ryanburnette.com

Simple JQuery Image Rollover With Preload

Ryan Burnette — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:30:19 +0000

I used to do all my image rollovers with background positioning. I liked this method because it could be done completely with html/css. By putting the :hover only on anchors I could cover that piece of junk IE6 without fooling with Javascript. JQuery has become my best friend though.

There is a great, simple way to use JQuery to add a class on hover… like so.

$(‘ul#nav a’).hover(
function() {
$(this).addClass(‘hover’);
},
function() {
$(this).removeClass(‘hover’);
}
);

To make this snippet work, there are a few things you need to do. You must include JQuery in your . I like to use Google Code to host it, like this.

Then put the code snippet that adds the hover class in a file. You could name it roll.js for example. Include this at the bottom of your document, inside the and end tags.

You may want to edit ‘ul#nav a’ to meet your personal needs. You can also change ‘hover’ to whatever class you prefer for the job.

The problem is that if you are like me, you use text replacement and your images are backgrounds. We need a way to preload the images or we see a delay on the first hover as the new background image loads.

I do this by simple creating a loop to iterate over the hovers in question. They activate quickly during page load so when the user puts their mouse over a button… no delay while the image loads. Nice.

Add this code snippet and make the appropriate changes to activate your hovers once during page load.

$(‘ul#nav a’).each(function() {
$(this).addClass(‘hover’);
}
);

$(‘ul#nav a’).each(function() {
$(this).removeClass(‘hover’);
}
);

TechStudio Logo Perspective

Ryan Burnette — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:39:31 +0000

Completely off topic: I watched City of Ember earlier tonight and enjoyed it. The idea of human beings being cloistered in an underground cave for a century or two is one I have explored in my imagination a few times, but I enjoyed this telling of the story. It made me ask myself what the difference was between Ember and Earth. City of Ember. City of Earth.

I’ve been staring at the new TechStudio logo and color options for too long. I’m trying to burn my retinas with all this color. Hang onto your rods and cones.

Work Laugh Work

Ryan Burnette — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:22:25 +0000

How To Install Debian Lenny On Microsoft Virtual Server 2007 R2

Ryan Burnette — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:45:37 +0000

Trying to install Debian Lenny on Microsoft Virtual Server 2007 R2 results in a kernel panic by default. There is a way to configure the kernel to allow for a normal install. I have put a low priority server in place at a client’s network using this method, I will update here to let everyone know if it is stable. Feedback is also appreciated.

At the ‘Install’ prompt, press -TAB-.
Add the following line to the boot directives.

noapic nolapic noreplace-paravirt no387 nofxsr

Coming Soon

Ryan Burnette — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:42:08 +0000

At the moment I am working on a few new articles, and I am revamping some old ones. The good old What Is SEO article is getting a complete facelift. New additions to the blog include How To Configure A WordPress Web Server On Debian With Tons Of Plugin Support, How To Use NextGen Gallery On WordPress And Become A Hero, Pure CSS Image Rollovers Without The Familiar Blip.

Install QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Database Manager For Linux On Debian

Ryan Burnette — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:40:45 +0000

Intuit QuickBooks is the market-standard software for small-business accounting. Almost every IT client I have under 25 employees in size is using this software to keep their books. Anyone who uses QuickBooks knows that once you get a few people using it across a network everything slows down. The reason is that the file containing all company data cannot be simultaneously access by multiple computers using conventional methods. Most business network users have files on network shared drives or on their local hard drives. The QuickBooks database is different. Multiple machines can’t all work on the file at once, a database must be introduced to coordinate what is know in QuickBooks as multi-user mode.

On the QuickBooks install disc is the QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Database Manager. This is a program that monitors the QuickBooks shared folder and serves the database to network users. Companies with multiple QuickBooks files, or multiple users with varying levels of permissions need a few things out of their server.

Permission-level access control. Employee A can see all the folders, Employee B can only see the folders he or she needs to have access to.
There are a certain number of users in the office who need to maintain simultaneous, high-speed access to company data and QuickBooks database files.
The files need to be safe from hardware failure or user error. The server needs to have hardware-based RAID to protect from drive failure, and an automatic backup routing that transfer files to an off-site server to protect from physical damage or theft.

Achieving all this with a machine running a version of Microsoft Windows Server can be expensive. The software and license CALs alone are over a thousand dollars. At TechStudio we have now configured a development server running GNU/Debian Linux, an open-source and extremely efficient operating system, which is offering Windows file sharing through Samba software as well as QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Database Manager for Linux. In addition to our development server, we are installing these machines for clients who need to share Windows files and QuickBooks databases across a network with a cost-effective and reliable solution. One Linux server we manage has not been rebooted in over 4 years.

One client reported that QuickBooks was opening their 200mb company file in under a tenth the time required before the Linux server. Clients are also excited that they can manage their user permissions through an easy-to-use web interface for Linux, Webmin.

Installing QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Database Manager on Debian

For users who want to take a stab at a basic configuration yourself, I’m posting my configuration files and tricks I’ve learned along the way.

Step 1: Pick the Right Hardware

The most important first step in setting up a Debian Linux server is picking compatible hardware. At TechStudio we use Debian exclusively because we believe it to be the most stable distribution around. Along with this stability comes a pickiness for hardware. Don’t try to use unsupported hardware, you will regret it.

