Using Tracert

Introduction

Tracert is a Windows based command-line tool that you can use to trace the path that an Internet Protocol (IP) packet takes to its destination from a source. Tracert will determine the path taken to a destination. It does this by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to the destination. When sending traffic to the destination, it will incrementally increase the Time to Live (TTL) field values to aid in finding the path taken to that destination address. The path is outlined from this process.

Using the following illustration, let’s take a look at how tracert would function in a production network.

How to Use Tracert

As you saw in the last illustration, we will be sending traffic from a test workstation from Site B to a server at another site (Site A). The packets will traverse the wide area network (WAN) that separates the two sites over a T1 with a backup link via Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). To use the tracert utility, you simply need to know what your destination IP address is and how to use the tracert utility correctly as well as what to look for within the results.

Tracert works by manipulating the Time to Live (TTL). By increasing the TTL and then each router decrementing as it sends it along to the next router, you will have a hop count from your source to your destination. A router hop would be a packet sent from one router to another router – that’s a hop. When the TTL on the packet reaches zero (0), the router sends an ICMP "Time Exceeded" message back to the source computer. You can see an example of our sample network here in the next illustration; with a source and destination IP address… we will be using the workstation on Site B and a server at Site A for our test.

From this illustration you can see that the source IP will be 10.1.2.4 and the destination (for this example) will be 10.1.1.6. The normal route the packets should take would be from Site B to Site A over the higher capacity link, the T1 (1.544 Mbps). The ISDN link is 128 Kbps and is used as a backup if the primary link fails. Tracert once fired up and used will be able to show you that the packets sent will start from Site B, the PC at 10.1.2.4 and then traverse the T1 to 10.1.1.1. That router will know how to send the packets to its local LAN (10.1.1.0) and ultimately to 10.1.1.6.
As the packets are sent, tracert will use the first interface on the router that it sees to report back your router hops, so let’s take a look at our complete path before we send the test packets.

The Tracert Test
Now, to use tracert, you simply need to open a command prompt. To do this, go to
Start => Run => CMD => tracert
(note – you must type tracert, as you can see traceroute only works on UNIX/Linux and other systems such as Cisco, etc)

Using Tracert Options

To use tracert, be aware of a few options you can use with it. The most helpful is the first one. Using the –d option is always helpful when you want to remove DNS resolution. Name servers are helpful, but if not available or if incorrectly set or if you simply just want the IP address of the host, use the –d option.
-d Prevents tracert from attempting to resolve the IP addresses of intermediate routers to their names. This can speed up the display of tracert results.

-h Specifies the maximum number of hops in the path to search for the target (destination). The default is 30 hops.

-j You can use this with a host list (HostList). Specifies that Echo Request messages use the Loose Source Route option in the IP header with the set of intermediate destinations specified in HostList. With loose source routing, successive intermediate destinations can be separated by one or multiple routers. The maximum number of addresses or names in the host list is 9. The HostList is a series of IP addresses (in dotted decimal notation) separated by spaces.

-w Specifies the amount of time in milliseconds to wait for the ICMP Time Exceeded or Echo Reply message corresponding to a given Echo Request message to be received. If not received within the time-out, an asterisk (*) is displayed. The default time-out is 4000 (4 seconds)

-? Displays help at the command prompt.

tracert [-d] [-h MaximumHops] [-j HostList] [-w Timeout] [TargetName]

How to Use Tracert to Troubleshoot

There may be times where the output you get isn’t so clear to you. For example, what if you get an asterisk? As just mentioned in the last section, an asterisk can be a false positive, because the ICMP packet may be traveling through, but something is stopping the report from coming back, most likely a firewall rule or access control list.

You can use tracert to find out where a packet stopped on the network. In the following example, the default gateway has found that there is no valid path for any host. This would mean that both links are down – the T1 and the ISDN and there is no destination available.

C:\>tracert 10.1.1.6Tracing route to 22.110.0.1 over a maximum of 30 hops ----------------------------------------------------- 1 10.1.2.1 reports: Destination net unreachable.
Trace complete.

From this example, you can see that when you sent the tracert test to 10.1.1.6, the LAN default gateway reported that it could not find a path – to see this in graphical format may help you to understand it better.

As just mentioned, since there is no path, the closest router to the source informs the source that there is no path.

