TechieTraits

2020-01-05T22:05:00.000-05:00

Focus on things we can begin doing right now that will make our lives more joyous and peace filled::

Start Spending Time With The “Right” People – Spend time with people you enjoy -who bring you up instead of push you down. Sure there are always lessons we can learn from others but you don’t need to continue hanging around with and associating with people who you know bring in an offsetting vibe. Learn what you need to from them about yourself and move on. I have found that the longer I let things linger with people simply because I feel I’m supposed to never let them bother me, the worse a situation gets as I’m not taking care of myself. You can’t change others, so focus on you and spend time with those who resonate with you the most.

Start Loving & Being Nicer To Yourself – Think about how you speak to yourself sometimes – how does it sound? What do you say? Unless you are already great at self talk and have a solid connection to the love that you are, it’s likely you say some nasty things to yourself. Whether it be about your appearance, performance on something or your ability to do something you want to do, it’s easy for us to tear ourselves down. Now imagine someone else was saying all those things to you instead. Would it be nice of that person? Of course not. So why do we choose to not be nice to ourselves? Learning to love ourselves and cut out the nasty talk is so important. Be sure to be aware of what you are saying to yourself.

Start Being Fully Honest With Yourself – Being fully honest with yourself is so important as we can get caught up in convincing ourselves that various things don’t bother us or aren’t a challenge for us. We even be guilty to avoid admitting certain characteristics about the current version of ourselves. Honesty is needed in every aspect of our lives whether it’s with other people, ourselves, our work and so on. The more honest we are, the more we can grow from our experiences and keep things simple. You learn a lot about yourself when you are honest.

Start Facing Your Challenges Head On – We always want our problems or challenges to just go away. But most of the time it isn’t quite that simple. We need to take some sort of action steps. Choose to do something about the challenges you face as opposed to letting them linger and simply complaining about them. We have the choice and control, it’s time to embrace that power. If it helps, choose one problem or challenge you face right now, and write out some things you can do to get it moving forward.

Start Listening To Your Own Inner Voice – Whether you want to call it your inner voice, your heart, gut feelings, intuition, soul, higher self, higher perspective or any other name you give to the real YOU that is beyond your mind, listening to that voice a little more often makes a big difference in your life. It’s YOU! It’s there to guide you, show you your passions and what paths make the most sense for you at any given moment. The more you listen to it means the less you listen to the mind which can often over analyze or bring emotional patterns into your decisions. Listening to your inner voice is following your heart.

Start Living In The NOW – This was one of the most powerful things for me to implement in my life. I’m not saying I’m always in the now as certainly I get stuck thinking about the past or future in ways that cause suffering, but using this tool as much as possible is huge. Everything you have or are is all happening right now and you only have the now. Even in a future moment it is still the now. When you pay attention to what is happening now you give your whole self to what you are doing and that brings much peace and joy. The past or future can be used as a reference to make adjustments in the now, but avoid fretting or worrying about either. The dwelling will only cause suffering. There is much beauty happening now that you won’t want to miss.

Start Valuing What Your “Mistakes” Teach You – I don’t believe there are mistakes in life. Simply, we make choices and they play out experiences. Deep down we have an understanding of what is right and wrong and we live by that. When it comes to smaller choices where we make decisions and they end up in less favorable outcomes, there is a lot to learn from them. Taking risks sometimes results in a stumble or a fall, but this will teach you so much about yourself and the journey you make through each experience. We focus so much on the end goal and how it came to be defined rather than all we learned along the way. There are no mistakes. Value what you learn from every journey.

Start Being Yourself Completely – You are an awesome unique individual, no matter what anyone says. Embracing that is often so difficult because we have social pressures as well as ideas of ourselves (often based on social pressures) that get in the way of us being real. Deep down we all know who we are, what we love and how we want to be, it’s just a matter of getting used to being that when we have gotten used to putting something else “on” for so long. It can be scary for sure, we are putting ourselves out there and if people don’t accept us it can hurt. But the truth is, you will be amazed at how much people love you and are appreciative of what you resonate when you are truly being yourself. People can feel when others aren’t embracing their true selves and this is what usually creates interesting experiences.

Start Enjoying & Appreciating What You Already Have – Sometimes we get caught up in chasing things like money and other material possessions. While these things are not bad to experience or have, it’s important not to get stuck in the idea that “I will be happy once I get these things.” Too often we are waiting around for the “best” situation to play out for us, all the while missing out on the experiences that are right in front of us. Where we have food, shelter, friends, family and life. We also can get caught up in comparing ourselves to others and what they have. Before you go to bed, mid day or even when you wake up, remember all that you have and this will help to keep you out of the chase for more. After all, when you finally get the things you desire, won’t the mind just look for more if we let it?

Start Being Accountable & Creating Your Own Joy – When we look outside ourselves to create joy or peace in our lives we basically give up our own power in doing so. The truth is, you already have all it takes to feel great in your life and sometimes it’s about taking the action to make that the case. In our culture most of the time we assume that happiness will come from others and from things and when we get everything in line we will be OK -Let’s break this habit and start by finding the power inside each of us to begin creating joy now.

Start Helping People Around You – Regardless of what society may suggest is the case, we are all in this together and connected to one another. Caring about people and assisting them in their own journey, in whatever form that comes in, is a great way to connect with others and use your unique skills. On top of that you create a sharing relationship with those people so that exchanges can continue down the road. You aren’t doing it to get something in return, but rather to extend love outwards only to see it come back in whatever form it does.

Start Accepting Things Even If They Aren’t Perfect – Really, what is perfect? Sometimes we have a tough time accepting things when they aren’t perfect, but perfection is simply an idea your mind created. We can get caught up in things in our world not appearing exactly as we wish to see them, but much of it is us learning to be at peace with how things unfold. We can only take actions on things we have control over. This isn’t to say you need to settle for everything, but rather, don’t obsess over the small details and instead be at peace with where things are at in this moment.

Start Paying Attention to How You Feel About Things – Often times we might feel a particular way about something but we don’t take it seriously or voice it because we don’t understand it or don’t want to share it with others. How you feel deep down about something is important and we should certainly value that. Social pressures don’t outweigh how you feel inside about something so feel free to understand that feeling and own it versus burying it. Often we can hide these feelings inside only to later realize many others felt the same about something but didn’t say anything because they were all afraid as well. Your voice and heart can impact others. Don’t be afraid to speak.

