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Free iSCSI initiator for OS X now available
You'd think, judging on the name alone, that iSCSI was an Apple product -- perhaps an easier-to-use, shiny, beveled version of the original SCSI? If wishing made it so: sadly, it's only an implementation of SCSI over IP, allowing hosts to connect to remote drives, RAIDs, SANs or tape libraries over standard Ethernet connections. While early iSCSI gear was noticeably slow compared to Fibre Channel and other storage fabric connections, the latest stuff is quite snappy, especially when combined with 10G Ethernet connectivity.Up until now, the only iSCSI initiators (drivers) available for Mac OS X were paid affairs, usually bundled with hardware or management tools. Now, in advance of the anticipated inclusion of iSCSI with Leopard, the good people at Studio Network Solutions have proffered up a free-as-in-beer version of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator for OS X. No support offered, so download and deploy with caution.[via MacTech]
How to not kill Magtheridon
Only two guilds in the world have killed Magtheridon, and after reading a write-up of the fight, I'm not surprised. Basically, as I understand it, there are five warlock/channelers with about a couple hundred thousand HP each. They hit for about 5000 on plate armor. They also do a shadowbolt volley for 3k, summon infernals who one-hit anyone besides a tank, and heal each other. When one of them dies, the others gain a increase of 33 percent damage and increase in casting speed. After two minutes of fighting the channelers, Magtheridon becomes active. He hits for about 700-900 on plate and cleaves. He also has two special abilities: a knockback that pushes everyone to the walls of the room, and a fire nova that ticks for 2.5-3000 damage every two seconds and lasts for ten seconds. The "trick" to the fight is that there's five boxes in the room, each guarded by a warlock/channeler person. If five people click on the box and channel it at the same time, it stuns Magtheridon and lets you do 100 percent more damage to him. However, controlling the box deals 700-800 damage to its controllers, and then you can't control one again for 90 seconds. My opinion: The hell? How can you even do this without bringing a seriously stacked raid? Do you have to enslave or banish all the infernals with six warlocks, or mind control the channelers with five priests? Nihilum and Death and Taxes are being quiet about their strategy, but this TOP SEKRIT missive from DNT raid chat shows them having a rough time clicking the boxes. Do you have any idea of what it would take to beat Magtheridon? Theorycrafting is always welcome!
Shuttle XPC SD39P2 handles Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Extreme
Although Shuttle's been known to kick out a few majorly fresh offerings that deviated from the company norm from time to time, the XPC SD39P2 seems to be sticking quite firmly to the beaten path, as it retains the stylish good looks of its all-black predecessor and just adds support for a few new pieces of hardware. The SFF barebones kit boasts Intel's 975X / ICH7-R chipset and supports up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, Intel's latest Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Extreme processors, NVIDIA's 7950 GX2 / 8800 GTX and ATI's Radeon X1900 graphics cards, and eight-channel HD-audio as well. Moreover, users will find expanded BIOS settings for CPU clock ratio and DDR2 voltage, a PCI-Express slot, room for a trio of 3.5-inch hard drives along with a single optical drive, gigabit Ethernet, a whopping seven USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, eSATA, and a 400-watt SilentX power supply. The 12.8- x 8.7- x 8.3-inch box also sports Shuttle's I.C.E. heat-pipe cooling module and linear fan control to keep the heat (and noise) out of your machine, and while we still dig the idea of a portable LAN gaming rig at our disposal, we'd certainly think twice before dropping €419 ($554) for just the enclosure.[Via TGDaily]
Ontrack reveals RAID data recovery secrets
Kroll Ontrack, purveyors of data recovery, give a glimmer of hope to those with wrecked RAIDs in Tom's Hardware Guide's 7-page explanation detailing their step-by-step process, including preventative measures, proper handling tips, different types and levels of damage, and an overview of various Ontrack recovery methods.They stress the obvious solution to make a habit of defragging and backing up your data, however if it weren't for the irresponsible / lazy demographic, Ontrack would be counting their food stamps. They also encourage potential data-loss victims to stay calm, as freak-out sessions oftentimes yield impulsive and regretful decisions for data that might be recoverable. "In 2005, Kroll Ontrack processed 50,000 recovery cases. Ontrack was able to complete 40% of incoming orders successfully right away. The remaining 60% had to be taken to the clean room, where 75% of data recoveries were successful." The stats sound promising if you're in need of a serious data resurrection, and as long as you're willing to cough up a good chunk of your savings. [Via Slashdot]
World first: Magtheridon downed by Nihilum
Right after Blizzard fixed a bug in the Magtheridon encounter we see the world first kill of Magtheridon by Nihilum (a Horde guild on Magtheridon EU). Killing Magtheridon allowed them to complete the attunement quest to enter the Eye (25 player raid in Tempest Keep), home to Kael'thas Sunstrider. Congrats, Nihilum, and may more firsts follow![Via World of Raids]
Whither Zul'Gurub?
