We’ll start from the assumption that you actually installed Version Cue. To use a Version Cue Server, you’ll need to turn it on and configure initial settings. Once you’ve configured initial settings, you can configure additional Version Cue Server settings in the Version Cue preferences and specify advanced server settings (such as enabling SSL) in Version Cue Server Administration.

For a video on setting up the Version Cue server, see Version Cue Video.

1. Do either of the following:

Click Start My Server in the Adobe dialog box or in Adobe Bridge.

Open the Control Panel and double-click Adobe Version Cue CS3 (Windows) or click Adobe Version Cue CS3 in System Preferences (Mac OS), and then click Start.

Version Cue starts Version Cue Server Administration and displays the Initial Configuration window.

2. In the Initial Configuration window, specify a system administrator password in the Password text box.
Note: Be sure to note the password you specify. If you forget the system administrator password, you’ll need to reinstall the Version Cue Server.

3. Specify a name for the server in the Server Name text box.

4. Choose an option from the Server Visibility menu:

To prevent other users in your network from seeing the server, choose Private. Private Version Cue Servers can be accessed only from your local computer.

To make the server visible to other users in your network, choose Visible To Others. (You must configure the server to be visible to grant others access to projects on the server.)

Note: If Version Cue is installed on a Windows computer that uses a firewall and you want to share the server with others, make sure that TCP ports 3703 and 5353 are left open. If you’ve enabled SSL for the Version Cue Server, also leave port 3704 open. If Version Cue CS2 is installed on the same computer, also leave port 50900 open (and 50901 if you’ve enabled SSL).

5. Choose an option from the User Accounts menu:

To enable users to access the server without an existing user account, choose Automatic User Creation. If you select this option, Version Cue creates a new user account without a password when a new user accesses the server.
If you enable automatic user account creation and then subsequently enable LDAP support, LDAP users are automatically imported when they access the server with their LDAP account name. Users imported in this fashion are added to the Everyone group, given a user access level of None, and are not able to log into Version Cue Server Administration. Use this technique to automatically assign LDAP users default access rights to projects on a Version Cue server without having to explicitly import users.

To specify that only named users, defined in Version Cue Server Administration, can access the server, choose Manual User Creation.

6. Click Save & Continue to log in to Version Cue Server Administration and specify advanced server settings.

Set Version Cue Server preferences

You can configure many Version Cue Server settings in Version Cue preferences, such as the amount of RAM available to Version Cue and the location of the Data folder. To configure advanced settings, such as enabling SSL, changing the name of the Version Cue Server, specifying server log options, resetting user locks, or backing up the server, you must use Version Cue Server Administration.

Access Version Cue Server preferences

1. Do one of the following to access Version Cue preferences:

Open the Control Panel and double-click Adobe Version Cue CS3 (Windows) or click Adobe Version Cue CS3 in System Preferences (Mac OS).

In Windows, double-click the Version Cue icon  in the system tray at the lower-right of the screen.

In Mac OS, click the Version Cue icon  in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and choose Version Cue CS3 Preferences from the menu.
Note: The Version Cue icon is hidden by default. To make it visible, select Show Version Cue CS3 Tray Icon (Windows) or Show Version Cue CS3 Status In Menu Bar (Mac OS) in Version Cue Server preferences.

2. Click the Settings tab in the Adobe Version Cue CS3 dialog box.

Make the Version Cue Server visible

1. To grant others access to shared Version Cue projects on the server, choose Visible To Others from the Server Visibility menu. To hide the Version Cue Server from other users, choose Private.

Note: If Version Cue is installed on a Windows computer that uses a firewall and you want to share the server with others, make sure that TCP ports 3703 and 5353 are left open. If you’ve enabled SSL for the Version Cue Server, also leave port 3704 open. If Version Cue CS2 is installed on the same computer, also leave port 50900 open (and 50901 if you’ve enabled SSL). For instructions, see Windows Help.

2. Click Apply.

Specify a workgroup size

1. From the Workgroup Size menu, choose the number of people who use the Version Cue Server on a typical day. This setting controls how the Version Cue Server handles the potential load.

