tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39807012306349116032024-03-05T15:27:58.409+08:00My IT perspectiveSome stuff that I stumbled upon in the world of IT support and quest for self-learning on fixing my own computers/serversArmand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-13874547311393395372023-07-06T12:44:00.003+08:002023-07-06T12:52:21.115+08:00Disable the screen resolution dialog for Paw Patrol On a Roll Game (Steam)<p> If you are a loving parent/tech-uncle who just wants to make your child have a seamless way to play the "Paw Patrol On a Roll" game purchased from Steam and you either use Steam Link or Steam Deck, the window dialog asking about the screen resolution can sometimes become a nuisance.</p><p>There's an old discussion thread on the Steam page of the said game, but seems the OG devs aren't paid enough to maintain support on old games. A very kind-soul under the username "Pahiro" gave some general idea how to do the fix on your own copy of the game. For some technically-blessed people, they were able to understand and make the workaround fix using the <a href="https://github.com/SeriousCache/UABE/releases" target="_blank">Unity Asset Bundle Extractor</a> published in Github performing the following steps.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuOO0qLqep5cscAJC4aOBcaN3NZZUt1sAWHm3xHLjThtHYQZqAJRwyfl_Kk-RAVkHb5HVkILgX0b9mhYeVJxWcJBFjbcobwuzAv9xaJOlk_vLYbCEaGodSuMZPGCeEIZZau6hvnk7vOvWK1UnUhLlHnxzWjkTO_lOIyLVd0fBANCkd5tBK93ZNbTyKEk/s1645/export.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="1645" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuOO0qLqep5cscAJC4aOBcaN3NZZUt1sAWHm3xHLjThtHYQZqAJRwyfl_Kk-RAVkHb5HVkILgX0b9mhYeVJxWcJBFjbcobwuzAv9xaJOlk_vLYbCEaGodSuMZPGCeEIZZau6hvnk7vOvWK1UnUhLlHnxzWjkTO_lOIyLVd0fBANCkd5tBK93ZNbTyKEk/w400-h240/export.png" width="400" /></a></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Download the UABE release from GitHub (nowadays everyone by default is using a 64bit windows machine so please pick that).</li><li>Run the AssetBuildExtractor.exe</li><li>Select File -> Open, select the "globalgamemanagers" located inside the local game install folder of the Paw Patrol game; by default it is located in... <i>C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Paw Patrol On A Roll\PawPatrol_Data</i></li><li>Click on the first line with the type PlayerSettings, do an export dump as text file</li><li>With a notepad or other text editor, look in the dumped text file the integer variable "displayResolutionDialog" and change the value to 0.</li><li>Save the modified text file, then back in the UABE click the import dump and select that modified dump text file.</li><li>Select File -> apply and save the new globalgamemanagers file (better to backup the old one before swapping them). If it prompts an error saving it, save it with a different file name then just use the file explorer to make the file renames as necessary.</li></ol><div>After applying the fix, game launched fine on my part.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now the backstory has been all said and done, if you just want the actual file (disclaimer: I have no liability should there be unfortunate outcomes when using the file I shared), see <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_0D3e9xkeqa15K_Uk2msMhNq1650PELM/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">this drive link</a> to download the modified globalgamemanagers file.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hope this helps.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p> </p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-772734620629025882019-10-17T12:29:00.001+08:002019-10-17T12:31:22.251+08:00workaround for Acer E1-572G with HD8750M GPU and Win10 freezes From the moment I opted to upgrade/format my Acer E1-572G to Windows 10 (since its initial release encouraging those in Win8.1 to avail the free upgrade), it was plagued with driver incompatibilities particularly the secondary AMD/ATI Radeon HD8750M graphics chipset. Initially I found a workaround wherein I left it stuck at the Feb2017 Crimson 17 (version 21.1 driver) release at the time of the 17XX update and kind of left it there throughout 1803 and 1809 release. But when the 1903 update finally popped up, the problem resurfaced and this time neither that old driver or the current Oct 2019 release didn't work and kept on freezing the OS even prior to logging-in. Just doing a fresh install will land you on the same problem.<br />
<br />
I relied once again to the old ye faithful Google search and found an <a href="https://community.amd.com/thread/229725" target="_blank">interesting post</a> in the AMD community forum describing the same issue. The correct solution came from the user handle "<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap">lmarcelus" which described modifying the extracted inf driver file and disable the UIps. I've included the screenshot of his solution for archive sake in case AMD wants to clean house.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWLdDFs-mSXpA83F8PUWDL4ehuKo_KEqx72HGJlxFBqtrmwCSUDcb5pGi9tyj1_birU26PX2oJIHRPku6PyAzsDItJC90uOvUEzLq9OriLxH-GJP0BMrFJmdxBmU8muG-C6vUUwih5jc/s1600/ulps+workaround.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1078" height="529" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWLdDFs-mSXpA83F8PUWDL4ehuKo_KEqx72HGJlxFBqtrmwCSUDcb5pGi9tyj1_birU26PX2oJIHRPku6PyAzsDItJC90uOvUEzLq9OriLxH-GJP0BMrFJmdxBmU8muG-C6vUUwih5jc/s640/ulps+workaround.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap"> </span></span><span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap">I'm not entirely sure what the UIps is for or how it may affect graphics-intensive apps/gaming but it was worth a shot and actually worked! On my experience, I did a fresh install using the Windows10 1903 update and yes <u>I finished the installation wizard process while staying offline</u>. </span></span><span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap">You
will need the drivers ready and at-hand (USB perhaps?) if you don't have a spare PC/device that you can use to download it. Another item you may need to read-up is how to turn off the enforcement of driver signature
(hint: through the same way how you boot to safe mode but this time
select option 7 or was it 8).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap">If by chance reformatting is not in your itinerary, best thing I can suggest is to try and boot to safe mode (with no networking) and <a href="https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-601" target="_blank">use the AMD cleanup utility.</a> The tool will remove/disable all the AMD/ATI drivers installed, which will leave you a clean un-initialized video card device listed on your device manager. Only after doing that clean you can then perform the said modifications. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap">Scrolling further down that same forum page there's another comment by "ax7" (Github user "qbsa") who made a service/script that you can install to your machine to automatically modify any new/updated drivers being installed similar to the solution initially provided. The exact instructions and files are in <a href="https://github.com/qbsa/ulps" target="_blank">his GitHub page</a>. I suggest you put the install files (the exe and cmd file) in its own folder somewhere hidden or safe from normal browsing view before attempting to install because those files will need to stay there in order for the script service to remain working.</span></span><br />
<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap"><br /></span></span>
<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap">I hope this helps anyone out there who just wants to bring their laptop with that infernal ATI HD8600/8700M GPU back to working order. Cheers!</span></span><br />
<span class="jive-comment-meta font-color-meta-light"><span class="j-username-wrap"><br /></span></span>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-1403679186265801922019-02-17T14:36:00.002+08:002019-02-17T14:36:17.547+08:00Touchpad fix for Ubuntu 18.04 & Acer Nitro 5I have an Acer Nitro 5 AN515-52 with the Intel i7 and GTX1050ti. For the first few months I just used it as a Windows machine and only relied on the Ubuntu terminal add-on for some remote linux legwork. But after a few months I tempted fate to dual-boot with Ubuntu as I hoped some basic issues would already pass and work out-of-the-distro, which fortunately didn't.<br />
<br />
As a backgrounder, I used an Ubuntu 18.04 64bit Desktop ISO sometime Dec 2018. Most of the basic stuff worked except the touchpad. I also read that there might be some issues with Nvidia and the audio output of the HDMI port but wasn't planning to use it just yet. The touchpad however was a big deal especially I don't usually have a mouse at hand. This once again led me to journey the vast forum pages in the internet to find and eventually compiled the answer in this post.<br />
<br />
You may have landed to some answers where you need to install "<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">i2c-tools</span>" package as it was hinted in the BIOS settings for touchpad that you needed i2c drivers, but since you landed here means that didn't work. Changing the BIOS setting from "Advanced" to "Basic" wasn't an option for your either because of the touchpad functions when you go back to Windows.<br />
<br />
The next thing I did was to install the Nvidia proprietary driver package, since touchpad input is usually associated with the graphics card... which also did nothing.<br />
<br />
Another one would be to install the "<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">xserver-xorg-input-synaptics</span>" package as the default libinput package wasn't enough for our machine... and once again it didn't do anything.<br />
<br />
I was about to give up but saw a suggestion in another forum page to sort-of force synaptics to be used for detection of touchpad input. It required you to modify the synaptics xorg config file and made sure to have the following:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Section "InputClass" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> Identifier "touchpad catchall" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> Driver "synaptics" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> MatchIsTouchpad "on" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> Option "TapButton1" "1" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> Option "VertEdgeScroll" "1" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">End Section </span></blockquote>
<br />
Now most of the stuff was already (uncommented) in the config file except the last 2 "Option" lines. I just added those, restarted, and then my touchpad finally worked!<br />
<br />
To summarize all what happened or what I did, here's a recap along with some of the commands used (to help those linux beginners):<br />
<br />
1) Install "i2c-tools" <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">sudo apt-get install i2c-tools </span></blockquote>
<br />
2) [I think this can be optional] Install the Nvidia Proprietary Graphics drivers. You can do this graphically by going to the "Software & Updates" -> Additional Drivers -> enable the Nvidia proprietary drivers.<br />
<br />
3) Install the xserver synaptics package and do a restart
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-synaptics </span></blockquote>
<br />
4) Modify the config file located at <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/70-synaptics.conf <span style="font-family: inherit;">(or the</span> XX-synaptics.conf)</span> and append the necessary stuff I mentioned earlier. You can use your preferred text editor. Do a restart once you have saved the settings.<br />
<br />
5) End<br />
<br />
Here's an output of my "<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">xinput --list</span>" when my touchpad worked. The ELAN touchpad finally showed up after the stuff I did.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">⎡ Virtual core pointer id=2 [master pointer (3)]<br />⎜ ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer id=4 [slave pointer (2)]<br />⎜ ↳ ELAN0504:01 04F3:3091 Touchpad id=12 [slave pointer (2)]<br />⎣ Virtual core keyboard id=3 [master keyboard (2)]<br /> ↳ Virtual core XTEST keyboard id=5 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ Power Button id=6 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ Video Bus id=7 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ Video Bus id=8 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ Power Button id=9 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ Sleep Button id=10 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ HD WebCam: HD WebCam id=11 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ AT Translated Set 2 keyboard id=13 [slave keyboard (3)]<br /> ↳ Acer WMI hotkeys id=14 [slave keyboard (3)]</span><br /><br />
<br />
Credits to the participants/contributors in the <a href="https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/223111/acer-aspire-touchpad-not-detected" target="_blank">UNIX stackexchange</a> I read.
Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-29500862120929606212017-10-25T13:44:00.000+08:002017-10-25T13:53:47.465+08:00TP-Link WPA4530 kit review & fix for random disconnect<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've recently purchased a TP-Link WPA4530 kit for roughly less than $70 (3500 pesos) to extend my WiFi coverage and eliminate a particular dead-spot that so happened to be my desktop PC workspace at home. The device I bought is a consumer-based version which is both a powerline adapter and WiFi AC750 access point.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8jelagUBadvnUbFnZUi-DBgWnfWFFspB0sTUsVbxS9bDzavQDmxt7YewRm-45su0R7RSuViZYFEdDPRAQIViQDpLRhCPtTTi-sr5pCUozy12EopcpcFoQ81maEL65WMxQ6ci3Iy0_LE/s1600/IMG_20171025_093259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="596" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8jelagUBadvnUbFnZUi-DBgWnfWFFspB0sTUsVbxS9bDzavQDmxt7YewRm-45su0R7RSuViZYFEdDPRAQIViQDpLRhCPtTTi-sr5pCUozy12EopcpcFoQ81maEL65WMxQ6ci3Iy0_LE/s320/IMG_20171025_093259.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next few bits is sort of a background of the item I've purchased; sort of a pseudo-review. For those who just need the answer to your "WPA4530 TP-link random disconnect powerline" Google search, scroll down (or <a href="http://itstuff.the-zabala.net/2017/10/tp-link-wpa4530-kit-review-fix-for.html#fix_random_disconnect">click here</a>) to the workaround part</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Backstory</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At first I was a bit skeptic about using a "powerline" (powerline communication or PLC) but this is actually an old technology based on data communications used by power distribution companies to monitor and control their power grid. I was willing to try this out because it fell within my budget and I've already tried using a high-power AC2400 router (Asus AC87U) which was a tad expensive for the intended purpose and performed sub-par as I have wanted, but it did the job of removing the dead-spot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You might think that "hey, why not use those WiFi Mesh network devices" solution compared to using PLC devices. To answer that, I'm not YET a firm believer of that technology, especially if the product hasn't gone mainstream to other manufacturers. I guess that's a good bet for a different scenario where PLC devices are not possible (i.e. old houses with old wiring). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Review</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bottom-line,
it did work on my setup at home. It does work even if the house layout
wiring of the source outlet and destination outlet are at two different
circuit breakers, <u>as long as it is still under one master breaker</u>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6FI8YpPGBSEzzLVzJ5V7bBFiBceU7YhIFLgVShzS4Aax4kNCzky7jYxaW3zcNH2YhfGbiKf6VE2IsvfLIbaItKhKdBhMEq-3qhElzOQX64nd1dolM1zXyddNC1Mdfzm0PVgvlPDBi8Q/s1600/IMG_20171025_093312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="596" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6FI8YpPGBSEzzLVzJ5V7bBFiBceU7YhIFLgVShzS4Aax4kNCzky7jYxaW3zcNH2YhfGbiKf6VE2IsvfLIbaItKhKdBhMEq-3qhElzOQX64nd1dolM1zXyddNC1Mdfzm0PVgvlPDBi8Q/s320/IMG_20171025_093312.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I used a universal adapter on the source PLC device (PA4020P) because it was a three-prong and my power outlet was the two-prong ungrounded version located at the ground floor near my gateway router. The wireless device PLC (WPA4530) is plugged at the second floor of the house and has the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi enabled. I also use the in-built ethernet (LAN) port for my desktop workstation.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77UI3pH-S3SMi9Z3Fhvwujt1pCMhB9j3txVVkV3Qwn_ZJebxp0DEIvdcK7sLUA3FmgU47M3phqtyrEgxSre8wdicTk8gaafWRRb9stKTt9DP01cdPhMKRbrKC23PlhLkNsDO0YV0e1Pc/s1600/wpa4530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="372" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77UI3pH-S3SMi9Z3Fhvwujt1pCMhB9j3txVVkV3Qwn_ZJebxp0DEIvdcK7sLUA3FmgU47M3phqtyrEgxSre8wdicTk8gaafWRRb9stKTt9DP01cdPhMKRbrKC23PlhLkNsDO0YV0e1Pc/s320/wpa4530.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this photo not mine; was too lazy to take a shot of my own unit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The PLC kit has a rated transfer rate of 500Mbps, but for real-world specs I'm getting a decent 130-175Mbps which is still good and enough for HD streaming for my Chromecast and online gaming using my desktop PC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a id="fix_random_disconnect"><b>Workaround / Fix for random disconnect</b></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For those who may have problems with random disconnection of their TP-Link powerline devices (given you've configured it correctly and have used it for a couple of minutes), I found a workaround based on forums that there is a "power-saving" mode for the PA4020P that turns-off the connection after 5 minutes of inactivity between the PLC devices. The power-save mode is sometimes persistent even after unplugging and plugging it back in. I think this fix is not exclusive for the WPA4530 kit and can also be used for other (older or newer) models.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the official product page of TP-Link for your model/device, go to the "Support" section and look for the Utility tab. For the WPA4530kit, the link is <a href="http://uk.tp-link.com/download/TL-WPA4530-KIT_V1.html#Utility" target="_blank">this one</a> You will need to download and install their TP-PLC utility program. This will let you monitor and manage your TP-Link PLC devices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusOV2ShVhMbV_AwnbrmQhnZUgHWBo8QkvmX992HPDg69yyWvb7F7Y_eWnnUzFaa_V3SRaTh5Si4aEcHI5P9YQhn6Nh8tPVsuwZ2aMKvB8EGMbnX2MNdn4GpirD9UzoS5waTa0w8F3mY4/s1600/tplink-plc+utility.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="772" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusOV2ShVhMbV_AwnbrmQhnZUgHWBo8QkvmX992HPDg69yyWvb7F7Y_eWnnUzFaa_V3SRaTh5Si4aEcHI5P9YQhn6Nh8tPVsuwZ2aMKvB8EGMbnX2MNdn4GpirD9UzoS5waTa0w8F3mY4/s640/tplink-plc+utility.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once you have finish installing the program, just play around it and look for the advanced settings for the PA4020P devices and you should see a way to disable the "power saving" mode.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This fix is actually based on an old article (from <a href="https://digiex.net/threads/tp-link-homeplug-powerline-power-save-switch-tool-download.14554/">digiex.net</a>) I read that tells of a tool to disable the power-saving feature of TP-Link powerline devices. However it only provided the old program that no longer support Win8 and above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the way, I did not bother updating the firmware as they're still up-to-date once I got it out of the box. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope this article helps people out there, both looking for ways to solve their WiFi dead-spot or those who already have this powerline device and looking for answers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cheers!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-56164515081397306992016-10-12T15:29:00.000+08:002016-10-14T14:20:46.205+08:00Tuxera NTFS for MacOS Sierra Workaround (Toshiba license)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7cOZyDPY2a7W8fqJpE001AiL9JMfjQNGZrZxsQgaIFRltnGZaMv7Mb7ABGmr5mAQg8L14xiZHU3TSCLrT2efCDkMyxmLKa_oSINs7XlrTiiOHPKLx3oPxai223RIPyQoKS97Vqo-j-A/s1600/tuxera-ntfs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7cOZyDPY2a7W8fqJpE001AiL9JMfjQNGZrZxsQgaIFRltnGZaMv7Mb7ABGmr5mAQg8L14xiZHU3TSCLrT2efCDkMyxmLKa_oSINs7XlrTiiOHPKLx3oPxai223RIPyQoKS97Vqo-j-A/s200/tuxera-ntfs.png" width="200" /></a>With the release of MacOS Sierra by Apple, you might have opted to update your Mac machine with that new OS especially if your gadget ecosystem revolves on the Apple-sphere of things. Upon completing the long wait of downloading the OS update and its installation, you may think at first that everything seems to work fine. Once you attached your NTFS hard drive thinking it will be a routine access to your files, you notice that it goes back to a "read-only" file explorer view even if you have Tuxera installed.<br />
<br />
I got my copy of Tuxera from purchasing Toshiba's external USB3.0 hard drives that included the said software, specifically the Canvio Connect II. The drive is a sweet deal for the price + Tuxera, especially the fact that it doesn't care whether you use your Toshiba external drive or any other brand (boooo to WD and Seagate).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What I initially did and the error I got</b></span><br />
<br />
The usual course of action to fix Tuxera after a major MacOS software update is to just reinstall it. So I have a copy of the ".dmg" installer of Tuxera somewhere within my directories and proceeded to run it. Once the installer was mounted and clicked on the installer icon, I suddenly got this error prompt about an "Error 1 while launching Tuxera NTFS...".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssQajvFA2lFP89gqNAD0fUWTszdlk13hInS_egpsFueg6f9orPpyXEjzLQ8uQrcJ0VsXGii8f34pwiBwQkbPL5mQaH3UC6Ckrs1A0gY7ha424GsM0OVkkWQrtKHmHs-Kso6AE_nNCYNQ/s1600/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssQajvFA2lFP89gqNAD0fUWTszdlk13hInS_egpsFueg6f9orPpyXEjzLQ8uQrcJ0VsXGii8f34pwiBwQkbPL5mQaH3UC6Ckrs1A0gY7ha424GsM0OVkkWQrtKHmHs-Kso6AE_nNCYNQ/s320/unnamed.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
At first I thought that my installer was perhaps corrupted so I accessed the installer inside my Toshiba HDD, but that was an older variant (2014 I think). When I used that version and after the installer ran smoothly, as expected it didn't work on Sierra.<br />
<br />
I initially sought help from Tuxera (via email support) but they told me to ask Toshiba for a solution/fix. Not seeing an email support from Toshiba US, I tried their Twitter account to no avail as well. This left me no choice but to MacGyver my way out of this predicament.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Fix</span></b><br />
<br />
This guide of mine is to fix your Tuxera installation on your MacOS Sierra if your license came from your Toshiba HDD.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 1a: Go to the support page of Toshiba and download the updated Tuxera for Mac installer </u><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://support.toshiba.com/support/viewContentDetail?contentId=4008404">http://support.toshiba.com/support/viewContentDetail?contentId=4008404</a></span></span></div>
<br />
The installer published in this support website will only work if you own any of the following Toshiba external hard drives:<br />
<ul>
<li>Canvio Connect and Connect II (HDTC7 and HDTC8 series)</li>
<li>Canvio Slim and Slim II (HDTD1 and HDTD2 series)</li>
<li>Canvio AeroMobile (HDTQ112XCWF1)</li>
<li>Canvio AeroCast (HDTU110XKWC1)</li>
</ul>
This installer of Tuxera (2015.2 version) will work on both El Capitan and Sierra.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 1b: Specify a different download destination for the Tuxera for Mac installer</u><br />
When downloading the ".dmg" installer, don't just save it in your "Downloads" folder. I suggest you save it to your "Desktop". This is an important step as this is somewhat related to the error.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 2: Disable Gatekeeper</u><br />
