Perjalanan Seorang Pahlawan (Memperingati Hari Pahlawan 10 November 2008)

Perjalanan Seorang Pahlawan
Oleh : Munandar

07-Nov-2008, 13:00:48 WIB - [www.kabarindonesia.com]

KabarIndonesia - Memperingati Hari Pahlawan 10 November 2008 ke-63, saya terkesan dengan satu topik yang dialih-bahasakan oleh Itpin bersumber dari Entrepreneurship, Innovation. Berikut ini sadurannya (munandar).

Bila Anda pernah melahap cerita-cerita hikayat atau mitos-baik dari dunia Timur seperti kisah Pandawa Lima dari Mahabharata, dari dunia Barat seperti mitos Hercules atau Odysseus, dari dunia dongeng seperti kisah Snow White dan Cinderella, dari dunia silat seperti kisah Kwee Ceng atau Thio Bu-ki, atau kisah dari dunia antargalaksi seperti Luke Skywalker dalam Star Wars, atau dongeng masa kini seperti kisah Frodo dalam Lord of the Rings dan Harry Potter- Anda akan menemukan sebuah benang merah dari cerita-cerita tersebut. Kesamaan tersebut terletak pada jalan hidup para pahlawan-pahlawan yang oleh ahli mitologi Joseph Campbell disebut Hero's Journey.

Jalan hidup para pahlawan tersebut, menurut Campbell, selalu melewati 6 tahap penting: innocence, the call, initiation, allies, breakthrough, dan celebration. Pada tahap innocence, mereka adalah orang biasa. Kemudian mereka tiba-tiba mendapatkan panggilan hidup (the call) yang tidak bisa ditolak. Panggilan tersebut mengharuskan mereka melewati cobaan-cobaan berat (initiation). Untuk melewati cobaan tersebut, mereka sering dibantu beberapa teman-teman setia (allies) yang akhirnya membawa mereka mencapai terobosan (breakthrough) dan keberhasilan (celebration).

Keenam tahap tersebut bisa juga dianalogikan dengan perjalanan hidup manusia, mulai dari keberadaan di dalam rahim ibu (innocence), kelahiran (the call), kerentanan sebagai seorang bayi (initiation), keberadaan orang tua sebagai pelindung (allies), belajar mandiri (breakthrough), dan menjadi mandiri (celebration). Tahap tersebut kemudian berulang lagi ketika kita menginjak usia remaja, dewasa, paro baya, dan usia senja.

Kisah para pahlawan tersebut memang kisah fiktif, tetapi kisah mereka adalah kisah kita semua. Kita mengidolakan mereka karena di alam bawah sadar, kita bisa mengidentifikasikan kisah-kisah mereka dengan pergelutan kita sendiri. Dan tentu saja kisah para pahlawan tersebut juga merupakan kisah para inovator dan wiraswasta. Untuk berhasil, tidak ada jalan pintas. Jangan pernah percaya akan janji-janji yang bisa menawarkan Anda kesuksesan dengan cepat tanpa cucuran keringat (dan sering keringat tersebut adalah keringat dingin). Semua kisah sukses harus melewati tahapan-tahapan tersebut yang jelas tidak semuanya memberikan kegembiraan.

Dalam dunia inovasi dan kewiraswastaan, tahap innocence bisa diibaratkan dengan kehidupan kita yang sebelumnya tenang-tenang saja mengikuti arus. Tiba-tiba sebuah ide cemerlang atau krisis datang, yang juga sekaligus menandai kedatangan fase the call. Ide atau krisis tersebut hadir sedemikian kuatnya sehingga kita terpaksa bertindak. Namun kita ternyata menghadapi banyak halangan dan cobaan. Ide yang kita anggap bagus, ketika coba dijual ke orang lain, ternyata hanya disambut dengan cibiran atau sikap masa bodo. Itulah tanda-tanda bahwa kita telah masuk ke tahap initiation. Tahap ini sangat berbahaya karena banyaknya calon pahlawan yang kembali menjadi orang biasa karena tidak berhasil melewati fase ini. Di sinilah dibutuhkan allies untuk membantu kita. Sukses tidak bisa datang dengan berjuang seorang diri. Snow White membutuhkan tujuh kurcaci, Frodo membutuhkan Sam dan kelompok yang dipimpin penyihir Gandalf, dan Kwee Ceng membutuhkan Oey Yong. Anda juga harus mencari para pendukung setia Anda. Tanpa itu, perjalanan berat tersebut mungkin tidak bisa Anda lalui.

Jika Anda berhasil menemukan allies, dengan bantuan mereka, Anda baru bisa mencapai fase breakthrough. Ide atau inovasi Anda mulai diterima, walau belum secara luas. Tetapi, dengan ketabahan dan strategi yang benar, ide Anda akan semakin diterima, sehingga bisa mencapai tingkatan terakhir, celebration.Untuk perusahaan, perjalanan yang sama dalam memperkenalkan produk baru ke pasaran juga harus melewati siklus serupa. Inovasi baru belum tentu diterima pasar dengan tangan terbuka. Tahap inisiasi dalam bentuk the chasm-nya Gordon Moore selalu penuh dengan jebakan (baca juga: Inovasi, Lewatilah Jurang Ini!). Untuk melewati jebakan tersebut, perusahaan harus menjalin aliansi dan kerja sama dengan pihak-pihak luar untuk mempercepat penetrasi produknya. Aliansi tersebut juga bisa melibatkan para calon konsumen dengan melibatkan mereka dalam proses pengembangan produk baru, misalnya melalui prototyping atau mengundang para lead users. Setelah aliansi terjalin, dan diiringi dengan strategi peluncuran produk baru yang benar, keberhasilan baru akan mendekat.Perjalanan melewati keenam tahap tersebut tentu membutuhkan waktu.

Anda mungkin tidak sabar dan ingin cepat-cepat tiba di tujuan. Tetapi itu tidak mungkin. Karena itu, berusahalah melewati setiap tahap dengan gembira karena setiap tahap sebenarnya menawarkan kita hadiah besar. Tahap innocence memberi kita kesempatan melakukan refleksi diri. The call memberi kita motivasi untuk bergerak maju. Initiation memberi kita pelajaran berharga, termasuk pelajaran melalui kegagalan dan cucuran air mata. Tahap ini juga sering memaksa kita mendefinisi ulang hidup dan prioritas kita. Allies memberikan kita dukungan untuk terus maju dan membantu kita melihat masalah melalui perspektif yang berbeda. Breakthrough membawa kita ke dunia dan pengalaman baru. Dan tahap terakhir celebration memberi kita kepuasan jiwa dan kegembiraan. Setelah itu, Anda akan masuk lagi ke tahap innocence yang memungkinkan Anda menyaring pelajaran dari perjalanan terdahulu untuk membantu perjalanan Anda yang berikutnya.

Karena itu, ketika Anda bercermin, lihatlah diri seorang pahlawan dalam cermin tersebut. Jalan hidup para pahlawan adalah jalan hidup Anda juga. Jalanilah hidup seperti mereka. Maju terus tetapi jangan pernah mengharapkan perjalanan yang mulus. Perjalanan penuh rintangan adalah ujian buat Anda agar semakin kuat dan dewasa. Jangan takut juga menempuh jalan yang jarang ditempuh orang lain. Para inovator selalu menempuh jalan yang jarang dilewati orang lain. Camkanlah selalu kata-kata indah dalam puisi terkenal Robert Fross, The Road Less Taken:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.

SOEMPAH PEMOEDA (memperingati hari sumpah pemuda 28 Oktober 2008)

sumber : http://sumpahpemuda.org/

SOEMPAH PEMOEDA

Pertama :
- KAMI POETRA DAN POETRI INDONESIA MENGAKOE BERTOEMPAH DARAH JANG SATOE, TANAH AIR INDONESIA

Kedoea :
- KAMI POETRA DAN POETRI INDONESIA, MENGAKOE BERBANGSA JANG SATOE, BANGSA INDONESIA

Ketiga :
- KAMI POETRA DAN POETRI INDONESIA MENGJOENJOENG BAHASA PERSATOEAN, BAHASA INDONESIA

Djakarta, 28 Oktober 1928


Teks Soempah Pemoeda dibacakan pada waktu Kongres Pemoeda yang diadakan di
Waltervreden (sekarang Jakarta) pada tanggal 27 - 28 Oktober 1928 1928

Panitia Kongres Pemoeda terdiri dari :

Ketua : Soegondo Djojopoespito (PPPI)
Wakil Ketua : R.M. Djoko Marsaid (Jong Java)
Sekretaris : Mohammad Jamin (Jong Sumateranen Bond)
Bendahara : Amir Sjarifuddin (Jong Bataks Bond)
Pembantu I : Djohan Mohammad Tjai (Jong Islamieten Bond)
Pembantu II : R. Katja Soengkana (Pemoeda Indonesia)
Pembantu III : Senduk (Jong Celebes)
Pembantu IV : Johanes Leimena (yong Ambon)
Pembantu V : Rochjani Soe'oed (Pemoeda Kaoem Betawi)
Peserta :