2. Click Apply.

Keep the Version Cue icon visible

1. Select Show Version Cue CS3 Tray Icon (Windows) or Show Version Cue CS3 Status in Menu Bar (Mac OS) to keep the Version Cue icon visible.

2. Click Apply.

Turn Version Cue on when the computer starts

1. Select Turn Version Cue CS3 On When The Computer Starts.

2. Click Apply.

Connect to remote servers

Note: You can perform this task only if you have access to the full Version Cue feature set. See Accessing Version Cue features.

When you need to work on Version Cue projects that are located on a different subnet, you can use the IP address of the computer to access the remote Version Cue Server, as long as it is configured to be visible to other users. Version Cue Servers within your subnet that are configured to be visible are visible automatically.

1. Do one of the following:

In Acrobat, Flash, Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, or Photoshop, choose File > Open. If you’re using the OS Dialog box, click Use Adobe Dialog. Click Version Cue in the Favorites panel, and choose Connect To Server from the Tools menu or Connect To from the Project Tools (Acrobat) menu .

In Bridge, choose Tools > Version Cue > Connect To Server.

2. In the Connect To Server dialog box, type the IP or DNS address and port of the Version Cue Server (for example, http://153.32.235.230). If you’re connecting to a server that is on the same system as a Version Cue CS2 workspace, append the port number 50900 to the end of the Version Cue URL (for example, http://153.32.235.230:50900).
Display the Version Cue Server Administration login page to identify the Version Cue URLs that remote users and WebDAV applications need to access the server. Alternatively, view the URLs in the Inspector in Bridge.

3. Click OK.

A shortcut to the remote server is automatically included in your list of available Version Cue Servers.

Connect to a Version Cue Server using WebDAV

Adobe recommends managing non‑Adobe files with Adobe Bridge. However, if you’re collaborating with other users who don’t have access to Adobe Bridge, they can use the Version Cue WebDAV Server URL to access projects on a Version Cue Server.

You can access a Version Cue Server by using a WebDAV-enabled application, such as a Microsoft Office application. In Windows, specify a project on a Version Cue Server as a network place by specifying the project’s WebDAV URL. In Mac OS, specify the project’s WebDAV URL by using the Connect To Server Command from the Finder. Before attempting to connect, refer to your application’s documentation on using its WebDAV features.
Enter the Version Cue WebDAV URL, the port number (3703, or 50900 if you’re connecting to a server that is running on the same system as a Version Cue CS2 workspace), webdav, and the project name. For example: http://153.32.235.230:3703/webdav/ project_name

Foxmarks has been offering a synchronization solution for quite a while, now with password synchronization included their service, Foxmarks has entered the big leagues.

Foxmarks works by taking your Firefox personal data, encrypting it with a 256bit encryption algorithm using a PIN-code that only you will know and then uploading the content to the Foxmark server. 

Once you setup Foxmarks on another Firefox client, you will be prompted whether to merge the bookmarks and passwords, use the server data, or use the client data. It then keeps track of changes in the clients and synchronizes them with the server. The server also acts as a backup of your browser data in case you have a system crash.

You can download Foxmarks.com on their website.

wget mysqltuner.pl

chmod 0700 mysqltuner.pl

./mysqltuner.pl

Download the latest version in plain  text to your server with wget: 

# wget mysqltuner.pl 

Or, you can download the gzipped version:

# wget mysqltuner.pl/mysqltuner.pl.gz

To run the script, simply make it executable and run it:

