I took the web server down for about 20 minutes while I scrambled to transfer the domain to a different computer. All should be functioning, again. The issue started at about 11:46 AM PST when one of my image directories became corrupted. The Windows XP Pro Install Guide thumbnails became inaccessible at that time. Unfortunately, I did not discover the issue until many hours later.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
I am beginning to sound like a broken record. Once again, I am way behind on E-Mails (several days worth). I will get back with as many people as I can.
I have information about AdShield and the reason the particular software performs as it does (outlined in several news posts below). An explanation was forwarded to me by the particular reader this issue affected:
Robots.txt files are used by web sites to control which of their pages are indexed by search engine spiders. AdShield isn't a search engine so it doesn't conform to this standard even in version 3. The caching option has always been disabled by default. Version 3 does have an exclude list which could be used to prevent it from processing any web site which objects for whatever reason.
I guess that explains why it does not conform to the robots.txt standard for the reason quoted above. I also understand the thought process behind it. However, the robots.txt standard was implemented to tell "automated" programs "not to go to a particular spot" on a web site. Actually, it could also be that it was implemented to tell automated programs to "not index a particular file or directory." To help me in determining what the function should be, I quote some information from the first question and answer on http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/faq.html:
What is a WWW robot?
A robot is a program that automatically traverses the Web's hypertext structure by retrieving a document, and recursively retrieving all documents that are referenced.
Note that "recursive" here doesn't limit the definition to any specific traversal algorithm; even if a robot applies some heuristic to the selection and order of documents to visit and spaces out requests over a long space of time, it is still a robot.
Now, by this definition, any program that "automatically traverses" a site is considered a robot. I quote one more line from the first question and answer on http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/faq.html:
Normal Web browsers are not robots, because they are operated by a human, and don't automatically retrieve referenced documents (other than inline images).
Web browsers cannot be considered robots because someone must point them to a particular site and, by default, they do not spider a domain. However, this brings to mind several more questions:
One could also take the point of view that since "...the caching option has always been disabled by default..." this particular function is not "automatic" and should not conform.
Where should the line be drawn? I cannot say, but I do know that Internet Explorer, when set in an "automated" fashion, for example: offline browsing, does check the robots.txt file located on a web server.
A Rant outlining this issue and more research will probably appear in due time. Meanwhile, I thank my dedicated reader for, not only pointing this problem out to me, but taking extreme measures to help me in troubleshooting this issue. I just need to sit on this problem a little longer and figure out what I am going to do. Too many questions... not enough answers.
I have been selected SETI@Home user of the day [link removed]. I think it could have something to do with my profile's [link removed] picture involving Santa. Coincidence? The world may never know.
:)
I have also been told that the person mentioned in the last couple of news updates may be using an "older" version of AdShield. Unfortunately, due to the Holiday season, they have not been able to get any answer from technical support as to the issues outlined below. If it does turn out that the older version is flawed and the latest does conform to the robots.txt standard, I will update the news.
Well, the person outlined two updates below "is" using a plain version of IE6, that is, if you do not include using AdShield. AdShield blocks pop-ups and banner ads. Since I do not have any, it is rather pointless to have it running on my site. However, this is the intriguing thing. Cut and pasted from the home page is this "feature:"
Improves performance using optional background downloading and caching of pages/images linked to the ones you're viewing.
Improves performance for "whom?" That completely explains the reason for the log file entries. AdShield does not conform to the robots.txt standard and, therefore, indiscriminately "sucks everything," while at the exact same time:
Suppresses the download and display of ad images and frames.
Wow. Even though I am highly "anti-banner ads," this gives great cause for those sites that depend on ad revenue to be annoyed at this type of program. Not only does this program block their income generator, it creates "more traffic" by pre-fetching links "just in case." Not exactly sure if the program kills the request for the ad content or downloads it and just does not "display" it to the viewer. That will require more research.
I know there is a Rant in this news update, somewhere...
In a totally unrelated matter, I usually post the "time" of my update. The previous post, I put the time as "10:03 PM PST." The reality is that is the time I "started" posting the news update. The clock on my system now shows "11:02 PM PST." Where am I going with this? All updates, no matter how small or what the content, takes time.
I have tons of stuff I would love more than anything to post about. However, the information that I post, I try to make it as accurate and complete as I possibly can. The problem with this? I just plain do not have the time to do everything. What my readers get is "small" content updates but, rest assured, when I do post an article or guide, I did not just toss the information up at random. I took my time to get it right.
In an attempt to give my readers a little insight as to "what goes on behind the scenes," I have posted the following news update.
Time to start the latest Quick Rant.
This is the longest news update I have had in awhile. The reason? I am banging my head up against the monitor.
I, once again, fired up the automatic banning of IP addresses last night. This is due to my desire to stop "bad" robots from sucking too much bandwidth. More information on this practice is located in my Abuse Rant. Basically, I implemented a "hidden link" which all "good" robots, including all major search engines, would ignore.
