KrazyWorks | Networking, Systems Design, and Distaster Recovery

9. June 2008

Data Security and Online Privacy

You have information on your computer that you don't want others to see. Sometimes you want to share information with someone, but you don't want anyone to know that you are the one sharing it. Let's say that you came across some information suggesting that your employer may be breaking law. You want to make this information public, but you can't do it openly becausloe you will be fired. Another example: you are at work and you need to send a personal, confidential email...

28. May 2008

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Effective Virus Protection

How do you protect your computer from viruses? Most computer users just buy antivirus software, install it, and reboot their PC – done. If only it was that easy. Over the past several years percentage of home and business computers infected with viruses has been steadily growing. Most PCs are sold these days with preinstalled antivirus software. And yet, the number of infected computers keeps on growing...

8. May 2008

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Highly redundant array configuration

The cost of storage arrays is falling along with the quality of their manufacture. To quote Lev Andropov from the “Armageddon”: “Components. American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!” What in the nineties used to be quality storage hardware from Sun, these days is a bunch of consumer-quality hard drives thrown together into a [...]

24. June 2008

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Best of Web Design

As more Web surfers get high-speed access, Web designers are tempted to go overboard with multimedia sites that waste your time and distract you from the content. This little collection of Web designs is proof that artistic elegance can be successfully combined with brutal efficiency. Below is my personal selection of some of the best [...]

17. June 2008

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Random Filename Chooser

This is a rather peculiar little script with a purpose that may not be immediately apparent. The script will look for files in the specified folder; it will then pick one at random from the list of matches and create a soft link to it. How is this useful, you ask? There are situations where [...]

13. June 2008

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WordPress Quick Upgrade for Linux

Never ever upgrade WordPress to the latest version as soon as it comes out, unless you want to be the guinea pig dealing with the new bugs and incompatible plugins. Even if the new version of WordPress contains critical security updates, wait a couple of weeks to let others work out fixes for any new [...]

11. June 2008

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Linksys WAP54G Secure Configuration

Below are some basic steps to secure a wireless access point (WAP). The screenshots are for Linksys WAP54G v. 3.04, however, the same steps will apply to wireless access points from other manufacturers. Understand this: following the “Easy Installation Guide” that came with your wireless access point or router will not ensure security of your [...]

10. June 2008

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Apache and Multiple Domains - from Home

Apparently there are folks out there who are still interested in running their own Web server from home. More than that - they want to have multiple domains. Guys, Web hosting these days is so cheap - they are virtually paying you to host your site. Besides, there are ISPs out there that don’t look [...]

5. June 2008

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Scali Manage (Platform Manager) CLI Guide

Scali Manage - the bloated and unpredictable HPC cluster management tool - has recently been acquired by Platform Computing Corp. It is to be integrated into Platform LSF and Platform OCS products. I can’t say I am a big fan of Scali Manage. To begin with, I simply see no good reason for its existence. [...]

1. June 2008

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Dealing With Disk Hogs

Some users and application developers believe that any free disk space on the server belongs to them. Suddenly you get an email alert saying that a server “xyz” ran out of disk space in /home. You need to take care of this quickly, otherwise user sessions and applications may start crashing. Even if you have [...]

1. June 2008

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Useful SysAdmin Scripts: Search-and-Replace

Let’s say you moved your server to a new network and now it has a different IP address. You know your users have a habit of hard-coding the server’s IP into their scripts. So you want to scan a bunch of directories and replace the old IP with the new one in all text files. [...]

26. May 2008

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Tips on dealing with the Bagle rootkit

Normally I don’t concern myself with Windows- related matters. However, the infamous Bagle rootkit and its numerous variations deserve some attention even from Unix sysadmins. Bagle annoyed me and my customers long enough. Essentially, Bagle turns you PC into someone’s personal email server for sending out spam. It also gives that someone remote access to [...]

24. May 2008

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Creating print.css for WordPress

Many WordPress theme designers choose to cut some corners with their creations. One of the more important things they skip over is print.css - the stylesheet that controls your blog’s appearance when you print it. There are several reasons why it is important to have a well-designed print.css. First, it makes you look like you know [...]

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Asides

Computers kill. That’s right: according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some 2,600 die every year in car accidents because they got distracted by their cell phone, a GPS gadget, an MP3 player, or a PDA. In fact, the leading cause of death among Americans is heart attack; stress and obesity are the leading causes of heart attacks; and computer technology is one of the leading causes of both stress and obesity. US Department of Labor reports that Repetitive Stress Injury accounts for 60% of all job-related illnesses, costing businesses some $20 billion annually. Computers are the leading cause of Repetitive Stress Injuries such as carpal-tunnel syndrome. According to AMA, computers are responsible for nearly 63% of all vision disorders. This is why computer software is so buggy: experienced programmers are overweight, stressed out, half-blind and can’t move their wrists.

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