eJabberd for Instant Messaging

eJabberd Open Source Instant Messaging Server

Another "victim" in the ongoing saga of free open source software (FOSS) being hijacked by a commercial entity only to be later sent to the deadpool is Jabber, recently acquired by Cisco. A project begun in 1998 by Jeremy Miller (per wikipedia) and first released in 2000 as jabberd, Jabber quickly became the basis for the XMPP protocol standard. Probably the most well known adopter of XMPP is Google with the Google Chat software. Many other commercial software companies have also adopted the proven and well regarded XMPP standard for their own integrated messaging, VoIP and presence awareness applications.

Recently I had a customer discussion that centered around an issue with the lack of phone lines (in-coming and out-going) between their distribution centers. There were complaints coming in from the warehouses of busy signals during the peak times of the day. The initial discussion centered around the possibility of voice over IP (VoIP) being a way to solve the problem via provisioning more voice lines between locations. Ok, so not being one who carries around a hammer looking for nails, I asked a more obvious question - what the heck is everyone trying to call each other for at 4pm? The answer was "instant gratification", the warehouse people and order processing people needed quick answers so orders could be completed and picking tickets issued, so trucks could begin being loaded. Email was "too slow" to wait on those simple questions - so my obvious response was - so what about instant messaging. You'd have thought I asked someone to streak naked through the parking lot... no way, then people would be wasting time IM'ing their friends all day instead of WORKING, was the response. Ok, so I had to clarify, I wasn't talking about using AOL or Yahoo, etc., I was talking about implementing an in-house IM server. Response: "We looked at MS Messenger and IBM Sametime, and that's more than we want to spend on IM." Yes, the same people who wanted to throw a VoIP solution at a POTS line congestion problem that would have cost in the high tens of thousands of dollars were balking at spending $40k on IM. As usual, I had a suggestion: "So what about open source, maybe something like Jabber?" Again, a blank stare. I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't time warped back to 1998, but no I was again having the "open source is OK" conversation.

After a lengthy discussion I made the suggestion to download eJabberd and use Pidgin as the client for testing purposes. My reasoning for going with eJabberd is that for a customer like this, it would be best to have an option for a commercial support option for the software. With eJabberd that option is available from Process One among others. I'm not doing an ad here for them so just take that as a mention of an alternative. Anyway, just keep in mind that there are options out there to solve problems that don't have to cost a great deal of money.

Typically, if you can win the technology adoption battle via use of FOSS, then if you need advanced features later as user adoption matures, the money to move to a commercial package seems to magically appear where none was available before. The ISVs figured this out a LONG time ago by offering shareware or feature/function-limited freeware versions of their software. It used to be called the "puppy dog close" in sales school - get the client to own it, name it, care for it, feed it and love it, and you're guaranteed they'll have to buy food for it, get it shots, etc. It just never ceases to amaze me that internal IT departments still haven't figured out that they need to get the technology in the door and working and then proving usefulness to management only takes turning off the unauthorized project server and waiting for users to start hollering.

If you're in need of a good IM server, eJabberd is a great option. You can click on over to XMPP.org and see a list of other server options as well as a list of client options.

xkoto for MS SQL clustering

xkoto Gridscale: A better way to cluster MS SQL?



If you've ever tried to implement a MS SQL server cluster then you're familiar with the quorum drive concept and how it is used for clustering. Microsoft's NTFS is a single instance filesystem that does not have a clustering component. While there are replacements for NTFS like HP's Polyserve cluster filesystem product, I recently uncovered xkoto Gridscale. xkoto's Gridscale for MS SQL is a very different approach to clustering. I was fortunate enough to have a brief technical discussion with one of their engineers the other day and here's the short version of his explanation of Gridscale. The Gridscale product claims to avoid the scalability limitations, technical complexity, and costs associated with traditional clustering, mirroring and replication solutions for SQL Server by assisting you to scale application load horizontally across multiple, active-active instances of SQL Server. Also, you can eliminate planned and unplanned database outages since all SQL Servers managed by Gridscale are fully active. Finally, since Gridscale supports databases in remote locations, you can meet disaster recovery requirements without the complexity of traditional transaction-based (journaling) or storage replication solutions.

Ok, so this begs the obvious question: How does this work? Well, Gridscale runs on a pair of gateway (my term, not theirs) servers (active/passive). These gateway servers run between your applications and databases (see the image above this post) to manage multiple, active-active copies of SQL Server databases running anywhere on the network. Gridscale then load balances read requests, while write requests and database changes are propagated asynchronously to all databases to keep them in sync. The SQL Server instances themselves operate completely independently from one another, unaware that they are part of a pool of database servers. xkoto claims that with Gridscale, applications typically require little to no modification beyond the use of a special database driver (standard ODBC or JDBC are two options) which talks to the database virtualization server (the gateway servers).

The Gridscale architecture also allows for on-the-fly addition of SQL server nodes to the cluster, as well as the ability to script a node to remove itself from the cluster while backups are performed and then the node can be re-added to the cluster and updated. If my notes are correct this has been tested out to twenty (20) nodes in a single cluster configuration. One slight limitation is that each gateway pair can only address a single instance of the SQL database engine per server (or in this day and time of virtualization, per operating system instance). So if you have multiple SQL instances per server (not multiple databases now, multiple instances of the SQL database application engine in memory), then you'll need to deploy multiple Gridscale gateway pairs.

The xkoto Gridscale for MS SQL was just introduced back in September as a follow on to their very successful and mature Gridscale for DB2 product.

Google 10 to the 100th Project

October 20th Deadline Approaching

http://www.project10tothe100.com/how_it_works.html

How it works

Project 10100 (pronounced "Project 10 to the 100th") is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible. Here's how to join in.

1. Send Google your idea by October 20th.
Simply fill out the submission form giving Google the gist of your idea. You can supplement your proposal with a 30-second video.

2. Voting on ideas begins on January 27th.
Google will post a selection of one hundred ideas and ask you, the public, to choose twenty semi-finalists. Then an advisory board will select up to five final ideas.

3. Google will help bring these ideas to life.
Google is committing $10 million to implement these projects, and the goal is to help as many people as possible. So remember, money may provide a jumpstart, but the idea is the thing.

Good luck, and may those who help the most win.

Remember, the deadline is
October 20th, 2008

Guidelines

Google's goal is to set as few rules as possible. However, they ask that you put your idea into one of the following categories and consider the evaluation criteria below.

Categories:

* Community: How can we help connect people, build communities and protect unique cultures?
* Opportunity: How can we help people better provide for themselves and their families?
* Energy: How can we help move the world toward safe, clean, inexpensive energy?
* Environment: How can we help promote a cleaner and more sustainable global ecosystem?
* Health: How can we help individuals lead longer, healthier lives?
* Education: How can we help more people get more access to better education?
* Shelter: How can we help ensure that everyone has a safe place to live?
* Everything else: Sometimes the best ideas don't fit into any category at all.

Criteria:

* Reach: How many people would this idea affect?
* Depth: How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
* Attainability: Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
* Efficiency: How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
* Longevity: How long will the idea's impact last?

©2008 Google

VMware clones and Windows SysPrep

Using VMware's clone option is half the battle

Ok, so I called customer "GL" the other day to check on how his VMware ESX farm was doing and he said "great, but I'm having a problem using the OS templates". Of course I asked, how so and thus began the adventure. Now, I'm not a Windows OS expert by any means so if I mis-speak on some of this give me some latitude, ok. Here's the scenario - VMware, via VirtualCenter, gives you the option to set up an OS template with all of your usual utilities installed (antivirus, backup agent, etc.) and then "clone" that template to make rolling out a new virtual server much faster. Well, "GL" had set up the template OS, cloned it, and then used Microsoft's NewSID utility to create a new ID for the server. He did this for seven new virtual servers he was rolling out. All was fine until he went to check the new virtual servers into his Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server. The first server checked in just fine, but each subsequent server replaced the former, always appearing to be the same server OS instance, but remember there are seven of them. Hmmm - odd. So, I did what any good, self-professed non-expert would do - I called a guy who I knew would have the answer. My good buddy and Microsoft Windows OS guru Jeff was on a customer site so he called me back the next day. I explained the problem to him and he provided the answer in short order. I'll spare you the technical browbeating I got from Jeff and just give you the meat of the solution. Jeff's response: "You're using the wrong tool. No, not the VMware tool, that works just fine - the wrong Microsoft tool". And then he was nice enough to explain it to "GL" and I and even sent an email with the solution (for a small price). Jeff's solution: "GL" should have been using SysPrep, not NewSID. Since there was more than just a base-OS in the template, there were other programs that needed new identities as well as the base OS and NewSID didn't do that. So here's an excerpt from Jeff's email:
=====================================================================
To be clear, before you ran Sysprep on the source workstation, you
cleared the AccountDomainSid, PingID, and SusClientId keys (if they all
exist) within the Registry as well as clicked 'Reseal' within the
Sysprep utility?

