From sigje at sigje.org Fri Feb 3 15:38:22 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 15:38:22 -0800 (PST) Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. Message-ID: You want to put together a set of tools for your new team member who is coming on board. What do you put together? What tools do you assume that she will be borrowing from you (so it's not needed in duplication)? I'm talking about physical hardware here, and not anything software wise unless it's a floppy that you have copied over essential scripts. Thanks! Jennifer From zwicky at greatcircle.com Fri Feb 3 16:09:45 2006 From: zwicky at greatcircle.com (Elizabeth Zwicky) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:09:45 -0800 Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3e150aaaf83ff488a579b3da39a93e21@greatcircle.com> On Feb 3, 2006, at 3:38 PM, Jennifer Davis wrote: > > You want to put together a set of tools for your new team member who > is coming on board. What do you put together? What tools do you > assume that she will be borrowing from you (so it's not needed in > duplication)? I'm talking about physical hardware here, and not > anything software wise unless it's a floppy that you have copied over > essential scripts. A label maker. Anything else should be so rarely used that it's better off kept centrally. In the machine room, with a static strap. (Co-worker: I gotta go buy a new video card. Dunno what happened to the old one. Me: By any chance, was it dead after you installed the new ethernet card? Him: Yeah. Me: And, of course, you were wearing the static strap supplied with the card? Him: Would I skip an essential safety step? Me: So, you weren't wearing the strap? Him: So you don't think it's a horrible coincidence? Me: When you install the new video card, are you planning to use the static strap? Him: Actually, I was planning on using two.) Elizabeth From cos at indeterminate.net Fri Feb 3 16:22:26 2006 From: cos at indeterminate.net (John Costello) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:22:26 -0800 (PST) Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Jennifer Davis wrote: > You want to put together a set of tools for your new team member who is > coming on board. What do you put together? What tools do you assume that > she will be borrowing from you (so it's not needed in duplication)? I'm > talking about physical hardware here, and not anything software wise > unless it's a floppy that you have copied over essential scripts. I still favor the ThinkGeek Swiss Geek Knife, whenever I deal with hardware. It has torx bits, which were helpful when dealing with Macs (don't know if Macs still require torx). That is a spendy item, but it covers a lot of needs. Other tools depend on the task at hand. Crimpers are useful. Small flashlights are really nice when you are trying to find that screw that just fell into the hardware case, and a pair of tweezers to grab the screw. > Thanks! > > Jennifer ----- John Costello - cos at indeterminate dot net From stripes at tigerlair.com Fri Feb 3 16:39:54 2006 From: stripes at tigerlair.com (stripes) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 19:39:54 -0500 Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <3e150aaaf83ff488a579b3da39a93e21@greatcircle.com>; from zwicky@greatcircle.com on Fri, Feb 03, 2006 at 04:09:45PM -0800 References: <3e150aaaf83ff488a579b3da39a93e21@greatcircle.com> Message-ID: <20060203193954.A15693@tigerlair.com> And a red stapler. Don't forget the red stapler :) -Anne On Fri, Feb 03, 2006 at 04:09:45PM -0800, Elizabeth Zwicky wrote: > > On Feb 3, 2006, at 3:38 PM, Jennifer Davis wrote: > > > > > You want to put together a set of tools for your new team member who > > is coming on board. What do you put together? What tools do you > > assume that she will be borrowing from you (so it's not needed in > > duplication)? I'm talking about physical hardware here, and not > > anything software wise unless it's a floppy that you have copied over > > essential scripts. > > A label maker. Anything else should be so rarely used that it's > better off kept centrally. In the machine room, with a static > strap. (Co-worker: I gotta go buy a new video card. Dunno what > happened to the old one. Me: By any chance, was it dead after > you installed the new ethernet card? Him: Yeah. Me: And, of > course, you were wearing the static strap supplied with the card? > Him: Would I skip an essential safety step? Me: So, you weren't > wearing the strap? Him: So you don't think it's a horrible > coincidence? Me: When you install the new video card, are you > planning to use the static strap? Him: Actually, I was planning > on using two.) > > Elizabeth > > -- Conformity: Proudly (\`--/') _ _______ .-r-. serving painfully boring >.~.\ `` ` `,`,`. ,'_'~`. people since time began. (v_," ; `,-\ ; : ; \/,-~) \ stripes at tigerlair dot com `--'_..),-/ ' ' '_.>-' )`.`.__.') stripes at brickbox dot com ((,((,__..'~~~~~~((,__..' `-..-'fL From sigje at sigje.org Fri Feb 3 16:46:46 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:46:46 -0800 (PST) Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060203193954.A15693@tigerlair.com> References: <3e150aaaf83ff488a579b3da39a93e21@greatcircle.com> <20060203193954.A15693@tigerlair.com> Message-ID: >> >> A label maker. Anything else should be so rarely used that it's >> better off kept centrally. In the machine room, with a static funnily enough that was one of the few things I said "must get" when we started purchasing lab equipment. I asked for 2. Out of all the equipment we were buying..the fact that I asked for 2 drew questions. Jennifer From david at catwhisker.org Fri Feb 3 16:52:17 2006 From: david at catwhisker.org (David Wolfskill) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:52:17 -0800 Subject: [owner-baylisa@baylisa.org: BOUNCE baylisa@baylisa.org: Non-member submission from [Dan Foster ]] Message-ID: <20060204005217.GF94023@bunrab.catwhisker.org> Aapproved: baylisa*admin Received: from zappy.catbert.org (zappy.catbert.org [70.85.16.91]) by www.baylisa.org (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id k140lpNe015528 for ; Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:47:52 -0800 (PST) Received: by zappy.catbert.org (Postfix, from userid 2000) id E2C8D1A977; Fri, 3 Feb 2006 19:47:47 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 19:47:47 -0500 From: Dan Foster To: Jennifer Davis Cc: baylisa at baylisa.org, sage-members at sage.org Subject: Re: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. Message-ID: <20060204004747.GA16075 at catbert.org> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf8 Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.11 Hot Diggety! Jennifer Davis was rumored to have written: > > You want to put together a set of tools for your new team member who is > coming on board. What do you put together? What tools do you assume that > she will be borrowing from you (so it's not needed in duplication)? I'm > talking about physical hardware here, and not anything software wise > unless it's a floppy that you have copied over essential scripts. The most popular tools -- and the ones that often tries to walk away on their own (*cough*): - Leatherman Wave or Gerber utility multi-tool - If no multi-tool, then two pliers: one needlenose and one not - T-10 Torx screwdriver - Philips and flat-blade screwdrivers in various sizes - DB-9/RJ-45 adapter - DB-25/RJ-45 adapter - DB-9 cable (both ends) - DB-25 cable (both ends) - DB-9 gender adapter - DB-25 gender adapter - DB-9-to-DB-25 cable - Spare Cat5e Ethernet cable - Spare Cat5e crossover Ethernet cable - Spare RJ-11 telephone cable - USB-to-DB9 adapter - *Good* ratcheting crimper like the Ideal for RJ-45 - Bag of 10-32 clip-nuts - Bag of 10-32 screws - Bag of RJ-45 ends - Little cable stripper tool - Several OS CDROMs that can be used to boot or do installs - Laptop with a CD or DVD burner, and wireless + ethernet + modem - Extra laptop battery - Spare 110V 15A AC U.S. power cord (NEMA 5P-15) - Laptop AC adapter - 5+ spare CD-R blanks (or DVD-R blanks) - Sharpie felt-tip ink pen - Post-It sticky notes - A small spool of tape (for impromptu labelling) - Simple 110V AC @ 15A voltmeter/ammeter like the Kill-A-Watt That's what I tend to have in my laptop bag, and can resolve pretty much anything given that, except for the more estoteric problems. The stuff above should run about USD $300, not including the laptop. One can share utility tool and crimper, but they often seem to walk away. *ESPECIALLY* the Leatherman... I'm sorry to say that it would seem someone at a past conference was too enamored with someone else's Leatherman and took it in under sixty seconds. Ever since then, the owner has kept his replacement firmly chained to his belt and refuses to loan it out. The Gerber is often just as much liked, too. :) (For the record, I have both.) A label printer + AC adapter is often handy, too. But this can usually be kept on-site and shared. There's others... pager, cell/mobile phone, Blackberry, spare batteries, etc. A digital camera (or in a pinch, a mobile phone with a built-in camera, though the resolution is usually crappy) is sometimes handy, for troubleshooting problems or showing to management specific layout issues, or for documenting rack layout for colleagues at other sites. If you exclude the utility tool and crimper + screws + nuts + RJ-45 ends + laptop + 'misc others' stuff, what's left is perhaps around USD $50-60, give or take a bit? It's probably ok to keep utility tool + crimper + Kill-A-Watt related stuff on-site, perhaps in a padlocked toolbox or closet, as a compromise between accessibility and expense (and is also a reasonable anti-theft action). Though, I would definitely make sure there's at least two or three sets of screwdrivers so that multiple people can do things like racking a system easily. They're cheap enough, anyway; can get a nice Sears Craftsman or Black & Decker set for anywhere between USD $10 to $80. Occasionally, raw DB-9 or DB-25 adapters, not wired, is useful for making custom adapters with a particular pinout... but I don't really find the need to do that very often at all, so it's not in my bag. On-site, though. In a big hurry, my bare bones laptop bag list would have: - Leatherman Wave or Gerber utility multi-tool - T-10 Torx screwdriver - Philips and flat-blade screwdrivers in a few common sizes - DB-9/RJ-45 adapter - DB-9 cable (both ends) - Spare Cat5e Ethernet cable - Spare Cat5e crossover Ethernet cable - USB-to-DB9 adapter (if laptop doesn't have a DB9 serial port) - Several OS CDROMs that can be used to boot or do installs - Laptop with a CD or DVD burner, and wireless + ethernet + modem - Laptop AC adapter One last thing... regarding screwdrivers, definitely go for *good* quality screwdrivers because it can sometimes be a lot of agony otherwise. Sears Craftsman is a pretty decent line, and there's several other good ones but names escapes me at the moment. I also like to have a good grip-type handle and is ratcheting (in either direction) for extra leverage in certain situations. (Then I go and have a little talk with whomever played 'Popeye' [the sailor] by overtightening screws in the first place!) -Dan From pmm at igtc.com Fri Feb 3 16:54:44 2006 From: pmm at igtc.com (Paul M. Moriarty) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 16:54:44 -0800 Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20060204005444.GU24496@igtc.igtc.com> A Craftsman 12 pc Micro Tech Precision Screwdriver set. Usually, if I can't fix something with the assorted slotted, phillips and tox drivers in the set, I'll need tools that are better kept in a shared toolbox. - Paul - From sage at evilphb.org Fri Feb 3 16:47:47 2006 From: sage at evilphb.org (Dan Foster) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 19:47:47 -0500 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> Hot Diggety! Jennifer Davis was rumored to have written: > > You want to put together a set of tools for your new team member who is > coming on board. What do you put together? What tools do you assume that > she will be borrowing from you (so it's not needed in duplication)? I'm > talking about physical hardware here, and not anything software wise > unless it's a floppy that you have copied over essential scripts. The most popular tools -- and the ones that often tries to walk away on their own (*cough*): - Leatherman Wave or Gerber utility multi-tool - If no multi-tool, then two pliers: one needlenose and one not - T-10 Torx screwdriver - Philips and flat-blade screwdrivers in various sizes - DB-9/RJ-45 adapter - DB-25/RJ-45 adapter - DB-9 cable (both ends) - DB-25 cable (both ends) - DB-9 gender adapter - DB-25 gender adapter - DB-9-to-DB-25 cable - Spare Cat5e Ethernet cable - Spare Cat5e crossover Ethernet cable - Spare RJ-11 telephone cable - USB-to-DB9 adapter - *Good* ratcheting crimper like the Ideal for RJ-45 - Bag of 10-32 clip-nuts - Bag of 10-32 screws - Bag of RJ-45 ends - Little cable stripper tool - Several OS CDROMs that can be used to boot or do installs - Laptop with a CD or DVD burner, and wireless + ethernet + modem - Extra laptop battery - Spare 110V 15A AC U.S. power cord (NEMA 5P-15) - Laptop AC adapter - 5+ spare CD-R blanks (or DVD-R blanks) - Sharpie felt-tip ink pen - Post-It sticky notes - A small spool of tape (for impromptu labelling) - Simple 110V AC @ 15A voltmeter/ammeter like the Kill-A-Watt That's what I tend to have in my laptop bag, and can resolve pretty much anything given that, except for the more estoteric problems. The stuff above should run about USD $300, not including the laptop. One can