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Articles indexed Thursday August 21 2014

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  • Ubuntu getting wrong hostname from DHCP

    - by sam
    When provisioning new Ubuntu Precise (12.04) servers, the hostname they're getting seems to be generated from the DNS search path, not a reverse lookup on the hostname. Take the following configuration BIND is configured with the hostname, and reverse name Normal zone $TTL 600 $ORIGIN srv.local.net. @ IN SOA ns0.local.net. hostmaster.local.net. ( 2014082101 10800 3600 604800 600 ) @ IN NS ns0.local.net. @ IN MX 5 mail.local.net. my-new-server IN A 10.32.2.30 And reverse @ IN SOA ns0.local.net. hostmaster.local.net. ( 2014082101 10800 3600 604800 600 ) @ IN NS ns0.local.net. $ORIGIN 32.10.in-addr.arpa. 30.2 IN PTR my-new-server.srv.local.net. Then DHCPD is configured to hand out static leases based on mac addresses like so subnet 10.32.2.0 netmask 255.255.254.0 { option subnet-mask 255.255.254.0; option routers 10.32.2.1; option domain-name-servers 10.32.2.1; option domain-name "util.of1.local.net of1.local.net srv.local.net"; site-option-space "pxelinux"; option pxelinux.magic f1:00:74:7e; if exists dhcp-parameter-request-list { option dhcp-parameter-request-list = concat(option dhcp-parameter-request-list,d0,d1,d2,d3); } group { option pxelinux.configfile "pxelinux.cfg/pxeboot"; host my-new-server { fixed-address my-new-server.srv.local.net; hardware ethernet aa:aa:aa:bb:bb:bb; } } } So the hostname should be my-new-server.srv.local.net, however when building a Ubuntu 12.04 node, the hostname ends up as my-new-server.util.of1.local.net When building Lucid (10.04) hosts, the hostname will be correct, it's only on Precise/12.04 nodes we have the problem. Doing a normal and reverse lookup on the host and IP returns the correct result Sams-MacBook-Pro:~ sam$ host my-new-server my-new-server.srv.local.net has address 10.32.2.30 Sams-MacBook-Pro:~ sam$ host my-new-server.srv.local.net my-new-server.srv.local.net has address 10.32.2.30 Sams-MacBook-Pro:~ sam$ host 10.32.2.30 30.2.32.10.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer my-new-server.srv.local.net. The contents of the hosts file is incorrect too 127.0.0.1 localhost 127.0.1.1 my-new-server.util.of1.local.net of1.local.net srv.local.net my-new-server So it looks like when it creates the hosts file, it puts the entire contents of the DNS search path into the local address so the FQDN according to the server is the short hostname as defined, then the first domain in the search path. Is there a way to get around this behaviour, or fix this so it gets the hostname correctly? It's picking up the first part of the hostname, then the rest is wrong.

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  • Avoiding users to corrupt and use a script

    - by EverythingRightPlace
    Is it possible to deny the right to copy files? I have a script which should be executable by others. They are also allowed to read the file (though it would not be a problem to forbid reading). But I don't want the script to be changed and executed. It's not a problem to set those permissions, but one could easily copy, change and run the script. Can this even be avoided? /edit The OS is Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation release 6.2 (Santiago).

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  • sshfs too slow while remote editing on Eclipse and other IDEs, what options to use to make it faster. *Not* for mac users

    - by Fullmooninu
    I've been looking into this problem, and it is common. But since there is a package for Mac with the same name, the solution for Mac users is hiding the solution for Linux users and our default sshfs. This the best I got so far, from what actually works on Linux. sshfs user@host:remoteDir localDir -o Ciphers=arcfour -oauto_cache,reconnect,no_readahead note: this question was not appropriate for stackoverflow, dunno why: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/25365487/sshfs-too-slow-what-options-to-use-to-make-it-faster-not-for-mac-users

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  • How to use proxy on Virtual Box (Windows XP)

    - by John
    I'm not exactly the most tech savy so please bear with me. I am trying to connect through a proxy with my Virtualbox accounts. Initially I wanted to just set the browsers in each virtualbox under a proxy but my boss said that it can probably be done right off the bat under the virtualbox accounts itself. Could anyone guide me on how to do this? All the instructions online state that their should be a proxy setting in preferences however all I see is a Network Adapter tab. Thanks!