Start Focusing On The Possibilities Of Things vs Them Not Working Out – Have you ever heard the idea that if you believe it, it will happen? Now of course this isn’t quite the full story, but believing in possibility has a big impact on not only your own effort and motivation around something but also how others will perceive it. If you want to do something in your life, believe you can do it and avoid thinking negatively about the outcome. “This would never happen to me.” Or “Good things never happen to me.” This type of self talk and lack of believing in self can quickly kill what you are trying to achieve in life. Focus on what you want to happen and how you want to go about it. Focusing on the “negative” won’t do much but make the whole situation feel “negative.”

2014-08-01T08:12:00.000-04:00

This is the human test, a test to see if you are a human. Are we agreed? Yes? Then let's begin.

Have you ever made a small, weird sound when you remembered something embarrassing?
Have you ever purposely lowercased the first letter of a text in order to come across as sad or disappointed?
Have you ever ended a text with a period as a sign of aggression? Okay. Period.
Have you ever laughed or smiled when someone said something shitty to you and then spent the rest of the day wondering why you reacted that way? Yes.
Have you ever seemed to lose your airplane ticket a thousand times as you walked from the check-in to the gate? Yes.
Have you ever put on a pair of pants and then much later realized that there was a loose sock smushed up against your thigh?
Have you ever tried to guess someone else's password so many times that it locked their account?Mmm.
Have you ever had a nagging feeling that one day you will be discovered as a fraud?
Have you ever hoped that there was some ability you hadn't discovered yet that you were just naturally great at?
Have you ever broken something in real life, and then found yourself looking for an "undo" button in real life?
Have you ever marveled at how someone you thought was so ordinary could suddenly become so beautiful?
Have you ever stared at your phone smiling like an idiot while texting with someone?
Have you ever subsequently texted that person the phrase "I'm staring at the phone smiling like an idiot"?
Have you ever been tempted to, and then gave in to the temptation, of looking through someone else's phone?
Have you ever had a conversation with yourself ?
Has your phone ever run out of battery in the middle of an argument, and it sort of felt like the phone was breaking up with both of you?
Have you ever thought that working on an issue between you was futile because it should just be easier than this, or this is supposed to happen just naturally? Have you ever realized that very little, in the long run, just happens naturally?
Have you ever woken up blissfully and suddenly been flooded by the awful remembrance that someone had left you?
Have you ever lost the ability to imagine a future without a person that no longer was in your life? Have you ever looked back on that event with the sad smile of autumn and the realization that futures will happen regardless?

Congratulations. You have now completed the test. You are all human.

Be Happy

2014-05-15T01:25:00.000-04:00

We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and let's embrace change.

Ready? Here we go:

The need, to Always 'Be Right'

There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask this question:

“Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” ~Wayne Dyer

What difference will that make? Is our ego really that big?

The Need for Control

Be willing to give up the need; to always control everything that happens – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers we meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and see how much better it will be.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” ~Lao Tzu

Blame, the Lame Game

Give up on the need to blame others for what we have or don’t have, for what we feel or don’t feel. Stop giving our powers away and start taking responsibility for our life.

That Self-defeating Self-talk

Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that our mind is telling – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. We are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Those Limiting Beliefs

About what we can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, we are no longer going to allow those limiting beliefs to keep us stuck in the wrong place. Spread the wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind.” ~Elly Roselle

Oh no, that Complaining Prick

Give up the constant need to complain about those many, many, many things – people, situations, events that make us unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make us unhappy, no situation can make sad or miserable unless we allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in us, but how we choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

Ahaa, the Luxury of Criticism

Give up the need to criticize things, events or people that are different. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

Arghh, that Need to Impress Others

Stop trying so hard to be something that we’re not just to make others like us. It doesn't work this way. The moment we stop trying so hard to be something that we’re not, the moment we take off all our masks, the moment we accept and embrace the real, we will find people will be drawn to us, effortlessly.

Oh Yeaah, the Resistance to Change

Change is good. Change will help us move from A to B. Change will help to make improvements in our life and also the lives of those around us. Follow bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” ~Joseph Campbell

Ohlalaa, those Expensive Labels

Stop labeling those things, people or events that don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening mind, little by little. Minds only work when open.

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” ~Wayne Dyer

X-Factor Fears

Fear is just an illusion, it doesn't exist – we created it. It’s all in our mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Amazing Ways of Excuses

Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. We no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

Uhhhh, Exhausted Past

I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but we have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all we have and all will ever have. Stop deluding. Be present in everything we do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare, but always be "present".

Ohoohohooo, Stimulating Attachment(s)

This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell, that it is for me too, but it’s not something impossible. one get better and better at with time and practice. The moment we detach our self from all things, (and that doesn't mean to give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene.

Untie, Other's Expectations

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. We have one life – this one right now – we must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract us from our path.

Credits: purposefairy.com

SAP BASIS - Captivating Facets - Set ein (1)

2014-01-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

With reference to Transaction codes, Profiles, Roles, and Users, these are some of the interesting facets of SAP Basis.

Maximum number of transaction codes in a role – 14000 (SAP Note 410993, 841612 )
Maximum number of profiles for a role – ~312 since it is the maximum that you can assign to a user.
Maximum number of roles that can be assigned to a user – Its always calculated on profiles. The maximum is ~312 (SAP Note 410993)
Maximum number of fields in an authorization object is 10 (SAP Note 410993)
Maximum number of authorization objects in a role is 150 (SAP Note 410993, 943796)
Maximum number of single roles in a composite role – There is no technical limit for number of roles attached to composite role. But the limit is on the number of profiles assigned to the user. (SAP Note 410993)
Maximum number of characters in a user name is 12
Maximum length of the password – 8 (older versions) 40 (newer versions) – SAP Note 877879. The minimum length can be controlled with login/min_password_lng parameter.
Maximum number of characters in a password – No limit, but depends on the other parameter values. Can be controlled with login/min_password_letters
Maximum number of numerics in a password – No limit, minimum numeric values can be controlled with login/min_password_digits
Maximum number of special characters in a password – 39, since the password should have atleast 1 character. But depends on the other parameter values. Can be controlled with login/min_password_specials.
Maximum times a user can reset his/her password in a day – 1
Maximum number of characters allowed for the technical name of an authorization object is 10.
Maximum number of characters allowed for the technical name for an SAP Role is 30.

Until next time, lads,......

Joy - Within

2014-01-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. Lets read a story to know about pursuit of Joy.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs etc. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and livened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The man described him,"There is a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans are playing on the water while children are sailing their model boats. Lovers are walking arm in arm and there are flowers of every color of the rainbow." As the man by the window described all this in creative detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the scene in his mind.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to found himself unable to sleep. All he wanted was that window bed.

