Admin: Linux file server performance boost (ext4 version)

In the previous article, I showed how to improve the performance of an existing file server by tweaking ext3 and mount settings. We can also take advantage of the availability of the now stable ext4 file system to further improve our file server performance. Some distribution, in particular RedHat/CentOS 5, do not allow us to... » read more

Admin: Linux file server performance boost (ext3 version)

Using a Linux for an office file server is a no-brainer: it’s cheap, you don’t have to worry about unmanageable license costs and it just works. Default settings of most Linux distributions are however not optimal: they are meant to be as standard compliant and as general as possible so that everything works well enough... » read more

A story about exceptional service

Recently I found myself constrained by the puny 200GB of my Mac Book Pro and I bought a [500GB Seagate drive][3] to replace it (a fast 7200 rpm one). The Macbook Pro has no easy access for the drive so you have to resort to dismantling the case to access it. This put me off... » read more

Sysadmin: SQL server performance madness

I’ve just lost 2 days going completely bananas over a performance issue that I could not explain. I’ve got this [Dell R300][1] rack server that runs Windows Server 2008 that I dedicate to running IIS and SQL Server 2008, mostly for development purposes. ![Dell PowerEdge R300 Rack servers][dellr300] In my [previous blog entry][2], I was... » read more

Sysadmin: Multiple ISP firewall – The setup

After suffering broadband trouble for the past 9 months, including interruptions that lasted a few days, I decided to get an additional line installed by a different ISP. I could have bought one of these multi-WAN devices but decided against it for a couple of reasons: I like a challenge and I wanted to achieve... » read more

Sysadmin: file and folder synchronisation

Over the years I’ve struggled to keep my folder data synchronised between my various desktop and laptops. Here I present the tools I’ve tried and what I’ve finally settled on as possibly the ultimate answer to the problem of synchronising files and folders across multiple computers: * [rsync](#rsync) * [unison](#unison) * [WinSCP](#winscp) * [General Backup... » read more

Sysadmin: Recovering deleted Windows partitions

I made a mistake the other day: I wanted to delete the partition on an external drive and in my haste ended up deleting the partition of a local hard drive instead… The good thing is when you delete a partition using the Windows Disk Management console it doesn’t actually delete your files, only the... » read more

Sysadmin: Macbook Pro, after the honeymoon

I’ve been using the MacBook Pro I introduced in my [previous blog entry][0] for a few weeks now. Between love and frustration I hang… Here is a review of our relationship so far. ##The Great## ###Hardware delight### Whether running OS/X or Windows 2008 I’ve got no major complaint about the performance of the machine. It’s... » read more