has users all around the world and it has huge audience to it which and help you a great deal in your purpose of making money. You can access it anywhere anytime and people from all age groups can use it. So make use of the enhanced opportunities Facebook provides to its members.

How many times have you installed a LAMP server only to find Apache doesn’t seem to want to run right? Or you install a new module only to see Apache try to download pages as file, instead of displaying them on screen?

There are a hundred and one thousand things that can go wrong with any web server installation. From a fresh installation to an installation that has been running for a long time, you never know when something is going to cause your web server to go astray. When it does happen, it’s always nice to know that, usually, Occam’s Razor applies.

In this tutorial you will find some advice that will help you through some of the more common issues that can pop up with an Apache web server.

Is your server actually running?

Believe it or not, this has happened to plenty of administrators. You take the server down, do some maintenance, and when you go to check out the server you’re getting errors. The first thing you do, naturally, is check out that /etc/apache2/apache.conf file to make sure your syntax is correct. But it’s perfect! What’s up? The first thing you might want to check is to make sure the server is running. But you don’t want to just issue the command to start the server or reload the server. Instead, issue the command:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 status

Which should return something like:

* apache is running (pid 9751).

If not, start the server with either:

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start

or

sudo apache2ctl start

NOTE: If you are using a distribution like Fedora, SuSE, or Mandriva you will need to first su to the root user and issue the above commands WITHOUT using sudo.

It’s not running and it won’t start

Did you just make changes to your Apache configuration file? Are the changes correct? If you’re not sure, you can use the apache2ctl command to check the syntax of your configuration file. This is done with the command:

sudo apache2ctl configtext

The above command should report:

Syntax OK

If you don’t get an OK, you will get information that points to the errors in your configuration file.

Apache wants to download .php files!

This is another common issue. When you add a new tool on your web server (such as Drupal), if your configuration file is set up properly, any .php file might not be displayed. Instead any attempt to view a .php file will instead have your browser trying to download the file. Why is this? Apache must be informed that certain extensions are to be displayed, not downloaded. This is done from within the Apache configuration file. Open up that file (in the Ubuntu server it will be /etc/apache2/apache2.conf) and first look for the following line:

DirectoryIndex index.html

If that file doesn’t include index.php nearly all sites that use php will be rendered useless.

The second line to look for is:

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .php

If you find this line, and it is commented out, make sure you uncomment it by removing the “#” character. If it is not there add it to the bottom of the configuration file.

And, as always, when you make a change to the configuration file, restart Apache.

Know where to look for problems

Finally, it is crucial that you know where to first turn when the above doesn’t help you out. Any time I have an issue with Apache where Occam’s Razor does not apply, the first place I turn is the log files.

If you look in /var/log/apache2 you will find, at least, the following files:

* access.log: This keeps track of any connection made to your server.
* error.log: This keeps track of any errors that occur with Apache.
* other_vhosts_access.log: This is where virtual hosts will log when the virtual host has not been prescribed its own log file.

Of course, as your site evolves so will your available log files. Regardless of what you find in /var/log/apache2, that is where you should always first turn when you have problems. Even before you google.

Final thoughts

Now you should be able to handle some of the more common issues with the Apache server. And if your problem isn’t common, you also know where to turn to find clues that will lead you down the right path to correction.

BANGALORE, India, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Infosys Technologies (Infosys), a world leader in Consulting and Information Technology Services, today announced that it has teamed up with Oracle through the ’BPO Powered by Oracle program,’ and is launching a comprehensive managed services platform for multi-function HR through its Infosys Business Platforms offering.

With this launch, Infosys moves into the next generation of multi-process HR transformational outsourcing. This platform is built on state-of-the-art technology and will enable process transformation, while also being cost-effective. This will help companies streamline their HR operations and reduce operational costs. The Infosys Business Platform for HR frees up significant capital expenditure locked into HR technology and process investments, allowing the HR function to be a strategic enabler of an organization’s business objectives.

The Infosys Business Platform for HR is built on Oracle’s industry-leading PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Capital Management (HCM) Suite and offers the entire "Hire-to-Retire" processes and operations such as HR Administration, Payroll and Talent Management functions like Recruitment, Performance Management, and Learning Management in a fully hosted and managed environment.

Clients can take advantage of the scalable IT infrastructure to achieve economies of scale, best practices and variable cost models. Offshore teams will provide integrated technology, process and language support from multiple offshore and near-shore delivery centers. The unique shared services business model helps clients realize transformational benefits by unlocking capital expenditure, streamlining business processes and enhancing operational performance metrics.

"We are excited to team up with Oracle and are already seeing early successes of this model in Australia and New Zealand. The launch will also extend to Asia, Europe and the Americas," said Anantha Radhakrishnan, Vice President, Infosys. "This unique bundling of HR technology, application services, HCM process consulting and BPO delivers transformational value using levers such as global sourcing, technology innovation, process optimization, scale and centralization."

"The combination of Oracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise HCM Suite and Infosys’ world-class IT and HR capabilities can help global organizations achieve HR process transformation and cost reduction using a ’pay-as-you-go’ variable pricing model," said Tibor Beles, Vice President, Oracle Business Process Outsourcing. "We are impressed with Infosys’ execution capabilities as demonstrated by winning their first customers on Infosys Business Platform for HR within the first few months of working together."

About Infosys Technologies Ltd.

Infosys (Nasdaq: INFY) defines, designs and delivers IT-enabled business solutions that help Global 2000 companies win in a Flat World. These solutions focus on providing strategic differentiation and operational superiority to clients. With Infosys, clients are assured of a transparent business partner, world-class processes, speed of execution and the power to stretch their IT budget by leveraging the Global Delivery Model that Infosys pioneered. Infosys has over 105,000 employees in over 50 offices worldwide. Infosys is part of the NASDAQ-100 Index and The Global Dow. For more information, visit www.infosys.com.

Infosys Safe Harbor

Statements in connection with this release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of US Securities laws intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties including those described in our SEC filings available at www.sec.gov including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2009, and our other recent filings, and actual results may differ materially from those projected by forward-looking statements. We may make additional written and oral forward-looking statements but do not undertake, and disclaim any obligation, to update them.

Trademarks

Oracle® is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Here we provide solutions for problems that you may encounter when using the HD Media Player.
Player SWF doesn’t load on page: You must have Flash Player 10 installed (you will probably have to close and reopen your browser to complete the installation), and you must provide a valid path to the SWF on your web server. If you are loading a SWF file that is NOT hosted on the same server as the page where it is being displayed, you must use a crossdomain.xml file in the root of the website that contains the SWF file (this is part of the Flash Player security model).

XML playlist doesn’t load in player: You must provide a valid path to your XML (using FlashVars, ActionScript, JavaScript, or the Component Inspector), and your XML can not contain errors (check all your media paths and use one of our default XML files to check your syntax). If you are loading a XML file that is NOT hosted on the same server as the page where it is being displayed, you must use a crossdomain.xml file in the root of the website that contains the XML file (this is part of the Flash Player security model).

Bandwidth detection doesn’t work: You must provide a valid path to your bandwidth test location (using a parameter in the XML or Component Inspector). Please refer to our “Automated Bandwidth Detection” tutorial for more information.

Fullscreen doesn’t work or player doesn’t resize correctly when exiting fullscreen: You must have Flash Player 10 installed (you will probably have to close and reopen your browser to complete the installation); you must be testing your SWF in a web page using a web browser (will not work on your desktop); and you must set the “allowfullscreen = true” in your embed code. If you have altered the size and/or location of any objects on the stage, you also have to modify a few lines of action script to account for the new layout. Please refer to our “Fullscreen Setup and Resizing” tutorial for more information.

