• Part 1 – Okwu Mmalite – Mwube Mfe queues (Nke a post)
• Part 2 – Reliably Ịmata okporo ụzọ – Mwube Mangle Iwu (Na-abịa oge adịghị anya ^TM)
• Part 3 – -Ebute ụzọ na Limits – Mwube kwụ n'ahịrị Osisi (Na-abịa oge adịghị anya ^TM)
• Part 4 – Monitoring Usage – Redefining queues – Limiting Abusive Devices (Na-abịa oge adịghị anya ^TM)
• Part 5 – ??? Uru ???

Okwu Mmalite

The first problem one usually comes across after being tasked with improving an Internet connection is that the connection is overutilised. A dịghị onye maara ihe mere, onye, ma ọ bụ ihe na-akpata nsogbu – except of course everyone blames the ISP. Mgbe ụfọdụ, ọ bụ ISP – but typically you can’t prove that without having an alternative connection immediately available. I currently manage or help manage four “saịtị / ogige” na-eji QoS jikwaa ha Internet Njikọta. Otu bụ m ọrụ, two are home connections, and the last one is a slightly variable one – na-emekarị nnọọ a n'ụlọ njikọ ma Nhọrọ, for a weekend every few months, it becomes a 140-nwoke (na-eto eto) LAN. Fun. 🙂

MikroTik RouterOS na

MikroTik'S RouterOS is very powerful in the right hands. Many other routers support QoS but not with the fine-grain control MikroTik provides. Alternatively you could utilise other Linux-based router OS’s, dị ka Dd-WRT, Smoothwall, Untangle, na otú pụta. Ọtụtụ n'ime ndị a ndị a chọrọ na i nwere a mapụtara nkesa-agha ụgha banyere ma ọ bụ a dakọtara ngwaike rawụta. Mikrotik akanyam RouterBoards na nwere RouterOS builtin – ha na-dịtụ ọnụ.

My ahụmahụ na routers bụ n'ụzọ bụ isi na Cisco na MikroTik – and my experience with QoS is primarily with Ikenye si NetEnforcer / NetXplorer usoro na MikroTik. Ndị kasị ewu ewu MikroTik ngwaọrụ m ahụmahụ (ọzọ karịa ha raara onwe ha nye ogologo nso wireless ngwaọrụ) ndidi ha rb750 (ọhụrụ version aha ya bụ “hEX“) na rb950-dabeere mbadamba. Ha nwere ọtụtụ ndị ọzọ available and are relatively inexpensive. In historical comparison with Cisco’s premium devices, M na nāzù na-akọwa MikroTik si ngwaọrụ dị ka “90% atụmatụ na 10% ndị na-eri”. Dị ka a ndu a na-iji isi na SME / Home ojiji, inexpensive makes more sense. If you’re looking at getting a MikroTik device, mara na MikroTik routers eme bụghị typically include DSL modems, si otú gị ẹdude ngwá bụ a na ka ọ dị mkpa. Rịba ama na-na nke a bụ bụghị a nkuzi na mwube a MikroTik ngwaọrụ site ọkọ. E nwere ọtụtụ nduzi dị online maka na ugbua.

Theory n'ime omume – nzọụkwụ ndị mbụ

Melite QoS n'ụzọ ziri ezi, you need to have an idea of a policy that takes into account the following:

• The n'ozuzu njikọ ọsọ
• Olee otú ọtụtụ ndị ọrụ / ngwaọrụ a ga-eji na njikọ
• The users/devices/services/protocols that should be prioritised for latency and/or throughput

Iji nweta n'elu m atụ, M ga-iche na-esonụ:

• The MikroTik a guzobere na ndabara netwọk nhazi ebe Obodo netwọk bụ 192.168.88.0/24 na njikọ Ịntanetị na-nyere site PPPoE.
• Njikọ ọsọ bụ 10 / 2Mbps (10 Mbps download ọsọ; 2 Mbps bulite ọsọ)
• A ga-enwe 5 ọrụ dị ọtụtụ dị ka 15 ngwaọrụ (otutu kọmputa / mbadamba / color / WiFi wdg)
• Ahụkarị downloads achọ elu mkpa na throughput ma ala-mkpa na latency
• Gaming/Skype/Administrative protocols require high priority with both latency and throughput
• Ọ dịghị ọrụ, a ga-prioritized ndị ọzọ

The first and probably quickest step is to set up what RouterOS refers to as a Mfe kwụ n'ahịrị.