I had a reader contact me in distress saying they did "nothing wrong" and that they are using a plain version of IE6. Some proxy servers, pre-fetchers and firewall's chose to ignore the robots.txt standard.
After reviewing the log files, I am attempting to figure out with this person, the exact "reason" this particular version of IE6 is attempting to "pre-fetch" links that are not valid and, as a result, causing my server to flag the IP for abuse. Whether or not this person is using any of the previously mentioned products is unknown at this time.
Once again, I have temporarily removed that particular function from the server. However, even though IP addresses are not automatically banned, I am notified immediately of the spidering attempt and the logs will remain until I can narrow down the cause of this problem.
A cut and paste from the web server log file, and my explanation of the issue will follow: (The actual IP address is removed for obvious reasons).
x.x.x.x - - [22/Dec/2003:12:45:26 -0800] "GET /WinXP/servicecfg.htm HTTP/1.1" 200 9027 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)"
The above log file line (even though it may display in your browser as "several lines," for the sake of argument, it actually is only one line) denotes the page where this person entered the domain. Having no "referer" (sic) information logged (the "-" after the "200 9027") is how I came to that conclusion.
The next several lines is the "normal" traffic. This includes the "referer" (sic) header, which is valid and tells me that "the browser requested the information because of accessing the above page." One such entry is shown below:
x.x.x.x - - [22/Dec/2003:12:45:26 -0800] "GET /css/20031222basic.css HTTP/1.1" 200 266 "http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)"
This shows the requesting page as "servicecfg.htm" and it is also requiring a download of "20031222basic.css." This is normal traffic. However, the following request should not be there and is directly "after" the normal logging of traffic patterns:
x.x.x.x - - [22/Dec/2003:12:45:26 -0800] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 4581 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)"
The above line tells me that, in only one second since the first request, the root "index" page ("GET /") was requested by the browser, but it has no "referer" (sic) header attached like the "normal" requests do. Three seconds later, the invalid link is spidered and the IP address was automatically banned. This particular "hidden" link is also the "first link" appearing in my XHTML code. However, It gets better.
The next two lines is what frightens me the most:
x.x.x.x - - [22/Dec/2003:12:45:40 -0800] "GET /AskBV/XP25.htm HTTP/1.1" 200 211 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)"
x.x.x.x - - [22/Dec/2003:12:45:49 -0800] "GET /AskBV/XP25.htm HTTP/1.1" 200 211 "http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)"
On the original page, the reference to XP25.htm is the "next" link in the code. However, the first request had no referer (sic) header information (as noted in the log file by "-" after the "200 211"). The second line "does" have the referer (sic) information logged only 9 seconds later, just as if the person actually "clicked" the link and attempted to go to that page.
The burning question I have is "what on Earth is causing IE to pre-fetch links?"
When that question is answered, I will rest better at night.
I am sure this issue has blocked other legitimate readers and I apologize. My intentions are only good by attempting to protecting my server "from the bad folk."
Other people have wrote to me and, in a matter of speaking, "If you do not want people to visit your site, take it down!" That is not the issue. I am not blocking legitimate traffic (well, except for the unknown cause outlined above). What I am attempting to do is stop the complete download of my domain for no reason other than "because it is there."
Again, I wish to thank everyone at TechTV for making my appearance on The Screen Savers an enjoyable one. The whole staff made me feel right at home. Thanks to Erica K. and Joshua B. for their support. A special thanks goes out to Leo Laporte for calming my nerves enough to talk on camera. He makes it look really easy.
Since the show from last night just repeated, access to the web site is slow, at best.
Quick links to:
I have had several complains from readers about my web server automatically banning their IP address because of "abuse." This is due to my recently implemented configuration to stop "bad" robots from sucking too much bandwidth. More information on this practice is located in my Abuse Rant. I implemented a "hidden link" which all "good" robots, including all major search engines, would ignore. Some proxy servers, pre-fetchers and firewall's chose to ignore the robots.txt standard. This is an issue to take up with the creators of those programs, not my web site.
I have temporarily removed that particular function from the server. All access is currently available with the following exceptions:
I appreciate everyone's feedback while I fine tune the domain to provide everyone rapid content while not alienating others.
I wish to thank everyone at TechTV for making my appearance on The Screen Savers an enjoyable one. Everyone made me feel right at home. A special thanks goes out to Leo Laporte for calming my nerves enough to talk on camera. He makes it look really easy.
Thanks again TechTV!
Today marks the day that I have uploaded 25000 units for SETI@Home [link removed] . I must laugh, because on Monday, August 12, 2002 when I uploaded my 10000th unit, I was planning on shutting down the systems.
