September 2004 - WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

Recommended virtual private server (UML) hosting?

by Bob George

I'm looking for an inexpensive vps hosting option (UML-based or similar) that will allow me full control over server configuration. Are there any that are recommended? Thanks, - Bob

Sept. 17, 2004

Re: [Wlug] For discussion: A Worthy LUG project? (was gmail invit es)

by Chuck Haines

I'd definitely be interested, but I agree, hosting would be the big issue. Chuck On Fri, 17 Sep 2004 09:03:27 -0400, Martin, Eric <martine(a)worc.k12.ma.us> wrote: > I like the idea, could be fun! However, I think hosting would be the > biggest hump... > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bob George [mailto:mailings02@ttlexceeded.com] > Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 4:55 PM > To: Worcester Linux Users Group > Subject: [Wlug] For discussion: A Worthy LUG project? (was gmail invites) > > Frank Sweetser wrote: > > >>[...] > >>Is there a benefit to having a gmail account, other than the free > >>space? > > > > Gmail actually is pretty neat. The whole archive and search vs > > folders takes a little getting used to, but I think they implemented > > it pretty nicely. It ends up giving you a very flexible view of your > > email archives. > > > > Oh yeah, and it's about an order of magnitutde faster than any other > > webmail service I've tried =) > > As a long time Linux enthusiast, I've never quite understood the thrill > of having 1GB of my personal data stored on someone else's server, much > less on one that is hosted by a company that -- while mostly playing > nice now -- reserves the right to do whatever with that data later. > > I've also not understood why that would be any more attractive than the > building of a (better, faster, bigger) server of my own, particularly > given the wealth of tools available to us GPL. > > On the BLU list recently, there was much discussion about building a > cluster, but plans stalled when the reality of power and HVAC were > detailed. However, hosting a box or two somewhere didn't seem to be an > issue. > > So... For the tech-minded but still willing to store personal stuff > outside, wouldn't a secure, private (as in gpg) and shared Gmail > alternative make a good LUG project? > > I know many folks are looking for ways to get experience doing > real-world things, and enough of us probably are interested in specific > aspects of this to be involved at varying levels. Others may have > hardware available for dontation. > > So... > 1.) Is there interest in something like this > 2.) Where could it be housed/hosted and what would it cost? > > Advantages I see are: > 1.) A cool LUG project. I haven't heard of anyone doing this, and it > makes for a nice "Gmail? Hah!" response at techie gatherings. > 2.) A good hands-on project for the curious (apache, webmail, gpg/pgp, > spamassassin, system hardening, procmail, php/whatever, mysql, etc.) > 3.) We can address Gmail shortcomings > 4.) We can enhance security and privacy (gpg/pgp, encrypted data and > other options come to mind) > 5.) We can allow users more direct (and effective) spam control > (spamassassin, milters come to mind -- allow each user more control!) > 6.) We can allow POP/IMAP access to/from the server (secure SMTP?) > 7.) A good place to store LUG files etc. (be good now) > 8.) Cool WLUG domain names! > > Disadvantages abound of course: > 1.) Time - Effort to get started, and over the hump > 2.) Money - Hosting primarily > 3.) Support - Who'll fix it > 4.) Scalability - Will it be killed by success? How much room can be > allocated per-user? How big of a box before it buckles? > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -- Chuck Haines chaines(a)gmail.com ------------------------------------------- Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity WPI Class of 2005 ------------------------------------------- AIM: CyberGrex YIM: CyberGrex_27 ICQ: 3707881 -------------------------------------------

Sept. 17, 2004

Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations

by Robert L Krawitz

From: "Martin, Eric" <MartinE(a)worc.k12.ma.us> Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 09:04:50 -0400 Had the same problem. I needed a 450W power supply. The video card is wicked intensive. I built a machine with similar specs...Try a PCI video card and it should work fine There are lots of different power supplies out there; last time I saw a review some are much better than others. Antec ones are supposed to be very good (I have one). That said, my previous system had power-on stability issues (when the system was powered on, it frequently wouldn't boot, and would usually take multiple boots to recognize everything). It originally had a cheap 300W supply, which I replaced with an Antec 400'ish supply (don't remember which one) to try to cure it. It didn't work. -----Original Message----- From: track(a)trackspace.com [mailto:track@trackspace.com] Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 5:30 PM To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Subject: Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations In case it matters, the mobo is an Abit NF7 with a single DIMM of 512MB RAM (Crucial), an AMD Athlon 2400+ processor, an ATI Radeon 9600XT video card and it's powered by a 400W power supply. I bought all the parts from New Egg about 7 months ago, put it together and haven't had a single problem save for this.

