Embedded Files
This stack of PC towers is the environment for patching together various networks and learning how to internetwork between Linux and Windows. PC and networking activities can't be done very well if coach and participants are in different locations, so think about Linux and networking as being at 127 Brandimere for some amount of learning, then at school (with a teacher sponsor) or your home as you want to learn more. Many households have an old PC that they are willing to donate to a young person. Even if the computer doesn't seem to work, it can often be brought back to life with no expenditure by installing some version of Ubuntu instead of Windows.
A list of networking projects is suggested below. The projects start at partitioning and formatting hard drive(s) and end at Samba and Apache (Linux) servers internetworking with Microsoft Windows boxes. There is a Netgear N300 (yr 2014) wireless access point that users can configure for communication to their personal laptops, including n, b, and g. Windows 8.1 tips & security
Two computers are fully available for partitioning and reformatting. (Future ANODE Win8.1 dual-boot RAID server shown and SPIRAL, an HP Pavilion.) GRID, a Dell Optiplex GX620 2.8GHz, 1GB RAM, two SATA HDD, has three NICs and is a test bed for networking in Linux but has a WinXP license lingering from refurbishment at Austin Goodwill Computer Store and is not available for repartitioning. A user who takes full advantage of ANODE and SPIRAL must be the sole user for the duration of his project, and the contribution to offset costs will be about $20 per day, with a daily closing time around 11PM. Less ambitious projects, such as by a user guided by Linux for Dummies, will use partitions that are already in place, will not bother partitions in use by other users, and will contribute $3 hourly, or $2 per person hourly if a team is networking.
Mr. Engelbrecht is a past instructor for the first four semesters of Cisco Networking Academy but is a newbie in Linux. He can give limited assistance if you have a Linux problem. If you are doing Windows networking, Mr. Engelbrecht can be of some assistance.
There is no router available, but there is a managed, layer-three switch, a Cisco SG 300-10 without any gigabit plugins. The Internet connection is 1Mb/s through Knology cable modem. Currently, Knology's DHCP server assigns a dynamic IP address, but a static address might be possible. Several computers will have multiple NICs, and this, in combination with the Cisco switch, will make it possible to network between subnets and do VPNs.
The sites you navigate to must be technically oriented, not adult or game oriented. Proper licensing and payment of shareware fees is expected--no pirating or copyright violation.
The intended audience for networking projects is young people, and also adults who are pursuing Network+ or MCSE.
In summary, this networking setup is a flexible environment for advancing your networking and computer configuration skills, in a family setting.
Diagram above shows a large networking project, to make any file from any computer print to the printer or be accessible to any other computer. The different subnets are shown in different colors. Most participants will want to tackle simple things at first. If you don't have early success on small projects, you won't feel like continuing. (Note: Anode was built in July 2013. The bigger of the Linux servers above is shown where it can do packet filtering (firewall), and it is shown with (more than) the two Ethernet ports that are required for a hardware firewall. Firewall reference: C. Negus, Fedora 5 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Bible p. 571, 577.
The Cisco managed switch is able to interconnect subnets as shown. In the Cisco web sties, VLAN is the important term.
The Linksys WAP in the diagram is a DHCP server--before I started using it, connecting various computers to Knology was not working, it was as if Knology learned a MAC address of the first computer connected and refused to allow other MACs to attach.
The following document gives more information on the six towers above.
file name computer names Cathode etc.rtf
cathode white Antec case motherboard Aopen MX59 Pro II 367MHz 320MB RAM WinXP SP2 Atmel programmable logic software for fitting, parallel port for programming cable
screen black Compaq Presario SR1950NX 2.41GHZ 1GB RAM WinXP Media Center SP2 dual boot with Linux Ubuntu 12.04 external SATA connection, two Ethernet ports, two serial ports
getter gray Antec case movie capture and editing motherboard Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz 2GB RAM WinXP SP2 RAID 0 hard drives for OS plus one HDD for data (G:) dictation into MS Word MS Flight Sim X Wacom tablet CorelDRAW suite application software for HP scanner power supply has 4-pin Molex power connector on exterior video card has VGA, DVI, S-Video outputs CUPL compiler for Atmel programmable logic
grid black Dell Optiplex GX620 Pentium 4 2.8GHz 1GB RAM WinXP SP3 HDD with WinXP is 80GB second HDD is 320GB, partitioned July2012 with NTFS, FAT32, and two Linux partitions but this drive has a manufacturing defect & has excess reallocated sectors, may get a replacement in future. This big Linux server can accept Linux mods but must retain WinXP as this is the best computer for Atmel CPLD programming on the Win side. Three NICs Fan added July2012, this dropped the HDD temp, as seen in Ubuntu Disk Utility SMART, by 4 degrees C
(laptop) filament Compaq Presario 1GHz 448MB RAM WinXP SP2 dual boot with Linux Ubuntu
anode server RAID 5+0 multiple boot between Win8.1, Linux, Windows Server 2003 (180 day license) do not store data on this computer since it may be frequently repartitioned two NICs ANODE is being built June 2013. 16GB, 6-core AMD FX-6300. Ubuntu 13.04 initially, add Win 8.1 when available about December.
