Challenge of Day

How to convert a string XML to data type XML in Visual Basic VB .NET

2011-02-14T21:21:00.003-05:00

Hello,
It is quite common to convert a file containing an XML content to XML data type and then other ADO .NET objects.
Here is a sample program:

dim x as XMLReader
dim s as String

x = XMLReader.create("c:\baridsoft\orders.xml")

Now you can play with object "x" and manipulate it using Readxxxx methods. But the question is that most of the times you have your XML in memory with a string presentation.

Dim sr As New System.IO.StringReader("ali khademi20")
Dim xx As New Xml.XmlTextReader(sr)
xx = XmlReader.Create(sr)

Here is a sample program that is supposed to convert string to XML but it will trap in exception:
Unable to cast object of type 'System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl' to type 'System.Xml.XmlTextReader'.

Here is the solution to this problem:

Dim sr As New StringReader("ali khademi20")
Dim xx As New Xml.XmlTextReader(sr)

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

DataSet.GetXML Does Not Return Null Values

2010-11-19T14:51:00.006-05:00

Hello,
XML is the defacto of data exchange and is used heavily as a means for presenting and transfering the data.
.NET framework provides a lot of facilities for manipulaitng this data type but when it comes to representing a data set with XML, .NET framework simply does not includes fields by null values. In other word, null fields are omitted in the output XML.
This is a known issue and you can read about it in this knowledgebase article by Microsoft.
There are two possible solutions to this problem:
1 - Either modify your SELECT statement and replace NULL values in the result set with some other values (e.g. Blank or Zero)
2 - You have to write your own GetXML method like this: This code snippet retrieves result set from a stored procedure and makes the XML string.

Dim conn As New OracleConnection
conn.ConnectionString = "data source=oracle;user id=baridsoft;pwd=barid"
conn.Open()
Dim ds As New DataSet
Dim da As New OracleDataAdapter
Dim cmd As New OracleCommand
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure
cmd.CommandText = "sp_stored_procedure"
Dim p1 As OracleParameter
p1 = cmd.Parameters.Add("grs", OracleType.Cursor)
p1.Direction = ParameterDirection.Output
cmd.Connection = conn
da.SelectCommand = cmd
da.Fill(ds, "mytbl")
If ds.Tables.Contains("mytbl") Then
ds.Tables("mytbl").WriteXml("c:\ali\prr1.xml", XmlWriteMode.IgnoreSchema, True)
Dim strXML As String = ""
strXML = "" + vbCrLf
For Each r As DataRow In ds.Tables("mytbl").Rows
strXML = strXML + "" + vbCrLf
Dim st As String = ""
For i As Integer = 0 To r.ItemArray.Count - 1
st = st + "<" + ds.Tables("mytbl").Columns(i).ColumnName + ">"
If r.IsNull(i) Then
Else
st = st + r(i).ToString
End If
st = st + "" + vbCrLf
Next
strXML = strXML + st + "" + vbCrLf
Next strXML = strXML + "" + vbCrLf
End If
conn.Close()

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

Dr. Kordi Shoes

2010-10-14T20:59:00.003-04:00

Hello,
This is an attemp to run a shoes company web site. You can view it at http://eshop.kordishoes.com

Be a winner in daily challenges
Ali Khademi

System.Data.OracleClient Requires Oracle Client Software Version 8.1 or Later

2010-07-13T13:14:00.002-04:00

Hello,
Couple of days ago, I was asked to make some enhancements to an old Visual Basic .NET program developed by Visual Studio 2003.
After upgrading the application and doing some refactoring, I replaced the (old) ADODB wrapper with System.Data.OracleClient.
The deployment environment is Windows 2000 Server which was updated with latest Microsoft patches including Service Pack and .NET Framework 3.5
After deploying the new program, it started to generate this error message:

System.Data.OracleClient Requires Oracle Client Software Version 8.1 or Later

It was very strand because the computer was running Oracle client 9.1 already.

I tried Oracle's Metalink knowledgebase. The closest shot (ID 1097598.1) stated this problem statement:

The following error may display when starting Performance Management Architect (EPMA) services on an Oracle database:"Service cannot be started. System.Exception: System.Data.OracleClient requires Oracle client software version 8.1.7 or greater."

And this document suggests this approach:

1- Log on to the MS Windows machine with the Administrator account.
2- Start MS Windows Explorer.
3- Navigate to the directory: ORACLE_HOME folder.
4- Right Click and choose the properties on the ORACLE_HOME folder.
5- Click the Security tab of the Properties window.
6- Click on the Authenticated Users in the Name list.
7- Uncheck the Read and Execute box in the Permissions list under the Allow column.
8- Recheck the Read and Execute box again.
9- Click the Advanced button.
10- In Permission Entries verify that Authenticated Users are listed with permission set to Read & Execute and Apply to set to: This folder ORACLE_HOME, subfolders and files.
11- Click OK to exit the security properties windows.
12- Restart the computer to ensure the changes take effect.

I followed above instructions but it did not solve my problem.

I also tried different recipes on the internet. Most of them suggesting similar solutions which was not helpful for me.

My workaround:

Finally I decided to upgrade Oracle Client from 9.1 to 9.2 and it worked successfully. To do so,
1 - I uninstalled the Oracle client by using Oracle Universal Installer.
2 - I went through all the Windows Registry (RegEdit.EXE) and cleaned all the entries were created by Oracle
3 - I restarted the computer
4 - I removed all the remaining Oracle files and folders from Windows Explorer including the one under "Program Files" folder and also OCI.DLL
5 - I installed new Oracle client program.

