BytesforBreakfast

Openoffice easter egg

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:51:00 +0000

Start OpenOffice Spreadsheet (Applications > Office > OpenOffice Spreadsheet)
Within an empty field, type: =GAME("StarWars")

OpenSolaris

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:39:00 +0000

Finally opensolaris is released.. get ya copy from here opensolaris

DIY NAS

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:36:00 +0000

Nice, DiY NAS step by step

Troubleshooting IBM TSM commands

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:27:00 +0000

From a TSM Admin command line client, enter the following commands:

QUERY SYSTEM > querysys.out
QUERY ACTLOG begind= begint= endd= endt= > actlog.out

These files along with the following files/info should be included as general information:

dsmserv.opt
dsmserv.err
details of operating system levels (from TSM Server and Storage Agent machines)
TSM Server and Storage Agent specific versions (ex: 5.4.0.2)

Get the OpenSolaris Developer Preview 2

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:29:00 +0000

URL

Physical storage space used versus physical file size

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:36:00 +0000

Problem(Abstract)
Data Storage space used when saving a file on the TSM Server depends on the storage block size in regards to the size of the object being saved.

Resolving the problem
In general, the TSM Server uses the following block sizes for data storage:
Random-access disk pool, devtype=disk ==>> 4KB block
Sequential-access disk pool, devtype=file ==>> 256KB block
Sequential tape pool, devtype=tape(e.g. lto) ==>> 256KB block

* When saving an object that is smaller than 4K to a DISK stgpool, it will allocate/use the entire block (4K) of space. This will be true for each object saved to the DISK Stgpool.
* If an object is saved to sequential media (FILE or TAPE devclass), it will again use the entire block of space, which is generally 256K for sequential storage. Even if the object is moved from FILE stgpool to TAPE stgpool it will still be using the 256K.

For example, if a small, 3K, object is saved to the DISK Stgpool, it will use the entire 4K block of space. When this object is then moved to the sequential media of FILE it will occupy the whole block size of 256K. Any move thereafter to another sequential stgpool, either FILE or TAPE will still just use the 256K of physical space. This is the case for each object that is saved to the stgpool.

In the case where a file is greater than 4k, it will use the number of 4K DISK storage blocks needed to hold the file.
For example in the case where a file is 10K, it will use 3 blocks:
Two 4K blocks will be full and the third block will hold the remaining 2K of data.
Even though the third block is not full, it is considered to be used and cannot be utilized by anything else.

This will work the same way for the sequential stgpool.
If the object is less than 256K, it will allocate the entire 256K block of physical space and consider it to be used. The block will not be full, but it cannot be used for anything else.
For example, if the object is 300K in size, it will take two 256K blocks to hold it. The first 256K block will be full and the second block will contain the left over data that did not fit in the first block. This second block will not be full, but again is considered as used and cannot be utilized for any other data.

Some sequential devices can also have their own minimum requirements for physical space that is used when storing data. For example, the LTO requires a minimum amount of space usage per write, that is called a dataset. The following are the minimum LTO dataset sizes:
LTO1/LTO2 ==>> ~400KB
LTO3 ==>>~1.6MB.

The physical space used when writing to the LTO is specific to the manner in which the data is saved. When the data is flushed to the LTO device, it will minimally use the size of the dataset. A flush of the data will occur at the end of the transaction processing.

For example, if a single 3K object is sent within a single session to the LTO3, this will write the object and then perform a flush at the end of the transaction. This flush to the device will end on the dataset boundary, which will be 1.6MB for the LTO3. For this example, the 3K object written straight to LTO3, would use 1.6MB of physical space.

However, if there are many objects being stored (in one transaction) to the LTO3, then the data would stream to the tape and be written in 256K blocks. This would be the case for when migration is writing to the LTO3. For example if there are 40 objects of 10K each saved on the DISK stgpool. Then when migration was run to copy this data to LTO3, it would write in 256K blocks per object, using 40 of the 256K blocks. After saving the 40 objects, the end of the transaction processing would not allocate any additional space for the dataset usage since the physical space used is greater than the minimum size of 1.6MB. Thus the physical storage used would be 10MB.

