Author Archives: Chris

About Chris

Chris is an IT/IS management professional with over a decade of experience in IT, IS, Network Engineering, and Telecommunications integration. Chris specializes in web server deployment and information management. This includes CMS, CRM, and dynamic content deployment. Chris also manages a full service Video Head End with over 200 digital TV channels. Chris also has five years of project management, knowledge management, and engineering design experience. He specializes in both the Agile and Scrum project management methodology. He also has a background in computer forensics and information security including federal or state compliance audits (such as SOX).

This LAMP burns brightly

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We last left off discussing how you can begin loading your desktop computers with free business applications to streamline your costs and augment your capabilities. It’s time to take things to the next level, but first…

WARNING: While The digitalflood Blog attempts to cater to individuals of all computer and technology experience, this particular entry requires some technical “expertise” such as installing operating systems and setting up servers. For the general public it’s a nice summary of options to consider, but make sure to consult your local computer nerd before putting these ideas into production! Now onto the blog…

To truly harness the capabilities of your office network, you must be able to make use of all that information on your computer. Even more important, you must make sure the information on your computer is able to get to the people who need it your most– your co-workers and subject matter experts. The only way to make that happen is to liberate your data from the hard drive and move it into the “cloud”. The “cloud” is a popular buzz term and in general the idea is to put that any where it will be available any time by any one who should have the right to access it. Generally this means putting the data on a secure web site, but for the majority of us who are interacting with a limited number of less than 200 employees this is over kill (not to mention expensive to pull off when you tally up the server costs, enviromentals, data connection, experts T&M, etc…).

Let’s proceed at baby steps instead and focus on the SMB segment. In order to get your info shared you’re going to need a server for your network. A server is nothing more than a computer setup specifically for a few specific ways to share information. Most servers share their info via web, email, or sometimes chat. They do this by installing dameons, which are applications that interact with client hosted applications (i.e. the httpd daemon responds to a web browser like the one you’re in right now and serves that browse info from the server… like the blog your reading right now).

The easiest server to configure and maintain is Microsoft’s line of Windows Server operating systems (OS). The latest isServer 2008. Key components include IIS, which is an application suite (a group of applications with similar purpose) that includes a web server, a DNS server, a domain server, a directory/authentification server, an email server, and a DHCP server. It’s basically an all in one server package to not only host information (as well as deliver it), but to control all the computers on your network as well. Now, this sounds all fine and dandy (which it is); but here is the catch– it isnot cheap. Entry level (with basic functions and support for a few computers) is over $600 at the time of this writing and tiers up to well over $2,500 for a large enterprise (and completely featured) version of the OS. If you have less than five computers you can get in cheap at the $350 level with the Small Business Server 2008 package, but again– the rest of us (specifically the 5-50 employee small business and 50-200 medium business category) with limited resources and limited funding; we are going to have a hard time eating those costs.

This simple arguement has been the main source for many SMBs to migrate to Linux application servers instead. I’ll flat out give you the down shot about Linux– it’s a bit harder to configure than Windows and is differently configured than Windows (less point and click, more editing of files with a text editor). This small issue turns many would be Linux lovers away fearing the worst. Now the up shot, it’s not impossible to configure and use. Once you get used to it you might even like it better (I know I do) than Windows. Linux has better up time (less crashes), more development resources (millions of open source projects now active and ready for you to install), and a better reputation of addressing flaws thanks to that aforementioned large pool of programming resources. And if that wasn’t enough– it’s free to use no matter how big or small your business is.

Here’s the deal: You’re not going to call Microsoft tech support if you get into trouble. Why? Because you don’t want to deal with the hassle on your own. You’re going to turn to your local computer nerd and ask them to fix it instead. Just like if your car broke you’d turn to an auto mechanic if you know nothing about cars. How does this differ from Linux in trouble resolution? It doesn’t. Sooner or later something is going to break whether it’s Windows or Linux running the system. When it does you’re going to need a computer nerd (end of story). So why waste (if not strand) financial resources on up front back office software costs like licensing and inter-operatbility issues between OS versions (a huge issue when it comes to Server 2008 and Server 2003– specifically with active directory and file sharing) when you can reserve those funds for the troubles later by going with a free OS alternative? The case is clear– Linux saves money in deployment, saves money in production, and is no more complex for an expert to fix than Microsoft’s offering.