We used to run Zul'Gurub weekly, if not more often. The loot was OK (a couple of GREAT tanking swords drop there, and not a lot else), the reputation rewards were fantastic, as were the enchants. Since Burning Crusade, we haven't even gone to Stranglethorn Vale. Is it less fun? I'm not sure. With the boss scaling issue, and trying to get everyone up to level, we just haven't taken the time to check it out. Since the shoulder enchants and head slot enchant are still very good, I may try to get a group to go back on a bijou and coin farming mission. We might just go back to see if we can run the place with 5 people for kicks.That said, if I never set foot into Molten Core again, I'll be happy. I'd like to finish Blackwing Lair and poke into Naxxramas since I never managed to get there, but the new 5-man instances and new raids are keeping me adequately busy for now.Any plans to go back in time now with new and improved gear and abilities?
Buffalo's TeraStation Pro hits 3TB: that's 3,000GB on your home network
Funny thing how NAS disk capacity and DRM hacks possess a near linear relationship, eh? Meet Buffalo's new 3TB (yeah, 3,000GB) TeraStation PRO storage solution for your home network. It's still the same ol' box -- RAID 1/5/10 (across 4x disks), 38MB/s transfer rate (Raid 5), gigabit Ethernet, Active Directory integration, integrated UPS and 2x USB 2.0 jacks to swing even more disk from. And with 1TB drives ready to pop, a 4TB model is just around the corner. The TS-H3.0TGL/R5 is already up for pre-order in Japan for ¥277,305 or about $2,312 of the green after you hunt the beast down. NASty indeed.[Via Impress]
A Shaman Primer for new players
The following document was created to help Shaman, specifically Draenei Shaman, as they find themselves as the new class in the Alliance. It's also useful for those who are about to group with a Shaman (or two or three), to understand what role a shammy will play in your group or raid. Finally, it's definitely a good read for anyone who's just picking up the Shaman class, to give you a bit of a jump on your fellow players in knowing your place in groups and raids. As with most of my shaman info, the credit here definitely goes to Skew, my leveling buddy who is now on his 3rd level 60 Shaman. He swore that if Shaman were ever given to the Alliance, he'd play one, and he has. His knowledge and support and love of the class have been instrumental in encouraging the same in me. The bulk of the primer is posted after the break, so be sure to read and chime in with your thoughts on the role of a shaman.
Apple bumps its Xserve RAID to 10.5TB, SATA where art thou?
Being the torrent junkies we are -- you know, those GPL'd Linux ISOs, somebody's gotta download 'em -- we were kind of stoked about that rumored SATA-based Xserve RAID we spied last week and the supa-cheep storage it would provide. Unfortunately, it looks like Apple is going to stick with Ultra ATA for the moment, though at least you can squeeze a bit more storage out of the unit now: Apple is including support for 750GB drives, allowing for a whoppin' 10.5TB of storage for under $1.31 per gigabyte. That's great and all Apple, and those dual or quad-channel 2Gb fibre-channel PCI cards are swell too, but when are we going to see the real deal with six built-in fibre-channels and that SATA sweetness?[Via TUAW]
Xserve RAID Admin Tools 1.5.1
When it rains it pours as the Morton Salt company says, which really has nothing to do with this post. First Apple updates the Xserve RAID and then they update the Xserve RAID Admin Tools 1.5.1. I smell conspiracy. No, wait, that's just the salt again.This update brings support for the larger disks in the slightly revamped Xserve RAID, as well as a number of other fixes that are listed in the support doc.Thanks, Chris.