Be a winner in your daily challenges

Ali Khademi

ISA (Internet Security and Acceleration) Blocks Outlook's POP3 and SMTP Mail Accounts

2009-11-04T12:44:00.003-05:00

Hello,
It is quite possible that your computer resides in a protected network, behind a proxy (MS ISA or Intenet Security and Acceleration) and you want to use our Microsoft Outlook to receive your emails from your POP3 mail server. In this case you might receive error 0x80090040 or 0x80042108 telling you Outlook cannot find your server or cannot connect to your POP3.
To work around this, 3 steps should be done:
1 - Make sure POP3, SMPTP and DNS protocols are open on your ISA. For this you should have an access rule allowing those 3 protocols from INTERNAL NETWORK to EXTERNAL NETWORK.
2 - Open the Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server management console, expand the server name and the expand the Configuration node then click on the General node. In the General node, click on the Define Firewall Client Settings link in the Details pane. In the Firewall Client Settings dialog box, click the Application Settings tab. Pickup Outlook and change Key Value of Disbale to 0

3 - On your local computer, reconfigure your ISA client to refresh its local cache. Make sure firewall client on your computer is enabled as it is responsible to route your requests to ISA server.

Now restart your Outlook and try send or receive again. I assume that you have correct configuration for your email account.

Be a Winner in Your Daily Challenges.

Ali Khademi

Calling Oracle Stored Procedure from VB .NET

2009-11-04T12:09:00.003-05:00

Hello,
Calling Oracle Stored Procedure from VB .NET is not something new but since a Don from Cartersville asked me this question, I will explain it here. In general here is the source code to perfome this task:

Public Sub CallOracleStoreProceudre()
Dim conn As New OracleConnection("data source=baridsoft;user id=ali, pwd=khademi")
Try
conn.Open()
Dim cmd As New OracleCommand
cmd.Connection = conn
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure
cmd.CommandText = "OracleSP"
Dim p1 As OracleParameter
Dim p2 As OracleParameter

p1 = cmd.Parameters.Add("Param1", OracleType.NVarChar)
p1.Value = "Value1"
p2 = cmd.Parameters.Add("Param2", OracleType.Double)
p2.Value = 10

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()

Catch ex As Exception
'Handle exceptions here
End Try
conn.close()
End Sub

This VB .NET subroutine calls OracleSP which accepts 2 parameters. It is quite possible to return a result set to calling subroutine. To do so replace the call to
cmd.ExecuteNonQuery with this line:

dim r as new SqlDataReader = cmd.ExecuteReader()

Then you can iterate through your data and process it. (like below)
while r.read
' Do what ever you want
end while

ADO .NET has got wonderfull capabilities when coming to RESTfull data sources. I will cover it sometimes latter.

Here is an example of calling Oracle Stored Function as well:

Public Sub CallOracleStoredFunction()
Dim conn As New OracleConnection("data source=BaridSoft;user id=Ali Khademi;pwd=DoNotAskDoNotTell")
Try
conn.Open()
Dim cmd As New OracleCommand
cmd.Connection = conn
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure
cmd.CommandText = "sf_my_function"
Dim p1 As OracleParameter
Dim p2 As OracleParameter
Dim p3 As OracleParameter
Dim p4 As OracleParameter

p1 = cmd.Parameters.Add("param1", OracleType.NVarChar)
p1.Value = "123456"
p2 = cmd.Parameters.Add("param2", OracleType.NVarChar)
p2.Value = "Mn"
p3 = cmd.Parameters.Add("param3", OracleType.Number)
p3.Value = 10
p4 = cmd.Parameters.Add("v", OracleType.Int16)
p4.Direction = ParameterDirection.ReturnValue
Dim n As Integer
n = cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()
MsgBox("Function successfully executed. Return value is " + p4.Value.ToString, MsgBoxStyle.OkOnly, "Function Call")
conn.Close()
Catch ex As Exception
' handle exceptions here
End Try
End Sub

Be a winner in your daily challenges

Ali Khademi

PowerBuilder 12 Beta 2 Presentation by Sybex

2009-10-27T16:07:00.002-04:00

Hello,
Today I watched the live official webcast about PowerBuilder 12 Beta 2 by Sybex company. For a long time developers were waiting about this event to see what is new in PowerBuilder 12.
First interesting point to my eyes is the estimated launch time of this product which will be second quarter 2010 which is almost 8 month from now. It means that whatever was presented today, was just a prototype.
I believe Sybex decided to support .NET platform because it was not successful in its Java targets (Tiger) in previous versions of PowerBuilder. Sybex could not find its place in the community of Java Open Source developers and could not impress the technology with its products and as a result, they decided to return back to Microsoft managed code platform.
Based on the presentation, they have just created a PowerBuilder to C# translator and then they call C# compiler from Visual Studio to generate managed code. I think they would have better just create a compiler for PowerScript.
They do not support compact framework, LINQ, Silverlight and many other new feathers in the framework and based my experience from PowerBuilder, in the same way that previous version was not integrated thightly with Java technology, the new generation will not be integrated with .NET framework.
At the end I have pasted list of question and answeres from technical team. It will help you realize more about this product.

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

+++++++++++++ Here is the questions and answers from live cast +++++++++++++++++++++++++

