Microsoft SQL Server 2014 builds on the mission-critical capabilities delivered in the prior release by providing breakthrough performance, availability and manageability for your mission critical applications. SQL Server 2014 delivers new in-memory capabilities built into the core database for OLTP and data warehousing, which complement our existing in-memory data warehousing and BI capabilities for the most comprehensive in-memory database solution in the market.

SQL Server 2014 also provides new disaster recovery and backup solutions with Windows Azure, enabling customers to use their existing skills with the on-premises product offerings to take advantage of Microsoft’s global datacenters. In addition, SQL Server 2014 takes advantage of new Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 capabilities to give you unparalleled scalability for your database application in a physical or virtual environment.

Here are some of the notable new features in SQL Server 2014

Performance
Several new features have been introduced to improve database performance.

In-Memory OLTP. 
This is a new feature which can help resolve issues in high concurrency situations.
the new In-Memory OLTP Engine (formerly code-named Hekaton) will provide OLTP performance improvements by moving selected tables into memory. The In-memory OTLP Engine works with commodity hardware and won’t require any application code changes.  There are some requirements to get it working but for those whose problem this solves, it is very cool.

Updatable ColumnStore Indexes.
This provides the ability to load or delete data from existing ColumnStore indexes. Previously once a ColumnStore index was created you could not directly add, delete, or modify data in the table. In order to update table information the index needed to be dropped or disabled and then the index rebuilt.

Buffer Pool Extension to Solid State Drives (SSDs).
This is new functionality providing the ability of each node to have its own SSD or SSD Array for buffering, and thus performance capabilities can be greatly increased.
Resource Management. Along with CPU and Memory management which were already available in SQL Server, SQL Server 2014 adds the ability to control the IO usage for a resource pool.
Improved Query Performance. Another new feature for performance improvement wherein query processing has been enhanced and split into a two-step process: decision making and execution.

Improved Integration with Windows Server 2012
SQL Server 2014 will also provide support for Windows Server 2012’s new Storage Spaces feature. Storage Spaces enables you to create pools of tiered storage that can improve application availability and performance. SQL Server 2014’s Resource Governor can take advantage of Windows Server 2012’s automated storage tiering. Plus, you can use the Resource Governor to manage and limit application IO utilization.

Scalability & High Availability
AlwaysOn Secondaries. Provides for up-to eight secondaries (double the 2012 option).
More Reliable Secondaries. Previously several factors could result in secondaries being dropped offline. Those areas have been addressed.
Scale to the Cloud. SQL 2014 allows for Hybrid systems as you can now use Azure VMs as AlwaysOn AG replicas.

Improved Backup Options
Backup to Azure. With this new feature of backup to Azure, backups can be stored offsite (in the cloud) providing safe storage of backup data.
Smart Backup to Azure. Another new backup feature is Smart Backups. With Smart Backups SQL Server determines whether a full or incremental backup is needed and backs up accordingly to Azure.   

In summary
Microsoft has upped the ante again in the database arena providing more features, scalability and capability. The improved features in 2014 combined with their other database offerings such as HD Insight (Hadoop) and the high-performance PDW make for an impressive array of data offerings for companies both large and small.

As both the WebSocket Protocol and the WebSocket API gain full-fledged support in the Windows 8 Consumer preview, ASP.NET developers can start taking advantage of the bidirectional capabilities by using System.Web.WebSockets library.

ASPHostCentral.com, as the premier provider of ASP.NET and Windows Hosting service, proudly announces that we have supported the latest Windows Server 2012. This Windows Server version does support WebSocket technology and ASP.NET developers can maximize this opportunity directly.

In the Windows 8 consumer preview and Server beta, IE10 and all other Microsoft WebSocket client and server features now support the final version of the IETF WebSocket Protocol. In addition, IE10 implements the W3C WebSocket API Candidate Recommendation. An article on the IE team blog explains this in much more detail.

Meanwhile, ASP.NET Developers can start using the System.Web.WebSockets library introduced in .NET Framework 4.5 to leverage this technology. Note that this is different from the System.Net.WebSockets namespace which contains the actual implementation of the WebSocket standard in .NET – System.Web.WebSockets provides the integration of this implementation with ASP.NET.

