Friday, February 25, 2011

How to enable Remote Desktop Connection in Windows XP

Remote Desktop Connection is a facility where a computer can be accessed remotely from another place, with the help of another system connected in a LAN.

For information of, how to connect two computers in a LAN via Ethernet visit: 
http://gen-info-rohan.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-connect-two-computers-via.html

So here is how to enable Remote Desktop Connection of a Windows XP machine. Follow these simple steps:

1. Right click on My Computer and click Properties. The following screen will appear:


2. Click on the Remote tab on the rightmost top corner, and you will get the following window:


3. Tick the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box as shown below and click Ok.


The Remote Desktop Connection is configured for your computer. Now other users connected in LAN can access this computer remotely.

To start Remote Desktop Connection go to start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection and click on it. Then type the name of the computer or its IP address and you are connected.

The computer name can be found on: Right Click My Computer -> Computer Name.
The IP address can be found by: start ->run, type cmd press enter. Then a command prompt opens. On the command prompt type ipconfig and you will get the IP address of your computer. See below:


Keep checking for more posts...

How to connect two computers via Ethernet

At many instances you want to connect two computers, for sharing files or playing LAN games or for copying huge amount of data etc. Here are some simple steps to achieve this.

Note: The steps mentioned below are not for internet sharing.

Prerequisites:
  1. LAN card in both the computers. Now-a-days most of the computers/laptops have this.
  2. A cross-over Ethernet/LAN cable. A cross-over cable is constructed by reversing (crossing over) the order of wires inside so that it can connect two computers directly.
  3. Connect both the computers/laptops with the cross-over Ethernet cable properly.
Steps:
  1. Go to start -> Control Panel -> Network Connections. There you will see your network adapters.
  2. Right Click on the adapter icon and click Properties. The following screen should come:

3. Now scroll down to "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)". See below:






4. Now click the Properties tab and you will see the following window:


5. Press the "Use the following IP address" radio button and then type the IP address as shown below:


6. It is done, now press Ok to complete the process.

Now, in the other computer/laptop follow the same procedure and give the IP address as "192.168.1.2". The Subnet mask will remain the same.

After doing this both the computers should get connected and you will see the icon of two computers blinking in the right most bottom of the desktop; provided the "show icon in notification area when connected" check box is checked in the "Local Area Connection Properties" window as shown in the second figure.


Tips:
  1. To share folders just right click on any folder and click "Sharing and Security" and check the "Share this folder on the network"check box.
  2. To view the shared folder from the other computer go to start -> My Network Places or to My Computer and click My Network Places tab on the left side. Then click "View Work Group Computers" which is also on the left side, and you can see the other computer's icon on your screen. I think then you can do it on your own :-)
  3. Else you can type \\192.168.1.1 or \\192.168.1.2 in start -> run, from the other computer.
Please write your comments if you have any problem in doing this...

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cloud Computing

What is Cloud Computing?

Let's say you're an executive at a large corporation. Your particular responsibilities include making sure that all of your employees have the right hardware and software they need to do their jobs. Buying computers for everyone isn't enough -- you also have to purchase software or software licenses to give employees the tools they require. Whenever you have a new hire, you have to buy more software or make sure your current software license allows another user. It's so stressful that you find it difficult to go to sleep on your huge pile of money every night.
Soon, there may be an alternative for executives like you. Instead of installing a suite of software for each computer, you'd only have to load one application. That application would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for his or her job. Remote machines owned by another company would run everything from e-mail to word processing to complex data analysis programs. It's called cloud computing, and it could change the entire computer industry.
In a cloud computing system, there's a significant workload shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to running applications. The network of computers that make up the cloud handles them instead. Hardware and software demands on the user's side decrease. The only thing the user's computer needs to be able to run is the cloud computing system's interface software, which can be as simple as a Web browser, and the cloud's network takes care of the rest.
There's a good chance you've already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a Web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or Gmail, then you've had some experience with cloud computing. Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn't exist on your computer -- it's on the service's computer cloud.



