[Tutorial] ADO.NET Data Services Part 1 - Setting up the projects

This is the first part of a series that is dedicated to ADO.NET Data Services. It shows how to configure a web project, and two console projects for using ADO.NET Data Services and serves as fundament for all following parts.

• Create a new ASP.NET Web Application

• Add a new item of type ADO.NET Data Service

• The ADO.NET Data Service is now generated using a standard template

• Add two standard console projects to the solution (for Client and Host)

[Tutorial] ADO.NET Data Services
Part 1 - Setting up the projects

[DevLabs] DevLabs – Microsoft Innovation Projects

Microsoft provides its latest and most inventive ideas to the public in the form of experimental innovation projects on the DevLabs Homepage, that can be found under http://msdn.microsoft.com/devlabs.

The current projects are:

• Axum (Safe and productive parallel programming model for .NET)
• Chess (Finding and Reproducing Heisenbugs in Concurrent Programs)
• Code Contracts (Language-agnostic coding assumptions in .NET)
• Pex (Automated White Box Testing for .NET)
• Microsoft Popfly (Creating and sharing games the easy way)
• Small Basic (Learning a programming language the small and easy way)

Axum is especially interesting since it provides a whole new language approach to parallel programming, while Chess assures that Race conditions are identified and handled correctly.

Code Contracts and Pex aid in delivering robust and highly tested applications since they assure that functions are working as expected.

You may download, install and evaluate the projects to be prepared for their future releases and to participate in their development.

[DevLabs] DevLabs – Microsoft Innovation Projects

[Tutorial] Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 How to export UML Diagrams into Image Files

I recently used Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 to create UML diagrams, which by the way is already working great. Then I wanted to export the diagrams into an image format to include them into specification documents, but there are no direct image exporting functionalities as of today (hopefully they will be added into the final release).

The following steps will allow you to export UML diagrams in the image format of your choice.

There are currently 2 ways of getting images from UML diagrams:

• If the copy functionality is working, then you may copy and paste them directly from Visual Studio 2010 into your documents, but when you get the following error it won’t work

• Use the integrated XPS printer to create an XPS file, then convert the file into the desired image format by using an external Freeware tool like for example “Converter for XPS Documents 1.0”

[Tutorial] Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1
How to export UML Diagrams into Image Files

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V Part 5 – Configuring the Compute Nodes for the HPC Cluster

The last part showed the Head Node configuration. This part explains the Compute Nodes setup of the “Compute Node” Virtual Machines in Hyper-V. The Compute Nodes do the calculations and execute the jobs that they received from the Head Node in the HPC Cluster.

• Start the “Head Node” Virtual Machine but do not insert anything into the Virtual Machines DVD drive, go into the cluster management console and select to add Compute Nodes

• Select to deploy the Compute Nodes from an operation system image

• Start the “Compute Node” Virtual Machines but do not insert anything into the Virtual Machines DVD drive

• Now switch back to the Head Node, select the Node Template and the Compute Nodes in the list that you want to deploy

• After the deployment was finished verify in the node list that the Compute Nodes were correctly deployed (they should appear Offline)

• Activate the compute nodes by bringing them online, the HPCS cluster is now fully configured and jobs can be submitted and executed

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V
Part 5 – Configuring the Compute Nodes for the HPC Cluster

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V Part 4 – Configuring the Head Node for the HPC Cluster

The last part showed the Domain Controller configuration. This part explains the Head Node setup of the “Head Node” Virtual Machine in Hyper-V. The Head Node acts as main entry point for jobs and central managing and administration entity for the whole HPC Cluster.

• Start the “Head Node” Virtual Machine and insert the “SRVHPC_EN.iso” into the Virtual Machines DVD drive
• Boot from the ISO and Install Windows Server 2008 using the standard configuration
• After the installation was completed, reboot and insert the “HPCEval.iso” into the Virtual Machines DVD drive and start the HPC Pack installation

• Select to create a new HPC Cluster and a new database instance

• Install the required components and then start the cluster management console in the next step

• In the cluster management To-do list, select to configure the network

• Select the topology with all nodes on enterprise and private networks, specify a static IP address for the Head Node private network and use the firewall default settings

• Add the domain user credentials to the cluster user group

• Configure the Compute Node naming series and supply the base image that will later be used for the automatic deployment of Compute Nodes for the HPC Cluster (use the “SRVHPC_EN.iso” in the Virtual Machines DVD drive for this purpose, point to the “setup.exe” file)

  

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V
Part 4 – Configuring the Head Node for the HPC Cluster

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V Part 3 – Configuring the Domain Controller for the HPC Cluster

The last part showed the Virtual Machines configuration. This part explains the Domain Controller setup of the “DNS” Virtual Machine in Hyper-V that is necessary for the HPC cluster setup. The Domain Controller serves to simulate the enterprise network in a real environment.

• Start the “DNS” Virtual Machine and insert the “SRVHPC_EN.iso” into the Virtual Machines DVD drive
• Boot from the ISO and Install Windows Server 2008 using the standard configuration
• Use “dcpromo” to install the Active Directory Domain Services binaries and to promote the Server to a Domain Controller

• Create a new domain in a new forest and give it a FQDN of “HPC.Test”
• Set the forest functional level to Windows Server 2008
• Activate the DNS function in the additional Domain Controller options

• Verify the configuration and start the operation

• After the operation was finished, go into the Network Connection configuration and open the Network Card configuration

• Deactivate the TCP/IPv6 check-box and open the TCP/IPv4 configuration

• Configure a static IP address, that will be used for the Domain Controller

• In the next step add the DHCP role to the Domain Controller

• Configure the DHCP service so that it serves clients on the static IP

• Add a scope and give it a meaningful name

• Verify the installation selections and install the DHCP services

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V
Part 3 – Configuring the Domain Controller for the HPC Cluster

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V Part 2 – Configuring the Virtual Machines for the HPC Cluster

The last part showed how to prepare a Windows Server 2008 for being able to install Windows HPC Server 2008 (HPCS) in a Hyper-V environment.

This part contains the Virtual Machines configuration in the Hyper-V Manager that will be used in the next parts to set-up a DNS Server, a HPCS Head Node and 2 Compute Nodes.

• Add a new virtual network “Private virtual machine network” and name it “Cluster Private”
  

• Add a new virtual network “Internal only” and name it “Connect To Host”

• Add a new Virtual Machine in the Hyper-V Management console and name it “DNS” (will work as Domain Controller, DNS and DHCP)
• Configuration: 1 Virtual CPU, 512 MB RAM and only the “Connect To Host” virtual network

• Add a new Virtual Machine and name it “Head Node” (will work as Head Node for the HPC Cluster)
• Configuration: 1 Virtual CPU, 1024 MB RAM, the “Cluster Private” and “Connect To Host” virtual networks

• Add 2 new Virtual Machines and name them “Compute Node 1” and “Compute Node 2” (will work as Compute Nodes for the HPC Cluster, you may add more if you have more than 4 GB RAM)
• They must use the same configuration: 2 Virtual CPUs, 512 MB RAM, the “Cluster Private” and “Connect To Host” virtual networks

• In the end you will have 4 Virtual machines, ready to be installed

[Tutorial] Installing Windows HPC Server 2008 in Hyper-V
Part 2 – Configuring the Virtual Machines for the HPC Cluster