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Solution: Updated Apple device driver package for the IGEL Linux x86 (LX/OS) and information related to the new IOS 7

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Hello Folks,

i’ve updated the two driver packages which can be downloaded here:

1) Apple device driver + local aTunes (iTunes alternative for Linux) + mplayer for the media playback Download

2) Apple device driver only Download

The updated packages are now able to detect an Apple Device without any User interaction, to enable this feature hide all three sessions in System->Firmware Customization->Custom Application. Then browse to Custom commands->Desktop commands->Custom Command Desktop Final and remove # from the line #setsid /config/sessions/applelauncher0 and reboot the device. After the reboot the device will check for an Apple Device every 5 seconds (can be modified thru the sleep commands). So you have three way how to mount a Apple device.

One small Tip: If you want to make only the DCIM folder available to transfer pictures in an ICA or RDP session you can browse in the IGEL setup in the session configuration to the ICA or RDP Global configuration and change in Mapping->Drive Mappings the path from /media/apple to /media/apple/DCIM.

If you already using one of these packages you only have to replace the UMS Profile and not the binaries.

Important Note: The new Apple IOS 7 is working with this package but it seams to be that the IPad together with IOS 7 get to less voltage from the client. If you got other results please inform me!

(Thanks to a User for this quick update, i only got an IPad with IOS 7 for my tests and not an IPhone!)

Update: It seams to be that IOS7 produces some “hick ups”, as soon there is a fixed version available i will update this package.

Cheers

Michael

P.S.: This is the last release created in the manual way, all future releases will be created with DATI and can be edited/modified with DATI by your own, also this will be a sample how you can work with DATI for a IGEL Linux software integration.

Posted in 3rd Party Hardware support in IGEL UD LX/OS, 3rd Party Vendors, IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS (x86), Solutions | No Comments »

My experience with Android Tablet’s or how Vendors like Samsung make cloud computing impossible.

Monday, September 16th, 2013

Hi,

still a not IGEL related topic but currently this one really steals my nerves: the handling of Firmware Updates for Android Tablet’s by some “major” Vendors, in my case Samsung.

First of all, i really like Android but it seems to be that some vendors try to do there best to destroy this solution. So what is the story, it’s quite simple and maybe it is not only related to the Samsung products. Iam talking about how firmware updates are provided by these vendors and why this has a direct impact on cloud computing and/or company policies.

First of all: What is important for a Company?

1) A working solution. (In this case a Update from Android 4.0.4 > 4.1.2, Android 4.0.4 has a lot of known issues see also here: http://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/android-versions-comparison
2) Same patch level / features on all similar devices.

Can this be guarenteed by some vendors? No!

Why? Because it depends where you bought the device, as example if you bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 WiFi in Serbia or the Netherlands and you got all devices there: You are lucky and get your updates (Android 4.0.4 to Android 4.1.x in this case) very fast; but what happens if you got the device in the UK, the US, Germany, Austria or Switzerland? You can wait… …wait… and wait and maybe after a couple of months you will receive a update. Is this a single case? No!

What is the reason for this? Quality insurrance? Requires Serbia or the Netherlands less Quality? No!

What else could be the reason? Regional settings or really special regional configurations? No! Until now the only major difference seams to be the Samsung regional code in the firmware.

So what is it?

It’s quite simple: For Samsung and maybe also some other Vendors all Mobile Providers in an Area like Switzerland have to confirm the Firmware release if you got a device without any Provider relationship(?!?). Do this explain why you have to wait months for a working Android Firmware release to you?

Where are the updates? The Samsung dead end road!

But wait, we’re talking about a WiFi only device that was not bought in a mobile store; so why should a Mobile Provider confirm this firmware release? Nobody will tell you, don’t ask about which mobile Provider are blocking a firmware release and/or why; Samsung will not tell you at all. If you got a device from T-Mobile, Verizon or who ever i would unterstand this but for a none provider branded device without the technical ability to connect to any mobile provider: Sorry but this is crazy and not usable for any company environment at all. In other words: Discrimination by area depending on the “acts of mercy” coming from a few hidden mobile providers and the hardware Vendor (Samsung): That’s what you get!

