I'm not sure what a really good solution would be. Using another hard drive as backup is just too tempting to wipe and use for more storage.
I went out and bought a SCSI DDS-3 drive. Each tape holds 12GB. I've been using Amanda to back stuff up. The big problem is that Amanda can't handle the situation where a backup image is bigger than a tape. If you have a big archive of music, it'll have to be divided up into chunks. If you have a database-driven frontend for the music, this isn't a problem (this is where I hope to go...), but people who like the traditional hierarchy systems will not appreciate it.
I actually made a directory that has symlinks in it that point to two separate trees of music (A-M, and N-Z). It's all on the same partition, Amanda just backs up the different directories separately.
I haven't had to recover anything yet, so I don't know how well it works. DDS3 drives are slow, only pushing about 1 Megabyte a second, but I can back up 9 gigs in 3 hours. Full tapes would probably take about 4 hours. The way Amanda works, it balances out the amount of tape used per day. Hmm.. Of course, you'd need something like 10 tapes to just do a full backup. Maybe look at a DDS4 drive, though they were still pretty spendy last I checked.
Unfortunately, backup technology has fallen behind drive technology. Even NASA is having trouble with this stuff these days. They just can't move old data to new tape fast enough to ensure that stuff can be saved.
Well, heck, for the cost of what I'm talking about, you could probably buy a few 100GB drives.. it's pretty crazy.
I presume that the lawyers are talking about the copyright angle because you presumably have to copy the disc and mangle it slightly before being able to install OS X.
Of course, one could argue that they accidentally corrupted the disc while making a backup copy...
Disallow MS from buying any tech companies or any technology product for the next 7 years.
Indeed! The settlement was trying to force MS to stop `bullying' competitiors. However, whenever MS finds that they can't bully someone, they buy them! It's a really big hole in the settlement, IMHO. Microsoft still has really deep pockets.
I really wish the settlement was better.. I don't want to wait another year or so until the remedy phase gets worked out -- it's not even going to start for another four months!
This is a little thing that people don't talk about much. Of course, it's quite possible that it doesn't deserve to be talked about much.
Memory management is becoming more difficult to do efficiently these days due to the fact that the most commonly used processors (Intel-based) use a memory page size of 4 kilobytes. Each chunk of 4kB must be managed by the operating system. This is the unit of memory used for a great many operations. Swap space is also referred to as the `paging area', where little-used memory pages of running programs get sent.
Of course, 4kB isn't the only page size that Intel CPUs support -- they can also handle 4MB pages (a little large)! 64-bit successors to the Intel x86 platform (both x86-64 and IA64) only support these same page sizes.
Other CPUs can handle different page sizes. I think SPARCs generally have 32kB pages. Alphas apparently do 8kB. Many processors have variable page sizes as well.
While I doubt the page-size issue is going to cause anything to completely keel over anytime soon, I do think that more flexibility could make memory management more efficient and increase performance.
I've noticed that most people seem to do everything full-screen in Windows. I'm not sure if they find it easier to navigate. It might just be that their displays are too small (and here I am with a dual-head desktop of 1600x1200 and 1280x1024;-)
Is Mount Rainier just a disc format (like ISO9660, UDF, etc)? There's mention of hardware recorders, but it sounds like they use ordinary CD-RW media. Will normal CD-RW drives be able to use this format? I think that consumers expected to have this drag-n-drop ability in the first place. Nobody's going to buy a new drive just to do that, are they?
Besides, how do writable DVDs fit into this picture?
Yep.. As computers become ever more connected, remote access becomes even more important. I don't think a graphics environment could survive too long on Linux without at least some form of network transparency.
Certainly, the X model can be improved upon. The main problem with using X over the Net is that it is very sensitive to latency. It doesn't matter if you have a Gigabit connection -- if you have significant lag (like the ~250ms in satellite connections), X will run like a dog.
Fortunately, someone came up with mlview-dxpc.. I just hope it can be integrated into XFree86, ssh, or both.