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  • Key based authentication (SFTP) failed

    - by rahularyansharma
    I created a pair or RSA keys using Putty key generator, The Public key is attached set on the server side. The private key at windows client machine and being used with pageant and FileZila and working fine. Now Problem is that when I want to connect same sftp through PSFTP commandline tool, it failes. if possible please provide steps to setup ssh key on windows client to access sftp using psftp or direct through batch file.

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  • Is this a legitimate registry key? (windows 7)

    - by Keyes
    In hkey_local_machine/software/classes I found some registry keys named msime.taiwan, msime.japan and a couple others with similar names, except with a number at the end of, so there was 4 keys altogether. From what I know itmcoulc be associated with a thing in windows that lets you write japanese characters or whatever. I also found a macaffee page, , which seemed dated but it said the key is created by a virus named w32 virut. Just wondering is this a legit key? I found it on another pc and both pcs show when exported to a .txt show it was last written to in 2009. Here is the reg query for the 4 keys. (added lines to differentiate them.) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Japan (Default) REG_SZ Microsoft IME (Japanese) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Japan\CLSID (Default) REG_SZ {6A91029E-AA49-471B-AEE7-7D332785660D} HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Japan\CurVer (Default) REG_SZ MSIME.Japan.11 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Japan.11 (Default) REG_SZ Microsoft IME (Japanese) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Japan.11\CLSID (Default) REG_SZ {6A91029E-AA49-471B-AEE7-7D332785660D} HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Taiwan\CLSID (Default) REG_SZ {F407D01A-0BCB-4591-9BD6-EA4A71DF0799} HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Taiwan\CurVer (Default) REG_SZ MSIME.Taiwan.8 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Taiwan.8 (Default) REG_SZ IMTCCORE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\MSIME.Taiwan.8\CLSID (Default) REG_SZ {F407D01A-0BCB-4591-9BD6-EA4A71DF0799}

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  • Untar after uploading to linux from windows

    - by Miqdad Ali
    I have created tar.gz from my linux server, and I downloaded the same to my linux system and I successfully doen untar with tar -xvf package.tar.gz. And now my issue I downloaded same package.tar.gz to the windows system then uploaded to another linux server, and tried same command tar -xvf package.tar.gz. but it getting tar: This does not look like a tar archive tar: Skipping to next header tar: Exiting with failure status due to previous errors as response. I also tried filezill manual trnasfer with binary mode. How can I do the same ? Update When I directly download to the linux system its working fine. When I downloaded to the windows system and try to extract with 7zip or winrar error is getting When I download to windows and upload to linux same error getting

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  • How can I see the structure of a webpage inline?

    - by Coldblackice
    How can I see a webpage's structure "inline" with the visual representation of the actual page, all at once? I'm trying to understand HTML layout better, but it's hard to get a feel for it, even having the source open on a separate monitor, because there's just so much expansive and miscellaneous code. I suppose I could sift through it, clean it up, and set up some type of custom collapsible tree system, but that would take too long for the amount of pages I'd like to get a quick view of the layout/structure of. For reference, I'm using Firefox for my internet browsing.

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  • How to prevent wifi router from broadcasting multiple ssids?

    - by user1092288
    I have the following Wi-Fi router: http://www.beetel.in/business-solutions/international-business/adsl/450-four-port-wifi-modem And I am also posting screen shots of ISP settings (from 192.168.1.1). Problem is, my Wi-Fi router is broadcasting multiple SSIDs (even the SSIDs which I used in the past and aren't entered in settings at present). How do I resolve this to broadcast single SSID? I have already tried factory settings restore. SSID1 Settings SSID2 Settings SSID2 Settings- greyed-out, unable to change anything

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  • Do I really need to reboot for AD changes to be applied?

    - by stimms
    Every time I request a permission change the IT group at my company instructs me to wait 20 minutes and reboot the computer. I cannot believe that in this day and age you still need to reboot the computer to clear whatever cache stores the permissions locally. It feels like something out of the NT 4 days. Do you actually still need to reboot the computer? Is a logout/login sufficient? Is there still a long time(20 minutes) for the changes to propagate through the AD tree?