Sept. 17, 2004

RE: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations

by Martin, Eric

Had the same problem. I needed a 450W power supply. The video card is wicked intensive. I built a machine with similar specs...Try a PCI video card and it should work fine -----Original Message----- From: track(a)trackspace.com [mailto:track@trackspace.com] Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 5:30 PM To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Subject: Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations Thank you for all that responded. I'll try to summarize the answers to all the follow-up questions in one reply. When I turn the power on, nothing happens except a red LED on the motherboard lights up. The CPU fan doesn't spin, the computer doesn't beep - nothing (so no beeps or POST codes). The weird thing is that when I turn the power switch off, the LED stays lit for another 5-6 seconds. I'm not sure if that means anything though... In case it matters, the mobo is an Abit NF7 with a single DIMM of 512MB RAM (Crucial), an AMD Athlon 2400+ processor, an ATI Radeon 9600XT video card and it's powered by a 400W power supply. I bought all the parts from New Egg about 7 months ago, put it together and haven't had a single problem save for this. I've tried running it bare bones and moving the DIMM into a different slot. I have a spare computer, but the connector from the power supply doesn't seem to have the same plug as the one on my board. I don't have any extra RAM or a processor to try swapping things out with unfortunately. I've tried Googling the symptoms and the red LED on the mobo to no avail. It seems the only mention of the red LED problem was answered with the typical "check your connections, the mobo's fried, etc..." - no real diagnostics. I stopped in at a computer shop on 122A in Holden this afternoon and was quoted a $35 "bench fee" for taking a look at it and $75/hr to do any work. Like I said before, all the parts are still under warranty through New Egg and I'd happily send them back but I need to figure out what's not working. And I realize this is a Linux list and this is kind of off-topic. That being said, you folks are pretty bright and knowledgable so I figured I'd throw this out there. I do appreciate all the suggestions/comments so far. Thanks, Track _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Sept. 17, 2004

RE: [Wlug] For discussion: A Worthy LUG project? (was gmail invit es)

by Martin, Eric

I like the idea, could be fun! However, I think hosting would be the biggest hump... -----Original Message----- From: Bob George [mailto:mailings02@ttlexceeded.com] Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 4:55 PM To: Worcester Linux Users Group Subject: [Wlug] For discussion: A Worthy LUG project? (was gmail invites) Frank Sweetser wrote: >>[...] >>Is there a benefit to having a gmail account, other than the free >>space? > > Gmail actually is pretty neat. The whole archive and search vs > folders takes a little getting used to, but I think they implemented > it pretty nicely. It ends up giving you a very flexible view of your > email archives. > > Oh yeah, and it's about an order of magnitutde faster than any other > webmail service I've tried =) As a long time Linux enthusiast, I've never quite understood the thrill of having 1GB of my personal data stored on someone else's server, much less on one that is hosted by a company that -- while mostly playing nice now -- reserves the right to do whatever with that data later. I've also not understood why that would be any more attractive than the building of a (better, faster, bigger) server of my own, particularly given the wealth of tools available to us GPL. On the BLU list recently, there was much discussion about building a cluster, but plans stalled when the reality of power and HVAC were detailed. However, hosting a box or two somewhere didn't seem to be an issue. So... For the tech-minded but still willing to store personal stuff outside, wouldn't a secure, private (as in gpg) and shared Gmail alternative make a good LUG project? I know many folks are looking for ways to get experience doing real-world things, and enough of us probably are interested in specific aspects of this to be involved at varying levels. Others may have hardware available for dontation. So... 1.) Is there interest in something like this 2.) Where could it be housed/hosted and what would it cost? Advantages I see are: 1.) A cool LUG project. I haven't heard of anyone doing this, and it makes for a nice "Gmail? Hah!" response at techie gatherings. 2.) A good hands-on project for the curious (apache, webmail, gpg/pgp, spamassassin, system hardening, procmail, php/whatever, mysql, etc.) 3.) We can address Gmail shortcomings 4.) We can enhance security and privacy (gpg/pgp, encrypted data and other options come to mind) 5.) We can allow users more direct (and effective) spam control (spamassassin, milters come to mind -- allow each user more control!) 6.) We can allow POP/IMAP access to/from the server (secure SMTP?) 7.) A good place to store LUG files etc. (be good now) 8.) Cool WLUG domain names! Disadvantages abound of course: 1.) Time - Effort to get started, and over the hump 2.) Money - Hosting primarily 3.) Support - Who'll fix it 4.) Scalability - Will it be killed by success? How much room can be allocated per-user? How big of a box before it buckles? _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Sept. 17, 2004

Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations

by Brett Russ

Jeff Kinz wrote: > On Thu, Sep 16, 2004 at 05:30:21PM -0400, track(a)trackspace.com wrote: > >>Thank you for all that responded. I'll try to summarize the answers to >>all the follow-up questions in one reply. >> >>When I turn the power on, nothing happens except a red LED on the >>motherboard lights up. The CPU fan doesn't spin, the computer doesn't >>beep - nothing (so no beeps or POST codes). The weird thing is that when >>I turn the power switch off, the LED stays lit for another 5-6 seconds. >>I'm not sure if that means anything though... That's just the capacitance stored up in the MB caps. That's the reason people say to wait 10 seconds between powering off and powering on. This also would seem to be a sign that the PS is feeding power. > Do the power supply fans spin? I assume not, since he says above "nothing happens" :-) > the Abit NF7 with MB LEDs has two power LEDs - the red one, when lit, > indicates standby by power. The green one, when lit, indicates the > machine is powered up. > > You seem be stuck in standby mode. Try the front panel power switch a > few times. (Count to 10 between each try, see if green MB LED turns on) Good point. Maybe this is what you meant but also try holding the button for 5-10 seconds as well. > If that doesn't work, try "aggressively" using the front panel switch. > Sometimes the front panel switch start to fail and they have a hard time > turning on the signal that tells the system to power up. Just trace the switch wires back to the MB jumper header then manually jumper the connection yourself. If there are 2 wires the jump is obvious--3 wires you may want to check the MB manual to make sure you jump the right ones. Only need to jump briefly...this will eliminate the switch as the culprit. Also try unplugging the PS from the wall for 30 sec to cold cycle everything. Also, you can check the PS simply enough (assuming it's an ATX): -unplug it from the MB (leave at least one HDD connected for a load...PS will power off if no load) -compare the MB connector to the one here: http://xtronics.com/reference/atx_pinout.htm -if the same, jump (with paper clip...be careful!) pin 14 to 15 together -PS should power on (fan(s) spin, HDD(s) spin up) >>I stopped in at a computer shop on 122A in Holden this afternoon and was >>quoted a $35 "bench fee" for taking a look at it and $75/hr to do any >>work. Like I said before, all the parts are still under warranty through >>New Egg and I'd happily send them back but I need to figure out what's not >>working. Forget PC shops, IMO...they're only going to do the simple tests you can find on lists like these anyway ;-) BR