1. Abdul Muthalib Sangadji
2. Purnama Wulan
3. Abdul Rachman
4. Raden Soeharto
5. Abu Hanifah
6. Raden Soekamso
7. Adnan Kapau Gani
8. Ramelan
9. Amir (Dienaren van Indie)
10. Saerun (Keng Po)
11. Anta Permana
12. Sahardjo
13. Anwari
14. Sarbini
15. Arnold Manonutu
16. Sarmidi Mangunsarkoro
17. Assaat
18. Sartono
19. Bahder Djohan
20. S.M. Kartosoewirjo
21. Dali
22. Setiawan
23. Darsa
24. Sigit (Indonesische Studieclub)
25. Dien Pantouw
26. Siti Sundari
27. Djuanda
28. Sjahpuddin Latif
29. Dr.Pijper
30. Sjahrial (Adviseur voor inlandsch Zaken)
31. Emma Puradiredja
32. Soejono Djoenoed Poeponegoro
33. Halim
34. R.M. Djoko Marsaid
35. Hamami
36. Soekamto
37. Jo Tumbuhan
38. Soekmono
39. Joesoepadi
40. Soekowati (Volksraad)
41. Jos Masdani
42. Soemanang
43. Kadir
44. Soemarto
45. Karto Menggolo
46. Soenario (PAPI & INPO)
47. Kasman Singodimedjo
48. Soerjadi
49. Koentjoro Poerbopranoto
50. Soewadji Prawirohardjo
51. Martakusuma
52. Soewirjo
53. Masmoen Rasid
54. Soeworo
55. Mohammad Ali Hanafiah
56. Suhara
57. Mohammad Nazif
58. Sujono (Volksraad)
59. Mohammad Roem
60. Sulaeman
61. Mohammad Tabrani
62. Suwarni
63. Mohammad Tamzil
64. Tjahija
65. Muhidin (Pasundan)
66. Van der Plaas (Pemerintah Belanda)
67. Mukarno
68. Wilopo
69. Muwardi
70. Wage Rudolf Soepratman
71. Nona Tumbel

Catatan :
Sebelum pembacaan teks Soempah Pemoeda diperdengarkan lagu"Indonesia Raya"
gubahan W.R. Soepratman dengan gesekan biolanya.

1. Teks Sumpah Pemuda dibacakan pada tanggal 28 Oktober 1928 bertempat
di Jalan Kramat Raya nomor 106 Jakarta Pusat sekarang menjadi Museum Sumpah
Pemuda, pada waktu itu adalah milik dari seorang Tionghoa yang bernama Sie
Kong Liong.
2. 2. Golongan Timur Asing Tionghoa yang turut hadir sebagai peninjau
Kongres Pemuda pada waktu pembacaan teks Sumpah Pemuda ada 4 (empat) orang
yaitu :
a. Kwee Thiam Hong
b. Oey Kay Siang
c. John Lauw Tjoan Hok
d. Tjio Djien kwie

Peluncuran Logo Baru

Akhirnya setelah sekian lama bisa ganti logo juga
ya logonya sih gak spesial-spesial amat tapi stidaknya dapat mewakili tujuan dari blogq
klo ditanya artinya masih bingung juga apa . wehehe.
berikut adalah logo resmi dari Ordinaryubay(Wordpress & blogspot)





Thanks buat Rufus Buat batuannya..
Semoga bisa membuat jd semangat ngeblog

PROTEKSI DOKUMEN OFFICE MENGGUNAKAN XML WEB SERVICE DENGAN ALGORITMA ELLIPTIC CURVE CRYPTOGRAPHY (ECC) BERBASIS WEB

wew.. sibuk2nya ni ngerjain Tugas Akhir . bingung juga ternyata ga semudah yang dibayangkan (puyeng mode on... ) konsep ada.. teori ada trs koq masih bingung ngerjainnya.. weduw ga tau dah.. ni sekilas tentang TA yang dikerjakan...

LATAR BELAKANG
Keamanan data merupakan salah satu isu penting dalam penukaran data,khusunya pertukaran data didunia maya yang didalamnya terdapat banyak ancaman untuk prose situ sendiri. Keamanan data, khususnya untuk dokumen bagi suatu organisasi yang mengasumsikan bahwa dokumen tersebut bernilai rahasia (private and confidential). Sama halnya dengan dokumen konvensiaonal, dokumen dalam format digital pun membutuhkan aspek keamanan. Salah satu aspek keamanan dalam dokumen konvensional dan digital adalah keaslian. Seperti dokumen konvensional, dokumen digital pun harus terjamin keasliannya, bentuk dan isinya harus sesuai dengan yang dimaksud oleh pembuat.


Misal dalam salah satu institusi pendidikan(exp : universitas) memerlukan suatu cara untuk pengamanan dokumen –dokumen yang penting. Misalnya dokumen soal-soal ujian. Soal ujian tersebut dibuat oleh dosen dalam bentuk file Microsoft Word dikirimkan secara online melalui jaringan lokal. Untuk kemanan maka pada dokumen tersebut telah dimasukkan program yang mengharuskan terkoneksi dengan web service jaringan local untuk otentifikasi. Sehingga dokumen tersebut tidak bisa dibuka ditempat lain (selain dilingkungan jaringan lokal) oleh pihak yang tidak berkepentingan.
Untuk menambah tingkat keamanan dalam pengiriman dokumen, pada saat dokumen dikirim dilakukan proses enkripsi. Untuk mempermudah distribusi dokumen antara pengirim dan penerima, maka dibutuhkan sistem enkripsi yang bersifat publik yaitu dengan public key cryptosystem, salah nya adalah dengan algoritma Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). ECC merupakan teknik kriptografi asimetri yang menggunakan dua buah kunci berbeda dalam proses enkripsi-dekripsi. Kedua kunci tersebut dikenal dengan private key, yang digunakan untuk enkripsi data, dan public key, yang digunakan untuk dekripsi data. Dipilihnya ECC sebagai metoda kriptografi untuk proteksi dokumen berdasarkan pada hal-hal berikut :
1.Besarnya field dimana kurva elips berada dapat dipilih sehingga memudahkan implementasi ECC pada suatu batasan tertentu.
2.Besar kunci yang dihasilkan dengan metoda ECC tidak terlalu besar sehingga tidak membutuhkan banyak memori tambahan.
3.Proses kriptografi ECC tidak membutuhkan prosesor khusus sehingga bisa mengurangi biaya implementasi. )

TUJUAN
Tujuan utama pada pembuatan Tugas Akhir ini adalah sebagai berikut:
1.Melindungi dokumen office (Excel dan Word ) sehingga faktor keamanan dalam pertukaran data dapat teratasi.
2.Membuat sebuah situs yang mampu menangani distribusi dokumen (upload dan download) secara aman serta dapat dipercaya keaslian dokumen tersebut.
3.Otentikasi penggunaan dokumen dengan VBA sehingga tingkat validasi lebih terjamin.

PERMASALAHAN
Berdasarkan latar belakang yang telah diuraikan diatas, terdapat beberapa permasalahan yang dapat dirumuskan sebagai berikut :
•Bagaimana memproteksi dokumen office sehingga keamanannya terjamin saat pertukaran data.
•Bagaimana cara agar hanya orang yang berhak saja yang dapat membuka dokumen office tersebut.
•Bagaimana cara membuat sebuah situs yang mampu menangani distribusi dokumen (upload dan download) secara aman serta dapat dipercaya keaslian dokumen tersebut.


Ada yang bisa bantu???

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Apa itu cityxpoint
Cityxpoint adalah sebuah media informasi city guide yang interaktif, tentang panduan informasi publik seputar kota yang bersangkutan. informasi yang ditampilkan tidak hanya berupa informasi direktori saja, Kami juga memberikan informasi berupa artikel untuk memerikan nuansa yang bervariasi. keterangan lebih lanjut di www.cityxpoint.com

cityxpoint - Surabaya City Launching Tanggal 10 November



Pada tanggal 10November 2008, cityxpoint akan melaunching produk pertama, yaitu cityxpoint - Surabaya City. Nantinya Kamu dapat mendownload Aplikasi portabel cityxpoint - Surabaya City di links yang telah Kami sediakan nantinya. Perlu Kamu ketahui, cityxpoint - Surabaya City tidak berbayar, alias gratis dipakai oleh semua kalangan. Informasi yang Kami Sajikan akan sangat berbeda dengan City guide yang ada di pasaran sebelumnya. Kamu akan lebih merasa enjoy, dan dipermudah dalam melakukan pencarian informasi berupa direktori. Tidak hanya informasi direktori saja, tapi Cityxpoint juga menyuguhkan informasi berupa artikel untuk memberikan variasi nuansa yang berbeda.

Nggak perlu nunggu tanggal 10 November, Saya udah dapet softwarenya kuq. silahkan aja kalo mau dunlut.


Klik disini atau disini untuk download, semoga bermanfaat

What you should already know about Windows XP Backup

Author: Erik Eckel

For many small to midsize businesses, the native backup utility in Microsoft Windows XP is sufficient to handle data backup and recovery chores.

Data backups aren’t as exciting as dual-core Intel chips that dual-boot Mac OS X and Windows XP, but maintaining a sound back-up strategy can prevent excitement of a different kind (the kind you don’t want). Although technology professionals can choose from a confusing array of OEM, proprietary, and third-party solutions, Windows’ native back-up program often proves adequate for meeting the data backup and recovery requirements of most small and medium businesses. The trick is in knowing Windows Backup’s benefits and drawbacks. By playing to the utility’s strengths, you can eliminate unwanted excitement and keep your workday low key.

#1: It’s proven (i.e., no one ever got fired for buying IBM…)

No one in their right mind wants to explain to a client or director why a backup or recovery operation failed. Losing data is among the greatest technology sins, so it’s only appropriate that the job be entrusted to a reliable solution. The old saying reminds us that “No one ever got fired for buying IBM.” The same holds for technology professionals in small or medium-size businesses who opt for using Microsoft tools.

Although many criticize Microsoft’s native Backup tool for its lack of sophistication and flexibility, the Windows utility’s lack of complexity is its greatest strength. Windows Backup provides a simple and proven method for safeguarding data. Further, it’s a capable tool for backing up data to a medium that’s easily stored off site.
#2: The wizard is your friend

Sure, you can elect to work in Backup’s Advanced mode (see Figure A), but wizards simplify complex tasks. More important, they help ensure that you don’t forget a step. And let’s face it, when the phone’s ringing and you’re downloading a service pack, applying a patch, and configuring a backup, it’s easy to overlook a setting.
Figure A



Windows Backup’s Advanced Mode lets you specify all backup configuration details manually.