Question: Migration of a PFC app to .net is possible now? It was not in beta 1.
Answer: I believe the runtime team has been able to migrate some PFC apps
Question: Can we get a copy of this PowerPoint somehow?
Answer: Yes, please send me your email address at melindaw@sybase.com and I will follow up with you
Question: what does wpf stand for
Answer: Windows Presentation Foundation (a TM of Microsoft)
Question: PB code is migrated to .NET. does that mean it will generate C# or other .NET app code? or it will still be a PB code (PB Script)
Answer: THere is an intermediate generation of C#, and that is compiled. You still code in PowerScript and XAML
Question: What is the future of Datawindow.Net?
Answer: We are going to evaluate the product after we deliver PB 12 to market. All of our engineering resources have been reallocated to working on v12 as it is such a significant release.
Question: Will the behavior of PB WPF controls be made more consistent with standard WPF controls? (ie: auto-resizing)
Answer: PB WPF controls are inherited from std WPF controls, and so support the same behavior...the difference you may be seeing is in the set of properties generated for the PB controls. You can change the width and height to "auto" to get auto-resize
Question: Can PB.NET WPF windows be integrated into a standard WPF .NET application (in Visual Studio)?
Answer: I am not sure I understand the question - if you are asking if you can develop parts of an application in PB and parts in VS, the answer is yes. PB builds and deploys .NET code.
Question: Can we open ancestor and child object at the same time? Was not it better that you just supply your PB# compiler instead of your ide?
Private Answer: This was just answered...
Question: will we be able to import datawindow at runtime from syntax stored in database in WPF mode?
Answer: yes
Question: will PB(Power Script) be added as a separat (NEW) language for .NET development? like PB.NET / C# . NET?
Answer: If you're asking if it wil be added to Visual Studio, the are not plans at the current time to do so.
Question: but it will be similar to C#/.NET?
Answer: It will produce managed code like any other .net language and can communicate with any .net language, which is the point of having different languages all run in the CLR. We don't want to change powerbuilder's language because that is what makes developing in PowerBuilder so simple! And, unlike MSOFT or any other vendor, we are protecting our customers' existing investment in code, and not going to make them learn a new language.
Question: Any enhancement to the source control interface? Automated build scripts (pull a PB application from source control by date/label and build it purely from what's in the repository) are currently very difficult. (Using TFS here)
Answer: Our goal is to support what VS has in the shell, including TFS in the future. For now, we still provide support to source code control via the MS SCC interface.
Question: I guess to clarify my question further can you launch PB WPF windows stored in a PB target (assembly) from a master WPF application written in C# easily?
Answer: Unfortunately, this is not a use case we've looked at.
Question: Books availalbe for PB 11.5 or PB 12????
Answer: There are lots of online tutorials and samples being created for learning these releases.
Question: When the pocket powerbuilder with CE .NET framework is available?
Answer: We currently don't have a schedule for delivering this support. Like with DW .NET, we are waiting until we are ready to deliver v12, and will then re-evaluate the product roadmap at that time. Part of the challenge is waiting to see what MSOFT delivers for Windows Mobile 7. Ultimately, we want mobile targets inside of PowerBuilder and customers should be able to leverage existing PocketBuilder code and bring it back inside of PowerBuilder
Question: You have not looked at it from the standpoint of trying it or it will not work? We have a lot of legacy PB code and new C# .NET WPF code. We are looking to migrate our PB Classic code to PB.NET and I am wondering if it is possible?
Answer: I may have misunderstood your original question - it won't be like C# in that we aren't changing the way you code in PowerBuilder. Our intent is to help you migrate as much of your PowerBuilder Win32 code to WPF - so I think we are planning to do just what you're looking for. The migration utility is something we'd like you to test in beta.
Question: Will this presentation be available for download?
Answer: send me an email at melindaw@sybase.com and I will get it to you
Question: is the Asp.net application developed and deployed from PB12 managed code?
Answer: Yes, it's managed code.
Question: Is the Beta 2 Release/Upgrade the same as the “Beta 2 Refresh” or are all the updates referred for the “Beta 2 Refresh”, a release/upgrade planned for after the Beta 2 Release/Upgrade?
Answer: So beta 2 is different from the beta 2 refresh. the refresh is as you expected, bug fixes and CRs to the beta 2 software release
Question: Can we say in order to get best of .NET framework, we have to rewrite our legacy PB program again?
Answer: It really depends upon how well your application is written. Our goal is to make leveraging .NET as easy as possible, which is why we have a migration utility to bring your Win32 code to .NET. If you've written a well partitioned application, and you now would like to leverage services available in the .NET framework, you should be able to do so with relative ease. It's hard to answer because people build so many different types of applications with different coding styles.
Question: Does Beta 2 work with VS 10 Beta ?
Answer: We are building PowerBuilder on top of the shell so you wouldn't use Visual Studio with PowerBuilder.
Question: Will there be support for PFC migration? Or should we scrap PFC and re-write?
Answer: Engineering is migrationg PFC applications during the development process and will be documenting the process and we will make this available in a "how -to" doc format for customers before GA.
Question: will PB still be generating PCode when compiling the objects?
Answer: PB.NET translates to C# as an intermediate step, and that C# is compiled directly to the CLR. There is no PCode with WPF targets.
Question: Future - How long will Sybase continue support for the “Classic” IDE, in reference to PB 12 .Net vs PB 12 Classic? What is Sybase’s direction/mission/vision in this matter?
Answer: We don't have any plans to discontinue any support for Win32. Our current plans are to support version 12 as a complete release, that is, we will support it in the same fashion that we have done in the past for all other releases, it will have a specific lifetime. But, I think Win32 is at the root of your question, and MS does not have plans to discontinue support for Win32 applications, and we will continue to follow their lead in this area.
Question: It is possible to build a Mixed solution where some of the projects are developed in PB12.net ant others in VS 10 ?
Answer: Yes
Question: I will try my question a different way. If we have an existing C# WPF application that is written in Visual Studio, can we integrate windows created in PB.NET (in order to leverage our legacy PB Classic code that was ported to PB.NET)? More specifically, could we launch a PB.NET window from a menu (or action) inside of a C# WPF application written in Visual Studio? This way we can integrate the two environments seemlessly to the end user.
Answer: The short answer is this is not supported.
Question: Do you support Silverlight as well?
Answer: We will be providing support in a future release - MSOFT is adding an IDE for Silverlight support in their next release of VS.
Question: May I have a copy of slides of today's presentation?
Answer: Send me an email at melindaw@sybase.com for the slides
Question: What prevents it from being supported (calling PB.NET WPF windows from an action written in a C# WPF application)? This is critical to our integration of multiple environments.
Answer: The only scenario we currently support for deploying PB objects and using them from another .NET language is the .NET Assembly target, and in that case I believe we are only supporting non-visual objects. While
Question: Does Sybase have plans to support deploying applications as SilverLight?
Answer: That is our current plan for a release post -v12.
Question: I can export dw to PDF without ghostscript
Answer: We are supporting MSOFTs implementation of PDF
Question: What is the target release date for PB12?
Answer: Currently it's in the latter part of the first half of 2010. Likley Q2 2010
Question: Are there 2 types of richTextedit datawindows in PB 12 or only the WPF type?
Answer: There is support in both WPF and Classic but they have different providers; in Win32 we have a specific OEM control built into the product and in WPF we use WPF natively.
Question: For 2010 budget planning - Currently we are planning to continue in your PB 12 .Net Beta program, while maintaining our PB 9.0 development environment. What will be the basic/base cost in 2010, for old classic PB developers to make this leap?
Answer: It would simply be the cost of new development licenses for v12 - $2995/seat is the list price.
Question: Can you use standard .NET WPF controls inside of PB.NET or do you have to use ALL of the PB.NET WPF controls?
Answer: You can use both.
Question: Do we have support for LINQ? Is PB 12 IDE is extensible?
Answer: LINQ is not supported in 12. The PB.NET IDE is extensible, but it depends, so let us know what specifically you have in mind.
Question: are there runtime licensing fees for 12.0?
Answer: No, only developer licenses.
Question: How can I use DataWindow in a VB program?
Answer: DataWindow .NET is available as a plugin for Visual Studio.
Question: For future budget planning - Once a new PB v12 .Net development licenses has been purchased (“$2995/seat is the list price”), what will be the annual maintenance costs?
Answer: The best deal is to purchase a USP (upgrade subscription @$645 annually.) This will give you a new release if it is delivered within 12 months of your purchase, and you can renew it annually for the same fee; two years of USP is still less than an update license. There are other options available for support.
Question: Is PB 12 supported on 64-bit Windows OS during the beta?
Answer: yes, for deployment
Question: what about 64-bit support for the development environment?
Answer: It will likely run but it is not something we test.
Question: going to the xml-fo, now that pb 12 can create pdf without ghostscript, can i feed it xml-fo and have it create a pdf file, i.e. acting like a fop
Answer: Likely not - the FOP processor is Java-based, while PB12's PDF generation is using the .NET Framework.
Question: is the .net framework required for pb 12
Answer: Yes, 3.5, but we redistribute.
Question: Is multi-threading supported in PB12?
Answer: I don't believe there is anything preventing you from using the .NET Framework Thread object within PowerScript. It should translate during our 'pb2cs' compile.

