* Dr. Internet columnist Steve Blass helps a reader get started with Ruby on Rails * Help Desk columnist Ron Nutter discusses the two most popular ways of getting time sync
* Ruby on Rails
By Steve Blass
Q: How hard is it to get started with Ruby on Rails?
A: Ruby on Rails is a Web application framework written in the Ruby programming language. To get started, download the Instant Rails ZIP file at www.rubyonrails.org and extract the package into a directory with no spaces in the path name. The Instant Rails application contains everything you need, including Ruby, Apache, MySQL, PHPMyAdmin and Rails.
To read Steve’s response in its entirety, please click here.
* A real time sync
By Ron Nutter
Q: We recently had to deal with a problem where several of our servers were not keeping in time sync with each other. This got us to look at different ways of getting all devices on our network including the switches, printers, etc to all know about the same time. Some in our group want to get a GPS card device that will pick up the time signals from the satellites. Others want to see what other options might be. Can you point us in the right direction?
A: The two most popular ways of getting time sync are to use the Internet to get a time signal from one of multiple public NTP servers or, as you mention, use a GPS card to get a time reference signal to work with. The GPS card is certainly an option but you will need to have a good clear shot at the sky so you can get a consistent signal from the satellite. There are enough public sources of NTP services that you should be able to find a server near you that is consistently reachable. The last time I looked at this type of NTP time source, it was a little pricey versus doing it over the Internet.
To read Ron’s response in its entirety, please click here.
