Charlie Barker

nServiceBus Case Study - Inbound SMS Processing

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:08:52 GMT

We have been using nServiceBus in production for over 6 months now, we have had a very positive experience, so I wanted to show how we have been using it with some real world examples. One implementation we have just released handles inbound SMS messages and checks the sender's number to see if they are an existing or new customer then reacts accordingly.

1) Our SMS provider calls our http handler (hosted in IIS) each time an inbound SMS is recieved.
2) The http handler calls the SmsGateway via a WCF service, which in turn publishes an InboundSmsMessage to the bus.
3) The Subscriber receives the InboundSmsMessage it interrogates the database to see if this is an exising customer or not.
4) Finally is sends a command to the worker service depending on whether this is an existing customer or not.
5) If the SMS is not from an existing customer then the worker initiates a call between the number and a CS agent.

Benefits of this approach

If their is a sudden surge in inbound Sms messages due to a successful advertising campaign we can control processing to avoid degrading overall system performance. We could further isolate our message processing from the core system by creating a cache on the Subscriber of all existing customer's mobile numbers. This cache could be kept up to date by the publishing new customer messages.

If other services need to know about inbound SMS message say for invoice reconcilliation or just marketing reports they can subscribe to the messages and aggregate them. This can be done in realtime to allow the marketing team access to a dashboard that provides feedback on the effectiveness of their campaigns.

The most obvious benefit is that the Sms Gateway is autonomous, and the services that subscribe to the inbound messages need no understanding of what an SMS message is or it's semantics.

Most useful iphone app's

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:18:39 GMT

These are listed best first, if the app is only relavent to UK users like myself it will have #UK after

Ebay

The Ebay iphone app is awesome, with only 480x320 pixies Ebay have managed to create a user experience that blows away it's own website. Admitedly the the Ebay website does not set the bar very high. The UI is clean and functional search is easy and it remembers your searchs. Once you have found the item you wish to bid on or buy it takes only 3 clicks to enter your bid and one more to confirm. For me this is the app that all other shopping app's should aspire to.

Tube Map - #UK

A great tool to help you navigate Londons Underground

Ping

Great tool for techies allows you ping, tracerout and telnet.

Twitterific

One of several twitter clients available very handy for catching up on twitter.

Facebook

No explanation necessary

Problem connecting to servers via Rdp after windows update

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:15:42 GMT

OS: Windows 7 64bit Home Premium
VPN Client: Shrew Soft

Updates installed:
Definition Update for Windows Defender - KB915597 (Definition 1.75.1050.0)
Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB971468)
Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB978262)
Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB975560)
Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool x64 - February 2010 (KB890830)
Update for Rights Management Services Client for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB979099)
Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB978251)

Solution:
Turned off firewall for internal / private networks

What makes a great software developer?

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:06:04 GMT

We have been recruiting lately and so I have been interviewing lots of developers. We need a good all rounder someone who has a good grasp of building public websites in an OO style and is comfortable with TSql, Unit Testing, Web Services etc.

Most of the candidates interviewed have been technically strong enough as the skills required are fairly common. The other key part to this role is to act as a sounding board for brainstorming the options on how a new piece of functionality could be implemented e.g. how long it is likely to take and the options available. To do this a good high level understanding of the structure of the application and the object hierarchy would need to be developed first so were looking for a candidate who can quickly get to grips with the existing codebase. Finally we need someone who can work closely with the product manager with the specs and can interpret the specifications and fill in the blanks.

So on the face of it, not to demanding a job spec, but on top of this the position calls for some great interpersonal skills and professionalism. These are my own thoughts on what constitutes a 'professional' developer.

Does not rush code into production.
Knows when code is ready to be deployed to staging.
Understands the importance of system security
Understands why writing code that is testable is important.
Knows how to write useful unit tests.
Assumes newly written code will fail until this has been proven not to be the case by testing it.
Understands why a development team needs coding standards.
Understands why logging is important and what to log.
Makes life easy for those who must deploy the application
Understands the importance of documentation and how to write and maintain useful documentation.
Makes code as readable and understandable as possible.
Develops a good understanding of the business in which they work.
Is open to new ideas and enjoys debate.
Adopts a realistic & optimistic attitude to new business ideas.
Enjoys solving problems and working together with others.
Understands the value of prototyping and production experiments.
Offers support to co-workers
Is passionate about writing software
Continuously strives to improve their own skill set.
Is constantly evaluating new tools and technologies.
Has an opinion.
Admits when they do not know something or are weak in a particular area.
Admits when they make a mistake and identifies ways of not repeating the same mistake.
Can evaluate the risks of a particular approach.
Is fun to work with and enjoys their job.
Takes responsibility for solving a problem regardless of whether they caused it or not.
Communicates when a project is falling behind and takes action to remedy the situation.
Is enthusiastic.
Is proactive at suggesting new / better ways of doing things.

