So, I came up with a really simple script to convert an audiobook (m4b) into mp3 files splitting on the chapters. We are dependent on FFmpeg::Command and a modified FFprobe Perl module.

In the following example, we are converting a Ben Bova audiobook but we are going to specify to start the track numbering at “10″ because the 2nd file ended with track “9″.

Source code:

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;

use lib qw(/home/jason/bin);

use Getopt::Std;
use File::Basename;
use FFmpeg::Command;
use FFprobe;

$|++;

###############################
sub _encode_mp3 {
  my ($input_file, $output_dir, $album, $starting_track) = @_;

  my %tags = ();
  my $track_number;
  my $mp4 = FFprobe->probe_file($input_file);
  my $base_output_file = basename($input_file);
  $base_output_file =~ s/\.\w+$//;

  if (exists $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:comment’}) {
    $tags{genre} = $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:comment’};
    $tags{genre} =~ s/("’)//g;
  }

  if (exists $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:genre’}) {
    $tags{genre} = $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:genre’};
    $tags{genre} =~ s/("’)//g;
  }

  if (exists $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:artist’}) {
    $tags{artist} = $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:artist’};
    $tags{artist} =~ s/("’)//g;
  }

  if ($album) {
    $tags{album} = $album;
  } elsif (exists $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:album’}) {
    $tags{album} = $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:album’};
  }

  $tags{album} =~ s/("’)//g;
  $track_number = $starting_track if $starting_track;

  foreach my $chapter (sort keys %{$mp4->{chapters}}) {
    unless ($starting_track) {
      $track_number = $chapter;
    }

    my $output_file = sprintf "%s/%03d %s.mp3", $output_dir, $track_number, $tags{album};
    my $start = $mp4->{chapters}->{$chapter}->{start};
    my $duration = $mp4->{chapters}->{$chapter}->{end} - $start;
    my @options = ();

    if ($album) {
      $tags{title} = sprintf "%03d – %s", $track_number, $album;
    } else {
      if (exists $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:title’}) {
        $tags{title} = sprintf "%03d – %s", $track_number, $mp4->{format}->{‘TAG:title’};
      } else {
        $tags{title} = sprintf "%03d – %s", $track_number, $base_output_file;
      }
    }

    $tags{title} =~ s/("’)//g;

    my $ffmpeg = FFmpeg::Command->new;

    $ffmpeg->input_options({
        file => $input_file,
     });

    $ffmpeg->output_options({
     ‘file’ => $output_file,
     ‘audio_codec’ => ‘libmp3lame’,
     ‘audio_bit_rate’ => 64,
     });

    printf "Converting \"%s\" to \"%s\"…\n", basename($input_file), $output_file;

    foreach my $tag (keys %tags) {
      push @options, ‘-metadata’, $tag . "=" . $tags{$tag};
      printf "\t%s: %s\n", $tag, $tags{$tag};
    }

    push @options,
      ‘-metadata’ => ‘track=’ . $track_number,
      ‘-ss’ => $start,
      ‘-t’ => $duration;

    printf "\ttrack: %d\n", $track_number;

    $ffmpeg->options(
      @options
    );

    $ffmpeg->exec();
    print "\t… COMPLETE\n";
    $track_number++ if $starting_track;
  }
}
###############################

my %arg_options = ();
getopts(‘a:i:o:t:’, \%arg_options);

if ($arg_options{i} && $arg_options{o}) {
  my $input_file = $arg_options{i};
  my $output_dir = $arg_options{o};
  my $starting_track = $arg_options{t};
  my $album = $arg_options{a};

  if (-f $input_file && -d $output_dir) {
    _encode_mp3($input_file, $output_dir, $album, $starting_track);
  } else {
    warn ("Unable to find file: \"" . $input_file . "\"\n") unless -f $input_file;
    warn ("Unable to find dir: \"" . $output_dir . "\"\n") unless -f $output_dir;
  }
}

Feature request is to format the chapter output.

patch to add m4b chapter support:

 cat /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.00 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.01 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.02 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.03 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.04 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.05 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.06 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.07 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.08 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.09 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.10 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.11 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.12 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.13 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.14 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.15 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.16 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.17 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.18 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.19 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.20 | pbzip2 -dcv -p4 > /dev/mapper/VG_VMH1-LV_DBADEV1

Output:

Parallel BZIP2 v1.0.5 – by: Jeff Gilchrist [http://compression.ca]
[Jan. 08, 2009]             (uses libbzip2 by Julian Seward)

         # CPUs: 4
——————————————-
         File #: 1 of 1
     Input Name:
    Output Name:

 BWT Block Size: 900k
Decompressing data (no threads)…

This will take a while, so let’s determine which file it is currently working on:

$ lsof|grep DBADEV1
cat       24137      root    3r      REG                8,1   10737418240         80 /mnt/DBADEV1/DBADEV1.disk.bz2.07

Oh boy, it’s only on file #8. oh well, we can watch it a little easier with the “watch” command set to run the lsof command every 5 seconds:

watch -n5 ‘lsof|grep DBADEV1′

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Technical Support Analyst for SunGard InvestOne’s global clients will be responsible for hands-on technical troubleshooting and support across a variety of platforms for a broad customer client base. This position is part of a global team with local responsibilities from 8am to 8pm.