Important Notes

Here are some important notes that I have compiled to help you learn more about tracert.
Tracert also doesn’t help you to find ‘latency’. To trace a path and provide network latency and packet loss for each router and link in the path, use the pathping command. Visit my author section on this site to learn about pathping.

Tracert is available only if the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol is installed as a component in the properties of a network adapter in Network Connections. This is a TCP/IP utility that uses ICMP, a protocol within the TCP/IP protocol suite.

On modern Linux distros the traceroute (not tracert although some Linux systems allow you to use tracert too!) utility uses UDP datagram’s with a port number of 33434. Windows uses ICMP echo request (type 8) better known as ping packets.

Read RFC 792 for more information about ICMP and its internals.

Summary

In this article we covered the basics of tracert. Tracert (also known as traceroute) is a Windows based tool that allows you to help test your network infrastructure. In this article we looked at and covered how to use tracert while trying to troubleshoot real world problems such as multiple paths or downed links. This will help to reinforce the tool's usefulness and show you ways in which to use it when working on your own networks. This TCP/IP utility allows you to determine the route packets take through a network to reach a particular host that you specify. Tracert works by increasing the "time to live" (TTL) value of each successive packet sent. When a packet passes through a host, the host decrements the TTL value by one and forwards the packet to the next host. When a packet with a TTL of one reaches a host, the host discards the packet and sends an ICMP time exceeded. Tracert, if used properly, can help you find points in your network that are either routed incorrectly or are not existent at all. Tracert (and traceroute) is a tool that you must master if you plan on working on networks – this (with ping and pathping) can be used to help you map and troubleshoot your network with ease. Stay tuned for more!

Photo Highlight

Enjoying the view : Indian couples sit on a sea wall as they enjoy the last rays of sun in Mumbai

A young kangaroo (macropus fuliginosus) investigates the world from its mother's pouch in the zoo in Basel, Switzerland.

A model presents a creation by French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for his Fall-Winter 2009-2010 ready-to-wear collection, Tuesday, March 10, 2009 in Paris. The face of late American artist Andy Warhol is seen printed on the fabric.

Gerberas flowers are seen in a field for export at a plantation in LLano Grande, 37 miles (60 km) east of San Jose, March 10, 2009. Flower producers have seen their exports to the United States and Canada reduced by 50 percent in the current global economic crisis, according to a producer's cooperative. REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate.

This photo released by the Las Vegas News Bureau, shows an Owl butterfly hanging on a plant at the Bellagio Las Vegas Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

Signs of spring : Daffodil flowers are pictured in front of London's Big Ben.

One-way street : Goldfish swim in an aquarium at a market in north of Tehran.

MAGENN AIR ROTOR SYSTEM (M.A.R.S.)...... New Technology...............Produce Power.....

Magenn Power's MARS is a Wind Power Anywhere™ solution with distinct advantages over existing Conventional Wind Turbines and Diesel Generating Systems including: global deployment, lower costs, better operational performance, and greater environmental advantages. MARS is a lighter-than-air tethered wind turbine that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, generating electrical energy. This electrical energy is transferred down the 1000-foot tether for immediate use, or to a set of batteries for later use, or to the power grid. Helium sustains MARS and allows it to ascend to a higher altitude than traditional wind turbines. MARS captures the energy available in the 600 to 1000-foot low level and nocturnal jet streams that exist almost everywhere. MARS rotation also generates the "Magnus effect" which provides additional lift, keeps the MARS stabilized, and positions it within a very controlled and restricted location to adhere to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) & Transport Canada guidelines. The Advantages of MARS over Conventional Wind Turbines: Wind Power Anywhere™ removes all placement limitations. Coast-line or off-shore locations are not necessary to capture higher speed winds. Reaching winds at 1,000-feet above ground level allow MARS to be installed closer to the grid. MARS is mobile and can be rapidly deployed, deflated, and redeployed without the need for towers or heavy cranes. MARS is bird and bat friendly with lower noise emissions and is capable of operating in a wider range of wind speeds - from 4 mph to greater than 60 mph. The Advantages of a MARS combined Wind and Diesel Solution over a Diesel Generator-only solution: MARS can complement a diesel generator by offering a combined diesel-wind power solution that delivers power below 20 cents per kWh. This compares to a wide range of 25 cents to 99 cents per kWh for diesel-alone, reflecting the high fuel and transportation costs in remote areas. The MARS combined solution allows lower pollution and green house gas emissions. It also results in lower handling, transporting, and storage costs. MARS Target Markets: Developing nations where infrastructure is limited or non existent; off-grid combined wind and diesel solutions for island nations, farms, remote areas, cell towers, exploration equipment, backup power & water pumps for natural gas mines; rapid deployment diesel & wind solutions (to include airdrop) to disaster areas for power to emergency and medical equipment, water pumps; on-grid applications for farms, factories, remote communities; and wind farm deployments.