Virtualization and Cloning Your Virtual Windows

2009-08-19T09:46:00.000-04:00

Hello,
If you have started using Hyper-V on Microsoft Windows 2008, you might have found many new exciting and powerful featuers and at the same tiem you have found that many important features like Shared SCSI devices are lost which means creating virtualized clusters is hassle and challenging for you.
Anyway, the best thing with Hyper-V is to create you virtual Windows and clone it with copy/paste/rename of the VHD file and then create a new virtual Windows again.
The challenge in this between is SID of your new virtual Windows. Yes it is as same as original virtual one! A quick solution for you is using SYSINTERNAL's useful utility NewSID. You can download it from http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/NewSid.html. NewSID could be used for real or virtualized Windows
NewSID generates a random SID for the computer and replaces every occurrence of the old SID with the new one. NewSID can also change the name of the computer, which is useful if you've cloned a complete base image.
You can use the command line as well:

newsid /a [new_name]

Note that you will have to restart your computer.

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

How to automatically redirect a browser to another web page

2009-02-11T12:47:00.005-05:00

Hello,
You might have been looking for this basic question. Suppose that you have page1 but the whole contents have been moved to new address and at the same time you do not want remove page1 completely. How do you redirect visitors to new address automatically?
Two easy solutions:
1 - Use "refresh" meta command:
The syntax for the "refresh" meta command is
{meta http-equiv="refresh" content="N; URL=other-web-address"}
(do not forget to replace { with < and } with >)
where N is the approximate number of seconds that you want the current web page to be displayed before the browser automatically goes to the other web address. If N=0, then the browser should go immediately to the other web address.
Here is an example:
{meta http-equiv="refresh" content="4; URL=http://www.letsmeet.ca"}

2 - Using JavaScript:
By using JavaScript, you can easily redirect user as well:
{
script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
{!--
window.setTimeout('window.location="http://www.letsmeet.ca/"; ',4000);
// --}
{/script}

Be a winner in your daily challenges

Ali Khademi

Microsoft Office Communications Server Validation Fails

2009-02-06T02:09:00.005-05:00

Hello

If you are stuck with this error message:

Failed to register user: User sip: ali@qvoip.com @ Server ora.qvoip.com
Failed registration response: [
SIP/2.0 404 Not Found
FROM: ;epid=epid00;tag=74c8a3b6cd
TO: ;tag=C86D3278207DF163521E38386B5EDDF5
CSEQ: 2 REGISTER
CALL-ID: a5fa02f7a073435d90cfe146df393e28
VIA: SIP/2.0/TLS 10.65.0.21:3086;branch=z9hG4bK9fc22973;ms-received-port=3086;ms-received-cid=700
CONTENT-LENGTH: 0
AUTHENTICATION-INFO: Kerberos rspauth="602306092A864886F71201020201011100FFFFFFFF977F5DB20C9783B6FDD6516A0AF6F261", srand="D4C7A34D", snum="1", opaque="42D17134", qop="auth", targetname="sip/qvoip.com", realm="SIP Communications Service"
ms-diagnostics: 4005;reason="Destination URI either not enabled for SIP or does not exist";source="ora.qvoip.com"

Then before surfing the web and going for extraordinary ideas, check if users you are introducing are:
1 - Memeber of RCTUniversalServerAdmins
2 - Make them administrator of local computer
3 - Make sure you have make them SIP Enabled. For this reason, after installation of Office Communications Server, in Active Directory Users, right click on the users and follow the SIP enable wizard.

