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I finally got around to perfecting the traffic shaping rules on my m0n0wall firewall box. As many of you know, I use Sunrocket’s VoIP service, which works great except for when I’m doing any sort of large file upload. When this happens, the voice packets get delayed due to the large amount of upstream traffic, and hence, voice starts cutting out and sounding like a bad cellphone connection. Anyway, with the new traffic shaping rules, the m0n0wall box is able to take all of the upload (and download) traffic, and re-prioritize it. So…I’ve set up rules to give packets to and from my VoIP box the highest priority. The difference this change makes is quite remarkable.

To test the rules, I started a large download *and* a large upload, then called my work number and left myself a voicemail. I did it once with the shaping rules disabled and then again with the rules enabled. You can hear the results:

Without shaping and with shaping.

Here are the rules I currently have in place if you’re really interested.

Tags: general by erik
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Today on the way into work, I followed a student driver for a mile or two. Now normally, driving schools get fairly small, low-powered cars for training. The Taurus/Neon/Camry - type cars. I’m not sure what was up with this particular driving school, but they had this girl driving a Camaro. That’s just nuts if you ask me. Now, I know…Camaro’s aren’t the *fastest* sports car out there, but man, they sure have a lot more power than the usual drivers’ ed vehicles. Crazy.

Tags: general by erik
7 Comments »

I always thought life as a hobbit would be quite enjoyable. From the bits and pieces we get to see of their lives through the LOTR series, it seems as though they get to sit around for 90% of their days eating good food, drinking good drink, and smoking the southfarthing’s best pipeweed[1]. Doesn’t seem that bad of a life, huh?

Anyway, according to this website, if I were a hobbit, my name would be “Fastolph Knotwise of Michel Delving”.

Interesting to say the least.

[1] …except for that whole “scouring of the shire” thing. That must have been a bummer.

Tags: general by erik
18 Comments »

…(in a superficial sort of way) - give him free lunch catered in from the Holy Land Deli.

mmm mmmm garlic, here I come!

Tags: general by erik
4 Comments »

…I have successfully established a LAN-to-LAN VPN connection using our two Cisco 3020 VPN concentrators. I’ve, quite literally, been struggling with this for weeks on end, so it was quite gratifying to get it working. There are a few minor routing issues that I still need to fix, but those will be easily overcome.

As a sidenote, considering how large of a company Cisco is and considering the high-quality equipment they make, it’s amazing how little documentation there is out there for their products. I suppose they’re trying to get people to sign up for their certification classes.

Tags: general by erik
1 Comment »