Useful TSM SQL querries

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:26:00 +0000

Problem(Abstract)
In administering a TSM server, it may be necessary to run select commands to determine volume issues.

Resolving the problem
The following list of select statements are useful when troubleshooting problems with storage pool volumes.

1) To determine what volumes are unavailable:

select volume_name, access from volumes where access='UNAVAILABLE

Note: You can also run the query vol access=unavailable command

2) To examine how many volumes have more than 2 write errors:

select volume_name, write_errors from volumes where write_errors >2

3) To examine which volume have read errors:

select volume_name, read_errors from volumes where read_errors >0

4) To determine if volume(s) have an error state other than "NO":

select volume_name, error_state from volumes where error_state !='NO'

Google Cloudcomputing

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:24:00 +0000

As mentionned many times before.. cloud computing is the way to move forward... It does not make any sense for an organisation to invest in an underutilized datacenter..

In the cloud u can scale on demand and maybe even more importantly u can grow on demand.. Maybe in the beggining not so important for the major blue chip companies but for a young WEB 2.0 it will provide a tremendous value....

The CAPEX will be very limited in the new cloud world.....

Give it a try appengine

IBM TSM Links

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:54:00 +0000

Some cool URL for those who have to support IBM TSM

- TSMBLOG.org
- TSMexpert
- TSM - SQL Statements

NexentaStor Developer Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:38:00 +0000

NexentaStor Developer Edition 1.0 was released on March 31st, 2008. This Developer Edition replaces the beta versions we have distributed. Unlike those beta versions the Developer Edition is fully functional and includes a hardware installable version.

More information about the Developer Edition, including release notes, can be found at:

http://www.nexenta.com/corp/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=56

Exam 101 tutorials - LPI

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:37:00 +0000

Exam 101 tutorials

The five tutorials below help you prepare for the five topics in LPI exam 101. Exam 101 is the first of two junior-level system administrator exams. Both exam 101 and exam 102 are required for junior-level certification, or LPIC-1.

All LPI exam-prep tutorials
LPI exam 101 prep: Hardware and architecture
Topic 101. Learn to configure your system hardware with Linux. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how Linux configures the hardware found on a modern PC and where to look if you have problems.
LPI exam 101 prep: Linux installation and package management
Topic 102. Learn about Linux installation and package management. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how Linux uses disk partitions, how Linux boots, and how to install and manage software packages.
LPI exam 101 prep: GNU and UNIX commands
Topic 103. Get an introduction to common GNU and UNIX commands. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to use commands in the bash shell, including how to use text processing commands and filters, how to search files and directories, and how to manage processes.
LPI exam 101 prep: Devices, Linux filesystems, and FHS
Topic 104. Get acquainted with Linux devices, filesystems, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to create and format partitions with different Linux filesystems and how to manage and maintain those systems.
LPI exam 101 prep: The X Window System
Topic 110. Learn about the X Window System on Linux. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to install and maintain the X Window System. This tutorial covers both major packages for X on Linux: XFree86 and X.Org.

Exam 102 tutorials

The nine tutorials below help you prepare for the nine topics in LPI exam 102. Exam 102 is the second of two LPI junior-level system administrator exams. Both exam 101 and exam 102 are required for junior-level certification, or LPIC-1. (The tutorials in the 102 series will be added to this page as they are completed.)

All LPI exam-prep tutorials
LPI exam 102 prep: Kernel
Topic 105. Learn how to install and maintain Linux kernels and kernel modules. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to build, install, and query a Linux kernel and its kernel modules.
LPI exam 102 prep: Boot, initialization, shutdown, and runlevels
Topic 106. Learn how to boot, change runlevels, reboot, and shut down your system. By the end of this tutorial, you will know guide a system through booting, set kernel parameters, and shut down or reboot a system.
LPI exam 102 prep: Printing
Topic 107. Learn how to administer your Linux printing environment. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to configure and monitor print servers, work with print queues and files, and install and configure printers.
LPI exam 102 prep: Documentation
Topic 108. Learn how to use and manage Linux documentation. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to find local and Internet documentation, and use automated logon messages to notify users of system events.
LPI exam 102 prep: Shells, scripting, programming, and compiling
Topic 109. Learn how to customize your shell environment, use shell programming structures to create functions and scripts, set and unset environment variables, and use login scripts.
LPI exam 102 prep: Administrative tasks
Topic 111. Learn how to manage users and groups, set user profiles and environments, use log files, schedule jobs, back up your data, and maintain the system time.
LPI exam 102 prep: Networking fundamentals
Topic 112. Coming in 1Q 2008.
LPI exam 102 prep: Networking services
Topic 113. Coming in 1Q 2008.
LPI exam 102 prep: Security
Topic 114. Coming in 1Q 2008.

