HOWTO: Optimize Gigabit Networking in Linux
May 20, 2009 at 3:24 am | In Linux, Networking | 2 Comments
Even if you have a gigabit networking adapter and a gigabit switch capable of jumbo frames, Linux still uses the default MTU size of 1500. To get something better, you need to configure things by hand.
The reason for this is that the IETF has never standardized anything above 1500. You might very well have gigabit ethernet equipment that either does not have jumbo frame support, or may be very disappointed to find out that “jumbo frame” can be used to describe any packet size between 1500 and 9000.
To make matters worse, not every gigabit ethernet switch handles mixed networking the same. You would think a gigabit switch would guarantee a 1gb connection between two computers with 1gb networking adapters, but under various circumstances, this isn’t always the case. Optimally, it would be best to separate your 100mb and 1gb devices onto two different switches, but this isn’t guaranteed to work.
Now that we have all the caveats out of the way, read on if you want to start optimizing.
Continue reading HOWTO: Optimize Gigabit Networking in Linux…
A Disappointing 7th Generation
April 23, 2009 at 4:05 am | In Microsoft, Nintendo, PS3, Sony, Video Game Consoles, Video Games, Wii, Xbox 360 | 1 Comment |
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It’s too early to call an end to the current generation of consoles, but after 3½ years I think it’s safe to give a run down on how things have gone. Wrong, that is. Sure, the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii all came in with a bang but I feel as if we’re hanging on to thin air here.
REVIEW: Apex / Allied SL-275TFX
April 23, 2009 at 3:15 am | In Apex, Brainwrecked Hall Of Shame, Newegg, Power Supplies | Leave a Comment
The Guilty Party
I really would execute it if I carried guns
The fun never stops. I found my web server dead today due to a bad power supply. However, unlike some things that succeed in just barely outlasting the warranty (here’s evil eyes staring at you, Samsung and Microsoft), this thing broke down right before. I’ve contacted NewEgg about a replacement, but we’ll see how that goes. (I didn’t buy the power supply outright. It came bundled with the case, but Newegg just so happens to carry the exact replacement part.)
UPDATE: I had to send the whole thing back to Newegg, which doesn’t carry the product any more. Even though their policy will allow me to select a similarly-priced case, I’d rather have this whole nonsense over with by now by just having the friggin’ power supply replaced. I’d never thought I say this, but this is one prospect of Newegg’s business model that needs to change. Sending back the entire bundle just because a part of that bundle failed, just because individual parts weren’t listed line-by-line, which you happen to sell separately, is rather irritating.
HOWTO: Update Linksys PAP2 Firmware Without Windows
April 16, 2009 at 7:36 am | In Linksys, TFTP, Ubuntu, VoIP Hardware, Web Server, Windows 2000, Windows Vista | 7 Comments
I finally got my Linksys PAP2T VoIP adapter yesterday. As is par for the course, the firmware was out of date. What wasn’t par for the course is that I had no way to get the firmware to the adapter. The Linksys PAP2T doesn’t offer the standard check-for-update or upload-firmware interface. It uses an upgrade rule that expects to find a TFTP or web server. Linksys also provides a Windows executable that will upload the firmware without you having to fiddle with anything.
The Windows option didn’t go well.
Continue reading HOWTO: Update Linksys PAP2 Firmware Without Windows…
What The Hell Happened To Dell?
April 5, 2009 at 10:21 pm | In Brainwrecked Hall Of Shame, Dell, Laptops, PC | Leave a Comment |
I remember when Dell was the gold standard of the PC industry. When my wife and I were dating, my now-father-in-law’s Dell desktop started having some trouble and they narrowed it down to some RAM. They sent him some new RAM sticks, only to have those sticks bork his computer. So they sent him a complete CPU/mobo/RAM replacement. Nary a complaint from him.
Fast forward nearly 10 years. I regret recommending my brother go with Dell when looking for a laptop. His hard drive has failed on him for a second time. When he calls, it’s like pulling teeth. Everyone has a foreign accent which in itself is not a bad thing, but it’s obvious Dell has completely outsourced its tech support. It’s also obvious that these employees are struggling with a mess that Dell has created for them. Despite supplying the express service code during the IVR (Integrated Voice Response aka talking to a machine) interaction, the first rep asks for it again. The first tech then forwards the call to desktop hardware support. As this happens every freakin’ time, this is more systematic ineptitude than it is employee ineptitude. After the second tech forwards us to laptop hardware support, we’ve already wasted 25 minutes on the phone.