WebSocket is a technology for providing bi-directional communication channels over a single TCP socket. This is a much simpler alternative to using Comet Channels to allow the web server to push data to a web client, without the client explicitly requesting it. Although the technology itself has been available since much earlier (Google Chrome first announced support for it in late 2009), it finally became a Proposed Standard last December essentially receiving a nod from the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Node.js is a server side software system designed for writing scalable Internet applications, notably web servers. Programs are written on the server side in JavaScript, using event-driven, asynchronous I/O to minimize overhead and maximize scalability.

ASPHostCentral.com opens an opportunity to everyone to host their website with Node.js on our Windows 2012 web server. You can always start from our cheapest Standard Plan @$4.49/month to have your site hosted on our environment.

Node.js Background and Details

Node.js consists of Google's V8 JavaScript engine, libUV, and several built-in libraries.

Node.js was created by Ryan Dahl starting in 2009, and its growth is sponsored by Joyent, his employer.

Dahl's original goal was to create the ability to make web sites with push capabilities as seen in web applications like Gmail. After trying solutions in several other programming languages he chose JavaScript because of the lack of an existing I/O API. This allowed him to define a convention of non-blocking, event-driven I/O.

Similar environments written in other programming languages include Twisted for Python, Perl Object Environment for Perl, libevent for C, Vert.x for Java and EventMachine for Ruby. Unlike most JavaScript programs, it is not executed in a web browser, but is instead a server-side JavaScript application. Node.js implements some CommonJS specifications. It provides a REPL environment for interactive testing.

References:

If you need further references about Node.js, please refer to:

- http://nodejs.org/
- http://www.nodebeginner.org/
- http://nodemanual.org

Introduction

MVC4 is really trying to break new ground in helping developers get to market more quickly and with a product that adheres to the emerging standards of today. A tough thing to ask of any technology, to be sure, but it's making some decent strides in the right direction.

Already the tutorials and blogs posts are popping up quicker than mushrooms on the midden heap. We highlight a few here that you definitely shouldn't miss which deal with key upcoming features...

ASP.NET MVC  4 Hosting

If you are looking for a QUALITY, AFFORDABLE host that supports ASP.NET MVC 4 Hosting, you can take a look at ASPHostCentral.com

ASP.NET MVC 4 Overview - Part 2

Jon Galloway goes into some significant detail here about some of the changes coming our way in the new version. He talks about the new default templates that come out of the box and the reasoning behind them.

He also talks about the new adaptive rendering taking advantage of CSS media queries and the usage of the viewport meta tag to help improve the mobile user experience. Overall a solid post that will stand the test of time. Check it out...

ASP.NET MVC 4 Bundling and Minification

Bundling and Minification of assets have to be two of the most tedious things to setup on a new web project. In this excellent post, David Hayden goes through exactly what you need to do to make the process as seamless as possible in MVC4.

Don't make the mistake of leaving this to the end of the project. You'll have deployment nightmares you didn't dream of and you'll be kicking yourself for not smoothing out the wrinkles. Do it early, and you'll thank yourself everyday for that small mercy...


Micro ORM Data Mapping with PetaPoco and ASP.NET MVC 4

Getting tired of working with the verbosity of Entity Framework classes and mapping? Well, you're not the only one, and in this quality post, Greg Arroyo takes us for a lap around the track using PetaPoco as your Micro ORM in MVC4.

Micro ORMs really are here to stay, and in some ways, more broadly applicable to web applications of today where everyone is trying to keep things more simple. If you haven't tried one yet, take this opportunity to get clued up on these fantastic tools.


ASP.NET MVC 4 Web API Routes and ApiController

Once again David Hayden masterfully takes us through a key piece of architecture that is going to be very important to anyone who will be working with MVC4. He details what seems to be a very slick piece of integration work between the new Web API framework and MVC4, and he throws in some OData queries for good measure.

It's short and sweet, and just enough to get you going, and whet your appetite for how to architect your solutions around your own APIs, allowing for more decoupled designs with less possible points of failure.


Getting started on your first Single Page Application

As with the introduction of any new method now encompassed in a technology, it's best to start with what comes straight from the horse's mouth. This Walkthrough put together by Brad Severtson gives you a great introduction, and leaves the mind boggling as to the possibilities.

If you've ever wanted to build your own Gmail and specifically wanted to do it with MVC, then go ahead, knock yourself out! (no pun intended)..

