simple tips for Endian Firewall 2.5.1

1 - How to block Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and Badoo:

It is very simple to do it, you need only the proxy in transparent mode to catch everyone, a simple rule on the proxy and on the outgoing firewall... take a look

HTTP proxy: Policy

Outgoing firewall configuration

It is important to not allow the HTTP service so the proxy will be able filter the outgoing request and block the facebook/orkut/etc. page


2 - Dansguardian service not restarting after some modifications:

It happens I have to modify some proxy rules and sometimes, when the service restart, dansguardian doesn't do it leaving the outgoing connections free. The most simple thing to do is manually restart it! (To do it first you must have the SSH service enabled and, of course, be connected via SSH to the firewall)
The command to restart the service is:

Cheers!

27 good reasons to use Linux

In the Istituto Majorana site I found a very interesting post about 27 good reasons to leave Microsoft Windows and use only a Linux distribution.

To be honest I don't think Linux is the good choice for everyone because there are still applications without a good free alternative (Autocad, Photoshop, etc.) and there are too few games... but for someone who needs to navigate on Internet, write documents, play with music and videos Linux Mint and Ubuntu are a very good choice (maybe the best!)

See you!

Free software, a new opportunity even for schools!

A friend of mine sent me a very interesting link: how one teacher built a computer lab for free

It is a good opportunity to show how free software can change the world in better! How many still-good computers in Italy (and allover the world, I think too) are thrown in the trash only because of the operating system (I guess Microsoft Windows...) or maybe because of a virus or a worm?

With one Linux distribution a lot of old computers can have a new life... better for the users and for the environment!

As far I know there is only one institute in Italy who adopted only free software: Istituto Majorana

Is it the beginning of a new future? I don't know but I hope it!

Cheers!

Computer AllInOne DIY? Yes, you can!!!

When I was young(er) I often had the chance to assist a TV program called MacGuyver, about a man able to fix everything using only a Swiss Army knife and his mind.

Today I had the chance to assist something even better: a colleague of mine, Michel Henkel, fixed an old-but-still-good notebook with a double-side-tape and the power (or the madness... :-b) of his mind!

He created a... Frankenstein monster computer!

Here are the images of the artwork:

Linux User Group in Rio Grande do Sul

Thank to my new colleagues I discovered a Linux User Group here in the Rio Grande do Sul state, in the south of Brazil. I'll get in touch with the people of that Linux User Group because I love free software (I don't hate closed source sofware but... I prefer free software!) and because I want to improve my Linux knowledge.

See U!

News: I'm still alive, only more work and less free time!

I'm still alive!!!! I only have less free time... I'm working in the morning as T.I. in a big company called FRINAL and in the afternoon/evening as T.I. in the FISUL University...you know, I need money for the international moving! Cheers!

How-to: 3G modem ONDA MT503HS (aka ZTE MF632) and DD-WRT

--- Warning ---
Do not update the firmware of the usb modem or the following procedure will not work!
----------------------


In December I will be back to Italy with my wife to spend the holidays with my family but I'll need to keep an eye on my servers in Brazil so I will need an Internet connection for 1 month but this is impossible in my country... so I decided to use a 3G modem with my brand new TL-WR1043ND wireless router.

Debian on a 256 MB flash memory? Yes, we can!

While I'm still trying Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon on my notebook I've started a new project: configure a full NAS operating system based on Debian within 256 MB to store on the internal flash memory of my Acer EasyStore H340.

a fresh mint?

After two years of Microsoft Vista on my Sony notebook (these are the specs) I decided to try a Linux distribution. I use Linux on my desktop, on my servers and on my nas but I was reluctant to use on my notebook due to the well known non-optimal power management issue of the penguin but this time I heard the new kernel is doing something very good so I decided to give a try on Linux Mint 13 RC Cinnamon.

I chose Mint Cinnamon because Ubuntu 12.04 with Unity is too heavy for my notebook (even if I have an nVidia 8400m GT!) and uses too much ram for my taste! On the other side Mint 13 RC is very fast (even without the nVidia proprietary drivers installed), very beautiful (I really like the Cinnamon desktop) and it takes only 380 Mbyte of RAM!

I chose the ext4 file system instead of my beloved jfs because I want to give it a try!

In these days I'll install all the programs I usually use and I'll perform some benchmark so stay tuned!

How to: clone an hard disk/partition via network

Some days ago I had to clone an hard disk of a computer into another one but all the hd connections were used... so I decided to clone it via lan!

The process is quite simple and it requires only two linux live cd and a working ethernet connection.

Buona Pasqua, feliz Páscoa, happy Easter!

How-to: revive an APC-Smart UPS 1400

Some days ago a friend of mine gave me his old APC – Smart UPS 1400 because the batteries after 5 years on-line were gone and he preferred to buy a new (but cheaper) UPS instead of replacing them.

I immediatly opened it and found that it uses two sealed batteries with 7,5 amp-hour capacity and 12v nominal voltage connected in serie to obtain a final nominal voltage of 24v.

RAID Levels, let's explain...

Nowadays we are hearing a lot about RAID and how to keep our data safe but a lot of people don't know what a RAID level means and its pro/cons so I'll try to explain it in a short and easy way.

Why Zfs is the best file system...