There’s a reason wizards dominate Windows Small Business Server administration: They work. When creating a critical backup, take a few extra moments to allow the wizard shown in Figure B to walk you through the process.
Figure B



The Windows Backup Or Restore Wizard simplifies back-up creation and helps ensure that you don’t miss critical configuration settings (such as scheduling the backup to occur daily or configuring an Incremental versus a Normal backup).

The Backup Or Restore Wizard first asks whether you want to back up or restore files and settings. Assuming you specify a back-up operation, the next step involves specifying the data you want to back up. You can elect to back up local files and folders as well as network shares, of course.

After you configure the data to be backed up, you’ll have to select the back-up location. I’ve encountered clients who back up data to the same hard disk, believing it’s a second disk (due to its being partitioned and possessing a different drive letter). Backups always work best when a copy is stored off site, thereby protecting against fire/smoke/water damage that might occur at the central place of business.

Next, the wizard will prompt you to provide a name for the backup. It will then provide a summary screen, shown in Figure C. But you’re not through yet.
Figure C



The wizard’s summary screen leads you to believe you’re just about finished configuring the new backup; you’re not. You still need to configure advanced settings.

Click Advanced to configure the type of backup:

* Normal backs up all files and marks each as backed up.
* Copy backs up files but does not mark them as backed up.
* Incremental backs up files only if they were created or modified since the last back-up operation completed and marks them as backed up.
* Differential backs up only those files created since the last backup completed, but unlike Incremental backups, a Differential backup doesn’t mark the files as backed up.
* Daily backs up only files created or modified that day (without changing files’ archive bits).

Once you’ve specified the back-up type, the wizard presents two options: Verify Data After Backup and Disable Volume Shadow Copy. A third option, Use Hardware Compression If Available, will appear if the system has the appropriate equipment. Make your selections and specify whether to append or replace the backup, select a time for the backup to run, and enter a back-up name (this name identifies the back-up operation, not the .BKF file the backup creates). Enter a user account with the appropriate permissions to run the back-up operation and then provide the password.

Before clicking Next to finish creating the back-up routine, click Set Schedule. Use the Schedule tab to specify how often and when the backup should run. Use the Settings tab to configure additional options, such as the length of time the backup has to complete the process and whether the backup should run even if the power fails and the system’s battery power kicks in.

Once those settings are configured, you’re finished with the wizard. You can rest assured all important steps have been considered (even if you’re interrupted mid-process by a telephone call).
#3: You must watch names when creating new backups

When creating backups using Windows Backup Or Restore Wizard, you need to provide a name for the back-up routine. In fact, you must enter two names — one to identify the back-up operation itself (the job name) and another for the actual .BKF file that Backup creates (the backup name). They’re easy to confuse, and worse, Windows Backup remembers the last names you used and displays them by default; it’s easy to overwrite an existing routine or back-up file when creating a second back-up operation. Take care to ensure you don’t accidentally overwrite an old back-up file or mistakenly alter an existing back-up operation when configuring new backups.

When using the Backup Or Restore Wizard, the first name you specify is for the back-up file itself. This is the data file the back-up operation creates. It’s entered on the wizard’s Backup Type, Destination, And Name screen.

Scheduling a backup triggers the Job Name box, found on the wizard’s When To Back Up menu. The name you enter there determines the job name used to administer the back-up operation.
#4: Advanced options are key

Advanced Options, accessed using the Advanced button found on the Backup Or Restore Wizard’s summary screen, shown in Figure C, provides access to critical settings. In addition to configuring the back-up type as described above, you use Advanced options to specify whether backups append or replace older backups and whether a backup is scheduled to run regularly.

When scheduling back-up routines, the Set Schedule button provides access to yet another set of tabs. The Schedule tab enables configuring the backup’s frequency, while the Settings tab, shown in Figure D, permits customizing Scheduled Task completion parameters, managing the system’s idle time, and setting power management.
Figure D



Critical power management and idle time settings are configured using the Settings tab reached by clicking the Set Schedule button from within Advanced options.
#5: You needn’t overcomplicate schedules/types

Microsoft exams and practice test companies love quizzing you on how you best recover from a disk failure if you’ve got a six-day-old Normal backup and five days of Incremental or Differential backups. Although such practices work well in theory, they’re more difficult to complete as intended in the real world. Office managers forget to replace the tapes or Rev Disks in a system and copy a Tuesday Differential over a Monday Differential. Disks get lost; tapes fail over time.

I recommend simply talking with clients or reviewing with corporate staff how much data you can afford to lose. Can you get by without a week’s worth of data? Then configure weekly Normal backups, ensure they complete properly, and get them off site. Regularly recover backups to ensure all necessary data is being properly protected.

However, some organizations need data backed up every day. In those cases, I recommend setting Windows Backup to complete Normal backups daily. Just be sure to keep several copies (at least a week’s worth, if not more) and rotate them. That way, if a user accidentally deletes a needed customer file on Monday and you don’t discover the problem until Friday, you still have a week-old backup from which you can obtain the file.

Still other companies can’t afford to lose even a half-day’s data. Microsoft Backup isn’t the solution for them. That’s when it’s time to turn to high-availability data provisioning services (such as RAID arrays and on-line backups).
#6: You likely need to replace–not append–backups

In most small and medium businesses, there’s no need to obtain more than a week or two’s worth of backups. Although for some it makes sense to keep master quarterly back-up copies forever, typically just replacing Normal backups works well as part of a regular rotation. Thus, many will elect to use the Windows Replace feature rather than the Append feature when configuring scheduled backups.

If circumstances require, you can append backups or add them to your media as opposed to replacing an existing backup. But more often than not, you’ll run out of storage space quickly. Most midsize businesses and many small businesses will be best served by maintaining fresh sets of operative Normal backups. Therefore, these organizations can simply replace existing backups.

Larger organizations requiring more complex data back-up regimens will be best served using a more sophisticated backup system. Because of Windows Backup’s simplicity, it quickly becomes unwieldy when trying to manage multiple back-up sets in small organizations. And trying to scale appending Incremental or Differential backups in addition to weekly Normal backups simply isn’t worth the effort in large enterprises, where more sophisticated systems help ease the tediousness of the process.
#7: Data compression is weak, so plan accordingly

If you need to back up 30GB daily, as I often do for everyone from one- or two physician-practice health care providers (due to patient records and x-ray images) to realty firms wishing to retain copies of various blueprints, contracts, and show house images, your backup requires a lot of storage space. Windows Backup works well for these businesses, but don’t expect the backup to compress data effectively.

Third-party tools typically outperform the compression capacities Windows Backup boasts. In larger backups I’ve configured for clients, I see little data compression result from Windows Backup (using standard removal hard drives, Rev Disks, and the like). Using tape technologies, additional compression benefits emerge.

When calculating media storage required to manage back-up routines, I recommend planning at least 12 months ahead. Thus, if you’re using Windows Backup and you must back up 12GB worth of data weekly, and the organization adds 500MB of new data a month, I’d recommend working with at least a 20GB tape or disk.
#8: Data verification can take forever

Windows Backup offers a data verification feature, which helps confirm that backups complete properly. Almost everyone advises that you use it. The option should be selected with care when creating larger backups, however, as the confirmation process can add an inordinate amount of time to the back-up operation. In one example I’ve seen in the field, a 32GB backup regularly and consistently failed to complete in eight hours due to the verification feature taking too long; when data verification was turned off, the backup completed much more quickly.

If you’re completing smaller (5GB or less) backups, consider selecting data verification (the Verify Data After Backup check box) from the Backup Or Restore Wizard’s How To Back Up screen. For larger backups, I recommend periodically verifying backups complete properly firsthand instead, by opening a backup and checking its uniformity.
#9: When scheduling backups, once is the default

It’s important to note that the default setting for the Schedule is Once. This is true even though you can set the backup to begin a week or months in advance. As a result, it’s easy to configure a Normal backup to occur on Friday at 11:00 p.m. and forget to select Weekly from the Scheduled Task drop-down box. If you don’t confirm that you’ve selected the appropriate frequency, you’ll wind up configuring a scheduled backup to run only once. When you create a new back-up routine using Windows backup, always be sure you specify that it run Later and click Set Schedule.
#10: You need to limit Backup’s default run time

Backups can easily suck up a system’s resources, not to mention network bandwidth (when backing up files from network shares). Add in the fact users are constantly making changes to files during regular business hours, and it’s easy to see why backups are traditionally programmed to occur during off hours.

When configuring Windows Backup, be sure to review the timeframe Windows allots the routine to complete. The default setting (reached by selecting Set Schedule and clicking the Settings tab from Advanced options) is 72 hours. That’s an incredibly long time, especially in the event that a back-up routine becomes stuck, confused, or locked in an endless access, read, or write cycle. You don’t want users rendered unable to access the server, network data, or the network. Configure reasonable run times and make it a habit to review backups and confirm that they’re completing within the allotted time.

Five things your boss doesn’t want to hear

Author: Toni Bowers

If you’d like to develop a better relationship with your CIO, you might want to check out this list of things your boss doesn’t want to hear.

Mary K. Pratt wrote a good article for Computerworld after she asked a group of 2008 Premier 100 IT Leaders to talk about the kinds of messages they never want to hear from their staffers.

Here’s the list she compiled from the conversations:

Don’t talk only about the technology and not about the business. These CIOs say that technology-for-technology’s-sake won’t get you far. You should couch any technology discussions in terms of what it would mean to the business.

