Remove players count from Dynmap (CraftBukkit Mod)

Recently we needed to edit the dynmap mod for a Minecraft server running CraftBukkit. The mod is great and renders maps in real time and has other features like chat and player locations. However it was conflicting with another mod that was supposed to show certain players as not being in the game (vanished).

When the player would mark themselves as vanished it would remove their location from the map and their player id from the list. It would not however remove them from the player count. After searching though the config and finding no setting to turn off the player count we dug through the files and here is the solution.

In "/dynmap/web/js" find the file "map.js", at about line 615 change this:

me.playerfield.text(me.options['msg-players'] + " [" + update.currentcount + "/" + me.options.maxcount + "]");

 to this:

me.playerfield.text(me.options['msg-players']);

This removes the counting of players online and total slots available.  It does however still leave the player list intact, only showing online and unvanished players. As the count is now removed viewers of the map will not know when a vanished player is online.

This is great for Admins and Mods that want to check on players without giving them a hint that they are online.

To check out our Minecraft server visit our forum at: http://mc.ostechga.com.

Thanks,
Chris Dickerson
Owner / Lead Technician
Open Source Technologies
http://www.OSTechGA.com
(678) 372-9470

Easily Record magicJack Calls

The magicJack is a VOIP system that uses RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol). RTP is designed for real time peer-to-peer transferring of streaming media. In the case of the magicJack it just handles an audio stream which can be captured and recorded to a audio file on your local computer.There are several options to achieve this. However after testing quite a few the one that we like the best is Oreka. You simply install it and it works.

There is no configuration required and it spits every call out into a ".wav" file that is located in "C:\oreka\audio\$Date". The "$Date" means that it organizes the files automatically into folders with the year, month, day and hour respectively. The files are also named with the current time. So a sample file might be "C:\oreka\audio\2012\04\27\21\20120427_215835_VPX.wav". We find this very handy.

The program runs as a Windows service so every time you restart the computer it is already running in the background. This makes the process easy and there is no need to start a program when you want to record a call.

But the best part by far is that the program is completely free, in fact it is open source.

Thanks,
Chris Dickerson
Owner / Lead Technician
Open Source Technologies
http://www.OSTechGA.com
(678) 372-9470

Network Security Basics Lesson 1: WiFi

This article is mainly meant to inform users that have some technical experience about the proper way to secure a wireless network. If you are unable to understand and perform any of the suggestions on your network, please contact us. This is a service we offer.

---

If you value your networks security then you are interested in the proper way to secure a wireless network. I often tell people the only way to be safe with WiFi is just not to use it, but this is impractical and meant as a joke... kind of.

There are different ways to secure a wireless network. Sadly the most common network encryption is still WEP which can be defeated in about 60 seconds by a skilled hacker. Another common method is to use a MAC ID filter to only allow access to specific devices, but these to can be bypassed by MAC cloning. Further more most routers that support the more secure WPA encryption have a fatal flaw in their Secure Easy Setup ("SES").

SES is intended to make adding new devices to your network an easy process, and thus has made it easy to hack. Ideally you would just turn this feature off which many routers will allow you to do. However even the new Linksys Valet routers that have an option in their configuration to turn off SES still leave the vulnerability open as the feature is not really turned off.

So what to do then?

If you want to insure your wireless network is secure you will have to change your routers firmware to an aftermarket option like DDWRT. It simply does not support SES, so there is no security hole. Then ensure you are using WPA2 with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) as WPA with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) also has issues.

At the moment this is the most secure wireless network you can have and at the moment it can't be bypassed. However technology is ever changing and this can change at any moment. In future posts we will go over making sure the information on your network is secure so if someone does gain access to your network it will not be an issue.

Thanks,
Chris Dickerson
Owner / Lead Technician
Open Source Technologies
http://www.OSTechGA.com
(678) 372-9470 

Follow-up: Setup magicJack to Replace Entire House Phone Service

In a previous post on how to Setup magicJack to Replace Entire House Phone Service I described how you could run the magicJack through your existing house wiring to plug a phone into any port in the house. As several people have had issues with this I've decided to mention another way to achieve almost the same effect.

All that is required is a Wireless phone that has a base station and then separate handsets that run off the main base with a wireless connection. I have the Motorola L403, which has 3 handsets that work off the central base. Another good example is the Uniden DECT1480 which has the same setup at a lower price point. Both of these phones are DECT6.0, which is the optimal choice for clarity, distance and non-interference with other wireless technologies like WiFi.

All you have to do it plug the cord from the main base station into the magicJack and then you are good to go. You can then place the other handsets in any rooms in the house that you wish.