share utility tool and crimper, but they often seem to walk away. *ESPECIALLY* the Leatherman... I'm sorry to say that it would seem someone at a past conference was too enamored with someone else's Leatherman and took it in under sixty seconds. Ever since then, the owner has kept his replacement firmly chained to his belt and refuses to loan it out. The Gerber is often just as much liked, too. :) (For the record, I have both.) A label printer + AC adapter is often handy, too. But this can usually be kept on-site and shared. There's others... pager, cell/mobile phone, Blackberry, spare batteries, etc. A digital camera (or in a pinch, a mobile phone with a built-in camera, though the resolution is usually crappy) is sometimes handy, for troubleshooting problems or showing to management specific layout issues, or for documenting rack layout for colleagues at other sites. If you exclude the utility tool and crimper + screws + nuts + RJ-45 ends + laptop + 'misc others' stuff, what's left is perhaps around USD $50-60, give or take a bit? It's probably ok to keep utility tool + crimper + Kill-A-Watt related stuff on-site, perhaps in a padlocked toolbox or closet, as a compromise between accessibility and expense (and is also a reasonable anti-theft action). Though, I would definitely make sure there's at least two or three sets of screwdrivers so that multiple people can do things like racking a system easily. They're cheap enough, anyway; can get a nice Sears Craftsman or Black & Decker set for anywhere between USD $10 to $80. Occasionally, raw DB-9 or DB-25 adapters, not wired, is useful for making custom adapters with a particular pinout... but I don't really find the need to do that very often at all, so it's not in my bag. On-site, though. In a big hurry, my bare bones laptop bag list would have: - Leatherman Wave or Gerber utility multi-tool - T-10 Torx screwdriver - Philips and flat-blade screwdrivers in a few common sizes - DB-9/RJ-45 adapter - DB-9 cable (both ends) - Spare Cat5e Ethernet cable - Spare Cat5e crossover Ethernet cable - USB-to-DB9 adapter (if laptop doesn't have a DB9 serial port) - Several OS CDROMs that can be used to boot or do installs - Laptop with a CD or DVD burner, and wireless + ethernet + modem - Laptop AC adapter One last thing... regarding screwdrivers, definitely go for *good* quality screwdrivers because it can sometimes be a lot of agony otherwise. Sears Craftsman is a pretty decent line, and there's several other good ones but names escapes me at the moment. I also like to have a good grip-type handle and is ratcheting (in either direction) for extra leverage in certain situations. (Then I go and have a little talk with whomever played 'Popeye' [the sailor] by overtightening screws in the first place!) -Dan From ahorn at deorth.org Fri Feb 3 17:27:01 2006 From: ahorn at deorth.org (Alan Horn) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 17:27:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> Message-ID: > > A label printer + AC adapter is often handy, too. But this can usually > be kept on-site and shared. > No, because you can never find it when you need it, and labelling is so essential that this needs to be something people have *no* difficulty laying their hands on. Also, giving people their own labeller inspires them to take ownership of the labelling problem. Cheers, Al From hilton at entelos.com Fri Feb 3 17:25:03 2006 From: hilton at entelos.com (Dave Hilton) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 17:25:03 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. Message-ID: I wish I knew how to dig through the Archives - we solved this about three years ago. Dan Foster's list is about as good as I've seen. I go heavy on non-metallic flashlights, cordless soldering pencil, chop sticks (yes, chop sticks - they are non-metallic and can reach into the smallest places to retreive dust bunnies, screws, hair, paper tags, etc.), telephone/network toner, A/C toner, linesmens' headset (bed of nails & RJ connectors), static grounding straps (wrist, box and mat), dust mask (I have asthma), camel hair paint brush, and my trusty Think Geek "STFU" coffee cup. I also carry an overly-large one-hander lockback knife - great when I need a little extra elbow room :) Gruddy aka Dave Hilton Network Administrator entelos(r) Foster City, CA Clarity in The Age of Plausible Reality From marco at escape.org Fri Feb 3 17:11:25 2006 From: marco at escape.org (Marco Nicosia) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 17:11:25 -0800 Subject: [baylisa] Re: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060204005444.GU24496@igtc.igtc.com>; from pmm@igtc.com on Fri, Feb 03, 2006 at 04:54:44PM -0800 References: <20060204005444.GU24496@igtc.igtc.com> Message-ID: <20060203171125.K826@escape.org> If a set of screwdrivers is too much, at least make sure everyone has one of those Buck Bros. 4-in-1 (2 each of standard and phillips heads, large and small) screwdrivers sold at Home Depot for ~$5.00. Paul M. Moriarty (pmm at igtc.com) wrote: > > A Craftsman 12 pc Micro Tech Precision Screwdriver set. Usually, if I can't > fix something with the assorted slotted, phillips and tox drivers in the set, > I'll need tools that are better kept in a shared toolbox. > > - Paul - _______________________________________________________________________ Marco E. Nicosia | http://www.escape.org/~marco/ | marco at escape.org From brad at stop.mail-abuse.org Fri Feb 3 16:54:42 2006 From: brad at stop.mail-abuse.org (Brad Knowles) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 01:54:42 +0100 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> Message-ID: At 7:47 PM -0500 2006-02-03, Dan Foster wrote: > (Then I go and have a little talk with whomever played 'Popeye' [the > sailor] by overtightening screws in the first place!) You mean the guy who used the cordless screwdriver, or better yet the cordless drill with screwdriver bits? I've got a nice Black & Decker 18V that I like to use.... I haven't been able to find many cordless drills that have a higher capacity battery, or a larger diameter chuck throat (to take larger diameter bits). -- Brad Knowles, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755 LOPSA member since December 2005. See . From sigje at sigje.org Fri Feb 3 17:41:49 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 17:41:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: > I wish I knew how to dig through the Archives - we solved this about > three years ago. The evil plan is to actually summarize up all the discussion into a list and then put it up on some website and then people can comment more on it and update as needed. Does it make sense to organize it into a Basic kit ..and if you work with Sparc equipment x y z ..and if you work with IBM equipment x y z ..and if you work with SAN equipment x y z ..and if you work with network equipment ... etc. Jennifer From sage at evilphb.org Fri Feb 3 17:46:44 2006 From: sage at evilphb.org (Dan Foster) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 20:46:44 -0500 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> Message-ID: <20060204014644.GA21465@catbert.org> Hot Diggety! Alan Horn was rumored to have written: > > >A label printer + AC adapter is often handy, too. But this can usually > >be kept on-site and shared. > > No, because you can never find it when you need it, and labelling is so > essential that this needs to be something people have *no* difficulty > laying their hands on. We solved that problem by chaining it (with a long chain) to a padlock. :) So now it is accessible to all, but cannot be removed from the site -- therefore, we don't run the risk of it being unavailable at a bad time. I did, however, buy my own USD $30 portable label printer for my laptop bag, and most of the tools in my bag. So now I don't really care if not-my-stuff walks off -- let it be a lesson about diligence in securing items, while it not impeding my work. I've also noticed that some people uses 15mm labels; they need to be at least 30mm (or even larger) to be reasonably visible from a distance. Becomes more important in a reasonably large computer room for locating offending hardware when scanning rows and racks. Labels also don't seem to be all of equal quality -- some labels' adhesive will peel off quickly when exposed to nearby vented hot air from the system chassis, and some will last forever. > Also, giving people their own labeller inspires them to take ownership of > the labelling problem. That's true. Here, we have it as a checklist item for the turnup checklist that must be completed prior to considering it production. -Dan From nick at msbit.com Fri Feb 3 17:52:27 2006 From: nick at msbit.com (Nick Stoughton) Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 17:52:27 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1139017947.10292.417.camel@collie> On Fri, 2006-02-03 at 17:25, Dave Hilton wrote: > I wish I knew how to dig through the Archives - we solved this about > three years ago. > In 2003 ... See http://www.sage.org/mailarchive/sage-members-archive/2003/msg01975.html for the thread root of that discussion! -- Nick Stoughton From rbrockway at opentrend.net Fri Feb 3 17:59:18 2006 From: rbrockway at opentrend.net (Robert Brockway) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 20:59:18 -0500 (EST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Dave Hilton wrote: > Dan Foster's list is about as good as I've seen. I go heavy on > non-metallic flashlights, cordless soldering pencil, chop sticks (yes, > chop sticks - they are non-metallic and can reach into the smallest Along these lines,I recommend a small mirror. A mirror (preferably one that can be extended away from you) is invaluable for seeing behind badly positioned boxes to replug cables, etc. Small "lipstick/makeup mirrors" are perfect for this. Rob -- Robert Brockway B.Sc. Phone: +1-905-821-2327 Senior Technical Consultant Urgent Support: +1-416-669-3073 OpenTrend Solutions Ltd Email: support at opentrend.net Web: www.opentrend.net We are open 24x365 for technical support. Call us in a crisis. From doug at eng.auburn.edu Fri Feb 3 18:52:05 2006 From: doug at eng.auburn.edu (Doug Hughes) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 20:52:05 -0600 (CST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Robert Brockway wrote: > On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Dave Hilton wrote: > > > Dan Foster's list is about as good as I've seen. I go heavy on > > non-metallic flashlights, cordless soldering pencil, chop sticks (yes, > > chop sticks - they are non-metallic and can reach into the smallest > > Along these lines,I recommend a small mirror. A mirror (preferably one > that can be extended away from you) is invaluable for seeing behind badly > positioned boxes to replug cables, etc. Small "lipstick/makeup mirrors" > are perfect for this. $.99 at autozone at the checkout is a little dentist-sized mirror that comes with a telescoping handle that lets it reach about 18" and a mirror head that you can adjust to any angle. It also has a pocket clip. One of the best sysadmin tool investments I ever made. You can even use it, along with a flashlight, to read the serial number on the bottom of a 1U netra when there is only about .5" between the netras in the rack. Doug From rackow at mcs.anl.gov Fri Feb 3 21:22:27 2006 From: rackow at mcs.anl.gov (Gene Rackow) Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 23:22:27 -0600 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 03 Feb 2006 20:52:05 CST." Message-ID: <200602040522.k145MR9152776@mcs.anl.gov> As many have indicated, the Leatherman is the first thing in the kit. I've had mine for over 20 years now. Next come some forceps or very thin long pliers. I prefer the loop handles as it makes it very easy to grab the loose item, then lock the handle and you are set. Cable ties of various sizes. Need a temporary brake for the the wheels on a rack. Put a wide tie around the base of the wheel and pull tight. After that in the toolkit goes a number of dental tools or their look-alike replacement. small mirror on a handle, tiny picks and probes, small curved pointy things. A small magnet on an extendable shaft for getting that wild screw. A small flashlight of the same type when you need a light in an odd place. Next, a small package of blue-tack. That stuff you use to put up posters, etc. Put a small piece on a dental probe and you can pick up that screw you dropped. Another piece on the screwdriver and you can get that screw back in the hole. A good set of interchangable bits (torx, allen, phillips, etc) A screwdriver style handle and a wrench style handle for them. A selection of cables and cable ends and adapters. db-9 to cat5 db-25, etc. USB-serial. --Gene From jimd at starshine.org Fri Feb 3 22:36:56 2006 From: jimd at starshine.org (Jim Dennis) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 22:36:56 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> Message-ID: <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> On Sat, Feb 04, 2006 at 01:54:42AM +0100, Brad Knowles wrote: > At 7:47 PM -0500 2006-02-03, Dan Foster wrote: >> (Then I go and have a little talk with whomever played 'Popeye' [the >> sailor] by overtightening screws in the first place!) > You mean the guy who used the cordless screwdriver, or better yet > the cordless drill with screwdriver bits? > I've got a nice Black & Decker 18V that I like to use.... I > haven't been able to find many cordless drills that have a higher > capacity battery, or a larger diameter chuck throat (to take larger > diameter bits). My father, who is