Category: Computing

All I.T. related rants/posts.

Configuring APC Rack PDUs

A brand new APC should be ready to have its IP set via using an ‘arp and ping’ technique. Its in the manual, but worth noting, since I normally google search before RTFM! And so does most of the world..

  1. On any running host on the same network, set the ARP for the MAC address of the device. Eg: arp -s 10.0.0.10 00:C0:B7:76:08:CC will tell the host you are on to send to hat mac address when you use the IP 10.0.0.10.
  2. On the same host, before the arp expires (normally 5 mins), send a ping to this IP with a special size of 113 bytes. Eg: ping -l 113 10.0.0.10 from Win, or ping -s 113 10.0.0.10 if you have a better operating system (Linux)!

If this fails, then you need to get the serial cable out and wire it up (9600 8N1 is default I think, turn off ALL flow control; no hardware, no software). Password recovery: find the small hole and use a paper clip or similar to reset the device. You have to reset it twice for it to take effect, and then you can use the default username and password of apc/apc.

SIP Telephony, good and bad

I’ve had a SIP handset now for about two weeks: a Budgetone 102 handset. Its not too bad, from what I can tell, but I am using a provider in Perth, SimTex, whichis around 400ms away RTT, and I am getting some bad audio on one side of the call.

Its so frustrating, that we constantly have to abandon the SIP phone and use the PSTN, at more expense. I’m connecting through Demon internet in London on a 512 DSL link., which should be plenty fast enough. The annoying thing is that my emails and now phone calls to SimTex have gone unanswered. Not a way to keep customers. TIme to start looking for other providers, or, put my own box in…. Asterisk rocks, and the PSTN cards arent that expensive… if I put a 1U box with an ISDN 30 card in each city…. I’d be a SIP-telco.

I found Cisco had a nice lit of SIP response codes.

Random stuff I may get on EBay

Ever since I was stung on eBay a few years back for around AUD$ 500 worth of wireless equipment from some bastard in Deer Park, USA, I’ve not used eBay. But now I’m thinking of getting a few things:

  • 75 – 300 mm Canon EF zoom lens, for my 300D digital SLR camera
  • Wireless print server for my canon printer
  • Ethernet web cam/video conference facility

PocketPC Tips

I purchased a Toshiba PocketPC e570 PDA in June 2002. This device is a little bulky, but had the advantage of a CF (Compact Flash) port and a secure media port.

My hopes where to be able to send and recieve emails (plain text is fine), and be able to print (via IRDA).

While printing does work, it is not a part of the default suite of programs available. You have to shell out more money to 3rd party developers to get this support working. Looks like Toshiba, or Microsoft, took shortcuts. I was trying to print to a Hewlet Packard LaserJet 2100 M, and HP’s web site directed me to get drivers from my manufacturer, Toshiba. Toshiba’s PocketPC web site is completely fucking useless. There entire support structure is geared *away* from these products. Their staff reject and disencourage PocketPC support questions. Aghhh!

Luckily, their telephone support does exist. Place a call and save time. While you’re there, ask to speak to a manager, and tell them that in place of wasting their time right now, you could be helping yourself to the information you are after if they put some effort into their web site!

Ho hum. Lets move on. Printing. Looks like the 3rd party software is at fieldsoftware.com. The product is called PrintPocketCE, and while a little sliggish on some redraws, it does work under PocketPC 2002 quite well. Well done FS. A 30 day trial is availale, and the software is around US$39 or so.

Back to getting data in and out of the device. I got a belkin 802.11b wireless CF card. I can cruise around my network; I can see it DHCP, and I can use the built-in IE browser to look at HTTP and HTTPS web sites. I havent forced it yet, but using a specific proxy with HTTPS would be nice; if people are going to use wireless, doing a bit extra to help secure it at an application layer is nice.

And it is security that brings me to my next issue. For me, email is either accessed locally on a server, or via IMAPS. IMAPS is like IMAP, except over SSL. If I am going to have passwords fly around the network, I like them to be encrypted in transit! However, the ‘INBOX’ client that comes with PocketPC 2002 seems to be too cut down, only supporting unencrypted POP3 and IMAPv4. There is no SSL support here. This is pretty important. It seems there are no Mail User Agents (MUA) for the PocketPC that support IMAPS. Fr me. this greatly hinders the use of the product.