Few weeks ago, my faithful phone, HTC Desire-Z got stolen during a commotion in a restaurant. It was late at night and I could not get a replacement until the next evening. I was without my phone for almost 20 hours and life was so meaningless.
Office hour ends and it's time to shop for a new phone. I was in Digital Mall, PJ walking around for look for a replacement. Initially, I wanted to get a phone with QWERTY but the option was so limited. Phone manufacturers are not focusing in making phone with keyboard anymore. The one that caught my attention is the Droid 4 from Motorola but nobody is selling it over here.
After strolling for while and given up hope to get a keyboard Android phone, my choices boiled down to either HTC One X (RM1899), Samsung Galaxy 2 (RM1499) or Samsung Galaxy 3 (RM2199). Obviously, the Samsung Galaxy 3 is the hype and the most handsome of the lot. The 4.8" HD Super AMOLED make it stands out among the competition and it has with a quad core processor! It has 2 more cores than the notebook that I have been using for work. If the iPhone 3 is more powerful than the computers used to launch Apollo to the space, the computing power in Galaxy S3 could send the same shuttle to the far end galaxy.
To cut the story short, I ended up with a used unit of Samsung Galaxy 2 due to budget constraint. In fact, the older Samsung Galaxy 2 is not too far behind the newer Galaxy 3. It has a 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus screen and a dual core 1.2GHz processor with sleeker body design.
It got me quite a while to get comfortable with the soft keyboard. I have tried Swype which is the best soft keyboard but I still prefer to have a QWERTY keyboard. For the first few days, I was having fun navigating the gorgeous screen with tremendous level of smoothness. Then problem came, the phone hung once in a while, overheating and the battery life was so bad. The phone consume half one the juice when I was sleeping for 6 hours!
Life was so meaningless again as I thought I have gotten a lemon this time. Not giving up, I tried to troubleshoot the phone and found an official software update. It is the Ice Cream Sandwich! Ran a last backup and press the "update" button. Everything was done in about half and hour. Hooray!
I observed the phone performance for the next few days and it does not give me anymore problem. The ICS upgrade has fixed the battery life problem, overheating and the stability issue. I have not rebooted my phone for the past few weeks.
There are temptations to get the newer Galaxy 3 but it does not make a lot of difference in user experience at the moment. The Galaxy 2 is still a good all rounder. It is not a big upgrade for somebody that already has a Galaxy 2. Perhaps if you have an older phone and looking for an upgrade, the Galaxy 3 is a good upgrade. The telco company is running a lot of promotion for the S3 and you could get it as cheap as RM699 from Maxis with a 24 months lock in period.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Protect your online Identity
Finger printing identification has been innovated more than a hundred of years ago to give each person a unique identity. As the innovation continues to the modern era where everybody has a hand in the virtual world, the importance of having a unique online identity is as important as having your finger print identity.
You would want your friends, acquaintance, business partners, clients and families to be able to reach you in the cyberspace all the time.
One of the way to create and protect your online identity is to register a domain name for yourself. Just like finger printing technology or even better, a domain name is unique and nobody would have the same one as yours. Some people would purchase domain name to protect their real identity, business, nickname so that nobody could steal their online identity. I am sure you would not want to have a bad write-up on your identity by somebody else that has hijacked your online identity.
Your online identity become more prominent as the day goes by as people would build a picture of your based on what they could search online. It could be your personal or business identity.
Securing a domain name is much easier and affordable now comparing with the older days. There are thousand of providers out there offering the same product with different level of service and package. Depending on your requirement, you could secure an international domain name (gTLD) which require minimal fee and processing.
If you want to secure a domain name within your locality, you would need to contact your local domain name registration provider as the process could be a bit more complicated as you would need to prove your local presence. Trust me, it would not be a rocket science. A good provider will walk you through the entire process just like a walk in the park.
You have purchased a domain name to secure your online identity, what is next? You might want to direct your domain to a website and have email account within your domain with a web hosting package. I would not discuss much on web hosting in this article as I have wrote it previously.
