Build PS3-optimized kernel for Debian GNU/Linux

I present the different required steps to get an up-and-running kernel for Debian GNU/Linux running on the Playstation 3.

This method requires a fully working Debian GNU/Linux system on a powerpc platform, which means it does not cover cross-compilation issues. It has been tested on the PS3 itself.

Note: This method was working at the time it was written. The method should always be correct, even though file names may change with different version updates. I will try to keep this page as up-to-date as possible, but things may not work from one time to another. In this case, you will have to find out about the file names by yourself. In the rest of this article I will always use the most recent file names at the date of latest update.

Continue reading...

A WebDAV server

WebDav is a HTTP extension which allows users to put files, create directories, just like you would do using a FTP server. Its major advantages on FTP are that it uses a unique TCP inbound communication channel and passes though web standard ports (it's still HTTP !), reducing problems for accessing from firewalled networks, and takes profit from web servers in general, such as authentication and the use of HTTPS secured communication channels.

A simple WebDav application is for instance the SyncPlaces Firefox extension, allowing you to share your bookmarks among different computers, using the WebDav server for storing the bookmarks files.

Continue reading...

HTTPS setup

Today I will talk about setting up HTTPS with Apache on a Debian system. HTTPS is used for secure connections between your web browser and the web server, minimizing the risk for hostile people to be able to listen to your communications by using standard network sniffing techniques.

This may be useful, if some of your websites handles personal data, such as a webmail application for instance.

This article supposes you already set up a basic Apache web server, as described in this previous article.

Continue reading...

Blog engine setup

Today I will talk about how to setup a blog engine just like the blog you are reading. It uses the Dotclear PHP application.

We will also have to install and setup the PostgreSQL database system for that purpose.

Continue reading...

Web server setup

Today we will discuss about basic Apache-based web server installation. This is a quite straightforward process on Debian systems.

I will also present the steps to setup the most commonly used Apache modules.

Continue reading...

QEMU and KQEMU

I recently presented KVM as an efficient virtualization solution for PC's with VMX-enabled processors. Today I present another efficient solution for older processors.

QEMU is a well-known full system emulator, powerful enough to virtualize complete hardware systems. Its major drawback is that it actually emulates the processor, making it unefficient for virtualization purposes when performance is required. The KQEMU kernel module allows QEMU to use the host processor when running on a PC and emulating a PC, removing that performance barrier.

Continue reading...

Loads of hardware (2)

The amazing list of weird hardware continues...

Continue reading...

Using KVM for virtual server setup

What best way to test a server setup than to just use a brand new machine dedicated for this purpose ? Unfortunately, not everyone has a spare computer dedicated to such activities. But there is at least one solution : use a virtual machine !

The virtualization solution I have been using is KVM, one of the most efficient ones.

This article deals with the different problems system administrators may encounter when setting up such a virtual server, as well as setting up the host computer (running a flavour of Debian GNU/Linux) to let it communicate with the virtual server.

Continue reading...

Loads of hardware (1)

I mainly describe myself as a hacker. I won't debate here about the real meaning of that term, because zillions of webpages already debate about what hackers really are. To keep things short, my definition of hackers corresponds to computer enthusiats which like to break limits of their machines and constantly work to improve their knowledge about programming and problems solving.

So, as this hobby is focused around computers, what best way to present my progress other than presenting the computers I used to spend my time on ...

Continue reading...

About the host server

This blog, as well as some other of more or less private websites, is hosted on a home server I setup for the occasion. In a series of different articles I will detail how exactly I did to get running different services. I hope it would be helpful for some others who would like to do the same.

Continue reading...

New blog !

Welcome to my new blog ! I finally managed to setup an up-and-running home server.

Expect some weird stuff to be published here in a few days. As my job has something to do with computer science research (mainly, operational research, combinatorial optimization and parallelism), and some of my hobbies are programming and GNU/Linux system administration, you will find information about various home and work projects which sometimes may look cross-related.

See you in a near future.

page 2 of 2 -