Ha! I’ll bet you thought this blog was dead.
Well, it was almost dead, but isn’t anymore (hopefully).
Today I’m going to talk about how to use a HP Thunderbolt G4 dock with a M4 Pro Macbook Pro laptop to get multiple displays to work.
Continue readingAs a follow-on to my first post about Amazon Lightsail, here’s some additional information that I’ve discovered…
Continue readingOne of the goals I have for the new system is to replace the two existing servers.
My current plan is to do this via virtualization.
There are a number of virtualization options available … each with advantages & disadvantages.
The virtualization products I’m currently consider are:
(Read this entire post, as there is a very weird problem described later)
It’s been quite a while since I upgraded the hardware that runs this (and others) web site.
The warranty on the systems either will be expiring soon or has already expired.
So I bit the bullet and ordered a new Dell PowerEdge T310 server. The pertinent specs are:
The system arrived last week and I got it set up immediately.
I actually ordered the system with only one 250gb hard drive and 4gb of RAM … and upgraded it myself.
A few things annoyed me out of the gate …
Continue reading
Yes, it’s that time of year again … UPGRADE TIME!
With the release of Fedora 12 a few months ago, I’m taking the holiday break from work to get my servers up to a more current version of Linux.
The fact that Fedora 10, the version of Linux I am currently running, is no longer going to be updated added a little more incentive.
In general, I’ve been quite pleased with the technical support I get from Dell’s Small & Medium sized Business division.
They usually adapt quickly to my level of technical expertise and take my word for it when I report a problem. Once the failing component has been identified, they quickly setup the appropriate dispatch to get the problem corrected.
Yesterday, however, was an exception.
A few days ago Ginny’s desktop machine (a home built system cobbled together from various parts I had on hand) finally gave up it’s ghost. It wouldn’t book up, just gave one long beep, waited a few seconds, gave another long beep, over and over.
Well, her laptop (Dell Inspiron 8600) is almost out of warranty … and she’s not going to be getting my Dell Latitude D630 (due to the Latitude E6400 being returned), so I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get her a new computer.
So we went over to CompUSA (formerly Tiger Direct) and looked at the small form factor desktop systems. We chose a Gateway SX2800-01 system (Core 2 Quad, 4gb RAM, 640gb SATA disk, 64bit Vista Home). The only problem was that it had on-board Intel video and no DVI output (although it does have HDMI output). Cost about $500. FWIW: This is Ginny’s first new computer in quite a while. Most of her other computers were hand-me-downs (from me).
This will probably be the last post I write with the Dell Latitude E6400 I purchased recently.
Next week I’m going to call Dell and arrange to return the laptop for a refund.
This is the first Dell computer that I’m really dissatisfied with and, frankly, I’m surprised that Dell dropped the ball so badly. The E6400 is (at least in my opinion) a major step backwards from the D630.
There is apparently going to be a bit more getting used to this new laptop.
The other day, before I went to bed, I put my new Dell Latitude E6400 into standby mode … I’m 99% sure I did this.
The next morning, however, when I went down stairs I found my laptop powered on.
That evening, before I went to bed I hibernated the laptop.
Once again, the next morning, I found the laptop powered on.
Obviously this is pretty odd.
So last night I tried an experiment … I put the laptop into standby mode and, within seconds, it resumed from standby. I then put the laptop into hibernate mode … and 30 minutes later, it powered itself back up.
Note: Although my sales & support experience with the machine were generally positive, my experiences with the machine itself were not. I have since sent it back to Dell.
I just had some really good customer support experiences with Dell. I know, some of you are going to think this is impossible, but it really happened.
Ginny’s laptop is getting kind of old … it’s an Inspiron 8600, almost out of warranty, and the screen hinge is pretty loose. Plus she needs another computer, with more video capability, to play with Second Life.
I figured it was time for an upgrade. I was also thinking it was time for my laptop to upgrade also.
So I ordered a new Dell Latitude E6400 laptop for myself, from Dell’s Small Business division, and will give Ginny my Latitude D630 (which has more CPU power, memory, and better video than her Inspiron 8600).