To disable Gatekeeper and "Allow apps from anywhere", follow the instructions from this website...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://dispatchist.com/macos-sierra-gatekeeper-run-applications-anywhere/"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">http://dispatchist.com/macos-sierra-gatekeeper-run-applications-anywhere/</span></a></blockquote>
<br />
<u>Step 3: Run the installer</u><br />
Once you have finished downloading the Tuxera installer and saved it elsewhere (your Desktop), mount and run the installer as normally as you would in previous versions.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 4: Keep your Toshiba external HDD at-hand</u><br />
When you're already inside the installer and doing the usual clicking of the "Next" button, connect your Toshiba external HDD. This will enable the Tuxera installer to detect the hardware and activate the Toshiba-Tuxera license.<br />
<br />
<u>Step 5: Restart your Mac and enjoy</u><br />
Yes you need to restart it so that it will properly load and use the NTFS driver<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The reason behind the error</b></span><br />
<br />
After much digging on why the said installer kept giving me that error was because of a particular feature that Apple included in the Sierra OS, which is something called the "Gatekeeper".<br />
<br />
The purpose of the Gatekeeper was to provide another means of security to prevent users from using installers that may contain malicious workarounds/exploits. It also generates a random file path for the application to be installed wherein I'm not really sure why but it is also part of the security and application digital signing.<br />
<br />
The Tuxera 2015.2 version was published for the El Capitan didn't have that Gatekeeper functionality. When you run the same installer in MacOS Sierra and the ".dmg" installer was saved inside the Downloads folder, this will screw-up the packaging of the Tuxera installer as it doesn't play ball with that Gatekeeper.<br />
<br />Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-38618293639341513972016-05-27T20:02:00.000+08:002016-05-27T20:03:58.187+08:00A "semi-legit" speed test of PLDT Fibr 2899<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've recently applied for the PLDT Fibr plan 2899 around April 2016. After almost 4 weeks of follow-ups and service request with the "accommodating" PLDT hotline and dispatcher number, I finally got my subscription installed at our house in Mandaluyong (Barangay Namayan to be exact).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A lot of my friends started asking if it was any good... and I typically start my response of it being expensive. As for the aspect of is the connection any good compared to sticking with existing broadband DSL subscription, that is a bit tricky. Fortunately, somebody gave me an idea to do a "speedtest" of the fiber-based connection going to nodes/servers located outside the Philippines.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Background of the PH internet</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Based from the marketing material and advertisements of PLDT, they're saying that you can get speeds up to 50 Mbps (100 Mbps for the first 6 months, but that's just a teaser and will only be "fun while it lasted"). But those speeds can only be achieved if you measure your speed going to servers located on the same PLDT network. What's really important is how fast your internet connection going to outside of the Philippines or even to the other local network competitor (e.g. Globe).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">All the content that we usually access are not hosted within the Philippine territory and are typically in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and even the US. The latency, which is the "ms" thing you get when you do a ping test, going to servers located elsewhere is the one that matters the most. The lower the latency value the better; anything < 100 ms is sort of "acceptable" for most cases, higher than 200 ms and you're pretty much screwed especially in online gaming.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>My Set-up</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">PLDT Fibr plan 2899, with provided modem configured as a bridged-WAN</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Asus AC87u AC2400 Wireless Router with stock firmware</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Intel Core2-based Desktop</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Windows 10 Pro</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">4GB RAM</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">RT2870 150 USB Wireless N LAN network card (Belkin) connected as 11n</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>The "Tests"</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Without further delay (unlike what PLDT usually does), see below the screenshot of some "speedtests" I conducted.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Japan</span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs09rvRXAMJ6d_1RsTjNR_pcIEt_faUw0YzFE-t39mJyc9J3xZ5IDjmzrX8FcIT7ASWIKWfMXte3Jx6Hqho-LalipYrwGftnxlxXrcejSDM_f48eZpk-xrB0_UmbsC6SxtmE7fxFgLA3Y/s1600/japan.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs09rvRXAMJ6d_1RsTjNR_pcIEt_faUw0YzFE-t39mJyc9J3xZ5IDjmzrX8FcIT7ASWIKWfMXte3Jx6Hqho-LalipYrwGftnxlxXrcejSDM_f48eZpk-xrB0_UmbsC6SxtmE7fxFgLA3Y/s320/japan.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Singapore</span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_g4-f_pduzj4qU7L3VtkORK2TJvYxpUgOTctTbUDRkURjN3AeBjY9BKwn7No5PpcyFeOZXcoXiA6I8PY8RKJFS0ZJROA5ERNXkB8WmimRMVzq9kqeyOuKfJ-ocSodx1tVd3cJ23PO_E/s1600/sg.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_g4-f_pduzj4qU7L3VtkORK2TJvYxpUgOTctTbUDRkURjN3AeBjY9BKwn7No5PpcyFeOZXcoXiA6I8PY8RKJFS0ZJROA5ERNXkB8WmimRMVzq9kqeyOuKfJ-ocSodx1tVd3cJ23PO_E/s320/sg.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">West Coast - US</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkQWeok0Mfh6XYvMCwVER_EdhNAA5W8XH11N-ftPVLH4GhaFFjBz3xQgnib-mltOOHLG8v7B5ram8gOtaMlNl-k_q_4t2MuDONqtEjrjwX4iSoyk_HJeJK3rz7ZQgp8I82cpXBeXssok/s1600/east+coast+US.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkQWeok0Mfh6XYvMCwVER_EdhNAA5W8XH11N-ftPVLH4GhaFFjBz3xQgnib-mltOOHLG8v7B5ram8gOtaMlNl-k_q_4t2MuDONqtEjrjwX4iSoyk_HJeJK3rz7ZQgp8I82cpXBeXssok/s320/east+coast+US.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">East Coast - US</span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtK4iqHtL3h_-hwRiqH8IXuv08MtkLVvaNDKmyeKZcqySoojSEP4biZYycWqo8BwS7T-UE4wromBQ4n5XQTQZ7mZbqh82goWtGJGCaPS5cN-34QVG5Wq_gYS8AVElDCZzdY2DVoeAtL4/s1600/west+coast+US.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtK4iqHtL3h_-hwRiqH8IXuv08MtkLVvaNDKmyeKZcqySoojSEP4biZYycWqo8BwS7T-UE4wromBQ4n5XQTQZ7mZbqh82goWtGJGCaPS5cN-34QVG5Wq_gYS8AVElDCZzdY2DVoeAtL4/s320/west+coast+US.PNG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If comparing it with other internet subscriptions and DSL connections, I believe they're not too different if the latency is the one you'd consider. Bandwidth-wise, definitely it will be faster simply because it now uses a fiber optic line versus a copper line for DSL.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you want my opinion if you should switch... I leave you with this message...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"With great (bandwidth) power comes great (adult) responsibility"</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As long as you think you can afford the monthly subscription fee and if it is available within your area, why not. But as early as now, I'm bracing myself and thinking of ways to re-align the utility costs we have for the household because it is simply expensive for "just" internet (PHP 2,899.00 per month isn't really a joke).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-84130317575457109052015-12-05T13:22:00.004+08:002015-12-05T13:22:54.766+08:00Error 80040154 when PST migration using GAMME and Outlook 2013Hi guys! It's been a while since I posted something I encountered or stumbled upon that can help anyone... so here it goes.<br />
<br />
<b>Prelude...</b><br />
<br />
I recently got a stint to migrate a client of mine to Google Apps for Work. Their old email set-up was relatively simple, and they asked me to migrate their old email data that was stored in their desktop-installed Outlook 2013 client. Although they're using a 64-bit Windows 7, I'm not quite sure if it was also a 64bit Office 2013 that was installed as they're the ones who did it. Once I exported their data with the "export to file/PST" function of Outlook 2013, I was about to make my move.<br />
<br />
<b>What I initially did...</b><br />
<br />
I used one of their workstations (that already has Outlook 2013) and installed GAMME (ver. 5.0.25 to this writing) to be my migration staging area. I then followed and executed the necessary pre-requisites (API and json token permission and service certs). Once I was ready and prepared the userlist file and PST folder structure, I proceeded to start-estimate-migrate using the GAMME tool.<br />
<br />
Everything went well initially and passed the testing and estimation. Once I reached the migration part, all the user accounts failed to migrate, with an <i>"Error 80040154"</i> kept showing up for each user.<br />
<br />
<b>What wrong?</b><br />
<br />
Initially I thought it was the network but I was easily able to rule that out after some cable management and connected directly to our broadband modem/internet. I also checked if the Outlook 2013 was up-to-date, which apparently it was. I tried and looked for quite a long time across various support materials, forums and How-To manuals of Google for the GAMME tool but to no luck or even a mention of that particular error code.<br />
<br />
It led me to conclude that the culprit might be the Outlook 2013 itself as I already had experience in the past that the migration tools Google provides only behaves correctly on legacy (or not a recent release) Microsoft products. Despite the GAMME website saying it supports Outlook 2013, it's not the first time I didn't believe in Google as they have a reputation on not properly maintaining any support/admin tools nor keeping their documentations up-to-date.<br />
<br />
<b>My Solution</b><br />
<br />
I used a different workstation without the Outlook 2013 installation and then installed an Outlook 2007 (32bit) and downloaded the Office 2007 SP3 standalone patch since the GAMME tools requires Outlook 2007 SP2 at minimum. Once that's done, I installed again the GAMME tool and made the necessary set-up requirements... then it now works.<br />
<br />
Hope I'm able to help anyone out there who might face (or currently in) this same dilemma. Cheers!Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-68859820677756090752014-07-24T11:14:00.005+08:002014-07-24T11:14:58.022+08:00Linux Driver for Canon ImageClass MF3110/3112<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently stumbled upon a treasure trove while looking for ways to make my old Canon ImageClass MF3112 all-in-one laser printer work with the latest OS around.</span><br />
<br />
<u><i>Background of the situation</i></u><br />
<br />
