Virtual Internet (the company)
Has anyone used vi.net for hosting or colocation? I'm debating using them for colocating my personal server (just a 1U thing) and they've got a good deal, but if they're going to be down every month or something, I'd rather avoid them and go with one of the others on my list. Any feedback appreciated. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Old Hardware and new life
What do you guys do with old hardware? If you store it, how do you do so without it basically being just a big box'o'parts? If you get rid of it, how do you do so? I have quite a bit of old parts I don't know what to do with that could still be of value later on, but no use case currently. Thoughts? -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Old Hardware and new life
On 5/22/2011 1:25 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > I also collect them up a few times a year and use them to build > computers for kids here locally who's families might not be able to > afford a new computer for school work etc. > Now THAT I can get behind. That's probably even worth grabbing a missing part or two somewhere. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Summary of PLUG happenings 5/25/2011
So, I'm confused a bit and maybe you can help. There's a LOT of emails in my PLUG box. I skimmed and what seems to be happening is this: * The Rapture didn't happen (still talking about it though) * Facebook makes people who don't like other people worry about other people finding them somehow. * Adaptive Computing could be a local biz using some open source stuff to do some things, or the next best thing in someone's career. * Make Compile still has no idea what it is doing or what Google is. * More people are still upset that others aren't conforming to their email etiquette ideas. * Stuart things a poorly worded paragraph is an unprovoked rant (even though nobody commissioned his rants either, as far as I can tell) * Levi is still my hero in the world of well formed discussion points. * Ryan Simpkins has email Tourrette's when looking up stuff about Adaptive Computing. * Open Source circuit design is hard. Did I miss anything? -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Social Network Privacy
On 5/26/2011 4:33 PM, Levi Pearson wrote: > Thanks for the clarification. I think my overall point was still > correct, though: there's no "center point" to the universe that > everything moves away from. The entirety of space once *was* the > center point, and the universe itself is expanding. I realize the > universe is probably also not a spherical geometry, that was just an > illustration of the idea of an expanding geometry rather than a > conventional explosion. When one gets far enough into physics, any > discussion in lay English about it becomes hopelessly vague and > inaccurate, unfortunately. As the Doctor says, "It's not like that at > all, but if it helps" > > --Levi http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/teaching_physics.png /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] The big bang, universes and points of observation.
On 5/26/2011 7:39 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 05/26/2011 07:32 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: >> Thoughts? > For the Jakes on the list, do cosmologists agree that the universe is > not infinite in size? Just wondering. While my own personal religious > beliefs accommodate almost all of science currently, from some sort of > big bang to evolution, it does not handle an infinite universe and its > implications. For an infinitely-sized universe means there's another > earth just like ours out there, with another Stuart, though he's a Tea > Party advocate there. > While I don't speak for any cosmologists or physicists or the like, I will say that the definition of "infinite" and how we might perceive such a thing in relation to how we perceive the universe currently, is in my opinion a much more important thought than the answer to "is the universe infinite" could ever provide. It's like asking "does the universe go on forever?" What exactly are you measuring in the answer for "forever" when that is an ambiguous concept based on our own limited perceptions of how space might be laid out at the current time? I'm not judging you for the question, mind you, as its a perfectly valid question to have. I'm just saying that asking a metaphysical question won't help reconcile physics with metaphysics any more readily than contemplating the sandwich I had for lunch might, so it might be more important to ask why the question matters to you than actually getting the answer to such a question. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Shad's Follow Up (Union Pacific Contest, Trains)
On 6/1/2011 3:34 PM, Ryan Simpkins wrote: > Some of you may recall helping one of my co-workers win a Union Pacific train > adventure contest. With your help (and hundreds of other people), we made him > the grand prize winner. Shad has posted some picture of his trip (so far): > > http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150260039863474.375797.601228473&l=3efb8dd050 > > He has expressed a great deal of thanks to everyone. Epic! He looks kind of like Liam Neeson from a distance (like the one of him in front of the train). Hope he's having a blast! -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: how to add file to /proc
On 6/6/2011 1:15 AM, hatem gamal elzanaty wrote: > > it worked thanks so much but i have another related question > does compiling object .o .ko ... equal compiling with gcc or not please > advise me > > thanks in advance > hatem gamal > > You can compile with any compiler. GCC is obviously a logical choice. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Collective Wisdom : Zmanada v Bacula v ??
On 6/6/2011 2:59 PM, Victor Villa wrote: > Greets oh wise PLUG collective that have pondered the depths of infinity, > space-time and that's just this past week. > > I come seeking advice on backup software solutions. > > I've read some great things about Zmanda, and Bacula looks pretty good. The > backup "server" is an i7 w 4GB RAM running ubuntu 11.04. The box has 2 hot > swap SATA bays in the front that I was hoping to backup to. > > Can anybody speak to either of the software above, or another FOSS solution? > > thx > > mj/v Very high-level, very limited exposure answer (I attended a few storage conferences where there were demos using both, and this was a while back): Amanda is easier to setup/use, and Bacula is more flexible. I don't actually believe the last bit, because they're both open source and flexible is ambiguous. That's just what the marketing people were telling me. Maybe try installing both and see what you can setup in an hour? In my opinion, if a backup solution isn't easy enough to setup in under an hour at this point in the history of computing, it's probably not worth looking at further. (There are a lot of products that fit this description. It's really quite sad.) -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Virtual Internet (the company)
I thought I'd follow up on my experiences. So, I've been with Virtual Internet for a monthish now. Their colo service is stable and performs admirably. Low latency, stable throughput, and no packet loss. I have a good opinion of their facilities and their staff seemed professional and willing to help. I can't speak to their support as my server hasn't ever really gone down in its little life, but they seemed eager if I ever needed anything to lend a hand. All in all, I can't say anything bad about them. Good price, good facility, and I recommend anyone to give them a shot if they're looking. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Speaking of insufficient skill
On 6/7/2011 2:39 AM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > > Any ideas on how to proceed in this situation? > Grab a universal IDE/SATA to USB adapter for like 20 bucks, take a laptop over, take her hard drive, hook it up to the adapter and plug into your laptop. Backup data to a DVD on that laptop, replace drive, reinstall. You sound correct, that this will likely be some bad hardware, and this PC is probably on its way out, but there you go. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Job: Content Integrator and Loading Support (Springville, Utah)
So, my day job is getting some help for a lot of the more entry-level stuff my boss and I do so we can focus more on process improvement and automation, tool development, etc. It's a good job and I like the people, and if you're looking to get into sysadmin responsibilities, this is probably a good start to expand your skills, especially on the scripting side of things. If you like to do media encoding, this is also a good place for that. Full post below, but feel free to ask me any questions on or off list as appropriate. -Tod Hansmann DESCRIPTION digEcor is the global market leader in portable in-flight entertainment (IFE) for the airline industry. We created the portable IFE market in 2003 with our ground breaking digEplayer 5500 (AVOD) which was followed in 2008 by the digEplayer XT and we have now introduced the digEplayer L Series. We are looking for talented and skilled employees who are energetic and passionate about their jobs, our products, and our company. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. (www.digecor.com) For applying, please see http://digecor.iapplicants.com/ Position: Content Integrator and Loading Support (digEcor - Springville, Utah) Overview The Content Integrator position is an exciting opportunity to be involved with systems used by passengers every day on aircraft around the world. This position will be involved with content integration and supporting the delivery and loading process for those systems. DUTIES - Performs content integration for digEplayers in relation to graphics, thumbnails, synopses, menus, video content, music, user interfaces, etc. - Deploys video content sets to customers' servers, updates servers, and performs test loads. - Available 24/7 to remotely support servers and customers at customer facilities worldwide when support is required (as needed). - Responsible for accurate, quality work product that will be viewed by countless airline passengers. QUALIFICATIONS - Self-motivated, self-managed - Problem solver - sees opportunities and researches resolutions - Requires a working knowledge of using the Linux command line - A general understanding of hardware technologies including components for machines (CPUs, hard drives, RAM types, etc), Linux partitioning, etc. - A general understanding of networking basics (connecting switches, devices, servers, etc). - Must be detail oriented for video integration tasks - Must be fluent in English for quality assurance tasks (visual spell checking) and supporting customers (domestic and foreign) Relocation not offered. Most of the tasks for this job must be performed in our office. For more information, or to apply now, you must go to the website below. Please do not email your resume to us as we only accept applications through our website. http://digecor.iapplicants.com/ViewJob-188243.html /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
DSLR Opinions
Anyone have any up-to-the-moment opinions on any digital SLR cameras? Looking to get something that I can do some nice photos and possibly HD video here and there. I don't want to do any lock-in formats like the Sony Memory Stick (tm) or whatnot, but I'm not opposed to non-standard formats like xD cards or something. Thoughts? -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: DSLR Opinions
On 6/10/2011 8:08 PM, Shane Hathaway wrote: > On 06/10/2011 06:13 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: >> Anyone have any up-to-the-moment opinions on any digital SLR cameras? >> Looking to get something that I can do some nice photos and possibly HD >> video here and there. I don't want to do any lock-in formats like the >> Sony Memory Stick (tm) or whatnot, but I'm not opposed to non-standard >> formats like xD cards or something. >> >> Thoughts? > > Canon T1i. My sister has one, she loves it, and it produces excellent > photos [1]. She did have a problem once with a weak gear connected to > the auto-focus motor inside the lens, but that was remedied by > replacing the lens. > > [1] http://shellyhathaway.com/ > > Shane > There was a lot of good feedback on this (thanks for all the contributions). I should note that I'm mostly buying for my wife's use, as I won't have time to get into photography anytime soon. She and I went to Allen's here in Orem and used some cameras there, and we went with a Canon T3i with a 18-135 lens. It comes with a basic lens hood, has a lot of the features she'll likely get into in our family events and had a good price. I'm tempted to get into it myself, but I have to focus on more technical learnings for the moment. Thanks again for all the info. She's pouring through a lot of it today, actually. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: DSLR Opinions
On 6/12/2011 7:58 PM, Andrew McNabb wrote: > On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 06:13:19PM -0600, Tod Hansmann wrote: >> Anyone have any up-to-the-moment opinions on any digital SLR cameras? >> Looking to get something that I can do some nice photos and possibly HD >> video here and there. > Nice. I actually knew about the importance of sensor sizes from when the tech was becoming more consumer-ready, and thus the rise of digital cameras came into being. Regardless, you had some interesting links and interpretations and I appreciate your opinion on the matter. I used to have an Olympus (an old 3 MP dealio) and liked it, and would have liked to see more from them in the DSLR side, but I didn't like their E-5 I looked at. I hope this thread is useful outside of my own quandaries. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: ssl cert issue
On 7/6/2011 11:24 AM, Merrill Oveson wrote: > A user got this error: > > Error validating server certficate for https://www.ourserver.com:443: > Unknown certificate issuer. > Fingerprint: XX:XX:XX... This fingerprint is the same style of fingerprint you might find in an ssh key when you accept it for the first time. It's just a loose hash of the key, so you can see if it's way off from what you're expecting. Think of it like an md5 hash of a file. > Distinguished name:, > http://certificates.godaddy.com/repository, GoDaddy.com > > Then there's "Accept permanently" "Accept once" "Reject" > > If the user clicks "Accept permanently" everything works and no more warning." > > What does this mean exactly? Is the fingerprint stored somewhere on the > server? > The fingerprint is generated, I believe, by the client, off the key. I'm guessing there. However, the accept permanently is really just saying "Look, I trust this server, even though you can't authenticate their certificate with an authority we trust. Just remember that I trust this cert forever." Then it never bothers you until the cert/key changes. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Recruiters?