I think probably the best chance you have is to set up two or three repeaters in between your school and the city. Someone earlier mentioned that you could go 25 miles, but with a very tall antenna (100 feet is very tall for an amateur project, IMHO). Hops of 10-15 miles would be easier.
Then again, there may already be some tall structures or antennas in your area. If there's a radio or TV broadcast antenna in between the two cities, it might be a good idea to ask them if they would do it. Of course, these folks probably actually talk to the FCC on a moderately regular basis, so they might be somewhat concerned about helping in this way..
Cell phone towers might be good candidates for the several-hop idea..
I like Ogg Vorbis. I guess I never tried doing VBR MP3s, but I really hated how MP3s would consistently screw up `sss' noises (both from voices and from things like cymbal/hi-hat). I've been able to hear problems with Ogg files too, but they have deficiencies in much less common sounds.
Also, MP3s use coding methods that aren't optimal.. even if an MP3 file is encoded at an infinite bitrate, there can be compression artifacts.
One problem is that the current wire tapping practices do not require a judge to issue a subpoena. It's a closed-door process that happens in some darkened room in Washington, from what I hear.
If crypto eventually falls into that category, you won't hear about it until long after it has happened.
I'm working on something similar using Linux and IP Tables. One benefit (apparently -- I haven't played with IP Filter yet) of using IP Tables is that packets can be matched by IP address and MAC address at the same time.
I shouldn't say that my piddly firewall can measure up to what the folks at NASA could cook up, though, as I haven't figured out how to get the statefulness of IP Tables/Netfilter to help me out. We're also not using VPN yet (though we're planning to allow VPN clients to connect to a server farther upstream).
Heh, right. I wish it was more popular -- it seems like great technology, but from what I've seen, so much has been encumbered by proprietary technology and software interfaces. (or, at least, that seems to be why it isn't supported all that well in Linux yet).
Is the password prompt on SSH actually a two-way connection? I always thought that the client buffered up the password, and then sent it in a single packet. That would help with some SSH connections (just connecting from one to another), but not when you connect to one system, then jump to another, and another.
Secure connections could send random amounts of null data at random times. To make it a lesser bandwidth problem, only have this excess data be produced when the client is sending stuff (ie, keep sending junk for a few seconds, then go quiet until the next keypress). It wouldn't be recommended for slow connections (like with modems) though..
Also, you could try to use different keyboard layouts (dvorak or other) to make it harder to guess what key is being pressed at a particular time.
``Loyal XBox fans''
on
$1200 Cheap!
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
I don't understand how there can be ``Loyal XBox fans'' when the console hasn't even been released.. What magic pixie dust does Microsoft have in order to get so many people hyped up about their console (which they announced two years in advance of release -- something many companies are not allowed to do)
Well I have a PHP script that I've made, but I don't know if it works (I don't have any IIS boxes to test on).
If you want to test it, find an IIS box. Shut off the default route, so nobody can hit you while you're doing this. Copy cmd.exe to root.exe in the scripts folder. Open a browser on the IIS box, and point it at default.ida?XXXXX an Apache system running PHP and the script. If it works, it'll pop up a window on the IIS system.
When you're done, remove root.exe, restore your default route.
Unfortunately, I don't think that script will work. I don't have an IIS box to test on, but my NT 4.0 workstation will not shut down with that `rundll32 shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 5' command. I get a dialog box to pop up saying ``Error in shell32.dll Missing Entry: SHExitWindowsEx''
I have a PHP script set up to do a `net send %COMPUTERNAME%'. If I can find an FTP server with Microsoft's new tool, I may start downloading that with an FTP script and running it.
However, I also heard that IIS doesn't run with many privileges at all on Win2k boxes. It may not be possible to do anything at all.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not sure what a really good solution would be. Using another hard drive as backup is just too tempting to wipe and use for more storage.
I went out and bought a SCSI DDS-3 drive. Each tape holds 12GB. I've been using Amanda to back stuff up. The big problem is that Amanda can't handle the situation where a backup image is bigger than a tape. If you have a big archive of music, it'll have to be divided up into chunks. If you have a database-driven frontend for the music, this isn't a problem (this is where I hope to go...), but people who like the traditional hierarchy systems will not appreciate it.
