A 2 ZEE :- Test Nap erros and debugging

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About this document

About adding new client applications

Ways to add custom applications

Using existing system opcodes

Using custom opcodes

Using a custom Data Manager (DM)

Handling transactions

Configuring your custom application

Creating a client application in C

Compiling and linking your programs

Guidelines for developing applications in C on Windows

Guidelines for developing applications in C on UNIX platforms

Using the sample applications

Sample applications

Policy FM source files

Adding Branded Service Management to your application

The brand as an independent virtual workspace

Data scoping

Pointing a base level object to a brand account

Defining a brand account

Providing access to brands

Branding access permissions

Providing access to pricing information

Billing groups

Providing billing group access with an Access Control List (ACL)

Managing custom applications

Creating brands programmatically

Writing brand-aware applications

Displaying a list of user authorized brands

Setting the current connection scope

About adding multidatabase support to your applications

About working with multiple databases

Creating accounts

Maintaining transactional integrity

Working with replicated objects

Searching for accounts across databases

Searching for a single account

Searching for multiple accounts (global search)

Finding out how many databases you have with testnap

Bill numbering


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About this document



This section describes how to add new client applications and how these applications function within the Infranet® system. It includes general information about writing client applications in all supported languages as well as specific information about writing applications in C. The section also contains links to sample applications and their corresponding Makefiles.

To create a custom application that communicates with Infranet, you need to understand the following Infranet components:


Storable classes and storable objects
See Understanding Infranet Flists and Storable Classes.


Portal Object ID (POID) management routines
See Portal object ID (POID).


Flists and flist routines
See About flists.


PCM opcodes and the PIN library routines
See Understanding the PCM API and the PIN Library.


Error-handling routines
See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging.

About adding new client applications



Client applications can be virtually any type of program, including GUI-based tools, Web-based tools, network-enabled applications, batch jobs, cron jobs, and so on. You can write custom application programs to create, manipulate, delete, and display custom storable objects, which in turn implement a business policy.

The base Infranet system comes with a set of client applications that manipulate storable objects within the database. You may, however, require custom applications. The most common custom application captures external events of some type. These events are then submitted to Infranet, details of the event stored, and the event charges assessed if necessary.

For example, a Web hosting application needs to track the number of bytes downloaded and disk space used. This requires an application to analyze disk-space usage and send it to the Rating EM at the end of each month. This also requires a new event type and new policy code that picks the rate category or quantity for the event.

Web servers don't provide an API to display the web usage automatically, so you might want to write an application that looks at the Web log files and generates events in Infranet. Because of the potential number of records in the Web logs, you can aggregate the data externally, and then send the summary to Infranet as events daily or monthly.

Infranet includes a set of client libraries that make it easier to create custom applications. Existing Infranet applications use these client libraries. These libraries are supported on Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows NT. For more information about the libraries, see About the Infranet client access libraries.

For guidelines on writing Windows applications, see Guidelines for developing applications in C on Windows.

Ways to add custom applications



You can use the following options when you add custom applications to Infranet:


Using existing system opcodes.

Using custom opcodes.

Using a custom Data Manager (DM).
Using existing system opcodes
You use the base opcodes to create, read, write, delete, and search storable objects. The base opcodes also provide programmatic access to transaction commands. More complex opcodes are implemented by the Facilities Modules (FMs). You use the policy opcodes to implement business decisions. These higher-level opcodes are translated by the FMs to base opcodes and sent to Data Managers (DMs) for processing.

For more information on the different categories of opcodes and how they are used, see Understanding the PCM API and the PIN Library.

In a client application, you use opcodes to record events such as purchasing a product, changing a credit limit, creating an account or service, changing customer information, charging for use of a resource, verifying a password, and looking up names and addresses.

In your application, you can call any of the Infranet opcodes without changing the Infranet system. You need to determine when to use a particular system opcode, what constitutes an event, and then call the appropriate opcode in your application.

Your application must include the header files corresponding to the opcodes you use. All FM opcodes include the header file for base opcodes, so you don't need to include it unless your application uses only base opcodes.

For a list of opcodes and their corresponding header files, see Header files.

Using custom opcodes
If the system opcodes don't provide the required functionality, you can create custom opcodes. However, you must implement your new opcodes in a custom FM and configure the custom FM with each Connection Manager (CM).

For the application to communicate with the custom FM, the application and the FM have to agree on the opcodes to pass and the contents of their input and output flists, error buffers, and flags. The custom FM translates the new opcodes into base opcodes. Then, it can send the opcodes directly to a DM, or it can call other opcodes implemented by the standard FMs.

For information on how to create a custom FM and link it to a CM, see Writing a Custom Facilities Module.

You call the custom opcodes in the same way with the same API by using PCM_OP() as the system opcode. Therefore, you must supply all the parameters, just as in the case of a system opcode.

Create a header file in which you define your custom opcodes. Include the header file in both the application and the custom FM source files. Compile the application and the custom FM with the new header file.

For examples of including opcodes in the header file, see pcm_ops.h in the Infranet_home/include directory.

Tip Defining your custom opcodes in a separate .h file helps you avoid updating FM header files when you upgrade to a new release of Infranet.


Using a custom Data Manager (DM)
Your application can communicate with a custom DM if the custom DM and the application agree on the semantics of the input and return flists.

You attach fields to the input flist that have meaning to the custom DM. These new fields act as opcodes to the custom DM. The return flist is the mirror image of the input flist in the sense that the application and custom storage manager agree on the meaning of the field-value pairs returned by the storage manager. The storage manager is responsible for setting error buffer values.

For information on creating and implementing a custom DM, see Writing a Custom Data Manager.

You create new fields with the PIN_MAKE_FLD macro. For information on the PIN_MAKE_FLD macro, see pcm.h in the Infranet_home/include directory for field value ranges and examples of PIN_MAKE_FLD.

Tip To avoid updating the Infranet.h files every time you upgrade Infranet, define your custom fields in a separate header file and include that file in your application.


Handling transactions



Infranet provides three basic transaction opcodes:


PCM_OP_TRANS_OPEN()

PCM_OP_TRANS_ABORT()

PCM_OP_TRANS_COMMIT()
In your application, you can call PCM_OP_TRANS_OPEN() before calling an opcode and PCM_OP_TRANS_ABORT() or PCM_OP_TRANS_COMMIT() after the opcode calls. However, by default, all opcodes except the password opcodes are surrounded by transactions if transactions are not open when they are called.

Configuring your custom application



You must set up the following applications to access the same database:


The client application

At least one CM

At least one DM
The client application makes the connection by using the Infranet database number in all three configuration files: the application's, the CM's, and the DM's. The database number is arbitrary, but it is determined before the system is installed. Once the system is installed, you can't change this number because it is encoded in every storable object in the database.

The client application must use POIDs with the correct database number. The system routes storable object requests on the basis of POIDs, which include the database number.

In your custom application, use the database number returned by PCM_CONNECT(). If you are using PCM_CONTEXT_OPEN(), call PCM_GET_USERID() and then PIN_POID_GET_DB() on the POID.

Caution! Do not get the database number or the userid POID from the configuration file by calling pin_conf() in your application.


Creating a client application in C



You write client applications by using the PCM opcodes, which send and receive flists to the Infranet database. Each opcode has a corresponding input and return flist.

Flists are used to hold return values for two important reasons:


The macro call itself does not return a value.

An flist can contain an arbitrary number of fields and values that is frequently not known in advance.
Your custom applications must include the header files that correspond to the FM opcodes you use. Which file to include depends on which opcodes you use. The header file for base opcodes needs to be included if you are using only base opcodes, which is unlikely. For information on header files and a list of opcodes and their corresponding header files, see Header files.

You use the PCM_OP() macro to pass PCM opcodes and flists to Infranet. The system returns an flist. You create input flists for the call to PCM_OP() and routine returns the results in an flist. You use the return flists and then destroy them.

The following pseudo-code shows the format of most client programs:

#include "pcm.h"/* header file corresponding to the FM opcode you're using */#include "ops/file.h" #include "pin_errs.h" main() . . . /* open a database context */ PCM_CONTEXT_OPEN() /* clear error buffer */ PIN_ERRBUF_CLEAR(&ebuf); /* send opcode to system, based on user activity or application function. */

PCM_OP(input_flist, opcode, return_flist, &ebuf) /* check for errors */ if (PIN_ERRBUF_IS_ERR(&ebuf)) { /* handle error */ } else { /* ok - no errors */ } . . . /* close database context */ PCM_CONTEXT_CLOSE() . . . exit(0);

Compiling and linking your programs
You don't have to follow any special precompilation or other steps to compile and link applications. Both static and dynamic versions of Infranet libraries are provided.

UNIX client libraries are multi-thread safe. For special instructions on writing Infranet applications in a multi-threaded Windows environment, see Managing memory in a multithreaded Windows environment

To compile and link your application:


Compile using the include files in the Infranet_SDK_home/include directory.

Link to the libraries in Infranet_SDK_home/lib.
See the sample applications and their make files for more information.

The following compilers are supported:


Solaris: Standard SUNPro C compiler, default mode (-Xa).
Infranet is compiled with -xcg92
Note gcc is not supported. Use the -munaligned-doubles option to ensure proper linking.



AIX: cc or xlC for C; xlC for C++

HP-UX: Standard HP C compiler

Windows: Microsoft Visual C or C++ compiler
Guidelines for developing applications in C on Windows
Follow these guidelines to develop custom applications in C on Windows:


Use Microsoft Developer Studio 5.0 or 6.0.

Always build your applications with the multi-threaded DLL or debug multi-threaded DLL (even when producing an .exe file).

Include portal.dll at link time.

Do not mix debug and release versions of library directives. Debug libraries are appended with the letter d. For example the debug version of portal.dll is for example, portald.dll.

Add Infranet_SDK_home/include to the list of include file directories to search.

In the preprocessor directives, be sure to include the following symbols:
WIN32,PIN_USE_ANSI_HDRS

Be extremely careful when running multiple versions of Infranet clients on the same computer. One version of portal.dll does not necessarily work for all versions of Infranet. If an application picks up the wrong DLL (or the wrong DLL is already loaded by another application), you might see abnormal program terminations. For information on sharing memory objects across threads, see Managing memory in a multithreaded Windows environment.
Guidelines for developing applications in C on UNIX platforms
Follow these guidelines to develop custom applications in C on Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX:


Include libportal.so or libportal.sl at link time.

Add Infranet_SDK_home/include to the list of include file directories to search.

In the preprocessor directives, be sure to include the following symbol:
PIN_USE_ANSI_HDRS.
Using the sample applications



Infranet SDK includes sample applications and code as well as source code for policy FMs that you can refer to for coding examples.

