Linux on Aaron West's technology blog

How to Background Linux Console Processes

Sun, 26 Jul 2015 13:30:00 -0500

This week our data team were talking about ways to run a Python script without having the execution attached to your console session. There’s more than way one to accomplish this but here’s the one they settled on.

nohup python python_script.py </dev/null &

The discussion reminded me of a similar, and equally useful, workflow we had a Dataium. We used all kinds of databases over the years but in the beginning MySQL 5.5.x was our goto. We operated a fairly sizable database which served as a backend to a desktop Adobe AIR / Flex application. One of the challenges we had with the configuration was performance following a database restart. We approached this problem by writing SQL scripts which mirrored common query patterns from our users. This concept of warming the MySQL query cache was incredibly useful.

Installing and Configuring NTP on Linux

Sat, 29 Mar 2014 12:03:00 -0500

Many of us navigate life each day with a smartphone. And on that smartphone is an atomic clock of sorts. No it isn’t a “real” atomic clock but given a smartphone is typically connected to cell towers and/or a wi-fi network the time and day on a smartphone is generally correct. I’d be willing to bet many of you use your smartphone as your daily watch. We’ve pretty much come to expect we will always have the correct time (within a few seconds) available at a quick glance.

Docking Stations and the Future of Computing

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:35:00 -0500

The Verge ran a story earlier about Canonical creating a docking station that provided Ubuntu desktop access for your smartphone.

I called this at least two years ago. Not the specific instance of Canonical releasing a desktop dock for Android device plug-in, but the idea of how this will change computing. If you discount some of the newest quad-core and 8-core systems out there, the latest mobile phones aren’t too far behind laptops in their power. Certainly they don’t have the graphics horsepower but I don’t see that as an issue.

Products That Make This Site Possible

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:02:00 -0600

For the past few months I’ve been planning on writing a post about the services that make this site possible. I’ve read these sorts of posts on other sites and they seem very marketing heavy. They’re often titled “sponsor post” or something equivalent. This post is different. I’m genuinely a fan (and customer) of all of these services and in most cases I pay for them monthly. After the break I discuss each service/app I rely on to power this site. I put each service within category blocks such as: the server, the app, backups, uptime, etc.

Super Guide: Installing ColdFusion 9 on CentOS Linux

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:14:00 -0500

This post is a followup to my previous guide to installing ColdFusion 9 on Ubuntu. While that post was all about the specifics to getting ColdFusion up and running on Ubuntu, this post is all about CentOS. The overall process is the same and I’m covering all the same steps, but the commands in this post are specific to the CentOS operating system. So why I’m writing this?

Overall, installing ColdFusion isn’t that big of a deal. But I’ve yet to see a guide or blog post that outlines all the other topics related to getting a decent ColdFusion server on CentOS up and running. That’s why I wrote this super guide, to outline what I believe is important to know about installing ColdFusion. Of course, I’m not covering every single possible detail, but I believe I’ve hit on all the major topics. Along the way I sprinkle in my own ideas, thoughts, and what I believe are best practices. After you read this post and walk through all the instructions you should have a very solid ColdFusion / Apache set up on CentOS Linux.

Super Guide: Installing ColdFusion 9 on Ubuntu Linux

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:50:00 -0500

As I was finishing this guide on installing ColdFusion 9 on Ubuntu Linux I tweeted how many words made up the text (over 6,000). Several people commented on Twitter and Facebook saying things like: “[the length] seems a bit excessive,” and “is it that complicated?” The thing is, I’m covering much more than simply installing ColdFusion. Overall, just installing ColdFusion isn’t that big of a deal. But I’ve yet to see a guide or blog post that outlines all the other topics related to getting a decent ColdFusion server on Ubuntu up and running. That’s why I wrote this super guide, to outline what I believe is important to know about installing ColdFusion. Of course, I’m not covering every single possible detail, but I believe I’ve hit on all the major topics. Along the way I sprinkle in my own ideas, thoughts, and what I believe are best practices. After you read this post and walk through all the instructions you should have a very solid ColdFusion / Apache set up on Ubuntu Linux.

Blocking ColdFusion Administrator in Apache

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:00:00 -0500

Web application security is a difficult topic and can’t be covered completely in a single blog post. After the break I discuss one quick way to block ColdFusion Administrator requests in Apache. I also list other resources that will help you understand ColdFusion security and how to apply practical security constructs on your ColdFusion servers.

As a ColdFusion developer or administrator you should always protect your server by locking out requests to the ColdFusion Administrator. Having a Web-based admin panel for ColdFusion is fantastic but if an unauthorized user were to gain access to it they could cause serious harm to your application, your customers, and your business. Privatizing access to the ColdFusion Administrator should be high on your priority list.