OK, so I'm primarily a Windows guy. I've made a career with Microsoft, so I understand the file structures, sharing, mountins, etc. from a Windows perspective. I'm not a BSD guy, so it took me a little time to figure out how all of this works in the BSD world. But alas, I've done it. FreeNAS is now up and fully functional on my home network. I'll upload the video of the CF install to YouTube, along with some config screenshots I took, some time this weekend and then post back here.
GLD
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
FreeNAS Online (Somewhat)
OK. So I got the FreeNAS live CD created, installed the hard drives, installed the CF card, and (finally) installed FreeNAS to the CF. I also went ahead and set up the NIC and the IP address settings.
Now I'm getting ready to finish it all off by mounting the hard drives, sharing them, and connecting the NAS to my network. I shot some video of the setup process, which I'll put on YouTube later this week and post a link back here.
So, if you want to set up your own NAS device, FreeNAS is definitely the way to go!
Now I'm getting ready to finish it all off by mounting the hard drives, sharing them, and connecting the NAS to my network. I shot some video of the setup process, which I'll put on YouTube later this week and post a link back here.
So, if you want to set up your own NAS device, FreeNAS is definitely the way to go!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Barracuda Firewall Hacking for Fun and Profit
Step 1 - Find a Barracuda Firewall
Step 2 - Open it Up and Look Inside
Step 3 - ???
Step 4 - Profit! $$
OK, now that I've pulled my "geek" out and thrown it on the table... As I stated in my previous post, I'm in the process of building a FreeNAS server for my house. However; since I'm waiting on some parts, I thought it would be fun to take a part an old Barracuda Firewall 210 and see what I could do with it. Then it occured to me... Monowall! I'll turn an old Barracuda firewall into a Monowall server! :)
So I began the process of going through the system. Now, the 210 has a 40 GB "Barracuda" hard drive (cute, huh?), 256MB of RAM, and 3 NICS. The BIOS is a Phoenix Award BIOS. Thanks to this site, I was able to hack the BIOS and unlock the USB as a boot device.
So, I bust out with my trusty Ubuntu Live CD, install it into my iOmega USB CD Burner, and boot 'er up! Now, with 256 MB of RAM, this thing runs Ubuntu like a dog. It's extremely slow. Luckily, it has PC2700 DDR RAM, so it's relatively easy to come by on eBay, in fact you can get 1GB for less than $40 including shipping!
I did have to pull the original hard drive and drop another 40GB Barracuda in the system, since I couldn't get Ubuntu to rebuild the partition data. But, we got Ubuntu installed and it recognized the onboard NIC without any issues.
So here's my next step in the process. I'm going to get 2GB of RAM, another IDE/CF hard drive (probably around 256 MB), and maybe re-config the existing NIC's so that I can setup according to Monowall's recommended setup.
I'm still doing the FreeNAS server, although I'm kind of rethinking the original idea. I might go ahead and put it in an old rack mount server chasis I have sitting in my garage. I also need to seriously do something about my Dell 600 SC servers. They're way too freakin' loud to have in my home office. Anybody know of any good, quite servers out there?
Step 2 - Open it Up and Look Inside
Step 3 - ???
Step 4 - Profit! $$
OK, now that I've pulled my "geek" out and thrown it on the table... As I stated in my previous post, I'm in the process of building a FreeNAS server for my house. However; since I'm waiting on some parts, I thought it would be fun to take a part an old Barracuda Firewall 210 and see what I could do with it. Then it occured to me... Monowall! I'll turn an old Barracuda firewall into a Monowall server! :)
So I began the process of going through the system. Now, the 210 has a 40 GB "Barracuda" hard drive (cute, huh?), 256MB of RAM, and 3 NICS. The BIOS is a Phoenix Award BIOS. Thanks to this site, I was able to hack the BIOS and unlock the USB as a boot device.
So, I bust out with my trusty Ubuntu Live CD, install it into my iOmega USB CD Burner, and boot 'er up! Now, with 256 MB of RAM, this thing runs Ubuntu like a dog. It's extremely slow. Luckily, it has PC2700 DDR RAM, so it's relatively easy to come by on eBay, in fact you can get 1GB for less than $40 including shipping!
I did have to pull the original hard drive and drop another 40GB Barracuda in the system, since I couldn't get Ubuntu to rebuild the partition data. But, we got Ubuntu installed and it recognized the onboard NIC without any issues.
So here's my next step in the process. I'm going to get 2GB of RAM, another IDE/CF hard drive (probably around 256 MB), and maybe re-config the existing NIC's so that I can setup according to Monowall's recommended setup.
I'm still doing the FreeNAS server, although I'm kind of rethinking the original idea. I might go ahead and put it in an old rack mount server chasis I have sitting in my garage. I also need to seriously do something about my Dell 600 SC servers. They're way too freakin' loud to have in my home office. Anybody know of any good, quite servers out there?
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Master's Certificate in IT/IS Project Management
Oh, I forgot to announce, to the 4 people who are reading this, that I passed my Master's Certificate in IT Project Management course. Now I'm preparing for the PMP, which I should have completed by the end of March. At $405, it's a BIG pill to swallow, but once it's done, I'm pretty much set on a career for a while. After that, I'm going to stop screwing around and go for my MCSE and CCNA this year. I figure, "Hey, I'm in it, I might as well get the certs for it."
Building My Own NAS
OK, so I'm a little bored with my technology. I have 2 servers, a desktop, 5 laptops, and a bunch of left over equipment my company disposed of. I'm running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Ubuntu. I also have a 500 GB USB drive attached to one of my servers, which has been dubed the "file server", even though it's also a webserver and email server. I also have a great deal of storage capacity on the Domain controller (yes I have a Windows DC - I know, I'm a freak!). As well as 3 USB drive enclosures for some laptop hard drives, a ton of SD and CF cards, and a couple of DVD and CD burners.
