eldipablo
I am the founder of the mildly successful tech blog Bauer-Power (http://www.bauer-power.net), and the monthy tech podcast Tech Chop (http://www.techchop.com). For those who want to know, I have a B.S. in Computer Networks and a B.S. in Network Security from Coleman University in San Diego, CA. I also hold the following certs: A+, Net+, VCP, MCITP SA
Homepage: http://www.bauer-power.net
Posts by eldipablo
Get More Out of SNMP
Dec 2nd
When I started my current day job one of the things the IT department didn’t have was a decent monitoring system. They did have an external service that monitored the company websites, but nothing internally for monitoring servers for disk space, service, or CPU issues. To remedy that problem I decided to implement a really cool open source monitoring solution called Zenoss Core.
After setting up Zenoss, I learned about a really cool application for Windows servers that lets you get more our of monitoring using SNMP. With this applications, it means less to configure, and you can simply add servers to your monitoring solution with SNMP, and pretty much get everything you need to keep your network in top top shape!
It’s called SNMP Informant. Here are some of it’s features from their website:
- Full 64 bit support – Our "all-in-one" installer automatically detects the operating system version and installs
the correct components - Access Windows Performance data – Our Performance providers allow you to connect to any "out of the box" Windows Performance counter object using industry standard SNMP Object IDs (OIDs)!
- Access Custom Performance data – Our new "Custom" provider (part of SNMP Informant-Premium) allows you to collect data from any valid Windows performance counter. If you’ve got a performance counter instrumented application, and you can see the performance counters in PerfMon, then you can monitor it using SNMP Informant Premium!
- Run Remote scripts and collect data – If you’re using custom scripts to monitor something on a remote Windows server, you can now execute that script remotely using SNMP Informant, and collect the results of that script into an OID that YOU specify!
- Use your OWN Private Enterprise ID – You can customize SNMP Informant to respond to queries made against your OWN IANA Private Enterprise number!
- Read Remote Registry information – The new "Custom" provider also lets you specify what registry value to read!
- Collect WMI information – Our WMI providers allow you to connect to the Windows Management Instrumentation sub-system using SNMP! Stop/Start/Restart services! Reboot servers! Execute programs remotely!
- Monitor Exchange, SQL, Cluster, BizTalk, ISA and more, including Forefront, WSUS, Virtual Server, Citrix, the OS, and system hardware. Supported Operating Systems include Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7, Server 2000, Server 2003 (incl. R2), AND Server 2008 (incl. R2).
- Extend your monitoring system’s ROI – If you use products like HP Network Node Manager, IpSwitch Whatsup, OpenNMS, Nagios/Cacti/MRTG/RRDttool, Zenosss, or other SNMP compliant management platforms, find out how SNMP Informant can add significant value to them in minimal time and with minimal effort!
- Stop/Start/Restart Services and Windows Server – Using SNMP, you can control your Windows server like never before!
- Can be used with SNMPv1, SNMPv2 and SNMPv3 – Many companies are starting to to take advantage of enhanced SNMPv3 security. SNMP Informant supports all 3 versions. Find out more here!
- SNMP Informant is priced attractively – We recognize that while functionality is important, value cannot be overlooked. That’s why we have priced SNMP Informant to help maximize your IT budget spending.
Their standard version is absolutely free, so you can start adding it to all of your Windows servers today, and start seeing better results with your monitoring solution.
What are you guys using for monitoring these days? Solarwinds? What’s Up? Microsoft Systems Center? OpManager? What’s your favorite and why? Let us know in the comments.
-=El Di Pablo=-
Four Applications That Will Get You More Youtube Views
Dec 1st
Image via CrunchBase
A while back I mentioned some applications and or plugins I found that will help boost the views you have on a particular Youtube video on Bauer-Power. These methods might be considered by some as shady. I say, if by shady you mean helpful, then yes… Very shady!
All of these tools are fully automated. You can simply set them, and forget them to earn credits which in turn you can trade in for more views. With some of them, not only can you get more views, but you can also get comments, likes, favorites and subscribers! Basically everything you need to be the next Justin Bieber.
Here’s my list:
- Vagex – Terrible name I know. Sounds like something your girlfriend might use when she’s feeling not so fresh. Trust me though, it’s the best one out there. Not only can you get more views, but you can specify key words that you want to rank for in Youtube’s search. Plus you can get likes, favs, comments and subs as well.
