Setup:

• IIS 6.0 (Windows Server 2003)
• Java JRE 6 update 14
• Tomcat 6.0.18
• JK 1.2.28 Connector

Step 1 – Install Java

• Download here.

Step 2 – Configure $JAVA_HOME environment variable

• Right-click My Computer ->Properties ->Advanced ->Environment Variables
• New System Variable -> set JAVA_HOME to “C:\Program Files\Java\jre6″ (or path to your java install)

Step 3 – Install Tomcat

• http://archive.apache.org/dist/tomcat/tomcat-6/v6.0.18/bin/apache-tomcat-6.0.18.exe
• Change tomcat install directory to point to C:\tomcat
• Run tomcat on localhost (for test purposes only, unless you plan on running tomcat locally in production)
• Test tomcat installation by pointing your browser to http://localhost:8080
• Create the C:\tomcat\ISAPI directory

Step 4 – Set permissions on C:\tomcat directory

• Add the following users to the NTFS security tab for this directory and ensure permissions propagate down to child directories

Network Service

IIS_WPG

Internet Guest Account(<machine_name>\IUSR<machine_name>)

Current admin user (if not already added)

• Give them all privileges

Step 5 – Download the Jk Connector (isapi_redirect.dll) plugin

• Download plugin here.
• Look for the file named “isapi_redirect-1.2.28.dll” and download it to C:\tomcat\ISAPI
• Rename “isapi_redirect-1.2.28.dll” to “isapi_redirect.dll”

Step 6 – Create the C:\tomcat\ISAPI\isapi_redirect.properties file

• Contents of this file should contain the following:

# Configuration file for the Jakarta ISAPI Redirector
#
# The path to the ISAPI Redirector Extension, relative to the website
# This must be in a virtual directory with execute privileges
extension_uri=/jakarta/isapi_redirect.dll
#
# Full path to the log file for the ISAPI Redirector
log_file=C:\tomcat\logs\isapi_redirect.log
#
# Log level (debug, info, warn, error or trace)
log_level=info
#
# Full path to the workers.properties file
worker_file=C:\tomcat\conf\workers.properties
#
# Full path to the uriworkermap.properties file
worker_mount_file=C:\tomcat\conf\uriworkermap.properties

Step 7 – Create the C:\tomcat\conf\workers.properties file

• Contents of this file should contain the following (for now):

# workers.properties.minimal -
#
# This file provides minimal jk configuration properties needed to
# connect to Tomcat.
#
# The workers that jk should create and work with
#
#
worker.list=wlb,jkstatus
#
#
# Defining a worker named ajp13w and of type ajp13
# Note that the name and the type do not have to match.
#
worker.ajp13w.type=ajp13
worker.ajp13w.host=localhost
worker.ajp13w.port=8009
#
#
# Defining a load balancer
#
#
worker.wlb.type=lb
worker.wlb.balance_worker=ajp13w
#
#
# Defining status worker
#
#
worker.jkstatus.type=status

Step 8 – Create the C:\tomcat\conf\uriworkermap.properties file

• Contents of this file should contain the following (for now):

# uriworkermap.properties - IIS
#
# This file provides sample mappings for example wlb
# worker defined in workermap.properties.minimal
# The general syntax for this file is:
# [URL]=[worker name]
#
#/admin/*=wlb
#/manager/*=wlb
/examples/*=wlb
#
#/servlets-examples/*=wlb
# Optionally filger out all .jpeg files inside that context
# For no mapping the url has to start with (!)
#
#!/servlets-examples/*.jpeg=wlb
#
#
# Mount jkstatus to /jkmanager
# For production servers you will need to
# secure the access to the /jkmanager url
#
/jkmanager=jkstatus

Step 9 – Configure IIS – jakarta Virtual Directory

• Open IIS Manager
• Right-click on the website and create new Virtual Directory
• Name the virtual directory “jakarta”
• Point the path to C:\tomcat\ISAPI
• Set the Virtual Directory permissions to Read, Run scripts, and Execute (first 3 options)