I need to consolidate! I'm in the middle of a big health project (http://pounds4food.org) right now, as well as running a paintball team (http://www.fuzzyduckpaitnball.com), both of which require storage of video and music files. I also have a large collection of DVD's and software CD's that are taking up space.
So here's my idea.
I'm going to take all of these various storage mediums and see about getting them all to work together as a single NAS (Network Attached Storage) device, using FreeNAS Linux. I figure, all told I have approximately 2.5 TB of storage capacity across multiple devices and mediums. If I can make all of the information available in one location, that would RULE!
So, that's my project over the next few weeks. I'll update this blog with photos, info, frustrations, questions, etc as we go. I'll also probably update my VLog on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/gldrumm) with video of me putting the whole project together, so check back with me.
This should be fun! :)
I need to consolidate! I'm in the middle of a big health project (http://pounds4food.org) right now, as well as running a paintball team (http://www.fuzzyduckpaitnball.com), both of which require storage of video and music files. I also have a large collection of DVD's and software CD's that are taking up space.
So here's my idea.
I'm going to take all of these various storage mediums and see about getting them all to work together as a single NAS (Network Attached Storage) device, using FreeNAS Linux. I figure, all told I have approximately 2.5 TB of storage capacity across multiple devices and mediums. If I can make all of the information available in one location, that would RULE!
So, that's my project over the next few weeks. I'll update this blog with photos, info, frustrations, questions, etc as we go. I'll also probably update my VLog on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/gldrumm) with video of me putting the whole project together, so check back with me.
This should be fun! :)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Happy New Year World
OK, so I want to give a Happy New Year shout out to all 12 of you reading this blog. 2007 is gone and 2008 is officially in full swing. Why didn't I post earlier? Well, mostly because I've been on vacation since December 22nd and just returned to work yesterday.
Speaking of work, can someone out there please come up with a better backup solution than Symantec Back Exec? I've been using this product for years, simply because there's no real alternative, but what a beating! I love Microsoft's decision to get into this field with System Center Data Protection Manager, but by the same token, Microsoft has decided that they're not supporting legacy systems with their latest iterations of software. Which leaves me with Backup Exec to handle these often unstable yet mission critical systems.
Oh well. I'm sure I'll find the solution to the problem I'm trying to solve in Symantec's gigantic, yet somewhat cumbersome, knowledge base. I just need to make sure I have plenty of pain medication on hand while I search.
On a fun note, I get to light up 3 new servers this week. 2 of which will be running on Microsoft's Virtual Server platform. So good times are coming...
Speaking of work, can someone out there please come up with a better backup solution than Symantec Back Exec? I've been using this product for years, simply because there's no real alternative, but what a beating! I love Microsoft's decision to get into this field with System Center Data Protection Manager, but by the same token, Microsoft has decided that they're not supporting legacy systems with their latest iterations of software. Which leaves me with Backup Exec to handle these often unstable yet mission critical systems.
Oh well. I'm sure I'll find the solution to the problem I'm trying to solve in Symantec's gigantic, yet somewhat cumbersome, knowledge base. I just need to make sure I have plenty of pain medication on hand while I search.
On a fun note, I get to light up 3 new servers this week. 2 of which will be running on Microsoft's Virtual Server platform. So good times are coming...
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Dude You're Getting a Dud
I recently read an article with this same title on MSN: http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2007/12/18/dude-you-re-getting-a-dud.aspx.
In the article the author notes Dell's poor performance in the consumer market due to horrible customer service, blah technology, and prices that are not as competitive as they appear. All true points. But the real business of computers isn't made in the consumer space, it's made in commercial sales of servers and hardware for the office.
In this market Dell is still doing quite well. There are really only a handful of top players in the commercial market: IBM, Compaq/HP, Sun, and Dell. Everyone else is pretty much an "also ran". Unless Alienware decides to enter the server market (which would kick arse, by the way), we're pretty much stuck with these 4 manufacturers to choose from.
The author also alludes to Gateway as an example of where he believes Dell is headed, but Gateway was never a major player in the server market. So whille Dell's lack-luster sales in the consumer market may indicate that the company needs to rethink this particular channel, I wouldn't quite count them out just yet. They're still VERY solid with their servers and commercial lines and that's where a big chunk of their cash comes from anyway. Ultimately all of these companies are just putting together other people's innovations (i.e. AMD and Intel), so I think, for now, I'm gonna stick to the whore I've already paid for.
Just my 2¢.
In the article the author notes Dell's poor performance in the consumer market due to horrible customer service, blah technology, and prices that are not as competitive as they appear. All true points. But the real business of computers isn't made in the consumer space, it's made in commercial sales of servers and hardware for the office.
In this market Dell is still doing quite well. There are really only a handful of top players in the commercial market: IBM, Compaq/HP, Sun, and Dell. Everyone else is pretty much an "also ran". Unless Alienware decides to enter the server market (which would kick arse, by the way), we're pretty much stuck with these 4 manufacturers to choose from.
The author also alludes to Gateway as an example of where he believes Dell is headed, but Gateway was never a major player in the server market. So whille Dell's lack-luster sales in the consumer market may indicate that the company needs to rethink this particular channel, I wouldn't quite count them out just yet. They're still VERY solid with their servers and commercial lines and that's where a big chunk of their cash comes from anyway. Ultimately all of these companies are just putting together other people's innovations (i.e. AMD and Intel), so I think, for now, I'm gonna stick to the whore I've already paid for.
Just my 2¢.
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