sysadmin – Aarcane's Realm

New CMS?

Aug 192016

It’s been a long time… And by long, I mean very long. I’ve finished at UCI, started a job hunt, given up on Debian and enlightenment, moved on from apache, and studied python. Soon, I’ll be replacing this site with a new one. I’ve got to migrate all the content over… but the new one isn’t based on WordPress anymore. It’s managed through git. Yes, that’s right. An entire CMS that lets you manage content, push posts, etc. all through git with no web administration. WTF? I’ll share more news soon. The fun parts are back-end integration. As yet, it’s not the simplest to get set up.. but this is for managing a large number of mostly static sites. I’ve got two problems left to solve, then It’ll be done. In the mean time, if you’ve any information for me on the following topics, please feel free to comment:

How to quickly get the last reference that references a file in a branch in git… Without access to the git cli, using only native PHP code.
How to run code on an AWS instance in response to a CodeCommit push. Current solution is to use SNS -> SQS -> python listener, but that’s not very robust…

If you want a preview of the new site, check out dev.aarcane.org

Enlightenment and Debian 7 Wheezy

sysadmin No Responses »

Feb 172014

So I’ve recently switched from Ubuntu back to Debian, and am using Debian 7 Wheezy for all of my day-to-day Linux business. I must say I’m quite pleased with the changes, and almost any package I find missing can be built from source in mere minutes. That said, There’s no Enlightenment repository and no packages available.

With that in mind, I have taken to building a repository for Enlightenment E17, and plan to add future packages as they become available. Right now, I’m building E17 and the EFL from Testing, as if it were a standard Backport. You can find my repository configuration and directions below.
Continue reading »

Uverse Installation and Technical Woes with the 3800hgv-b part A

life, sysadmin No Responses »

Mar 122013

So as a part of my move I’ve opted to use Uverse by AT&T as my internet service provider and have included Television as part of my package. I placed my order online and scheduled an installer to come to my house on the 5th. That’s the day after I moved in. I scoured the site from top to bottom, clicked every link available and explored every corner of the interface, but there was no option to specify that I wanted to include a package of 8 static IP addresses. Additionally, because I was receiving $150 in discounts for placing my order “entirely online”, I couldn’t call a representative either. This left me with only one possible recourse: The notes field. I stated clearly in my account notes that I intended to have the 8 Static IP address package, and wanted the installer to ensure it was properly working before he left.

Well clearly this worked perfectly. The installer arrived and had read the notes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something he could do. I would have to call AT&T again. The installation was quite pleasant. The installer did an excellent and professional job aside from that static IP issue. I enjoyed fast, responsive internet service all night, until I went to bed. As he left he informed me that the installation and service logs can sometimes take a few hours to clear out , and it was already end of day. I decided to call about my static IP addresses the next morning.

Then things got interesting.

LAMP or LAP/LM

sysadmin No Responses »

Aug 052012

What do you run on your website? Do you have a LAMP stack? That’s Linux, Apache, MySQL and P{HP,erl,ython} for the uninitiated. I normally run a LAP/LM app stack duo. This allows me to separate the MySQL database from the web stack, and use it for other purposes as well. I include such services as xbmc and MS Access/Libre Office Database as MySQL clients as well. It makes sense to isolate the MySQL server.

There are also several web servers, or LAP stacks in my home. I keep one instance for my production site (this page here), and a handful of others for testing and development. They all share the same LM stack.

Recently I was required to produce a WIMP stack, that’s Windows, IIS, MySQL, and php, for development purposes. The architecture is almost completely different, but it’s now using my LM stack for database as well.

There are a few things to consider when you’re deciding between a single LAMP stack (or multiple LAMP stacks) and a LAP/LM stack.

Hackers and Crackers

life, sysadmin No Responses »

Aug 012012

A pet peeve of mine, for a while, has been the misuse of the term “Hacker” when people are in fact referring to a “Cracker”. This has been going on for years, and I believe if unjustly fuels a prejudice against the hacker community; and by vilifying honest members of academia, allows governments to unjustly outlaw and prosecute otherwise upstanding members of society.

What’s the difference?

There’s a fine line between a Hacker and a Cracker. A Hacker is someone who explores, studies, researches, and learns. Through any subject of study, the majority of innovators are Hackers in the simplest terms. A culinary student who explores mixing two unprecedented flavors is Hacking away. A programmer who develops new algorithms, or explores closed systems is a Hacker. A sysadmin who builds a new service by cobbling two old services together is a Hacker. An automotive technician who sticks a Ford engine into a Chevy is a Hacker. It’s simply a matter of pushing the boundaries of accepted wisdom and knowledge. Trying something new. Ignoring the documented facts and saying “We can do more”.

A Cracker, on the other hand, may do some or all of these things. A Cracker is usually a computer hacker. Most specifically, a rogue hacker. A Cracker is a person who uses their hacking skills to “Do Evil”. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with hacking into the Playstation Network, for example. You explore the systems, learn how their security works, and how you might make your own better. When you cross the border and download databases, publish exploits, or steal real money or information, however, you’ve now done something “evil” and have crossed the boundary into being a Cracker. Continue reading »

sSMTP and Nullmailer

meta, sysadmin 2 Responses »

Jul 302012

This morning I realized I had no sendmail functionality on my web server. This isn’t good, since many programs need to be able to, well, send mail. I had a couple of options. I could install Postfix or Exim, and take on the task of managing a whole mail system, or I could install a “nullmailer”. A simple program that forwards mail to an upstream server for further processing. There are a handful of good nullmailer programs available. The two I’m most familiar with are sSMTP and Nullmailer. Here’s a brief overview of the two.