Step 10 – Configure IIS – Add ISAPI filter to the website

• Right-click on website
• Go to ISAPI Filters tab
• Click Add
• Name it “tomcat ISAPI”
• Point the executable path to C:\tomcat\ISAPI\isapi_redirect.dll
• Apply / OK

Step 11 – Configure IIS – Add a Web Service Extension for the tomcat connector

• Right-click on Web Service Extensions
• Add new Web Service extension, name it “tomcat ISAPI”
• Point Web Service extension path to C:\tomcat\ISAPI\isapi_redirect.dll
• Set extension status to Allowed
• Apply / OK

Step 12 – Restart IIS

• Start ->Run ->iisreset

Step 13 – Test tomcat connector against localhost

• Point your browser to

http://localhost:8080/examples/servlets/servlet/HelloWorldExample

• If you see “Hello World!” then your local tomcat instance is serving up .jsp’s via IIS

Step 14 – Replace .properties files with company specific .properties files

Troubleshooting

• If you don’t see a green arrow after adding the isapi_redirect.dll to the wesite properties-> ISAPI filters tab, the that means IIS is not loading the module. Double check all your .properties files for syntax errors, and also check that the isapi_redirect.dll files and corresponding .properties file have the correct permission (IIS user added to security)
• Check eventvwr
• Check IIS logs in C:\WINDOWS\system32\LogFiles
• Check in C:\tomcat\logs\isapi_redirect.log

Caveats

• Check who IIS is running as (ApplicationPool->Properties->Identity)
  Add that user to security tab of isapi_redirect.dll and siapi_redirect.properties files with all permissions (and to parent folders) (for donbest this is Network Service user and IIS_WPG)… Had to do this to get IIS 6 to load the isapi_redirect.dll correctly (get the green arrow)
• If you’re getting HTTP 500 errors, try running www service in IIS 5.0 isolation mode (Web Sites->Properties->Service->isolation mode)
• Avoid spaces in pathnames of tomcat directories
• Add <machine_name>/IUSR_<machine_name> to NTFS security tab for all ISAPI/* related files (this prevents authentication dialogue window when clients try to access jsp or other files via the tomcat connector)

References

• http://www.iisadmin.co.uk/?p=40
• http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/tomcat-users/200310.mbox/%3CDBEJJMNGFEJDMFPHHKLHCEFCCJAA.matt@pauaware.co.nz%3E
• http://tomcat.apache.org/connectors-doc/reference/iis.html

One of the first things I do when I start a new job is print this image and post it up somewhere visible in my office, cube, workbench, or wherever it is “THE MAN” has me working.  I first saw it from one of my old colleague/mentor’s cube back when I used to work at Extreme Networks, and found it to be so funny, as it depicted the work ethic of many of our “fellow” co-workers.  Not only does it remind me of my good old tech support days, but throughout the years I’ve found that it also serves another purpose… it serves as a conversation starter when co-workers stop by to welcome me at my new job.  First, it lets them know that I have a sense of humor about things.  Second, it often provokes some sort of reaction, or story from them in which I can use to get a read on them.  And getting an early read on the people I’ll be working with is VERY essential in mapping out the “lay of the land” at the new gig.  If you’re lucky you’ll be working with people you know- which makes it easier to get the inside scoop.  However, life happens and at some point in your career you’ll have to go with the flow and move on to bigger and better things, leaving everone you know behind to start the new gig elsewhere- with complete strangers.  Lucky for me I have this handy-dandy flowchart to help accompany me on my new ventures!

• setting up a new network infrastructure for them
• rolling out a new ESXi based Virtual Machine host
• rebuilding a new Active Directory infrastructure
• moving all their servers and workstations from their old domain to their new one
• deploying new production servers (VMs) onto their new VM host
• migrating and decommissioning some of their legacy servers
• implementing a disaster recovery plan
• deploying a Symantec backup exec server and Symantec anti-virus server
• replacing their 20-year old PBX with an Avaya IP Office 412 system
• porting all of their DIDs and toll free numbers to another carrier
• and setting up an IVR system

All in all the move was a success and the end users were able to get right back to the swing of things by the target date.  There were some minor hiccups, but nothing we didn’t anticipate, and we were prepared with a back-up plan so as to avoid any unnecessary downtime.  Now we’re just doing some clean up work such as adjusting group policies, updating DNS records, modifying firewall rules, fixing minor user profile issues, and documenting the new setup along the way.