Sample applications
Infranet SDK includes sample applications and code in C, C++, Java, PCM COM, and Perl. For a complete list of the sample applications, see Sample Programs.

Before you write your program, try compiling and linking copies of these programs to familiarize yourself with the system. These programs are located in Infranet_SDK_home/source/samples. This directory also includes a sample application configuration file.

Caution! Don't run the sample programs on a production system. Some programs fill the database with test storable objects. Remove the test storable objects before building your production system.


Policy FM source files
Infranet SDK includes the source code for all the policy opcodes. You can refer to them for Infranet coding examples. You can find the Customer Policy FM opcode source files in Infranet_SDK_home/source/sys. Each policy FM has its own directory containing the source files for the included opcodes as well as a make file and other support files.

For more information, see the Transaction Handling section on each opcode reference page and Context management opcodes.

Adding Branded Service Management to your application



Branded Service Management allows a single hosting Infranet site to support multiple virtual Infranet sites. Each virtual ISP is known as a brand and requires a secured view of its own data. At the same time, the hosting site maintains administrative oversight of the entire system, which may include many independent Infranet sites.

The brand as an independent virtual workspace
Two kinds of accounts exist in a branded service management setting: standard accounts and brand accounts. The brand account is a special entity that serves as a complete miniature Infranet system. Each brand accesses the database according to its own rules. To effectively implement brands, "data scoping" is required.

Data scoping
Data scoping is the ability to restrict database access so that only authorized users can access data and services. The concept of an account is essential to effective data scoping. Most objects are account-centric. For example, services and profiles are designed to be associated with an account. Events and pricing objects also "belong" to an account. Therefore, to implement data scoping in a Branded Service Management environment, all objects must be associated with an account.

Pointing a base level object to a brand account
To enforce scoping restrictions, the system associates all objects with an account. This association is done via the PIN_FLD_ACCOUNT_OBJ reference in the every base level object.

! Account object to which data belongsfield PIN_FLD_ACCOUNT_OBJ ( type = PIN_FLDT_POID, perms = MW,

Defining a brand account
There are two account types: standard accounts and brands. The following tag specifies the account type.

! Brand object or normal objectfield PIN_FLD_ACCOUNT_TYPE ( type = PIN_FLDT_ENUM

This flag is set when the account is created, and cannot be modified later. The flag can have one of two values:


For brand accounts: PIN_ACCOUNT_TYPE_BRAND

For standard accounts: PIN_ACCOUNT_TYPE_STANDARD
Providing access to brands
In a Branded Service Management environment, it's often necessary for an object to have distinct read and write access rules. For example, all members of a brand account may have read access to a pricing object while write access may be much more restricted. To meet this requirement two new fields have been added to each account object that define read and write access rules for the object. These fields are controlled by the system and filled in by the Data Manager with values specified in the data dictionary. These are:


PIN_FLD_READ ACCESS: describes who has permission to read data

PIN_FLD_WRITE_ACCESS: describes who has permission to modify data
Branding access permissions
The following table defines the permissions that can be assigned for read and write access:

Permission Description
Global
Any user can read or write the object. Many /config objects are globally readable.

Brand
Any user with brand access can read or write the object. For example, pricing objects, such as products and deals, are brand-readable.

Self
Only the brand owner can read or write the data. Pricing objects are self-writeable and brand-specific to prevent unauthorized changes to the price list.

Ancestral Lineage
The brand owner or any superior billing group leader can read or write the data. For example, /device objects have Ancestral Lineage write permissions.

Brand Lineage
The owner, or any superior billing group leader within the brand, can read or write the data. Used with many objects, including services, profiles, and events to ensure brand segregation and data privacy.



Providing access to pricing information
All pricing related objects available for system use are associated at the brand level. Therefore, Pricing FM opcodes only look for pricing objects associated with the brand.

Read access to pricing data
Each brand in an Infranet system maintains its own pricing data. Because everyone who accesses the brand should be able to read pricing information, objects related to pricing have read access set to the Brand Group Scope level. Thus objects of the following types are all of the type PIN_FLD_READ_ACCESS = B (brand): /product, /rate, /fold, /plan_list.

Write access to pricing data
Since the ability to modify pricing information is generally much more restricted, write access to pricing objects are set locally. This ensures that only the owner of the pricing object can modify pricing data.

Billing groups
Billing groups act as containers for grouping accounts. A billing group leader has access to all account data owned by the billing group, as well as information owned by any of the billing group members. Thus a group leader can look down an entire tree of billing groups and its associated accounts within the brand. In this way, billing groups are used as the primary mechanism for categorizing scoping classes.

Providing billing group access with an Access Control List (ACL)
A new group object, /group/acl, has been created to define access for the billing group. The group acl includes a list of group members along with a pointer to the brand account or accounts to which group members have access.

Managing custom applications
A host ISP may manage many brand accounts. Each brand may in turn have access to a variety of multi-brand applications. Infranet's client interface simplifies an administrator's task. Once a user enters an authorized login and password, Infranet displays a list of available brands. A user can then set the current connection scope by selecting a brand to customize.

Creating brands programmatically
Use the PCM_OP_CUST_COMMIT_CUSTOMER opcode to create a new brand account. This opcode creates and initializes /account and /service storable objects. Once the account has been created, the account type flag must be set:

! Brand object or normal objectfield PIN_FLD_ACCOUNT_TYPE ( type = PIN_FLDT_ENUM

This flag is set when the account is created, and cannot be modified later. The flag can have one of two values:


For brand accounts: PIN_ACCOUNT_TYPE_BRAND

For standard accounts: PIN_ACCOUNT_TYPE_STANDARD
Set the flag to PIN_ACCOUNT_TYPE_BRAND to specify this account as a brand.

Writing brand-aware applications
Applications can be customized to meet the requirements of a brand. To do this, the administrator must first retrieve a list of available brands and then set the connection scope to the specific brand to be customized.

Displaying a list of user authorized brands
Use the PCM_OP_PERM_GET_CREDENTIALS opcode to display a list of the brands which have access to an application. Usually this opcode is called at start-up time. After the user enters an authorized login and password, the system displays a list of brands which have access to the application along with the currently active brand and billing group.

Setting the current connection scope
Because each brand represents an independent virtual workspace with its own data and access rules, a user must select a single brand (or billing subgroup) with which to work. Use the PCM_OP_PERM_SET_CREDENTIALS opcode to set the current connection scope.

About adding multidatabase support to your applications



Infranet supports the ability to add multiple databases for the purpose of scaling your Infranet system. This document explains the programming considerations of creating an application to work with an Infranet system using multiple databases.

For instructions on installing a multidatabase system, see:


Installing a Multidatabase Infranet System on Windows

Installing a Multidatabase Infranet System on UNIX
For instructions on maintaining a multidatabase system, see Managing a Multidatabase Infranet System.

This section explains the topics you need to know before you design a new application, or enhance an existing program to take advantage of the Infranet multidatabase feature.

About working with multiple databases
Generally, making applications work with multiple databases isn't all that different from making them work with a single database.

Accounts are distributed across databases, but applications log in to the correct database for an account based on the login name and service type. When an application logs in to Infranet, it gets the database context for the account it logged in as. An event for the login session for that application is created in the database that hosts the account.

After the application has logged in, it has access to the entire Infranet database for reads and writes on all classes that are modifiable. In most cases, after an account context is established, all subsequent operations for the account are performed in the single database where the context was opened.

Creating accounts
The PCM_OP_CUST_COMMIT_CUSTOMER opcode has been enhanced to work with multiple databases. Use that opcode to create accounts just as you would for a single database system. This opcode uses the /config/distribution object created by using the load_config_dist utility to determine which database your account is created in.

You can specify which database new accounts should be created in by editing the multidatabase configuration file. For more information, see Setting database priorities.

Important Billing groups, including all accounts with the same brand, must reside in the same database.


Maintaining transactional integrity
Important Remember, once you find an account to modify data in, confine all operations possible to that database.


Although an application can connect to multiple databases and manipulate data in any database, a transaction can only manipulate data in a single database. To perform a transaction on more than one database, you must close the existing transaction, open a context to the other database, and open another transaction. An application that needs to perform the same operation on all accounts (such as billing or invoicing), should be run as a separate instance on each database.

You must use the database number returned by PCM_CONNECT or PCM_CONTEXT_OPEN for all transactions within the context you open. These opcodes pass in an account's username and return the database number for that account. To prevent losing transactional integrity, avoid opening contexts to multiple databases whenever possible.

The exception to this rule is the rare occasion when you need to access information in any of the pricing storable classes. Embedded in these classes is the account information (including database number) of the person who changed that information. All account references are exact references. Dealing with this information can require you to switch contexts to another database with a new call to PCM_CONNECT or PCM_CONTEXT_OPEN.

Working with replicated objects
In multidatabase systems, some objects are replicated in all databases to improve performance. Replicating objects allows applications to access information in the database where the context is opened. Replicated objects are read-only except in the primary database.

Many frequently accessed objects, such as /config objects, are replicated. You can obtain a list of the replicated database tables by running a SQL query against the primary database.

Note The SQL query returns a list of table names. Table names generally correspond closely to storable class and class and field names. You can find detailed SQL mapping information for storable classes by following the links in Storable Class Definitions.


To generate a list of replicated tables for Oracle and SQL Server:


Log into the primary database as pin.
% sqlplus pin/password@DatabaseAlias

Enter the following SQL command to generate a list of replicated tables:
SQL> select distinct table_name from md_static_objects_t;

Searching for accounts across databases
Searching for a single account
There are two opcodes you can use to locate a single account:


Use the PCM_OP_ACT_FIND opcode to locate an account based on the login and service type. This opcode finds and returns the account POID (including the correct database number) of a single account.

Use the PCM_OP_GLOBAL_SEARCH opcode to locate an account based on other account attributes. This opcode returns any fields that you specify on the input flist.
Searching for multiple accounts (global search)
Use the PCM_OP_GLOBAL_SEARCH opcodes to find and return the POIDs of multiple accounts across multiple databases at the same time. The global search opcodes can also be used to search for a set of objects that live in multiple databases. For example, all events from a particular day. See Searching for Objects in Infranet Databases for a complete discussion of searching for accounts across multiple databases.

Important Remember to use non-global searches for better performance whenever possible. After you get the results of a global search, you can improve your application's overall performance by dividing the database read and write operations among databases.


