MacNewsBlog

If you've ever left the Console application open on your Mac OSX Server you've probably seen that you can view many different logs that the system runs pretty much real time. I usually leave the Console open with three windows: one for system log, one for console log and one for secure.log.If you've ever left the Console application open on your Mac OSX Server you've probably seen that you can view many different logs that the system runs pretty much real time. I usually leave the Console open with three windows: one for system log, one for console log and one for secure.log.

The problem that I had was that secure log would tell me that there was something screwy going on but wouldn't tell me who was doing it. In other words the system doesn't append IP addresses to the secure.log by default. This is something you must do via the terminal.

Today I'll show you the steps I used to get secure.log to show me who's trying to force their way into my servers, and believe me, there are lots of crazies out there doing this stuff.

If you've been having issues with X11, then you're in luck as Apple has just popped out an X11 update in the software downloads section.

From Apple.com
This update addresses several issues in the X11 for Mac OS X package, enabling it to better handle:

- GLX stereo visuals
- offscreen rendering to GLX Pbuffers and Pixmaps

To tell X11 to take advantage of stereo visuals, enter:
$ defaults write com.apple.x11 enable_stereo -bool true

Get it here:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/x11update2006.html

Wow! There's a ton of newly added Knowledge Base stuffs for you all to look at today and a few downloads too!
.Mac System Status says members cannot access iDisk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304580

.Mac Webmail: Entourage folder accents convert to HTML tags
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304650

.Mac Webmail: Firefox issues when sending mail
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304652

.Mac Webmail: Scrollbar issues when expanding the Address Book
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304649

Not much to report on today...

NVIDIA is buying PortalPlayer, the company that originally made the iPod chip. Apple is now using SamSung.

MacRabbit has a new version of CSSEdit (yay!) CSSEdit2 is revamped and offers a lot of new features. Anyone who designs using CSS should check out this app as it allows you to visually design with CSS.

Did any of you rush out to get the 2nd Gen iPod Shuffle?

Apple has issued a Repair Extension Program for power supply issues in G5's.

From the webpage:
The affected Power Mac G5 models were sold between approximately October 2005 and August 2006 and feature Dual 2GHz, Dual 2.3GHz or Quad 2.5GHz PowerPC G5 processors.

If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) determines that your Power Mac G5 computer is eligible as part of the program, the power supply repair will be covered by Apple for up to two years from the original date of purchase even if your Power Mac G5 is out of warranty. This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the Power Mac G5.

Affected systems will exhibit one of the following power-related symptoms:
* System will not start up after the power button is pressed
* No LED activity

Go to the Apples webpage and see if your machine falls into the specified serial number range.

The Apple store is offline, but Apple's webpage already features the scoops on the new Core2Duo MacBooks which they claim are 25% faster.

I'm not really surprised but I feel for whoever purchased the 1st gen MacBook which debuted not so long ago... I wonder if they are feeling buyers remorse (probably)...

from the website:
Starting at just $1099, MacBook delivers the power of the Intel Core 2 Duo — the latest generation of Intel processors — and a slew of innovative features, including: a built-in iSight camera for video chatting on the go; iLife ’06; Front Row; a glossy 13-inch widescreen display; even dual-display support.

YIKES!! A whole lot of new Knowledge Base Articles for you all:

.Mac Webmail: After renaming a contact, the contact may not be searchable
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304670

Adding LUNs to Xsan Volumes fails
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303571

Aperture 1.5 may fail to open on some iMac G5 computers
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304509

Aperture: Album not visible in Project Pane after restoring from Vault
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304671

Aperture: Compatibility Checker gives error for unsupported graphics card
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304488

Aperture: How to preview an order
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304700

More after the cut....

Hey all! I just completed a MacHeist and have 5 invitiations to give away. For those of you who don't know what MacHeist is, It's the brain child of Phill Ryu, the guy that brought us MyDreamApp. Basically this invitation only website will offer you free software or discounts for doing a "MacHeist". Think of it as kind of an online Mission Impossible.

Today Apple released a whole bunch of EFI Firmware Updates for Intel Macs. See them all here.

This EFI Firmware Update fixes several Boot Camp, start up, and wake-from-sleep issues on all Intel Macs.

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.2
After the firmware update is successfully applied to your computer, your Boot ROM Version will be:
MBP11.0055.B08 (MacBook Pro 15 inch)
MBP12.0061.B03 (MacBook Pro 17 inch)

iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.1
After the firmware update is successfully applied to your computer, your Boot ROM Version will be:
IM41.0055.B08 (early 2006)
IM42.0071.B03 (17-inch mid 2006)
IM52.0090.B03 (17-inch late 2006 CD)
IM51.0090.B03 (20-inch late 2006)
IM61.0093.B01 (24-inch)

If you're looking for a few good deals on a MacBook or MacBook Pro, or maybe just a gift for Christmas, check out Apple's website for some really great deals on refurbs! They just slashed some prices on their stock of refurbs and now you can get a MacBook with Intel Core Duo for just $899!

