- Roundtable - muug.ca

Inventory software
by Adam Thompson 20 Feb '10

20 Feb '10

Someone (I think it was Montana?) was asking recently about inventory software. I just saw a reference that jogged my memory regarding one of the standards in the field: OCS-NG. Check it out at http://www.ocsinventory-ng.org/ -Adam

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firewall/router in a VM
by Kelly Leveille 20 Feb '10

20 Feb '10

Hi All, I'm considering setting up a firewall/router in a virtual machine to seperate a couple networks in my home. I intend to dedicate one of the host NICs to the WAN port of the router VM & will not load a TCP stack for that NIC in the host OS (ESXi supports this config). In theory, this configuration is as secure as a hardware router because packets can only be routed via the VM. My questions are: Have any of you had any good/bad experiences with this type of setup & are there potential security risks I'm not considering? Also, if you think this is not as secure as a hardware based solution, please explain why not. I'm not doing it to save money. I am aware that I could do the same thing with a consumer router. I'm just interested in the possibility. Thanks, -- Kelly

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Re: [RndTbl] firewall/router in a VM
by Adam Thompson 20 Feb '10

20 Feb '10

The potential intrusion vector is, as you've guessed, through the hypervisor. (Or the host OS, where applicable.) The fact that no-one can even articulate a coherent attack plan hasn't prevented the entire security industry from generating Microsoftish amounts of FUD. You'll have to evaluate for yourself - how much do you trust your VM vendor to write bug-free code to handle incoming packets and pass them on? This does touch on almost every facet of a hypervisor, so it's not an academic question. Logically, you aren't exposing any new vulnerabilities. In fact, though, you are opening up a new potential intrusion vector. As far as I can tell, everyone in the argument seems to derive their authority from one comment by Schneier; if anyone has any sources with actual data (empirical, theoretical or experimental) please let me know. Personally, I trust VM programmers to get patches out quickly, and I trust the paranoiacs to blatt about news of any new compromise, enough to be willing to do the sort of thing you're talking about. (Having said that, although I'm *willing* to, I will note that I *don't* do so in real life.) The one aspect to it, though, is that compromise of the hypervisor essentially means instant, complete, utter, irreversible compromise of *all* the VMs (including non-running disk images!) that server has direct access to. That is a little bit worrisome. -Adam

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News: TPM chip hacked
by Adam Thompson 18 Feb '10

18 Feb '10

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j-OodvoFRhEcpfvnK5C7YL6JW… *cough* Yeah, that's good timing after the rant I posted yesterday :-) -Adam

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Anyone want a SunBlade 100?
by Sean Walberg 18 Feb '10

18 Feb '10

I have a SunBlade 100 I don't use. Just the chassis, about the size of a regular desktop machine. Not sure of the specs, but I'm pretty sure it has Solaris 8 on it. I'll even throw in a "Solaris 8 essential reference" guide :) Anyone want it? Sean -- Sean Walberg <sean(a)ertw.com> http://ertw.com/

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Manage resources
by Montana Quiring 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Hello, Right now I'm doing the spreadsheet things so, I need to set myself up with managing my resources better. (i.e. things like IP's, computers, servers, switches, software etc) I like the idea of managing my resources using LDAP objects with a web front end to share with my colleagues. Is anyone doing that and could share what they use? Is there any other OSS product that that may not be LDAP based but you would highly recommend? -Montana Blog and Aggregation Site: http://montanaquiring.info iPhone/Touch Apps I have bought: http://appshopper.com/feed/user/antikx/myapps

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RAID on Ubuntu
by Kevin McGregor 09 Feb '10

09 Feb '10

Here's my current hardware: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4 GB RAM 120 GB IDE 3 x 750 SATA What I'd like to do (please don't ask why) is install Ubuntu 9.10 on the 120 GB IDE, then set up a RAID 10 array with the remaining drives. Stop right there! Yes, I know I'd need four drives for that. So, I want to know if I can either set up two drives as RAID 0 or RAID 1, then later add a fourth drive and without data loss, migrate over to RAID 10. Or set it up as RAID 10 initially with a "failed" (missing) fourth drive, then add the drive later and "repair" the RAID 10 array. Any hope? Kevin

