14 Dec
I am proud to announce we launched our new website. On this website you’ll find a detailed portfolio & more about us. Although there is still alot of work todo (optimise css/xhtml, w3c validation, content correction). Check out our site in english & dutch
21 Aug
Digital Base is looking for young skilled Belgian (dutch speaking) web developers. If you want to work in a small team on various projects (medium to large business) in a relaxed & friendly environment send your CV to me at snk00sj@digitalbase.eu Before you do that, make sure you have the following qualifications :
Make sure to mention your references and/or degrees.
Talk to you soon
21 May
We (@ DigitalBase) are using WindowsXp clients connected to a Samba Domain Controller (samba 3.X).
Due to the fast expansion & new workstations, i figured we could use something for “automatic software rollout”. At my previous assignment they were using a Windows SMS Server to rollout hotfixes, patches, software etc…This solution turned out really valueable & trustworthy. Software updates as well as new installs were faster/easier then i imagined, what eventually would free up some time on other “fronts”.
As we are using an open-source variant & no m$ domain controller this was not an option. The current set-up already forced windows clients to run a logon script. But untill now i never used that to maintain/administer systems. After looking around (tnx google 
), i bumped onto an “open-source” solution that goes by the name of WPKG.
WPKG is an automated software deployment, upgrade and removal program for Windows.
It can be used to push/pull software packages, such as Service Packs, hotfixes, or program installations from a central server (for example, Samba or Active Directory) to a number of workstations.
It can run as a service to install software in the background, without user interaction.
It can install MSI, InstallShield, PackagefortheWeb etc. packages, and all other packages using repackaging or some batch scripting.
Source WPKG website.
Apparently this piece of (great) sofware, does not require a server side installation. The only requirements are a shared network resource & the installation of the WPKG client service (on the client machines). During installation you need to enter the location of 4 different scripts (3 configuration variables & engine .js script). As there was an existing netlogon samba share, i placed the all files in that share & pointed the installer to those files. After that you’ll need to set-up some user(s) & permission(s). I would advise to create a new samba user to access those scripts, this way you don’t need to update the cached password each X days (if samba password changes). I added that user as local administrator on the 4 Client’s & made sure the WPKG service was up & running.
Consider this post part1, i’ll post how i succeeded installing software on the clients the same hour (i am tired now).
17 May
Some weeks ago i got some new monitors for my employers (2x Samsung Syncmaster 226 Bw). After checking out some monitor specifications i was fully convinced that these 22′ monitors were the best available monitors (price/quality), the Samsung 226BW has a response time of 2ms and a contrast ratio of 3000:1. After wortking with these monitors for 2 weeks, i was convinced of Samsung, an upcoming power in hardware parts.
So after the nice “Ricoh incident“, i needed a new printer. Again checking review websites as well as pricewatch listings, i didn’t find a suitable printer that would offer me the functions i need. This is what i had on the requirements list :
When calling around & checking some various shops, one of those shops told me he had a brand new Samsung CLX-3160FN in stock (the last one), it’s a new Laser printer (all in one) solution that wasn’t even listed on the belgian Samsung website. (so i guess it was really new). I went to pick it up, although i noticed the specifications noted the CLX-3160FN printer could only print about 4pages per minute (in color), at the same time it had many other functions to compensate for the slow color printing (black&white has 16ppm). I was pleasantly surprised the printer had the retail price of 500€, what was less then i paid for the Ricoh machine 2 years ago.
Coming back @ our office, i immediately unpacked it. The CLX-3160FN comes with very good & brief instructions. You could call it a ‘fool-proof’ installation procedure. The printer picked up an ip adress from the DHCP server, allowing us to connect to it after about 10 seconds. After installing the drivers i noted the menu’s & applications were very clear & user friendly. I got a 10minute “godmode’ feeling when playing around with various features like : scan to email, scan to application, multi scan, fax from computer, fax to email etc…
I’ll write about some of these features later, it all comes down to my main point : “Samsung & CLX-3160FN rock ! ”
16 May
Digital Base is looking for young skilled Belgian (dutch speaking) web developers. If you want to work in a small team on various projects (medium to large business) in a relaxed & friendly environment send your CV to me at snk00sj@digitalbase.eu Before you do that, make sure you have the following qualifications :
Make sure to mention your references and/or degrees.
