A user's MS CRM report size always changed.

I designed MS CRM Reports using "SQL Server BI development Studio", and define the report size. Everything's fine until, one day, a user reported the report (label) size changed to a much larger size, and the label printer printed out 3 pages, including 2 blank pages. The user had to change the report's size everytime.

Users use Windows RDP service, everyone actually works on the same server. I tested in my session, and everything's fine.

When MS CRM print out report, it should setup printer for the pre-defined size, so, this error mad nosense. I checked all related setting on the user, no clue.

Finally, I noticed that the user and me had different printer as "default printer". I change the user's default printer to mine, suddenly, problem solved.

I have no ideas how it happen, and why it had be solved, just as a reminder.

This is an interested case to show that MS Windows are full of out-of-mind bugs.

MS CRM 2013 could not print report after windows upgrade from 2008 to 2012

Recently, company upgraded RDP server from windows 2008 R2 to 2012 R2, and user reported one problem on MS CRM 2013.

After upgrade, our CRM system - Microsoft CRM 2013 on premises - could not print report. Normal users will pop up window for username and password. It looked simple: put in administrator's username and password could work. MS SQL Server reporting service needs administrator privilege to download and install ActiveX component for the printing feature.

In Windows 2008, it happened, and after input administrator username and password, everything's fine. But, in windows 2012, it will show "Printing is not available. Verify that ActiveX is enabled, or try using Internet Explorer for the desktop".

 Then, I logined RDP server as an administrator, BUT, I still got this error. After Internet search, I still could not fix it. Only useful info is about IE security setting for ActiveX. I confirmed all related ActiveX options are "Enabled", but not luck. I tried many ways, still not luck.

After a day, I thought that it works on windows 2008, but not 2012, it means, some security setting has changed on 2012. So, I tried RUN IE AS ADMINISTRATOR, then, it works. After installed the activeX component, all user could print reports from CRM system.

details you may not know - Transition from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010

details you may not know - Transition from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010

If you are an IT guy of a small company ( 5 - 50 people), and need to upgrade your Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010, this document is a very good guide:

http://msexchangegeek.com/2010/01/30/rapid-transition-guide-from-exchange-2003-to-exchange-2010/

However, this document, also almost all of online guides, did not mention some details of transition from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010. Maybe for an experienced Exchange Administrator, those are just common sense, but, for small company's IT guys, those might become nightmares.


Think carefully before you install Exchange 2010.

1. Moving mailboxes spend too much time, the speed is about 3G/hour. A 20 people company with 60G data in Exchange 2003 spend almost one whole day.

2. When moving begin, incoming email will stay in queue, not deliver to mailbox, until moving mailboxes has finished.

3. McAfee might delete mailbox log files, and made mailbox database dismounted. This is my biggest nightmare before I figured it out.

4. Exchange 2010 uses about 4 times more space than Exchange 2003, and, if free space too low (< 5G), exchange will stop receiving incoming emails.



Therefore, when you plan to upgrade exchange server, be very careful. Email service is essential for businesses. Do not screw it up.

vmware converter: Unable to clone volume 'C:'

When I used Vmware vCenter Converter Standalone 3.0.5 to dynamically converter a physical machine (Windows 2003) to VMware virtual machine.

Get error when just finish 1%:

vmware converter: Unable to clone volume 'C:'.

for vmware converter log:

[2011-06-27 17:07:18.551 04504 info 'App'] Scheduler scheduling item 4 to run at time = 2011-06-27 17:07:18.551. -- void __thiscall Converter::Server::Scheduler::SimpleScheduler::Run(void) ("d:/build/ob/bora-292238/bora/sysimage/ufad/server/scheduler/simpleScheduler.cpp:88")

[#11] [2011-06-27 17:07:18.589 04516 info 'App'] ConverterConnection: KeepAlive timer canceled, StopKeepAlive succeeded

[#11] [2011-06-27 17:07:18.591 04516 info 'vmomi.soapStub[9]'] Resetting stub adapter for server PIPE:\\.\pipe\vmware-converter-worker-soap : Closed