The Analyst will be responsible for Tier 1 level support, which includes break/fix management and communications to internal stake holders regarding status and problem tracking.

He/She will also be responsible for performance, availability and customer satisfaction for all levels of a series of n-tier distributed web based applications.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitor error alerts from various systems
• Document incidents as warranted
• Answer client questions relating to technical aspects of the application
• Adhere to change control policies
• Responsible for first level technical system support for multiple customers along with implementation of network connectivity for new and existing customers
• Position is 80% technical and 20% project/customer management
• Participation on an on-call rotation is required
• Occasional weekend work is required

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in an IT-related discipline, or the equivalent of education and experience
• Minimum of five years of related, technical experience, preferably in the financial systems industry
• Experience with troubleshooting, diagnosis and resolution of complex technical issues as well as escalation for complex web based applications
• Knowledge of Windows and Linux administration
• Knowledge of WebSphere
• Experience with Transact SQL, preferably Sybase
• Excellent communications skills and ability to translate technical concepts
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, business and technical judgment, negotiation, problem solving, verbal and written communication skills
• Critical thinking skills and a mature approach to troubleshooting is critical
• Knowledge of investment accounting principles is a big plus
• Previous experience as Java developer is desired
• ITIL certification is desired but not required

Interested? (say I referred you on the application form) or this one

Provides DBA services for Production, test, and development databases
Administers and maintains the production, test, and development databases.
Performs SQL code releases
Reviews application designs for compliance with production acceptance requirements.
Complies with IT policies and procedures, especially those for quality and productivity standards
Complies with Information Security policies and procedures. Verifies deliverables meet Information Security requirements.
Participates in special projects and performs other related duties as assigned.
Operations are 24 x 7. May be required to be on call, work beyond normal business hours

Position Requirements

B.S. in computer science
2 to 3 years experience
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Strong analysis and problem solving skills.
Working knowledge of the following DBA practices and concepts: database backup & recovery, database performance & tuning, database monitoring, and maintenance.
Working knowledge of Visual Source Safe
Strong knowledge of database design and administration
Stored procedure and view development and troubleshooting
Database size management (includes volume/disk mgmt., file and filegroup allocations.)
Basic understanding of Microsoft Clustering technology
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite
Entry level knowledge of networking
Entry level skill set of database performance tuning/indexing
SSRS, SSIS, and scripting experience a plus.

Interested? (say I referred you on the application form)

• Manage database configurations, schemas, and space • Manage database and system alerts. • Support new application code releases / builds in various production and non-production environments • Provide performance tuning, problem research/resolution, code reviews and deployments, SQL support, and data movement • Manage database changes for releases and new projects • Provide SQL and application tuning assistance • Build Backups / Recovery and High Availability • Manage disaster recovery support and testing • Monitor database health and alerts • Provide production on-call support on rotational basis • Manage database and product deployments and repeated database maintenance and monitoring tasks • Troubleshooting database issues • Open & follow-up on change request tickets for internal users • Open and follow-up on service requests with Oracle vendor support

Position Requirements

• Degree or equivalent experience in either Oracle or Sybase. • BS in Computer Science or equivalent specializing in Oracle or Sybase • Good understanding of relational methodology • Good understanding of SQL Plus or equivalent • Good communication skills and the ability to work as a team member • Good analytical and problem solving skills. • Self starter with willingness to do independent research and trouble shooting. • Willingness to learn new database skills in a fast paced environment • Education or Experience with Unix shell scripts helpful • Good understanding of relational methodology • Must be comfortable in both self-managed and team driven environment • Experience with Microsoft Office Tools helpful

Interested? (say I referred you on the application form)

virsh uses the environment variable VIRSH_DEFAULT_CONNECT_URI
export VIRSH_DEFAULT_CONNECT_URI=’qemu:///system’

virt-top uses the config file .virt-toprc
connect qemu:///system

$ restorecon /home

It will correct the SELinux flags on the /home directory.

2011-04-29 18:29:50,089 WARNING: /sys/module/wl/drivers does not exist, cannot rebind wl driver

it should work now

1. Huge pages is slightly faster than not using huge pages (~10% with 4 winxp virtual machines copying 512MB from one memory location to another).
2. KSM is slightly slower then not using KSM (~5% with 4 winxp virtual machines copying 512MB from one memory location to another).