JavaScript interaction doesn’t work: You must provide valid paths to all of your media files; you must define the “id & name” of your SWF in the embed code; you must test your SWF on a web server using a browser (i.e. will not work locally, swf must be embedded in a webpage, and the SWF can not be inside a form tag); and you must have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Please refer to our “JavaScript Interaction” tutorial for more information.

H264 (mpeg-4) files cannot be seeked before they are completely downloaded: The MOOV atom in your H264 files is located at the end of the file. To fix this problem you should re-encode the file using Adobe Media Encoder or QuickTime Pro. Alternatively, you could try using the QTIndexSwapper, but it may not work in all cases.

MP3 playback is too fast or too slow: Your MP3 contains variable bit rate encoding or unsupported sample frequencies (e.g. 48Khz). To fix this problem you should re-encode the track using constant bit rate encoding and a supported frequency (11, 22, 33, or 44 kHz), which can be done with iTunes.

Video duration/dimensions are wrong or progress bar/scrubbber doesn’t work: Your media file does not include metadata. To fix this problem you can manually define the duration using the “dur” attribute in node of the XML, or you can re-encode the file using Adobe Media Encoder (FLV & H264 files), QuickTime Pro (H264 files), or iTunes (MP3 files). Alternatively, you could try using the Buraks FLV Metadata Injector, but it may not work in all cases.

Progressive (http) FLV file doesn’t work: You must provide a valid path to your progressive media file. If you are using a relative path it must be relative to the location of the page where it is being used (not the location of the SWF). If you are using a Windows 2003 server (Microsoft IIS Server 6.0), make sure the FLV mime type has been added to the server (link to simple instructions).

Streaming (rtmp) file doesn’t work: You must use a supported server type (FMS 3.x, Wowza, or Red5); you must provide a valid path to your streaming media file (correct syntax based on file type); and you must use the correct ”instance” setting to help the player parse your rtmp path. Please refer to our “Working with a Flash Media Server” tutorial for more information.

3PAR InServ Storage Servers Maximize Storage Capacity
Back in 2004, Cvent, a provider of meeting and event management SaaS offerings, had outstripped the 1.2TB capacity of its SAN. Its fast growth and rapid acquisition of customers was threatening to overwhelm its storage capacity, and the IT staff was spending a lot of time troubleshooting performance problems and trying to find additional space on its database.

“We couldn’t even grow volumes. We had to play games on the SAN to find additional space on our database,” says Dwayne Sye, CIO of Cvent. “That was all time we weren’t able to spend helping our customers.”

So Sye and others on the IT staff began evaluating possible replacements for the system. They knew they needed not only more storage space but also much faster performance. At the same time, however, they were concerned that any significant upgrade was likely to be both complex and time-consuming—and being a small, fast-growing company, Cvent didn’t have endless IT resources to spend on a complicated storage implementation, so manageability and ease of use were key requirements for any new system.

After looking at three vendors’ SAN products, Cvent opted to go with 3PAR’s InServ S400 storage server (www.3par.com), which has two or four controller nodes, up to 32GB of data cache, up to 640 drives, and a top storage capacity of 300TB. It also features RAID levels 0, 10, and 50.

Making SANs Simple

A key selling point of the InServ server, says Sye, was its administrative interface. The interface was designed to make configuring and changing drives and setting up the virtual SAN as quick and easy as possible.
“While it’s not extremely complicated stuff—creating volumes, exporting them, resisting, optimizing—it can seem pretty complicated and time-consuming. So the ability to do that so easily [on the InServ], especially compared to our old SAN, was what really sold me,” he says.

3PAR’s interface hides some of the complexity of configuring and administering storage by automating details that don’t really need a human to do, such as application provisioning and array planning and mapping. That automation, and the easy-to-understand interface, has saved Cvent substantially in IT administrative time, according to Sye.

Performance has also been very satisfactory, says Sye: “Now we don’t have performance problems with the disk subsystems. We don’t have to experience long query times to the database server—no bottlenecks.”

Saving Time & Effort

For Cvent, the Virtual Copy and Remote Copy functions of the 3PAR InForm software suite that accompanies the InServ have proved useful in reducing administrative time and headaches

Virtual Copy is 3PAR’s version of a snapshot that provides a quicker method of backing up data than the traditional one of copying the entire set of data. Virtual Copy allows Cvent to take quick snapshots of the data to be backed up on an incremental basis, thus reducing overall backup time substantially.

“We used that when our backup window approached eight hours. By using Virtual Copy, we made it virtually instantaneous,” says Sye.

Remote Copy is a host-independent, array-based data mirroring solution. 3PAR Virtual Volumes are mirrored from one 3PAR InServ server to another. Remote Copy, which Cvent uses to back up its corporate data, has helped reduce the time to recover lost information from an average of two weeks to two hours.

The InForm Suite also includes 3PAR’s Thin Provisioning capability, which automatically manages applications’ storage needs with a just-in-time approach. This differs from the traditional method of allocating space, wherein an administrator assigns large blocks of unused storage to each application for it to use as needed but that no other application can use. By employing Thin Provisioning, Cvent has been able to reduce its new storage capacity purchases by an estimated 95%.

Moving To T-Class

Cvent today has more than 4,500 clients, compared to just 45 when it first bought an InServ in 2004. So far, the scalability of the S400s, plus the optimization technologies it leverages, have provided Cvent with ample storage space. But given the growth rate of the firm and the associated growth in storage, Sye is considering an upgrade to 3PAR’s newest server, the T-Class array.

A big part of the appeal of the T-Class, says Sye, is that it offers administrators the ability to change volumes from fat to thin on the fly. So past decisions to use traditional “fat” provisioning—allocating a set amount of storage per application—for a volume can be changed if the administrator sees the need.

“I could deploy everything as thin or fat and then see how the volume gets utilized to decide if I need to change it,” says Sye, noting that being able to make use of these new types of storage optimization capabilities has also changed his way of looking at storage in general.

Detecting the presence of malicious code is one thing, successfully eradicating it is entirely another.

According to AV-Comparatives.org’s recently released malware removal test evaluating the effectiveness of sixteen antivirus solutions, only a few were able to meet their criteria of not only removing the FakeAV, Vundo, Rustock and ZBot(Zeus) samples they were tested against, but also getting rid of the potentially dangerous “leftovers” from the infection.

More info on the tested antivirus solutions , and how they scored:


The test, including the following antivirus solutions - Avast Professional Edition 4.8; AVG Anti-Virus 8.5; AVIRA AntiVir Premium 9.0; BitDefender Anti-Virus 2010; eScan Anti-Virus 10.0; ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4.0; F-Secure AntiVirus 2010; G DATA AntiVirus 2010; Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010; Kingsoft AntiVirus 9; McAfee VirusScan Plus 2009; Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0; Norman Antivirus & Anti-Spyware 7.10; Sophos Anti-Virus 7.6; Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2010; Trustport Antivirus 2009, relied on a modest malware sample, whose prevalence is however easily seen in the wild these days.

Their conclusion:

“None of the products performed “very good” in malware removal or removal of leftovers, based on those 10 samples. eScan, Symantec and Microsoft (MSE) were the only products to be good in removal of malware AND removal of leftovers. Due to the sample size, the final ratings may be generous, but we applied the scoring tables strictly. We tried to give different values for different types of leftovers, although this was very difficult in some gray area cases.

