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Privacy commissioners across multiple provinces, and at the federal level, have launched a joint investigation into location data being collected by the Tim Hortons app.
In a Monday (June 29) press release, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C. said the investigation will focus on the app's use of "persistent geolocation tracking."
The B.C. office will be part of the investigation along with its Quebec, Alberta and federal counterparts.
B.C.'s privacy commissioner said the probe began after news reports raised questions about the app's privacy settings.
"The investigation will review whether Tim Hortons is obtaining consent to collect, use and disclose geolocation and associated data, including for the creation of detailed user profiles," the office said in a statement. "Privacy commissioners will also review whether Tim Hortons' privacy practices are reasonable in the circumstances."
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subset: commoncrawl


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Justice Department asks for additional information on Gannett-Belo deal
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested additional information and documents in connection with McLean-based Gannett Co.'s plans to acquire Dallas-based Belo Corp.
The companies announced the $2.2 billion deal in June. The acquisition is expected to create a broadcast "super group" at Gannett making the company the nation's fourth-largest owner of major network affiliates reaching nearly a third of all U.S. households.
After acquiring Belo's 20 stations, Gannett would own 43 television stations.
The Justice Department is reviewing the deal to see if it complies with federal antitrust law.
In a news release, Gannett and Belo noted that a "second request" for information is a "standard part of the DOJ review process."
Such a request extends the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, they said. The companies can't close the deal until 30 days after they have complied with the request.
Gannett and Belo said they would respond promptly to the request and cooperate with the Justice Department.
The companies still expect to close the deal by the end of 2013.
In addition to antitrust review, the transaction is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and holders of two-thirds of the voting power of Belo shares.
Belo's directors and executive officers, who together control about 42 percent of the voting power of Belo's outstanding shares, have agreed to vote in favor of the deal.
Gannett currently owns 23 television stations. The company also is the largest newspaper publisher in U.S. in terms of circulation. Its newspapers include USA Today, the Arizona Republic (Phoenix), The Indianapolis Star, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Des Moines Register and the Detroit Free Press.


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CanadianDivorceLaws.com is a guide to the legal situation in Canada, written by a lawyer. Our philosophy is that knowledge is power, and that by informing yourself about the laws that apply, you can reduce the pain and expense of your divorce.
To this end, we provide you with a comprehensive library of articles on the issues you may be facing in your divorce - issues such as child support, child custody, spousal support, property division, divorce procedure, and more.
The information on this website is applicable in all provinces of Canada except Quebec, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador, as well as all territories.
Divorce for American Same-Sex Couples |
Get answers to your questions about how much child support you will pay or receive, children's special or extraordinary expenses, when child support ends, and more.
Learn more about child support »
Get answers to your questions about how custody is determined, joint and shared custody, princial residence, child access, relocation issues, and more.
Learn more about child custody »
Get answer to your questions about spousal support, when it is payable, how much is payable, and for how long it is payable, and how it meshes with child support.
Learn more about spousal support »
Get answers to your questions about how property is divided when you separate, dealing with the matrimonial home, a business, and tax issues.
Learn more about property division »
Get answers to your questions about how the legal system works for people going through a divorce, including all the steps in a court case.
Find out more about divorce procedure »
Get answers to your questions about divorce legal fees, grounds for divorce, divorce mediation, annulments, life insurance, and powers of attorney.
Find out more about divorce laws »


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St Patricks Day Cupcakes
By applecupcake on Tuesday, March 15th, 2011St Patricks Day is just around the corner, and well although I am not Irish I am keen to celebrate for any reason at all. Countries such as India fascinate me because every week there is a new celebration… but being Australian, I settle for the fact that we constantly seem to have some home grown festival to celebrate, and where there is a gap in the calendar, we look to our multicultural heritage.
So last week was National Women's Day, and this week is St Patricks Day, and in trying to find the perfect cupcake to bake for our humble celebration at work on Thursday, I stumbled onto the Brown Eyed Baker, a website I often frequent, who has created her St Patty Cuppies which are called 'Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes'. But it is not just these fantastically boozy cupcakes she has, but a whole selection of St Patrick's treats including beer waffles with cinnamon-caramel apples, guinness milk chocolate ice cream, Irish brown bread and more.
For me though, the cupcakes will be perfect!! Recipe can be found here!


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Charles Brand M&E and LaganMEICA successfully delivered the £2.7 million contract for Northern Ireland Water (NIW) at Clay Lake Water Treatment Works (WTW) in County Armagh. Clay Lake WTW involved the refurbishment of the existing water treatment works which addressed customer taste and odour issues.
The existing Clay Lake WTW was in need of refurbishment to remove odour and taste problems from the public water supply. Competitively tendered, NIW chose a unique solution to solve this problem; retaining existing key peripheral plant and providing new process equipment. The works were installed in a new portal steel clad building located on the part of redundant slow sand filters to minimize excavation for the new works.
Charles Brand M&E designed, installed and commissioned the new process plant. Existing treatment chemical dosing systems were integrated into a new automatic control system for the WTW. The Construction sequence allowed for the installation of two existing GAC tanks into the new works one at a time. This meant NIW could keep producing water without interruption.
The new works included Dissolved Air Floatation Tanks, Rapid Gravity Sand Filters, Granulated Activated Carbon adsorbers and Manganese Removal Filters. Charles Brand M&E commissioned the works (in two stages) remotely operating the works between Stage 1 and 2 in partnership with NIW and supplying compliant water to the network at all times. Full NIW Operator training was provided by Charles Brand M&E for NIW.
Our successful delivery of the Clay Lake WTW was recognised by two prestigious industry awards; CEF Awards for the Utilities Infrastructure Category and the CEF Overall Winner Award on the evening and RICS Awards for the Infrastructure Category.


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SKY Pay Per View for up to 7 days within Sept. 3-16 at only Php99! Live in the moment with this romantic movie fresh from the cinemas along with other blockbuster movies and ABS-CBN MMK reruns with your family and friends. Activate online via mysky.com.ph/superkbo99
Enjoy Love Me Tomorrow and more on Super KBO on


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If this is your first home or your final retirement castle, if you're fortunate enough to have VA loan eligibility then you've likely explored the option. VA loans are approved using slightly different underwriting standards compared to FHA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan programs. The differences are sometimes minor but different nonetheless. There are however significant differences with VA loans that other loan programs simply can't compete with. Yet there are times that VA loans are not your best option.
VA Home Loan Benefits
Let's review some of those benefits now and remind us once again just how beneficial VA home loans really are. It's a benefit not enjoyed by civilians and is indeed an entitlement earned.
The most obvious benefit is the no-money down option. No down payment whatsoever is required from the veteran as long as the loan does not exceed maximum VA lender guidelines. Most loans are limited by VA lenders at $417,000, higher in certain areas that are deemed "high cost."
Anyone that buys a home knows how difficult it can be to save up enough funds for a down payment and closing costs. Even FHA loans that require a 3.5 percent down payment can still be a challenge, especially for first time home buyers who save and save to buy their first home. Zero down is a huge plus.
Lower Closing Costs
VA loans also restrict the types of closing costs that the veteran is allowed to pay for. This restriction is found on no other loan type and is yet another example of how veterans can save money using a VA loan to finance a home.
For example, a lender might charge a borrower that is using an FHA loan or Fannie or Freddie mortgage $1,000 or more in lender fees. Lenders typically charge underwriting, processing and document fees on all of their loans, but VA borrowers may not pay for those fees and either the lender or the seller can be forced to pay them on the veterans' behalf.
And when compared to loan programs with even a minimal amount down, say 3.5 to 5.00 percent, monthly mortgage insurance premiums are a requirement, adding to the cost of the loan as well as reducing the qualifying loan amount. Depending upon the program, the amount down and other factors, monthly mortgage insurance premiums can add another few hundred dollars to a monthly mortgage payment.
No money down, low closing costs and no monthly mortgage insurance premium are the most attractive features of a VA loan. But sometimes you don't want that.
VA Loan? Maybe Not.
There are a couple of specific instances where a VA loan isn't your best bet. First, if you're refinancing your mortgage and you want cash out during the process, you're typically limited to 90 percent of the value of the property. If you've acquired enough equity in your home in order tap into your equity and pull out additional cash, the amount received will be less when the Funding Fee is added to your final loan amount.
The funding fee also plays a role in any refinance transaction. The funding fee is a charge used to finance the VA's loan guaranty program and can range in amount from 2.15 to as high as 3.30 percent of the loan amount. If you're pulling cash out, on a $300,000 loan amount, your cash could be reduced by $9,900.
If you have equity in your property, regardless of any cash out, you may want to refinance into a conventional mortgage, restoring your VA entitlement. Conventional mortgages don't have a funding fee and with sufficient equity, you can refinance your mortgage at a cheaper cost and still get cash out at your discretion.
VA loans are perfect for those who qualify wanting a loan with no down payment and fewer closing costs. Yet if you do have a down payment of 20 percent, you should consider another choice, avoiding the funding fee charged on all VA loans.
Take the First Step
Whether you have decided on a VA loan or are still unsure, the first step is recon. We'll match you with rate quotes - no credit check required - from multiple lenders. From there, you can compare with traditional loans and decide if the numerous benefits of a VA loan outweigh any drawbacks.


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How to keep people on your website
Expert tips to increase your site's 'stickiness'
Today's consumers have more choice than ever, especially online. Competing attractions are just a click away, so it's vital to engage your audience's attention and give them a reason to stay on your site – and want to come back to it again and again.
