Having gone through the interesting process of upgrading the server from 10.3 (Panther) to 10.4 (Tiger), I wanted to ensure the server was performing as well as possible with regard to spam filtering. I found this excellent article:- Agile Tortoise » OS X Tiger Server: Improving SpamAssassin. Excellent just what I wanted!

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mac, osx, server, spamassassin

The only thing was, having done that, I felt that the stock install of SpamAssassin with Tiger Server (3.0.1) was rather out of date - we're into 3.1.3 at the time of writing. So I asked the question as to how to upgrade (and if there was anything I should watch out for) on the Apple OS X Server forums. The reply I received was as follows:

When you have spamassassin of os x server already running it is simple to upgrade spamassassin. I never had any problems - tested on three tiger mailservers.
Simply follow the instructions on http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/spamassassin/branches/3.1/INSTALL and upgrade on 3.1.3 (it reports itself as 3.001003) using the terminal and the perl-helper-app MCPAN . When doing this the first time you may respond to the questions asked, but you can also choose you are not ready for a manual configuration. This does not interfere with amavis, clamav or anything else. Worst thing that could happen is that you need to install the most recent perl-libraries on which spamassassin is dependent on…

So, many thanks to mestopheles for just the answer I was looking for. It worked a treat, and my inbox is a little less full!

SteamSHIFT out.

I consider myself a pretty savvy computer user. I have successfully installed Windows 2000 and XP; and know my way around the guts of *NIX systems reasonably well, and OS X is like a second home to me. One thing I have never done before (perhaps from straying too far into ÜberGeek territory) is a Linux install. My perception has been that it requires a hideous amount of mucking about with drivers, compiling and all that jazz.

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server, developing, php, ssh, linux, kubuntu, suse, file sharing

However, when my G4 tower died (think motherboard is dead - we'll see when the new one gets here), I needed somewhere to back up my files to. I decided to press into service the old PC that has been hanging around as my Internet Explorer test machine. Now that I have an Intel based Mac (2GHz 15inch MacBook Pro), I can take advantage of Bootcamp, Parallels and, shortly CodeWeavers.

So exit stage left for Windows (yay), and enter Linux. So, first thing I tried was downloading a CD-Rom image for Kubuntu. You'll need 700Mb cd-roms for most of the Linux CD-Rom images out there. Installing on a fresh drive (reformatted as part of the instal process), was incredibly easy and straight-forward; a far cry from what I had expected and certainly easier than a Windows install.

All working, and we rode off into the sunset happily ever after … well actually no. A big no. I had 2 requirements:- Open SSH server (so I can SSH into the box) and File Sharing. The former is not installed as standard and none of the default update servers / file repositories had it.

Eventually I managed to get OpenSSH Server set up, but in order to do so, I had to add new file repositories (not straightforward and requiring command line stuff) and then un-install the client version before I could install the client and server versions afresh. Way too difficult for most of the computer users I know!

Next challenge - set up file sharing. To save you the description of some hours of frustration, lets cut to the quick - I couldn‘t do it. Everything in the KDE (the window manager - ie the thing that makes it look and feel the way it does) control panel that I wanted to do that required a root password was broken; I’d put in my password and it wouldn't authenticate. I gave up in the end.

Scratch Kubuntu then! Next day, I bought a couple of Linux magazines with cover disks and settled on trying Suse 10.1 on DVD. Again the install process was totally painless (even considering I had to swap the CD-ROM drive for a DVD-Rom drive before trying it). Although the there seems to be some suggestion on Kubuntu forums that KDE was the problem, SUSE also uses KDE and worked perfectly. OpenSSH Server is installed as standard. Feeling confident, I even set up apache and PHP. All in all I was up and running almost as soon as the install had finished.

I may be being unfair to Kubuntu; I did use a fully featured DVD install for Suse, but the big problems with Kubuntu were actually about bits being broken or being more difficult than they really needed to be.

I‘ve kind of got the bug now though, and may try a few other distributions to see how I get on with them. However, I don’t think any will get close to parting me from OS X!

SteamSHIFT out.

I wanted an alternative to having phpMyAdmin installed on my server as I couldn't help but be a little concerned about having a web application that has access to all my databases. The alternative?

I present here for your reading pleasure 2 alternatives, based around 1 simple principle:- ssh tunneling.

1. Set up an SSH tunnel in terminal:

ssh -L 3396:127.0.0.1:3306 username@WebServerIP

or use 'SSH Tunnel Manager‘ or ’Almost VPN' or the like.

I‘m using port 3396 on the local machine just ’cause it's easy to remember.

1. Now set up either phpMyAdmin running on your local version of apache (Personal Web Sharing under Sharing Prefs Pane) with php (get Marc Liyanage's PHP Apache Module if you don't already have php installed), making sure that you put 127.0.0.1 as the MySQL host, and 3396 as the MySQL port in the config.inc.php file.

Alternatively, despite being a long term phpMyAdmin user, I have switched to the combination of the MySQL Administrator application and CocoaMySQL-SBG for full GUI database administration loveliness. Again, with both apps, use 127.0.0.1 as the host, and 3396 as the port.

NB: because the tunnel is essentially making the database access happen on the server itself, the user details you use can be limited to access by localhost only.

Easy. All you have to remember is to start the tunnel before you use the administration tools.

All Clear? SteamSHIFT out.