Acer Aspire 3810TZ Review

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:19:14 GMT

Well Santa very kindly got me a new laptop for christmas, I will record my user experience here.

Firstly let me clarify which version of this machine I have and it's spec, Acer have not marketed this product and it's cousins very well.

Spec:

Screen 13.3" 16:9 - Max Res: 1366 x 768
Weight 1.6 Kg
No Optical Drive
Battery 5600 mha - claimed life 8 hrs
CPU dual core ULV 1.3 Ghz U4100
RAM 4GB
OS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
HD 250GB
Built in Webcam
PSU 65w

Cost ~£500 can be found cheaper on a few sites.

First Impressions

It is light and feels well put together. The keyboard is very different from my old dell x300, it has mac style flat keys which I am starting to prefer. I will be using it mainly for development in visual studio and Sql server 2008. Installing these applications took some time but not too long.

I removed most of the software that came bundled with the machine I find this a nuisance but I'm sure it allows manufacturers to reduce prices. Windows 7 is a breath of fresh air but as I have never used vista there is a steeper learning curve. The first thing I did was setup a quick launch toolbar. It is starting to become clear the quick launch bar is redundant now you can pin programs to the task bar.

Second Impressions

I have been using this laptop for just over a month now so have some feedback. Generally I am enjoying one annoyance is the single button pivoted mouse buttons. The main problem is the action of the button require too much pressure and you cannot feel if you are ove the left or right click. Other than this one annoyance it has been a very positive first month, I think most of this is down to moving from XP => Win7. Battery life is impressive on light duties 8 hours is achievable with constant use 5 hours no problem.

How to create a factory default disc

Acer do not supply a recovery disc, instead they supply software to allow you to create your own discs. If you have an external DVD burner and three blank DVD's you'll have no problem. If not you can download the demo version of Virtual CD v10 (google it) this will allow you to create a virtual DVD burner and create three ISO files that should be kept somewhere safe or burned to DVD using another PC. Should you need to recover your machine you will probably have to go and purchase an external DVD drive to perform the recovery process.

Cisco VPN on Windows 7 64bit

This is probably an edge case but I could not get my hands on a version of a Cisco VPN client that would run under my OS. Our IT guy pointed me to the Shrew Soft Vpn (google it) Client. If you have .pcf files for your VPN connections these can be imported. I have only just tested it and I have just had a BSOD so watch this space to see how I get on. One negative point is that you have to type in your username + pwd each time you connect. In the Cisco client it remembered your username.

MySql could be killed by Oracle

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:48:10 GMT

http://monty-says.blogspot.com/2009/12/help-saving-mysql.html

Sun acquired MySql now Oracle are trying to acquire Sun, this could be bad for companies that use MySql. It seems likely Oracle will kill off MySQL by starving it of resource in order to protect it's current database products.

So if you are using Microsoft Sql Server and have a big smug smile on your face I would urge you to think about what Microsoft's reaction to the death of MySql will be. Ask yourself would they be offering all the free / low cost versions of Sql Server if MySql had not been around as a viable alternative?

It looks like the only hope is the EC who are worried about the effect Oracle buying Sun will have on competitivness in the market place, if this effects you read the blog post linked to at the top of this post it advises you what you can do about this.

xStarter Setup Notes

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:28:49 GMT

We have started using xStarter to automate tasks, here are some notes on how we have set it up. These notes are for our own record but may be of some use.

To download a trial copy of the software visit: http://www.xstarter.com/

OS: Windows 2008 Server
Version of xStarter: 1.9.3.85

Pre-Requisites

We have found that unless UAC is disabled for the account that the xStarter Service account runs under that it's scheduled jobs will not start. Note to change this go to Control Panel > User Account > Turn UAC on or off. You should be aware for changes to take affect the server must be restarted so this should be done before the server is put into production if restarting will be an issue.

