[MacTIPS] Folder color labeling

There are many ways to organize our files or folders. We can create our own way to prioritize or easily find our favorite / important files from hundreds of files / folders. Simple and eye-catching thing to organize the file so that our favorite files easily seen is by label it with color. It's similar with flagging in email for important or follow-up mail. We might have ignored this useful thing :)

It is pretty easy to do it, just right click file or folder and click color-box under label.

That's it and it will look nice :)

Home Device (CPE) Management using TR-069

Do you have WIFI Router / DSL Modem / Access Point for accessing internet or IPTV at home? i believe many of us, if we are DSL customer, have it at home.

How if you forget wifi password? what if you don't know how to configure the router after loss configuration or reset? i believe, if we don't have backup, we will contact our operator / service provider to solve it.

The question is how operator solve it without sending technician to customer site. That means how will  operator be able to response remotely customer enquiries / complaints such as providing wifi password, push configuration, etc.. ? 

In order for cpe to be manageable remotely, DSL forum has defined application layer protocol for remote management of end-user device. It known as TR-069. 

TR-069 (Technical Report 069) is a DSL Forum (which was later renamed as Broadband Forum) technical specification entitled CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP). It defines an application layer protocol for remote management of end-user devices. As a bidirectional SOAP/HTTP-based protocol, it provides the communication between customer-premises equipment (CPE) and Auto Configuration Servers (ACS) [wikipedia].

For more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TR-069

Shortly, in order to manage cpe remotely, CPE has to be pre-configured its CWMP with ACS URL. Typically there is engagement between operator and cpe manufacture to set cpe with ACS URL as default / factory configuration.

Once cpe pre-configured and connected to DSL line then cpe will be registered and activated in operator OSS system for cpe-management. At this stage, remote control / management can be done such as reboot, reset, push configuration, firmware upgrade, etc.

Samples below are screenshots of my modem seen in CPE-Management tool;

My modem detail display:

My wifi SSID can be seen remotely:

Some functions can be applied to cpe remotely:

Umrah Trip 2010

Living in Qatar is a good opportunity to have Umrah trip by road which is not possible to do this trip from my home country, Indonesia :P.  Because Qatar is Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's (KSA) neighbour and not separated by sea.  It will take around 3000 KM from Doha to Mecca, Madina return. Believe me, it will be amazing and unforgettable experience.

On April 2010, the weather in Qatar was very good, 20-33 degree Celsius. We had plan for umroh trip along with other Indonesian families, total 9 cars in convoy !! We departed around 5 early morning from apartment and met at Villagio mall  parking area as our meeting point. Once the convoy members met and briefed, the trip started ! 

Front side covered by mud-paint, @Villagio parking area.

Preparation

It's common thing that before we go, we need to prepare everything nicely and carefully. Things we need to prepare are documents, car, food, and our health itself. Documents preparation (better to make some copies for each) :

• passport
• umrah visa (attach to passport)
• driving license
• car registration letter (istimara) and insurance
• exit permit
• hotel booking.

We need to ensure car in good condition for long trip. Doha-Mecca-Madina-Doha trip will take around 3000 km. It is better to check car condition in car dealer/workshop and if possible change the tyre air with Nitrogen. Also we need to ensure the car is under our ownership, if not (i.e owned by company) then we need to have letter from owner/company.

Car preparation:

• spare tyres.
• tyre inflator
• jump start cable
• hydraulic
• first aid

Last, we have to prepare some foods and drink for the trip and the important thing is keep our body healthy.

We departed from Doha (Villagio mall) around 6 am and arrived at Qatar border (Immigration office) around 7 am morning. We then processed exit procedure and it took relative faster.  When we arrived at Saudi border, the queue line was very long. Fortunately, we all passed border checking without any issue and the journey began... :).  Following are some pics of Saudi's road..

[to be continued]