Building The Net

S.C.A.L.E is coming! Feb. 19-21!

Sorry to take so long between posts… But I’ve been kinda busy getting ready for The So. Cal Linux Expo, coming up in Los Angeles February 19th through the 21st. This is the premier open source show on the west coast! I’ll be there as the network architect this year, with Mike Maki taking over my position as Tech Committee Chairperson.

This year, we are pushing the envelope by adding IPv6 connectivity network wide. As near as we all can gather, this makes us the first show of this type to provide a dual stack network show wide!

If you are in to opensource, or getting pressure to reduce your IT costs, come enjoy the show! A quick sumary:

• Over 80 exhibitor booths
• Over 100 talks and presentations
• B.O.F. events
• Gatherings and Fun & Games

See their web page for details http://www.socallinuxexpo.org.

Come be a part!

Hope to see you there.

— Stu

Adventures in IPv6… Or how I spent my Xmas Vacation!

Whether you are a network administrator, an end user, or someone that falls in between, you are going to be hearing a lot about IPv6 in the coming years. If you’re in the business of delivering network services, then you need to get up to speed on this… Because before you know it, you will have a client or end user come up to you with a problem that IPv6 is involved in.

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Change is hard.

After a few unexpected road blocks, we are moving forward. The client has been working with the Ubuntu install we provided, and has come back to us with a list of questions.

• How do I print to PDF?
• I need to use MSN Instant Messaging, how do I do that?
• I need a 3270 emulator, the windows one we bought won’t work.
• I need a password manager.
• I can’t seem to make Go To My PC work with Linux.
• I really need a quick tutorial on basic navigation, I’m finding things like creating shortcuts and attaching to network shares challenging.

So, after a quick install of CUPS PDF, Pidgin, x3270, KeePass, and VNC-Server, as well as a 30 minute tutorial on desktop operation, we were back on track.

The next step.

Once the client is comfortable with the desktop, we will be moving to the next stage of testing. This will be a full operational test of Linux on his desk full time. I had hoped to be at this point already, but many things go into testing, and we need to get this right the first time if we have any hope of total conversion.

Check back soon, I’ll have more in a few weeks.

— Stu

New ACT USA Web site using Drupal is now up and for all to see!

Thanks again to all the friends and co-workers that helped me get this done.

http://www.actusa.net

— Stu

A little history lesson.

For those of you that have been on another planet for the past 20 or so years, let’s cover some brief history. When I started playing with The Internet, if you wanted a web page, you created it with plain old HyperText Markup Language, or HTML. There weren’t really any WYSIWYG editors, so you had to know at least a little HTML language. Thankfully, the language was really simple. Simple, but rather limited.

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Turning a small business into a Windows Free environment.

With many of our customers looking at yet another Microsoft upgrade, and all the costs associated with it, we are encouraging our customers to evaluate “other” solutions. In the current economic downturn, it is no surprise that we are seeing positive responses to this idea.

One company has expressed interest in evaluating a new solution. Over the upcoming weeks and months, I’ll be reporting on the progress of this project. This is the first post in this series.

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Ubuntu 9.10. A first look…

Officially released on the 29th, Karmic Koala is burning up Internet bandwidth, as every Linux user rushes to download the new OS. I’ve only had a few hours to play with it, but all and all I like what I see. The developers have really put a lot into meeting the goals they set for themselves.

If you are a current Ubuntu user, you will notice some very slight changes in the user experience. Most of what went into this release is under the hood. Things like reducing bootup time and improving hardware configuration interfaces really take center stage.

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Upgrading to Windows 7

Windows 7 is out! And as usual, Microsoft is pushing the idea that: “Windows 7 is the greatest operating system ever created”. Well, I would argue that point, but if you are a hardcore windows user, you most likely will be drinking from the Microsoft Cool-Aid fountain, and will purchase the Windows 7 upgrade.

The first thing you’ll notice is that if you aren’t running Vista, you will be installing Windows 7 as a fresh install. Even if you are running Vista, most experts recommend that you install from scratch regardless. So what does that mean to Windows users? You will be starting fresh! A fresh start! A new tomorrow!

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What is GNUPG?

GNUPG is the open source alternative to PGP. It allows you to sign and / or encrypt digital information that you are sending to others. They then can verify / decrypt the data. It uses the asymmetric cryptography model for signing data and can use both symmetric and asymmetric cryptography for data encryption.

Why use GNUPG

GNUPG creates an additional layer of security and authenticity of data that you transmit or receive. This helps verify and protect your identity on the web. Using GNUPG for encryption also protects sensitive information during transmission to others, as well as protecting data on storage media.

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The temptation of the cloud…

In today’s everything digital world, it seems like a natural thing to store your data where you can get to it from anywhere. But who is insuring that all those photos, contacts, videos, calendar entries, and other digital info will be there in ten years? Or in five years? Or even next year? Actually, who is making sure it will be there and accessible tomorrow? With Microsoft/Danger’s announcement of a total data storage failure on the T-Mobile Sidekick Network:

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