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  • What's the best way to completely remove everything from a computer, without re-installing?

    - by Connor W
    I have a friend who wants to sell their computer, but obviously all personal information and software that it is on it needs to be removed before doing so. Usually I would format and reinstall it, but I cannot easily get hold of the required XP DVDs and I'm not 100% sure the serial number is stuck on the case as usual so getting hold of it will probably require more effort than I'm prepared to spend. So, what's the best and quickest way to remove and uninstall everything from the PC without reinstalling it? Thanks. EDITS: I'm looking to remove things like Internet History and all installed programs, too. I know how to remove the history and each individual program, but that could take hours. The machine is not branded and therefore there is no website I can go to download recovery software. There is no recovery partition on the computer and I'm not aware of any recovery DVDs for it either. I can only assume it was installed from a retail copy, and therefore there is no way to recover it to factory settings. It needs to have XP installed, not any distribution of Linux. Like most average people, the person getting the computer will not understand what to do with a computer that doesn't have Windows installed, and software like Office does not work on Linux either. Buying another licence is not really an option either. She has just brought a laptop to replace the computer, so buying another licence for a computer that she's getting rid of doesn't really make sense. Thanks for all the help so far!

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  • Advanced command line editing for Windows?

    - by Ben Collins
    I'm developer who was "born and bred" on Linux and BSD systems, and I've become accustomed to having advanced tools for the console (posix shells like bash, for example). My career has taken a twist that means I'm working in a Windows environment most of the time, and the console capabilities are really poor by comparison. The traditional windows console environment is a complete joke, and even most of the third party attempts at improving things aren't a lot better. PowerShell is a huge step in the right direction, but the console applications themselves are still way behind where unix has been for 20 years. Does anyone know of a PowerShell console application that supports advanced command line editing like posix shells do? I'm particularly interested in emacs-mode editing, and I'd also like to be able to resize my window to an arbirary size, unlike the native console app that comes with Windows.

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  • How to Identify Stuck Pixels and Remove Them from Your Digital Photos

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    If you’ve noticed hotspots in your digital photos, areas where a stuck pixel in the camera’s sensor has rendered very bright spots of color that don’t belong in the image, you’re not alone. It’s an incredibly common phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it. Read on as we discuss what distinguishes stuck pixels from other sensor defects and problems, how to identify it, and how to fix it both in-camera and out.Click Here to Continue Reading

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  • Uber ouvre son API aux services tiers, 11 nouveaux partenaires vont l'intégrer à leurs applications

    Uber ouvre son API aux services tiers 11 nouveaux partenaires vont l'intégrer à leurs applications Uber annonce l'ouverture de son API aux développeurs tiers afin qu'ils puissent intégrer le service dans leurs applications. « Chez Uber, notre mission est de rentre le transport aussi fiable que l'eau courante pour tous et partout ; tapez juste sur un bouton et votre voiture arrive dans les minutes suivantes » explique la société californienne dans son blog.Actuellement actif dans 150 villes d'une...

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  • Facebook rajoute Oculus à son Bug Bounty Program, trouvez des failles dans le site web, le SDK ou le casque et obtenez une récompense

    Facebook rajoute Oculus à son Bug Bounty Program, trouvez des failles dans le site web, le SDK ou le casque et obtenez une récompense En mars 2014, Facebook a fait irruption dans le monde de la réalité virtuelle immersive avec le rachat d'Oculus VR pour un montant de 2 milliards de dollars. D'après nos confrères chez The Verge, le numéro un des réseaux sociaux a décidé d'ajouter Oculus à son programme de chasse aux bugs ; ainsi, conformément au règlement, quiconque lui rapportera des failles...

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  • Using Asset Groups

    - by Owen Allen
    I got a question about putting assets in groups: "I'm planning on installing some agents manually on existing systems, and I want to have them put in a specific asset group once they're discovered. I don't see any way to tell the install script to put the asset in a group. How can I add the assets to a group, either through the UI or the CLI?" There are a few ways. In the CLI, you can use groups mode, and use this command to add an asset to a group: attach -n| --gear <asset name> -g| --group <group> You can also use -U| --uuid <UUID> to specify the asset if you have multiple assets with the same name. In the UI, you have a couple of options. You can select an asset and click Add Asset to Group to add it to a group you select. Alternatively, if you're trying to make a group for assets with a specific characteristic, you can specify rules that will automatically add assets to a group based on that characteristic.

