Texas Technocrat

LINUX to Windows Project

Our DBA transferred this past summer and I found myself performing the unexpected role as interim DBA. We were in the middle of converting our Oracle Applications suite from Windows to Oracle Enterprise LINUX. Luckily, we has a great consultant to do all of the heavy lifting. The project was a success but we have had a few minor bumps along the way. Anyone that has worked with both Windows and LINUX will know what the major issues will be. I was planning to develop this topic as a presentation to an Oracle User’s Group but the lack of Oracle/Windows organizations does not make this topic popular.

The three major areas that required effort were interfaces, printers and security. I will cover each of these areas in future posts.

Overall, the project was a success and we have only had one outage since our October 2011 conversion date. I am a strong Microsoft advocate but I believe this was defiantly the right move. I don’t believe that Oracle or Microsoft was to blame for the instability but it was the interaction of the two. I would compare this phenomenon to a bad drug interaction. Specific drugs behave differently if combined with one another. We experienced a similar issue when we tried to run Oracle on Windows.

First Issue With Office 2010 64 Bit

I chose to install the 64 bit version of Office when I installed Office 2010. It does not install automatically, you have to locate the 64 bit version on the installation DVD. I was warned that 64 Bit Office may not work with add on applications. I have had good luck up to this point but I ran into an incompatible program yesterday. Oracle has not certified the Business Intelligence Desktop plug in with the 64 bit version of Office 2010. Steven Chan's blog claims that Office 2010 64 bit is in the certification process. BI Desktop works fine with 32 bit Office 2010.

Multiple SQL Server Geodatabases

I was asked to create another geodatabase for our ArcSDE installation. We have started using one database to store architectural information but we have a need to store campus information for a couple of district officials. The ESRI documentation led me to believe that I only needed to connect to the database server (see below) and then right click for most maintenance activities, including creating a new geodatabase:

 

When I tried the "Database Server" method, I was greeted with an error that stated the database version was not supported. I was a bit worried because we are using SQL Server 200 R2 64 bit and I thought that maybe there was a compatibility issue. However, we have been able to connect via the Spatial Database option. After a quick chat session with ESRI support (which is very good BTW), I discovered that the "Add Database Server" option is actually only for SQL Server Express.

The solution was to go through the ESRI post-installation process and create a new geodatabase. I went through this process; I did not create a new instance just a new database. In the end, I was successful in creating a new geodatabase and it did not interfere with our existing geodatabase. Apparently, all database management activities are all done through the SQL Server Management Studio. I am not sure why there is a distinction between the SQL Server versions since the Management Studio can be downloaded separately for SQL Server Express. Initially, I assumed that ESRI was providing a graphical front end for the SQL Server Express database.

I still need to do a bit more research on user security settings with the geodatabases in order to tighten down access to only what is required.

Windows Phone 7 Picking Up Developers

I knew it would just be a matter of time, but it seems as though the development community is starting to warm up to Windows Phone 7. Last week, I noticed an IDC study that forecasted Windows Phone 7 will eventually overtake the iPhone by 2015. That could be a bit optimistic, but we will see.

Now that I am feeling a bit more comfortable with SQL Server, I need to press on with getting up to speed with Silverlight. 

Kinect Review

Last week I picked up my Kinect. Several people in the office asked if it worked. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical myself but I have read several articles that said the technology was legitimate. I read some pre-release buzz about the product and I decided to pre-order a unit at my local Best Buy because I didn't want to take a chance of it being sold out. My nine year old daughter could not wait to get her hands on the new device, so she unboxed it and had it working when I got home. So, I would definitely say that Kinect can be setup easily. I am the electronics wiz in the house and I didn't have to get involved at all.

The technology works as advertised and I was very impressed. There is no lag and the body motions are easily interpreted by the camera. The camera works fine with adults and children, including my very petite nine year old daughter. Sometimes you will have to slightly exaggerate some movements. For example, on Kinectimals my daughter had to adjust her underhand throwing motion. Voice recognition is good but not perfect. Voice command is restricted to the Kinect Hub and not the entire XBOX 360 dashboard. Kinect Hub has ESPN and an updated Zune area. The Zune area is better but not quite the full integration I was expecting. I have a Zune HD player and I was expecting a complete synchronization between my Zune player and Kinect. Instead, I have access to my Quickplay (essentially the last items I watched or listened to) area. I have access to the Marketplace and can pull up music and videos but I can't access my playlists and libraries that I have on the PC or my Zune HD player. It would be great to have that functionality in the future.

