Life of a Geek Admin

The Daily adventures of a true geek administrator

Life of a Geek Admin - The Daily adventures of a true geek administrator

Monthly Archives: July 2012

Streaming the Internet with Roku HD

Recently I felt the need to stream Internet content and update my Toshiba 19″ Flat panel to the latest century and on a friends recommendation found the Roku 2 XD. The Roku 2 XD is one of four models, It is a stylish small form factor box that plugs in either standard RCA cables or HDMI.

Each Roku 2 XD player comes with:
IR remote
2 x AAA batteries
A/V cable
A/C Power adapter
Getting Started guide
30-day money back guarantee
90-day hardware warranty

For my installation I will be connecting using the HDMI connection. An HDMI cable does not come with the Roku2 so you have to supply one of your own. Connect the cable to the Roku and the TV and plug in the power and you are ready.

The Roku will prompt you to connect to the site and register the device. Create an account and enter in the device code prompted on the screen and the Roku will display the screen of available channels.

Now that the Roku is registered you can choose from the channels or you can activate any accounts you have like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus. When you register these channels you will be required to register the device as well, which will require an internet connected device (tablet, netbook, laptop, etc…) to login and input the code the Roku displays.

Now lets get back to the Roku. Using the supplied remote you are presented with several buttons that make navigation simple and easy.

Roku Remote Buttons

A = [BACK] Return to previous screen
B = [HOME] Return to Roku Home Screen
C = [OK] Select an option from the menu
D = [UP] or [DOWN ] Move up or down; [LEFT] or [RIGHT] Move left or right
E = [REV SCAN] Rewind, scroll left one page at a time
F = [PLAY/PAUSE] Start or pause playback
G = [FWD SCAN] Fast forward, scroll right one page at a time
H = [OPTIONS] View more options
I = Quick launch button
J = Quick launch button
K = Quick launch button

The quick launch buttons will vary, mine are Netflix, Pandora and Crackle.

The menu is simple , a scrolling list of the channels is set before you. You can add by going to the channel store and selecting from a wide selection. Some are free and some are pay. You can also add other channels from Roku private channel site http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/.

Overall I am impressed with the Roku HD and will be adding more at my home and I recommend it for those of you look to add streaming to your TV’s

Find a process using a port on Windows

Often there are times that you have a port in use and you find that a process is using the port you need to free up or there is a port and you just need to find out who owns it. With Windows it is as easy as using netstat and tasklist commands.

Open a command prompt window and type:

netstat -a -n -o

The -a parameter displays all connections and listening ports, the -n parameter displays the addresses and port numbers in numerical form and the -o parameter will display the associated process identifier (PID) using the port. This command will produce an output similar to what is shown below

With the PIDs listed in the netstat output, you can follow up with the Windows Task List (tasklist.exe) command or Windows Manager (taskmgr.exe). You can then use the tasklist command with the specific PID that corresponds to a port in question. From the previous example, ports 80 and 443 are used by PID 1688 and 2576, so using the tasklist command will show you the process using the ports.

Running the command:

tasklist /svc /FI "PID eq 1688"

The parameter /svc displays services hosted in each process, the parameter /FI displays a set of tasks that match a given criteria specified by the filter and we then set the filter to look for a PID that equals to the PID we found with netstat.

So now we know that the scsm program is the program using port 443 and now we know which process to stop to free up the port. With these two commands you can track down ports used by processes giving issues to your system.

Gramps 3.4.0 Released

This is a bit passed due but the Gramps project has released Gramps 3.4.0 The “always look on the bright side of life”. If you are interested in Genealogy and looking for an OpenSource solution, then you owe it yourself to check out Gramps. If you are a seasoned Gramps user then you owe it to yourself to download the latest version.

Version 3.4.0 of Gramps! The “always look on the bright side of life’“, a feature release.
Lots of changes and bug fixes to every part of Gramps, including XML

  • import/export, image handling, gedom handling, Gramplets, date handling,
  • citations, reports, more!
  • Some platform-specific fixes (Windows, OSX, Linux)
  • Many translation updates

If you are new to Gramps check out my post on installing Gramps. Happy hunting !!!

