iMatt :: The Blog of Matt Clare

Over the last month I’ve moved from my previous Virtual Private Server (VPS) with A2WebHosting to Linode.

A2WebHosting was a good host back when I only needed a shared host, before I wanted the apache web server highly configure with a lot of extra settings and things like PHP’s APC. My transition to A2WebHosting’s VPS service I was not that great. I’ve run basement servers that were more reliable.

A lot of the frills of having your own virtual server weren’t there with A2WebHosting, but what was worse was for the first year I wasn’t able to load any kernel modules…. like ipfilters – the firewall! — I wasn’t too public about that problem. Also the drive was often so slow (I/O wait) the site slowed to being almost unresponsive.

I’ve now transitioned to Linode. A VPS host only. I first discovered them when tracking down where comment (wiki) spam bot traffic was coming from — the hackers know where to find value.

Their recent increase in storage ensured that their low-end offering was much better than what A2 offered. I’ve since really appreciate their custom web-dashboard and iPhone app for managing servers.

I’ve also transitioned from a CentOS host and the Red Hat / RPM world to Ubuntu. The recent politics around the CentOS releases sealed the deal in me moving from the free version of the “enterprise” standard to Ubuntu’s well respected and also free Linux version.

So now that I’ve got this new, more reliable virtual server with more resources I think I need to start coming up with some more web projects soon!

I had a great time at the Sakai Conference 2011 in Los Angeles.

My presentation this year was titled LMS-Based Teaching Hacks: A Collection of Simple Ideas to Tweak Your Teaching Within an LMS. It was well received and the room was standing room only.

Much as the development community would use the term, these teaching hacks were intended to be pragmatics solutions about using a resource not as it was originally intended to be used.

I shared a collection of simple ideas that can magnify the impact of an instructor’s teaching through the use of an LMS labelling them “Teaching Hacks”. Some of the teaching hacks addressed concerns with student attendance and communications, others with facilitating collaboration and other elements of active learning.

Not only were there a lot of good questions, but I also was given some great feedback that I’ve already incorporated.

Here’s the collection and other resources now posted at the Sakai Confluence Wiki site: confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/CONF2011/2011-16-15+LMS-Based+Teaching+Hacks

I enjoyed main of the other sessions focussing on Sakai’s future with OAE, it’s strong base with CLE.

I was able to engage in some interesting discussions that informed what I’m interested in with Isaak/Sakai at Brock University. The sessions on Turnitin integration with Assignments(2) were useful, and I think the Sakai community is close to addressing a long standing issue with its help files (although not there yet) – I promise to help.

Good conference.

The bottom line: I didn’t get your E-Mail last week, please re-send it. Sorry about that.

Here’s the story:

I’m in the process of consolidating my DNS names/services at Hover.com. Hover.com is retail side of the Canadian internet stalwart TuCows.com.

Hover offers a service for $25 for their concierge to handle DNS address transfers to Hover. I opted in, as I had previously transferred some domains and the “locking” etc. was a little tricky and with the address passnerd.com , rimcount.com , timelesstweet.com , clurko.com and lindsayclare.ca were all at A2Webhosting.com and mattclare.ca was at CanReg.com. I always knew .ca would be a problem, but I had no idea how big it would be..

I had called Hover’s toll-free number two weeks before mattclare.ca expired. It sounded like lots of time as we talked through the plan.

I sent my concierge at Hover my passwords and he changed the contact E-Mail at A2WebHosting to his own. The .com address were transferred to Hover very quickly without issue.

CanReg refused to send the transfer E-Mails to my concierge’s E-Mail address, despite appearances from their web interface to suggest everything had been changed. CanReg kept sending E-Mails to my @mattclare.ca address. We both tried, but despite a number of changes in a number of locations the transfer details were always being sent to @mattclare.ca

The transfer was started on a Friday in the early afternoon. My concierge warned me by E-Mail that he was about to start and shortly after the transfer E-Mail showed up. I wasn’t able to check my E-Mail that afternoon until 5:30 that night and even though Hover is open 8:00 to 8:00, they apparently don’t hand-off cases. My E-Mail sat in my concierge’s inbox through the Sunday expiration of my mattclare.ca domain.
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If your web site is running on Apache, and almost all are, there’s a simple way to protect directories on your web server. This method can be very secure, when combined with HTTPS and some good practices on your part, but it can also be a simple way to limit access to just a few people who know a password – perhaps as an alternative to Facebook sharing.

The feature being used is Apache’s HTTP Basic Authentication module. Apache has their own How-To at their web site, but here are the basics:

You need to add two files to your web server, and it helps if you have access to a terminal/command prompt.

Here are two key files and their their contents.
.htaccess

#Force HTTPS
#RewriteEngine On
#RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
#RewriteRule ^(.*) %{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R,L]

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Restricted Files"
AuthBasicProvider file
# Needs full unix file address, output of pwd command
AuthUserFile /var/www/html/examples/guest_w_pass/.htpasswd
Require valid-user

These are basic .htaccess directives, that most web servers should allow. The first segment is to force the use of HTTPS, you might want uncomment that if HTTPS is important to your application. The second section turns on basic authentication and directs the web server to where to get the password file – you can put the password file anywhere your web server can access it and it does not have to be in the same folder as the .htaccess file. You are responsible for finding the full unix path to the file, either from the pwd command or the “Get Info” option inside a file browser.

.htpasswd

guest:{SHA}K8+J8fKKKxjnREM2J4/C72Qawa4=


This file is the results of the command htpasswd -sc .htpasswd guest. The s after the – is for SHA-based password hashing and the c after the – is for create. The file can be added to or updated with the command htpasswd .htpasswd username. Run the command htpasswd --help for more information.
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The BlackBerry Playbook coming out on April 19^th has some familiar plays in it – if you grew-up in Ontario:

1. RIM is a Waterloo-based company
2. RIM is/was known for their trackball
3. The device is running the QNX operating system, developed by Waterloo/Ottawa-based QNX Software Systems (which RIM just bought)
4. The screen and input device is are an all-in-one deisgn
5. The whole enterprise seems like a string of poor decisions to create something that will be expensive and will not be successful

Where have we seen these plays before?

The Unisys ICON! Wikipedia Article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisys_ICON

The computer built specifically for use in Ontario schools commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Education.

(Thanks for the image, Old-Computers.com)

Unisys ICON computers were kicking around my public school when I was a kid. They didn’t do much beyond very basic word-processing and had a lot of games on them, thanks to the local board of education, and a few of my friends. They were all networked, and relatively reliable, save for the poor teacher/”computer lead” who gave admin access to some of the Grade 8 students.

The ICONs had a trackball (the PlayBook won’t, but the BlackBerry Pearl and others do), it had an all-in-one hardware design, and sat in the corner of our classroom, mostly unused.

The most relevant commonality is that the old ICONs were running the QNX operating system!

The ICON was ultimately deemed too expensive to keep in use or develop for and was cast-off in favour of Apple and others’ more user friendly products.

So now you know Ontario: when you think BlackBerry Playbook, think Unisys ICON.

Apparently two more things they have in common is no E-Mail application and they both can’t connect to the internet on their own!
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