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Running an ISP in a Warzone
musatov writes "SGT Coughanour, David A (HHC 1-110th Infantry US Army) speech on NOTACON 3: "Right now I am currently serving in Iraq where I run IT operations for a small chunk of the Sunni triangle. One of the major projects that we have accomplished here is setting up an ISP that supports 350 subscribers. It has also survived multiple mortar attacks, and is built entirely on Linux."
Download video (80 MB QuickTime) Requires latest QuickTime installed. A mirror is available for people to download it."
I used to work at an ISP in Detroit.
Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
Maybe it IS possible to run an ISP in Manchester (UK) after all!
Who'd a thunk it?
I've always found disaster recovery plans to be an annoying necessity in large businesses. I'd hate to see all the other paperwork that would be needed if my systems were subjected to mortar attacks. That certainly justifies the need for clustering over a WAN.
Multiple mortar attacks would explain a lot about my isp.
Here's the best line: "And there are couple of reasons why we do it: The uh...the DoD gives us an MWR cafe, for every 1000 troops you get something like 6 to 12 computers. And that's great, except some of the grey-list sites are kind of blocked so basically you can't get porn off it, among other things."
Runner up:
"Managed to get a Power Mac G5 smuggled in from eBay"
"These people look deep within my soul and assign me a number based on the order in which I joined" --Homer re:
Bulletproof hosting..
This sig all sigs devours
Now that's running Linux in sandbox mode.
For the perfect anti-Unix, write an OS that thinks it knows what you're doing better than you do and let it be wrong.
If they can survive putting an 80MB video file on the front page of /., well, lets just say I'll be far more impressed.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Linux...easy.. The hard task is doing that with Windows.
To dare, is to do.
Is there anything Linux can't do?
GetOuttaMySpace - The Anti-Social Network
but you have to DL quicktime for windows to watch the video
See. If he hadn't been running Linux, I don't think he'd have uptime through those mortar attacks. Windows just can't handle that kind of abuse. I think that's an oft-forgotten selling point of Linux that should be cited more often.
Yeah, your OS has cool graphics. But how does it stand up against a mortar attack?
They also have to watch out for TCP/IP packets that arrive out of ordnance.
--
"Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
"Open source is evil." - Microsoft
Linux really is a bulletproof OS!
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
I don't know what ISPs you've worked for, but most of the places I've worked for weren't getting hit by mortar rounds while I was trying to manage the servers. I mean, I know ISP jobs are stressful anyway, but I would think that sort of thing might ratchet the stress level up just a little bit.
I don't think the interesting thing here is that he's running Linux necessarily, but rather that they can keep an ISP going at all in that sort of environment. Of course, I'd be running Linux in that situation too, as anything that could keep me from having to come into work to babysit the servers while the bombs are flying would be a positive.
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, KIA = 0 (0% KIA)
www.netwurx.net
www.nconnect.net
www.theramp.net
All linux based (Started out as) mom-and-pop ISP's from the midwest, although they have grown. All started in the 95-96 timeframe.
Lets see, there's the Linux angle, with optional (anti)piracy garnish.
Then there's the Iraq angle.
Then there's the "we should be feeding people before we bother to set up ISPs in the 3rd world angle".
Gosh.
S/N ratio dropping to zero in 10...9....8....7....
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
It's just very, very neat to see how people do technical work like this in adverse situations.
I'm passing this one on to my branch's VP of disaster planning. He's very cool, and likes to have a little "extra" to hit people over the head about good planning.
"The Sage treasures Unity and measures all things by it" - Lao Tzu
KIA packets are fine, you know they are dead. You have to watch out for those MIA (Missing in Action) packets. I would imagine that your enemy is trying to capture as many as possible and then interrogate them to get some useful information.
Proof by very large bribes. QED.
Let's see them survive a mortar hit.
I was stationed at Camp Taqaddum for about 10 months in 2005. The MWR internet center was across camp a few miles so I decided to set up my own satellite based connection. Peak usage was about 80 soldiers and marines, fed off of multiple wireless APs.
The ability to be in constant communication with family while we were not out on missions (we did security patrols of our Area of Operation) was a great boost to morale. Web cams and email meant you could see and talk to the people that mattered most to you.
We sold the operation to another unit just before we left, and there were 3 other systems I helped set up in our area serving other groups.
To the current soldiers, marines, and others at Camp Taqaddum: Give 'em Hell and keep your buddyies safe!
I wonder if anyone has tried that for real. Some sort of multiple server system up and running when someone puts a bullet through one without the system missing a beat. Now that's a video that would get some attention, both for the insanity and technical merit.
Funny you should say that. HP just did it with their high end storage array. See here.
Here are a few mirrors to use up. I'll probably bring them down after a few TB of transfer...
6 _hajjinet.mp4
0 6_hajjinet.mp4
New Jersey
http://www.def-con.org/~nocfed/downloads/notacon0
Texas
http://www2.def-con.org/~nocfed/downloads/notacon
Are they using HP Storageworks maybe?
http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/cache/49205-0-0-225
NOTACON? Sounds like an ISP funded by Nixon.
It should be: /Fark reference, originally "Not particularly. . ."