To pull off the tricks we’re planning in my upcoming blog (and to liberate your data to the “cloud”) you’re going to need a special type of Linux server called a LAMP server. LAMP is an acronym that stands for “Linux Apache MySQL and PHP”. These applications are the core programs needed to run your common web server. Linux is the OS. Apache is the web server. MySQL is the data base and authentification system. PHP is the programming langauge that enables interaction between the other three. Together they create a unified Internet capable data delivery server. LAMP servers usually also do other things as well and can be customized to include other applications at will. This includes Sendmail for email, BIND for DNS, and Radius for improved authentification to either MySQL or it’s competitor (which is also free) called PostGres databases. A good LAMP server package will include a web control panel such as the popular CPanel interface (which does cost money– not all Linux applications are free unfortunately).

A web based control panel will help ease the Windows to Linux transition. It unifies your application setup and simplifies how you maintain your server. This in general will help you adapt to Linux quicker and allow you to get done what you need done just like you would in Windows– with a point and click.

I have over the course of my 15 year technology and communication career had some 300 plus web hosting clients actively use Linux via a web based control panel. After some basic tutorials and two-three weeks of time to “learn the way around” every single one of them reported back as feeling comfortable. To this day, I’m not even sure the bulk majority of them even knew they were using Linux. They just knew they were pointing and clicking. To them it could have been Windows for all they cared. This speaks signifigantly to the value of having such an application on your LAMP server. It turns office workers into office heroes who act as system administrators for daily tasks like adding email accounts and changing passwords. The majority of clients I have dealt with have had average user experience and again– these clients have reported easy transition to Linux without issue. When they’ve had a real issue they turned to me and I fixed the issue usually in a few minutes.

If you are considering moving ahead with trying out my recommedation in upcoming blogs on software you will need a web server (LAMP or Windows) and I’d strongly recomend you reach out to your IT resource to find out if you can get a test server setup in your lab (or non-production network if you don’t have a lab) to try it out.

I’ve found that most clients found the Sun Microsystem developed Cobalt control panel and CentOS Linux variant the easiest to use day to day.  300 plus subscribers cannot be wrong. The latest version of this OS is called Blue Onyx. Blue Onyx can be found at:

http://www.blueonyx.it/

It includes a web based control panel and a slick installation that most computer nerds will find easy to pull off. You will literally be up and running within 2 hours and ready to go. Any computer made in the last five years will work well (you don’t need a state of art machine to pull this off). Be aware that whatever computer you install Blue Onyx on will have all the existing data wiped from the hard drive. In other words– don’t install Blue Onyx on the Windows PC you’re using right now. Install it on that clunker in the basement you’ve had in storage for two years and were going to use for spare parts.

You just need to download the latest CD image (called an ISO) from the Blue Onyx site to your PC. Burn the ISO using a CD burner application to a CD. Dont’ have a CD burning application? If you have Windows check out IsoBurn athttp://isoburn.sourceforge.net/. It’s free and easy to use. Put the CD in the other computer you want to install Blue Onyx on and turn it on. Follow the menus through the install process.  Remember– you may need a Linux nerd to give you a hand, but once you’re up and running you’ll be ready to liberate your data.

Next time around we’ll be going through a run down of LAMP applications you can install and run for free that will change the way you do business. I can promise you that this willlead you towards managing your business better. For now though– let the Linux installation begin!

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The Freebie Experience

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It seems after a few months (read-  year) of bad news from the stock market we’re finally starting to see a  small turn around including continued gradual movements northward in both trading volume and closing average prices. Nevertheless, the cost cutting trend surges on as corporations big and small discover the benefits of running lean.

Maybe it’s the years of excess and complacency finally wearing itself away, but across the US you can see corporations publishing financial filings with key notes of “cost reduction” and “expense consolidation” with pride. Think what you will, but this trend seems here to stay for the time being. The truth is there are some really great (and not so amazing) ways to reduce reoccurring expenses. Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll be visiting ways you can think about cutting cost without cutting service because truly running efficient should not result at the cost of customer experience or create reduction of service offerings.

We’ll be looking into ideas small and large that can be implemented easily throughout an organization of any size. These ideas can be implemented by any member of a staff. We’ll focus on various portions of the business including operations, finance, buildings/facilities, and marketing. My hope is that with these ideas you’ll spur initiatives of your own and let us know how you take these strategies to the next level.

The first area we’ll focus on is one that is near and dear to my heart– free IT desktop programs that cut costs day one while offering the same functionality of user applications costing hundreds more. Think of it this way– for each license you don’t purchase you’re saving cash for other initiatives such as improving the infrastructure and operation support elements that most support the applications. In short, it’s money well saved.

