Out the window
Except for one machine in London (mostly my tv and file archiver) all my other machines (up to 10 in regular use, including servers and notebook) all run on Linux or FreeBSD or Solaris, so the question under review was "do I actually *need* Windows?
So I made a list of the software I use. Much of it is FLOSS (Free, Libre, Open Source Software) or other 'free' stuff. Only a few programs are paid-for-in-hard-cash (such as my font tools).
The FLOSS stuff is nearly all cross-platform, so that was OK. The 'free' stuff is mostly available on other platforms, so might be OK. The paid-for stuff could either be replaced, chucked, or run under Wine if on Linux.
So I thought a little more … and scrapped Windows. Loved it and left it!
This post was just written on a laptop now running Ubuntu 9.10 with the 2.6.31-19 Linux Kernel and Gnome 2.28.1
24-Feb-2010 04:07 · Trackback ·
tags: tech
tags: tech
The tweak that broke
With the increase in technology came an increase in what I'd like to do with that technology, specifically be able to offer secure (https://) connections for security purposes on some of the sites I host. And although there have been moves to make virtual hosting of port 443 secure sites possible, they rely on changes to browsers which — as we all know — are a bit like a brick swimming against the prevailing current. Instead, therefore, just as with the ten year old specification of IPv6, we are required to use one IP (v4) address for each secure connection we wish to enable. So I obtained an increase in my IP allocation from a /29 (five effective addresses) to a /28 (with thirteen). Plans were made for a nice, smooth transition using proper scheduling of DNS and MX record changes when … I accidentally pulled the power on the modem-router and the change happened instantly. Without any of the advance setup.
Needless to say I was grateful for being the only person around at that moment as the world was filled with my choice 'language' about the unfortunate event, and I set to in trying to recover the systems. And, for the most part, I got the connections working again within the hour save for waiting for DNS servers around the world to play catch-up.
But e-mail wasn't arriving. My (Zimbra-based) mail server cold send messages out fine, but nothing seemed to be coming inbound. Eventually this was traced to a configuration error with my carrier this afternoon and they reset their end of things. Great? Well, no actually. At this end I lost all connectivity entirely. The outside world could see my router, yet I couldn't get beyond it. Three hours later the software-hardware-firmware-network interactions were finally resolved, I'm happy to say, so now everything should by A1 Bristol fashion.
That three hours without any connection was a bit scary though …
21-Jan-2010 22:34 · Trackback ·
tags: tech · servers · IPv6
tags: tech · servers · IPv6
Back on-line
Over the last few days I've been upgrading the server kit I use to run my websites and API services on. The main server moved up from a dual 2.4GHz Xeon to dual 2.8Ghx Xeons, and from 2Gb of RAM tripled to 6Gb. I think that should cope with almost anything that gets thrown at it. (It is presently running around 50 websites and 3 million rows of MySQL data).
I also hived off my public NTP and DNS functions on to a separate box, and after reading some time back about how FreeBSD is a far better operating system for running the NTP daemon that is what the box running these services now is using. And I have to say the improvement in stability is amazing; something around a factor of 104.
There are a few more tweaks to come, but glad to be back.
19-Jan-2010 02:04 · Trackback ·
tags: tech · servers
tags: tech · servers
Information Nation
10-Jan-2010 16:12 · Trackback ·
tags: privacy
tags: privacy
When you just have to tell
From www.wiretrip.net …
Having recently been considering the ethics — and practicalities — of what people have a right to know, as opposed to just a curious interest in, and how someone discovering something being hidden from the public to their detriment I've just come across the Full Disclosure Policy.It is certainly an interesting and valuable policy and one I shall build in to my own software production and support dealings.
24-Dec-2009 23:17 · Trackback ·
tags: software · coding
tags: software · coding
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