Updating FreeBSD 7.3 to 8.1 on Soekris NET5501

Just a quick heads-up if you're updating a FreeBSD server with a serial console.

Ubuntu 10.10 First Impressions

Tried out clean installs of Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) on two Dell Latitude D620 systems yesterday.

Apple iPad first impressions

I finally got an iPad a few days ago.  Generally, it's a very impressive device - as it should be for the price.  Just some initial observations:

Ubuntu Server virtualisation on Kimsufi hosting

After yesterday's false start with Citrix XenServer, today I'm switching to Ubuntu Server as my VM hosting platform.

Virtualizing my Internet server

I'm about to start work on a new non-profit website using a content management system so that other people can help to edit the content.  I'm hoping that a VMware-type approach will make this easier...

IPV6 on Ubuntu 8.04 server

In case anyone else is wondering why /etc/network/interfaces fails to configure a static IPV6 address on Ubuntu 8.04, here's the solution...

IPV6 + Cisco 1841 ADSL + Monowall

Got this combination working today after a bit of a struggle...

Wake-on-LAN workaround for Mac Snow Leopard

This article discusses Wake-on-Demand versus "classic" Wake-on-LAN on Mac Snow Leopard.

Stopping random cut-and-paste errors

Recently I've kept finding random bits of text pasted in at random places in the documents I've been editing under Ubuntu Linux.  Today I realised that my new laptop has a middle mouse button, which pastes the contents of the cut-and-paste buffer.  Time to disable that middle mouse button...

Herefordshire in the sunshine

Took some photos at the weekend, on a short walk around Marcle Ridge in Herefordshire.  I don't know why this part of the country is so empty, as it's lovely countryside to walk in.   Photos below...  Click for full-size images...

Ubuntu Netbook Edition: Consumer-Friendly Linux

Just a quick note in praise of Ubuntu Linux 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - more specifically their excellent Netbook edition - with a HOWTO for installing it on the problematic Dell C400 laptop.

iPhone 4 Frustrations on T-Mobile UK

Finally got my iPhone 4 (unlocked from Apple). Having sold my iPhone 3G to my sister (who is now using it on T-Mobile), I'd been reduced to using an appalling old Motorola, so I was keen to get going with the new phone, mainly because texting on the Motorola is pretty tedious. Only problem being lack of a Micro SIM....

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS - First Impressions

I've been testing this release ("Lucid Lynx") on a Dell Precision M4400 laptop. Initial impressions very favourable. It boots quickly, even with full-disk encryption (via the Alternate Install CD): around 30 seconds to the login screen. Much quicker than MS Windows on the same hardware.

Traverse Viking PCI ADSL card + MONOWALL

I now have one of these cards in a Soekris net5501, in a nice case supplied by Wim at kd85.com ...

Askozia PBX 2.0: Fix for IAX trunk not working

I'm running a free Asterisk appliance image on a Soekris NET5501 low-power embedded computer.  So far so good: it's simplicity itself to set up (just copy the image to a Compact Flash card and boot).

HOWTO: Install Ubuntu Linux via PXE Boot

Here's how to do a network-based installation of Ubuntu Linux, for machines without CDROM drives.  It is very simple.

HOWTO: Install a Soekris server with PXE Boot

The Soekris NETxxxx boards can't boot from CDROM or USB, so installing an operating system requires PXE booting from the network, unless you want to prepare the hard disk or CF card in another machine first.  Another challenge is that the Soekris boards only have a serial console, so you can't use an operating system that assumes a video display and keyboard.  This article outlines your options.

You can use PXE Boot for a wide variety of purposes. My motivation on this occasion was to write a new image the CF card that my Soekris NET5501 AskoziaPBX Asterisk server boots from, without having to unbolt the server from the rack.

No-NAT Firewalling with Monowall

Just a heads up for anyone tearing their hair out over this one.

