Boring

This is kinda boring. Am I alone here? Hello, anybody there, Am I alone here? We should do something about this.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas to Everyone and Happy Holidays. I'll be back online on the 27th to assist those in need.

HP Pavilion A1510n Sound Card on Windows Xp

On my previous post about this hardware, I downgraded the OS from Windows Media Center to Windows 2k Pro so i can have full network functionality. It is working fine, the video, the modem, the network now I can control and see it on our network and Directory Services. Policy editor is implemented on our network to control workstations and user access to the network.

Now after a month I was faced with the sound adapter problem. We need to install a call recording software, but it won't work because the sound card is not detected by Win2k Pro.

So I upgraded the OS to Windows XP Professional. But the same thing happen, Windows XP Pro was not able to detect the on board sound adapter.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Problem with HP Pavilion A1510n Sound Card

Originally this PC has Windows XP Media Center Edition installed. Because of the limited Network Functionality of this machine, I downgraded it to Windows 2000 Professional. After installation, all is working except for the sound card.

I used the recovery disk that i created, but no sound card drivers were found. The video, network and sound are imbedded on the board, windows 2000 was able to detect the video and network drivers with no problem, except for the sound card.

Performance issues with the Terminal Server.

The day after the successful contingency plan, one of the terminal server experience a slow in performance and we have to take it offline. A temporay server took over as soon as we noticed the very poor performance.

It is an issue with one of the hardware installed on the server. We are working on the issue and we hope to address these soon.

Testing of Contingency Plan was Successful

The Testing of Contingency Plan yesterday was successful . Thanks to all

Network Printing problem with terminal services

Some users are complaining that sometimes when they print, it's really slow and sometimes they don't get to finish what they were printing. Some of these users are on a network, some wired and some are using wireless. Network printing in a wireless environment on a Terminal Server can have bandwidth issues.

Please read a previous post regarding this topic. You can find it here.

Contingency Testing - Execution Today

Good Morning Everyone, today is the scheduled testing of contingency plan. Let's work everyone.

Testing of Contigency Plan Dec 6, 2006

ORIGIN: Egai Detera

To: Forex Independent Contractors and Agents

Date: 11/15/2006

Subject: Testing of Contingency Plan

Pursuant to the written directive of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation of the great State of Maryland, we have scheduled for December 6, 2006, a test of our CONTINGENCY PLAN that becomes operational when our company is confronted with circumstances beyond our control such as stoppage of operation due to acts of terrorism, severe weather disturbances and other events considered to be force majeure.

In this connection please find attached herewith the procedures that you will follow.

Please be guided accordingly.

EGAI DETERA

SQL Server Replication Re Design

I changed the design of the replication. Before this changed the setup was, both, backup terminal server, Cargo Database, the Distribution database for the replication are on one machine.

This setup is not recommended. The ideal setup should be that each services must be housed on a separate machine, this way, if work is needed on each server, other services can continue their function normally.

Zero Space Available on Cargo Data Device.

Recently we have encountered a problem with the Cargo Data Device. When I look at the properties of the Database from Enterprise Manager, It shows Size: xxxxx mb and space available: 0.00 . It shouldn't be zero since the database is set to autogrow at least xx mb. Apprently the sysindexes table is out of sync. Running " DBCC UPDATEUSAGE (0) " or " sp_spaceused @updateusage = true " fixed the problem.

With the later option it actually executes " DBCC UPDATEUSAGE (0) " within it.

Turned off Replication

Today Nov. 27, replication of data to FCPHIL Server will be temporarily disable, to allow remote users to work on remit2. Cargo data is temporarily moved to another server. We will temporarily dedicate this server as the distributor and as a Backup Terminal Server.

Remit 2 -Terminal Server slow

One reason why users encounter slow perfomance on the remit2 terminal server is because, it is transferring cargo data in manila. Hopefully next year we can be able to add a new server dedicated to this task. This server is also the Distributor for data transfer.

