I AM WHAT I AM.... Damodar !

Event "UserEnv" in event viewer

2009-03-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Recently I happened to work on the events generated in the eventviwer.

I found the most common Error, Warning, Information will be like
1> userenv
When you see the description of the error message : "Windows cannot find the machine account, No authority could be contacted for authentication."

The below article will describe why the error comes and what is the resolution for that.

Check this from Micrsoft KB

What "STATIC" means in C#

2009-02-16T01:02:00.001-08:00

Hi folks,

Its been a quite long time where i haven't posted o my blog.
For the last few months, I haven't find time to even read my mails.

Lets start with static word in C# language. (As I faced in some of the interviews.)

First I start with msdn says -
"The static modifier can be used with classes, fields, methods, properties, operators, events, and constructors, but it cannot be used with indexers, destructors, or types other than classes. The static modifier on a class means that the class cannot be instantiated, and that all of its members are static. A static member has one version regardless of how many instances of its enclosing type are created."

And another good article By Rajesh here

రెండు రెళ్ళు ఆరు: I wil Bet you sure love it...

2008-09-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

రెండు రెళ్ళు ఆరు:

Next Generation Browser from Apple and Google

2008-09-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Here comes the must awaited gen-X new Browser from google and apple called.. Google Chrome..

Read the specifications of it here......
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/

You can also download it from here..

A Windows Service, a simple walk through on the internet

2008-08-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Once I was assigned to wrote a windows service. So with the knowledge i have at that time, I started to write and faced a stream of issues while configuring and installing.

Then I searched in ineternet and found the listed three artilces were very useful when you are dealing with windows services..

From msdn site
1. Start Creating a windows service, lesson1
2. Which is better InstallUtil or a batch file, is upto you.
3. One more example from Internet.

The new Generation SEARCH engine.. Is it better than GOOGLE, our best for a long time..Chek this

2008-07-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Tom Costello, CEO of Cuil said that "The Web continues to grow at a fantastic rate and other search engines are unable to keep up with it,Our significant breakthroughs in search technology have enabled us to index much more of the Internet, placing nearly the entire Web at the fingertips of every user."

Stealth startup Cuil (pronounced "cool") is a next-generation search site that claims its index holds three times as many pages as Google, while requiring far fewer servers. Cuil co-founder and former Google project leader Anna Patterson told PC Magazine that Cuil's search index will debut with a 120 billion-page index, compared with Google's 40 billion out of the Internet's total of 140 billion pages.

By dividing different topics among different servers, Cuil can utilize far fewer servers than Google and return more relevant results, according to Patterson. Cuil's server farm can host the index on just $5 million worth of servers, while Google's smaller index requires hardware costing in the hundreds of millions. Queries to Cuil are routed to the pertinent server rather than through the whole server farm.

Cuil indexes pages based on relevance, rather than popularity based on link analysis, as Google does, and analyzes the context of the page and the concept behind queries. The site displays results in multiple columns with thumbnail images and tabs for result categories.

Patterson also claimed that Cuil provided more privacy than Google, as it doesn't gather any personally identifiable information on users or their search histories.

Cuil is available to the public at www.cuil.com

While searching BE CAREFUL about the spellings.

Here are my Findings.
I tried to search "fundamentalls of insurance domain" (Note that i have entered two "ll's") i got the spell check in google,
But i got the following message....

"No results were found for: fundamentalls of insurance domain
If you’ve checked your spelling, you could try using fewer or different keywords to broaden your search.

Still no luck? Send us your feedback: noresults@cuil.com "

So it has some pros and cons.
Let us see how it will survive in the industry against the GAINT GOOGLE .

Mobile PHONE sense, While having a phone please TRY to MAINTAIN these steps. It will be descent

2008-07-22T01:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

Now-a-days there is no hand without a mobile phone.
Itz hard to find a HOME without TV, a gal without Boy Friend and a SWE without MOBILE.

But most of the times when I saw them how they were using their phones, will get irritation and frustration also.

A long back I have seen a video on YOUTUBE, showing an employee of a SW firm hitting another who is not picking his phone after so many rings while he is there in reach.

Please follow these stpes and avoid the inconvinience caused by YOU to the people around YOU.

1. Please use a low ring tone sound when YOU are in an audible range. YOU may bought your mobile for a high cost, and every body knows that YOU have so many features on it. But don't try to show them.

2. While on the move use Vibrate only profile, so that YOU can easily attend the call.

3. Never use YOUR mobile in MEETINGS, which leads a BAD impression on YOU.

4. Talk GENTLY. YOU may be in frustration, but don't show it on the phone.

5. Do not talk while YOUR mobile is on CHARGE.

Finally, as a common man every body likes to listen a soft sound(like a melody, rather a horrible sound or a music which is like irritated.)So, put a NICE melody ring tone at a low ringing sound and enjoy working....

If YOU follow these steps I am sure that many people will like YOU. Sure........

Here are SEVEN wonderful projects on MOSS 2007

2008-07-18T03:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Dudes,

If you are a starter in Microsoft Office Share Server, then here is the cool link on how to start a project from scratch.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/2/f/02f0f661-88e1-43c2-b523-88d2e9e6802f/7%20Development%20Projects%20with%20the%202007%20Microsoft%20Office%20System%20and%20Windows%20SharePoint%20Services%202007.pdf

MOSS 2007 Configuration Techniques

2008-07-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Dudes,
Here is a cool link on how to configure the different features in SharePoint Server 2007 for our needs.
Check out the link.

http://clintcherry.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!AEC0DCBC460E45B9!535.entry

One of the best VISAUL I have seen. Might be you have seen this. But be it practical. very good

2008-06-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the Lead India advertisement on you tube. A very nice and must watch video.
Be an Indian and do as an Indian to make our India to a Great country.

Here is the link to update you in Blood Groups..

2008-06-02T03:15:00.001-07:00

Hi Pals,
Please register to this site and be a part of SAVING LIVES.

++++ Donate Blood and Save Lives++++

A Beautiful Melody Dedicated to MUSIC LOVERS..

2008-05-29T04:27:00.001-07:00

Listen to Sivaputrudu Songs at MusicMazaa.com

User Controls Vs Custom Controls, Looks similar. But here is the difference.

2008-05-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Generally the programmer feels that the custom controls and user controls are similar in nature.
(Almost not exactly.)

But there are lot of differences between these two in nature and in execution.
Here are some cool links to have a look at them.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893667
http://steveorr.net/faq/UserCustom.aspx
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/progaspdotnet/chapter/ch14.html

A Great and nice article about our ROLE MODEL

2008-05-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

The man who went from being a small town boy in Tamil Nadu, to pioneering the science of Aeronautical Engineering to leading a country of millions into a future free of poverty and misery. The man who began his term as the president of India on July 25th, 2002, shall now move over to make way for another who, we hope, will lead India on in a manner befitting the standards set by A.P.J Abdul Kalam. Here we pay our tributes to the President of the Masses.

Typical Page life cycle in ASP.Net 2.0

2008-04-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

ASP.NET 2.0 Page Life Cycle - The lifetime of an ASP.NET page is filled with events. A series of processing steps takes place during this page life cycle. Following tasks are performed:* Initialization* Instantiation of controls* Restoration & Maintainance of State* Running Event Handlers* Rendering of data to the browserThe life cycle may be broken down into Stages and Events. The stages reflect the broad spectrum of tasks performed. The following stages take place1) Page Request - This is the first stage, before the page life cycle starts. Whenever a page is requested, ASP.NET detects whether the page is to be requested, parsed and compiled or whether the page can be cached from the system.2) Start - In this stage, properties such as Request and Response are set. Its also determined at this stage whether the request is a new request or old, and thus it sets the IsPostBack property in the Start stage of the page life cycle.3) Page Initialization - Each control of the page is assigned a unique identification ID. If there are themes, they are applied. Note that during the Page Initialization stage, neither postback data is loaded, nor any viewstate data is retrieved.4) Load - If current request is a postback, then control values are retrieved from their viewstate.5) Validation - The validate method of the validation controls is invoked. This sets the IsValid property of the validation control.6) PostBack Event Handling - Event handlers are invoked, in case the request is a postback.7) Rendering - Viewstate for the page is saved. Then render method for each control is called. A textwriter writes the output of the rendering stage to the output stream of the page's Response property.8) Unload - This is the last stage in the page life cycle stages. It is invoked when the page is completely rendered. Page properties like Respone and Request are unloaded.Note that each stage has its own events within it. These events may be used by developers to handle their code. Listed below are page events that are used more frequently. PreInit - Checks the IsPostBack property. To create or recreate dynamic controls. To set master pages dynamically. Gets and Sets profile propety values.Init - Raised after all controls are initialized, and skin properties are set. InitComplete - This event may be used, when we need to be sure that all initialization tasks are complete.PreLoad - If processing on a control or a page is required before the Load event.Load - invokes the OnLoad event on the page. The same is done for each child control on the page. May set properties of controls, create database connections.Control Events - These are the control specific events, such as button clicks, listbox item selects etc.LoadComplete - To execute tasks that require that the complete page has been loaded.PreRender - Some methods are called before the PreRenderEvent takes place, like EnsureChildControls, data bound controls that have a dataSourceId set also call the DataBind method.Each control of the page has a PreRender event. Developers may use the prerender event to make final changes to the controls before it is rendered to the page.SaveStateComplete - ViewState is saved before this event occurs. However, if any changes to the viewstate of a control is made, then this is the event to be used. It cannot be used to make changes to other properties of a control.Render - This is a stage, not an event. The page object invokes this stage on each control of the page. This actually means that the ASP.NET server control's HTML markup is sent to the browser. Unload - This event occurs for each control. It takes care of cleanup activities like wiping the database connectivities.