The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) is an innovative lighter-than-air tethered device that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, efficiently generating clean renewable electrical energy at a lower cost than all competing systems. This electrical energy is transferred down the tether to a transformer at a ground station and then transferred to the electricity power grid. Helium (an inert non-reactive lighter than air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds and its rotation also causes the Magnus effect. This provides additional lift, keeps the device stabilized, keeps it positioned within a very controlled and restricted location, and causes it to pull up overhead rather than drift downwind on its tether.

All competing wind generators use bladed two-dimensional disk-like structures and rigid towers. The Magenn Power Air Rotor system is a closed three-dimensional structure (cylinder). It offers high torque, low starting speeds, and superior overall efficiency thanks to its ability to deploy higher. The closed structure allows Magenn Power to produce wind rotors from very small to very large sizes at a fraction of the cost of current wind generators.

The distinct advantages of the Magenn Air Rotor System design are as follows:

Magenn Air Rotor System is less expensive per unit of actual electrical energy output than competing wind power systems.
Magenn Power Air Rotor System will deliver time-averaged output much closer to its rated capacity than the capacity factor typical with conventional designs. Magenn efficiency will be 40 to 50 percent. This is hugely important, since doubling capacity factor cuts the cost of each delivered watt by half.
Wind farms can be placed closer to demand centers, reducing transmission line costs and transmission line loses.
Conventional wind generators are only operable in wind speeds between 3 meters/sec and 28 meters/sec. Magenn Air Rotors are operable between 1 meter/sec and in excess of 28 meters/sec.
Magenn Air Rotors can be raised to higher altitudes, thus capitalizing on higher winds aloft. Altitudes from 400-ft to 1,000-ft above ground level are possible, without having to build an expensive tower, or use a crane to perform maintenance.
Magenn Air Rotors are mobile and can be easily moved to different locations to correspond to changing wind patterns. Mobility is also useful in emergency deployment and disaster relief situations. These points are mutually inclusive. The advantages above combine to make Magenn the most cost-effective wind electrical generation system.

ATG Dynamo Articles - J2EE / JSP in Dynamo

Part 1 : Creating a new J2EE app in ATG Dynamo 5.6.1

Overview

These instructions list the steps to create an deploy a new j2ee application using ATG Dynamo 5.6.1

This is the first step in converting the Dating application from JHTML to JSP. Even if you haven't created the dating application these steps still provide all the steps you need to create a new j2ee app and then go on to convert an existing JHTML app to JSP and j2ee.

Instructions

Start solid DB
Start Dynamo (WITHOUT the Dating module if you've already done that)
bin\startDynamo -m DSS (just with DSS)
start the ACC
Tools->J2EE Deployment
File-> create new J2EE application

ATG Dynamo Articles - Where do I Get an AccessDeniedListener From?

Overview

AccessDeniedListener is an interface which you must implement to track when a user is denied access to a protected resource. It's simple to write and set up.

Source Code
import atg.userprofiling.AccessDeniedListener;
import atg.userprofiling.AccessDeniedEvent;

public class DeniedListener
extends atg.nucleus.GenericService
implements AccessDeniedListener
{

public DeniedListener()
{
}
public void accessDenied(AccessDeniedEvent evt)
{
if(isLoggingInfo())
{
logInfo("Access Denied: " + evt.getURL());
}
}
}
Configuration
Set up a global Component based on your DeniedListener, in this example we've called it

/training/sf/security/AccessDeniedListener
Set up any old access Controller, in this example we've used

/training/sf/security/MemberAccessController
$scope=global
allowGroups=members
deniedAccessURL=/
groupRegistry=/atg/registry/RepositoryGroups

Add your listener and the access controller to the /atg/userprofiling/AccessControlServlet configuration

accessControllers=/members\=/training/sf/security/MemberAccessController
deniedAccessURL=/
accessDeniedListeners+=/training/sf/security/AccessDeniedListener

Testing the Listener
Don't log in as a member!
Point your browser to http://localhost:8840/members.
You should be redirected to the doc root check the log for an info message from your listener

ATG Dynamo Articles - Personalization (DPS)

Example of a Droplet Using Query Builder to Find Users by Name

Note: You'ld actually use RQLQueryForEach to do this job. This is just an example of the technology!