 

Creating EPUB documents with LibreOffice Writer

With all the ereaders and tablets available it is now easy to take your documents with you everywhere, be it a book technical manual, etc., but what about stuff you write or company documents. With LibreOffice Writer you can create your own by using the Writer2epub extension for OpenOffice / LibreOffice Writer.

Writer2epub can b downloaded at http://extensions.openoffice.org/en/project/Writer2ePub/ and is easy to install by opening Extension Manage > click Add and browse to where you downloaded the extension. Close Writer and you will now have three new icons on the toolbar.

  • Simply press the first icon, and an ePub will be created in the same folder of the original file.
  • The icon with the blue mark is useful to add or edit the metadata information (title, author and so on).
  • The last icon with the red mark is to modify the preference. In a normal use you don’t need to modify these settings.

According to the developer here is what Writer2ePub is and isn’t.

What is Writer2ePub?

W2E is an ePub creator. Simply write your document with the OOo Word Processor and W2E will make an ePub file using the best traditional typographic rules, by applying a predefined style sheet (CSS). If you need a good ePub document and you can use the OOo Writer Word Processor, W2E is your tool.

What Writer2ePub is not?

W2E is not a simple file converter. It does not just convert an existing document to ePub. If you need to obtain a pure WYSIWYG ePub file, W2E is not for you. Please look at Calibre http://calibre-ebook.com/ or other OOo extensions available on the Internet to do this kind of jobs.

Neither is W2E an ePub editor, please look at Sigil http://code.google.com/p/sigil/ or other similar product if you need to edit and modify an existing ePub.

Writer2ePub is exactly what it says it is, it takes a document created in Writer and creates a perfectly formatted ePub document. Just click on the ePub icon on the toolbar and a MetaData dialog will appear asking for information.

  • Title (required)
  • Author
  • Language
  • ID/ISBN
  • Publisher
  • Publishing Date
  • Original Title
  • Tags
  • Description
  • Cover (image, no image)

The document will be saved and you now have created an ePub document out of your Writer document. What is so nice is now you can edit the original document and recreate an updated ePub with a simple click.

Changing Print Size in Firefox 11+ with NoSquint

Recently came across and issue with emails and other web pages printing the fonts in an unreadable size. This was not an issue with Internet Explorer or Chrome. Found that this is a fairly common issue that users were experiencing.

This is where Firefox AddOns fill the gap. Enter NoSquint. NoSquint allows you to adjust the viewing and printing size of the pages and fonts and alleviates the issue. Installation is simple as clicking on Add To Firefox and allowing Firefox to restart.

Controls are handles by the zoom buttons in the toolbar and the Add-on bar on the bottom of Firefox.

NoSquint allows you to adjust the text-only and full-page (both text and images) zoom levels as well as color settings both globally (for all sites) and per site.  NoSquint can:

  • Override the default text-only and full-page (both text and images) zoom levels for all websites
  • Enforce your own foreground and background colors
  • Remember your zoom levels and color settings per site, automatically applying them when you return.
  • Disagree with what NoSquint calls a site? A powerful exceptions mechanism lets you split up or group together sites with URL patterns.

Download and install the Add-on and give it a try and see if it resolves your Firefox printing issues.

Update!!!

I also found that the Scale setting in Page Setup can also correct printing size. Click File > Page Setup and un-check Shrink to fit Page Width, change the Scale value to 100% and  re-check Shrink to fit Page Width and click OK to save the changes will correct the printing small fonts issue.

Your Own Media Server using Plex Media Server

Recently I found a need to add the ability for my Roku XD box to be able to access my home movies and other media on my NAS, also looking for an all in one solution to stream to Asus Transformer TF101, iPod Touch, Sony Bravia TV and iPhone. A good co-worker recommended Plex Media Server which does all the above and more.

