blog.frands.net

So, after changing my entire storagesetup at home to go through network, both to keep my desk simple but most important, to get rid of the humming from the external disk, I was facing one problem: Time Machine, how to network with it?
Well, now I’ve found out the complete and perfect solution for this problem.

This guide assumes that you have a running server, NAS or whatever with some shared storage running. Also, this guide assumes that the fileshare is an AFP fileshare. Although, using Samba instead should be quite simple.

Scenario
I have my NAS with the name “filecontainer” and I have created a share /Backup which I would like to use for Time Machine and other backup. Also, I have created a user with access only to this share (more on why later), also my NAS has 3 TB available, and I would not want it to be full of Time Machine data, so I want to limit this to 300 GB. Furthermore, I don’t want spotlight to look at this data.

Follow these steps.
For the steps in my procedure, you need to use Terminal.app for all commands. If you have no experience whatsoever with the Terminal, do not do this.

First, we need to have the fileshare mounted automatically when we power on the computer, so Time Machine can find it when it needs to. Do this by:

sudo vi /etc/fstab

Within that file, you put this line, editing the text that I posted in bold:

nas_name:/Backup /Network/Backup url auto,url==afp://backupusername:backup_password@server_IP/Backup 0 0

So, now you should be able to run this:

sudo automount -cv

And then try to access it, by:

cd /Network/Backup

If you do not receive any error, then try:

touch testfile ; ls -la ; rm testfile

If that works you should get a list of files

Now, networking works. Let’s prepare  Time Machine for what we are about to do. In Terminal, use this command:

defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

After that, we need to have this enabled so you need to log out and log in again (reboot not necessary, although you can reboot to test your automount)

When your computer comes back to life, we need to create a “sparsebundle” in which Time Machine will store your backupdata. For this we need the MAC address of en0 interface, as this is what Time Machine will look for, to get it use:

ifconfig en0 | grep ether | sed s/://g | sed s/ether//

Now we’re ready to create the sparseimage, see this and read below for further info on editing the bold parts:

sudo hdiutil create -size 300g -type SPARSEBUNDLE -nospotlight -volname “Backup of My Mac” -fs “Case-sensitive Journaled HFS+” -verbose ./Computername_MACaddress

300g: This defines that the sparseimage can grow up to 300 gigabytes, meaning that this virtual disk will have this size (although, it will not allocate the diskspace immediately)
Backup of My Mac : Whatever you think sounds nice for a backup device.
Computername_MACaddress: This is important, for it to work. The sparseimage must be called your computers name, followed by underscore and then the MAC address we extracted just before.

Now this gives you some input, but in the end you should have a .sparseimage with your options. Move it to the Backup share on your storageserver.

To set up Time Machine, go to “System Preferences” and then “Time Machine”, choose your Backup share as the disk. It will initialize and create the first backup, this will take a while

Congratulations! I hope you found my guide useful!

Når jeg browser internettet, så bestemmer JEG hvad jeg vil se. Definitivt.
Jeg har i flere år brugt AdBlock og siden hen AdBlock Plus, fordi jeg hader reklamer, fordi jeg hader at se på ting jeg ikke har bedt om, fordi jeg hader lyd der pludselig umotiveret starter.

Dog, så har jeg whitelistet Google ads, fordi de er behagelige simple små tekstreklamer, der ikke generer min browslingsoplevelse, der ikke sløver min computer eller får min CPU til at koste penge i strøm.
Hjemmesider med store flashreklamer betyder at jeg lukker endnu mere Co2 ud end det er nødvendigt.

Nå, men jeg vil naturligvis gerne dele med så mange som overhovedet muligt, hvordan jeg undgår at se på alt det ubrugelige spam. Men først, så lidt baggrund.

En virksomhed kaldet AidOnline, som egentlig ganske fint er beskrevet her, benytter reklameblokering for så at indsætte deres egne reklamer, som de tjener penge på - men det er jo helt forkert. Hvis jeg endelig skal se reklamer, på diverse hjemmesider - så skal de penge der kommer ud af det fandme også tilfalde dem der har lavet siden, og ikke en eller anden flok fjolser der har fundet ud af at spinne guld på andres forretninger.