Check it out: Apple Refurbished Products

According to various reports, Apple has placed an order for 12 million units to Foxconn Electronics who will be building their iPhone. The product would most likely ship in the first half of 2007.

Last night I found this cool interview with Steve Jobs done by someone over at EWOKY. The interview talks about whether or not Steve golfs, surfing back in the day and more.

Enjoy: Interview with Steve Jobs

Check out Macintouch's hack up of a MacMini with a Core2Duo processor and a SATA drive! Pretty cool warranty voiding hacks with step by step instructions on how to get things done.

DigiTimes reported today that they have sources that say a AMD-based Apple notebook is in the works.

I'm not sure how much I believe this as Apple's alliance with Intel is just over a year old and I'm sure they have a pretty good working relationship. Partnering with AMD would be like partnering with the "enemy" so to speak.

Anyway, I've been proven wrong before... I'll believe it when I see it.

Read more: Sources in passive component industry say AMD-based Apple notebook in the works

Rejoice! Apple has released ARD 3.1 client and Admin!

Hopefully this will solve the sysinfocachegen crash that happens every night on the Mac Pro server.

About the client update:
The 3.1 client update is recommended for all users and addresses numerous issues related to overall reliability, usability and compatibility

About the admin update:
The 3.1 update is recommended for all users and addresses numerous issues related to overall reliability, usability and compatibility. It includes specific fixes for:

- remote lights out management of Xserve
- scanning computers on the local network
- installation of software meta-packages
- authentication when using directory services
- execution of AppleScript and Automator workflows
- compatibility with third party VNC viewers and servers

Hmm seems like Apple's Online store is down for some updates...

I wonder what's coming? Maybe nothing at all....

Theres been tons of buzz about the supposed iPhone. Today there was a report on out there about Apple working on ANOTHER iPhone with an emphasis on iChat. Hmm. A 2nd phone? The first one hasn't even come out yet! I wonder why iChat wouldn't be incorporated into the first iPhone?

In other news, I saw Apple's stock hit an all time high of 87 today. AAPL is currently trading at 86.38 with a couple of hours left in trading.

New and Updated Knowledge Base Documents

.Mac: ".Mac legacy client exited abnormally" alert message
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304533

About Apple Remote Desktop 3.1
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304569

About the Firmware Restoration CD
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303469

About the security content of Apple Remote Desktop 3.1
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304824

Aperture: Using FAT32 volumes not supported
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304823

Apple security updates
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798

Charging your iPod battery
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61127

Compressor: Cannot submit job from Batch Window
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93234

Duplicate mount point in /Volumes after unexpected restart
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304031

DVD Studio Pro: Authoring a DVD that plays automatically without a menu
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93812

Error 1418 when restoring any iPod in iTunes 7 or later
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304508

I don't see some of my songs when browsing by artist on my iPod
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302773

Identifying iPod models
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61688

Intel-based Macs audio may get out of sync with input source
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304690

iPhoto: Five steps to great books, cards, and calendars
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304802

iPod 101: Backing Up Your Library
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304814

Apple's stock (AAPL) currently trading at 87.93 hit it's all time high today of 88 on speculation of the iPhone as we reported yesterday. If you don't have Apple stock, it might be something to consider if it pulls back a bit since we all know for sure that 10.5 is coming soon along with iTV and most likely a "true" video iPod and an iPhone. I can only see Apple's stock going higher.

Here's a short list of some really cool Mac Applications that you should give a try. I realize that some of these cost $ but they really are great apps and all of them have demos for you to check out.

I'll work on a list of Open Source and Free Mac Applications for my next round. If you have any suggestions or want to tell MacNewsBlog about your favorite applications feel free to leave a comment!

iTerm
If you use the terminal, you NEED this! Tabbed windows and a lot more features than Apple's built-in Terminal.
http://iterm.sourceforge.net/
Open Source

Vienna
A really great newsreader that almost feels like Apple's Mail app.
http://www.opencommunity.co.uk/vienna2.php
Open Source

FireFox 2
If you're still using Internet Exploder Explorer for Mac then you NEED this. FireFox is my favorite browser because it's fast and there are a ton of plugins to make web browsing easier.
http://getfirefox.com/
Open Source

Transmit
If you do any type of FTP/SFTP and you want a Mac-like interface then look no further than Transmit.
http://panic.com/transmit/
$29.95

Parallels Desktop
It's better than rebooting when you only need to use Windows to check a website or run an Application.
http://parallels.com/
$79.99

Xtorrent
Torrent client, currently in Beta from the creator of NewsFire. Has a cool swarm feature to show torrent activity.
http://www.xtorrentp2p.com/
Beta

Linotype FontExplorer
If you're a designer and have a ton of fonts, be sure to try out Linotype FontExplorer. I like this better than Suitcase because it just works and it's Free!
http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorerX
Free

Washington Post's Brian Krebs wrote today about a vulnerability in Mac OSX 10.4.8 concerning the way the OS works with files with a .DMG suffix which is a common file format used to install software.

