Tag Archives: Geek

CALLING ALL GEEKS: Linksys Firmware

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OK, it’s not often I ask questions and hope for replies.

I was given a WRT54GS a couple of weeks ago because it was acting up for it’s owners and they decided to rent one from comcast. I’ve had it here running as an access point (I already have a linux router!) and it’s going about perfectly.

Now, this is a big house, and I had similar problems with the existing WRT54G that is here (switched out for the GS) with it not reaching all the way back to the far corners. Moving the router isn’t an option, nor is running cable along the floor or through the ceiling (anywhere, really). I’m considering setting up the GS with an alternative firmware and using it as a repeater. I realise this will lose 50% speed for clients connected to it, this is not a problem.

I have questions for the geek community reading this:

1) Which firmware should I install? I’m looking at DD-WRT, possibly OpenWRT and Tomato. Any others I should consider?

2) Can I revert back to the original firmware if needed?

3) If I’m using it as a repeater, can I plug a PC into it and gain wireless access that way also?

4) Is there anything else I should consider before doing this?

Notes: WRT54G v8, not mine, would rather not update firmware on it unless I absolutely have to, in which case I’ll likely give up for now. WRT54GS v7.2, is mine, will do whatever with. I also have a Gigabyte BR-01N or something that I can’t update firmware on, and I can’t use with the current wireless key (to swap out the linksys ones) due to limitations on its WEP setup.

So please, geeks, comment me and give me suggestions!

Cause to Celebrate

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One: I fixed a computer tonight. Probably still some work to do, left it installing SP3 on XP, but still needs verification that sound works (not hopeful), that the virus is actually gone (BEWARE, ANTI-VIRUS-1 IS A VIRUS. Found removal instructions online through google and following them in safe mode seemed to work a charm.)

Two: I’ve put up a photoblog at photoblog.i-al.net, and theres nearly 2 months of photos stacked back waiting to appear. Some of these are up at DailySerene, but others are photos that weren’t appropriate for DS for whatever reason.

Three: The chances increased over the last three weeks that my work authorization card would arrive this week, as it did not arrive in any of those.

Fourth: (this one needs a quote)

Application Type: I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS

Current Status: This case is now pending at the office to which it was transferred.

The I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS was transferred and is now pending standard processing at a USCIS office. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you. If you move while this case is pending, please use our Change of Address online tool to update your case with your new address. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when this case will be done, counting from when USCIS received it.

Basically what this means is that we finally have all the paperwork needed and it’s been forwarded to a USCIS office for processing rather than at the National Benefits Service Center where we were posting everything.

For those interested in tracking it further, the application was received on either July 2nd, 2008 or February 25th 2009 (depending whether they are counting from initial receipt of our application, or the acknowledgement of receipt of everything they asked for), and it is at the CALIFORNIA SERVICE CENTER. I’ll try and keep you up to date with any changes and events that occur.

Brawling with iptables

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I’ve been fighting for the last couple of days with iptables on my smoothwall machine, and I’m not sure where to turn next – might need to visit a forum or an IRC channel or something on the subject..

Anyway, at this point I have given telly a second IP, locked the webserver to one side and set up an iptables redirect from port 80 to 3128 (squid) on the other IP only, this tests fine, no problems, perfect.

The problem now lies purely on the smoothwall box.

I keep running in to RTNETLINK errors, and can’t figure out how to get around them.

yoda (root) / $ /usr/sbin/ip route add default via 192.168.1.5 dev eth0 table proxy
RTNETLINK answers: File exists
yoda (root) / $ /usr/sbin/ip route add default via 192.168.1.5 dev eth0 table 200
RTNETLINK answers: File exists
yoda (root) / $ /usr/sbin/ip route add default via 192.168.1.5 dev eth0 table 201
RTNETLINK answers: File exists

I’m pretty sure it’s a kernel module, but basically I’ve been sampling off some instructions I found to make this work and trying to debug as best I can, and it’s just not working:

yoda (root) / $ /sbin/iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -j ACCEPT -p tcp –dport 80 -s 192.168.1.5
yoda (root) / $ /sbin/iptables -t mangle -A PREROUTING -j MARK –set-mark 3 -p tcp –dport 80
getsockopt failed strangely: No such file or directory
yoda (root) / $ /usr/sbin/ip rule add fwmark 3 table 2
RTNETLINK answers: Invalid argument
yoda (root) / $ /usr/sbin/ip route add default via 192.168.1.5 dev eth0 table 2
RTNETLINK answers: File exists

I’m lost at this point, and not sure which direction to look next. I found that xt_mark.ko wasn’t loaded and having loaded it it got me to these errors, but I’m not sure which way to go..

Twiddle Broke the Interwebs

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brokeYep, I broke the interwebs. I messed up a firewall script on the smoothwall box while trying to make the proxy transparent (and failed, I might need to ask for some assistance on this one..) and the internet stopped. Not a huge deal, needed to reboot the router which wasn’t a major issue, but while I was gone trying to make it work without a restart Kelly made the picture on the righ left of me with the “interwebs” that I had pulled apart and broken..

Asked her to send it to me so I could post for the humor value.