Exam 201 tutorials - LPI free tutorials

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:35:00 +0000

Exam 201 tutorials

The eight tutorials below help you prepare for the eight topics in LPI exam 201. Exam 201 is the first of two LPI intermediate-level system administrator exams. Both exam 201 and exam 202 are required for intermediate-level certification, or LPIC-2.

All LPI exam-prep tutorials
LPI exam 201 prep: Linux kernel
Topic 201. Learn to understand, compile, and customize a Linux kernel. By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to configure and customize the kernel to fit your exact requirements.
LPI exam 201 prep: System startup
Topic 202. Learn the steps a Linux system goes through during system initialization, and how to modify and customize those behaviors for your needs.
LPI exam 201 prep: Filesystem
Topic 203. Learn how to control the mounting and un-mounting of filesystems, examine existing filesystems, create filesystems, and perform remedial actions on damaged filesystems.
LPI exam 201 prep: Hardware
Topic 204. Learn how to add and configure hardware to a Linux system, including RAID arrays, PCMCIA cards, other storage devices, displays, video controllers, and other components.
LPI exam 201 prep: File and service sharing
Topic 209. Learn how to use a Linux system as a networked file server using any of several protocols supported by Linux.
LPI exam 201 prep: System maintenance
Topic 211. Learn the basic concepts of system logging, software packaging, and backup strategies.
LPI exam 201 prep: System customization and automation
Topic 213. Learn some basic approaches to scripting and automating system events such as report and status generation, cleanup, and general upkeep.
LPI exam 201 prep: Troubleshooting
Topic 214. Building on material covered in more detail in earlier tutorials, learn what you can do when things go wrong.

Exam 202 tutorials

The seven tutorials below help you prepare for the seven topics in LPI exam 202. Exam 202 is the second of two LPI intermediate-level system administrator exams. Both exam 201 and exam 202 are required for intermediate-level certification, or LPIC-2.

All LPI exam-prep tutorials
LPI exam 202 prep: Networking configuration
Topic 205. Learn how to configure a basic TCP/IP network, from the hardware layer (usually Ethernet, modem, ISDN, or 802.11) through the routing of network addresses.
LPI exam 202 prep: Mail and news
Topic 206. Learn how to use Linux as a mail server and as a news server. Learn about mail transport, local mail filtering, mailing list maintenance software, and server software for the NNTP protocol.
LPI exam 202 prep: Domain Name System (DNS)
Topic 207. Learn how to use Linux as a DNS server, chiefly using BIND. Learn how to perform a basic BIND configuration, manage DNS zones, and secure a DNS server.
LPI exam 202 prep: Web services
Topic 208. Learn how to configure and manage the Apache HTTP server and Squid proxy server.
LPI exam 202 prep: Network client management
Topic 210. Learn how to install and configure clients and servers for DHCP, NIS, LDAP, and PAM authentication on Linux.
LPI exam 202 prep: System security
Topic 212. Learn about a wide array of Linux-related topics from a security-conscious network server perspective, including general issues of routing, firewalls, and NAT translation and the relevant tools.
LPI exam 202 prep: Network troubleshooting
Topic 214. Review the basic configuration and diagnostic tools -- including ifconfig, route, netstat, traceroute, and more -- to detect and solve common networking problems.

EMC CX

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:13:00 +0000

Nice description of RAID on EMC CLARiiON

http://stevetodd.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/research-assi-1.html#more

OpenOffice

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:34:00 +0000

One of the good things about is its ability to use different database engines. Just give it the right driver, and OpenOffice.org can connect to virtually any database system, including MySQL. However, deciding what database driver to use and configuring a connection between MySQL and OpenOffice.org can be a bit tricky. Let's walk through the process.

