Archive for December 2005

ORA-01502 Oracle Index in Unusable State

December 30, 2005 Add Comment

ORA-01502 Oracle Index in Unusable State


When trying to perform query on Oracle tables with select SQL statement, Oracle returns the following error:

ORA-01502: index ‘string.string’ or partition of such index is in unusable state

The error indicates an attempt has been made to access an index or index partition that has been marked unusable by a direct load or by a DDL operation.

The problem usually happens when using the Direct Path for the SQL*Loader, Direct Load or DDL operations. This requires enough temporary space to build all indexes of the table. If there is no enough space in TEMP tablespace, all rows will still be loaded and imported, but the indices are left with STATUS = ‘INVALID’.

Invalid indexes can be checked with a SELECT * from USER_INDEXES WHERE STATUS = ‘INVALID’; SQL statement.

Solution to this error is simple. You can:

Drop the specified index and/or recreate the index
Rebuild the specified index
Rebuild the unusable index partition
Generally, the following SQL manipulation language will be able to rebuild the unusable index:

ALTER INDEX index_name REBUILD

Oracle Database Link

December 14, 2005 Add Comment

Oracle Database Link


In distributed Oracle environments, database links can be used to define a communications path between two databases. A database link defines a network connection, and, optionally, a username and password, to use when Oracle accesses and establishes a database session in the remote database on behalf of the local application request.

Database link enable SQL statements to be isolated from the underlying physical network topology. Thus, whenever the location of a remote database changes, only the link need be updated, and not each and every SQL queries, significantly the tasks of programmer.

Oracle database link is defined in a specific database, and may be used only by users of that database. If the same database link name was to be used from all databases in the network, the links must be defined identically with that name in each of each databases. For this scenario, the easier way is to be global database link.

Database Link Creation

Login into Oracle database (with SQL*Plus, for example) as a user who has the privilege to create a database link and execute the following command:

CREATE DATABASE LINK link_name
CONNECT TO user_name IDENTIFIED BY password
USING ‘connection_string’;

where connection_string is an entry is tnsnames.ora (usually located in $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin), which enables the Oracle to know the network path to remote database.

connection_string has the following structure:

(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS =
(PROTOCOL = TCP) (Host = host_name/ip_address) (Port = 1521)
)
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SERVER = DEDICATED)
(SERVICE_NAME = database_name)
)
)

Database Link Deletion

To delete a database link:

DROP DATBASE LINK link_name;

Important Tools and Utilities in One Google Pack

December 09, 2005 Add Comment

Important Tools and Utilities in One Google Pack


Google has packed all the most essential and the best software for personal computer in a package named Google Pack for the ease of computer users.

These must-have applications will helps to protect computer from virus, adware and spyware, enhances the ease and flexibility of using computer and while surfing or browsing internet. With the popularity of digital photography and instant messaging nowadays, Google Pack also include best photo management software and popular instant messaging client. Also look out for free artwork and photos and programs that will turns your PC into multimedia center.

Most of the software in Google Pack is freeware, although you may pay to use more than the basic functionality or extend the virus signatures update beyond 6 months.

Software available in Google Pack:


  • Google Earth – Best free 3D earth browser, where you can zoom even till street level.
  • Picasa – Free and feature packed photo organizer, enables you to enhance your photos with just 1 click!
  • Google Desktop – Organize and arrange all your personalized information in one place and search for everything with this invaluable desktop companion.
  • Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer – Enhance Internet Explorer to block pop-ups, search from any web pages and autofill forms.
  • Google Pack Screensaver – A photo screensaver that use your personal collection.
  • Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar – Better browser with better security control and tabbed browsing.
  • Ad-Aware SE Personal – One of the best and free spyware removal utility. The antispyware utility can safely detect and remove spyware, beside protect your privacy.
  • Norton Antivirus 2005 Special Edition – Antivirus utility to protect your PC from viruses, worms and Trojan horses, and comes with free 6-month subscription to protection and virus signature updates.
  • Adobe Reader 7 – Read .pdf files
  • Google Talk – Talk with friends and send instant messages to friends for free.
  • RealPlayer – Organize and play various popular media formats of music and videos, and tranfer your favorite music to Apple iPod or other portable media players.
  • GalleryPlayer HD Images – Free high quality images.
  • Trillian – Free install messenger to chat with friends on AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo! Messenger.