Full Disk Encryption & PGP email for the Mac

As a security specialist, my own systems need to be secure, so it's my policy that most of my systems should employ full-disk encryption (FDE).  The only exceptions are servers - since these won't restart after a power failure in they use FDE.   I also want to be able to send PGP-encrypted emails, for example for business correspondence, or for bike club membership administration.

FDE provides protection in two ways.  Firstly, if someone steals your computer, they don't get all your files (unless it was up and running with no screen lock password when they stole it).  Secondly, if someone temporarily gains physical access to your computer, it's harder - although by no means impossible - for them to install a trojan to steal passwords or give them a remote shell.

Apple Time Capsule steals IP addresses, but that's OK really

Found one minor oddity with my new Apple Time Capsule.  If you have an ARP monitoring program running (such as arpwatch, or any FreeBSD server) you may notice that the Time Capsule's MAC address periodically appears to steal the IP address of one or more Mac Snow Leopard clients.  Odd as it may seem, this is by design.

HOWTO: Fix dig & nslookup on Mac OS X

If ping works but dig & nslookup are broken, there's a simple fix.

HOWTO: Make smaller PDF files on the Mac

On the Mac, printing a document to a PDF sometimes results in a very big file, for example when the original document has lots and lots of pictures in it. To make a smaller PDF :-

Using PPP over UK ADSL using pfSense

Most home broadband connections use an ADSL router with a built-in NAT firewall. For more complex networks, the next step is to place a dedicated firewall behind your ADSL router. But there's a third way: put your ADSL device into Bridge mode. Then it's just a dumb modem, so your firewall can run the PPP session to your ISP....

HOWTO: Native IPV6 dialup on the Mac

The world is running out of IPV4 addresses, so the transition from IPV4 to IPV6 is getting closer. Here's how to kick the tyres, if you want to try web surfing with IPV6.  Dialup is just for testing of course, ADSL is next ...

HOWTO: Send SYSLOG messages to FreeBSD

When you try to send SYSLOG messages for storage on a FreeBSD 7 server, the odds are that your messages won't appear in your log file on the first attempt.  You need to get several things right...

GMail's SSL Certificate Updated: Fixing STUNNEL

Today it appeared that Google Mail had updated the SSL certificate they use to secure access to the SMTPS service on smtp.gmail.com:587.   The change stopped me from sending personal email through a corporate HTTP proxy today, and I couldn't immediately remember how to load fresh certificates in my Stunnel server again...

Garmin GPSmap 60CSx -update

I've now had the opportunity to leave the GPS logging on a long car journey. Very impressive...

Garmin GPSmap 60CSx - first impressions

Just got one of these handheld GPS units for hiking and cycling. First impressions excellent...

EZMLM Log File Viewer

DJB's EZMLM mailing list software keeps a log showing subscriber additions and deletions, but the date and time are in a non-human-readable format.  Here's a script to view those logs...

Leopard 10.5.7: MacBook WiFi connects, then drops

My old MacBook's built-in Wi-Fi was rock-solid until recently, but just lately it had problems. Disabling RealPlayer Downloader Agent seemed to fix this....

iPhone: Fix for "Can't Connect To YouTube"

I saw this error on an unlocked & jailbroken iPhone 2G running the iPhone 3.0 software. Setting the date and time correctly fixed it. Seems like poor design though: why should the YouTube app need to know what time it is?

Linux on Dell C400 laptop: Ubuntu Jaunty Jackalope

Ubuntu Linux just gets better and better, and the new Jaunty release is no exception. Very easy to use, and to add and remove software packages, keep up with the security updates, etc.  It doesn't need shiny new hardware: it will run quite happily on old slow laptops....

View from the hotel room

I'm on the road a lot for work, so I get to stay in hotels that can be a bit lacking in charm...

First Post

I'm new to blogging, so I'm not sure how much I'll use this.   But I felt I ought to write stuff down somewhere.  The kind of stuff that doesn't feel worth the effort of creating a web page, but might be useful to aid my memory later, or to help others find technical notes on things.