Installation

If you plan to run the xStarter Service under a domain account not your own windows login then log on to the server with the chosen account and install xStarter.
Select a large disk preferably not the OS drive, xstarter will use this drive during large FTP operations so plenty of space will be needed.
Select "Create Start Menu for All Users" during setup.
This final dialog should look similar to this:

After running the setup program go to Start > Programs and select 'Install xStarter NT Service'. Then create a shortcut to the xStarter Configuration utility on the quick launch.

Configuration

When you run xStarter for the first time complete the following tasks.
- Preferences > Run as NT Service
- Help > Registration - Enter the licence key

Trial Version

The trial version is functional for 30 days after installation but will remind you to register each time you start the configuration tool.

Veridict so Far

We really like the FTP Sync feature that allows a local folder to be sync'd with a remote FTP folder or the other way round, this saved us a lot of time and made our download processes more robust.

We are not particularly fond of the scheduler UI but it is functional and flexible.

Updates

I will post more as we become aware of the god the bad and the ugly.

Share Spotify in the Office

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:42:57 GMT

If like me you listen to spotify at work on speakers and would like to allow your workmates to be able to select tracks then you can use the collaborative playlist feature.

One person in the office needs to create a new playlist, call it somthing like 'Office' then right click on the playlist and check 'Collaborative playlist'. Then right click again and select 'Copy Spotify URI' then simply paste the link into an email and send it to your work colleagues. They have to paste it into their spotify and they will be able to see the playlist, add to it and re-order it. They cannot pause or skip the track though. When the last track in the playlist has finished the music stops.

When we started using this feature we discovered some of the team had eclectic taste so you might want to be selective about who you send the link to. If you use this in conjunction with the spotify remote tool that I blogged about a few weeks ago, your colleagues can have complete control.

How to Test Multiple Versions of IE on the same pc

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:42:14 GMT

Here is a great tool for testing several versions of internet explorer at the same time on the same PC.

Currently it supports versions 5.5 - 8.0

http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage

ASP.NET Thread was being aborted exception when using Response.Redirect

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:43:34 GMT

This occurs when you use Response.Redirect inside of a Try / Catch block.
Your code will work and the browser will be redirected but you may wish to prevent the error if you are monitoring and getting lots of alerts.

You can prevent the error by overloading the method and passing false like this:

Response.Redirect ("nextpage.aspx", false);

The reason for this behaviour is interesting and is explained here:
http://www.c6software.com/articles/ThreadAbortException.aspx

Microsoft Article that explains the workaround.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312629/EN-US/

Deploying BotDetect (formerly Lanap) Captcha on IIS7

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:33:59 GMT

We have recently started using IIS 7.0 in our test environment when we deployed our application that uses the BotDetect Captcha control the image stopped being displayed.

So far we have found one way of fixing this, we switched the default Integrated Application Pool Pipeline Mode over to Classic.

To do this simply go into the properties of the Application Pool in which your web application resides inside and change the setting, refresh your page and bingo you should see the Captcha image.

I was just looking at the technical FAQ on the Lanap software website and they suggest that you can make changes in the web.config to achieve the same result without moving to Classic mode. Below is there suggestion I have not tested this but expect is should work.

<system.webServer>

<validation validateIntegratedModeConfiguration="false" />

<handlers>

<remove name="LanapCaptchaHandler"/>

<add name="LanapCaptchaHandler" preCondition="integratedMode" 


verb="*" path="LanapCaptcha.aspx" 


type="Lanap.BotDetect.CaptchaHandler, Lanap.BotDetect" />

</handlers>

</system.webServer>

Spotify Remote Control

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:02:35 GMT

This is a cool little app that allows you to control the next and pause buttons on your spotify client.

We have it running in our office.

http://degero.se/spotify/

Grok'ing nServiceBus

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:05:59 GMT

First read this nServiceBus overview.

I'm recording my learning so I can refer to it later.

Messaging Concepts

Transport

For messaging to work you need to transport messages from one endpoint to another, once an application has created the message addressed it and put it into a queue it is up to the transport to attempt delivery. MSMQ is the default choice of nServiceBus.