# chmod +x mysqltuner.pl

# ./mysqltuner.pl

MySQLTuner Features
* Memory Usage: Calculates MySQL memory usage at max load and makes recommendations for  increasing or decreasing the MySQL memory footprint. Per-thread and server-wide buffer data is calculated
separately for an accurate snapshot of the server’s configuration.
* Slow Queries: Reviews the amount of slow queries relative to the total queries. Slow query time limits are also analyzed and recommendations are made.
* Connections: Current and historical connection counts are reviewed.
* Key Buffer: Takes configuration data and compares it to the actual indexes found in MyISAM tables. Key cache hit rates are calculated and variable adjustments are suggested.
* Query Cache: Query cache hit rates and usage percentages are used to make recommendations for the query cache configuration variables.
* Sorting & Joins: Per-thread buffers that affect sorts and joins are reviewed along with the statistics from the queries run against the server.
* Temporary Tables: Variable recommendations are made to reduce temporary tables that are written to the disk.
* Table Cache: Compares total tables opened to the currently open tables. Calculates the table cache hit rate in order to make suggestions.
* Open Files: Determines if the server will approach or run into the open file limit set by the operating system or the MySQL server itself.
* Table Locks: Finds table locking that forces queries to wait and makes suggestions for reducing locks that require a wait.
* Thread Cache: Calculates how many times MySQL must create a new thread to respond to a query.
* Aborted Connections: Finds applications that are not closing connections to MySQL properly.
* Read/Write Ratios: Calculates the percentage of read and write operations on your MySQL installation.

The Azure solution has been designed to help developers deploy web-based services centred around Visual Studio quickly and easily by not having to worry about the infrastructure costs or overhead that are typically associated with application delivery.

Once a you are ready to deploy you can select how many nodes you want to use in the Microsoft cloud of computing power, you reserve a those nodes and pay for just those node.  As your web service becomes more popular, you can log in to the management web site and increase the node count with just a few clicks.
Windows Azure pricing is based on how much storage, bandwidth and computing time an application uses.

Visit the Windows Azure Community Technology Preview

Read the Microsoft Press Release

The Microsoft service is playing catch up to the Amazon.com service that has been around for quite some time, called Elastic Computing Cloud (Amazon EC2).

The major difference that pushes Amazon.com’s solution ahead of Microsoft is the fact that it is no based on one solution.   With just a few clicks you can deploy a Linux, OS X or a Windows solution with prebuilt images. 

Amazon’s solution is priced according to how much storage (cheap), bandwidth (not as cheap) and computing time (relatively cheap).
To use Amazon EC2, you simply:

• Create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) containing your applications, libraries, data and associated configuration settings. Or use pre-configured, templated images to get up and running immediately.
• Upload the AMI into Amazon S3. Amazon EC2 provides tools that make storing the AMI simple. Amazon S3 provides a safe, reliable and fast repository to store your images.
• Use Amazon EC2 web service to configure security and network access.
• Choose which instance type(s) and operating system you want, then start, terminate, and monitor as many instances of your AMI as needed, using the web service APIs or the variety of management tools provided.
• Determine whether you want to run in multiple locations, utilize static IP endpoints, or attach persistent block storage to your instances.
• Pay only for the resources that you actually consume, like instance-hours or data transfer.

You can read more about Amazon EC2 here.

I’m not going to comment on the quality of the images, you can determine that for yourself.  You can go straight to Yahoo Images by clicking here.   You can also search for multimedia files such as videos.

As you type a search in the box, an AJAX like box pops up and autocompletes your search based on the keywords in their database.

It is a nice addition and I’m sure Google will follow suit soon.

According to the recent news coming out of the Sillicon Valley, Oracle is going to follow ]]> http://www.goitexpert.com/databases/oracle-to-offer-hardware-for-their-database-servers/feed/ 0 http://www.goitexpert.com/general/restart-apache-server-without-dropping-connections/ http://www.goitexpert.com/general/restart-apache-server-without-dropping-connections/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:22:00 +0000 admin http://www.goitexpert.com/entry.cfm?entry=Restart-Apache-Server-Without-Dropping-Connections It will happen that you are doing some reconfiguration on your web server and need to restart apache to finish the config.  Trouble is, you have people currently logged on to your site.  What to do?  Restart apache without dropping the connections!  Here’s how.

It will happen that you are doing some reconfiguration on your web server and need to restart apache to finish the config.  Trouble is, you have people currently logged on to your site.  What to do?  Restart apache without dropping the connections!  Here’s how.

In Terminal just type;

#/etc/init.d/apache2 graceful

This will “gracefully” restart your Apache server and load any config changes, mods etc. without affecting or dropping your client’s current connections.

Obviously while Apache is restarting no new connections will be available until Apache is fully restarted.