Sept. 17, 2004

Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations

by Jeff Kinz

On Thu, Sep 16, 2004 at 05:30:21PM -0400, track(a)trackspace.com wrote: > Thank you for all that responded. I'll try to summarize the answers to > all the follow-up questions in one reply. > > When I turn the power on, nothing happens except a red LED on the > motherboard lights up. The CPU fan doesn't spin, the computer doesn't > beep - nothing (so no beeps or POST codes). The weird thing is that when > I turn the power switch off, the LED stays lit for another 5-6 seconds. > I'm not sure if that means anything though... Do the power supply fans spin? the Abit NF7 with MB LEDs has two power LEDs - the red one, when lit, indicates standby by power. The green one, when lit, indicates the machine is powered up. You seem be stuck in standby mode. Try the front panel power switch a few times. (Count to 10 between each try, see if green MB LED turns on) If that doesn't work, try "aggressively" using the front panel switch. Sometimes the front panel switch start to fail and they have a hard time turning on the signal that tells the system to power up. These types of power switches are called "soft switches". used to use them at Apollo in the early 1980's. When they went bad, there was no way to turn a machine off. (or on). Have you tried clearing the CMOS? > > In case it matters, the mobo is an Abit NF7 with a single DIMM of 512MB > RAM (Crucial), an AMD Athlon 2400+ processor, an ATI Radeon 9600XT video > card and it's powered by a 400W power supply. I bought all the parts from > New Egg about 7 months ago, put it together and haven't had a single > problem save for this. > > I've tried running it bare bones and moving the DIMM into a different > slot. I have a spare computer, but the connector from the power supply > doesn't seem to have the same plug as the one on my board. I don't have > any extra RAM or a processor to try swapping things out with > unfortunately. > > I've tried Googling the symptoms and the red LED on the mobo to no avail. > It seems the only mention of the red LED problem was answered with the > typical "check your connections, the mobo's fried, etc..." - no real > diagnostics. > > I stopped in at a computer shop on 122A in Holden this afternoon and was > quoted a $35 "bench fee" for taking a look at it and $75/hr to do any > work. Like I said before, all the parts are still under warranty through > New Egg and I'd happily send them back but I need to figure out what's not > working. > > And I realize this is a Linux list and this is kind of off-topic. That > being said, you folks are pretty bright and knowledgable so I figured I'd > throw this out there. I do appreciate all the suggestions/comments so > far. > > Thanks, > Track > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -- Linux/Open Source. Now all your base belongs to you, for free. ============================================================ Idealism: "Realism applied over a longer time period" Jeff Kinz, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA.

Sept. 17, 2004

Re: Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations

by Clint Moyer

The LED is +5V indicator. It's not likely a power supply problem. There are probably fans on the northbridge chip and CPU. Do they spin up? Bad memory can cause all kinds of flaky problems. Do you have a different stick you can try? At the very least, try booting with the DIMM slots empty and see if it behaves differently. If you'd like, contact me off list and I may be able to give it a try. I work for beer. ;) Clint > > From: track(a)trackspace.com > Date: 2004/09/16 Thu PM 05:30:21 EDT > To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Subject: Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations > > Thank you for all that responded. I'll try to summarize the answers to > all the follow-up questions in one reply. > > When I turn the power on, nothing happens except a red LED on the > motherboard lights up. The CPU fan doesn't spin, the computer doesn't > beep - nothing (so no beeps or POST codes). The weird thing is that when > I turn the power switch off, the LED stays lit for another 5-6 seconds. > I'm not sure if that means anything though... > > In case it matters, the mobo is an Abit NF7 with a single DIMM of 512MB > RAM (Crucial), an AMD Athlon 2400+ processor, an ATI Radeon 9600XT video > card and it's powered by a 400W power supply. I bought all the parts from > New Egg about 7 months ago, put it together and haven't had a single > problem save for this. > > I've tried running it bare bones and moving the DIMM into a different > slot. I have a spare computer, but the connector from the power supply > doesn't seem to have the same plug as the one on my board. I don't have > any extra RAM or a processor to try swapping things out with > unfortunately. > > I've tried Googling the symptoms and the red LED on the mobo to no avail. > It seems the only mention of the red LED problem was answered with the > typical "check your connections, the mobo's fried, etc..." - no real > diagnostics. > > I stopped in at a computer shop on 122A in Holden this afternoon and was > quoted a $35 "bench fee" for taking a look at it and $75/hr to do any > work. Like I said before, all the parts are still under warranty through > New Egg and I'd happily send them back but I need to figure out what's not > working. > > And I realize this is a Linux list and this is kind of off-topic. That > being said, you folks are pretty bright and knowledgable so I figured I'd > throw this out there. I do appreciate all the suggestions/comments so > far. > > Thanks, > Track > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

