Plug for my new blog

I started a new blog. I want to keep it separate from this blog which is more gaget, tech related.

It is called the archetype dad. It is more of a fashion,style blog for those who have interests outside of gadgets!

URL: http://archetypedad.blogspot.com/

OSX 10.9 Thunderbolt Bridging Follow-up. Three Way Bridge

A few post back, I broke the news about IP Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt bridging. This is a follow-up post. I decided to see if a multi-computer, multi Thunderbolt bridge was possible using just cables.

I finally installed Mavericks on my 27" iMac and decided to do a multiple Thunderbolt bridge tests.
Here is the set-up.

In short, "it WORKS!" It is really plug-n-play. In my initial trial, I assigned IPs. It is not necessary to manually assign IPs.

I connected a 2012 13" MacBook Pro, 2013 15" Macbook Pro Retina, 2012 27" iMac. Both the Retina   Macbook and iMac have dual Thunderbolt ports.

The Retina MBP acted as the hub for both the 13" and iMac. Once connected, all the machines can see each other. The 13" with it's single Thunderbolt connected to the 15" could see and access the iMac.


13" Macbook Pro

iMac

15" Retina

The 15" shows both my Thunderbolt ports active

Now for the tests.

On the 13" Macbook Pro, I could ping, mount and connect to my 27" iMac which was connected via the Retina 15".

As I mentioned above, I didn't need to assign any IP addresses. I called the machines up by their host names and IP address. So, for the 13", all I had to do was type in afp://169.254.216.89 or afp://iMac27.local and I was accessing the iMac.

Unfortunately, there is a small penalty loss when you go through another machine.

The first two iPerfs were the 13" connecting to the iMac.
5.24 Gbits/sec and 650 MB/sec.

When accessing the 15" Retina Macbook directly, iPerf jumped up to 7.16 Gbit/sec and 859 MB/sec.

I then pulled one of the cables off from the Macbook Retina and connected it to the iMac's second Thunderbolt port. Voila. It works. However, both the 13" and iMac's IP address re-assigned themselves. This was completely plug-n-play. I did not have to assign routes or anything to get the machines to see one another.

Still, these are impressive numbers no matter how you look at them. Now, this is definite proof a multi-user Thunderbolt IP network is viable.

Someone needs to make a Thunderbolt IP switch, hub, router ASAP! Lastly, Thunderbolt cables are dropping in price. I've gotten a few for under $25-30.

MiiPC Kid Friendly, Family Android Desktop Computer Review

The MiiPC is a Kickstarter funded Android PC designed for families.  After a long wait, I finally got this in. Like with many Kickstarter projects, expect delays. It is now finally in my hands.

What is it?

It is a desktop PC running Android. It has a similar form-factor to the Ouya. The idea behind this is to empower parents to control their kid's computer activity with a simple computer. Apps and website usage can be controlled remotely by parents using their smartphones.

Spec-wise, MiiPC is SFF (small form factor) Android 4.22 Desktop PC measuring 4.7 x 4.7 x 3.1-inch.
It's powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell New Armada SoC with 1GB of RAM, 4 to 8 GB of flash storage, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. The system features  front SD card slot in front. In the back, it has two USB 2.0, HDMI, analog audio I/O, Ethernet and power.

Anker 25W 5 Port USB Wall Charger.

This is a pretty nifty USB 5 port charger currently selling for $20 at Amazon.

Made by Anker, it is fairly compact (3.8" long, 2.4" wide, 1" high). What is cool about this device is it can charge multiple high power USB devices like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tabs simultaneously.   A single iPad or TAB  normally require more juice than your normal USB chargers yet this device can power 3 high AMP USB devices and 2 normal devices all from the same box. In fact, it is even labelled for each device. 

There are two iPad 2.1 Amps (highest output) ports, one single Samsung Tab 1.3 Amps ports, and two 1 Amp ports for iPhones, other Android phones, or any other regular USB accessory.

It is important to remember, this is rated at 5V/5A. The combine number of devices cannot exceed 5A . With two iPads, the most you can connect is probably 2 more normal devices like another two iPhones.

