Default location for SQL Backups

In an earlier post, I showed how to change the "model" database to have new databases created in the correct location. In tandem with that, I've found out how to change the default backup location. This one is a little easier:

• The setting is contained in the registry on a per-instance basis. First, find the MSSQL.[Number] directory for the instance you are working with. 95% of the time, it will be MSSQL.1
• Open REGEDIT and find the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQLServer
• Change the DefaultBackupLocation key to whatever path you would prefer.

This change effects the wizards related to the maintenance plans and the one-off special backups.

Removing Groove Indentities from a workstation

I've been learning a lot about the Groove software over the last couple of weeks and one of things I've learned is that Microsoft's documentation is HORRIBLE.

I know, that's not very surprising but this has been worse that usual. Even the client-side help documentation is bad and Microsoft does a better job than most at client-facing documenation. From an end-user prespective there is acouple of important items to note

Groove Identities

Groove ties very hard to be network OS neutral so it uses special terminology for itself. Instead of a Groove user account, the logon process is through a Groove identity. These identities are very tightly bound to the management server and have a fairly paranoid built-in security system. Each identity is tightly bound to a workstation and you allow or deny privledges based on that identity. The logon process is sepereate from any other logon process and the username and password are unique.

Because of this tight binding, you have to remove the identity from the local workstation. You have to options:

If I can still login to this identity:

• Logon to the Groove client software.
• From the toolbar, select Tool >> Preferences
• Select the Identity tab
• Select Delete

There will be a couple of prompts to warn you that you can't undo this action and that all data will be deleted.

If you can no longer logon to an identity

If you can't logon to this identity, you will get annoying pop ups about how it can't logon and will will always see the user name in the list. There is no real way to delete the identity from inside the Groove software. The only way to do it is to purge all the identities from your computer.

• Backup, archive, or export any existing workspaces that you want to keep. Remember, this process will delete all Groove data from the local workstation so you have to backup anything you want to keep.
• Close out of all Groove software (including the system tray icon)
• Run the following command: %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office12\GrooveClean.exe -all. This will delete all of the cached data.
• Go to the current user's profile at %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Groove\User and delete all files and all sub-folders
• Restart Groove. You should be presented with the first time user wizard.
• Configure the user account and import the workspaces that you archived.

Major Japanese Holiday

Over the next two weeks, there are four national holidays in a tight grouping, normally referred to as Golden Week. The vast majority of offices are closed during this week and most Japanese take a major vacation. This year, several of the days occur over the weekend so it kind of warps the traditional tight cluster of days. It looks like about half of my office took this week off and half will take next week off. I'm actually going to come in for a couple of these holidays so that I can take comp-time for whenever our household goods arrive from the states.

Speaking of that, the moving company seemed to get us on a pretty fast boat. The truck was packed on April 18th (in about 4" of snow, too) and it looks like the container ship is expected to dock on May 1st (as scheduled). We don't know how long the customs process will take and the Golden Week holiday will probably slow it down a bit. I'm guessing that the move-in date will be the week of May 12th. We'll see...

Fully packed out of Seattle

Chiho wrapped up the house move, the moving company stopped by last week, and Chiho arrived in Tokyo yesterday. That wraps up the first half of the home move... well, except for all the stuff my mom and dad are taking care of for us this weekend.

The flight over for Chiho was pretty uneventful. The plane was almost completely empty which seemed pretty surprising. We've flown at this time of year before and it was normally pretty full. However, we normally flew on Thursday or Friday so maybe it's the day of the week. So if you have to fly to Japan, try to do it on Wednesday.

Mimi (our lop-eared rabbit) seemed to survive the flight without too much trouble. He seemed to be in a very grumpy mood when Chiho dropped him off at the airport quarantine. We'll be picking him up on Saturday from the airport.

Hardcore flashback time

I saw an advertisement on the train today that really, really, shocked me. It was for a live concert from these guys. What the heck are these guys doing staging a global reunion tour - they weren't that good in the '80s...

Found a new domain-naming wrinkle

Several of my clients in the past had not followed Microsoft's domain naming recommendations and made thier internal domain name match thier external domain name. This always caused problems connecting from the outside, screwing up routing, and other irritations but I've actually found something that is worse - incredibly worse, actually - the Single Label Domain (SLD)

In a single label domain, instead of domain.local or something.domain.com, you actually make your domain without a dot-anything like INT or LOCAL. This makes your internal domain names kind of simple, server.int, web.int, or whatever but you be amazed as to how much breaks when you do you this:

• Live Communicator breaks


• Kerberos authentication between Active Directory and any other kerberos based service brakes


• Windows authentication to an SQL server breaks


• Domain trust become extremely difficult


• Groove Server Active Directory Integration breaks

Trust me on this one, you never want to do a single label domain. And, guess what we have at my new company....

