Archive
Posts from 2010
A couple useful tidbits about the Linux /dev/random and /dev/urandom devices
Linux contains two devices that provide a source of entropy for the system. The first device is /dev/random, and the second is /dev/urandom. /dev/random is a character special device that provides a source of entropy until the system-wide entropy pool is exhausted, at which time it will block until additional entropy is available. /dev/urandom is a character device that uses the system entropy pool until it is depleted, then falls back to a pseudo-random number generator…
$ read more →How to learn everything you ever wanted to know about Linux sockets
Viewing network socket data is something SysAdmins do often. We could be called on to see if a connection is established to a host, if an application is listening on a given port, or we may need to review the network connection table as a whole to see what a server is doing (this is especially valuable when DDOS attacks occur). The netstat and lsof tools provide quite a bit of visibility into this area, but I've recently started firing up the ss (socket stat) tool when I need to view socket information. Socket stat can display pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about the connections on your server…
$ read more →Yet another good reason to switch to NFSv4!
There are currently two main NFS protocol versions in mainstream use. The first is version 3, which was introduced in 1995 as part of RFC 1813. NFSv3 implementations use separate daemons to implement the locking (rpc.lockd), status (rpc.statd), mount (rpc.mountd) and port assignments (portmap) features required by the protocol. NFSv4, which was introduced in 2003 as part ofRFC 3530, takes a different approach…
$ read more →My favorite android applications
I mentioned previously that I picked up an Android phone a few weeks back. As typical geek, I have been on a quest to outfit my phone with some killer applications, and to make my phone use a truly awesome experience. I've tested dozens and dozens of applications, and thought I would share my favourites here: News -- Basic RSS reader that works. Pandora -- Plays music based on your musical prefernces…
$ read more →How to make awesome wheatgrass juice for next to nothing!
I have been trying to eat better, and am trying a variety of different things to get into a routine of healthy eating (this is super hard to do when you lived off of junk food for as long as I have!). As part of my new eating habits, I have been trying to incorporate more greens into my daily diet. One great way I have found for consuming greens (and the chlorophyl they contain) is by juicing wheatgrass. You may have seen people ordering wheatgrass shots at your favorite health foods store, and paying $3 - $4 for a shot of juice…
$ read more →