With this company alone I’ve gone through three big network moves (office moves, data center moves), all within a 2 year timeframe, and with each move I’ve found that there is always something new to be learned- like how to do things more efficiently.  Now it’s time to celebrate to the move’s success with good food and drinks- all on the company’s dime!

First impressions are very important, and you don’t want to start a job at a new place sticking out like a sore thumb.  You want to be able to adapt and fit in as best as possible (while staying true to yourself, of course), as doing so will put you in a better position to make friends at the workplace- who can then help you with some of the other steps listed below.

2. Set up your ‘battle zone”

The reason this is high on my list is because you always want to strive to hit the ground running when starting a new gig.  Employers like that.  The less training you require, the more it will save in the company’s bottom line.  And to hit the ground running, you need to setup your battle zone, i.e., the place where you’ll be conducting most of your business.  If it’s an office job then you’ll want to get your office/cube setup quickly and in an organized manner that will allow you to work efficiently and effectively.  Even if it’s not an office job, think of what you can do to set up your work environment such that it will maximize your efficiency.  Hell, I noticed a cashier at our local Albertsons who had a wet or sticky pad next to the plastic bags that allowed her fingers to easily open the tightly-pressed bags and pack our groceries at a faster rate.  She also clearly had a process of scanning/sorting the groceries while bagging such that the purchased items were grouped together when possible, allowing us customers to put groceries away more easily.  Now that’s great customer service, and her work habits will definitely help her maximize her value to the company.

3. Submit your benefits package

Don’t delay in getting your benefits package turned in.  The reason you’re working is probably for money, right?  And not getting your benefits forms filled out and submitted in a timely manner can cost you money down the line, especially if you have to wait for the next open enrollment cycle.  And if you have a 401k that matches, don’t procrastinate.  Start it now, and forget about it.  If someone walked up to you right now and offered you free money, would you take it?  Alrighty then.

4. Learn all of your department’s processes and policies

The last thing you want is your boss handing your ass to you for not following protocol, especially if it results in your boss getting his ass handed to him by hiss boss.  I’ve never had any problems with this personally, but I’ve seen it on a few occasions where others will try to be hot shots and escalate issues directly to the top without following the correct process or escalation path.  This often reflects bad on your boss, promoting the notion that he  or she doesn’t have things in control.  If you feel the process is flawed and compromises your ability to do your job then talk to your boss about it first.  If your boss isn’t willing to listen or can’t give you a good reason as to why the flawed process is the way it is, then you may want to re-think about whether or not you want to work for someone like that.  Especially if it’s hampering your abilities, or affecting your performance in a negative way.  If that’s the case then it may be worth highlighting the issue to upper management.  If they are not willing to listen or can’t give a valid reason as to why things are the way they are, then it’s time to update that resume.  Don’t let bad management corrupt you and drag your reputation through the mud.

5. Familiarize yourself with other department processes and policies

Having a solid understanding of other department processes and policies will allow for better interaction between you and them.  And building a good rapport amongst your colleagues will often be noted by management, making you less expendable come layoff time.  It will also help you understand the needs of the various departments, allowing you to service them in a higher quality fashion.

6. Discover your resources

Understanding what resources are available to you is another way of working more efficiently, leading to increased productivity.  Is there a company intranet or knowledge base?  If so, can the content help you throughout your day-to-day workflow?  Is there a shared file server?  Locate all the file server shares that are relevant to your job responsibilities and see if there are any tools and documents that can help you do your job before you go re-inventing the wheel.

7. Assess the tools available to your disposal

You are only as good as the tools that you use.  You can’t fix a flat tire with a hammer.  Make sure you’re equipped with the appropriate tools to do your job.  Ideally, you should have a good idea of the main tools you’ll be working with from the job interview process.  If you find the tools are lacking, make management aware of the tools that you’ll need as soon as possible and be ready to justify the costs (if any).  Make sure you don’t set yourself up for failure by accepting a job or a project in which you’re not equipped with the appropriate tools to get the job done.

