.NET with me - Vikas Goyal

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* Configuring Outgoing Mails in Sharepoint
2008-06-10 19:23:00
Check out my latest article on - How to configure outgoing mails in Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0. It gives Step by Step instructions on how to configure outgoing mails in Sharepoint using SMTP or Exchange server.
More About: Tutorials

* Sharepoint : Content for Developers Released
2008-06-09 07:00:00
New site launched exclusively for developers : http://www.mssharepointdevelopers.com/ VS 2008 extensions for Sharepoint Development released : Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Tools: Visual Studio 2008 Extensions, Version 1.2 Version 1.2 is only for Visual Studio 2008.  If you use Visual Studio 2005 you should still use Version 1.1. Visual Studio 2008 Project Templates Web Part Team Site Definition Blank Site Definition List Definition Empty SharePoint Project Visual Studio 2008 Item Templates (items that can be added into an existing project) Web Part Custom Field List Definition (with optional Event Receiver) Content Type (with optional Event Receiver Module List Instance List Event Handler Template SharePoint Solution Generator This stand-alone program generates a Site Definition project from an existing SharePoint site. The program enables developers to use the browser and Microsoft Office SharePoint Designe...
More About: Released , Developers

* OSLO will bring UML back to Microsoft Camp
2008-06-05 16:31:00
Till last year when I blogged about  'Microsoft ', 'Visual Studio Class Designer' and 'UML' Microsoft was not very keen on incorporating UML in its design tools. But it seems considering the wide acceptance of UML in most of the non-Microsoft design tools, Microsoft has decided to bring it back into its tools with the release of OSLO designers. Great Move !! Bill Gates disclosed this at TechEd 2008.
More About: Architecture , Back , Camp , Oslo

* Announcing Project Codename 'Velocity'
2008-06-04 19:23:00
Microsoft's Project “Velocity” is a distributed in-memory application cache platform for developing scalable, available, and high-performance applications. “Velocity” fuses memory across multiple computers to give a single unified cache view to applications. Will be ideal for following kind of applications : There is a considerable number of data requests that are mostly read (e.g. product catalogs) Applications that can tolerate some staleness of data Applications that can work with highly partitioned data (e.g. session data, shopping cart) Applications that can work well with eventual consistency Very true, Its very important that such kind of caching platforms like Enterprise Library Caching Block & Velocity are used after analyzing the requirements of application else you may get all the negative effects while expecting positive ones. Hope to see EntLib Caching Block integrated with Velocity soon. Velocity Home Page
More About: Architecture , Performance

* Tech-Ed Online : Catch all the action of all TechEds
2008-06-04 19:20:00
If you are not able to attend Tech Ed but still want to be part of it and want to know about all exciting things .. catch it on TechEd Online. It covers the event happening in all the countries. Waiting for the announcement on TechEd India 2008. TechEd Online
More About: Windows , Architecture , Action , Visual Studio

* New in IE 8 : Restore session after IE crash
2008-06-03 04:03:00
Restore session on crash comes to IE with IE8 like Firefox.  
More About: Windows , Crash , Restore

* Introducing .NET Framework Client Profile
2008-05-26 19:43:00
.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Beta brings in Client Profile of the .NET Framework which contains only those part of the framework which are relevant for Windows Client applications.  It can be packaged with application itself and so no prior requirement of having .NET framework on client machines. Here is the list of features as of now which will be available : BCL, "Core FX," and LINQ CustomMarshalers ISymWrapper mscorlib sysglobl System System.AddIn System.AddIn.Contract System.Configuration System.Configuration.Install System.Core System.Security Visual Basic and Visual C++ Language Support Microsoft.VisualBasic Microsoft.VisualC XML System.Xml System.Xml.Linq Windows Forms Accessibility System.Drawing System.Windows.Forms WPF PresentationCore PresentationFramework PresentationFramework.Aero PresentationFramework.Classic PresentationFramework.Luna PresentationFram...
More About: Visual Studio