You would want your friends, acquaintance, business partners, clients and families to be able to reach you in the cyberspace all the time.
One of the way to create and protect your online identity is to register a domain name for yourself. Just like finger printing technology or even better, a domain name is unique and nobody would have the same one as yours. Some people would purchase domain name to protect their real identity, business, nickname so that nobody could steal their online identity. I am sure you would not want to have a bad write-up on your identity by somebody else that has hijacked your online identity.
Your online identity become more prominent as the day goes by as people would build a picture of your based on what they could search online. It could be your personal or business identity.
Securing a domain name is much easier and affordable now comparing with the older days. There are thousand of providers out there offering the same product with different level of service and package. Depending on your requirement, you could secure an international domain name (gTLD) which require minimal fee and processing.
If you want to secure a domain name within your locality, you would need to contact your local domain name registration provider as the process could be a bit more complicated as you would need to prove your local presence. Trust me, it would not be a rocket science. A good provider will walk you through the entire process just like a walk in the park.
You have purchased a domain name to secure your online identity, what is next? You might want to direct your domain to a website and have email account within your domain with a web hosting package. I would not discuss much on web hosting in this article as I have wrote it previously.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
How running a gigantic home office is a no-no
Most of the younger generation is equipped with basic computer knowledge. I believe most of you that is reading this post would not have a problem setting up your own computer and home network, or getting help from your friend.
Most of these setup will work almost flawlessly with small amount of users. End users will be more likely to be exposed to Small Office Home Office (SOHO) technology where you can purcahase an off the shelves solution from your nearest computer shop.
However, problem will start when you try to use the same setup and solution to cater to a bigger group of people. For example, if you are starting off a company with 50 people. Whilst it will be cheap, a SOHO solution might not fit the bill in this case as the equipments that you are using at home would not be able to support the exponential increase of users.
Let's take example of a Wifi AP, the basic SOHO unit might be able to provide signal coverage for your house and few of your family members. To some people, to cover bigger space and more people would mean adding extra Wifi AP of the same type. Logically, this solution might work as you are adding more equipments to cater more users and coverage area.
However, there are few factors that most of us have left left. By adding more Wifi AP, you are adding more radio interference to your environment which might cause a lot of problem if you do not have an expert to configure it for you. On top of that, you need to consider of having a single SSID or multipe SSIDs in your environment. If you choose to have a single SSID, the configuration would be more complex as you need to choose your wifi chanel precisely to minimize interference and this also does not guarantee that you Wifi network will work flawlessly as your equipments are still subjected to external inteference such as other radio equipments from your neighbors.
Some of the more robust solution to this scenario would be deploying more powerful Wifi AP to reduce the number of equipment needed in your environment. Alternatively, you could use a solution with WLAN controller which is very robust but it come with a higher price tag.
Another example would be to streamline your workstation users. In a home environment with few users, it is easy to control the policy of each workstation manually. You still can afford to access each workstation to check the policy manually.
What if you have 50 workstations? It would be inefficient to spend few hours a day just to make sure that your users are adhering to the workstation usage policy (eg. not allow to install 3rd party software). How can you be sure that all of your workstation are free from third party software or even illegal software all the time?
You might want to consider using Active Directory in your environment to centralize the policies control for all your users. Your IT administrator could set a single policy for all or customize policy for each workstation from the server. By this way, you can be almost certain that all your workstation users are adhering to your company policy and you do not have to sweat if the authority knock at your door.
Most of these setup will work almost flawlessly with small amount of users. End users will be more likely to be exposed to Small Office Home Office (SOHO) technology where you can purcahase an off the shelves solution from your nearest computer shop.
However, problem will start when you try to use the same setup and solution to cater to a bigger group of people. For example, if you are starting off a company with 50 people. Whilst it will be cheap, a SOHO solution might not fit the bill in this case as the equipments that you are using at home would not be able to support the exponential increase of users.