Sept. 16, 2004

Re: [Wlug] Local service/repair recommendations

by track＠trackspace.com

Thank you for all that responded. I'll try to summarize the answers to all the follow-up questions in one reply. When I turn the power on, nothing happens except a red LED on the motherboard lights up. The CPU fan doesn't spin, the computer doesn't beep - nothing (so no beeps or POST codes). The weird thing is that when I turn the power switch off, the LED stays lit for another 5-6 seconds. I'm not sure if that means anything though... In case it matters, the mobo is an Abit NF7 with a single DIMM of 512MB RAM (Crucial), an AMD Athlon 2400+ processor, an ATI Radeon 9600XT video card and it's powered by a 400W power supply. I bought all the parts from New Egg about 7 months ago, put it together and haven't had a single problem save for this. I've tried running it bare bones and moving the DIMM into a different slot. I have a spare computer, but the connector from the power supply doesn't seem to have the same plug as the one on my board. I don't have any extra RAM or a processor to try swapping things out with unfortunately. I've tried Googling the symptoms and the red LED on the mobo to no avail. It seems the only mention of the red LED problem was answered with the typical "check your connections, the mobo's fried, etc..." - no real diagnostics. I stopped in at a computer shop on 122A in Holden this afternoon and was quoted a $35 "bench fee" for taking a look at it and $75/hr to do any work. Like I said before, all the parts are still under warranty through New Egg and I'd happily send them back but I need to figure out what's not working. And I realize this is a Linux list and this is kind of off-topic. That being said, you folks are pretty bright and knowledgable so I figured I'd throw this out there. I do appreciate all the suggestions/comments so far. Thanks, Track

Sept. 16, 2004

For discussion: A Worthy LUG project? (was gmail invites)

by Bob George

Frank Sweetser wrote: >>[...] >>Is there a benefit to having a gmail account, other than the free >>space? > > Gmail actually is pretty neat. The whole archive and search vs folders takes > a little getting used to, but I think they implemented it pretty nicely. It > ends up giving you a very flexible view of your email archives. > > Oh yeah, and it's about an order of magnitutde faster than any other webmail > service I've tried =) As a long time Linux enthusiast, I've never quite understood the thrill of having 1GB of my personal data stored on someone else's server, much less on one that is hosted by a company that -- while mostly playing nice now -- reserves the right to do whatever with that data later. I've also not understood why that would be any more attractive than the building of a (better, faster, bigger) server of my own, particularly given the wealth of tools available to us GPL. On the BLU list recently, there was much discussion about building a cluster, but plans stalled when the reality of power and HVAC were detailed. However, hosting a box or two somewhere didn't seem to be an issue. So... For the tech-minded but still willing to store personal stuff outside, wouldn't a secure, private (as in gpg) and shared Gmail alternative make a good LUG project? I know many folks are looking for ways to get experience doing real-world things, and enough of us probably are interested in specific aspects of this to be involved at varying levels. Others may have hardware available for dontation. So... 1.) Is there interest in something like this 2.) Where could it be housed/hosted and what would it cost? Advantages I see are: 1.) A cool LUG project. I haven't heard of anyone doing this, and it makes for a nice "Gmail? Hah!" response at techie gatherings. 2.) A good hands-on project for the curious (apache, webmail, gpg/pgp, spamassassin, system hardening, procmail, php/whatever, mysql, etc.) 3.) We can address Gmail shortcomings 4.) We can enhance security and privacy (gpg/pgp, encrypted data and other options come to mind) 5.) We can allow users more direct (and effective) spam control (spamassassin, milters come to mind -- allow each user more control!) 6.) We can allow POP/IMAP access to/from the server (secure SMTP?) 7.) A good place to store LUG files etc. (be good now) 8.) Cool WLUG domain names! Disadvantages abound of course: 1.) Time - Effort to get started, and over the hump 2.) Money - Hosting primarily 3.) Support - Who'll fix it 4.) Scalability - Will it be killed by success? How much room can be allocated per-user? How big of a box before it buckles?

Sept. 16, 2004