Don’t be too enamored with one solution. Most IT people have a technology preference (just witness some of the fights we’ve had in TechRepublic’s forum over the years about Linux vs. Windows). Be open to all solutions.

Don’t operate from the stance that something is impossible. No CIO wants to hear this word. A task may be insurmountable, but the best way to get that across is to present the challenges in a logical way. Let the CIO come to the conclusion about whether it’s still worth pursuing.

CIOs don’t want to hear you express bad opinions about your colleagues. CIOs want their employees to work out problems on their own.

No surprises. This seems a little contradictory to point number 4 to me. Pratt quotes Ian S. Patterson, CIO at Scottrade Inc., a St. Louis-based online brokerage firm, as saying he “always prefers to hear news — good and bad — directly from his workers.” How would one address the fact that a colleague may be causing delays in a project without expressing a bad opinion? I guess it’s all in the way you say it.

When IT pros go bad

Author: Toni Bowers

The recent case of the network administrator who shut down San Francisco’s FiberWAN network may cause some corporate executives to initiate unneeded policies. Would that be yet another example of too much time spent on something that, in reality, rarely happens?

The Terry Childs case has been a wake-up call to corporate executives across the globe. (Childs, a network administrator for San Francisco’s Department of Telecommunications and Information Services, is currently in jail and being held on $5 million bail for allegedly altering the city’s FiberWAN network system to deny service to authorized users and setting up devices that would allow unauthorized service to the system.)

I would guess that few executives (and staff-level end users for that matter) had any idea of the power one lone IT pro could have until now. Since the mindset of most employees is that IT is the department you call when you can’t access your files or your e-mail is running slow, it’s pretty disconcerting for them to find out that, depending on their position in the company, IT pros pretty much hold the keys to the kingdom.

So now, of course, the media is feeding this newly found fear in the hearts of corporate executives everywhere.


Last Monday, in the Globe and Mail, a story by Rebecca Dube brought to light some other recent cases of disgruntled IT pros wreaking havoc on their employers. The stories included the Australian engineer who was sentenced to two years in prison for hacking into a waste-management system and causing millions of liters of raw sewage to be dumped into rivers and parks. And Roger Duronio who was found guilty of computer sabotage and securities fraud for creating a logic bomb that took down 2,000 of UBS PaineWebber’s servers.

Then there was Alan Giang Tran who, after he was fired from his job at an airport limousine company, hacked into his former employer’s network and wiped out the customer database.

You just know that company leaders are going to be instituting policies to protect themselves against any kind of retaliation like this. There are a couple of reasons such policies could be a waste of time. For one, those executives don’t understand enough about IT to know how to form a policy to curtail its activities or access.

Second, if you think about all of the opportunity IT has to manipulate or destroy data or shut down networks, it’s pretty amazing how rarely it happens. So this could be another instance of putting precious time into creating policies because of something that happens maybe 1% of the time.

Now I could be wrong. You could all be out there using the skills of your job to funnel streams of money into your Swiss bank accounts. But I don’t think so.

So let’s discuss. In your jobs, do you have the power to paralyze the company you work for? Why do you think some people take advantage of this power while most don’t?

10 tools that will make you a Twitter power user

Author: Jason Hiner

Twitter can be powerful for professional networking and collective intelligence. Here are ten tools that can help you become a Twitter power user and take full advantage of Twitter for business and professional use.

In my article Is Twitter the most important development on the Web in 2008? I wrote about the fact that Twitter has made me better informed and better connected with my colleagues and peers in the technology business. For those who are using Twitter — or plan to start — here are 10 tools that can help you get the most out of it for professional networking.


1. Summize

Since Twitter is a great way to do a quick scan of what people are talking about, wouldn’t it be great to search it to see what people are saying about a specific topic? A site called Summize came up with a nice little search tool to do that.

In fact, the tool is so good that Twitter bought Summize earlier this month. The URL is now search.twitter.com but, at the time that I’m writing this, it hasn’t actually been integrated into Twitter’s default search so you’ll have to bookmark that URL or go to summize.com (which redirects to it). Using this to do searches on specific tech topics that interest you is also a great way to find people to follow who have the same interests.





2. Tweetburner

One of the most common things to do on Twitter is share URLs to interesting stuff. But, since Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters it’s best to use Snurl or TinyURL or similar services to shorten the URL. While all of these services work just fine, the best one to use is Tweetburner because it gives you “personal statistics” to show the number of clicks that your links generated.
3. Twitter Mobile

At least half of my Twittering is done from my cell phone, and I’m not alone. Back in December, there was a big stink when T-Mobile was suspected of blocking its customers from using Twitter. There were a bunch of T-Mobile customers who were ready to drop the carrier over this before the issue got resolved — that’s how important it was to them to be able to Twitter from their cell phone. While there are lots of mobile clients like TinyTwitter, Twitterific, TwitterBerry, and TreoTwit, I still prefer to just use the mobile version of the Twitter site: http://m.twitter.com.
4. Ping.fm

If you also do status updates on other social networks in addition to Twitter, then Ping.fm can be a great time-saver because it allows you to write a message and then it can post it to your account on Twitter plus simultaneously post it to Linkedin, Facebook, Plaxo and several other networks.
5. TwitPic

Another popular thing to do on Twitter is post photos. While you can put photos on Flickr or other photo sharing sites and then post shortened URLs, the better way to do it is to simply use TwitPic, which will allow to upload the photo and write the Twitter post and then it will post it with the URL automatically shortened for you. You can even use TwitPic from many smartphones. For example, earlier this week I posted a photo of the LCD TV I just set up in my office.
6. TweetAhead

If you’re not caught up in stream-of-consciousness, but want to use Twitter to announce something at a specific time (or automatically post an update at a time when you won’t have access to a computer or phone), then you can use TweetAhead to schedule a post at a specific time.
7. TweetStats

If you want to get serious — or at least scientific– about your Twitter use, then TweetStats will give you lots of data to see, for example, how many times you posted this month compared to last month, what times you tend to post the most, which users you respond to most often, and which tools you use the most to post on Twitter.
8. Twist

Twitter can be used as a research tool to see what users are saying about a certain topic, that’s where Summize (now Twitter Search) is handy, but you can also use Twitter for trend data to see how many posts there are about a certain topic by using Twist. Twist lets you see the number of posts for big topics over the past week or month, and you can even compare topics by simply entering multiple terms separated by commas. For example, a popular search right now is “iphone, blackberry” (see results in graph below).



9. TwitterLocal

Want to see if any of your local connections are on Twitter or find Twitterers in your local metro area? TwitterLocal allows you to search by area code for posts from Twitterers within 1 mile or as far away as 20 miles.
10. Twitterholic

Who has the largest following on Twitter? You can find the top 100 on Twitterholic. At the time that I’m writing this, the top of the list is dominated by a lot of personalities from the tech world, including notables such as Leo LaPorte, John Dvorak, and Guy Kawasaki. Twitterholic is a good place to find some top tech thinkers that you might be interested in following.

So, that’s my list. I hope it helps you put Twitter to use for professional purposes.

Is Twitter the most important development on the Web in 2008?

Author: Jason Hiner



For those who have never used Twitter, my biggest challenge here might be giving you a concise definition. Here are some of the common ones that you’ll hear:

* It’s micro-blogging
* It’s a 140-character note about what you’re doing
* It’s an up-to-the-minute status update for all your friends
* It’s a great way to keep up with what your colleagues are working on
* It’s a very timely source for news and links
* It’s like being part of the Borg but you choose your own Collective

Here’s how I explained Twitter to my mom a couple weeks ago:

“It’s like a text message or an instant message — limited to 140 characters — that you send to everyone on your buddy list. You use it when you’re doing something interesting, you have some news to share, or you have a Web link that you want to bring to people’s attention.”

f you don’t think that sounds very exciting or useful, you’re not alone. A lot of the most active Twitterers I know didn’t take to it right away. There’s an interesting phenomenon with Twitter where a user gives it a first try and then sort of abandons it, while still occasionly checking on the messages posted by the people on their contact list. Then, the user eventually starts doing and seeing stuff and thinking, “I should post that Twitter.” Pretty soon they actually start remembering to post that stuff, either from a Web browser or a cell phone, and before long they are hooked.
Five reasons why Twitter matters

1. Twitter provides a method for tapping into the brainwaves of people whose thoughts and opinions are valuable to you.
2. It can help you catch breaking news very quickly. It’s the digital equivalent of word-of-mouth.
3. It can allow you to communicate and network with people that you’ve wanted to meet.
4. Twitter lets you keep track of colleagues, see what they’re working on, and better understand what they do.
5. It can serve as a messaging tool to quickly communicate with multiple contacts.

Twitter for IT

I primarily use Twitter for three things:

1. Posting a lot of the stuff that doesn’t make it into my blog. That includes links, breaking news, thoughts on current events in the tech world, and occasionally a few off-topic notes about digital living and civilization as we know it.
2. Keeping up with current and former co-workers and other friends and colleagues — mostly people in the IT industry or the media business. I’ve learned more about some of my co-workers from Twitter than I did by working with them in the same office for years.
3. Responding to thoughts and notes from my network of contacts and get to know some of my contacts better in the process.

You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jasonhiner.

Because so many of the early adopters of Twitter are techies, it can be a valuable tool for IT leaders, who can not only follow pundits like me but can also follow like-minded IT experts. In this way, they can build their own custom community of people of interest for IT. That’s the greatest strength of Twitter, and that’s why it will end up being the most important development on the Web in 2008 — the year it really started to gain critical mass.