Reference :
http://dotnetuncle.com/Aspnet/71_page_life_cycle.aspx

How Garbage Collector will work in .Net and how to use it?

2008-04-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

The most and one of the complex things to handle in .net is Garbage Collector(I feel). To find out more on these.........

Some of the best articles i have seen on Garbage Collector and how the GC(Garbage Collector) works in .net.

Very use ful links :
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/dotnet/gcbyleslie.aspx
http://www.csharphelp.com/archives2/archive297.html
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0xy59wtx.aspx

Here are some tips on the frequently asked questions in Interviews.

2008-04-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

A few days back when search for a quick review of topics in .net, i found this link is very useful.
I hope the same will help you for the quick reference.
With topic-wise........

http://dotnetuncle.com/

Here is the full presentation on how to create a webservice

2008-03-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

The buzz word around IT these days is Web Services. A web service is not a website that a human reads. It is not anything with which an end user would directly interact. A web service is a standard platform for building interoperable distributed applications. It allows you as a developer, to interact with other information providers without worrying about what they are running either at the backend or even their front-end. Take for example a company stock ticker that you may wish to have, say on your website or intranet. The data could possibly be coming from a major news site like MSN or NASDAQ. The way you would currently achieve this is either by buying access to their database or by ‘scraping’ their home page HTML for the relevant data and converting it into your format. Suppose they go ahead and change their web design, all the scraping code you would have written would be rendered useless. Even if you buy access into their system, they may be running a technology that is incompatible or too hard to work with your own.

Follow up the link for more information.

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/IP/intro2websvc.aspx

UDDI from W3Schools

2008-03-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

What is UDDI
UDDI is a platform-independent framework for describing services, discovering businesses, and integrating business services by using the Internet.
UDDI stands for Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
UDDI is a directory for storing information about web services
UDDI is a directory of web service interfaces described by WSDL
UDDI communicates via SOAP
UDDI is built into the Microsoft .NET platform
What is UDDI Based On?
UDDI uses World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Internet standards such as XML, HTTP, and DNS protocols.
UDDI uses WSDL to describe interfaces to web services
Additionally, cross platform programming features are addressed by adopting SOAP, known as XML Protocol messaging specifications found at the W3C Web site.
UDDI Benefits
Any industry or businesses of all sizes can benefit from UDDI
Before UDDI, there was no Internet standard for businesses to reach their customers and partners with information about their products and services. Nor was there a method of how to integrate into each other's systems and processes. Problems the UDDI specification can help to solve:
Making it possible to discover the right business from the millions currently online
Defining how to enable commerce once the preferred business is discovered
Reaching new customers and increasing access to current customers
Expanding offerings and extending market reach
Solving customer-driven need to remove barriers to allow for rapid participation in the global Internet economy
Describing services and business processes programmatically in a single, open, and secure environment
How can UDDI be Used
If the industry published an UDDI standard for flight rate checking and reservation, airlines could register their services into an UDDI directory. Travel agencies could then search the UDDI directory to find the airline's reservation interface. When the interface is found, the travel agency can communicate with the service immediately because it uses a well-defined reservation interface.
Who is Supporting UDDI?
UDDI is a cross-industry effort driven by all major platform and software providers like Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and Sun, as well as a large community of marketplace operators, and e-business leaders.
Over 220 companies are members of the UDDI community.

For more info follow up this article.
http://www.w3schools.com/WSDL/wsdl_uddi.asp

Web Services Description Language (WSDL) 1.1

2008-03-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

WSDL is an XML format for describing network services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information. The operations and messages are described abstractly, and then bound to a concrete network protocol and message format to define an endpoint. Related concrete endpoints are combined into abstract endpoints (services). WSDL is extensible to allow description of endpoints and their messages regardless of what message formats or network protocols are used to communicate, however, the only bindings described in this document describe how to use WSDL in conjunction with SOAP 1.1, HTTP GET/POST, and MIME.
Please follow up this article for more information.

http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl

Here is the proffessional comparision and difference between C# and VB.Net

2008-03-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hey,
I have been searching on web for a while on C# and VB.Net language differences.

I found these two articles were really useful.
Please follow up and find yourself in the comparision.

http://www.harding.edu/fmccown/vbnet_csharp_comparison.html
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/dotnet/vbnet_c__difference.aspx

Here are the cool links on our favourite web services.

2008-02-22T03:19:00.000-08:00

Hello every one,

Here you can find some cool stuff and some work arounds on web services.
Have fun.

http://quickstart.developerfusion.co.uk/quickstart/webservices/
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/hi-in/webservices/default(en-us).aspx
http://www.15seconds.com/issue/010430.htm

Sending Files in Chunks with MTOM Web Services and .NET 2.0

2008-02-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

Send the files what ever you want from your application to any application.

In trying to keep up to speed with .NET 2.0, I decided to do a .NET 2.0 version of my Code Project article DIME Buffered Upload, which uses the DIME standard to transfer binary data over web services. The DIME approach is reasonably efficient, but the code is quite complex and I was keen to explore what .NET 2.0 had to offer. In this article, I use version 3.0 of the WSE (Web Service Enhancements), which is available for .NET 2.0 as an add-in, to provide a simpler and faster method of sending binary data in small chunks over HTTP web services.

The all you need for your questions and problems, here is the one deastination (For developers only..)

2008-02-10T22:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Developers around me and also the world,
Please refer the following site for all your coding related queries and problems.

www.codeproject.com

And try to do some postings in , so that people like us will benefit from the knowledge.

Have fun with web services.

2008-02-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

Microsoft .NET marketing has created a huge hype about its Web Services. This is the first of two articles on Web Services. Here we will create a .NET Web Service using C#. We will look closely at the Discovery protocol, UDDI, and the future of the Web Services. In the next article, we will concentrate on consuming existing Web Services on multiple platforms (i.e., Web, WAP-enabled mobile phones, and windows applications).

What is a Web Service?
Web Services are a very general model for building applications and can be implemented for any operation system that supports communication over the Internet. Web Services use the best of component-based development and the Web. Component-base object models like Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), Remote Method Invocation (RMI), and Internet Inter-Orb Protocol (IIOP) have been around for some time. Unfortunately all these models depend on an object-model-specific protocol. Web Services extend these models a bit further to communicate with the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) to eradicate the object-model-specific protocol barrier.

Read more here at..

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/010430.htm and one more article at
http://www.15seconds.com/issue/010530.htm

Which is the BEST to Choose from VB.Net and C#.Net

2008-01-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
Sorry for not updatting the blog for a few days.
And here is an interesting debate to start:
Which is the best language to choose from VB.Net and C#.Net.

As I have worked on C#.Net over 2+ years, just i started my work on VB.Net.
Anyways it is going smoothly.
But I want to start a debate on this, which is better.
Please write to me at: zulu.damodar@gmail.com
coz i want to share the information with you all.