Here is a script you can run on the source workstation prior to running
Sysprep to test again.

<- CUT HERE ->
NET STOP wuauserv
REG DELETE
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate" /v
AccountDomainSid /f
REG DELETE
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate" /v PingID
/f
REG DELETE
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate" /v
SusClientId /f
NET STOP wuauserv
<- CUT HERE ->
=================================================================

Like I said - Jeff's a guru when it comes to all things Microsoft OS related and that's why my first call was to him. So, lesson learned. VMware templates are a GREAT way to roll out new Microsoft Windows Server OS based virtual servers quickly, just know that there's a little more work to be done before you push the new image into production (and add it to WSUS).

Another great day of fine customer service...

gMail account verification code

Save that gMail verification code

If you didn't get a chance to read Lifehacker yesterday, make sure you read Gina's post about Google's gMail account verification code. As a prolific user of Google gMail, Docs and Sites which use the same account login, I took her note to heart. If you ever get locked out of your gMail account, Google will ask you for your account verification code, which was sent to another of your email accounts when you signed up for your gMail account. If you didn't discard that email, then go back and find it, print it, print to a PDF and save/archive, store the account verification code in your password organizer; find some way to make sure you can find this again if you need it. If you're like me and have tons of documents on Google Docs, it would be no small disaster should you get locked out of your gMail account, so take Gina's advice and act now to save this information before you need it.

Open Source Backup

Server and PC backup using Open Source alternatives

Whether you need a desktop productivity suite, network and systems monitoring tools, database, web server or other core application in the datacenter there are plenty of open source alternatives. One option that doesn't get a great deal of attention is the availability of open source backup and recovery applications. While space and time don't allow me to cover all of them, let me hit a few highlights.

Amanda backup and recovery software from ZManda is by far one of the premier open source alternatives for backup. While the server portion of the application runs on Linux, it has agents for Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac, etc. Amanda even has an agent for MySQL. One of the primary advantages to Amanda is the fact this it uses no proprietary drivers to address backup devices, it leverages the operating system device drivers. Also, Amanda uses standard dump and tar for backups so you could restore even when you didn't have the software available. While not a replacement for a large enterprise solution, it gets you backups of your critical data into an easily recoverable format across multiple operating systems.

Restore-EE is another open source backup and recovery program that is available on SourceForge. It has an option to test using the downloadable ISO that has the Ubuntu boot from CD option. If you select to install you'll need a clean server environment, either base hardware, a multi-boot partition or a virtual machine, since it installs a base OS with all the application files.

Bacula is another application for backup and recovery the requires OpenSuSE Linux, FreeBSD, or Solaris operating systems as the server OS. Bacula is also pretty much a linux-focused program with little or no support for Windows platforms; but, if you're a Linux shop this is worth a look.

SnapBackup is an interesting option in that it's a java-based program and will run on most any desktop OS platform (Linux, Unix, Windows, Mac) that supports java. SnapBackup is intended for use as a backup and restore program for desktop PCs, not servers, so it's a great solution for use on your laptop or home PC.

If you're more technical and are looking for some real-time replication and file-based directory synchronization, there are programs like rSync for Linux and Unison, a more cross-platform option. My personal favorite for directory sync from a PC (or server) is Novell's open source iFolder, based on the Mono/.NET framework. Or, if you're a Microsoft shop then DFS (distributed file system) may be your cup of tea.

While file backups are great to have, don't forget to use something like SelfImage to create a bare metal recovery backup image of your hard disk(s) so you can get your PC or server back to a usable state quickly and then worry about file recovery. While not free and open source, an affordable honorable mention in this category is Acronis True Image Home for the low cost of $49.00.

You'll notice I haven't gone off into a hosted, backup software as a service rant yet. While there are plenty of options available out there like Carbonite, I'll save that for another post.

Online File Storage

AOL xDrive with Adobe AIR

I've been an AOL xDrive user for some time now and have a tendency to try out all the latest online file storage concepts as they hit the web. Lately I've been so caught up in my web travels and testing out new options that I hadn't visited my xDrive account lately. For large email attachments the simplicity of Senduit has been a easy and quick choice to make, and uploading Powerpoint presentations into a hosted Google Docs file has been almost painless. The downside to Senduit is that the uploaded file and it's generated link "expire" in a short period of time and people who backtrack through emails and want to download the file again get an error.

So to have a more permanent link solution without filling up people's inboxes with multi-megabyte files, I revisited my old tried and true AOL xDrive account the other day. Much to my surprise and delight, there is now an xDrive Desktop Lite offering that sports an Adobe AIR interface. I'm still in the process of testing it out and am even using the VMware ThinApp SDK to see if I can create a portable, install-free version of the AOLxDDL application (I'll update you on how that goes later - I still don't have the Cisco VPN client done yet...). Anyway, the AOL xDrive service gives you the ability to upload EXE files, MSI installation packages, firmware updates, bios utilities, and all those other types of files you seem to need access to on an irregular basis. Once there the files can be private or shared with others. For ease of use you can group files together into a folder and share the whole folder instead having to mark and share each individual file. Also, for those files you need to save and you're offsite with limited bandwidth, xDrive lets you save files directly from the web to the xDrive storage, avoiding having to download to your PC.

I know, this has been another one of my "storage as a service" soapbox speeches, but one that should be taken into consideration. I also read over on LifeHacker.com that Dropbox, another online file storage offering, is now coming out of Beta so I'll be checking that one out soon as well.

What do you think about online storage and what's your favorite?

Hulu - the new TiVo?

Hulu may be my new replacement for cable

So the other day my sister made the comment that I'm always posting really geeky, tech-laden stuff that only appeals to tech oriented people and she really never "gets" most of what I post. Ok, so yeah I revel in the deeply technical stuff but have taken Sis's comment to heart and will try to occasionally write about something that has appeal outside of the datacenter. My latest obsession is with Hulu.com. Hulu was founded in March 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp and is an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips, and other online destination sites — all for free, anytime in the U.S. Now for some, that's a big rub 'cause Hulu is blocked for viewers outside of the U.S. right now. For all of us good 'ol red blooded Americans though - not an issue so read on.

According to the Hulu.com website, "Hulu brings together a large selection of videos from more than 90 content providers, including FOX, NBC Universal, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros. and more. Users can choose from more than 850 current primetime TV hits such as The Simpsons, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The A Team, Airwolf and Married...with Children, movies like Men in Black, Ghostbusters, and The Karate Kid, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Friends and other popular TV shows and movies. "

So why is this my new obsession? I don't have to remember to set the DVR to record a new show or episode that I wanted to catch while I was playing dad taxi to my three lovely children (which I seem to be doing more as they grow older). No, now if I miss Burn Notice or The Office, I can just jump on over to Hulu and watch whenever I get a chance. It's also cool to be able to go back and find some of those old favorite episodes of Married with Children and Miami Vice. This Hulu.com thing has brought me a new problem though - coming up with a better way to stream the video from my PC to the TV. I'll post on that soon as the quest for that solution unfolds.

So, check out Hulu.com and let me know what you think about the content.

Hypertable (beta)

Massively scalable database - open source too

Based on Google's well known BigTable project, the new entrant into the scalable database space is Hypertable. Hypertable is currently in beta release 0.9.x beta and is designed to manage the storage and processing of information on a large cluster of commodity servers, providing resilience to machine and component failures. According to their website, Hypertable is out to set the open source standard for highly available, petabyte scale, database systems. The goal is nothing less than that Hypertable become one of the world’s most massively parallel high performance database platforms.

Hypertable uses Apache Hadoop HDFS distributed file system, which Hypertable refers to as a third party file system. The Hypertable website contains a great high level architectural overview of how Hypertable is constructed, as well as more detailed documentation on the dependencies and structure of a Hypertable database implementation. Currently the Hypertable project has a few formidable deficiencies to overcome, the most critical being that the master and hyperspace servers are single instance with no cluster takeover capability. These two issues, among others, are currently being addressed by the development team. Given the fact that Hypertable is based on a Google project, this is one to keep your eye on if you are in the market for a massively scalable database. I would also venture to say that you should also consider it for ANY database deployment that needs resilience, even if it's implemented in a single rack versus geographically distributed. Looks like Oracle's Real Application Cluster database architecture may soon have some open source, scalable competition.

Email as a service

Email should be your next utility.

Anyone that reads my blog posts knows that I'm somewhat biased to software as a service offerings, especially ones that make daily tasks easier. Here is my latest rant: Why is it that small and medium sized businesses continue to run their own email servers? Heck, for that matter why does a business that's not a Fortune 500 company run their own email server? I'm somewhat taken aback by the constant self flagellation many systems admins expose themselves to by keeping email as an in-house service.

