While running TimeMachine on Mac OS X Server 10.6.3, some of my clients and I were experiencing problems with Open Directory. Almost every time backupd (TimeMachine) ran, slapd (OpenDirectory) would restart. Most of the time, this didn't cause any problems. However, every few days, users would be unable to login to services, some share points would be missing, etc. I believe I've found a temporary fix for the problem (until Apple releases an official fix).

Before TimeMachine would start, the process would call ServerBackup to export some service settings and Open Directory data. This is always when Open Directory would crash/restart and other services would be affected. ServerBackup runs based on plist files in /etc/server_backup. By simply moving these files, I've been able to avoid problems. (note: open directory will not back up with TImeMachine if you do this. you can manually create backups in Server Admin)

To move the files, issue the following commands in Terminal:

Moving these files back to their original location on my test server caused the problems to reoccur, so I'm confident in this temporary fix.

Mosby and I went to Lanikai beach today. He had a great time playing in the sand, but he wasn't a big fan of the water.

Puppy pads aren't working quite as well as I had hoped.

Accidents in the last hour: 4

Times he's used the puppy pads today: 0

Oh well, he's still young. I'm sure he'll get it sooner or later.

Mosby playing with a ball:

I picked up my new puppy, Mosby, from Kona (Big Island) yesterday. He's an awesome little Shetland Sheepdog. Mosby was the runt of the litter and currently weighs 2.5 pounds.

The flight to Oahu and the drive home were uneventful and went much better than I expected. Mosby slept the entire way. He was the hit of the airport waiting area.

young Mosby (not sure of the exact age):

Mosby at 8 weeks:

Mosby yesterday (9 weeks):

I've finally finished migrating my server to a new machine running Snow Leopard Server (10.6).

I'm really disappointed with the "push" features that still don't seem to support the iPhone. Migrating data to a new version of mysql created some problems and recompiling php for gd support (with FreeType) wasn't fun, but everything seems to be working fine now.

I haven't been able to find a way to directly migrate SSL certificates from one server to another. I did find a workaround...

1. create a self-signed certificate in Server Admin using the same information that is on the original certificate

2. go back to the company that issued the original certificate

3. Re-key the certificate with a new CSR generated from the self-signed certificate

4. Download the new re-keyed certificate

5. Go to Certificates in Server Admin

6. Select the self-signed certificate and select "replace certificate with signed or renewed certificate" from the gear drop-down

I'm in the process of upgrading my server to Snow Leopard. Services may be down for a little while.

I got sick a couple weeks ago. My lungs were hit hard and I was having a hard time breathing. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't smoke. I figured that was as good a time as any to quit smoking.

The gum tastes like shit, and I didn't want to try going cold turkey again, so I decided to try nicotine patches. The patches helped with the cravings, but I still wanted to smoke. I also found out that I was allergic to the adhesive used on the patches (it's been about 10 days since I used a patch and I still have welts on my back). I was about to give up and start smoking again when I remembered reading about electronic cigarettes about a year ago.

eCigarettes are battery-powered devices that provide inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol (or vegetable glycol) and nicotine solution. In addition to nicotine delivery, this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation (aka "throat hit") similar to that of analogs (regular cigarettes). No tobacco, smoke, or combustion is actually involved in the operation of an eCigarette. Since eCigarettes produce a harmless vapor instead of smoke, they can be used almost anywhere, even in places where cigarettes are banned.

After doing some research online, I decided to buy the DES-901B Mini eCigarette. I found a local distributor and bought one on Thursday. I haven't even considered smoking an "analog" (regular cigarette) since then. The starter kit included 5 standard cartridges (extra-high), 5 vanilla cartridges (extra-high), 2 batteries, charger, and the atomizer.

eCigarettes consist of 3 primary parts: battery, atomizer, and cartridge.

Batteries: most kits include 2 batteries. Depending on use, each battery should last 4-8 hours before it needs to be recharged.

Atomizer: this is the heating element that vaporizes the liquid so it can be inhaled. From what I understand, atomizers generally last 4-8 weeks.

Cartridges: cartridges contain the mouthpiece and the eLiguid.

eLiquid: the atomizer vaporizes the eLiquid to create the vapor that you inhale. eLiquid is a mix of nicotine solution (available in nicotine free, 4mg extra-low, 11mg low, 16mg medium, 24mg high, and 36mg extra-high), propylene or vegetable glycol, and a flavor.

Flavors: different sites offer many different flavors. some common examples: Marlboro, Carmel, vanilla, carmel, strawberry, orange, mint, coffee, energy drink, etc.

Intro to vaping video:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Spikey47/videos/5/

Forums:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/

Where to Buy:

http://www.puresmoker.com/

http://www.hawaiivapors.com/

Yesterday was my last day at Mac Made Easy.  I'm free!

I upgraded my server to 10.5 back in October.  10.5 Server uses completely different blogging software than 10.4 Server.  I finally got around to migrating my old blog over.  PITA!