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For most USB-enabled devices, you must install the correct driver on your computer before connecting the device. Although Windows will detect a new connection, it won't be able to recognize it without the driver and will not respond. Generic mass storage devices are an exception, as Windows has a built-in driver for them; for any other device, install the driver first.
Will Rogers never met me.
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I'm considering setting up a small server at home - to run TFS and SqlServer.
* I'm not interested in learning about setting up & maintaining a domain server, so "all things network" are not AFIK important.
* I'll probably use it as a print & server.
* Ideally it'll be very quiet
* Ideally, it'll have an some easy way to make periodic backups (tape? CD? external HD? Suggestions?)
* I'd like it to be cheap (sub $1k; preferably closer to $500, but that's not critical)
* Performance is not critical - I'll not be doing anthing heavy duty with it
For those of you who have something remotely resembling this:
* what hardware are you running?
* what non-Microsoft software have you added?
* how satisfied are you with your setup?
For those of you who have no hardware, but plentiful opinions, suggestions and ideas:
* what would you recommend?
Last but not least:
* what haven't I asked / what do you think I should be thinking about .. that I'll regret if I don't consider it before spending $$?
Thanks,
Chris
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Chris Trelawny-Ross wrote: * I'm not interested in learning about setting up & maintaining a domain server, so "all things network" are not AFIK important.
Might be a bit hard to run TFS without that... Not sure if you CAN, never looked.
Chris Trelawny-Ross wrote: Ideally it'll be very quiet
Stay away from a rack mount system then.
Chris Trelawny-Ross wrote: I'd like it to be cheap (sub $1k; preferably closer to $500, but that's not critical)
If you want it to run DECENT then plan on spending closer to the 1000 mark. Trust me on that. TFS is a bit of a hog.
Chris Trelawny-Ross wrote: Performance is not critical - I'll not be doing anything heavy duty with it
Yes you are, you are running TFS 
As far as what I was running this type of setup on, I spent the money and had a dual P4 with 4 GB RAM, 1TB HD, did backups to a DVD writer, and was running it with MS SBS as base so I also had Exchange, DC, etc.. on it all.
I was OK with the setup. The SBS stuff made it a bit unstable after a while (I was never a big fan of SBS but the cost was right at the time).
Chris Trelawny-Ross wrote: what non-Microsoft software have you added?
Minor utilities... IE: DVD Backup SW that was SBS compatible, Antivirus (Avast) ETC...
Could have used more RAM, TFS ran very slow on it, but it got the job done at the time.
Really though, check first to see if you can run TFS in a non-domain environment. I am not sure if you can just run it as a shared server. I think it needs domain 'stuff'.
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Good catch about the domain server TFS requirement. Many thanks. Also, re the horsepower requirements of TFS.
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Did some research - apparently TFS does not require use of Active Directory for user authentication (see MSDN: Managing Team Foundation Server in a Workgroup[^] ... but I suspect it may be simpler.
And, now that I think about it, it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit about setting up Active Directory and a domain controller.
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Just make the TFS a DC also That part is so lightweight you will never notice
Work-group mode...
Shudder...
Can't remember the last lime I was NOT in domain mode around here at the house.
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Ray Cassick wrote: Can't remember the last lime I was NOT in domain mode around here at the house.
Meanwhile I shudder at the thought of having to pay several hundred dollars more per windows upgrade cycle just for pro level OS licenses. If Win8 allows joining a small domain at the Home Premium level I'll probably set one up, until then it's not worth the expense. Even then, unless I can get a free server 2012(?) license or they add domain controller to WHS I'll probably end up running LDAP on a *nix box. Server class OSes and tools are just too $*#@)$ expensive otherwise.
3x12=36
2x12=24
1x12=12
0x12=18
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If you have current projects that can leverage MS tech then consider something like joining their BizSpark program. Very cheap and gets you a ton of benefits, one of them being access to MSDN subscriptions. The cost at a company level is like $100 a year.
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MSDN isn't licensed for production use so running your home network on it isn't permitted. I'd assume that bizspark has similar restrictions that your cheap licenses are only for work use.
3x12=36
2x12=24
1x12=12
0x12=18
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Microsoft® BizSpark™ benefits to startups include:
Software.
Get immediate access to current full-featured Microsoft development tools, platform technologies, and production licenses of server products (including Windows Azure Platform) for use in developing and bringing to market innovative and interoperable solutions.
Nope... Look into it...
http://www.bizspark.com/Programs/Pages/BizSpark.aspx[^]
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If your excerpt covers the uses fully, then it's only licensing the software for work related purposes. Unless otherwise specified, home network generally refers to all the computers you, your spouse, and kids use to surf the web and do homework on; not the computers you're using to run a startup/side project. If all the computers you've built using bizspark are for the latter use, my apologies.
3x12=36
2x12=24
1x12=12
0x12=18
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Chris Trelawny-Ross wrote: * Ideally, it'll have an some easy way to make periodic backups (tape? CD? external HD? Suggestions?)