This was the first public malware removal test of AV-Comparatives and due the lack of generally accepted ways to rate malware removal abilities, we did out best to give a fair rating based on the observed overall malware removal results and to do not look / base out ratings on e.g. the deletion of the binary malware only.”

Sony Ericsson has been known to make some compelling smartphones that had sleek, solid designs at high prices, like the XPERIA X1 I purchased and then returned earlier this year. Today we see the announcement of their first Google Android device, the XPERIA X10 and I have to say this device is lustworthy with its 8 megapixel camera, custom Mediascape interface that is highly focused on media (a weakness in all other Google Android devices), Timescape technology that recognizes connections between contacts, content, and media, and much more.

The SE XPERIA X10 won’t be available until the first half of 2010, but it shows how awesome Google Android devices can be and I think 2010 will be the year of the Android revolution and I can’t wait. I loved seeing that the X10 will have a model supporting T-Mobile USA’s 1700 MHz frequency and I hope to see it released sooner rather than later.

Specifications of the XPERIA X10 include:

* 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250
* Up to 1GB integrated memory
* 4 inch 480×854 pixel resolution touchscreen display
* 8.1 megapixel camera with face recognition and stabilization
* WiFi
* Bluetooth
* A-GPS
* 3.5mm headset jack
* microSD card slot with 8GB card included
* microUSB for syncing and charging
* Support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
Engadgets has a full hands-on look at the XPERIA X10 and this will definitely be one that I will find hard to resist. It has no hardware keyboard so it will have to be priced right for me to go for it though.

the concept of DNS and, perhaps more importantly, how to manage it in an organization. We looked at a number of ways of keeping your thumb on DNS.

The first way we looked at was simply the Monitor tab of your DNS server properties dialog box. The main use of this tab is to perform some queries against your DNS servers. You can perform either recursive or iterative queries against your servers (remember those?)

The next tool we looked at was NSLOOKUP. NSLOOKUP is a command line tool and uses reverse lookup zones (remember those?) to lookup your name servers, hence the name. We discussed the various things you can do with NSLOOKUP, and instead of rehashing them here, check out this link to get more information.

The next tool we looked at was a powerful DNS tool called DNSLint. This tool is available from the Windows Support Tools and is used to do some advanced DNS troubleshooting. Depending in which options we use with the command, we can do various things. For example, running dnslint /d boston.contoso.com will test the boston.contoso.com domain to ensure that it has proper DNS connectivity. Again, TechNet has more information here.

Next up, we looked at the DNSCMD command, which can be used to directly manipulate the DNS database. If, for example, I want to insert a Host (A) record pointing traffic aimed at mailserver.contoso.com to 10.1.5.1 I would type in this from the command prompt:

dnscmd dnsserver.contoso.com /recordadd mailserver A 10.1.5.1

The last thing we discussed was Replication Monitor, which is launched simply by issuing the replmon command from the command prompt. This command allows us to ahem, monitor replication to discover any errors that might be happening.

Windows 7 includes a wealth of features that improve your productivity at work in addition to providing fun activities for you and your family to enjoy using your PC even more. But there might be a time when a problem might occur that you need to solve on your PC, whether its hardware or software related. Windows runs on over 1.2 billion configurations world-wide. That’s a lot of PC’s and its a testament to how well designed and sophisticated the Windows platform is, to make it work on the variety of setups that exist around the world. The Windows Team does its extreme best to make the Windows experience trouble free, but there is always a chance that something will go wrong from time to time. Not to worry though, because Windows 7 in particular introduces a set of easy to use solutions that can help you get out of a mix or suggest a quick fix. Today, I want to take a look at some of these tools in addition to the improvements that this major release of Windows introduces.

Windows Troubleshooter

Windows 7 includes a new trouble shooting utility called Windows Troubleshooting, which diagnoses and resolves common operating system, application and hardware issues by providing built-in troubleshooters for several different types of problems. Whether its power management, performance, programs, networking or printers just to name a few. Some troubleshooters that come with Windows 7 automatically run in the background on a scheduled basis. If they discover a problem they will let you know in the Action Center. Examples of such scheduled maintenance tasks include cleaning up temporary files, detecting hard disk errors, removing broken shortcuts, and ensuring the system time is correct. Lets take a look at utilizing Windows Troubleshooter. In this scenario, I am having some problems accessing a shared folder on another PC. To start the the Troubleshooter, click Start, type: Troubleshooter

Hit Enter


As you can see the Troubleshooting Control Panel list a collection of available Task that Windows users can use to diagnose common problems that you might be experiencing. Windows 7 includes a collection of 20 common Troubleshooting Task. The Action Center will notify you of new and updated troubleshooters when they’re made available online, as provided by Microsoft or your computer vendor.


My specific problem as indicated by the error in the Network explorer I am having a problem ‘accessing shared files and folders on other computers. Its exactly what I am looking for! Lets click it and see what its all about. As you can see below, a wizard is started, specifically designed to resolve problems related to Shared folders.




The wizard runs a quick diagnostics test then ask for some form of input if necessary, this will vary by Troubleshooter. In this case I am being asked for the Network path (location) that I need access to. Going back to Network Explorer, clicking in the Address Bar, the name reveals it is located within \HOME-DELLX86 while the name of the folder I need access to is ‘SharedDocs’ so, the path I should type in the Troubleshooter wizard is ‘\HOME-DELLX86\SharedDocs’, lets go ahead and do that.






Troubleshooting success!

After entering the necessary information, the wizard will run a series of test, attempting to correct the problem. The wizard will then ask you to close the Troubleshooter and check if the problem is corrected. If you are interested, you can monitor a history of all your troubleshooting activities. Users must note that, Windows Troubleshooting is not or never will be a complete answer, but it compliments the array of options available to Windows users when trying to solve a problem.

Compatibility

Compatibility is always a sensitive issue when it comes to a new version of Windows. Microsoft takes it very seriously and considers it a hallmark of the Windows platform, making it easy for users to transition to a new release with little or no hiccups. With the release of Windows XP, Microsoft introduced Compatibility Mode, which let older applications run on the OS emulating supported versions of Windows with the ability to save settings so that your applications will start in the correct mode every time. Compatibility Mode worked in some cases and others it did not.

Windows Vista’s compatibility story was a tough one, simply because of the fundamental changes that were made to enhance the system’s security foundations. In Windows 7, the Compatibility process is handled through a number of avenues, which include the Windows Upgrade Advisor and Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to help customers assess application compatibility. Microsoft is tackling compatibility through shims, which avoids some of the problems that programs encounter when trying to function on a new version of Windows. Windows Vista affected compatibility through new improvements to its account privileges called Standard User Mode.

Because of the limitations of Standard User, applications that were designed to run with only Administrative privileges could not function properly under Vista, there is both a good and bad here, the good being malware could not easily infiltrate a system, but at the same time, the user would not be able to use a desired application effectively. With Shims, an application is prepared to run with Administrative privileges by making the application believe it has full rights while still in Standard Mode. Windows 7 provides a total of 6,999 shims for applications with more expected every patch Tuesday. Companies can create their own shims using the Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit recently updated to version 5.5, this helps with diagnosis of compatibility problems and the ability to apply the proper shims for troublesome programs. ACT also offers a shim that helps a custom application locate system files written in an unexpected directory as a result of different versions of the operating system.

One of the common ways to work around application compatibility problems in Windows 7, is to use the interactive right-click method and click the Run as administrator contextual menu option. To occasionally run an application with a full administrator access token, use the following procedure.