On 7/20/2011 9:29 AM, Eric Jacobs wrote: > Does anyone here have experience with recruiters? I posted my resume on > Monster yesterday because I'm looking for sys-admin work, and I got a call > from a recruiter today for contract to hire work. I'm not quite sure what to > think about this. I'm supposed to go meet with him tomorrow. Anybody have a > good experience with a recruiter? > I have mixed feelings, personally. It has been my experience that recruiters tend to form you into some mold they think will better sell to their client. That makes sense, but unless your resume is a bullet-point list of cliche buzzwords, this won't work well for you. If you're just looking for a job that will use your LAMP/Java/PDP-11/AJAX/Linux/Cisco skillset, they will probably do well with you. If you're looking for a startup that needs adaptable people you couldn't use a text-search on a resume for, they tend to be less useful. In short, I tend to avoid them quite a bit. One actually wanted me to produce 7 different versions of my resume, all wildly different from each other, for 7 different positions, 4 of which were all at the same company. While there's some merit to tayloring your resume to the job, the extreme of that is silly. I will say I enjoyed working with a few recruiters over the years: - Some of the people I've met at TekSystems are great. Others not so much, but they tend not to be there long. - Brian Gephardt at PDS was very nice and communicative. - Consultnet has good and bad reps, I think. They're not a bad company, though. I avoid Robert Half and Smith Johnson. I have never had a good experience with them, and the only people I know on a personal level that have worked with them have also had bad experiences. I haven't worked with them in years, so this may have changed over time, but I will not risk it myself. Smith Johnson is purely off one rep I had that left me with a very bad taste. This may sound like tough criticism, but I should note that a) this is just based off my experiences, not a judgement of the entire company or current states of affairs, and b) negative feedback is just as important as positive feedback to me, so I share what I would like to hear from people. Namely, both sides. Hopefully that's helpful to someone. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Humble Bundle 3
Guys, it's that time of year again. If you don't like games or something, well, ignore the rest of this email. They're not open source, but they do support Linux and Mac, and they have a great cause if you like to donate your payment to Child's Play or the EFF. Check them out. I also like that linux donators are leading the average donation pile. http://www.humblebundle.com/ "Tweet it, share it, do whatever the verb of Google Plusing is" Hilarious video. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Best internet access in draper?
On 8/9/2011 6:08 PM, John Shaver wrote: > I just moved to Draper and am now for the first time in my life able to > choose which company I subscribe to for internet access. Does anyone have > any recommendations for stable relatively fast and inexpensive internet > access in the area? > > Is Fiber available up here? The last ISP I had in Orem was > Veracity/Xmission Fiber and I was very happy with the speed and service. > > I guess I'd also prefer a company that doesn't mind me setting up some of my > own services (http, ssh, some game servers, etc.) Sorry for any funny > formatting. I don't have an ISP yet so I'm sending this from my phone. > There is a major difference between Veracity and XMission. The latter is a quality ISP with great people and technology and a solid support structure for the savvy technologist and the average user alike. The former, well, they have mixed reviews in my book. >.> As for Draper, they are not a Utopia pledged city, but that may or may not mean anything. I'm sure if you can get DSL, you can get it through XMIssion over whoever owns the copper (as a bonus, they are very affordable and you can get a /29 subnet pretty easily if that's your thing, like it is mine). Comcast will likely provide the cable internet service. I am not aware of any city ISPs like Provo or Spanish Fork, etc, has, so that's probably your options right there. There's the extent of my knowledge on the subject. =c) -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Best internet access in draper?
On 8/10/2011 9:43 AM, John Shaver wrote: > I've never used DSL in the past. Anyone want to share their > experience? What kind of speeds does DSL provide now? Thanks! DSL can get speeds of up to 7 Mbit down and 768kbit up if you're close to the CO. Cable gets faster. DSL is a dedicated line for just your use. Cable around here is a shared line between you and your neighbors. You are provisioned a certain piece of the overall bandwidth, and they hope not everyone is using much of it at any given time. Honestly, I have both on my network. I prefer my DSL line, but the cable line is much better for large downloads at off-peak hours. It has its ups and downs for performance. The DSL line is either working great or (rarely) down completely. This is usually Qwest's fault, but I have xmission and they tend to come clean immediately when its their fault. So yeah. Trade-offs all over the place, and it depends on what you want to do with the line. Pick your poison =cP -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Linux Music Production
I'm looking into a curiosity of making music of a digital kind (techno, jazz, folk?). I have no budget for this, because it's a curiosity I've literally looked into for about 10 seconds. Is linux a decent place to do this, or am I better looking at a trial of Fruity Loops on Windows or something like that? Am I even in the right ballpark? I do searches on this stuff and everything is talking about all this hardware like mixers and soundboards and samplers, and I think "why do I need this? I thought software could handle this." and it's all over my head. Anyone have a pointer in the right direction? -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Linux Music Production
On 8/11/2011 12:26 PM, Brett Rasmussen wrote: > One thing that might be a caveat: you said you have no budget for this, and > the paradigm that I'm slightly familiar with is having at least some sort of > instrument outside of the computer for actually creating the notes. For > example, a MIDI synthesizer that you would play on to send note data to the > computer, for which you'd need a MIDI sound card, and the software would > provide the sound itself. Or you could use a synthesizer or mic or guitar > that you were just recording into the computer via a sound card that took > XLR or 1/4-inch inputs. For these sorts of things, I've been looking at the > M-audio Delta 1010lt (~$180), which is a sound card that has a whole bunch > of different dongles of different types of audio inputs and outputs. With > something like that, you could do all of the above and more. > > But that whole paradigm is based on having at least some external hardware. > As for creating the notes directly on the computer, I know there's stuff > out there that does that, like GarageBand in the Apple world, and there > probably is stuff like that in linux, but I just haven't played around with > all of it enough to know. > If I got into it, I'd obviously make budget for it, but for now it's purely a curiosity, so it gets no dough until I'm a little more serious. I have heard much the same, but I don't play keyboard anyway, so that wouldn't be terribly helpful. A long time ago, say, 15 years or so, I have a .mid editor in Windows that basically let me make sheet music and turn it into a midi file. It was fun, and made small files I could share over dialup with friends, and it led to other musical things we enjoyed, but they were midi files, and sounded pretty bad compared to them new-fangled mp3-majigs. So we never went much further than a month or so of fiddling. I figured I could do something like that with some sound-loops and create something either very lounge or very 80s sounding with nothing but a computer. So that's the dream, I guess. Thanks for your input. It's a good start. Maybe some linux sound people could put together a presentation for a PLUG meeting sometime. *hint hint* -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Best internet access in draper?
On 8/11/2011 1:04 PM, Nicholas Leippe wrote: > Digis has been a little bumpy for me at home, but I recently upgraded > to their 15Mbps down/5Mbps up and it's been quite solid so far. > For what it's worth, when I worked at an IT outsourcer in Lindon, we had a lot of clients that used Digis for their home internet to connect to the office, and we supported that. I've worked with every ISP in the valley at the time, and at the time (4+ years ago) Digis was the most unstable piece of junk I've ever worked with. It was worse than my satellite internet in the sticks of Oregon 8 years ago. The only reason any of our customers stuck with it was because it was literally the only option. I hope they've improved. I would think they would have to just to be able to stick around, but rocky starts to your tech offering do not bode well with me. (I'm a harsh mistress, I'm sorry) -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: 32 vs 64 bit today?
On 8/13/2011 6:14 AM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > Hello Everyone, > > I just wanted to take a quick poll and ask what the current state of > the whole 32 vs 64 bit thing is now days when it comes to distros. > I remember a few years ago there were some major issues when going > with a 64 bit distro and was curious to know if this is still the case > at all or if all those kinks have been worked out by now? Is there > any reason given a 64 bit processor that anyone would still need to > use a 32 bit distro? > From what I've experienced, 64 bit is good on both the Linux and Windows side of things. In Linux, I occasionally run into a package or some source I want to compile that doesn't support 64 bit so I have to compile it against 32 bit libs. This is generally pretty easy. As has been mentioned, browser plugins about that don't work with 64 bit. The solution on Windows is to default to a 32-bit browser, which it does automatically. The solutions on Linux vary and there are pros and cons with each. I tend to take the Windows approach and just run a 32 bit browser, but there are tradeoffs to that too. It's an adventure either way, and one that's well worth it. If you have 4 GB or more of RAM, you will have to run 64 bit to address all that memory (or you'll lose some to hardware addressing). -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: need some home networking help
On 8/15/2011 4:29 PM, Brett Rasmussen wrote: > All, > I have been meaning for a long time to set up my home network differently, > and I just keep not having any time for it. I'm not very good with some of > this sort of thing, and it would just take too much tinkering time that I > don't really have. > > So I want to pay someone to do it for me. It shouldn't be that big of a > deal for an experienced sysadmin, I expect. > > My needs: > > - I have a shoebox computer that I want to use as a firewall box that > everything goes through. I've installed the OS already (Ubuntu Server). > > - This box needs to run dansguardian, and all traffic in the network needs > to be forced through the filter without requiring proxy settings in > browsers. > > - My wireless router, which currently provides firewall, dhcp, and local > dns, will need to be configured to send all traffic through the new firewall > box, and the new firewall box will need to provide all of that stuff instead > of the router. > > - It also needs to do traffic shaping to give priority to things like skype > over things like TV episodes. > > I guess that's pretty much it. If you can help me out, email me off list > and we can work out a time and a price. > > Thanks, > Brett > Have you looked at ClearOS? They're local, actually. It's a CentOS based system-in-a-box with all web-interface controls. It will do dansguardian filtering and whatnot, though I haven't used it since it was Clark Connect, but it was pretty much everything you wanted in one install back then. I can't imagine you would have much more trouble with this release, but ymmv. http://www.clearfoundation.com/Software/downloads -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: need some home networking help
On 8/15/2011 6:50 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 08/15/2011 06:38 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: >> Have you looked at ClearOS? They're local, actually. It's a CentOS >> based system-in-a-box with all web-interface controls. It will do >> dansguardian filtering and whatnot, though I haven't used it since it >> was Clark Connect, but it was pretty much everything you wanted in one >> install back then. I can't imagine you would have much more trouble >> with this release, but ymmv. >> >> http://www.clearfoundation.com/Software/downloads > Do they sell any hardware or are they just software? Do they sell > support? If they could stick their software on a small computer with > built-in wireless for under $200 (a full on wireless router solution) I > think there's a big family market for that. > As far as I know, their software is free (as in beer and in freedom) and will run on low-end hardware. As long as there are linux drivers available for the built-in wireless, I'll bet it works out-of-box. From what I can see on their site, it looks like it's 64bit only. Still, worth a try if it might fit the bill. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Job: Software Engineer and Test Engineer Positions
On 8/17/2011 10:05 AM, Levi Pearson wrote: > On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 9:33 AM, Merrill Oveson wrote: >> What about php? And where are you located? >> > I'll bet they have some PHP haters there. ;) > > --Levi > They're in Salt Lake City. http://www.appsig.com/ -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: need some home networking help
On 8/17/2011 12:11 PM, Brett Rasmussen wrote: > I like dealing with deb-based systems better than rpm-based systems, which > is why I'm leaning toward Zentyal. I'm just wanting to do due diligence and > see if there's any reason why in this case I should really override my bias > because COS is just so much better. > I'm with you on that. Just a personal preference, but obviously it counts. I hadn't heard of Zentyal before this thread, but I can tell you with ClearOS 5 that I had installed on some old hardware its web interface was slow as well. (Full disclosure: I was working for the current CEO of ClearFoundation at his previous company at that time.) It had issues with some of the reporting features they have been pushing since then. I think if you want reporting features, it might be better to go ClearOS as a first try. Otherwise, if I had to pick right now for myself, I'd probably try Zentyal, to be honest. It seems like they include home users a lot more into their product plan. I think it will be sixes in the end. Just my 2 cents. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: File system for compact flash or SD for linux to run off of.