If you're looking for drivers of this printer at the Canon official website, it only provides drivers to support 32-bit Windows XP, Vista and 7... none for Linux nor MacOS. This is pretty much a bummer especially if you have up-to-date workstations that "need" 64-bit OS (the > 4GB RAM thing). In my case, all my workstations and laptops run a Windows 8.1 and an Ubuntu Gnome 14.04, both 64-bit.<br />
<br />
Canon actually published a package to install printer drivers for Linux-based OS, called the "<a href="http://support-au.canon.com.au/contents/AU/EN/0100270808.html" target="_blank">UFR II</a>". However, this is only for their not-so-late models, and apparently the one I need is the one they developed prior to this. The older models seem to be an implementation based on a raster-like format that I have no particular clue how it differs.<br />
<br />
After a day of two of digging around the Internet, and exploring the vast "Page 2 and 3" Google search results, I found a guy who made a custom linux driver to support this "rastertocups" print driver thing that Canon has done and left to rot. He has a <a href="https://github.com/ondrej-zary/carps-cups" target="_blank">GitHub repo</a> page which sort of discussed what the driver is and what other canon printer models are supported.<br />
<br />
Since there's no HowTo wiki entry to use his codes, I opted to share what I did in order to use and install it (credits to <a href="https://github.com/ondrej-zary" target="_blank">ondrej-zary</a> for the source code).<br />
<br />
<u><i>Pre-work Requirements</i></u><br />
<ul>
<li>sudo rights (or root)</li>
<li>gcc and compiler (e.g. make, build-essential) is installed</li>
<li>cups, libcups2-dev, and libcupsimage2-dev is installed</li>
<li>even though it doesn't have the required drivers, I installed the <a href="http://support-au.canon.com.au/contents/AU/EN/0100270808.html" target="_blank">UFR II Canon Linux Drivers</a> because it seems that it is needed for the custom drivers to work</li>
</ul>
<u><i>The Steps</i></u><br />
<ol>
<li>Download ondrej-zary's <a href="https://github.com/ondrej-zary/carps-cups" target="_blank">carps-cups</a> source code (there's a zip file download link present)</li>
<li>Extract it on the desired work-area folder (temporary use; mine was inside my home folder)</li>
<li>Using the terminal, go to the location of the unzipped folder and run "make"<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">$ cd ~/carps-cups-master</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">$ make </span></b></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br /></span></li>
<li>If there are errors of missing dependencies, you can try to use "apt-file search <file> " to check which packages you need install before trying to make it. </file></li>
<li>If things look fine and there's no error, proceed with "sudo make install" (or make install for root users);</li>
</ol>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">$ sudo make install</span></b></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<u><i>The Result </i></u><br />
<br />
I've done this and made my printer work with Ubuntu Gnome 14.04 64-bit (cups 1.7.2) and Debian 7 Wheezy 32-bit (cups 1.5.3). I added printer and selected the compiled driver via the cups web interface (usually running at your linux machine "localhost:631").<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrL0BxcytvBTTjFpQdIStyDMN3GoC4UjUzogee6S1J-03pHlikvpKmKtRUdCotBjI6rD5UIl7tbdJSY8HHv9Rhs1-bNEI8DE6KnDtbQ_b9A484IksNe0qidjtArtctMjM-pYjKrQuTnc/s1600/cups-web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrL0BxcytvBTTjFpQdIStyDMN3GoC4UjUzogee6S1J-03pHlikvpKmKtRUdCotBjI6rD5UIl7tbdJSY8HHv9Rhs1-bNEI8DE6KnDtbQ_b9A484IksNe0qidjtArtctMjM-pYjKrQuTnc/s1600/cups-web.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hope this helps somebody out there... and again a huge thanks to ondrej-zary!Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-29734976955701204452013-08-14T23:08:00.000+08:002013-08-14T23:25:40.700+08:00Dual boot Debian 7 Wheezy on existing Win8 UEFI machine<br />
I don't want to bother giving a lengthy background or info... So I'll just try to make this post a short mash up of what you need to know.<br />
<br />
<i>Prelude: Dual-booting a laptop/machine wherein there is an existing Windows 8 installed in a UEFI boot-up environment</i><br />
<br />
First off, you'll probably need to do some shrinking of existing partitions. In my case, I just shrank my Windows8 drive C: using the disk manager build-in under the "Computer Management".<br />
<br />
Afterwards, you'll need to use a UEFI-bootable linux image. For me, I used a PXE bootable Debian 7 Wheezy-stable image and created a root, swap, and home partition from the unused space. Do take note that you need to use the new GPT partitioning (for those with fresh hard drives); this option is usually asked or selected when using the "advanced mode" when installing.<br />
<br />
Now here is the tricky part... after you proceed to install GRUB, that grub instance will not work later after finishing the installation. You will need to use an external USB linux image or disk that can boot as UEFI. This is not necessarily need to be a Debian USB image as I used a Kubuntu 13.04 image and placed it in a USB stick.<br />
<br />
Use the USB stick to boot the machine up and use its GRUB rescue to manually boot the already installed Debian. For those a bit lost on using the GRUB rescue command line, below are the lines I used.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">set prefix="(hdX,gptX)/boot/grub"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">set root="(hdX,gptX)"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">insmod normal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">normal</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Note that the prefix is just to denote the location of the grub installation folder, so the value might change depending on your partition layout. On the example I gave, I only have a root partition so I had to specify the "boot" folder. If your case is that you created a separate "/boot" partition, the prefix would probably look like...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">set prefix="(hdX,gptX)/grub"</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Once you have managed to boot-up to your installed Debian partition, log-in to your root (or use sudo if that's your preference) and install the following packages:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"># apt-get install grub-efi-amd64 efibootmgr</span><br />
<br />
We then have to mount temporarily the partition containing the already existing EFI loader of Windows. This is usually around 250-300MB in partition size and contains files and folders with names like "Boot" and "EFI". I'll leave it up to you which or what partition number that may be.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"># mkdir /boot/efi</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"># mount /dev/sdaX /boot/efi</span><br />
<br />
Next is loading the driver/module for the EFI support, which will then aid with the re-install and detection of GRUB of the existing EFI Windows 8 partition and creating a Debian EFI entry.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"># modprobe efivars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"># grub-install /dev/sda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"># update-grub</span><br />
<br />
Kindly check if there is a new EFI entry present on the output displayed upon executing the "<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">update-grub</span></i>". Also, check inside /boot/efi if there is a new folder or entry that matches in terms of the name of the EFI entry listed a while back.<br />
<br />
If all goes well, you will see a new UEFI boot priority inside your BIOS apart from the UEFI Windows Boot Manager.<br />
<br />
Hope this helps!<br />
<br />
<br />
Other resources that you might find useful:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=81120">http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=81120</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tanguy.ortolo.eu/blog/article51/debian-efi">http://tanguy.ortolo.eu/blog/article51/debian-efi</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-30886470334015108432013-07-21T22:10:00.002+08:002013-07-21T22:11:24.042+08:00GAM: basic scripting for Google Apps AdminsHi everyone! It has been a while since I posted something useful in this blog site of mine...<br />
<br />
I'm currently kept busy by one of my on-the-side projects recently, in particular deploying Google Apps for Education. One thing that I noticed is a need by some admins to automate some bulk task in managing and keeping up-to-date user accounts management in their respective domains. Since time is usually at the essence, and also a luxury, for most IT administrators... they don't have too much time to develop their own robust apps to deal with this kind of work.<br />
<br />
One solution that I suggest that you guys can try out is using something called the "Google Apps Manager" (or GAM). It similarly works like the provisioning API of Google Apps but already ready for CLI usage (in my case, it works like a charm in linux).<br />
<br />
To sum what GAM is, it is a python based library/command that you can use to connect to your Google Apps Admin Console and make the necessary administrative or user management work. Now the good thing with this is if you combine this with some basic scripting magic, you can now automate some bulk tasks like massive user creation or moving a huge amount of people to a mailing list.<br />
<br />
For more info or to check what the Google Apps Manager can really do, check <a href="http://code.google.com/p/google-apps-manager/wiki/ExamplesProvisioning" target="_blank">this link</a> out.Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-47625214179788594062012-06-03T23:48:00.003+08:002012-06-03T23:48:46.969+08:00Amazon AWS as a good help for start-upsI was quite happy and satisfied for being able to attend a talk about a demo/intro about Amazon's cloud-as-a-service solution, the Amazon Web Services. Apart from acquire more technical knowledge, it sort of gave some options to prevent too much cost on set-up of a server for public-viewable production use.<br />
<br />
I don't want to bother talking and putting more details on what's the technical differences and the pros and cons of AWS from traditional in-house or other cloud-hosting providers since there is really no absolute truth or "standard" that can explain this in concrete sense. But one thing that I'm actually keen is on their "free tier usage" for new AWS account holders.<br />
<br />
Well, on a marketing standpoint, the "free tier usage" is their proof-of-concept or demo-to-purchase to reel in customers and use their offered service... which is all true perhaps. But for tech-enterpreneurs who are looking for ways to deploy their apps or products over the net and be accessible to their target customers, I could really say that AWS should be there on the potential list for achieving it.<br />
<br />
The "free tier usage" from what I understand is good for 12 months upon sign-up of a new AWS account... which for the record requires you to provide a credit card. But despite of that uneasiness for people that are not entirely comfortable of letting someone save your credit card credentials... it is a gamble worthwhile. The main agenda at the end of the day is to try out if the 1-year free trial service that AWS offer can meet the requirements of your start-up tech project. In turn, it will make you actually move forward to realization of launching your start-up project into production.<br />
<br />