Late one night, as he laid staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.

The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The moral lies in the fact that the pursuit is a matter of choice. It is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful.

Do the things that create BIG Joy in your life. Become Joyful, and that will make you successful.

IT Servers & their Purposes

2014-01-17T21:29:00.000-05:00

Servers are the engines of the IT infrastructure providing services and processing that make applications run at their best.

Lets have a birds-view of the Variety of Servers:-

1. Real-Time Communication Servers
Also known as chat servers or IRC, and sometimes known as Instant messaging (IM) servers, these servers are meant to allow huge number users to exchange information instantly.

2. FTP Servers
This is one of the oldest of the Internet services available. The FTP or File Transfer Protocol allows the users to securely transfer one or more files of any size between two computers.

3. Collaboration Servers
In many ways, collaboration software, once called 'groupware,' demonstrates the original power of the Web. Collaboration software designed to enable users to collaborate, regardless of location, via the Internet or a corporate intranet and to work together in a virtual atmosphere.

4. List Servers
List servers lets users better manage their mass mailing lists like open interactive discussions or one-way lists to deliver newsletters, announcements or advertising.

5. Telnet Servers
The Telnet server lets the users on to a host computer control and work on remote computers.

6. Web Servers
At its core, a Web server serves static content to a Web browser by loading a file from a disk and serving it across the network to a user's Web browser. This entire exchange is mediated by the browser and server talking to each other using HTTP.

7. Database Servers
A database server is a computer program that provides database services to other computer programs or to other Servers.

8. Virtual Servers
A virtual server is a web server which shares its resources with multiple users. It's another way of saying that multiple web sites share the resources of one server.

9. Proxy Servers
Proxy server is a server which acts as an intermediary for requests between the users and the servers. Client connects to the proxy server and the proxy server evaluates the requests sent by the users simplifies them and control their complexities.

10. Mail Servers
Mail servers help in moving and storing the e-mail over a network via LAN(s) and WAN(s) or across the Internet.

11. Server Platforms
Normally used in same context with that of operating systems, server platforms are the platforms that are under the hardware or software of a system and the hence in the engine that drives the server.

12. Open Source Servers
Similar to server platforms, Open source server are referred to the underlying open source operating system used in the IT infrastructures of the companies.

13. Application Servers
Application servers are a type of middle-ware which connects the database servers and the app users.

20 Facts about Computer #acking

2014-01-17T21:22:00.003-05:00

1 Hacker originally meant “one who makes furniture with an ax.” Perhaps because of the blunt nature of that approach, the word came to mean someone who takes pleasure in an unconventional solution to a technical obstacle.

2 Computer hacking was born in the late 1950's, when members of MIT’s Tech Model Railroad Club, obsessed with electric switching, began preparing punch cards to control an IBM 704 mainframe.

3 One of the club’s early programs: code that illuminated lights on the mainframe’s console, making it look like a ball was zipping from left to right, then right to left with the flip of a switch. Voilà: computer Ping-Pong!

4 By the early 1970's, hacker “Cap’n Crunch” (a.k.a. John Draper) had used a toy whistle to match the 2,600-hertz tone used by AT&T’s long-distance switching system. This gave him access to call routing (and brief access to jail).

5 Before they struck it rich, Apple founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs made and sold “blue boxes,” electronic versions of Draper’s whistle.

6 Using a blue box, Wozniak crank-called the Pope’s residence in Vatican City and pretended to be Henry Kissinger.

7 Hacking went Hollywood in the 1983 movie "War Games", about a whiz kid who breaks into a Defense Department computer and, at one point, hijack a pay phone by hot-wiring it with a soda can pull-ring.

8 That same year, six Milwaukee teens hacked into Los Alamos National Lab, which develops nuclear weapons.

9 In 1988 Robert T. Morris created a worm, or self-replicating program, purportedly to evaluate Internet security.

10 The worm reproduced too well, however. The multimillion-dollar havoc that ensued led to Morris’s felony conviction, one of the first under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

11 They all come home eventually. Morris now researches computer science at...MIT.

12 British hacker Gary McKinnon broke into 97 U.S. Navy, Army, Pentagon, and NASA computers in 2001 and 2002.

13 McKinnon’s defense: He wasn't hunting military secrets; he was only seeking suppressed government files about space aliens.

14 According to rumor, agents of China’s People’s Liberation Army attempted to hack the U.S. power grid, triggering the great North American blackout of 2003.

15 It took IBM researcher Scott Lunsford just one day to penetrate the network of a nuclear power station: “I thought, ‘Gosh, this is a big problem.’”

16 Unclear on the concept: When West Point holds its annual cyberwar games, the troops wear full fatigues while fighting an enemy online.

17 Think your Mac is hack-proof? At this year’s CanSecWest conference, security researcher Charlie Miller used a flaw in Safari to break into a Mac Book in under 10 seconds.

18 Cyborgs beware: Tadayoshi Kohno at the University of Washington recently hacked into a wireless defibrillator, causing it to deliver fatal-strength jolts of electricity.

19 This does not bode well for patients receiving wireless deep-brain stimulators.

20 The greatest kludge of all? Roger Angel of the University of Arizona has proposed building a giant sunscreen in space to hack the planet’s climate.

Puppies for Sale

2013-03-16T04:14:00.003-04:00

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard.

As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the Eyes of a little boy.

"Mister", he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well", said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

"I've got 6 rupees. Is that enough to take a look."

"Sure", said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle, Here, Dolly! he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...

"I want that one", the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself To a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands. Are you there for them?

Five Grains Of Rice

2013-03-16T04:09:00.003-04:00

A rich man has four sons. As he grows old, he decides to give his property to the son who would value the wealth he had earned. He calls his four sons and gives them each five grains of rice. He tells them that he shall ask for these grains at the end of 5 years & he would give his property to the son who would value these grains the most.

The first son throws away the grains. He decides to show his father some other grains when he would ask for them after 5 yrs, in anticipation that his father would not be able to see the difference between the two sets of grains.

The second son eats the grains. He too decides to show his father some other grains when he would ask for them after 5 yrs, in anticipation that his father would not be able to see the difference between the two sets of grains.

The third son preserves these grains in a silver box and keeps the silver box in the 'puja sthaan' at home, and offers prayers to the box while offering his prayers to God for 5 yrs.