Command Query Separation (CQS)

Wikipedia describes CQS as a pattern where "… every method should either be a command that performs an action, or a query that returns data to the caller, but not both. More formally, methods should return a value only if they are referentially transparent and hence possess no side effects." Udi Dahan's Blog Post on CQS

The Cost of Messaging

Using a messaging approach to building systems offers lots benefits that other approaches don't but you rarely get something for nothing, Ayende's article discusses the cost of messaging.

nServiceBus Concepts

Publish vs Send - Wiki Article

The Distributor

The distributor as it's name suggests distributes work to be done to worker services. This avoids the need for the service that decides what work is to be done from having to contact all workers or have logic that handles balancing the work load.
Worker services inform the distributor how many idle threads they have available and it dispatches the same number of jobs. When a thread completes the distributor is notified so that if any jobs are in the work queue one will be sent.
This means an administrator can monitor the work queue to see if there are enough workers to handle the load.

New packaging for NServiceBus 2.0

The link above is to Andreas Ohlund's blog post that explains the differences between the packaging for version 1.9 and 2.0
The main difference in the introduction of a nServicebus.core.dll and nServiceBus.Host.exe

Install an SSL cert on your local machine for testing

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:59:57 GMT

One of the devs in our team here at Wonga came accross this useful tool.

If you find the need to install an SSL cert on your local machine for testing purposes, such is the requirement for testing the WongaAPI, you can download the IIS 6.0 Resource Kit Tools from Microsoft, which contains a tool called SelfSSL.

This is a simple command line utility which will install an ssl cert on localhost.

the tool kit can be downloaded from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=56FC92EE-A71A-4C73-B628-ADE629C89499&displaylang=en

How MSMQ works

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:07:06 GMT

I found a this great analogy on how MSMQ works

URL : Full MEssage

"MSMQ works similar to how USPS works.

You write your letter, write in address (queue format name), attach stamp and put it into your mail box with raised red flag (send the message using MSMQ).

Your mail (message) then sits in this mail box near your house (outgoing queue). Note at that point you can get address wrong on your letter (bad format name), however that won’t stop you from putting letter into mail box (sending it).

OK, so later one mail man comes (network connection is established). Mail man picks your mail (MSMQ connects to the destination server) and if everything is OK it goes through the system (network) and ends up in receiving mail box (destination queue). Recipient (your application on the server) don’t have to be near (don’t have to be running) this mail box (queue) for mail to arrive.

At some point somebody (your application) opens mail box (application on the server reads from the destination queue) and gets mail.

What could go wrong here? Well, you can get address wrong. Mail man can never come (no network connection on device). Destination might be inaccessible, say avalanche blocked the roads (server is down or no network path to it) or there’s civil disturbance and it’s blocked out by the police (firewall or security configuration prevents connection to the server).

Another thing: I’m not absolutely sure, but you might have to install web server and configure MSMQ ISAPI DLL for SRMP to work."

Southern Trains Announcement Ringtone for your iPhone

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:34:10 GMT

For your enjoyment a ringtone of the Southern Service to Ashford International, oh the automated announcement goodness.
Warning this may confuse your fellow passengers unless you happen to be on that train to Ashford.

AshforInternationalSpeed.m4r (192.71 KB)

iPhone 3G Rip off

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:55:11 GMT

Before you let Steve Job's and his posse firmly place their arm up your back passage here's a few things you should know.

Firstly Apple have effectively fitted the iPhone with a chastity belt, if you want to have your wicked way with it you will have to Jailbreak it first, if you don't the following is a list of things you will have to put up with.

1 - You'll have to pay for custom ringtones and you can only choose from the songs / tones available on iTunes.

2 - If you want to make use of App Store and download apps (even free ones) you will have to setup an iTunes account, you will need a credit / debit card and have at least £1.50 in your account.

3 - If you want to load your own mp3's (not purchased via iTunes) you will still have to install iTunes to do this.

I have only had the phone a short while so there may be more gotcha's to come.

Update:
It turns out iTunes is lying about No 1. you can use itunes to convert mp3 / Wav files in to AAC then rename the extension to M4R, reimport the file and it will appear as a ringtone.
+1 for it being possible -1 for lying to your customers Apple

Vodafone Broadband Dongle Review

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:37:21 GMT

I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago, to use on my commute to london.