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  • Webcast: Flow Manufacturing Work Order-less Completion

    - by ChristineS-Oracle
    Webcast: Flow Manufacturing Work Order-less Completion Date: August 27, 2014 at 11:00 am ET, 10:00 am CT, 9:00 am MT, 8:00 am PT, 8:30 pm, India Time (Mumbai, GMT+05:30) This advisor webcast is intended for technical and functional users who want to understand the Flow Manufacturing Work Order-less Completion and its Transaction types. This presentation will include the required setups and provide details of the business process. Topics will include: Overview of Flow Manufacturing and Integration with Work In Process Overview of Work Order-less Completion Basic Setup Steps Transactions performed in Work Order-less Completion form Details & Registration: Doc ID 1906749.1

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  • Announcing the Next AppAdvantage IT Leader Documentary

    - by Tanu Sood
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Close on the heels of the very successful launch of Oracle BPM 12c, we are so excited to be announcing the next video in the Oracle AppAdvantage IT Leaders Series. As you know, the Oracle AppAdvantage IT Leaders Series profiles a successful executive in an industry leading organization that has embarked on a business transformation or platform modernization journey by taking full advantage of the Oracle AppAdvantage pace layered architecture. Tune in on Tuesday, September 9th at 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern to catch our IT executive, Regis Louis in an in-depth conversation with IT executives from Siram S.p.a., a major energy services management company in Italy. The documentary will explore how the company is doing process orchestration and business process management to build inter-department collaboration, maintain data integrity and offer complete transparency throughout their Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Oracle’s technology expert will then do a comprehensive walk-through of Siram’s IT model, the various components and how Oracle Fusion Middleware technologies are enabling their Oracle E-Business Suite processes. Experts will be at hand to answer your questions live. Check out this live documentary webcast and find out how organizations like yours are building business agility leveraging existing investments in Oracle Applications. Register today. And if you are on twitter, send your questions to @OracleMiddle with #ITLeader, #AppAdvantage. We look forward to connecting with you on Tue, Sep 9. Siram Achieves Commercial Efficiency with Improved Business Process Agility Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2014 Time: 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

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  • Public Sector FMW Customer Tech Day in Reston, Tuesday Oct 7th

    - by BPMWarrior
    Have your heard? There is another PS FMW Customer Tech Day scheduled in the Oracle Reston office!                                                                                          Fusion Middleware Customer Tech Day                                                          October 7, 2014                                   Please join Oracle & Sofbang on Tuesday October 7th for our second Public Sector Oracle Fusion Middleware (OFMW) Customer Tech Day in Reston.   This Tech Day is designed with you the customer in mind. Come learn and share with other customers. This event will be centered on Mobility, App Advantage, WebCenter, SOA, BPM, Security and FMWaaS.   Sofbang enables customers to create, integrate and run agile intelligent business applications leveraging Oracle Fusion Middleware. Based out of Chicago, IL, Sofbang is recognized as an Oracle Platinum level Partner in the Oracle Partner Network. For more information on Sofbang, please visit www.sofbang.com   To confirm your attendance at this Event or for more information, please email [email protected]                                              

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  • SEI Turns Software Architecture into a Game

    - by Bob Rhubart-Oracle
    "Architecture is the decisions that you wish you could get right early in a project." -- Ralph E. Johnson Unless you can see into the future, getting those decisions right comes down to a collection of hard choices. But the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of Carnegie Mellon University has turned those hard choices into a game. Literally. According to the SEI website: The Hard Choices game is a simulation of the software development cycle meant to communicate the concepts of uncertainty, risk, options, and technical debt. In the quest to become market leader, players race to release a quality product to the marketplace. By the end of the game, everyone has experienced the implications of investing effort to gain an advantage or of paying a price to take shortcuts, as they employ design strategies in the face of uncertainty.   Check it out for yourself: Download the Hard Choices Board Game Download the companion white paper: The Hard Choices Game Explained