I noticed this trend a while back and have continued to ask the "dumb" questions like like why are you still managing your own spam filter, why do you care where your email lives as long as you have access to it, and the list goes on. If this is hitting home with some of you, please read on. Here's my key point: Email is now a utility function. You should treat it like a utility service just like water, electricity or natural gas. Your users don't really care that you spent all last weekend up in the datacenter patching the Exchange server, they just want their email to flow into their mail client uninterrupted and free from viruses, spam and phishing.

Face it, users EXPECT email to work 24x7x365 and you will never get a call thanking you for the email server working, you'll only get rolled under the bus when it doesn't. There's no upside potential to running your own email server anymore. Ok, so all that said, what's a brother to do? Easy, outsource it. There are dozens upon dozens of companies out there that specialize in running whatever variant of mail server you have. Everything from Groupwise to Domino to Exchange to sendmail to Zimbra, you're covered. In fact, you really shouldn't even care what the heck the backend is as long as it supports whatever functions you need in your mail client.

I've heard the excuses of "we're still running Netscape mail" or some crap like that. No better time than the present to roll out a better CLIENT solution to your users. Best to do it now before that old mail server crashes and you can't get it back up in the 10 minutes it takes for the company president to miss an important email and fire your butt. Really, I know we IT people tend to embrace the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" saw, but please people, this is one tool you need to hand over to someone else. Even those of you with regulatory and security issues in the banking, financial services and health care industries, there are partners out there who can give you hosted services that are GLBA, HIPAA, SOX, etc. compliant; trust me, I've got customers who have already done it!!

Here's just one example for you: Google charges $50 per user per year for email hosting, and that includes 25GB of data storage per user, and the ability to deploy Postini email message discovery, compliance and archival for selected users (with some restrictions). Now, if you're a shop with 100 users that's $5000 per year. It would take five to seven years to equal what you're going to have to fork over now for that upgrade to MS Exchange 2007, the spam and anti-virus updates and for that price you don't even have archival set up yet.

If you like running MS Exchange/Outlook or IBM Domino/Notes then go hosted. Pick any of the many companies that specialize in managing hosted Exchange or Domino environments and let it go. They'll do your anti-virus, spam filtering, offer archival options and manage all of the patching, upgrading, redundancy, clustering or whatever other options you choose. There's also the option of going to a managed services contract where the email servers may still physically sit in your datacenter, but someone else monitors, manages, patches, updates, cares for and feeds the little beasts. Don't forget that the day you outsource, you also give up having to manage the constant disk storage defrag hassles, the mail database re-org, inbox size issues, user deleted email by mistake issues (nah, you'll still get that call, but it'll be easier to get back) and many more. Really, it's THAT simple. Then you can spend more time implementing technology that can give your business a competitive edge instead of managing an oh-so-'90s technology that takes up way too much of your time. Am I missing something here? Give me your thoughts on this!!

KBPublisher Knowledgebase

KBPublisher web-based knowledgebase

The folks over at KBPublisher have released the new paid version of their excellent knowledgebase software. The primary improvement in this version is granular control over user security, thus enabling you to have protected content in the knowledgebase without having to set up a separate sysetem.

KBPublisher can run on Windows, Linux or Unix, requires IIS or Apache, MySQL v4.1 or higher and PHP v4.3.0 or higher. The client is browser-based, supporting Firefox, IE and Safari and just needs javascript enabled.

As many of you know I am a firm believer in building centralized repositories to capture information that some of you still maintain in spreadsheets and word documents. With KBPublisher you can centralize the data (no, not by keeping your spreadsheet on a file share) and make it searchable. In addition to posting information as an article, you can attach files (PDF manuals for example) to the articles as well. And, since articles can be assigned to multiple categories, you can post an article once and see it in different category areas as you drill down into the knowledgebase for information.

Built into KBPublisher is a visual text editor for posting articles and an image upload wizard for posting images to the knowledgebase. Also key is the ability to create secure categories and secure articles that are only accessible by authorized users. This is one way you can have a single repository with both a "public" view, like an FAQ section for end users, and an internal knowledgebase with technical data, server setup information, detailed descriptions of application setup and installation instruction and the like. In addition, you can create categories that can be user maintained so that areas like Sales, Marketing, Adminitration, Warehousing, Transportation, etc. can each have their own knowledgebase of data that are specific to their area of expertise.

Given the extensive feature set, the new paid version of KBPublisher is a bargain at $198 for the basic version with a 10 user limit, Small Biz version, limited to 30 users, is $398 and the Corporate edition is $998 with unlimited users. There is also a $98 Start single-user edition that is limited to 100 "articles".

FileZilla FTP Client

Free FTP client FileZilla

Ok, so I was at a customer site and we needed to download some patch updates for a program which required an FTP client. The customer didn't have one installed and I suggested downloading and installing FileZilla. File-what came the reply. Ok, so I realize now that not everyone has heard of it before, so I thought I'd pay homage to FileZilla in today's post.




FileZilla Client is a cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and a graphical user interface.

(From the FileZilla website) The features of FileZilla include (among others) the following:

* Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
* Cross-platform. Runs on Windows, Linux, *BSD, Mac OS X and more
* IPv6 support
* Available in many languages
* Supports resume and transfer of large files >4GB
* Powerful Site Manager and transfer queue
* Drag & drop support
* Configurable Speed limits
* Filename filters
* Network configuration wizard
* Remote file editing
* Keep-alive
* HTTP/1.1, SOCKS5 and FTP-Proxy support


So, next time you need a full-featured FTP client, don't forget about FileZilla.

Super Mario Flash

Super Mario on Widgetbox

Ok, so I wasted probably 30 minutes tonight playing the Super Mario Game Flash Widget on Widgetbox.com. For those of you that remember playing that game when it originally came out it's a step back in time. But this is just one of thousands of available widgets on the Widgetbox site. There are scratch-off mystery buttons, embeddable weather widgets, clocks, news clippings, and a whole host of other available widgets, free for the taking and embeddable in your blog, web page, myspace, facebook, etc.

While many of the widgets on Widgetbox are frivolous and fun, there are some very useful additions that could even make it onto your corporate web page like the Forbes.com breaking news widget, Weather.com widget, Google calendar widget and many more that link to quality content.

But, for those of you reading who want to get busy re-mastering the old Mario - here's the link:

http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/supermariobros



See, I told you it was addictive...

Google Sites update

Google Sites for shared content

Ok, so a while back I wrote a post on Wetpaint and their rich media content "social website" and I continue to be amazed at the variety of options available there.

However, the other day I needed a quick site to use for tracking open items, to do lists, quote requests, quote responses, technical documents, etc. for a customer. As a creature of habit and given my constant use of Google docs I thought I'd dig a little deeper into Google Sites. After taking some time to familiarize myself with some of the page edit and sub-page options I found that Google Sites was a GREAT way to do what I needed. For one particular site (I have since set up at least a dozen) my menu hierarchy now has ten top layers and some pages are up to 3 and 4 layers deep. I set this particular site up to track all open activity items for a customer as well as creating an archive site for issue resolution, open issue tracking, technical document repository, service requests, quote requests (and responses) and the like. Since it's a web-based service (yeah, another one of my Software-as-a-Service rants) it's accessible from anywhere via web browser. Also, to share access to the site it's easiest that everyone have a gmail account (who the heck doesn't by now), that way you can link to shared Google docs, spreadsheets, presentations and the like.

As an example, when you click on "Create new page" the options are: Webpage, Dashboard, Announcements, File Cabinet and List. The list type is interesting in that you can pick from three pre-defined templates (editable) or chose custom and then define column headings and types (checkbox, date, dropdown, text or URL). Each column is then sortable as well. I chose to create "home" pages at the top level and then create cascading levels of repository pages under each heading. The site map link in the upper left hand corner of the site gives a complete hierarchical view of all of the pages, so it's easy to find everything once you create it. I even created a "quick contacts" list, sort of a mini contact list with phone, email, etc. so everyone could have a central place to update their respective information.

Of course the "site" is search-able as well, so don't fret if you can't find something quickly. While the templates for the sites give you some basic backgrounds, don't expect the "rich media" options you get from Wetpaint - at this point so far with my experience, Google Sites is more about functionality than beauty. Given what I'm using it for, that's fine but I could see where embedding podcasts, Youtube "how to" videos, and the like can't be too far off.