Features of Visual Studio 2005. oops.. very use ful

2007-12-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Refractoring Making changes to your code like, "pulling a large stretch of inline code into its own method" or "converting a field to be a property." The Refactoring support makes this easy to do The key tenet of Extreme Programming created by Kent Beck is constant Refactoring. Under this programming model, you are developing code rapidly and iteratively, but to keep your code from becoming a jumbled mess, you must constantly Refactor. Refactoring is a C# only feature[enter][/center]
Edit and Continue Visual Basic has always been about Rapid Application Development (RAD). One key feature is the ability to fix runtime errors on the fly. With Visual Basic .NET 1.0 and Visual Basic .NET 1.1, this powerful feature wasn't included. This feature is on-board for Whidbey. If you run into an exception at runtime, you get an exception helper that provides tips for fixing common errors, but more importantly, you can edit the code, select F5, and it continues right where you left off. Edit and Continue is VB .NET only feature
ClickOnce ClickOnce make it easy to install applications and provide ongoing updates (Self-Updating), rather than forcing to distribute new versions of application, can just deploy the portion of the application which has changed. In the .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1, href-exes were not able to solve many deployment issues. Href-exes are also known as ''no-touch deployment, or zero impact deployment''. Essentially, with versions 1.0/1.1, you can deploy an application to a Web server, allowing users to browse to the URL for the exe, as in: You can run me by clicking this link When the user clicks the link, the application downloads to their Internet files cache and runs. To keep this from being a huge security hole, the application permissions are restricted based on the URL (Intranet applications get different permissions than Internet applications, for example), or other factors. This means that some applications no longer need to be deployed in the traditional sense; no more setup.exe or MSI
href-exes have a number of limitations
The .NET Framework must be pre-installed on the client machine.
There's no good way to bootstrap the .NET Framework down if it's not there.
Most non-trivial applications consist of the main .exe and a number of assembly files. With href-exes, the assembly files are downloaded on demand, which is great for corporate Intranet applications, but there's no way to download the application in one shot so that you know it can be safely used off-line.
Limited support for versioning.
The application doesn't hook into Add/Remove Programs, and the application doesn't install Start menu shortcuts.
ClickOnce deployment differs from href-exes in some significant ways
ClickOnce applications are self-updating.
With href-exes you can only make the application self-updating through the use of custom code or through the use of a component, such as the .NET Application Updater component.
With ClickOnce, updates can also be marked as mandatory or optional.
When applications are installed through ClickOnce, they show up in the start menu and they can be uninstalled through the '''Add/Remove Programs''' feature.
ClickOnce works its magic through two XML manifest files.
The first is an ''application manifest'' and
The second is a ''deployment manifest''.
The application manifest describes the application itself, which includes information about the application assemblies, dependencies, and files that make up the application. The application manifest also states the required permissions, and the location where updates can be downloaded.
The deployment manifest points to the location of the application manifest and files, and instructs the clients on which version of the application they should be running.
SmartTags This provides access to information and common tasks without forcing you to constantly navigate away from your work area [enter][/center]
Code Snippets With code snippets, you can insert generic "template" code that requires only that you fill in the blanks. You can access code snippets by right-clicking in the code editor and navigating in the context menu to Insert Snippets [enter][/center]
Exporting IDE Settings With Whidbey, migrating and persisting IDE settings are a simple process of navigating to Tools Import/Export Settings. [enter][/center]
Line Revision Marks Line Revision marks allow you to see the changes you've made during a coding session. When writing code in the IDE, you'll notice yellow and Lime lines appearing down the left hand side of the code editor window. [enter][/center]To change the color, navigate to '''Tools Options''' in the IDE, and then choose '''Show All Settings'''. After that expand '''Environment''' click on the '''Fonts and Colors'''. Scroll down the '''Display Items'''
'''Track changes before Save''' - yellow
'''Track Changes after Save''' - Lime
Temporary Projects Visual Studio .NET 2002 and Visual Studio .NET 2003 both had a propensity to persist your temporary ideas as permanent projects on your hard disk. This created the ''WindowsApplication1,2,3...n'' problem. Visual Studio .NET supports the idea of temporary projects. if you attempt to close the IDE without saving, it will prompt you to either save or ''discard'' the project
About the author Vidya Vrat Agarwal, a Microsoft .NET Purist, and a MCSD.NET, MCAD.NET, MCSD, MCT. He is also a Life Member of Computer Society of India (CSI). He started working on Microsoft.NET with its beta release. He has been involved in software development, corporate trainings, T3 programs, technical writing and consultation for Microsoft.NET for various corporate clients. Presently he is working with LionBridge Technologies in Mumbai - India, where he works with Microsoft Dept. on Whidbey and Yukon and his business card reads Subject Matter Expert His technical profile holds .NET Framework, VC#, VB.NET, WebServices, Remoting, SQL Server, COM, DCOM, COM+, MTS, MSMQ. Whidbey, Yukon and Longhorn.

Help the need By Playing this GAME and improve your English also.

2007-11-27T00:55:00.001-08:00

Hello,
When ever you visit my link, please follow the link below and donate some food at free of cost.
It absolutely free and also very useful for you.
Its my humble request to you.

http://freerice.com

Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) functionality is not supported from managed code

2007-11-27T00:47:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCTION

This article discusses why Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) is not supported from managed code. An alternative method permits you to call TAPI functionality from managed code.

MORE INFORMATION

Because of the complexity of the TAPI 3.x Component Object Model (COM) interface, the managed wrapper that is created by Microsoft Visual Studio .NET does not work. Therefore, you cannot call TAPI functionality from managed code.

Microsoft has no current plans to release a TAPI interoperative component.

Using TAPI from managed code

You can use different versions of TAPI in different programming environments.

TAPI 2.x

TAPI 2.x is an interface that is based on the C programming language.

You can call TAPI functionality from the Managed Extensions for C++ applications in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET by using TAPI 2.x (Tapi32.dll).

All the TAPI 2.x data structures are based on the DWORD data type. TAPI 2.x also requires heavy use of pointers. Therefore, TAPI 2.x functionality is difficult to use from any language other than the Managed Extensions for C++.

TAPI 3.x

TAPI 3.x is an interface that is based on Component Object Model (COM).

You can call TAPI 3.x (Tapi3.dll) functionality from unmanaged code. Create an unmanaged DLL that calls TAPI 3.x functionality, and then call the unmanaged DLL from managed code.

REFERENCES

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web sites:TAPI DLL
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734236.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734236.aspx)

TAPI 2.2 Overview
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms737218.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms737218.aspx)

TAPI 3.1 Overview
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734214.aspx

For More info on this article please follow the link.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841712

Hey. Watch out for the missing action of UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS Launching... Exclusively for you..

2007-11-24T04:59:00.001-08:00

Hi guys,
Find the awesome launching of microsoft UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS launching event.

http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0710/31150/UCG_Launch_MBR.asx

My Profile

2007-11-24T04:55:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Please find my profile at this location.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddx5mr7m_1hgzqcr

So Far I 'm Talking about Unified Communications. What is it and what for it.

2007-11-24T04:29:00.001-08:00

Unified Communications (UC) is a commonly used term for the integration of disparate communications systems, media, devices and applications. This potentially includes the integration of fixed and mobile voice, e-mail, instant messaging, desktop and advanced business applications, Internet Protocol (IP)-PBX, voice over IP (VoIP), presence, voice-mail, fax, audio video and web conferencing, unified messaging, unified voicemail, and whiteboarding into a single environment offering the user a more complete but simpler experience.

Gartner states "The largest single value of UC is its ability to reduce "human latency" in business processes."

Here is the History

History

The history of unified communications is tied directly to the evolution of the technology that enables it to function. The technology that makes ‘surfing the ‘net’ possible is called internet protocol (IP), and this is also the technology that enables unified communications. Previously, telephony used a different protocol, not integrated with data communications, called TDM (Time Division Multiplex). But telephony began evolving toward employing software and servers, and toward using IP in order to function in a whole new way. Voice-over-internet-protocol, or voice-over-IP, (VOIP), allows the user to have digital telephone service which utilizes IP networks (including the internet) instead of the traditional telephone network to function.deficient citation With this shift in mode of delivery, which took place over the course of the past ten years or so, unified communications, with all its real-time capabilities and uses, became possible.

The technology of unified communications

The difference between unified communications and unified messaging

Although the two terms have, in the past, been used interchangeably, unified communications should not be confused with unified messaging, despite the similar-sounding terms. Unified communications refers to a real-time delivery of communications based on the preferred method and location of the recipient; unified messaging systems can cull messages from several sources (such as email, voice mail and faxes), but holds those messages for retrieval at a later time.