Why I Love Satire and IRC

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Recently I was involved in a purely satire-based discussion which spawned from a serious discussion on IRC. I feel it is self explanatory, so let me just blog the log..

[00:26:36] <MyMaynor> lol thats okay…. theres plenty of time to talk to new people.. right now i wanna ask your opinion about something…
[00:26:55] <zEkE_> sure
[00:27:04] <intricatic> hiya MyMaynor
[00:27:06] <MyMaynor> Im sure you’ve read revelations and somewhat know a lil about the end of day.
[00:27:16] <MyMaynor> hello intricatic you can join in
[00:27:18] <zEkE_> a little
[00:27:27] <zEkE_> intricatic is probably better at this than I 😛
[00:27:50] <MyMaynor> so am i being crazy when i trully believe that obama is the antichrist…
[00:28:12] <zEkE_> intricatic? lol
[00:28:19] <MyMaynor> like not like just throwing it out there. i feel he fits the description and we’re so close
[00:28:27] <intricatic> i think the antichrist, in terms of each generation’s assumptions about what the antichrist is, becomes a spectre for political puppetry
[00:28:28] <MyMaynor> everything has come to pass
[00:29:08] <intricatic> it’s also variable based on what part of the world you live in, and how horrible your government is, i’m sure o.o
[00:30:01] <intricatic> i could just as easily say that some super-charismatic leader in Russia who’s able to whip the public into a nationalistic frenzy, much like the communists of past ages, could be a better candidate for the antichrist
[00:30:38] <intricatic> but then i love to argue, so don’t mind me, haha
[00:31:06] <zEkE_> lol
[00:31:41] <intricatic> but seriously – have you read anything about Putin’s strategy for political approval? o.o
[00:32:03] <MyMaynor> well no im not basing it on how horrible the government is…. or anything like that… not that i just picked someone and decided that he should be him…. im saying he can’t put his hand on our bible… he asks for a Korean one… but hes running for president of the US… doesn’t look at our flag to say the pledge of allegance
[00:32:09] <MyMaynor> no i’ve never heard of it
[00:32:26] <MyMaynor> why
[00:32:28] <MyMaynor> ??
[00:32:31] <intricatic> even Satan knows scripture – i’m sure he can touch a bible very easily
[00:32:51] <zEkE_> my personal view is pretty much…who cares? if he is, we’ll find out soon enough…
[00:33:55] <MyMaynor> lol you’re totally right . both of ya….. om gosh i get crazy with it but i kknow i shouldn’t even care. it will all come to pass when he’s ready. so
[00:33:56] <MyMaynor> lol
[00:33:59] <intricatic> Putin is using this strategy of playing off of the people’s perception of the former USSR as a “golden age” for Russia, because of the economic turmoil caused by the revocation of their mutually invested, government-sponsored retirement programs (when the USSR collapsed, they lost everything), to whip them into a total frenzy
[00:34:01] <MyMaynor> i guess i need to suck it up
[00:34:52] <intricatic> but he’s also using the Czars and the warm feelings people have of that era to build a base in the people’s collective memory 😛
[00:35:39] <intricatic> but all the while, it looks like he’s moving closer and closer to reintegrating Russia to it’s “former glory”, in terms of nationalized industries and totalitarian rule
[00:36:11] <MyMaynor> ohhhh glory. lol and?
[00:36:26] <intricatic> and, well, mostly i think he’s just power-hungry and really frightening, lol
[00:36:38] <MyMaynor> yes sir….
[00:36:52] <MyMaynor> see i don’t like to here stuff like this cuz it scares me
[00:37:14] <intricatic> ad hominem satire time: and his first name is Vladimir… that’s got to add at least five points on the “pure evil” scale
[00:37:30] <zEkE_> lol
[00:38:02] <zEkE_> come on now, noone likes to be generalised
[00:38:32] <intricatic> generalization is fun though… all vladimirs are evil, just like all people named Elvis will die from eating too much chicken o.o
[00:39:32] <intricatic> and because i had a bad experience with a cat once, all cats are mean
[00:40:06] <intricatic> seriously… they’re like little demons with deceptive cuteness o.o
[00:40:11] <zEkE_> just like everyone from the middle east is intent on killing Americans, small town mayors are well qualified to be vice president, and everyone who reads the bible and goes to church is saved and will go to heaven
[00:40:23] <intricatic> exactly!
[00:40:35] <intricatic> silly middle-easterners… i bet they’re all suicide bombers, too
[00:40:44] <zEkE_> Wait, wasn’t Jesus from the middle east??
[00:40:49] <zEkE_> man
[00:40:49] <MyMaynor> lol ya’ll r funny
[00:40:54] <intricatic> hush! you’ll foil my satire!
[00:40:57] <zEkE_> our whole religion is based on him
[00:41:05] <intricatic> lol
[00:41:14] <zEkE_> that makes us anti-american via the transitive property!
[00:41:33] <intricatic> i actually love Hebrew history – the Hebrew language is actually so much more interesting than Greek 😀 it’s underrated in terms of popular theology
[00:41:39] <intricatic> 😮
[00:41:45] <intricatic> i r anti-american? o.o
[00:41:47] <zEkE_> yes
[00:41:52] <zEkE_> so long as you are Christian
[00:41:59] <intricatic> well, i have been called unpatriotic at least four times this week, so far
[00:42:05] <zEkE_> because you follow the teachings of a middle-eastern born man
[00:42:11] <intricatic> how terrible o.o
[00:42:16] <zEkE_> who is by his birthplace anti-american
[00:42:19] <zEkE_> 😛
[00:43:07] <intricatic> this is a fine illustration in satire of why i can’t say all middle-easterners are evil, lol
[00:43:16] <intricatic> besides guilt-by-association being a logical fallacy, of course
[00:43:51] <zEkE_> so anyone who says that the US is a Christian nation, by the above satirical explanation, is anti america

