The Purifying Flame Guide for Phoenix Icarus

The Purifying Flame Guide for Phoenix Icarus

Before reading this guide, I assume you have a basic knowledge of Icarus and DotA terminology. If you dont know the effects of Icaruss skills, go to the Heroes page.

Contents


1.0 Why (Not) Pick Icarus?
1.1 Friends
1.2 Counters
2.0 Skill Usage
2.1 Icarus Dive
2.2 Fire Spirits
2.3 Sun Ray
2.4 Supernova
3.0 Gameplay and Builds
3.1 Lane Control Build
3.2 Heavy Killing[Risky] Build
3.3 All-Game Strategy
3.4 Early Game
3.5 Mid Game
3.6 Late Game
4.0 Replays
4.1 The Good
4.2 The Bad
4.3 The Ugly


Why Pick Icarus?

* You like ganking
* You like an action-packed game
* You do well under pressure
* You are willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of the team

Pros
[+]Good attack animation
[+]Not too difficult to master
[+]Good starting STR and STR gain
[+]Little to no mana problems early game
[+]Built in blink
[+]Hard to kill early game

Why Not Pick Icarus?

* You like farming
* You like right-click heroes
* You hate supporting
* You play solo

Cons
[-]Fades toward lategame
[-]Very situational ultimate
[-]0 starting armor and low AGI gain
[-]Runs out of mana quite quickly during Sun Ray
[-]More vunerable than most casters after using his combo.
[-]Low base MS

Friends

Carries

Icarus is a good friend to carries, thanks to his early game heal and late game slow and disarm.

Stunners

Stunners are a great help to Icarus as they allow him to complete his ult and also help him hit people with his laser.

Counters

Carries
Yes, carries also counter Icarus. Fast attack speeds=dead sun.

Image Heroes
Image heroes completely own Icaruss ult, able to get twice as many hits in as anybody else or more. Also, its double the pain vs. TB or PL.

Silencer

Silencer f***s up Icarus so badly, its not even funny. He kills any Dive combo, and without your Dive+Nova combo, you will die during your ult. Also, he stops your allies from casting spells to save you.

Skill Usage

Icarus Dive
Icarus Dive (henceforth referred to as Dive) is mainly used for setting up Icaruss other skills. Dive is a blink when used with Supernova and Fire Spirits(henceforth referred to as Spirits). Do not attempt to stop in the middle of a dive with Sun Ray (henceforth referred to as Laser). It wont stop the dive and it costs another chunk of your HP. Dive is also a good harassing skill used in moderation. Use it to initiate fights by using a Dive+Supernova combo. Gank and escape ganks by doing a Dive+Spirits combo to an upper ledge.

Fire Spirits
Fire Spirits is what makes Icarus such a good supporter/babysitter for carries. At Level 3, he has a 240 damage heal if the carry gets harassed to badly, or a 180(counting magic resistance) nuke. It is also the main skill used to end a Dive. The most important thing to remember about Spirits, however, is that each spirit has a small AoE. Remembering this will much improve your efficiency. Also, never nuke using Spirits late game. You will have wasted a heal and barely tickled anyone.

Sun Ray
Sun Ray is mainly used to kill fleeing targets and/or slow them down for allies. It is one of the few spells that scales well to late game, as it deals a percentage of your opponents HP in Pure damage, meaning that it is not reduced by magic resistance. The main thing to learn about Sun Ray is when to turn it off. It eats mana like a b****, but to cast it, you sacrifice a nasty 25% of your HP. Turn it off if your opponent went directly sideways relative to you, or went invisible. Keep it on when there are multiple opponents in the line of fire, as you will deal damage for more of the time Sun Ray is active. I also reccomend using it on the initiator/tank of the enemy team, as this deals the most damage.

Supernova
Supernova is Icaruss ultimate, and most powerful skill. However, it is situational so be careful when you use it. Only use it in large team battles(against 3 or more enemies.) It takes a long time to stun, but you are still helping your team because it deals heavy DoT before detonation. To ensure your survival, hit as many opponents as possible with Icarus Dive, then immidiately activate Supernova. If you and/or your teammates are not retarded, they should attack the enemy heroes, forcing them to either kill the sun and be destroyed by your allies, or engage your allies and be destroyed by you. Think of it as Rupturing a whole team.

Gameplay and Builds
Now I will tell you what I generally skill first and buy on Icarus, as well as some good strategies to use while using Icarus.

Lane Control Build
1-Icarus Dive/Fire Spirits
2-Fire Spirits/Icarus Dive
3-Icarus Dive/Fire Spirits
4-Fire Spirits/Icarus Dive
5-Icarus Dive/Fire Spirits
6-Supernova
7-Fire Spirits/Icarus Dive
8-Icarus Dive/Fire Spirits
9-Fire Spirits/Icarus Dive
10-Sun Ray
11-Supernova
12-Sun Ray
13-Sun Ray
14-Sun Ray
15-Stats
16-Supernova

Justification
This build maximixes Icaruss role as a support ganker, as well as making use of Fire Spirits while they are powerful. Sun Ray is taken later as it doesnt heal, have an AoE, or deal semi-reliable damage like Spirits do. Dive is taken as a good harassing, blinking, and killing skill.