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  • Use of Business Parameters in BPM12c

    - by Abhishek Mittal-Oracle
    With the release of BPM12c, a new feature to use Business Parameters is introduced through which we can define a business parameter which will behave as a global variable which can be used within BPM project. Business Administrator can be the one responsible to modify the business parameters value dynamically at run-time which may bring change in BPM process flow where it is used.This feature was a part of BPM10g product and was extensively used. In BPM11g, this feature is not present currently.Business Parameters can be defined in 2 ways:1. Using Jdev to define business parameters, and 2. Using BPM workspace to define business parameters.It is important to note that business parameters need to be mapped with a valid organisation unit defined in a BPM project. If the same is not handled, exceptions like 'BPM-70702' will be thrown by BPM Engine. This is because business parameters work along with organisation defined in a BPM project.At the same time, we can use same business parameter across different organisation units with different values. Business Parameters in BPM12c has this capability to handle multiple values with different organisation units defined in a single BPM project. This enables business to re-use same business parameters defined in a BPM project across different organisations.Business parameters can be defined using the below data types:1. int2. string 3. boolean4. double While defining an business parameter, it is mandatory to provide a default value. Below are the steps to define a business parameter in Jdev: Step 1:  Open 'Organization' and click on 'Business Parameters' tab.Step 2:  Click on '+' button.Step 3: Add business parameter name, type and provide default value(mandatory).Step 4: Click on 'OK' button.Step 5: Business parameter is defined. Below are the steps to define a business parameter in BPM workspace: Step 1: Login to BPM workspace using admin-username and password.Step 2: Click on 'Administration' on the right top side of workspace.Step 3: Click on 'Business Parameters' in the left navigation panel under 'Organization'. Step 4:  Click on '+' button.Step 5: Add business parameter name, type and provide default value(mandatory).Step 6: Click on 'OK' button.Step 7: Business parameter is defined. Note: As told earlier in the blog, it is necessary to define and map a valid organization ID with predefined variable 'organizationalUnit' under data associations in an BPM process before the business parameter is used. I have created one sample PoC demonstrating the use of Business Parameters in BPM12c and it can be found here.

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  • Mobile Apps: An Ongoing Revolution

    - by Steve Walker
    a guest post from Suhas Uliyar, VP Mobile Strategy, Product Management, Oracle The rise of smartphone apps have proved transformational for businesses, increasing the productivity of employees while simultaneously creating some seriously cool end user experiences. But this is a revolution that is only just beginning. Over the next few years, apps will change everything about the way enterprises work as well as overhauling the experiences of customers. The spark for this revolution is simplicity. Simplicity has already proved important for the front-end of apps, which are now often as compelling and intuitive as consumer apps. Businesses will encourage this trend, both to further increase employee productivity and to attract ‘digital natives’ (as employees and customers). With the variety of front-end development tools available already, this should be a simple mission for developers to accomplish – but front-end simplicity alone is not enough for the enterprise mobile revolution. Without the right content even the most user-friendly app is useless. Yet when it comes to integrating apps with ‘back-end’ systems to enable this content, developers often face a complex, costly and time-consuming task. Then there is security: how can developers strike a balance between complying with enterprise security policies and keeping the user experience simple? Complexity has acted as a brake on innovation, with integration and security compliance swallowing enterprise resources. This is why the simplification of integration, security and scalability is so important: it frees time and money for revolutionary innovation. The key is to put in place a complete and unified SOA integration platform that runs across the entire enterprise and enables organizations to easily integrate and connect applications across IT environments. The platform must also be capable of abstracting apps from the underlying OS and enabling a ‘write-once, run- anywhere’ capability for mobile devices - essential for BYOD environments and integrating third-party apps. Mobile Back-end-as-a-Service can also be very important in streamlining back-end integration. Mobile services offered through the cloud can simplify mobile application development with a standard approach to dealing with complex server-side programming and integration issues. This allows the business to innovate at its own pace while providing developers with a choice of tools to speed development and integration. Finally, there is security, which must be done in a way that encourages users to make the most of their mobile devices and applications. As mobile users, we want convenience and that is why we generally approve of businesses that adopt BYOD policies. Enterprises can safely encourage BYOD as they can separate, protect, and wipe corporate applications by installing a secure ‘container’ around corporate applications on any mobile device. BYOD management also means users’ personal applications and data can be kept separate from the enterprise information – giving them the confidence they need to embrace the use of their devices for corporate apps. Enterprises that place mobility at the heart of what they do will fundamentally transform their businesses and leap ahead of the competition. As businesses take to mobile platforms that simplify integration, security and scalability we will see a blossoming of innovation that will drive new levels of user convenience and create new ways of working that we are only beginning to imagine.