I have a few of you that have said you are now looking into Google Sites as an alternative to using Microsoft Sharepoint internally. I can see some limitations on that as a long term option, but if you're talking about an alternative to Sharepoint Services, then you might be satisfied. The primary issue at this point is the lack of detailed, extensible security. If you share the Site, then shared users have access to all content on the Site. You have a choice between collaborators and viewers, but that's it; so I could see using it for information that needs to be share with a whole team, but knowing that all information is visible to every member could cause problems. You could use document passwording and encryption to strengthen the security at the document level, but the document itself would still be available for download.

So, while not a panacea as a team website it only took me about 30 minutes to build the whole environment and upload all of the necessary documentation to get the information centralized and shared. So far, well worth the effort. As always, give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Remote Desktop Access and Control

The Bomgar Box

If you run a help desk then you either currently use or have tried in the past the GoToAssist hosted service from Citrix. A very good hosted solution and it saves you the trouble of having to run it on your network. But what if you WANT to host your own remote desktop control solution? Enter The Bomgar Box, an appliance-based remote control solution from Bomgar. Bomgar is the brainchild of co-founder Joel Bomgar and began life as Network Streaming and later changed the company name. My good buddy Troy recently went to work over there and turned me on to their solution. Some of the features and benefits from the Bomgar site are listed below:

Features

Bomgar™ enables clientless connection to any Windows, Linux, Mac, or Windows Mobile system by creating a remote desktop connection from your system and the end user's systems to the Bomgar Box outbound through firewalls.

Support Across Platforms

• Gain remote desktop control of Windows, Mac, Linux and Windows Mobile
• Support via screen sharing or command line interface
• Gain virtual control of unattended systems with Jump Technology
• Localize in Italian, Japanese, German, Spanish and French

Provide Fast, Effective Support

• Start a remote desktop connection to multiple systems simultaneously
• Automatically pull system info for quick diagnosis
• Reboot computers & re-initiate the connection automatically
• Transfer files & chat with customers or other reps securely
• Present your screen for training purposes

Integrate with Existing Applications

• Open API
• Create plug-ins with Bomgar's SDK
• Integrate with BMC® Remedy® Service Desk
• LDAP and RADIUS integration
• Customize Bomgar's customer-facing elements

Keep Your Data Secure

• On-site, appliance-based deployment
• Every remote desktop connection protected with 256-bit AES SSL encryption
• Logs and video recordings of virtual support sessions
• Granular management of support rep privileges
• Set group policies for managing permissions

Get the Box That's Right for You

• Scalable deployment models
Bomgar B100 – 1 support rep
Bomgar B200 – 2 to 20 support reps
Bomgar B300 – Up to 300 support reps
Multiple B300s for larger deployments
• Concurrent licensing & unlimited software user accounts

Centralize Support Management

• Define support teams and support request queues
• Create custom exit surveys to monitor rep performance
• Analyze trends with detailed service desk reports
• Authenticate support reps with single sign-on

Another positive to the Bomgar Box is the cost. Whereas hosted solutions like GoToAssist and Webex charge per-use fees for their service, the Bomgar appliance is a one time cost with only a yearly maintenance and support fee after that. If your organization requires a great deal of remote connectivity to end users, you could save a bundle by going to the Bomgar appliance. As always, check it out and let me know what you think.

Linux integration to MS Active Directory

Using Vintela from Quest Software

Many moons ago I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Vintela Authentication Services (although I don't think it was called that back then). Vintela is now a part of Quest Software and has expanded their product offerings, but the core VAS is still a great solution. What does it do you ask. Well, it makes a Unix, Linux or Mac system become a part of a Microsoft Active Directory domain, enabling centralized authentication and access control. You can then extend the benefits of Windows Group Policies to those non-Windows systems.

For an organization that has a majority of Microsoft Windows-based server operating systems, using Vintela VAS on those non-Windows servers saves the headaches of managing separate NIS or LDAP servers. You then get a centralized place for storing (and managing) user names, passwords, access rights, and more with no need for setup of an LDAP gateway. So, that Mac user over in marketing can now be managed via AD, as well as those new Linux boxes that keep finding their way into the datacenter.

While I'm on this subject, I've run across several instances lately where an application vendor wanted to store access control privileges in Active Directory to fields in the application database, which meant modifying the AD schema to fit a specific application. Well, Microsoft has a great way to overcome this by using Microsoft Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) which can run on the application server or an XP PC and doesn't require a domain controller. I'll write a longer post about this later, but keep it in mind if you have legacy LDAP or X.500 integration needs or an application-specific security schema. ADAM integrates and replicates with AD, sometimes requiring MS Identity Integration Server 2003, but not always.

If you have a majority of Windows-based servers with an Active Directory domain and group policies, then check out Vintela for bringing those non-Windows boxes into AD.

SizeExplorer Pro

SizeExplorer Pro helps clean up your disk drive(s)

So what the heck is eating up all of the 60GB disk drive in your laptop, or for that matter why are you out of disk space on the file server again after adding 1TB of disk space to it. One way to find out is by spending $49 bucks for SizeExplorer Pro Bundle. A very useful tool, this software will crawl your hard disk and create a sortable report of all of the files on your drive. You can then sort by size, type, date, etc. and find all those ISO images you forgot you had out there when you were playing around with the latest Ubuntu release. Also included is a utility to identify duplicate files, and the ability to export the results to an Excel spreadsheet for more data sorting and crunching. You can download the free version and try it out for 21 days before you have to purchase a license key.

Here's a list of the new features in version 4.1:

* New Duplicates finder tool
* New Compare of saved explorations tool
* New look and Skinned interface (over 160 skins available)
* Add Levels of folders option in File Lister
* New tool to calculate MD5 hash or CRC32 checksum
* New Column:
o % of Parent
o Size On Disk
o Wasted Space
o % Wasted Space
o Allocation Unit
o Saved Space by Compression
o Compression Ratio
o MD5 hash
o CRC32 Checksum
* New split mode in Analyzer (chart and report at same time)
* Now support append of data in Export for some file format
* Better Vista support
* Add support for compressed and sparse files
* Faster listview and File Lister
* Display % column as graphic
* Add "Open Command Prompt from here" feature
* Add 8 new size reports in Analyzer
* Can now customize reference date for date report
* Speed up Analyzer reports creation
* Better look for Analyzer reports
* Load of exploration file (.sef) now possible in SizeExplorer Pro itself
* Multi-language support ready (languages available in version 4.2)

VMware ESX 3.5

VMware's new version 3.5 ROCKS

Ok, so I've had several customers recently install and/or upgrade to VMware's ESX version 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5 and I've got to say, VMware is still the king of the hill when it comes to x86 virtualization. VMware has raised the bar once again with ESX 3.5 by giving per-server RAM scalability to 256GB, per VM support of up to 64GB RAM and support for up to 32 logical processors per ESX server. Other new features include support for 64-bit guest operating systems, SATA disk drives, 10GB Ethernet, N_port ID Virtualization for Fiber Channel cards (so each VM can have it's own Worldwide Port Name (WWPN)), support for Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) and even support for IPv6 among others. Also enhanced in v3.5 is better intra-virtual machine support for Citrix Presentation Server, allowing greater scalability. VMotion has several enhancements as well and VMotion continues set VMware apart from competitors in terms of enterprise-class scalability and high availability.

In a couple of recent installs customers have taken advantage of IBM's x3650 architecture giving 12 DIMM slots and (2) CPU slots, loading these boxes up with 48GB RAM and (2) Quad-core CPUs. One customer even tested failover by running 34 production VMs on a single x3650 for nearly four days with no help desk calls and no user complaints. Also, I've seen great performance from several different types of external storage arrays including iSCSI-connected storage, fibre channel attached storage with SAS drives (and SATA for storage VMware snapshots) and even NFS-mounted disk volumes. It all boils down to I/O requirements and don't underestimate the performance characteristics of some of the newest storage arrays.

One consistent third party application that is a hands-down requirement if you're implementing VMware is Vizioncore's vRangerPro for efficient backup and recovery of your VMware virtual machines, and if you want to replicate your VM's to an offsite location look no further than Vizioncore's vReplicator.

I also get asked all the time, "So, is anyone running 'X' in a VM yet", where X is a whole host of applications. Not everything is a great candidate for virtualization, and typically CPU utilization and I/O are the two limiting factors, but yes, I've seen production instances of Oracle DB, MS SQL, MS Exchange, MS Terminal Services and even Citrix running in actual customer production environments.

Another topic that needs to be considered is virtual desktops which deserves a post of its own, but worth mentioning here. I have several LARGE customers and small ones as well taking a dual-CPU box with quad-core cpus, loading it up with RAM, installing VMware and then loading up to 64 instances of Windows XP Pro and/or Vista Business, giving end users thin client devices or letting them run desktop applications from a central location while keeping their local PC. Connectivity is accomplished via RDP which is native in XP and Vista. It's even better when you take advantage of Microsoft's Softgrid or VMware's Thinstall for application streaming and virtualization.

