Set Up DD-WRT Router To Use Google DNS/OpenDNS

Google DNS teams up with OpenDNS and some "Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to attach location data to the DNS requests, so when you request a web page, it will go to a server near you" [1]

Here's how I update the configuration of my DD-WRT'ed Linksys WRT54G-TM to use Google DNS.

1. Log into your router's dd-wrt web interface.  You can access it using 192.168.1.1 in your browser.
2. Go to Services tab » Services sub tab » Services Management section » DNSMasq sub section
3. Enable both DNSMasq and Local DNS options
4. In the Additional DNSMasq Options text box, enter:

no-resolv
strict-order
server=8.8.8.8
server=8.8.4.4

5. Click Apply Settings

Reference:
[1]: http://lifehacker.com/5835775/google-dns-and-opendns-users-are-getting-a-web-speed-boost
[2]: http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenDNS
[3]: http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html

Useful System Statistics Linux/Ubuntu Command Line Program - Dstat

Sample dstat output from my Ubuntu desktop

I was looking for for a Ubuntu command line program to monitor my desktop's network speed.  I found this ubuntuforums.org page that mention dstat.  It's easy to install

sudo apt-get install dstat

It not only monitor your network card speed, but also monitor cpu, disk i/o and many more.  See the dstat official page for more information.

Btw, here's the dstat man page (manual page)

I Can't Turn On my NSLU2

Today, I couldn't connect to my NSLU2 at home.  After I came back home and found that my device was off and couldn't turn it back on.  When I click on power button, the power button blinked once.  Oh no, did my NSLU2 hardware fail?????

[Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NSLU2_Front_resized.jpg]

What would I do?  Of course, I will Google it and the 9th result solves my problem.

It turns out the power adapter (DC Output: 5.0VDC 2.0A) is faulty.  And lucky I could find a (5V 2.4A) adapter to replace it.  (I'm not good at electricity stuff.  Hope the extra 0.4A wouldn't do any thing bad to my NSLU2).

Good that I only spend 2 hours to make it works again since it's my little home server.