Black Marble

Fix for ‘Cannot install test agent on these machines because another environment is being created using the same machines’
Richard Fennell Jul 29, 2013 · 2 min read · Uncategorised ·
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I recently posted about adding extra VMs to existing environments in Lab Management. Whilst following this process I hit a problem, I could not create my new environment there was a problem at the verify stage. It was fine adding the new VMs, but the one I was reusing gave the error ‘Microsoft test manager cannot …
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Making the drops location for a TFS build match the assembly version number
Richard Fennell Jul 27, 2013 · 4 min read · Uncategorised ·
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A couple of years ago I wrote about using the TFSVersion build activity to try to sync the assembly and build number. I did not want to see build names/drop location in the format 'BuildCustomisation_20110927.17’, I wanted to see the version number in the build something like 'BuildCustomisation 4.5.269.17'. The …
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I can never remember the command line to add use to the TFS Service Accounts group
Richard Fennell Jul 26, 2013 · 2 min read · Uncategorised ·
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I keep forgetting when you use TFS Integration Platform that the user who the tool (or service account is running as a service) is running as has to be in the “Team Foundation Service Accounts” group on the TFS servers involved. If they are not you get a runtime conflict something like …
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An attempted return for ‘Brian the build bunny’
Richard Fennell Jul 23, 2013 · 7 min read · Uncategorised ·
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Background
Back in 2008 Martin Woodward did a post on using a Nabaztag as a build monitor for TFS, ‘Brian the build bunny’. I did a bit more work on this idea and wired into our internal build monitoring system. We ended up with a system where a build definition could be tagged so that it’s success or failure caused …

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Adding another VM to a running Lab Management environment
Richard Fennell Jul 23, 2013 · 2 min read · Uncategorised ·
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If you are using network isolated environment in TFS Lab management there is no way to add another VM unless you rebuild and redeploy the environment. However, if you are not network isolated you can at least avoid the redeploy issues to a degree.
I had a SCVMM based environment that was a not network isolated …

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Experiences with a Kindle Paperwhite
Richard Fennell Jul 20, 2013 · 2 min read · Uncategorised ·
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I wrote a post a while ago about ‘should I buy a Kindle’, well I put if off for over a year using the Kindle app on my WP7 phone, reading best part of 50 books and been happy enough without buying an actual Kindle. The key issue being poor battery life, but that’s phones for you.
However, I have eventually got around …

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Washing your phone headset
Richard Fennell Jul 14, 2013 · 1 min read · Uncategorised ·
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As part of my on-going experiments to see what pieces of personal electronics can be put through a washing machine on 40C wash, I can confirm the headset off my Nokia phone has survived.
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Minor issue on TFS 2012.3 upgrade if you are using host headers in bindings
Richard Fennell Jul 11, 2013 · 2 min read · Uncategorised ·
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Yesterday I upgraded our production 2012.2 TFS server to update 3. All seemed to go OK and it completed with no errors, it was so much easier now that the update supports the use of SQL 2012 Availability Groups within the update process, no need to remove the DBs from the availability group prior to the update. …
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Setting SkyDrive as a trusted location in Office 2013
Richard Fennell Jul 9, 2013 · 2 min read · Uncategorised ·
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We use a VSTO based Word template to make sure all our documents have the same styling and are suitably reformatted for shipping to clients e.g revision comments removed, contents pages up to date etc. Normally we will create a new document using this template from our SharePoint server and all is OK. However sometimes …
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The Acer Iconia W3: An object lesson in how NOT to design a tablet
Rik Hepworth Jul 8, 2013 · 6 min read · Uncategorised ·
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As you may have seen from my recent tweets, I was fortunate enough to attend //Build again this year in lovely San Francisco. In what appears to be an emerging tradition, conference attendees received not one, but two Windows 8 tablets: A 128Gb Microsoft Surface Pro with Type Cover, and an Acer Iconia W3 with keyboard …
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