This elusive component of web design is often referred to as 'stickiness'. Stickiness is important for various reasons.
"Getting a user to return frequently is more cost-effective than trying to convince new users to come to a site," points out Pod1 ecommerce strategist David Hefendehl. Once users are engaged, "adopters will help you to spread the word and promote your site," adds Abduzeedo founder and designer Fabio Sasso.
The right kind of sticky It's critical that stickiness stems from positive user experience, leading to loyalty and users not wanting to leave. "When designing, never think of literally getting people stuck," says cxpartners principal consultant James Chudley.
"I've heard of nasty UX where important information has been made deliberately hard to locate, 'trapping' users. Instead, focus on users' needs and serve them well. As a result, you'll get the kind of 'stickiness' you want."
Also be careful who you use the phrase 'stickiness' around, adds Digitaria senior web analyst Dexter Bustarde. "It's a popular web industry term but it carries a natural negative connotation to most outside the industry," he points out.
When talking to clients who don't themselves bring up the phrase 'stickiness', Bustarde suggests using the term 'essential' instead. "Having an 'essential' site is aspirational, while still capturing everything web developers and marketers think of when using the term 'sticky'."
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First impressions
Design is integral to a site's stickiness. "People react to gut instinct," Chudley says. "If a site doesn't look professionally designed, they won't stick around – particularly if they're looking to buy something."
Bluhalo's marketing and business development manager Jocelyn Kirby concurs. "Looks matter," she says. "First impressions count. Before contemplating a return visit, a user must engage with a website." In providing a user with what they're looking for, in a usable format that looks good, you're partway towards achieving stickiness.
The ideal is to not make people think. "Optimise a site's design to deliver the most intuitive user experience, and deliver the desired end result to the user with little effort," continues Kirby. "This contributes to the likelihood of the user returning."
Of course, good first impressions are just the starting point: you have to make them last. A strong design is one that doesn't just look pretty but guides users and encourages them to interact or share.
"Visuals and branding are important, but what's important is how those visuals and branding are integrated with the structure underneath the surface layer," says Bustarde. "You can have a gorgeous looking layout, but it has to work. If a visitor clicks on what looks like a compelling button but it doesn't really do anything, you've hurt yourself twice: you've presented something that feels broken and discouraging, and you've missed out on the opportunity that was created with your great visual cue."
Style and substance
Underpinning visuals and structure is content, arguably the most important single component when it comes to stickiness. To get repeat visits BKWLD's director of interactive production Dan Fields suggests "putting what's most useful and compelling in the most logical, strategic position".
Fields points out that once a 'visual language' is created and a user knows where to find sticky content, it's easy to train them to find it, helping to ensure they'll stick around. In the fight for eyes and hits, video is definitely worth considering.
"We're constantly visually stimulated, and video often achieves engagement where text and imagery cannot," says Kirby. "Regularly updated videos maximise repeat visits from people looking for new content.
"Since video hasn't seen the amount of contribution text content has, early, enthusiastic adopters will reap the benefits in natural search rankings, given the relatively low amount of existing competition compared to blogs and websites."
However, video by its nature takes time to consume, and so Chudley warns that it "should be of a duration commensurate with the nature of what's being conveyed," adding that he recently saw a 25-minute video for a web service that should have been a quickfire elevator pitch. The result: zero stickiness.
Social engagement
Compelling content within a strong, usable design will guarantee some stickiness, then. But the relentless march of Facebook and Amazon suggests that reactive design is increasingly important.
Sites that react to users' needs can result in longer session times and encourage return visits. Customisation involves a personal investment on behalf of the user, and when someone has given time to a site, they're more likely to become loyal.
"The method to choose depends on your site and audience," says Sasso. "If you can automatically provide reactive design, that's often better than making users customise things themselves, because that comes with a learning curve."
With Facebook having trained people to click on 'like' buttons, a low level of active participation should be fine for most sites to increase stickiness.
We Love copywriter
Melissa Bennett suggests this will soon become commonplace. "Facebook plugins vary from enabling users to 'like' or recommend things to allowing users to make comments and show profile pictures of friends who've already signed up – they're essentially letting brands encourage users to explore more," she says.
"And what I see when looking at a site with a Facebook login will be different to what a friend sees. In the future, sites will be completely relevant to individual users. This will make them extremely sticky: by making content relevant and contextual, catering to what we want to see, a site will create loyalty."
However, Bustarde warns that anyone focusing on a similar kind of targeted content must "avoid the creepy sensation that comes with seeming to know too much about your visitors" – a problem Facebook's arguably having to deal with.
Other means of social engagement can also enhance stickiness. Hefendehl cites Gurgle.com, the Mothercare-backed community for first-time parents. "It's run as a non-direct sales channel," he explains. "By identifying a need for a core target market, the site offers sticky content in the form of help for parents."
Others tap into existing networks such as Flickr, YouTube and Twitter. "These are all great tools to achieve extra stickiness," says Jonathan Smiley of design company ZURB. "People come from these sites and spend incredible amounts of time on ZURB.com. Why? Because they want to learn more after viewing one of our videos or reading our tweets."
The important thing is to ensure the sense of community always remains – poor management of social media can harm perception of a brand, which can wreck stickiness. With communities in place and visitors returning, it's useful to examine additional outreach possibilities, although Hefendehl says to be mindful that most people aren't techies.
"RSS readers are good to push content out, but are limited to a very small percentage of people who use them and understand what they do. Newsletters and email marketing are more effective tools to get users back to your site. A carefully planned email strategy will pay for itself in no time."
Even better, he says, is to find a way to enable user-generated content: "Everyone loves seeing their content published or their comments picked up by a website's owner."


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I eventually out grew playing with the figures, my interests switching to super hero comic books. In 1984 Mattel released a set of action figures based on Marvel Comics Secret War comic books. My mom could not believe that a 14 year boy was asking for action figures for Christmas. She did not understand the overwhelming need of a comic collector to posses a plastic replica of Wolverine and Captain America. I was able to secure two of each figure, one to play with and one to keep in it's package. Collecting toys was now one of my hobbies.
Over the next decade better designs and processes allowed for more articulation of parts and better paint detail in the figures. The figures were almost like pieces of art; sculptures with a little bit of playability. Throughout the late1980s and early 1990's collecting figures became a serious business. It also became a serious addiction for me.
I spent weekends searching the shelves of toy stores looking new and possibly rare toys, variants and misprints were key to a good collection. I knew some of the employees at Toys R Us that would allow me to check new cartons for "short packed" characters which were more rare. I would make sure that the blister pack and cardboard backing would stay in mint condition. During that time I had hundreds and hundreds of action figures laying around. Most were kept in boxes, while other hung on the walls of my apartment. I was single at the time (I did notice that I did not have many second dates) and had no other responsibilities. I was able to use some of the money from the sale of rare figures to put down on a car and pay for a vacation which was justifying my behavior to friends and family.
I ended up selling most of my collection in the late 1990's. I quit cold turkey. The hobby was costing me 30 to 50 bucks a week. What I did not sell I donated to the Children's Hospital.
I was action figure free for a while.
Once I had kids action figures started to creep their way back into my life but now they were called "guys." A Star Wars "guy " here and a Ben 10 "guy" there. Some of these "guys" were designed for little kids without much of a cool factor, while other "guys" were designed for a more sophisticated consumer without much playability. I was able to control my urges to buy every "guy" under the sun.
Last month Mattel through the group MommyParties reached out to me to see if I would be interested in hosting a Batman Power Attack party. It is like they knew I was a recovering Action Figure Addict and that I could not say no. They agreed to send me 10 new Batman Power Attack figures as well as party favors if I would host a party for kids to try to the figures.
The stuff that MommyParties and Mattel sent me was awesome. For a brief moment I considered keeping all the figures for myself. Oooh mint condition blister packs you are such a flirt. Why does the smell of cardboard and plastic have such an effect on me?
But I was good.
My boys, Maxfield, Wyatt and Jackson invited Zach, Gianni, Josh, Cristian and Gregory over for the party. Cristian and Gregory were probably the two that were most stoked about a Batman party, being that they are the die hard super hero fans. The kids ate chips and popcorn and drank juice while I gave them a brief history of Batman (the greatest super hero ever). The Batman Power Attack figures are bit larger and more durable than most of the action figures out there. The have just the right amount of articulation for the toys function or ability.
Disclaimer-My opinions are my own. I did not receive any type of compensation for hosting the party besides the action figures and party favors. I did receive a few extra figures which I plan to donate to Toys for Tots. I did give my son Maxfield the Killer Croc figure which was the short packed figure. I cringed when he tore it from the blister pack. I also had mild heart palpitations when the dog started to chew the Robin figure that Jackson received. I ca not be held responsible for any of the boys who attended the party becoming addicted to toys nor for them not getting second dates when they are in their early 20's. I do want to thank Mommy Parties and Mattel for the opportunity and the toys. I also need to thank the boys' parents especially Tony P, Bill Z. and Lee G for letting their kids come over to play Batman.