Give Us, This Day, Our Daily Serenity

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So, for the last month or so my most recent project has been under fairly tight wraps. Partly for fear all the related domain names would be taken, and partly because I feared someone would take the idea as a whole.

No more shall I fear, as I launch a new website: The Daily Serene Image.

To quote myself:
Daily Serenity was an idea conceived by demigail in 2008. Made into a reality by Zeke in October of 2008, the site went public in the following month.

Accepting any images from both amateur and professional photographers alike, Daily Serenity survives photographically based on its contributors.

Every day a new image is randomly selected from the list of those available (having been screened and approved by administrators). A brief description provided by the photographer is displayed with the image, along with a link to the photographers website (where applicable).

Published images are also archived indefinitely, with a static link available for each one. All published images are also available for download, both in widescreen and standard versions. These are sized appropriately for use as desktop wallpaper/backgrounds.

What Daily Images will be needing is contributors to provide photos and images for the site. Registration is free, and while no payment is provided for images supplied or used, no payment is required either. The terms and conditions of uploads are available when registering to provide photos, and all photos are checked and approved before they will appear on the site.

Are you a photographer? Consider some free publicity by contributing some of your work to Daily Images. If the Daily Serene Image takes off, it may grow into multiple sites of a similar nature, covering different themes.

My New Wishlist

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So, my wishlist has changed. I’d always passed off rackmount equipment for being too expensive compared to the equivelent tower cases etc. Seems it’s not as costly as I had imagined.

It will cost me approximately $3000 USD to acheive a setup similar to the one seen left. Talked to Kelly about it, and she supports it. (I think mostly because it is so clean and tidy!)

This is where it gets geeky:

A 4U case to house a new Windows based quadcore PC. Several gig of RAM and a 400GB hard disk, primarily will be used for audio and video editing, as well as gaming.

A 2U case to house most of the current PC (Athlon 3200+) with upgraded RAM and new hard disks. This will run Linux and function as a webserver, IRC server, and in-house file/print server.

A 1U case to house a new VIA-based firewall. Running an 80GB hard disk to store the cache for a transparent proxy, log files, and other more dynamic information. Primary operating system information will be on a read-only compact flash card.

2U will be taken with a rackmount UPS (probably APC, whatever is worthwhile but cheap at the time).

A 1U network switch, 10/100/1000Mbps, probably 16port (don’t need that many, but it’s as small as I can find rackmounted). Also a 1U patchpanel for the network, 24 port.

That accounts for 11U of rack-mounted storage. I would probably get a 16U case, to allow for future additions – possibly seperating the server into the two internal and external functions for security, or implementing a PABX (using asterisk) for internal house phones and such.

The $3000 budget also allows for 3 identical 20″ Widescreen 2ms LCD screens, 2 of which would attach to the Windows PC, the third would be KVM’d to the firewall and server (because I know I’ll need a monitor and keyboard for them at some point, and dragging things around isn’t ideal or tidy), as well as being available to plug into my laptop(s), or when repairing computers for friends etc.

This will leave me with a P4 3GHz server (still missing parts), a Celeron 2.4GHz desktop PC, a P3 866 smallform PC, and an empty ATX case. It’ll also leave me with 4 external drives (after purchasing 2 external cases for the drives presently in the 866 and the Athlon) – 2x 320GB and 2x 160GB – more than enough for good mobile storage.

I’ll likely upgrade the CPU in the celeron to the highest P4 it will take, add some RAM and give it use as a media PC, patched to the server for storage. I’d also like to rebuild in the then-empty ATX case a PC intended for mobile use, but a little gruntier than most laptops. Whether used for on-site video editing, or for media projection etc – this is not accounted for in the upgrades.

The $3000 covers:

  1. 1U, 2U and 4U cases for the PC, Server and Firewall/Router/Gateway
  2. New motherboards and CPU’s for PC and Firewall/Router/Gateway
  3. Hard disks for PC, Server, Firewall/Router/Gateway
  4. Memory for PC, Server, Firewall/Router/Gateway
  5. Compact Flash card and IDE2CF converter
  6. Graphics card for PC
  7. TV card for PC (to move to media center)
  8. Rack-mounted UPS
  9. Gigabit switch and patch panel
  10. Rack-mounting rails for cases
  11. Power supplies for un-PSU’d cases
  12. LCD Monitors
  13. 16U Rack-mount cabinet