Configuring SSO with LTPA

I had just wasted a few hours of my life because of some careless mistake made by our computer engineers.

I was tasked to configure single sign on for two servers, a Websphere Application Server v6 and a Websphere Portal Server v6. I configured my application server to use the same LDAP configuration as the portal. Export the LTPA key from Websphere Portal and import it to WAS.

I thought it will work. But it didn't. I thought I configured it wrongly thus tweak here and there. Tried every single thing I could imagine. I was also careless as I forgot to consult the log files. I just thought the LTPA token was not propagated properly.

I finally remembered to read the logs and found the following.

[8/2/07 21:55:35:047 PDT] 0000001d LTPAServerObj W SECJ0371W: Validation of the LTPA token failed because the token expired with the following info: Token expiration Date: Thu Aug 02 08:54:41 PDT 2007, current Date: Thu Aug 02 21:55:35 PDT 2007.

Finally I check the server date time settings. Guess what I found. The Portal server is just beginning to wake up at 6 in the morning. The WAS has the same time as my machine, 9:55 p.m., but it is somewhere in US. The engineer who setup the server didn't change the regional settings back to my country and it is still following US timezone.

I wonder who should I be screaming at when this type of things happens. I guess this is what happens when you are not surrounded by geniuses.

Show current Windows Media Player music status in Google Talk

My Google Talk is not showing the current music I am playing in Windows Media Player even though I had enabled the show current music status. After consulting Google Talk Help, I found the following tips. So, the following is for the convenience of those who faced the same problem as me.

Windows Media Player is designed to disable all plug-ins (including the Google Talk music status plug-in) whenever Windows Media Player or your Windows desktop crashes. To re-enable the Google Talk plug-in:

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. From the View menu, select Plug-ins > Options...
3. From the Category section of the Plug-ins tab, select Background.
4. Select the Google Talk Music Plugin checkbox.
5. Click OK.

You'll need to close and restart Windows Media Player for your change to take effect.

All Was Well

(might contain what some consider as spoilers on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

I got my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from a nearby Tesco around 7.00 am. Since there was news that our hypermarkets will run out of the special priced books around noon, I thought it is better to grab it early.

Initially, I planned to purchase the book from Kinokuniya as they were offering a 30% discount for readers with The Star cut out coupon. However, the special price by our hypermarkets is really too tempting to resist.

Anyway, I finished the book early Monday morning with quite a number of breaks in between for shopping malls, food, drinks, Germany F1, etc. The summary of the story is per expected, Harry survives and lived happily ever after :)

One thing I really miss from this final book is Hogwarts. There is very little mention of Hogwarts. The main reason I really like the story is not because of Harry but because of Hogwarts, the stories of young witches and wizards growing up in a magical boarding school.

For those who had not read it, go get a copy. However, if you try to read only the last book, you might be very disappointed as the stories picks up from the previous books and you will not be able to comprehend a lot of it. So, to thoroughly enjoy it, start reading from book one.

I am sleep deprived and is in a zombie like state now. I think I am no longer young enough to finish 600 pages in two days.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sales boycott

It seems like four major bookstore chains in Malaysia will refuse to sell Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tomorrow. They having this boycott to protest against a few Malaysian hypermarkets which are planning to sell at a special promotion price which is way cheaper than the selling price at the bookstores.

The recommended retail price of the book is RM109.90. Most bookstores are giving on average of 10-20% discounts for pre-orders and their members. The hypermarkets are planning to sell at RM69.90 which are more than 35% cheaper than the recommended retail price.

Even without this boycott, I think most Harry Potter fans will be getting their copies of the book from hypermarkets.

I wonder what will happen to those who pre-order the book now that the bookstores are refusing to sell. Or will the publisher disallow the hypermarkets to sell below the recommended retail price? All I want tomorrow is to be able to get my copy of the book at RM69.90, no matter who is selling it.

The story of Kitt & Cherry

The story about how my friend met his wife, dated, proposed and lived happily ever after. Enjoy the music video at the second half of the clip.

Updated: The photos from their wedding dinner.

How to get Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

For those of you who have not pre-order your Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fear not, as you can always get it from the bookstores on 21st July 2007 itself. The book can only be sold after 7.00 am Malaysian time on that day.

I will most probably get mine from Kinokuniya KLCC as they current give the best offer on that book. They are giving a 20% discount only on 21st July 2007 on a while stock last basis. I got a few of my previous Harry Potter books from them too as they really give the best price compared to the other book stores in KL. Most other bookstores will require you to pre-order or be members of their bookstore to enjoy the promotional prices.