Here is a small snip of the current official stats:
Many people have asked me to link directly back to their domain or personal pages. I have never honored such requests as I have always felt that "portal" pages are, at times, rather chaotic and useless. However, I am rethinking that position and have created a page dedicated to those people that have linked to my domains content. It would take a large amount of my time to identify all those links that have already been created. However, if you have linked to my domain, please contact me again and I will post the information.
I wish to thank everyone that has utilized my information and taken the time to post links on their web sites. It is greatly appreciated and I feel that it is my obligation to take the time to publicly thank those people and return the favor.
This action will not include "forum" or "guestbook" postings, nor any "banner" or image links, only text. It is also not a means to "advertise" a product that you may offer because I still will not honor requests to endorse any program or service.
A sharp reader identified a news update that I posted a few days ago for only 30 minutes, then deleted. It outlined the steps that I have recently implemented to stop abuse of my content. I will now go into greater detail in the Abuse Rant.
For several months, I have been attacking my bandwidth problem from a totally different angle than I recently have. I was optimizing images, cutting down on all "extra" content, and compressing content for faster download time. However, after looking through my log files, that was not enough. READ MORE...
I have added the following Frequently Asked Question in the Ask BV section: How did you come up with the name "Black Viper"?
I have posted a new Rant I call Copyleft. It contains an examination of the issues of United States Copyright Law and the GNU Free Documentation License. I, by any stretch of the imagination, am not a lawyer. What is contained in this document are my feelings and opinions on a touchy subject based on extensively pouring over what is deemed legal documents and attempting to come up with a solution to my particular problems in the best way that I can.
READ MORE...
The Windows 2003 Enterprise Server Install Guide is online.
Since most of my domain optimization efforts are complete, I can now (finally) focus on adding content to the domain. Current plans (in no particular order) are as follows:
I appreciate my long time readers patience while I work on posting the above information.
Round Three of my domain optimization efforts is complete.
Long time readers may remember that the domain started out as "blkviper.com." This was due to, at the time, "blackviper.com" being taken. After several months, I was able to get the "full" blackviper.com domain name. Unfortunately, I have always resolved each domain to the exact same content. Another problem is that I configured each domain to be accessible with or without the "www." in the address bar at the server level.
This resulted in search engines indexing and people linking to 4 different URL's for the exact same content.
I have decided to externally redirect all URL's pointing "www.blkviper.com" or "blkviper.com" or "blackviper.com" to "www.blackviper.com."
This has several "good" side effects:
Seemingly with all of my major modifications, something must go wrong with it.
I have checked the domain in multiple browsers and did several "validations" of my content, but I cannot check everything. If you find something that "just does not look right," please contact me and I will look into the issue.
This is another round of warnings that I feel compelled to inform people. My previous page instructed people how to deal with the MSBlast worm. This one, however, deals with yet another mass mailing worm with it's purpose in life to steal PayPal account information.
This discovery was prompted by one E-Mail that fits the Symantec description perfectly:
The subject line contains "YOUR PAYPAL.COM ACCOUNT EXPIRES" and comes from the address of "Do_Not_Reply@paypal.com." It arrived at my inbox at 11:41 AM PST today.
This information was posted November 14, 2003 by Symantec and the virus signatures were updated that day:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.mimail.i@mm.html
However, just a few messages up (more recent), I received about the same message at 12:16 PM PST with a slightly different subject line. This one is "IMPORTANT <several spaces and then random characters>". It also comes from the address of "Do_Not_Reply@paypal.com."
This particular message, fitting the bill with another scam to steal PayPal account information, was posted on November 17, 2003. Yes, today:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.mimail.j@mm.html
This one tipped me off because it has the exact type of subject line of a previous virus that I am sent often (12 times yesterday, 3 today) for several months. That particular variant comes from the address of "admin@<what ever domain the email is sent to.com>" with the subject line of "your account <several spaces and then random characters>".
More information on that particular virus is here:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.mimail.a@mm.html
What I am trying to get across is that people could find viruses in their E-Mail box before virus signatures can be updated. I fail to remember the "default" amount of time or "how often" the automatic update service runs for Norton Anti-Virus, but 24 hours is not a guess far from the truth, I am sure.
What this means is that I could have been infected 3 times (by the amount of separate E-Mails) before the signatures could have been updated. Of course, by the time the automatic update is performed, it could be too late.
Knowledge is power. Period. I knew these E-Mails contain viruses without even thinking about it from past experience with known subject lines. I looked them up because my curiosity sometimes overwhelms me and discovered that "I could have received it before they fixed it."
Being careful with the "automatic" actions you perform daily by checking E-Mail and knowing "what is good and what could be bad" is much more powerful than any virus scanner available. Knowing an E-Mail's intent before even opening it has much more power then "assuming" a person is safe just because an Anti-Virus program is running.
More tips are located in my E-Mail Filtering Guide.