- U2BViews – This is number two on my list. This is available as a desktop application as well as a Firefox extension. They are getting ready to add likes, favs and subs, but they do not have it yet. I’ve also chatted with the developer and talked them into adding Google Plus One’s as well.
- Viewet – This one is pretty much just like U2BViews, except it’s really only good for more views in my opinion. The thing I like about it is you can manage your credits easier. You can withdraw from one video to deposit on another video.
- Enhanceviews – This one runs as a browser plugin only. This one is great for comments and likes. You can even submit your Youtube account to them to use as they see fit, and earn credits that way. The only thing I don’t like about it though is their credit to view ratio. The ones above are all one to one, but Enhanceviews is something like 38 to one. Still, you can rack up credits pretty fast.
So why would you want to use this I hear you mumbling to yourself, all creepy like. This can best be answered from the Viewet page:
YouTube video views benefit your videos in many different ways. Viewet [and the other tools] increase your video’s ranking for your keywords and tags, increases the chances of your video being featured on a Google search for the keywords on your video, and also can get you video honors and even featured on the YouTube homepage.
If you can make it to the front page of Youtube, you are two clicks away from Bieberdom! Woot!
The best thing about these tools is they are 100% free to use. They all have paid features, but the free versions are robust enough that you don’t need to use them. I find it’s best to set these up on a computer in the corner over the weekend with the sound off, and walk away. The next time you have a video of you cats doing something super cute, use your new secret weapons to push them to the front page.
Got questions about these? Know of any other similar tools? Let’s chat in the comments!
-=El Di Pablo=-
US Readers, Help Us Stop Internet Censorship
Nov 30th
Karl and I try to not get too political on our blogs for the most part. I mean, Bauer-Power and AskTheAdmin are just not the right forums for political debate. However, I think this type of topic is relevant, and it’s something I am very worried about.
You see, if you did not know, there are currently two major censorship bills passing through the halls of government these days. SOPA, and Protect IP. From what I understand from the media, SOPA is pretty much dead thanks to you Internet users that have contacted your representatives, but Protect IP is still being pushed through the Senate.
What is Protect IP? From Wikipedia:
The PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011; United States Senate Bill S.968) is a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to "rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods", especially those registered outside the U.S.The bill was introduced on May 12, 2011 by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 11 initial bipartisan co-sponsors. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that implementation of the bill would cost the federal government $47 million through 2016, to cover enforcement costs and the hiring and training of 22 new special agents and 26 support staff. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, but Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) placed a hold on it.
The PROTECT IP Act is a re-write of the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), which failed to pass in 2010. A similar House version of the bill, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced on October 26, 2011
According to groups like the Eff and AmericanCensorship.org, this bill is vague enough that it will make it really easy for the US Government to shut down any website they deem a threat. Mmmm, what’s that smell? Smells like communist China! I don’t know about you, but I like my freedom of speech protected by the first amendment. This act threatens that freedom.
Imagine if one day Uncle Sam had an issue with AskTheAdmin? Guess what Jack! You can’t read it any more! Don’t let that happen!
Well, I’m asking for your help. Please use the form above to call your representatives and let them know that you oppose the Protect IP Act. We need as many calls as possible before the Senate breaks for the holidays if we want to stop it.
-=El Di Pablo=-
Microsoft’s Vision of Tomorrow
Nov 30th
I was cruising around on Stumbleupon today during some down time, and came across this video from Microsoft showing how they envision our world of tomorrow with the advancements of technology. It’s pretty interesting to thing that some day we will not have computers and laptops like we do now, but our smart phones, and tablet devices will be powerful enough to replace them. Heck, even our credit cards will be powerful computers!