Let's take example of a Wifi AP, the basic SOHO unit might be able to provide signal coverage for your house and few of your family members. To some people, to cover bigger space and more people would mean adding extra Wifi AP of the same type. Logically, this solution might work as you are adding more equipments to cater more users and coverage area.
However, there are few factors that most of us have left left. By adding more Wifi AP, you are adding more radio interference to your environment which might cause a lot of problem if you do not have an expert to configure it for you. On top of that, you need to consider of having a single SSID or multipe SSIDs in your environment. If you choose to have a single SSID, the configuration would be more complex as you need to choose your wifi chanel precisely to minimize interference and this also does not guarantee that you Wifi network will work flawlessly as your equipments are still subjected to external inteference such as other radio equipments from your neighbors.
Some of the more robust solution to this scenario would be deploying more powerful Wifi AP to reduce the number of equipment needed in your environment. Alternatively, you could use a solution with WLAN controller which is very robust but it come with a higher price tag.
Another example would be to streamline your workstation users. In a home environment with few users, it is easy to control the policy of each workstation manually. You still can afford to access each workstation to check the policy manually.
What if you have 50 workstations? It would be inefficient to spend few hours a day just to make sure that your users are adhering to the workstation usage policy (eg. not allow to install 3rd party software). How can you be sure that all of your workstation are free from third party software or even illegal software all the time?
You might want to consider using Active Directory in your environment to centralize the policies control for all your users. Your IT administrator could set a single policy for all or customize policy for each workstation from the server. By this way, you can be almost certain that all your workstation users are adhering to your company policy and you do not have to sweat if the authority knock at your door.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
IT outsourcing: Do I save cost?
The term outsourcing refers to procuring services or products from a supplier in order to cut costs.
Why and what to outsource?
Most businesses’ core functions are supported by smaller business divisions or cost centers. For example, if you are running a manufacturing business with 50 staff, your core business would be producing your own product. The supporting arms would be the IT, human resource, administration departments, etc.
A conventional way of running a business would be keeping everything in-house which includes the supporting business division. While you are comfortable with this model, the likelihood is – it will cost more in the long run.
Outsourcing your supporting business division would save you the headache of managing it whilst enabling you to focus on your core business. An outsourcing company would usually specialise in their core business to support you.
To keep your IT operations running smoothly, you would need a fair amount of assistance. Consider the following options:
Fixing your own computer
Employees are required to fix their own computer problems. Those who are unable to do so would need help from colleagues or outsiders.
While this model saves you computer-fixing costs, the intangible cost incurred is – employees spend more time fixing their computers instead of working. If you factor in the loss of productivity due to the computer downtime, it will cost you even more.
Hiring an in-house IT specialist
While this might sound like a good idea and most organisations adopt this way, let me tell you about the disadvantages…
In a 50-strong working environment, the budget for an IT position would usually allow you to hire only one person. Additionally, you may only be able to afford somebody who is still raw in the industry as experienced IT personnel will demand higher salaries and better career paths.
In this environment, the career path for the IT specialist is limited as your core business would be manufacturing while he works in a different division. Isolated and disconnected from the crowd, the turnover for this position could be very high. As such, you may need to factor in getting a replacement and re-training.
With this model in place, you would also need to take care of training, annual leave, sick leave and other miscellaneous human resource hassles, e.g. what if this guy goes on a long medical leave?
Outsourcing
IT outsourcing companies have one focus; relieving work stress by taking care of the computer issues in your organisation. They’re experts in this department, just as you are in your core business.
While the hourly cost per man is more than that of hiring an internal IT guy, you will be surprised that it will save you more in the long run.
Human Resource
When outsourcing, it is essential to hire a good and reliable vendor, pay them well and keep tabs on their work. You do not have to worry about training, certification, staff turnover, annual leave, sick leave, etc., as the outsourcing company will cover these areas for you. Depending on the contract, the outsourcing company will provide a back-up for you if the designated engineers do not show up at work. If the staff resigns, they will find a replacement for you and train them accordingly.
Another benefit of outsourcing: You can terminate the contract with a non-performing outsourcing company easily compared to getting rid of a non-performing internal staff.
