------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Microsoft .NET Alerts 6.0 Beta SDK - Release Notes - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 2001 - 2003 CONTENTS ======== 1. EARLY ADOPTER PROGRAM 2. MALFORMED PACKET FAULT RESULTS FROM USE OF PREMIUM FEATURES 3. GETTING HELP 4. INSTALLING AND USING THE TESTING BUILD OF MSN MESSENGER 6.0 5. PERMISSIONS FOR THE HOROSCOPE SAMPLE 6. ENABLE AND DISABLE COMMANDS REMOVED FROM BROADCAST LIST CONTROL TOOL 7. WEB SEVICE EMULATORS GENERATE "HTTP status 405: Method not allowed” ERROR 1. EARLY ADOPTER PROGRAM ============================================================================== The .NET Alerts team is currently accepting applications for the .NET Alerts version 6.0 Early Adopters Program (EAP). EAP participants receive several benefits, including: - Early access to premium features - Special support options - Access to updates that will not be made available for the public beta The number of EAP participants is limited. To request more information, send e-mail to alertsv6@microsoft.com. 2. MALFORMED PACKET FAULT RESULTS FROM USE OF PREMIUM FEATURES ============================================================================== If an alert that makes use of any premium feature is submitted to the Alerts Notification Service (ANS), the ANS will return a malformed packet fault. Currently this applies to the use of more than a single, plain text view in an alert. This is because the functionality to include multiple views is a premium feature of the .NET Alerts service. Premium features are currently available only to EAP participants, but will be fully introduced in the final release of .NET Alerts version 6.0. 3. GETTING HELP ============================================================================== To report problems with the .NET Alerts 6.0 Beta SDK, send e-mail to alertsv6@microsoft.com. Suggestions and feedback are also welcome. 4. INSTALLING AND USING THE TESTING BUILD OF MSN MESSENGER 6.0 ============================================================================== The SDK includes a build of MSN Messenger 6.0 that can be used to receive alerts sent to the Preproduction (PREP) environment. To install and use the testing build of MSN Messenger: 1. Browse to the folder that contains the installer, and double-click MsnMsgs.Msi. By default, this folder is found in: C:\Program Files\Microsoft .NET Alerts SDK\v6.0\MessengerPPE 2. From the Start menu, run MSN Messenger, and when prompted, sign in with a PREP Microsoft .NET Passport. Test users can register for a PREP .NET Passport at: http://register.passport-ppe.com Note that contacts in a user's regular (Production) Contacts list will not be visible when signed in to the testing build. 3. Create a subscription for the test user, using the .NET Passport Unique ID (PUID) associated with the test user's PREP .NET Passport. The subscription should be created by using the Alerts Subscription Management Service (ASMS) in the PREP environment. The Environment Manager included in the SDK can be used to select the PREP environment. For more information, see the "Environment Manager" topic in the .NET Alerts 6.0 SDK documentation. Be sure to select "My computer (Messenger)" as the delivery point for the test subscription. 4. Send test alerts to the test user by submitting them to the ANS in the PREP environment. If the corresponding user is signed in to the testing build, MSN Messenger will display pop-up messages for the test alerts. Note: The testing build of MSN Messenger can also be used to receive alerts that are sent to a topic if the test user is subscribed to the topic. 5. PERMISSIONS FOR THE HOROSCOPE SAMPLE ============================================================================== The horoscope sample for Notification Services included in the SDK requires the same accounts and permissions as those samples included in Microsoft SQL Server Notification Services. For more information, see the "Required Accounts and Permissions" topic in the Notification Services documentation. 6. ENABLE AND DISABLE COMMANDS REMOVED FROM BROADCAST LIST CONTROL TOOL ============================================================================== Although the SDK documentation identifies enable and disable as valid commands for the Broadcast List Control tool (blcontrol.exe), support for these commands is not implemented in the version of the tool included in this beta release. 7. WEB SEVICE EMULATORS GENERATE "HTTP status 405: Method not allowed” ERROR ============================================================================== On computers running Microsoft Windows XP, the Alerts Notification Service (ANS) Emulator or the Alerts Subscription Management Service (ASMS) Emulator may generate an "HTTP status 405: Method not allowed" error. This may occur because an application mapping for .asmx files is not created by default on Windows XP. To correct this problem, follow these steps: 1. In the "Administrative Tools" section of the "Control Panel", run the management console for Internet Information Services. 2. Expand the panel treeview to: [COMPUTER NAME] (local computer) -> Web Sites -> [Your site name] -> msalerts 3. Right-click "msalerts", and select "Properties". The "msalerts Properties" dialog will be displayed, with the "Virtual Directories" tab selected by default. 4. In the "Virtual Directories" tab, click the "Configuration" button in the "Application Settings" section. The "Application Settings" dialog will be displayed, with the "Mappings" tab selected by default. 5. In the "Mappings" tab, verify that no mapping exists for .asmx files. If no mapping exists, click the "Add" button. The "Add/Edit Application Extension Mapping" dialog will be displayed. 6. Enter the following: Executable: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\aspnet_isapi.dll Extension: .asmx Note - If the .NET Framework v1.1 is not installed in the default folder, modify the executable path as appropriate. 7. Select the "Limit to:" radio button in the "Verbs" section, and enter the following verbs: GET, HEAD, POST, DEBUG 8. Click OK to create the application mapping.