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

How to catch Oracle DB Lock Culprit

2009-02-05T12:58:00.002-05:00

Hello,

If you have your data in Oracle database, you might want to know who (program, users) has caused a database lock. The follwing script will help you find out more about responsible program:

select
(select substr(username,1,10) from gv$session where sid=a.sid) as locker_name,
(select substr(osuser,1,10) from gv$session where sid=a.sid) as locker_osname,
(select substr(machine,1,20) from gv$session where sid=a.sid) as locker_machine,
(select substr(program,1,10) from gv$session where sid=a.sid) as locker_program,
a.sid, ' is blocking ',
(select substr(username,1,10) from gv$session where sid=b.sid) lockee_name,
(select substr(osuser,1,10) from gv$session where sid=b.sid) as lockee_osname,
(select substr(program,1,10) from gv$session where sid = b.sid) as lockee_program,
b.sid,
' with this dml:',
s.sql_text
from
gv$lock a, gv$lock b, v$open_cursor o, v$sql s
where
a.block = 1
and b.request > 0
and a.sid = o.sid
and o.sql_id = s.sql_id
and a.id1 = b.id1
and a.id2 = b.id2;

You should connect to your database as SYS as SYSADM in order to be able to run this script. Columns of this script are self-explained. Use the last column to find the spot in the locker program to fix the issue.

Your next question might be how to kill the Oracle session responsible for this lock? There are two ways:
1 - In command prompt type: OraKill OraSID PID (PID comes from v$session)
2 - In SqlPlus: alter system kill session 'sid,serial#' immediate;

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

How to install a Local Certificate Authority on your Domain

2009-02-05T12:23:00.004-05:00

Hello,
As you know CA is issued by an Authority to certify that you are you! If you want to obtain a CA not only you should pay money but also you should submit your documents to issuer and prove that you are you!
Now suppose that you just want to test a software for example Microsoft Office Communications Server and you need a temporary CA. Solution is not that much complicated.
If you are Linux or Unix oriented, you need to download an OpenSSL software, install it on your server and issue a certificate.
If you are Microsoft oriented, it is much easier. In Windows 2003, Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Add Remove Programs -> Server components and select "Certificate services". You might need the installation CD. Follow the wizard:

1 - On the Certificate Authority Type page, verify that Enterprise root CA is selected, and then click Next.
2 - Enter the information for CA Identifying Information using the values in the preceding table. Click Next.
3 - On the Certificate Database Settings page, click Next to accept the default database and log locations.
4 - Click Yes to stop IIS.
5 - If you are prompted, provide the path to the Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition files.
6 - A dialog box may appear indicating that Active Server Pages (ASP) must be enabled. In response to whether you want to enable ASP now, click YES and close the dialog box.
7 - Click Finish.

Now you have your CA for your test server.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.

Ali Khademi.
P.S. In order to review our happy family diary, visit http://happyfamily.persianblog.ir

Microsoft Office Communications Server Requires Digital Certificate!

2009-01-27T11:01:00.003-05:00

Hello,
I tried to install the evaluation version of Office Communications Server Standard Edition to see how it works. Beside the hard time I had to install this software, To my eyes it is funny that this software does not work because it requires you to install a digital certificate otherwise it does not work.
I am not an expert guy but a digital certificate is a means for providing security. If you are going to evaluate a software, probably security is not your first check point. Why OCS does not notice that?

I have posted a message on the MSDN forums regarding this. You can review the thread at:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/communicationsserversdk/threads/#page:1

Be a winner in your daily challenges.

Ali Khademi

Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000 Bin File

2009-01-24T00:52:00.002-05:00

Hello
Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000 Bin File? follow the light.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

P.S.: Do not forget to read Happy Family weblog at http://happyfamily.persianblog.ir

Installation of Office Communications Server Fails !

2009-01-23T18:25:00.003-05:00

Hello,
I am stuck with this error message:
At the time of Delegate Setup Task, after presenting delegate information, I receive this error message:

Create OU Delegation Failure [0x80072030] There is no such object on the server.

I was wondering if somebody could give me a clue.

I am installing Office Communications Server 2007 on Windows 2003 Service Pack 2

Solution:
To workaround this problem, most probably the setup delegate group you have created is a global group. You should make this group as universal though Microsoft Documents says global group will work also.

Be a winner in your daily challenges

Ali Khademi

How to find out your computer's DN in your Active Directory

2009-01-22T10:19:00.005-05:00

Hello,
From time to time you need to know your DN (Distingueshed Name) for one of the objects (for example a computer) in your Network Directory or simply Active Directory in Microsoft terminology.
Usually here is DN for any given computer name (e.g. ALI) in your domain (e.g. BARIDSOFT.CA)
CN=ALI, CN=COMPUTERS, DN=BARIDSOFT, DN=CA
Here is a very simple VBScript that can help you find out exact DN for the computer name. To run this script, save it as SCRIPT.VBS and double click on it in Windows Explorer:

'------------------------------------------------------------
Dim sDNSDomain, oTrans, sNetBiosDomain, sAdsPath, sComputer, oUser
Dim WshNetwork : Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")

' Determine DNS domain name from RootDSE object.
Dim oRoot : Set oRoot = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
sDNSDomain = oRoot.Get("DefaultNamingContext")
' Use the NameTranslate object to find the NetBIOS
' domain name from the DNS domain name.
Set oTrans = CreateObject("NameTranslate")
oTrans.Init 3, sDNSDomain
oTrans.Set 1, sDNSDomain
sNetBIOSDomain = oTrans.Get(3)

' Use NameTranslate to convert the NT user name to the
' DistinguishedName required for the LDAP provider.
oTrans.Init 1, Left(sNetBIOSDomain, _
Len(sNetBIOSDomain) - 1)
oTrans.Set 3, sNetBIOSDomain & sNTName
sAdsPath = oTrans.Get(1)

' Bind to the user object in AD with the LDAP provider.
Set oUser = GetObject("LDAP://" & sAdsPath)

' Use NameTranslate to convert the NT name of the computer
' to the DistinguishedName required by LDAP.
' Computer names must end with "$".
sComputer = InputBox("Please enter Computer Name, hit enter if Local PC.","Enter PC Name", "Local")'
If ucase(sComputer) = "LOCAL" then
sComputer = WshNetwork.ComputerName
ElseIf IsEmpty(sComputer) Then
Msgbox "No Name, Exit"
wscript.Quit
End If

oTrans.Set 3, sNetBIOSDomain & sComputer & "$"
sAdsPath = oTrans.Get(1)

' Bind to the computer object in AD with the LDAP provider.
Set oComputer = GetObject("LDAP://" & sAdsPath)
'Should be able to add objComputer.DeleteObject (0) here to delete the PC.

msgbox sAdsPath

'-------------------------------------------------------------
Also there is another useful tool, name is ADSIEdit.msc which you can find it in "c:\program files\support tools" folder. This MMC will give you a complete list of DN of your directory.