On 8/31/2011 5:06 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > I'm trying to put together a mini server (almost an embedded system) and > I'm struggling to know what kind of file system to use. Most of the > boards I'm looking at (must be x86) have either compact flash or SD > slot. Given that the computer will run like an embedded system and > could be powered off at any time, I'd like to get a file system on it > that won't wear out the CF, and won't get corrupted with power outages. > For the most part, the server won't do too much disk I/O. There are no > databases, and logging isn't that important. So some of the file system > could be read-only. I need about 1-2 GB (this baby has to run CentOS 5 > or 6 and run data acquisition software written in labview) of storage. > > I've had experience on sheeva plugs running both JFFS2 and UBIFS with > standard debian installs (standard syslog, etc) and they run great, but > both file systems are designed for MTD devices, but both CF and SD are > block-level devices with internal wear-leveling, so neither file system > is appropriate here. Besides that fact, I created a virtual 4 GB (about > the size I need) CF disk and used the block2mtd driver to make it be a > MTD device, and though I can format it with ubiformat, I cannot attach > it. It gives me a kernel memory allocation error. Even 1 GB gives me > this error. I can get a 512 MB image to work, but that's not enough > space for what I need anyway. I know I can do a jffs2 emulation on > compact flash, but the mount time for a large volume is horrendous. > Even 512 MB takes a while to mount. > > So at the moment I'm considering doing read-only ext4 for most of the > partitions, with a small R/W ext4 partition for variable things. But if > anyone has any better ideas or experience in this area, I welcome > suggestions. We had a situation at work where we are working with an embedded linux device and have to use an SD card for the filesystem. After a bunch of benchmarking, we chose ext4 and now have a 32GB class 10 SD card working at about 7-9 MB/s writing (which was our only concern. Reading can go slower than 2MB/s for all we care, but I'm pretty sure its performance is equally good.) The trick was we had to disable extents, and possibly play with the block size, but I don't recall on the latter. YMMV, but I think you'll like ext4's performance. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [semi-OT] local stores selling computer parts
On 9/4/2011 6:49 PM, Robert Merrill wrote: > What's the name of that store in Orem? AROMA or something? All I recall is > you needed like a trench coat or a vaguely-klingon forehead to get in there > to go in there back in the day... Are they still around? > I have no idea what store you're talking about. MAS (now JPL?) My favorite down here in Orem is PC Discounters. 800ish South State in Orem. I know there's a couple more north, but I don't actually go more north at this time, so I'm not familiar with that area. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [semi-OT] local stores selling computer parts
On 9/4/2011 8:40 PM, Eric Olsen wrote: > > My favorite down here in Orem is PC Discounters. 800ish South > State in > Orem. I know there's a couple more north, but I don't actually go > more > north at this time, so I'm not familiar with that area. > > > I haven't been in there because it looked like it's strictly pre-built > computers (and other electronics), more like a Best Buy. Do they carry > parts? > Yes. Typically not off-the-shelf, but they usually have some case fans, the more popular cables, hard drives of various sorts, etc. Not a lot of selection, but when I need something and can't wait for shipping, I can usually find something that fits the bill from them unless it's a fairly obscure part. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Any Willing victims?
On 9/7/2011 8:14 AM, Corey Edwards wrote: > If only I had a dollar for every Nagios replacement ever started. This whole thing just reminded me of this: http://xkcd.com/927/ I realize this is for a final project and all, but I think S. Dale needs to give a concise statement/list of what he needs from people, and explain how this isn't going to compromise their PC somehow. Then maybe after all this is done we can pick apart the complexities or redundancy of his project =cP -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Advice on wireless AP vs. wireless router
On 9/7/2011 8:27 AM, Jeff Patterson wrote: > Hey everybody, > > I work in a very small company that builds custom automated manufacturing > machinery in the valley. We would like to be able to access the company > network and the internet while debugging the machines away from the wired > network connection at our desk. My boss would like to install a couple of > AP's so that we can connect to the network while at the machines. > > Personally, I don't see any different security concerns using our existing > wireless router (that currently has the wireless turned off) but he seems to > think that an AP is a safer solution. Are there any opinions about the > mater? > > I have looked at the specs of the AP he is interested in and it looks to me > to be a router. Am I missing something or is there a reason an AP is a > better solution? Actually, no, having a wireless AP is literally the same as just hanging a loose ethernet wire out there that you will always get a DHCP address from (don't talk to me about MAC filtering, or I'll talk to you about MAC spoofing). That said, if you need to cover that area, multiple nodes will likely be needed, and APs are easier to work with. If you have a router currently, you can put both APs into their own LAN separate from the regular LAN on your current router (it would just be a different interface on the router, though I don't know if your router has multiple interfaces or not). Then you can just firewall the two from each other and allow only the access to specific places on specific ports on the LAN from the WLAN. As to the AP he's looking at, if it has multiple interfaces and NAT settings, it's a router. Get APs. The actual AP is less of a concern compared to mounting, antennae, and standard (b/g or n?) that you will be using. Get some good antennae for coverage. If this is going to be an important service, invest in some APs that handle multiple clients better. Good luck! -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: BSD faster than Linux for 3D gaming?
On 9/8/2011 6:50 AM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > Hi All, > > Just thought I would bring your attention to an article at phoronix, > that claims that 3D linux gaming is faster under FreeBSD than it is > under Linux. > http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_games_bsd > Hehehe. The concept is misleading, and probably intentionally so. The first indicator is that they talk about FreeBSD compared to "Linux." Which flavor, and with what options, and what other processes are you running at the same time? "Faster" how? The only way it could do so is better CPU side performance since it's using the same libraries and everything anyway, and that's probably done by having a different scheduler and/or moving certain things from user space to kernel space, perhaps. The GPU side of things would perform the same, and the memory side of things is optimized in code, not kernel. Overall, "outperforming" linux in OpenGL games will boil down to marginal and unnoticeable differences, and could change with the next kernel release for either side of the comparison. The whole article is just incensing argument. "Did you know vim can outperfom emacs in code highlighting?" Everyone would read that article and nobody would get anything useful from it, but we'd probably argue about it. =cP -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: BSD faster than Linux for 3D gaming?
On 9/8/2011 2:41 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > No you completely missed the point of the article. Actually, I don't believe I missed it. I was pointing out, perhaps poorly, what Paul noted: the article is an unfair statement with little "point" other than to brag about FreeBSD in ways that don't actually matter. (I should point out my bias in that I am a gamer, which is largely why I have Windows on my desktop at home, and unfortunately I am experienced enough to care about more than just FPS when talking about game performance. I imagine everyone reading this would be as well, actually.) I would again point out that FreeBSD's ability to put out more frames per second would depend on a mountain of variables both not addressed in the article nor comparable between the two operating systems. This is a lot like when people talk about Windows performance vs Linux performance. They tend to not factor in the myriad of variables that make it apples and oranges, and reduce performance to a number they can put on a chart that doesn't represent much (think how many times we have to tell people how system "load" is not a performance indicator, it's just there to give a bit of a sense of health of the overall system, so you know if you have to look into what's running amok.) I may not be saying this very well, and I apologize, my thoughts are a bit scattered today. That doesn't make the article any less erroneous in its statements just because I can't point out it's mistakes in language everyone else can accurately understand. It just makes me poor at writing about their erroneous statements (assuming they're erroneous, which is my belief). Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: OT: was BSD faster than Linux for 3D gaming?
On 9/8/2011 6:20 PM, John Shaver wrote: > This thread interests me. I have never really tried FreeBSD. Does it > have different distros the same way linux does? Where would someone > recommend I start if I wanted to play around with it and familiarize > myself with it? > It has several flavors with their own mentalities and goals, much like Linux flavors. The ones I know of are FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD. I've only messed with Free and Open, personally. Open is intriguing to me because of their contribution to the Linux world with things like OpenSSH. You can typically just download one and install it like you would Linux. There's a lot of information out there on it, books, websites, youtube videos, etc, etc. I've enjoyed using it as a router in the past, and both m0n0wall and pfSense are based on FreeBSD if I recall correctly. I can't recall if they have a LiveCD/DVD version officially released, but someone's sure to have made one. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: javacript array question
On 9/9/2011 4:30 PM, Jonathan Duncan wrote: > On 09 Sep 2011, at 16:28, Levi Pearson wrote: > >> Good developers with good management and a bit of good fortune could make a >> nice web app in COBOL if they had to. >> > This, I would enjoy seeing. > It probably wouldn't be hard to get going, actually. You'd have to do a lot of boiler-plate code, but if I were to do it, I'd probably just use old-fashioned CGI and I think we'd be good. Any better ideas? -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: JOB: [Fwd: RE: TEKsystems]
On 9/14/2011 4:56 PM, Robert Merrill wrote: > Which still shocks me, as they have something like 10-20 full-time and > or contract recruiters there at the church and work with every. > recruiting. agency. in. the. valley. Haha. I remember a recruiter at Smith Johnson trying to tell me they had an exclusive arrangement with the LDS church for all their positions. It took a bit of effort not to snicker mockingly, but I let it slide. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Have lunch and learn about content management
On 9/16/2011 3:47 PM, Shane Hathaway wrote: > On 09/16/2011 02:38 PM, Richard Esplin wrote: > You're both pretty. Let's move on. =cP -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Scrolling on Gnome
On 10/2/2011 9:36 AM, Charles Curley wrote: > I have gnome 2.32 on Ubuntu Natty 11.04. It has a "feature" that is > driving me crazy enough that I may jump to XFCE or LDX if one of those > will get me away from it. > > In prior versions of Gnome, horizontal and vertical scrolling are > accomplished with the traditional scroll bar, which is adjacent to the > window being scrolled. The scroll bar is always there and runs the > length or height of the window. To use it you click in the scroll bar; > where you click and how determines the result you will get. > > I now see a new scrolling widget in some applications, e.g. evince. > Others (mercifully) don't show it and retain the scroll bar, e.g. > Firefox. The new widget looks like it was designed for mobile phones and > other real estate challenged devices. It is a small disappearing > tab with an up arrow on the top and a down arrow on the bottom (for > vertical scrolling). You can click on the up or down arrow, or grab the > slider and move it appropriately. The new widget is much smaller than > the traditional scroll bar, making it harder to use. > > It also disappears when you aren't using it. Its location is marked by > an even smaller colored blob somewhere along the appropriate edge of the > window. So to use the new widget, you must first locate the color blob, > then slide across it from the window out across the boundary. That > makes the widget show up. Only then can you click appropriately. > > Memo to Linux devs: My desktop and laptop are not real estate > challenged. You do not need to provide me with work-arounds for real > estate challenged devices on my laptop or desktop. All those > work-arounds do is get in my way. This is one of several reasons I > refuse to use Unity (Canonical's brain dead home-brew interface which > replaces Gnome unless you specify it at log-in time). > > My question is, how do I get rid of the new scroll widget, and get all > my apps to use the traditional scroll bar? > It's called an overlay scroll bar, and it IS annoying, but can be disabled one of two ways. You can remove the "overlay-scrollbar" package, or you can run this in a terminal: "echo "export LIBOVERLAY_SCROLLBAR=0" | sudo tee /etc/X11/Xsession.d/80overlayscrollbars > /dev/null". Then just re-log. Reference from when I did this to my install: http://www.tuxgarage.com/2011/04/disable-overlay-scrollbars-in-ubuntu.html -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Kernel sources