One of the many E-Mails I received lately tipped me off to yet another Cut and Paste [link removed] job. That makes Number 11. Of course, this is only counting the people that I bother to post on my Cut and Paste Rant [link removed] . However, many others have wandered in front of my eyes. Each and every time I see someone blatantly ripping my hard work and calling it their own, I must ask myself: Is it worth it?
So far, the answer has been "yes," but I am getting tired of spending a great deal of time just to have so many other people steal it in the blink of an eye.
I have fallen way behind on E-Mails. With over 300 to sift through, it will take some time for me to catch up.
Connectivity to the domain has been pretty good today. Hopefully, it will last.
I also did some major changes to the server which could have denied access temporarily on several occasions in the last 2 hours.
Everything should be up and running as normal. As always, I tend to miss things that are rather obvious. Please contact me about any problems that you may encounter with the domain and I will look into the issue.
My ISP and I are working on a solution to my connectivity issues. We discovered an extreme amount of interference hitting the Access Point in my immediate area and are currently working a solution around the problem. I also found out that my wireless telephone has the capability of totally locking up the Access Point. Needless to say, connectivity to the domain will be sporadic at best.
Last night, the connection went down from around 11 PM until around 10 AM this morning and even though the connection is back online, the latency is horrific.
Hopefully, a solution will be in place very soon.
I appreciate your patience.
I must thank all spammers that attempt to confuse E-Mail filters by adding random characters to the end of a subject line. When this pathetic attempt at getting through to E-Mail users started, it annoyed me. However, after it became a "wide spread practice," I expanded my subject line column way out and scan only the end of the line. If it contains gibberish, it is gone. It has reduced the time I take to filter E-Mails considerably. More tips are located in my E-Mail Filtering Guide.
Warning: Highly opinionated Quick Rant to follow.
I am one of the 50+ million users of the newly implemented "do not call registry" that the FCC has placed online. Even though "political organizations and charities" are excluded from such a list, I wish they were not. I can take abuse from those people attempting to make a buck, mainly because I can yell right back and not fear retaliation, but not from those "allowed" to harass me unregulated and are "providing a service to the community" like law enforcement.
I just put the phone down from one of those "allowed" solicitation phone calls. This person was mumbling something about the local Sheriffs department and wishing to thank me in advance for supporting the police officers. I kindly asked him to please place me on his "do not call" list as I have done with many other solicitation calls. His response was "F*#K you too" and hung up.
I hope that the organization did actually place me on the list because they would require many donations to cover the $11,000 fine if they call me again. However, it would be difficult, if impossible, to prove "yes they did call before" since I was not paying much attention to whom it was or the "exact" reason they were calling. Mainly because I was not quite prepared for such a response, but more importantly is that I never give any information out over the phone to any solicitor regardless of why they are calling.
In a related manner, my telemarketer telephone calls have been greatly reduced, so I cannot knock the registry "too much" because of the obvious effectiveness that has resulted so far. However, if you are one of those that do telemarketing for a charity, it is advisable to be nice to the people on the other end of the phone. After all, they can call you, too.
In round two of my domain optimization efforts, I cleaned up all of the CSS by deleting redundant or no longer required information. I also reduced the size of both images located on every page.
Each time I modify my CSS, I tend to miss something. Sometimes, it is rather obvious. If you come across anything on the domain that "just does not look right," contact me and I will look into the issue.
I initially changed the PayPal image source back to PayPal.com to reduce outbound traffic. However, when anyone accesses the domain, a cookie from their server is attempted to be set. Now I remember why I was serving the image myself. I can only assume the cookie is used for tracking purposes. Allowing obnoxious advertising or tracking on my domain is not my style. The image located at the bottom of every page is once again served locally.
Connectivity to the domain in the last several weeks has been poor, at best. My ISP is working the issue.
Diablo 2: LOD v1.10 has been released. Check the Arreat Summit for more details.
I have taken the News Server down.
I kind reader notified me of an issue that I have been working for some time. However, I did not realize the impact of it. What I saw happening was that IE was not parsing my custom Windows XP Services Registry File page properly and the display was slightly different than the rest of the domain. In fact, it caused further issues which resulted in it being very difficult (if not impossible) to cut and paste the resulting file into Notepad.
I have fixed and tested the result and it should work as intended. I appreciate your patience on the matter and thank my readers for the feedback.
I took the web server down to configure my latest domain change. I have successfully installed a compression module for the web server to allow outbound traffic to be dynamically compressed. This will (and already has proven) effective at reducing my bandwidth consumption and greatly decreases page load time. For example, one of my most popular pages being Windows XP Services 411 also has the distinct pleasure of being one of the largest pages served. In an uncompressed state, the amount of data for the page being transferred over the internet, not to include images, is 134KB. In a compressed state, it is 23KB. Even on a 56Kbps modem, the page should download within 9 seconds.
I am currently looking at more ways to decrease bandwidth and keep the site accessible to everyone.
Feedback is welcome if you notice any changes or even if you see no difference at all: Contact BV.
