Unidev – Software Development

Archive for September, 2009

I recently needed to upgrade the PHP for a particular site from 5.2.6 to 5.3.0.  Of course, this is when I found out that PHP no longer supports the ISAPI module and instead wants you to use FastCGI.  Luckily I found a great article on how to configure IIS at http://learn.iis.net/page.aspx/247/using-fastcgi-to-host-php-applications-on-iis-60/.  However, these instructions have some caveats in regards to running IIS in 32 bit mode on Windows Server 2003 x64.  To make a long story short, just like with most things running in 32 bit mode on x64, everything that references %WINDIR%\system32 really needs to point to %WINDIR%\SysWOW64.  If you use the fcgiconfig.js script, this will configure everything to point to %WINDIR%\system32.

• The Web Service Extension needs to point to %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\inetsrv\fcgiext.dll.
• The .php extension on the website also needs to point to %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\inetsrv\fcgiext.dll.
• The fcgiext.ini file must also be located in %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\inetsrv.  Otherwise you will get a 500 error from FastCGI saying it cannot find the configuration file.

Note that the fcgiconfig.js script is only installed in %WINDIR%\system32\inetsrv.  I was able to create a fcgiconfigwow64.js file that points to the correct files.  The script needs to have at least an ini file with the “[Types]” section in the %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\inetsrv directory.  It also needs to be located under %WINDIR%\system32 as it doesn’t support running under Wow64.  You just need to change the following 2 lines near the top of the script.

From:

var g_iniPath       = g_Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%WinDir%\\system32\\inetsrv\\fcgiext.ini" );
var g_extensionPath = g_Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%WinDir%\\system32\\inetsrv\\fcgiext.dll" );

To:

var g_iniPath       = g_Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%WinDir%\\SysWOW64\\inetsrv\\fcgiext.ini" );
var g_extensionPath = g_Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%WinDir%\\SysWOW64\\inetsrv\\fcgiext.dll" );

Development efficiency is an area we are constantly investing in and working to improve. I feel it is imperative that we are able to deliver value to customers at the least cost possible. Just like Walmart, if we drive the costs down to develop high function software and then pass the savings on, it is a great thing for both us and our customers.
There are two general methods for approaching a development project (be it a simple website or a complex application). The first is to get a complete defintion prior to coding and then focusing on driving to completion, staying as true to the original design as possible. The second is to define a clear target but assume that the direction will change and that the requirements will change as more information becomes available during the design and development phases. Both work, we tend to the later because we feel our ultimate goal is to deliver the best value product to the customer which may or may not be exactly what was originally defined.
There are a number of important cost drivers of a development effort. Effective communications with the customer and within the team are probably the most important one. By communicating in a timely and complete manner, you can drastically reduce rework. This is also the biggest challenge as everyone communicates differently. It is easy to require daily meetings, it is a lot more difficult to ensure that everyone understands completely everything that was said in the meeting.
We designed the layout of our offices to support easy and constant communications between team members using a open spaces, sound deadening materials which allow many conversations to occur simultaneously without disturbing others. We encourage ‘rollup meetings’ and collaboration between team members to help make sure that everyone is moving in the same direction at all times. Teams coordinate activities within the team even though individual members may be from different operating groups (technical, creative, etc.) reducing unnecessary management overhead.
Other simple investments to make to improve efficiencies are having large and available white boards for discussions, dual or triple monitor development stations (probably the most cost effective efficiency there is), fast workstations and servers (it doesn’t help if it takes a lot of time each day to do the basic development housekeeping such as check in and check out) and available development, test and production systems so teams are not stepping on one another. The software tools you use are worth some effort to evaluate thoroughly. Developers will often gravitate to the latest and flashiest tools but those are not always the best idea, especially if they do not noticably improve the teams production and they are not consistent with the rest of your development platform. It is important however, to make sure you have excellent tools as these can be a great timesaver and a very worthwhile investment.
Training is another critical investment. Teams need to be aware of the latest methods and processes. Not only does this help with the code quality but also with creating more efficient designs.
With investment, training and time, you can work to reduce your development costs significantly. With lower costs, you also have a better risk profile which is a great value to both the developer and the customer.

The second annual St. Louis Day of .NET conference was held on August 28th and 29th, 2009. Over 500 local .NET developers, architects and other technologists, including Unidev’s George Zheng and Jinhai Wang, attended the highly anticipated event at the exciting location of The Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, Missouri. The conference, with too much info to pack into just one day, had over 50 technical sessions from local and national experts on Saturday and Sunday covering all the technologies of today, as well as providing a sneak preview of the technology possibilities of the future.

George and Jinhai took a lot of useful information from the conference and were exposed to new skills and ideas. “Day to day we use the various Microsoft Tools to focus on one project, but the conference covered every aspect of the tool. Meeting with other users of the same tools, helped me to become quicker, more educated and more productive,” George Zheng says of his experience at the conference.

Jinhai found the session on Language Integrated Query (LINQ), presented by Keith Dahlby, Senior Consultant at Inetium, to be most impressive. The session explored technologies that make LINQ possible and discussed how you can use the same techniques to make LINQ work for you. Another session Jinhai and George both found notable was the session on Silverlight presented by Brad Tutterow, Senior Consultant at Daugherty Business Solutions. Silverlight is a browser plug-in that allows .NET developers to write rich internet applications (RIAs). The session covered how to use Visual Studio and the Expression Studio suite together to build a working Silverlight game, the outcome of the presentation was a working Silverlight game that participants got to take home with them.

A few of the session topics covered at the conference included C #, VB.NET, Sharepoint, WPF, WCF, Visual Studio, .NET 4.0, Expression Blend, SQL Server 2008, ASP.NET MVC and Windows Azure. In an effort to provide the most rewarding experience possible to participants, this year’s conference offered a wide variety of alternative sessions and other unique opportunities such as roundtable discussions, “Birds of a Feather” opportunities, a vendor fair and a Friday night social at Home Night Club, located in the Ameristar Casino.

George and Jinhai both saw the .NET Conference as a success and found the experience to be extremely beneficial to their work at Unidev. They are looking forward to what the St. Louis Day of .NET 2010 Conference has in store!