Sep 02

POP3 emails utilize email readers in order to transfer and properly display the message. Common email readers include Netscape Messenger, Pegasys, Eudora, Juno, Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, and AOL Mail. Most internet browsers come bundled with email readers for ease of use.

There are numerous free, open source, commercial email readers available as shareware to be used with all different types of operating systems. The process is quite simple, when you want to check your email just click the application to open. Once open, the program will download new emails to the client and display them on the screen.

Creating an email is just as simple. Once logged in, Reply, Forward and New Message are commonly available on the toolbar. Whichever method is selected, you must click the send button once finalized in order to transfer the message to the appropriate party.

There area many advantages to using the POP3 email system. These include:

  • No need to log into the internet
  • No advertising
  • Opening and adding attachments is quick
  • No size limit to sent and received messages
  • No maximum mailbox size

The primary advantages of a POP3 email system is there is no need to log onto the internet to send, view or forward email messages. Instead, the messages remain in a hold folder which saves the message until accessed. This folder allows the user to add priorities to the message or schedule a date and time for when you would like the message to be posted.

Another major advantage is the lack of advertising in POP3 email. Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail all have annoying advertisements around your inbox and within messages. Also, opening and adding attachments to messages is much quicker than uploading them through an internet system because they are already local to your PC.

Furthermore, there is no size limit to sent and received messages. This makes it much easier to send large files as opposed to breaking them down into smaller pieces and sending or compressing them. Finally, with POP3 systems, there is no maximum mailbox size; all files are stored locally on your computer. The only limitation is the size of your hard drive.

POP3 clients have many advantages that help improve productivity within a business and easy navigation for personal use. Microsoft Outlook is an example of excellent POP3 email software and they continue to improve the program due to customer feedback.

Aug 24

There are two types of data backup solutions, hardware and software. Hardware can be stored in a safe, secure location of your choosing. Backup hardware will perform at the highest standards, aside from environmental issues affecting the equipment. Having your hardware in a separate storage facility is not something all individuals are willing to do.

Software solutions can be utilized so long as your computer has access to the internet or a network. The internet is used as a medium to upload and download files to a secure storage facility. Although software packages fulfill basic networking needs, hardware can often be the best decision of the two.

Many professionals use different types of media when backup up their servers. Common media types include:

  • Tape
  • CD ROM
  • Floppy Disks
  • Flash Drives
  • External Hard Drives

Flash drives and external hard drives are the most economic and efficient of the listed removable media. Flash drives and external hard drives have much more storage space making them the most popular options. Floppy disks and CD-ROM’s can only be used when the file sizes are small.

The most popular method for backing up a server is remote access. With simply an internet connection, you can configure your server to upload backup files of the system as often as needed. Most choose the remote data storage option. In addition to the accessibility, backup files are sent to a secure location, safe from the elements. This tends to be more expensive but the security is unmatched.

At the same time, there are various software solutions available. Different companies offer different online backup packages for varying needs. Many save the data in multiple locations to confirm nothing is lost during a catastrophe.

Advantageous features include easy installation, affordable costs, unlimited backup and top-notch customer service. Keep in mind that there are also disadvantages found within different online data backup companies. Prior to choosing a provider, make sure to check what’s offered and what isn’t.

Simply choose which option is right for you and your business. Both selections have their respective advantages and disadvantages. Discuss different features and functions that are necessary and those that are not. Also review any potential catastrophic events that could disrupt normal business flow.

These decisions can be difficult. While the cheapest option may look attractive, in the long run it could result in massive data loss which will end up costing more. Therefore select the most balanced choice for the business.

Jul 28

There are hundreds of millions of websites across the internet from every corner of the earth. Hence the reason it’s called the World Wide Web. As technology progresses and websites are easier to build, even an individual with the lowest comprehension of computer knowledge can get one up and running in a short time.

Due to the technology currently available, the publishing of a website can be completed in only three steps. These include:

  • Create the website
  • Find a hosting plan
  • Upload the site

Depending on your skill level, a website can be created manually utilizing Dreamweaver or notepad. On the other hand, sites can be almost automatically created with numerous open source programs. The second method is the easiest and requires the least amount of programming.

One of the most popular methods of website creation is WordPress, a content management system. It was originally created to help create blogs, but this has been extended to any type of website including stores. There are thousands of user-created themes for your website. Additionally, plugins, widgets and other tools are available to the user for different tasks, most are free.

Another helpful content management system is Joomla which creates the site and manages the content. To use Joomla simply install it properly and that’s it! There are tools for site creation if you have the need.