in his mid-sixties and is still an active construction worker --- general contractor and electrician, was just telling me about the neatest innovation in cordless screw guns --- impact drivers! He mentioned that it drives even the long 3" drywalls screws right into even the gnarliest old wood with hardly any effort, and never strips out the heads. NOT recommended for our work --- but I couldn't resist sharing. (On the other hand I bet that puppy in reverse would loosen any screw some idjet overtightened, too! :)). -- Jim Dennis From alvin at mail.Linux-Consulting.com Sat Feb 4 01:54:08 2006 From: alvin at mail.Linux-Consulting.com (Alvin Oga) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 01:54:08 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> Message-ID: <20060204095408.GA10615@Maggie.Linux-Consulting.com> hi ya On Fri, Feb 03, 2006 at 07:47:47PM -0500, Dan Foster wrote: > The most popular tools -- and the ones that often tries to walk away on > their own (*cough*): > > - Leatherman Wave or Gerber utility multi-tool > - If no multi-tool, then two pliers: one needlenose and one not > - T-10 Torx screwdriver ... snipp good list .. i think you'd need to add extension cords and power strips and leds with wires for checking bad led, etc.. and spare battery for the motherboard ... - get a good known-to-be-working 4port or 8-port hubb tooo ... ---------- for me, if someone comes in a big-ole-handy-dandy-power-screwdriver, they are quickly escorted out the door to connect cables to the wall or something that doesn't need screwdriver work i hate bozo's that strip screws or wrong size/type screws in the screw holes which gives you nice metal filings inside the case, which is why you are there, instead fo someplace else you rather be, but instead have to fix the silly box due to stripped screws and whatever else went wrong - but in the long run, thats good, it's job security .. that there will be more dead boxes c ya alvin From brad at stop.mail-abuse.org Sat Feb 4 01:42:47 2006 From: brad at stop.mail-abuse.org (Brad Knowles) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 10:42:47 +0100 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> Message-ID: At 10:36 PM -0800 2006-02-03, Jim Dennis wrote: > My father, who is in his mid-sixties and is still an active > construction worker --- general contractor and electrician, was > just telling me about the neatest innovation in cordless screw > guns --- impact drivers! Do you mean a hammer drill? I've got a nice DeWalt that I'm going to have to leave here in Europe, because it's corded and is not adaptable to US power. But I've only ever used it to drill into masonry, concrete, or bricks -- never with drywall screws into wood. I'd be curious to learn more about this particular usage.... -- Brad Knowles, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755 LOPSA member since December 2005. See . From rskiadmin at chycoski.com Sat Feb 4 08:41:00 2006 From: rskiadmin at chycoski.com (Richard Chycoski) Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:41:00 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> Message-ID: <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> An impact driver (or wrench) is a little different - it supplies 'spikes' of rotational force, not vertical impact. They are common in automotive work, especially in air tools - the tool that you see mechanics use to remove and install tires is an impact wrench. There are electrical versions of impact drivers too. Go to http://www.harborfreight.com and look up 'impact wrench' and 'hammer drill' - they're good for lots of other tools too! (I'm not affiliated with them but I am a happy customer. Plastic welders, anyone?) I have (and use) a lot more tools than a typical sysadmin, and this is part of the issue - the tools that you need are the tools that you are comfortable with. My father was a sheet metal mechanic, boat builder and carpenter, and I learned to use a wide range of tools from the time I could walk. Others who do not have the same kind of facility with tools can live with a small subset of what I prefer to use. Of course, if you're asking what kind of tools you need for a newhire, it's unlikely that you're dealing with an 'uber' tool user - when I started my first job in computing, I had to tell my bosses what tools I wanted to order, not the other way around. They didn't quite understand why I needed aircraft tinsnips until they saw how I used them. (:-) For people who have a less mechanical background, a *good* multiscrewdriver (e.g. Picquic), a #2 Phillips driver, a couple of flat drivers, a crescent wrench, and a pair of pliers is what most of them need. It seems that I'm the one they come to for more esoteric mechanical problems around my office (I wonder why? :-). Electronic tools can be similarly basic - an inexpensive volt-ohm-meter, and possibly a tone generator and inductive receiver (for tracing cables) are good to have around - but could be shared tools as well. A simple 'neon tester' is handy for quickly identifying if an outlet has power, and is smaller to carry around than a voltmeter. The kinds of tools you should recommend does depend on your organisation as well - at a large company, the range of what you do is often much smaller than in a small company. I would expect to be using the full range of my mechanical skills in a small company, but when you have tens of thousands of people working with you, the sysadmins do much less mechanical work, hence the need for a small range of tools. - Richard Brad Knowles wrote: > At 10:36 PM -0800 2006-02-03, Jim Dennis wrote: > >> My father, who is in his mid-sixties and is still an active >> construction worker --- general contractor and electrician, was >> just telling me about the neatest innovation in cordless screw >> guns --- impact drivers! > > > Do you mean a hammer drill? I've got a nice DeWalt that I'm going > to have to leave here in Europe, because it's corded and is not > adaptable to US power. But I've only ever used it to drill into > masonry, concrete, or bricks -- never with drywall screws into wood. I'd > be curious to learn more about this particular usage.... > From brad at stop.mail-abuse.org Sat Feb 4 10:37:03 2006 From: brad at stop.mail-abuse.org (Brad Knowles) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 19:37:03 +0100 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> Message-ID: At 8:41 AM -0800 2006-02-04, Richard Chycoski wrote: > An impact driver (or wrench) is a little different - it supplies 'spikes' > of rotational force, not vertical impact. They are common in automotive > work, especially in air tools - the tool that you see mechanics use to > remove and install tires is an impact wrench. Ahh, yes -- an impact wrench. Sorry, I didn't make the connection with driving drywall screws. My cousins were helping to build race cars for a local dirt track in Memphis before they could walk, and I've certainly seen my share of races as well. Once you've heard an impact wrench, you'll never forget the sound. > There are electrical > versions of impact drivers too. Go to http://www.harborfreight.com and > look up 'impact wrench' and 'hammer drill' - they're good for lots of > other tools too! (I'm not affiliated with them but I am a happy > customer. Plastic welders, anyone?) Cool. I'll need to buy a number of replacement tools when I move to the US,so I'll want to keep companies like this in mind. > I have (and use) a lot more tools than a typical sysadmin, and this is > part of the issue - the tools that you need are the tools that you are > comfortable with. My father was a sheet metal mechanic, boat builder > and carpenter, and I learned to use a wide range of tools from the time > I could walk. My grandfather was a master cabinet maker, and my dad was technical director of a variety of small university theaters while I was growing up, and before I was out of grade school I was using 12V and 14V Makita cordless drills, cold chisels, pneumatic nail guns, band saws, saber saws, circular saws, router/shapers, etc.... In high school I was introduced to the oxy-acetalene brazing and cutting torch, although I still wasn't old enough to use the big honking table saw by myself. > Of course, if you're asking what kind of tools you need for a newhire, > it's unlikely that you're dealing with an 'uber' tool user - when I > started my first job in computing, I had to tell my bosses what tools > I wanted to order, not the other way around. They didn't quite understand > why I needed aircraft tinsnips until they saw how I used them. (:-) Yeah, I do find it funny that although I'm a software guy, in many places I end up being the default hardware guy because I've got more and better tools than most businesses and I'm not afraid to bring in what I've got. > I would expect to be using the full range > of my mechanical skills in a small company, but when you have tens of > thousands of people working with you, the sysadmins do much less > mechanical work, hence the need for a small range of tools. Correct. The smaller the site, the more you would be likely to need to be a generalist (including hardware), and vice-versa. -- Brad Knowles, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755 LOPSA member since December 2005. See . From holland at guidancetech.com Sat Feb 4 16:59:50 2006 From: holland at guidancetech.com (Rich Holland) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 19:59:50 -0500 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <000301c629ef$7a816220$6500a8c0@hackintosh> >> ... http://www.harborfreight.com and > > Cool. I'll need to buy a number of replacement tools when I move > to the US,so I'll want to keep companies like this in mind. Just remember, you get what you pay for. Most of their stuff is made in China by the cheapest bidder. If you have a small job or a one-off, they're a great source for cheap tools. I don't buy anything I intend or need to use long-term there though... Rich Holland Principal Consultant Guidance Technologies, Inc. Cell: 913-645-1950 From alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com Sat Feb 4 17:40:29 2006 From: alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com (Alvin Oga) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 17:40:29 -0800 (PST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <000301c629ef$7a816220$6500a8c0@hackintosh> Message-ID: On Sat, 4 Feb 2006, Rich Holland wrote: > >> ... http://www.harborfreight.com and > > Just remember, you get what you pay for. yup, you'd be better off buying real tools from craftsman or even kragen/autoparts stores harborfreight stuff breaks within say a month or 2 of heavy use - around here .. ( silicon valley ) .. if oyu want cheap tools, action surplus and surplus software has super cheap stuff and if you want better tools like xecelite(sp?) than go to other local hw distributor stores, even silly fries - and if you go to places to fixup work, having name brand tools does make a difference, esp when your tolls worked and theirs didn't because their cheap screwdriver bits was stripped one too many times - while you're at it have a 12" pipe to add extra torque to the itty bitty handles c ya alvin > Most of their stuff is made in > China by the cheapest bidder. If you have a small job or a one-off, they're > a great source for cheap tools. I don't buy anything I intend or need to > use long-term there though... > From bpm at idiom.com Sat Feb 4 17:41:13 2006 From: bpm at idiom.com (Breen Mullins) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 17:41:13 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060204095408.GA10615@Maggie.Linux-Consulting.com> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204095408.GA10615@Maggie.Linux-Consulting.com> Message-ID: <20060205014113.GA6485@idiom.com> On Sat, Feb 04, 2006 at 01:54:08AM -0800, Alvin Oga wrote: > - get a good known-to-be-working 4port or 8-port hub too... ^^^ And make sure it's really a hub - if you need to hang an analyzer on something, you don't want to be losing traffic to a switching chip. Breen -- Breen Mullins Menlo Park, California From harker at harker.com Sat Feb 4 22:59:31 2006 From: harker at harker.com (Robert Harker) Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2006 22:59:31 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. Message-ID: <200602050659.k156xVEf010376@auburnfw.harker.com> > Cable ties of various sizes. Need a temporary brake for the the > wheels on a rack. Put a wide tie around the base of the wheel > and pull tight. I am suprised that no one has mentioned a tie wrap gun. This tool automatically tightens and cuts tie wraps flush with head in one operation. They normally have a tension adjustment so you can cinch a tie wrap sung to very tight. If you are dressing the cables in a rack, this tool is the best way to trim the ends off the tie wraps. They range in price and niceness from cheap: http://www.jdr.com/interact/item.asp?itemno=TW-TOOL To expensive: http://cgi.ebay.com/Panduit-GS2B-tie-wrap-gun-MS90387-1-ty-wrap_W0QQitemZ7511660454QQcategoryZ66990QQcmdZViewItem Try it, you'll like it RLH Robert Harker From matt at conundrum.com Sun Feb 5 07:27:04 2006 From: matt at conundrum.com (Matt Pounsett) Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 10:27:04 -0500 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <95F920DB-BFCB-4BB6-B4D3-FDF665E6BAD2@conundrum.com> On 2006-Feb-03, at 20:59 , Robert Brockway wrote: > On Fri, 3 Feb 2006, Dave Hilton wrote: > >> Dan Foster's list is about as good as I've seen. I go heavy on >> non-metallic flashlights, cordless soldering pencil, chop sticks >> (yes, >> chop sticks - they are non-metallic and can reach into the smallest > > Along these lines,I recommend a small mirror. A mirror (preferably > one that can be extended away from you) is invaluable for seeing > behind badly positioned boxes to replug cables, etc. Small > "lipstick/makeup mirrors" are perfect for this. I have a dental mirror (actually, five of them, because they go missing) I picked up at a surplus store a few years ago. Absolutely essential, I find. Matt -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PGP.sig Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 186 bytes Desc: This is a digitally signed message part URL: From ulf at Alameda.net Sun Feb 5 10:39:20 2006 From: ulf at Alameda.net (Ulf Zimmermann) Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2006 10:39:20 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <200602050659.k156xVEf010376@auburnfw.harker.com> References: <200602050659.k156xVEf010376@auburnfw.harker.com> Message-ID: <20060205183920.GH75031@evil.alameda.net> On Sat, Feb 04, 2006 at 10:59:31PM -0800, Robert Harker wrote: > > Cable ties of various sizes. Need a temporary brake for the the > > wheels on a rack. Put a wide tie around the base of the wheel > > and pull tight. > > I am suprised that no one has mentioned a tie wrap gun. This tool automatically tightens and cuts tie wraps > flush with head in one operation. They normally have a tension adjustment > so you can cinch a tie wrap sung to very tight. If you are dressing the > cables in a rack, this tool is the best way to trim the ends off the tie > wraps. They range in price and niceness from cheap: > http://www.jdr.com/interact/item.asp?itemno=TW-TOOL > To expensive: > http://cgi.ebay.com/Panduit-GS2B-tie-wrap-gun-MS90387-1-ty-wrap_W0QQitemZ7511660454QQcategoryZ66990QQcmdZViewItem Most people I know are never using tie wraps, at least not for cables in a rack. Cables change all the time. Velcro is the way to go. -- Regards, Ulf. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ulf Zimmermann, 1525 Pacific Ave., Alameda, CA-94501, #: 510-865-0204 You can find my resume at: http://seven.Alameda.net/~ulf/resume.html From donal.cunningham at gmail.com Mon Feb 6 06:48:27 2006 From: donal.cunningham at gmail.com (Donal Cunningham) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 14:48:27 +0000 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> Message-ID: <14cd29d50602060648q10f818cu714174a8048db985@mail.gmail.com> One thing I picked up recently (thank you Uncle Ebay) was a 4-port 10/100 Mbps hub (no, not a switch - a Netgear DS104, for those who are interested). Useful for port sniffing. I know it's a bit much for a newhire, but useful for the more long-toothed sysadmin/network engineer. Also handy; some 15cm long Velcro strips (they stick nicely to the lining of my toolkit) and a cage nut tool. I *like* my fingers, I really do; the cage nut tool (a shim, really) that comes with Dell racks I have found to be particularly good. If you're in the fibre end of things, a Fibre Swiper (mine came with a Juniper) is small and handy - a lot more so than a full Kletop cleaner. D. From hilton at entelos.com Mon Feb 6 09:27:34 2006 From: hilton at entelos.com (Dave Hilton) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 09:27:34 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. Message-ID: Jennifer, For a project like this - I would actually learn how to use a Wiki. Dave Hilton "The evil plan is to actually summarize up all the discussion into a list and then put it up on some website and then people can comment more on it and update as needed." From sigje at sigje.org Mon Feb 6 13:29:13 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 13:29:13 -0800 (PST) Subject: No subject Message-ID: First vmplayer.. now vmware server! Excellent! Dear VMware customer, As part of our strategy to make server virtualization universally accessible, VMware(R) today introduced VMware Server - a free virtualization product for Windows and Linux servers. For users new to server virtualization, VMware Server is a great way to start experiencing the benefits of virtualization. VMware Server is a robust yet easy-to-use product based on VMware’s proven hosted virtualization technology. With VMware Server, users can partition a physical server into multiple virtual machines in order to run multiple applications with different operating systems on the same server, evaluate new software, re-host legacy applications or leverage a wide variety of plug-and-play virtual appliances. [tl.gif] [tr.gif] “Offering VMware Server for free will bring VMware’s proven virtualization technology to a wider audience, allowing companies to achieve the benefits of virtualization, such as cost reductions and flexible server provisioning.” Craig Liess Server Administrator Central Transport From guy at extragalactic.net Tue Feb 7 09:41:33 2006 From: guy at extragalactic.net (Guy B. Purcell) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 09:41:33 -0800 Subject: Google Ops Presentation and Meeting Formats In-Reply-To: References: <43da9b77.2dd5d3b6.5e3c.ffffaae4@mx.gmail.com> <8772413951275d5e9d897b42882c2eda@drinktomi.com> Message-ID: <133D945E-761F-4773-8978-C79C19D3F3F0@extragalactic.net> On Jan 30, 2006, at 11:17, Jennifer Davis wrote: > Would an announcement at the beginning of the meeting help? > "Please be aware that although your question may be really of > interest to you, if it doesn't have anything to do with the topic > please hold it til the speaker is taking questions at the end or in > the time after the meeting where people can talk to the speaker." > > Should there be a notice of some sort to the meeting RSVP? or on > the website? I say it can't hurt to put it in both places--communication is a good thing. -Guy From cat at reptiles.org Tue Feb 7 09:55:03 2006 From: cat at reptiles.org (Cat Okita) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 12:55:03 -0500 (EST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <14cd29d50602060648q10f818cu714174a8048db985@mail.gmail.com> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> <14cd29d50602060648q10f818cu714174a8048db985@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20060207125221.O48561@skink.reptiles.org> On Mon, 6 Feb 2006, Donal Cunningham wrote: > One thing I picked up recently (thank you Uncle Ebay) was a 4-port 10/100 > Mbps hub (no, not a switch - a Netgear DS104, for those who are > interested). Useful for port sniffing. I know it's a bit much for a > newhire, but useful for the more long-toothed sysadmin/network engineer. I'm rather annoyed that mine has grown legs and walked. I'm still waiting for a replacement... It's not exactly a tool, but I carry cliff bars and/or luna bars with my tools. It's infinitely better to have -something- you can snack on when you're stuck in the datacenter for hours[0]... Speaking of the datacenter, I've taken to bringing one of the foam pads that you use to sit/kneel on while gardening. It's infinitely nicer on the behind than sitting right on the floor tiles - ditto if you're stuck working at an awkward angle, and need to lean. cheers! [0] ... and when I remember, a fleece ========================================================================== "A cat spends her life conflicted between a deep, passionate and profound desire for fish and an equally deep, passionate and profound desire to avoid getting wet. This is the defining metaphor of my life right now." From rskiadmin at chycoski.com Tue Feb 7 10:06:29 2006 From: rskiadmin at chycoski.com (Richard Chycoski) Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 10:06:29 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060207125221.O48561@skink.reptiles.org> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> <14cd29d50602060648q10f818cu714174a8048db985@mail.gmail.com> <20060207125221.O48561@skink.reptiles.org> Message-ID: <43E8E1A5.1080304@chycoski.com> Cat Okita wrote: > It's not exactly a tool, but I carry cliff bars and/or luna bars with > my tools. It's infinitely better to have -something- you can snack on > when you're stuck in the datacenter for hours[0]... > If you get caught with food or drink in our Data Centres, you may no longer have DC access... and yes, we post signs on the doors. (:-) > Speaking of the datacenter, I've taken to bringing one of the foam > pads that you use to sit/kneel on while gardening. It's infinitely > nicer on the behind than sitting right on the floor tiles - ditto if > you're stuck working at an awkward angle, and need to lean. > > cheers! > [0] ... and when I remember, a fleece I'll second that - having become hypothermic to the point of being unable to type (or think) when working at a console located right near a large air conditioner 'strategically placed' to refrigerate the row of PDP11s and anyone who worked on them. (:-) - Richard From cat at reptiles.org Tue Feb 7 10:08:28 2006 From: cat at reptiles.org (Cat Okita) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 13:08:28 -0500 (EST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <43E8E1A5.1080304@chycoski.com> References: <20060204004747.GA16075@catbert.org> <20060204063656.GC20628@starshine.org> <43E4D91C.7090906@chycoski.com> <14cd29d50602060648q10f818cu714174a8048db985@mail.gmail.com> <20060207125221.O48561@skink.reptiles.org> <43E8E1A5.1080304@chycoski.com> Message-ID: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Richard Chycoski wrote: >> It's not exactly a tool, but I carry cliff bars and/or luna bars with >> my tools. It's infinitely better to have -something- you can snack on >> when you're stuck in the datacenter for hours[0]... >> > If you get caught with food or drink in our Data Centres, you may no longer > have DC access... and yes, we post signs on the doors. (:-) Heh. No - not for consumption -in- the datacenter. That's almost never worth the hassle. That'd be "step out of the freezer for 5, eat something, hydrate[0], and then get back to work". > I'll second that - having become hypothermic to the point of being unable to > type (or think) when working at a console located right near a large air > conditioner 'strategically placed' to refrigerate the row of PDP11s and > anyone who worked on them. (:-) Heh. Indeed. cheers! [0] ... and it's -really- easy to get badly dehydrated in the datacenter ========================================================================== "A cat spends her life conflicted between a deep, passionate and profound desire for fish and an equally deep, passionate and profound desire to avoid getting wet. This is the defining metaphor of my life right now." From cos at indeterminate.net Tue Feb 7 11:21:50 2006 From: cos at indeterminate.net (John Costello) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 11:21:50 -0800 (PST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> Message-ID: On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Cat Okita wrote: > [0] ... and it's -really- easy to get badly dehydrated in the datacenter Ear plugs. It isn't so bad in the small server rooms (10x10), but after half an hour in a large DC my ears are ringing. ----- John Costello - cos at indeterminate dot net From jac at panix.com Tue Feb 7 12:40:52 2006 From: jac at panix.com (John Clear) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 12:40:52 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> Message-ID: <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 11:21:50AM -0800, John Costello wrote: > On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Cat Okita wrote: > > [0] ... and it's -really- easy to get badly dehydrated in the datacenter > > Ear plugs. It isn't so bad in the small server rooms (10x10), but after > half an hour in a large DC my ears are ringing. I use clam shell style ear muffs anytime I'm in my data centers. My main data center is just uncomfortably loud, my other one makes your ears ring after just a few seconds in the room. Conversation is still possible, since the ear muffs dont block out much in the voice range, and even without hearing protection, you need to shout to be heard over the noise. I've looked into active hearing protection a bit, but most of what I've found is geared toward lower frequency construction type noise, and not the higher frequency fans and such that you find in a data center. Anybody find any good active hearing protection, preferably something that lets you hook up a cell phone to it? John From rskiadmin at chycoski.com Tue Feb 7 12:55:55 2006 From: rskiadmin at chycoski.com (Richard Chycoski) Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 12:55:55 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> References: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> Message-ID: <43E9095B.1060200@chycoski.com> I have a pair of custom molded 'Noise Brakers'. They have a little valve in them that lets the pressure equalise and makes it possible to hold a conversation (although not as transparent as noise reducing headphones, you're right that the latter are useless in a DC). I got them at Sears (in Canada) in the hearing aid department, but this was many years ago. I don't know if Sears still does this (in Canada or the US), but you might try suppliers of hearing aids or industrial ear protection. They're not quite as effective as full ear muffs, but they are very good. They're also translucent and relatively unobtrusive - e.g., if you want to sleep through a meeting... (:-) Also - remember to relax as much as possible when they're taking the mold, which involves pouring a compound called 'Audilin' (I think) into your ear. I had to have one ear redone because of fit, mostly because I had clenched my jaw too much when the mold