ASPHostCentral.com, the leader in ASP.NET and Windows Hosting Provider, proudly announces that we have supported the latest ASP.NET MVC 4.0 BETA Hosting.   

To support Microsoft ASP.NET MVC 4.0 BETA Framework, we gladly inform you that we provide this beta account FREE of charge for a limited time (* terms and conditions apply). 



New Features in ASP.NET MVC 4

This section describes features that have been introduced in the ASP.NET MVC 4: 
- Enhancements to Default Project Templates
- Better Support for Mobile Project Template
- Enhancement in Display Modes
- Mobile Project Template support for VB.NET
- Dependency Injection Improvements    

Terms and Conditions in Using this ASP.NET MVC 4.0 BETA Account 

The followings are the features you will get under this FREE ASP.NET MVC 4.0 BETA Account: 
- ASP.NET MVC 4.0 Beta Framework
- 1 Website/Domain
- 100 MB disk space
- 100 MB bandwidth
- 50 MB SQL 2008 space
- 24/7 FTP access
- Windows Server 2008 Platform

If you want to participate in this BETA program, there are several rules you need to understand: 

- As this is a beta version, not all the features are available. They may be some issues on this beta framework, which will be fixed upon the full release of ASP.NET MVC 4.0 Framework

- ASPHostCentral.com does not guarantee the uptime of the sandbox solution. Additionally, we do not keep/store any backup of your files/accounts

- ASPHostCentral.com does not guarantee rapid response to any inquiries raised by a user

- This free account is only meant for testing. Users should not use it to store a production, personal, e-commerce or any blog-related site

- This free account is used to host any ASP.NET MVC 4.0 beta website only. Any questions that are not related to ASP.NET MVC 4.0 BETA will not be responded. A user shall not host any non-ASP.NET MVC 4.0 site on this free account either

- ASPHostCentral.com reserves full rights to terminate this beta program at any time. We will provide a notification on our Help Desk System prior to the termination of this program

- ASPHostCentral.com reserves full rights to terminate a user account, in which we suspect that there is an abuse to our system

- Once this beta program is terminated, your account will be completely wiped/remove from our system.

- This offer expires on 31st May 2012

If you wish to participate in this FREE ASP.NET MVC 4.0 BETA Program, you must register via https://secure.asphostcentral.com/BetaOrder.aspx

Starting from 7th Nov 2011, ASPHostCentral.com starts to offer a hosting service located in our prestigious Amsterdam (Netherland) Data Center. For further information, please click here.

For all our new customers who wish to have their sites activated on our Amsterdam (Netherland) data center, you must indicate your request on our order form at https://secure.asphostcentral.com. For our existing customers, a one-time migration fee applies to all requests on our Amsterdam (Netherland) data center and please creates a ticket from our Help Desk to signal your interest.

Our new data center in Amsterdam provides businesses across Europe region. The Amsterdam data center is complemented by new points of presence (PoPs) in Europe that will provide millions of new users with a direct, dedicated path to our Network, providing lower latency and a superior end user experience.

Network Details

Our global network seamlessly integrates three distinct and redundant network architectures—Public, Private, and Data Center to Data Center—into the industry’s first Network-Within-a-Network topology for maximum accessibility, security, and control.

We leverage best-in-class connectivity and technology to innovate industry-leading, fully automated solutions that empower enterprises with complete access, control, security, and scalability. With this insightful strategy and our peerless technical execution, we have created the truly virtual data center—and made traditional hosting and managed/unmanaged services obsolete.

We are proud of our high speed connection. In fact, one of our most frequent compliments from our customers is how fast their site loads... read on and you will see why. When you combine high speed connectivity and high quality equipment, you get a fast and reliable web site. We have invested in the equipment and staff so you can rest assured that your site will load fast every time. We host sites all over the world, and with our multiple backbone connections, your customers will get through to your site fast.

For more details, please visit ASPHostCentral.com website.

What is an IP address?

An IP address is a set of 4 numbers assigned to each device on a computer network. When we apply this definition for the internet, the IP address can be considered a numerical representation of a website address. For example, the domain google.com would go to the IP address 73.14.213.99.

How do IP addresses work?

When you type in a domain name on your browser, your browser will first match that domain name to an IP address. Then, it will access the server at that IP address.

Why would you want a unique IP address for your website?

Websites that have unique IP addresses are more stable and more reliable.