If you look @ google you will find a lot of discussions about this and how people are not accepting this handling by flashing there Samsung device with other tools (and risk the warranty). This might be a solution… But for a company? Mobile Device Management? BYOD and you tell an employee: “Oh, a Samsung device? We will flash it with our tool, you will loose your warranty and maybe we break it to get it working!”. This is no solution and iam not sure if Samsung or any other Vendors working in the same way really have an interest to be in the Tablet market; it doesn’t look and feel like this for me and it’s not enough to have only a good hardware Quality. Mostly the Software win’s a deal, not the Hardware.

So if a customer ask me the next time what type of mobile device/tablet i would recommend, it would by everything but not something like this. Of course you can say… The Galaxy Tab 2 is a end consumer product, regarding my experience it also fit’s for the Galaxy Note Series in the same way. For a company dealing in several areas and claims to be a “major” vendor this is not acceptable, compare it to a Laptop: You will only get an update from Microsoft until all Mobile Providers in your Country accept the update. Sounds funny for a Laptop right? Why do you accept it for your Android based tablet? I will not as long this handling for WiFi only and/or Mobile Provider free devices is not fully changed.

…and if you have enough and only one or two tablets: Update it by your own, there is a tool called Odin and a lot of Websites/Forums available to break this stupid system and flash an other regional firmware on nearly every Samsung Device. A vendor who is not able to provide a usable firmware update to there customers or blow up the process to deliver a firmware with useless rules coming without any sense has not to blame any user for a try to get a working device at all.

If you plan to buy android tablets for your Company: Check the update history for your area in advance and compare it to other areas, if you find a big difference depending on the area: Forget it! Other Vendors do also offer a good hardware quality and the best hardware will not help in case that the Software do not support the things you want to do or work in the way it should do.

Cheers

Michael

P.S.: If you don’t believe me, i can provide everyone my email discussion with the Samsung Support, the Samsung Support confirmed the handling like described above and i asked several times.

Posted in 3rd Party Vendors | 2 Comments »

Solution: Improved Apple device support for IGEL Linux (x86)

Friday, September 13th, 2013

Hi Folks,

like promised here is the improved Apple device Support for the x86 based IGEL Linux.

There are now two custom Partition packs available:

1) Apple device driver + local aTunes (iTunes alternative for Linux) + mplayer for the media playback Download

2) Apple device driver only Download

Both packs are coming now with an improved mount script that shows status messages to the User, also a unmount session is now available.

Apple device Support for IGEL Linux (x86)

New: A automount Option/Session is available, once this is started the script will run until a Apple device was mounted successfully.

Have fun!

Cheers

Michael

Posted in 3rd Party Hardware support in IGEL UD LX/OS, 3rd Party Vendors, IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS (x86), Solutions | No Comments »

Information: Apple device support for IGEL Linux based Thin Clients (x86)

Tuesday, September 10th, 2013

Hello Folks,

thank you for all your feedback, i will release a reworked version this week friday with a few more currently missed features and improvements.

So stay tuned…

Cheers
Michael

Posted in 3rd Party Vendors, IGEL Universal Desktop LX/OS (x86), Solutions | No Comments »

I’ve to calm down or how stupid could a hardware vendor be.

Thursday, February 14th, 2013

Hi Folks,

to calm down a little bit… First of all this is not related to IGEL!!!

The Story:

You got a expensive Laptop with an Intel I7 CPU Quad Core, 16 GB RAM, two 250GB SSD drives (one via a Optical Disc Drive Extension Slot/Case) and then you start to install Windows 8 Pro, Windows Server 2012 or what ever and everything is working fine. Now you want to start with virtualization and you go to the BIOS and want to enable the VT Feature for the CPU… Wait… There is no VT Feature in the BIOS? Where is it? The Vendor (in this case A**r but others are not better) do not provide this? Ok, of course it would be a missing feature so you try to contact the Support and try to move the lines up to the Product Manager. Always the same answer: We did not advertise VT and VT will not available for this laptop?!? Taken to much drugs?

