Adam Craig Johnston | Software Developer - Page 2 of 2 - Software Developer, Technology Enthusiast, Husband and Dad based in Melbourne.

Encrypting ASP.NET appSettings Web.Config File

Published October 19, 2012 | By Adam Craig Johnston

It is recommended to encrypt the AppSettings key in the ASP.NET Web.Config file for security reason. The simplest method is using aspnet_regiis.exe command-line utility; this command-line utility is available from .NET 2 Framework or higher, for this blog I will be using .NET Framework 4.0.

aspnet_regiis.exe

The location of aspnet_regiis.exe command-line utility is:
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe

Encryption

To encrypt the appSettings key at the command-line:

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe ?pef appSettings “c:\project\directory” -prov “DataProtectionConfigurationProvider”

Specify the full path to aspnet_regiis.exe command-line utility
Use -pef appSettings to set the appSettings key
Use -prov “DataProtectionConfigurationProvider”

.NET Framework 4.0 has two built-in providers for encrypting the appSettings key in ASP.NET Web.Config file:

DataProtectionConfigurationProvider Windows data protection API (DPAPI)
RSAProtectedConfigurationProvider RSA encryption

The simplest provider to use is the DataProtectionConfigurationProvider, there are no RSA keys to be created and setup, with the DataProtectionConfigurationProvider it’s server -specific.

When copying the Web.Config file from your development environment, encrypt the appSettings key on the server using DataProtectionConfigurationProvider provider otherwise the appSettings key will not be decrypted correctly.

The RSAProtectedConfigurationProvider RSA encryption, the RSA keys can be copied from development environment to server without change.

Decryption

To decrypt the appSettings key at the command-line:

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe -pdf appSettings “c:\project\directory ”

Specify the full path to aspnet_regiis.exe command-line utility
Use ?pdf appSettings to set the appSettings key

C# Example reading appSettings Key

With this example the appSettings key is read and decrypted automatically:

using System.Configuration;
using System.Web.Configuration;

private void EncryptAppSettings()        {
           Configuration objConfig = WebConfigurationManager.OpenWebConfiguration(
                  Request.ApplicationPath);
           AppSettingsSection objAppsettings =
            (AppSettingsSection)objConfig.GetSection("appSettings");
          if (!objAppsettings.SectionInformation.IsProtected)
            {
            objAppsettings.SectionInformation.ProtectSection
                            ("DataProtectionConfigurationProvider");
                  objAppsettings.SectionInformation.ForceSave = true;
                 objConfig.Save(ConfigurationSaveMode.Modified);
            }
        }

Links

ASP.NET IIS Registration Tool (Aspnet_regiis.exe)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k6h9cz8h%28v=vs.100%29.aspx

How To: Encrypt Configuration Sections in ASP.NET 2.0 Using DPAPI
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff647398.aspx

How To: Encrypt Configuration Sections in ASP.NET 2.0 Using RSA
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms998283.aspx

DpapiProtectedConfigurationProvider Class
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.configuration.dpapiprotectedconfigurationprovider%28v=vs.100%29.aspx

RsaProtectedConfigurationProvider Class
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.configuration.rsaprotectedconfigurationprovider%28v=vs.100%29.aspx

Posted in ASP.NET, C# | Leave a comment

Using WordPress on AWS EC2 Free Tier

Published February 24, 2012 | By Adam Craig Johnston

Here is a guide on how to setup WordPress on Amazon EC2 Free Tier

Setup

Sign up for a AWS Account at http://aws.amazon.com/
Sign up for a Amazon EC2 at http://aws.amazon.com/ec2
Sign into the AWS Console
Choose a Region before launching your new EC2 instance.
Create EC2 Linux Micro Instance for WordPress:
To start a new EC2 instance click on the Launch Instance button.
In the “Request Instances Wizard” tab to the Community AMI’s then filter using “wordpress” then choose the AMI:

bitnami-wordpress-3.1-0-linux-ubuntu-10.04-ebs (ami-30f18f62)
For your Free instance, choose the number of instances: 1, Availability Zone: No Preference and Instance Type: Micro (t1 micro, 613MB).
Shutdown Behavior option should be stop, and all other options Use Default.
Add in a tag key = Name and value = Webserver.
Create a new Key Par call it the name of the website then create and save this file somewhere on your local machine that can be grabbed latter. E.g xyz.pem
Adjust Security Groups,

Add rules for SSH, HTTP, HTTPS but leave the source as 0.0.0.0/0
Now Lunch the instance
Assign Elastic IP then Associate Address with your EC2 Instance
Click on Instances within the EC2 console to find the Public DNS.
Install Open SSH on Windows
Set pem file to Read by owner

chmod 400 xyz.pem
SSH in to the instance

ssh -i xyz.pem bitnami@ec2-<public DNS>.ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com
Move WordPress to run at the root of the apache web server by editing httpd.conf file using vi

sudo vi /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/httpd.conf

DocumentRoot “/opt/bitnami/apache2/htdocs”

To

DocumentRoot “/opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs”

<Directory />

Options Indexes MultiViews +FollowSymLinks

AllowOverride All

Order allow,deny

Allow from all

</Directory>

<Directory “/opt/bitnami/apache2/htdocs”>

To

<Directory “/opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs”>

Comment out:

#Include “/opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/conf/wordpress.conf”
Create an .htaccess file for WordPress