* VS 2008 SP1 and .NET 3.5 SP1 beta documentation available online
2008-05-26 19:29:00
Online documentation is available for SP1 beta of .NET 3.5 and VS 2008 . Check out all the enhancements coming up in SP1. .NET 3.5 SP1 Beta Documentation Service Pack 1 Beta released for VS 2008 and .NET 3.5
More About: Visual Studio , Online

* IE 8 : Links Bar is now Favorites Bar
2008-05-24 23:52:00
Links Bar in IE 7 useful for quick one-click access to sites has now been renamed as Favorites Bar. Also a shortcut has been provided on Favorites bar to add the current URL directly to Favorites Bar.  
More About: Windows , Links

* I am using Internet Explorer 8 Beta
2008-05-24 22:47:00
IE 8 beta has been released for Web Developers and Designers to get their sites prepared for IE8. I have been using it to do my daily browsing and I am already loving it. Pages load much faster and memory requirements are lesser as compared to IE 7. Has lots of exciting features like Activities, WebSlices etc. .. will blog more about them soon. Best thing is you can emulate IE7 within IE8 itself. Here are few useful links : IE 8 beta home page IE Blog Download IE 8 beta
More About: Windows , Internet , Internet Explorer , Beta , Explorer

* MS Office 2007 will support ODF format
2008-05-22 18:43:00
Here is one great news for both Office 2007 and ODF format. SP2 of Office 2007 will bring in ODF support to Office 2007. With the release of Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) scheduled for the first half of 2009, Office 2007 will additionally include support for XML Paper Specification (XPS), Portable Document Format (PDF) 1.5, PDF/A and Open Document Format (ODF) v1.1. Here is the screen shot of SP2 preview from Doug's Blog. Press Release of ODF support in Office 2007
More About: Support , Ms Office

* Enterprise Library by Numbers
2008-05-20 18:17:00
Saw this on Tom's blog. 2003      & #160;          Year when the first application block was released 2005      & #160;          Year when v1 of Enterprise library was released. 1,290,000     &# 160;  Total number of downloads of Enterprise Library since the first release. »470,000     0;    Total number of visits to the community site (since Dec 2006 when the Codeplex site was launched) »1,600              ; Number of discussion threads on the community site 54%      &# 160;      & #160;   NPS (Net Promoter Score) 6       0;      
60;       Number ...
More About: Numbers , Enterprise Library

* Enterprise Library 4.0 Released
2008-05-19 15:18:00
The new version of very popular and useful Enterprise Library has been released. What's New in Version 4 ? Integration with the Unity Application Block The Unity Application Block (Unity) is a lightweight, extensible dependency injection container with support for constructor, property, and method call injection. Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) 2.0 support and improved instrumentation Performance improvements (particularly, in the Logging Application Block) Pluggable Cache Managers Visual Studio 2008 support Bug fixes   What is Enterprise Library ? -> A collection of several general purpose application blocks which are reusable and extensible. -> They are set of helper classes which solve common problems and can be used in any architectural style. -> Released by Microsoft, freely available with source code for redistribution. -> Some of other blocks are Caching, Cryptography, Data Access, Exception Handling, Loggin...

* MSDN Search 3.0 : Have you tried it ?
2008-05-15 18:54:00
If you work on Microsoft Technologies and use Google Search to find related content, you are actually losing on productivity and good content. Let's assume you need introductory information on Microsoft's 'Smart Client'  technology. If I use Google to search .. here it is what I get. Keyword I have used is 'Microsoft Smart Client Application'. Here I am giving advantage to Google by using 'Microsoft' else I will get lot of irrelevant results. The first result is a dead link which no more exists. All the other above shown links are not home page for Smart Client Application Development. Now try the new MSDN Search 3.0   First you will see excellent auto complete help. The first result shown here gives me a good overview of Smart Client Development and also other relevant links. Now the added bonus is Refining Features which are just excellent. Based on my keywords, I am presented with relevant Topics and Sources for refinement which can help me to ...
More About: Productivity

* Service Pack 1 Beta released for VS 2008 and .NET 3.5
2008-05-14 18:34:00
The SP1 beta for Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 has been released. Catch all the excitement here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/p roducts/cc533447.aspx Here are the highlights : ADO.NET Entity Framework & Designer Performance improvement for WPF apps ADO.NET Data Service s
More About: Beta , Released , Pack