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Microsoft hinted that this was coming in 2003, as you had a distinctly modular feel to the OS.  A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles, which reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles. A 2008 server running a Server Core installation supports the following server roles:

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS)
• DHCP Server
• DNS Server
• File Services
• Print Services
• Streaming Media Services
• Windows Virtualization

In Windows Server 2008, Server Core installation does not include the traditional full graphical user interface (GUI).

There are however quite a few GUI tools you might want to use in Server Core. Some of these include:

Task Manager, Notepad (stripped down), Regional Settings etc.

The Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 requires initial configuration at a command prompt. A Server Core installation does not include the traditional full graphical user interface. Once you have configured the server, you can manage it locally at a command prompt or remotely using a Terminal Server connection. You can also manage the server remotely using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) or command-line tools that support remote use.

Benefits of a Server Core installation

The Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 provides the following benefits:

• Reduced maintenance – Because the Server Core installation option installs only what is required to have a manageable server for the AD DS, AD LDS, DHCP Server, DNS Server, File Services, Print Services, and Streaming Media Services roles, less maintenance is required than on a full installation of Windows Server 2008.
   
• Reduced attack surface – Because Server Core installations are minimal, there are fewer applications running on the server, which decreases the attack surface.
   
• Reduced management – Because fewer applications and services are installed on a server running the Server Core installation, there is less to manage.
   
• Less disk space required – A Server Core installation requires only about 1 gigabyte (GB) of disk space to install and approximately 2 GB for operations after the installation.
   
• Lower risk of bugs – Reducing the amount of code can help reduce the amount of bugs.

Issues with Server Core installation and upgrading from previous versions

Since Server Core is a special installation of Windows Server 2008, the following limitations are present:

• There is no way to upgrade from a previous version of the Windows Server operating system to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.
   
• There is no way to upgrade from a full installation of Windows Server 2008 to a Server Core installation. Only a clean installation is supported.
   
• There is no way to upgrade from a Server Core installation to a full installation of Windows Server 2008. If you need the Windows® user interface or a server role that is not supported in a Server Core installation, you will need to install a full installation of Windows Server 2008.

Server Core versions

Server Core comes in Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter editions for i386 and x64 platforms.

However, one of the most important changes in this release was a new graphical installer. Bundled with the LiveCD, it allowed the desktop CD to be used as a LiveCD and as an installer. Adding to this were more of terrific desktop additions including a faster startup process, graphical shutdown process, OpenOffice.org 2.0.2, improved support for video playback, and Network Manager support. Dapper Drake was also available to be installed on USB Flash drives and it was the first Ubuntu release to support the SPARC architecture for server edition.

The Edgy Eft release of Ubuntu (version 6.10) followed the 4 months of development after the release of 6.06. Important additions to this release were the new startup screen, new version GNOME 2.16, Linux 2.6.17, and X.Org 7.1. Tomboy, a new desktop note taking application was included in this release, as well as the F-Spot, a Mono based photo manager, which came as replacement of gthumb. The new version of OpenOffice.org, Firefox and Evolution added to the overall usability of this release. The automated problem report system was also a major addition to Edgy Eft, putting it into a position to better compete with Windows.

Ubuntu 7.04 release came with a plethora of new features. Data migration from Windows, new and easier ways to install multimedia codecs, binary drivers, as well as networking improvements and of course, GNOME 2.18, the 2.6.20 kernel were among the most notable additions to this version. Feisty Fawn became the best Desktop Linux distribution by far. Easy installation of multimedia codecs, new desktop effects, networking improvements, including easier connection to wireless networks and zeroconf for instant networks are just some of the major improvements and additions to this version of Ubuntu that put it far beyond anyone’s reach in the Desktop space for Linux. Easier install of proprietary drivers, better debugging of crashes, quick diagnostic tools and of course the inclusion of two new games: Sudoku and Chess added the prestige already enjoyed among the thousands if not millions of Linux Users. The Feisty Fawn, it seemed was the Biggest Step in the RIGHT direction for Ubuntu so far.