Not only that, but all the walls, and windows around us will be computerized as well, and can sync up with our mobile devices. Seeing the way technology is right now, I don’t think this dream is too far fetched any more. Check it out:
Some comments on the Youtube page say things like:
Technology? will kill us! – pajkica
I know I am a f***n hippie or something for all of you.. But who cares about the future of technology? We have computers, and cell phones, and we can enter? internet every moment we want, we have bluray, we have 3d.. We can communicate now with everybody! so… It’s time to talk about the future of the people microsoft..;/ – RandomProductionzzTV
While others are saying:
All I can say is that it’s awesome. I would like to live that future? :) thank you for sharing it. – wesamly
It seems the future holds technology that is incredibly intuitive, knowing exactly where the user wants it? to go, as if there are no other options. There are some interesting and exciting parts to this video, but also some things that woulde cause fear for anyone concerned about privacy. The concierge seemed to know a lot. Identity theft seems easier in the future. – citzsold
What do you think about Microsoft’s vision of the future? Flippin’ awesome? Cold and bleak? I’m curious to know what your vision of the future is. Let us know in the comments!
-=El Di Pablo=-
Cool Free Tool For Wardriving
Nov 29th
I think it was in 2006 I attended my first hacker convention in San Diego called Toorcon. It was pretty cool because the company I worked for at the time was a sponsor, so they paid for my admission in. I will never forget one of the guys that I saw there. Dude was bald with a douchy bluetooth headset on, a military M1 jacket with cammo pants, sunglasses indoors, combat boots, and of course a backpack with a friggin’ antenna coming out of the back that was easily six feet tall. The dude was a serious wardriver.
What is wardriving you ask? According to Wikipedia:
Wardriving is the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by a person in a moving vehicle, using a portable computer, smartphone or PDA…
…Wardriving originated from wardialing, a technique popularized by a character played by Matthew Broderick in the film WarGames, and named after that film. Wardialing in this context refers to the practice of using a computer to dial many phone numbers in the hopes of finding an active modem.
Basically you drive around, and look for open wireless networks. Simple right?
Now I’m not saying you need to be like the guy at the hacker convention, but sometimes it’s nice to know where in town you can go to catch some free Internet in case you have to send an emergency Tweet, or update Facebook at the drop of the hat.
Well I found a cool tool that runs on Windows that will automatically try find and connect to open wireless networks when you’re in range, and will alert you to stop when it has found an open access point and is trying to connect.
The tool is called outSSIDer, and you can get it as a free download. From their page:
outSSIDer automatically attempts to connect to any open access point that comes within range as you walk down the streets hunting for WiFi.
When an attempt is made it alerts you with sound to stand still and wait. That way you don’t need to watch the screen while walking – you can even close the laptop lid to save battery!
The connection is then verified against payment hotspots and restricted networks by trying to fetch the Google website icon.
If it fails connecting or verifying, it alerts you with the sound again and resumes scanning.
This tool is light and easy to use, and certainly a good tool to have in your wardriving goody bag. Do you go wardriving ever? What tools do you like to use? Let us know in the comments!
-=El Di Pablo=-
Need A Free Web Host? We’ve Got The Hookup!
Nov 28th
A few years ago I came across a free web host provider, and have been using them ever since. Now, as some of you know, I have my own technology blog called Bauer-Power, and that is hosted on Blogger. I love Blogger because it’s easy and free. Plus it’s owned by Google, so that means that the servers that it’s running on are fairly rock solid. The problem with Blogger though is it’s not as versatile as other blogging platforms like WordPress.
For you guys looking to move over to WordPress like here at AskTheAdmin, you probably want to go with your own web host. What if you don’t have any cash yet? I mean it takes a few months for that Adsense revenue to kick in right? Well don’t fret, I have a solution for you. It’s a free webhost that supports PHP and MySQL. Guess what? That is exactly what WordPress runs on jack!
The provider is called 000Webhost, and here is a list of their free hosting features:
- 1500 MB of Disk Space, 100 GB Bandwidth
- Host your own domain
- cPanel Powered Hosting
- Over 500 website templates ready to download
- Easy to use website builder
- Free POP3 Email Box with Webmail access
- FTP and Web based File Manager
- PHP, MySQL, Perl, CGI, Ruby.
- And many more…
I personally use them for my custom Ninja themed URL shortening service, and I also set up a test WordPress blog so you can see what I’m talking about. You can have unlimited websites under your account as well, so if you want to be the next Internet mogul, you can get started on 000Webhost.
Know of any other free web hosting providers? Are they better than 000Webhost? Why? Share with the rest of the class in the comments!
-=El Di Pablo=-
Disclosure Notice: Although 000Webhost is free for you, I will get $5 per sign up as long as your account stays active for 30 days. A guy has to pay the bills doesn’t he?