Heavy Killing[RISKY] Build
1-Icarus Dive
2-Sun Ray
3-Icarus Dive
4-Sun Ray
5-Icarus Dive
6-Supernova
7-Icarus Dive
8-Sun Ray
9-Sun Ray
10-Stats
11-Supernova
12-15-Stats
16-Supernova

Justification
This is a very risky build. It severely cripples his support role, but gives him excellent killing power. Dive is maxed, then Ray, as these have the highest damage potential out of his 3 skills. With this build, and a good lane mate, you should easily get 2-4 kills in the first 10 minutes. Keep in mind that this also leaves YOU wide open to ganks, because of the nasty health cost on Laser. Fire Spirits is skipped completely, as they are worthless by level 12.

All-Game Strategy
Gank, gank, gank, gank, gank. Did I mention gank? Icaruss primary role is a ganker. All game you should be helping kill enemy heroes. NEVER GO AND FARM. Icarus is not a carry and never will be. Gank with Icarus by Diving the target then using Fire Spirits. Let them charge up, and use them to heal any allies (or yourself) that have taken significant damage.

Another thing Icarus is pretty good at is pushing, if you are intelligent about it. Use Dive on enemy creeps and defending enemy heroes if you dont smell a fight or gank coming soon, and use fully charged Spirits to heal yourself and your creeps and damage enemies. Dont 1v1. Icarus doesnt have the attack speed or the most significant nukes to do it.

Early Game
Early game, lane agressively, pushing towers and going for hero kills. Focus on denying rather than lasthitting, especially when facing a strong lategamer. Pick up a Bracer or Null Talisman to start, then buy a Mana Booster when going for in-lane kills, Boots of Speed if going for ganks. This is a part of the game where most heroes cant compare to your laning and ganking presence, so maximize this opportunity to supress your opponents.

Middle Game
Midgame is when you shoud really start aggressively pursuing towers and trying to force teamfights. You still deal significant nuke damage, and the DoT and stun on your ultimate is nothing to sniff at. If possible, end the game here, as for the most part, the late game is a cold place for Icarus. By now, you should at least have Arcane Boots and anywhere from 700-1600 gold. Spend it on a Perseverance. Then, proceed to build a Bloodstone. Again, ideally the game should end here..

Middle Game
Late game, play much more passively as the carries are now farmed andready to kick your ass. In ganks and fights, Dive everyone and Laser your target of choice. If you are about to die, use Supernova. Dont initiate fights with it anymore as even with the 3 second disarm with Dive, carries and basically everyone else can get those 7 hits in. For items, basically anything is fine after Bloodstone, as long as it provides health or regeneration.

Replays
No replays available at the moment, as Icarus is currently banned in -cm.

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The Final Answer For What To Do To Prevent Piracy

The Final Answer For What To Do To Prevent Piracy

(For some reason, Blogger deleted this post. I have recreated it. Sorry for any comments that were lost.)


This article is my decisive statement on how developers should deal with pirates. It includes humorous anecdotes about how dumb I have been in the past. And, believe me, Ive been pretty dumb.

I am very confident about what I have to say on the subject. I have used these guidelines for protecting our newest game, Avadon: The Black Fortress. So Im not just putting my money where my mouth is, Im putting all my money. If Im wrong, my kids dont eat. So I hope Im right.

One of the most common questions fledgling developers ask me is how they should protect their games from pirates. My answer is, generally, "The minimum amount you can get away with." That is because I have learned never to forget the following guideline ...

Whenever you find yourself starting a sentence with, "I dont want people to pirate my game, so I am going to ..." you are very close to making a big mistake.

I really, truly believe this rule. Here are two examples of times when I have forgotten it, and the grim consequences.

Trying To Protect My Hint Books

From the very beginning, I have sold hint books for my games. People like them, and they are easy money. When I started, in 1994, there was no convenient format like pdf for online file delivery, so I had to print and mail actual books. This cost lots of money and boxes of hint books took up tons of space in my house.

Then pdf files happened and people started to request that I send the book in electronic form instead of making them wait a week for the post office to do whatever it does. I refused  this reasonable request for two reasons. First, I was afraid people would buy the pdf version and send it to their friends. Second, I didnt know how to create a download link for the file that couldnt then be e-mailed around to everyone in the world. So I kept spending money and precious storage space for the booklets, inconveniencing my paying customers as I did so.

Finally, three years ago, I got fed up with it. I made hint books available as downloadable pdf files. (People who want a printed version can get one for an extra two bucks, but they almost never do.)

But how did I secure the download link so it couldnt be shared? Heres the brilliant part. Ready? I just put it in with all of our other files. Anyone can download it. Anyone who knows how to use ftp can find it. When people order the hint book, I send them the download link, but they could have found the file for themselves if they looked around.

But heres the thing. Anyone who wants to pirate pretty much any PC game can do so easily. That means all of my orders are from honest, nice people. So why waste our time figuring out how to hide the hint book from them? They will pay for it because they know selling things is how I stay in business and make more games for them!

Heres the punch line. Want to know how switching to undefended pdf files affected sales of hint books? It didnt. The sales rate was practically unchanged. Know what that means? All those years humping around boxes of hint books, all those thousands of dollars sent to printers, all those slaughtered trees, all wasted. All because I was scared of people pirating my lousy hint book.

But there is a more gruesome example of my foolishness.

The Worst Registration System Ever Devised By the Hand of Man

In 1994, electronic distribution of demos was very much in its infancy. My plan was to release a demo with a small fraction of the game. Then, when the correct key was entered into the game, it would unlock and everything would be playable. A sound plan. The problem was the implementation.

At first, I thought Id just generate a key when someone ordered and send it to them. But then I thought, hey, I dont want people to pirate my  game. If I just send them a key, they can make it public or send it to all their friends. So here is my brilliant idea. I will ... will ...

God. It hurts to even think about it.

