Lifelog

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).

Tired of navigating through different subfolders to reach that specific directory you were looking for ? Saving an image from the web to a certain directory takes you over 1 minute ? Stop looking for the same folders over & over again, let me introduce Dirkey.

Dirkey is a small utility that enables you to define bookmarks for folders and go back to these bookmarked folders from within File Open/Save dialogs and Windows Explorer. You can set and go to these bookmarks using your keyboard or your mouse. When Dirkey is active you can press Ctrl+Alt+0..9 in e.g. an Open/Save File dialog and a bookmark will be set on the current folder. You can go to any bookmarked folder by using Ctrl+0..9 in the same or another supported window. All bookmarks are global and are preserved when you turn your computer off. You can also open bookmarked folders in a new Explorer window.

Source : Dirkey Homepage

Plain simple, it rocks. I feel my life has gotten simpler. P.S. For xPlorer users, there is an xplorer plugin on the dirkey plugin page.

I created this page mostly for myself to have an overview of software i use on my systems.

Allway Sync : This freeware apps allows you to syncronize multiple devices. The app accepts commandline arguments for all your scripting needs. You also have the option to set the syncronisation direction & analyse before you sync. Great app !

Flashfxp : Without a doubt the best FTP/FXP client on the market, this software costs 25$ (see below)

PuTTy : A very good free ssh/telnet client, works like a charm, i tend to use the portaputty release so i can take it wherever i want

Truelaunchbar : Because windows (and kde/gnome) is lacking the ability to create custom root application menu’s, i use this nifty thirth party app to add menu’s to the top & bottom of my screen to have quick access to the common utils/commands. A personal licence costs 19$, and it’s worthy it.
WinSCP : Freeware SFTP and SCP client, i wouldn’t trade it for anything

Xplorer Pro : a very nice explorer replacement, very handy for file management because this application has 2 windows (similar to norton commander), i use the pro version that will cost you EUR 19.95, i couldn’t live without this anymore.

Zend Studio Pro : a PHP IDE that has cvs/svn integration aswell as an advanced debugging system. Best PHP IDE Around
As you already know by reading my blog, i like open-source software, but i also think that good software needs support, and there is no shame in asking money for a nice piece of software. I would like to urge you, if you like to work with the above software, to support the company and buy a licence !

OpenVPN : i use VPN to connect to the office from outside. OpenVPN is a free & very stable client for Windows machines.

IN my previous posts i sounded pretty convinced that i would be working with Ubuntu (Linux) from now on. Working with that OS for 2 weeks made me realize that i would always encounter some compability issues using the current OS.

As a webdesigner i use Zend Studio 5 (IDE) to develop PHP code. This IDE has some amazing features like advanced debugging, variable watches. Before going over to linux i knew there was a linux version available of this IDE. After installing the IDE for linux, i noticed it was alot slower then the windows variant. Because i was losing alot of time looking for ways to speed up the IDE, to make the fonts look better i decided togo back to load my WinXP image again, and start working from that.
I have alot of projects at this moment and maybe this is not the good moment to go for a new development environment, more news later…

Like i told you before i need Microsoft Outlook at my work. Thats the only reason that i had the windows setup for a long time, dual boot systems are not very handy, especially when you cannot access your mail on both operating systems. For a long time i already knew there were other solutions, emulating windows in a linux environment (Crossover Office, Win4LinPro, Win4Lin, Qemu with KQemu, VMWare Workstation). In my case i took my shot using the biggest name, VMWare

VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation is powerful desktop virtualization software for software developers/testers and enterprise IT professionals that runs multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC. Users can run Windows, Linux, NetWare, or Solaris x86 in fully networked, portable virtual machines – no rebooting or hard drive partitioning required. VMware Workstation delivers excellent performance and advanced features such as memory optimization and the ability to manage multi-tier configurations and multiple snapshots.

The VMWare installation went pretty flawless, after installing/compiling some dependencies my laptop (Asus V6) showed the VMWare Workstation windows. I was surprised at the user-friendly interface which allowed me to quickly create a ‘virtual machine’ and start installing WinXP. I choose for a virtual machine with 512Mb of RAM (i have 1024 in total) with a diskspace of 8GB (more then enough for Windows/Outlook/Office). I inserted the WindowsXP Professional cd, and the first time i got it right, after 40 minutes of cdrom noise & a high cpu load i got it up and running.

Screenshots will be up soon…