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  • Exclusive Expert and Peer-Led Sessions—Only at Oracle OpenWorld

    - by Robert Schweighardt
    With more than 2,500 sessions, dozens of hands-on labs, hundreds of demos, four Exhibition Halls, and countless meet-ups, Oracle OpenWorld is the place to learn, share, and network. Planning ahead is always a smart move and here are some links to help you plan your Oracle OpenWorld schedule. You will hear directly from Oracle Thought leaders, Oracle Support experts and their peers about how to succeed across the Oracle stack—from Oracle Consulting Thought Leader sessions dedicated to the cloud to hands on demos showing the value of My Oracle Support—Oracle Open World is your one stop shop for everything Oracle. Featured sessions include: Is Your Organization Trying to Focus on an ERP Cloud Strategy? Modernize Your Analytics Solutions Is Your Organization Trying to Focus on a CX Cloud Strategy? Best Practices for Deploying a DBaaS in a Private Cloud Model Visit the Support & Services Oracle OpenWorld website to discover how you can take advantage of all Oracle OpenWorld has to offer. With 500 Services experts, 50+ sessions, networking events and demos of powerful new support tools, customers will find relevant, useful information about how Oracle Services enables the success of their Oracle hardware and software investments.

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  • Stairway to T-SQL DML Level 12: Using the MERGE Statement

    The final level of this stairway looks at the MERGE statement in detail, focusing on how to perform insert, update and delete logic using the MERGE statement. An accidental DBA? Try SQL MonitorUse the 30-day full product free trial to get easy-to-understand insights into SQL Server, and get suggestions on how to solve the type of issues that are uncovered. Begin your free trial.

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  • Step Away From That Computer! You’re Not Qualified to Use It!

    - by Michael Sorens
    Most things tend to come with warnings and careful instructions these days, but sadly not one of the most ubiquitous appliances of all, your computer. If a chainsaw is missing its instructions, you’re well advised not to use it, even though you probably know roughly how it’s supposed to work. I confess, there are days when I feel the same way about computers. Long ago, during the renaissance of the computer age, it was possible to know everything about computers. But today, it is challenging to be fully knowledgeable even in one small area, and most people aren’t as savvy as they like to think. And, if I may borrow from Edwin Abbott Abbott’s classic Flatland, that includes me. And you. Need an example of what I mean? Take a look at almost any recent month’s batch of Windows updates. Just two quick questions for you: Do you need all of those updates? Is it safe to install all of those updates? I do software design and development for a living on Windows and the .NET platform, but I will be quite candid: I often have little clue what the heck some of those updates are going to do or why they are needed. So, if you do not know why they are needed or what they do, how do you know if they are safe? Of course, one can sidestep both questions by accepting Microsoft’s recommended Windows Update setting of “install updates automatically”. That leads you to infer that you need all of them (which is not always the case) and, more significantly, that they are safe. Quite safe. Ah, lest reality intrude upon such a pretty picture! Sadly, there is no such thing as risk-free software installation, and payloads from Windows Update are no exception. Earlier this year, a Windows Secrets Patch Watch article touted this headline: Keep this troublesome kernel update on hold. It discusses KB 2862330, a security update originally published more than 4 months earlier, and yet the article still recommends not installing it! Most people simply do not have the time, resources, or interest, to go about figuring out which updates to install or postpone or skip for safety reasons. Windows Secrets Patch Watch is the best service I have encountered for getting advice, but it is still no panacea and using the service effectively requires a degree of computer literacy that I still think is beyond a good number of people. Which brings us full circle: Step Away From That Computer! You’re Not Qualified to Use It!

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