Policies
Outsourcing companies usually have a set of IT policies that can be implemented in your organisation to improve the effectiveness of your operations. For example, they have a preventive maintenance policy that can be implemented in your organisation to detect a problem even before it happens. This will reduce downtime cost due to a server or workstation failure, e.g., you need to send your car in to the workshop for servicing/preventive maintenance regularly and not just wait till a problem crops up to fix it.
Documentation
A good outsourcing company would usually provide detailed reports and documentation of your IT assets. Documentation is important if you need to appoint another vendor or IT staff to take over the job in the future.
Resources
As IT is the core business of your outsourcing company, they will have sufficient resources to get your problem fixed and provide advice on how to maximise your IT infrastructure. To help you run your “business at the speed of thought” (as Gates puts it), they can advise you on the best IT tools to employ for your organisation. Plus you can save time on testing out different tools like a lab rat!
You are working with a team
Most outsourcing companies have a team of experts to take care of your IT infrastructure instead of depending on an individual. Established outsourcing companies usually consist of junior and senior engineers, IT managers, account managers, and other experts. They work together as a team to support your business.
Savings?
With the absence of all the above-mentioned worries, you can save more on operation costs in the long run while focusing on what matters most: your core business. Any problem with your computers? Just report it to the vendor and they will take care of it for you. A good vendor is able to detect potential problems before they happen. Computer problems don’t have to be your problem, anymore!
Why and what to outsource?
Most businesses’ core functions are supported by smaller business divisions or cost centers. For example, if you are running a manufacturing business with 50 staff, your core business would be producing your own product. The supporting arms would be the IT, human resource, administration departments, etc.
A conventional way of running a business would be keeping everything in-house which includes the supporting business division. While you are comfortable with this model, the likelihood is – it will cost more in the long run.
Outsourcing your supporting business division would save you the headache of managing it whilst enabling you to focus on your core business. An outsourcing company would usually specialise in their core business to support you.
To keep your IT operations running smoothly, you would need a fair amount of assistance. Consider the following options:
Fixing your own computer
Employees are required to fix their own computer problems. Those who are unable to do so would need help from colleagues or outsiders.
While this model saves you computer-fixing costs, the intangible cost incurred is – employees spend more time fixing their computers instead of working. If you factor in the loss of productivity due to the computer downtime, it will cost you even more.
Hiring an in-house IT specialist
While this might sound like a good idea and most organisations adopt this way, let me tell you about the disadvantages…
In a 50-strong working environment, the budget for an IT position would usually allow you to hire only one person. Additionally, you may only be able to afford somebody who is still raw in the industry as experienced IT personnel will demand higher salaries and better career paths.
In this environment, the career path for the IT specialist is limited as your core business would be manufacturing while he works in a different division. Isolated and disconnected from the crowd, the turnover for this position could be very high. As such, you may need to factor in getting a replacement and re-training.
With this model in place, you would also need to take care of training, annual leave, sick leave and other miscellaneous human resource hassles, e.g. what if this guy goes on a long medical leave?
Outsourcing
IT outsourcing companies have one focus; relieving work stress by taking care of the computer issues in your organisation. They’re experts in this department, just as you are in your core business.
While the hourly cost per man is more than that of hiring an internal IT guy, you will be surprised that it will save you more in the long run.
Human Resource
When outsourcing, it is essential to hire a good and reliable vendor, pay them well and keep tabs on their work. You do not have to worry about training, certification, staff turnover, annual leave, sick leave, etc., as the outsourcing company will cover these areas for you. Depending on the contract, the outsourcing company will provide a back-up for you if the designated engineers do not show up at work. If the staff resigns, they will find a replacement for you and train them accordingly.
Another benefit of outsourcing: You can terminate the contract with a non-performing outsourcing company easily compared to getting rid of a non-performing internal staff.
Policies
Outsourcing companies usually have a set of IT policies that can be implemented in your organisation to improve the effectiveness of your operations. For example, they have a preventive maintenance policy that can be implemented in your organisation to detect a problem even before it happens. This will reduce downtime cost due to a server or workstation failure, e.g., you need to send your car in to the workshop for servicing/preventive maintenance regularly and not just wait till a problem crops up to fix it.