For those of you planning to get from the other bookstores, I heard that they give 10% discounts to their members and also offer breakfast for the early arrivals.

Read more about the Kinokuniya Harry Potter promotion here.

Updates: Seems like you can get Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for a promotional price of RM69.90 from our friendly hypermarkets, Carrefour and Tesco.

Grass cutting or pebble spraying

My car got its paint chipped off again! On the way to work today, I didn't manage to see MPSJ cutting grass(spraying pebbles) by road side. When I pass them, I heard a loud pebble connecting to my door sound. On inspection after I parked my car at the office later, found that paint had been chipped off.

I think everyone had problems with the pebble spraying before. MPSJ sends its arsenal of pebble sprayers out nearly every month. I had seen cars with side windows smashed, windscreen smashed and I guess a lot of cars are as unfortunate as mine, with paint chipped off or bodywork dented.

Everyone knows that these pebble sprayers are unsafe when there are cars or motorcycles on the road. Why must they do it every time when people are driving to work when the traffic is at its peak? I wonder if these pebble spraying issue happens elsewhere in other countries or am I stuck in the only country whose town council does not think.

Seven Eleven 2007

Today is just like any other ordinary day. Went to work. Tried to catch Transformers the movie after work, but it is still full house. Still got loads to catch up this month. A lot of tasks to finish up in the office, a few movies such as Transformers, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and Ratatouille, to catch and the final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, to read.

07-07-07

Today is suppose to be a special day. Why? Because the calendar will show three "07". However, other than noticing a lot of people trying to get married on this special day, I don't see it being really special at all.

It is an extremely warm day. Been like this since one or two weeks ago. Makes us hot, irritated and tired. There are also news that the haze will be coming again from our neighboring country. I managed to miss it the previous year by being in another continent. Hope the haze does not come this year as I have no opportunity to escape it this year.

Referring to weddings, there is really a lot of wedding dinner going on this weekend. Maybe everyone thinks that 070707 is a special day for getting married. For those who miss it this year, there is still 080808, 090909, 101010, 111111, 121212. If you are still not married by 2013, then you might have to wait till 2101 for 010101. That's if you can wait that long.

I have nothing special to mention on this special day as it has so far appear to be very ordinary to me. So that's it.

Resetting IBM DB2 identity column

How many of you use the database generated primary keys? I prefer to use it because it remove the hassle to manually generate and maintain sequence numbers manually. Even though the sequence number is generated by the db, it can still be changed via the following syntax.

alter table table_name alter column column_name restart with new_restart_number

Jump - Comic Martial Arts Performance

What do you get when you combine martial arts with comedy? You get JUMP, a Korean comic martial arts performance, that will make your jaws drop and laugh till your sides in stitches.

Last weekend, I went to Genting Highlands Resort to catch the JUMP show at Genting International Showroom. I initially planned to watch it but didn't actually booked any tickets as I cannot find reviews on the show and didn't know whether is it worth it. I called up Genting on that day and found out there are tickets available for the afternoon show. After giving them 16 numbers and an expiry date, I manage to get two PS2 (tier two) tickets.

Took a light meal, drive to Genting, collect tickets, walk around for 30 minutes and got into the Genting International Showroom. Seems like the afternoon show is not as popular as the night show and there are some available seats in PS1 left. Genting were kind enough to give free upgrades to everyone and move everyone more to the front. Thanks Genting. :)

Few minutes prior to the start, one of the actors suddenly appear out of nowhere behind me. He is old with crooked legs and bended back. He call upon the audience to support him whilst he make his way down to the stage. On the way down, he will sit with the audience, rest, ask for massages, take photos with pretty girls, etc. When he finally got to the stage with the help of a kind young man who carried him piggy back all the way down, the show starts.

The plot starts with showing a Korean family whose grand father is very strict with the family and makes sure everyone practices martial arts. There is also the father, the mother, the alcoholic uncle and the daughter. From there it proceeds to the arrival of a son-in-law.

Soon after that, two unfortunate robber decided to rob the house. The story ends with the robbers defeated and the family lived happily ever after :)

There are a lot of beautifully executed fight scenes and hilarious antics. The antics are quite unexpected and will leave you in stitches. I definitely recommend this show if you have the chance to see it.

Some photos below.

myJFFC ANNUAL GATHERING | 9th June, Saturday, 8pm | CYBERJAYA

Gathering IBM WebSphere and DB2 version

To determine the release or version number that you are using for IBM WebSphere, execute versionInfo.bat in %WebSphereRoot%\AppServer\bin

To determine the release for IBM DB2, execute db2level in %DB2Root%\sqllib\bin

我的朋友 My Friends Kawanku

Wonder who compose this...anyway, enjoy the lyrics :)

Magic Trick

Demonstration of a very cool magic trick by Calvin. Kids, don't try this at home.