  • Open Office 3 – Developed by Sun Microsystems, Open Office is an open source free alternative to Microsoft’s Office XP Suite. It comes with a word processor, a spread sheet application, a math program, a presentation program, a drawing program, and a database program. The one thing Open Office misses is a true diagram program (i.e. Visio), but otherwise for your standard staff member the goods are all there including spell checking, multi-platform support, ability to write out to many formats (including native PDF output), and interoperability with MS Office. I use the program in my home office as do many of my colleagues. It’s great for students and professionals alike whether you’re home or at work.
  • GanttProject – Microsoft Project is a great tool, but most Project Managers do not touch the true potential of what the program can do. For those of you who are rudimentary project planners or you’re not looking for true server side multi-user input (i.e. one person owns the update of the project plan) then GanttProject will work great for your team. Meant for the Project Manager dealing with projects of all sizes; GanttProject will help you plan, execute, and track a project through its life cycle. It too offers the ability to cross interface with MS applications including Project.
  • FoxIt PDF Reader – I know Adobe PDF Reader is free, but my problem with their program is two fold. First, it’s notoriously slow. Second, it is the constant victim of exploits. For this reason, I’m a huge fan of Foxit’s PDF Reader. It’s fast, small, and not as targeted as its mainstream cousin.
  • AVG Free 8.5 – Technically you cannot use Grisoft’s AVG Free Anti-virus for business deployments, but if you need a free, effective, and reliable anti-virus/anti-spyware application for your home PC (*ahem* home *cough* PC… *wink*) this is the one. AVG is robust and secure as one would expect from Germany’s number one malware protection company. Updates are timely (usually every day) and offer protection through “smart” ID methods that can even catch a virus the program does not have a definition for yet. AVG is the number one tool I install on a PC infected with a virus… usually one that already is running Symantec or McAfee, but was exploited any how.
  • Firefox – Firefox is a free web browser that is secure, expandable, and fast. The multi-tab support has been copied by other web browsers, but no one can match the speed, stability, and over all configurable limits of Firefox.
  • Thunderbird – When armed with the Lightning extension, Thunderbird replaces Outlook XP with ease. This email application includes mutli-account support, junk mail filtering (that works), calendar/reminder/task support, and a flexible contact address book.
  • LogMeIn Himachi – Another program that is for “personal” use, Himachi is a VPN that needs zero configuration aside from being installed on the computers you wish to link. Himachi will change the way you work and liberate your ability to work from the cloud.
  • Pidgin – Pidgin is an IM application that works with all the popular IM networks including Google, AOL, MSN, and Yahoo.  The ability to chat with co-workers in real time is both under estimated and under utilized. It will change the way you communicate internally and the speed which you do so.
  • Google Earth – Need directions to a client’s business? Need to see where you can stay while on a business trip? Want to find a place to eat while out walking the sales beat? Google Earth is not only a mapping utility, but it can be used for finding businesses in an area or measure the distance between two nodes. Once you start playing with cartography (the art of mapping) you too will be hooked and it will change the way you literally look at the world.

Today we focused on common desktop applications. In the future we’ll be looking at more applications that are both free and useful for various tasks. This should, however, get you out the door for the time being and start making you think about what other “free” software alternatives exist. Stay tuned for more blogs on free software that is useful and offers real cost savings for every day tasks.

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Week in Review – 3/27-4/3/09

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I figured I’d catch up for this week (3/27-4/3/09) on a few items that you may or may not have been following:

  • Time Magazine published its Top 100 Influential People this week. Particularly interesting is the “Builders & Innovators” category being lead off by the Twitter Guys (Biz Stone, Jack Dorsey, and Evan Williams) with commentary by Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher, whose main claim to fame is some bad movies and marrying Demi Moore, recently reached a milestone on Twitter by beating CNN.com to one million followers. For those of you who don’t know what Twitter is, it’s a micro-blogging site similar to WordPress or Blogger. You’re limited to 140 characters and thus brevity is somewhat required. The idea is that you can in short updates let people who subscribe to your Twitter feed know what your up to and what’s on your mind. I personally don’t get the attraction around Twitter. My guess is that if you either have enough spare time while sitting around waiting to update your micro-blog via your cell or if you’re that bored that you want to see what other people are doing it may have some attraction. I’m otherwise at a complete loss as to why you’d even bother using it. I’m sure that is a certain sign that I’m too old and starting not to get it… or maybe I just don’t care what Kutcher is eating today– probably a little of both. I can tell you this much, it is becoming a hacker’s dream to crack into (see the latest break in here) and put words in some rather famous people’s virtual mouths.
  • “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” came out this weekend to much fan fair. Mostly because experts were weighing in onhow a leaked unfinished version of the film would effect viewership. The anti-piracy set jumped right into the fray saying that early version could deter viewers from going to the cinema even if they knew the final special effects and production work was not done in the pirated version. I think the real fear is if the plot itself stunk then why would anybody bother to show up even if the special effects were unbelievable? That of course was not the case in this particular release, but the MPAA and other anti-piracy groups were really trying to make a stand. Particularly it was important to further push the envelope in light of the $3.6 Million victory over Pirate Bay this week. What better timing could there be to let would be downloaders know that stealing would not be tolerated? Well, how about getting RapidShare to hand over its list of uploaders on top of it all? All-in-all it was a bad week to be a virtual pirate.
  • Bandwidth caps took a major step back this week. First there was Time Warner Cable being forced to repeal its 40GB/month cap. Subscribers swamped TWC with complaints and for the time being the caps are off. TWC does plan to move ahead with reinstating caps after a “customer education program” is initiated to explain to subscribers why caps are important. On the other side of the spectrum is Cablevision who announced its new 101/15 Mb/s “ultra” tier of service. Included is a promise not to cap. The underlying argument is that as subscribers continue to migrate their multimedia viewing habits away from traditional medium and instead flock to the Internet for access to movies, TV, radio, and news that the cable divisions of providers will lose revenue. The easy way to make up loss for that is to charge for throughput on top of the traditional speed tiers. With record profits being cited by the big cable providers I’m not sure this is the case though. The sad truth is the big three (Comcast, TWC, and Cablevision) all own the majority of cable TV content. So even if they loose the subscriber on the cable side they will still have the eye balls on the stream. Ad revenue is ad revenue so in the end, except for small providers, I cannot personally see how they’re losing out. It seems like double dipping to me and just another angle for the big guys to milk every last dime from the subscriber.
  • Microsoft made several big splashes this week that were notable. The first is the release of Internet Explorer 8 as a mandatory critical update. The second is Windows 7 hitting the MSDN as a release class (RC), which means it’s probably about six months or less away from final release. A little birdie cites a mid-October 2009 release (just in time for the holidays might I add) according to a leaked company email. The third and final was Office 2007 SP2 finally being released. The neat part of this is that the popular ODP open document format is now supported, as is export to PDF. That particularly is important as the open source competitor to Office (OpenOffice) supports those right out of the box today with much acclaim and it means that Microsoft is finally admitting this combo is a serious threat to their pay product. A minor side note announcement was that Windows 7 will support emulated Windows XP if you happen to have a legal extra copy of that OS lying around. This should address issues that Microsoft with slow adoption of both Vista and Server 2008. Even if it means that their Virtual PC may go the way of the dinosaur in lieu of built in emulation support, but let’s face facts– the 30%+ plus of revenue loss Microsoft saw year over year is enough to convince the top dogs its time to do just that. Lest it face mass migration to Linux or (*gasp*) Apple.

Thanks for reading and I hope you check back in soon as we’ll be updating regulary.

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We Got Lost… *ahem*

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I’ve never been the most punctual individual. Ask anyone who knows me. I’m perpetually at least five minutes behind schedule and notoriously known for estimating being somewhere in an hour to only show up five hours later with nothing more than a “that took longer than I thought”. So there should be no surprise to most of you that this week’s episode took four months to be produced. We recorded the episode back in November of 2008 and yes– it is only now ready for release. Needless to say production was not long because of the intricacy of the work, but more along the lines of that I moved at a snail’s pace. Distracted by chores, hanging out with the kids, beer, and “Family Guy” reruns on TBS; there was simply no time for the Pirate Radio. Over the last week though I felt the “special sauce” and “had at it like a rabid wolverine on Diet Tab”. So here we are, the latest digitalflood Pirate Radio we fondly like to call “The Lost Episode“. “Lost” roughly translating to “Me So Lazy, Me Love You Long Time”. Enjoy!

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Celebrating 2009 With A Bang

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It’s that time of the year– well actually two months ago it was that time of the year, but we’re late. Either way, here is the “2008 Beat Feast” mix filled with all sorts of surprises and new DJ tricks bound to make you wonder how much free time I have (ironically not that much). Hop on over to the Pirate Radio section to download it now. Also, check out this week’s value special in the Merch Shop. This week we have the N parody DF logo tee on sale for $9.99. Grab it while you can. Happy New Year!

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