The fourth son sows these grains and cultivates them in the backyard of his house. They grow into crops during the harvest season. He keeps re sowing the grains from these crops. In due course, he has a vast plot of land cultivated with rice.

As apparent from the above mentioned, at the end of 5 yrs, the father gives his property to his fourth son, as he was the most deserving among his four sons.

Moral of the Story:

When you have anything little in your hands, look at opportunity to grow it. Don't feel sad if you have less money today, know that you have it and you can grow it.

Adventures with Dropbox and KeePass…

2012-08-18T23:46:00.001-04:00

Adventures with Dropbox and KeePass…

Tuning & Strengthening SSL - Apache web server

2012-01-01T10:11:00.039-05:00

Importance of SSL

SSL - Secure Socket Layer is enabled via a series of communications and encryption/decrypting routines that already exit on browser programs and servers. The function of SSL certificates is to provide authentication of the identity of the server and to allow access to the security functionality of the web server itself.

During an SSL transaction, the client browser sends a list of algorithms that it is willing to support to the server. The server chooses one of these algorithms and sends it back to the client browser along with a certificate containing the server’s public key. The certificate serves the purpose of authenticating the server to the client. It then provides the public key that the client can then use to encrypt a pre-master-secret that is ultimately used to help create a symmetric key that is shared by both the client and server to encrypt traffic between themselves. The key item of note here is that the SSL encryption strength is not determined by the certificate, but is a function of the algorithms supported by the browser and server software.

During this SSL “handshake” - the browser and web agree to use the supporting cipher suite that meets the minimum requirements set-up on the application server -- whether it be 40-bit, 128-bit or even 256-bit.

Strengthening SSLCipher

Considering the importance of SSL communications between the browser & web, its very vital to remove the low level bit cipher from Web-Server configuration. We can achieve this by adding in httpd.conf:

SSLCipherSuite ALL:!ADH:RC4+RSA:+HIGH:!MEDIUM:!LOW:!SSLv2:!EXPORT
SSLProtocol -ALL +SSLv3 +TLSv1

Enabling SSLCache for High Performance

By adding SSLSessionCache shm:/etc/httpd/logs/ssl_gcache_data(512000) to httpd.conf file, we can boost performance with SSL Cache which enables SSL-delivered downloads faster and reduce the network requests - if any requests are repeated from any network/client machine.

Tool to check SSL Vulnerabilities

SSLScan - a fast SSL vulnerability scanner for ports,ciphers & their strengths on the existing SSL on any webserver. It provides very good insight of all details of current SSL installed on a website. Its can be downloaded from http://sourceforge.net/projects/sslscan/ or using yum in linux:

# yum list sslscan

The above command can be used to see the available versions in the current repos of that particular Linux flavour Operating system. Once satisfied with the availability, one can install sslscan using:

# yum install sslscan

once the Installation completed, you can test the SSL on any given website using:

# sslscan --no-failed www.example.com

This will provide a clean report of all accepted ciphers only. For further usage of the SSLScan, one can use:

# man sslscan

Once the above SSLCipher & SSLCache added to httpd.conf file, please make sure you restart the Apache server and then execute:

# sslscan --no-failed www.example.com

to confirm the changes.

Good Luck.

Setting up Secure FTP w/wo SSH connectivity - CentOS 5

2012-01-01T08:09:00.006-05:00

Hello folks - today I will be sharing about SFTP.

SFTP is an acronym for Secure File Transfer Protocol. SFTP, or secure FTP, is a program that uses SSH to transfer files. Unlike standard FTP, it encrypts both commands and data, preventing passwords and sensitive information from being transmitted in the clear over the network. It is functionally similar to FTP, but because it uses a different protocol, you can't use a standard FTP client to talk to an SFTP server, nor can you connect to an FTP server with a client that supports only SFTP.

Now, in this article I will be providing necessary configuration details for configuring SFTP server to transfer files & with / with out SSH access by a SFTP user account. We will be using OpenSSH 5.8 for this configuration. First we need to install the necessary dependencies for the OpenSSH package.

# yum install gcc

# yum install openssl-devel

# yum install pam-devel

# yum install rpm-build

Now, downloading the OpenSSH package[in the current scenario, I've chose version 5.8, you can choose whats best for you]:-

# wget http://openbsd.org.ar/pub/OpenBSD/OpenSSH/portable/openssh-5.8p2.tar.gz
# wget http://openbsd.org.ar/pub/OpenBSD/OpenSSH/portable/openssh-5.8p2.tar.gz.asc

Now that we have the gunzip file, we need to unzip the package, then build the RPM file and install the RPM. We can disable the building of GUI components in the spec file as we don’t need this GUI on a server:

# tar –xvzf openssh-5.8p2.tar.gz

# cp openssh-5.8p2/contrib/redhat/openssh.spec /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/
# cp openssh-5.8p2.tar.gz /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES/
# cd /usr/src/redhat/SPECS
# perl -i.bak -pe 's/^(%define no_(gnome|x11)_askpass)\s+0$/$1 1/' openssh.spec
# rpmbuild -bb openssh.spec
# cd /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/`uname -i`
# rpm -Uvh openssh*rpm

Once the rpm installation is done, lets restart the ssh daemon & closely watch for errors if any.

# service sshd restart

Next will be to change few settings in ssd-config file: [here i've provided a sample configuration file for better understanding with the available options and modified ones]

# vi /etc/ssh/sshd-config

# This is the sshd server system-wide configuration file. See
# sshd_config(5) for more information.
# This sshd was compiled with PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/opt/bin
# The strategy used for options in the default sshd_config shipped with
# OpenSSH is to specify options with their default value where
# possible, but leave them commented. Uncommented options change a
# default value.