was made. It's not at all painful, just strange to have cold wet molding compound in your ear... - Richard John Clear wrote: >On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 11:21:50AM -0800, John Costello wrote: > > >>On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Cat Okita wrote: >> >> >>>[0] ... and it's -really- easy to get badly dehydrated in the datacenter >>> >>> >>Ear plugs. It isn't so bad in the small server rooms (10x10), but after >>half an hour in a large DC my ears are ringing. >> >> > >I use clam shell style ear muffs anytime I'm in my data centers. >My main data center is just uncomfortably loud, my other one makes >your ears ring after just a few seconds in the room. Conversation >is still possible, since the ear muffs dont block out much in the >voice range, and even without hearing protection, you need to shout >to be heard over the noise. > >I've looked into active hearing protection a bit, but most of what >I've found is geared toward lower frequency construction type noise, >and not the higher frequency fans and such that you find in a data >center. > >Anybody find any good active hearing protection, preferably something >that lets you hook up a cell phone to it? > >John > > From hans.jacobsen at gmail.com Tue Feb 7 14:11:55 2006 From: hans.jacobsen at gmail.com (Hans Jacobsen) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 14:11:55 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> References: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> Message-ID: <781c83e0602071411w4744c799xb0759ef5db3585db@mail.gmail.com> I strongly recommend noise cancellation headphones for a noisy datacenter -- it greatly reduced my noise/stress level from days of datacenter work. I even rigged 'em up to work with my cell phone - cell phone mini-jack to "normal" minijack to splitter (microphone/mono speaker) -- plugged in a noise cancellation mike and my noise cancellation headphones and had actually conversations from a noisy datacenter. The headphones actually help keep you warm too. -hej On 2/7/06, John Clear wrote: > On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 11:21:50AM -0800, John Costello wrote: > > On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Cat Okita wrote: > > > [0] ... and it's -really- easy to get badly dehydrated in the datacenter > > > > Ear plugs. It isn't so bad in the small server rooms (10x10), but after > > half an hour in a large DC my ears are ringing. > > I use clam shell style ear muffs anytime I'm in my data centers. > My main data center is just uncomfortably loud, my other one makes > your ears ring after just a few seconds in the room. Conversation > is still possible, since the ear muffs dont block out much in the > voice range, and even without hearing protection, you need to shout > to be heard over the noise. > > I've looked into active hearing protection a bit, but most of what > I've found is geared toward lower frequency construction type noise, > and not the higher frequency fans and such that you find in a data > center. > > Anybody find any good active hearing protection, preferably something > that lets you hook up a cell phone to it? > > John > From bob at sutterfields.us Tue Feb 7 21:22:19 2006 From: bob at sutterfields.us (Bob Sutterfield) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 21:22:19 -0800 Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <781c83e0602071411w4744c799xb0759ef5db3585db@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> I bought a pair of relatively cheap ($35) Panasonic noise-canceling headphones. They don't do much good in an open office but they're wonderful in a data center with its steady noise. Don't even need to have them plugged into a music source, just turn on the cancellation circuit (2xAAA power lasts all night) and the fan noise drops into the background. Even without music that's a great stress reducer. My Panasonics have a muff style but they still sit on the ear. There are some newer earbud-style noise-canceling sets. And the fancy Bose (and others) completely enclose the ear. What to choose? Anything that completely encloses the ear will be more efficient and effective than a design that fits on or in the ear, because the muffling will passively eliminate a big part of the sound. And it keeps your ears warmer too :-) From marco at escape.org Tue Feb 7 22:10:06 2006 From: marco at escape.org (Marco Nicosia) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 22:10:06 -0800 Subject: [baylisa] RE: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com>; from bob@sutterfields.us on Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 09:22:19PM -0800 References: <781c83e0602071411w4744c799xb0759ef5db3585db@mail.gmail.com> <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20060207221006.W826@escape.org> I'd like to add to the chorus of endorsements for noise-cancelling headphones! A few years ago, I used to spend very, very long hours in a large datacenter. The constant noise was really getting to me. I bought a pair of Sony MDR-NC20s (discontinued, now MDR-NC50) and they made life in the datacenter MUCH nicer. I agree with below that over-the-ear not only does a better job of sealing off noise, but keeps your ears warmer as well. I find that my ears need to adjust to new headphones. Wearing them for long periods of time will hurt initially, but that goes away. -- Marco Bob Sutterfield (bob at sutterfields.us) wrote: > I bought a pair of relatively cheap ($35) Panasonic noise-canceling > headphones. They don't do much good in an open office but they're wonderful > in a data center with its steady noise. Don't even need to have them > plugged into a music source, just turn on the cancellation circuit (2xAAA > power lasts all night) and the fan noise drops into the background. Even > without music that's a great stress reducer. > > My Panasonics have a muff style but they still sit on the ear. There are > some newer earbud-style noise-canceling sets. And the fancy Bose (and > others) completely enclose the ear. What to choose? Anything that > completely encloses the ear will be more efficient and effective than a > design that fits on or in the ear, because the muffling will passively > eliminate a big part of the sound. And it keeps your ears warmer too :-) _______________________________________________________________________ Marco E. Nicosia | http://www.escape.org/~marco/ | marco at escape.org From jimd at starshine.org Tue Feb 7 22:08:12 2006 From: jimd at starshine.org (Jim Dennis) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 22:08:12 -0800 Subject: VWware Quakes in Fear In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20060208060812.GB27392@starshine.org> On Mon, Feb 06, 2006 at 01:29:13PM -0800, Jennifer Davis wrote: > First vmplayer.. now vmware server! Excellent! ... and forwarded the following spam to the list: > Dear VMware customer, > As part of our strategy to make server virtualization universally > accessible, VMware(R) today introduced VMware Server - a free > virtualization product for Windows and Linux servers. My opinion of this should be pretty obvious. VMware Inc. is quaking in their boots at the threat of Xen combined with the new generation of VMX/VT-x (Vanderpool) and Pacifica chips which provide the hardware virtualization support that Xen needs to host non-co-operating (unmodified) operating systems. They are pushing a "free" (gratis) product as a desperate measure to stem the tide while the free (libre) community effort is ready to soak up all of their marketshare. Personally I haven't see that the Xen product has the polish for widespread end customer use. Xensource needs to provide some nice GUI tools for "those people." Meanwhile VMWare Inc.'s concerns are well founded; there customer service reputation seems to be pretty bad --- so customers are desperate to get away from them for non-technical as well as non-fiscal reasons. (BTW: "free" means something like "free for personal use." I think companies need to make arrangements with VMware, Inc. in order to distribute the server, even in-house. In other words, I could download it and use it; but I can't make it part of our build image for all the new machines without talking to them. As always read the licensing terms yourself and/or consult your own corporate counsel before doing anything with this). -- Jim Dennis From stripes at tigerlair.com Wed Feb 8 06:56:44 2006 From: stripes at tigerlair.com (stripes) Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 09:56:44 -0500 Subject: VWware Quakes in Fear In-Reply-To: <20060208060812.GB27392@starshine.org>; from jimd@starshine.org on Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 10:08:12PM -0800 References: <20060208060812.GB27392@starshine.org> Message-ID: <20060208095644.B19941@tigerlair.com> I hate to tell you this, but Xen is NOT the reason they did this. It's Microsoft. -Anne On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 10:08:12PM -0800, Jim Dennis wrote: > On Mon, Feb 06, 2006 at 01:29:13PM -0800, Jennifer Davis wrote: > > > First vmplayer.. now vmware server! Excellent! > > ... and forwarded the following spam to the list: > > > Dear VMware customer, > > > As part of our strategy to make server virtualization universally > > accessible, VMware(R) today introduced VMware Server - a free > > virtualization product for Windows and Linux servers. > > My opinion of this should be pretty obvious. VMware Inc. is > quaking in their boots at the threat of Xen combined with the > new generation of VMX/VT-x (Vanderpool) and Pacifica chips which > provide the hardware virtualization support that Xen needs to > host non-co-operating (unmodified) operating systems. > > They are pushing a "free" (gratis) product as a desperate measure > to stem the tide while the free (libre) community effort is ready to > soak up all of their marketshare. > > Personally I haven't see that the Xen product has the polish for > widespread end customer use. Xensource needs to provide some nice > GUI tools for "those people." Meanwhile VMWare Inc.'s concerns > are well founded; there customer service reputation seems to be pretty > bad --- so customers are desperate to get away from them for > non-technical as well as non-fiscal reasons. > > (BTW: "free" means something like "free for personal use." > I think companies need to make arrangements with VMware, Inc. > in order to distribute the server, even in-house. In other words, > I could download it and use it; but I can't make it part of our build > image for all the new machines without talking to them. As always read > the licensing terms yourself and/or consult your own corporate counsel > before doing anything with this). > > -- > Jim Dennis > -- I get plenty of exercise- jumping (\`--/') _ _______ .-r-. to conclusions, pushing my luck, >.~.\ `` ` `,`,`. ,'_'~`. and dodging deadlines. -Anonymous (v_," ; `,-\ ; : ; \/,-~) \ stripes at tigerlair dot com `--'_..),-/ ' ' '_.>-' )`.`.__.') stripes at brickbox dot com ((,((,__..'~~~~~~((,__..' `-..-'fL From allan at cookie.org Wed Feb 8 12:40:09 2006 From: allan at cookie.org (Allan West) Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:40:09 -0500 Subject: [SAGE] Re: [baylisa] RE: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060207221006.W826@escape.org> References: <781c83e0602071411w4744c799xb0759ef5db3585db@mail.gmail.com> <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> <20060207221006.W826@escape.org> Message-ID: <43EA5729.7060501@cookie.org> Marco Nicosia wrote: > I'd like to add to the chorus of endorsements for noise-cancelling > headphones! A few years ago, I used to spend very, very long hours > in a large datacenter. The constant noise was really getting to me. > I bought a pair of Sony MDR-NC20s (discontinued, now MDR-NC50) and > they made life in the datacenter MUCH nicer. > > I agree with below that over-the-ear not only does a better job of > sealing off noise, but keeps your ears warmer as well. I find that > my ears need to adjust to new headphones. Wearing them for long > periods of time will hurt initially, but that goes away. I'm very curious, does your reference to hurting mean an ache inside the ear? I had some NCT noise-cancelling headphones, but they gave me a pressure headache when I wore them, so I stopped after about a week. I was concerned that while I couldn't perceive sound, the pressure might be causing my ears damage. I now wear custom fit earplugs inside my ears instead, and they are very comfortable while taking the edge off the background noise. Thanks, Allan > -- Marco > > Bob Sutterfield (bob at sutterfields.us) wrote: > >>I bought a pair of relatively cheap ($35) Panasonic noise-canceling >>headphones. They don't do much good in an open office but they're wonderful >>in a data center with its steady noise. Don't even need to have them >>plugged into a music source, just turn on the cancellation circuit (2xAAA >>power lasts all night) and the fan noise drops into the background. Even >>without music that's a great stress reducer. >> >>My Panasonics have a muff style but they still sit on the ear. There are >>some newer earbud-style noise-canceling sets. And the fancy Bose (and >>others) completely enclose the ear. What to choose? Anything that >>completely encloses the ear will be more efficient and effective than a >>design that fits on or in the ear, because the muffling will passively >>eliminate a big part of the sound. And it keeps your ears warmer too :-) > > _______________________________________________________________________ > Marco E. Nicosia | http://www.escape.org/~marco/ | marco at escape.org From brad at stop.mail-abuse.org