Apple updates Xserve RAID, now up to 10.5TB
Attention Apple enterprise geeks: Apple has just updated the Xserve RAID. The Xserve RAID, in case you are not aware, is Apple's very competitively priced storage solution. The Xserve RAID can now be configured to sport 14 750 GB drives, which translates to a whopping 10.5TB (that's a lot of iTunes tracks), up from 7TB.Also of note, the two top tier pre-configured versions have dropped in price ($300, and $600 cheaper respectively). The 500 GB drive modules have also been priced down from $649 to $599.Go forth and get your storage on, as the kids say (the kids say that, right?).Thanks, Jonathan.
SATA-based Xserve RAID coming
Ruh roh, Stevie J isn't gonna like this. Looks like AppleInsider landed some rare and much coveted pre-release Apple product pics; no, it's not of the iPhone sans phone or ultraportable MacBook Pro, it's of the long overdue Xserve upgrade to the Xserve RAID, which finally puts cheap and plentiful enterprise SATA drives in the enterprise enclosure. Other improvements AI claims Apple have made to the above "Q57" prototype include an additional four fibre-channel ports, although the fibre-channel controller has apparently yet to be made redundant. We're sure there are more than a few enterprise Mac users hoping they won't have to wait until WWDC 2007 to check this thing out, but we don't have any timeline for release, so we'll all be keeping an eye out for release.
Breakfast Topic: DKP Systems
Love them, hate them, or love to design them over coffee, DKP systems are overwhelmingly prevalent in raiding guilds. I only recently learned to stop hating them when I saw a forum post that analyzed DKP vs. random rolls and proved that the relationship between number of raids and amount of gear gotten is pretty much the same in both cases, but with less random noise in the case of DKP. My guild uses a fairly simple zero-sum system, which seems to work well (even if I am almost always in the negative). What about you? Where do you stand on DKP, and what DKP system, or what way of distributing loot, does your guild use?
The Burning Crusade: A long path to Mount Hyjal
Without getting too much into the lore, you may recall Mount Hyjal as being a pretty pivotal place in the history of Azeroth. It was there that the Battle of Mount Hyjal was fought at the end of Warcraft III, and the destiny of the night elves was forever changed.We've known for awhile now that the Burning Crusade will let us access some moments in Azeroth's past, including Hillsbrad, the Dark Portal, and Hyjal. What we weren't really aware of until now, is the apparent gargantuan effort it's going to take individuals to get ready for and attuned to the Battle of Mount Hyjal.Blizzplanet has a rundown on what you'll need to do in order to be admitted to the Caverns of Time for this epic event. Keep in mind that there will be some spoilers in there, but I believe it's worth the read just to get a grip on what Blizzard has in mind for us to get ready.This is not like getting attuned for Onyxia or BWL. In fact, this seems like it's a bigger deal than the AQ40 event was, on top of which every single person in your 25-man raid group has to have completed all the steps.Personally, I think this is pretty cool. Instead of slugging through raid after raid, you get a big build-up to that raid. No more walking into a giant event without some idea of what lead up to it. I think this shows that the Blizzard developers are thinking about the world they're creating, and the lore behind it. This can only be good for the continued success of the game, and I'm sure it works as a nice timesink for the beancounters, too. What do you think of lengthy prerequisites and jaunts around the world before being let in to a big raid event? Does this encourage you or discourage you from pursuing quest chains and following the lore?