This sample implements a droplet which takes a search term (match), finds users whose login, firstName or lastName property matches the term and then iterates over them similarly to a ForEach droplet.

Components of this type could be configured at global scope since the droplet has no state to be set by the page designer. The repository and itemDescriptorName properties are configured in the component. While limit, start, empty, finish, match and person are configured via page parameters.

Source Code - PeopleFinder.javaimport atg.repository.*;
import javax.servlet.*; // ServletException
import atg.servlet.*; // DynamoServlet
import java.io.*; // IOException
public class PeopleFinder extends DynamoServlet
{
Repository mRepository = null;
public Repository getRepository()
{
return mRepository;
}
public void setRepository(Repository r)
{
mRepository = r;
}
String mstrItemDescriptorName = "user";
public void setItemDescriptorName(String s)
{
mstrItemDescriptorName = s;
}
public String getItemDescriptorName()
{
return mstrItemDescriptorName;
}
void show(RepositoryItem[] ris,
int nMaxLimit,
DynamoHttpServletRequest req,
DynamoHttpServletResponse res)
{
try
{
int nMax = ris.length;
if((nMaxLimit > 0)&&(ris.length > nMaxLimit))
{
nMax = nMaxLimit;
}
req.setParameter("count", new Integer(ris.length));
req.setParameter("limit", new Integer(nMaxLimit));
if(nMax > 0)
{
req.serviceLocalParameter("start",req,res);
}
for(int i=0; i <> 0)
{
req.serviceLocalParameter("finish",req,res);
}
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
logError(ex);
}
}
public void service(DynamoHttpServletRequest req,
DynamoHttpServletResponse res)
throws IOException, ServletException
{
try
{
String strMatch = req.getParameter("match");
String strMaxLimit = req.getParameter("limit");
Integer nMaxLimit = new Integer((strMaxLimit != null) ? strMaxLimit : "0");
if(strMatch != null)
{
if(getRepository() != null)
{
if(getItemDescriptorName() != null)
{
RepositoryView view = getRepository().getView(getItemDescriptorName());
if(view != null)
{
// Get the builder
QueryBuilder userBuilder = view.getQueryBuilder();
// Expressions
QueryExpression
firstName = userBuilder.createPropertyQueryExpression("firstName");
QueryExpression
lastName = userBuilder.createPropertyQueryExpression("lastName");
QueryExpression
login = userBuilder.createPropertyQueryExpression("login");
QueryExpression
match = userBuilder.createConstantQueryExpression(strMatch);
// Build queries for OR operation
Query [] queries = new Query[3];
queries[0] = userBuilder.createPatternMatchQuery(firstName, match,
QueryBuilder.CONTAINS);
queries[1] = userBuilder.createPatternMatchQuery(login, match,
QueryBuilder.CONTAINS);
queries[2] = userBuilder.createPatternMatchQuery(lastName, match,
QueryBuilder.CONTAINS);
// Create the main query
Query query = userBuilder.createOrQuery(queries);
// finally, execute the query and get the results
//
RepositoryItem[] people = view.executeQuery(query);
if(people == null)
{
req.serviceLocalParameter("empty",req,res);
}
else
{
show(people, nMaxLimit.intValue(), req, res);
}
}
else
{
throw new ServletException("No view found called for '"
+ getItemDescriptorName() + "'");
}
}
else
{
throw new ServletException("'itemDescriptorName' property not configured");
}
}
else
{
throw new ServletException("'repository' property not configured");
}
}
else
{
throw new ServletException("'match' is a required parameter for this droplet");
}
}
catch(Exception e)
{
logError(e);
}
}
public PeopleFinder()
{
}
}
Droplet Bean Info Source Code - PeopleFinderBeanInfo.javaimport java.beans.*;
import atg.servlet.DynamoServlet;
import atg.droplet.DropletBeanInfo;
import atg.droplet.ParamDescriptor;
public class PeopleFinderBeanInfo extends DropletBeanInfo
{
//-------------------------------------
// CONSTANTS
//-------------------------------------
public static final String CLASS_VERSION = "0.9";
//-------------------------------------
// FIELDS
//-------------------------------------
private final static ParamDescriptor[] sWrapperDescriptors = {
new ParamDescriptor("count", "The number of people in the result list",
Integer.class, false, true)
};
private final static ParamDescriptor[] sOutputDescriptors = {
new ParamDescriptor("element",
"The repository item for this person matching the search term",
atg.repository.RepositoryItem.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("index", "The index of this person in the result list",
Integer.class, false, true)
};
private final static ParamDescriptor[] sParamDescriptors = {
new ParamDescriptor("limit",
"Specify > 0 to limit the maximum number of people returned",
Integer.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("match", "Search Term for First and Last Name",
String.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("person", "Rendered once between local and stack parameters",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true, sOutputDescriptors),
new ParamDescriptor("start", "Rendered before found matches",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true, sWrapperDescriptors),
new ParamDescriptor("finish", "Rendered after found matches",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true, sWrapperDescriptors),
new ParamDescriptor("empty", "Rendered when no matches are found",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true),
};
private final static BeanDescriptor sBeanDescriptor =
createBeanDescriptor(PeopleFinder.class,
null,
"This servlet iterates over the matching people and"
+ " calls person once for each match, setting element to"
+ " the repository item for that person. If no matches"
+ " are found the empty oparam is rendered",
sParamDescriptors,
"YourDropletCategoryName");
//-------------------------------------
// METHODS
//-------------------------------------
//-------------------------------------
/**
* Returns the BeanDescriptor for this bean, which will in turn
* contain ParamDescriptors for the droplet.
**/
public BeanDescriptor getBeanDescriptor() {
return sBeanDescriptor;
}
//----------------------------------------
}
JHTML Sample