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TV Review: GLEE – Season 2 – "New York"
Stars: Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz Writer: Brad Falchuk Director: Brad Falchuk Network: Fox, airs Tuesday nights Original Telecast: May 24, 2011 Well we have at last reached the end of the second season of GLEE. This season had some really high points, and some horribly preachy overdone episodes, but all in all I try to just remember the moments that honestly were amazing. Following on the heels of last week's episode "Funeral" (which was one of BEST episodes of the […]Read On »


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also known as The Silverman and Phil Harmonix
born the UK on July 29, 1954
Co-founder, Legendary Pink Dots
Records as The Silverman
Full-time member, Mimir, The Tear Garden, and has made guest
appearances in the groups Dark Star (Travelogue), Moisten Before Use (Primeval Waltz) and Martijn De Kleer's album So Close Yet So Far Out.
interview by David Faris
Machine Power number two, winter 1992
Keyboardist and programmer Phil Knight, better known as "the Silver Man", has been collaborating with Edward Ka-spel and an evolving lineup of musicians for over a decade, producing progressive/expressive music under the group name The Legendary Pink Dots. A wide range of musical styles have been explored and integrated into the Dots' distinctive sound, a dark modern psychadelia where where innovative electronics meet Ka-Spel's brooding lyrics, where bursts of noise collide with pop melodies and tribal rhythms, where the unexpected is in turn shocking and pleasantly surprising. The Legendary Pink Dots embarked on their second North American tour as a group in July of 1991. David S. Faris spoke with Phil Knight by phone prior to the Dots' spectacular Toronto show about Pink Dots, crop circles, and the apocalypse....
DSF: Edward Ka-Spel's solo tour with Skinny Puppy back in 1987 was the first exposure that North Americans got to the Legendary Pink Dots live. Why did Edward perform solo, rather than having the Pink Dots come over?
PK: That was due to the connection with Cevin Key from Skinny Puppy, really. Cevin was a great fan of what we did, and he made it possible to get Edward over for a few shows, and also to work with Skinny Puppy. That in turn helped introduce audiences in North America to the music of Legendary Pink Dots, and made it possible for the Pink Dots to tour as a unit in 1989.
DSF: The LPDs are often associated with the "industrial music" category, maybe because of your work with Skinny Puppy, and the fact that you operated in that field. Do you think that's very accurate?
PS: There are of course elements of industrial music in what we do, because we work quite heavily with electronic, but I think it's actually rather difficult to put the Pink Dots into any one box. People find it very difficult to describe our music, you know... we tend to bleed over between a number of boxes, whether it's industrial, psychadelic, avante-garde, pop music, whatever. There are elements of all that in what we do, and I think that's healthy. In a way, it's the trend for the nineties, which is more of a synthesis, you know; the nineties are very much a sign of people synthesizing all the different types of music together.
DSF: "The Maria Dimension" seems to have Eastern Influences incorporated with the earlier electronic sound, and you're using more traditional acoustic instruments.
PK: Yah. Well, we recorded "The Maria Dimension" in a very different way. Quite often, Edward and I do a lot of pre-composition work before we record albums, but in the earlier days of the Pink Dots, we used to leave much more to chance, and sort of really get into band compositions that were spontaneous in the studio, but there've been so many lineup changes in the Pink Dots over the years that Edward and I had to, in a sense, fall back into more sort of pre-compositional work. With "The Maria Dimension", however, we purposely didn't do the pre-composition work. We just wanted to do it spontaneously, and get the other members really working on the compositions with us as we recorded them. It provided for a wonderful atmosphere, and we had a great time, and we really think that the music came out great because of that.
DSF: One of the most powerful tracks on the album is "The Grain Kings". It mentions on the sleeve that the lyrics are influenced by author Keith Roberts. Are they very directly related, or are they more spontaneously composed as well?
Pk: It wasn't such a literal influence. I think just in general Edward enjoys the work of Keith Roberts, and... I mean "The Grain Kings" has a lot to do with a phenomenon that's happening all over the world at the moment, and it's happening particularly in England, where these strange circles have been appearing in the corn fields, and nobody knows how they're created. It seems to be some sort of energy vortex or link from another dimension that's creating these circles that in the last year have been getting more and more complicated, turning into very complicated piktograms, and it's obviously an intelligence working behind these pictograms. I think that it's one of the most interesting phenomenon that's happening right at this moment in the world, and it's something that, you know, you can't say it's a hoax, and you can't say it's UFO's landing, or something like that. It's really some sort of intelligence trying to come through, and I think it's trying to shake us up, the human race, and to say, "Look, you know, there are things greater than you", and I think it's very relevant to the times, very important.
DSF: The lyrics of the Pink Dots are usually very tragic, dealing with themes of desperation and the apocalypse. There are also references to altered states of perception and dream-like experiences.
PK: It's all a sign of the times, it's not... ok, a lot of people say it's the new age, and you can put whatever label on that you want, but the fact is is that there is some expanding consciousness going on, and either you're going to go with it, or you're not, you know. The term apocalypse, I think people always look at that in a very black sense, and think of maybe nuclear holocaust scenes and things like that, but you know, it's not necessarily so. I think there's movements happening all over the world, the old ways are breaking down, like in Europe, the East European countries are now really shifting, and things are shifting and coming back together in different ways. We're a bunch of people that like to read the signs of the times, and I think that for a lot of people who also are going through similar things, and changing their lives, the Pink Dots provides a connection and a comfort for them, that there's other people out there who are also taking an interest and are aware of the same sort of things going on. Maybe the leaders of the world aren't aware of it at the moment, but they're gonna be very soon.
DSF: Do you find that you make much more contact with people through your music, and make much change at all, or do you think it's missing the mark, if that's what you're trying to do?
PK: Well, we get alot of mail, and I think people do sort of understand us, you know. Of course, there are people who misunderstand us. I mean there's always people that are going to want to put you up on a pedestal and make you into some big cult thing, you know, like the Temple of Psychick Youth or something, and I think those people miss the point. We don't want to be put up there. We may use names like "The Prophet Qa'sepel", and stuff like that, but I mean that's our sense of humour, and I think there are people that misinterpret us who don't realize that we have a sense of humour.
DSF: What's the origin of the Silver Man persona? Is it from your stage makeup?
PK: Yah.. I mean, I'm not going to be going 'round with my stage makeup, wearing a silver face on this tour. Its not something I want to do for the rest of my life. The name "The Silver Man" came from a song on "The Lovers" album, called "Flowers for the Silver Man" and it's sort of a character that I felt empathy with when we made that song, and that's how I took on that name, but well, I'm not going to go around wearing a silver face for the rest of my life, you know... I'm me. The stage show can still be very dramatic, and I think there's always a theatrical element to what we do. Edward is a very charismatic performer, I think, and uh.. you know, he still wears his cracks, and he's still pretty intense on stage. It's still a pretty intense stage show.
DSF: I've heard that there are plans for another Tear Garden album, as well as a for a collaboration with members of Front Line Assembly.
PK: Yeah, there are in fact. The tour's arranged in quite a neat way, where we sort of start off in Canada, go into North America, around North America, and then end up in Canada at Vancouver, and Edward and I will by staying in Vancouver, because we're both going to be working on a new Tear Garden project with Cevin and Dwayne. Edward was also planning a collaboration with Bill Leeb (FLA) but unfortunately in the end there just wasn't the time, so that's not going to be happening now.
DSF: There's also a collaborative project with members of HNAS.
PK: That's right, the MIMIR project. That's also a very special project for us. I mean, we're very close friends too with the HNAS guys, and it was a very interesting project. It's music that I think people will be quite surprised by. It's really something that's totally different from the Pink Dots. It's totally different from HNAS too, but you know, I would have to warn people that if they're expecting to hear Edward's voice, well, they can forget it, because it has no vocals on it. It's purely instrumental music, and it's quite intuitive music, and it has quite a dream-like atmosphere to it, but if people are expecting the Pink Dots, you know, don't, because Mimir is something that's totally outside of what we do with the Pink Dots, or with Tear Garden.
DSF: Have the Pink Dots released any video work, or documentation of their live shows on video?
PK: We have never done a video yet. We've never found, up to now, the right people that we feel have got the imagination to match our work. Sometimes I wonder whether video work might spoil that for people, because at the moment we get people to use their own imaginations, and I think that's very important. I think, you know, there's always a chance that we're going to try soime video work in the future, but we're not in a hurry. If the right people come along and we think it could enhance what we do, then we'll go for it.
DSF: After over ten years of recording and so many albums and side projects coming out, is there a chance that you'll slow down in your output, or do you think that you're going to be continuously inspired to produce more work?
PK: Oh yah, I mean, we never run out of ideas. There's always fresh ideas coming up, and there's always so much happening around to fuel new ideas. I think that our music, the music styles that we use in our music, you know, it ensures that we never get stale. We're never in any one style or form of music, a formula that we get stuck in, because we always like to pull in so many different influences. They're not conscious influences, I don't think. I think we just like good music, and we like good sounds, and you know, we'll use sounds and aspects from anywhere, whether it's opening a window and sticking a microphone outside to get environmental sounds, or whether it's using elements of ethnic rhythms and things, or just really going far out into the electronics sphere, or just beautiful simple pop melodies. I mean, it's so wide for us, and that ensures thta we never get stale with what we do.


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Human Hands and Fingernails
The hands are the parts of the human body that are in most contact with the outside world. People use their hands for a variety of activities everyday. It is extremely easy to come in contact with different microbes and to transfer them to other objects and maybe even people. Surprisingly, fingernails harbor the most bacteria found on the human hands.