Here it is next to a Logitech mouse.

The real test, an iPad, 7" Samsung Tab and a Galaxy Nexus are all charging from the same charger.

It is strange that they call it a Wall charger when it is actually a brick with a small AC cable. However, that isn't a big deal for me. 

Overall, I really like this and this is ultra convenient for multiple devices. $20 isn't bad considering many 2.1 AMP USB chargers go for that much.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/RELEASE-Family-Sized-Charger-Samsung-Devices/dp/B00DVH62J2/ref=pd_sim_cps_2

Pioneer A1 Wireless Airplay Speakers XW-SMA1-K

Over the weekend, Best Buy had the Pioneer A1 Airplay speakers on sale for $50. These originally retailed for $300 then dropped to $150 recently. $50 was a steal so I figured I get two. One for the Guest Room and another for the Garage or future tree-house/deck I plan to build in the back yard.

The A1 is an Airplay speakers that also supports DLNA and HTC Connect audio streaming. It is fairly compact with two 3" Mid-range speakers and a single 1" tweeter. This turned out to be an odd arrangement because fidelity wise, your high notes will sound mono or like a center speaker. However, for this size, you're not gonna be looking for stereo imaging or soundstage. At $150, I'd be concerned but for $50, these sound great. For that price point, you get a rather full body warm sound which is enough to fill a small room.

OSX 10.9 Marvericks - Thunderbolt Bridging IP over Thunderbolt

If you just recently installed OSX 10.9, Mavericks, you will be pleasantly surprise to know IP over Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt Ethernet / Bridging) is now supported. This is a pretty big deal for small workgroups that want to transfer "BIG" files over a closed network.

Thunderbolt is rated at 10Gbps. With a $30 cable, you are now essentially getting 10Gbe networking for free between two Thunderbolt equipped macs. This is a big deal. How big of a deal is this? 10Gbe networking isn't cheap. Gigabit ethernet has a max theoretical 125 Mb/s limit with real world 100-109 Mb/s.

When you first launch your networking preference, you will notice that the OS now adds a new network port. Thunderbolt Ethernet, bridging, networking. In other words, IP over Thunderbolt is now a reality.

Now, all you need to do is create a closed network.
I chosen 192.168.2.0/255.255.0.0. One will need to be the master and the other the slace.
My 15" Macbook Retina (192.168.2.2) as the master and my 2012 13" Macbook Pro as the slave (192.168.2.3).

With file-sharing on, I can access either via their Thunderbolt IP.

Then I did some copies and benchmarks.

AMAZINGLY FAST. See for yourself.

This is over the network. The 15" Macbook accessing the SSD of the 13" Macbook Pro over the network.

Real world copies. 15 large MP4 movies totalling 45GB in less than 5 minutes over AFP.

For you UNIX networking nerds, I ran iperf

Thats right, 760 plus MB/sec. Networking is only limited to the reads and writes of the drive now.

This is a game changer. The set-up.

UPDATE:
You can read up on multiple mac bridging here.

1st gen G4 Mac mini vs PogoPlug Classic

I took out a G4 Mac mini out of the storage and thought about junking it. It has been in storage for over 5 years now. I googled, "What to do with an old G4 Mac mini" and found some surprising results. People are retiring them into low-powered servers.

Before throwing it out, I figure I find a way to recycle it into my current tech lifestyle.
I have the very first gen G4 with 1GB DDR RAM, 100 GB PATA drive. I also have a GPower USB/Firewire external matching enclosure hub.

The original 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 first generation Mac mini consumes about 32-85W (Max). At idle, 32W is decent but not what I call low-power.

I found some people debating whether or not an ARM based lightweight device like a PogoPlug would compare. PogoPlugs run at 4-5W and can be hacked into full Linux servers running mySQL, web,FTP,rsync, miniDLNA, torrent boxes, Squeezebox music server,  you name it.
They are often discounted at $15-20.

I personally have 8 of these Pogos running various things. However, I also have a whole closet full of Firewire drives that could be put to good use and shared over the network. Hence, I thought of re-using the Mac Mini.