It is also important to research your RAID adapter. Many RAID cards are actually software RAID adapters, or devices that provide RAID in a soft environment through the RAID BIOS. Pick a true hardware RAID device or you will regret it.

Step 2: Install the Latest Stable Release of Debian

Download the latest stable release of Debian.

Step 3: Configure the Network

This installation guide assumes a certain amount of prior Linux knowledge. You will want to set your server to a static IP on the network outside your existing DHCP range.

debian:~# cat /etc/network/interfaces
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto eth1
iface eth1 inet static
address 10.0.1.40
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 10.0.1.0
broadcast 10.1.0.255
gateway 10.0.1.1
debian:~#

Step 4: Install Webmin For Easier Configuration

Webmin is a web based Linux administration tool. Purists will call it cheap to control your box using this tool, but I find it saves time when I hand administration off to an intermediate user with this tool. It’s just important to remember not to mess with any settings unless you know exactly what the consequences will be.

debian:~# wget http://*download-path*/webmin_1.510-2_all.deb
debian:~# apt-get install perl libnet-ssleay-perl openssl libauthen-pam-perl libpam-runtime libio-pty-perl libmd5-perl
debian:~# dpkg –install webmin_1.510-2_all.deb

Once webmin is installed, browse into administration using http://host-ip-address-or-hostname:10000.

Step 5: Install Samba Server

Samba is a Windows file and printer sharing daemon for Linux. Users won’t know they aren’t access a Windows server once we configure it correctly.

debian:~# apt-get install samba

Step 6: Set Up Users and Groups

Start by adding a local user account for each of your users and adding appropriate users to access groups. In this case, we will create five users in office and give three of them access to the company QuickBooks files. This can be done at console or using Webmin.

debian:~# groupadd quickbooks
debian:~# useradd -g quickbooks adam
debian:~# useradd -g quickbooks joe
debian:~# useradd -g quickbooks sally
debian:~# useradd -g quickbooks jane

Users have to be configured for Samba as well. Local users need to have a Samba password set. This can also be done using Webmin if you prefer.

debian:~# smbpasswd -a adam
debian:~# smbpasswd -a joe
debian:~# smbpasswd -a sally
debian:~# smbpasswd -a jane

Step 7: Configure Samba

Samba is configured using /etc/samba/smb.conf to set configuration parameters. For this QuickBooks Enterprise server there are a few things I have found that need to be configured a certain way to avoid problems. Make sure your smb.conf file contains the following global parameters.

workgroup = COMPANYNAME
server string = COMPANYFILESERVER
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
max log size = 1000
syslog = 0
encrypt passwords = true
passdb backend = tdbsam
obey pam restrictions = yes
unix password sync = yes
passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
pam password change = yes
refresh = 1
map hidden = yes
map archive = yes

You can configure as many separate shares as you like, but the QuickBooks share needs to include the following.

[quickbooks]
path = /home/allusers/quickbooks
comment = Company QuickBooks Share
valid users = @quickbooks
writeable = yes
create mask = 0765
force user = root
force group = quickbooks

Make sure to restart Samba after changing smb.conf. Also, verify that your shared folder is set with the correct permissions.

debian:~# chown root:quickbooks /home/allusers/quickbooks
debian:~# chmod 775 /home/allusers/quickbooks

Step 8: Install QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Database Manager for Linux

Intuit has an install guide, public asc key and rpm available for download at http://qbes.com/linux. Go there and download all three. Looking over and familiarizing yourself with the install guide will be helpful, but the process is a little different on Debian.

First we need to install some prerequisite packages.

debian:~# apt-get install gamin
debian:~# apt-get install alien

Next, use alien to convert and install the qbdb package.

debian:~# alien –scripts –install qbdbm-20.0-5.i386.rpm

It is important to remember to edit /opt/qb/util/qbmonitord.conf so qbdbmon monitors the correct folders for QuickBooks databases. Also, set the qbdb services to run at boot.

debian:~# update-rc.d qbdbfilemon defaults
debian:~# update-rc.d qbdbmgrn_20 defaults

You can check to be sure the services are running and set to start at boot with the following commands, or using Webmin.

debian:~# ps aux | grep qbdb
debian:~# chkconfig | grep qbdb

Call TechStudio If You Need Help Or Want A Server Configured For Your Business Network

This guide can get you pointed in the right direction if you are a beginner Linux user. Or if you would like to have the stability and speed of a Linux server for your business, call TechStudio IT Services today.

Check Out TechStudio For IT Services

Can Web Site Load Time Effect SEO Search Engine Ranking?

Ryan Burnette — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:56:34 +0000

It is a question a lot of us in the Search Engine Optimization field have been asking for quite some time, and the answer is yes. A recent article posted on the Official Google Webmaster Central Blog confirms that Google has implemented site load time as a factor in search engine placement. Overall keyword relevancy still ranks much higher than load time, and well-coded sites including all TechStudio products are quick enough not to have their placement lowered by this, but it is something to consider when building a site which is meant to be search-engine friendly.

Check out the full text of the article from the Google Webmaster blog here. TechStudio sites are light, clean and always load fast. Get a quote from TechStudio for a Web Design and Internet Marketing in Jacksonville, FL.