Finding out how many databases you have with testnap
Use the testnap testing utility to find out the number of databases that are connected to your Infranet system. The example below shows testnap being started, and then displaying the contents of an flist named 1. This flist is designed to match all root accounts. In the next step, this flist is passed into PCM_OP_GLOBAL_SEARCH (Opcode number 25) which searches all databases. In this final step, testnap searches all databases for their root accounts. There is only one root account (in the /service class) in each database, so the result of this search is a listing of all the databases currently connected to your Infranet system. In this case there are two: 0.0.0.1 and 0.0.0.2.

testnapinput flist:nap(10238)> d 10 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /search -1 00 PIN_FLD_FLAGS INT [0] 00 PIN_FLD_TEMPLATE STR [0] "select X from /service where F1 like V1 and F2 = V2 "0 PIN_FLD_ARGS ARRAY [1]1 PIN_FLD_LOGIN STR [0] "root.0.0.0%"0 PIN_FLD_ARGS ARRAY [2]1 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] 0.0.0.0 /service/pcm_client -1 00 PIN_FLD_RESULTS ARRAY [0]1 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] NULL1 PIN_FLD_LOGIN STR [0] ""result:nap(10238)> XOP PCM_OP_GLOBAL_SEARCH 0 1XOP: opcode 25, flags 0# number of field entries allocated 3, used 30 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /search -1 00 PIN_FLD_RESULTS ARRAY [0] allocated 2, used 21 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] 0.0.0.2 /service/pcm_client 1 11 PIN_FLD_LOGIN STR [0] "root.0.0.0.2"0 PIN_FLD_RESULTS ARRAY [1] allocated 2, used 21 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /service/pcm_client 1 11 PIN_FLD_LOGIN STR [0] "root.0.0.0.1"

Bill numbering
Applications must now avoid hard-coding billing numbers. Bill numbers are now coded to the database they were created in and Infranet relies on the new numbering scheme. The /data/sequence class still keeps track of billing numbers to ensure that they are all unique. This class has been enhanced to make sure that database numbers are unique across databases.



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Kiwi weather n pee- pal

I can’t see clearly now …

We, the residents of Auckland and its suburbs, are experiencing winter in all its glory (read: fury!). It has been brutal. Temperature has “dipped” (I would have used the word plummeted) to 3 degree Celsius, according to Weather forecasting on SKY watch. If you are like me and numbers, positive or negative, don’t make much sense to your grey cells then maybe this would help “if you are outside without gloves for a few minutes your will experience frostbite.” All I want to do is hibernate.

As if the bone chilling wind wasn’t enough, there’s snow. And, when there is snow you can be rest assured no matter what road you are on in Auckland you are going to sit in it. Even turtles seem walking light years faster than your 6 cylinder, mega horsepower motorized vehicle. Day before yesterday, it took me 2 hours 45 minutes to reach work. By the time I reached, I was ready to turn back but decided to rest for a while and then make the arduous journey home.

Weather … cold or hot … is crucial to Kiwis. It is a great ice-breaker! If it were not for weather, I think many of us wouldn’t know what to talk about. Across local convenience stores and human lines outside washrooms in Mc donalds, people walk right up to you and say “It is cold, eh?” They reinforce the coldness, just in case you had failed to notice. “Yeah,” you nod as your water runs out of your nose and eyes.
“I heard it is going to go down even more tonight.”
“Really. Good Lord, can it get any worse.”
“Actually yes! I heard on the radio this weekend we will experience snow storm with winds gushing upto 60km/hr.”
“ Geez!”
“I know. I can’t remember it being this cold … over the last 6 months.” (It should be noted here that NZ actually does have 4 seasons)
”oh well, bundle up (read: look hideous) and enjoy. It ain’t gonna last forever."
"Yep. Before you know it will be spring" ... as you close the door of the public washroom at Mc donalds.

And, it is this last cheery note – hope - that keeps us here … together … rain or snow.

Learning Infranet :-- FLISTS data structure

About flists :-
=========

An flist is the fundamental data structure used in Infranet. Flists (field lists) are containers that hold fields, each of which is a pair of data field name and its value.

Example:

LAST_NAME STR "Tripathi"
FIRST_NAME STR "Dharmesh"
COMPANY STR "IBM Global Services"

Infranet processes can interpret data only in an flist format. The storage manager in the Data Manager (DM) translates the flists to a format that the database can process, and then translates the data from the database into an flist before passing it to the Connection Manager (CM).

Infranet uses flists in these ways:


Storable objects are passed in the form of flists between opcodes or programs that manipulate the storable objects.

Opcodes use flists to pass data between the Infranet applications and the database. For each opcode, an input flist is passed to pcm_op() and the return flist is passed back from this routine.
Contents of an flist
In an flist, you can use any of the Infranet supported data types such as decimals, buffers, arrays, and substructures. Flists can contain any number of fields. You can nest flists to any level; that is, you can place flists within other flists.

For a description of the Infranet data types that you can use in an flist, see Understanding the Infranet Data Types. For a list of the data type abbreviations used in flists, see Flist field data types.

The following example shows a partial input flist for the PCM_OP_CUST_COMMIT_CUSTOMER opcode printed out:

Note [0] after the field type represents the element ID. The numbers 0, 1, 2, and so on at the beginning of each line indicate the nesting level of the field, 0 meaning the top level.


0 PIN_FLD_POID POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /plan 11950 0
0 PIN_FLD_CREATED_T TSTAMP [0] (937336272) 09/14/99 12:11:12
0 PIN_FLD_MOD_T TSTAMP [0] (937336272) 09/14/99 12:11:12
0 PIN_FLD_ACCOUNT_OBJ POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /account -1 0
0 PIN_FLD_DEAL_OBJ POID [0] 0.0.0.0 0 0
0 PIN_FLD_DESCR STR [0] "IP with 10 Free hrs per month"
0 PIN_FLD_NAME STR [0] "Basic"0 PIN_FLD_LIMIT ARRAY [840] allocated 3, used 3
1 PIN_FLD_CREDIT_FLOOR NUM [0] 0.000000
1 PIN_FLD_CREDIT_LIMIT NUM [0] 100.000000
1 PIN_FLD_CREDIT_THRESHOLDS INT [0] 0
0 PIN_FLD_SERVICES ARRAY [0] allocated 4, used 4
1 PIN_FLD_DEAL_OBJ POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /deal 9390 0
1 PIN_FLD_SERVICE_OBJ POID [0] 0.0.0.1 /service/ip -1 0
1 PIN_FLD_LOGIN STR [0] "aac4"
1 PIN_FLD_PASSWD_CLEAR STR [0] "aac4"
0 PIN_FLD_NAMEINFO ARRAY [1] allocated 10, used 10
1 PIN_FLD_CONTACT_TYPE STR [0] "Billing"
1 PIN_FLD_LAST_NAME STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_FIRST_NAME STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_TITLE STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_COMPANY STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_ADDRESS STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_CITY STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_STATE STR [0] "CA"
1 PIN_FLD_ZIP STR [0] "99999"
1 PIN_FLD_COUNTRY STR [0] "USA"
0 PIN_FLD_BILLINFO ARRAY [1] allocated 3, used 3
1 PIN_FLD_ACCESS_CODE1 STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_ACCESS_CODE2 STR [0] "aac1"
1 PIN_FLD_BILL_TYPE ENUM [0] 10001
0 PIN_FLD_ACTGINFO ARRAY [1] allocated 0, used 0
0 PIN_FLD_LOCALES ARRAY [1] allocated 1, used 1
1 PIN_FLD_LOCALE STR [0] "ENU"
...

Flist field data types :-
================

When you include a field in an flist, you must also include an abbreviation of the field's data type. The following table lists the valid Infranet field types and their abbreviations.

Field Type Abbreviation :-
==================

PIN_FLDT_ARRAY :- ARRAY
PIN_FLDT_BINSTR :- BINSTR
PIN_FLDT_BUF :- BUF
PIN_FLDT_DECIMAL:- DECIMAL
PIN_FLDT_ENUM :- ENUM
PIN_FLDT_ERRBUF:- ERR
PIN_FLDT_INT:- INT
PIN_FLDT_POID:- POID
PIN_FLDT_STR:- STR
PIN_FLDT_SUBSTRUCT:- SUBSTRUCT



About creating and using an flist
=========================


You create and manipulate flists with the flist manipulation macros in the PIN library. You can add, remove, and modify fields in an flist by using the flist field manipulation macros. For more information see, Flist Management Macros and Flist Field-handling Macros.

Each opcode has an input and output flist specification. For each opcode you call, you need to create an flist for the data you want to pass in. When you create an input or an output flist for an opcode, follow the flist specifications for the opcode. See the flist specifications in the individual opcode descriptions. For access to opcode descriptions, see PCM Opcode Libraries. Drill down to the opcode you want.

Flists are dynamically allocated data structures. When a field is added to an flist, the field value is either already dynamically allocated in memory or is copied into dynamic memory as it is added.

Important :-You need to destroy the flist you create in your programs by calling PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() to reclaim the memory the flist occupied.




Macros or functions used for creating and managing FLISTs in INFRANET :-
==========================================================


Flist Management Macros
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


PIN_FLIST_CREATE()

PIN_FLIST_DESTROY()

PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX()

PIN_FLIST_COUNT()

PIN_FLIST_COPY()

PIN_FLIST_CONCAT()

PIN_FLIST_SORT()

PIN_FLIST_SORT_REVERSE()

PIN_FLIST_PRINT()

PIN_FLIST_TO_STR()

PIN_STR_TO_FLIST()

PIN_FLIST_TO_XML()


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PIN_FLIST_CREATE()
Description
This Infranet macro creates an flist which is used to pass parameters to the PCM_OP() function. This routine creates an flist, and returns a pointer that is used to reference the flist by all future operations. All memory for the flist is dynamically allocated.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" pin_flist_t * PIN_FLIST_CREATE(ebufp) pin_errbuf_t *ebufp;

Parameters
ebufp
A pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values

Returns a pointer to the flist in the form of pin_flist_t*.

In the case of an error, NULL is returned.

Error handling

This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Examples
The Sample Account Setup file is a C program that illustrates how to use this macro in the process of setting up a generic Portal account and service. The accompanying Makefile is also useful.

Related Information
Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro
Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro
Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro
Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro
Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro
Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro
Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro
Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro
Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro

PIN_FLIST_DESTROY()

Description
This macro destroys an flist. Flists use dynamically allocated memory, and they must be destroyed to free that memory. This routine destroys the entire contents of an flist, including all fields on the flist.

Note PIN_FLIST_DESTROY can destroy an flist, even if the ebufp is NULL.


Synopsis
#include "pcm.h"
void PIN_FLIST_DESTROY( pin_flist_t *flistp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
*flistp
Pointer to the flist to destroy.

*ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
Nothing is returned by this routine.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Examples
The Sample Account Setup file is a C program that illustrates how to use this macro in the process of setting up a generic Portal account and service. The accompanying Makefile is also useful.