Det der sker er, at AidOnline systemet bruger adblocking for at fjerne de normale reklamer, og så derefter indsætter sine egne - det bevirker, at jeg som almindelig AdBlocker også bliver bedt om at fjerne min adblock eller skride. Et eksempel kan ses her:

Men, jeg skal nok SELV bestemme, om jeg skal se reklamer eller ej. Når jeg besøger en hjemmeside, får jeg noget data retur, og det er egentlig op til mig hvad jeg vil gøre med det data som man har udleveret mig.
Jeg kan vælge blindt at lade min browser omsætte det hele til noget jeg visuelt kan forstå, men je vil dog gerne liiige sortere lidt i det.
Det vil man nu forsøge, at forhindre mig i, og så bliver jeg pigesur og Rasmus modsat - for det er ikke måden, at få mig til at se reklamer på.

Så kære venner, nu vil jeg beskrive (og holde opdateret) hvordan du holder deres irriterende reklamer væk.

1. Brug Firefox. Har du den ikke, så hent på www.firefox.com (Nej, jeg vil ikke diskutere det)
2. Installer AdBlock Plus Add-On (Gå hér hen og tryk på “Install AdBlock Plus) - og genstart så Firefox.

Du får et rødt “ABP” logo i toppen af din FireFox, tryk på det, dernæst “Options” og fjern hakket ved “Collapse blocked elements”, ligesom her:

Dernæst skal du vælge “Preferences” så du får en kasse frem der ligner denne:

Her skal du tilføje nogle filtre, og du skal for hvert trykke på “Add filter”, og tilføje disse,ét ad gangen:

@@adimage.js

@@http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/abglogo/abg-da-100c-000000.png

@@/ad-frame.js

@@script.axd

Nu, skulle du gerne være i stand til at se websider igen dejlige og reklamefrie hjemmesider - gør dette også for at vide, at når de vil kæmpe, hårdt mod hårdt i en kamp de umuligt kan vinde så længe de benytter almindelige websider - og der findes nørder.

Appelér til brugerne på en anden måde, gå i åben dialog. Ellers så luk røven og lad mig blokere jeres åndssvage reklamer.

Er der et sted de blokerer adblock, som min metode ikek virker imod?
- Så vil jeg gerne vide det, for så skal der findes en måde at omgå blokeringen på. Send en mail til lortereklamer snabela frands.net

I december så vi det med Needhost - og nu er FireBee også skredet i svinget.

I går valgte HostNordic generøst at åbne i nogle timer, så FireBee kunder kunne få lov at hente deres data, hvis de vel og mærke kunne nå det. Det er naturligvis flot, men ganske få timers åben og midt i folks normale arbejdstid er i mine øjne ikke det rigtige tidspunkt at gøre det på - hvis HostNordic VIRKELIG vil have et godt navn, så giv folk et par dage. Nå, men nok om det.

Pas nu på, når du vælger ny udbyder!
Jeg valgt at kigge lidt nærmere på nogle af de andre discounthoteller, så det måske kan lette valget lidt

Husk på, at mange af de små og billige udbydere ikke selv er herrer over deres serverdrift, og som oftest lejer sig ind hos billige selskaber i England, USA, Tyskland eller Frankrig - det er ikke optimalt da der bl.a. er flere ting der kan gå galt i forbindelsen på vej der til.

Uno Euro (www.unoeuro.dk)
UnoEuro er et binavn til Unotel A/S, selskabet er 80% ejet af Zitcom Holding ApS.

Uno Euro er en del af Zitcom, som beskæftiger sig med hosting, Zitcom ejer også Wannafind.dk, som er byggestenen for det hele. Virksomheden har eget hostingcenter og ansatte i moderselskabet der håndterer driften af det hele. Der er et fornuftigt bagland i Uno Euro.

UnoTel A/S har ikke offentliggjort regnsab for 2008 endnu, men kom ud af 2007 med et negativt resultat - dog har moderselskabet plus på bundlinjen.

Jeg har i dag d. 2. september 2009 modtaget en mail fra UnoEuro hvor de oplyser mig at disse data ikke er korrekt:

Hej,

Ville blot lige rette dig ved at nævne at UnoEuro intet har med Unotel at gøre.

Med venlig hilsen
–
Tom Sommer
- Systemadministrator & COO
UnoEuro Webhosting (www.unoeuro.com)

Vi kan naturligvis ikke have, at jeg oplyser forkerte ting, så derfor er ovenstående fjernet indtil videre.  Det har ikke været muligt for mig at finde ud af hvilken juridisk enhed der står bag UnoEuro, da hverken CVR.dk eller Navne & Numre Erhverv kender noget med dette navn. Ej heller på deres betalingsform har det været muligt at finde ud af HVEM man egentlig køber ting af. Dette er et krav hvis man har indløsningsaftale hos PBS, og det må man konkludere at UnoEuro har eftersom de modtager både dankort og eDankort. Jeg opdaterer min post igen, når jeg har mere nyt.