Heres what I did. When you ran the game, it generated a random code, a 4 or 5 digit number. When you ordered, you had to provide that number. I would use it to generate a key specific to your copy of the game. Id send you that key, youd enter it, and the whole game would be unlocked.

So what does this mean? First, when you tried to order a game, you had to have this number with you. Did you realize you needed it? Probably not. So youd be at our online store trying to give us money, only to have to leave to dig up some stupid number. Want a tip for running an online business? When a customer is at your web page, credit card out and in hand, do not give them a reason to leave!

The system was confusing, and this wasnt helped by the fact that we were the only ones ever to use it. Oh, if only we could have back the countless hours spent explaining the system to confused parents. Countless more hours making new registration keys for people who switched computers or had to reinstall their OS. The weird system made us look unprofessional at best, deranged at worst. And, as a special bonus, it did exactly zero to stop people from pirating our game. Name a way to crack our registration system, and people did it a hundred times.

We stuck by this system for fifteen years. Might as well have just made a big pile of money and set it on fire. At least we would have gotten the warmth.

A year ago, I finally got fed up. New system. When you order our newest game, Avadon: The Black Fortress, we send you a serial code. Enter it, and youre up and running. Buy the game for the Mac and want to play it on Windows too? Enter the same key. Want to register your copy again ten years from now? Use the same key.

And the result of switching to a slightly less secure, infinitely easier to use system? Sales of Avadon are the highest of any game weve put out in years.

Just Do the Minimum

You need some way to force people to pay. Not because they are evil or dishonest, but because they procrastinate. Registration is a pain. Theyd rather be spending their time playing your game! If you dont do anything at all to make them pay, theyll just forget.

But tread lightly. Once you have any barrier in place at all, youll get your payment from all the honest people, the people who know that, if nobody pays, you wont make more awesome games for them. Anything beyond that will inconvenience your paying customers and do little to nothing to prevent piracy.

It took a long time for me to learn this. Too long. And, whenever I start to forget, I look at the monolith of boxes of old hint books gathering dust in my garage. If youre an Indie developer, be nice to people. In the end, the ability to be nice is one of the best weapons you have.

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The one that is solely for Jemmerd

The one that is solely for Jemmerd

It is. I am incredibly grateful to our resident old-timer hunter Jemmerd. You see... Ive been running Zul Gurub for a while now (not counting or anything, but this was attempt number 49). I usually need to pressure someone into helping me form a raid - otherwise they wont let me defile it.

This time Jemmerd offered to help out. And fully expecting him to go on a mining expedition, I started killing stuff. I had really not expected him to join me in there - but thankfully he did. It goes so much faster if you have a proper dps class along and dont have to rely on the massive protection warrior dps.

Far less than half the time for the raptor boss. And of course, being here for the first time in ages, it dropped the mount.

These are my lovely guildies we are talking about (and loot was set to free for all), so of course I offered to roll for it. I have to admit a certain amount of unhappiness, but that doesnt matter. But look. Lookatit! He just laughed and congratulated me. Wheeeeeeeeee!

All mine!

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The Game Tips And More Realism Texture Pack for Minecraft Work In Progress

The Game Tips And More Realism Texture Pack for Minecraft Work In Progress

I have been having a lot of fun lately with the easy-to-get-into, simple-yet-vast gameplay of Minecraft. After getting used to the graphics, which are great in their own pixellated 1980s way, I have been going about messing with the textures just for fun:

Examples of the work-in-progress textures, showing wood/bark, sand, a tree stump, topsoil with grass, soil and bricks, while holding green wool. Click to see image full size.

The game itself is simple in execution but very addicting to many aspects of human nature. I plan to cover these in a First Impressions of the game in the future, with a video and screenshots galore. I realize there are already a generation of kids who will have bad eyesight sooner in life because of this game, but after playing the PCGamer Demo and then purchasing the game, I realize that it will be worth it.
(Note to Marketing Departments: This is how you do an addicting Demo, fully-functional, limited only by Time)

I just wanted to share that I was starting my own Photo-Realistic Texture Pack, learning the cropping, blending, cloning, tiling, color correction, sizing and all the other aspects that go along with importing it into the game and will have it available for Download to anyone that wishes to try it out/use it/play it here in the future.


See you in the games!

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The New Need For Speed Shift PC In Mediafire

The New Need For Speed Shift PC In Mediafire

* Required � Internet Connection
* OS - Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7
* Processor � Intel Core�2 Duo 1.6 GHz or faster
* Memory � XP: 1 GB RAM; Vista/Windows 7: 1.5 GB RAM
* Hard Drive � 6 GB
* DVD Drive - 8 SPEED
* Video Card � 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0*
* Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible
* DirectX - DirectX 9.0c compatible
* Online Multiplayer � 512 Kbps or faster; 2-12 Players
* Input - Keyboard, Mouse
* Optional � USB Steering Wheel / Dual Analogue Gamepad


RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS:

* OS: Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Vista Service Pack 1
* CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2,5GHz or AMD 64 X2 2,0 GHz
* Memory: 2GB RAM (Vista 3GB)
* Hard Drive Space: 10 GB of free space
* Graphics Hardware: 512 MB RAM with Pixel Shader 3 (PCI-Ex)
* Sound Hardware: DirectX 9.0c compliant card (DirectX 10.1 compliant if applicable)
* DVD Drive: 8X or faster DVD Drive


Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon X1800 XT 512MB or greater; NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256MB or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.