Most importantly, all software application in Google Pack will automatically updated with Google Updater, a new tool that will keep the application up-to-date.

Watch Streaming p2p Live TV on the Internet

December 05, 2005 Add Comment

Watch Streaming p2p Live TV on the Internet


The advance of peer-to-peer technology (p2p) has make possible the distribution of video and TV streams via p2p network. p2pTV is the software application that doing basically that, designed to redistribute video streams on a p2p network.

p2pTV is not the old method of downloading movies, dvds, tv episodes by using bit-torrent or edonkey or other file sharing network, and then watch the videos after completing the download. Nor it’s downloaded short video clips through shoutcast, etc.

p2pTV is freeware which enables you to watch video streams, including live tv channels from pay cable or satellite tv. Thus, it’s possible to make every tv channels in the world to available to all viewers globally.

How the p2pTV Technology Works?

In the traditional way of video streaming, all viewers connect to the streaming server, thus creating bottlenecks or traffic congestion on the server, slowing down the downloads and viewing pleasure.

With p2pTV technology, only few users need to connect to the main streaming server. Instead each users themselves become a streaming server that broadcasts to other peer while at the same time receiving the streaming video from other peer’s streaming server. This greatly reduces the burden on main video streams hosting server, and increases the sources where the media can be streamed from. Thus, the download speed will be higher, and so do smoothness of media playing.

System Requirements

While each individual p2p TV applications may have its own system requirement, but as a rule of thumb, to have a optimum streaming quality for great viewing pleasure without much lagging, it’s vital to have at least the following:

At least 1,500 Kbps download speed
Windows Media Player 9 and/or Real Player

YouTube Video Sharing and Hosting

December 05, 2005 Add Comment

YouTube Video Sharing and Hosting


YouTube is a Flickr-like online video service, which provides free video hosting and storage so that users can share it with their friends, family or even to the whole world. In short, YouTube is Flickr for videos.

Basically, start by create a new free account at YouTube. Then you will be able to start uploading your personal videos that you like to share with the world to YouTube digital video repository. Type of video format allowed includes .AVI, .MOV and .MPG formats, which enough to cover most if not all video files generated from digital cameras and mobile phones. The maximum file size of a video is limit to 100 MB though.

Once the video is in YouTube, it may be tagged with keywords to allow other people to find the video through the tags. The video will also be arranged according to related channels.

To share the video, just send the link that points directly to the video’s YouTube page that plays the video to your friends. Beside, YouTube also has embeddable player that allowed videos to be played directly on your web page, without leaving your site. Beside, it’s also possible to displaying a window of your own YouTube videos, or specifically tagged videos on your web page. Or create a link that links to your profile, your videos, or specifically tagged videos on YouTube.

All videos will play back by YouTube Flash Player. And the video cannot be downloaded. But it’s still good for video blog or simply just share your video to the world.

Check Cisco Switch Version and Hardware

December 04, 2005 Add Comment

Check Cisco Switch Version and Hardware


In order to check Cisco Catalyst switch software version and hardware information, use the following command:

show version

or

show hardware

Both commands can be used, and the output can be interpreted like the following:

Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS ™ GS Software (GS7), Experimental Version 10.2(11829) [pst 113]

System-Type (ImageName) Version Major.Minor(Release.Interim)[Who] Desc

System-Type: Type of system the software is designed to run on.
ImageName: The name of the image. This is different (slightly) for run-from-rom, run-from-flash, and run-from-ram images, and also for subset images which both were and will be more common.
Version: Text changes slightly when, for example, if given a special version of software to try out a bug fix, it will say experimental version.
Major: Major version number, which (in theory) whenever has major feature additions and changes to the softare.
Minor: Minor version number, which counts smaller but still signficant feature added.
Release: Increment of 1, 2, 3, 4… for each maintenance release of released software for every compile in some other places.
Interim: Increment on every build of the release tree in software control, which happens weekly for each release, but is only made into a generically shipping maintenance release every 7 to 8 weeks or so.
[Who]: Who built it, which has “fc 1″ or similar for released software.
Desc: Additional description.