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Re: [RndTbl] Shaw dropping on greylist?
by Gilbert E. Detillieux 08 Feb '10

08 Feb '10

On 2010-02-06 18:59, roundtable(a)muug.mb.ca wrote: > On 2010-01-29 Gilbert E. Detillieux wrote: >> In any case, there are a lot of "legit" mail servers out there that >> don't seem to handle greylisting well, which is why the default >> configuration with milter-greylist comes with a whole list of "broken >> mta" address ranges to whitelist. > > Right, using that broken list, but there is no self-updating. Anyone > care to share their broken mta list? What's the range you're using for > gmail? This is the only "broken mta" range we've had to add to date... 209.85.208.0/20 \ # google.com (gmail.com MTA range?) -- Gilbert E. Detillieux E-mail: <gedetil(a)muug.mb.ca> Manitoba UNIX User Group Web: http://www.muug.mb.ca/ PO Box 130 St-Boniface Phone: (204)474-8161 Winnipeg MB CANADA R2H 3B4 Fax: (204)474-7609

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[OT] looking for recommendation
by Adam Thompson 04 Feb '10

04 Feb '10

Yes, this is off-topic and has nothing to do with UNIX... you've been warned and can stop reading now if that bothers you. I'm looking for recommendations for a bookkeeper, or something like that: someone who can keep track of all the bits of paper I generate (esp. in the course of self-employment) and do something more meaningful with them than just shoving them into a (metaphorical) shoebox. It'd be nice if they had a clue about taxes, CPP deductions, that sort of thing, but not necessary - that's what an accountant is for, ultimately. So... if you know anyone who might fit the bill, either pass their name on to me, or pass my name on to them. Thank you for your patience, we now resume our regular programming. -Adam Thompson <athompso(a)athompso.net> (204) 291-7950

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MUUG Meeting, February 9, 7:30pm -- Disk Imaging
by gedetil＠cs.umanitoba.ca 02 Feb '10

02 Feb '10

The Manitoba UNIX User Group (MUUG) will be holding its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 9. The meeting topic for this month is as follows: Disk Imaging Adam Thompson will be covering disk imaging: who, what, why, where, when. Maybe even "how" if there's time! The presentation is expected to focus on the use of Partimage and related tools. Before the break, as this month's RTFM topic, Sean Cody will deliver a remote, live presentation on a topic yet to be determined. The group holds its general meetings at 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of every month from September to June. (There are no meetings in July and August.) Meetings are open to the general public; you don't have to be a MUUG member to attend. ********************************************************************** Please note our meeting location: The IBM offices, at 400 Ellice Ave. (between Edmonton and Kennedy). When you arrive, you will have to sign in at the reception desk, and then wait for someone to take you (in groups) to the meeting room. Please try to arrive by about 7:15pm, so the meeting can start promptly at 7:30pm. Don't be late, or you may not get in. (But don't come too early either, since security may not be there to let you in before 7:15 or so.) Non-members may be required to show photo ID at the security desk. Limited parking is available for free on the street, either on Ellice Ave. or on some of the intersecting streets. Indoor parking is also available nearby, at Portage Place, for $5.00 for the evening. Bicycle parking is available in a bike rack under video surveillance located behind the building on Webb Place. ********************************************************************** For more information about MUUG, and its monthly meetings, check out their Web server: http://www.muug.mb.ca/ Help us promote this month's meeting, by putting this poster up on your workplace bulletin board or other suitable public message board: http://www.muug.mb.ca/meetings/MUUGmeeting.pdf -- Gilbert E. Detillieux E-mail: <gedetil(a)muug.mb.ca> Manitoba UNIX User Group Web: http://www.muug.mb.ca/ PO Box 130 St-Boniface Phone: (204)474-8161 Winnipeg MB CANADA R2H 3B4 Fax: (204)474-7609

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