First of all, you have to choose what driver (also called a connector) to use. MySQL offers two connectors that allow you to move data between OpenOffice.org and MySQL: ODBC Driver for MySQL (Connector/ODBC) and JDBC Driver for MySQL (Connector/J). The latter is easier to install and configure, and can be used on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X (it even works with NeoOffice) in the exactly same way. However, as the name suggests, Connector/J requires that Java be installed on your machine. While the question of Java's openness is no longer an issue, you still have to make sure that the Java Runtime Environment is installed and added to OpenOffice.org. Another, more serious, problem with Connector/J is its somewhat limited functionality when used with the OpenOffice.org Base database. For example, using Base's GUI, you can create a primary key, but you can't assign the auto_increment property to it. To work around this limitation, you can build the database by executing the appropriate SQL commands using the built-in SQL editor (Tools -> SQL). For example: `ID` INT( 10 ) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY. Alternatively, you can use third-party tools like phpMyAdmin or HeidiSQL.

Connector/ODBC does not have these limitations, but installing and configuring it is a more complicated process. Also, on Linux, the connector works best when the MySQL database is installed on the same machine. This is because the driver expects to find the mysql.sock file in a specific directory, and if it doesn't find it there (which happens with a remote database) it fails to establish a connection. You can, of course, make the driver connect to a remote database, but since this requires some wizardry, it's often not worth it -- especially if you plan to deploy the driver on multiple machines.

As a rule of thumb, try Connector/J first if you are running Linux or Mac OS X and you are comfortable using SQL or can edit the database using a third-party tool. If you are using a Windows or Linux machine with MySQL installed on it, then you can opt for Connector/ODBC.

Using Connector/J

To get started with the JDBC Driver for MySQL (Connector/J), download it from MySQL's Web site, unpack the downloaded file, and move the resulting mysql-connector-java-x.x.x-bin.jar file into the desired location (e.g. your home directory). In OpenOffice.org, choose Tools -> Options -> Java. Make sure that the appropriate Java Runtime Environment is selected and click the Class Path button. Next, click the Add Archive button and select mysql-connector-java-x.x.x-bin.jar. Click OK to save the settings and close the window, then restart OpenOffice.org.

Now you are ready to connect OpenOffice.org to the MySQL database. In OpenOffice.org, choose New -> Database. In the Database Wizard, select the Connect to an existing database option, select MySQL from the drop-down list, and click Next. Select the Connect using JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) option and click Next. Specify the name of the database and the server address using the appropriate fields. To make sure that the MySQL JDBC driver works properly, click the Test Class button. Once the driver has been loaded successfully, click Next. Enter the database user name into the User name field. If the entered user name has a password, tick the Password required check box. To see whether everything works as it's supposed to, click the Test Connection button. Click the Next button, select the Yes, register the database for me option, and click Finish. Give the database a name and save it.

Using Connector/ODBC on Ubuntu

If Connector/J works for you, you're in business. If not, try Connector/ODBC. The process for getting it working is slightly different depending on whether you're running Linux or Windows. We'll try Linux first -- specifically, Ubuntu.

First of all, install the required packages. Launch Synaptic and mark the following packages for installation: unixodbc, libmyodbc, and unixodbc-bin. The latter package contains the GUI tools for setting up an ODBC connection to a MySQL database, which you can use instead of fiddling with configuration files.

Once the packages have been installed, launch the ODBC configuration tool by executing the sudo ODBCConfig command in a terminal window. Click the System DNS tab and click the Add button. Click Add again to create a new ODBC driver. This opens the Driver Properties window. Give the new driver a name and description using the appropriate fields. Assuming you're running the 32-bit version of Ubuntu, specify the path to the libmyodbc.so file in the Driver field (/usr/lib/odbc/libmyodbc.so) and enter the path to the libodbcmyS.so file in the Setup field (/usr/lib/odbc/libodbcmyS.so). The final result should look like the figure. Click the Save and Exit button to save the settings, then click OK to open the Data Source Properties windows. Give the new data source a name, enter its description, then specify the MySQL server address, the database name, and port. Click OK, and you are ready to go.