I have temporarily disabled the different color schemes while I work on a server side solution. If you are lucky enough to use Netscape or, even better, the open source Mozilla, you can change the Black color scheme to a White theme by selecting View --> Use Style --> White.
If you are using IE of any flavor, that feature is not available, sorry. But, you can choose Tools --> General Tab --> Accessibility button and check:
You can even go so far as to do the following. However, some content may be obscured due to positioning of the elements.
I hope to have my solution available soon, however, I am not even going to commit to a time frame.
Basically what this does for me is allow less connections opened to my server with reduced bandwidth consumption by not serving the Java style sheet switcher file and the 2 extra style sheets. The good news would be that the site will load faster due to the reduction in data transfer upon connecting to the site.
MaximumPC Magazine mentions Black Viper and www.blackviper.com with regards to the Windows XP Services Information in the November 2003 issue on page 48 1/2. (This page is actually a fold out and between pages 48 and 49.)
I have posted a page to allow you to create your own custom Windows XP Services Registry File.
IMPORTANT: This function is in testing. Do not use if you are scared as to the outcome. However, feel free to test the tool and send me feedback with success and failure stories.
If you wish to purchase Halo for the PC and want to play the Co-Op campaign like the XBOX version, do not even waste your money. It is not an option. As a side note, the rendering speed is very poor, at best. The sound stutters often and skips dialog in the rendered cut scenes. So, unless you wish to play single player campaign or online multiplayer at 800x600, it is best to wait for patches to fix the problems. Your results may vary. However, feel free to wander around the net and lurk on forums to see if anyone else is having the same issues.
Unfortunately, I still have not caught up completely on back E-Mail. Still around 50 more to go but decided to call it quits for tonight.
Again, I apologize for the delay and I will try to personally reply to all that I can, but rest assured that kind words of encouragement may increase my time checking E-Mail, but it also motivates me to continue on and lets me know that my information that I take great care of and pride in posting is valuable to others.
To feed my curiosity, I downloaded a file sharing program called Overnet and searched for "Windows XP Services." Sure enough, there was my document. 2 revisions and 5 months out of date shared across the network.
Not sure whether I should be "ticked off" or happy that my hard work and information is "so popular" that it warrants being distributed in such a fashion.
In a totally unrelated manner, I am attempting to catch up on all of my E-Mail tonight. I apologize for the delay, but I have been working on different functions of the web site and have not had the opportunity to read and reply, nor post additional information. I also have been stress testing my new router and all seems to be working rather well.
I swapped out one of my routers for a new NETGEAR model. So far, it seems that it performs much better. Only time will tell.
I still have not received my wireless upgrade, so the LinkSys bridge is my bottleneck for now. Soon, very soon, it will go away, also.
I received a call from my ISP stating that the network was redone, backbone bandwidth increased and connectivity restored. I have monitored the connectivity status for the last few hours with no long term dumps (more than a second). This is a nice change from the more recent drops in connectivity from one minute to five minutes, several times per hour. This also reduced my motivation for posting new content that my readers would not have the opportunity to access whenever they wished.
On a lighter note, I could soon become a relay station utilizing a different band than the currently overcrowded 2.4 GHz spectrum. This will result in lower latency, higher bandwidth and, hopefully, 24/7 connectivity. This transition may occur in the next couple of weeks. With the transition also comes the added bonus of getting rid of my current Linksys wireless bridge randomly deciding to stop transferring packets through the Ethernet connection that only a power reset would fix. The issue with the Linksys bridge has highly annoyed me from day one.
Needless to say, I also looked up my local loop provider (SBC) and asked how much it would set me back for a dedicated 1.5 Mbps frame relay connection. $775 per month with a 36 month contract, Cisco router included. Not bad considering that only 2 years ago it was well over $1000 a month, plus equipment ($1200) and installation fee ($2000). Regardless, it is still way beyond my reach... unless I live in a cardboard box.
Meanwhile, I updated the SETI@Home [link removed] page to reflect current progress. With over 23000+ units complete, I must laugh at the fact that on Monday, August 12, 2002 when I uploaded my 10000th unit that I was planning on shutting down the systems. Will that happen on the 25000th? Doesn't look like it. I guess I am running till the end.
The domain has been down for over 4 hours due to my ISP working on connectivity issues. The site will return when I regain connectivity. Unfortunately, I must put up with these outages as I cannot afford a "dedicated" solution to my bandwidth needs and I am not about to resort to banners or other obnoxious advertising. Hopefully, the attacks on my ISP will fade and I no longer will be knocked offline.
I took a couple days away from E-Mail and as a result, became way behind. Everything is now caught up and I thank you for your patience. If you did not hear from me, sorry, but I have to "draw the line" somewhere and be selective as to what I reply to.
The web site and network will be up and down randomly all weekend due to my ISP working on connectivity issues. I appreciate your patience during this period.