There’s another reason why IT pros may be interested in Twitter, and it has nothing to do with its use for communication. As an online application built on RubyOnRails, Twitter has run into scaling problems that have recently led to several outages of the service and repeatedly dogged its IT department. In fact, the outages have become so common that they are — dangerously — becoming one of the distinguishing characteristics of Twitter. There’s even a recommendation to put ads on the outage page. Check out the TechCrunch article Twitter At Scale: Will It Work? and this blog post from the Twitter staff to get up to speed on the issues involved.
Further reading

For more on Twitter, take a look at these articles:

* The secret to Twitter (Scobleizer)
* The several habits of wildly successful Twitter users (Slacker Manager)
* Perspective on Twitter and its brethren (CNET)
* In Twitter’s Scoble problem, a business model (GigaOm)
* Twitter, again (ZDNet)
* 8 cool Twitter tools (Wired)
* Five Twitter tools we love (GigaOm)
* Twitter Valued at $80 Million (WebGuild)
* The three business models that make Twitter a billion-dollar business (Calacanis.com)
* End Of Speculation: The Real Twitter Usage Numbers (TechCrunch)

Bottom line for IT leaders

While Twitter launched quietly back in mid-2006, 2008 will likely be remembered as the year that it reached critical mass. In fact, the masses have grown to the point that Twitter’s infrastructure can’t keep up, which has led to almost-weekly service outages and outrage from users. However, whether Twitter itself is the brand or product that survives, the phenomenon of group messaging that it pioneered will undoubtedly continue. It has already hooked too many users, and there are lots more joining every day right now. IT leaders should join the party, too, because they can take advantage of Twitter to become smarter, more timely, and better connected.

UPDATE, May 26, 2008 at 9:10 AM EST:

One other effective use of Twitter is for following your most valuable RSS feeds. It’s not a replacement for a full RSS reader, but it is very useful for keeping track of your most-watched feeds (if they are on Twitter). Once you add them to your list, the new posts simply show up in your Twitter stream. Here are some RSS feeds you can follow on Twitter:

* TechRepublic Blogs
* ZDNet Blogs
* CNET News

Is IT no longer about technology?

Author: Jason Hiner


Gartner researcher Tom Austin believes that the future of IT is much more about people than technology. While he makes a compelling and visionary argument, there are aspects of IT that will remain tied to a keyboard and screen.

It’s become horribly cliche to talk about the importance of IT-business alignment and the need for IT professionals to become much more business-savvy, but Gartner’s Tom Austin (right) takes it to the next level. He believes that the IT professional of the future will be less of an engineer and more of a social scientist.

What? Yes, you heard that right — the word “social” will become a key part of the IT professional’s job description. It flies in the face of most of the stereotypes about techies and it sounds a little corny, but Austin does draw some interesting conclusions that are worth a look, if only because they are so unconventional.

Here are some of the most salient quotes from Austin on this subject (from an interview in Fast Company):

* “The problem with IT today is there are too many engineers and not enough social scientists.”
* “Too often, we have measurement and reward systems that are focused on how many transactions did you process, how many orders did you ship, and how many deals did you close — rather than who helped these other people succeed.”
* “There’s a recognition that if you relax some controls — not all — you’re probably going to get more creative behavior out of the individuals than if everything is locked down.”
* “There are still people in IT who’ll have to worry about keeping the systems running, but now we’re going to think more about how to exploit the things we can do with social networking, expertise location, and all of the other higher-level social ordered phenomenon we can facilitate using technology.”
* “It’s not the technology that counts. It’s the people.”

The fact that IT keeps running into these issues about being more business-savvy and people-savvy may simply be a natural part of the evolution of the profession. My TechRepublic colleague Mark Kaelin said that when he was in business school studying accounting, his professors constantly drilled home the fact that too many accountants were just number crunchers and that what the field needed was accountants who were more focused on understanding the business and how they could best serve it. Sound familiar?

In order to evaluate Austin’s arguments, let’s take a look at the three segments that IT is going to be divided into over the next decade:

1.) Operations and infrastructure management

We’re primarily talking about server rooms, data centers, and network operations centers here. IT pros in this realm will manage the backend infrastructure that powers businesses large and small. In the years ahead, this category of IT is going to become highly centralized and highly commoditized. The increase of virtualization and cloud computing will hasten this development.

As a result, managed services companies will grow and take over the data center for many companies. It simply won’t be cost-efficient to have your own data center, in many cases. As such, the administrators and engineers who run these uber-NOCs will be highly trained and highly versatile. They will be the blue collar workers of the IT industry, focused on maintenance and process work.

Although many of these IT pros will need to have strong communications skills because they will deal with multiple customers and multiple accounts on a daily basis, there will also be plenty of IT workers chained to keyboard and monitor and tasked solely for monitoring the infrastructure and keeping it running. Austin’s argument doesn’t hold up very well in this category.

2.) Solutions and project management

Today’s developers and software engineers will morph into this category, which will have a greater focus on delivering end-to-end solutions to businesses, whether in pre-packaged software or custom applications. Just as it happens in many organizations right now, project managers will gather business requirements and build out the plans for solutions that software engineers can deliver.

This is primarily where Austin’s ideas apply. He sees these solutions makers evolving from technology-focused engineers to people-focused scientists and business associates. And, he’s correct that IT needs to build better solutions that are more customer-centric and get the technology out of the way so that users can collaborate and work more effectively.

3.) End user management

From help desk to training to PC provisioning, IT is also responsible for deploying, managing, and supporting the systems that employees use every day. This isn’t going away anytime soon — although some companies have tried to outsource pieces of this — because it almost always involves some form of physical access to the machines. Managed services could take over some of this, but there’s always still a need for at least some physical access.

In the future, the role of this part of the IT department will diminish, although not entirely disappear. Many companies will move toward a self-provisioning model and will support user-owned systems and devices. Plus, the bar for usability and ease-of-use will continue to to be pushed higher and higher.

Nevertheless, even a diminished support department will likely need to change many of its attitudes and policies, as Austin notes, in order to help the company stay competitive. IT will need to relax some of its standards in order to allow more users to easily collaborate and share data and documents.
Bottom line

So, yes, IT is becoming more about people than technology, and IT professionals will need to become more business- and people-savvy. Part of the change is a natural evolution of the profession, and part of it has to do with some of the big technology shifts happening in the back office. Still, there are a lot of IT jobs and roles that won’t be directly affected by these changes, especially in operations and infrastructure. Those jobs will become the blue collar jobs of IT, focused heavily on processes and maintenance, and employed by managed services companies in many cases.

What’s the difference between CIO and CTO?

Author: Jason Hiner

The CIO and CTO job roles are frequently confused, but there are clear distinctions between the two positions in most large enterprises. The two require different skill sets and are focused on different goals.

——————————————————————————————————————

When you start talking about IT leadership roles and IT career tracks, the question that almost always comes up is “What’s the difference between the CIO and CTO positions?”

Here’s a quick breakdown of the distinguishing characteristics of those two roles.

Chief Information Officer

* Serves as the company’s top technology infrastructure manager
* Runs the organization’s internal IT operations
* Works to streamline business processes with technology
* Focuses on internal customers (users and business units)
* Collaborates and manages vendors that supply infrastructure solutions
* Aligns the company’s IT infrastructure with business priorities
* Developers strategies to increase the company’s bottom line (profitability)
* Has to be a skilled and organized manager to be successful

Chief Technology Officer

* Serves as the company’s top technology architect
* Runs the organization’s engineering group
* Uses technology to enhance the company’s product offerings
* Focuses on external customers (buyers)
* Collaborates and manages vendors that supply solutions to enhance the company’s product(s)
* Aligns the company’s product architecture with business priorities
* Develops strategies to increase the company’s top line (revenue)
* Has to be a creative and innovative technologist to be successful

The five reasons I wouldn’t use an iPhone are down to one

Author: Jason Hiner

Two of the most common technology questions that I’ve been asked over the past year are “Have you used the iPhone?” and “What makes it so special?” I typically respond that TechRepublic has an iPhone and that the product isn’t perfect nor is it a phone for everyone, but it’s a watershed device that will change mobile computing.

For those who want to know more, I explain that there two reasons why the iPhone is revolutionary. At the point, many people have asked me why I don’t use the device, since I think it’s such a revolution. I have typically replied with five reasons why I wouldn’t want to use it — the first-generation iPhone — on a day-to-day basis.

Take a look at the two things that I think make the iPhone revolutionary, the five reasons I didn’t use the original iPhone, and the one reason why I still won’t use the iPhone 3G.

Why the iPhone is revolutionary

The iPhone made the full Web browsing experience useful on a cell phone for the first time. That is its greatest triumph. Instead of relying on dumbed-down mobile versions of Web sites, with the iPhone you can pull up almost any site on the Internet and get a decent browsing experience, with a few exceptions (some technologies such as Flash and ActiveX don’t work on the iPhone).

What has made the iPhone a fully-capable Web browsing device is its touch-based user-interface, the iPhone’s other revolutionary fearure. Specifically, the iPhone’s pinch-to-zoom feature has made it very easy to zoom in and out of full-sized Web pages. Plus, the rest of the touch-based interface makes it a fast and intuitive to navigate the iPhone.
Five reasons I didn’t use the original iPhone

1. Speed – The bad thing about loading up full-size Web pages is that most of them are quite large. Many sites seem to assume users have fast broadband. As a result, the iPhone’s Web browser is abysmally slow when connected over the cellular network (and still not super-fast when connected via Wi-Fi). Many sites never even load at all. The iPhone 3G is better, but there are still times when a non-3G BlackBerry or Treo will load a mobile Web page far faster than the iPhone 3G will load the full Web page from the site.
2. Price –At $499 (4 GB) and $599 (8 GB), the original iPhone was way too pricey for me to justify, and I’m sure many IT departments felt the same way. Apple eventually dropped the price of the 8 GB iPhone to $399, but that wasn’t low enough for me, since the iPhone still had other limitations as well. Of course, the iPhone 3G has dropped the price to a more palatable $199 (8 GB) and $299 (16 GB).
3. E-mail –The primary reason that I use my smartphone is for checking e-mail. Since the first iPhone did not include support for push e-mail and could not connect to Microsoft Exchange it simply was not a viable replacement for a Treo, BlackBerry, or Windows Mobile device. Apple has rectified that by building Exchange ActiveSync support into the iPhone 3G.
4. Headphone jack –Although it’s nitpicky, one of the most maddening features of the original iPhone was its recessed headphone jack. This meant that you could only use Apple’s proprietary headphones, which don’t fit my ears and hurt whenever I try. The only other option was to buy an adapter to make the jack compatible with normal headphones. Thankfully, Apple has replaced this with a standard jack in the iPhone 3G.
5. Keyboard – For me, the worst feature of the original iPhone was its on-screen keyboard. While it’s better and more intuitive than the on-screen keyboard in Windows Mobile and other devices, it is still not very useful when you need to do any kind of serious typing. It’s just too slow and error-prone. It really forces you to hunt-and-peck with one finger. I have much better luck using my thumbs on the qwerty keyboards that come on most smartphones.