Wed Feb 8 13:13:26 2006 From: brad at stop.mail-abuse.org (Brad Knowles) Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 22:13:26 +0100 Subject: [SAGE] Re: [baylisa] RE: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <43EA5729.7060501@cookie.org> References: <781c83e0602071411w4744c799xb0759ef5db3585db@mail.gmail.com> <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> <20060207221006.W826@escape.org> <43EA5729.7060501@cookie.org> Message-ID: At 3:40 PM -0500 2006-02-08, Allan West wrote: > I now wear custom fit earplugs inside my ears instead, and they are > very comfortable while taking the edge off the background noise. I've got some closed-cell soft foam earplugs that I always buy whenever I'm down at Walgreen's Pharmacy (they usually come on cards in packs of eight), and they have a Noise Reduction Rating of 33 decibels. That's the highest NRR I've seen on any hearing protection device, and I've been very glad to have them -- my wife and I both snore quite loudly. I've used them successfully on airplanes and trains, and they've worked quite well to block out the various noises. Shure E5c in-earphones also work quite well to block out external noises, while providing two high-power drivers for extremely accurate audio reproduction. These are the same model as used by many professional singers and stage performers -- my parents like Kenny Chesney and I was watching a live concert with them on TV, when I noticed he was wearing the same model himself. Of course, they go with custom fitted plugs and not the standard soft silicone that ships with the earphones, but I'm happy with what I've got. About the only better headphones on the market are the Ultimate Ear UE-10s, which have three drivers. IIRC, they can only be had with custom fitted earplugs (usually in a skin tone color), which is why I prefer the Shure E5c instead. I have worn over-the-head earmuffs when firing various weapons down on the shooting range, but I don't know what their respective NRR is. My experience so far is that I would take the soft foam in-earplugs (from Walgreens) over anything else. -- Brad Knowles, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755 LOPSA member since December 2005. See . From bill at wards.net Thu Feb 9 01:45:07 2006 From: bill at wards.net (Bill Ward) Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 01:45:07 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] Re: [baylisa] RE: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: References: <781c83e0602071411w4744c799xb0759ef5db3585db@mail.gmail.com> <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> <20060207221006.W826@escape.org> <43EA5729.7060501@cookie.org> Message-ID: <3d2fe1780602090145g4b505fcdqb4f4156a08a3be3d@mail.gmail.com> One more for the toolchest - velcro straps from http://www.fastenation.com/ From sigje at sigje.org Fri Feb 10 11:02:31 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 11:02:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: BayLISA General Meeting - Venue Change!! - Feb 16 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: BayLISA's February General Meeting When: Feb 16, 2006 Where: De Anza 3 Auditorium 10500 N De Anza Blvd Cupertino CA RSVP: http://www.mollyguard.com/event/23347834 Topics: Info Integrity: Global Policy and Compliance for Secure Messaging Learn about current security and business requirements and the technical resources to secure email, and enforce policies. John Veizades, Mirapoint Network/Application Troubleshooting methodology with case studies and a focus on Voice over IP. Packet Sniffing, and how to analyze the mass of data! Bo Han, Clearsight Networks Pizza and Beer bash sponsored by Mirapoint! Join us after the meeting to network. Meeting starts promptly at 7:30pm. From david at catwhisker.org Sat Feb 11 08:30:00 2006 From: david at catwhisker.org (David Wolfskill) Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 08:30:00 -0800 Subject: Radia Perlman cited as "Mother of the Internet" Message-ID: <20060211163000.GW94023@bunrab.catwhisker.org> For those who don't get ACM's TechNews clipping service, I thought this item might be interesting, since Radia spoke at one of our meetings not too long ago. ----- Forwarded message from TechNews ----- Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 12:54:06 -0500 From: TechNews Subject: ACM TechNews; Friday, February 10, 2006 To: TECHNEWS at LISTSERV.ACM.ORG Read the TechNews Online at: http://technews.acm.org (c) 2006 INFORMATION, INC. This service may be reproduced for internal distribution. ACM TechNews; Friday, February 10, 2006 ... ******************** News Stories ************************ ... "The 'Mother' of the Internet" Investor's Business Daily (02/09/06) P. A4; Barlas, Peter Radia Perlman says when she proposed a solution for routing information to a group of vendors in the mid 1970s, she was largely ignored, due mainly to her gender. But Perlman, now a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems, was not to be deterred. Though she frequently found her audiences dismissive over the years, Perlman's spanning tree algorithm, which helps direct network traffic, became so embedded in the Internet's structure that she has been dubbed the "Mother of the Internet." Any time a user searches through an engine such as Google, Perlman's algorithm forms a sort of road map to navigate the Internet. "What Radia did was to put the basic traffic rules into place so it was possible to drive from one point to another without hopelessly getting lost or driving in circles," said Sun CTO Greg Papadopoulos. Perlman attended MIT and took her first paying job teaching programming to children at one of the school's labs. She has always taken a mathematical approach to linking information among computers, describing concrete numbers as a way to cut through the syntactical denseness of computer language. A manager for Digital Equipment watched Perlman's vendor presentation, and offered her a job. Starting at Digital in 1980, she immediately solved the information exchange problem that had confounded the engineering team for months. Despite her field experience, Perlman continued her education and earned a Ph.D. in computer science from MIT in 1988. She has worked at Novell and then Sun, where she developed software that shored up the routing of simple multicast systems, keeping a site running when it is bombarded by traffic. For the past few years Perlman has also taught at the University of Washington and Harvard, as well as written articles and books. For information about ACM's Committee on Women and Computing, visit http://www.acm.org/women http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=21&issue=20060208 ... ----- End forwarded message ----- Peace, david -- David H. Wolfskill david at catwhisker.org Mail filters, like sewers, need to be most restrictive at the point of entry. See http://www.catwhisker.org/~david/publickey.gpg for my public key. From vraptor at employees.org Tue Feb 14 15:46:28 2006 From: vraptor at employees.org (vraptor at employees.org) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 15:46:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <43E9095B.1060200@chycoski.com> References: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> <43E9095B.1060200@chycoski.com> Message-ID: <20060214153227.X83060@willers.employees.org> On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Richard Chycoski wrote: > I have a pair of custom molded 'Noise Brakers'. They have a little valve in > them that lets the pressure equalise and makes it possible to hold a > conversation (although not as transparent as noise reducing headphones, > you're right that the latter are useless in a DC). > > They're not quite as effective as full ear muffs, but they are very good. > They're also translucent and relatively unobtrusive - e.g., if you want to > sleep through a meeting... (:-) > > Also - remember to relax as much as possible when they're taking the mold, > which involves pouring a compound called 'Audilin' (I think) into your > ear. I had to have one ear redone because of fit, mostly because I had > clenched my jaw too much when the mold was made. It's not at all > painful, just strange to have cold wet molding compound in your ear... You can get the low-end version of these made for about $50 at any gun show. They are made of a catalyst/silicon mixture and set up in about 10-15 minutes (and you're supposed to wiggle your jaw and swallow while the silicon is setting, Richard ;-). They are quite good if you get them without strings for putting under your motorcycle helmet. You can also go with more high-end versions. Some are very similar to the active noise-cancelling ear muffs, only an in-ear version. They can also be built to act as "monitors" for radios and other communication systems, or with just your normal 3.5mm stereo plug with headphones. Of late, I've been using silicon-flanged in-ear headphones with my iPod (Apple, Sony, Shure, various brands--I have Sony's and Apple's) pretty much all the time. I ride public transit out here on the right coast, and these help keep me from going bonkers from the noise/ people (hazards of being an introvert). They also are quite useful in the datacenter, since companies seem ignore the OSHA requirements for ear protection in enviro's above 80-85db. I guess they get away with it because we are (usually) only in there for short periods of time. I can point people to a number of hearing protection resources if there's interest, or email me privately. I used to make the low- end custom molded earplugs on the side. =Nadine= From vraptor at employees.org Tue Feb 14 16:03:33 2006 From: vraptor at employees.org (vraptor at employees.org) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:03:33 -0800 (PST) Subject: System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> References: <43e98017.77ddcfec.5faf.5020@mx.gmail.com> Message-ID: <20060214154706.Q83060@willers.employees.org> On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Bob Sutterfield wrote: > My Panasonics have a muff style but they still sit on the ear. There are > some newer earbud-style noise-canceling sets. And the fancy Bose (and > others) completely enclose the ear. What to choose? Anything that > completely encloses the ear will be more efficient and effective than a > design that fits on or in the ear, because the muffling will passively > eliminate a big part of the sound. And it keeps your ears warmer too :-) >From the data I've seen this isn't the case. At the high-end, the Bose Quiet Comfort (retail $299) only blocks between 17db and 30db, varying by frequency. Low-end "active" noise cancelling headphones do much more poorly. On the other hand, the low-end Shure E2c ($99) in-ear headphone blocks 20db-44db, also varying by frequency. My review of specs for the active vs. in-ear headphones was similar among the low-hanging fruit as well, which is why I went with in-ear blocking headphones vs. active noise re- duction. Of course, some folks don't like stuff being put in their ears--I had to deal with a lot of that when I was making them. So, YMMV. If I were going for higher-end in-ear headphones in a price- range similar to the Bose, I'd be choosing Shure or Etymotic Research. Though, at those prices, you'd might as well bite the bullet and cough up another bill or two and buy musician's monitors. =Nadine= From rskiadmin at chycoski.com Tue Feb 14 16:18:14 2006 From: rskiadmin at chycoski.com (Richard Chycoski) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 16:18:14 -0800 Subject: [SAGE] System Administrator Tool chest.. In-Reply-To: <20060214153227.X83060@willers.employees.org> References: <20060207130657.H48561@skink.reptiles.org> <20060207204051.GA1681@panix.com> <43E9095B.1060200@chycoski.com> <20060214153227.X83060@willers.employees.org> Message-ID: <43F27346.6020402@chycoski.com> vraptor at employees.org wrote: > > > On Tue, 7 Feb 2006, Richard Chycoski wrote: > >> I have a pair of custom molded 'Noise Brakers'. They have a little >> valve in them that lets the pressure equalise and makes it possible >> to hold a conversation (although not as transparent as noise reducing >> headphones, you're right that the latter are useless in a DC). >> >> They're not quite as effective as full ear muffs, but they are very >> good. They're also translucent and relatively unobtrusive - e.g., if >> you want to sleep through a meeting... (:-) >> >> Also - remember to relax as much as possible when they're taking the >> mold, which involves pouring a compound called 'Audilin' (I think) >> into your ear. I had to have one ear redone because of fit, mostly >> because I had clenched my jaw too much when the mold was made. It's >> not at all painful, just strange to have cold wet molding compound in >> your ear... > > > You can get the low-end version of these made for about $50 at any gun > show. They are made of a catalyst/silicon mixture and set up in about > 10-15 minutes (and you're supposed to wiggle your jaw and swallow > while the silicon is setting, Richard ;-). If you do that with the molding compound they used for the NoiseBrakers, you got poorly fitting earplugs. When I went in for the re-mold, they told me to relax the muscles in my jaw and around my ears, and the second mold was excellent! It may have been that I had clenched my jaw too much the first time, and perhaps jaw movement (as opposed to fairly continuous clenching :-) would have worked too. This may work differently with different molding compounds - they used 'Audilin' for my molds, then sent them to Oregon to build the final plugs that contained the valves. I still have