Smile leads to success

Service Pack 2 for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 (KB2687453)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 23:38:00 +0000

Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 contains new updates which improve security, performance, and stability. Additionally, the SP is a roll-up of all previously released updates.

Download it from this link http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39672

Sign in as Different User - Redirect to /_layouts/accessdenied.aspx Page in SharePoint 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 10:10:00 +0000

I have a web application was a classic authentication mode and then by script we converted it to Claim authentication by the below powershell :

$web = Get-SPWebApplication "http://YourSiteURL"
$web.UseClaimsAuthentication = 1;
$web.Update()

but when I tried to Sign in as Different User , It's always redirect me to /_layouts/accessdenied.aspx page.

So to fix this issue ( I don't know the reason but I think It's bug ) (My Farm Updated with SP 1 and Feb CU 2013)

Delete web application from Central administration (Just IIS web site and keep and content database)
Create new Web application with Claim Authentication mode
Attach the content database with this new Web application

AlwaysOn in SQL Server 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:56:00 +0000

http://www.slideshare.net/fadi/always-on-in-sql-server-2012

Always on in SQL Server 2012 from Fadi Abdulwahab

Publishing Error after migration

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 09:45:00 +0000

Two common errors related to Publishing feature raised when migrate a SharePoint 2007 site to SharePoint 2010 and the fixes for these errors in the following Links :

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sharepointadminprevious/thread/efc4042d-84d0-45a9-b75a-1ac0c36e85ab

Send Email via Telnet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Sometimes you need to configure SharePoint to send or receive emails so to test the configuration of sending email with Exchange or SMTP you can use Telnet commands as following:

First Install Telnet client from Server Manager >> Features

Now open command line and run this line :

telnet 10.0.056 25

IP for SMTP or Exchanage
Port : 25

Note: if you get connection failed then this means the port is closed.
then run this command :

ehlo

then run this command:

mail from:test@test.com

then run this command:

rcpt to:test1@test.com

then run this command:

data

and last is :

IIS 8 Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 07:15:00 +0000

I have read a nice book called "Professional IIS 8" and these some of the tips I found them useful to posted here and sometimes these tips will help the SharePoint Administrator or Developer.
Note: Some of these tips apply to previous version of IIS ( 6 , 7 or 7.5).

You can use appcmd or power shell as command utilities for automation or using managed code like C#.
SSL Certificate no longer need to bound to an IP address. SNI allows an IIS 8 to host multiple SSL sites and certificates on a single IP address.
http://windowsworld.in/?p=555
http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-server-name-indication-sni-ssl-scalability
IISLogs external tool whcih help you to mange the logs on schedule basis.
http://www.iislogs.com/
IIS can host different application like Asp , Asp.net and PHP.
http://www.iis.net/learn/application-frameworks/install-and-configure-php-applications-on-iis/using-fastcgi-to-host-php-applications-on-iis
You can install IIS 8 Express on windows 7 for development purpose with Visual Studio 2012 (no IIS Manager ).
Microsoft Web Capacity Analysis tool (WCAT) to test a load on web servers.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/231282
http://www.galcho.com/articles/StressTestingWCAT.aspx
IIS 8's Request Tracing utility can be used for testing performance and diagnostic the errors.
http://www.trainsignal.com/blog/iis-7-troubleshooting
MaxConcurrentRequestsPerCpu setting can enhance or optimze the performance
http://blogs.x2line.com/al/archive/2010/01/04/3718.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rakkimk/archive/2009/07/08/iis7-improving-asp-net-performance-concurrent-requests-while-on-integrated-mode.aspx?Redirected=true
By default IIS 8 installed with Asp.net 4.5 and you can install and run .Net 3.5.
You can upgrade from IIS 7 to II 8 and same sites with same configuration can run.
You can manage IIS 8 remotely over HTTPS using Web Management Service (WMSVC).
http://www.tech-stew.com/post/2012/10/08/How-to-install-IIS-remote-manager-in-Windows-8.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj635856.aspx
http://www.iis.net/learn/manage/remote-administration/remote-administration-for-iis-manager
Local Administrators can manage IIS but by using Delegation feature you can allow none administrators to manage websites or applications.
You can extend IIS Manager using managed code or native code.
You can set configuration at sub folder or file level using Location tag in configuration file
http://blogs.iis.net/bills/archive/2008/03/24/how-to-enable-directory-browsing-with-iis7-web-config.aspx
IIS 8 support different types of logs like IIS , W3C (widely used) and NCSA and you need a tool to parse them like logparser (you need to consider the time zone and reverse proxy infrastructure).
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24659
http://logparserplus.com/Examples
It's recommended to enable compression to save bandwidth usage
If MIME type is not defined then the browser will return 404.3 error.
To stop IIS run the following command : net stop iisadmin /y or stop these services (World wide web publishing , SMTP and FTP publishing).
Application initialization module (in IIS 7.5 called application warm up) to prime the application before receiving HTTP requests from the end users.
http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-application-initialization
http://sharepoint.nauplius.net/2012/06/sharepoint-warm-up-scripts-a-thing-of-the-past/
http://sharepointgeorge.com/2010/warm-sharepoint-web-applications-windows-2008-r2-iis-75-application-warmup-module/
Recycle process does not immediately stop the w3wp process , instead it create new process and then move the requests there.
Web Gardens is an application pool that is serviced by more than one worker process simultaneously (Created on Demand). It's useful in situations where :

High number of concurrent connections.
No application Session state.
Not be CPU -intensive.
http://geekswithblogs.net/vkamat/archive/2004/11/17/15145.aspx