M mere a obere edemede na m zọpụta na m MikroTik ngwaọrụ melite ndị dị mfe queues. Ọ bụ dị ka ndị:

:maka x si 1 ka 254 do ={
 /kwụ n'ahịrị mfe tinye aha ="internet-usage- $ x" dst ="pppoe" max-ịgba = 1900k / 9500k lekwasịrị ="192.168.88.$x"
}

Ihe n'elu na-eme bụ ịgba ndị ọsọ kacha mmadụ ọ bụla ngwaọrụ nwere ike iji “1900k” (1.9Mb) bulite na “9500k” (9.5Mb) download.

Notes:

• Ihe mere max ókè na- 95% of the line’s maximum speed is that this guarantees no single device can fully starve the connection, negatively affecting the other users. With a larger userbase I would enforce this limit further. Ọmụmaatụ, na 100 ọrụ na a 20MB ọrụ m pụrụ isetịpụ a ịgba na-15Mb ma ọ bụ ọbụna dị ka obere ka 1MB. Nke a bụ kpamkpam dabere na otú “mkparị” ndị ọrụ bụ ndị na-, dị ka ị chepụta ebe na ole ọjọọ etịbe, you can adjust it appropriately.
• The nganiihu “internet-ojiji” n'aha oke nwere ike ahaziri. A m setịpụrụ ndị a na-ezo aka na ogige aha. Ọmụmaatụ, with premises named “Alfa” na “beta”, M ga-a na-etinye “internet-Alfa” na “internet-beta”. A na-enyere na instinctively differentiating n'etiti saịtị.
• The dst oke nwere “pppoe” na atụ. Nke a ga-anam aha nke interface that provides the Internet connection.

Gbaa mbọ hụ na ị hazie edemede na-kwesịrị ekwesị ka gị na nhazi. Zọpụta edemede ka MikroTik na-agba ya – ma ọ bụ mado ya kpọmkwem n'ime MikroTik si ọnụ igbu ya.

In my next post I will go over setting up what RouterOS refers to as Mangle iwu. Ndị a iwu na-eje ozi ka a mata / were netwọk okporo ụzọ iji mee ka finer-grained QoS kwere omume.

Nzuzo, Oge, Ego

M na-adịghị amasị debit iwu. M na mgbe mmasị echiche na ọzọ kwadoro nwere ike, na uche, -fọrọ nke nta ọ bụla ego nke m ego (ọma … ihe ọ bụla bụ dị). A otu gosiri na nke na- MTN ga-e ẹse m a na-eji a debit iji. Ma eleghị anya, “mma” na-akpata bụ bụghị dị otú ahụ a ihe ọjọọ.

Echere m na ndị penultimate ajụjụ ebe a bụ ma ma ọ bụ na ị chọrọ mma na pụrụ ịtụkwasị obi oru (na nke a na gị ego gị) – ma ọ bụ ma ọ bụrụ na ị na-apụghị ịtụkwasị ha obi na-adị njikere ịhapụ ya mma. M ikpe, n'agbanyeghị na m ka na-ajụ na mma, M mụtara n'ụzọ siri ike na MTN na ọ doubly nwere ike na-adịghị ka gị ejikọrọ ụwa na-ebelata ka “n'àgwàetiti dịpụrụ adịpụ” ọnọdụ. Fọrọ nke nta onye ọ bụla taa na-aga na na mma-akpata.

Mma

N'akụkụ aka nke ọzọ, ugbu a ogologo oge gara aga, I had a dispute with Planet Fitness ebe mma bụ a mma ihu abụọ. M kọrọ ha azụmahịa omume ka Consumer Complaints Commission (ebe ọ bụ na re-haziri ka National Consumer Commission) and never got feedback from them. The gist of the issue is that Planet Fitness’s sales agent lied to me and a friend in order to get more commission/money out of my pocket.

M a Discovery vitality so nke na-enye ọtụtụ uru, gụnyere belata udu na adịchaghị ụdị – ukwuu n'ime ahụ ike-metụtara N'ezie, as Discovery is a Medical Aid/Health Insurance provider. Itinye ya nanị, Discovery bụ egwu. Vitality si uru ekpuchi mgbatị memberships nke ozokwa na-agụnye Planet Fitness. You still have to pay something, a obere iriba ama nke ụdị, ka Discovery, maka mgbatị otu. Ma, ka emechara, ha chọrọ ka m na-ike, so they don’t mind footing the bulk of the bill. Ma, o doro anya na, nke a pụtara Planet Fitness’ ahịa mmadụ adịghị enweta ọrụ!

Ya mere, ihe ka nke a na n'ihi na? N'ihi na PF si ahịa gị n'ụlọnga nyere m otu ebu ọnụ ọgụgụ maka a “Vitality dabeere” otu. Na ọ ghara ụgha. O wee ama m banye na dotted akara maka ihe ebu price nke a “mgbe” otu (ee, ọ bụ n'ezie karịa ọbụna a mgbe otu ga-eri), ending up about 4 na 5 ugboro dị ukwuu dị ka vitality dabeere otu.

