Mashed Articles

Amazon keeps extending its cloud offering. They have just added Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS). SNS is a publish/subscribe mechanism.

Integration-As-A-Service
As explained in earlier posts, I expect Integration-As-A-Service to become more important. One of the larger players (Amazon, Google, EMC, Cisco, Microsoft, …) may one day come up with a wonderful solution for Business-2-Business communication between organizations.

When I first learned about Simple Queuing Service of Amazon back in 2006, I intially thought that SQS could serve as a transport mechanism for B2B communication. But that didn’t work out. As the message size of SQS was very limited, data first had to be stored on S3. Authentication and authorization were also very limited.

So I looked around in the SNS documentation to see what SNS actually is and see if it can serve as a basis for B2B communication. Amazon thinks SNS is usable for B2B or application integration:
Application integration: Amazon SNS can be used in workflow systems to relay events among distributed computer applications, move data between data stores, or update records in business systems. For example, in an order processing application, notification messages may be sent whenever a transaction occurs; a customer places an order, the transaction is forwarded to a payment processor for approval, and an order confirmation message is published to an Amazon SNS topic.

Some facts

• Messages can be published over HTTP, HTTPS, E-mail or SQS
• Proprietary solution/mechanism, not based on any standard (no AS1, AS2, SFTP, WS-Notification, WS-Eventing, …)
• Messages are (again) limited to 8KB. Just like SQS: too small.
• Authentication is based on AWS accounts, so also every subscriber requires an AWS account, hindering factor.
• Messages are pushed, not polled. This is good for performance. For polling, use SQS.
• But when pushing, the subscriber must expose a web service or mail account. How to secure this: no authentication from Amazon to endpoint receiving notifications; no basic auth, no support for client certs, …
• Messages are signed by Amazon. This is good, very good. Signing is based on HmacSHA256.

Conclusion:
Nice and interesting, but not good enough… In particular the message size remains a blocking factor.

Questions left:

• What happens if messages cannot be delivered for a longer periode of time? E.g. when a subscriber disappears?
• How does a message that is published over HTTP exactly look like (signed, JSON)? What parameters are passed in the URL?
• Can an SSL endpoint with self-signed cert receive notifications?
• What if SSL cert of endpoint is expired?
• Are mail messages signed and if yes, how?
• How and when are messages actually persisted?
• The publish service isn’t idempotent it seems?

PS: all based on reading the docs, must confess that I didn’t actually test it

I have recently met our client who uchecked the sysadmin rights of BUILTIN\Administrators group before given any permissions to anotgher account.

That was NOT such problem if the BUILTIN\Administrators group was removed from sysadmin role accidentally/by mistake, then you must login with another sysadmin login. If there is no other sysadmin login, you must login with SQL authentication as sa with the password that was set during setup to sa. Once logged in as a member of sysadmin, you are able to add BUILTIN\Admisnitrators back to sysadmin role.
However everything above does not work for the client. Uhhh,the client also disabled SA accoount as well as DAC connection.
Moreover, there is no domain controller where you can create a sysadmin domain acoount and grant the access to the machine running SQL Server,that was a stand alone computer with single instance installed on.

The solution we found was to start SQL Server with single user mode. Using the single-user mode, SQL Server 2005 prevents a Windows Administrator to abuse this privilege to act on behalf of the sysadmin without being noticed. This allows Windows Administrator accounts to perform certain maintenance tasks, such as installing patches. To someone who is not familiar how to start the instance in single user mode and adding login to the server role being system administrator please read the below link describing step by step the procedure.

http://blogs.msdn.com/raulga/archive/2007/07/12/disaster-recovery-what-to-do-when-the-sa-account-password-is-lost-in-sql-server-2005.aspx

Electronic Check Processing – The Way The Modern World Pays!

Minting hands full of money is what business aims at. There are various modes through which monetary transactions can be meted out. After the Barter System, the oldest form of transacting is in liquid cash. Security concerns emerged and banks flourished, making check payment the most secure mode of transactions. Times changed, advanced technologies cropped up and the modern world began online transactions through credit cards and online payments. The more we are moving towards an advanced age, crime is also cropping up, and now we stand with a huge question mark in our face, pondering on the pros and cons of using credit cards and online transactions. Drifting back towards the past, check payment adorns the privilege of still being the mostly used mode of payment.

Why Checks?

If you are doing brisk business and are offering cash or credit the only options for payment mind you, you are obstructing a huge number of people from transacting with you. A survey reveals the bare fact that most of American who do not have credit card, rely on check payment transactions for anything and everything they purchase. Restricting your business transactions to solely cash or credit, this is creating a barrier between you and your valuable customer.

Electronic Checks – Modernized Version of Checks!

The modern world may use the older methods for payments through checks but still there is a tinge of modernism reflected. This is yet another era of “checks”, not paper checks but electronic checks.

• What is electronic check?

A check is a check; the remarkable difference here is that it is an electronic edition of check. This check is facilitated with a secure electronic file where drafter mentions purpose of the check. Electronic checks are processed as paper checks. It is signed, endorsed, deposited, cleared and settled. An electronic check has superior features as compared to paper check; the best quality here is that there is no room whatsoever for errors. Before processing the electronic check, it must be perfectly created and digitally signed by an authorized party.

• Benefits of Electronic Check Processing

1. 1. They are faster in clearing as paper check.
2. 2. They are with fewer errors.
3. 3. Secure Transaction by digital signature, authentication signature and public or private key.
4. 4. Reduce your operating key.
5. 5. No chance of alteration and forgery because of fully automated system.
6. 6. Settlement becomes easy because check numbers are assigned by payers.
7. 7. You can save up to 25% on processing charge compared to credit card processing.

Adapting Electronic Check Processing – A Wise Move!

As business advances, work also multiplies threefold, and with extra workload managing paper checks can be somewhat a messy affair, while misplacement of a check can be a highly traumatic experience. In such a scenario adapting to the most advanced Electronic Check Processing is a wise move. Electronic Check Processing can help you keep pace with the challenges of your business. Time Management is the most essential factor in business, and electronic check processing enables you to save time and money by processing checks electronically from a computer instead of going to the bank.

Conclusion

We can conclude that moving on with times and deriving the best possible benefits time has to offer is what we call wise moves of business. Electronic Check Conversion is a new technology, and the punch line is that you need to feel comfortable imbibing the same in your system. Overall, it is the most beneficial mode of transacting, give it a try and you’ll be benefited and obliged.

Resources:http://articlesupport.com/2009/11/27/adapting-electronic-check-processing-service/