I just released version 2.2.0 of the DNN Course Gradebook module.  This version includes many helpful new features, please visit the product page for more information.  DNN Course Gradebook.

This tutorial is a followup to my DNN backup tutorial. This document will discuss how you can restore your DNN site from your database .bak file and your DotNetNuke .zip file. This could be to either restore a damaged DNN installation or to move a DNN installation to a new server. Below we will discuss the implementation to restore the database, validate user accounts, restore DotNetNuke files, configure a new virtual directory, and setup the web.config.  This is my second revision to the article.

Another very common question that I see regarding DotNetNuke is when and how should I backup my DotNetNuke site. This topic is VERY important and requires a bit of planning, especially if you do not have direct access to your database server to perform your own backups. In the following sections I will first talk about what you must backup and why some of those items are very important. I will then discuss how to perform a DNN backup and SQL Server backup, both for SQL 2000 and 2005.  Finally I will discuss options available for third party modules for performing backups for individuals that do not have direct access to their servers.  This is a second revision of this article.

Installing DotNetNuke can be somewhat difficult at times, therefore I am writing this article to give you a full step by step guide to installing DotNetNuke on a Windows XP Pro system. The instructions are similar for Windows 2000 and XP Home but might vary slightly, I have tried to note as many differences as possible. Windows Vista installation is similar but requires a few different steps relating to IIS. for Vista information please view my video tutorial.  This guide is my fourth revision and includes additional steps and information based on feedback from previous users. 

In previous articles on this site I have provided tutorials for installing DotNetNuke to a local machine, however, I have never yet approached the topic of installing DotNetNuke to a remote web hosting provider.  I have been asked many times why and the answer is simple; installations to remote hosts are not really standardized as depending on the hosting providers environments the steps to install can differ greatly.  However, due to popular demand I have created this tutorial which will provide you the basic overview of how to perform a clean installation of DotNetNuke on a remote web hosting provider.  In the article I will try to point out the most common areas of difference between different hosting providers, I will also be providing specific examples regarding the use of the Plesk control panel which is what my hosting provider (3Essentials) uses.  This article is my third revision updated to add some more clarifying points, be sure to share any feedback in the comments section at the bottom of the article!

Today I released new versions of the Weather Conditions Service module and the RegEx Tester Modules, please visit the respective product page for downloads of the newest version of the modules.

I am looking to get some usage information so if you are using either of these modules please post a comment here or send me an e-mail to let me know how/where you are using it.  I will take that information into consideration when I work on future releases!

This is my fifth revision DNN Upgrade guide.  This version of the document includes important updates for the upgrade process to DotNetNuke 4.7.0.  Many portions of this upgrade guide are the same as previous versions, however, there are some new items and many minor changes/clarifications.  This is simply due to the LIMITED changes that have truly occured in the area of DotNetNuke upgrades.  If a newer version of DNN has been released and I do not have a new version of this document, please use this version as there are most likely no breaking changes!

This guide is geared towards performing an upgrade in-place directly to the server.  If you are on a hosted web server you will need to make modifications to the instructions to fit your access to the production environment.  Additionally I STRONGLY suggest attempting to perform an upgrade locally BEFORE you update a production hosted site to check all processes, then use a method to deploy the upgrade in a prompt manner to minimize site downtime.  If there is enough demand I will post a "Upgrading DotNetNuke from 4.x to 4.7.0 (or later) on a Remote Host" guide.

Well OpenForce is almost over and I have to say that it has been a very good success in my opinion.  I will not take the time to cover everything that has happened in my time here, but I will direct you to Tom Kraak's blog over at Seablick.com. Tom has been doing a great job with keeping up on the events of the conference.

I would like to say a little bit about the session that I presented with Philip Beadle.  I have to say that I thought our presentation was a great success and I appreciate all of the attendees that took the time to come listen to us.  There were a number of questions that were asked of me at the end of the session and I thought I would address them here, and also ask for some feedback.

First of all I would like to let everyone know that I am looking at setting up a series of DotNetNuke module development tutorials both in print form (here on this blog) and video form, that will be made available for download from this site.  Both of these offerings will be completed free of charge.  (Donations would be appreciated if you find something useful simply to help me with my rising bandwidth costs).

Secondly, I was asked by a few individuals if I would be interested in on-site or web-casting traning sessions to help with module development and other DNN topics.  This is something that I have been trying to analyze recently and I have decided that I will start offering this service.  If you are looking for some one-on-one training sessions either in-person or web based please send me an e-mail and we can discuss the pricing/availability.

 The last thing I want to brush up on is the recent offerings of an "SLA" program by the folks at DotNetNuke Corp, I know many comunity members noticed this anouncement a few weeks ago but I am sure that not many of us have checked this out.  I did some investigation today and found that ther SLA, is not all that encompassing (very limited contacts and nothing too special for response times) and is VERY expensive.  So my question to those regular readers of this blog, is there an interest in a DNN suppot program if it would be offered by my business (IowaComputerGurus Inc.) for a much lower cost?  I would be looking at offering 24/7 service with a 24 hour first response time at the most.  Other details to be determined later if there is interest.

THis will be the last blog update until I return home on Friday from OpenForce.  If you are here in Las Vegas I would enjoy the opportunity to meet you, try and find me wandering around the conference area!

As I am packing my bags readying to catch a plane in about 12 hours I thought I would post one last reminder to all individuals that are attending OpenForce.  If you will be in Las Vegas and would like to find a time to stop and say hi or  to discuss a future project please feel free to either user the contact link on this page or call me at 515-707-3629,

I will be trying to update my blog during the week with information regarding current happenings at the conference.  I am looking forward to meeting as many people as possible this week!