Windows Server 2008 Troubleshooting:

Problem: Unable to turn on the Network Discovery. You try to turn on the Network Discovery , but it goes back to off state.

Possible Solutions:

1. Check the network connections and see that the computer is connected.
2. Configure the Firewall exceptions to allow this type of network acess. Click the Windows Firewall link in the Network and Sharing Center, click Change settings, click the Exceptions tab, and check exceptions such as Network Discovery and Netlogon Services.
3. The Windows Firewall also needs to be configured to enable incoming and outgoing access. To do this go to Start-> Administrave tools-> Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. Check the Inbound Rules , Outbound Rules to make sure that the Network Discovery service is allowed.
4. If any of the above solutions does not work, turn the Windows Firewall off and then try to turn on the Network Discovery.

Please let me know if you find any other solution/work around . Thank you

Windows Server 2008 Troubleshooting:

Problem: Unable to find users or computers in the Select Users, Computers, or Groups Window in the Delegation of Control Wizard in Active Directory Users and Computers.

Solution:

1. Make sure the computer is part of a domain. To do this go to Control Panel-> System. You will see a window that shows basic information about the computer. In the Computer name, domain and workgroup settings, click on Change settings. The domain name can be changed here.
2. Start the service Computer Browser in the services.

A short briefing on Windows services:

Services: Services are applications that run in the system background. Some of these services need to be started in order to complete the activities. For Services go to Start->All Programs->Administrative tools->Services. To start a service, double click the service that you wish to start, and in the Properties window make sure the Startup type is Automatic and then click on Start. Then click OK.

Some services have Dependencies that need to be started before starting the service. To view a service’s Dependencies double click the service to open the Properties window, and click on the Dependencies tab.  Expand all of the dependencies. This window shows the services that this service is dependent on. If you are unable to start a particular service, make sure all of its dependencies are started and then retry.

Please let me know if you find any other solution/work around . Thank you

Here is a simple Windows Server 2008 problem and its solution

Problem: Unable to connect to the network/ Unable to ping local systems.
Solution: Make sure the Netlogon service is started. If the service does not start, Make sure its dependencies DCOM Server Process Launcher and Remote Procedure Call are started.

A little intro on Windows services:

Services: Services are applications that run in the system background. Some of these services need to be started in order to complete the activities. For Services go to Start->All Programs->Administrative tools->Services. To start a service, double click the service that you wish to start, and in the Properties window make sure the Startup type is Automatic and then click on Start. Then click OK.

Some services have Dependencies that need to be started before starting the service. To view a service’s Dependencies double click the service to open the Properties window, and click on the Dependencies tab.  Expand all of the dependencies. This window shows the services that this service is dependent on. If you are unable to start a particular service, make sure all of its dependencies are started and then retry.

Please let me know if you find any other solution/work around . Thank you

Hi all! I am a fan of open source and here is a short list of few open source applications that I often use and  think are essential.

1.Firefox- The world’s most famous browser which needs no explanation

2.Pidgin: A free chat client which connects easily to MSN, Google Talk, Yahoo, AIM and other chat networks all at once.

3.Thunderbird: A powerful e-mail client which is based on mozilla code, has a built in RSS-reader , spam filter and many other features.

4.Songbird: A music player which is totally customizable via plugins, best alternative to Itunes.

5.VLC:  A free and open source cross platform media player which supports almost all media formats.

5.MediaPlayer Classic: A free media player for windows which supports most audio/video formats.

6.OpenOffice.org: A free office-suite which supports almost all other major documents formats .

7.Handbrake: An open source converter , can convert DVD to mp4, mkv files.

8.Gimp: An image manipulation software which can be used to photo retouching, photo editing, etc.

9.Filezilla: A free ftp software that can be used to upload files to ftp servers.

10.7-zip: 7-Zip is a file archiver which supports major compression formats

11.Notepad++: a free source code editor that supports major computer languages.

12.Wireshark: A protocol analyzer(also called packet sniffer) that can be used to monitor network traffic

13.Eclipse: An IDE(Integrated Development Environment) that can be used to build various applications

14.Sumatra pdf reader: A slim, open source pdf viewer for windows, can also run from a thumb drive.

15.X-Chat: An IRC chat-client for windows and linux. Allows to join multiple IRC chat rooms at same time.