Documentation
A good outsourcing company would usually provide detailed reports and documentation of your IT assets. Documentation is important if you need to appoint another vendor or IT staff to take over the job in the future.
Resources
As IT is the core business of your outsourcing company, they will have sufficient resources to get your problem fixed and provide advice on how to maximise your IT infrastructure. To help you run your “business at the speed of thought” (as Gates puts it), they can advise you on the best IT tools to employ for your organisation. Plus you can save time on testing out different tools like a lab rat!
You are working with a team
Most outsourcing companies have a team of experts to take care of your IT infrastructure instead of depending on an individual. Established outsourcing companies usually consist of junior and senior engineers, IT managers, account managers, and other experts. They work together as a team to support your business.
Savings?
With the absence of all the above-mentioned worries, you can save more on operation costs in the long run while focusing on what matters most: your core business. Any problem with your computers? Just report it to the vendor and they will take care of it for you. A good vendor is able to detect potential problems before they happen. Computer problems don’t have to be your problem, anymore!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saving on Mobile Charges when Travelling Abroad
Mobile Internet refers to Internet access via a mobile device, such as the smartphone or laptop. Heard of people being charged for expensive roaming calls and mobile internet when they are abroad? Real case scenario: one of my clients received a 5-figure mobile phone bill after a 2-week overseas business trip.
How can you avoid sky-high bills while still making calls and staying connected throughout the trip?
To stay online in another country, I do not have the luxury of using my local number as the primary line to make calls and surf the internet as the charges would have been exorbitant!
That is why I bring a second phone with me when I am abroad – a small basic phone with extraordinarily long battery life to save the hassle of carrying the heavy charger everywhere. It might cost between RM70-100 for a decent set and you could borrow if you do not want to buy one. Remember to turn off mobile data on your phone if you are overseas to avoid extra charges.
Many airport terminals, or at least the ones that I have been to, have a mobile phone kiosk at the arrival hall giving out free SIM cards. Don’t think twice, take it as you will need it later. I swapped my SIM card from my smartphone to the secondary phone and used the new SIM card on the smartphone.
Why?
Because I will only be receiving calls and texts on my primary number but I need the mobile data from my new SIM card. These cards do not usually come with usable credit and you need to top-up at the nearest convenience store or at the kiosk itself. The only settings you need to configure is the mobile internet to get online. For this, read the instructions on the package, call the hotline or get the person from the kiosk to help.
For inbound travelers to Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia has taken a step further to market their Tune Talk mobile package. They will hand it to you on the flight itself and you can top-up upon arrival at LCCT.
How much would it cost?
In Sydney, I subscribed to Virgin Mobile and it cost me AUD19 for approximately AUD10 worth of call/text credit and 1GB of Internet!
While in Phuket, I paid 350 Baht for a postpaid package from AIS for
150MB data and 150 Baht calling credit… if I remember correctly.
How does Mobile Internet help when travelling?
One of the most important apps that I need when travelling to foreign soil is the default GPS app (Maps) on the phone. In Sydney, I walked a lot in the city centre and the GPS guided me without missing a single junction. In Phuket, it saved me from being lost in the middle of nowhere late at night when I travelled alone to another beach on a motorcycle. Trust me, you do not want to lose your way on a remote island in the middle of the night when you can see nobody for the next few kilometers.
As for lodging, the Agoda app helped a lot in searching for hotels nearby. I like to experience different atmospheres at different places in the city, so I quite enjoy changing hotels, as if a nomad. With Agoda, I can view hotel information, reviews, prices and even book a room from my mobile phone. As a result, I moved to 3 different hotels in 4 nights.
Trying good food is a must when I am traveling. The recurring question in my mind is, what is good here? Would they charge me more because I am a foreigner? Besides reading the menu and getting recommendations from the stall owner, I usually use my assistant, FourSquare. With it, I am able to read tips from others and this can almost certainly guarantee a satiating meal within my budget.
