MV3D Development Blog

Not much to say about MV3D just now. I’ve been working on some uninteresting parts and trying to get through some of the tickets for the next release. On the client side, I need to wait until Python-Ogre works in Linux to do anything there. I have been hacking away at getting the Windows client w/ Python-Ogre working. It runs, but you don’t currently see the UI or mouse pointer.

I finally got around to installing the 3kva UPS for my home servers. It would have been simple to install if the 20A circuit had a 20A outlet on it (the ones which accept plugs where instead of two parallel contacts, one is perpendicular to the other). So I had to replace the outlet and had just been procrastinating about going to Home Depot to buy one.

I think with the current load (5 servers), it’ll give me about 20 minutes, but I’ll have to plug in to the serial port on it to verify that. 20 Minutes would be good. if I can run a serial cable over to the other side of the basement(*), I could set up all the servers to power down before the UPS batteries run out. apcupsd is your friend.

Hmm, now I should probably also think about data backup. I’ve been relying on RAID to save me in the event of a hard drive failure, but I should probably go a little further than that. It would be nice to have one more server class machine since has been asking for an Exchange email server, and I’ve been annoyed with decentralized authentication for windows machines here, so active directory would be a good benefit.

Am I nuts to be installing a 3kva UPS and thinking about having active directory and exchange in my basement? Ok, running cat5 to the kitchen and bedroom are probably higher on the list than that.

For anyone curious:

• Firewall: Linux / Pentium (or P2?) / L2TP VPN (not 100% working at the moment)
• Mail and Web server: Linux / P3 / Raid
• File server and multimedia player: WinXP / P3 / 150GB / DVDRW drive (yes, 150GB is small for a file server these days..)
• MV3D Alpha Server: Linux / 2x P3 Xeon / Raid (CPQ DL380 G1)
• MV3D Dev Server: Linux / 2x P3 Xeon / Raid (CPQ DL380 G1)

I can also put video and audio through to any one of 3 TVs from: DVD player, VHS, File server, my desktop, a laptop, or a video camera via video switches in my office.

While I’m blabbing about my house-related geekery, I might as well have a todo list:

• Extend network into the bedroom, kitchen, and living room.
• Upgrade from b -> g wireless (the access point is in the basement unopened)
• Install wall jacks instead of regular cable ends for all the ethernet.
• Get a bigger switch… Should have taken a few of the 48 porters that my last company junked.
• Install X10 stuff and write some python code to do cool stuff with it.

• Upgrade the quality of the video/audio system and run outputs to the other office and the kitchen.
• Nagios - Network monitoring system so that I get paged when a server is down or out of disk space or whatever
• More space on the file server.. I have the drives, but the server can’t handle them.
• Find some way to make the home theater (video projector, screen, and laptop) less time consuming to set up yet it must remain portable between the bedroom and livingroom. Find a PCMCIA soundcard that can do surround as well.
• Add another NIC into the firewall so that there is a DMZ for public hosts (mail/MV3D servers)

* My basment is cool and has a nice built in server rack (at least, that’s what I use it for) off in a corner, but there’s only 3 sets of outlets, and they are all on the other side from the servers. I’ll eventually run a real outlet over to the server area, but for now, a 20A extension cord will do. The UPS is by the outlet, which is about 35′ (as the cable goes) from the servers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a network interface either.