An HD is the only reasonable option for consumer backup at this point. Optical disks are far too small and slow. Tape doesn't become reasonable costwise until you're doing at least a dozenish terabytes and even then you'll be puttering around with 400/800GB tapes so it's still got a large annoying factor.
3x12=36
2x12=24
1x12=12
0x12=18
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Any Windows PC can act as a file and print server; there's no need to use a Server OS if you don't need the domain controller functions. SQL Server is a resource hog, though, so you'll want to spend your money on lots of RAM and disk storage. Both have become very cheap in recent years, and since performance isn't a major issue for you, you can save a little on the computing hardware and spend more on the storage. I do think $1000 is a better target for you than $500 - that only gets you a low level desktop.
One item I find useful is the plentiful selection of large, cheap external disks available now. A few hundred bucks buy a lot of terabytes of storage these days, and those make nice backup devices.
Will Rogers never met me.
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How many of us are there, what sort of fields do you work in and where are you based?
It would be interesting to know how thin on the ground we are (then we can ask a higher rate! )
I have done NDIS nic drivers (3G USB devices and bespoke HW), serial drivers and various filter drivers. I work in Europe, mostly in the UK.
Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription
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I don't do drivers full-time but I am one of only two folks in my shop of about 20 software folks who do kernel-level code. We are driven by customer requests, so when we do drivers varies wildly. I haven't done any in over a year, but in the two years before that, I wrote 3.
I think you don't see many here because most "serious" driver writers lurk over on OSR. Given some of the types of programmers I see asking the odd driver question, I don't know if I want to encourage them to write a driver 
Judy
Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss.
Lazarus Long, "Time Enough For Love" by Robert A. Heinlein
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Interesting question, and Judy's reply is also interesting.
I am not a kernel dev person, but since I work for a very small company,
I have to handle a lot of different situations. I mostly do user interface
stuff for our instruments, but twice since 1999 I've had to dip into printer drivers
for our chart recorders/graphic printers. I just use the Microsoft Unidrv stuff
and I find that challenging enough. The documentation from Microsoft is in geological
layers, and the docs I have never seem to quite fit the DDK I have.
Enough! You guys are not interested in this, but maybe someone else is
John
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Ha, thats a good way of saying it. Its massive, but also never gives you a absoloute answer, probably because Microsoft dont know how it works either!
The most problematic though is the ability of Windows to go into strange parts of ite 'envelope' and start acting weird. Much of the challenge if kernel deving is to keeop Windows as close to the center of its possible field of states. We call it a nondeterministic infinite state machine. Its due to its sheer complexity, and hence architectural bugs can arrise easilly, and the fact that HW is so very different from platform to platform nd can have a massive effect on the Way the kernel functions.
Its a tough job, but itf pays well, and is challenging.
Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription
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fat_boy wrote: Ha, thats a good way of saying it. Its massive, but also never gives you a absoloute answer, probably because Microsoft dont know how it works either!
The most problematic though is the ability of Windows to go into strange parts of ite 'envelope' and start acting weird. Much of the challenge if kernel deving is to keeop Windows as close to the center of its possible field of states. We call it a nondeterministic infinite state machine. Its due to its sheer complexity, and hence architectural bugs can arrise easilly, and the fact that HW is so very different from platform to platform nd can have a massive effect on the Way the kernel functions.
I like your idea, a nondeterministic infinite state machine!
John
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It was coined by a colleague I worked with a few years back, and so well defined windows it stuck in my mind. Its the complete antithesis of what a computer should be.
Morality is indistinguishable from social proscription
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i built a seial programmer to the atmega32 found in this link :
http://ballwell.blogspot.com/2009/08/serial-programmer-for-avr.html
i am trying to test it using ponyprog , but unfortunately when i open the setup interface i get "Test Failed"
i am searching for any error but i cant find
thnx for any help
modified on Thursday, September 2, 2010 7:12 PM
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your link seems incorrect.
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sorry for mistake , i corrected the link
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OK, I skimmed that blog, so I think I understand what you are trying.
There is insufficient information (symptoms) to help you out, anything could be wrong (no power, wrong serial port, bad cable, no target device, ...). Has it ever worked for you?
I'm unfamiliar with ponyprog, I don't know what conditions would lead to "Test Failed" (and what other messages could be generated).
Your best bet could be to post on a specialized forum, is there one for ponyprog? or contact ballwell.
If all that fails, post here again, with tons of information of what you did, what works, what doesn't.
BTW: I regret the little PCB does not offer any LEDs, it is always good to have some immediate indicators.
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please can you explain me in brief wat you are trying to do so i can help you out i have worked little on avr microcontroller building bots....i mean robot 
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Is it like this?
when reading/writing a file, if there are APC's, the reading/writing returns immediately and prematurely, and the APC's
are executed.
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