Related Information
Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro
Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro
Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro
Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro
Concatenate one flist onto another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT()- Macro
Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro
Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro
Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro
Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro


PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX()
Description
This macro destroys an flist. Flists use dynamically allocated memory, and they must be destroyed to free that memory. This routine first checks whether the pointer passed in is NULL. If the pointer is NULL, it returns. If not NULL, then it destroys the entire contents of the flist, including all fields on the flist, and sets the flist pointer to NULL.

Note PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX can destroy an flist, even if the ebufp is NULL.


Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_DESTROY( pin_flist_t **flistpp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
**flistpp
Pointer to the flist to destroy.

*ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
Nothing is returned by this routine.

Error Handling
This routine uses the series ebuf style of error-handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf-style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, because the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error-handling algorithms.

Examples
The Sample Account Setup file is a C program that illustrates how to use this macro in the process of setting up a generic Portal account and service. The accompanying Makefile is also useful.

Related Information

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro
Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro
Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro
Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro
Concatenate one flist onto another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT()- Macro
Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro
Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro
Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro
Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro

PIN_FLIST_COUNT()

Description
This macro counts the number of fields on the flist. Only fields on the main flist are included. Each array element and substruct are counted as a single element.

If PIN_FLIST_COUNT() is called with the pointer to an array element or substruct, the number of fields at that level of the flist is counted.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" int32 PIN_FLIST_COUNT( pin_flist_t *flistp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters

flistp
Pointer to an flist to count the fields of.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
Returns the number of fields as an unsigned integer. Returns zero in the case of an error.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro
Destroy an flist -PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro
Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro
Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro
Concatenate one flist on another -PIN_FLIST_CONCAT()- Macro
Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro
Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro
Print an flist to a string -PIN_FLIST_TO_STR()- Macro
Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro


PIN_FLIST_COPY()
Description
Copy an existing flist. The macro copies all levels of an flist, including its array elements and substructures. The copied fields and their values are duplicated so no memory is shared between the two flists.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h"pin_flist_t *PIN_FLIST_COPY( pin_flist_t *flistp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
flistp
Pointer to the flist to be copied.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
Returns a pointer to the new flist on completion.

Returns NULL in the case of an error.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro

Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro


PIN_FLIST_CONCAT()
Description
Concatenate one flist onto another. This macro appends a (source) flist to the end of another (destination) flist. No comparisons between the flists are performed, and the source flist remains unchanged.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_CONCAT( pin_flist_t *dest_flistp; pin_flist_t *src_flistp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
dest_flistp
Pointer to the destination flist.

src_flistp
Pointer to the source flist.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
The function does not return a value; instead, the concatenated flist is returned in dest_flistp. If src_flistp is NULL, dest_flistp is returned unchanged. If dest_flistp is NULL, an error is returned in ebufp.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro

Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro


PIN_FLIST_SORT()
Description
This macro sorts flists, and is normally used to sort array elements. Arrays sorted may also be the result of a search.

The flist to be sorted usually represents an array of search results returned from PCM_OP_SEARCH. The sort_flistp parameter is an flist that you construct with the sort_parameter, called PIN_FLD_RESULTS. It would look like:

PIN_FLD_RESULTS field 1 field 2 . . .

Then use the sort_default parameter to compare non-existent fields to existing fields. If all of the result elements have field value(s), 0 can be passed as the value of sort_default.

In cases where a result element has a field value, and it is being compared to another result element with the same field, but no value:


A negative sort_default means that the result element with the missing field value is sorted before the other in the sorted list.

A positive sort_default means the missing field occurs after the other.

A sort_default of 0 means that they are considered equal and order is arbitrary on the sorted list.
Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_SORT( pin_flist_t *flistp; pin_flist_t *sort_listp; int32 sort_default; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
flistp
Pointer to the flist being sorted. The flist should normally consist of an array so that the sort is performed on elements of the array. Each element of the array may be a list of fields; it is those fields that get sorted. When you call this function, pass the exact array (flist) you want sorted, not the entire array.

sort_listp
List of fields in each element in flistp to use as sort fields. Elements in flistp are sorted in this order. If the value of this parameter is NULL, PIN_ERR_BAD_ARG is returned.

sort_default
The comparison to be used if an element is not found:

f1 NOT found, f2 found -> return sort_default
f1 found, f2 NOT found ->return -sort_default
f1 NOT found, f2 NOT found - > return 0 (equal)
a negative value for sort_default means: f1 < f2
a positive value for sort_default means: f1 > f2
a zero value for sort_default means: f1 == f2

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro

Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro
PIN_FLIST_SORT_REVERSE()
Description
Sort flists in reverse order. This opcode, along with PIN_FLIST_SORT() is normally used to sort array elements. Arrays sorted may also be the result of a search.

The flist to be sorted usually represents an array of search results returned from PCM_OP_SEARCH or PCM_OP_STEP_SEARCH. The sort_flistp parameter is an flist that you construct with the sort_parameter, called PIN_FLD_RESULTS. It would look like:

PIN_FLD_RESULTS field n . . . field 2 field 1

Then use the sort_default parameter to compare non-existent fields to existing fields. If all of the result elements have field value(s), 0 can be passed as the value of sort_default.

In cases where a result element has a field value, and it is being compared to another result element with the same field, but no value:


A negative sort_default means that the result element with the missing field value is sorted after the other in the sorted list.

A positive sort_default means the missing field occurs before the other.

A sort_default of 0 means that they are considered equal and order is arbitrary on the sorted list.
Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_SORT( pin_flist_t *flistp; pin_flist_t *sort_listp; int32 sort_default; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
flistp
Pointer to the flist being sorted. The flist should normally consist of an array so that the sort is performed on elements of the array. Each element of the array may be a list of fields; it is those fields that get sorted.

sort_listp
List of fields in each element in flistp to use as sort fields. Elements in flistp are sorted in this order. If the value of this parameter is NULL, PIN_ERR_BAD_ARG is returned.

sort_default
The comparison to be used if an element is not found:

a zero value for sort_default means: f1 == f2
a positive value for sort_default means: f1 > f2
a negative value for sort_default means: f1 < f2
f1 NOT found, f2 NOT found - > return 0 (equal)
f1 found, f2 NOT found ->return -sort_default
f1 NOT found, f2 found -> return sort_default

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Search for objects in a POD - PCM_OP_SEARCH - Opcode

Step search for objects in a POD - PCM_OP_STEP_SEARCH - Opcode

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro

Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro
PIN_FLIST_PRINT()
Description
This macro prints an flist to a file in ASCII format. All levels of the flist, including the contents of array elements and substructures, are printed. This is useful for debugging applications that build or manipulate flists.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_PRINT( pin_flist_t *flistp; FILE *fi; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
flistp
Pointer to the flist to print.

fi
A pointer to a file to print a message to. If the value of this pointer is NULL, the message is printed to stdout.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Examples
The Sample Account Setup file is a C program that illustrates how to use this macro in the process of setting up a generic Portal account and service. The accompanying Makefile is also useful.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro

Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro
PIN_FLIST_TO_STR()
Description
This macro prints the contents of an flist to a buffer in ASCII form.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_TO_STR( pin_flist_t *flistp; char **strpp; int32 *lenp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
flistp
Pointer to the flist to print to a string.

strpp
A pointer to a buffer for the return string. If the value is NULL, a buffer is allocated using malloc.

lenp
The length of the buffer that strpp points to. The buffer must be large enough to include a \0. If the value of strpp is NULL, len is passed back as the size of the allocated buffer, excluding the \0.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
The string is returned in strpp. If a buffer was allocated, len is the size of the string, excluding the NULL terminator. If a buffer is allocated, the application owns the memory and must free it eventually.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro
PIN_STR_TO_FLIST()
Description
This macro take a string representation of an flist (for example, the output of PIN_FLIST_TO_STR()) and creates an flist run-time data structure.

Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_STR_TO_FLIST( char *str; int64 default_db; pin_flist_t **flistp; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
str
Pointer to a string containing an flist in ASCII form.

default_db
A specified database number. If the ASCII string contains the sub string "$DB", then the database number in this parameter will replace it.

flistp
Pointer to a buffer for the return flist.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
The string is returned in flistp.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro

Convert an flist to XML - PIN_FLIST_TO_XML() - Macro
PIN_FLIST_TO_XML()
Description
This macro converts an flist to XML format. It is designed for converting an invoice to an XML format. The formatted XML invoice is generated directly from the flist. It ignores and doesn't convert data in buffer fields or fields of type PIN_FLDT_BINSTR.

Note This macro does not generate a .DTD file.


Synopsis
#include "pcm.h" void PIN_FLIST_TO_XML( pin_flist_t *flistp; int32 flags; int32 encoding; char **bufpp; int *lenp; char *root_elemname; pin_errbuf_t *ebufp);

Parameters
flistp
Pointer to the flist to convert.

flags
Specifies the name/attribute pairs to use for the XML element tag.

PIN_XML_BY_TYPE
Uses the TYPE field for the name of the XML element tag. This is the default.

PIN_XML_BY_NAME
Uses the field name for the name of the XML element tag.

PIN_XML_BY_SHORT_NAME
Uses the field name for the name of the XML element tag and drops the common prefix to include only the unique portion. For example, "PIN_FLD_NAME" becomes "NAME".

PIN_XML_FLDNO
Uses the field number for the attribute of the XML element tag.

PIN_XML_TYPE
Uses the TYPE field for the attribute of the XML element tag.

encoding
Specify UTF8.

bufpp
A pointer to the buffer that will contain the XML converted data.

lenp
The size of the buffer that bufpp points to.

root_elemname
The root element name. If you don't specify this field, the default root element name, "document", is used.

ebufp
Pointer to an error buffer. Used to pass status information back to the caller.

Return Values
Nothing is returned by this routine.

Error Handling
This routine utilizes the series ebuf style of error handling. Applications can call any number of series ebuf style API routines using the same ebuf, and only check for errors once at the end of the series of calls. This makes manipulating flists and POIDs much more efficient, since the entire logical operation can be completed, then tested once for any errors. See Understanding API Error Handling and Logging for details on error handling algorithms.

