What is the difference between BLOB and CLOB datatypes?

Blob and Clob together are known as LOB(Large Object Type).

 I have been pretty much fascinated by these two data types. According to Oracle Docs, they are presented as follows :

BLOB : Variable-length binary large object string that can be up to 2GB (2,147,483,647) long. Primarily intended to hold non-traditional data, such as voice or mixed media. BLOB strings are not associated with a character set, as with FOR BIT DATA strings.
CLOB : Variable-length character large object string that can be up to 2GB (2,147,483,647) long. A CLOB can store single-byte character strings or multibyte, character-based data. A CLOB is considered a character string.

Following are the major differences between Blob and Clob data types.

Blob	Clob
The full form of Blob is Binary Large Object.	The full form of Clob is Character Large Object.
This is used to store large binary data.	This is used to store large textual data.
This stores values in the form of binary streams.	This stores values in the form of character streams.
Using this you can store files like text files, PDF documents, word documents etc.	Using this you can stores files like videos, images, gifs, and audio files.
MySQL supports this with the following datatypes: TINYBLOB BLOB MEDIUMBLOB LONGBLOB	MySQL supports this with the following datatypes: TINYTEXT TEXT MEDIUMTEXT LONGTEXT
In JDBC API it is represented by java.sql.Blob Interface.	In JDBC it is represented by java.sql.Clob Interface.
The Blob object in JDBC points to the location of BLOB instead of holding its binary data.	The Blob object in JDBC points to the location of BLOB instead of holding its character data.
To store Blob JDBC (PreparedStatement) provides methods like: setBlob() setBinaryStream()	To store Clob JDBC (PreparedStatement) provides methods like: setClob() setCharacterStream()
And to retrieve (ResultSet) Blob it provides methods like: getBlob() getBinaryStream	And to retrieve (ResultSet) Clob it provides methods like: getClob() getCharacterStream()

Cloud Well-Architected Framework

The Well-Architected Framework identifies a set of general design principles to facilitate good design in the cloud:

1- Stop guessing your capacity needs: Eliminate guessing about your infrastructure capacity needs. When you make a capacity decision before you deploy a system, you might end up sitting on expensive idle resources or dealing with the performance implications of limited capacity. With cloud computing, these problems can go away. You can use as much or as little capacity as you need, and scale up and down automatically.

2- Test systems at production scale: In the cloud, you can create a production-scale test environment on demand, complete your testing, and then decommission the resources. Because you only pay for the test environment when it's running, you can simulate your live environment for a fraction of the cost of testing on premises.

3- Automate to make architectural experimentation easier: Automation allows you to create and replicate your systems at low cost and avoid the expense of manual effort. You can track changes to your automation, audit the impact, and revert to previous parameters when necessary.

4- Allow for evolutionary architectures: Allow for evolutionary architectures. In a traditional environment, architectural decisions are often implemented as static, one-time events, with a few major versions of a system during its lifetime. As a business and its context continue to change, these initial decisions might hinder the system's ability to deliver changing business requirements. In the cloud, the capability to automate and test on demand lowers the risk of impact from design changes. This allows systems to evolve over time so that businesses can take advantage of innovations as a standard practice.

5- Drive architectures using data: In the cloud you can collect data on how your architectural choices affect the behavior of your workload. This lets you make fact-based decisions on how to improve your workload. Your cloud infrastructure is code, so you can use that data to inform your architecture choices and improvements over time.

6- Improve through game days: Test how your architecture and processes perform by regularly scheduling game days to simulate events in production. This will help you understand where improvements can be made and can help develop organizational experience in dealing with events.

IBM DataPower Gateway Commissioning Step by Step

What is IBM DataPower Gateway?

IBM DataPower® Gateway helps organizations meet the security and integration needs of a digital business in a single multi-channel gateway. It provides security, control, integration and optimized access to a full range of mobile, web, application programming interface (API), service-oriented architecture (SOA), B2B and cloud workloads.

https://www.ibm.com/products/datapower-gateway

The DataPower capabilities are delivered in a network appliance form factor:

Physical appliances

• XG45: DataPower Service Gateway
• XI52: DataPower Integration Appliance
• XB62: DataPower B2B Appliance

DataPower form factors Virtual appliances (under a hypervisor)

• XG45/XI52 Virtual Edition
• Production
• XG45/XI52 Virtual Edition for Nonproduction Environment
• Multi-user test and development
• XG45/XI52 Virtual Edition for Developers
• Single-user test and development

Network interfaces for virtual appliances

• Physical appliances have 8 (XG45) or 12 (XI52, XB62) Ethernet interfaces
• Virtual appliances have four network interfaces:
• eth0, eth1, eth2, eth3
• Speeds depend on hypervisor and hardware
• Physical mode and flow control settings are ignored
• Hypervisors that the IBM PureApplication System manages allow only eth1-3 to be used for DataPower service configuration
• eth0 is used by IBM PureApplication System management
• All other hypervisor environments allow eth0-3 to be used for service configuration