Description of Niche
Location and Description
The human hands are two prehensile, multi-fingered body parts located at the end of each arm. Normally, a human has five digits on each hand including the following: a thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. Fingertips are the areas of the human skin that possesses the highest concentration of touch receptors and thermoreceptors. These dense areas of nerve endings makes the fingers extremely sensitive to heat, cold, pressure, vibration, texture, and moisture. Attached at the distal end of each finger is a fingernail. [1]
- Anatomy of the Fingernail
- The fingernail is an important structure composed of laminated layers of the protein, keratin. Although nails are small, they have two crucial roles. They act as a protective plate and enhance the sensation of the fingertip by acting as a counter-force. Each nail consists of several parts, including: [2]
Nail Root | The nail root is the portion of the nail that is beneath the skin behind the fingernail. It extends several millimeters into the finger and produces most of the volume of the nail and nail bed. |
Nail Bed | The nail bed is part of the nail matrix and extends from the nail root. It contains blood vessels, nerves, and melanocytes. In order to have normal nail growth, it is crucial that the nail bed be smooth. |
Nail Plate | The nail plate is the actual fingernail. It is anchored to the nail bed by the grooves that run along the end of the nail. |
Cuticle | The cuticle of the fingernail is between the skin of the finger and the nail plate. It fuses those two structures together and provides a waterproof barrier. |
Perionychium | The perionychium is the skin that lies over the nail plate on its sides. It is the site of hangnails, ingrown nails, and infection of the skin called paronychia. |
Hyponychium | The hyponychium is the area between the nail plate and the fingertip. This is the area between the free edge of the nail and the skin of the fingertip. It provides a waterproof barrier. |
Physical Conditions and Changes Due to Environmental Conditions
The skin covers the hand and serves as a layer of protection, sensation, regulation, and control.
Protection | It provides a barrier so that pathogens cannot enter the hand freely and also prevents damage between the internal and external environment of the bodily defense system. |
Sensation | The skin on the fingers of the human hands contain the densest population of nerve endings that may react with heat and cold, touch, pressure, vibration, injury. |
Regulation | It helps to create an impermeable barrier to fluid loss |
The human hand also possesses its own cleaning mechanism. The cells of the epidermis layers of the skin are continually being renewed. In addition, the hand is protected from infection because the skin has fatty acids, components of secretion of the sebaceous glands, and moderate bactericidal properties.
Because the hand is in contact with an infinitive amount of environments and objects, its physical conditions are continually changing. On the human hand, there are resident bacteria that live there all the time and does not cause any harm to the hand. However, because the hands are often in contact with so many different objects, transient bacteria often accumulate on the hands as a result of touching the objects. These bacteria are extremely easy to transfer and may reside on a person's hand when he/she touches money, food, doorknobs, hair and countless other things. Some transient bacteria may stay on the human hands from minutes to hours or even months. This depends on the type of bacteria that the hand had come in contact with and whether or not they were able to adapt to the physical conditions of the human hands. [3]
- Temperature
- There is no "normal" temperature for the human hands. The reason for this is because the temperature of the hands fluctuates and changes over a certain range of temperatures. The temperature of a "normal" hand can change anywhere from 15.5 to 37.2 degrees celcius. In the summer, the temperature of the hand will tend to be warmer because blood vessels are nearer to the surface of the skin. Things such as steroids, tranquilizers, and alcohol will often elevate the temperature of the hands as well. In addition, coffee, soda, and sugar foods will also have an affect on temperature. Changes of 5, 10, 15 degrees can occur within an extremely short period of time if the host experiences stress, relaxation, activation of the fight or flight system, or environmental changes.
- pH
- The normal pH of the hand is acidic (3-5) due to the presence of lactic acid present on the skin from perspiration and the glutamic and aspartic acids of the epidermis. PH of the skin on the human hands can be altered when it comes in contact with different soaps, antibiotics, solutions, and hand care. If a very basic solution was used on the skin, then this would cause irritation because it would be disrupting to the flora of the natural skin on the hands. Therefore, using acidic soaps and antiseptics on the hand is more beneficial because they are closer to the skin's physiological pH. When soaps with acidic pH's are used, they do no interfere intensely with the microflora of the skin, which has a lower potential to harm the skin. The acidic pH of the skin is also crucial since the development of many bacteria is strongly inhibited in conditions of low ph than in conditions of neutral to higher pH's.
- Moisture
- The skin on the hands does not like to be too dry or too wet. It is important to keep the hands and fingernails moisturized at a generally low level to prevent dry skin. Because the moisture level of the skin is generally low, it helps to limit the survival and growth of microbes. The skin and nails can be damaged by extensive dryness, persistent wetness, cold, chemicals, and sun exposure. If grit and soil begins to accumulate on the skin then it begins to lose its protective barrier. With this, water will be lost and the hands and fingers will become dry. Dryness can create breaking of the skin and make openings that allow contagious germs to enter and infect. Similarly, fingernails lose elasticity as they begin to lose water. As a result, the nails will be harder and may crack. The cuticles should also be moisturized as well since they are the seal that prevents moisture from getting underneath the nail folds. [4]
Different Conditions of the Hand
- Unwashed Hands
- Contain the natural microflora or resident bacteria and microbes and the transient bacteria from the objects that the hands come in contact with. When the hands are unwashed, there are millions and millions of bacteria living and growing on it[5].
- Rinsed Hands
- If hands are rinsed with cold water only some large particles of dust and some bacteria is removed but the main majority of pathogens are still there.
- Washed Hands
- Washing hands with soap and water reduces the number of transient bacteria. It is important to remember that it is more beneficial to use soap that is more acidic because the natural ph of hands is acidic. Therefore, the microflora of the hands will not be harmed.
- Sanitized Hands
- When the hands is sanitized, the growth of the bacteria on the hands is stopped and therefore, the majority of the bacteria will be gone.
- Effect of Sanitzers Vary
- Depending on a person's normal activities or the job he/she does, the physical conditions of the hands will differ and therefore, the types of bacteria living on the hand will also differ. Ex: Food workers generally have wet hands and their hands are often contaminated with foods in high proteins and fatty acids. This would reduce the effectiveness of the alcohol gel of sanitizers.In addition, the type of soil on a hand affect the significance of sanitizers. Dirt, food, or anything on the hand can make alcohol in sanitizers less effective. [1]
- Effect of Sanitzers Vary
- When the hands is sanitized, the growth of the bacteria on the hands is stopped and therefore, the majority of the bacteria will be gone.
Different Conditions of the Fingernails
- Natural Nails
- Native nails should be kept clean, short, and should not extend past the fingertips. The subungual region is the site of the majority of the bacteria on the human hands. The growth of bacteria with the nails causes unhealthy, thin, and brittle nails. It is important to take care of the hands and skin surrounding the nails. [4]
- Artificial Nails
- Artificial fingernails harbor a greater number of pathogens than natural nails. Enhancements of artificial fingernails contribute to the changes in nails that lead to an increase of colonization and transmission of pathogens. Artificial fingernails are made of acrylic. Acrylic is a chemical used to fasten the artificial nail and contains methyl and methacrylate. The acrylic in artificial nails what gives rise to the growth of gram negative bacilli and yeast. Artificial nails are associated with allergies that occur at the time of application of the nail itself. Having artificial nails could lead to a lift in the natural human nail base, therefore, dirt and bacteria will then have the opportunity to invade. Also, bacteria and fungi can also grow in between the natural and the artificial nails. In addition, the cosmetic application of the artificial nail may disrupt the natural environment of the human hands in that it interferes with the skin around the fingernails. The cuticle is the skin of the finger and the nail plate. If too much of the cuticle is cut or pushed back so far that it is separated from the fingernail, this will present the opportunity for infectious agents to move into the area around the fingernails. [4]
Microbes Present
Bacteria | Fungus | Yeast |
Pseudomonas | Trichophyton | Candida |
Staphylococcus | Epidermophyton | Rhodotorula |
Acinetobacter | Acremonium | |
Enterobacter | Aspergillus | |
Klebsiella | Scopulariopsis | |
Aeromonas | Cladosporium | |
Serratia |
- There are many species within these genera that can be located within the fingernails, such as Staphylococcus epidermis and aeureas or Candida albicans, parapsilosis, and instaniae. These are a select few of the many microbes that can survive on human hands and nails.
- Fingernails are increasingly being viewed as a major concern in many health related issues because of the capability to harbor many varieties of microorganisms. In health care related occupations fingernail etiquette is becoming a strict practice as the bacteria in the nails of health care providers can exacerbate a patient's existing medical conditions.[6] This issue is a greater concern for individuals who have artificial nails because they have a greater affinity of harboring microorganisms than natural nails and are identified as a major cause of transmitting infections to medical patients. In 1998, a research study investigated the bacteria found in the nails of various medical staff such as nurses, surgical technicians, and other personnel. The study showed that out of all the nails collected (IE polished nails, natural nails, and artificial nails), artificial nails proved to harbor the most gram-negative rods before and after washing them. [7] Artificial nails have since been scrutinized as having contributed to many hospital acquired infections. In particular, outbreaks of Pseudomonas aruguinosa have been attributed to two nurses with long, artificial nails and have either caused serious infections or death of multiple infants. Also, the bacteria, Serratia marcescens has also been involved in the postoperative infections of several cardiac surgery patients. [6,7]
Fungi and Yeasts
- The hands and fingernails are often affected by fungal and yeast infections, such as those caused by species of Trichophyton and Candida. In particular onychomycosis (nail infection) is the most common disease associated with the hands and feet, effectuating at least 50% of all fingernail infections. [8] Onychomycosis is caused by dermatophytes (infectious fungi or yeast) invading the nail bed, which also cause ringworm and tinea, such as athletes foot. [9] Most cases of onychomycosis is characterized by mild inflammations, resulting in the nail bed becoming cornified and losing its normal contour. Another form of onychomycosis results in the destruction of the nail plate and is often visible by a whitish yellow discoloration. Onychomycosis can also occur on the external nail plate, caused by an invasion of Acremonium and Aspergillus, which infect the superficial layers of the nail resulting in white patches on the nail. [8] Onychomycosis is increasingly viewed as a major medical concern as these infections can lead to secondary infections as well as being transferred to other bodily areas and other people. Fungi and yeasts are also a major concern for individuals with artificial nails. Artificial nails weaken the natural nail and can also cause the natural nail to lift from its base which expose the fingers to bacteria and fungi that can grow between the two nails.[10] These condition substantially increase the risk of onychomycosis and other related diseases. Thus, as mentioned earlier, natural nails are the best for fingernail health care.