Address in Japan

We've picked our preferred place and have it pretty much locked in. The new address will be:

Beach Terrace #111
3-1-1 Mihama-ku Utase
Chiba-shi 261-0013
Japan

〒261-0013
千葉市美浜区打瀬３－１－１　
幕張ビーチテラス１１１号
JAPAN

We will get keys on the 26th or 27th of April. I got a chance to look at it last weekend and here are some pictures:

• From the front entry way
• The big windows out the back yard area (note how tall the windows are - we had no idea the condo had such high ceilings)
• The back patio and fence
• Kitchen (with dishwasher, very important)
• Looking from the main living area towards the kitchen

It's hard to take good interior shots so I don't have much. Hopefully, I can get some more in a couple of weeks.

Configuring SQL 2005 so new database put files on different drives

Microsoft's SQL 2005 best practice recommendations include splitting binary, database files, and transaction logs onto different drives. When you install SQL 2005, you can used the advanced options to change the default data directory but this will put the MDF and LDF files in on the same drive. This really doesn't matter for the system databases but you don't want that to be true for all database that get created later. You actually need to do two different processes to ensure that new databases get configured correctly:

Change the defaults for manually created databases

1. Use SQL Management Studio and connect to the database
2. Right click the server name at the top of the hierarchy and select options
3. Go to Database Settings
4. Change the Default Database location

Change the model database

Databases that are created by scripts or software installers do not grab the settings we just changed. They copy the settings from the model database. Since the model database defaults to putting the MDF and LDF files in the same folder you need to modify it. This gets a little tricky, though:

1. Open SQL Configuration Manager
2. Find the service that defines you database, right click it, and select properties
3. Go to Advanced and find the start up parameters section
4. Enter ;-c;-T 3608 at the end of the current string. As a side note, the Microsoft documentation for this does not mention the semi-colons
5. Restart the SQL service. The parameters that we put in will let you modify the temp database. Without those tags, the database is "locked".
6. Use SQL Management Studio to connect to the database
7. Open a new query and make sure the current database is set to master
8. Run the following query: sp_detach_db 'model'
9. Move the modellog.ldf file to the path you want logs to be
10. Run the following query:sp_attach_db 'model','[Path to Data Files]\model.mdf','[Path to log files]\modellog.ldf'
11. Use SQL Configuration Manager to remove the parameters we added.
12. Restart the SQL service

That should make your SQL server create new databases the way you want them to.

Groove Server 2007

I've been placed in charge of world wide roll out of the Groove Server 2007 infrastructure. I've played with the software and a couple of Seattle clients had asked me to look into it so I'm kind of familiar with the concept. Now that I've had a chance to really dig into it, the system is kind of fascinating.

The main core of the software is amazingly simple - (1) create a way for end-users to setup their own shared storage systems, (2) copy the files to whoever is working on it, and (3) keep the various copies up to date wherever someone happens to be working. Simple in concept but tricky to actually pull off. SharePoint's web-accessible document front end can make the files easy to share and ensure that people have access to the latest version but it only works while you're connected to the Internet.

Groove is kind of confusing because there is a client software and server software and you don't always need the server versions. The software needs access to a management server but your company doesn't need to have one of its own. For small offices, Microsoft has a free, public support infrastructure that you can register your client software with. You can be set up and running within a minute or two of starting the software. The Groove Server infrastructure is really only needed if you want more control. In Microsoft's documentation, offices with fewer than 100 users shouldn't even bother setting up an Groove Server installation at all.

From all of my reading and research, it looks like it should be an easy setup. I'm going to be creating a test network over the next couple of weeks and I'll try to write about what I find out. Well, I have a budget of only 40,000 euros to pull this off so I guess I'll just have to make do... :-)

...Did I mention that I'm still having difficulty with the scale of my new company? 40,000 euros is over $60,000 US and that was one of the smallest budget items on the list this year...

Gold’s Gym Makuhari幕張

When Chiho was back in Japan last time, we signed up for the local Gold’s Gym in Makuhari. There are actually two gyms across the street from each other that are the “main gym” and “annex”. Gyms are kind of expensive in Japan, we found, probably because the cost of keeping employees in Japan is kind of expensive. I rented a locker at the annex gym so I can leave my shoes and a change of clothes there. It should really help for trying to go to the gym after work. Chiho joined the gym, too, so we got a family discount but it still ended up at about $100 per month, about three times the cost of Gold’s in Mukilteo.

Rented out the Mukilteo house

We decided to take our house off of the market and rent it out. As it turns out, one of Chiho’s ex-coworkers was looking for a new rental so we rented it to them for a year. We’ll test the waters for a sale next year. Of course, since the dollar took its big plunge against the yen, maybe waiting is a good idea.

Furniture for sale (3)

One more time, here's another list of what we have for sale:

• Glass angel table - $125
• Vanity table with mirror - $150 SOLD
  
• White bench with storage - $135
• Blue china hutch or curio cabinet - $135
• Off-white end table/cabinet - $50
• 48" round center post table - $500
• Magnavox 27" TV - $25
• Black oval free-standing mirror - $40