Middleware News

IELTS (pronounced /ˈaı.ɛlts/), or 'International English Language Testing System', is an international standardised test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Australia, and was established in 1989. There are two versions of the IELTS: the Academic Version and the General Training Version: * The Academic Version is intended for those who want to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practice in an English-speaking country. * The General Training Version is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes. It is generally acknowledged that the reading and writing tests for the Academic Version are more difficult than those for the General Training Version, due to the differences in the level of inte

IELTS Test Structure All candidates must complete four Modules - Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking - to obtain a Band, which is shown on an IELTS Test Report Form (TRF). All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules, while the Reading and Writing Modules differ depending on whether the candidate is taking the Academic or General Training Versions of the Test. The total test duration is around 2 hours and 45 minutes for Listening, Reading and Writing modules. Listening: 40 minutes, 30 minutes for which a recording is played centrally and additional 10 minutes for transferring answers onto the OMR answer sheet. Reading: 60 minutes. Writing: 60 minutes. (n.b. No additional time is given for transfer of answers in Reading and Writing modules) The first three modules - Listening, Reading and Writing (always in that order) - are completed in one day, and in fact are taken with no break in between. The Speaking Module may be taken, at the discretion of the test

Band Scale IELTS is scored on a nine band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English.Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest whole or half band. For the avoidance of doubt, the following rounding convention applies; if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band. The nine bands are described as follows: [edit] 9 Expert User Has full command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding. It is very hard to attain this score. [edit] 8 Very Good User Has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Handles complex detailed argumentation well. [edit] 7 Good User Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriateness and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language w

Paper-Based Test In areas where the iBT and CBT are not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. Because test takers cannot register at the testing center on the test date, they must register in advance using the registration form provided in the Supplemental Paper TOEFL Bulletin. They should register in advance of the given deadlines to ensure a place because the test centers have limited seating and may fill up early. Tests are administered only several times each year. The PBT tests essentially the same skills as the CBT, albeit with some differences, noticeably the number of questions (which is higher in the PBT) and the score scales. The test lasts 4 hours more or less. Students can take the test as many times as they wish. However, colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score. 1. Listening (30–40 minutes) It consists of three parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer co

Internet-Based Test Since its introduction in late 2005, the Internet-Based test (iBT) has progressively replaced both the computer-based (CBT) and paper-based (PBT) tests. The iBT has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added regularly. Although the demand for test seats was very high, and candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks in most countries. The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring mainly one of the basic language skills (although some tasks may require multiple skills) focusing on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the iBT. The test cannot be taken more than once a week. 1. Reading This module determines proficiency in understanding intellectual reading issues. The Reading module contains questions about 3 to 5 long passages. The p

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced "toe-full") evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting. It is an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then will no longer be officially reported since a candidate's language proficiency could have significantly changed since the date of the test. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent TOEFL score. The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide. The test was first administered in 1964 and has since been taken by more than 23 million students. Policies governing the TOEFL program are formulated with advice from a 16-member board. Bo

MQ tools Tool / file name Purpose amqsaicq.c Create a local queue using the MQ Administration Interface (MQAI) amqsaiem.c Event monitor using the MQ Admin Interface (MQAI) amqsailq.c Inquire the current depth of all local queues using MQAI amqsaxe0.c ApiExit which traces MQAPI calls amqsbcg0.c Browse messages, text and header (use amqsgbr for text only) amqsblst.c Bandwidth and connectivity tester amqscnxc.c Client connection information on MQCONNX amqsecha.c Echo messages to reply to queue (triggered program) (sent by amqsreq, maybe) amqsgbr0.c Browse messages, text only (use amqsbcg for text and header) amqsget0.c Get a message amqsgrma.c Get reference messages from a queue. Checks that the objects, identified in the messages, exist amqsinqa.c MQINQ sample (triggered program) amqsldpc.c Look up the MQ host name, channel name and queue name in an LDAP directory + MQPUT amqsmon0.c Get an statistics or accounting message amqsprma.c Create a reference message amqsptl0.

* when installing MQ Server, do install MQ Client also. It is very useful to connect to remote sites. * naming convention (MD00, GG24-4469 and MD04) See Intercommunication manual for suggested naming conventions o queue name max length = 48 chars (all MQ objects, except ...) o channel name max length = 20 chars * use ReplyToQ/ReplyToQMgr fields * use REPLY type in response message * use triggering if possible. Use TRIGGER FIRST. TRIGGER EVERY only if needed. Avoid TRIGGER DEPTH. * do not use persistence if possible * copy Message_Id into Correl_Id field to correlate response to request * request a Report if your message is rejected or expires. * know the default queue manager and verify it exists - used by runmqsc -w * MQ & clustering : o define a Qmgr to be exclusively FR1 and another Qmgr to be FR2 o use 2 (and no more) Full Repositories o make sure both FRs have a Cluster Sender Channel to the other FR * MQ under HACMP : o use virtual IP in "IPADDR( )&qu