Talk to you soon
11 May
2 years ago, i bought a CL2000 printer (Ricoh), thinking that i would be using this one for the upcoming 5 years, as i am not a frequent print-guy, paperless office remember ? Very good printer, stable, fast, not too noisy….
Now after 1year and a few months, the color began to fade. Pages came out semi-printed, right untill the point i couldn’t print anything at all. So i called the Ricoh helpdesk, as i was pretty sure the machine was still under warranty (2years), they told me to contact me reseller, and let him manage the warranty.
So that’s what i did…I sent a mail to the computershop where i bought this machine, very nice people. They told me to bring in the machine, so that’s what i did…So now yesterday i got word of Ricoh, seems like my printer is totally screwed, but what is worse is the reason :
Ricoh service checked my machine and noticed that there was still a coating/plastic underneith 2 of the toner cartridges. (see pictures below). So 2 years ago, when installing the machine, i was stupid enough to pull out 2 of the plastics, and leave 2 others behind ??!…In these kind of situations it’s always my word against theirs, but i am fully convinced that i couldn’t be this stupid leaving 2 of those plastics behind. So now i ask myself :
I was informed there are alot of broken / to-be-replaced parts on the machine. Apparently these costs will climb to about the price of a new machine (or even more expensive), +500€. I attached the pictures below, before you start accusing me how stupid i am, i am really sure i followed instructions, and also fully convinced “home-installations” need to be made “fool-proof”, that means the machine should detect a problem….
[Gallery not found]
Now lets hope when they send this machine back, we can still use some parts. As i know several people that use the same machine.
8 May
As we are currently three employers working in a “non-office” building, i would like to show you all how our offices look like. This used to be a children barbershop (Bles & Tres), that’s why the floor is red, and the wall has a children’s wallpaper. I have to admit, i am starting to get used to it (not to mention i almost like it :p ).
[Gallery not found]
2 Nov
2,5 years ago, when starting my own company, we wanted to offer webhosting to our webdesign customers, that’s why we decided to buy a server, and make use of a ‘colocation’ host for a 1U server. Pretty soon, it became clear we would need another ‘development’ machine to test/debug our applications before going live…So we bought another one…
Because we now had 3U’s space, we decided to look for a larger spot, so we would have more options afterwards. I convinced my cousin’s company to come along, and we decided to rent a 1/2 rack (colocation) in Amsterdam. At that moment we were still hosting gameservers, so we regulary did server updates (new hardware etc)…Now if you know that going to Amsterdam, without traffic, takes about 3hrs (and 3 hours back) by car, you can see that this is a terrible situation, and especially when your hardware malfunctions once in a while…
So at the end of my contract, i decided to move to Belgium with my servers. The prices of colocation in the Netherlands were booming because of energy pricing (that’s what they told me), and the service wasn’t all that either….
Because my network administrator has a small colocation company in Antwerp, Belgium. I decided to give it a go. Important detail is that i don’t profile myself as a webhosting company but i offer webhosting solutions to my webdevelopment clients. This way i do not have to keep 1000+ users in account, and i can guarentee maximum uptime to my clients (i know exactly which modules, dependancies, configuration these clients need).
Now as time is going by, my company has some decent clients that require maximum uptime. Because the location in Antwerp is fully dependant of realroot (a major player on the belgian colo market) we’ve had a few problems. Being dependant of only one company is a major flaw in any case, so i started looking for alternative solutions…And i did, a Brussels based colocation company, this company offers everything i need (multiple power feeds, independant network, own RIPE account), now let’s hope we could stay here for a while…
16 Oct
Hi all, it’s been awhile. I enjoy life as an independant consultant. It’s my second month fully independant (fulltime), and i’m loving it. Infact, new projects are coming in too fast, so we’re hiring.
We are looking for young skilled Belgian (dutch speaking) web developers. If you are interested send your CV to me at snk00sj@digitalbase.eu Before you do that, make sure you have the following qualifications :
Make sure to mention your references and/or degrees.
Talk to you soon
Recent Comments