Imagine buying a new computer from Bestbuy today and feeling confident ignoring all the sales on extra anitvirus software packages and instead just use Microsoft’s free product (That works well, I cannot stress enough how frustrating it is to see how bad some anti-viral software is – for example Norton Antivirus could be the worst I give it 2 out 10 in my book – practically worthless).

The only flaws in this system is that Mircosoft Security Essentials does not come pre-installed on Computers and is not included on the Windows 7 Media DVD, this means you must first download and install it.

Download Location for Microsoft Security Essentials : http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Screen Shot of Essentials Running on Windows 7
This could be a move in the right direction for Microsoft – If consumers gain the confidence that buying a Windows machine is safe and relatively stable from most Malware and Viruses this could help increase Windows 7 sales worldwide.  Also with Security Essentials backwards support for Windows XP systems – Microsoft is moving in the right direction with improving its standing from the home consumer standpoint.  From an enterprise perspective having an effective working free antiviral software solution supported by Microsoft – equals a lot less hassle and money when it comes to supporting a large number of machines.

It will be interesting to see what happens down the road with Apple whose security model as been effectively “security by obsecurity”.  With Apple market share increasing steadily and with most projections having them continue in this direction how they handle security in the future will be interesting. In my experience Unix based Apple machines are still way more secure and resistent to malware infections than PC’s and because of this currently offer a safer, more stable platform.  If Apple continues to grow at its current rate it will be interesting to see if they will remain this secure over the next decade.

Click here to view current OS market share: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/os-market-share.aspx?qprid=11

Notice that Microsoft still holds 90% of the World’s market share = Apple’s model of security by being obscure will still work for the near future.

Apple Security Flaws?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/172197

/vista_windows_7_are_more_secure_than_snow_leopard.html

http://news.cnet.com/2100-7349_3-6178131.html

http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/leopard-killed-first-hacker-competition

Old Webserver Mac Pro

At one point in the School Districts history student records were managed with PowerSchool, to power this program a rack mountable XServe G5 was purchased.  This unit has 4 gigs of RAM, dual G5 PPC processors at 2.3 GHZ, and three drive bays with a RAID storage controller.  PowerSchool no longer exists here in District 228 (and rumor has it will no longer be supported anywhere in 6 months – This project once was owned by a startup, then Apple, then sold to Pearson in 2006) and thus this server has not really been used for anything or than storing student transcripts for its brief time in service.

This little used PowerSchool Server has the perfect specs for an excellent web server more RAM, more processing power, better storage capabilities.

Steps taken to Move the WebServer to New Hardware

1. The Project consisted of backing up existing Web Server. (Simple used TimeMachine on external Drive).

2. Fixing the XServe needed a new Power Supply, needed to be upgraded from 10.3 to 10.4 so that it was able to restore a backup from 10.5.  Most time consuming step,  since the XServe was running 10.3 Panther, it had to first get upgraded to 10.4 before it would accept or run installer to restore a time machine image.

XServe G5 PowerSupply (135.00$ GSX Price)

XServe G5 Internal – New Power Supply Installed

3.  Restore Backup Image to XServe

4.  Fix the Apache Configuration on new server (install new PHP module 5.2).  Good to run latest stable builds of Apache and PHP when moving to a new system.

5.  Test new system (fix minor errors, PostFix problems, permission errors)

6.  Go Live and Power Down old Server.

Site is up and running on the XServe and is working well.

New Webserver Rackmounted at the Middle School

I recently switched out the wireless at GHS from using primarily Apple Airport Extremes to Cisco Aironet 1140 model’s.  These units have better speed and can handle more simultaneous connections – Cisco has a good track record for longevity so these units should last for quite some time (Apple Airports – start having transmitting errors at around 3 years).  Unlike the Apple Airport Extreme’s (which are really designed for a home or small office) these units are controlled by a special Cisco piece of hardware called the Cisco 5500 Wireless Controller.

What does this controller do?

This controller controls all of the individual units creates a map of the entire area.  This controller has the ability to balance the overall wireless traffic and connections so that they are evenly distributed across the network – this equals more robust network and better speed.  These units also have the ability to handle multiple connections and move traffic at a better rate than the units they are replacing.  These Units operate on the 802.11N standard but are also set to be backward compatible with A/B/ and G. \

These units have been wall mounted and are located around the building (Thanks to Randy and his crew).

These units all work off of a centralized server (Cisco 5500 Wireless Controller) which can configure the Aironets through the web (Also through Console).  Here is where the enterprise level of the units is revealed – Cisco allows an impressive array of configuration options.

These units have the most detailed and flexible configuration options for Wireless that I have ever come across.  You can control and customize different Quality of Service (QOS) levels, setup Multiple Wireless Networks , setup Multiple SSD’s  and am impressive array of options for Guest Networks (Radius, LDAP, HTML login, logging, QOS limiting).  You can control Radio frequencies transmit rates, set minimum connection criteria, and so on.