them, and they still work quite well - 30 years later - although the fit is no longer quite as perfect as when I first used them. Apparently ears do grow a little as we get older. (:-) > > They are quite good if you get them without strings for putting under > your motorcycle helmet. You can also go with more high-end versions. > Some are very similar to the active noise-cancelling ear muffs, only > an in-ear version. They can also be built to act as "monitors" for > radios and other communication systems, or with just your normal 3.5mm > stereo plug with headphones. > > Of late, I've been using silicon-flanged in-ear headphones with my > iPod (Apple, Sony, Shure, various brands--I have Sony's and Apple's) > pretty much all the time. I ride public transit out here on the right > coast, and these help keep me from going bonkers from the noise/ > people (hazards of being an introvert). They also are quite useful in > the datacenter, since companies seem ignore the OSHA requirements for > ear protection in enviro's above 80-85db. I guess they get away with > it because we are (usually) only in there for short periods of time. Try measuring the noise with 'A' and 'C' weightings - they did this in our DC many years ago and although the 'A' weighted noise level was within acceptable limits (at the time), the 'C' weighting (basically, full spectrum) was through the roof! The problem was that the noise components of the disk drives (pre-Winchester technology with *LOTS* of hissing air) were mostly at the high end of the spectrum, which 'A' weighting ignores. Unfortunately, ear damage doesn't necessarily follow an 'A'-weighted (middle of the spectrum) scale. Our managment was kind enough to supply the hearing protection even though they weren't absolutely required to by the 'letter of the law'. Radio Shack sells a relatively inexpensive analog sound level meter with both 'A' and 'C' weighting, if you want to check out your environment (or align your home theatre :-). > > I can point people to a number of hearing protection resources if > there's interest, or email me privately. I used to make the low- > end custom molded earplugs on the side. > > =Nadine= - Richard From sigje at sigje.org Thu Feb 16 02:00:16 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 02:00:16 -0800 (PST) Subject: Feb BayLISA meeting - Tonight, Feb 16, 2006! Message-ID: Where: De Anza 3 Auditorium (park in the back, as the auditorium is in the back part of the building!) When: 7:30pm SHARP What: BayLISA General Feb meeting, Info Integrity, and Troubleshooting via case studies Pizza and Beer bash following the meeting sponsored by Mirapoint. RSVP http://www.mollyguard.com/event/23347834 for either the Meeting only or the Meeting and Pizza/Beer bash. (Click on Order from that page, and fill out the form.) If you are looking for a job, please bring resumes! O'Reilly books available for review! From sigje at sigje.org Thu Feb 16 11:54:58 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:54:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: BayLISA General Meeting - Venue Change!! - Feb 16 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Don't forget! The venue has changed for tonight's meeting. We are meeting in De Anza 3 Auditorium. RSVP for the Pizza/Beer Bash afterwards sponsored by Mirapoint! http://www.mollyguard.com/event/23347834 NEXT WEEK! Tom Limoncelli will be presenting his Time Management for Sys Admins talk at Google - Building 42, 2nd floor, in the Tech Talk space There are _limited_ seats available RSVP here http://www.mollyguard.com/event/23853346 For those people who attended our last month special session, you know that Google sponsors the meeting with a great layout of food, and beverages. (My advice: Don't eat dinner. come hungry!) Time change (the website needs to be updated): 7pm. Yes, the meeting will START at 7pm. That means you can start showing up at Google for 6:30pm. O'Reilly has donated _5_ of Tom's most recent book "Time Management for Sysadmins" as well. How can you be a lucky recipient of one of these books? 1 - Send a short paragraph to blw@ with a real event that has happened in your life that you feel Tom's advice would have helped. 2 of the best answers (as determined by Tom) will receive a book 2 - If you are a BayLISA member proper send a request in that you are interested in this book.. We'll add you to the hat and 2 names will be drawn. 3 - Ask the most interesting _relevant_ question (as determined by Tom!) at the meeting. If there aren't 2 BayLISA members that are interested in the book.. then we will just have Tom hand out 3 books for good questions. You _must_ be at the meeting to "win" (unless you are a remote BayLISA member). Any questions.. direct them at blw at baylisa.org. From sigje at sigje.org Fri Feb 17 10:14:13 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 10:14:13 -0800 (PST) Subject: Upcoming Conference - Coordinated with USENIX In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hey folks, This isn't an event announcement so to speak, but more of a request to see what system/network/storage/security administrators want. April/May time frame BayLISA is putting together a low cost one day conference with USENIX and SAGE. I'm soliciting input from people to see what are the hot topics that you perceive as something you need/want to learn about. The plan is to do a LISA-like day specifically for the Bay area. If you haven't heard of LISA.. it's one of the few system administrator vendor neutral focused conferences held in late Fall, early Winter timeframe run by USENIX. This is an opportunity to actually have a voice in shaping a (hopefully) regular yearly event here in the Bay area that has all the professional aspects of being a conference run by experienced folks, with the quality and enthusiasm that comes from the community being involved. Thanks! Jennifer From nosibord at yahoo.com Fri Feb 17 13:10:18 2006 From: nosibord at yahoo.com (David Robison) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:10:18 -0800 (PST) Subject: Carpool from East.Bay to Yahoo on Saturday ? Message-ID: <20060217211018.64388.qmail@web53613.mail.yahoo.com> Is anyone driving to the workshop at Yahoo tomorrow from the upper East Bay (Berkeley, El Cerrito area)? I am willing to contribute gas $$ if you have a vehicle! Give me a call anytime tonight, or email before 3:30pm. (I am currently without email access after that time :( Dave Robison nosibord at yahoo.com 510-236-1924 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From cheselka at gmail.com Fri Feb 17 13:52:47 2006 From: cheselka at gmail.com (Michael Cheselka) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:52:47 -0800 Subject: Carpool from East.Bay to Yahoo on Saturday ? In-Reply-To: <20060217211018.64388.qmail@web53613.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20060217211018.64388.qmail@web53613.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3c6fb8810602171352s42f618c1g5ef832e1efbd1ad8@mail.gmail.com> Hello, I am in a similar situation. The earliest bus leaving Fairfield is at 7:33am and arrives at El Cerito Del Norte BART at 9:02am. By the time I do a transfer from BART to Caltrain and get to Sunnyvale it would be around noonish. Is anyone coming from Davis or Sacramento who could stop in Fairfield and pick me up? If some one is coming from the north East Bay could you combine David and me at El Cerito Del Norte BART station? Much Thanks! Mike On 2/17/06, David Robison wrote: > Is anyone driving to the workshop at Yahoo tomorrow from the upper > East Bay (Berkeley, El Cerrito area)? > I am willing to contribute gas $$ if you have a vehicle! > > Give me a call anytime tonight, or email before 3:30pm. (I am > currently without email access after that time :( > > Dave Robison > nosibord at yahoo.com > 510-236-1924 -- When in the Potemkin Wired be a Potemkin Lain. From bill at wards.net Wed Feb 22 11:41:22 2006 From: bill at wards.net (Bill Ward) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 11:41:22 -0800 Subject: PenLUG tomorrow!! Topic: PHP Message-ID: <3d2fe1780602221141i42f9d7f3y3918ef1e2575563a@mail.gmail.com> Hey everyone - sorry for the delay in getting out the announcement but we have a great meeting scheduled for tomorrow and I hope you can make it! WHO: Jack Herrington WHAT: PHP Application Development Fundamentals, with a few tips and tricks thrown in WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 23, 7-9pm WHERE: Open Country, 1301 Shoreway Rd Suite 211, Belmont, CA 94002 WHY: To learn and socialize with other fans of Linux and open source NEW LOCATION: Note that since last month we are now meeting at the offices of Open Country in Belmont, who are also graciously providing us with FREE FOOD and BEVERAGES so bring your appetite as well. NEW ROOM: We will be meeting in a new, larger room, in a different part of the building from last month. Be sure to pay attention to directions given at the entrance when you arrive. Our topic is "PHP" and the scheduled speaker is Jack Herrington, author of several books including "PHP Hacks" from O'Reilly. Jack says: "I'll cover the basics of PHP; how it works, the fundamentals of the syntax and the language design. Then I'll cover how to develop robust web applications using the built-in functions and objects, as well as libraries freely available through the PEAR network. Time will be left at the end of the presentation for questions and answers." Jack Herrington is an software engineer and author. He has written three books; Code Generation in Action, Podcasting Hacks and PHP Hacks. He writes a PHP series on IBM's Developerworks site, as well as articles on a variety of topics for other sources. He also podcasts for O'Reilly and edits the Code Generation Network. He lives in Union City, California with his wife Lori, daughter Megan, and dogs Oso and Sadie. In his spare time Jack reviews technology books and is ranked the #150 reviewer in the world on Amazon.com. RSVP: not required, but send a note to rsvp at penlug.org if you can, so we have an idea of how many people to expect. -- Help bring back the San Jose Earthquakes - http://www.soccersiliconvalley.com/ From ahorn at deorth.org Wed Feb 22 17:30:41 2006 From: ahorn at deorth.org (Alan Horn) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 17:30:41 -0800 (PST) Subject: Feb BayLISA special event TOMORROW @ google Message-ID: This is just a reminder about tomorrow evening's special event at google. Where : Google campus, building 42. When : 7pm SHARP Thursday February 23rd (tomorrow!) What : BayLISA special google event - Time management for sysadmins Tom Limoncelli presenting. Thanks, Alan From sigje at sigje.org Thu Feb 23 22:35:48 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 22:35:48 -0800 (PST) Subject: Time Management Seminar Message-ID: If you enjoyed the talk tonight (or missed it), we are planning on bringing Tom in for a Time Management Seminar on March 11. We are finalizing location, but you can RSVP now: http://www.mollyguard.com/event/24317735 This is a tutorial style talk, and will last from 11am-5pm and includes lunch. In order to compensate Tom for his time, we will be charging a small fee: $35 for BayLISA members, $55 for non-members. Jennifer From etraitel at gmail.com Fri Feb 24 10:38:06 2006 From: etraitel at gmail.com (Eyal Traitel) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:38:06 -0800 Subject: Need suggestions for cheap VPN solution In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: and while you're at it - Sonicwall TZ170. Eyal. On 2/24/06, Eyal Traitel wrote: > > Hi all ! > > I need to introduce connectivity between 2 sites - Sunnyvale and > Bangalore/India, and introduce remote access. > We'll need to be able to scale to 50 users. > I was suggested to look at Nokia boxes - would something like IP40 be a > good combined solution? > > Any tips will be welcomed. > > Eyal Traitel > Orchesys (www.orchesys.com) > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From etraitel at gmail.com Fri Feb 24 10:06:14 2006 From: etraitel at gmail.com (Eyal Traitel) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:06:14 -0800 Subject: Need suggestions for cheap VPN solution Message-ID: Hi all ! I need to introduce connectivity between 2 sites - Sunnyvale and Bangalore/India, and introduce remote access. We'll need to be able to scale to 50 users. I was suggested to look at Nokia boxes - would something like IP40 be a good combined solution? Any tips will be welcomed. Eyal Traitel Orchesys (www.orchesys.com) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sigje at sigje.org Fri Feb 24 12:01:02 2006 From: sigje at sigje.org (Jennifer Davis) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:01:02 -0800 (PST) Subject: BayLISA General Meeting - Mar 16 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: BayLISA's March General Meeting When: March 16, 2006 Where: Network Appliance Building 3 495 E Java Dr Sunnyvale CA 94089 RSVP: http://www.mollyguard.com/event/25445107 7:00 Meeting starts 7:15 IP Storage Today and Tomorrow Speaker: David Dale, Network Appliance iSCSI Evangelist and Chair of the SNIA IP Storage Forum 7:45 The Kilo-Client 1000 Host Swarm Speakers: Gregg Ferguson, Laboratory Administrator, and David Brown, Engineering Support Manager, of the NetApp Engineering Full abstract information available at http://www.mollyguard.com/event/25445107 As always BayLISA meetings are free and open to the public. Pizza and Beer provided by NetApp before the meeting. From jkavitsk at Brocade.COM Fri Feb 24 13:34:21 2006 From: jkavitsk at Brocade.COM (Jim Kavitsky) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 