Be a winner in your daily challenges!
Ali Khademi
P.S.: Do not forget to read and follow Happy Family weblogs at http://happyfamily.persianblog.ir

Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000

2009-01-09T20:06:00.005-05:00

Hello
Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000 Bin File? follow the light.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

P.S.: Do not forget to read Happy Family weblog.

SDK For Developing VoIP Application

2008-12-29T11:29:00.002-05:00

Hello,
Still I am looking for a SDK that I can develop VoIP application in .NET Framework which has capability connection to ordinary PSTN phone line.
I have tried some other as well:

>>>> SIP .NET by independentsoft.com : The evaluation compiles and run but since it is SIP based, you cannot call an ordinary phone line. I have sent them an email and waiting for their reply. This is their explanation about SIP .NET:
SIP .NET is Session Initiation Protocol API for .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework. Features includes: Digest authentication, Supports TCP and UDP protocols, Supports call holds, waiting, transfer, forward, Supports methods: REGISTER, INVITE, OPTIONS, PRACK, ACK, BYE, CANCEL, MESSAGE, SUBSCRIBE, NOTIFY, UPDATE, INFO, FEFER, PUBLISH. Create SDP message, Parse SDP message, Register, Unregister, Invite to session, Cancel session, End session, Send message, Send Info, Update session, Subscribe, Refresh, Notify, Presence, Instant messaging, Logging

>>>> VaxVoIP SIP SDK from vaxvoip.com: I downloaded the trial version. It installs easily and runs without problem. I could not test it because I do not have any SIP server! I have sent them an email and still waiting for reply.

Be a winner in your daily challenges

Ali Khademi

VoIP Application in .NET

2008-12-24T13:43:00.003-05:00

Hello,
I am desperatly looking for a SDK which I can develop a VoIP application that can make call from PC to (PSTN) phone line. This SDK should be able to connect SIP protocol to ordinary phone line.
If you search on the web, you will find a lot of people who claim have the best SDK but according to my experience, they do not do what I am looking for.
Here are some samples:

>>>> Conaito VoIP EVO Enterprise SDK: do not support PSTN. It is only a voice messenger and it is channel oriented which means you cannot wake up other party. Other party should be on-line already!
Here is Conaito's explanation: The Conaito VoIP SDK contains a hight performance VoIP conferencing client capable of delivering crystal clear sound even for both low and high-bandwidth users. The enlarged version of the Conaito VoIP EVO SDK enables to record calls and this can be very use full for recalling discussions with....

>>>> SIP VoIP SoftPhone by abtollc.com: Their trial version does not work and they even did not bother to reply to my emails.
Here is their explanation: Our brand-new VoIP SIP SDK provides a powerfull and highly customizable solution to quickly add SIP based dial and receive phone calls features in your software applications. It accelerates the development of SIP compliant soft phone with a fully-customizable user interface and brand anme. The Abto LLC VoIP SIP SDK contains a high performance VoIP conferencing client capable fo delivering crystal clear sound even for both low and high-bandwidth users and SIP compatible devices. It supports STMF, adaptive silence detection, adaptive jitter buffer....

>>>> VoIP H323DLL v1.1 by Research-Lab.com: It claims some capabilities but the trial version does nothing important. It tried .NET sample and even I could not compile it in the first place. After a tricky compile, sample throws exceptions at time of showing main form! I have sent them an email. Still I have not received reply....

>>>> VoIP SIP Phone DLL by Research-Lab.com: It claims allows to make PC-PC, PC-Phone or Phone-Phone calls or create Instant Messaging (IM) sessions over the internet and SDK brings protocol support for ActiveX and it eases implmentation of a customized VOIP solution eliminating PSTN lines. In practice when I downloaded this SDK and installed, I found it very similar to VoIP H323DLL v1.1 (see above) and although .NET Sample compiled, it did not work at all! Again I sent an email to vendor and I have not received a reply yet.

>>>> SIPEK SoftPhone: This is an open source but either it was too professional for me or it did not work. Still I am not sure if it supports connection to PSTN. This SDK works based on SIP and demo did not worked for me. Sample C# application also does not work as it assumes some default port/host/uid/pwd/proxy.

At the end, somebody please give me a clue about where to look for a SDK.

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi
علي خادمي

Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000

2008-12-24T13:41:00.001-05:00

Hello
Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000, follow the light.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

ORA-28575: unable to open RPC connection to external procedure agent

2008-12-23T09:53:00.003-05:00

Hello,
If you are in the middle of process of calling a COM+ object from within Oracle PL/SQL, you might receive this error message:

ORA-28575: unable to open RPC connection to external procedure agent

Most probably the reason for this error message is the misconfiguration of Oracle Listener. To configure Oracle Listener properly, you need to modify two fondamental files in your Oracle Home sub-folder, something like this:
c:\oracle\product\10.2.0\db_1\network\admin

First file is LISTENER.ORA. Here is the typical content you need to have for calling COM Object:
LISTENER =
(ADDRESS_LIST =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = IPC)(KEY = EXTPROC0))
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
)

SID_LIST_LISTENER =
(SID_LIST =
(SID_DESC =
(SID_NAME = PLSExtProc)
(ORACLE_HOME = C:\oracle\product\10.2.0\db_1)
(PROGRAM = extproc)
)
(SID_DESC =
(GLOBAL_DBNAME = qmos)
(ORACLE_HOME = C:\oracle\product\10.2.0\db_1)
(SID_NAME = qmos)
)
)

Remember you should replace your SID (here qmos) and HOST (here localhost) with your specific DB information.