Will I use the iPhone 3G?

Apple rectified the first four items on my list with the iPhone 3G, but unfortunately the on-screen keyboard remains. If the iPhone 3G had a slide-down qwerty keyboard in landscape mode, I would have seriously considered adopting it. However, without a usable keyboard the device is still just an innovative, ground-breaking piece of technology that doesn’t quite have a place in my day-to-day life yet. And, I also wouldn’t recommend it to any IT leaders or business users who need to do a significant amount of typing from a smartphone.

10 reasons to turn your Access applications into Web-based applications

By Susan Sales Harkins and Drew Wutka
An Access database often outgrows its original purpose. When that happens, you face applying band-aid technology or upgrading to a more powerful database system, such as SQL Server Express or even SQL Server. But before you toss Access out the window and start signing purchase orders for consultants, developers, licensing, and new hardware, consider one more option—turning your Access application into a Web-based application. Let's look at some reasons why this might make sense.
Shameless disclaimer: If you truly need a more powerful database system and can afford its trappings, spend and grow!

Client versus server
A server-side database, such as MySQL, SQL Server, and Oracle, evaluates requests on the server side (sent in the form of a SQL statement) and then returns data to the client. Jet, on the other hand, lets the client do all the work. Jet is the database engine behind Access. Even if the database (.mdb) is on a network server, the client still does all the work. The server simply responds to client file requests.
This arrangement retrieves more then just the data across the network. As a result, indexes and unused data clog the network and slow things down. An alternative is to place the Access database on your Web server's local drive and then build the interface on the Web server. Doing so creates an ad hoc server-side database that handles transactions on the server (using your code). Requests from the client are in Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) format instead of SQL.
Recommendation: Put the Access database (the .mdb file) in a folder that isn't shared. That way, users won't have direct access to the database. Their only access will be via the Web server. Your code will serve as the layer that allows users to interact with the actual data.


No client installation
A Web-based front end minimizes installation issues. Users need only a browser. The database doesn't care whether the user is sending requests via a Windows PC, a Mac, or a machine running Linux.

Easy cross-platform usage
You're free to use your language of choice to create the Web interface and the code that the server users to interact with the database. Users get clean and standard HTML that almost all browsers can use.
Recommendation: Keep the Web interface simple to ensure that everyone can use it. If you need the advantages of client-side tools, such as client side scripting, Flash media, and so on, go for it. Just keep in mind that not every HTML feature works in every browser. The back end can be as complex as necessary because the Web server is the only one using it.


Simplified security
Storing the database in a non-shared folder (see #1) restricts access. Only the Web server's administrator has access to the database file. That leaves security to the Web server. Now, you might argue either way as to whether this method is more or less secure than a server-side database. However, someone with direct access to a machine with a server-side database could probably also gain direct access to that database.
In addition, a server-side database requires a network connection. An Access database on a Web server isn't directly available. You can access the Web server, but not the database. Only the Web server can access the database on the server's local drive. On the other hand, Access has a security system known as Access User Level security (this isn't available with Access 2007). Most server-side database security systems are more secure than Access User Level security.
Recommendation: Even though you impose an almost absolute-type form of security by placing a database on a Web server, it can't hurt to apply Access User Level security. The database is still an .mdb that you can copy and open on any machine that has Access installed. As a developer, you will probably have local copies of that .mdb (and copies on backup tapes for your Web server). Be on the safe side and keep honest people honest by putting a little extra security in place. Users via the Web interface won't even know the additional security is there.

Easy use of NT authentication
Using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), you can determine the NT name of users logged into an Access database and thereby restrict which users can do what. However, this method isn't foolproof, and it doesn't truly authenticate users. Your Web interface (on an IIS Web server) can use Integrated Windows Security to authenticate user credentials to individual Web pages

Goodbye to corruption!
Most developers complain that Access is susceptible to corruption. Used incorrectly, it certainly is. With an Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS) and redundant drives, your Web-based database (.mdb file) won't suffer from corruption

No version problems
With the quick pace of upgrades, many of us have users spread across two and three versions of Access. Unfortunately, not all versions play well together. A Web interface eliminates version incompatibility issues because the Web server uses Jet. That means the Web server doesn't even need Access—it doesn't load Access. Your Web server doesn't care what version of Access the client uses.

Live, behind-the-scenes interface updates
To update an Access front end, you must copy or modify an .mdb file. Access won't let you make changes while people are using it. (Beginning with Access 2000, you can make some changes, but a few still require exclusive access to the database.) In contrast, you can change the Web interface files (.asp, .aspx, and so on) whenever you like. The changes are almost immediate.

Portability
Every Windows OS since Windows 98 has had personal Web server capabilities. That means you can develop and test a Web site using a laptop running Windows 98 (or later). Using an Access database as the data source has a few benefits:
• There's no need to install and run a heavy-duty server-side database on your laptop.
• There's no need to maintain a network connection to a live server.
• You can copy the live system and its database as just a bunch of files. You don't have to import, export, or attach database files. For example, you can build a Web site on your laptop or desktop and then move it to a Web server. To work on an update, simply copy the Access database file (.mdb) from the Web server to your laptop.
Recommendation: Jet allows many transaction type SQL statements. You can build and modify tables and views using SQL, along with the typical data reading and altering capabilities. Sometimes, if you put a system on a remote server where you no longer have the ability to get to the actual .mdb, it's pretty simple to whip up an .asp page that lets you run SQL on the fly against the database.

More users
By their very nature, Web interfaces are unbound. In other words, once a page is loaded, the interface is no longer connected to the database. But a bound Access front end maintains a connection to the source, and Jet limits you to 255 concurrent connections. Your Web application, unless you have 255 users hitting the database at the exact same moment (which would require approximately 30,000 users a minute at a transactions speed of .5 seconds) can have more concurrent users.




Susan Sales Harkins is an independent consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. Her most recent book is Mastering Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express, with Mike Gunderloy, published by Sybex. Other collaborations with Gunderloy are Automating Microsoft Access 2003 with VBA, Upgrader’s Guide to Microsoft Office System 2003, ICDL Exam Cram 2, and Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Access 2003, all published by Que. Currently, Susan volunteers as the Publications Director for Database Advisors. You can reach her at ssharkins@gmail.com.

Drew Wutka is a Microsoft Access/Visual Basic/Web developer for Marlow Industries, Inc. He also does independent contract development and has developed many free projects, such as the Microsoft Access MiniCalendar, the Dynamic FrontPage Navigation ASP Sitemap, and the Password Enabled Enigma Encryption VB program. You can reach Drew at Drew@wolfwares.com.

10+ tips for getting the best performance out of your SQL Server data types

By Susan Sales Harkins
Data integrity and performance are the driving force behind almost every decision you make during the design and development process. Defining appropriate data types is one of the easiest ways to let SQL Server help you help yourself.
Size matters
Always use the smallest data size that will accommodate the largest possible value. If a column is going to store values between 1 and 5, use tinyint instead of int. This rule also applies to character columns. The smaller the data size, the less there is to read, so performance, over all, benefits. In addition, smaller size reduces network traffic. With newer technology, this tip seems less relevant, but don't dismiss it out of hand. You'll won't regret being efficient from the get-go.

Bad primary keys
Don't use float, real, or datetime for primary keys. They add overhead that you just don't need, and given the nature of primary keys, you will probably feel the pinch.


Usurp SQL Server assumptions
When converting a value to a variable length data type using varchar, always specify the length. Otherwise, SQL Server assumes a default size of 30. Specify the smallest size possible (see #1).

Faster sorts
To speed up frequent sorts, use an int (or an integer-based) data type if possible. SQL Server sorts integer data faster than character data.

Efficient strings
The text data type accommodates a lot of data but at a cost. Unfortunately, I have seen developers use it by default. For those large columns, use varchar instead; it accommodates up to 8,000 characters and requires less overhead. Consequently, varchar performs better.

The varchar instead of char trade off
It's best to limit a text column, but knowing just how much can be difficult. If the data varies in length, it can be more efficient to use varchar than char. A fixed-length data type will waste space on smaller entries. In addition, sorts against a varchar column are usually faster. That's because SQL Server sorts the entire width of a char column.

Don't store NULL in fixed-length columns
Try not to allow NULL values in a fixed-length column. NULL consumes the same space an input value would. Those NULL values will add up quickly in a large column. If you must accommodate NULL values, use a variable-length column. They use less space for NULL.

Avoid bigint
SQL Server's bigint uses 8 bytes of memory. In comparison, int uses just 4. Don't use bigint unless the data forces you to.