This also enables you to have pretty permalinks like myblog.com/tour

Add .htaccess file to WordPress dir

in /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs/.htaccess

# BEGIN WordPress

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>

RewriteEngine On

RewriteBase /

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !=/server-status

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d

RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

</IfModule>

# END WordPress
Configure WordPress to know its own DNS entry

sudo vi /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs/wp-config.php

define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘http://www.ringio.com’);

define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘http://www.ringio.com’);
Install Filezila

Public DNS

SSH Username: bitnami

Password: <Blank>
delete the /opt/bitnami/updateip file. Otherwise, restarting the instance, Bitnami resets the wp_options values to the Public DNS server name.

sudo rm /opt/bitnami/updateip
Install EMS MySQL Manager

How to Connect to BitNami MySQL Remotely

http://wiki.bitnami.org/cloud/how_to_connect_to_your_amazon_instance#How_to_connect_to_the_BitNami_MySQL_remotely.3f
Run this SQL script to set the Pubic IP Address with WordPress

update wp_options set option_value = ‘http://www.agileweboperations.com’ where option_name in (‘siteurl’, ‘home’);
Configure WordPress with the Pubic IP Address

sudo vi /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs/wp-config.php

define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘http://www.ringio.com’);

define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘http://www.ringio.com’);
Reboot the instance
In your Browser type the public ip and see if WordPress is running correctly at Root Directory
Login into Woresspress using default bitnami username

Username: user

Password: bitnami
Add a new use into WordPress with Role of Administrator
Then remove default bitnami username from WordPress by login in as your new username
Make a DNS A record for the domain host provider, and use the elastic IP.

Migration

Both wordpress on your old site and on AWS are the same due to database compatible issues
Copy your \wp-content\upload from your old site locally to reload on AWS

sudo chmod 755 /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs/wp-content/

Install and download all plugins to your AWS Worspress instance
Download or install your old theme and plugins
Export your Old WordPress database using MyPHPAdmin
Run the Export SQL Script on the AWS WordPress Instance using your Remote SQL Manager
The rerun the SQL script to set the Pubic IP Address with WordPress

update wp_options set option_value = ‘http://www.agileweboperations.com’ where option_name in (‘siteurl’, ‘home’);

To Finish

When your domain has delegated run this script again with your domain

update wp_options set option_value = ‘http://www.website.com’ where option_name in (‘siteurl’, ‘home’);
Configure WordPress with the Pubic IP Address

sudo vi /opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs/wp-config.php

define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘http://www.website.com’);

define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘http://www.website.com’);

Links

Amazon Web Services
http://aws.amazon.com/

AWS Management Console
http://aws.amazon.com/console/

Bitnami Wordpres Stack
http://bitnami.org/stack/wordpress

OpenSSH
http://www.openssh.com/
http://sshwindows.webheat.co.uk/

Filezilla
http://filezilla-project.org/

How to Connect to BitNami MySQL Remotely
http://wiki.bitnami.org/cloud/how_to_connect_to_your_amazon_instance#How_to_connect_to_the_BitNami_MySQL_remotely.3f

EMS MySQL Manager
http://www.sqlmanager.net/products/mysql/manager

Posted in AWS, Wordpress | Leave a comment

Delphi XE2 and FireMonkey Application on Windows, Mac and iOS

Published August 7, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

Posted in Delphi | Leave a comment

-2000 Lines Of Code

Published August 3, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Negative_2000_Lines_Of_Code.txt

Posted in Stuff | Leave a comment

The GMail Man

Published August 2, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

Posted in Office 365 | Leave a comment

World IPv6 Day On June 8

Published June 7, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

On June 8 IPv6 Day starts.

http://digitizor.com/2011/06/02/ipv6-day-june-8/

Posted in IPv6 | Tagged IPv6 | Leave a comment

Moving to AWS

Published June 3, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

This blog will being moving to Amazon Web Services in the next week and a new theme. So there might be some down time.

Posted in AWS | Tagged AWS, Theme | Leave a comment

New Lazarus 0.9.30 Release

Published March 31, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Lazarus_0.9.30_release_notes

Posted in Lazarus | Tagged FPC, Lazarus | Leave a comment

Updates for Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1 and TFS 2010 Service Pack 1

Published March 9, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

Updates for Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1 and TFS 2010 Service Pack 1 are ready.

Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/983509

Microsoft Team Foundation Server 2010 Service Pack 1
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2182621

bharry’s WebLog – Everything you want to know about Visual Studio ALM and Farming
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bharry/archive/2011/03/08/vs-tfs-2010-sp1-and-tfs-project-server-integration-feature-pack-have-released.aspx

Posted in Visual Studio 2010 | Leave a comment

Installing Windows Home Server v1 on VM Server v1 can be a pain!

Published February 13, 2011 | By Adam Craig Johnston

Installing Windows Home Server v1 on a VM Server v1 can be a pain. So here is a tutorial on how to do an install.

What you will need:

Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1 – Installation Disc (x86).iso

VMServer v1

http://www.vmware.com/products/server/

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Create a new Virtual Machine choose Typical

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Select the guest operating system Microsoft Windows, version Windows Server 2003 Small Business.

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Create a directory for your new VM and copy your Homeserver.iso file into that directory before installing

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When the VM is create the Virtual Machine Settings need to be changed.

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Set you CD ?ROM to Use the ISO Image and select the Homeserver.iso located in the VM directory.

?
Set the memory to 1024MB or more.

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Set the Virtual Disk Type the same has host hard disk controller. This is important due to Windows Home Server v1 validating the hardware.

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Make the primary hard drive 80G or more.
Start the VM then proceed to install Windows Home Server v1

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How To Install Windows Home Server

http://usingwindowshomeserver.com/2009/05/31/how-to-install-windows-home-server/

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