This document is the report for the authors’ joint effort in researching and designing a query optimizer for fast’s next-generation search platform, known as MARS. This work was done during the pre-project to the master thesis at the Department of Computer and Information Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, autumn 2008.

MARS does not currently employ any form of query optimizer, but does have a parser and a runtime system. The report therefore focuses on the core query optimizing aspects, like plan generation and optimizer design. First, we give an introduction to query optimizers and selected problems. Then, we describe previous and ongoing efforts regarding query optimizers, before shifting focus to our own design and results.

MARS supports DAG-structured query plans, which means that the optimizer must do so too. This turned out to be a greater task than what it might seem like. The optimizer also needed to be extensible, including the ability to deal with query operators it does not know, as well as supporting arbitrary cost models.

During the course of the project, we have laid out the design of an optimizer we believe satisfies these goals. DAGs are currently not fully supported, but the design can be extended to do so. Extensibility is solved by loose coupling between optimizer components. Rules are used to model operators, and the cost model is a separate, customizable component. We have also implemented a prototype that demonstrates that the design actually works.

I've been running Windows Server 2008 x64 on the server hosting this blog since September, and I've got a couple of thoughts on running 64-bit. I didn't plan to install 64-bit in the first place, but I had problems getting Win2k8 CTP 32-bit to install back then, so I tried 64-bit, which worked, and ended up with that. I've kept upgrading it, most recently to RTM last Sunday.

For some reason, that screwed up the network drivers for my MS Virtual Server machines, leaving them with no network. That combined with setting up a RAID1 volume for the OS on the server, made me reinstall the whole server instead of troubleshooting the drivers. And when I had the chance, I made the switch back to 32-bit.

So, why did I switch back to 32-bit?

First, I don't have more than 3 GBs of RAM on this server, so I don't really need 64-bit except for the "coolness" of running 64-bit.

Second, I've has some issues with application compatibility.
First out was DasBlog, the open source .NET blog engine behind this blog. They're using a date picker tool that didn't support 64-bit, which broke the admin interface. I was able to fix it by browsing forums, googling a bit and downloading the 64-bit version of the date picker. Not too hard, but still, it didn't work out of the box.

Number two was a bit bigger. I'm using SourceGear Vault (which is a very good tool, btw), as my source control system. It turns out that they support 64-bit (with IIS in 32-bit mode, I should say), but not on Windows Server 2008/Vista/IIS7. So I had no other choice than setting up a 32-bit Virtual Server just for this.

I haven't experienced number three first hand myself, but I know that (at least a couple of months ago) the SharePoint Server SDK was only available for 32-bit, whcih makes development a bit hard if you're running 64-bit.

Finally, it should be mentioned that I haven't had a single 64-bit driver issue, so things are going the right way.

So, my conclusion is: Unless you have more than 3 GBs of RAM, 64 bit is (apart from the "X-factor" of running 64 bit) little but just one more item on the list of possible causes if something's not working. I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep that list as short at possible.

Francois Ajenstat has published news about the SQL Server 2008 release roadmap. Summarized:

• Feature complete CTP for the launch wave in Q1 2008
• Release Canidate (RC) in Q2 2008
• Release to manufacturing (RTM) expected in Q3 2008

Exciting!

A little while ago I promised to write about my internships at Microsoft, so here's the first post. As you may have read on my blog, I've had two internships in the Microsoft SQL Server Team in Redmond the last two summers, so I thought I could write a few words about what it's like to have an internship at Microsoft and how to get one.

So how do you actually get an internship? If you're not so lucky that Microsoft call YOU, you start out by applying for one. As I applied from Norway, the process is probably a little different from what happens in the US.

My internship story actually started in the spring of 2005, in my first year at NTNU, the university where I study. I had just joined Microsoft Student Community NTNU, and had heard that Microsoft offered internships in their headquarters in Redmond. My first thought was that this was way out of my league, and I didn't plan to apply. Then I talked to the ADE (Academic Developer Evangelist) in Microsoft Norway after a Student Community event, and he encouraged me to apply. I ended up spending the following night polishing my CV, before submitting it to Microsoft Norway the morning after.