Components of unified communications

Unified communications can include a variety of elements, such as instant messaging, telephony, video, email, voicemail, and short message services, all of which could be brought into real time and coordinated. The concept of presence is also a factor ¬– knowing where one’s intended recipients are and if they are available, in real time – and is itself a key component of unified communications. To put it simply, unified communications integrates all the systems that a user might already be using and helps those systems work together in real time. For example, unified communications technology could allow a user to seamlessly collaborate with another person on a project, even if the two users are in separate locations. The user could quickly locate the necessary person by accessing an interactive directory, engage in a text messaging session, and then escalate the session to a voice call, or even a video call – all within minutes. In another example, an employee receives a call from a customer who wants answers. Unified communications could enable that worker to access a real-time list of available expert colleagues, then make a call that would reach the necessary person, enabling the employee to answer the customer faster, and eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone-tag.

Unified communications in action and corresponding business benefits

Unified communications in action

Given the sophistication of unified communications technology, its uses are myriad for businesses. It enables users to know where their colleagues are physically located (say, their car or home office). They also have the ability to see which mode of communication the recipient prefers to use at any given time (perhaps their cell phone, or email, or instant messaging). A user could seamlessly set up a real-time collaboration on a document they are producing with a co-worker, or, in a retail setting, a worker might do a price-check on a product using a hand-held device and need to consult with a co-worker based on a customer inquiry. With unified communications, instant messaging and presence could be built into the price check application, and the problem could be resolved in moments.

Business benefits of unified communications

Unified communications helps businesses, small and large alike, to streamline information delivery and ensure ease of use. Human delays are also minimized or eliminated, resulting in better, faster interaction and service-delivery for the customer, and cost savings for the business. Unified communications also allows for easier, more direct collaboration between co-workers and with suppliers and clients, even if they are not physically on the same site. This allows for possible reductions in business travel, especially with multi-party video communications, reducing an organization's carbon footprint.

Who is it for?

Unified communications is very useful for knowledge workers, information workers, and service workers alike, many of whom may cross the lines between the three sectors on a daily or hourly basis, depending on the task and the client. With an increasingly mobile workforce, businesses are rarely centralized in one location. Unified communications facilitates this on-the-go, always-available style of communication. In addition, unified communications technology can be tailored to each person’s specific job or to a particular section of a company.

For more information visit microsoft.com

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS Upcoming Events

2007-11-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

Unify Your Enterprise Communications

Date: March 17-20, 2008
Location: Orlando, Florida

A new era has begun in enterprise voice networking. Standalone, time-division multiplexing (TDM) voice networks are migrating to IP telephony and enterprises are consolidating their voice and data services over a converged voice/data backbone network. This massive and rapid change involves new products, new services, and new players.

Come to VoiceCon Orlando 2008 and get objective, reliable information that you can use to plan your network evolution. Meet industry thought leaders, market movers, and designers and developers of IP telephony platforms and converged network systems. Hear senior IT and telecom executives describe their migration strategies, decision criteria, and the lessons they've learned from installing state-of-the-art technology.

VoiceCon Orlando 2008 can help you decide why, when, and how to invest in this new technology, and how to leverage the platform for maximum advantage. Topics will include the basics of IP telephony, IP telephony security, updates on major product announcements, integrating Microsoft Office Live Communications Server into IP telephony, and more.

So join us at VoiceCon Orlando 2008, March 17-20, 2008, at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando, FL, and find out how to plan and build your enterprise IP telephony platform.

Check out more here
http://www.voicecon.com/orlando/

Microsoft's Office Communications

2007-11-24T04:07:00.000-08:00

From humble beginners as a server/operating system feature code named Greenwich to morphus into Real-Time Communications server and live Communications server, microsoft is now poised to release what is now called Office Communications Server2007, the centerpiece of its unified communications strategy. Here is a look at recent and upcoming milestones.
December.11, 2006- Private Beta of office Communications server launched with 2500 IT pros.
March7, 2007- First public Beta of Office Communications Server unveiled at VoiceCon.
Mid-Summer 2007- Final release of Office Communications Server scheduled.

Check out more here with a slide show..

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/030807-microsoft-ocs-slides.html

Microsoft launches next wave of communications software

2007-11-24T04:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Great NEWS from Micro Soft.

At the Unified Communications Launch 2007 worldwide event in San Francisco, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Jeff Raikes, Microsoft Business Division president, launched the company's next generation of unified communications products and services.

Microsoft Launches Next Wave of Business Communications Software
Customers report savings of 25 percent to 30 percent from VoIP, conferencing software; more than 50 partners announce new products and services.
Related Links
Webcast:
•

Unified Communications Launch (.wmv file, 1 hr 23 min) - Oct. 16, 2007
Virtual Pressrooms:
•

Unified Communications 2007 Launch Pressroom
Feature Stories:
•

Partners Rally Around Microsoft Unified Communications Software – October 16, 2007
Microsoft Resources:
•

Bill Gates on the Age of Software-Powered Communications - October 16, 2007
•

Microsoft Case Studies Web site
•

Microsoft Unified Communications Web site
•

Unified Communications Open Interoperability Web site
Other Resources:
•

Innovative Communications Alliance Web site

SAN FRANCISCO — Oct. 16, 2007 — Today, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., and Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division, announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft’s unified communications software, taking the first step toward streamlining workplace communications and helping reduce the cost of the average corporate voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) system by half.

“In the next decade, sweeping technology innovations driven by the power of software will transform communications,” Gates said. “Working with partners, we’re making rapid advances that will enable fundamental advances in the way people communicate and collaborate at work.”

Joined by customers and partners, the Microsoft executives launched unified communications and VoIP software that includes the following:
Joined by customers and partners, on Oct. 16, 2007 Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes announced the launch of Microsoft's next wave of business communications software.
Joined by customers and partners, on Oct. 16, 2007 Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes announced the launch of Microsoft's next wave of business communications software.
Click for high-res version
•

Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007. Software that delivers VoIP, video, instant messaging, conferencing and presence within the applications people already know and use such as Microsoft Office system applications and upcoming versions of Microsoft Dynamics™ ERP products and the Microsoft CRM release due later this year
•

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007. Client software for phone, instant messaging and video communications that works across the PC, mobile phone and Web browser
•

Microsoft Office Live Meeting. The next version of Microsoft’s advanced conferencing service that enables workers to conduct meetings, share documents, utilize video and record discussions from virtually any computer
•

Microsoft RoundTable™. A conferencing phone with a 360-degree camera that captures a panoramic view of meeting participants, tracks the speaker and can record meetings
•

Service pack update of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. The industry’s leading e-mail, voice mail, calendaring and unified messaging platform

“Unified communications software will transform business communications as fundamentally as e-mail did in the 1990s,” Raikes said. “Today, Microsoft is in the VoIP game, and our customers and partners are already winning with better economics and new business opportunities.”

Dramatic Business Results for Customers

Gates and Raikes were joined today by hundreds of customers (http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies) reporting dramatic time savings due to more efficient communications and cost savings of 25 percent to 30 percent over traditional communications technologies. Gibson Guitar Corp., Global Crossing, L’Occitane, Quanta Computer USA Inc., Sanofi-Aventis, The Shaw Group Inc., Virgin Megastores and Volvo Group were among the customers that joined the event to discuss the positive impact of Microsoft technology on their business.

“We are deploying Office Communications Server 2007 globally, and already people are seeing substantial time savings and productivity gains,” said Etienne de Verdelhan, chief information officer with L’Occitane, a leading global retailer of natural ingredient cosmetics with more than 900 stores in over 60 countries. “Not only are we able to launch new business communications with just one click, but user setup and administration is extremely simple, which is critical for a company growing at our rapid pace.”

Supporting these findings, Forrester Consulting found in a study commissioned by Microsoft that organizations may achieve significant productivity improvements and cost savings with unified communications. The Forrester study,1 created from the results of 15 in-depth interviews of Microsoft unified communications customers, found that these customers can achieve more than 500 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years by deploying Office Communications Server 2007.