Xbox 360 Goes Boom A Third Time
April 1, 2009 at 10:32 pm | In Microsoft, Video Game Consoles, Xbox 360 | Leave a CommentAn Xbox 360 asplodes — I know, stop the presses.
This one was a bit of a surprise. Unlike 360 Pro #2, 360 Pro #3’s DVD drive just gave up the ghost with a snap of its fingers. I was playing Rock Band 2 on the Pro one night and falling back on my backup Elite console the next.
The greatest thing is that the console is one month removed from its one-year hardware warranty.
Piddling with VoIP
April 1, 2009 at 9:24 pm | In PSTN, Sprint, Telephony, Verizon, VoIP Hardware, VoIP Software, Vonage | Leave a CommentThanks to legislation passed mid-2006 that not only imposed that VoIP providers that connect to the PSTN must contribute to the USF (which is fair) but required that their contribution be disproportionately higher than either the current POTS or cell providers (completely bogus), patent lawsuits filed by Sprint and Verizon back in 2007, and despite a patent-workaround, my Vonage bill has gone from $17 a month to $23.50 in a matter of three years. Still a deal over regular land lines, but Vonage is no longer the deal that it once was.
I’ve been toying around with Ekiga, an open-source softphone application and free service to make PC-to-PC VoIP calls, and Diamondcard, a service that allows you to make and optionally receive calls to/from the PSTN. All of this revolves around the open SIP standard, which means you don’t have to use Ekiga nor Diamondcard if you prefer something else. (Unlike Skype and Vonage, who lock down their hardware, software, and protocols to varying degrees.)
EeePC and Ubuntu 8.10
December 23, 2008 at 2:12 am | In Asus, Canonical, EeePC, PC, Ubuntu | Leave a Comment |
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Here we go again. The last time I installed Ubuntu (or rather, Xubuntu) onto Asus’ EeePC was a bit of ordeal. This time around, things are….still an ordeal unfortunately.
First off, it seems people have a got a little fed up with Canonical and made their own kernel. (Behold the beauty of the GPL!) This kernel has all of the hardware modules the EeePC needs compiled in, including the modules for the wireless chipset (which are GPL and could be included for installation in the main distribution, but aren’t). Additionally, there’s an experimental lean version of the kernel that strips out modules that aren’t needed on the EeePC. Boot time is significantly improved, and overall performance also gets a slight boost with this kernel.
Additionally, there’s now an eee-control package available that allows you to easily change settings like WiFi on/off and performance settings from a system tray applet, and there’s been more poking around with SSD performance. The old script that was developed is no longer needed.
Guitar Hero World Tour Vs. Rock Band 2
December 20, 2008 at 2:39 am | In Activision, EA, Harmonix, PS3, Red Octane, Video Game Consoles, Video Games, Wii, Xbox 360 | 4 Comments
This holiday season brings us two band-based rhythm games: Guitar Hero World Tour, featuring the name that started this crazy thing, and Rock Band 2, from the people that actually did the coding behind what started this crazy thing. With the economy in a hole, where should you splurge your hard earned cash?
Guitar Hero World Tour Guitars Still Failing
December 15, 2008 at 9:57 pm | In Activision, Game Controllers, PS3, Red Octane, Video Games, Xbox 360 | Leave a Comment
I would think that a month’s time would be enough for Activision to clear existing inventory of faulty guitars. But nope. On Black Friday (November 28) I picked up a two-guitar set from Guitar Hero: World Tour, and sure enough — after 2 weeks and 18 hours — my strum bar started failing on the up-strum on the newly designed guitar.
So far so good: Activision has been quick to respond to my online warranty request. But until fixed guitars arrive on store shelves, I’d highly recommend getting Rock Band 2’s guitars instead, which haven’t received the infamy of either Guitar Hero: World Tour’s nor Rock Band 1’s guitars.
Update: On December 17 I tried calling Activision for the Express RMA process. Their customer service lines are so busy you’ll often get a busy signal once the automated response system transfers you to a live agent. This is annoying as all hell seeing as how you have to navigate the menu every time you call back, eating up at least 2 minutes of long distance time per try, and that they’re only open 9am-5pm Pacific Time. I eventually did get through, and the process was quick after that. I just wish there was a direct line to their live customer service line so you could repeat-dial the line.
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