Download Link
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=20f7c9b57107b59a1bee9a6e9edd9c76d50f65660382c551e04f31aacf568dab

pass: www.netkingvn.com

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password : www.gamehousevn.com

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The Pirate Caribbean Hunt v7 1 Apk Mod a lot of money for android

The Pirate Caribbean Hunt v7 1 Apk Mod a lot of money for android

Description

File format: .apk
Content: The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt v7.1 Apk + Mod (a lot of money) for android
Downloads:
Uploaded: April 05, 2017 at 06:59AM
Updated date:

Direct Download

ZippyShare

Mega.NZ

http://ift.tt/25M0Zor

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The price of gamemaking for the Xbox Live Marketplace

The price of gamemaking for the Xbox Live Marketplace

Seems like producing games for the Xbox Live Marketplace might be a good way to make a pretty penny. GarageGames co-founder Jeff Tunnell gives it to us straight on what it could costs and how much you could profit from making a game and releasing it on the Xbox Live Market place. From what he says, it looks like actually making the game will run you around $100,000 to $300,000 and if you game gets popular, you could end up making close to a million. What I would be interested is in how long would money continue to roll in for these top games. Would the whole long tail theory of content being viable over the long term apply here? Time would tell for sure.

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The Skype for Business Software Defined Networking SDN Interface

The Skype for Business Software Defined Networking SDN Interface

Author: Steve Schiemann

 

Contents:

1.) SDN Definition and Short History

2.) Considerations Before Deploying

3.) Versions

4.) Architecture

5.) Installation/Configuration

6.) Command-line/PowerShell options

7.) Performance

8.) Troubleshooting and Data Collection

9.) Other Resources

10.) Conclusion

SDN Definition and Short History

 

What is Software Defined Networking?

At a high level, SDN uses open protocols (XML in our case) to apply software control to network hardware. This hardware/firmware can receive and understand application-specific data, and make adjustments to optimize network traffic.

 

Short History

Consider this a primer for the Skype for Business Software Defined Networking Application Programming Interface. Later versions are simply called the Skype for Business SDN Interface.

There is no programming involved with installation/configuration. It provides an interface to a third-party network controller or monitoring application. The controllers are made by Cisco, Aruba, Nectar, HP, or other providers.

The SDN API sends Lync/SfB diagnostic data, Quality of Experience to the controller(s), which then can optimize network traffic and security. Administrators can view records of Unified Communications call quality, or even see a problem in real time and address it quickly. The controllers themselves can respond to media stream quality data, and prioritize network traffic for real-time vs. non-real-time data, UC-related data vs. web browsing data. Lync/SfB media steams are encrypted, but the SDN API allows the controllers to see what type of media stream is involved, and adjust the network accordingly, per policies, without seeing the data contents.

The Microsoft Skype for Business SDN Interface is a RESTful (Representational state transfer) interface through which subscribed systems (�subscribers�, a.k.a. the third-party controllers) receive active call data, and the end-to-end measured quality of media streams.

Big Picture: Software Defined Networks began in the mid-1990s-early 2000�s, A.K.A �Active Networking�. AT&T had one of the first implementations of this idea. The Microsoft Lync/SDN API is one of many SDN Applications written by various vendors for other applications.

 

Considerations Before Deploying

1.) We recommend that installation/configuration is done in a lab first.

2.) Microsoft recommends using the latest version of the SfB SDN Interface that is compatible with Lync/SfB Servers, and the third-party controllers. What version does the controller manufacturer recommend? Keep in mind that there are various schemas available in the interface for compatibility purposes, so if a particular schema is needed, perhaps a later version of the SDN Interface can be used with a non-default schema.

3.) Is this a new deployment, or perhaps an upgrade from a previous version? Read the Help and Release notes that come with each version of the Interface.

 

Versions

Version 1.0 was released in 2012, and 1.2 was released in late 2013. Neither of these versions are publicly available now. Versions 2.1.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.4.1, and 3.0 are in use by customers today.

Version 3.0 just released on Feb 2, 2017 http://ift.tt/2m0FEpd It is not compatible with Lync 2010.

Improvements in later versions include but are not limited to sending in-call quality updates as opposed to just begin/end-call updates, fully load-balanced and redundant pools, SDN Managers shared database, move some computations from Listener to Manager. Check the release notes for each version for more information. The release notes are available in the same group of download files for each SDN version.

Versions prior to 3.0 work with Lync 2010, 2013, and SfB 2015

Whatever operating system the Lync Server Front End servers use will be used by the API, since one component (Listener) is required to be installed on all FE servers.

 

Architecture

Components

Conceptually, the Skype for Business SDN Interface consists of the following components:

� The Dialog Listener that captures signaling and quality observations about media traffic between Skype for Business endpoints.

� The SDN Manager that collects the data from one or more Dialog Listener and distributes to third-party network management systems.

� A data store that maintains the shared state among all SDN Managers in a single pool. The data store could be a SQL database, Redis, or local memory cache.

� One or more subscribers, generally network management systems, also known as network controllers, or ITPro tools that support a RESTful web service to receive and analyze the call- and media-quality data posted from the SDN Manager.

 

Data Flow

The data flow looks like this:

Clients � (Front Ends / Lync Dialog Listener (LDL)) � Lync SDN Manager (LSM) � third-party controller

There should be a Listener on each front-end server (FE) to receive data from users homed on them, and one or more Managers to send (XML) data to the controller. The diagram below shows the Skype for Business/Lync clients in the upper left, sending data to the Listener component which is installed on each FE. The Listeners then send data to the Manager(s), who send it on to the controllers (Network Management System).