Enough about Mobile Internet. How about phone calls? No doubt, calling home to speak to your loved ones on the new line can cost a lot. I use the Skype VOIP service and it costs as low as USD0.023/minute which is less than RM0.10/min after conversion. Inexpensive enough? There is a catch to use Skype calls, though; you need a very good mobile Internet connection. Besides that, I also stay in touch with my friends on WhatsApp, email, etc.
Well, I hope my article can improve your next traveling experience and save you a little. If you have any other tips, do let me know in the comments section. I would love to hear from you!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Unifi : How do I save by paying more?
I have been using TM Streamyx RM66 package for about 5 years before switching to Unifi when I moved in to my new house early this year. At first, it is a no brainer decision to jump from RM66 to RM149 per month on internet fees.
How much does the Internet packages cost:
Streamyx Package (512kbps):
Internet Fees: RM66/month
Phone line rental charge: RM26
Taxes: (few dollars)
Total: ~RM100
Unifi (5Mbps):
Internet Fees: RM149/month
Phone line rental charge: RM0
Taxes: 0
Installation: RM200 one time (some lucky chap got it for Free during the promotion)
Total: RM149/month
From the price comparison, it appear that I am paying 50% every month on Internet.
Let's look at how I can save by spending more:-
What do I get from Unifi?
Having said all these, my Astro subscription still has to stay on as my media center (desktop) is too high tech for the old man to operate.
So, how much do I save?
Extra charge on Internet fees: RM50
Total Savings (230-50): RM180
Now, you save RM180 by spending extra RM50
How much does the Internet packages cost:
Streamyx Package (512kbps):
Internet Fees: RM66/month
Phone line rental charge: RM26
Taxes: (few dollars)
Total: ~RM100
Unifi (5Mbps):
Internet Fees: RM149/month
Phone line rental charge: RM0
Taxes: 0
Installation: RM200 one time (some lucky chap got it for Free during the promotion)
Total: RM149/month
From the price comparison, it appear that I am paying 50% every month on Internet.
Let's look at how I can save by spending more:-
What do I get from Unifi?
- IPTV
- 10 times the download speed and 20 times the upload speed
- Unlimited Free Calls to landline and RM0.10/min to any Mobile operator.
- DECT phone (worth RM100)
Having said all these, my Astro subscription still has to stay on as my media center (desktop) is too high tech for the old man to operate.
So, how much do I save?
- RM30 for Astro on Demand
- RM30 for phone calls
- RM20 for Astro Beyond (for HD content)
- RM150 on Astro (assuming I can terminate this)
- TIME factor (faster Internet speed = more things can be done on the net at a shorter duration)
- Less stress with faster Internet speed
Extra charge on Internet fees: RM50
Total Savings (230-50): RM180
Now, you save RM180 by spending extra RM50
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
How to install web management for HP P212 RAID controller
If you have bought a HP server with P212 RAID controller and installing CentOS, you will need to install HP System Management Homepage (SMH) to monitor your health status of your array from the OS. Else, you will only be able to know the RAID status by rebooting the server and look the boot up message.
Here are the steps to install HP SMH on CentOS 5.6:-
1. Login as root and perform all below actions as a superuser (either su/sudo or root login). To start, we create a directory called HP to store all our downloads:
mkdir hp
cd hp
2. Download the PSP now. We will also download the latest binary version of HP-ACU-cli and SMH. The PSP includes only the source RPM for an out dated version:
wget ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/pubsw-linux/p414707558/v63381/hpacucli-8.70-8.0.noarch.rpm
wget ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/supportpack-linux/p323971208/v66272/psp-8.63.rhel5.x86_64.en.tar.gz
wget ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/pubsw-linux/p1507410135/v64330/hpsmh-6.3.0-22.x86_64.rpm
3. We now extract the PSP archive. Delete the outdated HP-ACU-cli and SMH RPMs.
tar zxvf psp-8.63.rhel5.x86_64.en.tar.gz
rm -rf hpacucli-8.60-8.0.noarch.rpm
rm -rf hpsmh-6.2.2-2.x86_64.rpm
4. Now we install the RPMs. Please note to keep the same order of installation, otherwise it might fail due to dependencies.