You can install most of these applications at once by using the Ninite multiple app installer.

If you know any other open source software , please let us know in the comments

Wordpress has released the new version 2.9 code named “carmen”

This Release include some cool new stuff for the users like

1. Undo/trash feature:  This is some thing like the one u see on the gmail we can undo the stuff or move them to trash

2.Built-in image editor: Oh my god! I always wanted this feature. It is a real good thing if we can edit(crop/resize/flip) pictures in the wordpress itself.

3.Batch plugin update: Wow that means we can update all the plugins at once.

4. Easier video embeds: Now I dont have to change urls into wordpress embedabble code, I just have to enter the video url and it will do the transformation by itself.

Here is a video made by wordpress to summarize few things about carmen.

Here is the link to download wordpress 2.9

In the article “GPS, GIS, VR, and remote sensing technologies continuing to evolve” the author named Robinson Elton, mainly focuses on the advantages of GPS, GIS and few more developing technologies used for precision farming in U.S.

This article points out that, the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System, a network of satellites was launched as a 24^th satellite, by U.S Air Force in 1993. Earlier, GPS was a key tool in U.S military and now-a-days it is playing a crucial role for precision farming in U.S. With the help of this technology anyone with a GPS receiver will be able to determine his location on Earth in three dimensions namely longitude, latitude, and altitude at an accuracy within one inch.

This article also states that precision farming uses four other technologies to gain a widespread use in agriculture. They are, Geographical Information Systems, variable-rate technology, the yield monitor, and remote sensing.  Importance of all these technologies is discussed in this article.  “The geographical information system (GIS) is a way to make maps that show variability of field or crop characteristics. The remote sensing technology uses satellite imagery to capture the spectral reflectance of a crop and correlate it to the nitrogen levels, plant health and soil type” (Robinson, 2007).

This article further states that the cotton yield monitor was introduced commercially in 1998. The yield monitors are linked with GPS to create yield maps for crops. A yield map was considered as a great educational tool in an academic point of view. Information gathered from farmer experience, research and yield monitoring can be used to take proper decisions regarding the crops to be harvested. “”MY IDEAL WORLD would be for every piece of equipment to have GPS, tracking of as-applied data, and relay all that information wirelessly to my central computer. The technology is there to do this — we just need to get it all put together.” says Ed Barnes, associate director of research. Cotton Incorporated” (Robinson, 2007).

This article concludes by stating the big challenge of precision farming is to manage all the information it creates. This article also discusses about some equipment-mounted sensors known as Green seeker and Crop Circle, which are used to detect nitrogen levels in soil. GPS is user friendly and also it can sense direction and speed. This is another key aspect making it more useful for the farmers. As navigation technologies do not require management skills, GPS navigation plays a crucial role in precision farming.

Reference:

Robinson, E. (2007). GPS, GIS, VR, and remote sensing technologies continuing to evolve. Southwest Farm Press, 34(24), 12

In the article “The price of Internet EDI” author Malcolm Wheatley, mainly focuses Internet-based electronic data interchange (EDI). It is an attempt made to discuss facts related to EDI and different views of some specialists in EDI are put forward.

The author points out that people tend to think that their business processes will become easier to execute and less expensive when they are moved onto Internet. But the author says that this assumption is only half right when it comes to Internet-based EDI. He supports his statement by discussing a case related to a company named “The Scott Company” located in Marysville, Ohio. With the request made by its biggest customer, Wal-Mart, this company adopted internet-based EDI that conforms to a particular standard known as AS2. AS2 is emerging as a single method used to packaging internet-based messages anytime in a faster way. Adopting this technology fetched lots of benefits to Wal-Mart but Scott Company had very little savings.

Different views about EDI stated by various technicians are discussed in this article. Some of them are as follows: “”Internet EDI is a very loose term,” complains Jim DeMin, technical manager at Infonet Services Corp” (Wheatley, 2004). “Eric Austvoid, research director at AMR Research, says some manufacturers see internet-based EDI “giving them more work to do without any immediate benefit” ” (Wheatley, 2004). Austviod also says that instead of using a private network, trading partners are making use of a public network for communicating with each other.

This article defined EDI as “Electronic data interchange: an automated method of exchanging business documents that bridges the gap between computer systems used in different companies” (Wheatley, 2004). Definitions to various terms like EDI Standard, VAN, Direct Connection, and AS2 are also stated in this article. Advantages and disadvantages regarding EDI are also discussed. This article concludes by discussing various EDI networks.