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mac, osx, server, developing, php, mysql, database, ssh, phpMyAdmin

After a few people have had problems with the old widget, where the version of the Category Tagging plugin had been updated, thus breaking the widget, and with the debugging help of Nicholas Feasey, now available is a new version. This version has imported the plugin code (Category Tagging Plugin), so I can only claim to have connected all the dots as it were. The upshot of this is that the widget can now operate independently of the plugin; hopefully this will make it easier.

Download Category Cloud Widget Version 1.2

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developing, php, wordpress, widgets

If I have an email address that I wish to reject all email to, because for instance it has become overrun with spam, here's how…

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tutorial, mac, osx, server, email

Big thanks to jaydisc for this:

I do exactly that as follows. This requires Terminal knowledge.

Create a Postfix Access file. You can edit the existing sample located here:

/etc/postfix/access

I do this using ‘nano’ (pico‘s replacement) using ’sudo' to act as root, so:

sudo nano /etc/postfix/access

At the bottom, you can include entries like this:

bademail@mydomain.com REJECT

anotherbademail@mydomain.com REJECT

(those are tabs between the addresses and the word REJECT)

Then, you need to turn that file into a Postfix hash table with this command:

sudo postmap /etc/postfix/access

If you use virtual hosting via the editing of /etc/postfix/virtual, that command will be familiar.

Lastly, you have to tell Postfix to observe this file. I like telling Postfix to reject these messages immediately, rather than to send a bounce message. To do that, edit Postfix's main config file:

sudo nano /etc/postfix/main.cf

Near the bottom of that file (at least in mine), you will have a line like this:

smtpd_recipient_restrictions = permit_sasl_authenticated, permit_mynetworks…

Add ‘hash:/etc/postfix/access’ to the beginning of the values of that line as such:

smtpd_recipient_restrictions = hash:/etc/postfix/access, permit_sasl_authenticated, permit_mynetworks…

Since I put it first, even authenticated users can't send to those addresses. You can order the values here as you see fit, and the first one that matches is granted. So, for example, if you put it after permit_sasl_authenticated, messages sent to these bad addresses from authenticated users would NOT be rejected at the door. I use a variance of this entire trick to only allow authenticated users to send to my junkmail address, but that's a tip for another topic.

Lastly you need to tell Postfix to reload its configuration:

sudo postfix reload

That's it!

Send a test to one of those bad addresses. Mail.app should basically tell you the message couldn't be sent and offer the standard “Use Selected Server, Try Again Later, etc.” dialog.

There is one thing I‘ll warn you of… if you have secondary mail servers, and your server is temporarily offline, and one of these badly addressed emails is held onto by the secondary server, when your primary returns, and the secondary sends, it will fail, and the secondary will be forced to deal with bouncing it, and notifying its postmaster. This won’t be an issue for most people. It is for me, but I also manage my secondaries and thus I can mirror the /etc/postfix/access file on both so they both reject those addresses at the door.

Let us know how you go.

A little while ago I moved my blog from Blojsom to Wordpress - for anyone who might find it useful, here is the php script I used to automate most of that process. I'll try and post a new, tidier version down the line.

Download my Blojsom to Wordpress Importer.

Just put it in the web folder of your site, fill in the details at the top of the file and visit the page with a web browser. It's clunky but it worked for me! Usual caveats - no guarantees, or warranty - if anything goes wrong, it's not my responsibility! NB: it currently requires the PEAR DB library.

SteamSHIFT out.

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osx, server, php, wordpress, blojsom

        [![vicious](http://files.steamshift.com/oldblog/2006/05//rwetzler_02.jpg)](http://members.iinet.net.au/~swesla/)




        [![renee](http://files.steamshift.com/oldblog/2006/05//rwetzler_03.jpg)](http://members.iinet.net.au/~swesla/)







Beautiful






SteamSHIFT Out.






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Check it out … Sensible offers accepted.

SteamSHIFT out.

On the quartzcomposer-dev list, someone mentioned that the ‘Render in Image’ patch is pretty gpu etc. intensive. I use it quite a lot for switching between different visible patches, so I thought I'd check it out in a bit more detail.

This zipped Quartz Composer file is a simple composition that uses ‘Render in Image’ and a ‘Multiplexer’ to switch between different patches.

This zipped Quartz Composer file is the same composition, but using 5 standard macro patches and a javascript patch, designed to work as an inverse multiplexer (taking a index and switching the relevant output to 1, with rest set to 0).

What was the outcome? Well the latter, uses 10 less patches, uses less AGP memory (measured using OpenGL Driver Monitor - in /Developer/Applications/Graphics Tools), and shows a smoother line in debug for Execution Time and Rendering Time. It definitely shows savings even on such a simple composition.

I find it odd that you have to use a javascript patch to do something so straightforward - surely this must confuse beginners? Also I couldn't find a way of making the javascript detect how many outputs there are. Finally, although the javascript patch is fine for this, it would be better to have a real patch that could take a default input and a selected input, and allow those inputs to be any type (image, number, index, etc).

Hope this helps someone eke a bit more speed out of their composition. SteamSHIFT out.

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VJ, quartz composer, mac, osx, experiments, macro, javascript

I have a very large composition which I use for my visuals (anybody got any good alternatives to having huge compositions - needs seamless switching from one composition to another). In fact it is so big that my default user account won't load it! So, I‘m doing a bit of work and I decide I want something out of it. The answer, create a copy of the composition and open it up in PlistEdit Pro, then chop out the stuff I don’t want, save and then open up in Quartz Composer. Bingo!

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quartz composer, experiments, plist