The ESPN area of Kinect is snazzy but lacking in content. I am a big fan of motor sports but the only option available via Kinect ESPN is NHRA Drag Racing. I have noticed that the college football games are not exactly BCS caliber matchups i.e. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. North Texas. The content seems to primarily coming from ESPN3. I suspect that some of these are related to contractual obligations of the content providers.

The only issue I have encountered is the space it requires. The Kinect unit itself is only about a foot wide and a few inches tall. But, you need to be approximately 6-8 feet away for the sensor to work correctly. We had to move our furniture back for more space. Kinect comes with Kinect Adventures which is a great introductory title. It reminds me of a moving obstacle course. It is great exercise and I challenge anyone to a few stages of Reflex Ridge. You will be gasping for air after a few stages.

I recommend the Kinect and eagerly wait for new updates to the XBOX 360 dashboard. There are a few issues with the Kinect, but they are very minor. I am looking forward to some killer games which will take advantage of the new hardware. I would like to see a game where a person can directly interact and converse with the characters on the screen.

 

Kinect...The Hot Holiday Gift

I pre-ordered my Kinect last week. For those unfamiliar with this device, Kinect is an accessory for the XBOX 360. It permits controller-less manipulation of the XBOX 360. It takes the innovation of the Wii to a new level. Kinect releases on November 4 and pre-orders have sold out at Best Buy and Amazon. The Kinect also made appearances  on Oprah and Ellen. The tv exposure pushed pre-orders by 40%. Other sources predict the Kinect to be a hot item this holiday season.

Windows Phone 7 Marketing

It's about a week away from the Windows Phone 7 release and Microsoft has started its marketing campaign. I was beginning to wonder if Microsoft was planning to market the device or not. There has been considerable press coverage but that is about it. I went to a T-Mobile and AT&T store and neither employee knew much about the phones coming out. It's nothing new for me to walk into an electronics store and know more about their products than the employees. The AT&T salesman tried to sell me an iPhone and I wonder how hard AT&T will push the new phones. I was told to check back next week since the store staff is scheduled for training.

I noticed that Windows Phone 7 sponsored the pitch count indicator and had a great commercial during the World Series.

   

Windows Phone 7: Pretender or Contender

Ever since I returned from Iraq, I have been shopping for a new smart phone. I was an early adopter of the PDA but I have seen the light and want to get a smart phone. I was close to purchasing an iPhone but I decided to wait when I heard that Microsoft was releasing a phone. I have never been an Apple fan, it's the Toyota/Honda of the computer world. All three of the companies make great products for people who aren't concerned with how the computer/car works; just as long as it's easy to use and works. As a side note, I am at a MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network) event and I don't see one Mac in a group of 100 developers (Apple only accounts for 5% of desktop operating systems and this is a MS event!).

So I decided to wait for the new Windows 7 Phone, and wait I have. After 2 years of development, the new phones will be released on November 8th at both AT&T and T-Mobile on their GSM networks. CDMA support will follow later in the year. Verizon and Sprint are expected to introduce the phone at that time.

There has been considerable coverage on the phone and it runs in two major camps; a failure or a whopping success. Several analysts have stated that it is too little too late. Others believe that this iteration of Microsoft's mobile play will pay off. Personally, I think Windows Phone 7 will be bigger than most analysts think but it will not challenge Apple in the near future.

A major point that is missed by most analysts is the large XBOX 360 audience. There are approximately 30 million XBOX 360's in the world, a massive number. Windows Phone 7 is designed to tap into an XBOX user's avatar and achievements. Microsoft has designed the phone to be used with the XNA Game Studio software and should have a strong game offering out of the gate.

Another area where the Windows Phone 7 may gain some ground is with developers and apps. Microsoft does a nice job courting developers and has a great set of development tools. These tools can be used directly with the new phone. Application Developers and Game Designers can directly leverage their skills with the new phone. Microsoft's marketplace is very developer friendly as well. The phone's number of applications will seem small at first but should gain ground with the large developer base.