Reference:

Wheatley, M. (2004). The price of Internet EDI. MSI, 22(2), 48-50

In the article “Data Mining and the Death of Privacy” the author  John C. Dvorak, mainly discusses Google Inc. and the disadvantages of data mining.  The disasters that might be faced by the customers using the services of Google are discussed in this article.

The author says that Google has access to all the documents searched using its search engine. Google also has an access to all the messages sent by its customers using the Google email service. The article mainly focuses on the danger that might be caused due to gathering of private information using the data mining tools.

This article points out that the deep information related to the customers, gathered using data mining tools is used by the marketers to sell targeted advertising. By getting access to the messages sent using the Google email service, there is possibility to find the private information related to its customers. The data collected may include likes, dislikes, banking information, personal interests, habits and all such information related to its customers. The author feels uncomfortable using Google email service and being data-mined.

The author further states that if Google buys Twitter, the links posted by the customers can be used to record their interests. This will fetch more valuable information for the marketers to advertise and sell their products efficiently. He says that the Google’s motive behind buying Twitter is to do more data mining. Already Google has the information regarding documented searches, emails written, and it will have links posted by customers after buying Twitter. This will help Google to learn more about its customers and gather much more information.

In conclusion, the article is written to make people aware about the hazards of data mining and its power of extracting personal information. It also alerts the customers of Google services that they should be aware about the fact that their deep information can be accessed by Google. Hence, at most care should be taken while using such services so that it won’t lead to any disaster.

References:

Dvorak, J. (2009, May). Data Mining and the Death of Privacy. PC Magazine, 28(5), 1-1. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from Business Source Premier database

Written by Prasad Addagatla

In the article “Marketing Strategies in the Virtual Worlds”, author comes up with the importance of “virtual experience” of the products when compared to the real time experience.

“3D” technology is rapidly developing in the internet world which can also be expected to contribute bountifully in the field of marketing products.

It is being discovered that the usage of the 3D technology in the marketing industry has brought a drastic change in the thinking of customers towards a product. Consumers are coming to a good understanding regarding the product and that brand, which is influencing them to go for that product. With these consequences more of the companies are looking forward to use this technology in the development of their businesses.

All the products cannot be expressed in the virtual world as it depends on the class of the products. The author describes an example regarding the products which cannot be expressed in the 3D world. The taste of wine cannot be experienced in the virtual world when compared to the real world. There are some “product attributes” which are to be suitable to the virtual environment and which can decide the intensity of the virtual experience. Depending on this intensity, managers come to a decision whether to use the virtual world for a product or not.

The author finally concludes that the companies may market the product in the virtual world but they should also be marketed in the real world making their businesses successful.

Work Cited:

Lui,Tsz-wai., Piccoli,Gabriele., Ives,Blake (2007) Marketing Strategies in the Virtual Worlds,Vol.38, New York, NY, USA. ACM Press: 77-80.

Written by Praneeth Perna

The article  When Agile Projects Go Bad talks about the bad effects that occur due to implementing agile project management in an erroneous way. He also talks about dangers of implementing Agile techniques as quoted without understanding the principles and spirit of it. He discusses the same with the original authors of the 2001 Agile Manifesto for their advice. The authors of Agile Manifesto give their insight on what could go wrong with the project if Agile is used mechanically and not paying attention to how things are going in the process.

One of the authors of Agile Manifesto Alistair Cockburn says acquisition of skills by people tends to be in 3 stages they are, in the first stage people need to follow a recipe, in second stage that is nice but need more and in the final stage if people ever get there, they don’t know where they are but finally they can borrow and blend.

Alistair Cockburn says in agile projects people won’t succeed if they don’t know where they are going that means they do not succeed if they do not have a project plan, requirements and project scope. Author also mentions that using agile techniques developers use all the tools in the project although they really don’t need them. He also mentions that it is possible people may focus more on processes by neglecting the Agile principles. He also talks about using Agile principles may broke the relationships between the programmers and managers. He also mentions that Agile is not suitable for all types of projects such as Franchises like McDonalds.
Finally Cockburn says Agile works for processes that go through multiple iterations, needs a careful planning and sometimes agile principles may be misinterpreted