Connecting OpenOffice.org to the MySQL database using the created connection is a matter of choosing the correct options in the Database Wizard. In OpenOffice.org, choose New -> Database. In the Database Wizard, select the Connect to an existing database option, select MySQL from the drop-down list, and click Next. Select the Connect using ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) option and click Next. Point the Wizard to the created ODBC connection using the Browse button. Click Next and enter the database user name into the User name field. If the entered user name has a password, tick the Password required check box. To see whether everything works as it's supposed to, click the Test Connection button. Click the Next button, select Yes, register the database for me option, and click Finish. Give the database a name and save it.

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:26:00 +0000

In IT computing there is tendency to move towards a demand infrastructure instead of a supply infrastructure. This paradigm shift has a lot of benefits for companies it limits capital expenditure and increase efficiency within the company.

As mentioned before I am a strong believer in an on-demand computing infrastructure, I do think that in the near future companies will move towards SaaS concept. This will hold tremendous value in the SMB market space...

Customers will only pay for each CPU/Cycle. A next logical step would allow a third party to analyse the content. The infrastructure would be free for SMB company and it could even turn into a profit center.

The companies listed below hold some interested solutions for the near future…:

- Gigaspaces;

- Amazon Elastic Cloud

Installing DB2 on Ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:16:00 +0000

On January 30th, 2006, IBM released a no-charge version of DB2 called DB2 Express-C. This was an expected response to the recently announced free versions of Oracle 10g and Microsoft SQL Server. Unlike Microsoft or Oracle's free editions, Express-C has no limit on number of users or on database size.

While versions 8.2 and 9.1 of DB2 Express-C imposed hardware limits on the server on which it ran, DB2 Express-C 9.5 can run on Windows and Linux machines of any size, but the database engine will not utilize more than two CPU cores and 2GB RAM.

In 2007, IBM introduced a yearly support subscription called the Fixed Term License (FTL), which offers a year of telephone support for Express-C for US$3000 per server. Purchasing the FTL also allows the DB2 Express-C engine to use up to four CPU cores and 4GB RAM. Users of DB2 Express-C who don't purchase an FTL subscription can receive support and assistance on a free, public web forum staffed by IBM technicians and other DB2 users.

Visit here for software available from IBM. According to this page, DB2 can be installed on ubuntu.

According to this page, DB2 can be installed on Ubuntu.

Download software

To download DB2 trial visit here and select: IBM DB2 9.5 Data Server trial. Then you have to sign in (create an account if not already created) in order to download. Choose either of the following:

DB2 9.5 data server trial for Linux(R) on AMD64 and Intel(R) EM64T systems (x64)
DB2 9.5 data server trial for Linux(R) on System z

Then answer questions and click 'I confirm' at the bottom. Finally click 'I confirm' button to start downloading.

Alternately, visit here and select: IBM DB2 9.5 Express-C. Then choose DB2 Express-C 9.5 for Linux and click continue. Then answer questions and click 'I confirm' at the bottom. Finally select either of the following:

DB2 Express-C for Linux operating system, 32-bit architecture
DB2 Express-C for Linux operating system, 64-bit architecture

click 'I confirm' button to start downloading.

Installing DB2

I choose 'DB2 Express-C for Linux operating system, 32-bit architecture' to demonstrate how to install. If you have chosen a different version, make necessary changes accordingly. Let's assume the downloaded file is on your home directory. Then do the following:

tar -xf db2exc_950_LNX_x86.tar.gz

cd ~/exp

sudo apt-get install libaio1

sudo apt-get install libstdc++5

sudo ./db2setup

Select 'Install a Product' from the left side of the generated window and click 'Install New'. Another window will be opened. Follow he instructions to complete the installation. You are encouraged to create new user and groups (dasusr1/dasadm1, db2inst1/db2iadm1, db2fenc1/db2fadm1) during installation.