I actually made a directory that has symlinks in it that point to two separate trees of music (A-M, and N-Z). It's all on the same partition, Amanda just backs up the different directories separately.
I haven't had to recover anything yet, so I don't know how well it works. DDS3 drives are slow, only pushing about 1 Megabyte a second, but I can back up 9 gigs in 3 hours. Full tapes would probably take about 4 hours. The way Amanda works, it balances out the amount of tape used per day. Hmm.. Of course, you'd need something like 10 tapes to just do a full backup. Maybe look at a DDS4 drive, though they were still pretty spendy last I checked.
Unfortunately, backup technology has fallen behind drive technology. Even NASA is having trouble with this stuff these days. They just can't move old data to new tape fast enough to ensure that stuff can be saved.
Well, heck, for the cost of what I'm talking about, you could probably buy a few 100GB drives.. it's pretty crazy.
I presume that the lawyers are talking about the copyright angle because you presumably have to copy the disc and mangle it slightly before being able to install OS X.
Of course, one could argue that they accidentally corrupted the disc while making a backup copy...
I saw it.. it actually got the biggest laugh, from what I recall..
csh (and tcsh) do not use a C-like syntax. I'm not sure what you call it, but it sure isn't C.
I really wish the settlement was better.. I don't want to wait another year or so until the remedy phase gets worked out -- it's not even going to start for another four months!
This is a little thing that people don't talk about much. Of course, it's quite possible that it doesn't deserve to be talked about much.
Memory management is becoming more difficult to do efficiently these days due to the fact that the most commonly used processors (Intel-based) use a memory page size of 4 kilobytes. Each chunk of 4kB must be managed by the operating system. This is the unit of memory used for a great many operations. Swap space is also referred to as the `paging area', where little-used memory pages of running programs get sent.
Of course, 4kB isn't the only page size that Intel CPUs support -- they can also handle 4MB pages (a little large)! 64-bit successors to the Intel x86 platform (both x86-64 and IA64) only support these same page sizes.
Other CPUs can handle different page sizes. I think SPARCs generally have 32kB pages. Alphas apparently do 8kB. Many processors have variable page sizes as well.
While I doubt the page-size issue is going to cause anything to completely keel over anytime soon, I do think that more flexibility could make memory management more efficient and increase performance.
I've noticed that most people seem to do everything full-screen in Windows. I'm not sure if they find it easier to navigate. It might just be that their displays are too small (and here I am with a dual-head desktop of 1600x1200 and 1280x1024 ;-)
Is Mount Rainier just a disc format (like ISO9660, UDF, etc)? There's mention of hardware recorders, but it sounds like they use ordinary CD-RW media. Will normal CD-RW drives be able to use this format? I think that consumers expected to have this drag-n-drop ability in the first place. Nobody's going to buy a new drive just to do that, are they?
Besides, how do writable DVDs fit into this picture?
Yep.. As computers become ever more connected, remote access becomes even more important. I don't think a graphics environment could survive too long on Linux without at least some form of network transparency.
Certainly, the X model can be improved upon. The main problem with using X over the Net is that it is very sensitive to latency. It doesn't matter if you have a Gigabit connection -- if you have significant lag (like the ~250ms in satellite connections), X will run like a dog.
Fortunately, someone came up with mlview-dxpc.. I just hope it can be integrated into XFree86, ssh, or both.
I think probably the best chance you have is to set up two or three repeaters in between your school and the city. Someone earlier mentioned that you could go 25 miles, but with a very tall antenna (100 feet is very tall for an amateur project, IMHO). Hops of 10-15 miles would be easier.
Then again, there may already be some tall structures or antennas in your area. If there's a radio or TV broadcast antenna in between the two cities, it might be a good idea to ask them if they would do it. Of course, these folks probably actually talk to the FCC on a moderately regular basis, so they might be somewhat concerned about helping in this way..
Cell phone towers might be good candidates for the several-hop idea..