Should we sell Proton to foreigners?

Proton, Malaysian National car maker, which many Malaysian is not so proud of. It is well known for its inferior quality compared to other car makers such as the Japanese or Korean, but I do sincerely hope that it is not inferior to China's product.

A lot of people do not wish to own a Proton, citing its inferior quality as one of the reasons. The only reason people actually buy a Proton is because it is cheaper compared to other cars in Malaysia due to the high taxes placed on imported cars. Because of this, Proton is suffering from very poor sales thus it seems to be generating losses and a lot of Malaysian citizens are urging the government to sell it off as it is wasting the tax payers money. One of the proposed buyer is Volkswagen, the company that had helped revived a few other poor performing car manufacturers.

Must we sell Proton to a foreign car maker? Do we not have local companies with the skills to manage Proton? Or is Proton such a money sucking organization that nobody wants to risk it?

I sincerely hope that Proton would not be sold to a foreigner company thus resulting all our tax payers money going to some foreigners' pocket. I do hope that most Malaysian realize that Malaysia has a lot of polices in place that is very favorable to Proton. I am very sure Malaysians can do a good job of running Proton if they are given the chance.

Proton is our National car. Our RM100 bills bear the picture of Proton. Let this continue to be our National car. Sell Proton, but to some local companies and let them turn the company around. I am sure if in the right hands, Proton can surely revive itself with such favorable policies in place.

And to those trying to think that by selling Proton off, we can get cheap imports, I doubt it will ever happen. Even if it happen, it might be only a 5 to 10% decrease. There are tons of imports on our Malaysian streets. I think a majority of it are on hire purchase schemes. Imagine if suddenly the imports prices become low. Wouldn't that make majority of car owners poorer? So, the best thing is to improve the quality of Proton. Make it a real car. One that the nation can be proud of.

Of course, to achieve this, I am sure all those bumi policies that is slowly crippling our Malaysian economy must be removed from Proton.

Puspakom to vet all used cars to prevent 'kereta potong'

The news today mentioned that the government is going to make it mandatory to have all used cars to be checked and approved by Puspakom before ownership transfer is allowed. Their reason for this move is to prevent cut and joined cars on the road. There could also be a hidden agenda in it, where few years from now, Puspakom inspection might means older cars will not pass the inspection, thus reducing the amount of old vehicles on our road, forcing the citizens to buy new cars.

Anyway, how many of us actually trust Puspakom inspection? Most of us don't even trust SIRIM inspection. I suspect anything inspected in this country can have its result tweaked by political or monetary means. Would this Puspakom be another money sucking machine? I wouldn't be surprise if later years, to sell your car, you will have to pay Puspakom, whether your car is healthy or not healthy will depends on how much you fund Puspakom. If you don't pay, they will just declare your car as not road worthy.

Never slow down to look during accidents

Our FM radio stations in Malaysia usually broadcast traffic reports during peak hours so that motorists can be forewarned about any traffic congestion. Not that the warning can be of any use as there aren't a lot of alternatives route to use. Even if you know that route is congested, you still need to drive into the congestion, just that you are well informed beforehand.

Sometimes, they will also announce accidents that happen on certain stretch of a road. I noticed that they will also give a general advice to the motorists and persuade everyone not to slow down and look. They comment that Malaysian drivers have this mentality to slow down and look at traffic accidents, therefore causing traffic to slow down and causing massive traffic jams.

However, when you really think about it, shouldn't we all slow down when an accident happen? If you see a car crash, should you just resume your normal speed and drive through the site without observing the crash? Wouldn't the victim of the accident need help? Is it common in most developed countries to ignore accident victims?

Actually, I really feel embarrassed that we never ever stop to help strangers. How many of you will stop your car and help if you see a motorcyclist being knocked down? How many of you will try to help if you see a snatch theft? Most people will ask you not to be so "gei poh" as you will "attract a lot of trouble" by helping. Is this how we should behave in the society? Where is all the kindness we studied during our Moral education in school? Had all that education gone to waste?

If an accident happen, traffic will tend to slow down. It is a fact. Small roads plus obstructions at the road side because of accidents will slow down traffic. It is absolute rubbish to speed past accidents. It is because the roads have no emergency lanes and there is no proper authorized personnels to remove those obstructions that cause traffic congestions, not because the drivers slow down to look. Everyone in every country will look, if they are human. This is because they are only human if they are curious and have a heart.

