D-Link DGS-1005D

I ran into challenges when i tried to implement my vision of a central storage with hardware redundancy. I tried to move my RAID 1 (or mirrored) 1.5TB hard drives from my PC to the D-Link DNS-323. The hard drives already contained around 1.3TB of data that i have collected from the past years. The backup was painfully long and made me think twice about data restoration. What if i upgrade to gigabit network? You know, just a small high speed data high way between the DNS-323 and my PC so that i can transfer my backup data quickly between the two devices? I decided to do some experiment with the result below:

100 Mbit (My Prolink H9300G ASDL router)

Gigabit

Gigabit with Jumbo Frames

Jumbo Frames 4088

Jumbo Frames 9014

I tried to transfer the files using WS_FTP. You will notice that the throughput change from fast ethernet to gigabit ethernet is NOT 10 times.

Related posts:

1. D-link DNS-323 problems
2. What to buy next and reasons

D-link DNS-323

I picked up my new toys on thursday night. That was the first day of the Comex 2010. I only managed to get the D-link DNS-323 and a portable 1TB hard drive (Made in Japan).My initial impression of the device is it is very well built. It did not feel cheapskate like most of the things “Made in China”.

D-link DNS-323

After some lengthy backup of my Tera-Byte data, i moved the 1.5TB hard drives into the DNS-323. The installation guide was simple to follow. Now i am restoring my data back for the RAID1 protection. My router is transferring data at 30GB in 30 mins. Another 64mins to finish the transfer, maybe i should get a Gigabyte switch or router next.

So far i have encountered a problem. Problem 1.

When i shutdown my PC and the DNS-323, i will not be able to connect to the mapped drive. I can ping the IP of the DNS-323 but i just could not connect to the previously mapped drive letter. I noticed the DNS-323 is missing from my network neighborhood. I did some check and suspect it was the hostname to IP resolution. I saw it has appeared in the network neighborhood. I will reboot my PC after the current data restore. Yes! It fixed the problem.

I encountered the next problem when i tried to restore my data back to the DNS-323. Problem 2.

The transfer is super slow. I got close to a Tera Byte to transfer! Another idea appeared in my mind. Why not i upgrade my LAN to gigabit network? I checked the cheapest D-Link gigabit switch and found a 5 port D-link DGS-1005D at $65 to build my data super highway. Hey! I am becoming a D-Link supporter. Off i go to Comex 2010 again. Hit and run and also picked up 2 CAT5e cables. The crowd was terrible.

D-Link DGS-1005D

Just for laugh:

While squeezing in the crowd, you get to hear and see strange things.

1. “Did you smell something? I think someone just fart.” “A lot of green vegetable smell…”"

D-Link DGS-1005D

So i got home and plug in my new Gigabit switch and try again. No improvement. I did some calculation, the uploading speed really sucks! I am uploading at 6.67 Mbps only! I start to do more research online. See my other article on “Going from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet”.

Just i thought i have wasted my $65 on something that can’t improve my situation, i managed to track the problem down to the firewall. The Zone Alarm firewall was causing all this upload slowdown. There were many articles online by other users. After i disabled it, my upload speed jumped more than 10 times. YEAH!

Related posts:

1. Going from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet
2. What to buy next and reasons

Mac is Unix based and we know many good things about Unix. It boot up fast and rarely give blue screen. Mac on the other hand is well known for its nice user interface.

So for the past few weeks i tried to download some images to test. The images are not small but range from 1.4GB to 7.3GB. This is the first time i deal with those .dmg (or compressed Apple format) and many more times with the ISO format. First is trying to convert the DMG to ISO and then comparing the MD5 checksum to verify the images have not been tampered with. All the images did not match their MD5. I also had a few coaster of DVD+DL discs. They failed to work.

I was about to give up when i found an image for my trusty old netbook. It was Asus’s first netbook, an Eee PC 701 with the 4GB SSD. The image was an outdated Mac OS X and some of the hardware such as ethernet and wifi were not working. Please tell me what is the image good for if the particular two devices are not working???

I decided to proceed and try to load it into the netbook. Goodbye Ubuntu 10.04. I was testing Ubuntu a few weeks before. This is really unsuitable for the normal IT folks or my skill must have degraded. I managed to load ity after some struggle with the boot image program. Then with some good luck, i plug in the extra wifi dongle i had. The Dlink DWL-G122 works! I need not need to do anything extra. Yes! I have a working hackintosh! A second life for my netbook.

Unless you have amber of free time or serious to learn some advance installation, then taking on this project may be suitable for you. If not, you are better off to buy a real Mac.

Hackintosh netbook

—

This article was written with the hackintosh netbook.

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Panasonic Lumix LX5

Current known launch dates:

Japan - 20 Aug 2010. It is OUT! O-U-T!!

USA – late Aug 2010. Consumer has yet to see it.

Singapore – 14 September 2010. The Panasonic Singapore has put up a website to count down the release. (Click on the Panasonic Singapore link).

Personally I think Panasonic can do better by launching a global release date but they could be doing so intentionally to create the hype. For those desperate to put their hands on it, they will not hesitate to buy it from Japan. I have seen those Japanese shooting with it and sharing the pictures.

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Apple iPad

The Apple iPad is a impressive product and it came in different prices due to Wifi 3G features and amount of memory onboard.

1. Determine why you need an iPad?

What is the primary reason of usage? Is it for reading ebooks? Is it for games? Is it for internet? Is it for photos?

2. Determine how long you intend to use it? 

We call this “rate of deppreciation” in accounting. It also start you thinking how much data storage you need. What you are putting in could double or triple in the 2nd or 3rd year. In addition, if you need to use it for more than a year, you may want to consider to extend the warranty if possible to safe guard your purchase. I almost want to use the word “investment” but iPad is NOT an investment. All digital products have no investment value.