Microbial Interactions
- The main mechanism through which microbes interact with each other under the fingernails is through a biofilm. Biofilms are communities of surface attaching microbes that collaborate with each other to perform various tasks that contribute to the species. Often in nature biofilms consists of multiple species of microbes that require inter-species communication.[11] Quorum Sensing is one such method of communicating between cells and species. Quorum sensing is a type of chemical signal that is produced by a community of microbes promoting genetic regulation and cellular changes to bind to the surface and each other. In the fingernails, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus co-exist in a mixed-biofilm and often cause simultaneous infections. Because they live together in a biofilm it makes it much more difficult to treat infections with antibiotics and antifungals.[11] The resistance is most likely attributed to the biofilm as antibiotic/fungal resistance profiles are often changed in mixed infections. This also makes the microbes capable of persisting many of the conditions hands are exposed to, which is probably why most related infections continue even after washing hands with antimicrobial soap. For example, one experiment introduced a species of Candida into a mixed-species biofilm composed of both yeast and bacteria. The Candida were seen bridging to adjacent colonies and altering its community structure to suit the environment. After an acid suppression therapy, the altered biofilm proved to be able to persist in highly acidic environments, surviving in a pH less than three. [11] This implies that biofilms are major mechanisms for protecting microbial communities and are of particular interest for medical concerns as they are indicative of the persistence of infections in the human body.
Current Research
'Super' bacteria live on sheets, fingernails: study [12]
- On June 6, 2005, U.S. researchers reported that MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ) is commonly found on computer keyboard covers and under fingernails which causes rashes and infections. MRSA has resistance to almost everything besides an antibiotic called vancomycin. Vancomycin binds the end of D-ala D-ala which blocks transpeptidation of bacteria to inhibit its growth. Although Staphylococcus aureus is usually harmless and found on skin, it can sometimes cause necrotizing fasciitis or "flesh-eating" disease in hospitals. A study at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago shows that computer keyboard can contaminate the fingers of a doctor or a nurse, and then further transfer the bacteria to patients thus causing deadly infections.
Onychomycosis due to artificial nails [13]
- Although the use of artificial nails is a popular trend nowadays, several bacterial and fungal infections such as Onychomycosis have been found in patients who use artificial nails. Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail which causes 50% of all nail diseases and affects 18% of the general population. Due to the use of artificial nails, Onychomycosis is found to be very common in nail changes. The researchers performed KOH examination and fungal culture to detect the fungal infection from the distal part of the nail and from the proximal nail fold. The results show that both KOH and culture were significantly better in the samples from the distal part of the nail compared to the samples from the proximal nail fold. The study demonstrates that the use of artificial nails can lead to increasing chance of transmitting bacteria. People should avoid using artificial nails especially for health care personnel and food industry workers.
Ultraviolet C inactivation of dermatophytes: implications for treatment of Onychomycosis [14]
- In this study, researchers were trying to find an alternative treatment besides antifungals to treat Onychomycosis. The major purpose of the study is to test whether ultraviolet C is able to sterilize a novel ex vivo model of nail infection. Infected human toenail clippings were irradiated with ultraviolet C (254 mm) at a radiant exposure of 36-864 J cm(-2). The results show that ultraviolet C successfully inactivated Trichophyton rubrum and its resistance to ultraviolet C did not increase after five cycles of inactivation in vitro. The radiant exposure might vary depends on the thickness of the vivo culture. Ultraviolet C irradiation might become an alternative treatment for Onychomycosis in the future after researchers find a way to prevent mutations caused by ultraviolet irradiation.
Fast and sensitive detection of Trichophyton rubrum DNA from the nail samples of patients with Onychomycosis by a double-round polymerase chain reaction-based assay [15]
- Trichophyton rubrum is one of the pathogens that can be isolated from patients who have Onychomycosis. Using traditional culture-based method to isolate Trichophyton rubrum is a time-consuming process and usually leads to false detection. The study shows it is possible to detect Trichophyton rubrum in fingernail samples using double-round polymerase chain reaction-based assay which is used for DNA detection. The isolated Trichophyton rubrum DNA was amplified using actin gene and internal transcribed spacer 1 in double-round polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The combined detections shows positive results in patients undergo fungal infections. The results suggest PCR is a fast, sensitive and accurate method for fungal detection.
Yale University Experiment [16]
- Dr. David Katz of Yale University, the United States, did an experiment with his students to test out the bacteria grow under fingernail. They took swab from under fingernails from different students and let the bacteria to grow. Dr. Katz also took another swab after they wash their hands. After 3 days of growing time, they found out short painted nails have least of bacteria growth. On the other hand, long unpainted nails have most of growth. The reason is because of shorter fingernails are easier to clean. The nail polish is constituted of phthalates, toluene, and formaldehyde which are toxic thus minimizing bacterial growth. The technique of hand washing is also important for limiting bacteria under fingernail. Washing hand properly can kill most of the bacteria under fingernails.
It has been observed that the hands and fingernails are proned to accumulate many different types of bacterial and fungal pathogens. The hands and fingernails are susceptible to different conditions due to the constantly changing environment of the host and of its surroundings. Currently, there is an increasing awareness of hand and fingernail healthcare as healthier fingernails can promote healthier lifestyles.
- CDC Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) October 25, 2002.
- Brannon, MD, Heather. "Nail Anatomy." Dermatology. 24 Sep 2004. 27 Aug 2008 <http://dermatology.about.com/cs/nailanatomy/a/nailanatomy.htm>.
- Larson, E. 2001. Hygiene of the Skin: When is Clean Too Clean? Emerging Infectious Diseases. 7(2) Mar-Apr 2001.
- 4. Glove Protects Hands And Fingers In Winter Conditions. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 28, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2003/12/031223073139.htm
- Kurtzweil, Paula. 1995 Fingernails: Looking Good While Playing Safe. FDA Consumer.
- Hedderwick, Sara, Shelly McNeil, Michael Lysons, and Carol Kauffman. Pathogenic Organisms Associated with Artificial Fingernails Worn by Healthcare Workers. Infection Control, and Hospital Epidemiology. 21: 505-509
- Sullivan, Ellen. Off with Her Nails. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. 2003. 18: 417-418.
- Shemer, A., H. Trau, B. Davidovici, MH. Grundwald, B. Amichai. Onycomycosis Due to Artificial Nails. JEADV. 2008. 22: 998-1000
- Weitzman, Irene, and Richard Summerbell. The Dermatophytes. Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 1995. 8: 240-259.
- Kaur, R., B. Kashyap, P Bhalla. Onychomycosis-Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Management. Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology. 2008. 26: 108-116.
- Wargo, Matthew, Deborah Hogan. Fungal-Bacterial Interactions: a Mixed Bag of Mingling Microbes. Current Opinion in Microbiology. 2006. 9: 359-364.
- 'Super' bacteria live on sheets, fingernails: study
- Shemer A, Trau H, Davidovici B, Grunwald MH, Amichai B. J. Onychomycosis due to artificial nails. Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008 Mar 18
- Dai T, Tegos GP, Rolz-Cruz G, Cumbie WE, Hamblin MR. Ultraviolet C inactivation of dermatophytes: implications for treatment of Onychomycosis. Br J Dermatol. 2008 Jun;158(6):1239-46. Epub 2008 Apr 10.
- Gupta AK, Zaman M, Singh J. Br J Dermatol. Fast and sensitive detection of Trichophyton rubrum DNA from the nail samples of patients with Onychomycosis by a double-round polymerase chain reaction-based assay. . 2007 Oct;157(4):698-703. Epub 2007 Aug 21.
- Yale Experiment
Edited by Chao-Lin Chen, Demosthenes Morales, Huynh Nga Vo, students of Rachel Larsen


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SIOS Protection Suite for Windows
Release Notes
Version 8.7.1
(Version 8 Update 7 Maintenance 1)
Released March 26, 2020
Read This Document Before Attempting To Install Or Use This Product!
This document contains last minute information that must be considered before, during and after installation.
To maintain the quality of our publications, we welcome your comments on their accuracy, clarity, organization and value.
This information is provided for the person who installs, configures and/or administers the SIOS Protection Suite (SPS) for Windows product and contains important information such as version requirements, last-minute changes to instructions and procedures, product restrictions and known issues. It is important that you review this document before installing and configuring the SIOS Protection Suite software.
SIOS Protection Suite Product Descriptions
SIOS Protection Suite for Windows is a software bundle that integrates high availability clustering and data replication functionality to protect mission-critical data and applications and includes DataKeeper (DK), LifeKeeper (LK) and optional Recovery Kits.