Thanks,
Chris Dickerson
Owner / Lead Technician
Open Source Technologies
http://www.OSTechGA.com
(678) 372-9470

Review: Windows 8 Consumer Preview

From watching the videos published by Microsoft the interface is obviously different and geared towards tablets. I have, however, loaded it into a virtual box on a desktop for testing. Here is a video of my first little interaction with Windows 8:



As I mentioned the interface does not seem to flow nor come to me naturally. Also had I not watched any of the preview videos I would not have known to go to the corners to navigate the operating system. It is just too different but I am sure with time I can learn to accept it.

The right side navigation bar is quite responsive however the left side needs a little work.

Some other things to note is the login process. It is rather reminiscent of the Google Chrome login process, in which you have to have a valid email account with the provider. Once logged in, much in the way Chrome OS functions, you are presented with cloud options linked to your account.

The idea being that you are closer to your internet content. But being as I primarily deal with business computers I see several bosses not liking this. Their employees would constantly be distracted by facebook and twitter updates, wondering what new video was posted to youtube and such.

However if you look past that and realize that Windows 8 really brings the exciting possibilities of the "cloud" right into the computer. You can see that having a maintained calendar, email and cloud storage right at your finger tips can offer much more productivity.

Please leave comments and let me know what you think. I will have more videos later going deeper into the menus and settings.

Start With Trust: Open Source Technologies

It wont be a surprise to our current customers that we are now a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business. We have always strived to be honest and provide the best customer service. Now you can know this for certain.

Please take a moment to look over our accreditation page on the BBB and also know that we are also a Service Magic Screened and Approved business. We invite any of our customers to leave reviews on any of those sites including our Google Customer Reviews Page.

Remember Don't wast your time with a Geek, Call and computer Expert. If you are having any problems with your computer please don't hesitate to call today. All over the phone quotes are completely free. No one is to far away. Call and find out what a computer repair should cost without all the overhead of the nationally known companies.

Virus Removal, System Tuneup, Network repair or security, Part Replacement, Web Site Design, Firewalls, Broken LCDs, Slow Computers, or anything else. We have the experience and know how to get the job done right.

BBB: http://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/computers-service-and-repair/open-source-technologies-in-carrollton-ga-27414262#bbblogo

Service Magic: http://www.servicemagic.com/biz/ostechga?m=sealofapproval&entry_point_id=5761960

Google Reviews: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=1865614897454797880&q=Open+Source+Technologies+Carrollton+GA&hl=en&sll=33.592031,-84.911839&sspn=0.026226,0.362499&ie=UTF8&ll=33.736332,-85.133057&spn=0,0&z=11

Thanks,
Chris Dickerson
Owner / Lead Technician
Open Source Technologies
http://www.OSTechGA.com
(678) 372-9470

Setup magicJack to Replace Entire House Phone Service

On my previous post I told you how to use the magicJack as a fax line. Now I am going to show you how to also wire the magicJack into your house so that all your home phone jacks are also powered by the magicJack.

Before we continue please note that this tutorial is not meant for novices. Basic knowledge of phone systems and the ability to run cable will be required.

First of all understand what we are going to do. We have to disconnect the phone companies lines from the internal house network because you can not have two phone signals running over the same lines. If you are going to get rid of their service than that doesn't matter much. However if you still have DSL internet service you will have to insure that you run a line directly from the Telephone Network Interface Box to the modem.

Now there is absolutely noting illegal or wrong with changing this wiring. If you own your house you also own this box. So don't think that you are going to get in trouble for fiddling with it. However most phone companies use a security screw to close it so you may have to use a pair of plyers to open it and then replace it with another screw that is easier to manipulate.

Now after you have that line run and tested you will have to trace the wires that run into your house. More than likely, the older the house the more you will have. Ports have been added and moved not to mention most security systems run their own.

My box had three wires running into the house. One was for the original phones, one was added later for a phone in another room and the third is for the security system. Disconnect these from the interface box and set them aside.

Now put a splitter on the magicJack and run a wire from the magic jack either through the attic or through a crawl space and then out to the interface box. Then all you have to do is splice them together and you are all set to go. All the phone jacks in your house are now powered by the magicJack.

I have canceled my home phone service and just use the magicJack to make calls and to send and receive faxes. This saves so much money, it's just incredible.

If you have done this in your home please leave a comment and let me know how it went. Also if you would like to have this done but just can't simply do it yourself please keep in mind that this is a service that we offer.

Thanks,
Chris Dickerson
Owner / Lead Technician
Open Source Technologies
http://www.OSTechGA.com
(678) 372-9470