Does anyone happen to have a git repository of the kernel source tree or know where else I can get one? Kernel.org being down has basically been a thorn in my side at work for a week and a half now, and I'm having trouble finding alternatives. Note: I'm not a kernel hacker (and until the last week of pouring over its code, I didn't know much about it from a development standpoint) so I apologize ahead of time if I sound ridiculous in my terminology. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Kernel sources
On 10/2/2011 10:34 PM, Thomas S Hatch wrote: > > The kernel source has been moved to github for the time being: > https://github.com/torvalds/linux > > -Thomas S Hatch Perfect. Thank you so much! -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Linux most common config
On 10/6/2011 1:55 PM, Aaron Toponce wrote: > On Thu, Oct 06, 2011 at 09:51:47AM -0400, Francisco Diaz wrote: >> I have a question for those using Linux (more in particular RHEL or CentOS) >> in production environments: what is, based on your experience or >> conversations with other sys admins, the most popular, favorite, reliable, >> or what ever you want to call it, configuration/selection of FS(ext3/4,xfs, >> reiserFS, etc) and hard drive config (partitions, raidX, LVM, JBOD, etc) for >> a production system? >> >> I know that maybe the answer will depend on what apps you have in the server >> (DB, File Server, Mail, WebApps, etc), but in general, what is the most >> common scenario in production regarding to FS and HD config? > Unless I'm setting up something that has specific write/read performance > requirements, I setup ext4 on LVM on RAID5. I never use XFS on LVM, because > you can't shrink XFS filesystems. I would never put production on ReiserFS, > mostly because there is no future with it. > Beware of current ext4 setups for large arrays, mind you. You can NOT get bigger than 16TB with current tools, and they've been "heavily working on that" for 2 years now. Just FYI. In most of my setups I tend to use RAID6 or RAID1 (RAID1 usually on md with whatever server, RAID6 on the storage servers). I'm no storage nerd, but I like RAID6. btrfs is getting fun, but is still repeatedly slow in many scenarios and I haven't looked into why, so maybe do some research if you're going to jump into that boat this juncture. Eventually it WILL be the FS of choice, I'm sure. Separate boot partition, everything else in / and built on top of LVM. Backup boot somewhere else. Done. Swap, of course, I guess. I get the feeling it's not an exact science with me. Probably because it's more situational than anything, but that's my starting philosophy. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Meeting for October (Wednesday, Oct. 12, 7:30pm)
On 10/6/2011 4:29 PM, Steve Meyers wrote: > What we don't have yet is a presenter. I've reached out to a couple > people, but no luck so far. I can give a presentation on MySQL forks > that I gave a couple months ago at UPHPU, but I don't think that's an > ideal topic for PLUG. I'd personally love to see a presentation on LXC. > > Does anyone have a presentation they could give on short notice? Or any > other ideas for what you'd like to see? I'll try to schedule them out a > little more in advance for the future. > Linux audio production. Jason Jones runs an audio studio based on linux, and I think he would have some great things to show us. Django hacking. Gabe Gunderson is a jerk and might be convinced to talk about this anyway, and it's an interesting topic (at least to me). ipv6. I have no idea who would talk about it, but its importance is growing rapidly. Maybe it's time we took it under our knowledge belts. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Meeting for October (Wednesday, Oct. 12, 7:30pm)
On 10/9/2011 9:32 PM, Mike Lovell wrote: > is there anything in particular about ipv6 that the group wants to learn > about? its kind of a big topic so it would be helpful to know if there > is anything people have had questions about or problems they've run into. > I think just a general overview, what's different and/or important from ipv4, and maybe a bit on how to get started with it on our own, like at home or whatnot. That should spark a lot of discussion for afterward. I know there's a lot of places you can register and get your own ipv6 space, and I know if your ISP doesn't support it, there's a lot of support for tunneling it to a network that does, even a few years ago when my friend was showing me his setup on Comcast (at the time, they had no ipv6 support). It would be interesting to have sort of a PLUG followup on the list of people that got it setup and how they ended up working it all out, what their troubles were, etc. Just my 2 cents. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Meeting for October (Wednesday, Oct. 12, 7:30pm)
On 10/9/2011 9:32 PM, Mike Lovell wrote: > is there anything in particular about ipv6 that the group wants to learn > about? its kind of a big topic so it would be helpful to know if there > is anything people have had questions about or problems they've run into. > > mike > Thanks to Mike for a wonderful meeting. My first, so I guess I have nothing to gauge it with, but informative nonetheless. Thanks to Steve for setting it up, and a big thank you to Center7 for hosting. Their new data center is impressive. Now I need to setup ipv6 at home in an effort to frustrate myself! -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Job: Software Developer 1 (Springville)
On 10/25/2011 10:57 PM, Henry Paul wrote: > Flexible scheduling for school is mentioned, but it is not clear that > the primary candidate should be a student. If you're looking for > students / interns, say so in the ad. > > Henry I mean no disrespect, but limiting a position from "part-time with flexible scheduling" to "we only want a student" seems kind of dumb. Wouldn't you take someone who is working on their own business but needs something extra to make ends meet? Maybe a guy taking some time off the rat race to write his great American novel? Never limit your hiring unless it's a requirement of the job they'll be doing, and I don't know what job would require student status to perform. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Job: Software Developer 1 (Springville)
On 10/26/2011 10:26 AM, Henry Paul wrote: > I don't see how specifying students or interns would serve to > limit it any further than that. Actually, that's my point in a nutshell, you don't see it, and that doesn't necessarily mean what we think it means. You don't specify what isn't an actual job requirement based on what you don't see. The idea is that we do not know the circumstances people have in every regard, and making specifications with that in mind is not expanding your options, but can be limiting in ways we don't plan for. It is a form of self-injuring arrogance, and one any business would do well to avoid. Even the example of a recruiter asking for a job for less pay isn't going to do well by limiting the number of people he asks. If he's not being rude about it, the worst they can do is say no and possibly rant somewhere about how insulting it was to be asked. If he doesn't ask, he may miss a candidate that would be great for the job but fits outside the box the company has made for the position arbitrarily. This might sound more like salesmanship than recruiting, but that's only because that is exactly what recruiting is. A hire is a two-way sell. You sell your company, or you sell yourself, and self-limiting should only be done on actual requirements. A student is not a requirement of the posting in question, for instance, but might be for an on-campus job. Only one should specify "student" in its posting. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Community Colocation
On 11/17/2011 4:42 PM, Adam Dein wrote: > As a result, I'd like to gauge interest in the community for server > colocation. I'd like to go in on a single cabinet and spread the cost equally > across colocation partners. > I would avoid this, unless you have the bandwidth to manage a small company venture like this properly with all the community social politics involved. It is not likely to get ugly, but if it does, it would not be easy to handle, and could be costly in more than monetary ways. That said, if you still want to find a good price on a 1-2U space, you might want to talk to Robert Martin (rmar...@westhost.com) over at Virtual Internet (www.vi.net) and see what price they can give you. I have a 1U with them for personal use and it's not much more expensive than a linode, but I get more power because it's my own server. =c) They've been really good, and any complaint I could make is minor, even without taking the price into account. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: HDD Recovery Recommendations?
On 11/19/2011 9:01 AM, Mike Moore wrote: > Does anyone have any vendors they would recommend for hard drive recovery? > I have a 2.5" drive with a stuck head, I think. Its my wife's old drive and > we just need to recover some family photos. Friend of mine runs Hard Drive Heroes, and he's always been honest and good to me. I've never used his recovery service, but they're very affordable and I hear good things from their customers. http://harddriveheroes.net/ This is a side thing he does, mind you. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Recommendations wanted: external USB hard drive
On 12/13/2011 3:29 PM, Charles Curley wrote: > 1 terabyte (or larger) > USB 2 or 3 > No external power supply; must be powered from the USB bus. I'll be honest, I think you're asking for trouble on your last requirement for backups. If your main comp goes down or has a power issue, it could do a lot more damage (potentially) to the drive than if it were externally powered. It's not so cut and dry as to say "external power is better" but there's enough risk mitigated that I think for a backup scenario you'd want it separate from the machine. That said, I like Western Digital's external drives that I've used. I also like Seagate, but they've had a couple issues for friends. ymmv Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Video Streaming, a few questions.
On 12/30/2011 9:29 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > I've been brought in to consult for a new video streaming site that > expects to launch 3Q 2012. > We had a first meeting today and there were some questions that came > up that frankly I'm not sure the best answer to and I had hoped to > pick the brains of the good folks at PLUG to help me come up with some > answers. > > I can't speak to pricing, but working with studios for in-flight entertainment, I can speak quite handily to a lot of the other aspects of this. -Formats: an mp4 is a good, well-supported container format. I geek out on mkv personally, but it's a poor business decision when the support for it is nowhere near prolific enough. For audio streams, I'd go with AAC or MP3 audio. Video is good with H.264 with Baseline Profile for your portable devices, High Profile for your more powerful devices. Don't get sold on high bit-rates. At a certain point, it's just way more data to process and doesn't give you the extra quality. Doubling your bitrate for 10% quality improvement is silly (though how you measure quality in percentage is up to you). Have you thought about subtitles? Even if you don't offer them for the whole show, you'll need to consider them for some of the content being streamed. Trust me, it comes up a lot. Having a flexible sub format is important, and truth be told, I don't know what support for built-in filters are in all the OSes you mentioned, so there's a research project for you. -Storage/Transcoding: Don't transcode. Just don't. Encoded it in the different formats for target devices, and then let those devices handle minor differences in resolution or whatnot. Also, start a little lower in resolution than the device supports. The reason I say this is because a) transcoding is still rather CPU intensive, especially with the H.264 standard. Even with dedicated hardware, you're looking at only a few streams per device, whereas if you spent some cycles up front to encode them in different formats, you just need some minor extra storage, and then one server can serve several streams at once without much issue (assuming the storage array is well-designed). As for resolution, it is best if you can match the device exactly, but that's nearly impossible with the market today, and if you let the device upscale from a slightly lower resolution as opposed to a higher resolution than it can display, it tends to look better on the device (at least in all our testing over the years), takes less cpu/bandwidth for the device (also adding to quality), and you can cover a lot more devices with one encode. Where the line is drawn on how close you want to be to that resolution is up to you, really, and the studios you work with. It's a far less technical discussion than you'd think, all said and done. For reference, netflix typically streams a FAR less than blu-ray quality and the studios are fine with it, so don't think you have to go for broke to please anyone, especially customers. -Distribution: I'm unfamiliar with all the options for delivery of all this content, since we build our own delivery setups (it's not over the internet). I do know that Akamai is prolific in this space, but there may be newer players in this space that fit better. Amazon is certainly getting there, but I don't know how the price compares. I do know that it's all about bandwidth and number of connections. Latency is not going to be much of a factor, so if anyone talks to you about that, ignore that bit in their spiel. From discussions we've had about the subject, it seems to be more about having multiple points of presence and being able to distribute load between them. That's as much a function of your application side as it is about the delivery network. Tread lightly. Good luck. Let us know what you end up with! -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [UPHPU] planning, tracking, reporting, project management