People Finder

Match Term :

No Matches Found

: :

---

---

What's the Deal with java tags in JSP and JHTML Pages?

Note: The information in this article is for Dynamo 5.1 only

Example Code

Let's look at an example. The server code below uses both and <% %>tags, we can save the same page with both a .jsp and .jhtml extension and get different results

Java Server Page
iJavaTag++;

As a JHTML Page you can effectively use the jsp tags in a JHTML page for java code, the result of firing up our java_server_page.jhtml page is as follows:

Java Server Page

Test JSP tag: 1

Test JSP < % % > tag: 1
We see that both the <% %>and tag delimited code is part of the page servlet as a JSP page you cannot effectively use the jhtml tags in a JSP page for java code, the result of firing up our java_server_page.jsp page is as follows:

Java Server Page

iJavaTag++;

Test JSP tag: 0

Test JSP < % % > tag: 1
We see that the tags are not processed on the server and are passed down untouched to the client. This is because these tags are not a part of the JSP specification.

Summary

Files ending in .JHTML are processed with the JHTML tags enabled as a superset of the JSP standard.

This means:
You can save JSP pages as .jhtml files and they will work fine
JHTML tags are not processed on the server for .jsp files

Using Bean Info for Custom Droplets

Overview

Writing a BeanInfo class for a custom droplet has several advantages for your droplet's users
Components of your droplet will appear in the by module view in the DCC browser
The DCC will display the input, output and oparam parameters for your users in the JHTML editor
The DCC will enforce type checking for your parameters
The custom description from your droplet will appear in the component browser

Example 1 : TimeOfDay

The TimeOfDay is a droplet which renders one of three parameters based on the current time, morning, afternoon or evening. The code for TimeOfDay.java is given below. A BeanInfo file ALWAYS has the same name as the bean file, with the addition of 'BeanInfo'. So in our case the bean info java file is TimeOfDayBeanInfo.java.
This example has an optional calendar parameter and the three oparam. There are no output parameters.
Notice that the calendar parameter is typed to java.lang.Calendar while the oparams are defined by atg.servlet.DynamoServlet.