Everyone would like to spend (too much) money on a start-up that has to prove its value, and releasing it to the public market is the driver or decision-block on determining a winning formula or just another rubbish in the bin. Of course, when it does become a huge hit upon release to the public, you would likely need to think of scaling the capacity and performance. In AWS, you can scale your set-up as convenient as you can, and as their saying goes "pay for what you only use".<br />
<br />
For more info on this matter, I suggest you to read their program details at Amazon's own website at <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/free/" target="_blank">this link</a>.Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-89729890907963981662012-04-30T23:16:00.000+08:002012-04-30T23:16:52.667+08:00[Bug] adding gateway route but with different subnet from networkI encountered a weird behavior from my recent projects that were related to some setup of gateway servers, for both Linux-based (Debian) and BSD-based (FreeBSD) systems... wherein there is an issue when adding static gateway routes that does not match or fall within the defined subnet network configured on a network interface.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To give a better detail or explanation of this predicament of mine, below is a sample network configuration scenario...</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Network IP address subnet is 10.10.1.0/24, so that's basically 10.10.1.X correct?</li>
<li>Gateway IP address is... let's say 10.50.1.27...</li>
</ul>
<div>
Clearly on the scenario given, the IP address of the gateway is outside of the network subnet defined for a network interface. Here in the Philippines, this is a common case for leased-line internet connections coming from telco providers. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
From previous engagements, I don't have a problem hard-coding this on either the interfaces config file or in the rc.conf... but in the recent turn of events and experience, it seems that the latest linux kernels and BSD builds have incorporated a sort-of mechanism that prohibits this kind of configuration to be enabled and up upon start-up of the operating system. I've experienced this issue with a Debian Squeeze server and a FreeBSD version 8 I think (am not really a BSD proficient guy, just the basic UNIX made me survive).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The setup still works with this kind of interface configuration, but upon boot-up, you have to manual place the static routes (using "route" command) for it to recognize and see the gateway IP you want it to use.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My initial solutions involved adding static routes on the interfaces config or on the rc.conf files.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For Linux-based:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">post-up route add -net 10.50.1.27 netmask 255.255.255.255 dev eth0</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">post-up route add default gw 10.50.1.27</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">post-down route add 10.50.1.27 netmask 255.255.255.255 dev eth0</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">post-down route add default gw 10.50.1.27</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For BSD:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">defaultrouter="10.50.1.27"</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">static_routes="net1"</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">route_net1="-net 10.50.1.27/32"</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sadly though, my attempts in fixing the BSD-based system ended up in failure. As for the Linux machine, well I have yet to fully test it out since the project suddenly reached the end without further testing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hope this rather weird post of mine helped to shed some light to their problem and looking for an answer.</div>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-50859366270794795532011-08-25T21:28:00.000+08:002011-08-25T21:32:05.186+08:00Finally part of the "exclusive club"This is just a short brag-out post... <div>
<br /></div><div>Finally, I was able to convince and treat myself into getting a Macbook Pro. Since I was still eyeing much on the budget, I just got the entry mode 13" with i5 processor. The unit came with a pre-installed Snow Leopard but I was able to register and get the Lion OS upgrade for free. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>All I can say is... no wonder a lot of people like to have and own a Mac. The feel, look, the power and convenience...</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Simply bliss!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>At least I could now say that I know how to use a Windows, a Linux, and now a Mac.</div>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-81441206959729810392011-02-10T23:07:00.000+08:002011-02-10T23:19:54.152+08:00Toshiba Folio AS100 mod-dingTo those who were able to purchase and get their hands on a quite rare Toshiba Folio AS100 and are suffering greatly on the poor performance of the stock Android OS, there is someone who just saved us from almost throwing our tablets off the window.<br /><br />A guy by the name (or screen name, not sure) <span class="fn">Dexter Picard was very kind enough to develop and release a good and working "FolioMod" image for our tablet PC. There's an active thread running in the XDA Developers forum which discusses further about the actual ROM created and how to install it to your Folio device. Refer to Post #1 on <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=846199">this thread</a> and follow the instructions.<br /><br />Some key features that you get when using the FolioMod are:<br /></span><ul><li>fully working and somewhat latest Google Apps (Gmail, Maps)<br /></li><li>a working Android Marketplace App (Yes, the same market app we have come to love and familiar to any Android device)</li><li>better tweaked response and performance</li><li>root privileges of course (very useful for uninstalling the crap-ware pre-bundled by Toshiba, but still it's up to you to remove them)<br /></li></ul><span class="fn">I'm currently using the FolioMod v1.3c and frankly, I'm quite happy with it. Hope that you will also do and feel the same.<br /><br />A great deal of thanks and cheers to Dexter and the rest of the people who have contributed heavily on developing and improving the FolioMod image.<br /><br /><br /></span>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-3291120591479271632011-02-10T22:26:00.000+08:002011-02-10T22:56:56.170+08:00Rooting my HTC Desire<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Disclaimer: This is not a fool-proof guide on rooting your HTC Desire phone, so using my guide is at your own risk. I won't be held responsible should something goes wrong and bricked your phone throughout the process. I personally did all these preparation and setup and it worked just fine on me.</span></span><br /><br />Just want to share my experience as to how I rooted my HTC Desire (A8181 GSM).<br /><br />Before I continue further, some key factors and reasons for rooting the phone:<br /><ul><li>A better or functional "recovery" menu compared to the stock</li><li>With the recovery, I could create/restore a backup image via Nandroid.</li><li>Using a different OS image available around the net (i.e. CyanogenMod, Oxygen, etc.), but you can stick with your stock rom like I did (HTC sense lol!)<br /></li><li>replacing my stock Baseband version (for signal and battery performance)<br /></li><li>Root permissions of course</li></ul>Some stuff needed to perform/download/install before rooting your phone:<br /><ul><li>USB cable</li><li>phone must be at least 30% charged (but don't push your luck on this, just charge it to the most you can)</li><li>"unrevoked" application (you can search it via Google or get it <a href="http://unrevoked.com/">here</a>)</li><li>RA-desire-v2.0.0 recovery image (highly suggested; Google it)</li><li>HBoot Drivers (only for Windows users; can be downloaded on the unrevoked website)</li><li>extreme levels of caution and patience</li></ul>One main reason why I used the RA-desire-v2.0.0 image compared to the stock ClockworkMod (v3.0 at my time) recovery image that came together with the unrevoked application was that it did not support some mod images available in the web, most especially the Oxygen Gingerbread mod (for those itching to try Android 2.3).<br /><br />Once you have all these stuff prepared, you have to perform the following changes in your phone...<br /><ul><li>enable USB debugging inside "Settings" -> "Applications" -> "Development"</li><li>enable Unknown sources inside "Settings" -> "Applications"</li><li>set default connection type to "charge only" and uncheck "ask me" in "Settings" -> "Connect to PC"</li><li>backup your sms messages and other stuff (your data in the SD card is safe)</li><li>no need to remove your SIM card and SD card<br /></li></ul>These are the steps I performed for the actual rooting...<br /><ol><li>Run the unrevoked3 application (for Linux users, it should be in "sudo")</li><li><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">[For Windows only]</span> install the HBOOT drivers, so that your PC can correctly detect your device<br /></li><li>On the menu, select "Custom recovery" (similar to this wording) and select the RA-desire-v2.0.0 image from the directory you saved it. There will be a "custom" indicated in the bottom center of the unrevoked application if you did this part correctly.<br /></li><li>with your Desire turned on, connect the phone with your data cable and onto the PC</li><li>upon connecting the phone, the unrevoked application should detect it and prompt a message in which it will be a go or no-go confirmation. Hit the ok button or yes (or whatever)</li><li>the unrevoked application will now commence the rooting, just watch your phone and application, and NOT touching your phone or anything</li><li>wait for it to finish</li><li>yes... wait a bit more... it will restart on its own and do some stuff by itself even more...</li><li>it will probably be already at a portion testing or doing a "root"... wait for it...</li><li>it should be then loading and replacing your recovery menu</li><li>wait for the unrevoked application to be "Done" (literally)... just wait until there's a "Done" shown on your PC screen.</li></ol>If all is good, it should have landed on your new recovery menu. Congratulations!<br /><br />To resume to your normal usage, just let it "reboot" and you're good to go again.Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-73080821314480836392010-07-03T20:39:00.000+08:002010-08-27T20:01:50.595+08:00Asus K42Jk and K52Jk laptops<div>I was able to get my hands on two very similar and current models of Asus that has the latest Intel Core i3 series processors. The Asus K42Jk-VX027R and K52Jk-SX055 have replaced the previous K40I series that put Asus back into the value-level market in laptops during the 2nd half of 2009.<div><br /></div><div>Just to start off, let's list down the specs that are packed inside these models. Both of these units have identical specifications and differ only on the size and keyboard layout.