 

 

Installation/Configuration

For the most part, customers install each component on appropriate servers, configure it, and it just works. The primary configuration steps are done in the installation wizard; some environments may require more customization.

Pre-installation tasks include but are not limited to planning your deployment (how many listeners/managers?), Activating QoE recording, setting up DNS service location record, setting up a database (Redis, or SQL), and/or installing certificates.

We recommend that you run SkypeforBusinessSDNManager.msi before you run the SkypeforBusinessDialogListener.msi. This will ensure that the SDN Manager is running and ready when the Dialog Listener attempts to connect to the SDN Manager.

You should install SDN Manager on a separate application server to maximize the performance of the Skype for Business Server front end.

Installing LDL and LSM on same FE is not recommended, but in a lab environment it can work.

Screen shots and details of Manager (LSM) component setup can be found at http://ift.tt/2m0yrpa.

Screen shots and details regarding the Listener (LDL) component can be found at http://ift.tt/2mDpZ3b.

 

Command-line/PowerShell options

You can use the command line or PowerShell to view or modify SDN settings, or even perform unattended setup.

Command Line

Details regarding command line options are described at http://ift.tt/2m0BIoK. Below Here is an example of changing the submituri parameter via command line. I customized my installation path, so yours may not be exactly the same.

The �p� means �put� or change something, the �l� means listener, �sfb.contoso.com� is where a standard edition or enterprise pool is referenced, and �submituri=�� is the parameter being changed. This change is saved in the database being used by the API, not the config files used by LSM or LDL components. Earlier versions used the config file for everything. Config file parameter are still important but are not now used for Listener, Subscriber and Manager configuration.

C:Program FilesMicrosoft Skype for Business ServerMicrosoft Skype for Business SDN Manager 3.0>sdnmanager p l sfb.contoso.com submituri=http://ift.tt/2mD3Fqr

Response code: SUCCESS Detail: Merged 1 parameters, Timestamp: 2017-02-27T17:22:45.7550618Z

Response code: SUCCESS Detail: TimeStamp: 2017-02-27T17:22:45.7550618Z

<Configuration Version=�2.0? culture=�en-US� Kind=�Listener� Identifier=�SFB.CONTOSO.COM�>

<parameter key=�submituri�>http://ift.tt/2m0tbSy;

<parameter key=�alternativeuri�></parameter>

<parameter key=�clientcertificateid�></parameter>

<parameter key=�submitqueuelen�>1000</parameter>

<parameter key=�maxbackoff�>30</parameter>

<parameter key=�maxdelaylimit�>5</parameter>

<parameter key=�maxopen�>100</parameter>

<parameter key=�maxretry�>100</parameter>

<parameter key=�maxretrybeforefailover�>10</parameter>

<parameter key=�requester�>sfb.contoso.com</parameter>

</Configuration>

 

PowerShell

Details regarding PowerShell options can be found at http://ift.tt/2mDe1a2 Version 2.4 and later have the option of using PowerShell commandlets (SDNManager Powershell). Here is an example of using PS to get Manager (LSM) settings from my Standard Edition SfB 2015 Server:

PS C:UsersAdministrator.CONTOSO> Get-CsSdnManager -SdnPoolUri http://localhost:9333/Settings

<Configuration Version=�2.0? culture=�en-US� Kind=�Manager� Identifier=�DEFAULT

� LastModified=�2017-02-24T22:02:05.9356561Z�>

<parameter key=�calltimeout�>1.00:00:00</parameter>

<parameter key=�endedtimeout�>00:00:15</parameter>

<parameter key=�invitetimeout�>00:03:00</parameter>

<parameter key=�maxcachesize�>20000</parameter>

<parameter key=�qoetimeout�>00:00:05</parameter>

<parameter key=�timeouthandlerperiod�>00:00:10</parameter>

<parameter key=�hidepii�>True</parameter>

<parameter key=�applicationsharing-AppliedBandwidthLimitAcceptable�>500000</parameter>

<parameter key=�applicationsharing-AppliedBandwidthLimitOptimal�>1000000</parameter>

 

Performance

Our data store (SQL, Redis, or local cache) only maintains configuration data, and info for all concurrently ongoing calls. So the databases should be fairly small, relative to the call volume. No historical data is preserved.

Regarding the Manager component, from the SDN API 2.2 help file, SkypeForBusiness_SDNInterface_2.2.chm:

�

The SDN Manager is also a lightweight Windows service that we recommend you run on a separate virtual or hardware application server that uses Windows Server 2008 or later� The SDN Manager is responsible for processing the various events received from the Dialog Listener. It maintains state of the individual real-time streams�including whether the stream has started, ended, updated, and more in the associated data store (either Redis, local cache, or SQL Server database)�and sends the resulting XML data to the configured data receivers. The SDN Manager requires .NET Framework 4.5 or a later.

�Performance Benchmarks� are found in the SkypeForBusiness_SDNInterface_2.2.pdf that was downloaded with the 2.2 API. They have not changed for later versions:

Sample machine configuration:

Stand-alone SDN Manager server: Windows Server 2012 R2

CPU: 8 Cores, 8GB of memory

Hard drive: 1 TB

From the SkypeForBusiness_SDNInterface_2.2.chm that is downloaded with the API,

Applies to: Lync Server 2010 | Lync Server 2013 | Skype for Business 2015

Version 2.2 of the Skype for Business SDN Interface was tested in a production environment and in lab setups but no formal scalability testing has been conducted. Nevertheless, the following performance data should give you an idea what you can expect. Please consider these numbers as example only.