I like Ogg Vorbis. I guess I never tried doing VBR MP3s, but I really hated how MP3s would consistently screw up `sss' noises (both from voices and from things like cymbal/hi-hat). I've been able to hear problems with Ogg files too, but they have deficiencies in much less common sounds.
Also, MP3s use coding methods that aren't optimal.. even if an MP3 file is encoded at an infinite bitrate, there can be compression artifacts.
One problem is that the current wire tapping practices do not require a judge to issue a subpoena. It's a closed-door process that happens in some darkened room in Washington, from what I hear.
If crypto eventually falls into that category, you won't hear about it until long after it has happened.
Thanks for posting this. I wouldn't have known about it if not for Slashdot. I usually don't turn on the TV until the afternoon.
I'm working on something similar using Linux and IP Tables. One benefit (apparently -- I haven't played with IP Filter yet) of using IP Tables is that packets can be matched by IP address and MAC address at the same time.
I shouldn't say that my piddly firewall can measure up to what the folks at NASA could cook up, though, as I haven't figured out how to get the statefulness of IP Tables/Netfilter to help me out. We're also not using VPN yet (though we're planning to allow VPN clients to connect to a server farther upstream).
Okay, that comment must be rated up as `funny', as it's nothing like what GFS is meant to be.
GFS is designed for clustering applications, not for sharing over the Internet. It might work over the Internet, but performance would be terrible.
``ever-so-popular FireWire''
Heh, right. I wish it was more popular -- it seems like great technology, but from what I've seen, so much has been encumbered by proprietary technology and software interfaces. (or, at least, that seems to be why it isn't supported all that well in Linux yet).
Of course, I could be completely wrong..
Is the password prompt on SSH actually a two-way connection? I always thought that the client buffered up the password, and then sent it in a single packet. That would help with some SSH connections (just connecting from one to another), but not when you connect to one system, then jump to another, and another.
Secure connections could send random amounts of null data at random times. To make it a lesser bandwidth problem, only have this excess data be produced when the client is sending stuff (ie, keep sending junk for a few seconds, then go quiet until the next keypress). It wouldn't be recommended for slow connections (like with modems) though..
Also, you could try to use different keyboard layouts (dvorak or other) to make it harder to guess what key is being pressed at a particular time.
I don't understand how there can be ``Loyal XBox fans'' when the console hasn't even been released.. What magic pixie dust does Microsoft have in order to get so many people hyped up about their console (which they announced two years in advance of release -- something many companies are not allowed to do)
I was somewhat disturbed to see this today, as I just ordered two games this morning (Railroad Tycoon II and SimCity 3000).
I dunno, I guess that if you're worried about the company, you may as well buy something before they go under.
That's Slashdot's posting code trying to prevent really long strings from ending up in posts and screwing up the HTML table layout.
Well I have a PHP script that I've made, but I don't know if it works (I don't have any IIS boxes to test on).
If you want to test it, find an IIS box. Shut off the default route, so nobody can hit you while you're doing this. Copy cmd.exe to root.exe in the scripts folder. Open a browser on the IIS box, and point it at default.ida?XXXXX an Apache system running PHP and the script. If it works, it'll pop up a window on the IIS system.
When you're done, remove root.exe, restore your default route.
Heh.. I never realized that one. Good catch ;-)
I haven't personally tried the `iisreset' trick -- I've heard it doesn't work. Not sure, though.
Unfortunately, I don't think that script will work. I don't have an IIS box to test on, but my NT 4.0 workstation will not shut down with that `rundll32 shell32.dll,SHExitWindowsEx 5' command. I get a dialog box to pop up saying ``Error in shell32.dll Missing Entry: SHExitWindowsEx''
I have a PHP script set up to do a `net send %COMPUTERNAME%'. If I can find an FTP server with Microsoft's new tool, I may start downloading that with an FTP script and running it.
However, I also heard that IIS doesn't run with many privileges at all on Win2k boxes. It may not be possible to do anything at all.
Anyone have more info? How it looks in logs, etc.?