Interesting. I've personally found that SA doesn't do well on "word salad" spams, base64 encoded spams, spams with numbers / special characters / intentional misspellings ("V!agr0"), random word HTML ("<frank><moon>") etc. Nigerian scam spam seems to get through waaayyy too frequently.
What I have found very useful is the DNSBL's that block known spamming IP's (spamhaus.org) and all email from dynamic addresses. This cuts 95% out before SA even sees it. With a whitelist system in front and SA behind, it's quite effective, but still not 100%.
My mail server sees about 300,000 messages a day of which about 15,000 are legit. I still get about 5 spams a day that slip through to my address (which I've had for almost 10 years,) but it's managable at least. My other users report similar (usually less) amounts of spam that gets through.
It's interesting, but must of the printing problems are actually due to the fact that we constantly need to reverse engineer windows drivers. Yet again, pin-headed manufacturers refuse to get a clue.
About 6 years ago, I had my first experience with a WinPrinter. A lexmark color inkjet. Of course it wasn't supported in Linux. It was almost 2 years later before support for it got into Linux. I had nothing but problems even then. Lexmark? Meet trashcan.
Since most of what I print was text, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new laser printer. I did a fair amount of research and found the Brother 1270N which was a network capable laser that supported postscript! Best decision ever. Postscript printers just work. No dinking around.
About a year ago, I decided it was time to get a color printer for photos. Again, more research. I found that Epson HAD A CLUE and that the printer drivers for Linux were great. I researched which models were currently available and which were supported in Linux, and everything just worked. No screwing around. It's as fast as windows and the output is just as good.
Moral of the story: STOP BUYING CRAP from manufacturers that refuse to cooperate with the Linux community and only support those willing to disclose the information needed to use their products!!!
Back in the days before "winprinters", printer manufacturers ALWAYS disclosed the programming info. In fact, it usually came WITH the printer right in the manual. There is no exuse for keeping it "secret." Next on my list is to replace my HP scanner that doesn't have good Linux drivers or documentation. Looking through the SANE supported list, I don't see many current gen scanners with any support. Any suggestions??? Scanners seem to be even worse than printers!
Are you saying that it's OK to have a goal to deliver software on time, yet never do so because game companies don't? Are you suggesting that all MS applications / OS's are games? Please clarify.
For a senior MS developer to talk about on-time software in light of MS's history is a little - bizzare.
I strongly suspect that there are submarine patents in the.NET platform that will ensure a platform lock down the road. Of course MS is aware of Mono - it's in their best interest to convince as many people as possible that it's open. Doesn't mean that they can't come back later and say "By the way, this is patented. Cease and desist."
Sounds more like a network problem. I've kept rdesktop sessions opened for days over the internet.
While wicked slow, I also do low-level management with the compaq ILO with Advanced license that give a full remote graphical desktop via java / web browser. Very handy when the server is having problems booting.
Hmm. I was also trying to RTFA to see WTF freeNX is, but it seems as though ALL the links are slashdotted except for the kalyxo page which didn't seem to mention it.
I agree 100% that articles should give a very brief overview (hell - a one liner would be enough) so interested people can do more reading. Without the overview we have no f-ing clue what the article is talking about. Oh yeah, a google for freenx only comes up with 2 links for porn and an intro to Linux. No help there.
These ISP's need to install monitoring systems so they KNOW when zombies spew. It's a big job as these networks are Huge dealing with immense traffic, but it needs to be done. Currently it's a manual process so machine spew for weeks until an ISP takes action.
That said, I've been using DNSBL's for dynamic addresses for about a year and it has been VERY effective cutting worm / spam down by 60% or better. Local pattern matching on RDNS helps even more.
Why would users need to change their outgoing servers "all the time"? Why not just do it ONCE? Use port 587 (the submission port) and all will be fine.
Hmm. But velcro is reusable. Buy them once and you have them for life. You don't have to scrounge for another tie when making changes. Lacing cord, while cheap is a huge amount of work, and changes mean starting over. For some strange reason I keep finding that I new new jacks in various places, or additional drops. Since I use the velcro all over the place (where the wires hang from the ceiling too) lacing my entire basement would be silly. Between the coax and cat5e, I have several miles of cable installed. My current project is flushing out the whole-house audio, so that means even MORE cables.