Particularly effecitve against an insurgency.
no WRONG... howevermuch you disagree with them they are NOT terrorists they are fighting against an occupation of their country by a foreign power and even if you agree with the aims and objectives of that operation (I don't by the way, or rather I do not believe the stated aims and objectives; democracy and the rule of law. Nowhere in them is oil mentioned!)
Even calling them insurgents is being a bit disingenuous although by stretching a point I could agree. However unpalatable 'freedom fighters' is more the correct term, at least by any dictionary definition.
computers don't care if bullets are fired near it. and if bullets were fired at it, then it wouldn't matter what OS it was running.
I IM chat with one of my high school buddies that is serving in Iraq. They get about 1/2 an hour of computer use to email friends and family. My friend logs in and checks the class bulletin board and chats with whomever is online. So far, it has worked. One thing he noticed was the he was not able to run some chat java applets. Other than that, it works well and at least I'm happy to know that he's still well.
Vi havas e-poston.
Access to media outlets is not generally blocked -- I can't think of a single site that is, unless it includes pr0n. The only exception may be some of the European rags that included the so-called "page 3 girls" nudie pix. And those used to be up...may still be now.
Here's an idea for those naysayers who are using this article for political grandstanding (pro or con) -- join the military and discover for yourself what is blocked or not.
...to the term DMZ.
The coolest system of the three that Tachyon offers is the 'Auto-Deploy CAS' system, where you just plug it in, push a button and the thing finds the satellite on it's own.
A bit spendy, but we've found them to be the most reliable solution for broadband communications.
we see things not as as they are, but as we are.
-- anais nin
Yeah, you know, cause the guy who is trained to set up and administrate ISP level networks also has a job designing and implementing power grids. He's kind of a "do all" dude. That's what makes the army so cool.
Note to self: No more arguing with the faithful.
They're fighting against an occupation by killing their countrymen? Have you SEEN the casualty figures? These fuckers kill something like 10 Iraqis for every 1 US soldier. I don't remember George Washington blowing up crowded markets in order to kill 3 British soldiers, or putting American children in the path of British horses and then blowing up all of them when the brits come to a stop.
Whatever term you decide to use for them, don't for one minute beleive that their goals have anything to do with freeing Iraq from opression or occupation. The vast majority of your "insurgents" employ terrorist tactics, and their ultimate goals have more to do with gauranteeing power for themselves and their supporters than with bringing freedom to the average Iraqi. If that doesn't make them terrorists, then you must be employing a very unusual definition for that word.
Our troops do try to help where they can w/ water, power and food. Sadly, the insurgents destroy most of their and the Iraqi governments efforts. As far as this guy setting up an ISP for his soldiers to stay in touch with their families and keep up with current events, I say more power to him. As far as you saying "So what" to his efforts, then I feel sorry for you. Unless you have been over there, then I think you have not the slightest clue about what you are speaking. Try not to belittle our troops, please. They did not choose to go to Iraq and they may or may not believe in the war itself, but I think it shows alot of ingenuity that they can set up a network that can stay up in those harsh conditions. Also, since I am in the military and I know firsthand what these brave soldiers are going through, I feel compelled to let you know that I think you are a complete F-tard. Stop parroting whatever hollywood and the news media crap out onto you tv. If you think that the U.S. military isn't bending over backwards to help these people, then you need to either join up and help or get a plane ticket and head on over. Obviously you know how best to change the situation over there for the better, you loudmouthed jerk.
I have 200,000 buddies who aren't useless in the slightest and I rely on them every day to do their job effectively and without complaint, the military is full of amazing hard working people a great many of them are very mindful patriots as well, a great many of them disagree with the war, but they go anyway, why? Because they love their country, and could care less about the stupid partisan politics that the people of this country refuse to involve themselves in other than cursory complaining.
Their is a democracy, but the people refuse to vote there, the people refuse to involve themselves in their countries politics, so tell me, who's fault is it, me and my 200,000 buddies all working our asses off to better our country in at least some way, or you, mocking my friends and my fellow men/women at arms?
Dude, this guy specializes in networking, NOT power and water engineering. So regardless of whether or not these people lack security, hospitals, power, and water...he can't do squat about it. He CAN however apply his skill set to getting a network up and running.
Life is not for the lazy.
(Please feel free to strengthen the arguments in this off-topic post.)
In order for the U.S. military to operate effectively, there must be strength in the chain of command. Following orders is critical, dissent cannot be tolerated .
Therefore, it is up to the non-military citizens of the U.S. to provide a check on the transient civilian military leadership (president, vp, sec defense).
This is nominally the job of the U.S. congress. But when the dominant party in congress is the same as the party controlling the white house, congress is very unlikely to act responsibly with respect the their oversight of the executive branch.
FURTHERMORE:
Bush/Cheney knowingly and willingly used faulty intel to argue for removing Saddam from power.
Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld knowingly and willingly disregarded professional military advice for stabilizing Iraq after general military victory.
These acts resulted in the deaths of U.S. military personnel and Iraqi civilians.
These deaths were preventable, either by not entering into this needless war, or by conducting the war according to professional military planning. People would still die in the event of military conflict, but creating a completely insecure and destabilized country where people die needlessly for years on end was avoidable.
These acts by Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld constitute gross criminal negligence and incompetence resulting in death (manslaughter).
So my question for those in uniform is: to the extent to you are allowed to address these points, what should we (American civilians who are not memebers of congress) do about it?