For more information see the VMware Blog and Release Notes.

PC Remote Control

CrossLoop for PC Remote Control

If you're like me and considered the PC guru in the family and everyone calls and tries to give you a verbal description of what is on their screen and asks you to "fix" it, then you've been through the struggles of hoping for some type of PC remote control. I can remember installing PCAnywhere on computers just so I could get on, correct the problem and get off, a daunting task on the old 33k direct-dial land lines.

If you've used GoToMyPC in the past, now there's an alternative called CrossLoop. But, CrossLoop has an awesome twist that will allow you to demote yourself from family PC guru to referral source. The twist of CrossLoop is the expert advice aspect. People with specific skillsets (XP, Office 2003, Photoshop, etc.) can go to the site and register as having expertise in a particular area, along with an hourly or per minute rate that they charge for their services. Users with a need for help can then register on CrossLoop and search for a helping hand who they can then pay via PayPal. Both users download the CrossLoop client (a tweaked version of TightVNC) and thus another way to get Uncle John the help he needs for his old Win98 PC.

Although I haven't had a chance to dive into the Marketplace aspect of CrossLoop, I have tested the remote control piece and it works like a champ. You can use CrossLoop for free to remote control someone's PC and either view their desktop or take control of the desktop. I do hope that they will have a Review the Helper section much like oDesk or Amazon's product reviews so you have some assurance that the help you're paying for is highly rated.

As always, check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Go "Big Brother" with SpectorSoft

Spector Pro 2008 ultimate spy

Ok, so you're an avid reader of the National Inquisitor (you know what I mean), regularly think your lawn guy is making crop circles in your backyard and spent over $1000 on tin foil last year to create your "safe room", now here's another place to spend your next $100. Spector Pro 2008 is the ultimate, geeked out, paranoid tracking tool for your PC. Install this software and you can record every keystroke, every IM message, every email, every file copied to a USB key, every document printed and the list goes on. Not only that, but you can set it up so that all of this information is sent to you in near real time so you know almost instantly what's happening on your PC at all times.

Now, besides keeping a close eye on your teenager who dresses like a vampire and has more metal in her than Evel Knievel, there are some really useful applications for this type of software. First, if you suspect any potential after-hours non-authenticated use of your office PC, here's a way to find out. Or, if you suspect an employee is stealing sensitive company secrets, also good.

Nothing says you have to implement all of the features of Spector Pro, so if you simply want to use Document Tracking, User Activity, File Transfer tracking, keyword detection and Program Activity in high profile areas or on PCs with access to restricted data, this may be a good option. It would also be helpful in healthcare environments to ensure HIPAA compliance.

Anyway, whether you're a paranoid delusional and control freak who wants to track everything ever done on your PC, or an administrator with a need for secure data tracking, here's a good way to spend $100 bucks.

ISP multi homing

AstroCom Powerlink ISP failover appliance

Ok, so I was visiting a customer the other day and he tells me about a new box he just got in to solve his multi-homing problems for having redundant ISP connections. He has struggled with setup of an ARIN number, wrestled with BGP on a Cisco router and tackled hookup of satellite internet as a path of last resort in a disaster. In the course of switching providers for his satellite internet (he went with Skycasters because they support VPN over satellite) he somehow came across AstroCom and their PowerLink appliance.

Astrocom's PowerLink Pro™ is a family of multi-homing WAN link failover and Internet load-balancing appliances that provide Internet high availability. Astrocom claims that they do this at about one-third the total cost of ownership of other products.

The AstroCom PowerLink appliance sits between your LAN and WAN. It allows you to use multiple Internet connections for true network redundancy and ISP failover. Depending on the model, PowerLink™ products provide:

* WAN link redundancy for ISP failover and Internet high availability among as many as 15 links for important internal and customer applications.
* Traffic load balancing (both inbound and outbound) from your network for bandwidth aggregation of up to 500 Mbps.
* Point-to-point channel bonding among as many as 40 locations, providing uninterrupted Internet access for reliable performance of applications like VPN and VoIP.
* Redundant hardware failover and monitoring capabilities for mission-critical applications that eliminate all potential single points of WAN link failure.
* QoS capabilities for bandwidth management that guarantee your most critical applications get the bandwidth aggregation required for smooth and consistent performance.
* The best service and support in the industry, with 90 days of free service and support from U.S.-based factory technicians, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a three-year depot warranty.

Pricing for this device starts at $1,295 for the Pro50 and goes to $8,195 for the Pro250.

One comment that bears repeating is that AstroCom support has been "awesome", with late night and weekend calls being answered by knowledgeable support staff and easy access to engineers to help with configuration and troubleshooting. Not something I hear everyday from a customer so kudos to AstroCom.

If you're looking to bond a T1, cable, DSL and/or satellite internet connection into a single, redundant failover pipe, take a look at the AstroCom Powerlink Pro.

Summer Break

Just a quick update - summer break is over the first week in August, the kids will be back in school and I'll get some free time back to start the blogging again. Until then, hope you are enjoying your summer!!

Charles

Desktop Authority

Windows Desktop Management Tool

Scriptlogic's Desktop Authority is a tool to manage Windows desktop operating systems, providing administrators the ability to secure, inventory, patch and support desktops from a central location.

From the Scriptlogic website:

Desktop Authority centralizes control over the desktop, combining into one comprehensive solution the functionality usually achieved with a combination of logon scripting, group policies, user profiles, and a variety of security solutions. By integrating configuration, inventory, reporting, patch management, anti-spyware, device lockdown, power management and remote management into a single solution, administrators can efficiently and effectively manage the desktop environment from one console, lowering the total cost of desktop ownership.

I was in a meeting earlier this week and had a server and desktop admin singing to me the praises of this product. His comment was that "everyone knows that managing desktops with Microsoft's group policy tool sucks (his word, not mine), so I had to find something to make it easier." There are add-ons to enable remote software installation/deployment and a bare-metal imaging solution as well. I'm still sold on the Softgrid/Thinstall/Appstream approach to application deployment versus the remote install methodology whenever possible. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Application Streaming

New wave of App Streaming Tools

With Microsoft's acquisition of Softricity in 2006 (now called MS Softgrid), VMware's recent purchase of Thinstall, Symantec acquiring of AppStream and integrating it into the Altiris SVS platform and the new Endeavors Technologies release of Application Jukebox, the choice of application virtualization technologies continues to expand. I'll mention the open source Portable Apps option as well although it's still lacking some of the advanced functionality of the aforementioned programs.

Ok, so what is "application virtualization"? Simply, it's a way to run a fully functional application without having to install DLLs, registry entries, etc. on your local workstation operating system. The application RUNS on the local machine, but it is isolated from your core OS. It's akin to having an application run from a single .EXE file instead of the plethora of files and directories created by a typical install.

How is this useful you ask? Well, how about being able to give users access to the latest version of your application without having to worry what OS they are running, whether they have .NET 2.0 framework installed (for you .NET developers) and the like. You can distribute the latest binary package to a central server and when the user requests to run the application they automatically get the latest version downloaded to their desktop (again, no install process).

Each of the vendors have somewhat differing approaches to the technology of application virtualization, but the upside benefits are the same: centralized version control, homogenization of application execution, host OS independence and quick, secure revocation of access to critical apps.

Portable Apps even pushes the option of running the full application from a USB flash drive, so you can carry your applications with you and run them from any PC.

UBCD4Win

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

This is a program that's been around for a while, but worth a mention for those who may not have stumbled across it yet. UBCD4WIN is a bootable CD that contains a plethora of software used for repairing, restoring, or diagnosing many computer problems. Almost all of the software included in UBCD4Win are freeware utilities for Windows®. Some of the tools included are "free for personal use" copies and a few are paid for and licensed software owned by UBCD4win.

UBCD4Win is based on Bart's PE©. Bart's PE© builds a Windows® "pre-install" environment CD, basically a simple Windows® XP booted from CD. UBCD4Win includes network support, tools to modify NTFS volumes, recover deleted files, create new NTFS volumes and scan hard drives for viruses, just to name a few.

Ok, so think about this: you have a PC with a virus or root kit - how do you get rid of it when you are booting the OS that has the virus? UBCD4Win gives you a way to boot a read-only copy (it boots from a CDROM, duh) of WinXP, mount the disk drive volume and run multiple antivirus, spyware, etc. tools against that drive. There are some tools to do a clean wipe of a disk drive, say if you are returning some PCs to the leasing company. There are disk imaging tools (see my post on SelfImage) included in UBCD4Win, so you can image your PC hard drive before upgrading, as a regular backup routine, whatever, and a master boot record backup utility, useful if you ever need to repair the MBR on your disk drive.