</div><div><ul><li>Intel Core i3 - 350M Processor, 2.26 GHz</li><li>Intel Mobile HM55 Chipset</li><li>ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145, 1G DDR3 VRAM</li><li>4 GB DDR3 RAM</li><li>500 GB HDD, 5400 rpm</li><li>Maximum Screen Resolution of 1366 x 768, LED Backlit Screen</li><li>Wi-Fi b/g/n. Bluetooth, LAN</li><li>6-cell battery</li><li>DVD-burner, 3-in-1 Card reader, multi-touch pad</li><li>the other usual stuff in a laptop</li></ul><div>From my first hands-on experience, it feels solid and more robust compared to the plastic-hollow feel from its predecessor. With the rough carbon-lookalike chassis on the palm rest and solid-chiclet keyboard similar on what Sony Vaio has, it really isn't bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>These models support Linux-distros and Windows 7 (as it only has drivers for this OS) from my experience, so don't bother trying to install an XP in this machine as I think it will be a waste on this. The latest Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid and Mint 9 Isadora works out of the box, but of course with very minor bugs. Some of which that I've encountered is the proprietary ATI drivers not working well (in fact, the default modules work better and boots faster with it), and the suspend session when the lid is closed hangs-up. Overall though, it is still good and with some reading from forum sites, you'll find some fixes and workarounds.<br /><br /></div></div></div><div><div>I do think Asus has once again created another laptop that is again reasonably priced and I think was bit ahead against other manufacturer brands. The 14" K42Jk is priced at around PHP 42,000 that already includes a Windows 7 Basic 64-bit installed, while the 15" K52Jk is at PHP 39,000 doesn't have any OS included but has numpad keys. The 15" variant I believe will have another version that comes with a Nvidia graphics chipset, which might be a good news for those who are more comfortable and loyalist on Nvidia.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>If you're looking for decent laptops at this point in time, I would recommend these... but of course, other manufacturers will definitely show up with something of similar calibers as these two.</div>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-42212279475950357672010-06-15T20:41:00.000+08:002010-06-15T21:41:03.894+08:00Samsung Spica i5700 Galaxy in the flesh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLiXU441xyDco2X0P1oDyQMbV-5sJ2mjUgWkTyw4xWXZpeHLL_M-CMhxUXXodGjAls5Ep7unn6LgVpltHgZuo1yEXAime0eBI6YNLgVLplJpXgQRYEieWV3Hga_2stXLra_duUpHfP7w/s1600/DSC04826.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLiXU441xyDco2X0P1oDyQMbV-5sJ2mjUgWkTyw4xWXZpeHLL_M-CMhxUXXodGjAls5Ep7unn6LgVpltHgZuo1yEXAime0eBI6YNLgVLplJpXgQRYEieWV3Hga_2stXLra_duUpHfP7w/s400/DSC04826.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482988932035953522" border="0" /></a>As a somewhat avid fan and user of anything by Google, be it the simple Gmail to the complex power of Google Apps, of course I wanted an Android-powered phone which will fit my budget. This constraint of budget-issues was then answered when Samsung released the Spica i5700 Galaxy during this Q2.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br />Samsung did a brilliant job of immediately tapping this consumer market of tech-savvy but budget-restricted people with their introduction of the Spica i5700 Galaxy. At first it was a far-cry from my old conventional phone (I came from a SE K810i) which is somewhat weird at first. The Spica ain't that all good looking but rather kept a practical and simple look. Indeed it is all made of plastics and all compared to an iPhone, but hey, you get what you paid for, which is around Php 15,000 or even lower (I got mine on a deferred payment scheme of 12-months 0%-interest, with a total of Php 16,290... yeah it costed me a bit more).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Rxj-C1hEersuIaA0Lym2Z9J0wromaoQU-eAJsbC584TmsScfyY0NUUcUV4TR8PQfJAB9s44y8Rs6ky3f_EkcrazwgKF3Zs9uCcU5sOnCmI1-KqqsTTXrHVjmJoJHt96KdBu1q89wdpg/s1600/DSC04827.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Rxj-C1hEersuIaA0Lym2Z9J0wromaoQU-eAJsbC584TmsScfyY0NUUcUV4TR8PQfJAB9s44y8Rs6ky3f_EkcrazwgKF3Zs9uCcU5sOnCmI1-KqqsTTXrHVjmJoJHt96KdBu1q89wdpg/s200/DSC04827.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482983301746892082" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The unit initially entered the market with an Android 1.5 (cupcake) OS, but of course this was a very slow and restricted version until they introduced an official update to the 2.1 (eclair) series. I bought my unit which was already updated into 2.1 (a good call if you ask me) and with an extra red back case. Packed with Samsung's own 800 mHz processor an a pseudo-AMOLED (yep, it is only a TFT screen), it actually looks good and feels good. I installed a Tag-Home app which replaced the defaulted Home-theme developed by Samsung, which I think was a bit sluggish in terms of response, and didn't have a landscape view when tilted on the "Desktop" area.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgBcvpSB5dyUWMBh5YRkGeis4OijWwoMdQPbH-tAvVFibq90NTjru_f9wTdVJ4VUNSQxxbepSUkysNjgRyx1LA9TiSgKjrX0seVhDPG8z9eFGS9M8CiEZ8qzf5AoI49TtZ5FHJzNTBek/s1600/DSC04834.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgBcvpSB5dyUWMBh5YRkGeis4OijWwoMdQPbH-tAvVFibq90NTjru_f9wTdVJ4VUNSQxxbepSUkysNjgRyx1LA9TiSgKjrX0seVhDPG8z9eFGS9M8CiEZ8qzf5AoI49TtZ5FHJzNTBek/s400/DSC04834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482990869067136258" border="0" /></a>The Spica only has a 200 MB internal storage memory that covers all your caching (mail, browsing, text messages, etc.) and your available space for installing other apps. Of course the hoped-for Android 2.2 (froyo) that supports installing apps into your SD card is in the window, its only the matter of whether Samsung will create an official update to it.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>Leaving the internal storage space aside, it is actually a jam-packed unit which covers everything that you might and will possibly look for; bluetooth v2.1, wi-fi capable (BG range), in-built GPS, micro-SD slot that supports up to 32 GB, accelerometer for sensing orientation and for other apps, 3.2 mpixel camera, and of course 3G capable since this is targeted as an internet-reliant phone because of all the Google services built-in.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0dExBmgOOiSNqkda3Zc9UmcwORgJVDdUUkMCEb1SBAPjNMIjRGjQS0qliU_3Ok8JUQ06QTvAT3Tq2Vw0JpuzwHbxbYu9CaUZ3QJWeHkuVxvrJQqsi-O16dqnM99TcnM_xI7bMsrZxYE/s1600/DSC04832.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0dExBmgOOiSNqkda3Zc9UmcwORgJVDdUUkMCEb1SBAPjNMIjRGjQS0qliU_3Ok8JUQ06QTvAT3Tq2Vw0JpuzwHbxbYu9CaUZ3QJWeHkuVxvrJQqsi-O16dqnM99TcnM_xI7bMsrZxYE/s200/DSC04832.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482988501575872610" border="0" /></a>Now onto the Google services I mentioned. The Android OS requires you to have a Google account, which is no biggie. This is initially troublesome for other people, I myself wasn't spared, because of the initial task of migrating from your old phone. It did however proved me wrong of being hard to migrate because all you need is a way to export your contacts to a file that will be accepted by Google Contacts for "import contacts" option, and the power of the Internet. Having my own Google Apps account made things a lot easier because of the immediate integration of my mail, contacts and calendars... if you think of it, it is actually the same for a regular Google account.<br /><br />The functionality of the Google Latitude, which is already tied with the Maps app in the phone, is something that I suggests to be tried-out and played in this phone, although I admit Philippine support in terms of roadway and traffic are still in need of updating. But just a reminder, if you are hiding from people, better turn this service off or make sure you know whom you granted access to see you on Latitude.<br /><br />The phone, after a few settings tweaked, will automatically sync all of these when it has an Internet connection, be it a wi-fi connection or 3G. This ain't exactly a user-friendly phone at first glance, and will probably require some patience (for total newbies in anything Google) but of course everyone will get used to it. As for the size and weight, it is relatively light but not exactly a slim phone as people initially think of when comparing with an iTouch or iPhone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuw5XhKLZLmOws8t3-03aCFtZoC4gjE3D7SyjuzQIJ9e-v2fGAzbwiqIIb_QJDtAshxAKkZ1AgP_s6jdLc95aMWnSIUqzXCNcFUC5AOXrqkY2hcWiQEIaPOCMYp8a-ZYjLflqmuzMp044/s1600/DSC04829.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuw5XhKLZLmOws8t3-03aCFtZoC4gjE3D7SyjuzQIJ9e-v2fGAzbwiqIIb_QJDtAshxAKkZ1AgP_s6jdLc95aMWnSIUqzXCNcFUC5AOXrqkY2hcWiQEIaPOCMYp8a-ZYjLflqmuzMp044/s400/DSC04829.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482993767175079474" border="0" /></a><br />Overall, I think this phone is worth it in terms of the functionality and definitely on its cost. Of course if you want to make sure you get the most-responsive unit around the market, the Spica ain't exactly that one and will definitely costs you a bit more (like it's brother, the i9000 Galaxy). But of course, in a practical perspective, this is a must-buy and it will surely be of good use, giving you a new look on how you use a mobile phone (more like a PDA of sorts) that won't hurt your wallet too much.<br /></div><br /></div>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-58900010731276393362010-05-22T14:57:00.000+08:002010-05-22T15:57:36.377+08:00O&B is now an Authorized Google Apps Reseller Partner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux4g_WG5RqId48BsJhPu8yoj6nSR4x0bp3ZEKh08vzMffFh-qhzmAvyJ5xn0yK27LSbT6pJwN5AyHNkUkgl3km2X24DDFJ_yZatXEg0_iAdkf5YgpmQWM7msrIrwJCbimRFStTdz_qeU/s1600/Google+Apps+Logo+-+Large.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 40px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiux4g_WG5RqId48BsJhPu8yoj6nSR4x0bp3ZEKh08vzMffFh-qhzmAvyJ5xn0yK27LSbT6pJwN5AyHNkUkgl3km2X24DDFJ_yZatXEg0_iAdkf5YgpmQWM7msrIrwJCbimRFStTdz_qeU/s400/Google+Apps+Logo+-+Large.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474000193298344594" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br />Google has formally recognized and authorized<a href="http://www.orangeandbronze.com/"> Ora</a><a href="http://www.orangeandbronze.com/">nge and Bronze Software Labs</a> to be its Google Apps Reseller Partner here in the Philippines this May 2010.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />This has been in progress since the Q4 of 2009, when Google has been starting to penetrate the market of hosted mail services, particularly here in the Asia-Pacific region. It targets companies who are looking into alternatives on upgrading their current Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes (with Exchange 2010 just officially released on Nov. 2009) and following a growing trend where companies are outsourcing some IT-related services that they use.<br /><br />In a nutshell, Google Apps Premier Edition is Google's business solution for communication and collaboration for the corporate setting. Quoting a portion from the Google Apps Official website, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Google's web-based messaging and collaboration apps require no hardware or software and need minimal administration, creating tremendous time and cost savings </span><span style="font-style: italic;">for </span><span style="font-style: italic;">businesses.