Related Information

Create an flist - PIN_FLIST_CREATE() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY() - Macro

Destroy an flist - PIN_FLIST_DESTROY_EX() - Macro

Count fields on an flist - PIN_FLIST_COUNT() - Macro

Copy an flist - PIN_FLIST_COPY() - Macro

Concatenate one flist on another - PIN_FLIST_CONCAT() - Macro

Sort flists - PIN_FLIST_SORT() - Macro

Print an flist to a string - PIN_FLIST_TO_STR() - Macro

Print an flist - PIN_FLIST_PRINT() - Macro


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Email id: dharmeshtripathi@engineer.com


Summary

Currently working with IBM Global Services (I) Pvt Ltd since November 2004 in
Telecommunications domain on billing system, Portal Infranet. Earlier I had been working with Patni Computers Systems Ltd for 2 years. I have done my B.E (Computer Science) from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat. I have always been an enthusiast for applying the knowledge and skills I have learned in this field for the development and progress of mankind. During my tenure at Patni Computer Systems, which is a SEI-CMMi Level5 organization and IBM Global Services (I) Ltd, which is a Fortune 500 organization; I have learned to manage processes and people working with me.
I am an Application Programmer and an Open systems development professional having Sound domain on Telecom Billing, functional experience in the design of relational database applications and the implementation and support of complex systems on Open systems technologies. Total software experience of 2 years and 6 months.

My technical abilities are complemented by sound communication and user interaction abilities.

Employers

Current Employer IBM Global Services (I) Pvt Ltd. (From Nov 2004 till date)

IBM strives to lead in the invention, development and manufacture of the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics.
IBM translates these advanced technologies into value for our customers through our professional solutions, services and consulting businesses worldwide.



Previous Employer Patni Computer Systems Ltd (From Nov 2002 to Nov 2004)




Systems Integration (Business skills)

• Successfully managed sign off, compliance, release processes and procedures for many systems integrators and projects including Patni Computers Systems Ltd , IBM Global Services, and Vodafone
• Successfully ran many customer workshops and customer presentations
• Authored many "systems integrations" documents such as Functional Specifications, Design Specifications and Interface Agreements.
• Experienced in interviewing and hiring outstanding project team members and contractors.
• Experienced in leading applications and teams.


Technical Skills

Language C, C++, Java, UNIX shell scripting and PL-SQL.
OS/Environment UNIX, Windows NT
Tools Autosys job scheduler, crontab jobs scheduler in Unix, Microsoft Visual Safe Source
Products/Applications
• Extremely familiar with Telco Billing Systems focusing mainly on Portal Infranet (over 1 years experience) and IntegRate (Billing system and Pipeline Rating Engine)
• Experienced with: BEA WebLogic, Apache, Tibco BusinessWorks, Tomcat, Microsoft Visio, Siebel, Siebel UAN, IPlanet, JRUN, IBM Websphere, Webmethods, WBI, Tivoli Work Scheduler

Professional Profile

Employer : IBM Global Services (I) Pvt Ltd.
Designation : Application Programmer
Date of Employment : Nov 2004 Till Date

Previous Employer : Patni Computer Systems Ltd.
Designation : Software Engineer
Date of Employment : Nov 2002 to Nov 2004.


Project Information

Project 1 Vodafone SAM Application (Asia Pacific-Australia, N Z and Fiji)
Employer IBM Global Services (I) Pvt Ltd
Type Maintenance, Enhancement
Title Programmer
Platform HP-UNIX
Application Portal Infranet 6.7
Technology/Software UNIX shell programming, Oracle and C, IScripts and Irules.
Client Vodafone Australia and New Zealand
Duration Dec 04 till date

Portal Infranet is a billing solution which serves as a complete, end-to-end billing solution for Vodafone Australia-New Zealand which is a communications and information service provider, enabling her to retain profitable customers, increase average revenue per user, quickly launch new and enhanced services, and leverage assets to increase shareholder value. With Portal Infranet, service providers can more effectively manage their core business and enhance its profitability while offering popular, higher-margin voice, data, and content services.

Responsibilities
• Detailed analysis and resolution of the issues regarding Rating, Billing of CDRs (Call Detail Records) files and providing end to end solutions.
• Performing Billing Systems Integration of Portal Infranet 6.7, Siebel and IBM WBI to Replace the legacy billing and customer management system (over 10 million total subscribers)
• Analysis, Bug –fixing of the tickets/issues regarding Rating, Billing, Invoice generating utilities (CMMPs, CMs, DMs).
• Maintenance of the Oracle database on the Infranet billing system, which manages the data for the customers’ information, their activity/usage information and product catalogs.
• Usage, analyses of the Client Tools for infranet like Pricing Center, Developer Center.
• Mentoring and guiding the infranet Production Support Team at Vodafone, Auckland in understanding the overall functionality of Infranet and Pipeline in detail.
• System Monitoring, alarm monitoring, Suspense Management, CDR reprocessing Revenue Assurance reporting.

Project Information

Project 2 Alliance GEN III
Employer Patni Computer Systems Limited, India
Type Development, Maintenance.
Title Programmer
Platform Windows NT 4.0 Server, UNIX Sun Solaris
Technology/Software PL-SQL, and C.

Client General Electric Card Services, USA.

GE CARD Services is involved in the business of credit card services to its customers. It uses various operational systems consisting of Oracle Databases at the backend and GUI at the front-end. To enable its managers to make better decisions, the company maintains a database for its customers, which consists of various tables and views. The Alliance GEN III project involves the design, development, and testing and ongoing maintenance of these databases. Specifically it involved the automation of process of loading records from flat files received from an existing GE mainframe server into the Alliance Oracle table on daily basis. I was a part of the team. I had taken up the role of coordinating technical requirements, design document creation, coding and testing.

Responsibilities
• Detailed analysis of the requirements.
• Map the user requirements with the operational systems.
• Design the tables using schemas.
• Develop the extract in C language , and required views and tables in PL-SQL

Project Information

Project 3 Amex Chargeback
Employer Patni Computer Systems Ltd
Type Maintenance - Enhancement
Role Programmer
Platform UNIX
Technology/Software C, UNIX shell scripts, PL-SQL
Duration
Client GE Card services

The scope of this project is to Digitize and standardize the process for ticket retrievals and chargebacks for AMEX (a client for General Electric). It involved accepting for file feeds from AMEX (a third party server) providing ticket retrieval information to a UNIX server and transferring it to a Mainframe server.

Responsibilities:
• Detailed analysis of the requirements.
• Creation of Design Documents.
• Coding
• Creating Test Cases and testing.

Project Information


Project 4 Software Currency
Employer Patni Computer Systems Ltd
Type Maintenance - Enhancement
Role Programmer
Platform UNIX
Technology/Software C, UNIX shell scripts, PL-SQL
Duration Nov 2003 to May 2003
Client GE Card services

The scope of the project is to upgrade all midrange system software and corresponding applications to vendor supported releases (from ORACLE 7i to ORACLE 9i and Unix version sun solaris 5.5 to 5.8 ) in order to deliver environments that are fully supported by vendors and compatible among all system software including the Unix scheduler crontab to AUTOSYS .My team along with the GE Consumer Finance business will be involved to install/upgrade software, convert application codes, perform application testing and migrate development, QA and production system.

Responsibilities:
• Detailed analysis of the requirements.
• Creation of Design Documents.
• Coding
• Creating Test Cases and testing



Project Information

Project 5 AFFN/Accel PIN Debit Cards
Employer Patni Computer Systems Ltd
Type Maintenance - Enhancement
Role Programmer
Platform UNIX shell programming
Technology/Software C, UNIX shell scripts, PL-SQL
Duration
Client GE Card services

The purpose of this project is to transfer the monthly and daily reports available on the FiServ (a third party UNIX server) to DMZ (UNIX server) mainframe server and pushing it to another Transit (UNIX) server using FTP scripts and UNIX shell scripts. Finally the scripts are push to Mainframe server using ndm scripts.

Responsibilities:
• Detailed analysis of the requirements.
• Creation of Design Documents.
• Coding
• Creating Test Cases and testing.


Tools
Autosys JOB Scheduler:-
Unicenter Autosys Job Management Web interface 4.5 is web-based portal by Computer Associates International, Inc. I have used its different features that monitor, manage and control the jobs on UNIX servers. The following features have been extensively used throughout different projects:-
• Monitoring, administrating, and reporting of jobs.
• Alarm monitoring and managing across multiple instances.
• Sent event Actions and reporting from graphical views.
• Monitor Event Process Log.
• Job run statistical report.

Technical Memberships:-
I have been an Active member and giving Online help for programmers on the following forums.

1.) Unix Discussions forums
2.)Autosys job scheduling discussions forums

Achievements
Runner up: - Inter-house Table tennis tournament at Gnyan Dham School Vapi.
Runner up: - Inter college G.K QUIZ competition
Runner up: - Club Patni annual carom tournament at Patni Computers systems Ltd.
Our team was recognized as a Dream Team Award winner at Patni Computers systems Ltd.
Was ranked in top 8% out of the 125,000 appeared in the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the Indian Institute Managements.

Education

I have done my B.E (Computer Science) and secured first class percentage marks from Birla Vishwakarma Mahavidyalaya, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat.

My first week in Kiwi Land

I have been here in Kiwi Land for a week now , and my orgenisation has send me here for some work at t the vodafone location in Aucklnad , New Zealand .I am staying here at a place called Elliot ST Apartments , Elliot street , auckland , which is one of the most expensives place in the city , my boss actually takes cares of my living expenses here , i wish that every1's boss in the world should be like him , so generous and care taking kinds :) . It has been just a week here for me , but i dont know why i have started missing people , my near and dear ones so much like i have never missed any time earlier in my life , well .. i am little wmotional sometimes.. ;). Apart from this lil home sickness, i have found this place really awesome , atleast for the week .. :).

The original inhabitants of auckland were Maoris . And in the Maori language, Auckland is known as Tamaki Makau Rau, the city of 100 lovers. It earned this name because it was a place desired by all and conquered by many.
The Auckland region is an antipasto of environments laid out on a huge platter to make one amazing city, boasting three harbours, two mountain ranges, 48 volcanic cones and more than 50 island .Well thats about the distinctive geographical features of the place. The weekend was a great fun for me . I had spent my whole friday night partying and dancing at a place called FU BAR and went back to my apartment in 8:00 A.M in the morning and saturday night i went back to the same place , and you know now i am friends with DJ LogiKal , and the bouncers Peter and Hayden At the FU BAR . May be i will go back to this place again for the next weekend.

Yahoo Mail
This is a test post for Hyper links

Lal Meri Pat...

My todays blog speaks about one of the songs by the Paksitani Rock band Junoon.
Junoon - The internationally acclaimed South Asian rock band. The band that plays a fusion of western rock and traditional eastern mystical music. This band has performed at venues as varied as the U.N. General Assembly, at the request of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. The 9/11 attacks inspired Junoon to compose a song entitled "No More," recounting a New Yorker's sentiments following the WTC attacks and asking for an end to terrorism.