Workaround for Printers that are not Redirected in a Remote Desktop Session

This article is from Microsoft Knowledgebase. It was forwarded to me by Chit De Jesus. Like other remote users she cannot print on the all in one wireless HP printer. This workaround requires you to go under the hood and get your hands dirty by going into your Windows XP registry. She tweak the Registry setting of her workstation and now the walla, the problem is gone.

I have to warn you, editing the registry of your pc might render your perfectly working windows xp unusable.

Ok here we go:
Printers That Use Ports That Do Not Begin With COM, LPT, or USB Are Not Redirected in a Remote Desktop or Terminal Services Session.

To resolve this problem on a computer that is not running Windows Server 2003, force all ports (including DOT4) on the client computer to be filtered for redirection. To do this, add a DWORD value named FilterQueueType to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR and set its value data to FFFFFFFF.

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:

1.	Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2.	Locate and then click the following key in the registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR
3.	On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4.	Type FilterQueueType, and then press ENTER.
5.	On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6.	Type FFFFFFFF, and then click OK.

This enables all ports on the client to be redirected.

To work around this problem on a client computer that has a multifunction print device, change the port that the multifunction print device uses from DOT4 to an LPT port.

For example, to configure a multifunction print device to use an LPT port on a Windows XP-based computer, follow these steps:

1.	InControl Panel, openPrinters and Faxes.
2.	Right-click the local printer that is not redirected, and then click Properties.
3.	Click the Ports tab, click an LPT port, and then click Apply. The printer should now appear next to that port.
4.	Close the Printer Properties window, and then reconnect by using Remote Desktop.

Important When a multifunction printer is using a standard LPT port instead of the DOT4 port, it loses its multifunction capabilities, such as scanning, faxing, or copying. To regain the multifunction capabilities, the print device must use the DOT4 port.
To read the complete article please go to microsoft.com. Here is the complete link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302361/en-us

Cannot Find Printer in the Printer List

There are times, remote users can't find their printer in the printer list, this is one of the most common problem encountered by remote users. First thing you need to do is to log off the server.

1. Close the system that you are using, (Remittance or Cargo).
2. Log off the server in a proper way. Don't just disconnect from your session. There is a big difference between logging off and disconnecting from the server.
• If you disconnect, and don't log off, you will go back on the same session or scenario where you left off. Nothing has change, the problem will be there waiting for you when you log back the server. Whereas
• If you log off, all open programs and printers created for your session are cleared. When you log back in the server, the terminal server will create a new session, for you together with a new printer for that session.

It is not recommended for users to disconnect from their session. Please make it a practice to always log off the server to minimize printing problem and to consume server resources.

Replication Problem

Main problem with replication on our setup is the reliability of internet connection. Most of the time, data in the U.S are not replicated on the server in FCPhil because their internet connection is down. We have a dedicated server here in the U.S that process the replication, this server often cannot to connect to the server in FCPhil.

Printing error or printing redirects to other branches

This topic has already been discussed, please read the previous post about this problem. Or go to Tags and click on Printing Problem, there are 4 post about this issue.

Contingency Plan - Early Announcement

To all users. The DC has a contingency plan scheduled on the 6th of December. All DC employees will be working from home remotely. This is a part of their yearly contingency plan.

More update on this on upcoming posts

Cargo System

Timeout Expired Reported by users on the Cargo System Program. Most users encounter this erorr on the login screen, right after they click on the login button. The cargo database data is getting really big especially with the tracking information. It has been reported to person in-charge and they are already working on the optimizing the system.

Also, please be reminded that when a user encounter slow response from the server, it doesn't mean that the problem is in the server. There are a number of reasons why this can happen:

• Internet connection. It is possible that your internet connection is slow, maybe because there is a problem on your ISP's backbone. If your internet connection is slow, you can greatly affect the performance of other users. Please try to log off the server and check your Internect Connection Speed.
  