Raiding and the consumables dilemma
Praetorian, over on Elitist Jerks has posted an interesting examination in the role that consumable buffs play in raiding. While this just popped into my own guild's forums, and although it's a couple of weeks old now, the point is still current and relevant.Praetorian summarizes by saying:"Consumables are too powerful, such that Blizzard's raid designers are forced into the untenable position of balancing around unbuffed groups and having their content steamrolled, or balancing around buffed groups and forcing players into a cycle of unpleasant farming in order to even have a chance."He goes on into great detail, breaking down the differences between the different tiers of raiding gear in terms of how they help in raiding, and then into the consumables. In the end, he calls for a change in how raids are approached by Blizzard in the development phase of the game.What do you think of Praetorian's analysis? Do you carry a lot of consumables with you, and do you think things need to change?[Thanks to Forge for the submission!]
"You guys suck at this game"
We've all heard the "50 DKP minus" guy (it's become nothing less than a WoW classic), but imagine if all of that took place inside a chat channel, and you've got this (a lot of the text is not safe for work, if you aren't supposed to read cursewords at work) A more stunning display of angry raidleading I have never seen. This guy has more ways to say "you suck" then there are to actually wipe a raid.And that's why it's so great. I think my favorites are "this is MC level sh*t," and "I don't care how you did it in your guild-- your guild sucked, that's why you're in my guild." Seriously, almost everything on this page is comedy gold: "Just pull and let god sort it out." Dives was funny, but I think Sebudai is my new favorite raidleader.
IBM's Moscow offices raided in embezzlement investigation
On Wednesday, a team of Russian investigators and a squad of masked, rifle-toting police raided IBM's Moscow offices. Big Blue is currently under investigation in the Russian Federation for allegedly having stolen money from the country's $57 billion pension fund. The Russian Interior Ministry accused IBM and two local software companies of committing conspiracy "to rig auctions and embezzle some of the 1 billion rubles ($38 million) of budget money allocated to the funds for new computers," reports Bloomberg. The spokeswoman of one of the other companies under investigation, R-Style Softlab, said that riot police were deployed at the company's offices for 10 hours yesterday, and "made copies of some documents, took the list of our contacts and copied some electronic mail." This reminds us an awful lot of that Siemens raid that took place last month -- is there some crazy European embezzlement epidemic going on that we should know about?[Via The Register]Read - BloombergRead - IDG News ServiceRead - The Associated Press
WoW Moviewatch: Take 40 druids...
So what can you do with 40 druids? 40 moonfires, 40 innervates, 40 bears, 40 cats... Well, not all at once, of course. But this video gives you some idea of the capabilities of druids in large numbers -- though, okay, the 40 druid raid on Ogrimmar at the end of the video may actually be the best part.
Forum Post of the Day: The ABC's of raiding
No, This post doesn't quite fit my usual standards for "quality" forum posts -- it's not informative or thought-provoking. But it is funny in a way that I don't see every day, as we're lead through the ABC's of raiding. And as no thread post can leave well enough alone, this one goes through the alphabet several times over supplying interesting tidbits and jokes about raiding life. Now, come on, say it with me: C is for Core Hound, that's good enough for me!
Siemens HQ raided by cops over alleged embezzlement
Oh Siemens employees, have you been naughty this year? German prosecutors and law enforcement seem to think so, given that police searched company buildings and employees' residences as part of an investigation alleging that workers embezzled somewhere around €20 million ($25.6 million), and that there was possible fraud, bribery and/or corruption within the company. More than 200 officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors checked nearly 30 business locations in Munich and other sites around the country. To be fair, Andreas Schwab, a company spokesperson, acknowledged that although "certain Siemens employees have engaged in fraud," the company was "cooperating fully" with the investigation. If authorities ever do manage to recover the money, they may have to just accept that the first million was already spent on lifetime supplies of Krombacher and bierwurst -- well, that's what we'd spend it on if we were in Germany, anyway.[Via The Inquirer, image courtesy German Press Agency]Read - Der SpiegelRead - BBCRead - The Associated PressRead - Bloomberg