There is a lot more to a modem than the "compression and modulation", such as making sure that the signal that GETS to that chip is good quality, how the modem retrains (which is in the firmware.) etc. The v.everything uses a DSP to handle the grunt work, and the features and quality of that code has EVERYTHING to do with how good the modem is. External modems are basically dedicated purpose computers with their own power supply, case, switches, indicator lights... In addition, the V.Everything modem can flash update all the firmware which basically means that it won't be obsolete when standards change. This is why they cost over $200.
Maybe you are thinking of Winmodems which pretty much ARE one stupid chip.
For more info on SIP and NAT issues, see this and this and other related pages at voip-info.org. 1:1 nat is atypical. Most people use a much more simplistic nat (cisco calls it PAT) where you only have 1 real external IP address. I'm well aware of the tricks asterisk uses, but again, this is atypical of sip clients.
I use SIP devices with Asterisk, FWD, etc. Sip has one major flaw - horrible support for NAT. If you are behind NAT, you frequently need to use an external proxy. Considering that SIP is not all that old, it boggles the mind that it handles NAT so poorly.
I didn't:-(... Instead, I used individual POE injectors but put them in the basement so I don't need wall warts by the phones. These are about $45 each, and are ideal if you only have a few phones.
I have seen some projects where people have added POE at the patch panel by just supplying voltage on the correct pins, but this looks dangerous if you plug in a normal phone or other device. It's best to get an 802.3af unit (or whatever your device needs.
This is a very good point. One way of handling this is to use special cables that have an RJ45 on one end and RJ11 on the other (this is what I do.) The other is to use a "breakout" cable that uses an RJ45 plug, and offers "line 1 - 4" jacks (Leviton sells these too.) Some modern "high-end" jacks actually use springs to push down, and not just bent wire. They have less tendancy to deform over time.
For flexability, I still recommend standard 8-pin RJ45's.
Real modems always cost more. There is more hardware to them. Personally, I use an external USR V.Everything modem. There is nothing better. They are Not cheap.
An interesting thing I found out though (when setting up an 8-modem fax bank,) is that Most modems suck at faxing. One of the best fax modems are apparently the MultiTech's, but they suck at data! Sometimes, you just can't win.:-)
Personally, I would still run 2 sets of cables. But then, I'm a little nuts and use VoIP phones that use POE. Cable is cheap. Get multiple boxes so it doesn't take any longer to do the pulls. Cheaping out on the cables at install time is a Very Bad Idea. If you don't need the jack yet, just don't terminate it.
That sounds like you did it right! 66 blocks are easy to find in your local Home Depot now, But I would try Graybar or somewhere and use 110. That way you don't have to keep switching your punchdown tool, and no chance of shorts. I hate 66 blocks.:-)
You can get wall-mount mini racks that would work for something small like this.
Something more appropriate is the Leviton Integrated Networks system that has a panel and modules that are DESIGNED for smart-home systems. Reading comments further down I'm hearing "go wireless" - my answer is that there are MANY other things you can run over cat 5 - like an IR repeater system, digital AV senders, intercom, cameras, digital volume control for whole house sound systems, etc. - you should think outside the box.
When I did some major rewiring of my house, I actually put in 2 sets of jacks in bedrooms allowing for easy reconfiguration. That puts 4 RG6U and 4 Cat5e in each bedroom. For the main entertainment system, I ran 8 Cat5e and 8 RG6U to the back panel of which most is already used. The leviton boxes I felt were a little limiting, but some of the components were useful such as the IR and AV modules. The little 8 port switch was not enough - I use an HP Procurve 2400 24 port switch that I got on ebay for $200 (new). I ALSO use wireless, but limit the use to laptops. 802.11g is pokey in certain cases - I do network backup to a server with an autoloader DLT drive, but still use the server for most storage.
One thing I reccomend is putting a 4'x4' 3/4" plywood on the wall behind everything (in my case 4x8). Makes attaching stuff easier - not everything rack mounts nicely. For the few bits of rackmount equipment I have, I built a simple frame out of 2x2's, glued and screwed (and even some angle blackets) and used some door hinges to make it swing out from the wall. Total cost was about $10 compared to several hundred for a commercial wall mount rack system.