[2011-06-27 17:07:19.236 04496 info 'App'] Started task "task-6" for job="job-27", item ="4" -- void __thiscall Converter::Server::Job::JobProcessorImpl::StartProcessingJobs(void) ("d:/build/ob/bora-292238/bora/sysimage/lib/converter/server/job/jobProcessorImpl.cpp:351")

[2011-06-27 17:07:19.294 11848 info 'App'] [task,332] [task-6] -- BEGIN -- Convert

[2011-06-27 17:07:19.304 11848 error 'App'] Found dangling SSL error: [0] error:00000001:lib(0):func(0):reason(1)

[2011-06-27 17:07:19.339 11848 info 'App'] [taskSpec,464] [task-6] [TaskMap] task-6:task-4

[2011-06-27 17:15:09.105 11848 error 'App'] [task,344] [LRO] Unexpected Exception: converter.fault.CloneFault

[2011-06-27 17:15:09.108 11848 info 'App'] [task,373] [task-6] -- ERROR -- Convert: converter.fault.CloneFault

(converter.fault.CloneFault) {

dynamicType = ,

faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,

description = "converter.fault.FileIOFault",

msg = "",

}

[2011-06-27 17:15:09.108 11848 info 'App'] [diagnosticManager,260] Retrieved taskInfo for "converter.task.Task:task-6" mapping it to "converter.task.Task:task-6".

[2011-06-27 17:15:09.108 11848 info 'App'] [diagnosticManager,300] The task with id = "task-6" was found to be a "recent" task.

[2011-06-27 17:15:09.108 11848 info 'App'] [diagnosticManager,314] No existing log bundle found for task with id = "task-6". The task is still "recent" so a log bundle will now be generated for it.

[2011-06-27 17:15:09.108 11848 info 'App'] [diagnosticManager,756] Retrieving task related diagnostics for server task with id = "task-6".


Google about “Found dangling SSL error: [0] error:00000001:lib(0):func(0):reason(1)”, get a useful info:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907574
get this error is caused by VSS, not converter, or something relate to SSL.

check source machine’s event viewer: VSS error:

Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Error calling a routine on the Shadow Copy Provider {24602736-bed9-4619-91b0-243447c6409c}. Routine details DeleteSnapshots({b4b1c18e-b85c-43d0-b6d8-86357ff4e9b1}, 2, 1, [0],[{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}]) failed [hr = 0x80004005].

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

check the GUI {24602736-bed9-4619-91b0-243447c6409c} from regedit:
got the VSS provider:

StorageCraft Volume Snapshot Software Provider


This is our backup software. Looks VMware is not compatible with StorageCraft’s backup software.

Uninstall it, conversion finished successfully.

New topic for my blogs

Recently, I worked as Network administrator, and have countered some difficult problems,and even cannot find solution from Internet directly.

Therefore, I plan to post them to my blog, and wish that it will help other IT　guys.

Maybe I will not write all details, or it is not very clear to you. you could post your questions, and we could work on it together.

conclusion

This shall be the last blog for cmpt376w, and it is also the conclusion for my blog.

In the first one, I wish I would write 3 blogs per week. However, the result is one blog for average except recently I wrote one blog per day to catch up.

Having a habit to write regularly is not easy. For my new resolution, I hope I could keep this blog, and post at least one blog per week. It is reasonable and I really do not want to give up.

other disadvantages of ray tracing

Except the slow speed of ray tracing algorithm, other drawbacks are in some case it could not show the “realistic image”

one of it is the dull-looking (non-reflective) objects. Because they do not reflect, the reflected ray (the perfect reflection of eye to object) part is 0. And, in real world, its real color is contributed by lights directly(Phong Shading) and other part of environment (ray tracing does not computer this part).

Another example is that mirror. Ray tracing could see what is in mirror perfectly. However, if a light ray irradiates a mirror, the light ray should perfect reflection to some place. When ray tracing to treat this place, it will not count this part of lights.

In conclusion, ray tracing is still a simplified algorithm to simulate the “real world”. The drawbacks above could be handled by another algorithm for rendering - “radiosity”. However, radiosity usually is more expensive than ray tracing.