TimeOfDay.javapackage imagescript.atg.droplets;
import javax.servlet.*; // ServletException
import atg.servlet.*; // DynamoServlet
import java.io.*; // IOException
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.GregorianCalendar;
import java.util.Calendar;
public class TimeOfDay extends DynamoServlet
{
public TimeOfDay() {}
public void service(DynamoHttpServletRequest req,
DynamoHttpServletResponse res)
throws IOException, ServletException
{
Calendar c = null;
try
{
c = (Calendar)req.getObjectParameter("calendar");
}
catch(ClassCastException e)
{
throw new ServletException(e);
}
if(c == null)
{
c = new GregorianCalendar();
}
int nHour = c.get(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY);
if(nHour < 12)
{
req.serviceLocalParameter("Morning", req, res);
}
else if(nHour < 18)
{
req.serviceLocalParameter("Afternoon", req, res);
}
else
{
req.serviceLocalParameter("Evening", req, res);
}
}
}
TimeOfDayBeanInfo.javapackage imagescript.atg.droplets;
import java.beans.*;
import atg.servlet.DynamoServlet;
import atg.droplet.DropletBeanInfo;
import atg.droplet.ParamDescriptor;
public class TimeOfDayBeanInfo extends DropletBeanInfo
{
private final static ParamDescriptor[] sParamDescriptors =
{
new ParamDescriptor("calendar", "Optional: calendar to base the choice on",
java.util.Calendar.class, true, true),
new ParamDescriptor("Morning", "Rendered before noon",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("Afternoon", "Rendered after noon but before 6pm",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("Evening", "Rendered after 6pm",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true)
};
private final static BeanDescriptor sBeanDescriptor =
createBeanDescriptor(TimeOfDay.class, null,
"This servlet renders one of the three "
+"oparams depending on the time of day",
sParamDescriptors,
"ATGSFDroplets");
public BeanDescriptor getBeanDescriptor() {
return sBeanDescriptor;
}
}

Example 2 : output parameters

To define output parameters for an oparams, pass in an array of ParamDescriptors respresenting the output parameters into the ParamDescriptor constructor for the oparam.
The BannerMenu class implements a simple menu which is configured via the DCC, some of the required code is missing from this page for readability, but the essence of the droplet can be gleaned from the source below. For each menu item an oparam is rendered and the href and label output parameters are set.

In the example below, the array sOutputDescriptors defines the href and label output parameters which are available in the currentItem and item oparams. This relationship is expressed by supplying the sOutputDescriptors array to the ParamDescriptor constructor for each of the oparams. You can create different arrays for individual oparams in the same manner.