On 1/6/2012 3:02 PM, Wade Preston Shearer wrote: > When it comes to projects/task management, I like less features than more and > a nice, clean UI. If I'm going to be using something every day, it needs be > easy and enjoyable. It also needs an iOS app (or at least a good mobile > version). > > > > Any other tools you'd recommend? > > Have you looked at Asana? www.asana.com It may or may not be good for you. It's simple, but flexible for a lot of ways of using it. I like its mobile version enough, though I wouldn't do any serious entry into it there. They have an iPhone app, I don't know if it works well on iPads or iPhones, for that matter. I personally do the Android thing, so no dice for me there. Good luck! -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: sudo not working
On 1/17/2012 12:21 AM, Scott Edwards wrote: >> Oh, and ifconfig is obsolete ;) "ip ftw" Wait... obsolete, or deprecated? By whom? =c/ -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Servers on the quick
On 1/19/2012 2:54 AM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > Hey all, > > I've got a couple SuperMicro servers that I've been sinking my time > into. They've been nothing but poorly documented/supported and > disappointing. I was trying to make them work as I have an approaching > deadline, but enough is enough. I think I'm just going to pick up > some HP ProLiant DLs. I still have a deadline, so I'm wondering if > anyone knows of a reseller that's well stocked and ships quickly. > > BTW, in this case, the cloud can't come to the rescue. Locally, PC Discounters tends to be a couple days from deliver-ability of several server options, but . I like them. Newegg obviously has what they have, but they don't test it, so it could be DoA, so, yeah. Mixed bag always. (I love Newegg, don't get me wrong.) I know of no Dell/HP resellers that can move that quick. They tend to order custom stuff from Dell/HP when you order, in my experience. The only problem I've ever had with the Supermicro's and Linux is the occasional NIC driver issue, and likely only because we've been using stock Debian. I have had RAID card issues in the past as well, but that's obviously not server vendor specific. It might be faster to figure this one out, really. (Call me if I might be of help there.) Good luck. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: February meeting - topic to be determined
On 1/22/2012 9:01 PM, Steve Meyers wrote: > Does anybody have a topic they'd be willing to present on, or ideas of > who I could contact to present? I've been working on a couple people, > but I'm not sure I'll be able to get either of them nailed down for > February. > Have we had a presentation on FreeSWITCH? Gabe Gunderson would give a good presentation on that, I think. If he's unwilling, I could give an entry-level overview of it, though I don't know how rewarding it would or would not be. VoIP is an interesting topic that becomes more relevant as we go, and I think it's a solution space for a lot of business needs that we would do well to get into, especially if we can avoid just learning Asterisk and calling it good. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: February meeting - topic to be determined
On 1/23/2012 11:40 AM, Richard Esplin wrote: > I have a presentation ready on building content-centric applications using > Alfresco as an example backend. I could practice it with the PlUG crew if > people are interested. > > The presentation is an introduction to content centric services, and I can > probably show examples in Java, Python, and PHP. The general idea is that we > as developers re-invent the wheel a lot because we don't realize that > off-the-shelf open source solutions can save a lot of custom code. > > Let me know, > > Richard I could be happy with this, as I have been meaning to look into Alfresco for a bit. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Jacked network bridges
On 1/28/2012 3:12 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > > This is what I know: > * Network B is jacked :) > * The problem is at layer 2. I know this because I can't arping from > set Y to set X even though they are tied to the same bridge. > * There are no duplicate MAC addresses. > * The whole process of building this setup is fully automated (via > fabric) and can easily be recreated, so it not a human error; it's > more like a misconfiguration (but why set X and not set Y?). Hosts in > set X and Y are all created with the same build process. > * The only thing that's different about them (and I think this *must* > be key) is that set X also has the 3rd interface to the C network. > But, that shouldn't have anything to do with network B not working :/ > * I need more sleep. I'm guessing this has to do with VLAN tagging, and I'm not entirely sure how all that works in virtual hosts let alone kvm/libvirt which I've never used thus far. The VLAN tagging could be working on Set X specifically because it has the 3rd interface. I don't know what that 3rd interface translates into on the wire, and on which of the 3 host's wires, but it's probably more telling than you're giving it credit for. Sorry I don't have more specific ideas on this. I'm kind of hoping a sounding board effect will be beneficial for you here, as your situation is very specific. Call me if you want to keep bouncing ideas back and forth. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: senior front-end/javascript developer
On 2/2/2012 3:37 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > I know of someone who recently contacted me who I think would fit the > bill. He's a plugger currently working as a Sys-Admin and looking to > transition into programming. My personal opinion is that he has the > requisite skills but may be unaware of it right now. If he's reading > this, my recommendation is that he apply. I'll BCC him with this > message and encourage him to apply. > > You're welcome :) > Darn, he wasn't singing /my/ praises. Oh to be so loved. =cP -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: senior front-end/javascript developer
On 2/2/2012 7:23 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > On Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 6:31 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: >> On Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 6:14 PM, Tod Hansmann >> wrote: >>> On 2/2/2012 3:37 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: >>>> I know of someone who recently contacted me who I think would fit the >>>> bill. He's a plugger currently working as a Sys-Admin and looking to >>>> transition into programming. My personal opinion is that he has the >>>> requisite skills but may be unaware of it right now. If he's reading >>>> this, my recommendation is that he apply. I'll BCC him with this >>>> message and encourage him to apply. >>>> >>>> You're welcome :) >>>> >>> Darn, he wasn't singing /my/ praises. Oh to be so loved. =cP >>> >> No problem Tod; I'll forward you the message. >> > Sorry for being a bit obtuse on that. I'm just trying to ensure that > I maintain some level of confidentiality& professionalism, while > remaining humorously serious. ;) > > Tod you would probably be a great fit too, I'm just not acquainted > with your skill-set. Anyways, this is Wade's thread and I don't want > to hijack it. So Wade? Have you talked to Tod about this yet? I'm not actually looking for anything, in all actuality. I only said anything in this thread as I thought it would be hilarious, and Gabe followed suit beautifully =c) Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Ethernet Pause Frame functionality
Pluggers, I've broached this subject before, and since have become far more educated on the effects of ethernet switching on the network. (We had thought dead clients were sending out bad data on the wire. Not so.) What we have is the same scenario as before: Server -> 8 port "smart" Gig switch -> 5 x 24 port unmanaged gig switches -> 100 clients (20 per switch) The issue is, the clients sometime hang, and we're sending multicast UDP traffic out from the server to all clients. It's not a multicast group anyone has to join, since we're just switching between the two. So really it behaves quite like broadcast traffic. When the clients do hang, sometimes we get pause frames to the server. Sometimes a few, and nothing is really problematic. Sometimes a lot, and it really slows things down. The server can be configured to ignore pause frames/flow control, and simply blast stuff out anyway. The protocol we're using has it's own flow control, so we don't really want pause frames, truth be told. So my theory and thus the question is, if we just replaced the 8-port switch with a switch that didn't have any 802.3x Ethernet Flow Control support, would pause frames basically be ignored throughout the whole system, and the server could blast out to any clients that could keep up as fast as it wanted? Would a hung client be able to slow anything down at the ethernet level? My own thinking says it would make Flow Control useless and the client, so long as it's not sending data anywhere, wouldn't be able to do anything to the rest of the network. I just need to verify that thinking. Mind you, 99% of the traffic is flowing one way from server to clients, and its UDP. Clients send very, very little back to the server. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Linux Desktops slow?
I feel like I'm screwing something up here simply because the disparity is so large, so bear with me. I've got a Lenovo laptop that's got one of the last Centrinos and doesn't support 64 bit. I've also got a mini-ITX with an i3 in it. Both have a gig or more of ram, and well supported hardware for Linux. The ITX box even has graphics acceleration and is all fancy. I've tried both with Ubuntu and Fedora Core, trying to do the "typical user" experience rather than something like my Gentoo Stage 1 from 10 years ago. It's an attempt to see where we're at for the less-than-tech-savvy, and quite frankly, I'm annoyed with how slow of a response these systems have. I have run Win XP on both and it seems to completely out-perform the popular Linux variants. Why are things not responsive and zippy when I'm doing nothing but browsing the web or editing text files? I've tried ext4 and btrfs on both, the Lenovo has an SSD in it now, and I really haven't installed any special services. My desktop experience from Gentoo in 2003 was a lot smoother, and well, I'm frankly disappointed, since Linux is supposed to be the leaner fighting machine for older hardware. Win7 on the ITX box doesn't seem to have a problem running Firefox or Scite. Ubuntu does. We're talking a good 10-15 seconds difference and then when switching tabs or whatnot in FF it will sometimes sort of hang for a second or two. What am I doing wrong here, and how do I run a modern Linux desktop flavor without the unbearable slowdown? Is this typical these days? When did we start slowing down? (I admittedly have only run Linux in a server setup for a good 5 years now, so I am quite possibly just out of touch with the trends on Linux on the desktop.) -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Ethernet Pause Frame functionality
On 2/3/2012 9:17 PM, Andy Bradford wrote: > You said it was ``smart'' but you didn't mention the brand. What is the > model of the 8-port switch? It's more likely that you need a better > switch. What are the specs on it? How many PPS can it handle? > > If the documentation doesn't tell you the performance that the switch > can deliver, then it's likely you need a better one. > > If you are flooding the switch, even from a single server to many > clients, and it is actually the switch that is sending out the pause > frames, then that could potentially block all clients. > > Andy It's a Netgear GS108t-200NAS, if I recall correctly (I'm not currently at the office). I'm actually not too worried about the flooding of the switch, as we're only sending 8 MB/s max from the server. Sometimes far less (3 MB/s) and we get pause frames not based on the server's state, but the clients' states. You aren't incorrect, of course. If this were faster, even beyond the point of 100 Mbit/s limitations, I'd think that would be a serious issue to look for, though. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Linux Desktops slow?