The Good:

Uber convienient have BB on the move
Signal on the train is good without to much drop out.
You can plug in a 4gb mcro sd card and turn it into a memory stick
In a good signal area the downloads are fast 170kbps

The Bad:

This is a relatively expensive way to roam the WWW at 15 quid per GB but it only costs 39.99 to buy and you only pay for what you use unlike the pay montly alternatives. Perfect for me as I will only use it for small periods.

The Ugly:
The vodafone software that installs when you plug the device in to your Pc/Laptop is possibly one of worst programs I have had the misfortune to encounter in a long time.
If you plan to use this device whilst stationery and in a good signal area you will not have any problems. If you use it on a train / in a car then expect constant pop-ups that cannot be minimized.

The unecessary:
Adult Content Blocking is on by default, included is Skype.com ???
WTF Vodafone since when do Skype serve adult content.... Hmm they do however offer internet telephony, I wonder if that could be the real reason.
Which ever knob jockey at vodafone thought up this trick should be shot. It just annoys paying customers who can download skype the moment they are connected via WiFi, seriously misjudged move by Vodafone.

Update: Tip
You don't have to use the crappy vodafone software, after you have installed it open network connections and right click on the Vodafone connection and select connect. It is also possible to prevent the vodafone software from launching when you plug your dongle in, just go to the options in the app. The only thing you lose is the usage meter.

Make SQL Server 2005 Address more than 2Gb on Windows 2003/2000 32bit versions

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:55:21 GMT

If you are using Sql Server 2005 straight out of the box on 32bit Windows 2003 / 2000 and you would like Sql Server to be able to address more than 2Gb of RAM you have to enable AWE.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190731(SQL.90).aspx

Project Garden Shed

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:34:05 GMT

I have decided to put a shed in the garden this is an account of what was involved and what the various bits cost.

Here she is a 5m x 5m Conrad from Factory Cabins Direct. She cost £2300 inc vat with 44m thick walls and double glazing and took about four weeks to arrive. I notice the price has just gone up to £2700. The shed arrived on the back of a truck with a Hiab crane, the driver was able to hoist the pallet off the truck an on to our drive. As you would expect the pallet was about 5m long and 1m high by 1m wide.

Leveling the site and running services to the shed

I found man with a digger who came and spent a day leveling a 5.0m x 5.0m site, he also dug a trench and laid an armoured cable and water pipe from the shed to the house, for this he charged £180. I wasn't able to be on site when he was working which was a mistake as he did not do a great job of leveling the site. I should have put up some visual markers for him to work to.

UPDATE:

The shed is up and part painted, it took about 10 man days to get to this stage.
The biggest lesson I learned was that it would have been much better to do this in the dry. A couple of times water got into the roof and floor boards causing them to expand and lift.

The total cost of the project worked out at five grand. About a thousand for the concrete base which required 10 tonnes of concrete due to the gradient. 800 for the cedar shingles. The rest went on paint, electricals fittings and fixings.

Configure WinSCP to upload automatically to SFTP

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:48:43 GMT

I needed to automate the upload of csv files to an SFTP server for print fulfilment. It was a bit trickier than I thought it would be so I recorded what I did in case I need to do it again someday.

1) Download and install WinSCP from here: http://winscp.net

2) Create a folder where files will be uploaded from and a sub folder called Archive

3) Open WinSCP go to Options Select Storage and Set Configuration Storage to INI file (WinSCP.ini), close WinSCP.

4) Add a the PATH to the WinSCP install folder in the Environment Variables

5) Create a file in the upload folder called SftpScript.txt

6) Create a .cmd file and add the following command, modify the path to SftpScript.txt

winscp.com /console /script=C:\Files\PrintFulfilment\SftpScript.txt >> SftpUpload.log

7) Add the following code to SftpScript.txt, update the parameters highlighted in red.

# Automatically answer all prompts negatively not to stall the script on errors

option batch on

# Disable overwrite confirmations that conflict with the previous

option confirm off

# Connect using a password

open user:password@ftp.somewhere.com

# Force binary mode transfer

option transfer binary

# Change to home directory

# Upload the file to current working directory

put C:\Files\PrintFulfilment\*.csv

# Disconnect

close

# Exit WinSCP

Exit

8) To prevent the same file being uploaded next time the command runs add the following to the .cmd File, updating the file mask and archive folder path.