• It is also possible that the DC Internet connection is having some problem, there are times that because of certain circumstances that are beyond our control, the Internet Connection at the DC Office may slow down, maybe the ISP has an outage. If this is the case, we will report it to our ISP, so they can check on the problem
  

Updates.

• Yesterday, there was a problem with the internet connection on remit2 and there were a lot of users using the cargo system, that is the reason for the system lag encountered by all users.
  
• The timeout expired problem encountered by users when logging in to the cargo program was already reported to the developer. We are waiting for the program update.
• Users on some users on remit2 encountered "RPC server is unavailable" . Also we later found out that there were no printers in the print list. The RPC Server might have crashed. The remit2 server hasn't been restarted for weeks now until yesterday afternoon.
  

iPaq 5550

The iPaq 5550. For those branches that are using iPaq for scanning boxes this article is for you.

Your iPaq 5550 runs under the Pocket PC 2003 or what we now know as the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system. It has a buit-in wifi compatible with wireless b and wireless g, and it has a bluetooth. It also has the expasion pack with a second battery and a compact flash module were you insert the compact flash adaptor of your socket scan scanner.

Most complain I received from users about the iPaq is it's wireless connection. Sometimes when a users starts to use it, they just notice that they cannot login to PPC Forex. Why is that? It's because you don't have an internet connection. Now, the first thing you need to do is verify the wifi signal strength. There is an icon on top that will tell you the signal strenght. If there is no connection, try to reset the iPaq. If you have done all the basic troubleshooting and still no success. Take off the expansion pack, now for no more that 10 seconds, take the main battery off the iPaq and put it back in. Turn it back on and you will notice that you can now connect to your wireless router. Just put everyting back in place and you're good to go.

Understanding Printing Problems

1. Printer drivers are not written to be used on Terminal Servers
   
   Finally, though, a lot of printer manufacturers see the necessity of developing their drivers to be used on Terminal Servers. But there are still printer drivers which are written for usage on a workstation by one user at the time. Printer drivers not written for Terminal Servers are, most of the time, not capable of handling so many printing jobs. When the driver becomes overwhelmed, this can cause the spooler services to crash, or even worse the operating system will blue screen.
   
2. Printjobs use a lot of bandwidth
   
   Printjobs normally consume a large amount of bandwidth. This is not specifically related to Terminal Server environments, but most times it is a bigger issue when using Terminal Services. Because Terminal Services are used a lot when users need access from co-locations, home locations or supplier/customer offices where the bandwidth is limited to the location where the Terminal Servers are. Within environments with a small amount of bandwidth and lots of printjobs these jobs can use the full amount of bandwidth. This actually means that users are not able to work anymore because Terminal Server related traffic is brought to a stand still by the printer traffic.
   
3. Version conflicts by third party drivers
   
   Often (especially with new printers) the Windows operating system doesn’t have the driver for that printer. To use all the functionality of that printer the driver made by the manufacturer must be used. It may happen that one new driver overwrites a DLL also used by another driver. It may also happen that the printers using the pre-existing DLL do not function anymore. Therefore every new printer driver must be tested extensively before using it in a production environment.
   
4. All printer drivers need to be available on all Terminal Servers
   
   The most important rule in the Terminal Server world is that all servers hosting the same applications must be 100% identical. This rule also applies to the printer drivers. It is a difficult job to keep all related files to printer drivers identical on all servers especially if you have lots of printer drivers.

Taken from MSterminalservices.org

Please Install Yahoo Messenger

All FOREX users are encourage to install and use yahoo messenger on their local machine(PC). To all those users who are not yet using Yahoo Messenger, please download and install yahoo messenger. You can download the messenger at messenger.yahoo.com or click here. For installation instruction please follow the one provided by Yahoo.

After you have installed and you have created your own account on yahoo, it's time to add these yahoo id to your yahoo buddy list, for support:

My yahoo id : Tenshinshoden
Edetera : Eggsdetera

You can use yahoo to send quick notes, question and request support.