Uninstalling DB2

If you have installed with all default settings (as mentioned above) then just running the following commands would remove the db2 completely. In case you have changed something during installation, then make appropriate changes accordingly.

cd /opt/ibm/db2/V9.5

./instance/db2ilist

sudo instance/db2idrop db2inst1

sudo install/db2_deinstall -a

cd && sudo rm -r /opt/ibm/

sudo userdel -r dasusr1

sudo userdel -r db2fenc1

sudo userdel -r db2inst1

sudo groupdel dasadm1

sudo groupdel db2fadm1

sudo groupdel db2iadm1

Before running those commands, please make sure:

· Make sure, db2 is not running.

· Identify DB2 installation directory (E.g /opt/ibm/db2/V9.5)

· Identify DB2 instances (using db2ilist command, see the second command)

· Drop each and every instances (using db2idrop command, third command)

· If you have other IBM softwares in /opt/ibm then remove only /opt/ibm/db2 directory.

· Delete user and group accounts that you have created for db2.

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:16:00 +0000

Visit here for software available from IBM. According to this page, DB2 can be installed on ubuntu.

According to this page, DB2 can be installed on Ubuntu.

Download software

To download DB2 trial visit here and select: IBM DB2 9.5 Data Server trial. Then you have to sign in (create an account if not already created) in order to download. Choose either of the following:

DB2 9.5 data server trial for Linux(R) on AMD64 and Intel(R) EM64T systems (x64)
DB2 9.5 data server trial for Linux(R) on System z

Then answer questions and click 'I confirm' at the bottom. Finally click 'I confirm' button to start downloading.

DB2 Express-C for Linux operating system, 32-bit architecture
DB2 Express-C for Linux operating system, 64-bit architecture

click 'I confirm' button to start downloading.

Installing DB2

tar -xf db2exc_950_LNX_x86.tar.gz

cd ~/exp

sudo apt-get install libaio1

sudo apt-get install libstdc++5

sudo ./db2setup

Uninstalling DB2

cd /opt/ibm/db2/V9.5

./instance/db2ilist

sudo instance/db2idrop db2inst1

sudo install/db2_deinstall -a

cd && sudo rm -r /opt/ibm/

sudo userdel -r dasusr1

sudo userdel -r db2fenc1

sudo userdel -r db2inst1

sudo groupdel dasadm1

sudo groupdel db2fadm1

sudo groupdel db2iadm1

Before running those commands, please make sure:

· Make sure, db2 is not running.

· Identify DB2 installation directory (E.g /opt/ibm/db2/V9.5)

· Identify DB2 instances (using db2ilist command, see the second command)

· Drop each and every instances (using db2idrop command, third command)

· If you have other IBM softwares in /opt/ibm then remove only /opt/ibm/db2 directory.

· Delete user and group accounts that you have created for db2.

Ubuntu-specific installation instructions for WebSphere Application Server Community Edition Product

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Please follow these Ubuntu-specific installation instructions for installing WebSphere Application Server Community Edition.

Content

When performing a Linux install from wasce_setup-version-unix.bin, follow these steps:

1. Install bc (mandatory) and xauth (mandatory for swing based install) using a command like:

$ sudo aptitude install bc xauth

2. Install the server

$ ./wasce_setup-version-unix.bin

Note: Edit the setenv.sh script in the server install directory to point to the correct Java Runtime before the server is started.

When performing a Linux install from wasce_ibm150sdk_setup-version-ia32linux.tar, follow these steps:

1. Use alien to convert and install the IBM Java RPM to a debian package using a command like:

$ sudo alien ibm-java2-i386-sdk-5.0-2.0.i386.rpm

$ sudo dpkg -i ibm-java2-i386-sdk_5.0-3_i386.deb

2. Install alternatives links for IBM Java using command like:

$ sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/ibm/java2-i386-50/bin/java 1

$ sudo update-alternatives --config java

3. Install bc (mandatory) and xauth (mandatory for swing based install) using a command like:

$ sudo aptitude install bc xauth

4. Locate the .bin file in the WebSphere Application Server Community Edition tar download extract. Ensure execute permissions are set on the .bin file before executing it.

$ ./wasce_setup-version-unix.bin

Installing VMware Server on Ubuntu 7.10 (Feisty Fawn)

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:58:00 +0000

I made a step by step manual how-to install VMware server on Ubuntu 7.10, following those steps should make it very easy to install.