Port 22
#AddressFamily any
#ListenAddress 0.0.0.0
#ListenAddress ::

# The default requires explicit activation of protocol 1
Protocol 2

# HostKey for protocol version 1
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key
# HostKeys for protocol version 2
HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key

# Lifetime and size of ephemeral version 1 server key
#KeyRegenerationInterval 1h
#ServerKeyBits 1024

# Logging
# obsoletes QuietMode and FascistLogging
SyslogFacility AUTH
LogLevel INFO

# Authentication:

#LoginGraceTime 2m
#PermitRootLogin yes
#StrictModes yes
#MaxAuthTries 6
#MaxSessions 10

RSAAuthentication yes
PubkeyAuthentication yes
AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys

# For this to work you will also need host keys in /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts
#RhostsRSAAuthentication no
# similar for protocol version 2
#HostbasedAuthentication no
# Change to yes if you don't trust ~/.ssh/known_hosts for
# RhostsRSAAuthentication and HostbasedAuthentication
#IgnoreUserKnownHosts no
# Don't read the user's ~/.rhosts and ~/.shosts files
#IgnoreRhosts yes

# To disable tunneled clear text passwords, change to no here!
#PasswordAuthentication yes
#PermitEmptyPasswords no

# Change to no to disable s/key passwords
ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes

# Kerberos options
#KerberosAuthentication no
#KerberosOrLocalPasswd yes
#KerberosTicketCleanup yes
#KerberosGetAFSToken no

# GSSAPI options
#GSSAPIAuthentication no
#GSSAPICleanupCredentials yes

# Set this to 'yes' to enable PAM authentication, account processing,
# and session processing. If this is enabled, PAM authentication will
# be allowed through the ChallengeResponseAuthentication and
# PasswordAuthentication. Depending on your PAM configuration,
# PAM authentication via ChallengeResponseAuthentication may bypass
# the setting of "PermitRootLogin without-password".
# If you just want the PAM account and session checks to run without
# PAM authentication, then enable this but set PasswordAuthentication
# and ChallengeResponseAuthentication to 'no'.
#UsePAM no

#AllowAgentForwarding yes
#AllowTcpForwarding yes
#GatewayPorts no
#X11Forwarding no
#X11DisplayOffset 10
#X11UseLocalhost yes
#PrintMotd yes
#PrintLastLog yes
#TCPKeepAlive yes
#UseLogin no
#UsePrivilegeSeparation yes
#PermitUserEnvironment no
#Compression delayed
ClientAliveInterval 60
#ClientAliveCountMax 3
#UseDNS yes
#PidFile /var/run/sshd.pid
#MaxStartups 10
#PermitTunnel no
#ChrootDirectory none

# no default banner path
#Banner none

# override default of no subsystems
#Subsystem sftp /opt/libexec/sftp-server

Subsystem sftp internal-sftp

DenyUsers root wuser
DenyGroups root nossh
#DenyGroups nossh

#Manual configuration
Match Group sftp
#ChrootDirectory %h

ChrootDirectory /ftpdir/%u
X11Forwarding no
AllowTcpForwarding no
ForceCommand internal-sftp

Third Step will be creating SFTP group, SFTP users & directory permissions. So lets create a group for SFTP.

# /usr/sbin/groupadd sftp

Next, lets create a directory for file transfers, name it as ftpdir under /.

# mkdir /ftpdir

Next create a sftp user called sftpuser1 with default home diretory as /ftpdir

#/usr/sbin/useradd -g sftp -s /usr/libexec/openssh/sftp-server -d /ftpdir sftpuser1

Then change ownership of /ftpdir as it will be the Chroot Directory and it should be owned by root but group of sftp

#chown root:sftp /ftpdir

Then setting permissions for the user, read and execute for the group and others

#chmod 755 /ftpdir

Now, directory specific to sftpuser1

#mkdir /ftpdir/sftpuser1

Next, changing the ownership of /ftpdir/sftpuser1 to the user sftpuser1 belongs to sftp group

#chown sftpuser1:sftp /ftpdir/sftpuser1

Next is changing the permissions for /ftpdir/sftpuser1, Read,write,execute for sftpuser1 user, read & execute for the group users of sftp and others.

#chmod 755 /ftpdir/sftpuser1

Now,create a password for sftpuser1

#passwd sftpuser1

In the end, restart the sshd service to commit all the changes

#/sbin/service sshd restart

Now, test the sftp user using a sftp client such as Bit Tunnelier - http://www.bitvise.com/tunnelier , Private Shell - http://www.privateshell.com/ or FileZilla - http://www.upenn.edu/computing/help/doc/ftp/filezillasftp.html

Once the connectivity is tested now, follow these next steps only if SSH connectivity has to be disabled for the sftpuser1 and thus providing connectivity only through a GUI client tool, then

# vi /etc/passwd

modify the last line as /dev/null in the last section only

sftpuser1:x:508:514::/ftpdir:/dev/null

Save the file and then restart SSH Daemon for the changes to be effective. And that's it folks, we are all set for the Secure File Transfer.

Keep rocking fellows, see ya next time with one another challenging topic.

Interesting..........................

2011-11-16T19:49:00.000-05:00

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY.
He asks one of his New Christian Students to stand and . . .

Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So you Believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD Good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.
But GOD didn't.
How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

( Student is silent )

Professor : You can't answer, can you ?
Let's start again, Young Fella.
Is GOD Good?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . GOD . . .
Professor : That's right.
Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ?
And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ?

(Student does not answer)

Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who Created them ?

( Student has no answer )

Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.
Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD?
Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor : Yes, Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No sir. There isn't.

( The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events )

Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat,
a Little Heat or No Heat.
But we don't have anything called Cold.
We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that.
There is no such thing as Cold.
Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat.
We cannot Measure Cold.
Heat is Energy.
Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

( There is Pin - Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student : You're wrong again, sir.
Darkness is the Absence of Something…
You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it?
In reality, Darkness isn't.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?
Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.
You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD.
You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought.
It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that
Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing.
Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?

( The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going )

Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and
Cannot even prove that this Process is an On - Going Endeavor,
Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir?
Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?

( The Class is in Uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?

( The Class breaks out into Laughter )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . .
No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that
You have No Brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable)

Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student : That is it sir . . .
The Link between Man and GOD is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Moving and Alive.

It turned out later that the student is Albert Einstein

Downgrading from Oracle Database11g to Oracle Database 10g at CLI [Command Line Interface]

2010-12-29T23:50:00.003-05:00

I would like to share the downgrade process of Oracle Database 11gR2 to 10gR2.

11GR2 ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
10GR2 ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1

Step: Checking the current instance details on current database

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> select instance_name from v$instance;
INSTANCE_NAME
----------------
otrans

Step: This is important, make sure you have set the compatible parameter to the version in which you would like to downgrade to, in this example its 10.2.0.3.0
SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> show parameter compatible
NAME TYPE VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- ------------------------------
compatible string 10.2.0.3.0

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> select * from v$version;

BANNER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.2.0.1.0
PL/SQL Release 11.2.0.1.0 - Production
CORE 11.2.0.1.0 Production
TNS for Linux: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production
NLSRTL Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production

Step: Prepare Oracle database for downgrade (11g Home)
SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> shutdown immediate
Database closed.
Database dismounted.
ORACLE instance shut down.