There are even tools to remote mount the registry of the internal disk on the PC and repair/recover/remove keys, etc., a CMOS password recovery/modification tool and a tool to re-set or set anew the password of any user with a local valid account on the PC or server. You can even create a new user, with admin rights, and assign it a fresh password. Yes, this tool could be used maliciously, but the good outweighs the bad in this case.

In addition to repair and recovery utilities, there are FTP servers, FTP clients, xterm emulations, IP scanners, RDP client, Novell client, VNC server, and more.

Now, all that said, it takes some time and effort to put this together, so it's not for the faint of heart. You'll also need a licensed copy of Windows XP (recommend SP2) to get the base XP files over to the UBCD4Win CD. Also, once you download and install the UBCD4Win program, you need to go thru and update all of the utilities, anti-virus signature, etc. and that takes some time as well. Take the time to read the instructions, there are plenty of screenshots and suggestions, as well as caveats to avoid.

Zoho's Creator and DB

Zoho Creator and DB online databases

If you haven't already followed my advice to check out Zoho, I'm going to give you two more reasons go look into this online SaaS provider. Zoho is a provider of hosted Software as a Service applications including an office suite with word processor, spreadsheet, presentation app, etc., and if it stopped there it would still be cool, but an also-ran to Google's Docs application offerings. Zoho goes the extra mile with an ever growing list of online applications from a project manager to a full CRM offering. Additionally, Zoho has two database offerings, Creator and DB/Reports. While it's my understanding that Creator will eventually be able to use DB as it's back end engine, the SaaS layer differs in that Creator is a drag and drop online forms and application creation engine with a powerful scripting language, while DB/Reports exposes the database layer and is intended for online reporting and graphing functions.

If you have ever struggled with creating a simple database application with MS Access, fret no more. Now I'm not talking about a simple table of data, you could do that with Google's spreadsheet app with the new "publish as a form" option. What you can do with Zoho Creator is to design and publish an application with data validation logic and if/then/else statements, drop down boxes, radio buttons, etc.

And, if you want to crunch some datasets and publish the equivalent of MS Excel pivot tables, then DB/Reports is your answer. Instead of setting up a MS IIS server and struggling with publishing an Excel spreadsheet (with limited options and success), go to Zoho's DB/Reports, import your dataset, and create graphs and table presentations of your data ad infinitum.

Then, with both options, you can embed the DB/Reports graphs and tables as well as the Creator Forms into your own website.

As with most Zoho applications, there is a personal use version of both applications for free, and paid versions for multiuser access and addtional feature sets.

Meebo web-based IM

Meebo's web-based Instant Messaging platform

For those of you running Citrix or MS Terminal Services and struggling with a unified Instant Messaging client that is compatible with this platform, consider using a solution like Meebo's web-based service. Yeah, ok so this is another one of my SaaS/mashup rants, but bear with me. I'm sure some of you are already on the Meebo bandwagon (James), but for those of you who haven't discovered it yet, there are some immediate benefits.

First, it's web-based so there is no client to install. If you can run a browser in your terminal session, you can give users IM access.

Secondly, it supports simultaneous login to all of the major IM platforms including AIM, Yahoo, Google and MSN, ICQ and Jabber, as well as it's own Meebo IM platform. There is also support for iPhone and iPOD Touch mobile access to the IM client. Additionally, there is a Firefox extension to show Meebo in a Firefox sidebar.

For enhanced functionality you can elect to sign into a Meebo Room and you'll be able to have audio and video IM sessions as well as sharing files and web clips from Youtube and the like. Meebo Room sessions can be moderated as well to control content if the need arises. This would be a potential alternative to using Webex for a multi-session presentation or training with video/audio, especially within a company where you wanted an open forum for discussion about the presentation material.

Another very cool feature of Meebo is the Meebo Me widget that can be embedded into a web page to give you presence awareness to your page viewers, blog readers, etc. and allow them to IM you from the Meebo widget.

As an alternative to the popular installation-required multi-IM products like Pidgin, Trillian, Digsby and Miranda, it's one less application to deal with on the desktop.

Hosted Wikis

Social website tools

I think it's a safe assumption that at some point in time you have used Wikipedia if only out of curiosity. The power of Wikipedia has been the crowd sourcing and community editing functionality, allowing group collaboration to monitor, edit and update the data on an ongoing basis. There is a growing list of sites that offer hosted wikis with increasing levels of functionality and rapid development and deployment tools.

One of the new entries in this arena is Wetpaint, calling their service "hosted social media". What is compelling about Wetpaint is their Wetpaint Injected, a widget-ized version of their service that can be embedded into your blog, MySpace, Facebook, etc. website. Wetpaint has some very easy to use tools for creating a professional-looking media rich social website. Another entry in this space is the former Jotspot, purchased by Google that has re-emerged as Google Sites. The current drawback to Google Sites is the requirement to have a qualified domain name in order to register for the service, and in effect Google is targeting the business community with Sites instead of individual users. *Update note: 5/22 - after this post, Google announced that Sites was accessible to individual users via their Google Apps login.

Wikis are emerging as a web-based, hosted alternative to MS Sharepoint or Lotus Quickr tools for team and group collaboration. Other popular hosted personal wiki services are PBwiki, Scribblewiki and Zoho Wiki just to name a few.

Sites like Socialtext and CentralDesktop are targeted at business users with pricing starting at around $10/user per month.

Prep'ing for Hurricane Season

Satellite Internet, Solar powered devices and more...

As we close in on June 1st and the official start of hurricane season here in south Mississippi, we begin to review again our disaster recovery plans. I was with a customer recently that was installing a satellite communications system from Skycasters, replacing an older model dish from another provider. I soon discovered that Skycasters offered broadband speed wireless with VPN and VoIP compatible service, in fact with speeds from 1.5Mbps to 4Mbps download speeds, and 384kbps to 1.5Mbps upload speeds. Now this is not a high availability solution for a primary site with multi-megabit trunks, but to be able to communicate in times of disaster satellite is second to none. As we experienced in the aftermath of Katrina, cellular networks were down for weeks, land lines for months in some cases, internet connectivity non-existent and roadways impassible. Skycasters is compatible with Vonage, Packet8 and Shoretel Voice over IP services, so you could set up an account with a VoIP carrier to be able to communicate to the outside world in the first few hours or days after a disaster. Also, since it's VPN compatible as well there is the opportunity to establish secure remote access links to a hosted site. Now all of this assumes you've already taken care of your power needs with a reliable generator solution and have enough fuel to get you through.

This is also a good solution for those remote locations where you can only get a dial-up connection from the local rural phone carrier and DSL, T1 or cable is not available. I'm sure you can think of other uses for this as well, but if you were looking for options to maintain data connectivity to the outside world during the upcoming hurricane season, check into Skycasters.

Also, don't forget about handheld communication options. Head over to GlobalCom and check out the solutions available from Iridium, Globalstar, Thuraya, and Inmarsat. There are rental options for the handheld phones and purchase plans with pre-paid minute plans available with discounts or pay-as-you-go plans. A recent addition to Globalcom's lineup is a portable solar charger for their handheld satellite phone solutions. It has a cigarette lighter female adapter end on the output line that could potentially be used to charge other devices - I have a call into them to look into this and will let you know more later.

While I'm on this rant, don't forget about some of the other options out there that you need to consider. Amazon has a nice selection of solar ovens, and Sundance Solar has everything from cellphone/iPOD solar rechargers to solar flashlights, radios and lanterns and reasonably priced DC inverter kits and battery arrays to power some higher wattage basic items. You can also head over to ETA Engineering and check out DC power refrigerators, and even SolarChill evaporative coolers (think window A/C unit). I'm particularly keen on their solar water/pool pump solutions as well.

One last thought, it was easier to find propane after Katrina than gasoline or diesel, and there are propane and natural gas powered generators available as well as conversion kits for existing gasoline generators at USCarb.

I know I've probably left a few things out (like MREs), so send me your lists of all the things you've done to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season and I'll post a compiled planning list link.

Sprout's widget wizard

Using Sproutbuilder to publish a Google Form (and more)

Sprout is a web-based flash builder toolkit with which you can build, publish and manage widgets, mini-sites, banners, mashups and other rich media Web content in three easy steps. I was looking for a way to help a customer publish a form online and came across Sprout as I was looking into using Google's new forms option in the Google Docs spreadsheet. I created the sample entry form below using Google Docs and then used Sprout to create the widget.

First, go to Google and log into your Google Docs account - if you don't have one yet, welcome back from your cryogenic coma and get busy (it's free). Then, select New, Spreadsheet. Enter the form fields in the A1, A2, etc. row. If you haven't turned autosave on, Google Docs will prompt you. Once you've entered your field headings, go to the Share tab and on the next screen, select Invite People and click the radio button the "fill out a form". On the next screen you're prompted to invite users, you can skip this step. Copy the URL link in the right panel.