Partner Support

More than 50 partners joined Microsoft to announce new products and services built on Microsoft’s unified communications platform. These partners include the following:
•

Systems integrators. Seven hundred ninety-three partners have achieved Microsoft’s UC Specialization in less than four months since Microsoft opened the program. These partners are trained to help customers deploy Microsoft unified communications software.
•

Telephony providers. Three global telephony leaders are announcing their road maps to build next-generation software applications on Microsoft’s voice platform:
•

Nortel Networks confirmed pending availability of five software-based solutions and applications to enhance Office Communications Server as part of the Innovative Communications Alliance (http://www.innovativecommunicationsalliance.com). Nortel also confirmed it is on track to more than double the number of Office Communications Server certified engineers in the UC Systems Integration practice.
•

Ericsson announced the Ericsson Enterprise Mobility Gateway, which will be built on VoIP call management in Office Communications Server to bring office communications to any mobile device, reducing mobile costs and maximizing existing investments.
•

Mitel Networks Corp. announced plans to develop a software-based solution that leverages Office Communications Server’s VoIP call management capabilities to meet the specialized telephony needs of small and medium-sized businesses in vertical markets.
•

Independent software vendors. Independent software vendors announced plans to incorporate presence and click-to-communicate features from Microsoft’s unified communications platform into their software applications. In addition, SAP AG plans to integrate Office Communications Server with Duet software, which is jointly developed with Microsoft and provides access to SAP processes and data through Microsoft Office applications. This will enable business users to see presence and to click to communicate while working within Duet.
•

Phone and device manufacturers. Seven manufacturers announced global availability of 15 new Microsoft UC-qualified phones and devices today, increasing choices for customers. Microsoft is working closely with more than 15 strategic partners to develop new UC-enabled endpoints including handsets, wireless phones, webcams and laptops. Conferencing leader Tandberg also announced its plans to build a video and webconferencing solution incorporating Microsoft unified communications software to ensure that customers can maximize their investment in existing infrastructure.

Continued Commitment to Interoperability

Microsoft also unveiled Unified Communications Open Interoperability, a telephony system qualification program, to give customers the assurance that Microsoft unified communications software works with their telephony systems. A list of qualified products, including eight products from five companies that have already received the qualification, is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87482.

To view the keynote address, learn more about Microsoft’s unified communications software or download evaluation copies, customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/uc.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

To read more..
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/oct07/10-16UC2LaunchPR.mspx

Micro Soft launches UNFIED COMMUNICATIONS

2007-11-24T03:56:00.000-08:00

VoiceCon Orlando 2008: Unify Your Enterprise Communications Want to learn more about migrating to IP telephony and converged network systems? Join us at VoiceCon Orlando, March 17-20, 2008, and meet industry thought leaders, market movers, and designers and developers of IP telephony platforms and converged networks. Discover why, when, and how to invest in the latest IP telephony technology.

Read more on this next genration UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS.

TAPI 3.X and Windows XP. Not a SUITABLE PAIR to work

2007-11-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

Hi,
For the past 3-4 weeks I spent my time to develop an application on TAPI3.x, C# and WindowsXP(as the client requirement). I almost reach my end by googling and by the help of some of the TAPI experts around the world(don't surprise, through mails only). But at the end, I am able to connect the call, can able to track down the call duration, but not the Call Disconnecting.
This Call disconnecting is not working with call state as "CALLSTATE.CS_PROGRESS".
So, I consulted microsoft on this issue through mails. They sent me a hot fix which is very helpful. But unfortunately this HOTFIX is not for WindowsXP. It is for Windows2000 Server. So, Guys, please have a look at this site and choose your combination to develop the TAPI applications from now onwards.

And here is the reply what they have sent to me on the Hotfix and it is for Windows Server 2000, not for Windows XP

2007-11-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

Hello,

The hot fix for your issue has been packaged and placed on an HTTP site for you to download.

WARNING: This fix is not publicly available through the Microsoft website as it has not gone through full Microsoft regression testing. If you would like confirmation that this fix is designed to address your specific problem, or if you would like to confirm whether there are any special compatibility or installation issues associated with this fix, you are encouraged to speak to a Support Professional in Product Support Services.

The package is password protected so be sure to enter the appropriate password for each package. To ensure the right password is provided cut and paste the password from this mail.

NOTE: Passwords expire every 7 days so download the package within that period to insure you can extract the files. If you receive two passwords it means you are receiving the fix during a password change cycle. Use the second password if you download after the indicated password change date.

Package:
-----------------------------------------------------------
KB Article Number(s): 924050
Language: English
Platform: x64
Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%20Server%202003/sp2/Fix187794/3790/free/288718_ENU_x64_zip.exe)
Password: iVX)ftK

NOTE: Be sure to include all text between '(' and ')' when navigating to this hot fix location!

Thanks!

TAPI 3.X and Windows XP. Must see this why CallDisconnect is not working. Its really a micro soft Bug.

2007-11-24T03:30:00.000-08:00

SYMPTOMS
Telephony API (TAPI)-based applications may stop responding in a Microsoft Windows Server 2000-based telephony server. Additionally, you cannot disconnect telephone calls even though the remote party has disconnected.

This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:
• A telephone call is being disconnected.
• The server is located in a large telephony server call center.
• The telephony server has more than one CPU.

CAUSE
This problem occurs because of a deadlock condition between the lineClose function call and the lineDeallocateCall function call.

RESOLUTION
Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)
Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.
Prerequisites
To apply this hotfix, you must have Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) installed on the computer.
Restart information
You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.
Hotfix replacement information
This hotfix is not replaced by any later hotfix.
File information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.
File name File version File size Date Time Platform
Tapisrv.dll 5.0.2195.7111 176,400 26-Sep-2006 11:52 x86

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION
For more information about Microsoft Windows Server 2003 version of this hotfix, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
924050 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/924050/) Telephony API-based applications stop responding and you cannot disconnect telephone calls on a Windows Server 2003-based telephony server
For more information about the terms that are used to describe software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

TAPI 2.x, C# and .net framework I GOT ITWORK

2007-10-22T02:10:00.002-07:00

I have seen so many posts on the net related to TAPI and .net framework. Among all those I tried the following samples.
1. Davang program from code project, but i found some unhandled exceptions in that.
2. Some samples from Zulmar, Which are very useful.
3. A C# wrapper from GotDotNet group by Helen warn and gang.

Among these three, I found the last one is very useful and an efficient one. So, for this first of all i would like to THANK Helen and Gang for doing such an outstanding job.

With this sample one can develop their own and customized applications including the features like
1. Dialing a number,
2. Detecting the status of the call,
3. The status of the end user like HUB,
4. Forwarding the call if the end user is not responding in right time.
5. Checking the event status, etc.

A phone call need not be terminated if one end user is not interested. That means by detecting the line status, we can be able to know that either party is terminating and eventually the call get terminated.

This is using TAPI 2.x which is developed on a C++ pointer style program.
The latest one of TAPI 3.x is a COM based and not good for managed code programming.
So, please have a look at it and start working on TAPI and managed code.

All these stuff you can make on your own by doing some small modifications in it.

For more stuff and comments visit the following link.
http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/UserSamples/Details.aspx?SampleGuid=5d893af6-b340-49d8-9162-b90bf6932414

TAPI 2.x, C# and .net framework

2007-10-22T02:10:00.000-07:00

Everything you need for global communications

2007-10-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

Unified Communications bridge the gap between telephony and computing to deliver real-time messaging, voice, and conferencing to the desktop environment. Microsoft® Unified Communications technologies use powerful software to streamline communications between people and organizations, regardless of medium, platform, device or location. These technologies integrate with your existing voice/PBX and network infrastructure to deliver a secure, common management platform for all of your communication workloads. One pane global communicaions? Now you're talking.

With Unified Communications, you can:
• Streamline Communications for End-Users
• Increase Operational Efficiency
• Provide Built-in Protection
• Build a Future-Ready Foundation on Software

Empowering your team to work better, together..