</span>", which is basically it's main selling point... reduced cost but still a powerful tool for your business. To know more about Google Apps Premier Edition, visit the product's <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html">homepage</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTC7PUa4kk96xvS25JIwudEFNDOYGf29ch1xn4QZIwqBZYbYIa02nJ02x5wN9ovxq8AMBiraDPLkbQxhyDjGisPVbU7AqVpdmqZG229fktgFAzVR887Lj86pjYdF6sIggJbzoJNEnsAY/s1600/3304_73204782686_43623487686_2187207_4928977_n.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTC7PUa4kk96xvS25JIwudEFNDOYGf29ch1xn4QZIwqBZYbYIa02nJ02x5wN9ovxq8AMBiraDPLkbQxhyDjGisPVbU7AqVpdmqZG229fktgFAzVR887Lj86pjYdF6sIggJbzoJNEnsAY/s200/3304_73204782686_43623487686_2187207_4928977_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473995893181243362" border="0" /></a><br />For those interested, most especially companies here in the Philippines, do not hesitate to forward your questions or inquiries to <a href="mailto:info@orangeandbronze.com">this email address</a>. If you wish to know more information about Orange and Bronze and other services that are offered, visit their <a href="http://www.orangeandbronze.com/">website</a>.<br /><br /><br /></div>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-9540263989488615522010-02-26T04:03:00.000+08:002010-02-26T09:03:48.043+08:00PLDT WeRoam Dongle and Linux (Ubuntu)I was able to test out a PLDT WeRoam dongle at our office, and to those familiar Linux users out there, there isn't a default configuration avaiable to use the PLDT dongle. The closest configuration is the one saved for Smart Bro. <br><br>The configuration that I used to make it work are the following:<br><ul><li>APN: weroamplan</li><li>username: pldt@weroam</li><li>password: pldt</li><li>number to dial: *99#</li><li>authentication method: PAP (or sometimes CHAP)</li><li>allow BSD data, Deflate data and Header data compression <br></li><li>IPV4 Settings: automatic PPP address only, add 8.8.8.8 (GoogleDNS) as your DNS server. <br></li></ul>The performance if you might ask... it is pretty quick and somewhat reliable (in my case it works like a charm in the Makati area). This setting works like a charm, especially the addition of GoogleDNS (really, PLDT's own DNS suck big-time).<br><br>As for those who are having troubles configuring their dongles to work, might I suggest to search over my previous blog posts on some of the guides I have written for it.<br><br> <!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class='multiply:no_crosspost'></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-17165135955551510952010-02-14T10:15:00.000+08:002010-02-18T09:38:01.625+08:00Using Apt-Mirror with Debian/Ubuntu netbootingJust want to share my experiences in configuring your own local apt-mirror to use with netboot installation methods of Debian/Ubuntu. I did this setup in a Debian Lenny 32bit Server inside a VM instance.<br /><br />First off, the main packages that you do need to install onto your server are...<br /><br />For your netboot:<br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"># apt-get install tftpd-hpa dhcp3-server</span><br /><br />The DHCP server is optional if your network already have a separate machine that handles that since we could use that...<br /><br />For your apt-mirror and sharing it:<br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"># apt-get install apt-mirror apache2</span><br /><br />The first thing that you initially have to do is add something to the configuration file of your DHCP server. Apart from the basic configurations in defining your intended subnet, there is a few additional configurations to be added specifically for your netbooting. You have to add a few lines inside your <span style="font-style: italic;">/etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf</span> that will handle redirection of those requesting an IP address and are in PXE booting mode. Below is a sample that needs to be adde<span style="font-family:monospace;">d</span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica;"> inside your subnet declaration.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">#this is what is inside my DHCP server conf file</span> </span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />subnet 10.10.0.0 netmask 255.255.0.0<br />{</span> <span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"> <br />range 10.10.1.1 10.10.1.199;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"> option broadcast-address 10.10.255.255;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"> option router 10.10.1.254;</span> <span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"> <br />allow unknown-clients;</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"> #this is what I added for the netboot</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:courier new,courier;" > <br />next-server (URL or IP of netboot server)<ip of="" netboot="" server="" within="" this="" subnet="">;<br /></ip></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:courier new,courier;" >filename "pxelinux.0";</span> <span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />}</span><br /><br />Afterwards, you need to edit your<span style="font-style: italic;"> /etc/apt/mirror.list</span> to point to the desired mirror server ubuntu/debian resources that you want to copy or mirror. The contents and format of mirror.list is quite similar to what is contained on your <span style="font-style: italic;">/etc/apt/sources.list</span>. There is only one more important detail that needs to be added, which is a "main/debian-installer" and "restricted/debian-installer". To do this, just add an additional entry of a source in your mirror.list that looks something like below, just change the values accordingly to what you intend (if debian or ubuntu and what distro version).<br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />#my sample here is something for Ubuntu Karmic mirror</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">deb http://<target mirror="" url="">(URL of external mirror site)/ubuntu karmic main restricted</target></span> <span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />deb http://</span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">(URL of external mirror site)</span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><target mirror="" url="">/ubuntu karmic main/debian-installer restricted/debian-installer</target></span> <span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />clean http://<target mirror="" url=""></target></span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">(URL of external mirror site)</span><br /><br />Upon doing this, do a "<span style="font-style: italic;">sudo apt-mirror</span>" so that it will start fetching the packages and such into your local mirror server. For the sample I shown a while ago, it was around 6.7 GB worth of packages, therefore be mindful of the storage capacity of your server and your bandwidth. This will definitely take some time, so let's configure the other stuff you need.<br /><br />Remember I had you install apache2? We're going to need this to make your apt-mirror visible and can be shared over the network easily. What we only need to do, as a quick configure, is to make a soft-link of your apt-mirror sources file directory (<span style="font-style: italic;">/var/spool/apt-mirror/mirror/</span>) into the default directory of apache2 (<span style="font-style: italic;">/var/www/</span>). Below is a sample on the command to do this.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">#if you are making a debian apt-mirror</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">sudo ln -s /var/spool/apt-mirror/mirror/<url of="" the="" source=""></url></span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">(URL of external mirror site)</span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><url of="" the="" source="">/debian /var/www/debian</url></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;font-size:100%;">#if you are making an ubuntu apt-mirror</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">sudo ln -s /var/spool/apt-mirror/mirror/</span></span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;font-size:100%;">(URL of external mirror site)</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><url of="" the="" source="">/ubuntu /var/www/ubuntu</url></span></span><br /><br />Afterwards, run your apache2 server and try to view it with your browser (localhost/ubuntu or localhost/debian). You should see a directory on display that somewhat contains packages and stuff that is being fetched by your apt-mirror.<br /><br />Now we configure your TFTPBOOT. First off, we need to edit your <span style="font-style: italic;">/etc/default/tftpd-hpa</span> file. Try to mimic the settings shown below.<br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />#defaults of the tftpd-hpa with RUN_DAEMON set to YES</span> <span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"><br />RUN_DAEMON=yes<br /></span><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;">OPTIONS="-l -s /var/lib/tftpboot"</span><br /><br />The directory<span style="font-style: italic;"> /var/lib/tftpboot</span> is the default directory where your intended netboot images will be placed. You are free to change this value but just be mindful of the needed permissions or ownership of the file or directory as it might be cause some trouble. You can copy into this directory the netboot files of either Ubuntu or Debian. The images that you need can be downloaded <a href="http://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst">here</a> for Debian and <a href="http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/netboot/">here</a> for Ubuntu. In some cases, the default directory doesn't exist so you might need to mkdir one.<br /><br />After you have placed a netboot image, we then try to run it by...<br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new,courier;"># /etc/init.d/tftpd-hpa start</span><br /><br />To check if it is working, try to boot-up a PC (of course with PXE network booting capabilities) that is connected to your network. If that PC boots up to a network installation menu of the distro that you pasted in your tftpboot directory, it means that things are working for your netboot.<br /><br />To check if your apt-mirror is working and sharing, during your netboot installation it will ask for a mirror site, you should select the topmost option from the list which gives you a way to manually define the mirror URL. Just type in the IP address of your mirror server and press enter for the defaults of the remaining questions related to it. if it proceeds to the next step of your installation, it is therefore working.<br /><br />One problem that I encountered while configuring my apt-mirror is that the "debian-installer" is missing, and possible reasons for this is not being included in the <span style="font-style: italic;">/etc/apt/mirror.list</span> or the selected URL site being mirrored doesn't have that resources. Changing the sources and re-run the apt-mirror should do the job.<br /><br />Some sources I used in making this are listed below. Credits to the writers of the guides.<br /><ul><li>http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/478</li><li>http://www.howtoforge.org/local_debian_ubuntu_mirror<br /></li></ul>Hope my guide helps some of you guys out there.<br /><br /> <!