For example soon I will modify the current configuration to allow students to use the wireless network freely.  I will create a Guest network that will be truly open and that will be given a lower bandwidth (QOS) quality standard bronze.  Another network will be created that allows students to use it but will require LDAP based Active Directory Windows accounts (All HS students already have these) – this will be larger bandwidth, finally the teachers network will remain separate and will have a high GOLD level of QOS.  Here we can accomodate a large number of units, including guests and students while preserving a somewhat private and fast wireless connection that teachers and staff have come to appreciate.

The only downside I can say to this system at them moment is that the Aironets 1100 series has a significantly weaker coverage range than the 1250 series (Used currently at the MS).  Currently these machines are already operating and Guest and Student network should come on-line in September.

How so,  first off importing docs with existing complicated formatting, lets say a resume or a multi-sheet excel spreadsheet imports almost perfectly in this online version of Office (And terribly in Google Docs).  Secondly and most importantly the feature set included in the online version of Office dwarfs that of Google,  if one were a college student or taking a class you could easily type all papers easily and efficiently with this version.  Like Google Docs you get a free 2 gigabyte drive to store your docs on and it is easy to review and share docs.

So if you have a Hotmail account give the new office online a try, it works on macs, pcs, and machines running linux.  To Access the tools login to Windows LIve and click on the Office tab.  (If you are logged into Hotmail look under the section where it says MORE and select Office Live)

Microsoft might be entering this arena late in the game compared to its competitors – but has delivered on a superior product.

Here is screenshot of Word Online Running.

Last Week Apple approved my iPhone app WGRG 100.5 FM.  This app connects to the ogg online radio stream for WGRG 100.5 FM, Geneseo’s High School radio station.  This was created with Geneseo sports in mind,  often I find myself out of town on the weekend and it can be difficult to get a live or current score on Geneseo Football.

Click here to view the app in iTunes

With any iPod, iPad or iPhone and a signal you can now listen to the live broadcast anywhere in the world. Works well on EDGE network so app is great for the iPhone.  I have considered making a blackberry version of this app but will wait and see if there is sufficient interest.

The radio feed itself is being broadcast using winamp and edcast (lame mp3) to capture the audio and is streamed using icecast.  All products are open source and free.  You can read about how I stream the audio online in an earlier post here.

App is free on available on the iTunes app store.

Emergency Dial

Princess and the Goblin

My First iPhone App

Roodhouse Tech Blog iPhone App

I have spend a little more time familiarizing myself with mobile app development on the iPhone and now have two more approved apps on the itunes app store.  The first app is called the Princess and the Goblin and is my first attempt at creating a mobile reading platform for the iphone.  The app is free and straightforward featuring over 30 high res illustrations and sketches along with the entire text of the novel. Since this is a chilldren’s fantasy story I thought including full illustrations a definite must and was surprised that larger free domain literature warehouses like Gutenberg do not include illustrations.  I also have hopes for this being my first iPad specific app as well since I am almost finished working on a modified version of this app that uses the better screen resolution on the iPad and includes more illustrations.

Here is a screen shot of this app from the itunes App Store.

My next recently approved app is called Emergency Dial.  The concept is simple and comes from a friend of mine(Thanks Tom).  How does a 3 year call for help on an iPhone?  With many families abandoing landlines and only having cell phones this can actually present a real issue.  This app – currently free as of this writing is straigtforward and acts like a modified Speed Dial.  With a Red Phone Icon you simply go to settings and setup a special emergency number (the police, 911, relatives, etc).  Then when you hit the red button this number is automatically dialed.  Simple and to the point, a 3 year old can simply hit the red help phone button and help is called.

Here is another iTunes App Screen shot.

Which option is best you say?  The answer is not neither.  For the best overall performance it would be wisest to get the cheaper 1099.00$ Macbook Pro and then use the 300$ to purchase the Intel X-25 160 gb solid state drive.  Six screws removes the outer case and 2 more screws remove the internal hard drive, in 10 minutes you can self install this component and you will never look back.

What about the Solid State Drives offered on the Mac Store already?  This is a good sign that these options are now appearing on the store but unfortunately the Apple store does not sell the Intel X25 and this model is still the industry leader by a large margin.  That is not all solid state drives are equal and for the money it is better to stick with Intel’s product.

The difference between and Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz versus 2.66 is absolutely meaningless for 98% of computer users.  Both processors are extremely fast and with either one you will most likely rarely or possibly never be bottle necked by this component.  The rest of the specs on these machines look very similar except for Hard Drive Size.

With Intel’s new release of the i5 and i7 they have even furthered their developmental lead over AMD and produced an even better performing processor.  This kind of processing power is great for database enterprise style servers but for most consumers who again getting the faster processor looking for a faster feeling machine in a day to day productivity style setting you may be disappointed.

