Looking to hire a Debian Linux guru to help a FreeBSD geek get jumpstarted for a project.

Thu Nov 30 00:54:08 PST 2006

On Mon, Nov 20, 2006 at 04:18:20PM -0800, Nicole wrote:

>  Hello.
>  I thought about posting this on Baylisa-jobs but it's not really a
> job.

>  I am mostly a freeBSD admin and I need to get a debian linux server
> setup for a special project ASAP. Most of it is basic stuff, but I am
> having some issues. I need to get this done really soon, so I am
> willing to pay anyone who could help me remotly via phone or skype and
> email etc. Or hey if your just a great Linux enthusiest willing to
> help, that's great too :)

 Where are you located?  Perhaps we could get together in person,
 knock most of this out some evening and you could just treat me to
 dinner.

>  1) I wanted to use a 3ware card but debian seems to be the only linux
> that doesn't have the driver built in and no way to add it during an
> install. This server needs uptime and as I understand it, the software
> raid cannot do a hotswap.

 I think the md drivers under Linux can tolerate hotswapping so long as
 the underlying hardware can handle it.  However, it might take a little
 extra work.  I do know that the mdadm tools are capable of maintaining
 pools of hot spares and that different RAID sets can share the same
 pools.

>  2) Help setting up and tunning IPtables. I am mostly used to IPFW.
> (yea yea old school) Some special tunning to make sure what goes in one
> port/IP goes out via that port and won't try to send everything out via
> the default IP/port.

 That would be a policy based routing decision under Linux.  Routing
 policies are different then filtering policies under Linux and are
 managed with a different tool (the ip command from the iproute2
 package).

>  3) Tunning the kernel. 

 I presume you mean "tuning" and this, of course, raises a host of
 questions about just what you are trying to tune for.  Keep in mind
 that "tuning" is not magic.  There are tradeoffs for each knob you
 can twiddle (otherwise the developers wouldn't put those knobs there,
 they'd just optimize their code; right?)

>  4) Making sure is as secure as possible. Should be easy since it will
> not have many services. Basic seal of a Linux Geek approval. 

 I'm sure you know the basics.  However running Bastille, and installing
 the chkrootkit and rkhunter packages to spot check your system
 integrity doesn't hurt.  Something like samhain can also help; but you
 want to keep the checksum database relatively minimal or your system
 will be spending far too many cycles computing checksum signatures
 rather than providing the services that you've set it up for.

>  That's it really.

>   If you are available, please let me know when and how much you might
> charge for your time. 

>  Thanks!
>     Nicole

 For only a few hours on some evening ... just dinner and some good
 company.  Other than that it would be negotiable.

 My cell phone is: 650-279-4059 ... give me a call if you like.

--
Jim Dennis