On 2/3/2012 9:22 PM, Nicholas Leippe wrote: > Try disabling desktop effects. > Windows XP didn't really have many on by default--so a better > comparison would be w/o the eye candy enabled. I've actually looked at that. With Ubuntu 10.04 it was a lot more responsive in the old-style desktop instead of Unity. Now they have Unity required, though I see now they have a Unity-2D at least. I may try Ubuntu with kubuntu-desktop installed and just get rid of Unity altogether just to see if it performs better. Then I might try similar in Fedora Core to give it a fair shake as well. Guess we'll see. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Ethernet Pause Frame functionality
On 2/3/2012 11:00 PM, Andy Bradford wrote: > Thus said Tod Hansmann on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:18:47 MST: > >> It's a Netgear GS108t-200NAS, if I recall correctly (I'm not currently >> at the office). I'm actually not too worried about the flooding of the >> switch, as we're only sending 8 MB/s max from the server. Sometimes >> far less (3 MB/s) and we get pause frames not based on the server's >> state, but the clients' states. > It might only be 8MB/s, but what is the size of your packets? If they > are 512 byte UDP datagrams, then that's between 6,144 and 16,384 packets > per second. Are you sure that Netgear can handle that? If the packet > size is even smaller, then increase the PPS and ask again. How big is > the buffer for forwarding packets on the switch? The specs don't seem to > give these details, but I'm not surprised about that for a $100 switch. > What about the rest of the infrastructure? I've never been impressed > with Netgear. They're cheap and poor performers. I wouldn't even > recommend them in a home, and definitely not in a business. > > But, it's also interesting your point about the clients sending the > pause frames. Are they not able to handle the packets? If a client sends > pause frames, that could possibly impact all clients, because there is > only one server, and ethernet frames will slow for *all* clients, not > just the one that sent it, if I'm not mistaken. > Mmmm, you bring up some interesting pieces of info. Two points. The size of the packets is about 1400 bytes, but never varies enough to push it to two frames being needed. I can't remember the exact number of bytes off the top of my head, but it has been brought up as a possibility. Pause frames may or may not be originating from the clients. We wouldn't know, because when pause frames start occurring at the server, the client is always in a state that we can't check it. It's hung or unconnectable at the very least. However, pause frames are only valid on the link, so they never get propagated through the switch. The server is seeing pause frames from the distributions switch. The switches could be sending pause frames to each other, and clients could be sending pause frames to their switches. We don't know, and finding out would be interesting, but incredibly difficult and expensive to setup. We actually don't mind if packets get dropped. The scenario I described was to sanity check the idea of using an even dumber switch as the distribution switch that doesn't support pause frames to eliminate them from the entirety of the LAN. If we are going too fast, we can account for that and slow down. A nice article on some scenarios where Ethernet flow control causes headaches you don't want (like mine) is here for those interested: http://virtualthreads.blogspot.com/2006/02/beware-ethernet-flow-control.html Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: no degree impedes climbing the ladder, was Re: mysql issue
On 2/10/2012 7:40 AM, Aaron Toponce wrote: > There is no substitute for experience, but credentials, such as degrees or > certifications, add a great deal of value to many potential employers. When > any employer looks at job candidates, credentials are a a common way to > sift through the candidates, and determine if they should come in for an > interview. Someone who is CCNA certified will likely get the Cisco network > administration job over the guy who doesn't. > > Lastly, I learned a great deal finishing my education. It was more than > just jumping through hoops. I learned some fascinating abstract principles > that have become very valuable in my career, such as lambda calculus, > tautology and graph theory. I approach problems different now, than I did > before I finished school. It's clear to me that I spend more time thinking > about the problem, than just brute forcing it, looking for a solution. For > me, even if it does nothing for me financially, it has done a great deal > for me mentally. YMMV. > I think the value of degrees and certifications is something one must factor into their decisions about how to market themselves. That said, it should be factored in with the appropriate eye. Degrees and certifications are one of many things that can go on your resume and will mean something to readers of your resume, but like having "Eagle Scout" on your resume, will not necessarily impress the audience you're going for. I personally have found networking and building professional relationships with people to be far more valuable than pieces of paper, but that's not something that applies to all situations. It also depends on your field. For instance, in software development, degrees get you hired at entry level far more prolifically, but at higher rungs on the "ladder" so to speak, I find that experience is valued far more in many shops than degrees, and if you have successfully shipping products in the industry, you are sought after. Getting a job is hardly ever easy, and should be addressed as the many nuanced sales dance that it is. Depending on your field, different things matter to different people, and there is no silver bullet to all employers. Aaron makes an excellent point about education, though, and it's the only reason I've ever considered going back to school. I don't think there's a reason to think it will instantly get me more credibility anywhere I'm particularly interested, but I'd really like to learn some specific stuff and I don't think my home study is getting very far with the distractions home life brings. As he said, your mileage may vary. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Apple and dual monitors
On 2/12/2012 1:33 PM, James Noble wrote: > I have seen that some people on this list use Macs for development. So > hopefully someone will have done this. I have some developers that would > like to use them as well but I don't want to pay for the dual monitors from > Apple with the Thunderbolt port. As far as I can see the only way to > connect dual monitors without Thunderbolt is to use the mini to dvi cable > and then connect another monitor through a usb port. Has anyone either done > this and been happy with the setup or has anyone come up with a better > solution? > I really, really don't want to start a format war on the list, so hopefully the reader can separate platform tastes and business sense from my position here. (Caveat: if you're developing for iOS or MacOSX, well, this is all moot and you can stop reading now). Tell them no. There's no business case for spending 2-3x as much on the hardware to run most likely the same software (or very, very similar). None. Let me emphasize that: "no business case." If your devs prefer working on a Mac, ok, more power to them and their own budgets. If they can't be productive on another platform with the same tools, they are not developers, and are not worth your time (or the gobs of money they're costing). I'm very serious about this. Macs make no business sense unless you're developing for Macs/iP* and even then, you shouldn't be using Macs for most of your workforce (accounting on Macs? Please spend more responsibly). We're not even diving into the manageability and other costs unrelated to just purchasing them. Sorry to be so harsh. I just have no way of buttering it up. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Perl Hangout
On 2/14/2012 3:51 PM, Jonathan Duncan wrote: > On 14 Feb 2012, at 11:36, Amjith Ramanujam wrote: > >> Couple of caveats: >> >>- Hangout is limited to 10 simultaneous connections. >> > I thought you could also have an unlimited number of view-only connections. > Maybe they changed that. > They have that, but I don't know if it's freely available to whomever throws it up. Worth looking into more. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: USB headsets
On 2/22/2012 2:22 PM, Kyle Waters wrote: > Looking for a recommendation for USB headset w/ mic. These are to be > used in a call center. > > Kyle > I'm assuming you're using VoIP here, and you need a PC headset. Back when I ran a call center (a couple years ago) we just used pretty much anything Plantronics. We tried several other brands/models, but the ones that were good quality sound broke quite quickly. Plantronic's stuff was consistently good sounding and rarely had to be replaced, while at the same time didn't get too expensive. We stayed anywhere between $15-40 depending on the deals at the time and which batch we were testing. YMMV -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Meeting tomorrow: An Outsider's View of node.js (Stuart Jansen)
On 3/15/2012 8:57 AM, Daniel Fussell wrote: > On 03/15/2012 08:46 AM, Steve Meyers wrote: >> On 3/15/12 7:43 AM, Daniel Fussell wrote: >>> The meeting is too late for pi day; we all had our pie yesterday. It's >>> now the Ides of March. Perhaps you should bring a Caesar Salad instead. >> Yes, but the meeting was yesterday, so Pi Day still qualified. >> > Dough! Only in the crust, really. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Survey results
On 3/19/2012 2:58 PM, Joshua Marsh wrote: > On Mar 19, 2012 10:17 AM, "Jonathan Duncan" > wrote: >> I am pleased to see that Vim is by far the most preferred text editor. > :) Take that Emacs! > > I was surprised by this. I guess I'm a dying breed. I'll have to crack open > a vim book. > Actually, I'm fairly certain this is mostly because vim is much more Sys Admin friendly and we have a mix of those heavier in programmer-centric interests and systems administration-centric interests. It's a mixed bag (though still slightly vim heavy from what polls I've seen) in the programming world, and very one-sided in the admin side. There's lots of reasons for that, mostly availability and unified configurations. For instance, I can't use either vim OR emacs as my programming editor because I have to jump on various servers using logins I share with other people, so I can't customize much of the editor to fit my desires. emacs isn't on all systems, and vi (some variation) is part of the standard, so it's on every system everywhere, even if it's not vim proper. I don't think that's a reflection for or against emacs. It just is what it is. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
PLUG peeps, Preface: I did the whole raw html files, maybe w/javascript back in the mid-90's. I did CGI with C. I did PHP since PHP3 came out. I have attempted several times to look at JavaEE and the lives I've broken because of the rage it induced is tragic to behold. So I'm not "new" to the field, I just haven't done any serious webdev outside of PHP or django in a while. The problem: Web dev sucks. PHP is still, well, PHP. It was nice as a change of pace from CGI. I like that it's simple, and works easily with Apache. It just doesn't perform well, and it's PHP. The problem I'm faced with is, what else is there, really? How can I just do simple webdev again without the problem that is PHP? (Seriously, when your interpreter performs differently based on what KIND of whitespace you have between your brackets, you are no longer my friend.) Python: Django and Pylons are both overcomplicated and constantly changing. (Is it just a python thing in general to wildly change your codebase on a whim?) I like Django, I've worked with it, but if I wanted to write a blog, right now, I could do it from scratch in a few hours with PHP if I knew nothing of PHP (or in my sister's case when she did so, any programming at all), or I could spend the next 4 days learning django enough to start actually writing the code for my blog in python, and then wonder how the heck it's getting executed under all those layers. Ruby: I realize this is a personal thing, but I hate Ruby. Regardless, Rails is no saner than django, and its performance is still terrible, even if I didn't hate Ruby. A friend of mine like Sinatra, but agrees that the Ruby side too suffers from changing way too much for our tastes between versions. Perl: Well, I've been looking at this. It's still good, but it's still the old CGI model. There's progress with PSGI, but it's all very experimental, or if not considered such, doesn't work with Apache at all (or is just a veneer over CGI/FastCGI). mod_psgi is... less than mature. So I guess if I'm going back to CGI, I'm fine, but that's not "the modern way", is it? Maybe this is stable/mature for Perl? I've never been part of Perl culture, so I don't know. There's my overall feel, what's yours? (Gundy's going to be in here for django, I'm sure. I'm all for it, if it would just get out of the way with it's apps and its huge learning curve) How would you make web dev fun and easy and stable again? (As stable as web dev ever gets, I suppose) -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/16/2012 8:43 PM, Thomas S Hatch wrote: > > > On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 8:40 PM, Tod Hansmann > mailto:plug@todandlorna.com>> wrote: > > PLUG peeps, > > > > https://github.com/jayferd/balls Well done, sir. I award you 10 internets xD -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/16/2012 9:47 PM, Charles Curley wrote: > On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:40:11 -0600 > Tod Hansmann wrote: > >> The problem: Web dev sucks. > Then don't do web dev. Even AFS internals are better. Or do something > completely different. > This is a great sentiment, but doesn't apply when you've got to do something on a web server to solve a problem. Everyone has situations like that in both the professional and personal tech worlds. (I suppose in that light, Bash on Balls is actually quite apt, hehe). -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/16/2012 9:02 PM, Jon Jensen wrote: > On Mon, 16 Apr 2012, Jason Hall wrote: > >>> Perl: Well, I've been looking at this. It's still good, but it's >>> still the old CGI model. There's progress with PSGI, but it's all >>> very experimental, or if not considered such, doesn't work with >>> Apache at all (or is just a veneer over CGI/FastCGI). mod_psgi >>> is... less than mature. So I guess if I'm going back to CGI, I'm >>> fine, but that's not "the modern way", is it? Maybe this is >>> stable/mature for Perl? I've never been part of Perl culture, so I >>> don't know. >> >> wait, what? old CGI model? >> >> This is Perl, there are more web frameworks than you can shake a >> stick at. Ones that are truly perlish, others that are clones of >> whatever flavor you like from any other language. And most all plug >> into mod_perl if you want apache for the most powerful combination >> you can get. nginex and others work as well. >> >> Whether you want a modern kitchen sink tool like Catalyst, embedded >> code like Mason, toolkits like CGI::Ex. There is a wide variety of >> very mature options. > > Yes, and Plack/PSGI are not experimental or new. They work well with > Apache, lighttpd, or nginx, using standard HTTP proxying to a daemon > running in Starman or Twiggy: > > http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?Starman > http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?Twiggy > > Aside from what Jayce mentioned, for getting started quickly and > keeping it relatively simple, Dancer and Mojolicious are very popular > and well-supported: > > http://perldancer.org/ > http://mojolicio.us/ > > IMHO there's nothing wrong with writing CGIs for truly lightweight > stuff you don't want a daemon for, but I wouldn't use the old core CGI > modules for new code. > > Jon > This is all very good information I'm pouring over. (This is what not being a Perl guy does, I suppose. It gives you very little exposure to these sorts of things). I've seen some reference in some presentations and articles, but always in reference to FastCGI or WSGI (with a couple mod_perl references that seemed to push for going the FastCGI route instead). Thanks for all the links. I will be familiarizing myself here for a while, I think. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/17/2012 2:21 AM, Bryan Petty wrote: > Embrace the change, unless you just like making ironic complaints > about wanting something new and different. Regards, Bryan Petty To be clear: my goal has been to get other perspectives than my own, and hopefully enhance my understanding so when I make obviously sensational statements like "web dev sucks," they will be more informed. Thus the irony was intentional, not meant to be offend. I might also note that I totally use django at home. At work, however, we're not a web dev shop, and nobody is going to be able to quickly pick up django to make a quick modification to the app 4 months from now if I'm dead or something. Furthermore, if the django team decides to wildly change things in their new dot release, which also has all the security fixes, it becomes a potential risk point that is fairly new in the web development world. (Remember the huge to-do when PHP 5 came out, and their object model barely worked, and it broke everything and everyone you held dear? Then PHP 5.1 fixed a lot of that, but re-broke everything you had? Good times, man. Good times.) I'd love if there was a holy grail here, but I am not naive to think I can have it all. I just know PLUG has a lot of diverse and in-depth perspectives on a lot of these areas. So far it's yielded a lot of great information! Including Bryan's here. Thanks to everyone, keep it rolling. Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/17/2012 2:57 PM, John Shaver wrote: > On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 12:25 PM, Lonnie Olson wrote: >> * PHP can scale very well, see wordpress.com > I wouldn't use wordpress as an example of that. Wordpress has a huge > security vulnerability discovered nearly every other day. In my > (probably meaningless) opinion this is largely due to their choice of > PHP. However I understand why they choose to continue using it. It's > pretty much on every webserver out there. It's like a virus really. > For posterity: I never said PHP didn't scale. Scalability in web these days is less about language and more about design of the web app, the IT environment, the network, etc. I said PHP didn't perform. And it doesn't, comparatively speaking. That may or may not matter in whatever we might do with it, but it is there. In related news: I think I'm settling on some interesting results for my own projects (ymmv). For simple projects where I just want to display a page with some dynamic bits, a simple mod_php style structure with some quick scripts to serve up stuff is great. For complex sites with things like a userbase and lot's of changing/sensitive data, a web framework with tools to help manage a lot of that is likely more useful. What you choose for either scenario is still (as we always knew) probably more determined by your language choice, maintainability factors, and supportability needs. Again, your mileage may very. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/18/2012 10:02 AM, Stuart Jansen wrote: > On Wed, 2012-04-18 at 09:49 -0600, John D Jones III wrote: >> Quite personally, I would rather be set on fire than have to work with >> Django OR PHP. Whitespace should never EVER be cause for a fatal error >> in a web app, and both are guilty of this. > What are you talking about? > > If you're talking about about accidental whitespace in a require()'d > file, that's trivial to avoid. You probably haven't used PHP much or > you'd realize you don't have a leg to stand on. Nonetheless, I'll give > it to you because PHP is a horrible language for other reasons. > http://codepad.org/mQ1GHYeS http://codepad.org/HP2jTt0x Just throwing that out there. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/18/2012 2:31 PM, Stuart Jansen wrote: > On Wed, 2012-04-18 at 12:29 -0600, S. Dale Morrey wrote: >> Ok so has anyone here actually tried Scala& Liftweb? My opinion is that >> its by far the best solution for most of what we've been talking about. > Are you volunteering to do a presentation for Plug? You're making a > pretty big claim, and I for one would be interested in learning more. > > His ideas intrigue you, and you'd like to subscribe to his news letter? My only problem with the Scala/Liftweb solution is this: nobody I am ever going to hand that off to is going to look at me with joy in their eyes at the wonderful state of things that I have left them. Nobody. They might, in a best case scenario, thank me later for forcing them to learn something new that turned out well. It would be silly of me to expect as such, and it's more likely to be scorn they will then pass on to anyone else I know and this is called bad PR. Maintainability is important for more than just you if you work with more than just you. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Webdev: the times, they are a changin'
On 4/18/2012 8:26 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > Case in point. Ever had code you wrote a couple of months ago, you > went back and looked at and now you have no clue anymore how or why it > works? No, actually. I comment anything larger than a few dozen lines, I don't work in Perl really (zing!), and I have a good long-term memory (which is aided by the fact that I don't write a ton of code every day). I still have C/C++ code from when I was 16 that I recall exactly how it works (most of that is a MUD, just so we don't think I'm making a big boast here). I imagine if I was a real programmer, I'd have more of that issue, though. I do sometimes misplace files, or have entire directories that I archive and then forget exist, and find a few years later and wonder what they were there for. I imagine this is a similar mechanic. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: send and receive faxes via email
On 5/9/2012 1:31 PM, Merrill Oveson wrote: > Question: What about security? > > Faxes are good for credit card information. > > Does sending or receiving a fax via email present a security risk? > > I'm going to go ahead and disagree here. How, exactly, does a fax mean more security than an email for credit card info? I'm not very paranoid about my credit card info, but I don't send it over fax OR email, and prefer to give it over the phone to a verified agent of the company I'm sending it to. (I make that sound fancy, but someone I'm reasonably sure is supposed to be taking my CC info and treating it appropriately). If I'm sending it via email or fax, I would presume it's in the lobby behind the receptionist just waiting for anyone to come pick it up, including the receptionist. I'm with Jonathan Duncan, faxes need to die. Anyone asking for a fax should be told in the most serious tone possible: "If I can page you right after it finishes, I will fax you. If you don't have a pager, you need to leave its cousin out of our relationship so we can remain friends in the current century." I've used efax.com and I think they're pretty pricy for what amounts to just faxes, but there you have it. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Help on a Job Descriptions
On 5/23/2012 10:15 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > I see nothing wrong with either description. You may wish to include more > details such as environments and tools used, how much experience you want > with each and what the pay range is. Team size and position in the team. > Perks and benefits are good info to have as well. Also I personally like > to know about the company itself such as the name, what they do, how long > have they been in business are they publically held or private etc. > > Location can also be important too. > On May 23, 2012 10:00 PM, "Nathan Blackham" wrote: > >> Guys, >> >> I know I stay mostly quiet on this list, but I need some help. I >> recently took over as manager of a new team responsible qualifying our >> OS on new hardware as well as new kernels and OS components on >> existing hardware. The process is currently mostly manual, and the >> goals is to automate this testing as much as possible. In addition to >> the qualification, the team owns building out test hardware as well as >> deploying the qualified OS to production so that new builds can use >> the newly qualified OS. >> >> I am struggling to create a good job description for the positions >> that I have open on the team. I am hoping that you can help me create >> some solid job descriptions that would catch your interest and make >> you think about applying. I have 2 categories of positions: Software >> Developers and System Engineers. >> >> The System Engineers that I am looking for would be the ones to run >> the tests, build the test capacity, and deploy out the software. I >> want Engineers who will work hard on scripting the process away so it >> is automated and less error prone. >> >> The Software Developers that I am looking for are ones who want to >> build test automation, including automating workflows, testing, and >> analyzing results. Much of the testing is performance testing as >> well, so people who are passionate about benchmarks and making sure >> that we are testing the right stuff. >> >> I am happy to share the job descriptions that I currently have but >> would love to have ideas from the group about the things that you like >> to see in a job description. >> >> And if any of you are interested, feel free to contact me and I will >> be happy to talk to you more about the positions. >> >> Thanks Guys, >> Nathan Blackham >> One thing I often see neglected that this list in particular brings up a lot is location. If you're in SLC, you want to save people who don't like SLC the trouble of having to waste time asking. From a personal standpoint, I like to see details on necessary requirements of technology understanding. Basically, if I need to know virtualization, you should say so. If I need to know VmWare ESX specifically, you should say that. Don't be specific unless it really should be specific. Otherwise, leave specifics in parenthesis as a preferred item (SonicWall preferred). Everything else Dave suggested is awesome as well. Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Help on a Job Descriptions
On 5/24/2012 1:28 AM, Nathan Blackham wrote: > > > On Wednesday, May 23, 2012, Tod Hansmann <mailto:plug@todandlorna.com>> wrote: > > > > One thing I often see neglected that this list in particular brings up a > > lot is location. If you're in SLC, you want to save people who don't > > like SLC the trouble of having to waste time asking. From a personal > > standpoint, I like to see details on necessary requirements of > > technology understanding. Basically, if I need to know virtualization, > > you should say so. If I need to know VmWare ESX specifically, you > > should say that. Don't be specific unless it really should be > > specific. Otherwise, leave specifics in parenthesis as a preferred item > > (SonicWall preferred). Everything else Dave suggested is awesome as > well. > > Location is in Seattle, WA. We are paying relocation. > > Good thoughts on the Qualifications. I have had a hard time on > narrowing down some of the qualifications. We used python mostly but > interface with some java, but I expect a good developer to be able to > pick up any language, so I don't know how much that is a requirement. > Am I off base with that? > > I expect a good understanding of how Linux works and good > troubleshooting skills. I want people who care about automation and > quality. > I don't think you're off base, but quantifying it in a way that's meaningful for your target audience (smart developers) is important. Saying, "programming skills" is a good start, but narrowing it down to things like "systems administration scripting" or "hacking in multiple languages" are more specific to your intent and attitude. It will find you a better match BEFORE the interviews if you're communicating accurately. Your last mention there is a good tell. "An eye for automation and quality" is probably a good line to add to your job posting, as it tells people what you're referencing your focus toward. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Help on a Job Descriptions
On 5/30/2012 2:54 PM, Nathan Blackham wrote: > Adding System Engineer Description. > > Are you an experienced Linux System Engineering who cares about > quality and performance? Do you crave making an OS stable and > reliable? Do you want to help build the world’s premier cloud > environment? Then this is the job for you. > > The team is responsible for qualifying the OS platform that is used to > support the Amazon's server infrastructure. This includes qualifying > both new software and new hardware. The team is also responsible for > automating the qualification of this platform and releasing the > platform to production. > > We are seeking a talented and highly motivated System Engineer to join > the team. The responsibilities include building test capacity, > running qualifications and deploying the platform to production. We > are looking for someone who is good at system level scripting to help > automate these tasks as we move to a “no touch” qualification model. > We want someone who understands how to scale fleets as well as dive > deep into troubleshooting problems that arise. > > Most of our tools are currently in Python, but we do have some in Java and > Perl. > > The position is located in Seattle, WA > > For more information on Amazon Web Services please visit: > http://aws.amazon.com > - > > s/Engineering/Engineer/g I didn't read much after that, but the skimming seemed ok. Bonus points if you can make it satirically 50's style. (Not really. That would be bad.) -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Humble Bundle 5 has landed
Folks, http://www.humblebundle.com/ I've touted one of their deals before. This one is just as good. It's cross-platform and DRM free, and they're some really good quality games. Limbo alone is an excellent ambient puzzle platformer and one I think my kids will enjoy. If you do the gaming thing, even casually, this is likely worth your while. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
A Presentation on FreeSWITCH
So, I've been tasked with organizing a possible PLUG meeting on FreeSWITCH. Thus, I want to know what PLUGers might be interested in on the topic, as it's a bit expansive, and I'm only familiar currently with a small piece of it. What, as an introductory presentation, would you like to know/discuss about this wonderful open source project? Supposedly we have until September or later to get this all together. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Perl Modules: CPAN vs Yum
On 6/29/2012 10:10 PM, Jacob Albretsen wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm not a Perl guy, but the devs at my company have asked me to put together > an application server (CentOS 5) for them which runs a Perl application. In > the past before they hired me as the sysadmin, it was thrown together as > quickly as possible and not documented very well because they needed to get > back to coding. I'm now wanting to figure it out and document it correctly > and > automate the process as much as possible with Kickstart and Salt. > > The devs handed me a long list of needed Perl modules. I've messed with CPAN > before so I've spent two days playing with it again trying to install modules > on some VMs and getting a feel for what I'm up against and finding a headache > or two along the way. I've also discovered that a good portion of these > modules are available in either the CentOS base repository for EPEL. However > there are a number I would still need to use CPAN to get installed. > > I've noticed that "instmodsh" will only list modules installed by CPAN, but > not by Yum. To get all modules I have to use more elaborate methods. > > So the question is is it a good practice to mix the two ways to install > Perl modues? Will I run into issues mixing the two? Why don't the devs just include any libraries they want inside the app they want you to deploy. Then the app isn't botched when a sysadmin who doesn't know all the nuances of the apps (read: any sysadmin ever) needs updates a teeny library? You can still get lists of what's installed and check for security updates you think are important enough to get them to update them in the app and redeploy after they run their testing. This also has the advantage of making the app completely portable as long as it has a compatible version of perl installed. It's the best of all worlds, and the devs are doing it anyway on their own machines. Anyway, that's just my thought on it. Not really "best practice" or anything. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Perl Modules: CPAN vs Yum