* Master Managed Threading and Synchronization Techniques
2008-04-29 18:18:00
Check out my latest article on Devx.com. It starts from the basics of Threading & Thread Management, and dives deep into various synchronization techniques available in .NET framework which includes inter-thread and inter-process synchronization. The synchronization techniques discussed are: ? Locks / Monitors ? Mutex ? Interlocked ? Read-Writer Locks ? Semaphores ? EventWaitHandle Master Managed Threading and Synchronization Techniques
More About: Architecture , Sharp

* Release : .NET 3.5 Enhancements Training Kit
2008-04-28 17:33:00
.NET 3.5 enhancements training kit is available for download now. It contains demos, labs and presentation on all the enhancements to .NET framework which could not make it to .NET 3.5 main release and are in development/preview/beta stage. Currently, the training kit contains six hands-on labs, made up of the following technologies: 1) ADO.NET Data Services 2) ADO.NET Entity Framework 3) ASP.NET AJAX History 4) ASP.NET Dynamic Data 5) ASP.NET MVC 6) ASP.NET Silverlight controls Download .NET 3.5 Enhancements Training Kit
More About: Tutorials , Visual Studio , Release

* What's New in BizTalk Server 2006 R3
2008-04-23 17:52:00
The countdown for the release of BizTalk Server 2006 R3 has started. CTP is expected later this year and RTM planned in H1 CY09. The main objective of the new release is to have a version enabled for Windows 2008, .NET 3.5 and SQL Server 2008. Following are the new/enhanced features in BizTalk Server 2006 R3. See this link for full details BizTalk Server Platform Updates. New web service registry capabilities with support for UDDI (Universal Description Discovery and Integration) version 3.0 Enhanced service enablement of applications (through new and enhanced adapters for LOB applications, databases, and legacy/host systems) Enhanced service enablement of “edge” devices through BizTalk RFID Mobile Enhanced interoperability and connectivity support for B2B protocols (like SWIFT, EDI, etc) SOA patterns and best practices guidance to assist customer’s implementations. Keep checking this blog for lot of content coming up on BizTalk.
More About: Architecture , Biztalk

* Windows 2003 : Prepare first server for your network
2008-04-21 21:08:00
check out the screen shots for DIY. http://www.codeplex.com/Samples
More About: Windows , Network , Server

* Unified Communication : Development Platform
2008-04-18 19:08:00
Various products participating in Unified Communication strategy publish software development kits / APIs to develop applications for UC platform. Here is the list of APIs available. o Exchange Server 2007 SP1 API o Extending and customizing Exchange Server o Office Communications Server API Create applications that customize and extend OCS 2007. E.g. archiving, modification of message content body, message logging, filtering & blocking messages based on rules. o Office Communications Server Application API Provides Microsoft SIP Processing Language (MSPL) for custom SIP message filtering and routing. o Office Communications Server Management API Develop WMI extension for OCS 2007 o Office Communications Server 2007 Speech Server API Develop voice response applications. o Office Communicator Automation API Extend and customize office communicator or access instance of Office Communicator from custom windows applications. o Office Li...
More About: Architecture , Development , Platform

* Unified Communications : An Overview
2008-04-10 19:36:00
· Unifies & integrates telephony based traditional communication channels like phones, fax etc with newer computing based channels like emails, A/V conferencing, Instant Messaging, VoIP telephone service etc. · Improves communication and collaboration. · Products participating in UC are : Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 § Manages real-time synchronous communication which includes instant messaging, VoIP, audio and video conferencing. Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Client for real-time communication which works with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Manages all asynchronous communication which includes email, voice mail, faxes and calendars. Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 is the client for Exchange Server 2007. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Speech Server IVR platform with built-in support for speech recognition and speech synthesis....
More About: Architecture , Overview

* Tutorial : Client Application Services
2008-03-24 17:26:00
Check out my latest article published on Developer.com. It covers following for 'Client Application Services ' Overview Features Architecture Walkthrough : Creating, Configuring & Using ASP.NET Client Application Services. http://www.developer.com/design/article.p hp/3735111
More About: Tutorial , Visual Studio

