Posted by Don Kruse on Feb 10, 2009 in server | 1 comment
Back in late November I tried to get iCal Server running on some older hardware and this is what happened…
I ran iCal Server + iCal in a test environment on a older Xserve–Dual G4 1GHz 2GB RAM Mac OS X Server 10.5.5–in this test environment with only a couple of test users and I noticed a significant increase in CPU activity due to iCal but it seemed that it wasn’t something the server couldn’t handle. A month later when I rolled out the service to 60+ users the server was brought to its knees. It ramped up to 100% CPU usage as more users logged in and by about 11AM that business day it ceased to be functional. Anyone trying to connect timed out before they received updates.
I have not been able to track down any specifics as far as something I can “fix” to prevent this problem as my iCal Server install is Apple default and other than running the CPU load at 100% there was not a single error reported/logged. I’m going to use brute force to work around the issue but I would like to find a better approach.
I am going to try to roll out this service again but hosted on a brand new Xserve 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 16GB RAM (I’m lucky in that I work for a bunch of lawyers).
Now two months later I think I have finally got it working…
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Posted by Don Kruse on Dec 20, 2008 in Apple, Commentary, MacGeek, Uncategorized | 0 comments
Unlike most of the Macgeeks I know I was not surprised by Mr. Jobs announcement that he will not be giving the keynote speach at MacWorld Expo 2009. I was slightly surprised that Apple says they are pulling out of the MacWorld Expo altogether but you know what? I don’t care.
During the past few year’s MacWorld Expo shows I’ve spent very little time at the typically huge Apple pavilion because the really interesting and exciting stuff is spread all over the rest of the convention floor.
At the show earlier this year I encountered a host of interesting products and emerging technologies that are taking full advantage of either Mac OS X or the Mac hardware or both. The number of products out there for iPods and iPhones is stagering in it’s breadth and depth and quality. At almost every MacWorld Expo I stumble onto some software that I had heard about but never investigated but after using it hands on I buy it before I leave the show floor. Although I rarely ever buy a new computer at the Expo I was very tempted at the show earlier this year.
I might miss Mr. Jobs giving the keynote a little–maybe more than a little–as it is a little bit like getting to see your favorite actor give a talk about his favorite pet project. Could you imagine Charlton Heston coming out to present the MacBook Air? That would be wild but I don’t know if it would help Apple sell more Macs which, like any well managed company, is why they are in business.
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Posted by Don Kruse on Feb 12, 2008 in Apple, Commentary, Tech | 0 comments
Like many successful businesses, the partners and associates at the firm I support donate to a variety of charities. The senior partner found that there was a need for a non-profit organization to provide a service that was not at the time available. When this non-profit was set up it was incubated within the support structure of the firm and that meant I provided their IT support and advice. Initially many of their technology needs were simply dictated to me so unfortunately I was not able to provide the guidance and development I would have liked to.
I have been thinking about what I would have liked to do and thought my ideas would be both helpful and useful to anyone confronted with a typical non-profit start up dilema: no bucks, no computers, no internet, no technology to communicate with those they wish to serve and those who may want to donate.
So how do you get useful computer technologies into the hands of a freshly started non-profit that may not have significant financial resources available?
To do it right from the start I recommend:
- That you get some donated computers that include a “current” operating system
- Set up a Google Docs account for the staff and volunteers to share
- Include one extra computer to act as a network file server and backup system
- Dig up printers, fax machines, and copiers as necessary
My firm had recently upgraded many of its old computers to newer models so there were several 4-5 year old computers available. All of these computers could run the latest operating system and applications from Apple and third parties. This meant that the non-profit could run any applications that they might need to. Here is a short list of some of the most useful and necessary apps I set them up with:
If you are willing to send a few emails and make a few phone calls you should be able to purchase most of the software at discounts of up to 50% if your non-profit has the appropriate IRS tax status. By using Macs and Mac OS X the non-profit saved the daily hassle and frustration of having to defend against the thousands of computer viruses, trojans, spyware and adware that is out there. Also the Mac OS included applications such as Mail and the Address Book that initially were able to handle the large mailing lists and such the non-profit quickly developed. I later recommended that they switch to an affordable online service for their mailing lists in order to have a better feedback loop with their supporters.
