MAC attack - not what you think

This one got me the other day and no, not a Mac Apple Computer either! A MAC ethernet address.

I was setting up a new VMware Server 2 appliance for a development environment in use with the Symfony framework. The base OS was Ubuntu 9.04 Server.

Well I like to back a backup of the raw OS before I put anything out there since it took a bit to make the VMware appliance. It is simple - or so I thought, you just make a disk copy of your appliance folder.

Well, I did that, as well as manually edited the .vms file. Turns out, vmware assigned a mac address in the /etc/udev/rules.d/70-presistent-net.rules file to eth0 that had been already assigned to the appliance hosting machine.

Example:

# PCI device 0x1022:0x2000 (pcnet32)
SUBSYSTEM=="net", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTRS{address}=="00:0c:29:bd:5f:db",
NAME="eth0"

# PCI device 0x1022:0x2000 (pcnet32)
SUBSYSTEM=="net", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTRS{address}=="00:0c:29:bd:5f:e5",
NAME="eth1"

Basically to fix this, delete the etho entry and change the eth1 to eth0 and restart the appliance.

Wow, one of those obscure moments solved via google.

Be well,

Jeffrey

The shiny red laptop

It was awhile back I actually replaced the DVD in my new Dell laptop. I love the laptop. Specs are pretty darn good for a $600 laptop, the screen is large enough for my 1/2 blind eyes to see. Here are the specs for those interested:

Dell Studio 1737 Refurbished Notebook PC - Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 4GB DDR2, 320GB SATA HDD, DVDRW, 17" WXGA, Vista Home Premium, Red

However, it is a refurb, and sometimes things go awry. Well, my DVD drive stopped reading disks. Luckily I had tech support for a year and they sent me a replacement drive - catch was I had to install it.

I downloaded the instructions for repairing my laptop. It was, in a word, ridiculous. I had to remove everything to get to the DVD, including the screen. Then I lost a screw. I looked and looked and looked. I turns out it fell into a hinge of the screen back and I had to disassemble the screen. Geessh!

All and all, I got it back together, with all parts, screws, and wires going back into the machine. And can you believe it! It all worked, including the new DVD!

Some pictures of the event:














I still would recommend the machine even if fixing it is going to be a lesson in the efficiency of space. However, my coaches would be to get the extended tech support if you don't feel comfortable cracking the case on it (I was a little leery since it was a laptop). Also, this thing is a tank - 14 lbs. So if you want to be mobile, but less computing power, get a netbook. I do use mine for active software development, and I am considering upgrading to 8GB of ram.

As a side note, I will be returning to my minimum of once a week posting and will be covering my newer projects as well as my current freelance job hunting.

That said, be well,

Jeffrey

Amazon's Secondlife Job fair

Well, I am attending Amazon's Secondlife Job Fair.

All and all it is good to get to chat with some of the prospective people and get information about where jobs are ranging.

Most of the position are in Seattle, there is a small subsidiary in South FL and lots in NC.

I guess not so bad, my sister and brother-in-law are looking to move to Seattle, WA.

Here are some "photo's" of the event:

They are progressive not only in tech, but social issues at Amazon:


This was Suzie, she was a source of good information about job positions:


The main hall for recruitment:


Finally me submitting my resume (I did it to an event email as well):



Be well and wish me luck!

Jeffrey

How I feel when I set up Linux

This picture shows how I feel sometimes when setting my most recent environments for my various projects:



Gotta love it.

I am currently working with VMWare Server 2 on Windows to develop a Ubuntu JEOS -Just Enough Operation System LAMP stack appliance for Symfony connected to a Silverlight Control using JSON as the communication mechanism.

Wish me luck.

Jeffrey

Still Posting - quick update

June has been a busy month for Jeffrey. This being the first post and July is almost upon us. That said, I have completed my graduate certificate at Buffalo State (and was accepted into the Graduate program) in Creative Studies and Change Leadership.

Also, I have been in Cincinnati, Ohio. Buffalo, NY. Chatham, NY and then a long long trek back home via NYC, DC, Maryland, Delware, PA, GA, and across the state of FL (via I-95 and I am sure there are some other states in there).

I plan to never drive from that far north again in one day. Whew! Also, I learned I am impatient and to slow down after not 1, but 2 speeding tickets. Geesh!

More on what is to follow for my vision, missions, and strategic plan in another post.

Have a grand evening.

Jeffrey