Microsoft released three additional critical vulnerabilities affecting the Remote Procedure Call Service. This new patch fixes the previous issues that MSBlaster and other viruses and worms exploited, plus the new ones. Full details on how you can protect yourself from this new issue and steps you can take are located here: READ MORE...
I have converted many of my OS Guides over. Instead of linking directly to the full size images from the thumbnails, they link to a page with the corresponding steps text. I hope this will give my readers a better experience.
Once again, I have my camera access public. Visit the Black Viper's Live Cam [link removed] for a peek at what I do best... Sitting at the computers.
Not so sure how popular this added feature is going to be, but I will be monitoring bandwidth use for the next several weeks.
If the camera is blocked, fuzzy, or just a plain "strange picture," I am away from the computer for an extended period of time.
I transferred the Primary DNS, News and Mail servers to a different computer. It should offer faster response times for queries.
The latest and greatest PDF document for the Windows XP Service Configurations is posted:
This update expands the dependencies of all the services to include not only what a particular service needs to run, but what other services require it to be functional. This could reduce the headache of attempting to cross reference services and may assist you in determining what services you can safely disable on your system.
After finding out that Service Pack 2 for Windows XP will not be released until sometime next year, I thought that I would update the Windows XP Services Information.
This update expands the dependencies of all the services to include not only what a particular service needs to run, but what other services require it to be functional. This could reduce the headache of attempting to cross reference services and may assist you in determining what services you can safely disable on your system.
Unfortunately, the printable PDF version is not finished. I spent over 3.5 hours on getting what information I did update posted. I will try and format it tomorrow.
Currently, I am connected to the internet through a wireless provider using the 2.4 GHz spectrum. A problem in recent history has surfaced that totally knocks my ISP and I offline for 3 to 15 minutes between the hours of 5 PM and 9 PM. Usually, this happens multiple times during that period. My ISP has discovered that "someone" is transmitting upwards of 100 W of power crossing my house and also hitting my ISP's relay station, totally knocking them both down. The maximum output that is authorized is only 4 W.
Progress is being made and hopefully, after discovering who is actually doing this, the FCC will be notified and the problem corrected. Until that time, I must suffer through random dropouts and failed connection attempts.
The good news? Since I am unable to play Asherons Call 2 for any real length of time, I have more time to geek. Several articles are in progress and a new (unrelated) Rant will be posted this weekend.
The network has been down due for the last 1.5 hours due to my ISP working on their equipment.
I transferred the web site over to a different computer. Hopefully, it will offer a little better response time than the previous one. This system includes a RAID controller that might speed up data transfer times.
This still does not fix my connectivity issues with my ISP. However, the latest word is that they are looking at different options with regards to current backbone traffic. Hopefully, sometime this week, the issue will be resolved and no more dropped packets or spans of dropped connections will result.
Currently, between the hours of 5 PM and 9 PM, the problems begin to surface.
Quick Rant: (View the previous ones)
226.
226 is the amount of SoBig viruses, bounced "auto replies," "virus warnings" and "unknown user" messages I received today.
Tell your neighbor. Tell your Co-Workers. Tell your Family. Tell your Information Technology Manager. Tell your Network Administrator. Most importantly, tell yourself these items:
Out of 13423 E-Mail messages I have sent out in recent history, not one of them had an attachment. If you ever get an attachment that appears to be from me, I did not send it to you and never open them. Period.
I do not run a personal virus scanner on my server, nor my E-Mail client. How I identify these malicious messages is located in my E-Mail Filtering Guide. A little education goes a long way toward stopping these type of attacks before they even get started.
The web site and network will be up and down randomly due to my ISP and I working on connectivity issues. I appreciate your patience during this period.
To say again, Remote Procedure Call service is a critical vulnerability that you need to take care of. A solution is available.
The main indication of this is a 60 second shutdown counter just after connecting to the internet or "right after" an attack attempt. Many versions of Windows is affected, to include NT, 2000, XP and 2003. This affects computers directly connected to the internet and could cause the attacker to install code to do ANY sort of malicious activities. Exploits already exist! Upon examination of my firewall log files, I discovered that every two to five minutes, the vulnerable ports are being scanned. I have also included information on how you can temporarily stop the Remote Procedure Call service from automatically shutting down the computer while you attempt a resolution. READ MORE...
I fixed an issue with some pages improperly printing while using Internet Explorer. This was due to the embedded <code> tag that is no longer present.
The web site and network will be up and down randomly for the next couple of hours due to my ISP working on their backbone router equipment. I appreciate your patience during this period.
I have been flooded with E-Mail about Remote Procedure Call service shutting down peoples computers. I have a guess as to why this may be happening to you. READ MORE...
All E-Mail is caught up and I also corrected several errors, mainly invalid links, in the Windows 2000 Services Configurations and Windows 2000 Services Descriptions.