Disadvantages of sharing an IP address:
Sharing an IP address = Higher chance of website outage

Most web hosting providers nowadays cram thousands of websites onto one server. And because IP addresses are in short supply, they will often have all of the websites that are on a server share one IP address. This practice is quite dangerous as it will jeopardize the stability and functionality of each website on the server.

If your website is sharing an IP address with 1,000 other websites on a server and one of those websites becomes blocked or blacklisted, all 1,000 of those websites, including yours, would be blocked or blacklisted as well.

Advantages of having a unique IP address:
Having a unique IP address = Increased stability and reliability for your website.

By having your own unique IP address, your website would be unaffected by the other websites that are on the same server. If a website on your server gets its IP address blocked or blacklisted, it would not affect your website since it's not sharing the same IP address.

In other words, when you have a unique IP address, your website is unaffected by the other websites that are on the server.

The internet is running out of space

The current IPv4 address pool is almost completely used up.

It was announced in early 2011 that the last batch of IP addresses have been allocated. This last batch of IP addresses will probably be used up towards the end of 2011. The current IPv4 address system has about 4.3 billion addresses. With a growing pool of internet users and internet-connected devices, 4.3 billion IP addresses are not enough to meet today's demand.

Fortunately, researchers have designed a new IP address system - IPv6. This new system has 360 undecillion IP addresses and has been available since 1999. But, it seems like the transition is slow, and we'll be stuck with IPv4 for a while. Here's why:

- Transitioning 4.3 billion IP addresses over to the new IPv6 system will take quite some time.
- Existing equipment will need to be upgraded in order to support the new IPv6 address system.
- Not many Internet Service providers (ISP) support IPv6. This means that if your ISP doesn't support IPv6, then you won't be able to access websites hosted with IPv6 addresses.
- Currently, IPv4 addresses are accessible through all ISP's, whereas IPv6 addresses are not.
With that said, the value of the existing IPv4 addresses are likely going to shoot up before IPv6 comes into play. So, make sure you get your IPv4 address before they run out!

A lot web hosting service providers will only allow you to host a single domain name on a single account. This works fine if you plan on having one website only. But later on when you need to setup additional websites, you will need to purchase a separate web hosting account for each of those additional websites. So for example, if you have 10 websites, you will need to pay for 10 web hosting accounts.

What's UNLIMITED Domain Hosting?

Unlimited Domain Hosting allows you to host unlimited number of domain names, or websites, under a single web hosting account. A hosting plan that allows unlimited Domain Hosting will definitely save you money since you can sign up for an account with one company and manage your websites from a central location.

Aside from saving you money, it also allows you to save time. Since all the domains would be hosted on the same hosting account, you can administer each domain simultaneously through the same control panel.

How Do I Take Advantage of Unlimited Domain Hosting?

The best way to get the most out of Unlimited Domain Hosting is to use an "unlimited" web hosting account. With ASPHostCentral.com, you can host any number of domains/websites under one single account and you can start from as low as $4.49/month only!

Sometimes we need to use controls like TextBox, TextBlock etc (that set their width automatically depending on content) in a ListBox’s ItemTemplate. If we need to draw Borders or assign Background colors to each such controls then we may end up having non-equal rows. Here’s a sample markup:

Here’s the output for the above XAML:

A quick thought would be to assign HorizontalContentAlignment property to Stretch for the TextBox but this wont work. We need to specify this property for the ListBoxItem that encapsulates our DataTemplate. Here’s a quick syntax for doing this using a style:

And here’s the output:

This should be fine in most case but sometimes we also need to wrap the text as highlighted using red arrows in the above image. Now setting TextWrapping property will have no effect as the TextBox thinks it can take all the horizontal space. This can be solved by disabling the horizontal scroll bar for the ListBox:

Here’s the final output:
    

Entity Framework 4 allows us to create complex types. Typically, such types are used to get the result of a stored procedure. However, when we try to send such a complex type using a WCF RIA Domain Service, the following error is encountered.



What to do? Adding attributes to EF designer generated classes is a bad idea; Also, we cannot use partial classes to add attributes to an already defined property. However, luckily, WCF RIA Services uses metadata classes in conjunction with the entity model classes and hence we can always create a meta data class for our complex type and decorate one of the fields with a [Key] attribute. E.g., If our stored procedure is returning StoredProcedure_Result, then we may just need to add the following in our DomainService.metadata.cs file: