Recently I encountered a database issue on a Microsoft SQL 2008 R2 server that can only be described as a case of a phantom SPID (server process ID). What I mean by phantom is that this SPID was showing a date of 1900-01-01. All external connections to this database had been severed, but every attempt…
Read On…
The ever ubiquitous GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), developed in 1987, is a computer graphics specification that has lived a long and fruitful life. From an hour-long download to obtain a single GIF image back in the pre-World-Wide-Web Bulletin Board System (BBS) days, to animated GIF memes spread by social media, the format has a long…
Read On…
Remember Novell? Remember NDS or eDirectory as it later became known? NDS might be mostly dead, in favor of AD (Active Directory), but NDS did have many advantages over AD, and one of them was the ability to assign rights (permissions) via OU membership. Want to give users in a specific OU access to a…
Read On…
Over on Vulture, they have a Q&A with “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan. It’s quite an extensive and wide-ranging interview. If you’re a fan of AMC’s Breaking Bad you might want to check it out, although I should warn you that there could be spoilers. I say “could” because I skimmed it for just that…
Read On…
Pour Yourself a Grog. Today’s featured beer “Double Dog” is from East Coast brewery, Flying Dog. Located in Frederick, Maryland, Flying Dog Brewery started as Flying Dog Brewpub in Aspen, Colorado. Flying Dog was co-founded by astrophysicist George Stranahan and rancher Richard McIntyre. Double Dog is a Double IPA (India Pale Ale), which is another…
Read On…
This post is aimed at home users, but the ideas are sound for business as well. If you’re like me, you’ve reached a point where most of your must-have information and data is in digital form. Whether its photos, music (commercial or self-created), financial records or documents, all my important data is virtual. That is,…
Read On…
Pour Yourself a Grog. Today’s featured beer is another West Coast brew, Lagunitas Maximus IPA Ale. When a regular IPA (India Pale Ale) just isn’t enough, Maximus IPA is sure to satisfy. It goes for $13 a six-pack at my local Wegmans Food Market, which is starting to become a common price among the tastiest craft…
Read On…
To stay on top of security you need to regularly review your server configurations. It’s helpful to build a checklist to be used as part of an internal security audit review. Below is just such a checklist, specifically tailored to audit a SQL 2008 Server running on Windows Server 2008. Most of what’s in this…
Read On…