Performance benchmarks

• A pool of three SDN Manager servers can support the traffic from 48 Skype for Business front-end servers, with separate REDIS/SQL clustered DB servers. This configuration may be able to support up to 80,000 users in one continent.
• Memory consumption is fairly low and stable.
• Sample machine configuration:
  • Stand-alone SDN Manager server: Windows Server 2012 R2
  • CPU: 8 Cores, 8GB of memory
  • Hard drive: 1 TB
• In lab scenarios, we execute load of 400 audio calls per minute against two front-end servers and two SDN Manager instances. These topologies consist of virtual machines only with not more than two cores and 8 GB of memory each.
• Bandwidth includes the RTCP stream, which may use a different port.

If a pool configuration is used around a database, the SQL Server is expected to be production level server with state-of-the art memory and CPU. Similarly, a REDIS cache server must be configured to handle the load.

Troubleshooting and Data Collection

Logging is on by default, but debug logging can be enabled via the config files for each component. The config file for the Listener component is found by default at C:Program FilesMicrosoft Skype for Business ServerMicrosoft Skype for Business Dialog Listener DialogListener.exe.config. The Manager component config file is at C:Program FilesMicrosoft Skype for Business ServerMicrosoft Skype for Business SDN ManagerSDNManager.exe.config.

To enable debug logging, search for the <loggingConfiguration> section and make appropriate changes to entries under the component elements.

For example, change the switch value from �Off� to �All�.

<add switchValue=�Off� name=�Debug�>

<listeners>

<add name=�LNEAppLog� />

</listeners>

</add>

Basically, you want to verify that the listener is getting data from the clients, and sending it to the manager. Then, verify that the manager is sending data to the subscriber (controller) in the correct format. That�s it.

The SDN API is quick and easy to install in a lab. As previously mentioned, both components can be co-located on an FE server.

Info on listener logging:

http://ift.tt/2mD72xF

Info on manager logging:

http://ift.tt/2m0wPfi

Other Resources

Getting ready to install Skype for Business SDN Interface

http://ift.tt/2mD3204

Software-Defined Networking: An Overview for Unified Communications

http://ift.tt/2m0AF7W

Software-Defined Networking: The New Norm for Networks

http://ift.tt/1bNXvX9

Open Networking Foundation (ONF)

http://ift.tt/1beHI6y

The International Mulitmedia Telecommunications Consortium

http://www.imtc.org/

The Road to SDN: An Intellectual History of Programmable Networks

http://ift.tt/2aX5xGW

Conclusion

This writing is not intended to cover advanced topics. I hope it is useful to those new to the SfB SDN Interface. The Help that comes with each version of the Interface is extensive, and covers most questions that customers have about the product. But if your questions are not answered, open a support ticket and we�ll be glad to help.

via Skype for Business News Aggregator Full Article

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The Hardest Game For Adults

The Hardest Game For Adults

I have come to realize that, for adults, Minecraft is among the most difficult of all video games.

Bear with me.

Minecraft is amazing for kids. All of the children in our social circle have been completely absorbed into the Minecraft collective. They make huge towns. They discuss the relative merits of the Adventure Update. They install mods. They set up LANs and explore each others worlds. Whatever its merits as an educational game, its certainly made our kids learn what an IP address is.

When we took our nine-year old daughter to PAX, she insisted on waiting in line to have her picture taken with Notch, Minecrafts creator. I spoke with him and mentioned that I run Spiderweb Software. He said that hed played Avernum. This one fact did more to elevate me in her view than any single event since her creation.

The kids are mad about the game, making spiraling towers, roller-coasters, water slides, and mad dreamscapes.

But what about the adults?
 
What Adults Frequently Say About Minecraft

Many of the guardians of these children tried Minecraft themselves. Few of them played more than an hour or two. Now note, these are nerd grown-ups, gamers, people who actually finish games. Grown-ups rarely have time to play games. These are people who make time. But I played for more than any of them, logging a mere ten hours.

But thats not what got my attention. What I found so fascinating was that, when I asked my fellow olds what they thought of it, I always got a similar response:

"I didnt know what to do."
"I didnt see the point of it."
"I didnt have a purpose."

And then they looked at me as if all this made perfect, self-evident sense. And the thing is, it did. I always nodded with genuine sympathy.

And then I realized how depressing that is.

A Thought Experiment

Suppose you asked an adult, "What do you think of Legos?" and got the response, "I dont like them. I just look at them, and dont know what to do. What is the purpose? What is their point?"

What would you think of this response? Would you find that person to be Awesome? And not, maybe, I dont know, just a wee bit depressing?

Tell me, what do you think of paper? "Its blank. That stresses me out." What about clay? "I dont know what to make, so its pointless." Look. You can make things with this. "But creativity makes me tired."

Im not pretending Im not the same way. I dont think Im any better than my peers. Im just the same.

Look What I Did With It, Because Im So Great

I had a blast playing Minecraft! I built a little house, so that I could be safe from monsters. I made a mine. And then you know what I created?

I built a two story house for a family of four. Bedroom for the parents. Bedroom for two children. Kitchen. Workshop. Field of crops so we could eat. A big wall to keep us safe. I even baby-safed the damn thing, to keep my non-existant Minecraft four-year old from falling down the stairs and into a lava pool.

And then I was done. I recreated the world I see around me every day, to the maximum fidelity cube-world would allow. And then I stopped playing. Success.

Isnt that extra-depressing? Even in my fantasy world, I had to have a mortgage.

Why Minecraft Is the Hardest Of Games. For Adults.

