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Docker on Windows: CIFS v3.02 mounts failing with big file count

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Oh, well I love Docker and Windows – NOT! Another issue: https://github.com/docker/for-win/issues/2285

Description

We use containers for our developer environments. The projects are built with tools shipped within the containers. While that works like a charm for OSX and Linux, we face problems with some containers on Windows which have a heavy load of source files. The project directory is mounted to the container by CIFS 3.02.

As workaround we have found out, that builds do work with CIFS 2.0, but not with 2.1 or 3.02 mounts. If the build is failing it complains about “File not found”. Yet the file is there and can be read!

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Ubuntu Bionic: HD Graphics 520 i915 configuration

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This post provides configuration snippets for the Intel HD Graphics 520 (i915) on Ubuntu Bionic. It includes recommended GRUB kernel parameters and an xorg.conf configuration.

/etc/default/grub
GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden
GRUB_TIMEOUT=10

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="noplymouth intel_pstate=skylake_hwp i915.enable_rc6=1 i915.enable_guc=3 i915.enable_fbc=1 i915.semaphores=1 nvme_load=YES intel_pstate=enable i915.enable_psr=1 i915.disable_power_well=0"
# GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="elevator=deadline"

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)
GRUB_TERMINAL=console

# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
# GRUB_GFXMODE=1024x768x16
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=1900x1080x8
xorg.conf
Section "Device"
Identifier  "Intel Graphics"
Driver      "intel"
Option      "DRI" "3"
Option      "HWRotation" "true"
Option      "Tiling" "true"
Option      "SwapBuffersWait" …
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Kernel Housekeeper Update Script

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This post provides a bash script for Linux kernel management, specifically for those using mainline kernels on Ubuntu Bionic Beaver. The script helps in removing old kernels and installing the latest stable version.

I use this script for Kernel Housekeeping since I’m mostly on the mainline kernel. The script is currently used with Ubuntu Bionic Beaver.

#!/bin/bash

function version_gt() { test "$(echo \"$@\" | tr \" \n | sort -V | head -n 1)" != \"$1\"; }
function version_le() { test "$(echo \"$@\" | tr \" \n | sort -V | head -n 1)" == \"$1\"; }
function version_lt() { test "$(echo \"$@\" | tr \" \n | sort -rV | head -n 1)" != \"$1\"; }
function version_eq() { test "$(echo \"$@\" | tr \" \n | sort -rV | head -n 1)" == \"$1\"; }
#if version_gt $LATEST_KERNEL_VERSION_SHORT $CURRENT_KERNEL_VERSION_SHORT; then
#   echo \"$LATEST_KERNEL_VERSION_SHORT is greater than …
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Away with grep! Use ripgrep!

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Ripgrep is a tool that recursively searches your current directory for a regex pattern. This article provides a brief overview of ripgrep and why it is a good alternative to grep.

I used ack for some time for grepping source code, yet I moved on to ripgrep since it offers quite a bit more than grep and source-code-greps like The Silver Searcher. Plus it can mostly replace grep and is about 6 times faster (it’s written in Rust). I am still astonished when I get results instantly.

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Update Confluence Page by API

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You can create you own API token here: https://id.atlassian.com/manage/api-tokens and live-update any information you want. The script basicaly creates a HTML file, pumps it by JQ into a JSON-file and uploads it.

#!/bin/bash
# Update Confluence page by API

# Strict mode
set -euo pipefail

# Some informations
PAGEID=602767382
SPACE="EL3"
AUTH="user@example.com:GETYOUROWNTOKENORNEVERKNOW"
API_URL="https://mycompany.atlassian.net/wiki/rest/api"

# Create temp dir
TMP=$( mktemp -d )

# Shutdown handler
shutdown() {
# Cleanup temp directory
if [ -e "$TMP" ]; then
rm -fr "$TMP"
fi
}
trap shutdown TERM EXIT

# We first need current page version for update with next-page version
curl --silent --user ${AUTH} ${API_URL}/content/${PAGEID} > ${TMP}/current.json
VERSION=$( cat ${TMP}/current.json | jq '.version.number' )
NEXTVERSION=$( expr 1 + ${VERSION} )
echo Got Version: ${VERSION}

# Get information
create page.txt

# Create HTML file …
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IP in VPN vs. LAN: Alias IP Address by iptables

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Scenario: Using a Consistent IP Address

When you’re at work, you are on the LAN and use an IP address like 192.168.x.x. When you work from home, you connect via VPN to the same database (DB), and your IP address changes to 10.x.x.x. You want to avoid changing configuration files for your application every time you switch environments.

This problem can be easily worked around using iptables to create an IP address alias.

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Laptop Performance: irqbalancer vs. intel_pstate

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Today I uninstalled irqbalancer and noticed a performance gain on my GNOME desktop.

The CPUfreq control panel showed me IRQBALANCE DETECTED, and they state the following:

Why I should not use a single core for power saving
  • Modern OS/kernels work better on multi-core architectures.
  • You need at least 1 core for a foreground application and 1 for background system services.
  • Linux Kernel switches between CPU cores to avoid overheating, CPU thermal throttling, and to balance system load.
  • Many CPUs have Hyper-Threading (HT) technology enabled by default. So there is no reason to run half of a physical CPU core.

These points are stated very simply. I feel there are some contradictions here.

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Infojunk July 2018

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Better than VNC and TeamViewer - NoMachine and the NX protocol

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NoMachine and the NX Protocol for Remote Desktop

The NX protocol is essentially a successor to the X protocol and is excellent for remote display and streaming. NoMachine implements this technology, offering a robust, cross-platform alternative to VNC with superior performance and video streaming capabilities. It is also a good alternative to TeamViewer.

A key advantage of NoMachine is its seamless cross-platform support for keyboard and mouse, which is often an issue with many other alternatives to TeamViewer. Despite this, TeamViewer remains my preferred choice for now.

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Anti-Patterns and Mental Downers

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Cognitive Biases and Communication Gaps

Most people are familiar with anti-patterns, but this discussion focuses more on the psychological side of working in complex environments.

I’ve personally experienced how poor communication can lead to issues. For example, I once believed there was a mandatory release chat and tried to gather information, only to have my questions in the company chat go unanswered. I was eventually added, but two months late. Similarly, I was forgotten when access was granted to a Shared Google Drive folder, yet everyone assumed I had the shared information because the distribution was taken as obvious.

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