BannerMenu.javapackage imagescript.atg.droplets;
import atg.servlet.DynamoServlet;
import atg.servlet.*;
import atg.nucleus.naming.ParameterName;
import javax.servlet.*;
import java.io.*;
public class BannerMenu extends DynamoServlet
{
// input
public final static ParameterName URL
= ParameterName.getParameterName("currentPage");
public final static ParameterName TRANSIENT
= ParameterName.getParameterName("isTransient");
// output
public final static ParameterName HREF
= ParameterName.getParameterName("href");
public final static ParameterName LABEL
= ParameterName.getParameterName("label");
// Oparams
public final static ParameterName ITEM
= ParameterName.getParameterName("item");
public final static ParameterName CURRENTITEM
= ParameterName.getParameterName("currentItem");
public void service(DynamoHttpServletRequest pReq,
DynamoHttpServletResponse pRes)
throws ServletException, IOException
{
try
{
if((mItems != null) && (mItems.length > 0))
{
String strURL = pReq.getParameter(URL);
if(strURL != null)
{
int i = strURL.lastIndexOf("/");
strURL = strURL.substring(i);
}
if(isLoggingDebug())
{
logDebug("Base URL:" + strURL);
}
String s = pReq.getParameter(TRANSIENT);
if(s == null)
{
throw new ServletException(
"TRANSIENT must be specified (Profile.transient)");
}
boolean bMember = !(new Boolean(s)).booleanValue();
if(isLoggingDebug())
{
logDebug("Member?:" + bMember);
}
for(int i=0; i < mItems.length; i++)
{
boolean bRender = false;
if(bMember && mItems[i].getForMembers().booleanValue())
{
bRender = true;
}
else if(!bMember && mItems[i].getForNonMembers().booleanValue())
{
bRender = true;
}
if(bRender)
{
pReq.setParameter(HREF.getName(), new String(mItems[i].getURL()));
pReq.setParameter(LABEL.getName(), new String(mItems[i].getLabel()));
if((strURL != null) && strURL.endsWith(mItems[i].getURL()))
{
pReq.serviceLocalParameter(CURRENTITEM,pReq,pRes);
}
else
{
pReq.serviceLocalParameter(ITEM,pReq,pRes);
}
}
else
{
if(isLoggingDebug())
{
logDebug("Skipping " + mItems[i].getLabel());
}
}
}
}
else
{
if(isLoggingInfo())
{
logInfo("No items in BannerMenu");
}
}
}
catch (Exception e)
{
if(isLoggingError())
{
logError(e);
}
}
}
BannerMenuItem[] mItems;
public void setItems(BannerMenuItem[] p) { mItems = p; }
public BannerMenuItem[] getItems(){ return mItems; }
public BannerMenu() {
}
}
BannerMenuBeanInfo.javapackage imagescript.atg.droplets;
import java.beans.*;
import atg.servlet.DynamoServlet;
import atg.droplet.DropletBeanInfo;
import atg.droplet.ParamDescriptor;
public class BannerMenuBeanInfo extends DropletBeanInfo
{
private final static ParamDescriptor[] sOutputDescriptors =
{
new ParamDescriptor("href", "The URL link for the menu item",
String.class, false, false),
new ParamDescriptor("label",
"The text associated with the menu item "
+"(label or image link it's your choice)",
String.class, false, false)
};
private final static ParamDescriptor[] sParamDescriptors =
{
new ParamDescriptor("currentPage",
"The current page URL; usually from `request.getRequestURI()`",
String.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("isTransient",
"The isTransient value from the Profile; bean:Profile.transient",
Boolean.class, false, true),
new ParamDescriptor("item", "Rendered for a menu item",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true, sOutputDescriptors),
new ParamDescriptor("currentItem",
"Rendered for a menu item matching "
+"the supplied currentPage param",
DynamoServlet.class, false, true, sOutputDescriptors)
};
private final static BeanDescriptor sBeanDescriptor =
createBeanDescriptor(BannerMenu.class,
null,
"This servlet renders menu items with a special case "
+"for the menu item of the current page",
sParamDescriptors,
"ATGSFDroplets");
public BeanDescriptor getBeanDescriptor() {
return sBeanDescriptor;
}
}

Setting up a Dynamo Module

Here's how to get your module to appear in the Dynamo DCC. Here are the steps, we'll use the name MyModule in this example

Create the module folders

Create a sub folder for your module in your on my machine that would be: C:\ATG\Dynamo5.1
So our new folder is C:\ATG\Dynamo5.1\MyModule. This folder will contain all the files for your module