One.com (www.one.com) tidl. B-One
One.com har i dag over en halv million webhoteller.
One.com har servere placeret i NetGroup datacenter.

One.com er et selvstændigt A/S kom ud af 2008 med et netto resultat på mere end 250.000.

SurfTown.dk (www.surftown.dk)
Surftown er en del af Cohaesio A/S, som er etableret i 2001.
SurfTown giver et ærligt svar på, hvor meget trafik du kan bruge og de har skippet bindingsperioden i modsætning til de fleste andre. SurfTown har eget datacenter, og driver serverdrift fra egne faciliteter.

Cohaesio A/S som Surftown er en del af kom ud af 2008 med et netto resultat på mere end 6.7 mio. kroner.

Gigahost ApS (www.gigahost.dk)
Gigahost ApS er et selvstændigt selskab etableret i 2005 som et I/S.
Koncepter bag Gigahost er at man kan have alle sine ting ét sted. Prisstrukturen er simpel og der er ikke tvivl om hvad det koster.
Gigahost benytter NetGroup datacenter.

Gigahost ApS har ikke offentliggjort 2008 regnskab endnu, men kom ud af 2007 med et nettoresultat på lige knap 100.000 kr.

——

Fælles for alle ovenstående udbydere er at de er meget prisbillige, men de er veletablerede og har deres servere placeret i Danmark - modsat mange mindre webhostingudbydere. Mange små webhostingudbydere har ganske få servere, tit er de på lejebasis i udlandet og deres adgang til stabil drift er derfor væsentlig lavere da de ikke selv varetager den fysiske drift af deres udstyr.

Et godt eksempel på dette er Needhost, som havde deres servere hostet hos Strato i Tyskland - en virksomhed der bl.a. udbyder meget billig serverhosting, hvor man som kunde blot lejer sig ind. Som regel opnås også bedste backbone hastigheder på udstyr der er placeret i Danmark.

Hvis JEG stod med valget…
Jeg har personlig erfaring med Gigahost og flere af mine venner har gode erfaringer med SurfTown, så valgtet ville stå imellem een af de to. Produktet har virket som lovet og supporten har været nem at have med at gøre.

Mit råd er, at du kigger på deres hjemmesider og læser lidt om de ting de skriver, lad være med blot at kigge på prisskiltet. om det koster 10 eller 30 kroner om måneden ville være dumt tage som eneste faktor. Det er trods alt under 250 kroners forskel fordelt på 12 måneder (hvad bruger du på din mobiltelefon?)

Der har været mange klager over One.com - men i det skal man huske på, at deres kundebase også er meget stor.

Har du fundet en udbyder der ser spændende ud??
Så vil jeg gerne hjælpe dig med at tage et kig på, om det kan gøre noget for dig - og om mit gæt og min vurdering er, at der er tale om en solid virksomhed som ikke lukker i overmorgen, ud fra mange forskellige faktorer som f.eks. bagland, virksomhed, regnskaber, placering af servere og mere.

g>Hvis du driver virksomhed…
…så er du garanteret afhængig af at din hjemmeside ikke går ned. Du har brug for en udbyder som tilbyder telefonsupport, der selv drifter deres servere og om har bemandet overvågning døgnet rundt året rundt. Alt dette kan TDC Webmore levere (www.tdcwebmore.dk)

Ja, det kan jeg godt komme og sige bare fordi jeg arbejder for TDC Hosting, der ejer TDC Webmore - men derfor ved jeg også at det er bygget på et solidt fundament og med et særdeles kraftigt økonomisk bagland, som sikrer dine data mv. Regnskabet for 2008 er ikke offentliggjort endnu, men netto resultatet for 2007 er over 27 millioner og en omsætning på ca. 170 millioner.

Jeg håber du er blevet lidt klogere

Ever tried losing your MySQL root password, because you’re an idiot or a coworker changed it without documenting or telling?

Well, within 10 minutes this can be fixed. This guide applies to Debian and probably others too. su - to root and perform the following.