Epiphanies

Some time in 2011 M mechara wisened ruo-akwụ ụgwọ m e kwesịrị ịbụ na-akwụ ụgwọ. Discovery m n'aka ga-adị oke obi ụtọ banyere nke a fiasco. M gwara ndị Manager na-amụ, na m e mesiri obi ike na dum nkwekọrịta ga-hapụrụ. M otu maka ime ihe ike … ma ọ bụrụ na ya maka egwuregwu … na Octagon … ma mgbe m 5th nleta Manager ịjụ ihe mere ndị Debit Asọ ka nọ na-eme, ọ gwara m na-idem m ama ada ngwá agha m maka nleta. Mgbe a ole na ole ọzọ nleta, na Manager ahụ n'ezie hapụrụ Planet Fitness na kọwaara m na “nkwekọrịta” was between myself and Head Office and that the local gym, o doro anya na a franchise-ịke ime, ama obere ka ọ dịghị ikwu okwu banyere ma ma ọ bụ na ọ pụrụ ịkagbu. Ọ bụrụ na Head Office sị mba, siri ike chioma.

By this point I’d lost it. I had my bank put a Kwụsị ka debit iwu. It was a huge schlep: I had to contact the bank every month because the debit order descriptions would change ever so slightly. It also cost me a little every couple of months to “reinstate” the blocking ọrụ. Apụghị m ma na-eche ichekwa ego na bank usoro akwado mgbe okwu ma mkpara adịghị bụchaghị mara otú iji ya.

Technically I’m still waiting on the CCC to get back to me (mgbe mere – na N'ezie ha na-re-haziri dị ka e kwuru n'elu otú ahụ ikpe eleghị anya dara site cracks). N'ezie, site na mgbe PF chọkwara Blacklist m n'ihi na ọ bụghị na-akwụ ụgwọ!

Na-atụghị anya dike

A haphazard aha na nke na Discovery (Echere m na m na-akpọ ha banyere a dọkịta eze nleta) rụpụtara na a callback site na otu nke Discovery si elekọta mmadụ. Ha na-ahụ gwara m ka m na-akọwa nsogbu, n'ụzọ zuru ezu na na na ide, ka mma ịkọwa site m n'ọnọdụ ihe merenụ n'ezie. M ụgwọ. Ọ na-enyo m bụ nri banyere ha ka ha ghara ịbụ “kwa obi ụtọ” gbasara ya. N'ezie ha n'ezie ọ dịghị amasị. About three weeks later, Planet Fitness refunded m na zuru maka niile ewerekwa ego na gatụla ugwo ha.

Discovery bụ Awesome. 🙂

It appears that, in infinite wisdom, Google have a security feature that can block an application from accessing or using your google account. I can see how this might be a problem for Google’s users, in particular their GTalk na Gmail users. In my case it was Pidgin having an issue with the Jabber ọrụ (which is technically part of GTalk). I found the solution after a little digging. I was surprised at how old the issue was and how long this feature has existed!

To unlock the account and get your application online, use Google’s Captcha page here.

I did a full update on my personal server at home as one is bound to do, often, na Arch. It’s a headless server so there’s always that slight anxiety concerning whether or not I have to connect a keyboard/monitor when things don’t just work. The wish was not granted today:

Arch Linux started booting up normally and init starts runlevel 3, the where it stats loading daemons:

:: Adjusting Hardware Clock [Busy]

And that’s where it just hangs. No further. Ctrl+Alt+Del works, single user mode works, but standard runlevel 3 will not. It turns out that the cause is a bug between hwclock and the server’s hardware clock. The backup battery on the motherboard, powering the CMOS memory and, subsequently, the hardware clock, is dead. While the system is powered up the battery isn’t needed – however since the hardware clock knows it has reset, it won’t tick until we tell it what the time is. Counter to this is that when hwclock starts, it’s waiting for a clock tick in order for it to know if the hardware clock’s rate of progress is good. Catch 22.

The solution in my case was to go into single user mode where I could disable hwclock in /etc/rc.conf. I’ve been using ntpd to keep the system time in sync which works just fine. I’m not too bothered with whether or not the hardware clock is right – I just want the live system’s clock to be right. It will still be a good idea to get a replacement battery since, until that’s done, every time the server boots it will think its back in 1997.

The upgrade to WordPress 3 was long overdue (as are many draft articles). Surprisingly, nothing looks different since the upgrade has been completed, though I also would not be surprised if I’ve missed an important plugin breakage.

I’ll be spending a day this weekend solely on polishing the site and finishing up some articles. You have something to look forward to. 🙂