The Mac Admin's Blog

Before I write this post, I am in conversation with Cisco personals about the legal implications of decrypting the CISCO Shared Secret or Group Passwords. Please bare with me for few days as I will complete this post as soon as I get green signal from Cisco! Thank you for your co-operation. Meanwhile you can drop me an Email if you need to discuss this topic with me: Laeeq.Humam@macmasters.net

Today we are going to discuss the details of .pcf files and the way to configure it in iPhone or Mac. Once the configuration part is complete I will talk a little bit about how to decipher the .pcf file. You might be aware of the new option added in System Preferences under Network which is CISCO VPN. Yes, it means you don’t have to install the application if you need to connect to VPN. Indeed, Mac OS X is the most advance OS in today’s world – Oh we would discuss its greatness later on, lets talk about making the VPN work for you: On Mac OS X: Launch System Preferences Go to Network Now click on the plus ‘+’ sign (which is meant to create a new service) On the iPhone: Go to Settings Now go to General Under Network, select VPN   Now select Add VPN Configuration Enter the details in these fields from your .pcf file. To get the value that needs to be entered, you need to open your .pcf file which could be save on your machine. To know where the .pcf files

Once the CISCO VPN client is installed on the machine the profiles are automatically saved. In case you want to find where the VPN profiles are saved on Macintosh, you can peek at the following destination: /etc/CiscoSystemsVPNClient/Profiles/ /private/etc/opt/cisco-vpnclient/Profiles/ VPN can be configured on iPhones and Macs but you will be able to access the office network using VPN tunnel only when you have been provided sufficient privileges on your corporate Active Directory account. In order to get VPN access you may contact your IT Helpdesk . How to configure Cisco VPN on iPhone or Mac Understanding the .pcf files How to decipher .pcf files

We will discuss about the different protocols and the process to connect to server using each of them using a Mac OSX machine. The famous protocols to connect to server used in Mac are: afp, smb, WebDAV & nfs. Lets have a look at each of them in details.   Connect to an AppleShare server (afp):    1. Under Finder, select ‘Go To’ menu, now select ‘Connect to Server’ or press Command+K .    2. In the Connect to Server window, type the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or IP address of the server. Click Connect.    3. In the authentication window that appears, type the credentials for the server. Now click on Connect.    4. Select the volume of the server and click OK. Connect to Windows file sharing (smb):    1. Under Finder, select ‘Go To’ menu, now select ‘Connect to Server’ or press Command+K .    2. In the Connect to Server window, type smb:// , followed by the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or IP address of the server, a forward slash, and then the name

Here are the steps to install RAM in the Macbook Pro released in late 2008. Follow the steps as mentioned in the video and don’t forget to remove the static in your body by touching any metal surface.

Today we will have a look at the RAM installation in the Macbook Pro. We will discuss about the old model because in the newer ones you hardly need an upgrade. The only thing you need to remember is that there is no static in your body as the RAM is more likely to be damaged due to static while installing it in Macbook Pro. So to remove the static in your body just touch any metallic surface and then follow the instruction in this video:

The wireless Braille display stretches the iPhone 4 markets further more If  you are blind I guess you won’t be reading my blog for iPhone 4 Braille display. However, if you are not you should firstly be thankful for having the ability to use iPhone 4 and secondly should help iPhone blind users. According to an estimate 3% of the world’s population is blind. This makes around 200 million. If we segment it properly we can get around additional 6 million potential consumers who can use iPhone 4 Braille display to overcome their inability. Around the world we have many blind users’ appliances. The segment is niche but still can stretch iPhone deeper in the minds of the consumer. Recently it has been revealed that iPhone Braille display can be used by blinds to use iPhone with ease. There are various Braille available which can be connected to iPhone 4 via Wi-Fi and thus enabling blind users to access iPhone. Although the users cannot see, but they still can touch and fell the iPhone

At last, Microsoft announced ActiveSync support for Hotmail on iPhone and iPad. This development will open new doors to easy access for iPhone and iPad users who access Hotmail and other similar web services. The MS Hotmail ActiveSync was previously supported by other Smart-platforms like windows mobile, windows phone 7, Nokia (E S, and N series), but now it will also be supported by iPhone and iPad. The Hotmail support for Microsoft’s exchange ActiveSync (EAS) will now be available to customers worldwide. This is a push synchronization support which on the iPhone and iPad would require just a tap to perform synchronization with your email, chats and other Hotmail services. iPhone and iPad users can use Microsoft Hotmail ActiveSync, which will enable them to get their mail, calendar and contacts on a tap-to-push automation using the exchange server. The support is quite robust and supports multiple MS windows versions. The ActiveSync works in a very similar fashion of any live ex

Recently, a lot of media companies are paying heed to the Apple TV apps for iPhone and iPad. Apple has recently launched the iTV which is gradually penetrating into the mobile television market. It seems like Apple’s proclaimed mobile television market has become a lucrative option for media companies. This is the reason we see them pouring in their apps for iPhone and iPad . Various prominent media broadcasters have introduced their Smartphone apps. AT&T U-Verse is an IPTV based television service. They have made their app, which enables the user to download and view content from their iPhone and iPad. All U-Verse customers would be able to subscribe and can use the iPhone TV app to view the content. They would also be able to use the application for managing the DVR. This is currently available for paid app only. Some of the satellite TV providers like Disk Network also give its subscribers the ability to view content on the iPhone and iPad. They follow a different model of f

Whether you are doing your Math homework on your Mac, creating a great Math study guide for your friends, yourself, or students having the ability to actually use Mathematical symbols in documents or even Safari fields comes in handy. With the simple use of Character Palette, you can have access to lots of math symbols and add them to any document within any program. To add Math symbols in your documents and fields on your Mac: Click on the “Apple” icon located at the top of your screen. Select “System Preferences” from the menu. Click on “Language and Text.” Click on “Input Sources.” Check the “Keyboard & Character Viewer” to “On” Make sure that “Show Input menu in menu bar” at the bottom is selected. NOTE: You will now notice a new menu bar icon at the top of your screen. Click on this the new ‘Input Menu’ in the menu bar and select “Show Character Viewer”. Select “Math” from the list and click on the special math symbol you w

I remember an issue reported by a user last week who complained that his Mac asked for DVD region code multiple times for the same disc. This was in fact a PRAM or NVRAM issue. The user who called in was on iMac 27” so it was NVRAM which I had to fix. For readers who are not sure what NVRAM and PRAM is, can refer to my last post : What is PRAM and NVRAM . As we know that information regarding DVD region setting is saved in NVRAM of an iMac, so all I had to do is reset the NVRAM by pressing Command+Option+P+R before the grey screen appeared during the start up. Just by this small step, the issue was resolved.

Any person using Mac OS X machine might have heard of the term PRAM or NVRAM. These both are similar things, the only difference is that in Power PC based Mac machines it was termed as PRAM which stands for Parameter Random Access Memory and NVRAM is Non Volatile Random Access Memory which is in iMacs. What is the purpose of PRAM or NVRAM? The main purpose of PRAM or NVRAM is to save some settings related to hardware or software related to the system. In iMacs these are Screen resolution, display settings, video and screen refresh rate, recent kernel panic information (if there is any recent one), DVD region settings. How PRAM or NVRAM works? In an intel based MacBooks NVRAM takes power from the backup battery, however in other models it takes little (trickle) power from the main source to store data. The information saved in PRAM or NVRAM are: Display and video settings such as refresh rate, Screen resolution Number of colors Startup volume choic