3. If you need it for photo sharing

Check to see whether it can support your camera’s format. Most cameras support JPEG format, no issue for that. But I like to shoot Canon RAW format, so some homework to do.  Also you need to check out the accessories to allow you to transfer the photos into the iPad.

4. If you need it for reading ebook

Check whether your ebook format is supported. If not, how to get it to support? The current most popular format is PDF.

Ask around, ask the Apple staffs, as the Apple representatives before you make your purchase.

Related posts:

1. Do you like your iphone?
2. Mac os x on netbook pc – hackintosh
3. What to buy next and reasons

1. Panasonic Lumix LX5 (YES! I am going travel soon!)

Panasonic Lumix LX5

A new compact camera to replace my 3 years old Fujifilm F31fd. Why i chose Panasonic Lumix LX5 is because of the below strong reasons:

i. 1:1 format. I like to experience with square pictures without post processing.

ii. Long battery life just like my trusty Fujifilm F31fd.

iii. Movie recording on AVCHD.

iv. Leica len! What else?!

v. I did not own a Panasonic Lumix LX3. Wahaha…

2. Dlink DNS-323 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure

Dlink DNS-323

I have been toying with the idea of moving my mirrored hard drives from my PC to external for very long time. Recently due to some issues, i caused the mirrored to be broken. This is a good opportunity to redo my data protection with a central storage concept.  Why i chose Dlink DNS-323 is because of the below strong reasons:

i. CHEAP! It is the cheapest in the market right now. I am holding my purchase till the coming COMEX 2010.

ii. No hard drives purchase needed. My current 1.5TB hard drives are certified.

iii. Colleague’s strong recommendation. He used one himself and is a very satisfied user.

3. Lite-On LabelTag writer drive

Lite-On LabelTag

I have tried those CD label stickers and those LightScribe burning. They are still not good in my opinion. Why i need to buy a new drive is because of the below strong reasons:

i. The old Lite-On is dying! Yes, i am very certain and it support LightScribe.

ii. Time to move onto SATA bus.

Related posts:

1. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
2. Going from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet
3. D-link DNS-323 problems

Here is a list of great books recommended by my sifu:

1. The master plan to success – Napoleon Hill

Hard to find but i have placed my order.

2. Think and grow rich – Napoleon Hill

3. The master key system – Charles F Haanel

For Entrepreneur-to-be,

4. The E-Myth – Michael E. Gerber

I will provide a short review after i have read the books.

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I got my iphone 3GS sometime in Oct 2009. Since then, my godsis is on iphone, my sister is on iphone and my gf is on iphone. There has been a series of conversion to iphone. My previous handphone was a Sony, my godsis’s was a LG, my sister was a Sony and my gf’s was also a Sony. My gf happened to be using the same crappy Sony handphone model as me. Sorry to say, Sony really has a big problem.

Some interesting things i discovered about the iphone 3GS:

1. Single tasking OS rocks – it stays focus on the task. There is a few inconvenience though when you are disturbed by alerts where you have to switch out of the current app and go to the next to take action.

2. Tons of applications available – there is no lack of them. I wonder how many new ones are coming onboard per day. I have spent USD$0.99 x 2, the rest all FREE! One of my required needs was the CNA support.

3. Innovative multi-touch touch screen – so far the most responsive touch screen out in the market.

4. Costly addons – no competitors come close to Apple. Even a decent casing cost SGD$29 at the Apple authorised resellers here.

Apple iphone 3GS

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I read an interesting article by Devin Leonard a few days ago. This article was published in one of the local free paper, mypaper. Its title is “Go green? Just buy less stuff”. I have included some quotes that were of interest:

“one of the biggest business stories was how large corporations were going to save the planet and make billions of dollars for their shareholders at the same time.”

“consumers who load up their shopping carts with organic food, for instance, may be unwittingly subsidising big farm companies that are eradicating forests and defiling the soil in some developing countries.”

“fashionably green rock bands like Coldplay, whose members fly around the world and think they can erase their sizeable carbon footprints by planting trees in developing countries. In Coldplay’s case, many of the trees died.”

The author advocated “instead of buying green, we simply need to buy less stuff.” There is truth in this statement. Think about our electronic usage, how many times we have purchased new ones when the old one is still working? The vendors are leading us to constantly upgrade to something “better” or “faster”. Did anyone ever ask the question “do i need another one?”. Buy reducing unnecessary consumption, it leads to a reduction in demand and therefore reduces wastage.

Original article here: my05-022-0-mya

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Under GDI:

Mission 1: Beginning of the End

There is a bug in this mission. If you choose the Easy mode, it is possible you wont be able to complete this mission. I tried. You will get stuck at the last objective – Defend the VIP convey. The convey wont move at all. After i tried the Normal mode, it will move.

Mission 2: bad to Worse

Nothing much challenging here.

Mission 3: Hard Choices

Nothing much challenging here. Just save your game after each attack wave. At the end of the mission, you get to choose sides: remaining with the GDI or switch side to Nod. I stayed with the GDI since i am more familiar with their hardware.

Mission 4: Spontaneous Outbursts

Mission 5: Cold hard Truth

Mission 6: Transport Down

Currently i am stuck here. Using Support and Defence modes does not seem to clear the mission. You need to fight against 3 Nod crawlers. Need to think of some strategies.

Continue – This must a tough mission. There is an online tip by the game develop, Sam. The link is as below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6n14ePwr1g

The tip uses the Attack crawler. Use it! My tip for you, save often and try not to lose any unit. Keep every units you can get alive! You will need them since the Command Point is too little.

Mission 7: TBA

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