For more info on this, follow the link;
"http://www.microsoft.com/india/uc/launch/itpro/default.mspx"

Exploring Extended TAPI Functions

2007-10-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Retrieving General Information:
We will start this part of tutorial from regular things. This section describes how to obtain various general information for specified TAPI device. This function groups belong to Extended TAPI. ExTAPI, proving its name, extends wireless API with different options:
• various device specific info
• info about signal strength
• info about system type
• info about line operators
• choosing the cellular network
• registering lines for specific operator
• get/set GPRS class
• get/set equipment state
• and more...
'Get/Set' functions
There are a couple dozen get/set-functions that give you a lot of useful information and allow managing line devices. It doesn't make sense to describe them all here; I'll only put a brief 'get' calls reference. You will find detailed explanations in SDK help:
• lineGetCallBarringCaps
• lineGetCallBarringState
• lineGetCallWaitingCaps
• lineGetCallWaitingState
• lineGetCurrentAddressID
• lineGetCurrentHSCSDStatus
• lineGetCurrentOperator
• lineGetCurrentSystemType
• lineGetEquipmentState
• lineGetGeneralInfo
• lineGetGPRSClass
• lineGetHSCSDCaps
• lineGetHSCSDState
• lineGetMuteState
• lineGetNumberCalls
• lineGetOperatorStatus
• lineGetRadioPresence
• lineGetRegisterStatus
• lineGetSendCallerIDState
• lineGetUSSD
Network operator related functions
ExTAPI exposes several functions that you can use to manage network operator-related stuff:
• lineRegister
• lineUnregister
• lineGetRegisterStatus
• lineGetCurrentOperator
• lineGetOperatorStatus
• lineSetPreferredOperator

Basic Telephony Services Reference

2007-10-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

The Basic Telephony functions are listed by category in the following tables. A function is identified as asynchronous if it indicates completion in a REPLY message to the application. If the function always returns its result to the application immediately, the function is considered synchronous.
Following is a functional grouping of the basic telephony service functions:
• Address Formats
• Addresses
• Answering Incoming Calls
• Call Drop Functions
• Call Handle Manipulation
• Call Privilege Control
• Call States and Events
• Line Status and Capabilities
• Line Version Negotiation
• Location and Country/Region Information
• Making Calls
• Opening and Closing Line Devices
• Request Recipient Services
• TAPI Initialization and Shutdown
• Toll Saver Support
TAPI Initialization and Shutdown
Function Description
lineInitializeEx
Initializes the TAPI line abstraction for use by the invoking application. Synchronous.
lineShutdown
Shuts down the application's use of TAPI's line abstraction. Synchronous.

Line Version Negotiation
Function Description
lineNegotiateAPIVersion Allows an application to negotiate a TAPI version to use. Synchronous.

Line Status and Capabilities
Function Description
lineGetDevCaps Returns the capabilities of a given line device. Synchronous.
lineGetDevConfig Returns configuration of a media stream device. Synchronous.
lineGetLineDevStatus Returns current status of the specified open line device. Synchronous.
lineSetDevConfig Sets the configuration of the specified media stream device. Synchronous.
lineSetStatusMessages Specifies the status changes for which the application needs to be notified. Synchronous.
lineGetStatusMessages Returns the application's current line and address status message settings. Synchronous.
lineGetID Retrieves a device ID associated with the specified open line, address, or call. Synchronous.
lineGetIcon Allows an application to retrieve an icon for display to the user. Synchronous.
lineConfigDialog Causes the provider of the specified line device to display a dialog box that allows the user to configure parameters related to the line device. Synchronous.
lineConfigDialogEdit Displays a dialog box allowing the user to change configuration information for a line device. Synchronous.

Addresses
Function Description
lineGetAddressCaps Returns the telephony capabilities of an address. Synchronous.
lineGetAddressStatus Returns current status of a specified address. Synchronous.
lineGetAddressID Retrieves the address ID of an address specified using an alternate format. Synchronous.

Opening and Closing Line Devices
Function Description
lineOpen Opens a specified line device for providing subsequent monitoring and/or control of the line. Synchronous.
lineClose Closes a specified opened line device. Synchronous.

Address Formats
Function Description
lineTranslateAddress Translates between an address in canonical format and an address in dialable format. Synchronous.
lineSetCurrentLocation Sets the location used as the context for address translation. Synchronous.
lineSetTollList Manipulates the toll list. Synchronous.
lineGetTranslateCaps Returns address translation capabilities. Synchronous.

Call States and Events
Function Description
lineGetCallInfo Returns fixed information about a call. Synchronous.
lineGetCallStatus Returns complete call status information for the specified call. Synchronous.
lineSetAppSpecific Sets the application-specific field of a call's information structure. Synchronous.

Making Calls
Function Description
lineMakeCall Makes an outbound call and returns a call handle for it. Asynchronous.
lineDial Dials (parts of one or more) dialable addresses. Asynchronous.

Answering Incoming Calls
Function Description
lineAnswer Answers an incoming call. Asynchronous.

Toll Saver Support
Function Description
lineSetNumRings Indicates the number of rings after which incoming calls are to be answered. Synchronous.
lineGetNumRings Returns the minimum number of rings requested with lineSetNumRings. Synchronous.
Call Privilege Control
Function Description
lineSetCallPrivilege Sets the application's privilege to the privilege specified. Synchronous.

Call Drop Functions
Function Description
lineDrop Disconnects a call, or abandons a call attempt in progress. Asynchronous.
lineDeallocateCall Deallocates the specified call handle. Synchronous.

Call Handle Manipulation
Function Description
lineHandoff Hands off call ownership and/or changes an application's privileges to a call. Synchronous.
lineGetNewCalls Returns call handles to calls on a specified line or address for which the application does not yet have handles. Synchronous.
lineGetConfRelatedCalls Returns a list of call handles that are part of the same conference call as the call specified as a parameter. Synchronous.

Location and Country/Region Information
Function Description
lineTranslateDialog Displays a dialog box allowing the user to change location and calling card information. Synchronous.
lineGetCountry Retrieves dialing rules and other information about a given country/region. Synchronous.

Request Recipient Services
The following two functions are used only in support of Assisted Telephony.
Function Description
lineRegisterRequestRecipient Registers or deregisters the application as a request recipient for the specified request mode. Synchronous.
lineGetRequest Gets the next request from the Telephony dynamic link library. Synchronous.

TAPI 2.x

2007-10-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

The TAPI DLLs, along with the TAPI Server (Tapisvr.exe), are crucial abstractions separating end-user or server applications from service providers. A TAPI DLL in conjunction with the TAPI Server provides a consistent interface between these two layers.

A TAPI application loads the appropriate DLL into its process space. During initialization, TAPI establishes an RPC link with Tapisvr.exe. In Windows Server 2003 family, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, the TAPI Server runs in the context of SVCHOST. In Windows NT, the TAPI Server runs as a separate service.

There are three DLLs associated with TAPI: Tapi.dll, Tapi32.dll, and Tapi3.dll. These DLLs are located in %SystemRoot%\system32. The following figure illustrates the roles of their respective roles in Microsoft Telephony:

Roles of the three TAPI DLLs

Existing 16-bit applications link to Tapi.dll. In Windows Server 2003 family, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Millennium Edition, and Windows 98, Tapi.dll is simply a thunk layer that maps 16-bit addresses to 32-bit addresses and pass requests to Tapi32.dll. In Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, this DLL is the core of Windows Telephony.

Existing 32-bit TAPI 2.x applications link to Tapi32.dll. In Windows Server 2003 family, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Millennium Edition, and Windows 98, Tapi32.dll is a thin marshaling layer that transfers function requests to the TAPI Server (TAPISRV) and, when needed, loads and invokes media service provider DLLs in the application's process. In Windows 95, Tapi32.dll is a thunk layer to Tapi.dll.

TAPI 3.x applications link to Tapi3.dll.
TAPI Functions

The following sections contain an alphabetic list of functions grouped by area. The information for each function includes a list of the valid call states on entry of the function and typical call state transitions when the request is complete.

* Assisted Telephony Functions
* Call Center Functions
* Line Device Functions
* Phone Device Functions

For TAPI functions categorized by service level and task, see TAPI Quick Function Reference.