A simple Mac mini with Mac OS X Server and Filemaker Server installed serves up their databases as well as a critical network share. The inexpensive Mac mini combined with an external hard drive is a very affordable and reliable server.
Several of the ISPs providing service at their headquarters location (on an unused floor in the same building as the firm) offered a discounted rate for a non-profit. I have checked around and this is somewhat common in most areas.
Although all the computers used at the non-profit were donated by the firm it wouldn’t have been a problem to reach out to the local community to find other sources for computers. Again it is a matter of having a knowledgeable person who has the time and energy to devote to picking up computers from individuals, businesses and schools.
Before I forget to mention it, what did I do about a web site?
The firm hosts several domains with a hosting provider that offers unlimited domains for a low monthly price. That meant in this case I simply added their domain to our hosting plan and set up an account for them that had administrator access to their domain and email hosting. The senior partner of the firm negotiated a deal with a interactive agency to provide web site design and development at no cost to the non-profit. This is actually version 2.0 of the web site as the initial site was set up by a designer who donated her time as well. Again some legwork, both real and virtual, and good design and services can be found. It is all about being open to opportunities and creative in your approach.
If you are an IT Guy or Gal tasked with setting up a non-profit I feel this process won’t be as hard as you may have first thought. You will be able to get all the gear together in a timely manner at an affordable cost to your non-profit.
And what of the non-profit that was set up by my firm? They have had several successful seminars with notable presenters. The Filemaker Donations solution has helped them track their donors as well as the campaigns conducted to raise funds, the old computers have–mostly–operated flawlessly for the past 2-years, their staff has increased a little bit and they are planning future events and seminars to get their message out.
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Posted by Don Kruse on Nov 22, 2007 in Apple, Tech | 0 comments
The Apple Mac Mini is a workhorse computer in the offices I support. I use them as network servers, workstations, and media center hubs.
The Mac mini as a network server:
I had a need in late 2006 to provide local network servers in three satellite offices. This was necessary so that local DNS and Open Directory (OD) authentication could be provided. I also had a great need to provide a local software update service and a network share for the Help Desk to store third party updates, user backups, and other administrative files. As the firm I work for is all Mac based my choices were limited to some kind of Mac system or possibly something that could run Linux. The other consideration is that two of these remote offices don’t even have a closet or room in which to locate the server so size was also a factor.
I had read about many instances of Mac minis being used as “servers” or in mobile installations so I decided that a Mac mini would be the way to go. It is nearly silent, extremely compact, has all the necessary ports and the fact that it can survive in a moving vehicle while operating means that it is durable. I confirmed with Apple that the mini could run Apple Mac OS X Server and found a neat external hard drive to provide necessary additional storage space.Once everything was installed and updated the new Mac mini network servers were set up to provide DHCP, DNS, OD (LDAPv3), Software Update Service, and a network share. Having all these services running on a local server rather than some being provided by the router (DHCP and DNS) and OD being provided from the headquarters has had a big impact on network reliability and performance.What did this cost?
- $749 Mac mini with 2GB RAM
- $159 LaCie mini Hard Drive and Hub
- $149 Small 15 inch LCD display
- $80 Compact heavy duty keyboard (for server or POS use)
- $879 Apple Mac OS X Server – unlimited clients
- $2016 TOTAL cost
These remote offices previously had been a support headache. The basic SonicWALL routers would often slow to a crawl, DNS requests would time-out, and the only “fix” was to ask someone in the office to power cycle the routers to restart them. Sometimes they would take 7-15 minutes to come back online if they were overheated.The Mac minis have not had one single issue. They serve as OD replicas for the OD master located in the central HQ, they provide DHCP and DNS without fail and the Software Update Service allows the Help Desk to run updates to the client machines during business hours something that was impossible before as the internet connection would slow to a crawl. The only downtime is when they need to be restarted after an update or if there is a power outage.