I have not made any big, unique discovery here. Its been common knowledge for a long time that a kid can have just as much fun with a toy as with the box it came in. We take this loss of creativity as we age for granted. Its only when it happens with a video game, the sort of thing adults can play, with weapons and monsters and gold, that it comes into much sharper relief. Of course adults dont color with crayons. That activity is in a box in our brains labeled "Kid Stuff," and we can ignore it safely.

But Minecraft is new, so we have to evaluate it with fresh eyes.

To play Minecraft (before the release of promised updates with boss fight and goals and other dreadful things), you have to play. Not in the linear way, walking down a hall and shoot guys in the face on the one course the designer created for you.

To play Minecraft, you have to Play. Playground-style, without fear or hesitation or second-guessing. You have to, without self-consciousness, be creative. My old, withered, linear, fight-or-flight, calculate-reward-for-effort brains just cant do that anymore, not without great strain. To play Minecraft for more than a few minutes, you have to act like a kid again, in the good way. And that is HARD.

I dont know if I can do it. One of these days, some rare, free afternoon, I really need to sit down for an hour, just an hour, and try.

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The fastest way to get points on addmefast for Facebook likes increasing

The fastest way to get points on addmefast for Facebook likes increasing

In previous  post we talked about How to increase Facebook likes. In that post i give you some websites, which is specially for that. All you do is get points, you like other pages on Facebook or on other social networks follow, add on circles etc. and with that points share your page, account of social network, or post and get likes, retweet, follow. But is not easy to get points, that process need very long time and really annoying and you get tired. Now in this post i show you how to quickly get points and you dont do any work, automatically points come.

1. First of all go to this website and register your account.
2. We need to do this trick with Firefox browser.
3. Now install  this addon on your Firefox browser. 
4. After that download this script file.
5. Now at start search for iMacros, and you can see folder with that name, open that and now open Macros folder and after that Demo-Firefox and move that script file to that folder you download in step 4.
6. Open Firefox, log in into that account you create in step 1, and log in into your Facebook account, or create a new Facebook account. And set Facebook account language to English! After that at right side of Firefox at top you can see that addon icon you download in step 4, click on that.

7. As you can see at left side opened new window merged with Firefox. Choose AddMeFastFBNew.js file from list and press on Play button. 

8. And after seconds in pop out window type 9999999 and press on OK button.

Now all you need is dont close Firefox browser and dont minimize, but you can work with computer, but dont touch Firefox, no Minimize!
Now you automatically get points.

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The Mummy awakens in new trailer for Universal’s monster movie

The Mummy awakens in new trailer for Universal’s monster movie

The first installment in Universal�s Monster Universe

Continue reading�

from Polygon - All
http://bit.ly/1MhhK43

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The Silmarillion for four year olds

The Silmarillion for four year olds

So our little one is very interested nowadays in Lord of the Rings online. He loves the map and that he can tell where the little arrow is pointing - and that there is water where he sees blue. He also has a character, that is progressing very very ... very ... slowly. This might be due to his total disregard for safety ("Ooh.. a cliff.. can I jump off it?") or his (ir-)rational fear of caves ("I dont like it - theres no sun in here - Ill go back to the river").

Of course we considered reading him the proper story, so he could appreciate it. And then we considered that maybe the Hobbit (being a childrens book and all) might be more appropriate. However, I argued (successfully) that things need to be read in proper chronological order to make sense, so well have to start with the Silmarillion.

Its been a while since I read it. Quite a long while, in fact. The main facts I remember were sentences that rambled on for several page - some of them spanning more than one page solely for the introduction of a characters name. You know... suchandsuch, who was known as slightlydifferent in the region of over there, who was widely considered wise in the valleys of overyonder where he was called this.

And ... erm... if its not too much of a spoiler... when I opened the book, the first sentence I read was "There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Il�vatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the off-spring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made." [1]

And somehow, that does not seem appropriate for a four year old. I want him to listen to a whole chapter before falling asleep - not get annoyed and bounce around the bed after 30 seconds. So .. in the following chapters, Ill summarize the Silmarillion (until I loose interest, realistically speaking). For a four year old. Who loves monsters, and sharks, and dinosaurs, and who needs to grow up and beat up a caveclaw, so we can level in the Shire!

[1] Taken from: J.R.R Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Harper Collins Publishers, 1994, p. 15

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The Twilight Hammer really is in for it now

The Twilight Hammer really is in for it now

This post is a response to The Eleventh Hour challenge/fun. Ill try and ramble about the past, present and future of Darkwhisper gorge. Considering my normal posting style is not exactly known for its roleplaying aspects - consider this a first. Lets see what cometh of it, shall we?

---

Alright. So you are here to learn, arent you? Sit down then and shut up. An old friend of mine has told me you had some trouble with the demonic presence here in Desolace? Ran into a fistful of Burning Blade supporters as well, I take it, and now morale is low, the booze is out and it all looks like a damned dustbowl of an area?

See the bright side: Aristta thought it would be a good idea to send an old dwarf down here to show you what its all about. Means at least one thing. I brought enough Shimer Stout to cheer you lads up a little.

There is a downside as well, of course. This is Desolace. It is a damn dustbowl. But if you manage to listen up for a while youll be heading off to the next front in a few weeks time. Youll be ready to enter the first stronghold of the Scarlet Crusade or start working on the Gorishi infestation down in the south.

Now about those cultists...

Youve all been fighting all your life. You know what to do, you know how to react. You possibly even remember to keep your healers alive - although they do look a bit sissy in their silly robes. So what could an old dwarf like me possibly tell you about?