Ok, in this case A**r did not advertise VT but for my unterstanding Intel do advertise this as a default CPU feature and disabling this native CPU feature was also not advertised: So are you crazy or better in what time do some Hardware Vendors life? Mid-Age? Stone-Age? Virtualization is a Windows 8 Pro / Consumer OS standard feature (Thank you Microsoft!!!) and nothing special since years also for a lot of other end users and why should someone pay a lot of money for a high end device that comes with a clear design fault (…and this fault is not related to the Hardware! It’s related to humans designing something like that!).

At the end i was able to solve it, first of all i used an older BIOS for this Laptop where a developer forgot to disable the VT related BIOS flags (thanks, someone with common sense is sometimes rare!). These VT Flags are disabled in later (!) BIOS Versions and of course nobody(!) mentioned it in the official BIOS release notes (Common sense gone, great job guy’s! …are you sure you’re doing the right job? 😉 ).

Now iam working fine with a custom build BIOS made by my own, it’s much simpler as it sounds; if you are familar with IT and if you got the same issue you should get a look here http://marcansoft.com/blog/2009/06/enabling-intel-vt-on-the-aspire-8930g/ or here http://www.tempusfugit.ca/sitewatch/bios_menu.html or here http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Forum-Insyde-Bios-Unlocking-Requests. Of course you should be serious, you do modify your Hardware BIOS on your own risk. Depending on the Hardware maybe a modified BIOS Version’s is already available, check at google.

Why do i wrote this here? I believe there will be a lot of other guy’s be interested in these work arounds and to get Hyper-V or any other VT related solutions to work without be intrested in “What a Product Manager thing’s to enable or disable for the customer”.

If you don’t get it, build it by your own!

Update: I´ve also the opinion that these Vendors should not be allowed to offer Windows 8 Pro as update or directly with a device where elementary CPU features are disabled and this results in an OS limitation. For me this is cheating on the highest level and the argument which was told by the support was mostly: We’re not able to test or support this feature! What a joke, testing was already done by Intel or other CPU Vendors. Fact is, these vendors want to sale the more expensive enterprise devices/laptop’s and this is the only reason. I really get angry and i’am glad that not all vendors do the same.

Cheers
Michael

P.S.: That’s one reason why i really don’t like some major Hardware Vendor’s and when the same vendor’s starting blaming the market because they have a serious sales issue.. Yes, i can unterstand this and your PM should start thinking about building limitations without any sense for expensive high end consumer products. Customers like me don’t like this and will prefer an other Vendor the next time, this is a promise.

Posted in Other Vendors | No Comments »

Tip: Wake on LAN/Magic Packet information collection and check list

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Hello,

very often i’ve been asked related to Wake On LAN and mostly people are not getting it to work. Please note: WoL/Magic Packet’s is a technology created by AMD and not IGEL!

Setting up WoL mostly requires good networking skills and the right infrastructure, so you have to figure this out: There is no “general” tip or configuration at all!

Here are some good 3rd Party information sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake-on-LAN (english)
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_On_LAN (german)
http://support.amd.com/us/Embedded_TechDocs/20213.pdf (AMD Tech Specs for Wake on LAN)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb932199.aspx ( Troubelshooting WoL-Microsoft Technet)

Checklist for WoL:
1) In general make sure that WoL/Magic Packet’s are supported by “ALL” of your network devices like routers and switches.
2) Do not hard power off your devices (power disconnect), by definition WoL will not wake up a device after a hard power off!
3) WoL do not work thru WiFi (WoL is pre-WiFi time), for VM’s and/or devices with an Intel 10GB network card (not supported by Intel)!
4) Play around with the Wake on LAN configuration in the IGEL UMS Administrator or for Universal Desktop LX/OS you can also perform some configuration task thru System->Registry->network.interfaces.ethernet.device0.wol. Attention: Make sure what you’re configuring, otherwise the device will be powered on very often… 😉
5) Make sure the ARP cache/table (for Switches/Routers) is large enough, typical symptom: Wake on Lan is working for a few hours after the device is (soft-) switched off, then it doesn’t work anymore from one second to an other. Cheap retail switches mostly provide a very limited ARP cache and/or high end switches needs to be configured in the right way to handle this.

Dealing with Wake on Lan is tricky and you should figure out which component’s are creating the issue but in 99,99999% it’s not the (IGEL) end device!

Cheers
Michael

Posted in 3rd Party Vendors, None IGEL | No Comments »