OK, I admit it, this is over the top, but I'm a geek. Wife thinks I'm nuts but also doesn't complain about the whole house audio, being able to watch her soaps that she has tivo record (which is in the basement) on any TV in the house, etc. Oh yeah, did I mention the Asterisk VoIP phone system? She likes that too - no more telemarketers. Power bill is a little high though:-)
If the federal taxes were not so high then the local governments could afford to raise taxes a little to pay for these local programs. They money is there, but the federal government adds about 90% overhead.
As an example: Go to DC and look at the main Department of Energy building. It easily holds a few thousand people. Realize that the DOE has HUNDREDS of buildings and sites around the country. Do they create energy? No. Do they manage it? No. Do they help reduce costs of energy? No. Are they doing research? Not much. Then WTF are they doing? Wasting billions. According to the DOE web site, they have 4 goals, two of which are envirnmental related. Then remember that we have "pollution credits" available to keep spewing filth. Another is research, then remember that most of the research is being done by universities with virtually free student labor, and that the government has near zero alternative energy research going on.
I could go on, department after department. Most of the federal government is waste - probably near 90% of all dollars spent.
You have fallen into the same simplistic trap. If the federal government killed these programs and dropped taxes 50 - 80%, local governments could afford to raise local taxes to pay for LOCAL things like police, roads, water service, etc. with NO assistance at all needed from the feds.
Local governments are MUCH MUCH more accoutable than the feds. I can go to a city council meeting and say NO to projects on a regular basis. I can pick up the phone and directly call my councilman and talk to him for a half hour or so. Try that with your senator and see how far you get.
The federal government has NO BUSINESS at all increasing taxes to pay for school programs. It's not their job. The federal government should only be doing federal scope projects that only the federal government can do, such as the military, air traffic control, trade pacts, treaties, space exploration, etc.
Have you ever been to DC? Ever seen the massive size of our government? It's disgusting, and that's only the tip of the iceburg.
Slashdot Mirror
Interesting. I've personally found that SA doesn't do well on "word salad" spams, base64 encoded spams, spams with numbers / special characters / intentional misspellings ("V!agr0"),
random word HTML ("<frank><moon>") etc. Nigerian scam spam seems to get through waaayyy too frequently.
What I have found very useful is the DNSBL's that block known spamming IP's (spamhaus.org) and all email from dynamic addresses. This cuts 95% out before SA even sees it. With a whitelist system in front and SA behind, it's quite effective, but still not 100%.
My mail server sees about 300,000 messages a day of which about 15,000 are legit. I still get about 5 spams a day that slip through to my address (which I've had for almost 10 years,) but it's managable at least. My other users report similar (usually less) amounts of spam that gets through.
It's interesting, but must of the printing problems are actually due to the fact that we constantly need to reverse engineer windows drivers. Yet again, pin-headed manufacturers refuse to get a clue.
About 6 years ago, I had my first experience with a WinPrinter. A lexmark color inkjet. Of course it wasn't supported in Linux. It was almost 2 years later before support for it got into Linux. I had nothing but problems even then. Lexmark? Meet trashcan.
Since most of what I print was text, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new laser printer. I did a fair amount of research and found the Brother 1270N which was a network capable laser that supported postscript! Best decision ever. Postscript printers just work. No dinking around.
About a year ago, I decided it was time to get a color printer for photos. Again, more research. I found that Epson HAD A CLUE and that the printer drivers for Linux were great. I researched which models were currently available and which were supported in Linux, and everything just worked. No screwing around. It's as fast as windows and the output is just as good.
Moral of the story: STOP BUYING CRAP from manufacturers that refuse to cooperate with the Linux community and only support those willing to disclose the information needed to use their products!!!
Back in the days before "winprinters", printer manufacturers ALWAYS disclosed the programming info. In fact, it usually came WITH the printer right in the manual. There is no exuse for keeping it "secret." Next on my list is to replace my HP scanner that doesn't have good Linux drivers or documentation. Looking through the SANE supported list, I don't see many current gen scanners with any support. Any suggestions??? Scanners seem to be even worse than printers!
Are you saying that it's OK to have a goal to deliver software on time, yet never do so because game companies don't? Are you suggesting that all MS applications / OS's are games? Please clarify.
For a senior MS developer to talk about on-time software in light of MS's history is a little - bizzare.
I strongly suspect that there are submarine patents in the .NET platform that will ensure a platform lock down the road. Of course MS is aware of Mono - it's in their best interest to convince as many people as possible that it's open. Doesn't mean that they can't come back later and say "By the way, this is patented. Cease and desist."