8. Make yourself known

Get your name out there.  Market yourself within the company.  One of the best ways to accomplish this is by doing the dirty work.  Identify the hard, challenging, or mundane tasks that no one likes to work on, and position yourself to tackle them down.  The process of doing this will not only build up your exposure within the department or company faster, but you will become the de facto go-to guy for those things by default.  While this may not be ideal for you in the short term, the experience will help you identify inefficiencies in the existing processes which will open up opportunities to automate or pitch new ideas that will help streamline existing processes.  You will earn the respect of your colleagues and managers once you show that you are capable and willing to tackle the tough problems head on.

Back in my Tech Support days, when I supported enterprise network switches and routers, whenever a Priority 1 “Network down” call came in everyone would damn near run and hide in order to avoid that call.  You never knew if a “Network down” issue was going to last one hour or eight hours.  These cases somehow found their way to me more often than not.  After I noticed the trend, and after dealing with enough of these high visibility cases, I embraced the idea of being the de facto “P1 Network down” escalation point.  Working on these high visibility cases often involved triaging w/ the engineering department, maximizing my exposure within that group.  It also gave me the opportunity to interact with executive management on a consistent basis.  Admittedly, it felt good when the VPs or CEO would come to my cube for an update on a high visibility issue because it meant that they were confident in my ability to handle these types of cases- and that let me know I was doing something right.  It is also very gratifying to know that you were able to help the customer with his or her issue, especially when said customer goes out of their way to sing your praise to upper management once you’ve solved their issue!

9. Identify the workers and the slackers

The quicker you can identify the slackers, the less time you waste in your interactions with them.  You also minimize your risk of being associated with them (guilt by association).  Conversely, the quicker you can identify the true and bright workers, the faster you will excel by working with them.  Work with great people, and you too will be great.

Have you ever went to someone for help, and instead of getting the direction you were seeking all you got was an earful of how the guy met two hot chicks at a bar last night and came close to banging one of them- or some other random story that has nothing to do with your issue at hand?  When I first started in my career I was young and naive and alaways tried to be nice to everyone by listening and engaging in all the water cooler talk.  I soon observed who the smart engineers were and noticed that they never engaged in this “water cooler” custom, so I followed suit.  I learned to limit my interactions with the slackers, while being as polite and diplomatic as I could, and this immediately lead to increased productivity.  I then made a conscious effort to interact w/ the brighter engineers as much as possible, and this lead to a more rapid technical growth development.

10. Automate

Once you have a good idea of your workflow, identify any areas that can be automated and automate them.  Automate anything and everything that you can think of.  Automation can range from the simplest of tasks, like organizing your online/browser bookmarks for common online tools, or templates, or configuring email rules and filters to the more complex tasks like writing scripts or programs or macros to perform any repetetive or mundane parts of your workflow.  Automation not only makes your workflow less prone to human error, but it also allows you to free up time, and with that free time you can focus your efforts on new and more challenging tasks.  Or you can use the spare time to keep yourself fresh and up to date on new technologies that you can possibly use to improve your workflow.

Surely not all of these tips will apply to every job verbatim, but many of these principles can be applied to most jobs- tech or otherwise.  What are your top 10 things to do when starting a new job?

The Method

SSH onto your TS-209 II, then enter:

mount -o loop /dev/mtdblock5 /tmp/configcd /tmp/config

Now edit autorun.sh, add the following lines:

ln -s /sbin/config_util /sbin/set_hwtype/sbin/set_hwtype 2

Then unmount the partition:

cd /umount /tmp/config

Reboot the box, enjoy your TS-209 Pro II

NOTE: To examine if you’re running as TS-209 Pro II, go to Administration screen, check if you have the AD option in Microsoft Network section, and NFS in left panel.

NOTE: The NFS in TS-209 Pro II has some limitations, you can’t mount the exported filesystems on a Mac without some hacks, to make the exports mountable on OS X, take the following steps:

1. Setup your exports as usual (through QNAP’s web interface)
2. Go to /etc/config, edit nfssetting, change the access options from rw to rw,insecure,no_subtree_check
3. Re-enable NFS service through web interface.