Several articles and items I would like to post or do in the near future are as follows:
I managed to hunt down the time to attempt to catch up on some old E-Mail. Some people have already received a reply, others have not. I still have around 150+ to go through with more arriving hourly, but I should be up to date by Friday. Hopefully, I will not fall so far behind again.
I am rather grateful that one of my (few) family members visited me for the week and I took a much needed break from the computer to relax and catch up on TV. Something that I rarely do. I am trying the best that I can to get to everyone. However, delays in my response will be obvious.
I have many articles in mind to post and working on what I should do first. Stay tuned!
Unfortunately, I fell way behind with regards to my E-Mail load. I took a few hours off. I currently have over 230+ E-Mails in my inbox. I am trying the best that I can to get to everyone. However, delays in my response will be obvious.
In an extent ion to my previous Quick Rant on ICQLite's new version including ads, I also must report that if you do not elect to install the updated version, ICQLite will no longer function after a few days.
So much for using IM ever again. I have never liked AOL anyway. :)
The web site and network will be up and down randomly for the next few days due to my ISP working on their backbone equipment. Hopefully, after the transition, I will be able to acquire additional bandwidth for even faster web site access. I appreciate your patience during this transitional period.
I wish to thank Ken C., AKULA, Woody and Robert T. for assisting me in verifying my DNS servers configuration.
Thanks again!
I have included on the Windows XP Services Registry Patch Guide, files that contain and modify the Description information to display my Windows XP Services Information in the services.msc description pane (extended view). This will allow you to avoid bouncing between the online version or the printable version. Please visit the Windows XP Services Registry Patch Guide for more information and the small downloadable files.
Feedback and success stories with regards to this new information would be appreciated. Please contact me with any issues you may find as, even though they work fine on my systems, I would like to know if they work on yours.
I am also going to refrain from completely modifying the Windows XP Services Information to include what I did with the Windows 2000 version until Service Pack 2 for Windows XP is released.
Quick Rant: (View the previous ones)
I just fired up ICQLite after being away for a few weeks and a message that their is a new version available was displayed. Like a moron, I naturally updated. No other time has ICQ ever notified me in any other versions. After clicking the button, I wondered about that fact.
Come to find out, AOL destroyed ICQLite with banner ads on each message window! Not only are they ads, they are Flash ads! Needless to say, it took me 2.5 seconds to close it out and reinstall the 1150 build with NO ads. After all, the slim and trim ICQ is what I have been wanting for a long time.
The web site and network will be up and down randomly for the next few days due to my ISP working on their backbone equipment. Hopefully, after the transition, I will be able to acquire additional bandwidth for even faster web site access. I appreciate your patience during this transitional period.
After the release of Service Pack 4, the latest and greatest PDF document for the Windows 2000 Service Configurations is posted:
This update expands the dependencies of all the services to include not only what a particular service needs to run, but what other services require it to be functional. This could reduce the headache of attempting to cross reference services and may assist you in determining what services you can safely disable on your system.
I like the added information and what it brought to the online content and the document, so I am going include this information in the Windows XP Service Configurations. I will post the updated information, hopefully, in the next few days.
The Windows 2000 Services Information now includes Service Pack 4 updates. The printable version has not been updated as I just plain ran out of time. I will post the revised printable version later today or tomorrow.
The web server was taken down momentarily for a temporary location change in the house.
Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 has been released (get SP4). In the coming week, I will test various things and post any information that I may find. Stay tuned.
According to the log file, the web server stopped serving requests at approximately 8:18 AM this morning. The problem has been corrected and everything should be up and operational again.
This morning, I discovered the secondary DNS server unplugged. This may have caused the site to be inaccessible over the last few hours or delay the delivery of E-Mail. How did it get unplugged? I am leaning toward some nocturnal activities of a few kitties.
:)
After 1.5 hours, my inbox is clear. Of the 130+ E-mails I have accumulated in the last few days due to lack of time, I replied to 76 of them... Not a bad ratio, however, if I spent the time to reply to everyone's technical support request, it would be a full time job.
Now, a few stupid stats for you:
I wish to thank everyone for their kind words that I receive because they are what keep me going and help me to forget the flamers out there that cannot or refuse to appreciate my efforts.
Due to the large volume of E-Mail I get daily, it would be impossible to personally answer every technical support question that you may have. However, kind words have always fueled this domain and is appreciated.
I currently have 106 unread E-Mails sitting in my inbox (down from 156 yesterday). I will get to them as soon as I have the time.
Connectivity issues will be occurring for several hours. My current ISP is working on their backbone equipment in preparation for an increase in bandwidth.
Well, it did not turn out as well as I hoped. Apache v2.0 still has random delays, sometimes 30 seconds, until it sends out the requested information.
Back to the drawing board...
I am currently testing out a new web server. You are currently accessing the old server. The load will be split between both of these systems. If you have any performance issues, please contact me and I will look into it.