Classic mode pipeline for compatibility.
In IIS 8 you can view the running w3wp process in IIS Manager and running page requests ( good to check the slow running page).
http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/125113/How-to-use-IIS-Manager-to-get-Worker-Processes-w3w
http://programming4.us/website/6646.aspx
Application pool use configuration isolation concept by stored temprorary files from the global configuration (needed settings) in this folder (\inetpub\temp\appPools).
You can change bitness mode to 32 or 64 bit at application pool level.
You can configure SSL with FTP in IIS 8 (FTPS) and you can use host headers.
You can apply filtering to FTP by File extension or restricted domain or IPs.
You can use .Net Accounts with FTP.
IIS 7 and above ship with more than 40 modules and you can create your custom module.
Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) will respond to requests other than HTTP such as TCP and MSMQ. (One of the feature of WCF).
Dynamic IP Restrictions to block malicious web requests designed to infiltrate your web server and you can show access denied page or page not found.
http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-dynamic-ip-address-restrictions
Placing servers in DMZ or internally or even at hosting company based on two factors : first the function of the server and second who needs access.
To enable or disable session state for Asp.net go to Pages and Controls section under Asp.net in IIS.
You can load only the required modules and this will increase the server and site performance

At web server level , you need to modify applicationhost.config file so for example to render only static Html page

<modules>
<add name="DefaultDocumentModule" />
<add name="StaticFileModule" />
<add name="AnonymousAuthenticationModule" />
</modules>

At web site level , you need to modify the web.config file

Using IP and Domain Restrictions allows you to selectively permit or deny access to the web server , web sites , folders and files.
http://www.dotnetexpertguide.com/2012/03/iis-8-dynamic-ip-domain-restriction.html
Request Filtering provides a configurable set of rules that enables you to determine which types of request should be allowed or rejected (URLscan module).
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831621.aspx
http://www.iis.net/configreference/system.webserver/security/requestfiltering
http://www.hosting.com/support/iis7/enabling-the-request-filtering-ui-
URL authorization is a feature that can be used to permit or deny access to resources by rules in data sources like (databases or XML).
http://www.iis.net/learn/manage/configuring-security/understanding-iis-url-authorization
Backup and Restore IIS settings and configurations
http://sharepointadam.com/2010/04/01/backup-iis-configuration-settings-via-powershell/
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/10526.sharepoint-2010-backup-and-restore-iis-web-server-configuration-through-powershell-en-us.aspx
http://thuansoldier.net/?p=1607
URL Rewrite module can

Redirect URL
Rewrite URL
Set custom HTTP Response
Abort Request
None
http://www.iis.net/learn/extensions/url-rewrite-module/creating-rewrite-rules-for-the-url-rewrite-module
http://weblogs.asp.net/owscott/archive/2010/01/26/iis-url-rewrite-hosting-multiple-domains-under-one-site.aspx
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/webmaster/url-rewriting-with-iiss-url-rewrite-module/710

Application Request Routing (ARR) (IIS like Load Balance).
http://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/application-request-routing
http://improve.dk/archive/2010/06/16/setting-up-multiple-iis-application-request-routing-farms-on-the-same-server.aspx
Monitoring tools

Server Manager in Windows Server 2012
Task Manager
Windows Performance Monitor
Resource Monitor
Resource and Performance Monitor

What to Monitor ?

Memory Usage
Process Utilization
Disk I/O
Network Bandwidth
Web Service Counters
Asp.Net Counters
Logs (IIS Logs , Event Viewer logs and application logs)

Website Optimizations

HTTP keep-Alive
Content Expiration
Bandwidth throttling
Output Caching
HTTP compression
Website connections

WFetch is a tool which listen to all web traffic and see everything included in the communication between IIS and web client including request , response ,headers ,body,...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/284285
Web Socket
http://alexjmackey.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/websockets-with-asp-net-4-5-and-visual-studio-11/
http://www.iis.net/learn/get-started/whats-new-in-iis-8/iis-80-websocket-protocol-support

Sharepoint 2010 first search slow

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 05:05:00 +0000

I have an issue in my new farm that first search is very slow so I have tried the fix by Microsoft [Option 1] and it was perfect.
[Even this will speed up your SharePoint site]

Check this link
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2639348

O Allah bless my sons

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:38:00 +0000

Ahmad (أحمد)

Rayan (ريان)

Wiki Categories is Not Visible to users in SharePoint 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:28:00 +0000

My friend faced a problem that Wiki Categories only visible to admin users and after I searched this problem I found that SharePoint Store these terms in hidden list under the site collection [http://site/Lists/TaxonomyHiddenList/AllItems.aspx] so after we set the permission for this list properly the users become able to see the Wiki Categories.

Tips for Customization and Development in SharePoint Online

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 07:17:00 +0000

Development and customization is nearly same as in SharePoint On-premises with some exceptions as the below:

You can only use Sandbox solutions with SharePoint Online Standard model
You can use Farm solutions (Full trusted code) with SharePoint online Dedicated model with some guidelines form Microsoft (Microsoft SharePoint Online Code Analysis Framework (MSOCAF))
Any Customization with SharePoint Designer , InfoPath or browser same as SharePoint On-premises
Trick ( to deploy Visual Web Part as Sandbox solution) use SharePoint Power Tools template which also sandbox –aware tools which check if your code can run in sandbox solution
You can’t attach Visual Studio debugger with SharePoint Online so to test your solution ,you can test it locally or create a site collection for testing in the SharePoint online
Use “FXCop” to test your code if it can execute properly in SharePoint Online
Using client object model can solve some restriction with sandbox solution like you can call external web services ,access objects from other site collections
You can integrate SharePoint online with data stored in SQL Azure or Window Azure (integration between two cloud based services)

SQL Sever 2012 - New features

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:40:00 +0000

In this article I will write some tips and features that I like it with this version of SQL Server 2012.