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> STARTUP DOWNGRADE
ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 939495424 bytes
Fixed Size 2232088 bytes
Variable Size 251658472 bytes
Database Buffers 679477248 bytes
Redo Buffers 6127616 bytes
Database mounted.
Database opened.

Step: Run catdwgrd.sql to downgrade --- this script is used from downgrading from the current release you have installed to the release in which you have upgraded from.

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> SPOOL downgrade-1023g.log
SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> @?/rdbms/admin/catdwgrd.sql

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> Rem ***********************************************************************
SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> Rem END catdwgrd.sql
SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> Rem ***********************************************************************

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> shutdown immediate
Database closed.
Database dismounted.
ORACLE instance shut down.

Step: Define the ORACLE_HOME environment variable for SQLPLUS usage

$ export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1
$ /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/bin/sqlplus /nolog

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> connect / as sysdba
Connected to an idle instance.

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> STARTUP UPGRADE
ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 734003200 bytes
Fixed Size 2099136 bytes
Variable Size 192940096 bytes
Database Buffers 532676608 bytes
Redo Buffers 6287360 bytes
Database mounted.
Database opened.

Step: Execute catrelod.sql to reload all of the database components with their current versions in the downgraded database
SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> SPOOL reload1023.log

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> @?/rdbms/admin/catrelod.sql

COMP_NAME STATUS VERSION
----------------------------------- ----------- ----------
Oracle Database Packages and Types VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle Database Catalog Views VALID 10.2.0.3.0
JServer JAVA Virtual Machine VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle XDK VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle Database Java Packages VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle Text VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle XML Database VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle Workspace Manager VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle Data Mining VALID 10.2.0.3.0
OLAP Analytic Workspace VALID 10.2.0.3.0
OLAP Catalog VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle OLAP API VALID 10.2.0.3.0
Oracle interMedia VALID 10.2.0.3.0

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> SPOOL OFF

Step: You have to make sure to Shutdown and Startup database then recompile all objects of the Database

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> shutdown immediate
Database closed.
Database dismounted.
ORACLE instance shut down.

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> startup
ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 734003200 bytes
Fixed Size 2099136 bytes
Variable Size 247466048 bytes
Database Buffers 478150656 bytes
Redo Buffers 6287360 bytes
Database mounted.
Database opened.

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> @?/rdbms/admin/utlrp.sql

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> select * from v$version;

BANNER
----------------------------------------------------------------
Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition Release 10.2.0.3.0
PL/SQL Release 10.2.0.3.0 - Production
CORE 10.2.0.3.0 Production
TNS for Linux: Version 10.2.0.3.0 - Production
NLSRTL Version 10.2.0.3.0 - Production

SYS@OTRANS 29-DEC-10> show parameter compatible

NAME TYPE VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- ------------------------------
compatible string 10.2.0.3.0

Now, my database was downgraded to 10.2.0.3, Please correct me if am missing something above. Looking forward for your views.

వాట్ ఐ హవె లేఅర్నేడ్ సో ఫార్ ....................

2010-08-25T12:26:00.004-04:00

I’ve learned..........

- that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

- that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

- that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

- that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

- that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for - that.

- that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

- that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

- that we don’t have to change friends if we understand - that friends change.

- that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life - that counts.

- that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

- that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.

- that you can do something in an instant - that will give you heartache for life.

- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

- that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with number of birthdays.

- that your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and teach you to trust people again.

- that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

- that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

- that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

- that credentials on the wall do not make a decent human being.

- that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

- that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings, and standing up for what you believe.

- that people will forget the good you said, and people will forget the good you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel bad even just once.

a small inspiration for all techies out dere.....

2009-04-11T11:14:00.002-04:00

Once Upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job from a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the working conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.
The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”

Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter tried harder next day, but he could bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but only could bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened you axe? The boss asked.

“Sharpen ? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

Morale:

WORK SMARTER THAN HARDER. TAKE BEST CARE OF YOUR RESOURCES THAT HELP YOU ACHIEVE THE SUCCESS.

OCR & Voting Disks - Oracle RAC

2009-04-09T22:51:00.005-04:00

A long weekend is always a good thing. When you combine that with the ability to literally “get away from it all”, they are even better :) After so many days, am able to publish my work am glad about it. Here I present one of my recent works :-

Oracle Clusterware includes two important components: the voting disk and the Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR). The voting disk is a file that manages information about node membership and the OCR is a file that manages cluster and RAC database configuration information.

Oracle recommends that you select the option to configure multiple voting disks during Oracle Clusterware installation to improve availability.

Backing up Voting Disks

Run the following command to back up a voting disk. Perform this operation on every voting disk as needed where voting_disk_name is the name of the active voting disk and backup_file_name is the name of the file to which you want to back up the voting disk contents:

dd if=voting_disk_name of=backup_file_name

Recovering Voting Disks

Run the following command to recover a voting disk where backup_file_name is the name of the voting disk backup file and voting_disk_name is the name of the active voting disk:

dd if=backup_file_name of=voting_disk_name

Note: If you have multiple voting disks, then you can remove the voting disks and add them back into your environment using the crsctl delete css votedisk path and crsctl add css votedisk path commands respectively, where path is the complete path of the location on which the voting disk resides.

Changing the Voting Disk Configuration after Installing Real Application Clusters

You can dynamically add and remove voting disks after installing Real Application Clusters. Do this using the following commands where path is the fully qualified path for the additional voting disk. Run the following command as the root user to add a voting disk:

crsctl add css votedisk path

Run the following command as the root user to remove a voting disk:

crsctl delete css votedisk path

Changing the location of Voting disks

Login as root, group dba

Shutdown CRS on all nodes:
./crsctl stop crs

cross checking the status:
./crsctl check crs

Check the the location of the voting disk:
./crsctl query css votedisk

Copy the voting disk to the new location:

Change the location in CRS:
./crsctl add css votedisk
[Repeat step if more voting disks need to be added]

Delete the old Voting Disks:
crsctl delete css votedisk

Changing the location of OCR

Login as root, group dba

Start CRS on all nodes:

./crsctl start crs

./crsctl check crs

Check OCR configuration/backups:

ocrcheck

ocrconfig -showbackup

Copy the OCR mirror to the new location:

Check the files in the new location:

ls -rlt

cp crs_mirror /mnt/prdaudit_crs_mirror1

Change the OCR location in the CRS:

./ocrconfig -replace ocrmirror [path for ocrmirror]

Same way to move the ocr:

oraconfig -replace ocr

then run the check command:

ocrcheck

if everything seems right:

exit

These are the vital tasks which are associated with Voting Disks & OCR of Oracle Clusterware. use the article for your references to save lot of time :)

See you next time......