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class="multiply:no_crosspost"></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-84971911268234461432010-02-09T15:32:00.000+08:002010-02-09T20:32:33.710+08:00Netboot linux installation solutionsOver these past few days, I have been looking and conducting trials on the various forms of massive or volume based formatting of some of our desktops with linux-based distributions. Since I have the network infrastructure resources at the office (where I work in) at my "diligent" disposal to use, an obvious solution is creating a system that will catch network boot (netboot) requests. <br><br>Some few months ago, I have been taught on using DRBL together with Clonezilla for "mass-producing" thin-client units for one of the office's projects. I was planning to integrate this service onto our network but somehow having trouble in configuring it's DHCP server to cooperate or simply use the one already present and implemented on our gateway server. I also partially abandoned the cloning idea because you are basically limited to cloning. <br><br>With some discussions done with my peers at the office, this side-project is once again up and running about, but this time I'm experimenting the use of tftpboot and FAI-server. Basically, my current objective is to create a server (a small VM instance) that will handle any lookup for a boot loader. Right now, I have been able to set up a Debian Lenny server with tftpboot installed and configured our gateway/DHCP server to point into that server for pxeboot image request (not sure on how this is called). To test, I stored a generic (available) netboot image of a Debian and Ubuntu Karmic installer that will be thrown into the target desktop PC. So far it is working but of course I still need to figure our a way of optimizing it.<br><br>The next steps that I am trying to undertake is studying how to then set it up with FAI (fully automated install). Things are still a bit fuzzy on how to implement this; from what I read, I still have to prep-up a nfs partition or such that will store the images and scripts I plan to install. <br><br>Maybe next time... if I have some free time... I could make a detailed blog on configuring each of those features I did mention.<br> <!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class='multiply:no_crosspost'></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-50440920481114978812009-10-18T15:50:00.000+08:002009-10-18T19:50:24.938+08:00Google Apps... an overview...<div style="text-align: justify;">Hello! I've been meaning to post something about this, just finding the right (free) time to do so... <br><br>To those who doesn't know, Google is starting to campaign more in providing services in the business market, in particular their mail and other web-based services. Google then put all those services into what they call Google Apps. <br><br>Google Apps basically is a stream-lined way of managing mail and site services for your domain. The basic services integrated into Google Apps are Gmail, Gtalk, Google Calendars, Google Docs, and Google Sites. To put it simply, Google Apps is somewhat a mail-hosting service for your domain, with a lot more of services to offer.<br><br>The main difference of Google Apps with other mail-hosting services available, as well as compared to having your own mail-client server, is the accessibility of it simply through the internet and the integration of all those features together that can be of great use in communication and sharing of various information.<br><br>You can easily share and collaborate the work with your co-workers with the help of the services that Google Apps provide like calendar schedules, documents and such amongst the employees or members within that subscribed domain. At the same time, this can easily be managed by their IT personnel because it all boils down to just management of accounts and restriction policies for each employees. No need to maintain a troublesome actual server because Google will take care of it with you, with a 99.9% SLA and 24/7 mail or contact support in case of difficulties.<br><br>There is of course a free version of Google Apps, called the standard edition, and you only need a domain in order to register for one (either you have your own domain that doesn't have mail exchange settings, or you could buy one from Google if you don't have one). It provides all the basic features that you and your group will need with a limited number of user accounts that can be created. The mail has the typical 7+ GB storage similar to the regular Gmail, and the typical features goes for the other services.<br><br>However, if you need more user accounts and to utilize it more to suit your company's need, like mail filtering and larger storage capacities, purchasing the premier edition is the way to go. Upon purchasing the premier edition, you will gain a mail storage upgrade to 25GB, additional option to create resources (rooms, projectors, etc) that can be assigned in the entries managed through Google Calendar, Postini mail-filtering services, enabling of API functionality, LDAP and RADIUS authentication redirection for those who have existing systems that manage user authentication, synchronization features with Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. There are still other features that you will gain upon purchasing the premier edition.<br><br>To interested parties located within the Philippines, the office where I am currently working provides services in helping interested parties in planning, purchasing and managing their Google Apps premier edition. Just visit <a href="www.orangeandbronze.com">our website</a> to check out our company or <a href="http://www.orangeandbronze.com/contact-us">contact us here</a> if you wish to ask any question with regards to Google Apps services for your company. <br><br>For more info on what is Google Apps, visit Google's website for this <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html#utm_medium=et&utm_source=catch_all">here</a>.<br> </div><!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class='multiply:no_crosspost'></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-61266580841622967242009-10-11T12:23:00.000+08:002009-10-11T16:23:59.964+08:00Intel HDA sound issue for Ubuntu Karmic KoalaHello! It has been a long time since I posted something here on this thread of mine... just want to share this to those who are having troubles with enabling the sound on their machines upon installation of Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala with Intel HDA hardwares... I went through this trouble because I updated using a beta version hehehe!<br><br>First off, try to determine first the model or chipset of your audio hardware by means of checking it out on...<br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">$ aplay -l</span><br><br>Then, edit the alsa-base.conf file as a super-user with a text editor of your choice... in my case it was vi...<br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">$ sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf</span><br><br>Add the following line, maybe at the end of the file...<br><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">options snd-hda-intel model=<your model></span><br><br>The model list is listed at this <a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=5131958&postcount=2">site</a>... it's is the reference site I used to fix mine. Just to share, my unit is a Lenovo Y410, so it has the ALC262 chipset... in the list, I used the "lenovo-3000" as the value.<br><br>Also, if there is still trouble, might I suggest to comment-out this line... (just add a sharp "#" on the front)<br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">#options snd-hda-intel power_save=10</span><br><br>Hope this helps to those in need.<br><br> <!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class='multiply:no_crosspost'></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-56434695392179229232009-09-06T16:18:00.000+08:002009-09-06T20:18:27.541+08:00Guitar Hero 5 works with Rock Band instruments for WiiA few weeks ago, I bought a Rock Band 2 Band-set... Guitar, Drums, and Mic... for my Wii console. For reference, my Wii is a modified US version with a Wii-Key installed. My Rock Band 2 copy is of course original since it came with the bundle. I thought at first I made a bad move buying a Rock Band bundle and not a Guitar Hero instrument bundle to ensure that I could use the same instruments for the upcoming Guitar Hero 5.<br><br>Well, after "purchasing" a copy of Guitar Hero 5 (game only)... I gambled on just trying the Rock Band instruments just for kicks before I purchase a Guitar Hero guitar. Turns out, the wireless guitar and wireless drum set actually works! Cool!!!<br><br>My office-mate has a Rock Band 1 instrument bundle, I'm pretty much guessing it will also work with Guitar Hero 5... Woot!<br><br>That's about it I guess... I'm off to band session... nyahahaha!<br> <!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class='multiply:no_crosspost'></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980701230634911603.post-13561553077435433282009-07-27T18:08:00.000+08:002009-07-27T22:08:17.721+08:00two (or more) PCs, one set of keyboard-mouse?My setup in my office desk might look weird at first glance because apart from having 2 laptops, there is also an external keyboard and mouse (trackball)... normally you would just connect it to one laptop to control it... but would you believe you could also use it on the other laptop at the same time without having to replug it?<br><br><img src="http://images.changinglanes.multiply.com/image/2/photos/15/500x500/7/DSC02423.JPG?et=ieVq41Any5zjdxOAosJgBQ&nmid=270450153"><br><br>There is an application called Synergy... it is freeware... and supports many operating system platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux). Just visit the website, http://synergy2.sourceforge.net , to know more about it. The main requirement of this application to work is that both computers (laptops) are connected on the same network (both computers are connected to your router at home, the one connected to your internet/DSL modem). That network connection is what is used by Synergy to link the keyboard and mouse of both machines together. They could work even if the two machines are running a different kind of operating system, provided you install the proper version for the kind of operating system.<br><br>To explain a little further how this works, the keyboard and mouse are connected to the laptop on the left... I'll just set Synergy on how the orientation of the laptops are... so, when my mouse pans to the far right, the mouse passes to the laptop on the right... and it could go back to the other laptop on the left just by scrolling back to the far left. <br><br>The limitations of this however is that only the control of the mouse and keyboard is shared between the two computers and also when you copy-cut-paste text from one to the other... you cannot however drag a window to the other computer's desktop, or copy-cut-paste files from one computer to the other. <br><br>Since I am a Linux user... I will tell you an easy way to install it. Just type the following commands in a terminal window to install it:<br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">sudo apt-get install synergy quicksynergy</span><br><br>This will install both the application Synergy and a GUI to control it (QuickSynergy). <br><br>Sorry if I am unable to post some snapshots of the application itself in action... maybe next time... If you are interested in this application and needs help configuring it... just post a comment and let's see what happens.<br> <!-- multiply:no_crosspost --><p class='multiply:no_crosspost'></p>Armand Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355989004437289876noreply@blogger.com0