LifeKeeper for Windows
LifeKeeper for Windows continues SIOS Technology Corp.'s tradition of providing world-class reliability for mission critical applications. LifeKeeper for Windows leverages over a decade of experience with high availability platforms by providing customers the ability to cluster multiple servers in order to monitor and restore their applications. In the event of a failure, LifeKeeper recovers all network interfaces, data and applications. Recovery occurs automatically and is transparent to clients, thus minimizing downtime and loss of business.
LifeKeeper for Windows enables continuous operations during planned downtime as well as in the event of a system or application failure. With LifeKeeper, the amount of downtime required for common maintenance tasks and upgrades is significantly reduced or eliminated.
DataKeeper for Windows
SIOS DataKeeper is a highly optimized host-based replication solution which ensures your data is replicated as quickly and as efficiently as possible from your source server across the network to one or more target servers.
New Features of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Support | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Restrictions: • No protection for Optional Reporting Services • New SQL Server features are not supported • Supported on Server 2016 platforms and higher |
AWS Nitro System | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports AWS Nitro System |
Windows 2019 Support | Full Support of Windows 2019 with Secure Boot |
64-bit Java | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Java Runtime Environment |
OpenJDK 12 | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports and includes OpenJDK 12 |
Oracle 19c | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports Oracle 19c |
EnterpriseDB v11 and v12 | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports EnterpriseDB v11 and v12 |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Windows 2019 Support | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports Windows 2019 (Restrictions Restrictions v8.6.4 only) |
Delay Writes when Write Queue limit is reached | Introduced the BlockWritesOnLimitReached tunable, which will delay writes when a mirror's queue reaches the HighWater or ByteLimit, rather than pausing the mirror and going into a resync state. |
PostgreSQL 11 | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports PostgreSQL 11 |
Oracle 18c | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports Oracle 18c |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Queue Current Age | This Performance Monitor Counter value is the age of the oldest write request in the write queue. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Integration with SIOS iQ | DataKeeper now includes the DataKeeper Signal package to deliver events to SIOS iQ. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Support | The SIOS Protection Suite SQL Server Recovery Kit supports Microsoft SQLServer 2017. |
General Maintenance | Bug Fixes |
VSS Provider | SIOS VSS Provider has been disabled by default. |
PostgreSQL Support | Added a new SIOS Protection Suite for Windows core Application Recovery Kit that provides protection for PostgreSQL database clusters. |
Windows 2016 Support | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows now supports Windows 2016. |
Tunable Write Queue Byte Limit | Users can specify the maximum number of bytes that can be allocated for the write queue of a mirror by changing the WriteQueueByteLimitMB registry value. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
CHANGEMIRRORTYPE | This EMCMD command is used to change the mirror type of a mirror that is part of a DataKeeper job. |
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Support | The SIOS Protection Suite SQL Server Recovery Kit supports Microsoft SQLServer 2016. |
Tunable bitmap block size | Users can modify the effective size of an entry in the DataKeeper intent log (bitmap) by changing the BitmapBytesPerBlock registry value. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Target Bitmap File | Target writes are now tracked in a persistent target bitmap file. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
DataKeeper Notification Icon | The DataKeeper Notification Icon shows a summary of your DataKeeper mirrors in the Windows Notification Tray. In addition to the display functions, the DataKeeper Notification Icon also serves as a shortcut to managing your DataKeeper mirrors. |
Oracle 12c and Oracle 12c Standard Edition 2 | SIOS Protection Suite for Windows Version 8.3 and later supports Oracle 12c and Oracle 12c Standard Edition 2 (excluding pluggable database). |
Powershell cmdlet support | Powershell cmdlets that can be used to create job(s), create mirror(s), remove job(s), remove mirror(s) and fetch information about a volume used in DataKeeper (New-DataKeeperMirror, New-DataKeeperJob, Remove-DataKeeperMirror, Remove-DataKeeperJob, Add-DataKeeperJobPair, Get-DataKeeperVolumeInfo). |
mirrorcleanup.cmd | This command will remove all remnants of a mirror for a selected volume on the local system only and should only be run when recommended by SIOS Support. |
DKHEALTHCHECK | Support status and issue identification tool. Provides command line interface for basic mirror status and problem detection. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Support | LifeKeeper Version 8.1 and later supports Windows Server 2012 R2. |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
General maintenance | Bug Fixes |
Discontinued Features of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8
None | |
None | |
None | |
Data Rewind | Removed Rewind feature from SPS for Windows |
Bug Fixes
The following is a list of the latest bug fixes and enhancements.
PW-650 | Display error message when using lkguiapp without full administrator privileges |
PW-1054 | Repaired handle leak in lkresmon |
PW-1075 | Properly check for Administrator role in lk_chg_value script |
PW-1407 | Upgrade does not update ExtMirrPerf.dll |
PW- 1414 | Display product version in LK GUI Help |
PW-1581 | Fix BSOD in Node List packet construction |
Hot Fixes and Add-on Support Packages
The patches are located here.
LKW_PW4407_CygwinUpdate/ | When you run LK, you end up with files named "NUL:" throughout the LKROOT tree. That's because ksh creates that file if it pipes to "NUL:", which almost all of our scripts do. | This patch addresses occasional LK-W script failures that occur when a script attempts to open a file named NUL:. |
SPSW-SQL-PW2505/ | SQL Kit quickchk.ksh script generates false service failure | This patch will resolve spurious SQL service false failure alerts. The correction is to validate service state codes before evaluating them. |
Product Requirements
Operating System
Important: SIOS Technology Corp. recommends that users use Domain accounts that have local administrator privileges on all servers running SIOS Protection Suite. If local accounts are being used, the user names and passwords must match on all servers running SIOS Protection Suite. This recommendation is for all editions and all platforms.
Note: All servers within a cluster should be running the same version of Windows.
SIOS Protection Suite (Server Components) |
See the SPS Support Matrix | n/a | |||||||
SIOS Protection Suite (User Interface) |
See the SPS Support Matrix | MMC 3.0 – download from: https://download.cnet.com/Microsoft-Management-Console-3-0-for-Windows-XP-KB907265/3000-2206_4-10741230.html | |||||||
Virtual Environments | The operating system versions listed above are supported for guests running on the following virtual platforms:
64-bit versions (x64, no Itanium) of all of the listed OS platforms are supported |
While installing SIOS Protection Suite on Windows 2008 R2, a dialog box will prompt whether the installer should make the system configuration changes described below. If the installer is not allowed to make these changes, they will need to be made manually after installation is complete.
- Windows Firewall
- The Distributed Link Tracking Client must be disabled
For systems running SIOS Protection Suite for Windows and Microsoft FTP Service 7.5 for IIS 7.0, Windows 2008 R2 or later is required.
In addition, if your Windows servers are not in a domain, the Local Security policy setting "Network Access: Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous users" must be enabled. If the servers are in a domain, then this setting is not required.
SIOS Protection Suite Requirements
The following table shows requirements applicable to the SIOS Protection Suite core and recovery kits.
SIOS Protection Suite License | One license is required for every server on which SIOS Protection Suite runs. This applies to both physical and virtual servers. |
LAN Manager Recovery Kit | Requires the "File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks" component (lanmanserver) to be installed on the Windows server. NetBIOS must also be enabled. Otherwise, the LAN Manager resource will not come in service. |
Memory Requirements | The minimum memory requirement for a system supporting SIOS Protection Suite for Windows is based on the memory requirements for the operating system being used. Additional memory is required to run user applications in addition to that required for SIOS Protection Suite. |
GUI | Ports: SIOS Protection Suite uses Port 82 for Remote Method Invocation (RMI) communication between the GUI server and client. The LifeKeeper GUI uses Port 81 for its administration web server which should be different from any public web server. This is used by the GUI when run as a Java applet on a remote client. In the event of conflict with an existing application, these ports can be changed by editing the RMI_PORT or WEB_PORT entries in the SIOS\LIFEKEEPER\JAVAGUI\SERVER registry key. |
System Requirements for Datakeeper
Memory – with no mirrors or jobs configured.
Baseline Memory Usage:
Emtray.exe = 7,560 KB
Extmirrsvc.exe = 2,504 KB
Mmc.exe = 56,944 KB
Poolmon.exe(EmDB & EmMi) = 102.704 KB
Extmirr.sys = 367 KB
Processor Requirements – Refer to Windows Processor Requirements.
Total = 167,277.7KB or 167.28 MB
Disk Space for Installation
Optional Recovery Kits
All optional SIOS Protection Suite Recovery Kits require a software license key in order to function with SIOS Protection Suite.
Microsoft SQL Server Recovery Kit | See the SPS Support Matrix |
Oracle Recovery Kit | See the SPS Support Matrix |
GUI Requirements, Platforms and Browsers
LifeKeeper requires that the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) be installed on each server. The 64-bit Windows Adopt OpenJDK JRE 12.0.1+12 is installed with the SIOS Protection Suite Core software. Adopt OpenJDK JRE 12.0.1+12 has been fully tested with the LifeKeeper GUI Server and GUI Application components.
SIOS Protection Suite can be administered from a system outside the SIOS Protection Suite cluster by running the SIOS Protection Suite web client. Included in the following table is a list of the supported platforms and browsers for the SIOS Protection Suite web client. As in the case of the server, we have tested with OpenJDK 12.0.1, but we expect that the client will work equally well with future JRE updates. Updating the client JRE only affects that machine, so it is not as critical to test for safety as when you are updating the server JRE. Oracle has deprecated applet support as of JRE1.9, and it is no longer supported in current versions of the JRE. We recommend using version JRE1.8.0_211 on systems requiring web client support. We also recommend that you test updates before committing to them, and that you prepare to roll them back if a problem occurs.