When a user opens a .DMG file that has the malware loaded in it, the system can be exploited causing a kernel panic.

Read more about it here:

Exploit Released for Unpatched Mac OS X Bug

So What can we do?

CNN Money reports that The Beatles catalog may have an exclusive deal with Apple's iTunes to distribute their tunes. Along with the massive music catalog theres also the expectation that a Beatles iPod similar to the U2 iPod will be released as well.

When news that Apple Corps, the company that holds distribution rights for the Beatles Catalog, was close to a deal for electronic distribution, many speculated that the deal would be struck with Microsoft for their Zune music player.

Apple just released a whole bunch of security patches and what not!

Read about it: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304829

From that page heres the skinny on what's patched. I'll have to do a full backup of my server before doing any of these since I custom configured a lot of things. Good job Apple!

AirPort
CVE-ID: CVE-2006-5710
Available for: Mac OS X v10.3.9, Mac OS X Server v10.3.9, Mac OS X v10.4.8, Mac OS X Server v10.4.8

Impact: Attackers on the wireless network may cause arbitrary code execution

Description: A heap buffer overflow exists in the AirPort wireless driver's handling of probe response frames. An attacker in local proximity may be able to trigger the overflow by sending maliciously-crafted information elements in probe responses. This issue affects eMac, iBook, iMac, PowerBook G3, PowerBook G4, and Power Mac G4 systems equipped with an original AirPort card. This issue does not affect systems with the AirPort Extreme card. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of probe response frames. Credit to H D Moore of Metasploit for reporting this issue.

ATS
CVE-ID: CVE-2006-4396
Available for: Mac OS X v10.3.9, Mac OS X Server v10.3.9, Mac OS X v10.4.8, Mac OS X Server v10.4.8

Impact: Local users may be able overwrite or create files with system privileges

Description: The Apple Type Services server insecurely creates error log files. As a result, a malicious local user may be able to overwrite or create files with system privileges. This update addresses the issue by creating error logs securely.

ATS
CVE-ID: CVE-2006-4398
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.8, Mac OS X Server v10.4.8

Impact: Local users may be able to run arbitrary code with raised privileges

Description: Multiple buffer overflows were discovered in Apple Type Services server. By sending a maliciously-crafted service request, a local user may trigger these overflows. This may lead to a crash or arbitrary code execution with system privileges. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation on service requests. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.4.

Okay so I already covered some cool Mac Applications that I use and like but some of you wanted some cheaper alternatives... meaning FREE or Open Source. So here's a compiled list of some really great Mac Free / Open Source software to check out. All 25 of them! If you know of any other great one's feel free to comment here!

Internet Applications

Vienna The folks who brought us one of the best freeware newsreader for the mac have just launched version 2! Vienna allows you to subscribe to Atom/RSS news feeds and podcasts using a simple interface with everyones featured flavor of the moment: tabbed browsing. There's also blogging integration, three separate reading layouts and a lot more! Download Vienna here.

FireFox 2 Probably the best all around browser. Some might disagree but I really do like FireFox 2! So many cool features like reopening your windows to where you left off and a slew of plugins to extend it. Get FireFox 2 now!

Shiira Shiira is a web browser written in Cocoa. Since this is the same rendering engine used by Safari, HTML content rendered by Shiira will look the same as in Apple's own browser. The goal of the Shiira Project is to create a browser that is better and more useful than Safari. This browser is pretty nifty if you like eyecandy! It features exposé windowing, Page Dock, a shelf and other unique browser features. Get Shiira here.

Cyberduck Cyberduck is an open source FTP and SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) browser that is constantly being updated and refined by it's author David V. Kocher. It's really come a long way since I first started using it. Universal Binary. Download Cyberduck here.

iTerm If you're tired of Apple's Terminal or just want more flexibility such as tabbed windows, and transparent windows look no further. iTerm is a full featured terminal emulation program written for OS X using Cocoa with complete VT100 emulation. Download iTerm here.

Transmission Transmission is a free, lightweight BitTorrent client. It features a simple, intuitive interface on top on an efficient, cross-platform back-end. Get Transmission here.
Open Source

Adium Adium is a free instant messaging application for Mac OS X that can connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, and more. Get Adium here.
Free