To perform this procedure, you must be logged on as a local administrator or provide the credentials of a member of the local Administrators group.

1. Locate the program icon or a shortcut in Windows Explorer
2. Right-click the program icon or shortcut, and then click Run as administrator.
3. When the UAC message is displayed, do one of the follow:

* If you are logged on as a standard user, or if UAC is configured to always require credentials, enter the appropriate administrative credentials, and then click OK.
* If you are logged on as an administrator and UAC is not configured to always require credentials, click Yes to start the application.

If the above does not provide a solution, you can utilize the Program Compatibility troubleshooter. If an older program does not run correctly, you can use it to simulate the behavior of earlier versions of Windows. Program Compatibility troubleshooter runs a quick diagnostic check which searches for a list of programs that you might be experiencing problems with. If you don’t see the program, you can click ‘Not Listed’, click next and browse your hard disk for the program. If your program is listed, select it and click Next. Program Compatibility will then suggest recommended options. Personally, I prefer choosing ‘compatibility settings based on problems you notice’. As I noted earlier, most application issues are often related to compatibility with the OS.




Windows will then ask you to check off any of the behaviors you are noticing when attempting to use the program. All may not apply and most often, choosing an earlier version of Windows that the program worked in can resolve the problem. For my scenario, I will select ‘The program worked in earlier versions of Windows but won’t install or run now’. Program Compatibility will then list versions of Windows that the program worked in. Select one and the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter will reconfigure the application to run the appropriate settings.




Preparing an incompatible application to work in Windows 7

Problem Steps Recorder


Problem Steps Recorder is used to capture application compatibility issues for evaluation by technical experts. It does this by automatically capturing the steps you take on a computer, including a text description of where you clicked and picture of the screen during each click. Once you capture these steps, you can save them to a file that can used by a support technician or an expert to resolve the problem you might be experiencing.

System Restore

Last year I did a CISCO IT Essentials course which prepared me for the CompTIA A+ exam. One of the things I discovered during my learning was how important System Restore is in the troubleshooting process for Technical Support staff. Microsoft first introduced System Restore with the release of Windows Millennium Edition in 2000. Since then the Windows Team has included it with new versions of Windows while improving the reliability of this essential utility. With Windows 7, there are some welcome improvements I want to take a quick look at.


System Restore provides an opportunity for users to restore their PC to an earlier time in case of a problem. Windows saves snapshots of the system in its current condition. By taking a snapshot before installing a program, you can correct the problem by rolling back your computer to a point in time when it was working well. The great thing about System Restore has always been the ability restore with confidence knowing that your personal files will not be altered or destroyed during the process. System Restore affects Windows system files, programs, and registry settings. It can also make changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of executables created under any user account on your PC.

In Windows 7, System Restore is more reliable, predictable, and effective. You’ll see a list of programs that will be removed or added, providing you with more information on which restore point to choose. System restore points are also available in your backups, giving you a larger list of restore points to choose from—and likely over a longer period of time. When combined with other features such as Previous Versions which are copies of files and folders that Windows automatically saves as part of a restore point Windows users can feel secure knowing their information is always protected by the OS.

Recently I took a look at the two other important troubleshooting features in Windows 7, Recovery Options, Backup and Remote Assistance.

Windows 7 includes advanced recovery options that can guide you through the ‘reinstallation of Windows’ and restoration of personal files and settings. This will require that you have an available Windows 7 installation disc or Recovery Image, which will assist with the reinstallation. You will have to restore your files from a backup, programs must also be reinstalled. Most OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturers) such as HP, Lenovo and Dell install a hard drive partition customized with additional tools such as a separate system recovery tool for restoring the computer back to its original state. Advanced Recovery also includes the option to backup files before starting this procedure. You can find the Advanced Recovery option in Control Panel > Action Center > Recovery > Advanced recovery methods. Read the entire article here

Windows 7 backup and restore features are designed to make protecting your data and system easier. The combined file and system backup wizard delivers a simplified configuration experience, and the folder selectivity functionality for file backup provides users greater control over their backup content. Managing backup is easier with the new space management user interface and integration with Action Center. Recovering your system is made easier with simplified interface and better guidance for choosing a recovery method. Read the entire article here

Remote Assistance in Windows 7 introduces a new feature called ‘Easy Connect’ which simplifies the process of connecting to another PC remotely with only a password, no file needed. When a connection is established between both computers, contact files are exchanged which creates a trust relationship. This further simplifies future connections that are made without the need for a password. Read the entire article here

Conclusion

Windows 7 makes troubleshooting a worry free process that emphasizes strong confidence when using your PC, protecting your precious memories and critical data. For beginner’s and experts, the operating system covers a wide range of problem solving capabilities that can assist you in the event of a problem. If you ever encounter an issue, just know that Windows 7 got your back! :)

I had a couple of very enlightening conversations with representatives from Microsoft and Google back-to-back on Friday. While our conversations were focused on their educational initiatives, some of which I’ll be featuring tomorrow on ZDNet Education, the more interesting aspects of the interviews actually related to their entirely different approaches to the Web, the cloud, and computing in general. These approaches, and the history behind them, beg the question, is it time for Microsoft to reinvent itself if it wants to avoid becoming the computing equivalent of fossil fuels?


I know, the La Brea Tar Pits don't actually contain any dinosaurs...but is it time for a shift in strategy for Microsoft?

Microsoft has been around for a while. It was founded in 1975, the year before I was born, making it truly ancient in computer years. This isn’t a bad thing, in and of itself. Experience counts for a lot and, if Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Office 2007 (with 2010 on its way) show us anything, it’s that Microsoft has learned a lot of lessons and can crank out some pretty impressive desktop productivity software. True, Server 2008 isn’t desktop software (unless you count what it can do in terms of Terminal Services and desktop virtualization), but Active Directory and much of its software stack directly support desktop computing environments.

Google, on the other hand, is a relative baby. Founded in 1998, the company was created for, by, and through the Web. As Google’s Jeff Keltner told me the other day, the company has built an entire Web-based infrastructure throughout the company. They have a “single way” of thinking about how they do business with a single “back-end and front-end model” that they leverage both internally and externally in the variety of products that grew from their original search business.

If you talk to the folks at Google, Microsoft is shoehorning a dying desktop-centric strategy into a Web-enabled world. Talk to the folks at Microsoft and Google is shoving cloud strategies down the throats of enterprise customers who need far more control than Google Apps can offer.

So who’s right? And more importantly, who’s right long-term? Right now, it seems clear that they both are. Microsoft has a robust, mature software ecosystem that can manage an enterprise’s desktop experiences quite handily. Increasingly, with Live Web Apps, Sharepoint Live, Outlook Live, etc., users can access their documents and messaging in very familiar forms from the Web. The best of both worlds, right?

But what if the desktop really is dead? What if the desktop computing experience will be irrelevant in a year? Two years? What if Google is right? Google doesn’t need an ecosystem of integrated products that also integrate with the cloud because all of its services were built from the ground up to work in the cloud. The desktop was not part of Google’s core strategy; they’re simply able to leverage their massive Web presence and huge data center capabilities to potentially eliminate the need for a desktop for many users. In fact, again according to Keltner, Google now focuses in terms of Apps on how best to satisfy the needs of their customers, rather than replicating what Microsoft can do.

Many of these questions have been asked before:

* Is the desktop dead?
* Is the OS dead?
* Is Microsoft a dinosaur?
* How many of your users really need Office in all its glory?
* Can the cloud actually work for the enterprise?