The universe of file systems is populated with an incredible amount of good and less-good ones but the best above all is certainly Zfs from Oracle. Maybe it isn't the fastest of the less CPU-expencive but if the most secure. Why? Everyone knows it combines a file system, a logical volume manager and two software raid levels (5 and 6, named raid-z and raid-z2) but it is the only one (as far I know) to implement a continuous data integrity verification against data corruption mode.

Let's explain with an example!

How-to: NIC bonding, more speed for your server!

It happens that you need more speed or fault tolerance on your network, in particular regarding your server or your nas.
The most simple solution is the nic bonding or nic teaming!

What nic bonding means?
It means that two or more ethernet adapters are aggregated to speed-up the transmission or to provide a fault tolerance solution.

With Debian Squeeze is very simple to do:

My very fast internet connection...

I'm living in a small town in the south of Brasil named Garibaldi. I love this town because it is clean, happy, quiet and with mannered people. The food is good and the beer is even better... but the internet connection is not as the same level!

How-to: clone an hard disk or grab an image with dd

It happens that you need to clone the content of an hard disk or you want to store the image of a pendrive; if you are a “pure Microsoft user” you must rely on closed source programs but if you are a Linux user (even occasionally) you can do it with a simple live distribution like Ubuntu or similar.

In the case the disks have the same geometry the solution is crazy simple; assuming the original drive is /dev/sdb and the new disk is /dev/sdc the command to parse is:

Linux RAID level and chunk size

In these last days I spent a lot of time searching for the right storage solution for a customer of mine: he needed both speed and reliability.

It is well known I don't like pre-configured solutions so I created a simple Linux NAS with a software RAID 6 array of 6 sata drivers.

When configuring a Linux RAID array, the chunk size needs to get chosen. But what is the chunk size?

How-to: save the WD Caviar Green life

Hello World! :-)

I chose to write my post (and the future posts too) in English due to the fact that quite most of the readers aren't from Italy.

This time I'm writing how to save (almost a bit!) the life of our precious WD Caviar Green HDs.

Comandare automodelli via Wi-Fi?!?

Un mio amico, amante come me di automodelli elettrici radiocomandati, mi ha inviato il link ad un nuovo prodotto della Dension, un ricevitore ad 8 canali wi-fi che si interfaccia con iPhone, iPad ed Android!

Carnevale finito!

Finalmente è finita l'estenuante maratona del carnevale qui nello stato di Rio Grande do Sul!

Onestamente devo ammettere che è molto differente dal carnevale a cui fin da bambino ero stato abituato! Questo evento viene vissuto dalle persone come un periodo nel quale tutte le barriere inibitorie cadono e quindi possono permettersi tutto l'immaginabile e... inimmaginabile!

Creare una partizione per un disco Advanced Format / 4K

Questa è una mini-guida su come creare una partizione adatta ad un disco Advanced Format o 4K sector size (indicano la stessa cosa); gli esempi sono condotti su di un WD20EARS (/dev/sdb).

partizioni allineate si o no? vediamo cosa dice Big Blue!

Mentre ieri stavo girovagando in rete per sfuggire al caldo torrido che sta attanagliando questa parte del Brasile mi sono imbattuto in un articolo del colosso statunitense (IBM) sull'uso dei dischi SATA con settori di 4KB.

L'articolo oltre ad illustrare l'Advanced Format esamina il divario di prestazioni che intercorre tra un corretto ed un improprio partizionamento di dischi dotati di settori di 4KB usando diversi file system.

L'articolo in lingua inglese lo trovate qui, io però vi anticipo il risultato dei test:

il mio ultimo "colpo di matto"....

Can-Am Outlander 800R X mr

Qui trovate le specifiche!

Il bello del Brasile è che lo stato li considera dei mezzi agricoli e quindi non si è tenuti a pagare IPVA (il nostro bollo auto e assicurazione rc base); l'unico inconveniente è che non vengono targati e quindi non si può circolare su strada ma... chi se ne frega!

transmission sul NAS

Vi mostro come si presenta il webserver di transmission installato sul mio NAS:

(non prendete paura per la lentezza del download, attualmente sto utilizzando un provider via radio ma appena possibile passerò ad una adsl della GVT da 15 mega)

Il mio server, la mia download station!

Finalmente ieri ho finito di configurare il serverino domestico!

Il mio intento era di realizzare una download station economica, ad alta capacità ma nel frattempo molto affidabile. Penso di esservi riuscito!

L'hardware è composto da:

• Acer EasyStore H340 (qui trovate una recensione)
• 2 GByte di Ram
• disco di sistema: Western Digital Caviar Blue da 160 Gbyte Sata II
• dischi di storage: 3x Western Digital Caviar Green da 2 TByte Sata II
• Box esterno eSata della Sans Digital (qui trovate un link)
• dischi di storage: 4x Western Digital Caviar Green da 3 TByte Sata II (inseriti nel box esterno)

Come sistema operativo mi sono basato esclusivamente su Debian Linux perché ne prediligo le prestazioni, l'affidabilità e soprattutto il concetto di open e free!

l'inizio...

Prima o poi dovevo iniziare... oggi apro la mia pagina su internet con gli appunti, gli spunti e le idee che popolano la mia vita di ogni giorno!