Cloud Computing Architecture

When talking about a cloud computing system, it's helpful to divide it into two sections: the front end and the back end. They connect to each other through a network, usually the Internet. The front end is the side the computer user, or client, sees. The back end is the "cloud" section of the system.
The front end includes the client's computer (or computer network) and the application required to access the cloud computing system. Not all cloud computing systems have the same user interface. Services like Web-based e-mail programs leverage existing Web browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Other systems have unique applications that provide network access to clients.
On the back end of the system are the various computers, servers and data storage systems that create the "cloud" of computing services. In theory, a cloud computing system could include practically any computer program you can imagine, from data processing to video games. Usually, each application will have its own dedicated server.
A central server administers the system, monitoring traffic and client demands to ensure everything runs smoothly. It follows a set of rules called protocols and uses a special kind of software called middleware. Middleware allows networked computers to communicate with each other.
If a cloud computing company has a lot of clients, there's likely to be a high demand for a lot of storage space. Some companies require hundreds of digital storage devices. Cloud computing systems need at least twice the number of storage devices it requires to keep all its clients' information stored. That's because these devices, like all computers, occasionally break down. A cloud computing system must make a copy of all its clients' information and store it on other devices. The copies enable the central server to access backup machines to retrieve data that otherwise would be unreachable. Making copies of data as a backup is called redundancy.

Cloud Computing Applications

The applications of cloud computing are practically limitless. With the right middleware, a cloud computing system could execute all the programs a normal computer could run. Potentially, everything from generic word processing software to customized computer programs designed for a specific company could work on a cloud computing system.
Why would anyone want to rely on another computer system to run programs and store data? Here are just a few reasons:
  • Clients would be able to access their applications and data from anywhere at any time. They could access the cloud computing system using any computer linked to the Internet. Data wouldn't be confined to a hard drive on one user's computer or even a corporation's internal network.
  • It could bring hardware costs down. Cloud computing systems would reduce the need for advanced hardware on the client side. You wouldn't need to buy the fastest computer with the most memory, because the cloud system would take care of those needs for you. Instead, you could buy an inexpensive computer terminal. The terminal could include a monitor, input devices like a keyboard and mouse and just enough processing power to run the middleware necessary to connect to the cloud system. You wouldn't need a large hard drive because you'd store all your information on a remote computer.
  • Corporations that rely on computers have to make sure they have the right software in place to achieve goals. Cloud computing systems give these organizations company-wide access to computer applications. The companies don't have to buy a set of software or software licenses for every employee. Instead, the company could pay a metered fee to a cloud computing company.
  • Servers and digital storage devices take up space. Some companies rent physical space to store servers and databases because they don't have it available on site. Cloud computing gives these companies the option of storing data on someone else's hardware, removing the need for physical space on the front end.
  • Corporations might save money on IT support. Streamlined hardware would, in theory, have fewer problems than a network of heterogeneous machines and operating systems.
  • If the cloud computing system's back end is a grid computing system, then the client could take advantage of the entire network's processing power. Often, scientists and researchers work with calculations so complex that it would take years for individual computers to complete them. On a grid computing system, the client could send the calculation to the cloud for processing. The cloud system would tap into the processing power of all available computers on the back end, significantly speeding up the calculation.

Cloud Computing Concerns

Perhaps the biggest concerns about cloud computing are security and privacy. The idea of handing over important data to another company worries some people. Corporate executives might hesitate to take advantage of a cloud computing system because they can't keep their company's information under lock and key.
The counterargument to this position is that the companies offering cloud computing services live and die by their reputations. It benefits these companies to have reliable security measures in place. Otherwise, the service would lose all its clients. It's in their interest to employ the most advanced techniques to protect their clients' data.
Privacy is another matter. If a client can log in from any location to access data and applications, it's possible the client's privacy could be compromised. Cloud computing companies will need to find ways to protect client privacy. One way is to use authentication techniques such as user names and passwords. Another is to employ an authorization format -- each user can access only the data and applications relevant to his or her job.
Some questions regarding cloud computing are more philosophical. Does the user or company subscribing to the cloud computing service own the data? Does the cloud computing system, which provides the actual storage space, own it? Is it possible for a cloud computing company to deny a client access to that client's data? Several companies, law firms and universities are debating these and other questions about the nature of cloud computing.
How will cloud computing affect other industries? There's a growing concern in the IT industry about how cloud computing could impact the business of computer maintenance and repair. If companies switch to using streamlined computer systems, they'll have fewer IT needs. Some industry experts believe that the need for IT jobs will migrate to the back end of the cloud computing system.
Another area of research in the computer science community is autonomic computing. An autonomic computing system is self-managing, which means the system monitors itself and takes measures to prevent or repair problems. Currently, autonomic computing is mostly theoretical. But, if autonomic computing becomes a reality, it could eliminate the need for many IT maintenance jobs.

Configure and use HyperTerminal

Hi all,

In the field of embedded systems the usage of serial port (or RS232) is one of the most important things. Apart from downloading the binary, debugging can also be done by a serial port. For people who are working in Windows Platform, the software for using the serial port is HyperTerminal which is provided by Windows.

Follow these simple steps for configuring and using HyperTerminal for your embedded projects:
  1. Go to start->Programs->Accessories->Communications->HyperTerminal and click on it.
  2.  The start page look like this.
     
