new hardware links

The problem of cooling the computer is not new. The more powerful and faster computers become, the "hotter" they get. Coolers inside computer cases, video card and power supply units are quite common nowadays. However, hard disk has no additional means to cool them. Most hard disk manufacture recommends 35-40°C working temperature for a hard drive. Once it crossed the limit safety of your data and hard disk becomes critical. Computer hard drive is the main storage media for your data.

This article explains how to monitor hard disk temperature and prevent the loss of data under Linux using automated scripts.

We have 5 Dell server collocated running CentOS 4.x and 5.x server operating system. Sometime my file system (ext3) goes read-only. I’d like to know what could be causing such a problem?

smartctl command controls the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) system built into many ATA-3 and later ATA, IDE and SCSI-3 hard drives. The purpose of SMART is to monitor the reliability of the hard drive and predict drive failures, and to carry out different types of drive self-tests.

smartctl is a command line utility designed to perform SMART tasks such as printing the SMART self-test and error logs, enabling and disabling SMART automatic testing, and initiating device self-tests.

This article demonstrates usage of smartctl tool to test if hard disk is going bad.

Just funny stuff! I feel just like that sometimes at work!

The stress test of hardware (hard drive benchmarks) is a simplistic test. There are a number of benchmarking applications software that can be used as hard disk (storage) stress testing. My favorite is Bonnie++ software.

Bonnie++ is a benchmark suite that is aimed at performing a number of simple tests of hard drive and file system performance. Then you can decide which test is important and decide how to compare different systems after running it.

Backing up critical files is like exercising: everyone knows they should do it, but most people don't do it enough. A remedy for the files is automated online backup; as far as I know, there is no automated online remedy for staying in shape.

Automated online backup programs require only an Internet connection, a small software program, and a few minutes of your time. To perform a backup, you simply install the software on every computer containing data you want to back up; set up a backup schedule; and identify the files and folders to be copied. The software then sends copies of the files

Does your Windows-based PC crash for no apparent reason? Well OK, mine does too, but does yours crash often? At random times? With Nasty blue Screens of Death? If the answer is "yes", you may very well have a memory problem. Faulty memory, or RAM, is often the cause of the dreaded 'flaky PC' syndrome, those hard-to-replicate errors that get you nasty looks from the store technician because "…nothing seems to be wrong with it. Sir."

Nice howto with lots of screenshots to skin the Motorola RAZR!

I was asked the other day if it was possible to set up a home iTunes server... a centralized place to put all your music and videos that is also accesible from other computers around the home. The short answer... yes. The long answer... yes, and it's not that hard. Read on.

Quite by accident I found something that worked to remove minor scratches from the screen and face of my iPod Photo.