P2P Caching

Most of ISP engineer know about web caching, but not all know about P2P caching. The way it work is similar like web caching, but as P2P use random port and sometime even use port 80, it's not easy to implement it in ISP environment.

To capture all the P2P traffic, P2P caching should work with Deep Packet Inspection box and redirect P2P traffic to P2P cache box. Some P2P traffic is encrypted, I'm not sure wether this kind of traffic will get advantage of P2P caching.

In P2P cache box storage and throughput is very important part. At this time, one full DVD movie in .avi format normally have 700-800MB size. You can imagine if 1000 users access the box at the same time with the speed 1 Mbps.

There are three big player for P2P caching : PeerApp, Oversi, and Cache Logic. The first two offer the product & hardware with the total investment on customer. But Cachelogic offer different way, it use revenue sharing from the bytes taken from its box.
P2P caching actually is opposite from blocking/shaping P2P traffic to save ISP's bandwidth and some argue about the license/right issue of the sharing illegal files. But from users point of view P2P caching offer faster download and from ISP point of view they can save a lot of bandwidth as well.

Other information can be seen on :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P2p_caching

Canon PIXMA iP1880 Printer in Ubuntu Feisty

I just opened the Canon PIXMA iP1880 bought it about 2 months ago. I never use it as laser jet printer is always ready in the office :-)
This morning my wife ask me to print my kid's photo, that is the reason I open it.

I've tried googling to find if somebody have installed it in Ubuntu Feisty, but no luck. The current driver provided by Canon are only for OpenSuse and Fedora, but it's good at least they made the linux driver.

First step installation, download the files from canon server :
Go to http://www.canon-asia.com/index.jsp?fuseaction=support&prod_type=bj&country=SG
select the Model PIXMA iP1880 and Menu Drivers & Softwares
Choose the version 2.7.0 for Linux
Download only the two files which are "Common package" and "Package for the iP1800series"

The files are in RPM. So we need to convert it to Ubuntu packaging format.
Second step :
Install the alien package by command

sudo apt-get install alien

Convert it to .deb
sudo alien -k cnijfilter-common-2.70-1.i386.rpm
sudo alien -k cnijfilter-ip1800series-2.70-1.i386.rpm

Install it
sudo dpkg -i cnijfilter-common_2.70-1_i386.deb
sudo dpkg -i cnijfilter-ip1800series_2.70-1_i386.deb

Other than those files, you need some old library to support it like libtiff3 and libpng3. I can't find the libtiff3 on the repository so I make softlink to point libtiff3 to libtiff4. Without this installation, you won't be able to print anything.

cd /usr/lib/
sudo ln -s ./libtiff.so.4.2.1 ./libtiff.so.3

for libpng3, install from repository
sudo apt-get install libpng3

After you install above command successfuly, we go to Step 3
Turn on the printer and connect the USB to the printer.
Open the printing from System->Administration->Printing
Double click the new printer
Select Printer Type " Local or Detected Printer"
Select a Detected Printer : Canon iP1800 series ......
Then go to the next page
I can't find the iP1800 on the list, so I select the "Install Driver" button and point to
/usr/share/cups/model
and select canonip1800.ppd
Go to the next page and press the apply button.
You will see on the Printers window, there will be iP1800 icon on it. You can make it default printer by right click and select "Make Default"
This part, voila, you are ready to print!

For the Hardy users, you should install libgtk1.2 and libxml1 and no need to go to step 3.
sudo apt-get install libgtk1.2
sudo apt-get install libxml1

After turn on the printer, there will be popup to install the printer.

The Top Consultant: Developing Your Skills For Greater Effectiveness

This week I've just cleared two books. First book that I need to share with you is
"The Top Consultant: Developing Your Skills For Greater Effectiveness", 4th Edition
by Calvert Markham ISBN:0749442530 Kogan Page © 2004.

Markham defines consultancy as a 'delivering specialist skills from outside the organization' means the consultant has specific skill that needed by the client and the consultant normally is not on the same organization or if it's in same company it will be different department. Organization need consultant to bring objectivity, minimized the risk and also learn from the expert. The role of consultant have evolved in 30 years from deliver experience of practice to identify and address organizational issue. And these are the consultancy skill that consultant must have:
- The body of knowledge, skill and experience
- Experience or knowledge of the application of the specialist skill in specific area
- Consultancy skill to deliver the expertise

Consultancy activities can be consider as a product which value is added to the client. Markham quote Ralph Waldo 'If a man... make a better mousetrap than his neighbour, tho' he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.' Which means even you have very good expertise but if nobody know, you can't sell it. I won't go deep in marketing content of this book as I'm a technical guy :P

In the chapter 6 explain about consultancy problem solving as the challenge of consultant are to make right boundary. Without it, project won't be effective. To get whole picture, consultant need to engage with top management for strategy, middle management for process and junior staff for the action. Markham highlight about preconceptions between consultant and client is very important . Here is the diagram for problem solving approach :


Use creative thinking to generate hypotheses <-|
Select which to investigate |
Identify the data you need to verify |
Collect the data |
Analyse the data ------------------------------|
Arrive at conclusions


On the last chapter explain about managing client relationship. Good relationship to customer will help sales and it have to be managed.

The Seven Habits of Successful Networkers

You guys should familiar with 7 habits's Stephen Covey which inspiring many people on earth. I just found the PDF file from cisco networkers 2005 presented by Accenture with the title "The Seven Habits of Successful Networkers".