I am not suggesting these as replacements for an Apple Xserve or other type of network server workhorse. If you were serving up large numbers of files you would find the minis disk access and performance too slow and the external power adapter might have trouble dissipating heat under a severe load. Yet in the situation I needed them in they are performing great and have reduced the time to fill network service requests and completely eliminated unscheduled downtime.
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Posted by Don Kruse on May 30, 2006 in mac | Comments Off
My wife and were invited to see the NIN show at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Clark County, Washington which is only an hour drive from our house. One of the crew for the show knows my wife and invited to see the show and possibly hang out with the crew after the show.
We made it out to the show a little early, but after the last sound check and we did get a tour backstage. I knew something was different about this act when I saw two PowerMac G5s in special enclosures with their own UPS and a thousand wires trailing about the back heading toward the video and lighting rigs. Next I thought things were back to normal when I saw a Toshiba notebook on top of another case of equipment but then I saw PowerBook (or MBP?) with a small “NIN” sticker on it (Note: All the photos were taken under extremely poor lighting conditions with the camera in my mobile phone).
I was told this PowerBook (or MBP?) had the “Set Control” list which is a list of cues of what each crew member is to be doing at any point during the show. Its used by the stage manager. In fact almost every crew member had access to or had their own laptop, either a Mac or a PC, mostly dependent on the primary software they had to use. After the tour of the stage setup we left to go hang out in the crew’s tour bus. I don’t know if I’ve ever been in this kind of bus before but somewhere in a fading memory I feel like I have. Anyway, my first impression was that they have flat panel displays much larger than what I have at home (keep in mind this is for the crew and not the band). Young women came and went delivering food, drinks, and taking clothes away to be washed and dryed. We watched motorcycle videos on our friend’s PowerBook and discussed “The Corkscrew” at the Laguna Seca raceway.
Time for the show.
I had only seen NIN once before more than ten years ago so it was very very cool to see them again. We made it back to our seats about halfway through one of the opening bands, Bauhaus. Bauhaus in best known for their song “Bella Lugosi is Dead”. The look and vibe of Bauhaus is credited with influencing Trent Reznor and NIN years later. After Bauhaus it was time for NIN. The show was great and all their complicated lighting seemed to go very well. The audio quality was also very high which is something I’ve noticed more and more with bigger acts. Now fade to end of show and the really big LED panel decends:
It was a lot of work meeting up with our friend after the show as gates were closed and we were kicked out of the venue before he had finished breaking down his equipment. Eventually, we were able to get let back in to go hang out with the crew in their tour bus. From then on it was Mac this and Mac that. I have never met such a bunch of Mac geeks even at a MacWorld show.
Here it is midnight after a succesful show and all they are doing is trying to get the best liquid screensaver or widget. One of the crew had a brand new MacBook with the glossy display. The display was very bright and extremely sharp. The other crew had various G4 PowerBook models.
One of the crew is the self-appointed Mac Guru and helps everyone else out. He also set up an ingeneous wi-fi network. When bands arrive at a venue the venue charges them for internet access. The charge is per-feed so each ethernet cable costs $200/night (yes, that is a ridiculous price). The Mac Guru sets it up so they only need a single feed and he links each tour bus with its own AirPort Express network (for NIN there were four large tour buses).
One of the PowerBooks seems to have an issue with its AirPort not working so he has to actually jack in. I tried several tricks, even the PMU reset, but nothing would make that card work. In fact I’m not certain anything is wrong with the card or its driver, I strongly suspect the antenna cable may be loose somewhere underneath the aluminum and plastic.
Its now 1:30 AM and they are still talking about liquid screensavers, Trent has the best I’m told, and new widgets they can link with the tour buses GPS unit. I give them a few more links to cool widgets and show them how to tweak the RSS feeds in Safari. I also show one of them how to subscribe to a podcast he had heard about. They all have my email now. My work is done. Time to go home and rest.
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