13:34:21 -0800 Subject: Need suggestions for cheap VPN solution Message-ID: <24BD2D5F3CEF4F4780606124741B481604ADEF4E@hq-ex-7.brocade.com> Depending on what you intend to use the connectivity for, a simple vpn solution may not be nearly sufficient. What type of applications are you going to be running across the link? We have two links to Bangalore from SJ. One is a VPN/Internet connection that is currently running at about 300-330 ms latency, and a dedicated MPLS line that is at about 265 ms. Latencies in this range will crush the performance of any chatty protocol. Examples of things that will suck wind at these latencies are NFS, CIFS, and most GUI's that are not specifically optimized for WAN connections. FTP transfers will be dramatically lengthened with respect to what you would normally expect from a given bandwidth, unless there is some tuning at the transport layer of things like the TCP transmit window. Media MTU mismatches along the way can cripple your performance as well, particularly if the ICMP "can't fragment" packets that would inform you of this problem are getting filtered at any step along the way. If you are attempting to maximize your development dollars by co-developing with offshore contractors, then skimping on the connectivity is going to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. I would absolutely recommend some type of WAN traffic accelerator in addition to whatever VPN solution you pick. Riverbed does this well. If you are going to be sharing filesystems across the WAN, it is going to be tough to beat (or to do without) a Wide Area Filesystem (WAF) solution. Tacit makes a good product to do this for CIFS and NFS. Disclaimer: Brocade (my employer) resells Tacit solutions. My advice would be to get yourself a WAN simulator, like the network nightmare box (link below), set it up on your local network, configure it to the performance characteristics of your WAN connection, and then test how your applications perform. You may not like the results at all. http://www.networknightmare.com/ Good luck with your offshore connectivity project. It is much more complicated than most people initially imagine, particularly with regard to security and the sharing of software resources once you get involved in co-development. We wound up having to install some fairly significant infrastructure in Bangalore in order to produce an acceptable remote development environment. -jimk _____ From: owner-baylisa at baylisa.org [mailto:owner-baylisa at baylisa.org] On Behalf Of Eyal Traitel Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 10:06 AM To: baylisa at baylisa.org Subject: Need suggestions for cheap VPN solution Hi all ! I need to introduce connectivity between 2 sites - Sunnyvale and Bangalore/India, and introduce remote access. We'll need to be able to scale to 50 users. I was suggested to look at Nokia boxes - would something like IP40 be a good combined solution? Any tips will be welcomed. Eyal Traitel Orchesys (www.orchesys.com) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jkavitsk at Brocade.COM Fri Feb 24 14:18:46 2006 From: jkavitsk at Brocade.COM (Jim Kavitsky) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 14:18:46 -0800 Subject: root nameserver issues Message-ID: <24BD2D5F3CEF4F4780606124741B481604ADEF4F@hq-ex-7.brocade.com> Here is an interesting read on the potential for government (or others) abuse of the root nameservers. Enjoy. http://www.cavebear.com/cbblog-archives/000232.html -jimk "You don't understand the POWAH of the root nameservers...." - Tall sysadmin in black body armor -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jesse at boldandbusted.com Fri Feb 24 18:29:21 2006 From: jesse at boldandbusted.com (Jesse Adelman) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 18:29:21 -0800 (PST) Subject: Need suggestions for cheap VPN solution In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060225022921.56653.qmail@web60712.mail.yahoo.com> OpenVPN is great. http://www.openvpn.net/. Open Source SSL VPN solution. I've set it up for a few clients, no complaints. Works well for point-to-point VPNs as well as Road Warriors (remote laptop users). Very diverse and robust client support (Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, etc.), single TCP or UDP port (no seperate protocol enabling and firewall swiss cheesing like with IPSec). Scales well, and is easily transferred to new hardware if you exceed the capabilities of a server box. Excellent documentation, too, and helpful mailing list. Have fun, Jesse Adelman Fun: http://www.ilikelinux.com/ Profit: http://www.boldandbusted.com/ P.S. Excellent presentation at Google yesterday from Tom Limoncelli. Neat to see Google, excellent Chicken and Apple Sausage and stuffed mushrooms, and not too many tangential questions ;). Thanks, BayLISA! :) --- Eyal Traitel wrote: > and while you're at it - Sonicwall TZ170. > > Eyal. > > > On 2/24/06, Eyal Traitel wrote: > > > > Hi all ! > > > > I need to introduce connectivity between 2 sites - Sunnyvale and > > Bangalore/India, and introduce remote access. > > We'll need to be able to scale to 50 users. > > I was suggested to look at Nokia boxes - would something like IP40 > be a > > good combined solution? > > > > Any tips will be welcomed. > > > > Eyal Traitel > > Orchesys (www.orchesys.com) > > > > > -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Jesse Adelman http://www.boldandbusted.com/ -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ From dannyman at toldme.com Fri Feb 24 20:21:25 2006 From: dannyman at toldme.com (Danny Howard) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 20:21:25 -0800 Subject: Need suggestions for cheap VPN solution In-Reply-To: <20060225022921.56653.qmail@web60712.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20060225022921.56653.qmail@web60712.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <2a5241e00602242021g13de42f2veb5111dc431cdedc@mail.gmail.com> On 2/24/06, Jesse Adelman wrote: > > P.S. Excellent presentation at Google yesterday from Tom Limoncelli. > Neat to see Google, excellent Chicken and Apple Sausage and stuffed > mushrooms, and not too many tangential questions ;). Thanks, BayLISA! > :) Yes, amen to all of that. -- http://dannyman.toldme.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com Fri Feb 24 21:34:12 2006 From: alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com (Alvin Oga) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 21:34:12 -0800 (PST) Subject: international domain names In-Reply-To: Message-ID: hi ya entertainment or info or annoyance or food for thought: - i know this doesn't have much to do with "admin" but, lets say the big-boss says go get acme. in each of the 130 - 200 TLDs .. geez .. - where does one go to register 1 domains in each of the various countries .. looking for the nic for each country will give your dozens or hundreds of registrars with no info about them i found domaininfo.com ... but they're charging 3x - 10x the normal fees :-) presumably for the convenience of registering an acct once and registering each domain from one page i'm using another (wrapping) registrar but they don't cover continents/countries adjacent to the pacific ocean and i've since found lots of scams too .. charging in excess of $1.50/$2.oo just to do a simple "whois" .. geez .. low enuff to be bothersome, and not cancel the credit cards, etc ... or taking upwards of $900 ( multiple billing on the same credit card ), but, at least the credit card corp calls and says "wtf" :-) - lots more scams seem to be popping up about "corporate identity" .. most of whom are not registrars. I'd bet they charge thousands of $$$ to say that "ibm.aq" ( antartica ) doesn't exist .. - is putting a wrapper around the registrar's pages a good thing ? it's a simple and yet complicated gui challenge :-) - i get tired of having multiple accounts at multiple registrars and easily forget the login and pwd - it's friday .. play time ... c ya alvin From jxh at jxh.com Fri Feb 24 22:42:31 2006 From: jxh at jxh.com (Jim Hickstein) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 22:42:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: international domain names Message-ID: <20060224224231.AEX08987@m1.imap-partners.net> >- i know this doesn't have much to do with "admin" but, > lets say the big-boss says go get acme. in each > of the 130 - 200 TLDs .. geez .. > >- where does one go to register 1 domains in each of the various > countries .. looking for the nic for each country will give > your dozens or hundreds of registrars with no info about them Quite a few countries have rules that basically mean you can't get a domain there unless you have a physical presence (office, mailing address, employees). I read through all the fine print over at OpenSRS (www.tucows.com) before signing it all. Years ago I tried and failed to get a domain in .ac.jp even though the outfit I was doing this for was both academic and in Japan. But they weren't connected with a hard circuit to a member of JPNIC, so no go. (Also, requests in English went into a black hole.) YMMV these days, but I would push back hard on the request to register all these domains. You don't need them to do business in these countries, and you shouldn't have them if you aren't willing to staff a sales office there. From alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com Fri Feb 24 23:15:04 2006 From: alvin at Mail.Linux-Consulting.com (Alvin Oga) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 23:15:04 -0800 (PST) Subject: international domain names In-Reply-To: <20060224224231.AEX08987@m1.imap-partners.net> Message-ID: hi ya On Fri, 24 Feb 2006, Jim Hickstein wrote: > Quite a few countries have rules that basically mean you can't get a domain there unless you have a physical presence (office, mailing address, employees). I read through all the fine print over at OpenSRS (www.tucows.com) before signing it all. those physical presence rules hasn't changed some domains require a corp taxID too :-) ( aka the french ) other countries want a signed contract :-) > Years ago I tried and failed to get a domain in .ac.jp even though the outfit I was doing this for was both academic and in Japan. But they weren't connected with a hard circuit to a member of JPNIC, so no go. (Also, requests in English went into a black hole.) i think they might have caught up with who is real and who is a "heald college" in japan trying to get an *.ac.jp, or maybe not japan too needs a verifiable physical street address and corp info - the questions will become ... why does google need an "internet license" to operate as google.cn :-) > YMMV these days, but I would push back hard on the request to register all these domains. You don't need them to do business in these countries, and you shouldn't have them if you aren't willing to staff a sales office there. if they have the $$$ ... i don't mind helping them out if one were to create accts at each registrar/NIC, that'd be ridiculously time consuming and expensive ... getting a handful of *. is taking about 10 days so far with all the back-n-forth ... that's excluding the webhosting corp pretending to be official "registrars" ----------- registering foreign domains ( legitimately ) is NOT a non-trivial task as simple as it may sound .. it's not a 5min task to get a domain c ya alvin From deirdre at deirdre.net Sat Feb 25 10:44:08 2006 From: deirdre at deirdre.net (Deirdre Saoirse Moen) Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 10:44:08 -0800 Subject: international domain names In-Reply-To: <20060224224231.AEX08987@m1.imap-partners.net> References: <20060224224231.AEX08987@m1.imap-partners.net> Message-ID: <311DFDCE-951A-443A-AFDF-ABC102F33770@deirdre.net> On Feb 24, 2006, at 10:42 PM, Jim Hickstein wrote: > Quite a few countries have rules that basically mean you can't get > a domain there unless you have a physical presence (office, mailing > address, employees). I read through all the fine print over at > OpenSRS (www.tucows.com) before signing it all. Sweden doesn't, which is why I have saoir.se. :) -- _Deirdre http://deirdre.net From guy at extragalactic.net Tue Feb 28 00:12:13 2006 From: guy at extragalactic.net (Guy B. Purcell) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:12:13 -0800 Subject: What is BayLISA to you? Message-ID: Your hard-working board has been discussing the general topic of "goals for the organization" for several months, now, and has at least half a dozen ideas about what we are and should be--which is not surprising given that there are seven of us and we're sysadmins :^) We have consensus on a few things: * We organize technical presentations * We provide a venue for interpersonal communication/networking for sysadmins * We'd like more input from the membership Even if you're not a member, we're interested in hearing at least why you're not a member and/or what we could do to make it worth your while to become a member. So, what say you: what is BayLISA to you, and how can we improve it? To kick things off, I'll offer that, personally, I think our profession has matured to the point where it would be beneficial to have a professional society. I wouldn't mind seeing BayLISA becoming a local chapter of such a national organization, providing technical training of the sort that BayLISA has been providing for years, in addition to other things made possible as part of a larger group. Such an organization is coming, some day; I think it's fitting that BayLISA, as one of the first groups of its kind (_the_ first? sorry-- my knowledge of our own history isn't what it should be), be a part of its formation. -Guy