ANODE new RAID file server--notes including LVM and mdadm
spiral black HP Pavilion a420n AMD Athlon 3000+ 2.16GHz 2GB RAM 160GB HDD The PS is 300W The small Linux server, Ubuntu 12.04 There are 3 PCI slots if modem is removed There is one unused SATA jack on MB Is a place to install 2nd HDD, could be parallel ATA or SATA a new CD/DVD-RW drive This tower was $50 from Austin Goodwill Computer Store, without OS do not store data on this computer since it may be frequently repartitioned
future: osmium Large Linux server do not store data on this computer since it may be frequently repartitioned there is a place in the stack of towers for OSMIUM to fit but it should be a smaller tower
Print server is working for an HP 2300 laser printer. 192.168.1.31 (The printer does not have networking built in.) Can print from both Linux and Windows.
A Phishing Attack Thwarted
A Phishing Attack Thwarted
June 2019 The cable modem, CM400, that has served us at 2914 Aftonshire Way Austin #15201 was destroyed by a close lightning strike. (Two Spectrum employees worked a day replacing equipment and tracing problems at Building 16.) Now, only one cable outlet (of 3) in the apartment works. I purchased a $70 Surfboard at Best Buy. Within a minute of getting online with it using HP laptop, and before activating the cable modem through Spectrum, a helpful screen came up that offered activation. It had a funny address, though,
https://elb02/activatemymodem.com/landing.
I looked for this as a potential scam using smart phone and found a person using Chrome complaining. There is a web site
https://www.removemalwaretip.com/chrome/kill-elb02-activatemymodem-com-browser-hijacker-now-on-chrome
that shows the many steps needed on Windows to get rid of the malware.
So I took a screen shot of the attack page and went to a Spectrum page to activate. It took 20 minutes talking to Spectrum to get activated.
A Menu of Linux and Networking Activities
A Menu of Linux and Networking Activities
A list of basic computer skills
Pick and choose your learning activities, with approval by the instructor. It may be wise for you to buy Networking for Dummies, Linux for Dummies, or another guide book. We must live by license agreements. What you store onto these computers must be ethical and moral.
Set up Spiral or Anode for multibooting between two distributions of Ubuntu workstation and perhaps the 180-day license of MS Windows Server 2003. Other than Ubuntu, a free OS might be Haiku . Linux server is accomplished merely by adding server services to a Linux workstation machine, through the sudo apt-get install... command line or sudo tasksel -s to see a topical list.
Adjust partitioning on Linux machines using Gparted, or a tool that can handle GPT. Probably don't bother any partition containing a Windows operating system. Keep 10% to 40% of total HDD space unused so there is room to play. Try to not go beyond a dozen partitions, Ubuntu had a problem with fifteen partitions.
Use the Rocket RAID 620 PCI-e card with any spare HDDs to do RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, in addition to the base HDD in the computer. External SATA is a possibility. The best results will come from installation in a slot that is PCI-e 2.0. The adapter has only two SATA 3.0 ports but the package mentions port multiplier device, whatever that is. The card has a CD with HighPoint RAID Management suite for Windows and Linux: browser-based management, command-line interface, BIOS management, Storage Health Inspector, event log, SMTP, alarm.
Set up and manage 3-host license of Kaspersky Internet Security on three Windows computers. Linux aficionados on Internet blogs claim that Linux doesn't have much virus trouble, so security for Linux is more about firewalling.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS server & desktop installs using CDs in The Official Ubuntu Server Book 2nd edition. Both 32- and 64-bit server CDs are in the book. We also have Ubuntu Desktop 13.04 (64bit), 12.04.2 (64bit), 11.10, 8.04, and 7.10. Multiple server installs, on multiple computers, are fine since Ubuntu is free software. Linux sometimes is hard
Ubuntu package management
MAC address and how it identifies computer hardware to the outside world (there is no privacy)
Serving and networking among five local computers
facilitated by 48-port patch panel
wireless router
Linux Samba and NFS file servers
DHCP
mixed Windows and Linux with cross-OS HDD access
compare LAN congestion, two pairs of computers copying .mpg files with hub vs. switch
Access Control List will probably be used on Internet gateway computer to limit access to 100 approved sites. Cisco SG 300-10 can do ACLs and can back up ACLs to a TFTP server, which can be Windows or Linux.
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 180-day license
VPN clients and server, the server done as Linux or MS Windows Server 2003. See if VPN can be done across the Internet between your home and 127 Brandimere Dr.
Simple HTML
Set up subnets and masking, using several computers that have multiple NICs and the Cisco layer-three switch SG 300
See references to Raspberry Pi and Via APC tiny computers, go back to the main page and take the Maker Movement link at the top. These computers are $35-$50.
Check out Augusta LUG, Linux Users Group, through meetup.com. Monthly meetings are interesting. Meetings are at the new Augusta Broad Street The Clubhou.se where Makers meet.
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