Friday prayers

This post might be provocative. Please ignore this post if you are easily provoked. This is just what strikes my mind while stuck in traffic in a hot Friday afternoon.

 

Today is a Friday. My colleagues decide to have their lunch at a nearby shopping mall. Not feeling like having fast food for lunch today, I decided to have lunch at a nearby normal Chinese stall. Anyway, nearby is not really that near also as I still have to drive there.

It was a quick lunch and I thought I would want to make it back to the office earlier and finish up my work. It was terrible on the way back. I was caught in a jam caused by people on the way to their Friday prayers. It seems like either the mosque do not provide adequate parking or the devotee find it more convenient to park their car at the roadside. So, a normal three lane main road becomes as tight as a 2 lane kampung road with people crossing the road wherever they wish. You will also see a lot of motorcyclist riding without helmet. Maybe because this is prayer time and their God had suddenly made them invincible to traffic accidents.

Do these people realize that it is illegal to park at roadside? Or do they know it is illegal but since they are on their way to prayers, their God will forgive them?

Also, the town council in this area had been actively giving summons and towing away vehicles for illegal parking. You can see them making their rounds everyday, except during Friday prayers. So, did the town council give special privilege to Friday prayers? Or is it because all the officers are also religious and is already inside the mosque doing their prayers?

On a separate note, these prayers also interfere a lot with productivity. Most government offices have to shut down during Friday prayers to accommodate for their staff performing prayers. So, do they extend their business hours on Friday to make up for it? I might be making a false accusation here, but I have a feeling that most of the people who claims they are going for prayers, are actually using that as an excuse to do other stuff such as going to the malls.

Anyway, I have no problems with people going for prayers. Just make sure you don't break the law and become and an inconvenience to others.

Blogger Beta non-spam review and verification request

This blog is no longer marked as spam. I can post as normal now. However, it seems like the page rank for this site had been reseted to zero :(

Hello, Your blog has been reviewed, verified, and cleared for regular use so that it will no longer appear as potential spam. If you sign out of Blogger and sign back in again, you should be able to post as normal. Thanks for your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Sincerely, The Blogger Team

Blogger's spam-prevention robots

Received an email from The Blogger Team today. Seems this blog had been identified as spam as it has many similar characteristics as a spam blog. Hm...does this mean my behavior is becoming more like a bot as I am the one who is posting in this blog?

Dear Blogger user, This is a message from the Blogger Team. In order to maintain a free, high quality service, we use an automated classifier to identify spam blogs. [1] This system has detected that your blog has characteristics that resemble spam. Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this erroneous result. You won't be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and verify that it is not a spam blog. To request a review, please fill out the form found here: http://www.blogger.com/unlock-blog.g? We'll take a look at your blog and unlock it in less than four business days. Please note, if we don't hear from you, we will remove your blog within 20 days. If the blog at http://kokwai.blogspot.com/ does not belong to you, then no action is necessary on your part. Any other blogs you may have will not be affected. By using automated classification systems we've been able to dedicate more storage, bandwidth, and engineering resources to users like you instead of spammers. Thanks for your understanding. Sincerely, The Blogger Team [1] http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=1260

Seems like I can't even post this article right now. Can only save as draft.

P2P networks

Lately, there have been a lot of complaints about bandwidth throttling for p2p network users. Is it ethical for throttling to be in place when the service providers advertise their services as UNLIMITED usage for a fixed fee per month? Their excuses for implementing throttling is that p2p users used up more than 50% of their bandwidth. According to this article, p2p now dominates more than 50% of the bandwidth. From my interpretion of the results, Internet users had evolved from using http to p2p network for file transfer. If p2p network was never introduced in the first place, I figure our Internet users will still consume the same amount of bandwidth, just that it will be in another protocol. If there is not p2p traffic, users will be doing direct http downloads, ftp downloads and even email downloads. So in my opinion, blaming p2p services for congesting their network is not reasonable. Bandwidth throttling is also unreasonable. Imagine this, a person sells you all the water you can take from his pond for one day for a fix amount of $1. After you pay for it, you proceed to bring a pail to scoop the water. Upon arrival at the pond, the owner take away your pail and give you a spoon. Do you think it is fair?

Firefox Flicks: This is hot

Firefox from out of this world... This is hot More at Firefox Flicks

Firefox Flicks: Give Me The Soap

To stay clean, you don't need to wash with soap, just use Firefox :) Give Me The Soap More at Firefox Flicks