MOVE *.csv C:\Files\PrintFulfilment\Archive\

New Job - Wonga

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:17:28 GMT

I have recently changed job, I have moved from the relative safety of Tradeweb to Wonga an 18 month old startup. It's a very exciting place to work offering a very dynamic working environment.

The company is very focused on becoming the number one source of cash on demand. It offers cash direct to your bank account with in a few minutes of being accepted if you apply before 3pm. This presents a lot of challenges as nearly all customer scoring and verification has to done automatically.

The service is for people who need to borrow a small amount of cash for a short period of time (up to 30 days). It is only designed for use in emergencies. If you are accepted for a loan and repay on time your Wonga Trust rating increases and so does the amount you may borrow.

It's good to be back in a small company where I feel I can make a difference.

Uploading IIS or Event log files to SQL Server using Microsoft Log Parser

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:28:36 GMT

Every now and again I stumble across a tool that does exactly what I am looking for no if's or but's just exactly what I need. It is a rare moment and something to savour.

Today it happened and the tool is Microsoft's Log Parser. This is a tool that knows how to read IIS and Windows event logs out of the box, it allows you to specify filters and columns using a SQL-like syntax and dump the result straight into a SQL server database. How freakin amazing is that! To build this yourself would involve writing scripts that use WMI or .NET to interrogate the logs then produce text files in a BCP friendly format then shelling out to the BCP utility to import to a DB, in other words lots of work. This can now all be achieved in one line of code:

LogParser -i:EVT -o:NAT "SELECT * INTO c:\Output.txt FROM System"

The example above takes all the fields from the Windows System Event Log and places them into a text file called Output.txt. Once you have installed Log Parser you can copy that line of code into a command prompt on any windows machine and if you have the necessary permissions you will dump the entire system event log to a text file. It's quick too I processed ~2600 log entries to a text file in 0.7 secs on my laptop.

I am still investigating all the features, if you specify the SQL output format -o:SQL you have either to setup a DSN to your database or supply the Sql server & database (if using Sql Auth you also need username & password). After the INTO you specifiy the table name, when the command executes if the table does not exist it will be created for you using the columns in the input format. If want to import into an existing table the column names, data types and order of columns must match. Read the excellent help file that comes with the install. See the example below.

Finally there is one more cool feature I would like to mention, if you wish continually upload log entries from a log file as it grows but you wish ignore records you have already processed you are in luck! Use the iCheckPoint parameter and Log Parser will create a file where it stores the position it last read up to in the log file you are processing. This removes the need to clear out the database and reload everything which means a lot less horsepower will be required for processing your logs. You can reduce the intervals between log uploads to make your database more current.

It also has a Com+ api so you can call it directly from C# or VB. I can't believe it took me this long to discover such a useful tool.

SQL Server Example:
LogParser -i:EVT -o:SQL "SELECT * INTO EventLog FROM System" -server:Laptop\SqlExpress -database:Keeper -driver:"SQL Server" -createTable:ON

UPDATE:
If you have IIS set to create Daily log files (the default) then a bit of code is needed in your batch file to determine what the current filename will be. The following example will work on an XP/2003 server that has is local date format set to the UK. If you are deploying to a server with US date format you will need change code that sets the CurrentLogFile variable.

REM Use on servers set to UK date
SET CurrentLogFile=ex%date:~8,2%%date:~3,2%%date:~0,2%.log

REM SET the path to the IIS Log Files Folder. NOTE: If your IIS server has multiple Websites you may have to change the path.
SET LogFilesFolder=%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\Logfiles\W3SVC1\

ECHO Attempting to process IIS Log File: %LogFilesFolder%%CurrentLogFile%

PAUSE
LogParser -i:IISW3C -o:SQL "SELECT * INTO IISLog FROM %LogFilesFolder%%CurrentLogFile%" -server:Laptop\SqlExpress -database:Keeper -driver:"SQL Server" -createTable:ON
PAUSE

Update: Found a Gotcha
I discovered a gotcha with using the flag -createTable:ON when importing IISLogs into SQL server, this will set the column length to 255 max. Often columns like csReferrer, csUriQuery, csUriStem and csUserAgent will exceed 255 chars. To fix this problem simply increase the length of the columns.
I used csCookie: varchar(5000), csUriQueryString: varchar(5000), csUriStem: varchar(1000), csUserAgent: varchar(1000)

A Review of Mark Steel's book: What's going on ?

