I killed the office network…
I finally did it. I killed the office network… Don’t worry, no data was lost. I now have all web services on my virtual Ubuntu server over on Amazons EC2 service. I’m happy to report everything is working.
Main server…
- WordPress - Content management software for creating websites
- Laconica - Micro blogging software
- Zimbra - Email server software that has a nice web interface
- Jabber - Online chat
DNS Server…
- BIND9
- Provides DNS info for my domains
- Its a hidden master so I leave it offline most of the time
Websites hosted on this server…
- This very website digital-overload.net
- damienhull.com
- notes.damienhull.com
- linuxninjas.tv
Future plans…
- This website will get a name change
- Might open the chat server for public registration - maybe
- Jabber and gmail users can add me as a buddy - damien @ linuxninjas.tv (no spaces)
Using the Blue Snowball microphone with Ubuntu
I picked up the Blue Snowball microphone last summer for podcasting. It took a lot of trial and error to get it working with Ubuntu. That was back in 8.04, I think. A few tests on Jaunty Jackalope or 9.04 produced the same great audio.
The Blue Snowball
- USB
- Comes with a small stand - not a very good one but its better then nothing
- Pop filter - separate item but recommended
- Got it on Amazon
The system I’m currently using to record podcasts.
- Laptop - Dell Inspiron 1525
- Ubuntu 9.04
These are the steps I go through to get the Blue Snowball to work with my system.
- Boot the system
- Log in
- Plug in the Blue Snowball
- Run any audio software you want to use
Audacity - Audio recording and editing software used for things like podcasting.
- Run Audacity
- Select Edit > Preferences
- Click on Audio I/O
- On the far right select the Blue Snowball from the drop down menu
- Change the recording from stereo to mono
Adjust the micro phone gain.
- Click on the speaker icon up in the top right corner of the desktop
- You should be able to select Blue Snowball as a device
- Adjust the gain so you sound louder
- I got a red square with a white x over the microphone icon but I was able to record audio
Accessing the preferneces in Audacity
Selecting the Blue Snowball in the preferences settings...
Adjusting the microphone gain...
UPDATE 7-2-09: No half speed problems for me…
Server Migration
I’m slowly migrating services to my virtual Ubuntu server on Amazons EC2 service. Once I had the basics figured out I started migrating websites. This website is one of them. I’m currently in the middle of an email migration.
Server status…
- Created a new 32 bit server image after installing extra software
- Running what Amazon calls a small server
- Its stable
- Its kinda boring cause it just works…
Websites…
Email…
- BIND9 for DNS
- Made some DNS changes so a new domain points a the new server address
- Installed the open source email solution Zimbra
- Getting ready to have all email sent to the new Zimbra install
Other items that need to be migrated or installed…
- ejabberd needs to be migrated over to the new server
- Wiki - Need to install one
- Laconica - Thinking about installing this
- Looking for more open source solutions to play with
Learning the ways of cloud computing
For the past month or so I’ve been learning the ways of cloud computing. I’m sure some of you are like, “cloud computing, what the hell is that?”. It’s awesome! This very website is hosted in the Amazon cloud.
- Amazon has thousands of servers across their data center
- Some of these servers provide data storage & virtual server hosting
- This very website is hosted on a virtual Ubuntu Linux server
Amazon uses a virtualization technology called Xen. It allows Amazon to host several operating systems inside one server. Spread this technology across thousands of servers and you have what is called a cloud. Why is this cool?
- I can run Virtual Ubuntu Linux servers without purchasing any hardware or expensive Internet connection
- These virtual Ubuntu servers allow me to host web based applications like WordPress
- I can use Amazons data storage service to store data & make quick backups of everything
Think of it as a virtual data center. It’s awesome! If I need another server I just run another one. The technical details are a bit on the geeky side but if you want to know more check out the following…
- Amazons Elastic Comput Cloud or EC2 for short
- Amazons Simple Storage Service or S3 for short
- Xen - the virtualization software