Explorer 7.0, 8.0 |
Windows 2019 | |||||||
Windows 2016 | |||||||
Windows 2012 R2 | |||||||
Windows 2012 | |||||||
Windows 2008 R2 | |||||||
Windows 7 | |
Linux | |
Note: Other recent platforms and browsers will likely work with the SIOS Protection Suite web client, but they have not been tested by SIOS Technology Corp.
Installing and Removing SIOS Protection Suite for Windows
SIOS Protection Suite for Windows uses InstallShield to provide a standard installation interface with choices for Typical, Compact or Custom installation. See the SIOS Protection Suite Installation Guide for details about installing, removing or upgrading your SIOS Protection Suite software.
- Customizations made to SIOS Protection Suite scripts must be reapplied after upgrading to all releases of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8.
- Make sure you obtain the correct licenses; the old licenses will remain on the system and can be deleted with the license installer tool.
- SIOS does not support upgrading SIOS Protection Suite from more than one major version back. If upgrading from a version prior to LifeKeeper for Windows v7.x to SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8, uninstall the old version of LifeKeeper and reinstall SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8.
Technical Notes
This program starts LifeKeeper on the current system if it is not currently running. lkstart modifies entries in the %LKROOT%\etc\LKinit.config file pertaining to the LifeKeeper daemons so that they will be respawned if they die.
The –w option, with waitperiod in seconds, can be used to change the timeout interval. Use the –w argument to specify a wait period before the startup.
The LifeKeeper service can also be started using the Microsoft Services MMC under Administrative Tools or from a command prompt using either "sc start LifeKeeper" or "net start LifeKeeper".
Note: This program must be run from the console.
Running CHKDSK.EXE on SIOS Protection Suite Protected Volume
Microsoft recommends running the utility chkdsk.exe to check and correct file system or disk errors on volumes that have not been cleanly shut down. However, depending on the extent of errors, the utility may take a very long time to complete. It may take several hours or even days for chkdsk to completely check the volume, or it may hang while checking the volume. Due to these reasons, SIOS Protection Suite does not run the chkdsk utility on protected volumes. SIOS Protection Suite does run the Microsoft utility chkntfs.exe to check whether a volume is dirty or not before bringing the volume in service. If a protected volume is found dirty, SIOS Protection Suite will log an error to the event log.
It is recommended that administrators periodically run chkdsk on SIOS Protection Suite protected volumes on the server where the volume resource(s) are in service. Administrators should take all the applications using the volume resource(s) out-of-service prior to running chkdsk.
Running CHKDSK.EXE During System Boot on a SIOS Protected Volume
Protection Suite protected volumes are typically not eligible for the chkdsk utility to run on them at system boot time because LifeKeeper and DataKeeper need to be able to lock the volumes. If a SIOS Protection Suite protected volume needs to be checked at boot time, the steps below can be performed on the active node.
For Mirrored Volumes or SDRS Volumes (shared at one site, replicated to a remote site)
- "%ExtMirrBase%\emcmd" . getconfiguration <drv> (save the number reported on the first line of output for later use after reboot)
- "%ExtMirrBase%\emcmd" . setconfiguration <drv> 32
- "%LKBIN%\lkstop" -f
- sc stop ExtMirrSvc
- sc config lifekeeper start= demand
- sc config ExtMirrSvc start= demand
- chkntfs /D
- chkntfs /c <drv>
- reboot
Perform the following steps after reboot.
- sc config lifekeeper start= auto
- sc config ExtMirrSvc start= auto
- sc start ExtMirrSvc
- "%ExtMirrBase%\emcmd" . setconfiguration <drv> (number reported by emcmd getconfiguration in step 1).
- reboot
For Shared Volumes
- "%LKBIN%\volume" -U <drv>
- "%LKBIN%\lkstop" -f
- chkntfs /c <drv>
- reboot
Perform following steps after reboot.
- "%LKBIN%\volume" -p <drv>
- "%LKBIN%\lkstop" -f
- "%LKBIN%\lkstart"
For Replicated Volumes
- "%LKBIN%\lkstop" -f
- chkntfs /D
- chkntfs /c <drv>
- reboot
Communication Paths Over Fibre Channel
When building a SIOS Protection Suite cluster using shared storage, it is important to maintain working communication paths between the nodes in the cluster. Communication paths should be created using TCP communication protocols. Normally, TCP communication paths are built on Ethernet network devices. SIOS Protection Suite, however, can use any type of connection on which the TCP protocol can run. If a shared storage cluster is being created using a Fibre Channel SAN, it is possible (and desirable) to use the Fibre Channel SAN as a SIOS Protection Suite communication path.
QLogic provides a miniport driver and an IP driver for Windows that will allow a QLogic Fibre Channel storage adapter to also run the TCP/IP protocol. This, in effect, allows the QLogic Fibre Channel adapter to function both as a storage adapter and as a network adapter. Once this driver is in place, the QLogic card can be configured, as any network card would, using standard network configuration techniques.
QLogic's driver can be downloaded from the following web site:
Using iSCSI Storage with SIOS Protection Suite
iSCSI storage can be used as shared storage and protected by SIOS Protection Suite. For shared storage environments, the iSCSI target device must be configured so that all server initiators have access to the disk. The vendor of the iSCSI storage device provides the interface and commands needed to configure the iSCSI device. A dependency on the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator service (MSiSCSI) should be added to the LifeKeeper service. This will ensure that the shared volume is available before LifeKeeper attempts to access the volume.
To create a dependency on MSiSCSI for the LifeKeeper service, use the registry editor "regedt32.exe" and select the subkey representing the LifeKeeper service under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LifeKeeper. The service key has a value name "DependOnService" with one value "EISM". Double-click the value name "DependOnService" to open for editing. When the dialog box appears, add the service name "MSiSCSI" for Microsoft iSCSI Initiator service on a new line and click OK.
To verify that the dependency was created, open Administrative Tools->Services MMC snap-in. Go to LifeKeeper service and double-click to bring up the "Properties" dialog. When the dialog box appears, go to "Dependencies" page and verify that "Microsoft iSCSI Initiator" service is listed along with "LifeKeeper External Interface" in the "depends on" field.
System Load Considerations for Quickcheck and Deepcheck
SIOS Protection Suite launches a separate thread to monitor each protected resource in the system. These threads operate independently of one another. Typically, system load from Quickcheck and Deepcheck script execution will be randomly distributed. SIOS Protection Suite also works to distribute resource monitoring load by skipping a Quickcheck execution whenever a Deepcheck for the same resource is scheduled to run at the same time. However, because the check load is randomly distributed, there will occasionally be peaks in system load from resource monitoring. The more protected resources in the system, the larger these peaks will be and the more often they may occur. The largest peak will occur when LifeKeeper is started and Deepcheck scripts for each active resource are first launched. If the server can handle this first load peak in a satisfactory way, then there should not be a performance problem later.
Protection Suite support for VSS Shadow Copy requires that shadow copies must NOT be stored on the SIOS Protection Suite protected volumes. However, shadow copies may be saved on another non-protected volume.
Known Issues and Restrictions
Known Issue
Windows 2008 R2
SIOS DataKeeper includes a kernel-mode driver (ExtMirr.sys) which is signed with a SHA-256 signature. If you are installing on a Windows 2008 R2 system that has not been updated with Microsoft hotfixes, it might not be able to boot with such a driver. Please refer to this bulletin from Microsoft for more information, in particular the first event listed which applies to Windows 2008 R2 SP1.
If you are updating SIOS DataKeeper, and your previous version was version 8.6.2 or later, then your system does have SHA-256 driver support (the 8.6.2 driver is signed with SHA-256). In that case you can safely install this version of DataKeeper.
SIOS AppKeeper
Because SIOS LifeKeeper monitors and remediates OS and application services in clustered environments in AWS EC2, the use of SIOS AppKeeper in addition to SIOS LifeKeeper in those environments is not recommended or supported.
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software may mistakenly detect LifeKeeper binaries as malware. You should configure an exclusion for the folder LKROOT (C:\LK by default) to prevent LifeKeeper utilities from being mistakenly put into quarantine.
If using DataKeeper with SCVMM 2012, you must use SCVMM 2012 SP1.
Server with Microsoft Failover Cluster Installed
SIOS Protection Suite is not supported on Enterprise or DataCenter class servers with Microsoft Cluster Server or Microsoft Failover Cluster features installed. It should never be the case that two "Clustering" solutions are deployed on the same group of servers. As part of this restriction, SIOS Protection Suite communication paths will not function using IP addresses (169.254.xxx.xxx) that are hosted by the Microsoft Failover Cluster Virtual Adapters (Virtual NICs).
FAT File System Support
SIOS Protection Suite does not support protection for volumes using the FAT or FAT32 file systems.
Fault Tolerant Disk Sets
While SIOS Protection Suite replicated volumes are supported using Windows fault tolerant disk sets (Software RAID), SIOS Protection Suite shared volumes are not compatible with Windows fault tolerant disk sets. Fault tolerant disk sets must be set up with dynamic disks and dynamic disks cannot be shared between two systems.