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:29:14 GMT

I am a big fan of Mark Steel's, I loved the "Mark Steel Lectures" series that he did for the Open University. He is very good at explaining ideas in plain english, de-jargonising them and adding touch of humor to the learning experience. The majority of the series seems to be on you tube, just search for his name and you will find them.

In his latest book he talks mostly about the last ten years of his life, the birth of his two kids, his split with his partner and the end of his membership of the SWP. If your thinking what's so interesting about that well i'm 35 year old and he is 46 so I am just about to go through what he is talking about in his book (hopefully not splitting with my wife and I'm not an SWP member). My wife is eight months pregnant with our first child. The book is honest and amusing and very reasuring that my complete lack of preparedness for becoming a father is the norm.

The book is an entertaining read and well written, I took it on holiday and it only lasted three days a good sign for me. I don't share Mark's views on Capitalism but enjoy reading his arguments, which do have merit because they are well thought out.

4/5 for me.

Schema Design Rules

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:26:17 GMT

These are the schema design commandments I live by, they are kept here purely for my reference.
Rules marked with * are absolute and if not implemented will result in karma so bad you will be reincarnated as a bottom feeder.

1.) Pluralise table names.
2.) *Every table in the db will have a primary key, without exception.
3.) Be consistent with Case and separators when naming tables and columns
4.) Enforce referential integrity with foreign keys.
5.) Avoid acronyms wherever possible when naming tables and columns.
6.) Avoid using the float datatype for columns that will store monetary values.
7.) Use varchar instead of char(n) unless specifically required.

If you have any rules you swear by then please comment with your reasoning.
This is a work in progress.

New Social Gaming Network - Playfire

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:33:57 GMT

I have a friend I'll call him Aaron because that's his name.

He has joined the company behind a new social networking site focused in the gaming community.

The have just revamped their site, it is still in beta though you wouldn't know it.

The have areas for all the major consoles and of course pc games.

Check Playfire out here.

The interesting thing about playfire from a developers point of view is that the platform is developed on Django a web development framework developed in Python. It is based loosely on the RoR MVC framework and seems to be gaining some traction. I intend to check it out soon.

New search engine - CUIL

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:19:00 GMT

There is a new search engine on the block, you've got to admire someone who's got the balls to take google on!

Check CUIL out.

My first impressions are that it's fast, it doesn't have a geographical filter like google which might make looking for online stores in your country a problem, unless it handles this behind the scenes.

As you would expect it's index is not as complete as google, I have a three websites and it only found one of them but it may just take some time to get round to the others.

I'm hoping it will be Bot unfriendly, last time I trawled my weblog's live search was referring very open ended searchs to my site, i'm guessing this is bots submitting search words from a dictionary and then working through the list of results, but i'm not sure. One thing I know is that google does not show up in the logs in this way.

One thing I know is competition is healthy if this new site can steal some market share from google it will help to keep google honest.

Robert Scoble has posted on his blog about it.

Centro - Entity Definitions / Work in Progress

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:07:37 GMT

Entity Definitions
==================
Center - An organisation that runs courses
Center Admin - A course administrator
Center Instructor - A course instructor
Organisation - An organisation that sends people on courses
Organisation Admin - An administrator at an organisation that sends people on courses
Attendee - A person that attends a course

Complete First Aid Course Bookings
==================================
- These will be administered by ProHealth to begin with
- Add certification duration to Course Types
- Add course attendee certificate issue date / expiry fields - This should be the same date that is on the certificate and will be used to trigger reminders to be sent out.

Nice to have's
==============
- Course Search Form - Search by category / date / type / status
- Upcoming Course list - set max in list / period i.e 3 months / both
- RSS / Email Notifications for upcoming courses
Enquiry form
- filled out by PH admin when enquiry is received by phone / email / fax
- Should allow searching for repeat bookings by existing customers by post code / company name
- Will track enquiries as they become bookings
- Sends an email to prospective customer containg a link to book on line / pdf to faxback
- PDF contains enquiry ref will be keyed by ph admin when fax is recieved will save time.