VMware is a virtualisation server, to read more about this technology click on the following URL’s:

- Virtualisation

- VMware

With VMware Server you can create and run guest operating systems ("virtual machines") such as Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, etc. under a host operating system. This has the benefit that you can run multiple operating systems on the same hardware which saves a lot of money, and you can move virtual machines from one VMware Server to the next one (or to a system that has the VMware Player which is also free).

1. Prepare UBUNTU host

To install VMware server your host needs to be prepared to install the software. To install the required software type the following commands:

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`

sudo apt-get install xinetd

After the software installed proceed to the following step.

2. Prepare UBUNTU host

VMWare Server can be downloaded from:

http://www.vmware.com/download/server/

After accepting the EULA grab the VMware server .tgz file (around 102MB).

Apply also for VMware server licences.

The current version is version 1.04, there is a beta release for VMware Server 2.0 my advice is to wait with this release. It requires some extra tweaks. We will focus further on server 1.04

3. Installing VMware Server

1. Create a temporary directory for the VMware install files:

mkdir vmware

cd vmware

2.Copy and drag the VMware-server-1.0.4-56528 to the vmware directory.

3. Extract the file:

a. Using the file browser => extract here

b. Command line => tar -vxzf VMware-server-1.0.4-56528.tar.gz

4. Go the vmware directory:

In the terminal type => cd vmware-server-distrib (assuming that the installing file are in your homedirectory)

5. Install the software

sudo vmware-install.pl -choose the defaults

Accessing the VMware can be done in 2 ways:

Type in the terminal the following command: vmware

VMware Server Console: Applications—>System Tools—>Vmware Server Console

To install a Virtual Machine, go the to VMware manual

NAS appliance

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:08:00 +0000

As we all store our records more and more electronically it seems to be an issue to store the digital content cost effective…

It seems to be a challenge to find a cost effective end use NAS appliance: the hardware is limited to 2 disks of the embedded OS sucks…

An interesting solution could be the products Lime Technology … They are simple NAS appliances that can be built with of the shelf commodity components.

I do like the MD 1500, which has the possibility to hold 15 disks, the OS is booting from a simple USB stick.

The digital home seems to stir up a lot of excitement in the industry looking at the recent announcements from Apple (Apple TV / Apple Timecapsule), Microsoft (Xbox / MS Home NAS) or Playstation III

Game consoles… of course they are a key to lock in the end-user in a platform. They do hold serious value for the vendors once the customer is sold toward a platform the change that he will move towards the competitor is very small combined with the fact that end users lack the knowledge to achieve this and nobody will provide services due to the that the margins are two low… (Wouldn’t be surprised if Apple would announce a game console...)

Open source has something to offer but as always it seems hard to get a simple and transparent solution… FreeNAS seems to be an exciting distribution… I do like NexentaStor: it is a well coded solution that has everything and offers very good reporting.

If u look at the media appliance then Mythtv, LinuxMCE I don’t think they are technology leaders but they do offer some interesting features. It would be nice to combine NAS features and gaming functionally … one box would then fit all ;-)

Still if u think u can by storage capacity with an uptime from almost 24*7*356 for a few $$ that is really interesting...

OpenSolaris Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:59:00 +0000

For a long time I am looking forward at the Open Solaris Indiana project… after lot of vapourware finally I took up the challenge and installed the OS. I have to admit that the CAIMAN installer looks very neat, there is few things that u have to be aware off…

1. The OS requires a lot of memory…. The more the faster (read more then 512 MB RAM) and a fast hard disk…. I installed that OS on a Dell Inspirion 5000 (1GB memory) and a Toshiba L20 laptop. (512 GB memory) - The Toshiba L20 has not enough power so I switched back to UBUNTU (sigh…) -

2. The installer looks very neat and clean… there are very few parameters u can put probably to few…

3. As mentioned above package management will be key for the success of this distribution and the support for multimedia (e.g. DIVX, etc…) U can use blast wave but still is not the same like Debian of the UBUNTU repositories