yum install net-snmp
yum localinstall --nogpgcheck hp-health-* hpacucli-* hponcfg-*
yum localinstall --nogpgcheck hpsmh-*
yum localinstall --nogpgcheck hp-snmp-agents-* hp-smh-templates-* cpqacuxe-* hpdiags-*
5. Configure SNMP to be accessible by HP System Management Homepage. It is necessary that you enter the passphrase for the Read/Write and Read-Only
access via localhost, otherwise SMH will not function properly. Also
set the snmptrap passphrase.
/sbin/hpsnmpconfig
6. Enable the ACU to connect and be accessible via the SMH. This is the RAID controller’s information.
cpqacuxe --enable-remote
7. Start all services:
service hp-asrd restart
service hp-health restart
service snmpd restart
service hp-snmp-agents restart
8. Secure your System Management Homepage installation to be accessible only by your IP address (replace 127.0.0.1 with yours):
/opt/hp/hpsmh/sbin/smhconfig --autostart=true --iconview=true --ip-restricted-logins=true --ip-restricted-include=127.0.0.1
9. Start the HP System Management Homepage service.
service hpsmhd restart
Visit http://Your-Server-IP:2301/. This should automatically start the HP SMH server and redirect you https://Your-Server-IP:2381/. Use your root user and password to gain access to SMH.
Here are the steps to install HP SMH on CentOS 5.6:-
1. Login as root and perform all below actions as a superuser (either su/sudo or root login). To start, we create a directory called HP to store all our downloads:
mkdir hp
cd hp
2. Download the PSP now. We will also download the latest binary version of HP-ACU-cli and SMH. The PSP includes only the source RPM for an out dated version:
wget ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/pubsw-linux/p414707558/v63381/hpacucli-8.70-8.0.noarch.rpm
wget ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/supportpack-linux/p323971208/v66272/psp-8.63.rhel5.x86_64.en.tar.gz
wget ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib2/software1/pubsw-linux/p1507410135/v64330/hpsmh-6.3.0-22.x86_64.rpm
3. We now extract the PSP archive. Delete the outdated HP-ACU-cli and SMH RPMs.
tar zxvf psp-8.63.rhel5.x86_64.en.tar.gz
rm -rf hpacucli-8.60-8.0.noarch.rpm
rm -rf hpsmh-6.2.2-2.x86_64.rpm
4. Now we install the RPMs. Please note to keep the same order of installation, otherwise it might fail due to dependencies.
yum install net-snmp
yum localinstall --nogpgcheck hp-health-* hpacucli-* hponcfg-*
yum localinstall --nogpgcheck hpsmh-*
yum localinstall --nogpgcheck hp-snmp-agents-* hp-smh-templates-* cpqacuxe-* hpdiags-*
5. Configure SNMP to be accessible by HP System Management Homepage. It is necessary that you enter the passphrase for the Read/Write and Read-Only
access via localhost, otherwise SMH will not function properly. Also
set the snmptrap passphrase.
/sbin/hpsnmpconfig
6. Enable the ACU to connect and be accessible via the SMH. This is the RAID controller’s information.
cpqacuxe --enable-remote
7. Start all services:
service hp-asrd restart
service hp-health restart
service snmpd restart
service hp-snmp-agents restart
8. Secure your System Management Homepage installation to be accessible only by your IP address (replace 127.0.0.1 with yours):
/opt/hp/hpsmh/sbin/smhconfig --autostart=true --iconview=true --ip-restricted-logins=true --ip-restricted-include=127.0.0.1
9. Start the HP System Management Homepage service.
service hpsmhd restart
Visit http://Your-Server-IP:2301/. This should automatically start the HP SMH server and redirect you https://Your-Server-IP:2381/. Use your root user and password to gain access to SMH.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)