Junoon is not just about a rock group – it is about sanity, it is about harmony, it is about tolerance and more importantly it is about truth. Their agenda is peace, unity, love and brotherhood among mankind. Few rock groups or bands are about all this and more. Salman Ahmed, Brian O’Connell, and Ali Azmat are the trio protesting against the establishment through their music, and at the same time singing of universal love and celebration of life. Their lyrics are inspired by the great Sufi saints, Rumi and Bulleh Shah; and their music by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Robert Plant, Jeff Beck, Santana, U2, Beatles, and Queen.

One of the junoon's Ablum Azadi is a eclectic blend of western rock , fusion and eastern mystical songs and music.This one song from Azadi whose lyrics start with the word "Lal Meri Pat" is one of my favourite songs from Junoon. A Part of Pakistan
Called the Province of Sindh , the peole of this place were called as Sufis . Sufis were very unconventional and cool sort of people , who believed in harmony amongst all mankind , peace and tolerance.

"Lal Meri Pat" is an old traditional song revisited by Junoon. Ustad Aashiq Ali, Junoon's tabla player, captivates the audience with his expertise with the tabla, which contributes greatly to further enliven this terrific number. This is one of those songs that will not only get you on your toes, but will also create such a magic that you will be swayed into another world, freeing you from worldly bothers of the present world. I always listen to the song and unwind myself.
The song enchants me with its musical diversity that perhaps accounts for Junoon's eastern and western appeal.It is full of zest, zeal, and enthusiasm, this album definitely rocks!

Yesterday,in the evening while returning to my home after the office suddenly like
a strike of lightening some thoughts started running through my mind., that what is
religion all about. I started pondering over this and I felt that religion, is nothing but very much similar to language or dress. We , the people, gravitate toward the practices with which are raised.In the end, we all are proclaiming the same thing that life has a meaning and we are grateful for the power that created us. Whether , one is hndu, christain, muslim, buddhist simply depends on where one is born.Faith , in the divine power is an universal concept, but our methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Ultimately , we all are searching for the truth,that which is greater than ourselves.

The assassination of former Lebanese President Hariri did not occur at the hands of a suicide bomber as first speculated. Growing evidence points to the fact that the explosion originated from the middle of the street and from underground. Does anyone else see the global significance of this or is mine the only perceptive mind around? How many times have y'all seen a movie where either the good guys or the bad guys set up a fake road construction site when they are really digging an underground tunnel or robbing a bank or something equally intricate? I can't get over the fact that sometime, within the last few weeks, assassins masquerading as a construction crew were practicing their dark trade in plain sight of the ignorant public. It makes me want to go out and purchase construction cones and keep them in my trunk. Our story doesn't end there. The movie continues. There were apparently six Australian Nationals who were suspected of the assassination. What? Syria would have been my chief suspect of course. If you are easily persuaded by factless speculation you could even go so far as to suspect Israel or the U.S. But an Australian sleeper cell? Chrenkoff reports the Aussies have now been cleared. This entire blog entry serves simply to hammer home one major point (and I am smugly satisfied that I have done so). The absurd plot twists on Alias this season AREN'T as bad as I thought and the series isn't going down the drain. Now excuse me while I go fix the potholes on the street outside my apartment.

Nanochips

The First Nanochips
As scientists and engineers continue to push back the limits of chipmaking technology, they have quietly entered into the nanometer realm!

Article By : G. Dan Hutcheson
Abstracted By: Dharmesh Tripathi
Overview/Faster, Better Chips

For most people, the notion of harnessing nanotechnology for electronic circuitry suggests something wildly futuristic. In fact, if you have used a personal computer made in the past few years, your work was most likely processed by semiconductors built with nanometer-scale features. These immensely sophisticated microchips or rather, nanochips are now manufactured by the millions, yet the scientists and engineers responsible for their development receive little recognition.

The recent strides are certainly impressive, but, you might ask, is semiconductor manufacture really nanotechnology? Indeed it is. After all, the most widely accepted definition of that word applies to something with dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers, and the first transistor gates under this mark went into production in 2000. Integrated circuits coming to market now have gates that are a scant 50 nanometers wide. That's 50 billionths of a meter, about a thousandth the width of a human hair.

Having such minuscule components conveniently allows one to stuff a lot into a compact package, but saving space per se is not the impetus behind the push for extreme miniaturization. The reason to make things small is that it lowers the unit cost for each transistor. As a bonus, this overall miniaturization shrinks the size of the gates, which are the parts of the transistors that switch between blocking electric current and allowing it to pass. The more narrow the gates, the faster the transistors can turn on and off, thereby raising the speed limits for the circuits using them. So as microprocessors gain more transistors, they also gain more speed.

The desire for boosting the number of transistors on a chip and for running it faster explains why the semiconductor industry, just as it crossed into the new millennium, shifted from manufacturing microchips to making nanochips. How it
quietly passed this milestone, and how it continues to advance, is an amazing story of people overcoming some of the greatest engineering challenges of our time.


Straining to Accelerate

The microprocessor that powers the computer on which I typed this text, a Pentium 4, contains some 42 million transistors intricately wired together. How in the world was this marvel of engineering constructed? Let us survey the steps.

Before the chipmaking process even begins, one needs to obtain a large crystal of pure silicon. The traditional method for doing so is to grow it from a small seed crystal that is immersed in a batch of molten silicon. This process yields a
cylindrical ingot--a massive gem-quality crystal--from which many thin wafers are then cut.

It turns out that such single-crystal ingots are no longer good enough for the job: they have too many "defects," dislocations in the atomic lattice that hamper the silicon's ability to conduct and otherwise cause trouble during chip
manufacture. So chipmakers now routinely deposit a thin, defect-free layer of single-crystal silicon on top of each wafer by exposing it to a gas containing silicon. This technique improves the speed of the transistors, but engineers have been pushing hard to do even better using something called silicon-on-insulator technology, which involves putting a thin layer of insulating oxide slightly below the surface of the wafer. Doing so lowers the capacitance (the ability to store electrical charge) between parts of the transistors and the underlying silicon substrate, capacitance that would otherwise sap speed and waste power. Adopting a silicon-on-insulator geometry can boost the rate at which the transistors can be made to switch on and off (or, alternatively, reduce the power needed) by up to 30 percent. The gain is equivalent to what one
gets in moving one generation ahead in feature size

IBM pioneered this technology and has been selling integrated circuits made with it for the past five years. The process IBM developed, dubbed SIMOX, short for separation by implantation of oxygen, was to bombard the silicon with oxygen atoms (or rather, oxygen ions, which have electrical charge and can thus be readily accelerated to high speeds). These ions implant themselves deep down, relatively speaking, where they combine with atoms in the wafer and form a layer of silicon dioxide.

One difficulty with this approach is that the passage of oxygen ions through the silicon creates many defects, so the surface has to be carefully heated afterward to mend disruptions to the crystal lattice. The greater problem is that oxygen implantation is inherently slow, which makes it costly. Hence, IBM reserved its silicon-on-insulator technology for its most expensive chips.

A new, faster method for accomplishing the same thing is, however, gaining ground. The idea is to first form an insulating oxide layer directly on top of a silicon wafer. One then flips the oxidized surface over and attaches it onto another, untreated wafer. After cleverly pruning off most of the silicon above the oxide layer, one ends up with the desired arrangement: a thin stratum of silicon on top of the insulating oxide layer on top of a bulk piece of silicon, which just provides physical support.

The never-ending push to boost the switching speed of transistors has also brought another very basic change to the foundations of chip manufacture, something called strained silicon. It turns out that forcing the crystal lattice of silicon to stretch slightly (by about 1 percent) increases the mobility of electrons passing through it considerably, which in turn allows the transistors built on it to operate faster. Chipmakers induce strain in silicon by bonding it to another
crystalline material--in this case, a silicon-germanium blend--for which the lattice spacing is greater. Although the technical details of how this strategy is being employed remain closely held, it is well known that many manufacturers are adopting this approach. Intel, for example, is using strained silicon in an advanced version of its Pentium 4 processor called Prescott, which began selling late last year.


Honey, I Shrunk the Features

Advances in the engineering of the silicon substrate are only part of the story: the design of the transistors constructed atop the silicon has also improved tremendously in recent years. One of the first steps in the fabrication of transistors on a digital chip is growing a thin layer of silicon dioxide on the surface of a wafer, which is done by exposing it to oxygen and water vapor, allowing the silicon, in a sense, to rust (oxidize). But unlike what happens to the steel body of an old car, the oxide does not crumble away from the surface. Instead it clings firmly, and oxygen atoms required for further oxidization must diffuse through the oxide coating to reach fresh silicon underneath. The regularity of this diffusion provides chipmakers with a way to control the thickness of the oxide layers they create.


Semiconductor manufacturers face daunting challenges as they move to extreme ultraviolet lithography, which reduces the wavelengths (and thus the size of the features that can be printed) by an order of magnitude. The prototype systems built so far are configured for a 13-nanometer wavelength. They are truly marvels of engineering--on both macroscales and nanoscales.

Take, for instance, the equipment needed to project images onto wafers. Because all materials absorb strongly at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, these cameras cannot employ lenses, which would be essentially opaque. Instead the projectors must use rather sophisticated mirrors. For the same reason, the masks must be quite different from the glass screens used in conventional lithography. Extreme ultraviolet work demands masks that absorb and reflect light. To construct them, dozens of layers of molybdenum and silicon are laid down, each just a few nanometers thick. Doing so produces a highly reflective
surface onto which a patterned layer of chromium is applied to absorb light in just the appropriate places.

As with other aspects of chipmaking, these masks must be free from imperfections. But because the wavelengths are so small, probing for defects proves a considerable challenge. Scientists and engineers from industry, academe and government laboratories from across the U.S. and Europe are collaboratively seeking solutions to this and other technical hurdles that must be overcome before extreme ultraviolet lithography becomes practical.

Once the transistors are completed, millions of capacitors are often added to make dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM. The capacitors used for DRAM have lately become so small that manufacturing engineers are experiencing the same kinds of problems they encounter in fashioning transistor gates. Indeed, here the problems are even more urgent, and the answer,
again, appears to be atomic-layer deposition, which was adopted for the production of the latest generation of DRAM chips.

New Meets Old

Atomic-layer deposition can also help in the next phase of chip manufacture, hooking everything together. The procedure is to first lay down an insulating layer of glass on which a pattern of lines is printed and etched. The grooves are then filled with metal to form the wires. These steps are repeated to create six to eight layers of crisscrossing interconnections. Although the semiconductor industry has traditionally used aluminum for this bevy of wires, in recent
years it has shifted to copper, which allows the chips to operate faster and helps to maintain signal integrity. The problem is that copper contaminates the junctions, so a thin conductive barrier (one that does not slow the chip down) needs to be placed below it. The solution was atomic-layer deposition.