A few days later, I got a call from Microsoft Norway, where they said that they wanted me in for a screening interview. They flew me to Oslo and interviewed me, but unfortunately, that year's story ended there, they didn't send me further on. In retrospect, I don't think that was a very bad decision actually - I'm not sure if I would have been ready for it at that time.

Then, in the spring of 2006, the story continued. Microsoft Norway were again accepting resumes and I submitted mine again, feeling a bit more ready this time. Now I got past the screening process in Norway, and I was invited for interviewing in Paris, France by Microsoft Corp. They sent me an email with some links about software testing and some words about how to prepare.

I was super-excited when I got the email, but at the same time also quite frightened. Microsoft wanted to fly ME to Paris for a weekend and interview me, just a year and a half into college. First, this was my first real job interview - and second, it was going to happen in a few weeks time - in English! At that time I hadn't really been using my English much in real life, and now I was going to do a programming interview in English...

Stay tuned for Part 2 - Interviewing with Microsoft.

Before I end, I have a few points about writing a resume when applying for a programming job. I'm no expert myself, but this is at least what I think and what I though about when writing my resume.

• The resume is your point of entry to the interview - it is the only thing they will see when making their decision about whether to call you in for an interview or not. Make sure it's perfect!
• You have to sell yourself - the resume is your personal ad. Include the good things about yourself and not the bad things (but don't lie).
• Make sure it shows that you have Passion for Technology. This is what most companies look for. If you like testing the latest betas of Visual Studio and SQL Server - mention it. If you're participating in open source projects - tell which ones...
• I would expect a decent looking resume from a programmer - spend some time making your resume look nice. Not super-fancy, but nice.
• DO NOT lie. If you've barely touched C++, don't write that you're an experienced C++ programmer. If the the interviewer unveils it, he or she will question the rest of your resume.
• Include your grades (or grade average) if they are good - if not, consider to provide them if/when they ask for it.

Joel Spolsky has a very interesting post about sorting resumes on his blog, "Joel on Software".

While we could do the same thing in IIS6, IIS7 introduced a much more convenient way to create self-signed SSL certificates for your web sites, as described by ScottGu on his blog. However, there is one problem with the way IIS7 does this: No matter what you do (as far as I know), the certificate will be created with the local computer network name as the CN, Common Name (the site name) in the certificate. The Common Name should match the web site's DNS address to be valid, and often the DNS name is different from the computer name. This site's DNS name is for instance hansolav.net, while the name of the server hosting the site is LABBETUSS2008.

If your certificate CN does not match the web site address, most browsers will tell the users that you have a foobar SSL setup (even more foobar than not having a certificate from a trusted authority), and some (the newest version of FireFox, among others, I think) will completely refuse to open your site.

The good thing is that there's a way to fix it, and that is reverting to the way we had to do this in IIS6; using SelfSSL.exe from the IIS6 Resource Kit Tools. Below are the steps to to this:

1. Download and install the IIS6 Resource Kit Tools from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=56FC92EE-A71A-4C73-B628-ADE629C89499&displaylang=en
   Note: I don't know if the Resource Kit will install on Vista or Windows Server 2008, I had the Resource Kit installed on a Windows 2003 box and just copied SelfSSL.exe.
2. Look up the site ID of the web site you want to enable for SSL by selecting the "Sites" node in the tree in IIS7 Manager.
3. Run SelfSSL /N:CN=<your web site address (no http://)> /V:<how many days the certificate should be valid> /S:<site ID from above> [/P:<port, if not 443>]
4. Test your site.

Note2: It is possible that you will need to install the IIS6 compatibilty components for IIS7 in order for this to work - I don't know. You install them from the Add/Remove Windows Components dialog, or the Web Server Role configuation in Windows Server 2008.

Does anyone else know of an easier way to do this? I searched a bit without finding anything. What about adding an option to choose the CN in the "Create Certificate wizard", IIS7 team?