Well... I can tell you about history. Ancient history, really. See, back when I was a wee little lad with hardly any armour to my name and still lusting for gold and a stout dwarven girl to take home I was worried about everything as well. I was afraid of places, got scared by dinosaurs chewing on my friends and terrified by an ancient female iron golem in some caves under the Badlands.

Of course, back then I was willing to travel to the ends of the world as well, at the whims of just about anyone. Take this little goblin in Ungoro, for instance. He sent me off to bring news about a prime bath location to an aquaintance of his in Winterspring. The other end of the world really. But for a bag of silver and a pat on the back ...

Anyway, I digress. I made my way there, met a lovely dwarven girl as well. A lass called Donova Snowden. She was apparently investigating the special powers of the local hot springs - and who am I to refuse a lady, especially when she thoroughly wants to investigate steaming hot water? Still got an old faded picture of her right here, look.

She sent me off to do some exploration for her as well - mentioned something about having to recover the right attire for her investigation of the hot springs, and would I mind checking out a place called Darkwhisper Gorge in the south.

Darkwhisper Gorge, eh?

You would not believe how much I was waggling my eyebrows whenever she mentioned that name. Sounded very promising.

Didnt turn out to be quite that exciting when I got there... or rather... a completely different kind of exciting.

You see, Darkwhisper Gorge is infested by demons. Lots of demons. They are crawling all over the place. You think Mannoroc Coven is bad? Childsplay, really. But the nice dame asked for an exploration, so explore I did. Probably cost me 20 years of my life and Im sure a few hairs on my beard turned white.

When you first get there it just appears a little strange. Snow suddenly ends and its looking warm and sooty and smells of ash and brimstone. Bit like the entrance to good ol Ironforge, I suppose.

Of course, its not quite the same. Turns out the area is filled to the brim with precious metals. Hmm... now that still does sound like Ironforge...

As much thorium mines as a dwarf could wish for. However, the area is not empty. Now just like they taught you in basic training, its always a good idea to make sure you can live through a fight - or at least make sure someone gets away to bring the information home, while you stand there and make sure they are not harmed. Hows a lone dwarf going to do that?

Yes?

Anyone?

*sigh*

Well do what any other proper army does and go and get reinforcements, obviously. So I went home and came back, with my partners and a sissy robewearer and one of those night-elf fellows with a bow and some pointy sticks.

Our plan was to get to the story behind Darkwhisper. To make sure we explored each and every corner and fished up any information we could find.

And just where did you get that picture from?

Alright. We even went fishing. There is a rather large pool down there. And it is infested by demon fish! Demon fish I tell you. Although in fairness, they probably just look like any other fish by the light of day, but in the perpetual gloom down there? With ash raining down on you? Looks a hellalot like demon fish.

Now that is more like it. A cave entrance, you see? Illuminated by pale blue torches, burning bright enough to shimmer through the sooty atmosphere. I can tell you now - we never dared enter that cave. Turned right back, there and then.

Those demons I told you about? They hounded us all the way back to the entrance of Darkwhisper Gorge. Stopped cold as soon as we ran out in the snow. Ha! Noticed that? I sometimes wonder if thats the only reason Ironforge has no demons around.

Any of you from Teldrassil? Well as far as I remember, there are Satyr running wild just outside the gates of Darnassus. Stormwind? Warlocks with the fiendish minions all over the place.

But Ironforge, Dun Morough and Loch Modan are as clean and clear as can be. No demons around our towns! And as I said.. I sometimes wonder if thats not just because of all the snow. Seems to keep demons at bay.

Now, I was trying to teach you something though, wasnt I?

Well then... the important lesson is that it doesnt matter how often you get maimed by demons in your life. With each time youll just come back wiser, stronger and more prepared. As long as your spirit is strong and youre willing to give it another go, youll just be able to come back.

And as you get stronger, you also have more success with the ladies *winks*. See, I went back to Darkwhisper Gorge this week. Mainly to drop of a bag of gold for some ransom. But thats another story. Met up with Donova again, and let me tell you - she looks just as good as she did way back then. See?

Now the demons in there arent even that much of a threat any more. If anything they seem a bit unorganized. Hardly worth the trouble, unless, of course, they have to stand right next to a valuable mining location.

This one girl, she seemed to be the head demon in there. Head demoness? Demon-queen? Doesnt matter, really. Never even offered me a pact, she did. I felt way put off. S not the weirdest thing I found in there, though. Someone seems to actually live in there. Someone friendly. Good chap, who shown an honest interest in Mining.

But seriously, the worry and despair are gone. That area is something I dont fear any more. And youll surely feel the same, soon. Dont give up with those Cultists in Mannoroc. Youll overcome them and ... well ... kick some demon butt.

You know, thinking about Darkwhisper made me realize... Ive never gone back to that Cave. The one with the blue fires? I still wonder what it leads to. Might have to go there one of these days again, when I get another day off.

Heh.

Just because Im older than you doesnt mean I get to sit at a fire with an ale all day long. There are still things need to be killed and sissy priests need protecting. Nothing changes, in the long run.

But you know, once this business in Northrend is all covered and once that other King is done playing war, maybe Ill get a few days. Pick up a few brave souls and walk back to Darkwhisper. Try and find out of there really is a path to the World Tree from the scorched Caves of Winterspring.

With a bit of luck, itll all just lead through the mountains, over a pile of gold and straight to a pleasant nightelf meadow. Something like this, really.

Yeah flowers. I wouldnt mind a bed of flowers once in a while. Might even get to bring Donova there.

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