Avoid sql_variant
Avoid using SQL Server's sql_variant data type. It's a memory hog and comes with limits that make it difficult to work with:
• Variants can't be part of a primary or foreign key.
• Variants can't be part of a computed column.
• Variants don't work with LIKE in a WHERE clause.
• OLE DB and ODBC providers automatically convert variants to nvarchar(4000) a huge waste almost 100% of the time!

When numbers are really text
It's common to store numeric values as text. For instance, you won't (mathematically) evaluate a ZIP Code or a phone number, so you might store them as text. However, numeric data types generally consume less overhead to store the same value as a character data type. You'll probably notice a difference between the two data types in a WHERE clause, a sort, or a join.

Protecting Document with Password

You can protect your document by applying password so that unauthorized person can not display as well as modify your document. You can apply two types of passwords:

Password to open the document:

If it is applied then you have to give the correct password to open the document, otherwise you cannot open the document.

Password to modify the document:

If it is applied then you have to give the correct password to modify the document, otherwise your document is opened but you cannot modify the document. It means that your document becomes read-only.

To apply a password to document, follow these steps.

* Open Save As dialog box by selecting "Save As" command from File menu.

* Click "Tools" button of Save As dialog box and choose "General Options" from drop down menu, "Save" dialog box appears as shown in figure below.

* Enter first password in "Password to open" text box and second password in "Password to modify" text box (if required) and click "Ok" button of dialog box. Microsoft Word will open "Confirm Password" dialog box for the confirmation of passwords. The maximum length of password is 15 characters.

* Re-enter the password to open and password to modify and click "Ok" button of Confirm Password dialog boxes one by one.

* Click "Save" button of Save As dialog box.

Converting from Rollback to Undo

From : http://www.shutdownabort.com

This procedure will drop the existing rollback segments and tablespace, and replace them with an auto-managed undo tablespace.
# 1. Identify the rollback segments and tablespaces to be removed:

select segment_name
, tablespace_name
, status
from dba_rollback_segs
where tablespace_name != 'SYSTEM'
/

#

# 2. Produce offline and drop statements for each rollback segment:

select 'alter rollback segment ' || segment_name || ' offline;'
from dba_rollback_segs
where tablespace_name = '&TS'
and tablespace_name != 'SYSTEM'
/

select 'drop rollback segment ' || segment_name || ';'
from dba_rollback_segs
where tablespace_name = '&TS'
and tablespace_name != 'SYSTEM'
/

Review the output and, if you are happy with it, cut and paste it back into sqlplus.
# 3. Make a note of the old tablespace's size and location, then drop it.

drop tablespace including contents and datafiles
/

# 4. Create a new 'undo' tablespace in place of the old one.

create undo tablespace undo
datafile '' size
extent management local
/

# 5. Update the initialisation parameters
If you are using a spfile (and you should be!) run the following commands:

alter system reset rollback_segments scope=spfile sid='*'
/

alter system set undo_management=auto scope=spfile
/

alter system set undo_tablespace=undo scope=spfile
/

If you are still using a pfile (init.ora) then do the following:

Remove the following settings:

rollback_segments=...

Add/alter these two lines:

undo_management=auto
undo_tablespace=undo

# 6. Restart the instance
Note the location of the alert log. If there is a problem during start-up, you will probably receive nothing more than a message saying 'instance aborted'. The alert log will contain a slightly more detailed explanation.

Restart the instance:

shutdown immediate
startup

Rerun the query from step 1. There will be a whole load of rollback segments with names like '_SYSSMU1$'. This is an indictaion that the instance is now using auto undo.

Manual upgrade from 9i to 10g Release 2

http://www.shutdownabort.com

This procedure describes the steps necessary to manually upgrade a database from 9.2.x to 10.2.x. It assumes that you have already installed 10g onto the server. Of course, it is essential that you take a backup of your database before attempting any upgrade.

* 1. Compile any invalid objects

@?/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql

* 2. Create a sysaux tablespace

Having a sysaux tablespace is a requirement in 10g. So, if you haven't already got one, create one now.

create tablespace sysaux
datafile '' size 512M
extent management local
segment space management auto
/

* 3. Run utlu102i.sql

This utility script checks that the database is ready to be upgraded to 10g. It also identifies any actions that need to be taken. The script is located in the 10g oracle home, so you will need to specify the full path to it.

@/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/rdbms/admin/utlu102i.sql

Review the output and make any necessary alterations. Make a note of how many invalid objects there are.

* 4. Shut the database down with either normal or immediate

shutdown immediate

* 5. Copy the spfile (or pfile) and the password file from the existing home to the 10g one.

cp ${ORACLE_HOME}/dbs/*${ORACLE_SID}* /dbs/

* 6. Edit oratab

Alter /etc/oratab (or /var/opt/oracle/oratab) to point to the10g home. Once done, rerun oraenv to bring the alteration into effect.

* 7. Upgrade the database

sqlplus "/ as sysdba"

startup upgrade

This next bit is the upgrade itself. It takes roughly half an hour to complete. Spool the output to a file so that you can review it afterward.

@?/rdbms/admin/catupgrd.sql

* 8. Recompile any invalid objects

@?/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql

Compare the number of invalid objects with the number noted in step 3. It should hopefully be the same or less.

* 9. Then check the status of the upgrade

@?/rdbms/admin/utlu102s.sql

* 10. Alter or remove initialisation parameters

Temporarily creating a pfile is the easiest way.

create pfile from spfile;

shutdown immediate

vi ${ORACLE_HOME}/dbs/init${ORACLE_SID}.ora

Alter/remove parameters identified in step 9. Set compatible to 10.2.0.0.0

startup

create spfile from pfile;

shutdown immediate

startup

That's it!

Setting Up Windows Apache HTTP Server - Testing DHTML Menu

Setting up a web server is easier than you think and allows you to experiment with the menu in a testing environment. The operating system you are running will determine which web server you will use. Those using Windows XP Professional will have access to Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS), for all other Windows systems (including XP Home Edition) we recommend using Apache 1.3 HTTP Server.

Here's some help for those thinking of using Apache



Step 1 - Downloading Apache HTTP Server

• To download apache visit http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi and select the executable Win32 Binary (Self extracting) file from the Apache 1.3 section half way down the page. This appears in this format: apache_1.3.31-win32-x86-no_src.exe

• Save the application to your preferred directory.
Step 2 - Installing Apache HTTP Server

• Once the download is complete you will be prompted to open the file. This will initiate the install wizard which will guide you through the setup process.

• Click next, then once you have read the licensing terms select accept and click next again.

• You should now have information about Apache displayed, have a read then click next.

• This is where you give your server a name. A common name for a network domain is test.dev and www.test.dev is often used to name the development server. As this will be your local testing environment you can name it anything you like. Add the administrator’s email address, ensure “Run as a service for All Users” is checked and click next.

• On the setup type page you are given two options, we recommend you select “Complete” and click next.

• By default Apache will be installed to C:\Program Files\Apache Group\ if you wish to change the destination folder you can do so here. Click next.
You are now ready to install Apache HTTP Server, click Install to begin the installation.

It is quite normal for DOS to open, report that Apache is running and close itself while the installation takes place.

• You should then be prompted that the installation has been successful, click finish.

Step 3 - Changing Apache HTTP Server Directory

• Navigate to C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\conf and you should see a file called httpd.conf

• Open it up and find the references to “DocumentRoot” this will be around line 300 depending which version you have. It should look like something like this:

# DocumentRoot: The directory out of which you will serve your
# documents. By default, all requests are taken from this directory, but
# symbolic links and aliases may be used to point to other locations.
#
DocumentRoot " C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs”

• Change the DocumentRoot to the directory you wish to use for your server files by replacing the directory location above to something like: DocumentRoot " C:\servertest”

If you don’t already have a directory containing your web development files, open up the C drive and create a new folder called servertest.

Step 4 - Running Apache HTTP Server
• In your text editor create a page that says “My new web server!” and save it as index.html

• Before we test the page we need to restart apache so from the start menu navigate to: Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services

• Open Services and find Apache in the services list.

• Right click on Apache and select Restart.

• You can then test your server by opening a browser and visiting http://localhost/ you should see “My new web server!”

• Now you can simulate how your Milonic Menu will work on the web rather than locally.

Installation Checklist for Citrix® MetaFrame® Presentation Server, Version 4.0

From : http://azhardino.co.nr/

Citrix® MetaFrame® Presentation Server is the easiest way to manage enterprise applications from a central location and access them from anywhere. The foundation of the MetaFrame Access Suite, Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server is the world’s most widely deployed presentation server for centrally managing heterogeneous applications and delivering their functionality as a service to workers, wherever they may be.

This checklist includes only the basic requirements for installing and running MetaFrame Presentation Server for Windows and its components. For important information to consider before installing Citrix products, please review the readme files and administrator guides for components you plan to install. The readme files and administrator guides are available through the Document Center.

* The Document Center requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.5 with Search or Adobe Reader 6.0 through 7.0. You can download Adobe Reader without charge from Adobe Systems.
* To run the Document Center from the installation CD, open the file /Documentation/document_center.pdf.

Getting started with MetaFrame Presentation Server

To get started with MetaFrame Presentation Server for Windows, complete the following steps in sequence. For additional information about each step, please see the remaining sections in this document.

1. Before you install this product, consult the Installation Update Bulletin.
2. Before you install this product, use Windows Update to ensure all servers have been patched with critical updates.
3. Ensure your servers meet all system requirements for components you are installing.
4. Install and configure MetaFrame Access Suite licensing. You must install and configure MetaFrame Access Suite licensing before installing MetaFrame Presentation Server or any component of the MetaFrame Access Suite. See the Readme for Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite Licensing and the MetaFrame Access Suite Licensing Guide, which are also available through the Document Center.
5. Remap server drive letters (if applicable).
6. Install the Management Console for the MetaFrame Access Suite (Access Suite Console), MetaFrame Presentation Server, and the Management Console for MetaFrame Presentation Server (Presentation Server Console). See the MetaFrame Presentation Server Administrator’s Guide, which is available through the Document Center.
7. Install the Web Interface and its prerequisites. See the Web Interface Administrator’s Guide, which is available through the Document Center.
8. To use new printing features, install the new versions of the clients. See the administrator guides for the clients you are installing. The client administrator guides are available through the Document Center.
9. After you install components, to download and install critical updates, visit the Citrix Hotfixes and Service Packs Web site.