Now, though, as Microsoft pushes hard to keep up in the cloud and maintain its desktop advantage, while Google begins to look like the 1000 pound gorilla taking over the Internet, it seems as though the game might be changing. I think that it’s premature to assume that Microsoft will follow the dinosaurs into extinction. Not only did the dinosaurs dominate the earth for millions of years before mammals pulled a slick bit of Darwinism, but as any 2nd-grader will tell you (mine most definitely included), dinosaurs are super cool. So are many of Microsoft’s current products.

However (and this is a really big however), Google’s products are maturing at an incredible pace, perhaps because they eat their own dogfood and run their own enterprise on Google technologies. Here’s the real question you have to ask yourself: Is it worth investing in a Microsoft ecosystem now? Or does Microsoft need to fundamentally shift directions if it hopes to keep attracting new customers in a world that is increasingly turning to the Web for everything it does?

All of Microsoft’s Live offerings are a compelling start. My money isn’t on either Microsoft or Google; it’s on the Web and the company who can leverage web technologies in the way that is most meaningful to users. Right now, the advantage seems to be going to Google, but this is hardly over. Microsoft, as well as plenty of other cloud players like IBM and Amazon will not be conceding any time soon.

When hard drives fail and blue screens abound, students with a myNotebook laptop have sought out the support services of Information Technology. But most students at the College of William and Mary have no knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes in the basement of Jones Hall.

The College’s IT department maintains the campus computer labs, phone system, myWM, Banner and the e-mail servers.

Usually students only encounter the public face of the department when two student employees at the front desk attempt to diagnose a computer’s problem and repair it on the spot.

“Some things you’re replacing right here while you wait, so we do some keyboards, CD drives, AC adapters, hard drives,” Manager of Technology Support Center Brian Persinger said.

Of all of the computers brought to IT, around 20 percent of them are repaired at the front desk, within fifteen minutes. But if the damage is more serious, the computer is checked in and brought to the back room where staff technicians dismantle the computer to replace broken parts.

“Spills are a pain,” Technology Support Engineer Danny Clouser said. “I had one yesterday where I had to replace eight or 10 parts because somebody dumped a coke on it.”

The technicians can draw from numerous drawers filled with the parts for each computer model in the
myNotebook program.

“The way it works is that [the manufacturers] give us one computer for every 100 computers sold and we take that one computer and break it down into parts,” Persinger said.

Once the broken parts are replaced in a student’s laptop, the broken pieces are sent to the manufacturer, who then restocks the parts assembly in IT’s back room. When the computer is fixed, it heads to the front desk for the student to pickup.

Computers are usually returned within a day, with three days as the maximum. If a computer has multiple parts failures, the technicians will sometimes, reluctantly, send the computer back to the manufacturer for repair or replacement of the unit.

“We always want to get the computer back in the student’s hands as quickly as possible so they can do their schoolwork,” Persinger said.

Persinger said that IT has recently changed its support policy to stop backup and data retrieval for myNotebook computers because a single hard drive would take the staff hours to backup.

“Our turn-around time was always around three days, but we wanted that to be our maximum, not our norm,” he said. “So we decided to make some changes which was getting some repairs done up front and eliminating us being responsible for helping users restore data.”

Technicians will not only repair any myNotebook computer, but also will attempt to fix any student, staff and faculty Lenovo or Dell computer that has an active hardware warranty.

Though they are not directly involved, the department also provides consulting to the Tribe Apple Center in the ID Office.

The myNotebook program, established five years ago, was designed to have a consistent hardware in the student populace.

“It would have given the professors much more flexibility to incorporate technology into their teaching because everybody had [the same computer],” Chris Ward, Director of Systems and Support said. “But that didn’t work.”

The idea never truly took off as diversity in campus computers has increased over the years.
myNotebook laptops have declined in popularity, and now constitute only 50 percent of College’s computers, down from 80 percent five years ago.

IT strongly recommends that all students back up their hard drive. Ward said that one professor had to learn that the hard way when she paid $1,000 dollars to an outside company to extract her book off a failed hard drive.

“We have a tech that always says there are two kinds of people,” Ward said. “There are those who have lost data and those who will lose data. So back-up your data.”

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is light years ahead of its predecessors, but by no means does that proclamation mean that the browser is perfect. You are still going to encounter issues with IE from time to time.

Here are some of the concise guides that deliver some troubleshooting steps that will clear up the majority of issues we encountered with IE7.

Issues with Internet Explorer 7.0 with solutions

Problem: Crashes or hangs

If IE crashes, the most likely problem is that there's a buggy add-on (Toolbar or Browser Helper Object). In order to verify and isolate the buggy add-on, follow these steps:

1. Start IE in No Add-ons mode, either by right-clicking the Desktop icon, or clicking START - RUN and typing: iexplore.exe -extoff

2. Determine if IE fails.

3. If not, use Tools - Manage Add-ons to disable all browser extensions and toolbars.

4. Restart IE and re-enable browser extensions one-by-one.

5. Once you've found a broken extension, contact the manufacturer and ask for an update.

(Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=928426)

If IE still crashes often, even when browser add-ons are disabled:

• Please ensure that you are running the very latest version of your anti-virus, anti-malware, and/or firewall programs.

• Please ensure that the drivers for your graphics card are up to date.

• If you have Google Desktop installed, please ensure that you update to the latest version of Google Desktop.

• If you have 7-Zip or other Windows Explorer extensions installed, please ensure that you update to the latest.

Problem: Cannot connect to Internet using IE after updates installed

If you see the "Page Cannot be Displayed" error after installing Internet Explorer updates from Windows Updates, it's possible that you have a 3rd party firewall installed that is blocking access because the IE files have been updated. Please see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942818/en-us for more information.

Problem: IE always starts in "No Add-ons" mode

The problem is that you're launching Internet Explorer using a shortcut icon that has the "-extoff" command line parameter. That parameter causes IE to start without add-ons. Thus, every time you use that shortcut icon, IE will start in No Add-ons Mode.

1. How do you normally start Internet Explorer? Right-click whatever icon you're using to start IE, choose "Properties" and remove the -extoff part of the shortcut.

2. If you click the green START button, click Run, type iexplore.exe in the RUN box, then hit the ENTER key, IE will start with Addons enabled.

Problem: IE opens small windows

IE opens new windows at the size of the last closed window. If you find that IE is opening small windows, do this:

• Close all IE windows.
• Open one new IE window.
• Adjust that window to the size you prefer. Do this by dragging the window borders. Do not use the maximize button:
• Close the IE window.
• New IE windows will open at the size you chose.

Problem: ClearType Text appears fuzzy

IE7 turns on a text-smoothing technology called "ClearType" by default. ClearType is scientifically proven to make text easier to read, particularly on LCD flat panel monitors.

If ClearType looks fuzzy on your monitor, you might want to try the ClearType tuning wizard, which can help you adjust the display of ClearType.

If you still don't like the appearance of ClearType, you can turn it off by unchecking the checkbox: Tools - Internet Options - Advanced - Multimedia - Always use ClearType for HTML.

Problem: IE Startup takes a long time (>3 seconds)

1. IE may start very slowly if you have a huge number of sites listed in your Restricted or Trusted sites zone. Some tools, like "SpyBot Search & Destroy" will place thousands of sites in these zones if you use their "immunize" feature.

2. Follow the "Crashing on startup" steps above to see if starting in No Add-ons mode starts much faster

3. If you're not using a proxy, uncheck IE's "Automatically detect settings" option on the Tools - Internet Options - Connections - LAN Settings dialog.

