Openswitch http://openswitch.org subversive living at its finest Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:26:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 11 tools I need to be an effective IT Tech http://openswitch.org/2011/12/08/11-tools-i-need-to-be-an-effective-it-tech/ http://openswitch.org/2011/12/08/11-tools-i-need-to-be-an-effective-it-tech/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:20:13 +0000 Ben http://openswitch.org/?p=44 I’ve been working with Ubuntu Linux for years (since 2006) and have been working with computers in general for even longer. However, for just a little over a year now I’ve been working with computers professionally. In this environment I’ve found that I have established a typical “toolbox” which I use over and over again. My goal with this article is to share my repertoire of commonly used tools as a general IT professional. In short, I’m going to tell you what I carry in my backpack when I go to any job.

  1. Laptop: I’m cranking along on a Dell Latitude D620 with an extensively tweaked load of Ubuntu 11.10. Why Linux on my laptop, you ask? Because I giggle at the way it ignores Windows file permissions. Because I enjoy being immune from the viruses and/or malware that may be on customer’s Windows computers. Because it’s easier for me to troubleshoot a network with Linux. But most of all because it makes me feel special.
  2. Flash drive: You know how if you leave the house without your wallet or your watch you feel naked? That’s how I feel when I don’t have my 4GB flash drive with me. I keep all manner of software tools on it including (but not limited to) malware removal tools, virus removal tools, uninstaller tools and Windows registry fixes.
  3. Swiss Army Knife: Could I do my job without this tool? No.
  4. Phillips Screwdriver: A magnetic tip is a must. A flat head screwdriver is almost completely unnecessary, and when I need one I use my pocket knife.
  5. Multimeter: This tool is absolutely indespensible, almost literally can’t go a day without pulling this out of my backpack.
  6. Seatools for DOS (bootable CD): Hard drive failures are extremely common. The easiest and fastest way I’ve found to test for a failed HDD is to boot to a CD with Seatools for DOS.
  7. Clonezilla (bootable CD): Where other disk cloning tools have failed, Clonezilla (I use the one based on Ubuntu) has succeeded. It’s free (as in beer as well as in freedom), it supports every file system in existence and it’s powerful.
  8. Small nylon prybar: Necessary for separating delicate computer plastics, especially in laptops.
  9. Set of small screwdrivers: For disassembling not only laptops, but the odd instance when a desktop has abnormally small screws somewhere (it happens).
  10. CMOS batteries: For when older computers have dead CMOS batteries. It happens frequently enough to carry a few with me.
  11. Small flashlight: When it’s dark, it’s hard to fix things.

You don’t have to be paid to have an opinion about computer repair tools. What tools do you need?

]]> http://openswitch.org/2011/12/08/11-tools-i-need-to-be-an-effective-it-tech/feed/ 2 What’s a data owner to do? http://openswitch.org/2011/12/06/whats-a-data-owner-to-do/ http://openswitch.org/2011/12/06/whats-a-data-owner-to-do/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:47:28 +0000 Ben http://openswitch.org/?p=27 What is the one piece (or set) of data you can’t replace and couldn’t live without?  For a residential user this is likely going to be data along the lines of music, family pictures or videos which, if lost, would be literally irreplaceable.  For the small business owner this data probably looks more like Quickbooks company files and other business data.  Now realize that unless that data is being actively backed up it could all be gone in the blink of an eye.

Here are a few scary facts:

  • Only 50% of small businesses back up their data
  • Of those that do, only 10% do it on a regular basis
  • 7 out of 10 businesses go bankrupt after a major data loss
  • 31% of PC users have lost all of their PC files to events beyond their control

The more we as a culture come to rely upon technology for our media, our family memories and our business, the more we are susceptible to its shortcomings when we don’t plan on its failure.  How are you planning on your computer failing?  There are dozens of options for data backup, here are a few of my recommendations.

Local Backup Solution

The first method of preventing data loss is backing up your important data locally.  Typically this will take the form of thumb-drives, external hard drives and other computers.  The main advantage to local backup is that you maintain complete control over your data by having actual physical possession of it.

The downside to local data backup is two-fold: 1) it takes commitment and/or technical know-how to make sure the backup is being performed as necessary and 2) your local backup is still susceptible to environmental threats like flood and fire as well as theft.

Remote Backup Solution

The second method of data backup is to duplicate it remotely via a service like Carbonite.  I have no relationship with Carbonite whatsoever, I’ve merely found it to be one of the easiest and most reliable remote backup solutions around.  The main advantages to remote backup include being easy to set up and maintain, and also the fact that your important data is no longer on your premises.

The downside to remote backup is that even remote servers can crash.  We saw this happen when the social bookmarking company Ma.gnolia suffered a catastrophic data loss of not only their primary data but their backups as well.  As a result, that company is no longer in business.

So what’s a data-owner to do?  Ideally if you have irreplaceable data it needs to be backed up both locally as well as remotely.  In other words, if you don’t have three up to date copies of the data you can’t live without, you’re doing it wrong.  More than that, you’re asking to become one of the 30% of PC users who lose data they can’t replace.

]]> http://openswitch.org/2011/12/06/whats-a-data-owner-to-do/feed/ 3