Computers

APRS Fun!

by W4JDH
Hi folks! I’ve got a bit to report! I’ve been migrating my Linux servers to Debian from RHEL-derived distributions, and the last one to be migrated was the APRS node. I’ve had W4JDH-1 connected to APRS-IS for a long time: at least since 2011 and possibly earlier. For the longest time it was Xastir in ... Read More

Server Update

by W4JDH
This server now runs on CentOS 7! Additionally, on Friday evening my network port at the data center is being upgraded to 1 Gbps! Back to the work day…

Hardening a Raspberry Pi-based Digital Hotspot

by W4JDH
This issue came up at work this week. I received two phone calls from customers who were having issues with their Raspberry Pi-based D-STAR Hotspot: something was corrupting the microSD card. One wanted to get the built-in halt/reboot options working, and he eventually did with the help of the image’s site. The second brought his ... Read More

Server Consolidation

by W4JDH
I spend a fairly large amount of time browsing /r/homelab because I, at one point, had a rudimentary “home lab” set up. It wasn’t anything fancy, mostly because back in 2003 or 2004 server virtualization wasn’t a big thing, as far as I can tell. It was mostly a firewall and single whitebox server with ... Read More

We’re Back! With Radio Fun!

by W4JDH
Hi there! This is a landmark first post in almost four years here on w4jdh.net! Today we’re diving into the realm of amateur (ham) radio and Linux, specifically how to set Arch Linux up as both an APRS I-Gate and a dual-band D-STAR hotspot using the G4KLX software compiled from source. Assuming you don’t have ... Read More

Scaling Back

by W4JDH
Every year I’ve looked at Anime Weekend Atlanta as more than a chance to hang out with friends from out of town because of the rather unique situation having several laptop wielders in the same hotel room can present. Therefore, I come up with all sorts of hair-brained network schemes to get everyone online from ... Read More

The Importance of VPN Tunnels

by W4JDH
DEF CON was this past weekend, and in usual fashion, the staff of the convention had projected onto a screen the “Wall of Sheep”: a list of usernames and obfuscated passwords that were transmitted in the clear on the convention’s wireless network. As DEF CON has doubtlessly the most hostile wireless network ever seen, ensuring ... Read More

eeeRouter Online!

by W4JDH
Well, I had pfSense working for a wired interface, but once I enabled the wireless interface and a client connected to it, the machine hardlocked. I am not one to be defeated by technology, so I dug out my IPCop install disc and attempted to load that on instead. Sadly IPCop 1.4 does not have ... Read More

Netbooks as Routers

by W4JDH
In my last post I talked about building an alternative to Cradlepoint’s routers, and as I’ve decided to use my Dell Mini 10v for my “carry” netbook, I’m looking at what to turn my Eee PC 901 into. The most obvious choice I’m seeing is loading pfSense on it and using it as a prototype ... Read More

Building a Better Cradlepoint

by W4JDH
A random search of “T-Mobile Rocket Linux” on Google retrieved a post showing how to make the T-Mobile webConnnect Rocket Stick HSPA+ device work in Linux. This is relevant because as of June 17, the Atlanta metro area has HSPA+. In my adventures with embedded computing, I’ve come across the PC Engines ALIX boards. These ... Read More