The following sites might be helpful to configure IPSec again, or on a more complex basis: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/iaabu/pix/pix_60/ipsec/conipsec.htm http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/707/overload_private.shtml

Logs spiraling crazy, we run out of disk space all the time. A nifty trick to find where the disk went is to issue: du -cks * |sort -rn |head -11 This returns where the disk usage is, and makes finding the bloated log a lot easier.

Here’s a tip for Firefox. An extension called BugMeNot enables you to right click on “general” forms and say “Login with BugMeNot.” Firefox will call the BugMeNot extension which looks up in an external database login information. For instance, www.nytimes.com requires a login, which is a great place to test it out. http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/bugmenot

I have a feeling we will shortly be deploying many Linux servers to perform certain actions. Maybe we will implement Asterisk to be used as a VoIP interchange between locations, maybe the backup servers will be Linux based, maybe the BDCs. One thing that could speed up implementation at remote sites is to build live cds for certain purposes. For instance, on the file server in PDX to keep updated live cds for certain projects. Like, a BDC live cd or a backup live cd. Already setup with the most current packages (or scripts to fetch+install them). So when we get to the site we just put the CD in, click or type “load” and poof, the server is installed and configured.

A developer just showed me an interesting framework to produce python-backed sites VERY quickly. This is mainly for you Ian, it natively supports AJAX as well. Here’s the link: http://www.turbogears.org/ I watched the demo, pretty interesting.

We don’t want to have a billion servers each doing their own task – so what can we use as a solution? Server virtualization (or semi-virtualization or para-virtualization). This involves cutting down a server into mini servers that each have full customization. Our VPS at hostmysite is like this. So why would you want to do this? A few reasons actually. -Localize exploits. Let’s say DNS gets exploited – the access gained would only be for DNS, and not for mail and web and everything else.

My friend Ian told me about this originally, but my pen-testing cousin just send me the link as well. p2p VPN, w00t. Hamachi is a VPN alternative that does not have the normal router problems associated with IPSEC and PPTP vpns. That is good because of firewalls and nat and things like that. http://www.hamachi.cc/