Problem: Slow Page rendering

1. Increase the connection limit. This tweak allows IE to make up to 16 connections per server.

2. Ensure that both "HTTP1.1" checkboxes in Tools - Internet Options - Advanced are checked.

Problem: IE7 Setup fails to install Internet Explorer

See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917925

Problem: My address bar won't turn green?

IE7 includes a cool new feature that turns the address bar green when a secure site presents an Extended Validation certificate:

If you're having trouble with this feature, on a site you know has an EV certificate:

1. Ensure that you either have the Phishing Filter set to "Automatic" mode or Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Security > Check for Server Certificate revocation checked.

2. If that doesn't work, install this: Windows Root Certificate Update and restart.

Problem: After installing, IE7 starts then vanishes

It's possible that one of IE's DLLs isn't installed correctly

1. Click START - RUN and type cmd
2. In the command prompt, type cd\
3. In the command prompt, type cd Program Files
4. In the command prompt, type cd Internet Explorer
5. In the command prompt, type regsvr32 IEPROXY.DLL

(Reference: http://support.microsoft.com/?id=928427)

Problem: Error message about PSAPI.DLL

If you install IE7 and the following error message begins to show:

The procedure entry point GetProcessImageFileNameW could not be located in the dynamic link library PSAPI.DLL

1. Search your hard disk for PSAPI.dll.

2. Any copies of this DLL that are found outside of the Windows or Windows\System32 folder should be renamed to PSAPI.bak.

Problem: IE always goes to http://runonce.msn.com/runonce2.aspx instead of my homepage

If IE7 always goes to the RunOnce page on startup, even after you've tried to save the first run settings, it's possible that the mechanism that IE is using to save the settings does not work for some reason.

You can prevent IE from going to the RunOnce page and cause it to go directly to your homepage by running this script.

For more info, check out this Knowledge Base article.]

Problem: IE always goes to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx instead of my homepage

If Internet Explorer always goes to this page on startup, it's likely that you have an anti-spyware package (like "SpyBot") that prevented IE from correctly modifying your registry.

Try running this script. Note: you may need to disable your anti-spyware tool temporarily for the script to work.

Problem: On startup, IE always shows an error message about the AOL toolbar

If you see the following error message every time IE starts:

"Cannot find 'file:///C:/Program%20Files/AOL%20Toolbar/welcome.html'. Make sure the path or Internet address is correct."

..then you've hit a bug in the AOL Toolbar.

Try running this script. Note: you may need to disable your anti-spyware tool temporarily for the script to work.

Problem: I installed a "branded" version of IE7, but I'd prefer a "plain" copy without toolbars and customizations.

An article on this topic can be found here: How to remove branding in Internet Explorer 7.

Problem: Malware / Adware

If Internet Explorer is behaving strangely (crashing, visiting unwanted sites, etc), it's possible that there is malicious software installed on your computer.

As a first step, you should allow your antivirus software to scan and attempt to repair your computer. Additionally, you may want to try the following Microsoft tools:

• Windows Defender
• Windows Live OneCare
• Windows Live Safety Center
• Malicious Software Removal Tool

You should also ensure your computer has all the security updates available at Microsoft Update.

Problem: My searches are redirected to unrelated sites and I cannot connect to WindowsUpdate or antivirus websites

If Internet Explorer searches are redirected to unrelated sites or search engines, it's possible that your computer was infected with malware (see the previous tip). However, if your computer is not currently infected with malware, it's possible that at some time in the past, malicious software altered your computer's DNS settings. DNS works like an "internet phonebook" that maps URLs (like "windowsupdate.microsoft.com") to internet protocol addresses (like "207.46.225.221").

To determine if a malicious DNS server is configured:

- Go to Start -> Control Panel ->Network Connections.

- Right click your default connection, usually Local Area Connection or Dial-up Connection, if you are using Dial-up, and left click on Properties.

- Double-click on the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item

Check to see if you're set to something other than "Obtain DNS servers automatically". If so, contact your ISP to ensure that the address specified is correct, or set the "Obtain DNS servers automatically" checkbox. Then restart your computer.

Problem: After opening many tabs, Windows and IE paint abnormally.

See http://blogs.msdn.com/tonyschr/archive/2005/05/25/desktop-heap-limitations.aspx

Problem: A remote user is having networking problems with Internet Explorer. How can I collect information about his system to help me to troubleshoot?

Have the user run Netcheck and send you the log file.

Problem: Overlong headers result in HTTP/4xx or HTTP/5xx errors, particularly on devices like routers or webcams

Problems of this nature are usually caused by one of the two request headers in yellow being longer than the device expects.

GET / HTTP/1.1

Accept: image/gif, image/jpeg, image/pjpeg, application/x-ms-application, application/vnd.ms-xpsdocument, application/xaml+xml, application/x-ms-xbap, application/vnd.ms-excel, application/vnd.ms-powerpoint, application/msword, application/x-shockwave-flash, application/x-silverlight, application/x-silverlight-2-b2, */*

Accept-Language: en-us

User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.0; WOW64; Trident/4.0; SLCC1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.2; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; .NET CLR 3.0.30618; OfficeLiveConnector.1.3; OfficeLivePatch.1.3; MS-RTC LM 8)

Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate

Connection: Keep-Alive

Host: 192.168.10.1

These headers are dynamically generated out of registry keys. They can usually be trimmed by editing the registry without any important side-effects.

To trim the list in the Accept header, click START > RUN > REGEDIT.EXE. Using RegEdit, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Accepted Documents

..and remove elements from the "Name/Type/Value" list to remove values that aren't strictly required. Elements in red are of lower importance than those in black:

image/gif, image/jpeg, image/pjpeg, application/x-ms-application, application/vnd.ms-xpsdocument, application/xaml+xml, application/x-ms-xbap, application/vnd.ms-excel, application/vnd.ms-powerpoint, application/msword, application/x-shockwave-flash, application/x-silverlight, application/x-silverlight-2-b2, */*

A similar problem can occur with the User-Agent header.

To trim the list in the User-Agent header, click START > RUN > REGEDIT.EXE. Using RegEdit, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent\Post Platform

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform

..and remove elements from the "Name/Type/Value" list to remove values that aren't strictly required. Elements in red are of lower importance than those in black:

User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.0; WOW64; Trident/4.0; SLCC1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.2; .NET CLR 3.0.30618; .NET CLR 3.5.30729; OfficeLiveConnector.1.3; OfficeLivePatch.1.3; MS-RTC LM 8)

SEATTLE, WA -- 11/02/09 -- In booth #200 at the 2009 PASS Summit, Idera, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and leading provider of management and administration solutions for Microsoft SQL Server, today announced SQL toolbox(TM), a collection of powerful, easy-to-use products containing more than 25 essential tools for SQL Server database administrators (DBAs) and developers. SQL toolbox combines more than 25 tools for SQL Server database backup, virtual data recovery, database comparison and database administration, all in one value-priced bundle.

The SQL toolbox includes:

-- SQL virtual database(TM) -- A NEW tool that enables instant-access to
critical data in a backup file without wasting the time or storage
necessary to restore the database.
-- SQL safe Lite(TM) -- A lite version of Idera's award-winning SQL
safe(TM) backup and recovery solution for SQL server, SQL safe Lite
delivers record breaking compression and speed using a scriptable interface
(command line and XSP).
-- SQL administration toolset(TM) -- 24 essential desktop tools for
monitoring, troubleshooting, administering and reporting on SQL Server.
-- SQL comparison toolset(TM) -- One product that does the job of two:
object and data comparison, and synchronization of SQL Server databases.