MySQL - Oracle Comparison in a week-end :)

2007-12-04T21:07:00.000-05:00

As I have been working on MySQL and Oracle quite a bit in these days, thought to put down point-to-point comparison so that it would quite easy for many of us to compare and contrast and get the glimpse of the two most popular databases. so here are few points:-

MySQL is a database fit for some types of applications. These tend to be smaller applications, or those which integrate applications with less sophisticated needs than those running Oracle on the backend.

MySQL shares with Oracle good support for database access including ODBC and JDBC drivers, as well as access libraries for Perl, Python and PHP. MySQL and Oracle both support binary large objects, character, numeric, and date datatypes. They both have primary and unique keys, and as of 4.x with InnoDB, MySQL has foreign keys, and transactions including READ UNCOMMITED, READ COMMITED, REPEATABLE READ, and SERIALIZABLE. Both databases have sophisticated language and character set support. MySQL can do table locking, and recently improved to include row-level locking.

However, quite a number of features we find in Oracle as standard, which remain missing in MySQL. Until recently that included row-level locking, true transactions, and subqueries although as of 4.x those seem to be present. However, those have been present, and core technologies in Oracle for years, with very stable and solid implementation, you're sure to achieve dramatic performance . Views are still absent in MySQL, though they may be around the corner with subqueries available now.

Of course a lot of the high end Oracle features remain completely absent from MySQL, and may never be added. Features such as parallel query, and partitioned tables, which include a whole host of special features such as the ability to take one partition offline without impacting queries on the rest of the table. The indexing on partition tables is sophisticated too, allowing partition elimination, and range scans on indexes of specific partitions. There are other large database features such as special functions for star queries. Oracle has terabyte databases in production, so this fact speaks for itself.

MySQL has somewhat limited set of index types. For instance Oracle has reverse key, bitmap, and function based indexes, as well as index organized tables. These are all very powerful features for developers who are trying squeeze that last bit of performance out of complex SQL queries against large tables. Although MySQL does provide some index statistic collection, Oracle provides the full set of statistics, including histograms, and makes great use of it inside the Cost Based Optimizer.

MySQL still does not have privilege groups, called ROLES in Oracle. Oracle can also provide column level.

MySQL does not have good procedure to handle backups which have been an integral part of Oracle for years. In addition, Oracle's RMAN has become a sophisticated piece of software, and grown to be very stable, providing block level backups so only the data that changed can be included in subsequent backups. This makes nightly backups smaller overall. It also aids tremendously during recovery, providing a lot of automation, and assistence, during those times when you need it most. MySQL's method is to dump data, and further if you want to guarentee a point in time dump of your data, you have to lock all the tables in the database, potentially slowing down your application tremendously. Lastly MySQL does not have automatic or point in time recovery, a real limitation on heavy use production databases.

MySQL also has some limitations on row sizes. MyISAM tables for instance, can have a maximum 64k of data per row, and InnoDB tables 8k per row. This does not include BLOB and TEXT types.

Lastly, MySQL does not include database links such as those found in Oracle allowing you to query a table from an external database inside a query in a local database. This can be useful for moving data between databases, and is key to implementing advanced replication in Oracle.

P.S:- Some of the above features / numbers are taken from different sources available in the Internet, including MySQL documentation

Last Edited April 2007

Relationships 'R' Us

2007-04-30T09:08:00.001-04:00

We all conduct our relationships with other people using our personality. Our personality, however, is made up of various parts, which can be called self(s). When we relate with others there are quite a few different self(s) involved in our relationships and thats the reason, relationships are never simple. It is rather like there are two groups relating, and not just two people. This is why sometimes we feel caring towards our partner and at other times we want to be cared for; it is why sometimes we admire a quality in our partner tremendously and at other times we see that same quality as a fault; and why sometimes something our partner amuses us and at other times that same action irritates.

Relationships thrive on good communication. When people know exactly what is in the other's mind, a relationship proceeds smoothly.Once people understand the hidden signs and the precise meaning of what is being said, they can develop a very healthy relationship. People feel good if some body understands them. They get irritated if somebody does not understand them. Irrespective of their own bad communication, they want people to understand them. Here lies the clue to communication and relationships.And all our modern technology such as email, cell phones, and text messaging and tiny music players and portable videos seem to distract our attention from the present moment more and more.Even though all the new technological toys we have today were supposed to free up our time and make us more connected, it can have an opposite effect. When we do spend time with our families or friends, many of us are also tied to the computer, or our cell phone or we’re busy sending and receiving text messages.

How often have we speaking to a friend on the telephone, and heard the clacking of keyboard in the background? Our friend may be typing up email messages to someone else at the same time he or she is talking to us. So we’re not getting his full attention, and neither is the other person.Many of us are used to not just multi-tasking with our jobs, but also with our friends. Why give our attention to the person in front of us, when there might be a message on our computer at the same time? A better, more exciting offer might come in any minute, on our cell phone, or in our email.Our attention is never really where we are. Our mind is split. We’re never really committed to working when we are at work, and we’re never really present with the people we care about, because someone else is on the line, Or something else is on our mind.

So I would say we have to compare it with our real values and priorities in life. Is our hectic lifestyle really bringing us the quality of life that we want? Examine whether the way we are currently spending our time accurately reflects our deepest values and priorities. Make sure that we schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to us. If we really want to keep friends in our life, we need to make a space in our schedule and a space in our heart for them. And most importantly we need to practice the art of being fully present with the important people in our life.

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."

Humor

2006-11-10T20:03:00.000-05:00

Here is the age-old argument about the importance of academics in Oracle technology.

One side of the argument says that the dedication, hard work and perseverance required to graduate from college graduate (not to mention computer science skills), makes the "college-educated" DBA more productive.

Engineers must have a degree (and a license), and lawyers must have a JD degree. So, what the value of a technology degree to an Oracle professional?

The other side of the coin says that experience-alone can be the best predictor of Oracle DBA job performance.

"I can't help but wonder if Bill Gates had taken a Data Structures, Algorithms and Operating System Design course in Harvard, that Windows might be a more reliable platform." - DB

R u a RockStar @ Work?

2006-09-08T15:30:00.000-04:00

Last week I read an article on GOOGLE guys and all their business success. It made me to think about the importance of giving fully at work. Being wildly passionate, being breathtalkingly committed about things to do in the Organization. Being a rock star in whatever we do, to put things on the right table.