Plex Media Server is the solution for local and online media. According to the site:

” Plex Media Server seamlessly connects your Plex clients with all of your local and online media. The combination of centralized library management, streaming of online content, and powerful transcoding functionality provides an unrivaled level of flexibility and ease of use.
Plex Media Server runs on your Mac, PC, or compatible NAS device and serves your media to all of your Plex clients including Plex-enabled mobile devices and 2011 LG Smart TVs.”

Plex uses apps (iOS and Android) to connect mobile devices, channel for Roku and DNLA settings to connect to PS3, xBox and TV’s. There are also forums where users have submitted working DNLA configurations for other devices.

Things look good and sound good to me, so first need to download Plex Media Server from http://wiki.plexapp.com/index.php/Downloads and install Windows or Fedora. At the time of this posting Plex Media Server 0.9.6.4 was available. !!!Update!!!! Plex Media Server 0.9.6.5 has been released. Download it from here.

For my use it will be on a Windows 7 Professional.

Once the file has been downloaded just double-click and accept the defaults for Windows installation. For Fedora add the repo and use yum to install the package.

Create the file /etc/yum.repos.d/plex.repo and insert the following contents.

[PlexRepo]
name=PlexRepo
baseurl=http://plexapp.com/rpmrepo/release/$basearch/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1

Import the Plex GPG key:

$ rpm --import http://plexapp.com/plex_pub_key.pub

Then install it with this command:

$ yum install plexmediaserver

After the installation the Plex Media server will be running. Next we need to define a folder on the NAS that is attached to the Windows 7 system. The steps are the same for adding to the Linux system as well. Open the Media Manager interface with Mozilla FireFox, Google Chrome or Opera, Internet Explorer is not supported.

To open the Plex interface click on the plex icon in the toolbar and it will open your default browser and you will be introduced to the Plex interface. If you are using Linux open a browser and goto http://localhost:32400/manage/index.html

Now we can add movies or home movies. Click on the link and a box will appear. Click Add and browse to the location on your NAS or hard drive to the location of the movies. Once done click Add Section and Plex will scan the drive and add what it finds.

At this point you can add photos, music, TV shows and other movies. Now you have content ready for you to attach devices you have.

Attaching Roku XD

Adding access to the Roku to Plex Media server is as easy as using the Add Channel feature on the Roku and add Plex. When you start the Plex channel on your Roku, it will try to discover your Plex Media Server(s) automatically. Unfortunately, discovery may not work, depending on your network. You can add the server manually by going to Preferences -> Plex Media Servers -> Add Server Manually. On that screen, enter the IP address of the Plex Media Server. Verify that the server is running and you have the right IP address by opening a browser and going to http://[ip_address]:32400/. If it’s working, it’ll show some XML. If you get an error message from your browser (e.g. server not responding), then either your Plex Media Server isn’t running, or you have the wrong IP address. Once it’s working, enter that IP address into your Roku.

Asus Transformer

To attach the Asus Transformer to Plex Media Server you just have to purchase the app from Google Play and install it. Just as the Roku open the app and it will attempt to find your Plex server and if not add it the same way.

Sony Bravia

As for the Sony Bravia TV I am still working on creating a DNLA profile for the TV to discover the server. Newer Sony Bravia TV’s (2010 – 2012) have profiles that work, but since mine is a 2009 it is taking sometime to get a working profile. With the help of the Plex forums I don’t expect this to be a big hurdle.

I hope this will help you to look at another way to deliver your content to your connected home.

Java leapsec issue causes high CPU

Seems like a bug is going around caused by leapsec in Java that causes high CPU. There is a simple fix for the issue.

For CentOS / RHEL 5 & 6

/etc/init.d/ntpd stop; date; date `date +"%m%d%H%M%C%y.%S"`; date

Wait for the CPU to go down and then restart ntpd

/etc/init.d/ntpd start

After doing this, see if the cpu usage falls down using top or your tool of choice. If not, restart of the ntpd service will do the trick.

Simple fix for a 1 second big headache !!!

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