File Share Recovery Kit
- The File Share Recovery Kit is supported only in an Active Domain environment, not in a Workgroup environment. File share permissions granted to local machine accounts, either in a workgroup environment or a domain environment, will not be preserved during failover because local User IDs are valid only on the local system where they originated; other systems will not recognize them. Even if two local User IDs are spelled the same way on two different machines, they will be treated as two different accounts and valid only on the system where they originated. Domain accounts, on the other hand, are identifiable and usable on any system in the domain.
- The File Share Recovery Kit will not work if more than 9999 file shares are defined on the system. Any attempt to protect eligible file shares under SIOS Protection Suite will fail if the total number of user-defined shares exceeds 9999. This restriction also applies to editing file share resources. You will not be able to alter the list of protected shares if more than 9999 shares are defined on the system.
LAN Manager Recovery Kit
Microsoft supports LAN Manager functions only over the first IP address per network interface card (Microsoft bug SRX#9704116-48). This prohibits using LAN Manager functions over SIOS Protection Suite protected IP addresses. Therefore, the only way to switch over an alias computer name using the TCP/IP protocol is to allow dynamic IP#-to-LAN Manager name mapping for your clients. The recommended solution is to use a WINS server. You will need to make the SIOS Protection Suite servers (and all computers accessing the protected LAN Manager name) WINS clients of the same WINS server.
Low Virtual Memory Degrades System State
SIOS Protection Suite depends on memory being available when it is needed. If your system is reporting that it is low on virtual memory, that need must be resolved immediately.
A virtual memory shortage serious enough to degrade or delay communications and other internal system functions will very likely cause SIOS Protection Suite to malfunction. For instance, deepcheck of TCP/IP communication resources may be impacted enough to cause a false failure, and thus a failover of the resource to the backup server.
If SIOS Protection Suite communication with other servers in the cluster is degraded, it could cause a manually initiated switchover to fail. However, this will not affect SIOS Protection Suite's ability to fail over protected resources when a server completely fails.
GUI interoperability
The LifeKeeper GUI may only be used to administer SIOS Protection Suite on Windows servers. Note that you can connect to and monitor a SIOS Protection Suite for Linux cluster. However, performing administrative tasks such as creating resources, editing properties, bringing servers in and out of service, is not supported at this time.
Discontinuing Serial Port Communication Paths
SIOS Protection Suite discontinued support for TTY communication paths in Version 7.2. Though SIOS does not recommend it, if currently using TTY communication paths, this option can be re-enabled by removing the (#) symbol on the TTYCA.EXE line in the /etc/lkinit.config file as shown below:
# … /bin/TTYCA.EXE|-t 1 X X X X X X <=
(TTY Comm Paths Disabled)
… /bin/TTYCA.EXE|-t 1 X X X X X X <=
(TTY Comm Paths Enabled)
To enable or disable the TTY communication path feature, the LifeKeeper service must be stopped and restarted after editing lkinit.config. To stop LifeKeeper, run command {c:\lk}\bin\lkstop.exe –f (c:\lk being the LifeKeeper installation path). Make sure the GUI is closed and all processes associated have stopped. Restart LifeKeeper by entering {c:\lk}\bin\lkstart.exe.
The TTY technology is obsolete. TTY communication paths are not supported and should be replaced with TCP/IP communication paths.
Console Application Management
Launching console applications from SIOS Protection Suite is not supported on Windows Server 2008 and later. Server architecture and security improvements in Server 2008 including UAC and memory management, prevent background processes such as SIOS Protection Suite from starting console applications.
Bitlocker Does Not Support DataKeeper
According to Microsoft, Bitlocker is not supported to work with Software RAID configurations. Since DataKeeper is essentially a software RAID 1, Microsoft does not support Bitlocker working with DataKeeper.
The specific article and section can be found here:
Known Issues
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 and 2019 Optional Services
- SQL Server Launchpad
- SQL Server PolyBase Data Movement
- SQL Server PolyBase Engine
- SQL Server CEIP service
- SQL Server Reporting Services
For additional known issues, see the Troubleshooting section of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows Technical Documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my SIOS Protection Suite configuration database setting including resource values without reinstalling SIOS Protection Suite or rebuilding my resources?
Yes. Use the lk_chg_value.ksh command.
Can I upgrade my existing SIOS Protection Suite hierarchies from a previous version of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows to v8?
You may upgrade your existing SIOS Protection Suite for Windows software while preserving your resource hierarchies. Please refer to the Upgrading SIOS Protection Suite topic for the correct upgrade procedure. Note: SIOS does not support upgrading SIOS Protection Suite from more than one major version back. If upgrading from a version prior to LifeKeeper for Windows v7.x to SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8, uninstall the old version of LifeKeeper and reinstall SIOS Protection Suite for Windows v8.
Does SIOS Protection Suite operate in a cluster with Microsoft Cluster Services (Windows 2003) or Windows Server Failover Cluster (Windows 2008 and later)?
No. SIOS Protection Suite v8.0.1 is an alternative clustering product and does not support either Microsoft Cluster Service or Windows Server Failover Clustering.
Does SIOS Protection Suite require that all servers in the cluster be identically configured?
No. As long as all servers are powerful enough to run any application that may run on them as the result of a failover operation and meet all other SIOS Protection Suite requirements, a cluster can be built. SIOS Protection Suite does not require identical hardware, but the software should be the same and configured with the same service pack levels.
Does SIOS Protection Suite for Windows support 64-bit environments?
Yes. SIOS Protection Suite for Windows supports only 64-bit platforms.
How do I change permissions on SIOS Protection Suite protected File Share resources?
The EditFileShareResource utility can be used to update a file share resource with all current file shares and permissions on the associated volume(s). This can be useful in environments where there are a large number of file shares, and file shares have been added or deleted since the resource was created or permissions have been modified. Using the utility can prevent the need to delete and re-create the file share resource. The EditFileShareResource utility is located under %LKROOT%\bin directory.
To invoke the utility, on the command line enter:
EditFileShareResource <Tag name>
where <Tag name> is the tag name of a file share resource that is currently in service.
The utility protects all eligible file shares defined on the volumes that are associated with the file share hierarchy. It deletes any previously protected shares that have been deleted from the system and adds newly defined shares (meeting the eligibility criteria) to the list. It will also update the file share permissions defined on the file share.
A complete reference providing instructions for installing, configuring, administering and troubleshooting SIOS Protection Suite for Windows is available in the SIOS Protection Suite Technical Documentation. The following sections cover every aspect of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows:
Introduction | Provides an introduction to the SIOS Protection Suite for Windows product, including an overview of its components. |
Installation | Provides useful information for planning and setting up your SIOS Protection Suite environment, installing and licensing SIOS Protection Suite and configuring the LifeKeeper GUI to run on a remote system. |
Configuration | Contains detailed information and instructions for configuring the SIOS Protection Suite software on each server in your cluster. |
Administration | Discusses server-level tasks such as editing server properties, creating resources and creating or deleting comm paths and resource-level tasks such as editing, extending or deleting resources. |
Man Pages | Provides reference manual pages for the SIOS Protection Suite product. |
User's Guide | Contains detailed information on the LifeKeeper GUI, including the many tasks that can be performed within the LifeKeeper GUI. Also includes information on Data Replication along with many more Advanced Topics. |
DataKeeper | Provides an overview of how DataKeeper replication works and contains complete information on configuring and administering DataKeeper. Topics include network considerations, common configuration issues and requirements necessary to successfully install and configure DataKeeper. |
Troubleshooting | Describes known issues and suggests solutions to problems that may be encountered during installation, configuration or use of SIOS Protection Suite for Windows. |
Recovery Kits | Contains planning and installation instructions as well as administration, configuration and user information for the Optional Recovery Kits (SQL Server and Oracle) that allow LifeKeeper to manage and control specific applications. |
Quick Start Guides
To get started using SIOS Protection Suite for Windows, refer to the SIOS Protection Suite for Windows Quick Start Guide and the DataKeeper Quick Start Guide.
SIOS Protection Suite training is available through SIOS Technology Corp. or through your SIOS Protection Suite provider. Contact your sales representative for more information.
Technical Support
As a SIOS Technology Corp. customer with a valid Support contract, you are entitled to access the SIOS Technology Corp. Support Self-Service Portal.
The SIOS Technology Corp. Support Self-Service Portal offers you the following capabilities:
- Search our Solution Knowledge Base to find solutions to problems and answers to questions
- Always on 24/7 service with the SIOS Technology Corp. Support team to:
- Log a Case to report new incidents.
- View Cases to see all of your open and closed incidents.
- Review Top Solutions providing information on the most popular problem resolutions being viewed by our customers.
Contact SIOS Technology Corp. Support at email@example.com to set up and activate your Self-Service Portal account.
You can also contact SIOS Technology Corp. Support at:
1-877-457-5113 (Toll Free)
1-803-808-4270 (International)
Email: email@example.com


text:
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Nearly one in five Canadians live in the GTA, but families in these communities are increasingly worried about finding a home they can afford, the rising cost of living, long commute times, gang violence, and overcrowded hospitals.
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Through Canada's Recovery Plan, Canada's Conservatives will:
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-- Reduce commute times by immediately getting shovels in the ground on transit projects across the Greater Toronto Area, including Ontario's GTA transit plan and GO expansion.
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-- Combat gang violence by hiring an additional 200 RCMP officers to help keep communities safe.
"It's time Canada had a Prime Minister from the 905," said O'Toole. "As Prime Minister, I will secure the future for workers and families across the GTA and for all Canadians."
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