Work gives meaning to our techie lives. It influence our selfworth and the way we perceive our place under the Organization. Being great at what we do isnt just something we do for the organization we work for --- its a gift we give ourself. Being spectaculary great at work promotes personal respect, excitement & makes our life a lot more interesting.

How do you feel after each day at work? How do you feel when you've given your best. had fun with your teammates? How do you feel when you reached for your greatest goals and grabbed them? It feels pretty good, doesnt it ?

So be a rock star at work today. Give the best performance of your life every day at work. And see how you feel at the end of the day, you feel just amazing. And am sure you can have best sleep as well. So can you be one among the rock stars @ work?

About Oracle Fusion

2006-09-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

Fusion is an application expected to be released by Oracle in 2008. It is a response to the hostile takeover of PeopleSoft January 2005. Initially, it was expected to be a "fusion" of Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications and PeopleSoft ERP applications. However upon clarification from Oracle 1st Quarter 2006, the Fusion product will be new applications products based on an E-Business Suite (EBS) data model, EBS processes, and user interface expertise obtained in the PeopleSoft takeover. More simply put, the Fusion product is redesigning EBS using SOA concepts and adding expertise from its PeopleSoft/JD Edwards takeovers.

Gr8'er Competency is EQUALS 2 Smoother Sailing !

2006-05-23T04:20:00.000-04:00

We have probably heard that most accidents occur as a result of drivers' error. It's a fact. And it's also true about sailing. The vast majority of marine accidents happen because of mistakes made by captain and crew.And it's no different in our quest for success.

Certainly there are times when things outside of our control cause us problems and even result in failure. But most of these can be overcome with greater knowledge and better skills.You see, piloting a boat is not really very difficult. Getting from point A to point B under fair skies and friendly winds is something most anyone with a modicum oftraining can do. But what we prepare for, what we really need to study, is how to handle things when circumstances are less than ideal. When the weather deteriorates, when equipment breaks, when things start to unravel, THAT'S when your competence becomes critical. That's when our ability, our knowledge and our experience can make the difference between people living and dying.

Our preparedness--or un-preparedness--for our personal and professional success may not seem quite so critical. It's not a matter of life and death, but it's important nonetheless.In order for us to fulfill our potential, we owe it to ourselves as well as those we care about and those we serve to be constantly improving our skills. We must always be learning. We must be preparing for unexpected economic squalls. We should consistently be honing our abilities.In doing so, we bring out the best that's in us and we raise the expectations of those around us. Our confidence begets more confidence. It attracts people to us. Every crew member wants to be part of a competent team with a skilled captain.

Our industry is worthy of our study. Enhancing our skills makes our job easier and makes us more valuable in the marketplace. Knowing enough to get by just won't cut it. We must challenge ourselves. It makes our life more fun and more interesting. And it can make all the difference in not only the quality of the journey but the wealth of the destinations.

Question to Ponder: What skills, knowledge and experience do we need to develop?In addition to setting goals about what we want to achieve, we should also set goals as to what we want to learn. What skills do we want to acquire in the next three months? What bodies of knowledge do we want to master? What do we want to add to our experience? What courses will we take? Who will we study under? What books will we read? How much will we invest in our quest for competence?

Because EVERYTHING COUNTS !

Newsss!

2006-05-09T04:24:00.000-04:00

New mobile application allows you to build and run database queries from your handheld.

Tiny Query Writer is a mobile application that allows you to write and run database queries and stored procedures from your BlackBerry device.

Tiny Query Writer helps database administrators, developers, help-desk technicians, consultants and other information workers, be more efficient and productive while they are away from their workstations.Tiny Query Writer is easy to use and affordable. Using it is as easy as entering your credentials, typing your query and viewing the results. Watch the demo movie and see for yourself!Tiny Query Writer runs on any BlackBerry device and only requires a standard Windows workstation for its Gateway piece. You don't need to buy additional hardware. You don't need to install software on any of the database servers. You don't need to navigate through many screens to get the job done.

Database servers currently supported are Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL. Coming soon is support for Oracle databases.

Taking Charge of Life

2006-04-06T06:54:00.000-04:00

How do you live your life? At cause or at effect? It is important to be aware of this distinction. It is the rare individual who always lives his or her life at cause; however, far too many of us live a large portion of our lives at effect - responding to the whims, desires or emotional states of others.

Being at cause means that you are decisive in creating what you want in life and take responsibility for whatever you achieve. You see the world as a place of opportunity and you move toward achieving what you desire. If things are not unfolding as you would like, you take action and explore other possibilities. Above all, you know you have choice in what you do and how you react to people and events.

If you are at effect, you may blame others or circumstances for your bad moods, for what you have not achieved or for the disarray of your life in general. You may feel powerless or depend on others in order for you to feel good about yourself or about life. You may think, "If only my wife, my boss, my co-workers, my parents, my children understood me and helped me achieve my dreams or did what I wanted or what is best for me, then life would be great." If you wait and hope for things to be different or for others to provide you with results or happiness, you are at effect, or a victim of circumstances. And really, how satisfying is that? How satisfying do you think it is for others to be around you? Believing that someone else is responsible for your happiness or your different moods is very limiting and gives this person mystical powers over you, which can cause both you and the other person a great deal of anguish.

Being at cause means you have choices in your life - you can choose what is best for you while ensuring the choice is ecological for those around you, in your community and your society. That is, you consider the consequences of your actions on others, while not taking responsibility for their emotional well-being. Believing you are responsible for the emotional well-being of someone else places a heavy burden upon you and can cause a great deal of stress.

Those who live their lives at effect often see themselves as victims with no choices whatsoever. The truth is that they do have choices but have chosen not to take action. They are simply reactive to whatever is thrust upon them.

Emotions such as guilt, fear, anxiety and resentment are the result of being at effect. People at effect tend to blame others and do not take responsibility for their actions. Emotions such as these can wear heavily on a person's body and life, and can be the root cause of many physical and personal issues.

Do I always live my life at cause? No, not a chance; the great majority of the time I do live at cause. When I don't, one of the following usually comes to mind: ‘There is no failure only feedback' or ‘There are no unresourceful people, only unresourceful states'. Then using various personal growth techniques, I am able to explore other ways to achieve my outcomes or ask others for help, without being a victim to their answers.

Each morning when you get up, you can either ask yourself, "I wonder what my day will bring," or "What do I choose to bring to my day?" The choice is yours.