Init containers are a Kubernetes mechanism for initializing new Pods. Init containers start and exit before their Pod’s main application containers, providing a chance to run bootstrap scripts in sequential order. In this article we’ll show how to add init containers to a Pod and consider some common use cases. Although init containers are configured similarly to regular containers, they do have some differences because of their specialized purpose....

What Is a Packet? In networking terms, a packet is a small chunk of a larger message that has been divided up for efficient delivery. Packets are used because computer networks are “packet-switching” networks. This means that packets can travel and be processed independently of each other over the same connections in any order, before being reassembled once they reach their destination. This is fundamental to the internet’s infrastructure, where a huge number of devices make up the larger network, all communicating and sending data at the same time....

This week we take a look at flaky DSL connections, extracting media from PowerPoint presentations, and how to lock down IE to a single website without any additional software or network configuration hacking necessary. Once a week we dip into our reader mailbag and help readers solve their problems, sharing the useful solutions with you in the process. Read on to see our fixes for this week’s reader dilemmas....

Every week we dip into our reader mailbag to answer your burning tech questions. This week we’re looking at signing into Gmail with multiple instances, securely erasing SSDs, and using Window’s Disk Quotas. Multiple Gmail Account Logins Dear Gmailess, I just ran into a fresh problem. For years my company used a Google Apps account. I had no problem logging into my private Gmail account and my company Google Apps email from the same browser....

Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Holy Sheet poses a question about dust and computer hardware: Can neglecting to spring clean your PC damage it? Let’s investigate. The Answers SuperUser contribute Daniel R. Hicks offers some assurance and insight on the matter: Fellow contributor EdH offers some field experience to corroborate the previous assessment:...

Do you share a computer with other family members or friends, or with co-workers at a workplace? When surfing the web in Firefox, you may not want the next person to use the computer to know what sites you have visited. Firefox allows you to automatically clear different types of history when you close the browser. The settings are quick and easy to change. To begin, select Options from the Firefox menu....

Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-drive grouping of Q&A web sites. The Question SuperUser reader Diogo needs a little clarification on the function of Wi-Fi frequency channels: Much of modern computing technology is hidden from the end user and Wi-Fi is certainly no exception. How exactly do the Wi-Fi channels relate to network traffic volume and quality? How does all this stuff really work?...

Repair a Broken Ethernet Cable Using Zip Ties Beth writes in with the following tip about saving a busted Ethernet cord: Is there anything zip ties and duct tape can’t fix? Nothing worth saving, we say. In Case of Emergency Drill Here Sid writes in with the following security-centric tip: Working in IT you know this all too well: if you’re planning on going mainstream with that sticker idea you’d better make sure to specify exactly what kind of emergency requires drilling....

It’s time to delve into the tips box and share this week’s top reader tips. Today we’re looking at an easy and built-in way to record problems in Windows, squeezing life out of your batteries, and supercharging CCleaner. Recording Windows for Problem Diagnosis and Tutorials How-To Geek reader Mark shares an interesting tip for using a built-in Windows tool that many people aren’t even aware of: Problem Steps Recorder seems like an easy to use compromise between using a single screen shot and going to full video....

If you aren’t a programmer you might have never thought about all that stuff in the URL when you visit Gmail, but after years of noticing this, I finally decided to look it up. Turns out it actually does stand for something. What the shva=1 Parameter Means According to Google engineer Mike Sego: To further explain… Once you login to Gmail, their servers need to make sure that you’re actually logged in, and adding this parameter tells the Gmail web application that you’re logged in, so the Gmail App doesn’t need to reload and re-check the authentication....

How Does Google Pay Work? Google Pay allows customers to make purchases using a pre-saved debit or credit card using their phone. It also allows for safe checkout through Google, since you don’t have to enter your credit card info. This can increase trust in your business, and lead to more sales. Basically, users click the button, and are given a prompt to check out with Google. The payment details are sent to your payment service provider where it can be executed....

If you have installed the Developer Preview of Windows 8, you probably have discovered the rather obscure method of shutting down the system. There is an easier way of shutting down, restarting, sleeping, and hibernating your computer. You can add tiles to the Windows 8 Metro Start screen that allow you to perform these tasks with one click. To begin, click the Desktop tile on the Start screen to access the Desktop....

If you’ve been holding off on setting up a Kodi-based media center computer because they’re loud, expensive, don’t fit in your media rack, the Raspberry Pi is your savior. For only $35 (plus a few accessories you may have lying around), you can get a small, efficient computer that can play all your media from one beautiful, couch-friendly interface. This guide assumes you’re at least somewhat familiar with the Raspberry Pi and Kodi, so if you aren’t, be sure to check out our complete guide to the Raspberry Pi and read up on Kodi before continuing....

Docker uses a daemon-based architecture where the CLI connects to a long-lived process running separately on your machine or a remote host. CLI commands won’t work and your containers will usually go offline if the daemon stops. Here’s how to check whether Docker’s daemon is up so you can diagnose issues with containers and the docker command. When the daemon’s not running, you’ll see a “can’t connect to Docker daemon” message each time you use the docker CLI....

PowerShell is a great way to automate almost anything in Windows. However, its not just a scripting language. If you find yourself using it as a command line shell it may be useful to store your functions and customizations in a profile that gets loaded every time you load the Console. Read on to find out how. Creating a PowerShell Profile The first thing we need to do is check if you already have a profile....

Application switching allows you to quickly switch between your open Metro apps by sliding your finger across the left side of the screen, or moving your mouse to the corner. If you don’t like this behavior, it’s easy to disable. Disabling Application Switching Press the Windows + I key combination, when the sidebar appears go ahead and click on the “More PC Settings” section. When the new “Metro Control Panel” loads you’re going to want to head over to the General Section....

Before we start there is a couple of things that you are going to need: 10GB of free space on your drive The Linux Mint DVD, from here (x86) or here (x64), burnt to a DVD. About 30 Minutes of free time Note: There are a lot of ways to do this, and since there is no one correct way to dual booting Windows and Linux, we are going to take the easiest method to help those new to Linux, while getting the full experience of installing a Linux OS....

I love Ubuntu, but there are times when you just need to use Windows. The GRUB boot manager that’s installed with Ubuntu is more than happy to leave it the default OS. We can easily change this with some help. Update: This article was about StartUpManager, which is now discontinued. You may want to check out Grub Customizer instead. I hate walking away during after restarting my computer only to come back and find that I’m in the wrong OS....

Have secret plans to take over the world that you don’t want anyone to be able to read? Encrypt those precious bytes with a custom password before disguising them as an ordinary picture that could fool anyone. Head over to the developer’s website and grab yourself a copy of the portable app. Once the download has completed, extract it. A donation screen will appear, click on the skip donation button to launch the application....

You either love the new explorer ribbon in Windows 8, or you hate it. For those of you that like it but aren’t quite ready to install it, heres how to get a replica of it in Windows 7. Note: The program is still in its alpha stage of development and there are a lot of bugs, continue at your own risk. Head over to Codeplex and download a free copy of Better Explorer....