Traditional spinning hard drives are cheap and large.  Sadly even faster 10,000K (or even 15,000K SCSI) spinning drives cannot deliver data fast enough to keep up with today’s 4 and 8 gigabyte RAM machines with Intel Core 2 Duo processors.  The traditional spinning drive has been the slow poke for sometime and upgrading components around will result in only minor visible speed increases.

Changing to the Intel X25 Solid State Drive will result in a 30-40% feel in performance gain in everyday use.  The system boot time will drastically be reduced, cold starting programs will launch at a unbelievably faster rate.  In fact I predict that in less than two years the majority of all desktops and laptops will have their primary drive be a solid state.  If you are looking to upgrade a Desktop again it is best to go with the same Intel x25M drive and perhaps by a secondary large 2 TB drive for media storage.  The key is getting the OS and main program files loaded onto the Intel X25-M.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167024&cm_re=intel_x25-m-_-20-167-024-_-Product

If you are on an iPhone, iPod, or iPad you can add the app directly from here itms://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roodhouse-tech-blog/id369005370?mt=8

The App itself is simple and directly links and displays a mobile version of my website.

Using the web function in the SDK 3.2 toolkit I have increased the size of the viewer by removing the web address bar and instead created two simple buttons at the bottom that act as Forward and Back.

The process of compiling the software with the correct Iphone framework and correct security certificates is not that straightforward.  There are guides available from Apple but I found this guide to be the most useful.  So useful in fact I will post it in its entirity here in case anyone else is looking for a step by step method of submitting an app.

http://adeem.me/blog/2009/04/04/list-guideline-for-submitting-iphone-application-to-apple-store/

—— Start of Guide ——

I assume that you have iPhone Developer License. Please follow the following steps, one by one:

• Step 1:

  Certificate is very important part for submitting or testing your application on iPhone. It has the code-sign(Signatures) which will be checked when you submit your application on apple store or to test it on your iPhone. (You can bypass those to install application on your jail-break iPhone or to submit it to Cydia but you will not be able to submit it to appstore. Check my previous post to bypass code signature).There are two steps to create a certificate from developer portal. I simply copied those two from “iPhone developer portal”
  

  1. Generating a Certificate Signing Request
  2. Submitting a Certificate Signing Request for Approval

  Generating a Certificate Signing Request
  

  1. In your Applications folder, open the Utilities folder and launch Keychain Access.
  2. In the Preferences menu, set Online Certificate Status Protocol (OSCP) and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) to “Off”.
  3. Choose Keychain Access -> Certificate Assistant -> Request a Certificate from a Certificate Authority.
  4. In the User Email Address field, enter your email address. Please ensure that the email address entered matches the information that was submitted when you registered as an iPhone Developer.
  5. In the Common Name field enter your name. Please ensure that the name entered matches the information that was submitted when you registered as an iPhone Developer.
  6. No CA (Certificate Authority) Email Address is required. The ‘Required’ message will be removed after completing the following step.
  7. Select the ‘Saved to Disk’ radio button and if prompted, select ‘Let me specify key pair information’ and click ‘Continue’.
  8. If ‘Let me specify key pair’ was selected, specify a file name and click ‘Save’. In the following screen select ‘2048 bits’ for the Key Size and ‘RSA’ for the Algorithm. Click ‘Continue’.
  9. The Certificate Assistant will create a CSR file on your desktop.

  Submitting a Certificate Signing Request for Approval
  

  1. After creating a CSR, log in to the iPhone Developer Program Portal and navigate to ‘Certificates’ > ‘Development’ and click ‘Add Certificate’.
  2. Click the ‘Choose file’ button, select your CSR and click ‘Submit’. If the Key Size was not set to 2048 bits during the CSR creation process, the Portal will reject the CSR.
  3. Upon submission, Team Admins will be notified via email of the certificate request.
  4. Once your CSR is approved or rejected by a Team Admin, you will be notified via email of the change in your certificate status.

  
  Download/Installing Certificate on your machine
  

  1. Upon CSR approval, Team Members and Team Admins can download their certificates via the ‘Certificates’ section of the Program Portal. Click ‘Download’ next to the certificate name to download your iPhone Development Certificate to your local machine.
  2. On your local machine, double-click the downloaded .cer file to launch Keychain Access and install your certificate.

  Certificate is installed on your MAC now the next step is create a App ID. (Note:You have to follow this step only once and later you don’t have to make certificates for your other applications.)