You can still call me for support anytime on the same phone no. that you have.

How do I know which printer drivers work with Terminal Services?

All of the Microsoft-supplied printer drivers are tested with Terminal Services and guaranteed to work. Before using a third-party printer driver, make sure it has been certified for Terminal Services. There is a Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) program for getting third-party printer drivers certified on Terminal Services. Please ask your printer driver vendor to secure such certification.

Now, in the Forex Cargo domain, we have noticed that the most compatible printer brand is the

1. Epson
2. Canon
3. HP

THE LIST IS ORDERED BY COMPATIBILITY.

Note: If you are going to get a new printer for use with remote desktop, get a regular printer, don't get the All in Ones. If you already have a All In One printer, there is a work around, but you have to do the adjustments manually on your end. Meaning you have to change some settings on your pc's registry which we don't recommend.

I will post the registry settings soon.

Printing Problem.

The most common problem in Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Connection is the printing problem. There are times a users can't find their specific printers or the print out prints on the wrong printer. The first thing a user should do is close the application that they are using (remittance or cargo) and log off the server.

Doing this should delete the printer initially assigned to your session and will free server resources. When you relogin the server will recreate a virtual printer for your session.

If you are still having the same printing problem please notify your administrator.

Logging Off

All users are requested to log off properly. When we say proper, all users must go through the normal procedure:

1. Click on Start
   
2. Click on Log Off

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
When a user logs off, the session and other server resources are closed and released back to the server. The virtual printer that is created for that specific user is also deleted from the printer list, does minimizing printing error problems.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A USER DON'T LOG OFF?
When a user disconnects from a session, by just closing his/her remote desktop application. All applications that he/she is using are still up and running and are still using server resources. And with this Virtual Printer that is created for you stays in the printer list. This is not a good practice.

Disconnected Sessions are automatically ended after 10 to 15 minutes.

Idle Sessions are also automatically ended after 30 minutes.

Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac

Remote Desktop Connection Client 1.0.3 for Mac OS X

TO DOWNLOAD Remote Desktop Connection Client 1.0.3 for Mac OS X CLICK HERE.
Be sure to read this article for more information.

With Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac, you can connect from your Macintosh computer to a Windows-based computer and work with programs and files on that computer. Mac users who have access to a Windows-based computer on a network, including users on Intel-based Macs, can use Remote Desktop Connection as an alternative to Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac.

Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac allows you to connect to a Windows-based computer and work with programs and files on that computer from your Macintosh computer. To connect to a Windows-based computer, you need network access and permissions to connect to the computer, and the computer must be running Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Services. The following Windows products support Remote Desktop connections: Windows XP Professional Windows Server 2003 Windows 2000 Server Windows 2000 Advanced Server Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition What's New: Remote Desktop Connection Client 1.0.3 for Mac provides improved stability when you minimize the client window and when you copy and paste data from the client window to Macintosh applications. Stability is also improved for users of Mac OS X 10.3 and later, and when Remote Desktop Connection Client is used on Macintosh computers with PowerPC G5 processors.

System requirements

To use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client 1.0.3 for Mac, your Macintosh computer must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Processor: Macintosh PowerPC.
• Operating system: Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later.
• Memory: 128 MB of RAM.
• Hard disk: 3 MB of available hard disk space temporarily required to complete installation; after installation, 1.1 MB of hard disk space.

  Note The hard disk should be in Mac OS Extended (HFS+) format, the default format for Mac. Microsoft does not currently support running Remote Desktop Connection from a hard disk that is in another format. To determine the format of your hard disk, on the Apple menu, click About This Mac, and then click More Info.

• Network: Connection to a local area network, either directly or via a modem capable of 28.8 Kbps or higher.
• Internet access: Internet connection through either an Internet service provider (ISP) or a network. Internet access might require a fee to an ISP; local or long-distance telephone charges might also apply.