That’s it.

1. Install sleepwatcher and install it so that it runs during bootup
2. Create .wakeup file in home directory. Sleepwatcher’s /etc/rc.sleep and /etc/rc.wakeup will execute whatever is in the user’s /home/.wakeup or /home/.sleep files whenever the Mac goes to sleep or wakes up. Here’s what I have in my .wakeup file which will mount my home network shares ONLY if I am at home:

$ cat .wakeup
#!/bin/sh
# Wait for network
/bin/sleep 10
status_wifi=$(/sbin/ifconfig en1 | /usr/bin/grep status | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $6}’)
status_ethernet=$(/sbin/ifconfig en0 |/usr/bin/grep status| /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $6}’)

#Check if wifi is up
if [ "$status_wifi" == "inactive" ]; then
 echo “No Wifi”
else
 echo “Got Wifi”
 broadcastnet_wifi=$(/sbin/ifconfig en1 | /usr/bin/grep inet |/usr/bin/grep broadcast | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $6}’| tr “.” ” “)
 oct1_wifi=$(echo $broadcastnet_wifi | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $1}’ )
 oct2_wifi=$(echo $broadcastnet_wifi | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $2}’)
 #Check if Wifi is on home network
 if [ "$oct1_wifi" -eq "192" ] && [ "$oct2_wifi" -eq "168" ]; then
  echo “Wifi is on home network”
  echo “Mounting SMB Shares”
  /sbin/mount_smbfs //(username):(password)@(server)/(share) /Users/echua/media
  /sbin/mount_smbfs //(username):(password)@(server)/(share) /Users/echua/download
  echo “Mounting NFS Shares”
  /sbin/mount (server):(path-to-share) /Users/echua/pics
  exit
 else
  echo “Wifi isn’t on home network”
 fi
fi

#check if ethernet is up
if [ "$status_ethernet" == "inactive" ]; then
 echo “No Ethernet”
 unset status_ethernet
else
 echo “Got Ethernet”
 broadcastnet_ethernet=$(/sbin/ifconfig en0 | /usr/bin/grep inet|/usr/bin/grep broadcast | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $6}’| tr “.” ” “)
 oct1_ethernet=$(echo $broadcastnet_ethernet | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $1}’ )
 oct2_ethernet=$(echo $broadcastnet_ethernet | /usr/bin/awk ‘{print $2}’)
 if [ "$oct1_ethernet" -eq "192" ] && [ "$oct2_ethernet" -eq "168" ]; then
  echo “Ethernet is on home network”
  echo “Mounting SMB Shares”
  /sbin/mount_smbfs //(username):(password)@(server)/(share) /Users/echua/media
  /sbin/mount_smbfs //(username):(password)@(server)/(share) /Users/echua/download
  echo “Mounting NFS Shares”
  /sbin/mount (server):(path-to-share) /Users/echua/pics
 exit
 else
  echo “Ethernet isn’t on home network”
  exit
 fi
fi

Server Configuration

1. Format 2nd 80GB HDD as a vfat partition

$ mkfs.vfat -c -F 32 /dev/sdb1

2. Create mount point and mount new vfat partition (I did this via /etc/fstab)

$ cat /etc/fstab
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 /                       ext3    defaults        1 1
LABEL=/boot             /boot                   ext3    defaults        1 2
tmpfs                   /dev/shm                tmpfs   defaults        0 0
devpts                  /dev/pts                devpts  gid=5,mode=620  0 0
sysfs                   /sys                    sysfs   defaults        0 0
proc                    /proc                   proc    defaults        0 0
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 swap                    swap    defaults        0 0
/dev/sdb1        /media/disk1        vfat    defaults,uid=501,gid=20    0 0

NOTE: The UID and GID need to be the same as the user on the Mac that you’ll be mounting the NFS share with. This is so that the user will have sufficient privileges to write to the disk. In my case the Mac user’s UID/GID is 501/20.