On 7/3/2012 4:30 PM, Jared Smith wrote: > On Tue, Jul 3, 2012 at 1:14 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: >> Why don't the devs just include any libraries they want inside the app >> they want you to deploy. > There are several compelling reasons not to bundle libraries, but the > one that sticks out the most in my mind is when a security problem is > found in one of the bundled libraries. You essentially have to go > through and and make sure that each bundled copy of the library gets > updated with the security patch. If you instead link to one single > library, once that's updated, you know that every user of that library > is now secure. > > A second reason is forking. When you bundle libraries, it becomes > really tempting to fork the bundled library and add your own patches > to it, rather than pushing patches upstream. > > Trust me -- no sysadmin worth his salt wants a dozen different > versions of a single library in various places on a machine, let alone > a dozen forked copies of said library. This is why the packaging > guidelines in many distributions (such as Fedora) prohibit bundled > libraries > > So, I agree with your reasoning here, but all the problems you just listed also apply to mixing OS packages (debs, rpms, etc) and CPAN modules. The difference is that keeping the app working when a security patch needs to be applied is now the devs' sole problem, as opposed to a problem for both the devs' AND the sysadmin, which is never a good workflow design. Not to mention, I don't know how it is with perl, but with python it's pretty easy to just flip a --prefix option and install to where you want, and make sure your app is the only thing using it. As for forking, that's not a bundling problem, that's a poor development team problem. With perl and their ilk especially, you don't have to fork to extend functionality of a module. If the dev team wants to fork someone else's code, they are literally asking for more work. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Perl Modules: CPAN vs Yum
On 7/3/2012 6:15 PM, Steve Meyers wrote: > On 7/3/12 6:05 PM, Stuart Jansen wrote: >> On Tue, 2012-07-03 at 11:14 -0600, Tod Hansmann wrote: >>> Why don't the devs just include any libraries they want inside the app >>> they want you to deploy. >> And here we have a perfect illustration of why sysadmins hate >> developers. > And vice versa. :) > > As a sysadmin, I try to make clear with the devs that my job is to help > them do their job better, but I need their cooperation to do my job > better as well. I explain the constraints and concerns we have in > sysadmin land, and try to work out the best compromises. In some cases, > that has meant bundling libraries, but in a more controlled manner. I do both roles at my current job. I tend to just pick the route which will require the least amount of work within a reasonable amount of security. I imagine having to deal with the political struggles amounts to a lot less getting things done, and a lot more "this isn't my job." I don't particularly care for that, but I understand others have to deal with it anyway. So, your mileage may vary, and everyone will have a different line drawn somewhere, but both ends of the spectrum are important to understand, I think. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Seeker - Sr. Linux Admin - Considering move to SLC/Provo
On 7/17/2012 11:10 PM, Alan Evans wrote: > On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 1:04 AM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > >> Just an fyi wages here in Utah are competitive with those of 3rd world >> countries, but working conditions are slightly better. > Haha, I love it and noted... :) > I highly disagree with this sentiment as expressed, and think you should note the following clarification: There are a decent sized set of companies in Utah that believe that tech people should work for peanuts. They find people who will work for peanuts (who are often subpar, but not always), and this mistakenly reinforces their idea. Talented people who believe in themselves and don't sell themselves short can find companies willing to pay much higher wages for that talent. This differing opinion stuff happens much more often in smaller companies and startups in the area. As an example, I once interviewed with a company here in Orem for a position that involved managing their servers and working on a PHP application for their Asterisk box. If this wasn't enough expertise, they also wanted someone who could maintain and extend their ASP.NET/C# web application. I noted to them that these are competing expertise pools, and that while I could work in both, I was not an "expert" as they were constantly using the term. For this position, they immediately offered to pay $35,000 a year. This was a ridiculous wage for my experience level and the position they were offering, and I told them as such, and wished them luck. Last I heard, they had gone through 3 people that didn't work out within 5 months. I have a lot more stories like this. Needless to say, I also have stories of companies willing to pay very well for the industry to attract actual talent to do interesting things, including most of my jobs here in Utah. You just need to be prepared to hold to your guns and not sell yourself short. Cheers, -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: cloning running linux machine through network, strategy and tactics
On 8/7/2012 3:27 PM, Joshua Marsh wrote:
> On Aug 7, 2012 2:49 PM, "Ryan Byrd" wrote:
>> [root@CurrentlyRunningServer ~]$ rsync -ave ssh --delete /* root@NewServer
> :/
> --exclude={/etc/sysconfig/*,/dev/*,/proc/*,/sys/*,/tmp/*,/run/*,/mnt/*,/media/*,/lost+found,/home/*/.gvfs}
>> Then he'd just set up the new ip addresses on the new server, and WHAMMO!
>> web server #2.
>>
>> Good idea? bad idea? something better?
> You should check out tool like salt or chef. They were designed to do thing
> like this, but in a cleaner, more reliable manner.
>
>
Seconded. I will also add that if you have a filesystem capable of
doing snapshots, just copy the snapshot of the whole filesystem over
instead of copying the VFS version. I've heard of utilities that will
monitor for file changes and keep copying over changes files, and I hear
good things about Mondo, but I could be mistaken since I've never used it.
The way I'd personally do it if there wasn't a snapshot method available
is: a) image copy the whole drive over or b) use this opportunity to
build a "build process" that's possibly even scripted. The salt/chef
style setup may be good here.
-Tod Hansmann
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Re: call center equipment
I'd pay $30 for one of the phones. Heaven knows I need something for the FreeSWITCH presentation in October. If you have a better offer, I totally understand, but there's my hat in the ring. Cheers, -Tod Hansmann On 8/9/2012 11:48 AM, Nicholas Leippe wrote: > I built a small voip call center for a friend. His business plan > didn't work, so the equipment is up for sale. > I believe there are: > > 9x polycom 320/321 (can't remember which) PoE voip phones > 9x windows xp workstations (512MB-1GB ram each) > 1x 24-port gigabit PoE switch (extreme networks summit 300-24 L2/L3 managed) > 1x walmart-special pc used as sip-ecs voip server > 1x ancient pc running linux as a firewall I can throw in > > 11x cubicle stations > All is located in Orem near walgreens. (~800 S Orem Blvd/courtesy way). > > Make an offer on all or some of it. (off list of course) > > Nick > > /* > PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net > Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug > Don't fear the penguin. > */ > /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: call center equipment
Good Job, Tod. Click Reply instead of Reply List, and just go ahead and trust it's going off list. Don't take a second to look this time. That won't bite you at all. =cP -Tod Hansmann On 8/9/2012 6:33 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: > I'd pay $30 for one of the phones. Heaven knows I need something for > the FreeSWITCH presentation in October. If you have a better offer, I > totally understand, but there's my hat in the ring. > > Cheers, > -Tod Hansmann > > On 8/9/2012 11:48 AM, Nicholas Leippe wrote: >> I built a small voip call center for a friend. His business plan >> didn't work, so the equipment is up for sale. >> I believe there are: >> >> 9x polycom 320/321 (can't remember which) PoE voip phones >> 9x windows xp workstations (512MB-1GB ram each) >> 1x 24-port gigabit PoE switch (extreme networks summit 300-24 L2/L3 >> managed) >> 1x walmart-special pc used as sip-ecs voip server >> 1x ancient pc running linux as a firewall I can throw in >> >> 11x cubicle stations >> All is located in Orem near walgreens. (~800 S Orem Blvd/courtesy way). >> >> Make an offer on all or some of it. (off list of course) >> >> Nick >> >> /* >> PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net >> Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug >> Don't fear the penguin. >> */ >> > /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: call center equipment
On 8/9/2012 7:06 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: >> Heaven knows I need something for the FreeSWITCH presentation in October. > I have some phones you can use, if needed. I'm looking forward to the > FreeSWITCH presentation! > > Still, those are good phones, so you might still buy a few :) > > Gabe > Indeed they are. Having my own to hack on would be good, but I may actually pick on some extra hardware from you later for PA demo stuff or something. I haven't quite architected the whole thing (getting back into FreeSWITCH has been a double-edged sword, hehe). -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Looking to buy two raspberry pi's
I am thinking of making one into the main bits of a 4-player arcade cabinet for my kids using an old TV. MAME should run fine on the thing. -Tod Hansmann On 8/10/2012 9:51 AM, Ryan Moore wrote: > Just ordered one -- I can't wait to be surprised in 12 weeks plus shipping > time. What projects / uses do you pluggers have in mind for yours? > > On Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 8:29 AM, Adam Stevenson > wrote: > >> Looks like that is what I'll have to do. I was just hoping to be able >> to get them a little quicker. >> >> Thanks >> >> On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 1:57 PM, John Rosenquist >> wrote: >>> -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- >>> Hash: SHA1 >>> >>> There is a 12 week lag, but here's a site you can buy them at. >>> >>> http://www.alliedelec.com/lp/120626raso/ >>> >>> John >>> >>> >>> On 08/09/2012 12:30 PM, Adam Stevenson wrote: >>>> Hello everyone, >>>> >>>> I know there was a thread a while ago about raspberry pi devices. I >>>> am looking to pickup two devices if anyone is interested in selling >>>> theirs. If you are let me know! >>>> >>>> Thanks >>>> >>>> Adam >>>> >>>> /* >>>> PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net >>>> Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug >>>> Don't fear the penguin. >>>> */ >>>> >>> -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- >>> Version: GnuPG v2.0.17 (GNU/Linux) >>> Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ >>> >>> iEYEARECAAYFAlAkFi8ACgkQVwdgN7hXbdG2HQCbBMy+yS71vuqfRF4gc67XYQuw >>> imsAnixLZC28d0jx/xgXnR1oYjoAECJZ >>> =Na4b >>> -END PGP SIGNATURE- >>> >>> /* >>> PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net >>> Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug >>> Don't fear the penguin. >>> */ >> /* >> PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net >> Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug >> Don't fear the penguin. >> */ >> > /* > PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net > Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug > Don't fear the penguin. > */ > /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Looking to buy two raspberry pi's
Well, the idea is that it should be fairly portable, as it outputs to any TV, and the cabinet complexity is mostly in the controls. The goal is to have it done for Christmas with the kids, so maybe early next year I can bring it in for one. =cP Heaven knows I'll be hitting up PLUG with questions if I hit them. -Tod Hansmann On 8/11/2012 7:04 PM, Steve Meyers wrote: > On 8/11/12 10:37 AM, Tod Hansmann wrote: >> I am thinking of making one into the main bits of a 4-player arcade >> cabinet for my kids using an old TV. MAME should run fine on the thing. > > This sounds like a great future PLUG meeting! :) Mostly because I've > wanted to build a MAME cabinet for 10+ years now, but never have. > > Steve > /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Thanks to Brandon for the Meeting
Since apparently we're using Plug-announce, I can't really reply to the meeting notice, so I'll recreate my thrilling email here: A thank you to Brandon for the presentation. KVM is an interesting technology, and it's good to know it has some corporate backing. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Closed Source software and Windows XP
On 8/20/2012 8:17 AM, Steve Meyers wrote:
> On 8/20/12 1:23 AM, Nicholas Leippe wrote:
>> The install media is independent of the licensing.
> This actually isn't true, in my experience with Windows XP. They have
> different install media for OEM installs vs retail installs, and the
> media checks for the right kind of key.
>
This is very true. Also note that there's differences between media for
Home, Professional, and Media Center editions, all of which have both
OEM and Retail versions, and then there's the manufacturer specific
ones. (We won't get into 64 bit). I will legitimately suggest that you
try to install from any like media you can find on another machine (if
you don't have the key, try using Magic Jellybean). If that becomes too
difficult, honestly just pirate it. You'll lose a point or two on a
Microsoft Audit (when do these actually happen?), but I have a feeling
this machine won't be the focus of such an audit. It would be easier if
they could keep the old license around for record keeping ("Yes, we have
a license for this, the pirated installer was just infinitely
simpler"). This is how I've seen a number of businesses work with old
machines doing similar things (often in manufacturing, oddly enough).
Anyway, my 2 cents.
-Tod Hansmann
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Re: [OT] Closed Source software and Windows XP
On 8/20/2012 5:51 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > On Mon, Aug 20, 2012 at 12:48 PM, Ryan Byrd wrote: >> not true. software media is local. they have windows XP >> http://www.softwaremedia.com/microsoft/windows/windows-xp-professional-with-sp2.html > Just spoke with a helpful guy named Tod on the phone :) Problem solved. > Thanks! > No relation. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Any experience with firewalld?
On 8/27/2012 10:55 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 8:56 PM, Andrew McNabb wrote: >> Too bad mainstream GNOME has defined away all of >> their users as atypical and unimportant. > That's *me* in a nutshell. They nailed it! > > I can vouch for his assessment here. -Tod Hansmann /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
