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Windows Installer Useful Advice

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:58:25 GMT

VBScript Custom Actions are Not Windows Script Host It's a common assumption that VBScript CAs can use WSH constructs based on the WScript object model. But you cannot use script code such as WScript.CreateObject or WScript.Quit or WScript.Echo. The WSH environment provides the WScript object model, just as VBScript in a Web page uses an IE object model. Windows Installer scripting supplies objects such as the Session object for interacting with the install. You don't need WScript.CreateObject anyway-VBScript has a CreateObject method that does the same thing.

Understanding Windows Server Core

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:39:01 GMT

Windows server core is a "minimal" installation option for Windows Server 2008. What this means is that when you choose this option during setup (or when using unattended setup), Windows Server 2008 installs a minimum set of components on your machine that will allow you to run certain (but not all) server roles. In other words, selecting the Windows server core installation option installs only a subset of the binaries that are installed when you choose the full installation option for Windows Server 2008.

Visual Studio 2008 Task List Productivity Aids

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:23:25 GMT

The Task List is essentially an integrated to-do list; it captures all the items that, for one reason or another, need attention and tracking. The Task List window then surfaces this list and allows you to interact with it. To show the window, select the View menu and choose the Task List entry illustrates the Task List window displaying a series of user tasks.

Sharing Information Using OLE in Windows Vista

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:18:07 GMT

Object Linking and Embedding is far more flexible and can be far more complicated than cut-and-paste or drag-and-drop. OLE enables you to use all your software applications to create an integrated document. For instance, you might want to create an annual report that includes these components:

Windows Vista Web Browser Security

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:34:55 GMT

The web browser, an attacker can also get into your computer by using an exploit in a web browser by tricking you into installing a web component that has malicious code inside. Internet Explorer has many security settings built in that will help you keep safe.

Differences Between C# and C++

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:26:56 GMT

C# is a strongly typed object-oriented language whose code visually resembles C++ (and Java). This decision by the C# language designers allows C++ developers to easily leverage their knowledge to quickly become productive in C#.

Single-File and Multifile .Net Assemblies

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:57:07 GMT

In a great number of cases, there is a simple one-to-one correspondence between a .NET assembly and the binary file (*.dll or *.exe). Thus, if you are building a .NET *.dll, it is safe to consider that the binary and the assembly are one and the same. Likewise, if you are building an executable desktop application, the *.exe can simply be referred to as the assembly itself. However, this is not completely accurate. Technically speaking, if an assembly is composed of a single *.dll or *.exe module, you have a single-file assembly.

Publishing a Windows Vista Calendar on the Network

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:36:23 GMT

Windows Calendar, a decent little program for managing your schedule. You can create appointments (both one-time and recurring), set up all-day events, schedule tasks, apply reminders to appointments and tasks, and view appointments by day, week, or month. This all works great for individuals, but a busy family needs to coordinate multiple schedules.

What's Inside an .Net Assembly?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:28:05 GMT

An assembly's EXE or DLL file is a standard "Portable Execution" (PE) file, the same file format used for non-.NET executables and code libraries (pretty much any Windows EXE or DLL file).

Visual Basic 2008 Core Elements - Boxing

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:02:24 GMT

Normally, when a conversion (implicit or explicit) occurs, the original value is read from its current memory location, and then the new value is assigned. For example, to convert a Short to a Long, the system reads the two bytes of Short data and writes them to the appropriate bytes for the Long variable. However, under Visual Basic, if a value type needs to be managed as an object, then the system performs an intermediate step. This intermediate step involves taking the value on the stack and copying it to the heap, a process referred to as boxing. As noted earlier, the Object class is implemented as a reference type, so the system needs to convert value types into reference types for them to be objects. This doesn't cause any problems or require any special programming, because boxing isn't something you declare or directly control, but it does affect performance.

IPv6 Terminology

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:59:09 GMT

IPv6 common terms and concepts are defined as follows: . Node Any device that runs an implementation of IPv6. This includes routers and hosts. . Router A node that can forward IPv6 packets not explicitly addressed to itself. On an IPv6 network, a router also typically advertises its presence and host configuration information. . Host A node that cannot forward IPv6 packets not explicitly addressed to itself (a nonrouter). A host is typically the source and a destination of IPv6 traffic, and it silently discards traffic received that is not explicitly addressed to itself. ...

The .NET N-Tier Pattern

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:32:54 GMT

Microsoft has been committed to n-tier development for a very long time. It was the heart of the now-deprecated Distributed interNet Architecture (DNA) introduced in 1999

About Wi-Fi

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:25:52 GMT

Wireless networking is accomplished by sending a signal from one computer to another over radio waves. The most common form of wireless computing today uses the IEEE 802.11b standard. This popular standard, also called Wi-Fi or Wireless Fidelity, is now supported directly by newer laptops and PDAs, and most computer accessory manufacturers. It's so popular that "big box" electronics chain stores carry widely used wireless hardware and networking products.

Introducing the Building Blocks of the .NET Platform (the CLR, CTS, an

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:33:26 GMT

Three key (and interrelated) entities that make it all possible: the CLR, CTS, and CLS. From a programmer's point of view, .NET can be understood as a runtime environment and a comprehensive base class library.

Windows Server 2008 Network Load-Balancing Clusters

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:04:12 GMT

NLB in Windows Server 2008 is accomplished by a special network driver that works between the drivers for the physical network adapter and the TCP/IP stack. This driver communicates with the NLB program (called wlbs.exe, for the Windows Load Balancing Service) running at the application layer-the same layer in the OSI model as the application you are clustering.

Architecture of Windows Workflow Foundation

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:22:38 GMT

WF itself is a programming model, along with an engine and a set of tools for building workflowenabled applications. The programming model is made up of exposed APIs that other programming languages can use to interact with the workflow engine. These APIs are encapsulated within a namespace called System.Workflow. That namespace will be part of the WinFX programming model, but can also be installed as an add-on to the existing .NET Framework 2.0.

Windows Server 2008 Windows Security - Security Identifiers

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:40:03 GMT

Security principal is an entity that can have a security identifier (SID), SID is a (mostly) numeric representation of a security principal. The SID is actually what is used internally by the operating system. When you grant a user, a group, a service, or some other security principal permissions to an object, the operating system writes the SID and the permissions to the object's Access Control List (ACL).

Pushing toward Windows Server 2008 Virtualization Envelope

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:40:03 GMT

Windows Server 2008 is designed from the ground up to support virtualization. This means that you have the opportunity to change the way you manage servers and services. With the Windows Server 2008 hypervisor, Hyper-V, there is little difference between a machine running physically on a system and a machine running in a virtual instance. That's because the hypervisor does the same thing as a physical installation would by exposing hardware to VMs. The real difference between a physical installation and a VM running on the hypervisor is access to system resources.

The .NET System Management Services Requirements

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:35:39 GMT

WMI is fully supported under Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Although Windows NT 4.0, as well as Windows 95, 98, and ME provide only a limited support for WMI, most of the examples in this book will run just fine on these platforms. Hence, unless explicitly noted otherwise (there are a few code examples that depend on the software features that are available only under Windows 2000 or XP), you should feel free to compile and run the code on the platform of your choice.

Introduction to F#

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:54:52 GMT

F# is a typed functional programming language for the .NET Framework. It combines the succinctness, expressivity, and compositionality of typed functional programming with the runtime support, libraries, interoperability, tools, and object model of .NET.