Now, go create a Sprout account (www.sproutbuilder.com), and yes you'll have to check your email account and enter a validation code on the Sprout site that has been emailed to you. Then, select launch Sproutbuilder, select a project type (blank) and name the project. Use the Google Forms widget builder and follow the directions on the Sprout site - it's as simple as pasting the URL link to the Google form into the widgetbuilder.

Once you select publish, Sprout will build an Adobe Flash widget with the Google form embedded that you can then publish on your web page, blog, Myspace or whatever.


Example




I think the mini-sites options are incredible tools as well for building embeddable advertisements (see the Sheryl Crow example). There are options to include a music player and MP3 files, video files, a counter widget and many more features. Give it a try and send me links to some of the creative ways you figure out to use this tool.

Google Form not embedded in a Flash Widget

SelfImage hard drive imaging software

SelfImage Hard Disk Imaging Utility

If you've been using Acronis at work to rip disk images and were looking for an alternative for home use, try SelfImage, a free open source hard disk imaging utility. SelfImage is capable of making an image file of a hard disk or hard disk partition, and can restore an image back to any drive or partition that doesn't have open files. Useful for making backups and unlike dd for Windows (or cygwin), SelfImage is capable of creating an image of a partition that is currently in use.

SelfImage can even create images of partitions that Windows doesn't recognize (partitions that Windows doesn't have mounted on a drive letter). This is perfect for the dual-boot system, you can create an image backup of a Linux partition directly from Windows.

Features include:

* Create 1:1 image files of any mounted (or unmounted on Windows 2000/XP) hard disk partition.
* Can create an image of an entire hard disk, including the master boot record, partition table, and all partitions (Windows 2000/XP)
* Restore previously created images to any partition, even mounted ones, as long as it doesn't have open files.
* On-the-fly compression accelerated with parallel CPU support to take advantage of today's hyperthreaded, multi-core and SMP systems.
* Skip reading a disk's "free space", treating it as if it were zero. This decreases the size of a compressed image and makes it process MUCH faster. NEW Version 1.2.0 can now do this for Linux ext2/ext3 partitions as well.
* NEW Available as an experimental BartPE plugin for use in boot/rescue CDs. SelfImage is also included on the excellent Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (UBCD4Win).
* Network Block Device support to make images of disks on remote machines, and restore back to them.
* Multi-threaded design for maximum throughput and low CPU overhead.
* It's free software - free as in cost, and free as in open source - released under the GNU General Public License.

SelfImage is a new project. As such, there are lots of plans for the future. Keep an eye on this project as there are many new features on the drawing board.

FuelFrog gas mileage tracking

Track your gas mileage with FuelFrog

If you are tired of digging through the fast food cups and bags in your passenger seat floor to find a scrap of paper you've been using to keep up with your gas mileage, here's another option from FuelFrog. Ok, so yeah this is another one of my Twitter mashup services. FuelFrog's premise is very simple, at the time you fill up with fuel you enter your miles traveled since your last fill-up, cost per gallon and number of gallons and FuelFrog does the rest. You'll see trending of your fuel costs and average miles per gallon. A future release will include the ability to trend your make/model vehicle against similar vehicles nationwide or even possibly globally.

If this was an online only application it would be somewhat useful, but probably not used unless you were just anal about tracking your gas mileage. What makes this service usable is, yes, it's integration with Twitter. At the very moment that you fill up your vehicle with fuel you can SMS your information to FuelFrog using the Twitter direct text function. Enter your fuel data (miles, price, gallons) and send to FuelFrog via Twitter. Example: @fuelfrog 342 3.239 10.293. You can then log into your FuelFrog account and see your MPG trending; a downward trend would be an incentive to go get those fuel and air filters changed and schedule that tune-up you've been putting off.

So, for those of us that like to track these but can't keep up with our mileage log books, here's a great, instant gratification solution. As always, give me feedback on how useful this service has been for you.

Open Source Virtualization with Virtualbox

Virtualbox's new version 1.6 is released

If you've been searching for an inexpensive virtualization solution for your laptop or desktop, here's a free, open source solution. Recently purchased by SUN, Virtualbox is an open source virtualization solution for the x86 hardware platform. Though it purports enterprise capability, my experience so far has been in using it as a desktop alternative to VMware Workstation which has a list price of $189.00. I have tested on Ubuntu 7.10 and Windows XP host OS with CentOS (RHEL4), Fedora Core 6, Windows XP SP2, Windows 2000 and Ubuntu 7.10 desktop as guests, all with great performance. My favorite features are the "seamless" mode with the ability to scroll my cursor to the guest OS screen and shared folders, allowing me to share host folders as a network share to the guest OS.

Virtualbox has binaries for Windows, Linux, Mac and OpenSolaris host operating systems and runs a rich list of tested Guest Operating Systems including Windows 98 thru Vista, most Linux versions and even OS/2 and ReactOS support. Touting a modular development methodology and full SDK for developing additions, Virtualbox offers not only the base functionality found in other very expensive solutions, but also has features not present in some more popular virtualization platforms such as the following list from the Virtualbox site:

* Virtual machine descriptions in XML. The configuration settings of virtual machines are stored entirely in XML and are independent of the local machines. Virtual machine definitions can therefore easily be ported to other computers.

* Guest Additions for Windows and Linux. VirtualBox has special software that can be installed inside Windows and Linux virtual machines to improve performance and make integration much more seamless. Among the features provided by these Guest Additions are mouse pointer integration and arbitrary screen solutions (e.g. by resizing the guest window).

* Shared folders. Like many other virtualization solutions, for easy data exchange between hosts and guests, VirtualBox allows for declaring certain host directories as "shared folders", which can then be accessed from within virtual machines.

A number of extra features are available with the full VirtualBox release only (see the "Editions" page for details):

* Virtual USB Controllers. VirtualBox implements a virtual USB controller and allows you to connect arbitrary USB devices to your virtual machines without having to install device specific drivers on the host.

* Remote Desktop Protocol. Unlike any other virtualization software, VirtualBox fully supports the standard Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). A virtual machine can act as an RDP server, allowing you to "run" the virtual machine remotely on some thin client that merely displays the RDP data.

* USB over RDP. With this unique feature, a virtual machine that acts as an RDP server can still access arbitrary USB devices that are connected on the RDP client. This way, a powerful server machine can virtualize a lot of thin clients that merely need to display RDP data and have USB devices plugged in.

Whereas Virtualbox, also known on the SUN website as xVM Virtualbox, competes in the space with VMware Server, VMware's free version of their platform that requires an underlying operating system much like Virtualbox, SUN has also launched a hypervisor-based product in xVM Server as well as xVM Ops Center for managing virtual machine images.

VMware has a pronounced advantage over SUN in this space with VMotion technology that allows running virtual machines to be moved between physical hardware with no down time, as well as support for a wider range of guest operating systems. I'm told that xVM will have vMotion-like capabilities soon, but I've seen no announcements.

Watch for SUN to make a big play in the consolidated desktop virtualization space, with their Virtual Desktop connection broker software. Vendors in this space see the desktop as the next great virtualization frontier and SUN is in the hunt. On top of that SUN has a partnership in place with Microsoft to grant interoperability and high performance for Windows virtual machines.

SUN's competitors in the virtualization race on x86 are VMware, Microsoft, Virtual Iron, Novell, Red Hat, Citrix and Parallels.

File Hamster version control

File Hamster version tracking software (Windows)

File Hamster provides real-time version tracking for files and folders as well as backup and archiving. File Hamster is a memory-resident program that monitors the folders and files that you ask it to and keeps a copy whenever you change a file, so that you can roll back to the old version(s) if you ever need to. It also gives you the ability to create "sticky" notes whenever you make a change to a file or folder.

Once you install File Hamster you must choose which individual files and/or folders to monitor. For folders, you can tell it which file types you want monitored or excluded, and it can also watch sub-folders. Once you set up File Hamster it will then monitor files in real time. Any attempt to change or overwrite a monitored file will prompt File Hamster to instantly make a copy of the file before allowing the change. This will result in continuous real-time backups copies of your files being created that are done in the background.

When File Hamster detects a change it will flash a small window near the system tray which you can use to quickly leave a comment or note that can be referred to later if you need to remember why you made the change. All historic file versions can then be accessed from the File Hamster menu. The name of the file being monitored has to remain unchanged for File Hamster to keep taking snapshots of it. If you want to use different version names for your file then configure File Hamster to monitor the folder that you keep the file in and it will then monitor each successive file that it finds in that folder.