Reports support Silver light and has alerts functions.
Reports can render as word or excel documents.
Contained database (Not fully yet) and how its authentication stored on it and you can login at database level (be careful because the chance of duplicated logins can occur).
Ability to define default schema for groups.
You can use “Throw” T-SQL to throw exception with Try/Catch like C# language but still no finally statement.
You can define SEQUENCE Number object

Define start and end sequence
Recyclable
Incremental count

OFFSET and FETCH for select with paging
Still SQL server 2012 available as 64 bit and 32 bit
Windows administraotrs does not has assess by default
Update the product while installing but to access local updates you only can do this by command or config file.
Better environment which is VS 2010 SP 1 so more debugging , intellisense and snippets
You can restore individual Page from backup to fix suspect pages
. New DMVs like

sys.dm_os_windows_info to runturn OS info
sys.dm_os_windows_info to check which services is running
sys.dm_server_registry to check registry values

Power shell now Is prerequisites for SQL Server 2012
Execute query with Result set which enable you for example to change the schema of table like renaming columns without accessing the source .
New enchantments for Data Quality Service (DQS) , Data Tier Application (DAC) and Master Data service.
LocalDB installation copies a minimal set of files necessary to start the SQL Server Database Engine.
The FileTable feature brings support for the Windows file namespace and compatibility with Windows applications to the file data stored in SQL Server
SQL Server Data Tools

Do anything from creating database and database objects from Visual studio
You can work with data as disconnected mode (offline mode)
You can clone the data
Check the data and T-SQL verification before update it to database server

New T-SQL functions

a “Format” to format based on .Net format

Ex : SELECT FORMAT ( '12/21/2011', 'D', 'en-US' )

b. Concat to join strings

Ex: SELECT CONCAT('Ahmad' ,' ' , 'Rayan')

c. Immediate If for inline if condition

Ex: SELECT IIF(1=1 ,'Yes','No')

d. Select from array using CHOOSE

Ex: SELECT CHOOSE(2 ,'Fadi','Ahmad','Rayan')

e. Get end of month date

Ex: SELECT EOMONTH(GETDATE())

f. Format Date functions

Ex: SELECT DATEFROMPARTS(2012,6,7)

SELECT DATETIMEFROMPARTS(..)

h. New parsing functions SELECT TRY_Convert(int,'123')

i. SELECT PARSE('123' AS int)

April 2012 Cumulative Updates for SharePoint products

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:31:00 +0000

SharePoint 2010
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598151
SharePoint Foundation 2010
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598321
WSS 3.0
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598130
MOSS 2007
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598129

[Updated] Don't Install the above CU for this reason
http://www.sharepointjoel.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=542
Note: even the CU for FAST for SharePoint 2010 removed .

[Updated] Microsoft Fixed April CU 2012 with new release , check this link
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2598151

Synchronization SharePoint 2010 Events Calendar with Android Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 07:47:00 +0000

Introduction:

This simple application import events from SharePoint site and then add them to Android calendar frequently by using android Service in android mobile.

Read Events from SharePoint site by using Web service (/_vti_bin/Lists.asmx)
Service run in android mobile import these events
Then add these events to Android calendar
Notify the user by Notification activity

Tools & IDEs:

Android SDK 2.3 (10 level)
Eclipse
My mobile (Samsung Ace)
U2U CAML Query Builder
SharePoint 2010 Site with Calendar list

The beginning start from this activity after uploading .apk file and install it in Android mobile.

Mail.xml (main Activity)

This activity collect the settings that the background service will use them to collect the data and these are the settings:

SharePoint Service URL

To get data from SharePoint for Non-Microsoft project or programming language is to use SharePoint Web service which is (/_vti_bin/Lists.asmx). In my case I used (GetListItems) which return items from SharePoint list by passing CAML query or view.

Row Limit

Number of rows that (GetListItems) will return

Option

If this first time the application will import events from SharePoint so then option 1 (Get all Events) will be selected
If this is not first time then option 2 (Get Last Events) will be selected. It will import all events after the last time imported ( last import time mention in green color under option 2)

Button

Start Service to start the android service ( as windows service in .net application) to run and collect data from SharePoint Calendar list and then save them to Android calendar. This service has a timer which makes it to run daily.
Stop Service to stop the service and its timer

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent"
    android:orientation="vertical" >
    
    <TextView
        android:text="@string/lblServiceUrl"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent" />
    
    <EditText 
        android:id="@+id/txtServiceUrl"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:hint="@string/lblServiceUrl" />
    
    <TextView
        android:text="@string/lblRowLimit"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent" />
    
    <EditText 
        android:id="@+id/txtRowLimit"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:inputType="number"
        android:maxLength="3" />
    
    <TextView
        android:text="@string/lblOptions"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent" />
    
    <RadioGroup 
        android:id="@+id/rdbGpOptions"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:orientation="vertical" >
            <RadioButton 
                android:id="@+id/rdb1"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:text="@string/lblGetAllEvents"
                android:enabled="false" />
            <RadioButton 
                android:id="@+id/rdb2"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:text="@string/lblGetLastMonthEvents"
                android:checked="true"
                android:enabled="false" />
    </RadioGroup>
    
    <TextView 
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:textColor="#00ff00"
        android:id="@+id/lblLastUpdate"
        android:visibility="gone" />

    <Button 
        android:id="@+id/btnStartService"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="@string/lblStartService" />
    
    <Button 
        android:id="@+id/btnStopService"
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="@string/lblStopService" />

</LinearLayout>

package sqlgoogler.blogspot.com;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.SharedPreferences;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;
import android.widget.RadioButton;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.Toast;


public class SyncSharePointCalendarActivity extends Activity {
   
    private EditText txtServiceUrl ,txtRowLimit;
    private Button btnStartService , btnStopService;
    private RadioButton rdb1 , rdb2;
    private TextView lblLastUpdate;
    private SharedPreferences settings;
    private String lastUpdate;
    
    @Override
    public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.main);
        
        //Get settings from Shared Preferences 
        settings = getSharedPreferences(Constants.Pref_Name, 0); 
        
        txtServiceUrl = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.txtServiceUrl);
        txtRowLimit = (EditText)findViewById(R.id.txtRowLimit);
        lblLastUpdate = (TextView)findViewById(R.id.lblLastUpdate);
        
        rdb1 = (RadioButton)findViewById(R.id.rdb1);
        rdb2 = (RadioButton)findViewById(R.id.rdb2);
   
        try
        {
            txtServiceUrl.setText(settings.getString(Constants.Service_URL_KEY, Constants.Service_URL_VALUE));
            txtRowLimit.setText(settings.getString(Constants.Row_Limit_KEY, Constants.Row_Limit_VALUE));
            lastUpdate = settings.getString(Constants.Last_Update_KEY, Constants.Last_Update_VALUE);
            
            if(lastUpdate != "")
            {
                lblLastUpdate.setText(String.format("%s %s",getResources().getString(R.string.msgLastUpdate), lastUpdate));
                lblLastUpdate.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                rdb2.setChecked(true);
                rdb1.setChecked(false);
            }
            else
            {
                lblLastUpdate.setVisibility(View.GONE);
                rdb2.setChecked(false);
                rdb1.setChecked(true);
            }
        }
        catch(Exception ex)
        {            
            txtServiceUrl.setText( Constants.Service_URL_VALUE);
            txtRowLimit.setText(Constants.Row_Limit_VALUE);
            rdb2.setChecked(true);
            rdb1.setChecked(false);
        }
        