The switch to copper also proved challenging for another reason: laying down copper is inherently tricky. Many high-tech approaches were attempted, but none worked well. Then, out of frustration, engineers at IBM tried an old-fashioned method: electroplating, which leaves an uneven surface and has to be followed with mechanical polishing. At the time, the thought of polishing a wafer--that is, introducing an abrasive grit--was anathema to managers in this industry, which is downright obsessed with cleanliness. Hence, the engineers who originally experimented with this approach at IBM did so without seeking
permission from their supervisor. They were delighted to discover that the polishing made the wafer more amenable to lithographic patterning (because the projection equipment has a limited depth of focus), that it removed troublesome defects from the surface and that it made it easier to deposit films for subsequent processing steps.

The lesson to be learned here is that seemingly antiquated methods can be just as valuable as cutting-edge techniques. Indeed, the semiconductor industry has benefited a great deal in recent years from combinations of old and new. That it has advanced as far as it has is a testament to the ingenious ability of countless scientists and engineers to continually refine the basic method of chip manufacture, which is now more than four decades old.

Will the procedures used for fabricating electronic devices four decades down the road look anything like those currently employed? Although some futurists would argue that exotic forms of nanotechnology will revolutionize electronics by midcentury, I'm betting that the semiconductor industry remains pretty much intact, having by then carried out another dazzling series of incremental technical advances, ones that are today beyond anyone's imagination.

one more

Rediff

This is a test post for Hyper links

This post is for testing some HTML tags , so that my new posts will have more of em.....
Yahoo Mail

Checking Google ads

Well i am just tring to find out how does the google adsense works... let me find something on leonardo da vinci

http://www.google.com/custom" target="_top">

Happiness and depression are supposed to be a state of mind right? We have control over how we feel. So am I letting myself feel depressed? I let myself feel that way a lot. I'm 24 years old and I'm nowhere near feeling secure about myself. A lot of others my age are well settled, have jobs and are happy. Or at least are happier in whatever state they are in. I lived in gujarat with my parents for 17 years. I lived a very sheltered and protected life. All of sudden I am 1500 miles away from home. I miss my room, my bed, my parents , my brother, my friendss..the familiar surroundings near my home, the people. Here in bangalore I haven't found my niche. Even in my cubicle inside my office, I feel like an outsider. Well enough of about me...life goes on.

I might be sounding a little philosophical or poetical to you , whatever u call it after u read my todays post..But well actually its somethng going on in the life of a friend of mine. My friend , Daniel , fell in love with a white girl called leena somewhere from poland , i dont know the exact location.But one thing is definitely for sure that there's nothing that can't be conquered with love on your side. No matter what it is. Love is neither brown nor white. It has no boundaries or rules. Live and learn by it .Lets not forget our hero , Daniel, in this love philosophy :) .Daniel actually feared that lena would'nt love him because she was white and he was brown. So daniel called up her mother one day and asked her that why was it so that he was brown and lena was white. His mother could understand daniel's problem and she replied that while god was making lena, it was summer and the sun was shining very brightly and he asked daniel to face the sun and protect lena from it.And so he was brown and lena was white.she also said that though he was brown, his heart was white and pure and when the white girl looks into his heart she will start loving him. Hearing this from his mommy Daniel was really happy.Well...I really dont know what happened after this , will have to get the updates from daniel. Keep reading my blogs to know the later part of the story.

My Job responsibilities :

I remember the day as if it were yesterday , when i completed my engineering in Computer Science, amnd joined into Patni Computer Systems as a software engineer.At Patni , I was working for a U.S clent company , General Electric, for its credit cards and consumer finance business , and I had developed a GUI based application for its customer care application of credit card customers. Success on this project gave me the confodence to work on real life problems. although I liked the job , software development at PCS Ltd , was more of a suppport function. I therefore switched to IBM Global Services (I) Pvt Ltd , a multinational company providing software solutions in wide ranging fields , telecommunications being its forte . At IBM , I have ben involved in Project Vodafone , an australian , an australian telecomm's new front end system providing intelligent billing serveices to its customer service system. Working on this project has helped me to hone my programming skills on real life applications. During my tenure in the software industry I have discovered leadership skills in myself , and frequently assisted colleagues . I posses industry -hardened skillsin software management and processes management , but I must build on these to achieve my goals of ubdertaking cutting - edge knowledge in software enterprise managemant . I therefore believe that i must enter into the academic world alongwith my job for further growth .



The movement towards a global economy and unprecented explosion of software trade and outsourcing worldwide has brought about immense oppurtunities to develop newer techlnologies , tools and methodologies in the field of Software enterprise Management .It is this challenging enviornment to which I intend to contribute by evolving meaningful and optimal solutions to various problems of software enterprises and trades . Thus , my goal is a career in management in software enterprises and / or information systems . wherein I could advance the analytical approaches I posses to information systes or software enterprise management . To achieve my career goals , I need to learn much more about current developments and techniques in softwares, softwares markets and software applications and also acquire a hands on experience of software enterprise analysis . A managament degree from a b - school will rpovide me with theoretical understanding , an in depth idea of practical approaches in aiding managerial decision-making and skills to enable me to develop an expertise in the core areas of software enterprisestrategies and global corporate software business operations.

some more kudos to my home town...: ) Badohi carpet industry gears up to face global competition

Well , its regarding a place called badohi, a small hamlet in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, where my dad was born, the art of carpet weaving is going their for ages and has made its mark in the global market giving really very hard competetion to the world .

With Indian carpets facing tough competition from global players, the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology (IICT) in Badohi is imparting training on better designing techniques. Carpet weaving in the country is largely influenced by the Persian style. The Institute has taken up the initiative to design better carpets to face the competition. K.K. Goswami, Director of the Institute, said that Indian carpets need a better marketing strategy. "Carpet designing began in Persia and so it has a Persian stamp till now. Though we have created a niche of our own, yet it is sold carrying a tag of being Indo-Persian. They have such a strong image. Though we are good, we do not have the same kind of identity and publicity," Goswami said. The Institute aims at promoting Indian designs and traditional patterns so that they can create an identity of their own in the international market. "We basically try to focus on Indian themes for our design. Indian designs like Harappa, Ajanta, Mughal paintings, we try to take from them and teach the same to our students. We pay heed to colours too, based on market interest," said Kailashish Karamakar, a lecturer in the Institute. UP is the country's largest exporter of designer carpets and rugs. There are about 300 well-established carpet exporters in Mirzapur, Bhadohi areas in the state alone. Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana are the other states where carpet industry has high concentration. The origin of the industry can be traced back to 16th century to the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar who is said to have brought some Persian carpet weavers for production of Persian carpets in his own palace at northern Agra. Some of the most exclusive carpets were created during the Mughal era, each carpet was different from the other, but infused with a common magic of colour and designs.

Well if my readers are swiss , then please click on the following link to get the most of this post (http://www.letemps.ch/tour/reportages/etape4/jour75.html ).

Telugu Desam party minister got murdered...........

Police on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy, for the murder of TDP MLA Paritala Ravi.
The FIR was filed against six persons even as the day-long statewide bandh called by TDP to protest Paritala's killing took violent turn in some districts of Andhra Pradesh with party activists torching a Mandal Revenue Office, besides blocking road and rail traffic at several places. The activists set afire Kambaduru Mandal Revenue Office (MRO) in Prakasam district in the early hours of Tuesday as protestors were seen moving on the roads shouting anti-government slogans, police said. A report from Ongole said TDP activists manhandled an MRO official when he was sitting in his office. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) administration as a precautionary measure withdrew its bus services which were the main targets of protestors' fury in many parts of the state, official sources said. The protestors blocked rail traffic at Machlipatnam railway station and detained Vijayawada Passenger Train for about an hour, while Vijayawada Satavahana Express was blocked by the agitators for about 20 minutes. In the state capital, shops and business establishments remained close while banks and other government offices were functioning with skeleton staff. As a precautionary measure the state government had imposed 24 hours curfew in Anantapur town and district headquarters. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu alongwith his party leaders left by road to Anantpur to participate in the funeral of Ravi at his native place Venkatapuram.

Two and a half years ago, my employer required me to take an oath of loyalty while raising my right hand. May I never have a job that asks me for any less. There is something utterly satisfying in relinquishing oneself that way. Knowing that you are part of something greater than yourself whose traditions will echo through time long after you have passed. Someone asked me the other day what it is that makes me happy. Days later I have come to realize that what makes me happiest, is returning to the cause implanted inside the nether regions of my soul. Something I believe in so strongly that I would swear an oath of loyalty...and much more, to it. Without my cause I am ill-defined at best and superfluous at worst. Last month I was in danger of losing my job. Losing my job would have been a temporary set-back but not the end of my plans. When you stalk a prize for close to three decades, you become suspicious when things remain at a status quo for too long. This morning I was told that for now my job is safe, but an explanation of what I am currently doing and what my future intentions are is needed. What the hell am I doing?? Fatigue had set in. Decades of pursuit without guaranteed prey can dull one's senses. Oaths get drowned by instant gratification and material pursuits. And so I sat down an composed a letter. I wrote to my new boss, whom I have never met, and explained to him what my intentions are and what I am doing. He of all people can surely understand? I needed this kick in the pants. I needed to be reminded of my oath to my employer and of my higher oath. Focus. Eyes on the prize.

Review of Chetan bhagat's 5 point some1...