"Idera's SQL toolbox delivers powerful tools that DBAs will use each and every day to save hours of time and provide increased levels of service to their users," said Rick Pleczko, President and CEO of Idera. "When you consider the price of SQL toolbox is around $600 less than the cost of the individual tools, it's easy to see that SQL toolbox provides incredible value for SQL Server DBAs and developers."

Idera also announced new product, SQL virtual database, and a new version of its SQL safe(TM) product. To read the press releases go to http://www.idera.com/Action/Show.aspx?ThisList=News

Pricing and availability

The SQL toolbox is available today at $995 per instance. Idera customers receive automatic notifications when new tools are available, upgrade notifications and even the ability to install upgrades directly from SQL toolbox.

About Idera

Idera provides tools for Microsoft SQL Server, SharePoint and PowerShell management and administration. Our products provide solutions for performance monitoring, backup and recovery, security and auditing and PowerShell scripting. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Idera is a Microsoft Gold Partner and has over 6,000 customers worldwide. To learn more, please contact Idera at +1-713.523.4433 or visit www.idera.com.

Idera is a division of BBS Technologies, Inc. Idera, SQL toolbox, SQL administration toolset, SQL comparison toolset, SQL virtual database and SQL safe are trademarks or registered trademarks of BBS Technologies, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

 
This blog is all about gathering data.
Data means informative data.
This blog will be updated with information which on what i think.
And, this blog will contain information on Coding, and many other things also.
Because i am not here to only focus on Coding. So i will update all such think that i study daily.
I mean i m going to update this blog with information which i m studying daily in my life,
so that this will be a good friend for me which will take care on what i study daily.
And main motive to make this blog is to update myself and to clear the Doubt of the visitors of my blog. So its a great opportunity for people who have doubts so continue asking my Questions.
For the time that's all i think ed about.
Later their will be more stuff added to this blog depends on me and my Blog Visitors mind, which will really entertain all Visitor.

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Due to the very nature of secure channel establishment, it is often difficult to even approach troubleshooting and debugging SSL related issues.

This brief article intends to illustrate the challenges, approaches and tools available for debugging these difficult scenarios.

SSL Description

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a protocol for providing a secure channel of communication between two computers. It makes provisions for data integrity, confidentiality and authentication. Authentication of the server - by the client - provides an assurance of the fact that the traffic has not been diverted to an attacking server. Mutual authentication requires the client to provide credentials to the server over the secure channel.

SSL Handshake Overview

In order to really be able to troubleshoot and debug SSL related issues, we need an understanding of what the protocol actually does on both the client and server sides. This understanding will enable us to quickly categorize the type of problem being encountered and hopefully a category of approaches for tracking down the root cause.


We will touch on issues and troubleshooting approaches in the following categories:

1. Certificate Validation
2. Trust
3. Configuration

So let's briefly describe the protocol with a bit of focus on these three categories.

The client initiates the SSL connection by requesting a channel through the use of a ClientHello handshake message. This message contains the Cipher Suites that are configured to be supported by the client side and are available for the server to choose in creating the most secure channel configuration possible between the two machines. It also contains a random number to be used by the server in the generation of keys - this random number is a result of the configured or default RNG on a given platform.

The server side, in turn, responds with a ServerHello that includes the Cipher Suite selected by the server as the most appropriately secure suite for the channel. If a suitable cipher suite could not be selected from the list of supported suites provided by the client - the request for an SSL connection is denied by the server. It also includes a random number and the certificate that is to be used for authenticating the server to the client. This certificate must be validated by the client in order for it to be trusted as representing the identity asserted by it.


This validation is based on a number of possible factors (driven by configuration):

1.Whether it is expired
2.Whether it has been revoked
3.Whether it was issued by a trusted Certificate Authority
4.Whether the server name within the certificate matches the host name for the current connection

Where Things Can Go Wrong

There are a number of common scenarios that occur as a result of improperly configured environments, clients, servers and certificates that can be categorized into one or more of the afore mentioned categories.

The following are a few descriptions of these scenarios and what the approach to identifying the root cause might be.

Keystores and Truststores
- Categories: Configuration, Trust, Certificate Validation

The client (for mutual authentication) and server each present the other a certificate that represents the identity of the machine its running on. In order for either to present this certificate - it must be available within the appropriate Keystore.

Tip 1: Determine the default certificate for a machine as appropriate for your server and ensure that it exists within the configured Keystore and is available to the process that needs to present it to the corresponding partner process.

Tip 2: Ensure that the issuer of the presented certificate exists within the appropriate Truststore of the recipient process.

Supported Cipher Suites
- Categories: Configuration

As described earlier, the handshake involves the selection of the most secure Cipher Suite by the server from the list of supported suites presented by the client.

If there isn't a common Cipher Suite between the client and server, then there is no way for the two machines to establish a secure channel - as there is no common language that will be understood buy each party that provides the necessary protection offered by SSL.

Tip 3: Ensure that the appropriate Cipher Suites are enabled on the client and server sides in order to establish this common language for secure message exchange.

Tip 4: Utilize SSL debug information to determine which cipher suites has been selected
...








<17849795 SSL3/TLS MAC>

<17849795 received HANDSHAKE>












































...


Tip 5: Utilize a tool such as SSLDump as necessary to see details of the handshake and application data message exchanges
...

11 1 0.0035 (0.0035) C>S SSLv2 compatible client hello

Version 3.1

cipher suites

TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_MD5

SSL2_CK_RC4

TLS_RSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_RC4_128_SHA

TLS_ECDH_ECDSA_WITH_RC4_128_SHA

Unknown value 0x4e

Unknown value 0x2f

Unknown value 0x35

Unknown value 0x4b

Unknown value 0x4c

TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

TLS_ECDH_ECDSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

Unknown value 0x50

TLS_RSA_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_RSA_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

TLS_ECDH_ECDSA_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

Unknown value 0x4f

TLS_RSA_EXPORT1024_WITH_RC4_56_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_WITH_RC2_56_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_EXPORT1024_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_EXPORT1024_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_RC4_40_MD5

SSL2_CK_RC4_EXPORT40

TLS_DHE_DSS_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_DH_anon_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

TLS_DH_anon_WITH_RC4_128_MD5

TLS_DH_anon_WITH_DES_CBC_SHA

TLS_DH_anon_EXPORT_WITH_RC4_40_MD5

TLS_DH_anon_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_DSS_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_DHE_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

TLS_DH_anon_EXPORT_WITH_DES40_CBC_SHA

11 2 0.0053 (0.0017) S>C Handshake

ServerHello

Version 3.1

session_id[0]=


cipherSuite TLS_DH_anon_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

compressionMethod NULL

11 3 0.0053 (0.0000) S>C Handshake

ServerKeyExchange

Short read: 0 bytes available (expecting 2)