        //Start Service Event
        btnStartService = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnStartService);
        btnStartService.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            public void onClick(View v) {
                
                //Save settings to Shared Preferences
                SharedPreferences.Editor editor = settings.edit();
                editor.putString(Constants.Service_URL_KEY,txtServiceUrl.getText().toString().trim());
                editor.putString(Constants.Row_Limit_KEY,txtRowLimit.getText().toString().trim());
                    
                editor.commit();
                
                //Start the service
                startService(new Intent(getBaseContext(), SyncService.class));
                showMessage(getResources().getString(R.string.StartMsg));
            }     
        });
        
        //Stop Service Event
        btnStopService = (Button) findViewById(R.id.btnStopService);
        btnStopService.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            public void onClick(View v) {
                
                //Stop the service
                stopService(new Intent(getBaseContext(), SyncService.class));
                showMessage(getResources().getString(R.string.StopMsg));
            }
        });
    }
    
    private void showMessage(String msg)
    {
        Toast.makeText(getBaseContext(),msg, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show(); 
    } 
}

Second part of this application which did the most jobs is Android Service (SyncService):
this service did the following :

Read settings from Shared Preferences (like SharePoint Service Url, Row Limit,..)
This service run daily by using Timer
Consume SharePoint Service and returned SOAP
parsing this SOAP and add the return data to Android Calendar
Show Notification about the status of import if it's successed or failed

package sqlgoogler.blogspot.com;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.StringReader;
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Calendar;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.Timer;
import java.util.TimerTask;

import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilder;
import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory;
import javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException;

import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
import org.apache.http.client.ClientProtocolException;
import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpPost;
import org.apache.http.entity.StringEntity;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;
import org.apache.http.protocol.HTTP;
import android.util.Log;

import org.w3c.dom.Document;
import org.w3c.dom.Element;
import org.w3c.dom.Node;
import org.w3c.dom.NodeList;
import org.xml.sax.InputSource;
import org.xml.sax.SAXException;

import android.app.Notification;
import android.app.NotificationManager;
import android.app.PendingIntent;
import android.app.Service;
import android.content.ContentValues;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.content.SharedPreferences;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.IBinder;

public class SyncService extends Service  {
    private Timer timer = new Timer(); 
    private SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss"); 
    private long updateInterval;
    private SharedPreferences settings;
    
    private String serviceUrl;
    private String rowLimit;
    private String lastUpdate;
    
    public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
      return null;
    }

    @Override 
    public void onCreate() 
    {
      super.onCreate();
      
      //Read settings from SharedPreferences
      settings = getSharedPreferences(Constants.Pref_Name, 0);
      updateInterval = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; // By Day
      updateInterval= 5000 * updateInterval;
      
      serviceUrl = settings.getString(Constants.Service_URL_KEY, Constants.Service_URL_VALUE);
      rowLimit = settings.getString(Constants.Row_Limit_KEY, Constants.Row_Limit_VALUE);
      lastUpdate = settings.getString(Constants.Last_Update_KEY, Constants.Last_Update_VALUE);
        
      _startService();
    }

    @Override 
    public void onDestroy() 
    {
      super.onDestroy();
      _shutdownService();
    }

    private void _startService()
    {      
      timer.scheduleAtFixedRate(    
          
              new TimerTask() {

                    public void run() {

                        try{

                        doServiceWork();

                        Thread.sleep(updateInterval);

                        }catch(InterruptedException ie){
                        }      
                    }
                  },
                  Constants.Delay_Interval,
                  updateInterval);
    }
    
    private void _shutdownService()
    {
      if (timer != null) timer.cancel();
      Log.i(getClass().getSimpleName(), "Timer stopped...");
    }
    
    private void doServiceWork()
    {  
        try 
        {
            HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
            HttpPost httppost = new HttpPost(serviceUrl);
            StringEntity se;
        
            if(lastUpdate != "")
                //CAML query for Last Events
                se = new StringEntity( String.format("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?><soap:Envelope xmlns:xsi=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance\" xmlns:xsd=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" xmlns:soap=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/\"><soap:Body><GetListItems xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/\"><listName>eventsCal</listName>%s<rowLimit></rowLimit><viewName></viewName><query><Query><Where><Gt><FieldRef Name='EventDate' /><Value Type='DateTime'>%sZ</Value></Gt></Where><OrderBy><FieldRef Name='Title' /></OrderBy></Query></query></GetListItems></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>", rowLimit, lastUpdate), HTTP.UTF_8);
            else
                //CAML query for All Events
                se = new StringEntity( String.format("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?><soap:Envelope xmlns:xsi=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance\" xmlns:xsd=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" xmlns:soap=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/\"><soap:Body><GetListItems xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/\"><listName>eventsCal</listName><rowLimit>%s</rowLimit><viewName></viewName><query><Query><OrderBy><FieldRef Name='Title' /></OrderBy></Query></query></GetListItems></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>", rowLimit), HTTP.UTF_8);    
            se.setContentType("text/xml");
            httppost.setEntity(se);

            HttpResponse httpresponse = httpclient.execute(httppost);
            InputStream in = httpresponse.getEntity().getContent();
            String str = inputStreamToString(in).toString();
            
            readSoap(str);
            
            //Show Notification 
            displayNotification(String.format("%s",getResources().getString(R.string.msgImported)));
            