What I really like about the OS is the neat command set compared to Linux and very good documentation. This is the most disturbing part of Linux … it seems to be very hard to get some good documentation… and reading forums gives a lot of confusion and contradictions…and stress

I am still wondering if OpenSolaris will truly become a desktop distro… the folks at nexenta give that up and made a nice distro derivative… I am planning to use that in a VM as a database platform. As fileserver I am intending to use NexentaStor … it is available as a VM image or as appliance kernel. NexentaStor is very, I am amazed that it stirs up almost no news…. Sad

Conclusion: if u going to use OpenSolaris gets at least a dual core 64 platform with at least 2-3 GB memory and fast harddisk. Low end laptops don’t give enough speed …If u intend to use the SUN hypervisor then I would be a good idea to use a CPU that support for virtualisation.

Regards

1011

SUN announced a hypervisor for 2008. The hypervisor would be interesting because it will support Windoze… If based on Xen and full virtualisation will be supported then it would be interesting if DiretX will work… (nice for the gamers)

Sun & MySQL

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Sun announced it would acquire MySQL. I do think this presents an exciting opportunity for SUN (now JAVA)

MySQL has a huge install base and loyal customers. It will be pretty interesting to see if the MySQL will bring extra value to SUN and if this acquisition will trigger storage sales as intended.

I do have some drawbacks on this:

SUN has still to proof itself as an open source company, looking at OpenSolaris it seems to be a bumpy road;
SUN is not seen as a storage supplier in the market even after the take over of STK ( that was a sinking ship anyway)
The inability to deliver good services. The pressure of the shareholder requires short sale cycles (less then a quarter) if it is possible to deliver the solution in e.g. a quarter that would be fine but looks like a big challenge for major infrastructural changes.

One of the big challenges of SUN is to explain their storage vision… why would a customer buy disk from SUN and not from HP or HDS. The reason HP storage business is picking up growth is due to the fact that they have a clear vision and can provide good storage services. (Thanks to DEC….)

Anyway nice to hear your comments.

Equallogic and Dell

noreply@blogger.com (Koen) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:38:00 +0000

Recently Dell bought Equallogic an iSCSI vendor. This is a very interesting opportunity for the Dell customer. Dell customers want simple straightforward no-nonsense solutions that have a clear billing structure and this exactly where Equallogic comes in.

One of the big strengths of the growth of Equallogic was its commitment towards it sales channels. Resellers were dumping other vendors (e.g. NetApp) based on the fact that they would get a bigger margin with Equallogic….. Oops I am writing good!1?! Equallogic model with Dell direct sales…. This must generate some future tension...

Second dilemma is the alliance with EMC… EMC is able to provide enough iron for the midtier segment and has a huge storage portfolio. The problem with EMC kit is that is not a transparent solution for a box mover…. Dell has a sharp quarter driven focus and that doesn’t match with complex storage solution that take several quarters to implement…

Dell is all about cutting cost and eliminating the channel so with direct sales the customer gets the best price… That is also about it... Don’t expect more from Dell then a good price… Their service providers are crap and as a result they are not a player into the enterprise space (where the healthy margins still are) The Dell/EMC alliance will not break due to the fact that Dell is one of biggest server box movers and has an strategic interest with VMWare.

Some predictions ….

- Dell will push CLARiiON in the high mid tier market segment…. Eroding further the margin of the Fujitsu Siemens and other OEM’s and annoying EMC sales;

- Channel model wont work with Dell, suppliers will drop Equallogic from their portfolio and switch to other customers (e.g. Lefthand Networks, Isolon, etc );

- The trick that EMC did with VMware will not work in this case, Equallogic has very exciting technology but is not the clear market leader;

- Packaged sales (e.g. ESX + server + storage + network+ services) will bring a clear benefit to the SMB market. Direct sales will not work in this market spaces…

A question that is never asked: does the SMB market require a dedicated infrastructure…. I don’t think so … it is much more interesting for the SMB market to have a look a SaaS model (e.g. Salesforce)…. Got the picture? Exactly outsourcing the IT operations in the SMB market space... Let’s be frank what key processes are there in the SMB segment: collaborative services, file services…. and what else…. Mark my words: check Google apps ;-)

Nice to hear your comments…