If you become concerned about file backups taking up too much disk space, there are a number of options: (1)set the maximum number of revisions File Hamster will keep of any single file; (2)set a time period beyond-which a revision will be discarded; (3)require a user-defined delay period between revisions; or (4)have File Hamster do compressed backups using the zip plugin, enabling file backups to be made to zip archive files.

Compatibility: Windows 2000, XP, Vista; requires .NET Framework 2.0

SharePOD and Floola for your iPOD

SharePOD and Floola enable easy iPOD file transfers

Looking for a solution to being able to transfer files from your iPod to a computer that does not already contain your iTunes library, consider SharePOD. SharePod 3 is a program for your iPod that allows you to copy music and videos between your iPod and computers, usually without having to install anything on the computer. What's interesting is that SharePOD installs and runs ON your iPOD. Once installed you can then copy tracks from your iPOD to a PC using Windows Explorer and the SharePOD interface. SharePOD also creates XML files that can be imported into iTunes. Additionally, you can use SharePOD to copy files from your PC to your iPOD, including MP3, M4a and M4v file types.

SharePOD also lets you create new playlists, edit file tags, and has a built-in media player as well. To protect against any future incompatibility with Apple's iTunes software, SharePOD creates backups of your iPOD and you can use the Restore iPOD feature to put it back to it's working state.

The downside - SharePOD requires Microsoft's .NET 2.0 framework to be installed on the computer you are attaching to. For XP users, this could mean a 22MB download just to get SharePOD to work; .NET 2.0 is included in Vista.

Another software option that offers similar functionality is Floola, which runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. *note: links updated on 11/19/2011*

Google SMS for quick info

Information via SMS text from Google

If you haven't tried Google's free SMS information system yet, you are missing out. For those of you with smartphones and mobile browsers, you may still be interested just for the plain fact that you can get simple information much faster via SMS search, probably quicker than you can even launch the browser on your mobile phone.

To get started, surf over to Google's SMS site and check out all of the different types of information that you can retrieve with the search codes. My most frequent are 411-type lookups using the "local" code. If I'm looking for the phone number and address for Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse in the New Orleans french quarter, I simply type "Brennan's new orleans, la" and send to 466453, the shortcode for Google's SMS service. Almost as fast as I hit send, the reply comes back with the address and phone number for Brennan's Restaurant on Royal St., Dicky Brennan's Steakhouse on Iberville St., and Dickie Brennan & Co. on Canal.

Another very useful feature is the PRICE code. I was shopping for a bark collar the other day and in the dog training section of a local outdoor supply store. They had a pretty good selection of collars, but I wasn't sure how good the prices were. By typing PRICE Innotek Bark and sending to 466453 I was sent three prices. The more specific the item description the more likely you are to get the right pricing.

Other frequently used codes are Weather when I'm traveling, Flight schedule lookups when I'm rushing to the airport, and the Q&A or Web function when I'm arguing about who was the singer on Yellow Submarine (it was Ringo).

Let me know which ones you find most useful and how often you now find yourself doing SMS lookup of phone numbers instead of using 800Free411 or 800Goog411.

Mount ISO in Windows XP

Virtual CD mount in Windows XP

Having been spoiled by the ability to mount ISO files as virtual CDs in my VMware desktop software, I was looking for a way to have this type of functionality within Windows XP on my company-issued laptop. I found several options, with the most surprising one being a tool from Microsoft. It's a utility for mounting an ISO file as a virtual CDROM and it is a real pain to locate on the Microsoft site so here's the TinyURL link TinyURL.com/tyxx. A very simple utility, allowing you to point to an ISO file on disk, assign a drive letter and mount it as if it were a local CDROM drive. There are other options such as Phantom vCD and Daemon-Tools that work. Daemon-Tools 3.4x is able to overcome some copy protection schemas out there so if you need that functionality, there you go.

If you first need a tool to create ISO images from CDs, ISORecorder is a simple, easy to use tool.

Here's the long link to the Microsoft download for the techies:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/b/6/7b6abd84-7841-4
978-96f5-bd58df02efa2/winxpvirtualcdcontrolpanel_21.exe

World time zones

Time Zone Tracking

Ok, here's a quick post on a great service The World Clock. If you have a need to have a quick reference on current time in a particular global location, this is a great tool. There is an option to create a personal world clock with up to 25 cities on your tracking list. You can also create a URL to allow sharing of your personal clock with others, or using TinyURL you can then paste the link in your blog. Since there is a java applet version now I'm sure an embeddable widget is not far behind.

Anyway, very cool tool for those of us that cross GMT to do business every day.

A good task list?

Searching for a good "to do" list app...

I find myself continuously searching for the ultimate, killer to-do list application that solves all of my organizing problems, and I feel like "each wrong attempt discarded is one step closer to success" (to paraphrase T.A. Edison). From written lists to notepad txt files to excel checklists to Outlook and more, the search has been a fat client experience until the recent discovery of RememberTheMilk.com, an online task management system. Ok, I hear the cries of "oh no, here he goes with another web 2.0, mashup-obsessed diatribe", but hear me out.

Ok, so what makes RememberTheMilk (RTM) so special? First, I can update it from my Twitter account by using the Twitter direct text function " d rtm pick up beer for crawfish boil ", or other such important reminders. Ok, so what? Soooo, RTM can then send you SMS reminders on events that you have scheduled, ie "Pick up dog from vet at 4:30 today". You can schedule the reminders to be sent 1hr. before it's due, or 15 minutes, or any increment of time you like.

If that was all, it would still be a very useful tool, but there's much, much more. There is integration to your Google calendar, so tasks from RTM automatically appear in gCAL. There is also MilkSync for Blackberry and Windows Mobile, an iPhone and iPODtouch mobile version, and yes even the ability for RTM to Instant Message you reminders for your scheduled tasks (all major IM services are supported). You have to upgrade to the PRO version to get the MilkSync client option for mobile sync, but for $25 per year it's a pittance to pay.

Additionally, within the tasks function you can set up contacts with which to share specific task lists, or a group function to share a task list with an entire group of contacts, all of whom can add notes and check off tasks as completed. Tasks are organized by date by default, but the developers at RememberTheMilk have added the ability to TAG tasks, and thus you can search and sort tasks by TAG.

If you just MUST have a printed list of To Do's for the day, there's even a print option that lets you print checked tasks, all tasks, and a very neat Weekly Planner with nice little check boxes beside each task. And yes, using Google Gears, there's even an offline version so you can carry your task list with you when you are "off the grid".

So far RememberTheMilk is my best find in the continued quest for the ultimate TO DO list manager.

Google Apps, Zoho and Scribd

Google Apps, Zoho and Scribd

Software as a Service (SaaS) is all the rage and for good measure. Several times in recent weeks I have had "issues" with customers not being able to sign into a WebEx session that I was hosting. In all but one of those cases I was not trying to share a desktop application but simply showing a presentation or document. The persistent problem has been incompatibility of the Webex client with Windows Vista, a problem I reported to Webex and the help desk response instructed me to download the client from the downloads section of their website and install it manually vs. the automated install launched when you log into Webex. I don't know about you, but if I have to do tech support for a SaaS application just so my customers can see a presentation, I'm looking quickly for alternatives.

The solution for me was to use Google Docs' presentation module. If you don't have a Google account yet, you need to upgrade that old 56k modem access to DSL and get with the program. Google's online "docs" applications include a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation program. The best feature in all of these is the collaboration, allowing you to share the document with others, have everyone with the document opened simultaneously and all are able to edit with each user instantly seeing the other's edits. This sure beats emailing the same document, spreadsheet or presentation multiple times to multiple users to get the final edits in place. Google docs also keeps revision history and versioning, so you can roll any document back in time if you mistakenly overwrite or delete a cell in a spreadsheet for example.

Anyway, to get around my Webex issues I simply uploaded my presentation document and Google's presenter application imported the slides and created an online, sharable, publishable presentation. I was able to choose between sharing, which would require users to have a Google account to gain access, or publishing which allowed public access to a URL.

I also have a Zoho account since Zoho has many more online applications available and was first to make them available with offline versions. Interesting note: Zoho has built their offline apps using Google Gears - and had that functionality available before Google did with their own apps. I ran into one issue where neither Google Docs nor Zoho allowed sharing of a PDF file, so I jumped over and used my Scribd account to upload and share a PDF file for an online presentation, again avoiding becoming a Webex non-paid support technician.

Why do I have so many overlapping online SaaS accounts you ask? Well, each has features that the others may not have and so I use whatever works for the project at hand. With Google Docs, when I share a document with other registered Google users, we can collaborate within the document simultaneously, chat using Google's built-in chat feature and I have versioning built in. Zoho's deep portfolio of applications gets more interesting every day so I look forward to testing them all, and Scribd fills some very specific needs.

So, if you haven't made the jump to SaaS apps like Google Docs, Zoho or Scribd, I highly recommend that you do.