3. Create /etc/exports file

$ cat /etc/exports
/media/disk1/pictures 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0(rw,no_root_squash,sync,insecure,anonuid=501,anongid=20)

Again, note the anonuid is 501, and the anongid is 20, same as the Mac user’s UID/GID. Also, the ‘insecure’ option seems to be required as well when NFS mounting from a Mac.

4. Config /etc/hosts.allow file

$ cat /etc/hosts.allow
#
#        hosts.allow This file describes the names of the hosts which are
#        allowed to use the local INET services, as decided
#        by the '/usr/sbin/tcpd' server.
#
portmap: 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0

5. Configure NFS services to start on bootup

$ chkconfig nfs on
$ chkconfig --list nfs
nfs                0:off    1:off    2:on    3:on    4:on    5:on    6:off

6. Start NFS daemons

$ service nfs start
Starting NFS services:                                   [  OK  ]
Starting NFS quotas:                                     [  OK  ]
Starting NFS daemon:                                     [  OK  ]
Starting NFS mountd:                                     [  OK  ]

Client  Configuration (on MBP)

1. Determine Mac user’s UID/GID and make sure NFS server’s /etc/exports and /etc/fstab files reflect the same UID/GID

$ id user
uid=501(user) gid=20(staff) groups=20(staff),98(_lpadmin),81(_appserveradm),79(_appserverusr),80(admin),101(com.apple.sharepoint.group.1)

2. Create mount point on the Mac

$ mkdir /Users/echua/pics

3. Mount NFS export

$ /sbin/mount <seerver>:/media/disk1/pictures /Users/echua/pics

4. Test it out by dragging and dropping files to the new file share and if all goes well you should be able to write and delete files from the share.

This NFS solution works out so much better than Samba, at least for my iPhoto picture archiving needs. Viewing iPhoto albums over NFS is much faster than over SMB.

I then recalled reading something about SMB being especially slow on the Mac, so I googled for a few optimizations and everyone seemed to have the same solution- which was to create the following file:

$ cat /etc/sysctl.conf
net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0

…I tried this but did not notice any significant difference in my case, so this led me to try using NFS as an alternative to SMB, at least for my iPhoto file share. Here are the steps I took to configure NFS between my CentOS 5 box and my MBP.

hdiutil attach -nomount -readwrite (server-name)_(mac-address).sparsebundle

This command took a while to return, but when it did it showd:

/dev/disk1            BackupOf(server-name)

I then ran

fsck_hfs -rf /dev/disk1

And this took a few hours (not sure how long exactly, I just let it run overnight). This produced the following:

** /dev/disk1**
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.**
Detected a case-sensitive catalog.**
Checking Extents Overflow file.**
Checking Catalog file.**
Rebuilding Catalog B-tree.**
Rechecking volume.**
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.**
Detected a case-sensitive catalog.**
Checking Extents Overflow file.**
Checking Catalog file.Incorrect number of thread records(4, 13716)**
Checking multi-linked files.**
Checking Catalog hierarchy.
Invalid directory item count(It should be 0 instead of 1)
Invalid directory item count(It should be 3 instead of 4)
Incorrect folder count in a directory (id = 3795486)(It should be 0 instead of 1)**
Checking Extended Attributes file.**
Checking multi-linked directories.**
Checking volume bitmap.**
Checking volume information.
Invalid volume free block count(It should be 37267681 instead of 37310834)
Volume Header needs minor repair(2, 0)**
Repairing volume.**
Rechecking volume.**
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.**
Detected a case-sensitive catalog.**
Checking Extents Overflow file.**
Checking Catalog file.**
Checking multi-linked files.**
Checking Catalog hierarchy.**
Checking Extended Attributes file.**
Checking multi-linked directories.**
Checking volume bitmap.**
Checking volume information.**
The volume Backup of Bhaal was repaired successfully.

At this point I re-enabled TM and initiated a backup. Voila! It worked! Here’s the oldest backup to date:

1. Go to System->Administration->Printing
2. New Printer->Type a printer name->Forward
3. Select ‘Other’
4. Use ‘hp:/net/Photosmart_C6100_series?ip=(ipaddress)’ as the Device URI, replacing (ipaddress) with your printer’s ipaddr
5. Click Forward and select the appropriate driver (I used Photosmart 7150)