            //Set Last Update setting 
            SharedPreferences.Editor editor = settings.edit();
            editor.putString(Constants.Last_Update_KEY, df.format(new java.util.Date()).toString());
                
            editor.commit();
            
        } catch (ClientProtocolException e) {
            displayNotification(String.format("%s \n Error Details : %s",getResources().getString(R.string.msgImportedFailed),e.toString()));
        } catch (IOException e) {
            displayNotification(String.format("%s \n Error Details : %s",getResources().getString(R.string.msgImportedFailed),e.toString()));
        }
    }
    
    private void readSoap(String in)
    {    
        Document doc = null;
        DocumentBuilderFactory dbf = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
        try 
        {
            DocumentBuilder db = dbf.newDocumentBuilder();
            InputSource is = new InputSource();
            is.setCharacterStream(new StringReader(in));
            doc = db.parse(is); 

            } catch (ParserConfigurationException e) {
            } catch (SAXException e) {
            } catch (IOException e) {
            }
            
            //---retrieve all the <z:row> nodes---
            NodeList elements = doc.getElementsByTagName("z:row"); 
            
            for (int i = 0; i < elements.getLength(); i++) { 
                Node itemNode = elements.item(i); 
               
                if (itemNode.getNodeType() == Node.ELEMENT_NODE) 
                {            
                    //---convert the Node into an Element---
                    Element element = (Element) itemNode;

                    addEvent(element.getAttribute("ows_Title"), element.getAttribute("ows_EventDate"), element.getAttribute("ows_EndDate"), element.getAttribute("ows_Description"), element.getAttribute("ows_Location"));
                } 
            } 
    }
    
    private void addEvent(String title , String startEvent , String endEvent, String desc , String location) 
    {
        try{
            // date
            SimpleDateFormat format = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss");
            Date date1 = new Date();
            Date date2 = new Date();
            try {
                 date1 = format.parse(startEvent);
                 date2 = format.parse(endEvent);
            } catch (ParseException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
                       
            Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
            cal.setTime(date1);
            long startTime = cal.getTimeInMillis() + 1000;
            cal.setTime(date2);
            long endTime   = cal.getTimeInMillis() + 1000;
            
            ContentValues event = new ContentValues();
            event.put("calendar_id", getCalendar_ID());
            event.put("title", title);
            event.put("description", desc);
            event.put("eventLocation", location);           
            event.put("dtstart", startTime);
            event.put("dtend", endTime);
            event.put("allDay", 0);
            getContentResolver().insert(Uri.parse("content://com.android.calendar/events"), event); 
          
        }catch(Exception ee){}
    }
    
    private int getCalendar_ID() {
        int calendar_id         = 0;
        String[] projection     = new String[] { "_id", "name" };
        String selection        = "selected=1";
        String path             = "calendars";
        Cursor calendarCursor   = getCalendarCursor(projection, selection, path);

        if (calendarCursor != null && calendarCursor.moveToFirst()) {
            int nameColumn = calendarCursor.getColumnIndex("name");
            int idColumn   = calendarCursor.getColumnIndex("_id");
            do {
                String calName  = calendarCursor.getString(nameColumn);
                String calId    = calendarCursor.getString(idColumn);
                if (calName != null) {
                    calendar_id = Integer.parseInt(calId);
                }
            } while (calendarCursor.moveToNext());
        }
        return calendar_id;
    }
    
    private Cursor getCalendarCursor(String[] projection, String selection, String path) {
        Uri calendars = Uri.parse("content://calendar/" + path);
        Cursor cCursor = null;
        try 
        {
            cCursor = getContentResolver().query(calendars, projection, selection, null, null);
        } 
        catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {}
        if (cCursor == null) 
        {
            calendars = Uri.parse("content://com.android.calendar/" + path);
            try 
            {
               cCursor = getContentResolver().query(calendars, projection, selection, null, null);
            } 
            catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {}
        }
        return cCursor;
    }
          
    private StringBuilder inputStreamToString(InputStream is) 
    {
        String line = "";
        StringBuilder total = new StringBuilder();
        // Wrap a BufferedReader around the InputStream
        BufferedReader rd = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(is));
        // Read response until the end
        try 
        {
         while ((line = rd.readLine()) != null) 
         { 
           total.append(line); 
         }
        } catch (IOException e) {
         e.printStackTrace();
        }
        
        // Return full string
        return total;
     }

    protected void displayNotification(String msg)
    {
        Intent i = new Intent(this, NotificationActivity.class);
        i.putExtra("notificationID", 1);
        i.putExtra("msg", msg);
        PendingIntent pendingIntent =
            PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, i, 0);
        NotificationManager nm = (NotificationManager)
        getSystemService(NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
        Notification notif = new Notification(
        R.drawable.ic_launcher,getResources().getString(R.string.notificationdesc), System.currentTimeMillis());
        CharSequence from = getResources().getString(R.string.notificationtitle);
        CharSequence message = getResources().getString(R.string.notificationdesc);
        notif.setLatestEventInfo(this, from, message, pendingIntent);
        //---100ms delay, vibrate for 250ms, pause for 100 ms and
        // then vibrate for 500ms---
        notif.vibrate = new long[] { 100, 250, 100, 500};
        nm.notify(1, notif);
    }
}

so first thing this service will consume the SharePoint service and get items form events list

you will notice in the below code we built a String entity which contains the name of list and method name (GetListItems) and CAML Query


HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
            HttpPost httppost = new HttpPost(serviceUrl);
            StringEntity se;
        
            if(lastUpdate != "")
                //CAML query for Last Events
                se = new StringEntity( String.format("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?><soap:Envelope xmlns:xsi=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance\" xmlns:xsd=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" xmlns:soap=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/\"><soap:Body><GetListItems xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/\"><listName>eventsCal</listName>%s<rowLimit></rowLimit><viewName></viewName><query><Query><Where><Gt><FieldRef Name='EventDate' /><Value Type='DateTime'>%sZ</Value></Gt></Where><OrderBy><FieldRef Name='Title' /></OrderBy></Query></query></GetListItems></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>", rowLimit, lastUpdate), HTTP.UTF_8);
            else
                //CAML query for All Events
                se = new StringEntity( String.format("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?><soap:Envelope xmlns:xsi=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance\" xmlns:xsd=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" xmlns:soap=\"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/\"><soap:Body><GetListItems xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/\"><listName>eventsCal</listName><rowLimit>%s</rowLimit><viewName></viewName><query><Query><OrderBy><FieldRef Name='Title' /></OrderBy></Query></query></GetListItems></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>", rowLimit), HTTP.UTF_8);    
            se.setContentType("text/xml");
            httppost.setEntity(se);

            HttpResponse httpresponse = httpclient.execute(httppost);
            InputStream in = httpresponse.getEntity().getContent();
            String str = inputStreamToString(in).toString();

so then we are parsing the return XML or SOAP and add these retrun items or events to Android Calendar.

Notes:

I have tested this application in my Android mobile (Samsung Ace) with version 2.3 (level 10)
this sample as starter and need more enchantments and test
you can't test add event calendar to android using emulator because does not has calendar application
You can download the code from here

Tips for SharePoint Administrators - 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:30:00 +0000

1- Service account

SharePoint has many background services which required to run under service account with minimum privilege so how we can create a service account?

1- Open Active Directory Users and Groups
2- Expand the node
3- Right click under Users and choose New >> User

4- Fill the fields and then press Ok (Uncheck all check boxes except Password never expires)

5- Now we created a domain user account

6- Right click on domain server name >> select Delegate Control…

7- Click Next than Add >> enter the previous domain account then OK >> Next
8- Select Create a custom task to delegate >> Next
9- Keep first radio button selected and then Next
10- Now check “General” and from the permission check “Replicating directory changes” then Next

11- Finish

2- 64-bit compatible

If you want to install SharePoint 2010 in your local system you can install it using Windows 7 64 bit or using Virtual machine software but if you want to install a Windows 2008 R2 your pc should support the following:

1- 64-bit compatible

2- Virtualization Technology (VT) is enable from BIOS.

You can use this tool to check if it’s enable or not

http://download3.vmware.com/software/wkst/VMware-guest64check-6.0.0-45731.exe

http://www.vikitech.com/8208/check-if-processor-supports-virtualization

3- Standalone farm

Standalone farm suitable for testing or development environment but you need to note the following :

1- You can’t scale this farm so if you are planning to scale your farm in future don’t use standalone farm

2- It’s come by default with SQL Server 2008 Express edition so you can’t insert your desired SQL Server instance.

3- You can't select a port for Central administration site because by default the wizard select one for you.

Service Unavailable HTTP Error 503 - SharePoint Central Administration

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:03:00 +0000

Yesterday I installed fresh SharePoint 2010 Development server Farm and then when I tried to open Central administration I got the following error “Service Unavailable HTTP Error 503” so I checked the IIS and I found that the application pool for Central administration is stopped so I restarted again and then refresh the page and again I got the same error and the application pool is stopped.

I opened the Server Manager >> Roles >> Web Server (IIS) and I found errors and warning and these are the details:

The main reasons for this error are:

1.Service account of application pool has invalid password or locked

2.The user has to added to Log on as a batch job policy

So my problem solved by adding the service account to Log on as a batch job local policy.

Steps:

1.Control Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Local Security Policy >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment >> Log on as a batch job.

2. Or ask the Network guy to add it from group policy of Active Directory.

Employee number 130 has Left the Building

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:18:00 +0000

This Wednesday, 29-2-2012, will be my last day at Sure Co. After 5 years of working for one of the best company in Arab world. I have decided to accept another challenge in other place. I have so many great memories, experiences, and friends. Having the opportunity to work with the smartest folks only made me want to work that much harder and made me a better person.

I would like to thanks all my managers and colleagues and I apologize for all for any things Was a troublesome .

My contributions regarding to Microsoft SharePoint [Development | Administration] , .Net and SQL Server will be continuo and any one have any Questions I’m ready to help him until the end.

"أستودع الله دينكم وأماناتكم وخواتيم أعمالكم وأتمنى لكم التوفيق والسداد"

Warm Regards
Fadi Abdulwahab

Extend Search Core Result Web part with FAST for SharePoint 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:03:00 +0000

I have tried to extend Search Core Result Web part with simple customization and deployed as feature to FAST SharePoint 2010 Template as following:

[ToolboxItemAttribute(false)]
    public class AppendCoreResultWebPart : CoreResultsWebPart
    {
protected override void ConfigureDataSourceProperties()
        {
        //Just Append Search Query with My Name
            this.AppendedQuery = "Fadi Abdulwahab";

            base.ConfigureDataSourceProperties();
        }
    }
}

But the problem in this web part that did not show any result by default but the rest controls like paging or Refinement web parts returned results as the below image

So to fix this problem as Mr. Mikael Svenson [I asked him to help me in this issue] said just "Export the settings from the default core results webpart.. And add those to the .webpart file of your custom webpart"

Note: I advice you to visit Mr. Mikael Svenson blog http://techmikael.blogspot.com/

So just go to Web Parts page under Site Actions >> Site Settings >> Galleries and export the .webpart file of Default Search Core Result web part and then copy the below properties and then export your custom web part file and add the below properties and then upload it again to web part galleries

        <property name="ChromeType">None</property>
        <property name="AllowMinimize" type="bool">true</property>
        <property name="AllowClose" type="bool">true</property>
        <property name="Hidden" type="bool">false</property>
        <property name="ShowActionLinks" type="bool">false</property>
        <property name="ShowMessages" type="bool">true</property>

Finally Go to SharePoint page and remove the old web part and add the new web part J.

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 and Cumulative Update package 1 for SQL Server 2008 R2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:37:00 +0000

I will explain the steps how to install SQL Server R2 SP1 & its CU in Cluster environment.

[Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1]

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26727

[Cumulative Update package 1 for SQL Server 2008 R2]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2544793/en-us

First download the setup files.
Take backup of your environment.
Go to Passive Node.
Install Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 in Passive Node server.
Install Cumulative Update package 1 for SQL Server 2008 R2 in Node server .
Restart the server
Move SQL Service to Upgraded Server and wait for 1 min until SQL Server finish from Upgrade mode
then go to Second server and do the same steps

Note :

before install SP 1 & CU make sure Integration Service is started
if you get any error just reboot the system and rerun the setup file again

Exception from HRESULT: 0x80041054

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:57:00 +0000

The following error "Exception from HRESULT: 0x80041054" related to ForeFront Protection 2010 for SharePoint and if you check the log [Windows Log] you will find the following error "The SharePoint service is running but the Forefront VSAPI Library is not registered"

so to fix this error from SharePoint Side just go to Central administration >> Security >> Manage antivirus settings >> then Uncheck all check boxex and then browse the site .

To fix it from Forefront Protection production by follow the steps in this URL
http://ikarstein.wordpress.com/2010/12/07/forefront-protection-2010-for-sharepointerror-the-sharepoint-service-is-running-but-the-forefront-vsapi-library-is-not-registered/

then Re-Check the Settings in Manage antivirus settings to enable scan documents when upload or download.

The BDC Service application ... is not accessible. The full exception text is: There are no addresses available for this application

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:21:00 +0000

Today i have faced this problem "The BDC Service application ... is not accessible. The full exception text is: There are no addresses available for this application" in sharePoint 2010

so to fix it do the following :
1-Delete the created BDC Service App
2- Make sure Business Data Connectivity Service started on the server
3- Re-Create BDC Service App.

Done.

Sandbox Solutions and Load Balancing schemes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:10:00 +0000

Sandbox solution or User Solution as Microsoft Definition "A sandbox is a restricted execution environment that enables programs to access only certain resources and keeps problems that occur in the sandbox from affecting the rest of the server environment".

So Sandbox solution more secure,safer and the user who deploy the solutions has limitation to server resources for example you can't deploy a files to Servers like Visual Web Part, You can't execute SPWebApplication , SPSecurity , Reflection code (Connected Web Parts uses Reflection so you can't Implemented also)… and these solution deployed or stored at Site collection level .

Administrator Can monitors these solutions and gives them specific resources or can block these solutions.

These solutions run under specific process located under 14\UserCode\ folder not under w3c.exe process.

In this article I will explain the Sandbox solution and Load Balancing schemes which affect the execution of code in the servers.

If you go to Central Administration >> System Settings >> Manage user solutions
You will find the below options:

The first option means:

If you have two frontend servers with Microsoft Load balance configuration (NLB) and the user request a page which run sandbox solution code; if the NLB routed the request to one these server the code run in the same server which received the request so in this case all frontend servers must started Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Sandboxed code Service and if in case this service not started on the server which received the request; the code will not run and the user will get an error.

Second option:

If in case the service started in Frontend 1 server only and the NLB routed the request to Frontend 2; here the Sandbox process will route this request again to Frontend 1 and then run this code and the user will get the Response (this is known as solution affinity).

So for example I created a web part (not visual web part) with basic code like below:

public override void RenderControl(HtmlTextWriter writer)
        {
            base.RenderControl(writer);

            writer.Write("Hello Fadi From Sandbox Solution");
        }

And then I uploaded this solution to Site Settings >> Solutions and then activated and then I add this web part to a test page.

Now I stopped Frontend 1 from the NLB and then I requested the page which has sandbox solution code; sandbox process route the request to Frontend 1 to run the code and get the Response.

Note: try the first option with this an example and you will get an error because when the NLB route the request to Frontend 2 which the service in this server not started so the code will not run.

so the benifits with second option as microsoft wrote : "The more you isolate sandboxed solutions, the better your ability to protect the main part of your SharePoint Server 2010 site from code that might consume too many resources. You can increase isolation by using remote load balancing and by running the sandboxed solution service only on specific servers."

Excel SpeardSheet can't be open in Sharepoint Server 2010 with Office Web Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:20:00 +0000

Today I came across an error with Excel service and Office web apps with that I make sure all features running and application service associated with my web application so I check the log and I found this error:

SQL Database 'WSS_Content_SCTAIntranet_80' on SQL Server instance '[Instance Name]' not found. Additional error information from SQL Server is included below.

Cannot open database "WSS_Content_SCTAIntranet_80" requested by the login. The login failed.

Login failed for user '[DomainName]\EPM_ExcelService'.

So to fix this problem just go to SQL Server Management Studio > Security Folder > Logins >[DomainName]\EPM_ExcelService then Right click and Properties

Select the database name (WSS_Content_SCTAIntranet_80) and then in down part check [db_owner].

Note: the above solution apply to this error also [But you need also to run IISReset]

"There is a compatibility range mismatch between the Web server and database "WSS_Content_RecordCenter", and connections to the data have been blocked to due to this incompatibility. This can happen when a content database has not been upgraded to be within the compatibility range of the Web server, or if the database has been upgraded to a higher level than the web server. "

How to encrypt the connection string in web.config in Asp.net Web Application or Site and SharePoint Web Application

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:45:00 +0000

In order to encrypt sensitive information in the web.config of Asp.net Web application/Site or SharePoint Web application like connection String which include user name and password or any data in appSettings so to secure your data easily you can use .net 2.0 tool called (aspnet_regiis.exe).

In this post I will show you how to encrypt/decrypt appSettings data in Web.config using the aspnet_regiis tool.

So first go to command prompt of .net 2.0 which located in this path:

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727>

Then I have a Test Web application with this section in web.config

<appSettings>
    <add key="MyPassword" value="1234"/>
</appSettings>

Now to encrypt this data, just run the following command:


aspnet_regiis -pef "appSettings" "D:\CustomFunctoids\TestWeb\TestWeb"

first parameter : name of section you want to encrypt it

second parameter : the folder directory of the web application which contains the web.config

So you will get a succeeded message tell you that the encryption done.

