Webspace of Eric Brodeur

Perspectives on storytelling and digital cinema technology

Archive for March, 2009

Enable the Tab auto-complete in DOS

Posted Mar 31, 2009 by Eric

Windows logoSome of the Windows Server 2003 boxes I cross paths with were upgraded from Windows Server 2000. In each case the [Tab] character shortcut for auto-completing a command line didn’t work. Pressing [Tab] simply resulted in a tabbed cursor.

Fortunately the [] character works in a pinch. Typing cd c:\doc brings you into C:\Documents and Settings but it’s not quite the same as the [Tab] shortcut.

This article from Online Tech Tips describes how to enable auto-complete using the [Tab] key. After reading you may notice the numeric value supplied is actually the hexadecimal value of the character you wish to use as the shortcut.

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Filed Under: Windows
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Living in the cloud – day 1

Posted Mar 25, 2009 by Eric

Apple logoThe motherboard in my MacBook Pro (two years old) ascended into bit heaven yesterday. It’s off for warranty repair but, unfortunately, with my current schedule I hadn’t kept current on my Time Machine backup – it’s about 14 days behind. For safety’s sake Apple is making a backup of my Users folder (for a fee) should the drive be wiped at the repair facility. Meanwhile, I’m left to ponder a few things while I am sans computer.

  • Stealing cycles on my wife’s MacBook.
  • Pushing my iPhone as a primary, not secondary, platform.
  • Leveraging data I have stored “in the cloud” such as Carbonite and Google Docs.
  • Pulling data from older Time Machine backups and Carbon Copy Cloner clones.

I’m curious how the iPhone will work as a laptop replacement and if my clones would be useful running from a MacBook. Even more curious is if the pile of papers on my desk will diminish in size or the stack of books on my nightstand will shrink during my MBP’s refurb.

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Filed Under: Apple
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Guardian Maximus 13-month redux

Posted Mar 21, 2009 by Eric

Guardian MaximusMy Guardian Maximus (G-Max as Newer Tech refers to it) has been running strong since I bought it. A couple of Western Digital drives have failed but otherwise the RAID-1 has been solid.

A recent drive failure led me to call Newer Tech and ask questions about how the G-Max handles rebuilding after a failure.

  • HDD1 is always the primary drive. HDD2 is constantly being mirrored via the G-Max controller.
  • You can remove either drive and use it like a normal disk; install it in a desktop, another case, etc. The drive can be reinserted in the G-Max without any data loss.
  • If removing a drive, be sure to label it “HDD1″ or “HDD2″ and re-install to the corresponding channel (#1 or #2). Because HDD1 is always the primary drive, if you move it to channel 2 you risk losing data.
  • If HDD2 fails the system knows as such. Be sure to leave this “good” drive at HDD2 and replace the failed HDD1. UPDATE: If HDD1 fails the system knows as such. Be sure to leave the functioning drive at HDD2 and replace the failed HDD1.

Would I buy a G-Max today? From a price and performance standpoint, yes. However, I would put serious consideration on “screwless” models for those times when you need to get inside the device; replacing HDD2 in the G-Max requires removal of all 12 screws. IcyDock makes a screwless RAID-1 unit although the long-term reliability is uncertain.

UPDATE

For the sake of accuracy I will describe the incidents after the drive failed. The drive didn’t fail but the A/C power supply of the G-Max did. This caused drive 1, and later, drive 2 to not spin up properly. An unfortunate turn of events had me returning the RMA drive and engaging in a number of phone calls to resolve.

Newer Tech replaced my power brick for free although I had to beg because the G-Max was just out-of-warranty (standard warranty for a 0 GB kit is one-year and three-years for a populated kit). Cross ship is available but not offered to me at the time, a subsequent phone call revealed.

Although the mis-diagnosis caused me a fair bit of bother the new power brick solved the problem. The drives went back in without data loss and the unit is running normally. I still recommend the G-Max.

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Filed Under: Apple, Avid, Final Cut Pro, GTD & DIY
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Dropping subclip suffixes in Final Cut Pro

Posted Mar 19, 2009 by Eric

Final Cut ProOne of my current film projects was shot on 35mm with sync sound. The dailies were transferred to DVCAM (standard def) and captured into Final Cut Pro via the ALE files provided by the transfer house. Since the footage was transferred in full camera rolls, I decided to subclip the video once it was imported.

I wanted to remove the annoying suffix (i.e.: 5C_1 from 'ALL_ALL') added to the end of every subclip without manually editing hundreds of subclips.

I toyed around with the idea of using XML to clean up the names but decided it wasn't worth the time to sort out XSLT and Filemaker Pro databases.

By accident I found this tip from Alex Gollner which describes how to change Final Cut's default behavior (via PLIST) such that suffixes are not added to subclips.

I wonder what other goodness lies in the guts of Final Cut's PLIST files.

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Filed Under: Final Cut Pro
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Locate your Caldigit RAID adapter logs

Posted Mar 01, 2009 by Eric

Apple logoPart way through shooting “Bedrooms” we had a CalDigit RAID card flake out on us. Fortunately no data was lost but the alarm beep wouldn’t stop.

Through Melrose Mac, we got in touch with a tech at Caldigit who had us update software drivers and review settings. Apparently he was baffled about the beep with no corresponding error message (or failure) so he FedEx’ed us a replacement card. No problems since.

During the process we learned that detailed log files can be found in the following folder on your Mac:

/lbrary/startup items/rgx

Although I’m always wary of third-party adapter cards I was pleased and impressed with the speed and effort displayed to resolve our problem. Props.

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Filed Under: Apple, Final Cut Pro
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