System requirements

Servers Running MetaFrame Access Suite License Server

* Operating systems: Windows 2000 Server (Server, Advanced Server, or Datacenter Server) or Windows Server 2003 (Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition)
* Disk space requirements: 30MB
* Java Runtime Environment Version 1.4.2_06. If you do not have this installed, Autorun.exe prompts to install it for you. Alternatively, you can cancel the installation and install JRE manually from the Support\JRE14206 folder on the server installation CD for MetaFrame Presentation Server.

Servers Running License Management Console

* MetaFrame Access Suite License Server
* Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Version 5.0 or Apache 2.0.52.

Servers Running MetaFrame Presentation Server for Windows

* Operating systems: Windows 2000 Server (Server, Advanced Server, or Datacenter Server) with Service Pack 4 Windows Server 2003 (Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition)
* Disk space requirements: 400MB for MetaFrame Presentation Server, Enterprise Edition 50MB for the Management Console for MetaFrame Presentation Server
25MB for the Management Console for the MetaFrame Access Suite
35MB for the Document Center
* Terminal Services running in application mode.
* Java Runtime Environment Version 1.4.2_06. If you do not have this installed, Autorun.exe prompts to install it for you. Alternatively, you can cancel the installation and install JRE manually from the Support\JRE14206 folder on the server installation CD for MetaFrame Presentation Server.
* Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) 3.0. If you do not have MSI 3.0 installed, Autorun.exe prompts to install it for you.
* .NET Framework Version 1.1 with Service Pack 1. Autorun.exe only installs .NET Framework Version 1.1 automatically. You can also install .NET Framework Version 1.1 manually from the Support\dotNet11 folder of the MetaFrame Presentation Server CD or image.
NOTE: Do not install .NET Framework Version 2.0 on systems that are running the Access Suite Console.
* If you are using HP ProtectTools, install them before installing MetaFrame Presentation Server.

Document Center

* Disk space requirements: 2MB
* To view, search, and print the PDF documentation, use Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0.5 with Search or Adobe Reader 6.0 through 7.0. You can download Adobe Reader without charge from Adobe Systems.

Presentation Server Console

* Disk space requirements: 50MB
* Java Runtime Environment Version 1.4.2_06. If you do not have this installed, Autorun.exe prompts to install it for you. Alternatively, you can cancel the installation and install JRE manually from the Support\JRE14206 folder on the server installation CD for MetaFrame Presentation Server.

Management Console for the MetaFrame Access Suite

* Operating systems:
Windows 2000 Server (Server, Advanced Server, or Datacenter Server) with Service Pack 4
Windows Server 2003 (Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter Edition)
Windows XP Professional
Windows 2000 Professional
* Disk space requirements: 25MB
* .NET Framework Version 1.1 with Service Pack 1. Autorun.exe only installs .NET Framework Version 1.1 automatically. You can also install .NET Framework Version 1.1 manually from the Support\dotNet11 folder of the MetaFrame Presentation Server CD or image.
NOTE: Do not install .NET Framework Version 2.0 on systems that are running the Access Suite Console.
* To run reports from the summary database on farms using Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle Server as data stores or summary databases: Microsoft Data Access Component (MDAC) Version 2.6.

Web Interface

* MetaFrame Access Suite Console 4.0
* ASP.NET and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Version 5.0 or 6.0 (Windows components)
When you install Windows Server 2003, these components are not installed by default. If you are using Windows Server 2003, before running the Web Interface installer, configure your server by adding the role of Web Server. Then, use your Microsoft Windows Server 2003 installation disk to install ASP.NET and IIS.
If you are using Windows 2000 Server and installed IIS before installing the .NET Framework update, run the ASP.NET registration tool.
* Visual J# .NET Version 1.1. Autorun.exe installs this product automatically. You can also install it manually from the Support\Jsharp11 folder of the MetaFrame Presentation Server CD or image.

Network Manager (an optional component of MetaFrame Presentation Server, Enterprise Edition)

Network Manager supports the following SNMP management consoles:

* Tivoli® NetView® 6.0 for Windows NT with Service Pack 5 or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1
* HP OpenView™ Network Node Manager 6.2 for Windows NT with Service Pack 5 or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1
* CA Unicenter® TNG 2.4.2 for Windows NT with Service Pack 5 or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1, using either the 2D or 3D WorldView
* CA Unicenter TND 3.1 for Windows NT with Service Pack 5 or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1, using either the 2D or 3D WorldView.

For CA Unicenter, the Agent Common Services and Windows NT Enterprise Manager must be installed, and the Security Management (secadmin) and trap daemon (catrapd) agents must be active. You can install the Distributed State Machine (DSM), Enterprise Manager, and WorldView on separate computers.

Conferencing Manager

* Disk space requirements: 60MB
* For Guest Attendee feature: Web Interface for MetaFrame Presentation Server 4.0 and MetaFrame Access Suite Console 4.0
* For Microsoft Outlook integration: Exchange Server 5.5 (with Exchange 5.5 CDO Microsoft patch 2657.55), 2000, or 2003; Microsoft Outlook 2000 or 2003
* For Lotus Notes integration: Lotus Domino 5.0.3 through 5.0.12, 6.0.1, and 6.5.x and Lotus Notes 5.0.3 through 5.0.12, 6.0.1, and 6.5.x

Remapping server drive letters

If you intend to change a server's drive letters to allow users to retain their original drive letters on their client devices, do so before installing MetaFrame Presentation Server. If you change server drive letters after installing MetaFrame Presentation Server, you must do so before you install any applications. For more information, please see the MetaFrame Presentation Server Administration Guide, which is available through the Document Center.

Installing MetaFrame Presentation Server

1. Have on hand the name of the MetaFrame Access Suite License Server your installations are to use and know the edition of MetaFrame Presentation Server (Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise) for which you are licensed.
2. If you are running Novell Directory Services (NDS), install the Novell client, configure the appropriate NDS settings, and then install MetaFrame Presentation Server.
3. If you are joining an existing server farm that is configured to use a port number other than the default port (Port 80) for the Citrix XML Service, have the new port number on hand because you must enter it during MetaFrame Presentation Server Setup.
4. Log on to the server as a user with local administrator privileges. Local administrator privileges are required to run Windows installer packages.
5. From the Autorun.exe screen of the MetaFrame Presentation Server CD, select Product installations > Install MetaFrame Presentation Server and its components and follow the on-screen instructions.

Creating a new farm

If you are creating a new server farm and plan to use Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or IBM DB2 for the farm data store, complete the following steps before you install MetaFrame Presentation Server.

1. Install and configure the database product on a separate, dedicated server.
2. Install the database client pieces on the servers on which you want to install MetaFrame Presentation Server. Depending on the database product you are planning to use, this involves the following steps:
* For use with Microsoft SQL Server, ensure Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) Version 2.61 with Service Pack 1 is installed on the server on which you are installing MetaFrame Presentation Server.
* For use with Oracle, install the Oracle Client on the server on which you are installing MetaFrame Presentation Server. Restart this server before running MetaFrame Presentation Server Setup.
* For use with IBM DB2 Universal Database Enterprise Edition Version 7.2 with FixPak 5-13, on the server on which you are installing MetaFrame Presentation Server, install the matching DB2 Run-Time Client. Before running MetaFrame Presentation Server Setup, restart the server.
* For use with IBM DB2 Universal Database Enterprise Edition Version 8.1 with FixPak 1-7a, on the server on which you are installing MetaFrame Presentation Server, install the matching DB2 Run-Time Client. Before running MetaFrame Presentation Server Setup, restart the server.
3. Have on hand credentials that possess database ownership (DBO) rights. This level of permission is required only once upon initial creation of a new database for the farm data store.

Joining an existing farm

If you are joining an existing server farm, complete the following tasks before you install MetaFrame Presentation Server.

1. Decide whether you want the server to connect to the farm data store directly or through another server running MetaFrame Presentation Server (indirectly). If you choose to connect to the data store indirectly, be sure to have on hand the name of the server through which you connect.
2. Have on hand credentials that possess read/write permissions to the existing farm data store database. MetaFrame Presentation Server uses these credentials on an ongoing basis to read from and update the farm data store.
3. Have on hand MetaFrame Presentation Server administrator credentials with full rights, which during Setup are required to join a server with an existing farm.

Upgrading MetaFrame Presentation Server

The installer for MetaFrame Presentation Server supports:

* Applying service packs to servers running MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0
* Upgrading servers running MetaFrame XP Feature Release 3 or MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0

If you are running MetaFrame 1.8 or a version of MetaFrame XP prior to Feature Release 3, before upgrading to this release of MetaFrame Presentation Server, you must upgrade legacy servers to MetaFrame XP Feature Release 3 or MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0. For information on how to perform these migrations, see MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 Upgrade and Migration Guide, which is available for download from the Citrix Knowledge Center.

If the server you are upgrading has a MetaFrame Win32 client installed on it that is a version later than the one that is available with the release to which you are upgrading, uninstall the client before upgrading the server. To retain the newer client, re-install it after upgrading the server.

Downloading and Installing Critical Updates

After you install this product, to ensure optimal performance for your installation, download and install Citrix critical hotfixes and service packs for installed components. Citrix also encourages you to revisit this Web site periodically to learn about and download additional critical updates as they become available.