* Unfortunate : India votes against OOXML again
2008-03-20 18:48:00
Today was a disappointing day for both Microsoft in India and Microsoft community as the decision making body BIS again rejected OOXML as standard. The unfortunate part is that anti-Microsoft groups are trying to influence such kind of decisions although most of the technical concerns have been addressed by Microsoft. The report on CNBC India says that the resistance is more due to agreement which everyone adopting OOXML has to sign with Microsoft which restricts them from modifying it. This is not the case with ODF. I hope Microsoft will address this concern (if any) also soon. IBM who always takes excuse of Open Source to stand against Microsoft is pleased with the decision although Microsoft is trying to join the Open Source Community this time. 29th March is the last date for sending votes to ISO by member nations and I hope that it will be positive from India.
More About: Office , Votes

* Microsoft Architecture Days : India
2008-03-18 17:01:00
Register quickly as limited seats available for focused event on Software + Services.   http://www.msarchitecturedays.com
More About: India , Microsoft , Architecture , Days

* Video content from Microsoft - Channel 8,9,10, edge
2008-03-18 16:50:00
8 - Microsoft to Students   http://channel8.msdn.com/ 9 - Microsoft to Developers   http://channel9.msdn.com/ 10 -  Technology     http://on10.net/ Edge - TechNet   http://edge.technet.com
More About: Video , Content , Channel

* Windows 2008 : Enable IIS & .NET
2008-03-07 11:30:00
Enabling IIS and .NET on Windows 2008 can get little tricky depending on which route you take. But the help provided by the server is excellent and you should be able to get through it. Here are the steps which you can follow : Activate Windows Process Activation Service from Features. More on WAS later ..  its a great stuff. Enable Web Server Role as .NET requires Web Server Role to be enabled. Web Server role enables following IIS 7.0, ASP.NET and WCF. Enable .NET 3.0 feature. Once you are through with Web Server installation, here is something new and really useful. Infact a great example of UX. From Server Manager if you click on Web Server, you go to a page which gives a consolidated status view of Events, System Services and Role services on a single page and all related to Web Server only.
More About: Windows 2008

* Windows 2008 : Features & Roles
2008-03-07 04:54:00
After the default installation of Windows 2008 , most of the features are locked down. As per the requirements, features needs to be enabled. Windows 2008 provides two ways of enabling functionality on the server. Features & Roles. Both of them are somewhat dependent on each other. Here are screen shots of available features and roles. A top list of features. e.g. .NET enable it only if you require. Desktop experience for Vista style UX. Roles have a broader scope and may require enabling multiple features to enable a particular role. So Web Server and App Server are different roles. Roles functionality was somewhat present in Windows 2003 also.

* Microsoft Visio Toolbox launched
2008-03-06 11:49:00
Microsoft has launched an exclusive site for hosting Visio related content. Contains lots of free resources and information on partner products. Microsoft Visio Toolbox . Good for Architects.
More About: Microsoft , Launched

* Windows 2008 : Managing made simple
2008-03-06 10:10:00
Now here is something in Windows 2008 which will make managing the server a much simpler task. The consolidated 'Server Manager' which allows you to do all the common tasks from one place. There was MMC earlier on similar lines but not as useful as this one. For power admins 'Powershell' is the way to go which is a complete command line/script based admin tool. Here are some screen shots. The landing page for Server Manager. So we have all the management consoles here .. event viewer, perfmon, services, user management, etc. More on Roles & Features soon. Another productivity enhancer is horizontal navigation bar .. same as Vista.
More About: Made , Simple , Windows 2008

* Windows 2008 : First Experience
2008-03-06 07:14:00
So finally I have Windows 2008 running on one of my machines. It was quick and simple installation as compared to any of the previous versions of Windows. First decision point while installing Windows 2008 is whether 'Full installation' is required or only 'Server Core'. Server core won't have any GUI and will be basic minimum. After full installation here is the version information I have : ver > Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6001]   Not sure of Service Pack 1 here. y ? Although it was a 'Full Installation', none of the features get enabled by default. Enable as per requirement. More on this later.
More About: Experience