• Be Proactive
It's similar with 7 habits's Stephen Covey, networkers should prepare to react on the new big technology.

• Be Bold
It is not time for timid thinking and Do you have the right partners?

• Be an Effective Businessman
Run a network like businessman and align with business strategy

• Learn from Others
Be aware of what is essential now and what is next

• Communicate Your Plan
Network can be like electricity, executives only hear about it when it is not working

• Challenge Your Thinking
The path to successful project delivery is not always straight

• Execute Ruthlessly
The path to successful network delivery is merciless

Index and Ring Finger relationship

When we are in the womb, researcher found if sex hormone testosterone was supplied higher than estrogen your ring finger (jari manis) should longer than your index finger (jari telunjuk). And vice versa, if estrogen higher than testosterone the index finger will be longer than ring finger. Normally, man will have longer ring finger (testosterone effect) than index finger and woman have same length index finger and ring finger.

There are few survey have conducted about this issue, very good football players have much longer ring finger than index finger. And male scientist normally have ring finger and index finger same length. Some people also say for woman longer ring finger will give masculine behaviour and for man longer index finger will give feminine behaviour. Also researcher found relationship between index finger and ring finger with heart attack, autism and breast cancer.

Taken from http://www.mondovista.com/homosexual.html, sexual orientation by the finger :

Man's Finger and sexual orientation

Woman's Finger and sexual orientation

HTTP compression/deflate

Currently there are two implementation in http compression which are on Web server and also proxy server (web cache/cache engine). One of example of web server using http compression is Google.com, proven it's very fast (beside it's also simple:-). For Indonesia, www.detik.com also have implement http compression/deflate but many other famous website still didn't implement it. You can check wether the website implement http compression or not by using this tool

http://www.isapilabs.com/products/isapizip/compress.php

Just put the URL on the left side empty field.
I've configured apache using mod deflate. The text file size below is 5.1 MB

http://202.155.100.254/rfc.txt

When you download it, you will only consume 1.1 MB of bandwidth (didn't count the outgoing traffic). It's 4 time faster than without compression!

For proxy server implementation, it will reduce your internet bandwidth usage if you are an ISP/enterprise. Other than caching the content, proxy server will also compress the uncompressed data, and send it to its client. Squild will release the official feature of gzip content encoding on version 3.1.

Other than advantage of using http compression, you also need to know the compression will depend on type of data. If it's text or html files, it can compress up to 80% . But if it's an image, sometime compression file is higher than the original file. Most content of the website are image, movie, flash which are compressed already.

CALEA and intercept internet traffic in Indonesia

I've just read about CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act) issue in nanog mailing-list. Basically ISP must have capability to intercept internet traffic/voip of their customers. More information can be read in :

http://www.fcc.gov/calea/
http://www.askcalea.net/
http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title47/chapter9_subchapteri_.html

Related with CALEA, probably you ever heard about this rumor before. This rumor I have heard about one year ago, the source is Singaporean. If you're using Indonesia ISP and the ISP is using Singapore ISP/telco as an upstream (you know who), and if there is any suspicious word like bomb/jihad, your data will be sent to the US. This should related as many Indonesian terorist activity using Internet as a main communication.
It's a rumor, don't know it's true or hoax :-)

What's wrong with Telkom BGP

Every week I always receive BGP update report from Potaroo.net. And always see telkomnet ASN always listed there as Top 20 unstable origin AS. But this weeks is Telkomnet is listed as number ONE. I think, Telkom as a biggest telco in Indonesia should notice about this. This will give bad impression to Telkom. Anyone know why it can happen ? These are the possibilities :
- Saturated upstream connection. As the upstream have congestion, BGP connection will be affected
- Unstable link connection from Indonesia to Singapore.
- Link problem between iBGP routers

Limelight Networks

Limelight Network is US based company that deliver rich media content like video, music, game and download. They are one of Akamai competitor.
The way it works is different with Akamai. Where Akamai put servers on more than 1000 ISPs, Limelight Networks does peering with ISPs. It's similar like Yahoo/Google/Microsoft peering.
Currently Limelight Networks already has more than 700 clients. Few of its big customers are MySpace, MSNBC.com, Foxnews and Xbox.
If you're an ISP/NAP, they open peering in Hong Kong and Japan for Asia, and for US & Europe they open in major cities.

LCD Flat Panel 23"

It's like dream come true. This morning I saw carrefour advertisement in Kompas, they sell LG LCD Flat Panel 23LC1RB 23" wide screen for Rp 3.5 Million (around $380) from original price Rp 5.6 Million. Have checked on the internet, most store sell it at $600-800 . Also in www.tokolg.com for 20" is Rp 4.6 Mill and 26" is Rp 7.6 Million This afternoon I went to Kelapa Gading Carrefour, but there is no stock available. They said the LCD is run out and we can still buy it, on Monday they will deliver it.
Can't wait till monday, arrgghh. It will be very comfortable using 23" for my computer monitor & TV in my study room.
The spec for LCD are :
- Resolution 1366 x 768
- HD ready
- Viewing mode 176° x 176°
- Contrast Ratio 700:1
- Weight 20.1 lbs

If you stay in Indonesia, hurry up as this is very good deal, while stock last! And don't forget to buy Durian Thailand for only Rp 8750/Kg at Carrefour :-)