Expiry Tracking System
======================
Because a company would be nuts if it didn't chase repeat business
- Inteligent tracking of certificate expiry dates
- Issue reminder letters, calls, or emails to org's, companies and individuals.
-- Currently this is done once a year
-- Organised companies book an entire year in advance
-- Disorganised companies book at the last minute.
-- The system should try and make life easier for both types of company
- Optout/in facility will allow reminders to be turned off

Company Portal
===============
Will follow when all in house admin functionality is complete
- Customer will be issued a login and password

Occupational Health Website in Monorail for ProHealth

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:23:17 GMT

I wanted a way to get into the guts of monorail so I offered to create a website for the occupational health company that my mum works for. It is very much a work in progress, you can check it out here ProHealthUk if you want to see the CRUD click the admin link. When the site goes fully live you will have to login but for the time being you can edit data.

nPower Sucks

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:09:10 GMT

So tonight at about 8pm I sit down on the couch with a beer when I hear a knock at the door. When I answer it there two ladies and a gent all smartly dressed in suits. The woman asks me to confirm my name and address as shown on her clipboard she then starts a vauge diatribe about how I could save money on my energy bills. At no point did she identify that she was from nPower. I learnt this from looking at the logo on her Id badge.

The lady's sales pitch continued for about a minute until I twigged what was going on. I asked her straight out "Are you offering to change my provider?" she seemed disinclined to answer the question so I asked it again. She said yes to which I replied I am not interested in changing my provider. She asked if it was due to the hassle, I said no I just do not want to change. That was the end of it.

What annoyed me was the underhand way in which the salespeople misleadingly explained their presence on my doorstep. If they had identified themselves as N-Power and offered to quote me a price for supplying fuel I would have given them a chance. I like the next person would always rather pay less for my fuel but I felt like they were trying to con me into changing without even realising I was doing so. I am now very unlikely ever to contemplate using n-power in future. They should stop this practice as they will get some very negative pr from people like me. IMHO door to door sales is about as low as it gets anyway.

Rant over.

centro a new open source project in monorail

Mon, 26 May 2008 21:59:14 GMT

I am building a course booking system in monorail and in the process of uploading the source to google code. This is basically a way for me to understand the MVC approach to building websites using the castle monorail project. I figured the code may be of use to others tackling similar tasks or who just want to hack around with existing code to see how it works. I am not by any means a monorail expert so some of the approaches I have taken may be wrong or ill advised but that is kind of the point learning by experience is my favourite approach. Let me know if you spot any. All help gratefully received.

This will be a system designed to help administrators organise training courses. The initial need is for it to be able to handle first aid courses run by a health clinic.

The system will be used by non-technical admin staff who are familiar with email and basic word processing on windows pc's.

The development of the project uses the .net framework 2.0 and an MVC pattern with the Monorail Castle framework. It makes use of the Active Record ORM to handle data access. SQL Server is used for the database. I have elected to use nVelocity for the view templates. I have also elected not to write tests and use tdd. I know I should it's just that my brain cannot absorb that many new things at once.

The system allows new courses to be setup, new course types to be configured. Courses can be managed with new attendees booked on to courses.

If the courses are for certification purposes if an attendee passes the course the certificate issued can be tracked so renewal notification can be sent out.

The system allows attendees to be moved from one course to another and for their booking to be cancelled.

The system will produce reports for invoicing, courses and reminders for expired certificates.

You can find the project here:

http://code.google.com/p/centro/

What happens to your Blog when you die?

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:05:14 GMT

I was having difficulty getting to sleep last night and started wondering what happens to a persons blog when they die.

Currently this blog lives on my server at home so I wouldn't reckon on it lasting too long after my passing should I be struck down by a Bus or Psyclist in london.

Most folks who blog use a company that they pay to host or will host for free, I wonder what there policy is.

Then I got to thinking wouldn't it be nice if there was a website that offered to host blogs of the deceased.

On the face of it this would seem to be an altruistic service but I sure there is a VC out there trying to figure out the ad revenue business model.

I'm going to do some google based research and report my findings here, watch this space.....

Crazy Invention #1 - Cable tidy for your Pc

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:56:29 GMT

Every now and then I have a half baked idea for a new kind of Gizmo, today I was staring at the mess of cables on my desk and thought up this.

A device that replaces the multitude of cables that inhabit the back of your desk with one single fat cable for neatness.
Could also develop a wirless version using wimax technology.
Including:
- 2 x A/C Power for monitors
- 2 x DVI / VGA for Dual screen
- 1 x USB (built in powered hub
-- Four ports for:
--- Keyboard
--- mouse
--- Other peripherals