11 4 0.0065 (0.0012) S>C Handshake

ServerHelloDone

11 5 0.0976 (0.0910) C>S Handshake

ClientKeyExchange

DiffieHellmanClientPublicValue[128]=

8a 23 78 02 8a a5 fc 03 f4 9b 7c 33 05 22 36 91

85 9d 17 e4 bf bf 0a 3e be 45 25 47 07 e0 9c a2

e5 d6 bf 78 95 f1 84 ca cb cc e4 3e f3 d8 d4 9a

3a 01 71 5c 29 0c 0b f9 69 8d 3e a6 f4 08 f0 36

18 fd a7 b9 3e 30 4e a4 a6 19 d9 d3 64 1c 3c 78

d3 c3 fa 83 07 58 f2 be d2 32 80 c0 32 4e 49 4c

bf 73 1a f2 d8 fd f2 16 c7 31 da 48 58 50 bb 99

3f a4 8c 31 6e 5f ed e8 0d d8 91 cf 8f eb fa d8

11 6 0.0976 (0.0000) C>S ChangeCipherSpec

11 7 0.0976 (0.0000) C>S Handshake

11 8 0.0997 (0.0021) S>C ChangeCipherSpec

11 9 0.1000 (0.0002) S>C Handshake

11 10 0.3580 (0.2580) C>S application_data

11 11 0.3580 (0.0000) C>S application_data

11 12 0.3586 (0.0005) S>C application_data

11 13 2.5039 (2.1453) C>S application_data

11 14 2.5039 (0.0000) C>S application_data

11 15 2.5053 (0.0013) S>C application_data

8 20 31.4483 (3.3621) C>S application_data

8 21 31.4483 (0.0000) C>S application_data

8 22 31.4507 (0.0024) S>C application_data

8 23 31.4508 (0.0000) S>C application_data

8 24 32.0824 (0.6316) C>S application_data

8 25 32.0824 (0.0000) C>S application_data

8 26 32.2550 (0.1726) S>C application_data

8 27 32.2550 (0.0000) S>C application_data

8 28 33.1710 (0.9159) C>S application_data

8 29 33.1710 (0.0000) C>S application_data

8 30 33.1745 (0.0035) S>C application_data

8 31 33.1754 (0.0009) C>S application_data
...

Anonymous Cipher Suite
- Categories: Configuration

The failure of a client or server to reject a certificate that is not trusted may present as potential SSL problem. Recall earlier that I describe the process of selecting the most secure Cipher Suite common between both parties.

In a scenario where one of the parties has only the anonymous Cipher Suite enabled and the other party also has it enabled - even if it is one of many - the anonymous cipher suite will be selected and the connection will not be rejected.

Tip 6: see Tip 5 above - in fact, the example ssldump output above is from troubleshooting just such a scenario

Trusted CA's

- Categories: Trust, Configuration

Unless the issuer of a certificate is found in the Truststore of a client or server involved in the establishment of an SSL connection, the certificate validation will fail.

Tip 7: Determine the Truststore/s in use and whether or not the issuer of the presented certificate exists within the configured Truststore

Tip 8: Utilize keytool in order to dump the contents of the Truststores (or keystores for the presented certificates)

Alias name: ttelesecglobalrootclass3ca
Creation date: Feb 10, 2009
Entry type: trustedCertEntry

Owner: CN=T-TeleSec GlobalRoot Class 3, OU=T-Systems Trust Center, O=T-Systems Enterprise Services GmbH, C=DE
Issuer: CN=T-TeleSec GlobalRoot Class 3, OU=T-Systems Trust Center, O=T-Systems Enterprise Services GmbH, C=DE
Serial number: 1
Valid from: Wed Oct 01 03:29:56 PDT 2008 until: Sat Oct 01 16:59:59 PDT 2033
Certificate fingerprints:
MD5: CA:FB:40:A8:4E:39:92:8A:1D:FE:8E:2F:C4:27:EA:EF
SHA1: 55:A6:72:3E:CB:F2:EC:CD:C3:23:74:70:19:9D:2A:BE:11:E3:81:D1
Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
Version: 3

Extensions:

#1: ObjectId: 2.5.29.15 Criticality=true
KeyUsage [
Key_CertSign
Crl_Sign
]

#2: ObjectId: 2.5.29.19 Criticality=true
BasicConstraints:[
CA:true
PathLen:2147483647
]

#3: ObjectId: 2.5.29.14 Criticality=false
SubjectKeyIdentifier [
KeyIdentifier [
0000: B5 03 F7 76 3B 61 82 6A 12 AA 18 53 EB 03 21 94 ...v;a.j...S..!.
0010: BF FE CE CA ....
]
]


Certificate Expiration
- Categories: Certificate Validation, Configuration

Tip 9: see Tip 8 above - In the example keytool output above you can see the dates for which the particular certificate is valid.

Valid from: Wed Oct 01 03:29:56 PDT 2008 until: Sat Oct 01 16:59:59 PDT 2033

Random Number Generation (RNG) Issue
- Categories: Configuration

Performance issues may be encountered due to low or zero entropy on a server. This entropy results in longer than expected blocking in acquiring the random number seeding from /dev/random. There are a couple potential workarounds.

1.use /dev/urandom - NOTE: this may result in degenerated encryption strength and must be investigated by your system/security administrators
2.patches may be available for your particular Linux flavor or Solaris

Tip 10: Observe through SSL debug output whether or not the handshake is timing out as this is an indicator that perhaps we are blocking on the RNG

Tip 11: Ensure that all related patches have been installed on your machine.

Available Tools and Facts

Like any other specialization, troubleshooting and debugging security - and SSL in particular - presents unique challenges and to address these unique challenges we need to be prepared by having appropriate tools and facts at our disposal.

In order to be productive in this area, we need to know certain things about the environment, management consoles, etc.


Debug output
Each middleware platform provides the ability to configure the server to run with SSL debug logging turned on. This configuration enables the viewer of the logs to see pertinent information regarding the configuration and runtime behavior of the handshaking and application data message exchanges in real time.

Tip 12: Determine what the configuration mechanism is for turning on SSL debug information on your platform. On WebLogic Server the following System Properties are used to configure SSL debug information and can be used on the command line or within start up scripts:

-Dssl.debug=false -Dweblogic.StdoutDebugEnabled=true -Dweblogic.security.SSL.verbose=true

Tip 13: When you have access to starting the server with these System properties do so immediately - the information that it creates will be valuable - if not to you then to someone else that is pulled in to help debug - at which time you will be request to do so anyway and go through the whole thing again.

SSLDump

In cases where we don't have access to the server to restart with SSL debug logging or when we would like to supplement that output with additional information SSLDump is hugely valuable.

ssldump is an SSLv3/TLS network protocol analyzer. It identifies TCP connections on the chosen network interface and attempts to interpret them as SSLv3/TLS traffic. When it identifies SSLv3/TLS traffic, it decodes the records and displays them in a textual form to stdout. If provided with the appropriate keying material, it will also decrypt the connections and display the application data traffic.

Tip 14: Download a copy of ssldump from http://www.rtfm.com/ssldump/. You will need to build it on your platform and you may actually need to resolve a couple compilation errors - but it is well worth it.

Examples:

To listen to traffic on port 443:
ssldump -i eth0 port 443

To listen to traffic to the server target on port 443:
ssldump -i eth0 port 443 and host target

To decrypt traffic to the host target server.pem and the password foobar:
ssldump -i eth0 -Ad -k ~/server.pem -p foobar host target

Generic SSL Client

Once you have ssldump built and running on your machine, you can use any SSL client to target the server that you are trying to troubleshoot. Often a browser will suffice - however you may need to build a client more appropriate for your usecase.

Tip 15: Utilize ssldump, SSL debug logging and your SSL client to observe the messages exchanged and the runtime behavior that manifests as a result of your current configuration.

Platform Specific Knowledge

Become intimately familiar with where the appropriate keystores, truststores, configuration files and management consoles are located.

Tip 16: Maintain a checklist of this information and keep it handy so that you don't have to rediscover it every time you encounter SSL issues.

Books

SSL and TLS: Designing and Building Secure Systems, Addison-Wesley, 2001 ISBN 0-201-61598-3

http://www.rtfm.com/sslbook/