So, at first glance it would appear that we can use a loose rule of thumb:

1. to consolidate the maximum number of machines, use KSM as it will allow you to over commit the amount of memory on your box.
   1. Risk: if the memory pages are significantly different, you may start swapping in a very bad way. This is where monitoring comes in
2. to give the best performance to a number of machines, use huge memory pages.. does not allow you to over commit
   1. Risk: if you don’t leave enough memory for the host os, you can crash your machine. This is also where monitoring comes in

Add the args line in your /etc/qemu-server/<vm id>.conf file should give you sound:

args: -soundhw

On my Proxmox VE 1.8, I have several virtual audio devices available.   I’ve had the best luck with ac97 with Windows XP/Vista and Win7.

red:/etc/qemu-server# kvm -soundhw ‘?’
Valid sound card names (comma separated):
pcspk       PC speaker
sb16        Creative Sound Blaster 16
ac97        Intel 82801AA AC97 Audio
es1370      ENSONIQ AudioPCI ES1370
hda         Intel HD Audio

-soundhw all will enable all of the above

New Functionality in Adaptive Server Enterprise 11.9.2

lock hashtable size

Summary Information
Default value	2048
Range of values	1-2147483647
Status	Static
Display level	Comprehensive
Required role	System Administrator

The lock hashtable size parameter specifies the number of hash buckets in the lock hash table. This table manages all row, page, and table locks and all lock requests. Each time a task acquires a lock, the lock is assigned to a hash bucket, and each lock request for that lock checks the same hash bucket. Setting this value too low results in large numbers of locks in each hash bucket and slows the searches. On Adaptive Servers with multiple engines, setting this value too low can also lead to increased spinlock contention. You should not set the value to less than the default value, 2048.

lock hashtable size must be a power of 2. If the value you specify is not a power of 2, sp_configure rounds the value to the next highest power of 2 and prints an informational message.

The optimal hash table size is a function of the number of distinct objects (pages, tables, and rows) that will be locked concurrently. The optimal hash table size is at least 20 percent of the number of distinct objects that need to be locked concurrently. See “Lock Hash Table Information” for more information on configuring the lock hash table size.

Can’t find a working RSS feed for the “Too Jewish with Rabbi Cohon” podcast? Here is a working RSS feed that is updated every Monday morning!

All 

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Dctr Watson explains how:

Installing PostgreSQL 9.0 on Ubuntu 10.04

There is currently no fix but we do have a workaround:  downgrade the firmware to 1.03.49.  Don’t worry it is very easy.

1. Download the firmware from Western Digital
2. Unzip the file to a USB thumb drive (make sure you put it in the top directory)
3. Insert the thumb drive into the WD box
4. Press the Home button (blue button)
5. Upgrade the firmware (note that the version number displayed for the old firmware will show up as a larger number – this is necessary for it to downgrade the firmware)
6. That’s it

Sybase

We’ve been upgrading a number of Sybase ASE databases from the end-of-life’d 12.5.x to v15.0.3 esd 4 the last few weeks.   My coworker (Degang He) ran into an interesting error when the upgrade process was failing on sysprocedures.

Database ‘my_db’: beginning upgrade step [ID 26]: alter table (table sysprocedures)
Command has been aborted.

Msg 3461, Level 20, State 1:
Server ‘my_server’, Line 1:
Database ‘my_db’: upgrade could not install required upgrade item ’26′. Please refer to previous error messages to determine the problem. Fix the problem, then try again.

Msg 3451, Level 20, State 1:
Server ‘my_server’, Line 1:
Database ‘my_db’: upgrade has failed for this database. Please refer to previous messages for the cause of the failure, correct the problem and try again.

Msg 3454, Level 20, State 1:
Server ‘my_server’, Line 1:

Database ‘my_db’: ASE could not completely upgrade this database; upgrade item 1501 could not be installed.

We looked on Sybase’s Solved Cases and Google but didn’t find anything that would really fit the problem.  So we called up Sybase Technical Support.  Somdev Sharma of Sybase was able to determine that this was a bug in the ASE 15x codeline and provided a workaround:

CR #643188:

Title Online database failed with 3461 error during upgrade , ‘max parallel degree’ >1

Workaround:

Before online the database, disable parallel sort via sp_configure ‘max parallel degree’,1

Sanitized:

Online database failed with 3461, 3451 and 3454 errors during upgrade sysprocedures table (upgrade  item ’26′). If ‘max parallel degree’ > 1, then please disable parallel sort with sp_configure ‘max parallel degree’, 1.

After disabling parallel sort, the database was upgraded successfully.