Please note that service provider limitations may exist concerning the actual states in which a function can be performed. Applications must check the dwCallFeatures member in the LINECALLSTATUS structure, the dwAddressFeatures member in the LINEADDRESSSTATUS structure, and the dwLineFeatures member in the LINEDEVSTATUS structure to determine whether or not a function is permitted within the current call state.
Here I am particular on Phone Device Functions:

TAPI supports the following phone device functions:

* phoneCallbackFunc
* phoneClose
* phoneConfigDialog
* phoneDevSpecific
* phoneGetButtonInfo
* phoneGetData
* phoneGetDevCaps
* phoneGetDisplay
* phoneGetGain
* phoneGetHookSwitch
* phoneGetIcon
* phoneGetID
* phoneGetLamp
* phoneGetMessage
* phoneGetRing
* phoneGetStatus
* phoneGetStatusMessages
* phoneGetVolume
* phoneInitialize
* phoneInitializeEx
* phoneNegotiateAPIVersion
* phoneNegotiateExtVersion
* phoneOpen
* phoneSetButtonInfo
* phoneSetData
* phoneSetDisplay
* phoneSetGain
* phoneSetHookSwitch
* phoneSetLamp
* phoneSetRing
* phoneSetStatusMessages
* phoneSetVolume
* phoneShutdown

Working with TAPI 3.0 in our application (With Basic Call Control Functions)

2007-10-08T01:25:00.000-07:00

The first thing you need to do is create the TAPI objects to initialize the TAPI 3.0 TSP (TAPI Service Providers). To have more information on TSP and what TAPI is all about, please refer to help provided in the MSDN .NET documentation. The code below is a declaration of the TAPI object and addresses the interfaces that will hold the addresses which are responsible for call handling, and basic call control interface which will hold the reference to the object that will be responsible for handling basic operations of the call.

private TAPIClass tobj;
private ITAddress[] ia=new TAPI3Lib.ITAddress[10];
private ITBasicCallControl bcc;

The code below is responsible for initializing a TAPI object so that it can be used by application. The main functions are:

* Initialize() will initialize TAPI.
* EnumerateAddresses() will give the list of available TSPs.

void initializetapi3()
{
try
{
tobj = new TAPIClass();
tobj.Initialize();
IEnumAddress ea=tobj.EnumerateAddresses();
ITAddress ln;
uint arg3=0;
lines=0;

cn=new callnotification();
cn.addtolist=new callnotification.listshow(this.status);
tobj.ITTAPIEventNotification_Event_Event+= new
TAPI3Lib.ITTAPIEventNotification_EventEventHandler(cn.Event);
tobj.EventFilter=(int)(TAPI_EVENT.TE_CALLNOTIFICATION|
TAPI_EVENT.TE_DIGITEVENT|
TAPI_EVENT.TE_PHONEEVENT|
TAPI_EVENT.TE_CALLSTATE|
TAPI_EVENT.TE_GENERATEEVENT|
TAPI_EVENT.TE_GATHERDIGITS|
TAPI_EVENT.TE_REQUEST);

for(int i=0;i<10;i++)
{
ea.Next(1,out ln,ref arg3);
ia[i]=ln;
if(ln!=null)
{
comboBox1.Items.Add(ia[i].AddressName);
lines++;
}
else
break;
}
}
catch(Exception e)
{
MessageBox.Show(e.ToString());
}
}

The code below is responsible for registering incoming calls so that they can be handled by our application. For that you need to select the line on which you want to receive calls and press the Register button.

try
{
registertoken[line]=tobj.RegisterCallNotifications(ia[line],
true,true,TapiConstants.TAPIMEDIATYPE_AUDIO,2);
MessageBox.Show("Registration token : "+
registertoken[line],
"Registration Succeed for line "+line);
}
catch(Exception ein)
{
MessageBox.Show("Failed to register on line "+line,"Registration for calls");
}

The class given below is to be added depending upon your TAPI event handling requirements. This is specially designed according to the requirements of the application.

class callnotification:TAPI3Lib.ITTAPIEventNotification
{
public delegate void listshow(string str);
public listshow addtolist;

public void Event(TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT te,object eobj)
{
switch(te)
{
case TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT.TE_CALLNOTIFICATION:
MessageBox.Show("call notification event has occured");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT.TE_DIGITEVENT:
TAPI3Lib.ITDigitDetectionEvent dd =
(TAPI3Lib.ITDigitDetectionEvent)eobj;
MessageBox.Show("Dialed digit"+dd.ToString());
break;
case TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT.TE_GENERATEEVENT:
TAPI3Lib.ITDigitGenerationEvent dg =
(TAPI3Lib.ITDigitGenerationEvent)eobj;
MessageBox.Show("digit dialed!");
MessageBox.Show("Dialed digit"+dg.ToString());
break;
case TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT.TE_PHONEEVENT:
MessageBox.Show("A phone event!");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT.TE_GATHERDIGITS:
MessageBox.Show("Gather digit event!");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.TAPI_EVENT.TE_CALLSTATE:
TAPI3Lib.ITCallStateEvent a=
(TAPI3Lib.ITCallStateEvent)eobj;
TAPI3Lib.ITCallInfo b=a.Call;
switch(b.CallState)
{
case TAPI3Lib.CALL_STATE.CS_INPROGRESS:
MessageBox.Show("dialing");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.CALL_STATE.CS_CONNECTED:
MessageBox.Show("Connected");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.CALL_STATE.CS_DISCONNECTED:
MessageBox.Show("Disconnected");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.CALL_STATE.CS_OFFERING:
MessageBox.Show("A party wants to communicate with you!");
break;
case TAPI3Lib.CALL_STATE.CS_IDLE:
MessageBox.Show("Call is created!");
break;
}
break;
}
}
}

How to handle H.323 or IP calls????

To do IP calls or H.323 calls, you need to make H.323 call(IP call) enabled and enter the IP address of the destination and Call. Otherwise it will not succeed in calling to the remote destination. To receive H.323 calls or IP calls, you need to first register on the line on which you want to receive IP calls and h.323 call(IP call).
How to answer an incoming call

BasicCallCOntrol.Answer(), is enough to answer a call.

How to transfer a call:

To transfer a call, first there should be one active call existing. Then you can specify the address to which the call is to be transferred to
Here I have specified the internet address since the call was an IP call. To provide this functionality, there is one function in IBasicCallControl named BlindTransfer(String transfferaddress). Refer the MSDN documents for more information on that!

TAPI 2.x vs TAPI 3.x

2007-10-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

It is a common misconception that TAPI 3.0 (or TAPI 3.1) replaces TAPI 2.x. TAPI 2.x (and all earlier versions) is written in C/C++ and requires applications to make heavy use of C style pointer arithmetic. This makes TAPI fast and easy to access from C/C++ applications, but it also makes it difficult to use from many other programming languages.

On the other hand, TAPI 3.x was designed with a COM (Component Object Model) interface. This was done with the intent of making it accessible from managed languages like Visual Basic, VBScript, Java or other environments that provide easy access to COM but don't deal with C-style pointers.

TAPI 3.x has a slightly different set of functionality than TAPI 2.x. The addition of integrated media control was the most significant addition. But TAPI 3.x doesn't include all functionality that TAPI 2.x does, like support for the Phone class.

One very notable issue with TAPI 3.x is the lack of support for managed code (.NET environment). As documented in Microsoft KB Article 841712, Microsoft currently has no plans to support TAPI 3.x directly from .Net programming languages. However, Mark Smith has provided a Managed C++ library called TSP++ 3.0.

One often overlooked reason an application developer might choose between TAPI 2.x and TAPI 3.x should be the hardware vendors recommendation. Even though TAPI provides an abstract model of phone lines, telephony applications are still heavily impacted by the specific behavior of the underlying hardware. Troubleshooting behavior issues usually requires both software and hardware vendors to collaborate. Because there is almost a 1:1 relationship between the TAPI Service Provider (TSP) interface and the TAPI 2.x interface, collaboration is often easier if the application is designed using TAPI 2.x. Experience with TAPI 3.x varies significantly between hardware vendors.

Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) functionality is not supported from managed code:
This article discusses why Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) is not supported from managed code. An alternative method permits you to call TAPI functionality from managed code.
***** Because of the complexity of the TAPI 3.x Component Object Model (COM) interface, the managed wrapper that is created by Microsoft Visual Studio .NET does not work. Therefore, you cannot call TAPI functionality from managed code.

Microsoft has no current plans to release a TAPI interoperative component.*****

Using TAPI from managed code
You can use different versions of TAPI in different programming environments.
TAPI 2.x
TAPI 2.x is an interface that is based on the C programming language.

You can call TAPI functionality from the Managed Extensions for C++ applications in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET by using TAPI 2.x (Tapi32.dll).

All the TAPI 2.x data structures are based on the DWORD data type. TAPI 2.x also requires heavy use of pointers. Therefore, TAPI 2.x functionality is difficult to use from any language other than the Managed Extensions for C++.
TAPI 3.x
TAPI 3.x is an interface that is based on Component Object Model (COM).

You can call TAPI 3.x (Tapi3.dll) functionality from unmanaged code. Create an unmanaged DLL that calls TAPI 3.x functionality, and then call the unmanaged DLL from managed code.

