Perquisites: Some knowledge of SQL and how it works, but even if you have no concept of what SQL is and you’re interested in seeing it in comparison to the native datafile commands to learn what is possible, then you should consider coming to this session. In this session we’ll take a small datafile based application and convert it to SQL using the SQLLite database as a replacement. During the exercise we’ll learn to build an API to your new database so code is not repeated in your new application. The API is structured so it could easily be used for web based applications as well which will be shown. There will be time after the exercise for questions and answers. The completed application (before and after) will be available via the Conference FTP site.
Security, Hardware, and Software In this session we’ll explore various methods to protect your local network from threats (from the outside as well as the inside) using hardware appliances. In addition, we’ll show how to use an appliance to forward specific traffic to servers on the “inside” without actually exposing the server to the internet. As well, we’ll look at how to connect multiple sites via a private VPN (Virtual Private Network) to operate as a single network, thus allowing the business to share / control resources in a more efficient way than say overnight reconciliation of data changes across sites. Furthermore we’ll look at some software and strategies to keep your critical data backed up off site for maximum protection from mundane threats like, fire, theft, and flooding of your main data center. Note, this session focuses on the small to medium sized business market. Enterprise systems are not discussed