Create the following sub folders

classes - your java classes will go here
config - your global module configuration files/layer will go here
doc - your web pages will go here
localconfig - I think this is for machine specific config files/layer
META-INF - your module manifest will go here
bin - your OS specific configuration files will go here
Create a MANIFEST.MF file
Create a file called MANIFEST.MF in the META-INF directory
ATG-Product: MyModule
Manifest-Version: 1.0
ATG-Config-Path: config/
ATG-Class-Path: classes/
ATG-Required: DAS
This has many effects.
ATG-Config-Path: config/
This appends the specified directory to the CONFIGPATH at startup, enabling your modules customizations
ATG-Class-Path: classes/
This pre-pends the classes sub folder to the CLASSPATH enabling your java classes that are placed there ATG-Required: DAS
This forces the DAS modules to be loaded before your module. This is your dependency list, for example if you module relies on DPS as well you would specify..
ATG-Required: DAS DPS
Similarly ATG-Required: DAS DPS DSS DCS CSR Fulfillment
Would force all these modules to load before MyModule
Your module is now set up, we just need to tell Dynamo to use it.
Starting Dynamo with your Module
The module list to load is specified by using the -m flag on the startDynamo command line.
To set this up create a copy of your standard shortcut to Dynamo, then modify the new Shortcutby adding MyModule to the end of the -m portion your link might look like this:
C:\WINNT\System32\cmd.exe /k C:\ATG\Dynamo5.1\home\bin\startDynamo.bat -m MyModule
This tells Dynamo to look for your module at start up.
Optional: Displaying Web Content for your Module
Dynamo does not support multiple document roots, any content to be displayed must be positioned somewhere under the system's doc root. This leaves you with two options
Copy your content into the document root hierarchy
Set the system doc root to your own doc directory
The first of these two is doesn't really need to be explained here, so we'll deal with how to set Dynamo's doc root to your doc directory in the case where your module is active. This is useful for sample applications and allows you to easily test and demonstrate the functionality of your module without polluting the shared file system with sample files.
To get the web server to display our module's content we need to do two things
In your doc directory create a index.html file - some kind of hello world
In your config\atg\ folder create a new folder dynamo, create a file called
Configuration.properties with this line in it
documentRoot=D:\\ATG\\Dynamo5.1\\MyModule\\doc
This configuration layer will tell the web server to use your doc directory as the website root. This will only work for you if MyModule is the last configuration layer which specifies documentRoot.
Optional: Making your configuration layer the default for updates
When you modify the configuration in the DCC the changes are written back to the properties files in the default update layer. You can make your layer the default by specifying the following line in the CONFIG.properties file in your config folder.
defaultForUpdates=true
Optional: Registering your Module with the System
This step is not required for packaging purposes but does allow you to use some advanced module features
Create or modify CONFIG.properties file in your config directory adding the following 2 lines followed by an empty line (Do not delete the defaultForUpdate property if you added it in the previous step)
name=MyModule
module=MyModule
In your config directory create a sub folder 'atg' then inside that another subfolder 'modules'. In that directory (e.g. C:\ATG\Dynamo5.1\MyModule\config\atg\modules)...
Create a file MyModule.properties with the following, followed by an empty line:
$class=atg.service.modules.Module
moduleName=MyModule
(This creates an component MyModule of class atg.service.modules.Module with the moduleName parameter set to MyModule)
Create a file ModuleManager.properties with a the following, followed by an empty line:
modules+=MyModule
This tells adds the MyModule component to the ModuleManager modules list and presents your module in the DCC module list
Optional: Environment setup files
If you need to set some environment variables every time your module is started you can do this via the manifest file.
Add this line to your MANIFEST.MF file:
ATG-Config-Scripts: bin/setup
This causes the file bin/setup.bat to be executed at startup, which can be very handy.
So you'll also need to add that file to the bin directory, including your environment setup
rem Add your start time configuration settings here

Getting ready to deliver super-fast broadband

It is almost nine months since British Telecom has set out plan to bring super-fast broadband to up to 10 million homes and businesses in the UK by 2012.

This is a bold plan for the future. BT intend to invest £1.5bn in the next few years – which is a huge sum of money, especially in today’s economic environment. BT need to make a good commercial return on that investment which is why BT is working closely with industry, local and regional authorities to make sure that we take super-fast broadband to areas where there is genuine customer demand.

So, what’s the latest news?

Today, Openreach has announced the areas where, from January 2010, up to 500,000 customers will have access to fibre-based, super-fast broadband via our network. This fibre to the cabinet (FTTC)* technology will be deployed at 29 exchanges including parts of Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Greater Manchester; also at rural exchanges near Halifax and Cardiff. Areas serving a further million homes and businesses will be announced in the Autumn.

Whilst Openreach will deploy the technology, it is up to the UK’s communications providers to develop the super-fast, innovative broadband services for their end-users. The same is true for our downstream businesses, like BT Retail, as super-fast broadband is an outstanding opportunity to retain existing customers as well as winning back customers from our competitors. Our upstream speeds of up to 10mb/s will be the fastest in the country, enabling all sorts of new and exciting applications and services to be developed.

Other things to get ready:

Ofcom has recently said that it will play its part in making sure that regulation does not stand in the way of companies that are prepared to invest in creating the UK’s broadband future. It will allow pricing flexibility at the retail and wholesale levels to enable returns appropriate to the considerable risks of building new networks. This is positive news, though still more to come on the regulatory front BT is counting down to July when we run FTTC pilots in both Muswell Hill, London and in Whitchurch, Cardiff. Five communications providers are taking part in these pilots with up to 15,000 customer premises involved in each area.

Many parts of the company are involved in making sure that the technical and operational delivery of super-fast broadband are flawless – and there has been some great team work in bringing this together a premium fibre service has to come with a superb customer experience. We are building this in from the start, working through all the various touch points a customer would have so that the service works right first time.

The UK already leads the world in terms of broadband access and penetration. Our plans for super-fast broadband will help the UK climb the broadband speed tables as well.