The most current release, The Gutsy Gibbon version 7.10, is a yet another major improvement upon the already existing excellent Desktop platform, that is Ubuntu. As if reading the minds of their users, Ubuntu developers have added features longed for by many die hard and casual Linux geeks. Cool new Desktop 3D features provided by Compiz Fusion, made this release so much more pleasing visually than that old stale screen of Windows XP, we were so used to already. With the 3D addition came the graphical tool for configuring X.org, so if some were still scared of switching to Ubuntu, this new tool in addition with more graphics card drivers available should most definitely ease you in into the new and wonderful world of Ubuntu Linux Desktop. Fully automatic printer installation and the ability to read and now write to NTFS file systems, make this version ever more user friendly and easier to adapt to.

Recent News and Future Plans

"On 1 May 2007, Dell announced they would sell desktops and laptops with Ubuntu installed and on 24 May 2007 these computers went on sale in the United States.They also stated that customers would be able to buy support for Ubuntu through Dell, with the support coming from Canonical. On 8 August 2007 these computers went on sale in the UK, France and Germany as well. In October, Tesco followed in Dell’s footsteps and started to sell desktop computers with Ubuntu 6.06 LTS pre-installed on them. However unlike Dell, they do not offer Canonical’s support program.

During July 2007 at Ubuntu Live 2007, Mark Shuttleworth announced that Ubuntu 8.04 (out April 2008) would be the next LTS (Long Term Support) release. He also added that Canonical is committed to releasing a new LTS version every two years." (Wikipedia)

So how did it all begin? Well, Ubuntu released its first version on October 20, 2004. The reason behind the creation of this distro was the desire by some Linux developers to have a Debian based Linux OS with more frequent release schedules than Debian Linux it self. Before Ubuntu came about, Debian release schedule was long, with most of the applications that shipped with each release being out of date and lacking new features, bug and security fixes. So a few developers made a fork of the Debian source tree and Ubuntu Linux was born.

The first version of Ubuntu was named Warty Warthog, and because it was released in October of 2004 it received a version number 4.10 (2004/10), hence starting a unique and memorable versioning system. This version of Ubuntu featured the new and sleek Linux 2.6.7 kernel, XFree86 4.3.0.1, and GNOME 2.8 and many other update free (as in beer) linux applications and tools. It supported Intel x86, PowerPC, and AMD64 architectures with a LiveCD also being available for Intel x86. The important feature of the first Ubuntu release was the inclusion of the most recent GNOME version in its install, with subsequent releases following closely the release schedule of GNOME Desktop. This version of Ubuntu included mostly open source applications, in contrast to commercial Debian forks such as Xandros, Lindows (Linspire), Libranet and others. "The Ubuntu logo and typography has remained the same since that first release. The hand-drawn, lower case OpenType font used is called Ubuntu-Title and was created by Andy Fitzsimon. The font is distributed under the Lesser General Public License and use with logos derived from the Ubuntu logo is encouraged.The font is available as a package for Ubuntu." (Wikipedia)

Hoary Hedgehog was the second release of Ubuntu, version 5.04 (released in April of 2005). Major additions or changes in this version of Ubuntu included bug fixes, plugged security holes, and a few cosmetic improvements to the Desktop Theme and layout. The LiveCD editions became available for x86, x86_64, and PowerPC. As always, sticking to its founding principals, Ubuntu 5.04 Hoary Hedgehog shipped with the new versions of X.Org 6.8.2, a newer version of Linux Kernel, 2.6.10, and of course the newest release of GNOME 2.10.

Following closely the release of 5.04, Breeze Badger celebrated the first year of Ubuntu with more new features (thin client integration, OEM installer support, and launchpad integration), improvements and a new sub-version of Ubuntu. Ubuntu 5.10 came with the new GNOME 2.12.1 release, Linux Kernel 2.6.12, and X.Org 6.8.2. The new sub-version of this distribution called Edubuntu was also released. Edubuntu was an officially supported derivative of Ubuntu that is customized for Education use. It came with such open source applications as GCompris, KDE Edutainment Suite, and Schooltool Calendar. The goal of Edubuntu was to create a distribution which enabled teachers with limited technical knowledge to easily create and setup a computer lab and an online learning environment. It was a remarkable success.

The Breeze Badger release marked the beginning of a journey to becoming the number one Linux distribution on Distro Watch.