1. Stop MySQL

/etc/init.d/mysql stop

2. Start MySQL and skip grant tables, put it to background so you can work

mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables &

3. Enter MySQL as root

mysql -u root

4. Change the password within the MySQL console

mysql> use mysql;
mysql> update user set password=PASSWORD(”insert-new-password-here”) where User=’root’;
mysql> flush privileges;
mysql> quit

5. Stop MySQL server again

/etc/init.d/mysql stop

- Now if that did not work, find the MySQL process with ps and kill it.

6. Start MySQL again

/etc/init.d/mysql start

And it should work.. test it by typing “mysql -u root -p” and enter the password you just created.

Who’s debbie?
This, is debbie:

Debbie will be serving me hopefully for a long time This is the configuration:

CPU: 4 x Intel Xeon 2.66 GHz 64-bit
RAM: 12 GB DDR2, ECC Registered
HDD: 2 x 160 GB, S-ATAII in hardware RAID1 mirror.
LAN: 2 x 1 Gbit/s Intel something

This is if course running GNU/Linux, and the server is splitted into virtual chunks performing one task each (almost).
She’s running web, web with ssl, primary DNS, mail, mailscan, MySQL.. and whatever else is needed to make life good

Now, my “worries” are which DNS server to run. Currently it is based on BIND9, however I am thinking of using PowerDNS instead, because of the great MySQL integration.
As some of you night know, I already did code a complete webinterface for BIND, storing data in MySQL and generating the zonefiles - even supporting autodeployment of new zones and taking down zones to a secondary Windows (ugh) DNS server… Anyway, Stuff is made to be changed, and the MySQL thing about PowerDNS really atracts my attention. It’s easy to administrate and it would be very easy to maintain a set of DNS servers both running PowerDNS..

When I decide what to do i might write something about it.. maybe not…

I found that my internet connection sometimes worked quite slow, and I also found out that the DNS lookups were slowing my relatively fast internet connection down.

First of all! Performing this is at your own risk and I will not take responsibility for you fucking up your network settings. Please do know, that this will require you to be familiar with the Terminal. You don’t need to be a pro, but knowledge helps.

Let’s get started!

If you have a favorite editor, go use.. In this example we will be using nano as this is easy to use and present on standard Leopard installs.

We need an rndc key to make this work. create one with:

# sudo rndc-confgen -a

Now we need to go root…

# sudo su -

It will ask you for your password.. type it in.

# cd /System/Library/StartupItems
# mkdir BIND
# cd BIND
# nano -w BIND

Copy the following text and paste it into your terminal:

#!/bin/sh

. /etc/rc.common

if [ "${DNSSERVER}" = "-YES-" ]; then
ConsoleMessage “Starting BIND DNS Server”
/usr/sbin/named
fi

To exit and save: Press CTRL+O, Enter, CTRL+X

Next, we need another file:

# nano -w StartupParameters.plist

Add the following text to it:

{
Description = “Local DNS”;
Provides = (”DNS Server”);
OrderPreference = “None”;
Messages =
{
start = “Starting DNS Server”;
stop = “Stopping DNS Server”;
};
}

Make sure, that the file is executable:

# chmod +x BIND

Next, we need to make sure it starts up when you boot your Mac.

# nano -w /etc/hostconfig

Add this line to it, if it does not already exist:

DNSSERVER=-YES-

If it does already exist, change the -NO- to a -YES-

No more root..

# exit

Make it run:

# sudo /System/Library/StartupItems/BIND/BIND

Now you can exit your terminal. We are almost done, now all we need is to configure OS X to actually use it’s own DNS server.

Go to: System Preferences > Network

Mark the currently active network adapter and change the DNS Server address to 127.0.0.1.
The two grey ip addresses are your ISP nameservers, they will disappear when you click the field. If you want them back again, simply do not write anything in the field.

Click Apply.
Go to www.google.com to test it!

En lille tekst, der er værd at tænke over.

When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was “bad,” you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” - but then you’d relent and roll me over for a bellyrub.

My housetraining took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs,” you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love.”

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch - because your touch was now so infrequent - and I would have defended them with my life if need be.

I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog,” and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family,” but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with “papers.” You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.

After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked “How could you?”

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream…or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.

She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured “How could you?”

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said “I’m so sorry.” She hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not meant for her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever.

May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

By Jim Willis, 2001.

Når vi anskaffer os et husdyr, så skal vi holde af det og kæres om det. Jeg er dybt uenig med mennesker der siger ja, til at varetage et andet levende væsens liv, hvis de ikke magter at gøre det ordentligt.