Capture Time To First Byte using curl

Rai    Linux     calculate, check, curl, download, load time, test, time to first byte, ttfb, website

Working with websites is equivalent to non-ending website testing. Checking the speed of the site itself is not a new thing to check when doing performance diagnostics. And I found out that curl can calculate the speed of a website, from the initial connection time, to the time the first byte is downloaded, up to the total time the site has finished loading.

Here is a sample command using curl:

curl -o /dev/null -w "Connect: %{time_connect} TTFB: %{time_starttransfer} Total time: %{time_total} \n" http://inserturl.here

This command will output this:


[root@rai01 ~]# curl -o /dev/null -w "Connect: %{time_connect} TTFB: %{time_starttransfer} Total time: %{time_total} \n" http://pinoytux.com
% Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current
Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- 0:00:01 --:--:-- 0
Connect: 0.268 TTFB: 1.528 Total time: 1.528

Looks like my website is fast

The first data is the Connect time, which means this is how long it took for the curl to connect to the website.
Connect: 0.268

The second data is time when the first byte was received, Time To First Byte (TTFB).
TTFB: 1.528

The last data is the total time for the site to finish loading.
Total time: 1.528

You can also turn off the progress bar by adding the -s switch to the command.

From: http://www.unquietdesperation.com/2009/03/19/time-to-first-byte-with-curl/

Google Maps for Sony Ericsson W850i

Rai    Gadgets     device, directions, google earth, google maps, gps, sony ericcson, w850i

My Sony Ericsson W850i phone is getting older by the minute. And now that I am so in love with traveling and going to different places, somehow I thought of buying a new GPS device, or a GPS-enabled phone, whichever is cheaper.

So I went Googling around and found out that there is no need to buy a separate device for GPS. My phone CAN be GPS device! Talk about the power of technology, specifically Java.

Google Maps for Mobile is free and available to all users who have colored Blackberry devices and some Java-enabled phones. I tried this on my W850i and it is working! My golly!

Take note that standard charges for Internet browsing apply since the app connects to Internet. Small price to pay for a handy GPS when you are lost in the middle of nowhere.

Okay, enough chit-chat. Here’s the download link:

http://www.getjar.com/products/15897/GoogleMapsformobilefeaturingLatitude

Tried this on your phone? Post your feedback.

Tips: SSL Certificate Checker

Rai    Linux     bash, certificate, checker, date, expiration, free, open, script, ssl

If you have one too many SSL certificates to manage, there is one nifty program made with Bash that can determine a certificate’s validity.

SSL Certificate Expiration Check can do that for you and send the results to email. The program’s “send to email” feature allows the user to simply add it to cron to check the certificates and send an alert to the administrator if any certificate (from file or website) falls below the set expiration date.

The source can be downloaded here.

Register.com Nameservers Suffered DOS Attacks

Rai    News     attack, DDOS, domain, dos, name servers, register.com, resolve

Infosec.org News reports that Register.com suffered yet another DDOS attack last April 2 that has a wide-scale effect on its critical operations. Nameservers are down so not one domain that uses Register.com’s nameservers can be resolved, resulting to downtime and to most customers, loss of income. Even the domain registrar’s official website cannot be accessed during the time of the attacks.

I managed to get through their clogged phone lines and the customer service representative assured that their engineers are working hard to bring the servers back to operation.

Hopefully after this unfortunate event, which surely cost them valuable customers, has taught them to be more pro-active against potential attacks to their networks.

Update:

Register.com formed an official announcement regarding their service disruption during the DDOS attacks on their network infrastructure. Here is the official statement:

Register.com Service Alert
April 4, 2009: 2:52PM EST

As we previously communicated, Register.com has been experiencing intermittent service disruptions as a result of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

We want to update you on where things stand.

As of now, all web services are operational. If you are experiencing any issues please call 1-888-734-4783. We have support teams standing by to respond immediately.

Please note we are not discounting the possibility of an escalated DDoS attack. We are taking every possible precaution to protect our infrastructure and our customers. In response we have:

* Deployed counter-measures to mitigate the attack and added capacity across the company’s network
* Setup special channels with major ISPs to re-enable customers’ services
* Isolated the profile of the attack through forensic data analysis
* Engaged the FBI and The Department of Homeland Security

We promise to update you if there is any change to the situation.

Throughout this attack we have received incredible support from our customers and want to thank you for your understanding and continued loyalty. We recognize these attacks create significant hardships for our customers and will continue to work to maintain and earn your trust.