Umm...well i cant really figure out what audience chetan had in mind when inking this book. The book has little to do with iit or to put in a better way, it has very little of what iit is all about. He could have as well used any other college as setup just ensuring that this college had relative grading sytem, was tough and had discipline. And well that is indeed a very narrow perspective of what iit is. It doesent talk about interhostel rivalry, extra- curricular activities, politics, socials, massive rendezvous, final year turmoils, and the now present internet connection in every hostel room (that had transformed student life at iit like anything)...nothing that would actually differentiate iit from other colleges. So be assured for once that this book is not about iit. So is it about underperformers? To some extent but it doesnt seem to give any cogent arguments for their underperformance, infact it doesnt infact care to dwell into it at all.
So if you are an alumni and intend to read this book to recall your iitd days or an aspirant who is curious to know about life at iit then in either cases, you'll be terribly dissapointed. the book is maybe a little more about friendship and romance then anything else. Chetan has really done a wonderful job in capturing this part. Many of my fellow colleagues who are iitians
( i still regret that i was'nt one of em....) and who have read the book are head over heals in love with the fictious neha cherian. So much so that they were uncomfortable why hari had to end up having sex with her.
The characters precisely map to the characters of dil chahta hai. Aamir-Ryan, Akshay-Alok, Saif-Hari and Preity-Neha. The differnce being that unlike in dil chata hai, here characters differ in their approach on academics instead of love.
At book launch, Chetan claimed that he is the hari in book. He has tried to use self-humility throughout the book to establish a connect. You know, self humilty charms like anything...TRP raitings of jassi jaisee koi nahi should be evidence enough.
The first 14 chapters of book are really cute. There is this very interesting concept in the book. Each of the three out of the four central characters in the book have a chapter devoted to themseves where they put their perspective on the way things are or why things are the way they are. The fourth character is the author for the rest of book. These chapters are particularly very sweet and cute. Each of the characters cribbing about how hari had been biased in the rest of the book, giving their own justifications. Infact one of the cahracteras said he cant take too much liberty even in his chapter cos hari might edit it. But despite that the book lacks perspective. Its as other charactes in book insist Hari's (chetan's) very narrow perspective on iit and life. I really doubt if majority of iit males would romance with a girl just for geting physical. Chetan has potrayed all 9 pointers as nerds. While that may be true for some but i think that some of the coolest guys around are 8 pointers. Its again hard to believe that someone studying regularly for 3hours a day is 5 pointer if he is really studying...... You study 3 hours a day and you need to be really dumb to get anything less than 7.5 particularly if you are in mechanical.
Actually half way thru book, thats chapter 14, i was disapointed why only just 130 more pages are left, there should have been more. But well 15-20 pages more and i was cursing the enormous number of pages still left. While the first half went into defining characters, their aspirations and problems and maintanied a slow and steady pace, the latter part was just pure fiction too diffciult to digest particularly given the iit setup. Imagine a iit student making out with a prof's daughter in prof's house!! Imagine a student falling from 9th floor of MS building and still surviving. Was Chetan trying to crack a joke when he justified saying the guy survived th fall bcos of his fat fleshy butt and 6 inches of water on floor!!!
At many places, there are sudden transition in the attitude of characters for for no apparent reason. Some incoherency too like ryan getting a scooter in middle of first sem at christmas! At iit, first sem is over much before christmas. Again ryan gets a scotter after they already went to see terminator on his scooter. Hari finding cooler at dhaba comfortable in midst of winters. But i guess all this can be pardoned.
So what i am trying to say is that though this book (atleast the first 15 chpas) are real cute and might give you a faint flavor of the hardships at iit BUT it is a very narrow, incomplete perspective of a very small aspect of iit. So read it as pure fiction and do not, i request DO NOT conclude or infer anything about iitians or 5-6-7-8-9 pointers from this book.
I felt so wasted at the end of the book, i mean what was the book trying to tell? Damn it, why did you associate name of iit with it. I mean there are atleast 5000 mis-informed people around if it has actually sold 5000 copies that is.


ABOUT CHETAN (what he actually did at IIT):
He made and still holds these two records at IIT:
Sent a stainless steel glass flying high in air for 7 seconds using a diwali cracker.
Blew four bubbles simultaneously while chewing buble gum, each 3 inches in diameter.
Source: BSP (board for students publication, iit delhi) book of records 1995)

Sometimes people need more than monetary helps..

I fashioned what I thought to be a great business idea a few days ago. It came to me in a flash of pain after I slipped on my bathroom floor and hit my head against the toilet. However, after days of smug bliss I came to realize that the business model behind my brilliant idea...sucked, AND I had no implementation strategy. I never went to business school and I failed to grasp the importance of learning those basic skills that every corporate suit possesses ( Well i hope some day my dream to get into a B school gets fulfilled ... ). My idea was to create a "Sorrow Bank." It was to be modeled after the tried-and-true Blood Bank. The way I look at it, every time a tragedy hits the world everyone is looking to donate food, medicine, and money, but no one has come up with a way to relieve the internal suffering of each of those souls. Take this tsunami for instance. I watch the television and listen to the news channels and I keep hearing these stories where someone’s whole family has been wiped out. When a person is in a car accident you can always hook them up to a volunteer who wants to donate blood. My idea was to work in reverse of this. A bunch of happy-go-lucky volunteers would line up around the block waiting to have sorrow pumped INTO them via a machine that would be powered by something like...a flux capacitor. True, the happy people would walk away feelin' miserable, but at least the tormented people would feel better. I think that I could handle a much greater share of misery if it would help balance things out. Eventually, it was the fact that my idea has no scientific foundation and zero profit margin potential that did me in.

The weekend ends :(

The weather out here is foul, but not as foul as my mood. Banglore has really got very cold nights , my plans to work out in the mornings are failing as it is chilling cold here . Bad news is coming my way. I can feel it gathering with malice. Monday is going to be a really bad day. Which is worse: being surprised with bad news or knowing that it is hunting you like a hungry wolf hunts a sheep in an open field?

Some hidden facts about Madhubani

Hindu women who live in villages near the market town of Madhubani in northern India maintain old traditions and teach them to their daughters. Painting is one of the traditional skills that is passed down from generation to generation in the families of some of the women. They paint figures from nature and myth on household and village walls to mark the seasonal festivals of the religious year, for special events of the life-cycle, and when marriages are being arranged they prepare intricately designed wedding proposals.
But even though women in the villages around Madhubani have been practicing their folk art for centuries, the world at large has come to know about these women and to consider them to be "artists" only in the last thirty years. Even now, most of their work remains anonymous. The women, some of them illiterate, are in any case reluctant to consider themselves individual producers of "works of art" and only a few of them mark the paintings with their own name.
Among the first modern outsiders to document the tradition of Madhubani painting were William and Mildred Archer. He was a British civil servant assigned to the district during the colonial era. The Archers obtained some drawings on paper that the women painters were using as aids to memory. Works that the Archers collected went to the India Records Office in London (now part of the British Library) where a small number of specialists could study them as creative instances of India's folk art.
What led the women painters to share their work with the larger world was a major ecological and economic crisis that resulted from a prolonged drought in 1966-68 that struck Madhubani and the surrounding region of Mithila. In order to create a new source of non-agricultural income, the All-India Handicrafts Board encouraged the women artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale.
Since then, painting has become a primary source of income for scores of families. Production and initial marketing have been regulated by regional craft guilds, the state government of Bihar, and the Government of India. But the continuing market in this art throughout the world is a tribute to the resourcefulness of the women of Mithila who have successfully transferred their techniques of bhitti chitra or wall-painting to the medium of paper, and have resisted the temptation to adapt their traditional designs too freely in pursuit of unpredictable public tastes.
As the map indicates, the Mithila region and the villages around Madhubani are situated near the northern edge of the state of Bihar as it approaches the India-Nepal border. People of Mithila have their own language and a sense of regional identity that goes back more than 2500 years. Among the most celebrated figures believed to have been born in the region are Mahavira (a great spiritual hero of the Jain religion), Siddhartha Gautama (better known to the world as the Buddha), and Sita (the legendary wife of Prince Rama and herself a central figure in what may be the world's most popular epic, the Ramayana).

Commercialization of the folk art has been a mixed blessing. It has been regulated by governmental bureaucracies, has generated a multi-levelled distribution system, and has put a premium on productivity per se -- independent of any meaningful connection to the traditional cycles of village life and the rhythms of the religious year. But it also has allowed people around the world to discover a style of art with a long heritage linked to the lives of women, and that retains evident signs of its rootedness in a vital folk tradition. And, more to the point, it has created a new source of gainful employment in rural India for women and their families.
The exhibited paintings include examples of several themes in the representational but stylized and symbolic Madhubani tradition -- the great life-cycle rite of marriage; some of the major goddesses and gods of the Hindu pantheon; domesticated and wild animals. The earliest of the paintings (the Goddess Durga, matted in blue) dates from 1969, when only a few women artists had demonstrated their willingness and ability to work extensively with the medium of paper, and the most recent from 1993.
The paintings are from a small teaching-collection assembled by Gene R. Thursby who first went to India in 1968 as a Fulbright Fellow and returned to the United States in 1970 to join the faculty of the Department of Religion at the University of Florida. Over the years since then, he has gone back to India for shorter stays in order to continue his research on modern religious movements. The exhibit offers an occasion to teach simply by sharing the opportunity to experience the delight that any of these paintings can awaken. "One might at first believe that a knowledge of India's complex history and religions would be a prerequisite for an appreciation of the creations of Indian culture, " R. C. Craven conceded toward the end of his Concise History of Indian Art, but then he confirmed that his own view of the matter was "that the vitality and directness of Indian art make it accessible to all and no knowledge other than that basic to all humanity is needed."
Why give special encouragment to people to consider -- even to contemplate -- forms of art that stay close to folk tradition? Roy Craven (in agreement with the earlier art historian and curator of the Boston Museum collection of Indian art, Ananda Coomarasamy) gave the best answer: "Throughout Indian history the great masses who lived in the villages have (in the words of Coomaraswamy) 'worshipped, not the abstract deities of priestly theology, but local genii (Yaksas and Nagas), and the feminine divinities of increase, and mother goddesses'. Down through time the forces of the soil have robustly spawned and fertilized the arts. In fact, the sophisticated and complex icons of Hinduism could never have been conceived and brought to fruition without the support of this rich and vital substructure."
This exhibit was organized for two main purposes. First, to honor the memory of Roy C. Craven who died in 1996. He was an art historian whose great enthusiasm for the artistic traditions of India continues to enrich the lives of his colleagues, his former students, and his many friends around the world. Second, to allow a wonderful tradition of women's painting to become better known to people around the world

my new year resolutions

The trick to creating a good list of resolutions is to have an eclectic mix of tasks that are within easy reach, hopes that are just at the edge of your reach, and a few dreams that are well beyond your reach. Discipline is required to attack all three groups with equal vigor. Here is what I will accomplish this year.1) Take a week-long roadtrip with my brother in a part of the country I have never seen. Our last and only trip together five years ago through the badlands of some forest areas of Dangs in Gujarat is the stuff of legends.2) I will keep my apartment orderly and clean (I didn't inherit the freakishly clean genes from my parents).3) Two epic adventures: (1) Hike down to Ghats at the western edge of the Khandala and sleep next to them, (2) Hike the length of the mountains in Alibaug near Navi Mumbai.4) Get back into body building or some form of martial arts.5) Re-read The Da Vinci Code.6) Stop repeating my mistakes (this is harder than it seems).7) Meet at least two new fellow bloggers.8) Achieve a respectable 70 kgs bench press, 50 pull ups and leg press 750lbs.9) Make significant progress on my thesis to where I can actually see to the end of my time in Banglore .10) Make a visit to my hometown ) Put myself into at least three situations with the potential to be devastatingly embarrassing.12)Number 12 eludes me still. I have stalked it over many continents, across the pages of many books, and through the haze of many intoxicants. I grow closer to it though. Closer is all that I can ask for.