Deployment on stand-alone VMware hypervisors

• Configure the appliance to run inside the virtual machine
• Start Commissioning
• Login to the appliance
• Enable Secure Backup Mode
• Enable Common Compatibility Mode
• Create new admin password 
• Run the Install Wizard
• Step 1 - Confirure network interfaces
• Step 2 - Configure network service
• Step 3 - Define a unique system identifier for the appliance
• Step 4 - Do you want to configure remote Management access
• Step 5 - Configure a user account that can reset passwords
• Step 6 - Configure the RAID array
• Save the current configuration

Configure the appliance to run inside the virtual machine

1. Setup the virtual machine 
1. Install VMWare player
2. Inport the OVA file of the virtual applicance 
3. Use the below configuration
1. Memory
1. Minmum: 4 GB
2. Required: 8GB
2. Processors
1. Minmum: 4 GB
2. Required: 8GB
3.  Network Adapter 
1. Insure that one of the adapters eth0 is Host-only

Start Commissioning

Login to the appliance

login: admin

 

password: admin

 

Enable Secure Backup Mode

Secure backup mode supports the creation of a backup to restore the complete configuration of another DataPower® Gateway. The creation of a secure backup is available only when secure backup mode is enabled. Generally, secure backup mode is enabled during the initial firmware setup of the DataPower Gateway

 

Confirn Enable Secure Backup Mode

Enable Common Compatibility Mode

When the DataPower Gateway is in Common Criteria Compatibility mode, it forces several settings to specific values. These values are required and enforced at restart. Common Criteria Compatibility mode affects audit log policies, password policies, and includes a group of default rules and actions.

Create new admin password

Please Enter New Password to be used in next login

Run the Install Wizard

Step 1 - Confirure network interfaces

Do you want to confirure network interfaces

Do you want to confirure network interfaces answers to do

1. Start configuring the first network interface
1. Enable the DHCP
2. Don't configure the rest network interfaces

Step 2 - Configure network service

Step 3 - Define a unique system identifier for the appliance

Sometimes there is a need to have an identifier that is unique per DataPower device. Typically the device serial number is taken for these purposes.

Note: Give any appropriate unique system identifier.

Step 4 - Do you want to configure remote Management access

These configuration require the IP address of the local interface that manage the appliance.

Do you have this information? [y]: y
Do you want to enable SSH? [y]: y
Enter the local IP address [0 for all] : 0
Note: In case you provide specific IP earlier, Provide same IP as provided earlier.

Enter the port number [22]:
Note: Just enter to accept default or write your needed port

Do you want to enable WebGUI access [y]: y

The WebGUI is one of the graphical user interfaces that the DataPower Gateway provides. The Blueprint Console is the one of the graphical user interface (GUI) for the DataPower Gateway. The Blueprint Console allows you to create and manage patterns and tenants.

Enter the local IP address [0 for all] : 0
Note: Just enter to accept default or write your needed port
Enter the port number [9090]:
Note: Just enter to accept default or write your needed port

Step 5 - Configure a user account that can reset passwords

Step 6 - Configure the RAID array

Save the current configuration

Access the configured device

Show int

The show ip interface command provides tons of useful information about the configuration and status of the IP protocol and its services, on all interfaces. The show ip interface brief command provides a quick status of the interfaces on the router, including their IP address, Layer 2 status, and Layer 3 status

Accessing WebGUI

 

Confirm Certificate

Login Interface

Accept Software License Agreement

Use device from the web UI

VirtualBox and Docker Won’t Run | Because of Windows 10 Hyper-V?

I managed to resolve the issue but not by uninstalling Hyper-V. I saw a couple of suggestions but I find this one suitable:

STEP 1:
Open the command prompt as an Administrator.

STEP 2:
Run the command with no argument:
bcdedit

After you run the above command, you will see that the property hypervisorlaunchtype is set Auto by default. See screenshot below:


STEP 3:
Disable Hyper-V by running the command:
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

STEP 4:
Restart your PC system to use VirtualBox.

To turn Hyper-V back on, run the command:
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto
You will need to reboot the system to use Hyper-V.

Untitled1.png

IBM WebSphere Application Server Editions

There are really 3 editions of WebSphere Application Server.

• Core: Contains only a certified JEE web profile on Liberty technology stack 
• Base: Contains both Liberty and Full Profile technology stacks. The Liberty Stack includes all of Core plus JMS client and Server features, MongoDB client, MDB, JAX-WS, JCA and some others. Plus licensing for certain functions of WebSphere Extreme Scale (object grid caching) 
• Network Deployment: Contains both Liberty and Full Profile technology stacks. The Liberty Stack includes all of Base plus the ability to Cluster JVMs and to organized them through a collective and a single Administration Center. Ability to have assisted life cycle with the intelligent management components of full profile. Plus licensing for all of WebSphere Extreme Scale (object grid caching)

Reference:

The Liberty Features page