Category: Tip

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Development Tech Tip

Docker Image Building – Lessons learned

(edited on 3/8/18 – typos/grammar)

My cps-WhatsNew script has a new permanent page on the blog site now. In addition, it has a new Docker image!  Check out the links and let me know what you think.

While the cps-WhatsNew script is relatively simple, I was thinking about how could I make it easier to implement the solution.  Docker was a clear choice.  As I’ve only been a consumer of Docker images, this “short” project was a very interesting foray into building my own image. Embarrassingly enough, it took much longer to complete than I had anticipated.

It took close to 3 full days of off and on effort and research to get everything put together and optimized.  The optimization part was the longest and I’m still not happy with the size of the docker image now that I’ve published everything.

Here are some hard-won lessons:

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Tech Tip

AirPort Express and AT&T U-Verse Pace 5268AC

Very interesting bug I thought I’d document somewhere.  My current home ISP service is AT&T UVerse and I recently Pac 5268AChad it serviced because of some issues.  I ended getting a whole new router – the Pace 5268AC. This was very exciting because all of my other equipment is no faster the N speed — this router gives me wireless AC.  Woot!  Although the router is so much better than what I had, still had some issues with my AirPort Express.

I had setup two v1 AirPort Express devices to some powered speakers. One that I kept outside.  They stop working well over a year ago and I thought it was because of a bad connection to the older router.  Still had the bad connection issue after the new router. So it must be the AirPort Express.  So I figure time for another upgrade.  I jumped on eBay and picked up a used late model AirPort Expess.

It arrived in the mail today and I of course couldn’t wait to set it up.  This is where things get interesting.

If you use the Airport Utility application to configure the Airport Express, you will not be given the option to configure the AirPort Expressdevice as a wireless client on the existing wireless network.  You must first set it up in a new network.  Obviously it is much easier to configure the device if you plug in an Ethernet cable to the Airport Express.  Once the device is back up, you can then configure it to be a wireless client on the existing network.  So I basically named the device, entered my wireless name, etc.

Once the AirPort Express restarted – my computer and most of my network couldn’t not access the Internet.  Somehow, some way, the AirPort was seriously screwing up the routing on the network.  I could access anything that was on the LAN side by using IP addresses.  As I use an external DNS server for DNS, I couldn’t access anything by name.  I also couldn’t access the router’s LAN port to see what issue the router would be reporting.  

In order to get everything back online, I had to unplug theater net cable from the AirPort Express and break the connection between my router and the down stream switch the AirPort was plugged into.  Once I reconnected the switch, we were back online.  

Fortunately, the AirPort Express was still connected. I moved it outside and hooked it up to my speakers and it works like a champ!  It’s going to be a nice relaxing weekend with poolside music.

-JT

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Tip

Really IE? Really? Shouldn’t more bits be better?

Difference between 64-bit IE and 32-bit IE

IE, aka the Bane of the Web, has struck again!  This time with it’s own Microsoft products!  (Okay “Bane of the Web” is maybe a bit much – just so frustrated with it right now.)

Just a quick note – if you are using the 64-bit version of IE (which should be “better”, no?), and you are encountering some issues with SharePoint, try switching back to the 32-bit version.  You’ll be amazed as things just start working. (grumble… grumble.)

Recently I spent enough time trying to resolve this issue it was worth a blog posting. I was trying to open a Sharepoint 2010 site in Explorer. I could do this without any issue on laptop. However on my desktop, the option was greyed out. After some googling around, I hit on this answer at SharePoint Stack Exchange. (Thanks guys!)

Difference between 64-bit IE and 32-bit IE
Difference between 64-bit IE and 32-bit IE

You may want to create a shortcut to the 32-bit version of IE on your desktop. You can generally find the 32-bit version at C:\Program Files(x86)\Internet Explorer\.

-JT

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Tip

Multiline Signature with Good Techologies iPhone Application

Real quick post as I like to share the knowledge when I actually stumble across something I find interesting:

I’m lucky enough to use my personal iPhone to access Exchange email at one of my clients.  They use Good Technologies as a mobile solution for all smartphones aside from BlackBerries.  In any event, I’ve downloaded the latest version of the iPhone app (v1.9.0.516), and was having some difficulties creating a multiline signature block.  All attempts made my signature information show up on the same line.

After giving up for the weekend, I came back on Monday full of rest and coffee to tackle the issue again.  (I mean what could be more important than my signature block?) 

Then it dawned on me: use HTML tags.  As soon as I put in the appropriate <br /> code in the right spot, everything worked.

Good luck!

JT

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Mac Mac Goodness Tech Tip

Sharing via iTunes Playlists

201006282028.jpg Now that I’ve pretty much ended my quest for a great calendaring solution for the family, I’ve turn my attention to sharing our media. Like a lot of families, I have a ton of music, pictures, and video scattered acrossed a number of machines. I’ve corralled a lot of this data to one SAMBA share on my Ubuntu server. This is good – as now I have one central place for all data that my family can now avoid on purpose. “What server?”, “uh, where can I find that movie/song/pic?”, etc. No matter, I will win them over soon (well… eventually.)

In any event, my wife asked me last night to put some new songs on her iPhone as all she has is older music – her musice dated back to circa 2009. Biting back the first sarcastic comment that came to mind (“You can find it on the server..”), I said sure. This little exercise was going to eat through my evening. Just because everything is in one location, everyone has their own iTunes database and none of them are up to date with the contents of collection. I thought I would have to blow away her iTunes database and import everything in the library again, or I would have to at least manually add every new song. However, I found a neat little procedure that save a ton of time and thought I would share it.

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