Once the website is created, its time to find a hosting plan that fits your needs. Generally you don’t want to use a free service since the quality is usually not up to par. Since most web hosting companies are charging beans for service, it’s almost free. The most important aspects of choosing a web hosting provider are scalability, storage, bandwidth, CPU and cost.

Once you’ve found a web hosting provider, its time to upload the site. Find a free FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program and connect to your site through the IP address. Simply drag the files from your computer to their server and that’s basically it. Many web hosting providers can automatically install CMS’s like WordPress.

Creating a website has come a long way in a short amount of time. There is so much software available to create a website without any programming knowledge needed. With the addition of freeware and open source software, it’s also extremely inexpensive. As technology continues, this task will become even easier and almost everyone will have a website.

Jul 22

There are many different developer certifications available. To add to the long list is a .NET web content management system certificate offered by Kentico. This will certify its graduates as CMS technology experts.

While there are many vendors that offer CMS certifications, Kentico is the most recent. The basics of the course include:

  • Upon completion, the result is a Kentico Certified Developer
  • One year of Kentico CMS development experience is required or completion of Kentico CMS 5 Certified Developer Training
  • Demonstration of the understanding of ASP.NET, the .NET framework, web interfaces, CSS and website deployment are scrutinized

The exam for the certification is 50 questions an available anytime online for $199. The long debate over whether certifications immediately make someone an expert continues. There are plenty of good developers that didn’t pass certification exams. They are still experts; they just don’t have a certification document proving this fact.

Many believe that time and money is better spent on Microsoft certifications as their courses tend to cover more information and different types of vendors. Unfortunately most experts believe that a non-committed or poor developer that obtains a certification will weaken the whole system.

Kentico is adding to the certification list to provide a quick and easy method to recognize highly-skilled developers. They claim the return on investment is maximized and time to market is reduced through their certification course.

The Kentico CMS certification course is a partner of Microsoft. This proves their conformance with Microsoft testing protocols such as Microsoft Platform Test for Windows Server 2003, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Test and Microsoft Managed Code Test.

There are two types of courses offered by Kentico: the Certified Content Administrator Training and the Certified Developer Training. The administrative training instructs students on how to use Kentico CMS 5 to create and publish content. It also teaches users how to perform their daily tasks utilizing this software. The developer training focuses on speedy website deployments, best programming and design practices, as well as showcasing the capabilities of the Kentico CMS.

Kentico is providing another addition to the list of vendor certifications by offering an administrative and developer training. These courses teach all aspects of the Kentico Content Management System to the users. This is helpful with daily tasks as well as following good design and practices. Any additional courses do add credibility to your workplace experience and this is no exception.

Jul 02

MS SQL Server is essentially the Microsoft equivalent of MySQL produced for use with the Linux operating system. MS SQL is a relational model database server coded primarily in the T-SQL and ANSI SQL languages. The first version was created in 1989 as Sybase SQL Server.

MS SQL Server can support 2GB of memory on x86 hardware but can be configured to utilize 64GB when Address Windowing Extension is being utilized. Conversely, it can support 8TB of memory for x64 hardware. Consequently, when running MS SQL Server on x86 on x64 hardware, the program can support up to 4GB of memory without the need for special configuration.

The architecture of MS SQL Server is segmented into three components. These include:

  • SQLOS
  • Relational Engine
  • Protocol Layer

SQLOS

SQLOS is the support segment for MS SQL Server by offering all basic services. It offers the standard functions that are associated with Microsoft Windows. These include:

  • I/O management
  • Buffer pool management
  • Memory management
  • Resource management
  • Thread scheduling
  • Synchronization primitives
  • Deadlock detection

Relational Engine

This area of MS SQL Server collaborates with the relational data storage with SQLOS. It completes this task to define the various types of data that have the ability to be stored in the tables. This includes the storage engine which manages the data on storage devices and offers access at much quicker speeds.

The relational engine also includes a query processor which actually retrieves the data from storage. Queries denote the data needed and the processor creates methods for accessing the data. The actual operations are completed by worker threads.

Protocol Layer

This component of MS SQL Server inputs the external interface. Operations are communicated to the protocol layer allowing access to the MS SQL Server. The communication is transferred via a Microsoft-define format called Tabular Data Stream (TDS).

These are the three basic components and their functions that help make MS SQL Server run properly. Although this is just a general overview of the processes, it’s important to have a taste of the parts that support this powerful software. Consequently there is a higher level of detail involved, but this is best suited for programmers and developers.

MS SQL Server has remained a competitive entity against Linux-based MySQL. With the vast support of Microsoft, this could be the best program in its field. As technology persists with newer and better features and processes, MS SQL Server will be at the forefront of database server software.