MSI packages remain a popular means of distributing applications for installation on Windows devices. On occasion, you may find the need to install or uninstall an MSI package programmatically, for example, whenever you need to automate a software installation or update. In this article, I’m going to show you how you can silently install and…
Author: Jonathan Crozier
The Request-Response pattern seems somewhat simple on the surface; send a request, then wait for and receive a response that matches up with the original request. However, implementing this pattern in an efficient manner is something that is easy to get wrong. I’ve found that much of the material online regarding this topic tends to…
SQL Server Merge Replication is a powerful solution for synchronising data between SQL Server databases. It is useful for working offline, for site-to-site data synchronisation, and for backup system scenarios. However, when replication goes wrong, resolving the issue at hand can prove to be challenging. The number of moving parts means that every time you…
As software developers, working with processes is something that we frequently need to do. Whether it’s checking if a specific process is running, stopping a process, or creating a new process, it is useful to have a reference point for how to accomplish each of these tasks. In the sections below, I’m going to cover…
InSecurity
As software developers, we know that SSL certificates are necessary for securing our website traffic. However, in my experience, the process of obtaining and installing an SSL certificate is not something that very many software developers are familiar with. So, if you are a software developer and are looking for some guidance on the process…
PowerShell is an awesome scripting language with many powerful features. This includes integration with SQL Server; a fantastic database engine that is both reliable and battle-tested. If you need to automate repetitive and/or time-consuming DBA processes, connecting PowerShell to your SQL Server instance can be a massive help. In this article, we are going to…
InSecurity
Sometimes when you are developing a Windows app you’ll find the need to run the application as a different user, often as the administrator. Windows features a security mechanism called ‘User Account Control’ which prevents applications from launching with elevated privileges without the user’s consent. In this article, I explain how User Account Control works…
If you’re seeking to get up and running quickly with PowerShell and you aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place! PowerShell is an invaluable scripting tool for both system administrators and developers alike. Getting up to speed with it will make for a very useful addition to your toolkit. In this…
Now, more than ever before, employing security best practices from the start is an absolute must when developing modern web applications. The threat landscape has evolved continuously over the last number of years, however, so have the protection mechanisms which we as software developers can avail of to guard our applications against attackers. In this…