Tip If you're not sure whether your computer meets these requirements, you can display information about your computer by using the Apple System Profiler program included with Mac OS X. To start the program, on the Apple menu, click About This Mac, and then click More Info.

Installation instructions

Before you install this download:

Depending on the file format you choose to download, make sure StuffIt Expander version 6 or later and Apple Disk Copy version 10.1 or later are installed on your computer. By default, Mac OS X includes the correct versions of these programs.

To install this download:

1. Print this page if you want to use it as a reference when you are offline.
2. Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements for this download.
3. In the table above, click the language version and file format you want.
4. If prompted, save the file to your hard disk.
   If you are using Internet Explorer, the Download Manager saves the file to the desktop unless you specified a different download folder in the Preferences dialog box (Download Options pane).
5. On your hard disk, double-click the file that you downloaded in step 4 to expand it using StuffIt Expander. For example, if you downloaded an English language version of the file, a new file called RDC103EN.dmg is created.
   Depending on the Web browser that you are currently using, this step might be performed for you automatically.
6. Double-click the .dmg file you downloaded (for example, RDC103EN.dmg) to mount the Remote Desktop Connection volume.
7. On the Desktop, open the Remote Desktop Connection volume.
8. Copy the Remote Desktop Connection folder from the Remote Desktop Connection volume to your hard disk.
9. If the Remote Desktop Connection folder was copied to your hard disk successfully, you can move the Remote Desktop Connection volume, the .dmg file, and the original file you downloaded in step 4 (if present) to the Trash.
10. On the Windows computer, open Control Panel, double-click System, click the Remote tab, and then select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box.
11. To complete the installation, run the program by opening the Remote Desktop Connection folder that you copied to your hard disk in step 8, and then double-click Remote Desktop Connection.

Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Connection

Terminal Services or Terminal Server Edition (TSE) is a component of Microsoft Windows NT operating systems (both client and server versions) that allows a user to access applications or data stored on a remote computer over a network connection. Terminal Services is Microsoft's take on server centric computing, which allows individual users to access network resources easily.

Based on the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Terminal Services was first introduced in Windows NT 4.0 (Terminal Server Edition). The products Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2000 Datacenter Server and Windows Server 2003 have introduced several improvements and new features. Microsoft used Terminal Services in Windows XP for the Remote Assistance feature. Windows XP (Professional Edition only) includes a single-user Terminal License using the Remote Desktop feature.

Microsoft provides the client software Remote Desktop Connection (formerly called Terminal Services Client), available for most 32-bit versions of their Windows operating systems and Apple's Mac OS X, that allows a user to connect to a server running Terminal Services. Third-party developers have created client software for other platforms, including the open source rdesktop client for common Unix platforms. Both Terminal Services and Remote Desktop Protocol use Port 3389 by default.

Timeout Expired

Currently this error is common to the ForexCargo system. The developers are still working on it. For the mean time the easiest solution is to log off the system completely.

So when you encounter a timeout expired message wait at least one more minute and if nothing happens log off the server and then log back in.

After you encounter the timeout expired message, don't click on the ForexCargo icon anymore. Nothing will happen even if you click it a hundred times because the application is already running in the background, it just can't connect to the database server.

So the next time you encounter this all you have to do is log off the server and the re login . Remember, don't just close your remote desktop as this will only bring you to the same session were you left off.

If you encounter this often, please email the developer directly at Nelson@Forexworld.com

What is Remote Desktop and what is Terminal Services?

To all Forex Users, Terminal Services are the services that run on the server, these are needed by the Remote Desktop Connection that you are using in order for you to connect to the server.

See short description below:

Remote Desktop Connection is your client software that you use to connect to the server. This is available on all Windows Operating Systems, such us Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Terminal Server is the machine where you, users connects. These are the servers that you all know, REMIT and REMIT2. The remittance and cargo programs are installed in these servers

Terminal Services is the server software that manages user connections, printing and other remote connection resources.