Category: Computers


  • A Weblogic managed node for a development cluster failed to shutdown when our shutdown script requested. The last managed node to shutdown becomes the JMS node and triggers a rewrite of the config.xml. We have scripts in place to check for the config.xml changing and alert us. Since I am the on call this week,…

  • At work denim was removed from the acceptable dress code. No worry to me because I could not remember the last time I actually wore jeans to the office. They are not clothes I wear often away from the office either. Even in “cold” weather (above freezing, below room temperature) I sweat in them. I…

  • When To Upgrade

    After Firefox just upgraded, I noticed it did a check to on the compatibility of the Add-Ons I have. Should any be incompatible, then the add-on gets disabled. The rationale being, “Add-Ons which do not work under the current version should not be enabled.” Seems like I as the user of the software really ought…

  • Last week I posted on how to verify the cookie domain on nodes not just looking in the Ear file on the admin node. That same concept has another cool use: Verifying which VSTs the nodes actually have. Typically one-off updates from Blackboard has us run the updateWebctEar to replace classes in the war file.…

  • Safeassign

    A couple thoughts about problems with Blackboard’s SafeAssign product. The product appears to be designed to be used by a single institution learning context from CE/Vista systems. We have an institution (InstA) which hosts collaborative programs. Faculty quite reasonably would like to use SafeAssign at InstA just like they do at their home institution (InstB). It appears…

  • Just finished a Oracle WebLogic Server 11g: Administration Essentials class today. So there are lots of things floating about in my head I want try. (Thankfully we have lots of development clusters for me to break beyond repair. Kidding. Sorta.) One of the common support questions Blackboard asks for those of us CE/Vista clients running…

  • A good error message in my opinion provides enough information for the user or administrator to determine likely cause. It doesn’t have to be THE cause. Just something I can try changing and see if the problem disappears. For a while now, Outlook was telling me the “Operation Failed” in a toaster pop-up. O… kay….…

  • Check which famous writer you write like with this statistical analysis tool, which analyzes your word choice and writing style and compares them with those of the famous writers. Not trusting a single sample, I tested fifteen writing samples including stories and blog posts (excluding those with block quotes). The Cory Doctorow result was the…