Second file is TNSNAMES.ORA:
Typically you will need to add this entry as first entry in this file:
EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = IPC)(KEY = EXTPROC0))
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SID = PLSExtProc)
(PRESENTATION = RO)
)
)

According to my experience, if you encountered this problem, use TNSPING command to make sure that EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA is accessible. Sometimes, changes in the setting of SQLNET.ORA file causes you need a qualified name (e.g .WORLD) at the end of EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA.

I have an extended document on calling COM objects within PL/SQL. You can reach it at http://www.khademi.com/document/docs.htm

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi
علي خادمي

ORDCOM Functions Returns 0x80004005

2008-12-22T09:50:00.003-05:00

Hello,
In the journey of calling a COM+ component from within Oracle PL/SQL using ORDCOM package, I noticed that return value of functions is -2147467259. Here is the code snippet to see the error number:
In SQLPlus, type this command:
SQL>set serveroutput on;
In your stored procedure:

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE CALL_MY_COM IS
HRESULT BINARY_INTEGER;
ApplicationHandle BINARY_INTEGER;
BEGIN
HRESULT =:=ORDCOM.CREATEOBJECT('MY_COM_OBJ',0,'',ApplicationHandle);
if (HRESULT !=0) THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(HRESULT);
END IF;
HRESULT := ORDCOM.INVOKE(ApplicationHandle, 'method_name');
END;

The error number -2147467259 which is equal to 0x80004005 means that you are lacking of DCOM security privilages. I have an extended document showing how to use DCOMCNFG.EXE to resolve this problem. To find out more, go to: http://www.khademi.com/document/docs.htm

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

The component or application containing the component has been disabled

2008-12-12T15:37:00.004-05:00

Hello,
In continuing our journey to deploy COM+ object developed under PowerBuilder 10.5 we encountered anouther problem.
Problem: The COM proxy is on S1. The COM is deployed on S2. When we try to access the COM from S1 we get this error message:
Code 80004027 The Component or Application Containing the Component has been Disabled

Remedy:
1 - The server may has not been setup correctly because COM+ is not enabled. To Enable Network COM+ Access do the followings:
o Click on Start, go to Control Panel -> Add Remove Programs -> Widnows Compnents
o Select Application Server and click on the Details
o Click Enable Network COM+ Access and the click OK.
Remember you might need Windows Installation CDs

2 - Make sure that by using DCOMCNFG you give enough permision to applications.

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi
Technical Documents: http://www.khademi.com/document/docs.htm

OraMTS Error 1002 Obtaining Releasing Connection

2008-12-12T12:18:00.002-05:00

Hello,
In the adventure of deploying a COM component developed under PowerBuilder 10.5, after installing Oracle MTS for Oracle 9.2, we encountered another problem:
OraMTS Error 1002 Obtaining Releasing Connection
To resolve this problem, we decided to use ODBC connection instead of PowerBuilder native connection to Oracle. Here is sample:
DBMS="ODBC"
DBParm="ConnectString='DNS=yourDNS;uid=yourUID;pwd=yourPWD'"

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

Hell of PowerBuilder 10.5 / Windows 2003 64x / Oracle 10g 64x

2008-12-12T02:40:00.004-05:00

Hello,
Today I wanted to deploy a COM object which is developed in PowerBuilder 10.5 on Windows 2003 64x. This COM object is called within a PL/SQL code and will write back some data to database.
When I tried to test the COM object with VB script, I noticed that first of all COM object cannot read the Windows registry. The next (most important problem) was this error:
Error 999, PowerBuilder Could not load OCI.DLL
I thought maybe this is because of my COM object. To test this, I developed an ordinary PB program that connects to the Oracle 10g database. Interestingly the same error message happned. I believe PowerBuilder 10.5 native Oracle connectivity does not support Oracle Client 10g 64x and it does not matter which DBMS you pick. ("O84 Oracle8/8i (8.x.4+)" or "O90 Oracle9i (9.0.1)" or "O10 Oracle10g (10.1.0)")

The other irony is the difficulty of fining clues on official Sybase or Oracle sites for this issue. In the Information Age which every body is the Information Company! you will have to spend some time to find a proper clue.

The other problem in PowerBuilder COM object is that for the reason that I do not know, you have to install Oracle MTS. Up to here is somehow understandable. But the problem is that you need proper version of Oracle MTS for the same Oracle client you have. Installing a new Oracle product is another nightmare. New products might go to a new home or might be installed on the top of the current Oracle home. In both cases dealing with Oracle Homes is a disaster!

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi
http://www.khademi.com/
http://www.baridsoft.ca/
More technical documents at http://www.khademi.com/document/docs.htm

Every Oracle product that you want to install, it should be

Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000

2008-12-08T10:41:00.001-05:00

Hello
Looking for ViewSat eXtreme 2000, follow the light.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

Using SYS_CONTEXT function for Auditing Purposes in Oracle Database

2008-12-03T09:45:00.002-05:00

Using SYS_CONTEXT function for Auditing Purposes in Oracle

Problem: You might need to develop some simple auditing process that for example whenever somebody updates a record, you capture some information about WHO and FROM WHERE it is done.

Answer: By looking carefully at Oracle documents (www.oracle.com), you will find the SYS_CONTEXT function as your quick solution.

Here is general syntax of this function:
SELECT sys_context('USERENV', '');FROM DUAL;

At first glance you might say this function is the perfect solution for auditing purposes because it provides session related information like user name or host name but I would remind you that most of return values from this function are meaningless unless the application program sets some specific values for them by using special packages
which I will cover it later and as you know in the case of security you cannot expect the intruder or culprit to set those values. Still this function is better than nothing for handy quick database level auditing.

Here are list of the most popular parameters to this function:
Name
Description
Example
ACTION
Returns current action set by application using dbms_application_info package
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’, ‘ACTION’) from dual;
CLIENT_IDENTIFIER
Returns currently assigned client ID by the application program using dbms_session package
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’CLIENT_IDENTIFIER’) from dual;
CURRENT_SCHEMA
Returns current schema
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’CURRENT_SCHEMA’) from dual;
CURRENT_SQL
Returns first 4KB block of SQL statement
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’CURRENT_SQL’) from dual;
HOST
Returns name of the computer which is connected to the DB
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’HOSt’) from dual;
MODULE
Returns name of the current program which should be set by dbms_application_package
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’MODULE’) from dual;
OS_USER
Returns name of current OS user connected to this session
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’OS_USER’) from dual;
SESSIONID
Returns session ID
Select sys_context(‘USERENV’,’SESSIONID’) from dual;

List of all valid parameters:

ACTION, AUDITED_CURSORID, AUTHENTICATED_IDENTITY, AUTHENTICATION_DATA, AUTHENTICATION_METHOD, BG_JOB_ID, CLIENT_IDENTIFIER, CLIENT_INFO, CURRENT_BIND, CURRENT_EDITION_ID, CURRENT_EDITION_NAME, CURRENT_SCHEMA, CURRENT_SCHEMAID, CURRENT_SQL, CURRENT_SQLn, CURRENT_SQL_LENGTH, DB_DOMAIN, DB_NAME, DB_UNIQUE NAME, ENTRYID, ENTERPRISE_IDENTITY, FG_JOB_ID, GLOBAL_CONTEXT_MEMORY, GLOBAL_UID, HOST, IDENTIFICATION_TYPE, INSTANCE, INSTANCE_NAME, IP_ADDRESS, ISDBA, LANG, LANGUAGE, MODULE, NETWORK_PROTOCOL, NLS_CALENDAR, NLS_CURRENCY, NLS_DATE_FORMAT, NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE, NLS_SORT, NLS_TERRITORY, OS_USER, POLICY_INVOKER, PROXY_ENTERPRISE_IDENTITY, PROXY_GLOBAL_UID, PROXY_USER, PROXY_USERID, SERVER_HOST, SERVICE_NAME, SESSION_USER, SESSION_USERID, SESSIONID, SID, STATEMENTID, TERMINAL,

Special Packages – Functions:
DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO.SET_ACTION
DBMS_SESSION.SET_IDENTIFIER

Here is a sample of auditing trigger for auditing purposes. This trigger logs successful and unsuccessful logon attempts. This trigger dumps data to V$LIGHT_AUDIT_LOGON which is defined at the end.

create or replace trigger tal_logon_success after logon on database
begin
begin -- insert block
insert into v$light_audit_logon (
audit_date,
db_user_name,
os_user_name,
computer_name,
ip_address,
module,
comments
)
values (
sysdate,
user,
sys_context('userenv','os_user'),
sys_context('userenv','host'),
sys_context('userenv','ip_address'),
sys_context('userenv','module'),
'Successful Logon'
);
exception when others then
null;
end; -- insert block
end;
/

create or replace trigger tal_logon_failure
after servererror
on database
begin
if (is_servererror(1017)) then
begin
insert into v$light_audit_logon (
audit_date,
db_user_name,
os_user_name,
computer_name,
ip_address,
module,
comments
)
values (
sysdate,
sys_context('userenv','session_user'),
sys_context('userenv','os_user'),
sys_context('userenv','host'),
sys_context('userenv','ip_address'),
sys_context('userenv','module'),
'UnSuccessful Logon'
);
end; -- insert block
end if;
end logon_failures;
/

create table v$light_audit_logon (
audit_date date,
db_user_name varchar2(30),
os_user_name varchar2(30),
computer_name varchar2(50),
ip_address varchar2(20),
module varchar2(30),
comments varchar2(500)
);

You can also develop a stored procedure and call it in INSERT/ UPDATE/ DELETE triggers to log who modified data.

Be a winner in your daily challenges

Provided by Ali Khademi (www.khademi.com)
Do not hesitate to share your comments with Ali Khademi : ali at khademi dot com

PowerBuilder Reports Again!

2008-12-02T09:11:00.003-05:00

Hello,
Since my company has fired couple of PowerBuilder programmers, I have been asked to take over the maintenance of MSP's very ugly reports in PowerBuilder. Since in this economical situation, best strategy is to keep your job, I accepted it. For sure this acceptance was a huge challenge for me and touching those reports is a much more huger challenge.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

Tough Economy Situation

2008-11-29T12:39:00.003-05:00

Hello,
Everybody has heard of financial problems and failures specially in North America. As a matter of fact, my company (Quad Infotech) who recently developed APEX is not in good shape. I am looking for job also. Click here for my resume.

Be a winner in your daily challenges.
Ali Khademi

Looking for Xtreme ViewSat 2000

2008-11-27T23:36:00.001-05:00

Follow the light

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

Introducing the APEX Info Center: an online dashboard and webportal

2008-11-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

The Info Center will act as a web portal and dashboard, allowing on-line access to the APEX Live Channels.
The Info Center portal can be integrated with the corporate web site. This will allow easier access of all corporate users to the APEX channels and reports. This will increase the visibility of the APEX information within the corporate enterprise as well as improve information awareness.
APEX has the capability to mine your data and present decision cubes for supporting your strategic decisions.
For mor information visit www.apexwebporta.com

Be a winner in your daily challenges
Ali Khademi

This is only the beginning

2008-11-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Hello,
First time I (Ali Khademi) got familiar with BLOG and WEBLOGGING, was in 2000. Although at that time I knew this is the tools I have always been looking for when I was in KAMAL high shool, I believed I am too busy to do blogging.
Nowdays everybody including my sons (Amir Hossein, Ali Reza) have their own blog and if you look at the trends of technology and social relations, you will see how blogging plays roll.

Here in this weblog, I am going to mention different kind of problems I face every day and the way I solve them. IT related problems which might be very simple to very complicated, of course for me!

I am sure in future, our descendents will try to create a map of all their ancestors' blog and they will discover this weblog as a cove in the universe. This future is not far.

Before I close this post, I would like to mention some web sites.
My personal web (Ali Khademi) site is http://www.khademi.com/
This web site belongs to my company: http://www.baridsoft.ca/
My wife's (Atieh Mohammadi) web site is http://www.atieh.com/
I am working at Quad Infotech APEX is an information awareness product of Quad Infotech.

Be a winner in your daily challenges!
Ali Khademi