Copyright (c) 1986-1995 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Thu 09-Mar-95 23:54 by tli
Image text-base: 0×00001000, data-base: 0x00463EB0

Copyright, compilation date, by whom, as well as the starting address of the image.

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 5.0(7), RELEASE SOFTWARE
ROM: GS Software (GS7), Version 10.0(7), RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

The version of ROM bootstrap software, and the version of IOS in ROM.

demo.cisco.net uptime is 2 weeks, 4 days, 18 hours, 38 minutes
System restarted by reload

How long the router has been up, and why it restarted.

System image file is “sse-current”, booted via flash

How the router was booted.

RP (68040) processor with 16384K bytes of memory.

Type of processor.

G.703/E1 software, Version 1.0.
X.25 software, Version 2.0, NET2, BFE and GOSIP compliant.
Bridging software.
ISDN software, Version 1.0.

Various software options compiled in.

1 Silicon Switch Processor.
2 EIP controllers (8 Ethernet).
2 FSIP controllers (16 Serial).
1 MIP controller (1 T1).
8 Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interfaces.
16 Serial network interfaces.
128K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
4096K bytes of flash memory sized on embedded flash.

Hardware configuration.

Configuration register is 0×102

Lastly, the “configuration register”, which may be set via software in recent release.

System Tray Icon Missing from System Tray in Windows XP

December 02, 2005 Add Comment

System Tray Icon Missing from System Tray in Windows XP


Symptoms

After the computer started, not all icons that should be present in the system tray (nowadays also called notification area) of the task bar is showing. Often, one or more icons are missing and disappearing from the task bar notification area.

This is known problem, or a bug of Windows XP. It has nothing to do with Hide Inactive Icons that tidy up your notification area.

Cause

The exact cause for the problem is unknown. According to Microsoft, the problem can be caused by the Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) which discovers Universal Plug and Play devices on your network.

However, Microsoft Knowledge Base may not exactly the same symptom with notification area icons do not appearing issue, as it also has other symptoms:

The pointer changes to an hour glass when you move it over the taskbar.
Some icons do not appear in the notification area.
When you click Start, nothing happens.
The Start button does not work for several minutes, and then it starts to work.
When you restart the computer, the icons in the notification area are missing. If you log off and log on with the same user account, the icons appear.
When you click any icon in the Quick Launch bar immediately after starting the computer, the pointer changes to an hourglass.
Solutions

Possible solutions are many, although none confirmed to be working perfectly. If you have the symptoms as mentioned by Microsoft above, you can try out resolution suggested by Microsoft to resolve this behavior. Note that Microsoft’s solution will disable the SSDP Discovery Service, which caused new devices on the network cannot be found automatically.

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
2. Click Services and Applications.
3. Double-click Services.
4. In the Services list, right-click SSDP Discovery Service, and then click Properties.
5. On the General tab, in the Startup type drop-down list, click Disabled.
6. Click OK.

If it doesn’t work, the alternative would be disable both SSDP Discovery Service and Universal Plug and Play Device Host. Repeat the above steps for both services.

You may try to choose Automatic at step 5 instead of Disabled, as it’s reported some people has success with this.

If you need Universal Plug and Play services and wouldn’t want to disable it, Francesco Ostuni suggested Ostuni Workaround which does not disable the uPNP service. The steps as below (only applicable on Windows XP with Service Pack 2):

1. Open My Network Places.
2. Click Hide Icons for Networked uPnP Devices at the Tasks panel.
3. For Windows Classic theme users, click Tools and the Folder Options in Windows Explorer, and then select Show Common Tasks in Folders to see the option specified in step 2.

Or,

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
4. Select Networking Services.
5. Click Details button.
6. Uncheck (remove) the UPnP User Interface.
7. Click OK.

The most reliable way to solve the problem is to logout and then login again to Windows XP.

If you don’t want to logout and login Windows XP after starting the PC, Disable Automatic Logon is a possible way to solve the issue by the following steps:

1. Click on Start.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type “control userpasswords2″.
4. Click OK.
5. Check (Select) Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.
6. Click OK.
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