Now check your web.config /appSettings section and you will see something like this:

<appSettings configProtectionProvider="RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider">
    <EncryptedData Type="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#Element"
      xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
      <EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#tripledes-cbc" />
      <KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
        <EncryptedKey xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#">
          <EncryptionMethod Algorithm="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#rsa-1_5" />
          <KeyInfo xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#">
            <KeyName>Rsa Key</KeyName>
          </KeyInfo>
          <CipherData>
            <CipherValue>BPLmgrIVZKTDerhKlyktxqnn5iybr8aO0IInylE8uT1Pe3zCB5y9DIHqlllH3e0sz6TtJaU/wS0oEiPIWMMO0BL/BPdj9E5Onq4nYiA2r/zBPCR6H0nYhk9/uMjao4YDcg6daask65Y8Mx1RBO/xM/IKzdNGXICpiF09Mrwrv1Q=</CipherValue>
          </CipherData>
        </EncryptedKey>
      </KeyInfo>
      <CipherData>
        <CipherValue>kziM2nK5Ej6kg7hxnN2shTB8EiMW/I5jrgQRJAIRD5gSV/KG6iYslstFz+r+6Wk9OKXKP2zUhDRl42++HOWbtjqJn5XjmHuzy3tHy+7YMvRL6CNY7lXQTQ==</CipherValue>
      </CipherData>
    </EncryptedData>
  </appSettings>

So it encrypted by using RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider algorithm
Now if your browse your site and you get this error :

"Failed to decrypt using provider 'RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider'. Error message from the provider: The RSA key container could not be opened"

this means the user used by the Asp.Net web site does not have access to read this key container so to know what the name of user ? you can create a simple .aspx page and place this code inside it
to determine the user account or identity under which ASP.NET runs by retrieving the current WindowsIdentity name.


<%@ Page Language="C#" %>
<%
Response.Write(System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity.GetCurrent().Name);
%>

So this page will print the current user used to run the web site so in my PC I got this result "VAIO-PC\VAIO"
now to grant this user ability to read this encrypted data run the following command


aspnet_regiis -pa "NetFrameworkConfigurationKey" "VAIO-PC\VAIO"

Now what if you want to decrypt the data to modify it so how to decrypt the appSettings section ?
run the following command to return to the normal status (Plan text)

aspnet_regiis -pdf "appSettings" "D:\CustomFunctoids\TestWeb\TestWeb"

Notes:

1. You need to run this in all front end servers

2. No need to any changes in your code because .net code can recognize this changes

3. You can do the above steps by .net code

Tips for Anonymous site in SharePoint 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:42:00 +0000

These are some tips to publish your site with anonymous access.

From Central Administration >> Web Applications Management >> then select your web application >> Authentication Providers >> Select the zone which publish it to the internet (In my case is Default Zone) >> Enable anonymous access

2. Then open your site collection and go to Site Settings >> Site Permissions >> Anonymous Access (top in Ribbon) >> Select Entire Web site.

3. Make sure all pages, master pages , layouts , images ,item style and css have published (Checked in and Published).

4. If you have a page in layouts folder (14-hive folder) then make sure the page inherence from System.Web.UI.Page not other namespace and class (like LayoutsPageBase).

5. If you have Client Object Model (ECMAScript) in your page make sure to run the following script to remove the striction from SharePoint 2010 with anonymous access (be careful when you are using Client Object with anonymous access to access any sensitive information )

$wa = Get-SPWebApplication -Identity "http://SiteCollectionUrl"
$wa.ClientCallableSettings.AnonymousRestrictedTypes.Remove([Microsoft.SharePoint.SPList], "GetItems")
$wa.Update()

6. If you have for example a page which insert an item to custom list and you need to enable the user insert the item anonymously you have to break the permission of this list from list Settings >> then Select Permissions for this list and then Click on Anonymous Access and Select Add Items permission.

7. Avoid Operation of attaching a workflow (ex. SharePoint Designer workflow) with the item insertion or uploading file because these functions not work properly in anonymous access.

8.Finally to access the site via mobile device and avoid the unauthorized page error or to browse the site same as normal browser so just past this configuration in web.config of Web application under system.web section

<browserCaps>
  <result type="System.Web.Mobile.MobileCapabilities, System.Web.Mobile, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a"/>
  <filter>isMobileDevice=false</filter>
</browserCaps>

Some techniques Help you to test the connection of SQL Server between the Servers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 May 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Sometimes I faced problems while installing SQL Server and Configuration the Farm and these problems happened between the connection of SQL Server and frontend servers. These problems sometimes related to ports , firewall or these server internally and the others in DMZ etc… so these are some techniques will help you to test the connection and find out which port is used by SQL server.

For example to check which port currently used by SQL Server you have many options:

Go to regedit and the registry key for SQL Server instance name

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.SQL2008R2\MSSQLServer\SuperSocketNetLib\Tcp\IPAll

Note: there are two different type of ports in SQL server:

a. Static port: by this option you select specific port and always SQL Server uses this port to listen to the connection.
b. Dynamic port: by this option each time SQL Server restarted it will assign a new port if the last used port closed or not available.

2.Go to SQL Server Configuration Manager >> SQL Server Network Configuration >> Protocols for [Instance Name] >> TCP/IP then right click and select properties

3.Use this Query

use master

Xp_readerrorlog

4.Use this Query (this query return information about the connection established to this instance of SQL Server)

select net_transport,local_tcp_port from sys.dm_exec_connections

5.Go to command prompt and run this command which return the list of listened and established prots

netstat –a

6.To test the connection between the servers for example login to frontend server to see this server can connect to SQL server .Go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Administrative Tools and click on Data Sources (ODBC) and try to connect to the instance name.

7.To test the connection also you can use the following steps:
a. Create abc.udl text file (extension .udl)
b.Double click to this file and then select the provider and enter the connection information

Last notes:

when you test the connection, port... first check it locally in SQL Server server and make sure you can connect to SQL Server
when you install SQL Server the default port used is 1433.
try to check if you can connect to SQL Server from other server internally or externally and if you face any problems always check the connectivity between the servers and the firewall.
there are also other options to check the ports and the connection between the server like telnet ,look@me and other third party tools.