Appliedi.net Windows Web Hosting Blog

Failed Request Tracing (also called FREB) is an IIS7 request-based tracing tool that helps figure out what exactly is happening to web server requests and why. Poor performance on some requests, authentication-related failures on other requests, or even server 500 errors from ASP or ASP.net were a nightmare to troubleshoot in previous IIS versions since the web server would never tell you much of what was going on. FREB simplifies the process by capturing the trace of the problem when it occurs and by showing you a granular view of what is happening at the web server level. In other words, Failed Request Tracing allows you to look under the hood of your car and plug in a diagnostic tool that can tell you what is wrong with any of the engine components.

To use FREB, developers or web server/site administrators simply create a set of rules that will trigger a trace. Once triggered, FREB will log that request to disk and pull in all the relevant trace information.

Once a trace output is created the IT professional looking at the XML based output with a browser may easily determine if the problem is web server or code related.

Rules may be created that can trace virtually any request on the server, including PHP or other development frameworks. This is a similar feature that is also part of the ASP.net framework which by the way may also be integrated with the FREB output as long as you have tracing enabled  for your asp.net application.

This short video tutorial demonstrates the entire FREB process with a PHP based website.

In order to enable this feature on shared hosting services you must contact our support staff as it does require some higher level administrative tasks that are not yet delegated in IIS 7. It is also important to mention that there is some overhead associated when FREB is turned on and therefore it is good practice to have it turned off when you know your site is running with no known problems.

You can learn more about FREB and Windows 2008 hosting by visiting our knowledgebase or by visiting appliedi.net/iis7-hosting.

Popularity: 29% [?]

As Windows Web hosting experts, we are fully committed to achieving the latest and greatest in technical expertise and delivering a truly innovative and intelligent hosting service. On this note, we are pleased to announce that Microsoft has renewed our status as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for the 5th consecutive year!

With this year’s renewal, Microsoft also recognized two additional competencies for AppliedI.net. Previously, we maintained competencies in Advanced Infrastructure Systems and Network Infrastructure Systems. This year, Microsoft added two additional competencies, in both Hosting Solutions and Security Solutions. The addition of the new Hosting Solutions (previously a component of the Advanced Infrastructure Systems competency) and the Security Solutions competency showcases our expertise in Security and Hosted IT. (Learn more about the various competencies)

Achieving Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status is a result of hard work and continued focus. We are required to maintain a number of Microsoft Certified Professionals on staff, satisfactorily complete an annual customer satisfaction performance review, provide customer references, and meet an annual volume licensing commitment.

In return, AppliedI.net receives advanced technical resources and training, consultation services, early access to the next generation of Microsoft software, and access to a dedicated team of experts within the Microsoft Hosting Solution group. In fact, our team communicates with Microsoft Hosting and Server experts on a daily basis in an effort to remain at the forefront of technology and innovation.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Microsoft released Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) in March, and although its deployment has been slow, the new browser has created a potential concern for designers and developers.

The new browser introduces a slew of fundamental improvements, including security, ease of use, and support for RSS, CSS, and Ajax. Most noteworthy in IE8, however, are the significant changes in the way pages are rendered. In contrast to previous versions of IE, Microsoft has made a gallant effort in IE8 to render pages in greater conformity to web standards.

Although standardization enables consistent development across browser platforms, sites designed for older versions of IE may not display as intended in IE8. (Learn about rendering in IE at Microsoft’s IE Compatibility Center.)

To mitigate display issues, Microsoft has introduced in IE8 a “compatibility view” that enables sites to revert back to IE7 rendering. It’s a quick fix that enables webmasters to punt on the IE8 rendering changes. To force display in compatibility view, simply add the following meta-element to your pages:

<meta http-equiv=”X-UA-Compatible” content=”IE=EmulateIE7″ />

Since other browsers will ignore this code, Microsoft suggests this approach has the best blend of allowing web developers to easily write code to interoperable web standards while not causing compatibility problems with current content.

You can also address this issue by adding HTTP Response Headers in IIS6 or IIS7 [read]. This is very convenient for any web developers that have static sites.

Popularity: 4% [?]

We pride ourselves on bringing cutting edge and innovative technologies to our customers in a way that’s easy to understand and easy to utilize. One offering we’ve been promoting quite well has been our Windows 2003 VPS hosting offering.  Late last year we started working on our Windows 2008 VPS Hosting offering around Hyper-V. As a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and leading Windows hosting provider we were privileged to be able to work along side Microsoft to roll out this new platform that they’ve labeled as the Dynamic Datacenter Toolkit.  Below is a video Microsoft put together of a few members of the Applied Innovations senior management team discussing our new Windows 2008 VPS Hosting offering and how it will allow us to move from VPS hosting to cloud hosting. 

Applied Innovations Innovates with Cloud Offering

As the saying goes “Rome was not built in a day” and neither is our new offering that continues to be developed and refined and we believe over the coming weeks will help define the future of Windows Web Hosting.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Each year, asp.netPRO hosts it’s renowned Reader’s Choice Awards, which give credit to the best in class enterprises in various categories including Web Hosting. This year was our first year being included among the 16 nominated web hosts and we are very excited to announce that this year, we were selected as the runner up in that category.  asp.netPRO needs no introduction to anyone involved with .NET. For years, they have been an invaluable resource to developers, users, and buyers looking for anything related to their favorite platform.  The Readers’s Choice Award is selected by over 8,000 of their members, and reflects the public’s true opinion about our services. These members are not only those who visit asp.netPRO’s website, but also those who subscribe to their monthly print magazine.

All too often, ivory tower editors and judges decide what the best products are, but in this case, the vox populi has clearly spoken. This testifies to our product’s ease of use and the great value that regular customers find in it. We owe it to you – our clients – for this show of faith.  For Applied Innovations, we were pleased to be nominated for this prestigious user based award and to place so well is a fantastic testament to our commitment to providing best in class ASP.NET web hosting and the good job we’re doing and we’re extremely happy to do so well.

For us, the journey doesn’t end here of course. There is much more to be done and many more customers to satisfy! We will continue to increase the value of our offerings, and provide even better support to those who are most important to our business. We take great pride in being selected by the voters, and we hope that by next year, we create an even better impression. Yes, we aim for the top spot next year, and with your help, we will achieve it!

To learn more about the asp.netPRO Reader’s Choice Awards you can visit their site.

Popularity: 2% [?]