• Step 2:

  Creating an App Id is very easy, you have to follow few simple steps:

  1. Log in to the iPhone Developer Program Portal and navigate to ‘App IDs’ and click ‘Add Id’.
  2. In “App Id Name” enter the name of your application (i.e iphoneapp) and in “App Id” enter something like com.yourdomain.applicationame (i.e com.adeem.iphoneapp) and clicked on Submit
  3. Please write done the “App Id” because you will used this in Info.plist, Bundle identifier tag

• Step 3:

  Now the next step is to create a Provisioning File for your Xcode and this will be your last step for creating binary which you submit it to appstore.

  1. In to the iPhone Developer Program Portal and navigate to ‘Provisioning’ > ‘Distribution’ and click ‘Add Profile’.
  2. Now select “App Store” in “Distribution Method”
  3. In “Profile Name” type your application name (i.e iphoneapp) which will be your provisioning profile name as well.
  4. In “App ID” select the app name (i.e iphoneapp) which you created in Step 2
  5. Download the Provisioning profile and copy it to your /YourUserName/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning Profile

• Step 4:

  Now everything is step up, open your project in Xcode

  1. Select your project from “Group & File” in left side bar and click on “i” ( info ) button.
  2. Move to “Configuration” tab and select “Release”. Press the “Duplicate” button from bottom, name is “iphoneDistribution”.
  3. Click on “Build” tab and select “iphoneDistribution” and type in “Search in Build Settings” filed ‘Base SDK’ and select the current selected Device and change it to what device your application is targetting ( I prefer “Device – iPhone OS 2.0)
  4. Now in “Search in build setting” field type “code signing identity” and select the provisioning profile you created in Step 3. Also do the same thing for the child property “Any iPhone OS Device”.
  5. Now Close the Info screen and select the “Target” > “YourApp” from “Group & File” in left side bar and clicked on “Info” button again from Xcode.
  6. Repeat the step 3 and 4 again for safe side.
  7. Now Info screen is still open clicked on “Properties” tab and in Identifier field type the “App Id” (i.e com.adeem.iphoneapp)
  8. Everything is set up, click on “Build”(cmd+B) from Xcode>Build
  9. Now right click on “Product”>”YourApp” and select “Reveal in Finder”. This is your binary file so please zip this file.

• Step 5:

  Now you are done from Xcode and iPhone Developer Protal. Now you will submit this binary to itunesconnect.

  1. In your browser type https://itunesconnect.apple.com/ (this website is very slow over https) and login using your iphone developer account.
  2. Click on “Manage Your Account” > “Add Application”
  3. Now answer simple question from apple and submit your application to appstore. Few thing you should have before you submit your application there in System/Mind:
     • Application Name ( must be uniqe)
     • Application description
     • Application Category
     • URL for your application feedback
     • Icon of your application in 512×512 size
     • Main picture of your application in 320×480 or 320×460 size. (Optionaly you can submit up to 4 more pictures of your application as well)

—– End Of Guide —–

As you can see the process is a little intensive probably requiring 2-4 hours of time.
Here is a screenshot of my App. (Roodhouse Tech Blog – bottom right hand corner).

It still remains to be seen if Apple will approve of my free App but I am now familiar and confident in the process of design/compiling/and submitting.  With this first project down I am going to start development a more full featured and functional application.  If you are looking for my app – it is not yet listed as it is still being “evaluated” by Apple .

DLP 50 Inch Samsung (Model HL50A650)

When a DLP (Digital Light Processing) TV breaks it usually is only because of one of three things.

1.  The Lamp Fails (most common)

2.  The Ballast fails (can happen powers the lamp)

3.  The color Wheel fails – either the motor breaks or the wheel itself shatters (too much heat?)

To Replace the Ballast and Lamp (and Check Color Wheel).

First remove the lamp by unscrewing the back lamp panel (one screw) open the level and pull out the lamp.  Next remove 10 screws on the back of the TV so that the entire lower back panel easily comes off.  With the Back Panel off on the bottom you will see 2 More screws which can must be removed.  With these screws removed you can pullout the projector/lamp/ballast module all on a single tray.  Before pulling this tray out make sure you unhook any connected cables and be careful when doing so.  Also with everything opened now is a good time to use a can of compressed air to clean out all of the fans and components – since this unit really circulates air it will likely be very dusty inside.

With the Tray removed you can now easily access the Color Wheel and Ballast.

Here is a pciture showing location of Ballast and Color Wheel.  Remove the screws on top to look in and remove the color wheel.  If it is not shattered it is most likely okay.

I found a new Ballast on Samsungparts.com (http://www.samsungparts.com/Products/Parts_and_Accessories/PID-BP47-00043A.aspx)  You can usually tell if your ballast is dead if it has burn marks on it (mine had clear burn marks, if not you probably only need the lamp.)

Lamps can be found here as well, although I have had better luck with electrified (http://electrified.com/Catalog/Items/?CampaignID=Froogle&ItemID=36976)  Lamp Part is BP9601653A – a quick google search will find plenty of sellers.

With New Ballast and Lamp TV is back to working like new.