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web sites:
TAPI DLL
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734236.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734236.aspx)

TAPI 2.2 Overview
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms737218.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms737218.aspx)

TAPI 3.1 Overview
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms734214.aspx

My Self

2007-10-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

tapi COMPATABLE MODEMS Samples

2007-10-05T05:52:00.000-07:00

Once i found the TAPI 3.0 sample, its quite hard to find the HardWare to run that sample. I struggled almost a day to find the suitable modem to find out.
Anyway I found some useful modems, which are listed below along with their limitations, pro's and con's by tested people.

What type of modems are recommanded?

Conexant/Rockwell chips
rockwell 6764-61 chipset(External)
It has good capablities on Dial, Answer, Drop, Transfer, Ring/CallerID/Disconnect tone/Digit/fax tone/detection, Voice Play/Record, Fax send/Receive, Speakerphone/Mic (Volume adjustable).
The capabilities of modem is not only determined by the chipset, but also by the manufactor.
We offer this type of modems. For details, please click here
Conexant 6793-11, 6793-17, 11242-11, 11252-11.(Internal)
We've used these modems, and they all works well with almost all the functions voiceangel supports.

Smart Link chip(Internal)
We've used Smart Link 2800, Smart Link 1800 which work well on caller id, voice, fax, digit/disconnection tone/fax sending tone detection.

Intel 5628 chip(Internal)
We've used Intel 5628 internal modem, it works well, and it support CallerID, Wave Play/ Record, Digits detection, but it can not detect the disconnection of the call.

Zoom voice modems:
It can get caller ID. Two model 3049C and PCI3025C are especially good. You should use the updated driver available from zoom technical support (some modems were shipped with defective inf files). But it has a long delay on the DTMF detection.

You can get the modems from www.zoom.com
MT5656ZDX External Modem

It has the following features:
a.Detects remote hang-up
b.Reports Caller-ID
c. Built in speaker
d.Headset / Microphone jacks
You can get the modems from http://www.multitech.com/PRODUCTS/MultiModemZDX/
(It seems that they only support customers from United State)
Lunar voice modems
They generally work well on voice play and record and digits detection, but can not get caller ID.
Jaton voice modems:
The WinComm (Intel 536EP chip) VoiceAngel1.92 PCI and Jaton Communicator V90 internal 56K works are recommanded.
Swann voice modems work well.
Creative and Broadxent voice modems. These are very popular voice modems and we have many and mixed reports. It does seem the more recent modems do work well since Creative overcame problems with Windows XP. Model PCID15633 has a DTMF tone detection delay problem. Default flash-hook duration time can not be changed.
Pragmatic/Lectron .
Model I56LVP-F40 (Agere 16478C chip) 56k VoiceAngel1.92 PCI works well.
Hayes Accura . We have had a number of 'working' reports of these modems.
NetComm Roadster . You will need to download and install the Rockwell Drivers to use the Netcomm Roadster.
NetComm InModem . This will only work with the version 8.18 drivers. Later drivers are incompatible.
Maestro . Please check the Maestro website for driver updates if you have problems. The Maestor Jetstream 3 has unresolved problems with DTMF detection.
Other modems that work include the 1456VQE-C e-Modem V90 56k, GTW VoiceAngel1.92 Voicemodem, Supramax56, Aopen FM 56-PM PCI VoiceAngel1.90,MDA-56P (W2000), Netcomm USB RAVE modem (AM5060) (W2000), Best Data - Smart One VoiceAngel1.92 Lite HCF PCI Modem 56FW-PC (W2000), Comp USA generic VoiceAngel1.90 PCI,SKU#274406 (W98), 'Topic', Dynalink, WISECOM, Generic HSP56 PCI, Multitech multimodem model MT5634ZPX-PCI-V92, Viking, RockwellRC56D2(EXT), GeniusGM56PCI-L, Modem Blaster 56II and PCI56K and the ASK56K.

The post may be bit large to find, but no way to escape.
If you found anything , please drop me a mail at : damodara.naidu@chimeratechnologies.com

Capturing a photograph from camera connected to machine through .net 1.1 application

2007-10-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

In the recent project i had a scenario where I have to capture the photo of the user using our KIOSK and also I have to know the WIA API(Windows Image Acquisition API) devices connected to the system. For these I downloaded the WIA SDK toolkit from MicroSoft and install it on the machine.
This SDK contains an assembly called WIA.dll which can capable of detecting the devices and performing the operations like taking photo etc.
Download it and refer the same WIA.dll to the application. The classes, delegates, interfaces and properties in the dll can serve us.

For a better example and explanation.. refer the following links.

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=378126

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms792464.aspx

Integrating intelliginet devices (like Proximity sensors) with C #.net 1.1 Applications

2007-10-03T03:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we need to integrate intelligent devices to our .net applications. To do this we have to buy some other 3rd party tools or we have to make our own tools. As I am having a little experience in .net (C#) programming(around 2.5 years) I knew that its not possible to me to do so.(May be some guys even less experience can write, here I am talking about me.) Once in my application I have to integrate the Proximity Sensor to detect the presence of an object infront of a KOISK. So, I decided to go to the COM ports stuff and from there I got the events.
The events like DSR(DataSetReady), CarrierDetect(CD) will be useful.
The proximity sensor is a digi inc,. product which can return two events like On(True) and Off(False). If any object is infront of the sensor the orange LED glows that means the DSR is On(True), So load the application and if nothing is there infront of the sensor, no LED glows. It means that DSR is Off(False). So, load the screen saver.

If you found any problem related this COM port stuff, don't hesitate to mail me.

Serial Port Communications with .net 1.1

2007-10-03T02:42:00.000-07:00

Many of us (.net programmers) wonder why microsoft didnot included the serial port stuff in Visual Studio 1.1. (I found this when I have to integrate a proximity sensor to my KIOSK application to detect the motion of an object infront of the KIOSK ). Well, as I searched the web (for almost 3-4 days) I found really some useful tools, but they are of trail versions (after a period of time they will disable). So i decided to wrote my OWN serial port API to detect any kind of devices connected to the machine.
The only thing I have done was (Modifying some already existing API's) creating an API to read the events of COM ports like
1. Break,
2.Carrier Detect(CD),
3. ClearToSend(CS),
4. DataSetReady(DSR), the most powerful one to identify the events.
5. Ring,
6. RxFlag(Received Flag),
7. RxChar(Received Character),
8. StatusError,
9. TxBufferEmpty.

I found these are the enough events to achieve serial communications in .net 1.1.
If you are at any way to integrate any type of device(like sensors and intelligent devices etc.) with your application, you can achieve with this. Any way .net 2.0 and later versions are supporting the Serial Port Communication.
For any help on this post , contact me at damodara.naidu@chimeratechnologies.com or +91 988 678 2793.
MSN IM : chm_damodar@hotmail.com

TAPI 3.0

2007-10-03T02:14:00.000-07:00

TAPI, or the telephony application-programming interface is the mechanism by which computers can respond to phone calls. It is the technology behind call-centres, and all CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) applications. This application can be used to detect, pick up, and play a pre-recorded message to callers.

You will need a voice modem to use this application. Data modems can still be used with this, but you will not be able to send and receive audio after the call is accepted.
And for more information see this link.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms811413.aspx
And here is the useful example program which was written by Mr.Devang.
This is developed in C# and .net framework 1.1
http://www.codeproject.com/cs/internet/devangpro.asp?df=100&forumid=199032&exp=0&select=2046327

Have nice programming times.

Hobbies

2007-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

> Playing and watching CRICKET,SOCCER and SWIMMING.
> Sleeping for maximum time and spent time arguing with friends.
> Riding Bikes.
> Visiting Places.
> Chilling out on Week Ends...etc

Interests

2007-09-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

Making friends (Who want to share thoughts and ideas on .net programming).
Visiting the historical Places like forts and warrior places etc..

Back Ground

2007-09-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

Born On: June 4th ,1983(When INDIA won the CRICKET WORLD Cup).
School: B. Kamma Palle(Elementary),
Udayamanikyam(Upper Primay),
Y.V.Palem and Tirupathi(High School),
Tirupathi(Inter College),
Madana Palle(Graduation),

Currently a .net programmer @ Chimera Technologies pvt ltd, Bangalore.
Working on products for KIOSKs for SECURE MEDICAL inc.