Sounds more like a network problem. I've kept rdesktop sessions opened for days over the internet.
While wicked slow, I also do low-level management with the compaq ILO with Advanced license that give a full remote graphical desktop via java / web browser. Very handy when the server is having problems booting.
Hmm. I was also trying to RTFA to see WTF freeNX is, but it seems as though ALL the links are slashdotted except for the kalyxo page which didn't seem to mention it.
I agree 100% that articles should give a very brief overview (hell - a one liner would be enough) so interested people can do more reading. Without the overview we have no f-ing clue what the article is talking about. Oh yeah, a google for freenx only comes up with 2 links for porn and an intro to Linux. No help there.
Actually, think about it. Your watch is also a smartcard / PDA. Touch the computer mouse and you are logged in, and your watch PDA syncs too.
Yeah, could do this with bluetooth, but BT is power hungry. Perhaps you could recharge your PDA watch this way too.
But why oh why did it have to be MS? WinCE on a watch PDA? No thanks.
These ISP's need to install monitoring systems so they KNOW when zombies spew. It's a big job as these networks are Huge dealing with immense traffic, but it needs to be done. Currently it's a manual process so machine spew for weeks until an ISP takes action.
That said, I've been using DNSBL's for dynamic addresses for about a year and it has been VERY effective cutting worm / spam down by 60% or better. Local pattern matching on RDNS helps even more.
Maybe because RFC 2476 says it should be 587 and not 26???
Why would users need to change their outgoing servers "all the time"? Why not just do it ONCE? Use port 587 (the submission port) and all will be fine.
Hmm. But velcro is reusable. Buy them once and you have them for life. You don't have to scrounge for another tie when making changes. Lacing cord, while cheap is a huge amount of work, and changes mean starting over. For some strange reason I keep finding that I new new jacks in various places, or additional drops. Since I use the velcro all over the place (where the wires hang from the ceiling too) lacing my entire basement would be silly. Between the coax and cat5e, I have several miles of cable installed. My current project is flushing out the whole-house audio, so that means even MORE cables.
There is a lot more to a modem than the "compression and modulation", such as making sure that the signal that GETS to that chip is good quality, how the modem retrains (which is in the firmware.) etc. The v.everything uses a DSP to handle the grunt work, and the features and quality of that code has EVERYTHING to do with how good the modem is. External modems are basically dedicated purpose computers with their own power supply, case, switches, indicator lights... In addition, the V.Everything modem can flash update all the firmware which basically means that it won't be obsolete when standards change. This is why they cost over $200.
Maybe you are thinking of Winmodems which pretty much ARE one stupid chip.
For more info on SIP and NAT issues, see this and this and other related pages at voip-info.org. 1:1 nat is atypical. Most people use a much more simplistic nat (cisco calls it PAT) where you only have 1 real external IP address. I'm well aware of the tricks asterisk uses, but again, this is atypical of sip clients.
I use SIP devices with Asterisk, FWD, etc. Sip has one major flaw - horrible support for NAT. If you are behind NAT, you frequently need to use an external proxy. Considering that SIP is not all that old, it boggles the mind that it handles NAT so poorly.
I didn't :-(... Instead, I used individual POE injectors but put them in the basement so I don't need wall warts by the phones. These are about $45 each, and are ideal if you only have a few phones.
I have seen some projects where people have added POE at the patch panel by just supplying voltage on the correct pins, but this looks dangerous if you plug in a normal phone or other device. It's best to get an 802.3af unit (or whatever your device needs.
This is a very good point. One way of handling this is to use special cables that have an RJ45 on one end and RJ11 on the other (this is what I do.) The other is to use a "breakout" cable that uses an RJ45 plug, and offers "line 1 - 4" jacks (Leviton sells these too.) Some modern "high-end" jacks actually use springs to push down, and not just bent wire. They have less tendancy to deform over time.
For flexability, I still recommend standard 8-pin RJ45's.
Real modems always cost more. There is more hardware to them. Personally, I use an external USR V.Everything modem. There is nothing better. They are Not cheap.
:-)
An interesting thing I found out though (when setting up an 8-modem fax bank,) is that Most modems suck at faxing. One of the best fax modems are apparently the MultiTech's, but they suck at data! Sometimes, you just can't win.