    3. Enter any name and press Ok. The following screen should come.


    4. Select the COM port number (generally its COM1) and press Ok. The following screen should  come.


5. For setting up the above screen, the baud rate of the hardware must be know, other setting can be used as shown above. After it is done press Ok and the Hyper Terminal is ready for use. The next screen is where all the data coming in from the device is printed.


That's it, these simple 5 steps is all you need to configure your HyperTerminal.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Partition with fdisk


fdisk is started by typing (as root) fdisk device at the command prompt. device might be something like /dev/hda or /dev/sda.
To check the list of devices available type fdisk -l
The basic fdisk commands you need are:
p – Print the partition table.
n – Create a new partition.
d – Delete a partition.
q – Quit without saving changes.
a – Make a partition bootable.
w – Write the new partition table and exit.
Changes you make to the partition table do not take effect until you issue the write (w) command. Here is a sample partition table:

 
Disk /dev/sdb: 64 heads, 63 sectors, 621 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 4032 * 512 bytes
 
   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *         1       184    370912+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb2           185       368    370944   83  Linux
/dev/sdb3           369       552    370944   83  Linux
/dev/sdb4           553       621    139104   82  Linux swap

Now here is how to partition a USB Drive for example:
1.      Type: fdisk /dev/sda or fdisk /dev/sdb (whatever may be your drive; to be sure which one is your drive just enter the USB Stick and check in the /dev, you will see a new device sda or sdb or sdc etc. is shown which was not there before inserting the stick.)
2.      Type: p to print the partition table of this device.
Command (m for help): p
 
Disk /dev/sdb: 64 heads, 63 sectors, 621 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 4032 * 512 bytes

3.      Now to create new partition type: n
        Command (m for help): n
        Command action
           e   extended
           p   primary partition (1-4)
Type: p for primary partition, and then do the following:
Partition number (1-4): 1
First cylinder (1-621, default 1) :<ENTER>
Using default value 1
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-621, default 621):+384M
+384 – This is the size of the partition in MB; give whatever size you want.
4.      Next to set up the partition for swap, just create another partition the same way:
Command (m for help): n
Command action
   e   extended
   p   primary partition (1-4)
p
Partition number (1-4): 2
First cylinder (197-621, default 197):<ENTER>
Using default value 197
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (197-621, default 621): +128M
2 more partitions can be created the same way.
5.      Make the first partition bootable:
Command (m for help): a
Partition number (1-4): 1

6.      Make second partition of type swap:
Command (m for help): t
Partition number (1-4): 2
Hex code (type L to list codes): 82
Changed system type of partition 2 to 82 (Linux swap)      
Command (m for help): p

7.      Finally issue a write command w to write the partition on to the disk. Without this command the changes will not be retained.


Monday, February 21, 2011

Linux Porting, Installation, 8051 microcontroller, and many more things...

The below link gives you all about Linux Porting into ATMEL Boards, Installing Ubuntu, 8051 hobby projects and many more stuffs like this.. Check this out:

No Objection Certificate (NOC) for 2 wheeler - Inter State Vehicle Transfer

Hi all,
I am a engineer working with a MNC in the IT Industry, currently staying in Bangalore. After staying here for 1 year I felt the need of my bike which I had bought in my engineering days. So I brought my bike to Bangalore from Nagpur. Now the problem is, i cannot ride a bike having Maharashtra registration, in Karnataka without a No Objection Certificate (NOC). So I searched all over the internet and asked some friends and finally found out how to get it done.

Here is what it needs to get a NOC (its really simple, if you are ready to spend some money):
1. The NOC has to be taken from Maharashtra govt. in my case Nagpur RTO office.

2. Take 3 copies of print of form 28. (I did from http://www.mahatranscom.in/trans_noobjection.aspx)

3. On the first page of each copy take a pencil imprint of your bike's chassis number on the left corner(or else can be done on white paper and pasted on the first page of form-28).

4. Take photo-copy of your bike's Insurance (obviously the one which is not lapsed).

5. The original copy of the RC book is also needed and it has to submitted along with the form.

6. Give all the above mentioned documents to a RTO agent and he will do it in 5 days time (depends, may be even less).

7. The money you need to spend following this procedure is a bit more (I spent 1k), but if you have the time, it can be done without the intermediate agent also.

Cost:
With agent - Rs 800 to 1200. (depends how well you can convince him)
Without agent - Not less than 300. (some money has to be given to local police)

The only problem is, I had to go to Nagpur for getting my NOC done, but by having all the above documents someone else can also do it provided the owner signs the required pages of form-28.

That's it, now the roads are tension free, and the cops cannot create a problem...