2009-09-25 09:37:00
The Epoch Converter website is truly a handy resource! Anything you'd ever want to do with epoch dates gathered onto one easy to read/browse page. Awesome!
It's got information for many different operating systems and programming languages so you're never lost. *bookmark*
kilala.nl tags: sysadmin, unix,
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2009-09-24 10:17:00
This morning I discovered a bug in one of FoxT's "hotfixes" (aka patch, bugfix) for BoKS 6.0.x. Maybe the problem exists for other BoKS versions as well. The hotfix in question is TFS 061016-115513 which enables BoKS 6.0 to work with the ssh_pk_optional authentication method. Before this hotfix you were forced to use either password or SSH key authentication, but never both. With the hotfix applied you can now use SSH key authentication, but fall back to password if the keys are missing.
Anywho... I found out that on Solaris 10 the hotfix does not actually replace all necessary files if you run BoKS 6.0. Here's the list of files that get replaced:
Sol10 = boks_sshd, mess.eng
Sol8 = boks_sshd, mess.eng, boks_servc_d, method.conf, plus a few GUI forms.
After conferring with BoKS-guru Wilfrid at FoxT it seems that the patch will treat Solaris 10 as client-only systems, which sucks when you're appying it to a replica or master server. In order to fix a Sol10 replica/master you'll need to manually copy the files from the Sol8 part of the fix to their intended destinations. This should work without any problems as Sol10 is fully backwards compatible with Sol8.
kilala.nl tags: sysadmin, boks,
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2009-09-14 19:35:00
For the longest of times my Nagios plugins have used a rather oldfashioned approach to configuration: everything's hardcoded into the script and you'll need to modify the script to make changes. Obviously that sucks if you want to use the script for multiple purposes. My newer scripts all use command line flags and parameters to pass variables, making them a lot more versatile. Hence I will soon be rewriting all my Nagios plugins for this particular purpose.
I will also be changing their individual pages, putting the plugin back into its own .ksh script instead of including the code into the HTML page. Whatever was I thinking when I did that?!
Finally, I will also modifying all plugins (also the new ones) to work with multiple monitoring systems. By passing a certain command line option one will be able to chose between modes for Nagios and Tivoli, with possible extensions along the way.
I've got my work cut out for me!
kilala.nl tags: sysadmin, nagios,
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2009-09-12 23:01:00
The past few months I've been working on some BoKS scripts. Let's say that my daily job's inspired me to write a number of scripts that I just -know- are going to be useful in any BoKS environment. I've got plenty ideas for both admin and monitoring scripts and finally I'm starting to see the fruits of my labour!
All of these scripts were written in my "own" time, so luckily I can do with them as I please. I've chosen to share all these scripts under the Creative Commons license which means that you can use them, change them and even re-use them as long as you attribute the original code to me. I guess it sounds a bit like the GPL.
Anywho, for now I've published three scripts, with more to come! All scripts can be found in the Sysadmin section of my site, in the menubar. So far there are:
1. boks_safe_dump, which creates database dumps for specific hosts and host groups.
2. boks_new_rootpw, which sets and verifies new passwords on root accounts.
3. check_boks_replication, a monitor script to make sure BoKS database replication works alright.
As they say in HHGTTG: Share and enjoy!
kilala.nl tags: work, sysadmin, boks,
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2009-09-02 09:30:00
Wow... A few days after OS X Snow Leopard's release the Ars Technica review has become available. As always it's a very impressive document, this time ringing in at 23 pages. The great thing about AT's reviews of OS X is that they always go rather in-depth on the technical aspect, this time starting off on page 3 with an analysis of home file system compression (implemented through a few new hacks) is not only saving space, but is also speeding up your computer.
Good stuff! Now all I have to do is find an hour or three to read through it all :D
kilala.nl tags: apple,
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All content, with exception of "borrowed" blogpost images, or unless otherwise indicated, is copyright of Tess Sluijter. The character Kilala the cat-demon is copyright of Rumiko Takahashi and used here without permission.