There are USB and PCMCIA serial adaptors available, and they have been available (with native Linux support) for years.
Personally, I would still run 2 sets of cables. But then, I'm a little nuts and use VoIP phones that use POE. Cable is cheap. Get multiple boxes so it doesn't take any longer to do the pulls. Cheaping out on the cables at install time is a Very Bad Idea. If you don't need the jack yet, just don't terminate it.
That sounds like you did it right! 66 blocks are easy to find in your local Home Depot now, But I would try Graybar or somewhere and use 110. That way you don't have to keep switching your punchdown tool, and no chance of shorts. I hate 66 blocks. :-)
I suggest velcro over tie wraps. Easy to undo and impossible to tie too tight (which I see all too often with Cat5 cables.)
You can get wall-mount mini racks that would work for something small like this.
:-)
Something more appropriate is the Leviton Integrated Networks system that has a panel and modules that are DESIGNED for smart-home systems. Reading comments further down I'm hearing "go wireless" - my answer is that there are MANY other things you can run over cat 5 - like an IR repeater system, digital AV senders, intercom, cameras, digital volume control for whole house sound systems, etc. - you should think outside the box.
When I did some major rewiring of my house, I actually put in 2 sets of jacks in bedrooms allowing for easy reconfiguration. That puts 4 RG6U and 4 Cat5e in each bedroom. For the main entertainment system, I ran 8 Cat5e and 8 RG6U to the back panel of which most is already used. The leviton boxes I felt were a little limiting, but some of the components were useful such as the IR and AV modules. The little 8 port switch was not enough - I use an HP Procurve 2400 24 port switch that I got on ebay for $200 (new). I ALSO use wireless, but limit the use to laptops. 802.11g is pokey in certain cases - I do network backup to a server with an autoloader DLT drive, but still use the server for most storage.
One thing I reccomend is putting a 4'x4' 3/4" plywood on the wall behind everything (in my case 4x8). Makes attaching stuff easier - not everything rack mounts nicely. For the few bits of rackmount equipment I have, I built a simple frame out of 2x2's, glued and screwed (and even some angle blackets) and used some door hinges to make it swing out from the wall. Total cost was about $10 compared to several hundred for a commercial wall mount rack system.
OK, I admit it, this is over the top, but I'm a geek. Wife thinks I'm nuts but also doesn't complain about the whole house audio, being able to watch her soaps that she has tivo record (which is in the basement) on any TV in the house, etc. Oh yeah, did I mention the Asterisk VoIP phone system? She likes that too - no more telemarketers. Power bill is a little high though
If the federal taxes were not so high then the local governments could afford to raise taxes a little to pay for these local programs. They money is there, but the federal government adds about 90% overhead.
As an example: Go to DC and look at the main Department of Energy building. It easily holds a few thousand people. Realize that the DOE has HUNDREDS of buildings and sites around the country. Do they create energy? No. Do they manage it? No. Do they help reduce costs of energy? No. Are they doing research? Not much. Then WTF are they doing? Wasting billions. According to the DOE web site, they have 4 goals, two of which are envirnmental related. Then remember that we have "pollution credits" available to keep spewing filth. Another is research, then remember that most of the research is being done by universities with virtually free student labor, and that the government has near zero alternative energy research going on.
I could go on, department after department. Most of the federal government is waste - probably near 90% of all dollars spent.
You have fallen into the same simplistic trap. If the federal government killed these programs and dropped taxes 50 - 80%, local governments could afford to raise local taxes to pay for LOCAL things like police, roads, water service, etc. with NO assistance at all needed from the feds.
Local governments are MUCH MUCH more accoutable than the feds. I can go to a city council meeting and say NO to projects on a regular basis. I can pick up the phone and directly call my councilman and talk to him for a half hour or so. Try that with your senator and see how far you get.
The federal government has NO BUSINESS at all increasing taxes to pay for school programs. It's not their job. The federal government should only be doing federal scope projects that only the federal government can do, such as the military, air traffic control, trade pacts, treaties, space exploration, etc.
Have you ever been to DC? Ever seen the massive size of our government? It's disgusting, and that's only the tip of the iceburg.
One word: Squid.
As for updates, they only need to be downlaoded ONCE for all machines. They are not going to use "windows update."