After a "very" long wait, the latest and greatest PDF document for the Windows 2000 Service Configurations is posted:
The updated will be posted ASAP.
This update expands the definitions of a few services, includes some strange processes explanations, as well as addresses several grammar and punctuation issues.
After returning from a visit with my family out of town, I have tons of E-mail to go through.
Well, I feel a little bit better. I received in the E-Mail another virus with two totally different files embedded. It seems as though the virus, like many before it, sucks up a few random files off of someone's hard drive and sends it out with a bit of text from the document as the subject line.
This will have to be chalked up as a BIG coincidence. What is the odds of someone being infected with a virus, attaching my document to it... and then sending it to me? The odds would be nonexistent if people would use virus scanners or utilize my methods of virus identification in E-mail.
Seems as though the May 17, 2003 adventure of a virus using my motto [link removed] as a subject line was not enough. I received another virus today. This time it includes my services document and a batch file that is a virus. Many people have already opened this document as I have blocked the particular pictures included in the information and there is "many" instances of it appearing as denied in my server logs.
Obviously, my thoughts on May 17th of "this is a coincidence" are very incorrect.
Take note folks! This is the harassment that you will get if you openly express your opinion and offer your knowledge for free!
The latest and greatest PDF document for the Windows XP Service Configurations is posted:
The updated Windows 2000 Service Configurations will be posted ASAP.
This update expands the definitions of a few services, includes some strange processes explanations, as well as addresses several grammar and punctuation issues.
Warning: If you receive an E-Mail message from "support@microsoft.com," with a size of 69 KB to 72 KB, do not open them. It is a virus that will spread to everyone in your address book (if you use OE).
So far, I have received the following subject lines today:
More information on how you can protect yourself from such an attack is located in the E-Mail Filtering Guide.
I hope this infestation does not get as out of hand as KLEZ did. One day, I received 12 viri from people (err, infected computers). It actually passed the amount of spam I was getting that day.
The latest and greatest PDF document for the Windows XP Service Configurations is posted:
The updated Windows 2000 Service Configurations will be posted ASAP.
After playing around with various network configurations for the last couple of hours, I found that my original setup is the best, for now. However, I will make another attempt next weekend.
Currently, all services should be up and running. Thank you for your patience.
I must have hit the "big time": I received a virus in my E-mail today with the subject line of "Just Pure BV." If you have not guessed, that has been my motto for quite awhile now. Either I made someone angry and they are trying to tarnish my good name for the fun of it, or it is a major coincidence.
If you care, a screen shot is available [link removed]: (22 KB .gif)
Intermittent network connectivity will occur throughout the weekend. I am fine tuning my configuration and working on improving access bandwidth as well as increasing control. Thank you for understanding while I take this opportunity to geek out on a new setup.
I have updated the look of all but one of my guides. After working on the domain for the last 10 hours straight, my wrist hurts and I am tired. Hopefully, I will get the last one done tomorrow and start working on updating the services PDF documents. I appreciate your patience while I "once again" put myself through a major change.
The good news? Now that I have a format that I like, I will be finally posting additional guides. Stay tuned!
I posted an update to all services configuration and information pages. This update puts them inline with currently released Service Packs.
This update does not include a reposting of the applicable PDF document. I will update that as soon as I can.
Plenty of updates have been happening in the background. Don't think that I forgot about the site!
I have been working on updating all of my guides to be a little bit more user friendly and consistant. Hopefully, this will make the articles easier to understand and more valuable to my readers.
PCWorld mentions the Windows XP Services page in the May 2003 issue of PC World Magazine. Even though the link is quoted in the article as find.pcworld.com/34595, the actual link is http://blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm. Other articles they allude to are:
Ensure that you refresh the current page once, regardless of what browser you are using, before contacting me about display issues. Also, Netscape 4.x has little support for CSS and contains a display bug that effects page layout after resizing the window. As such, instead of opting to use a well known "javascript workaround," I choose NOT to display the navigation structure on Netscape 4.x and below. I also do not change ANY text viewing parameters (colors). If you wish to see the domain as I intend, please use a standards compliant browser.
Please note:
Check out more information about Browser compatibility.
After attempting to view the site in Netscape 4.79, I discovered a problem with my current CSS. The issue has been fixed and all text should now be viewable. Ensure that you "reload" or "refresh" the domain page to get the latest version.
If you discover any other issues, please contact me.
Attention: I need your help!
If you arrived at this domain through a "flash navigation bar," please contact me!
For the last several months, a problem has been eluding me. Upon viewing my server logs, I receive many times per day, requests for my "old" flash navigation buttons that did appear on my domain, last YEAR. No existing page still has the navigation buttons and they have been deleted for some time. This generates "404" errors in my server logs. The issue? Someone or something is attempting to steal my bandwidth/content without my permission. The problem? None of these requests come with "standard referer" information to discover "where" these requests are generated from. Yes, the requesting IP is still logged, but none of these requests also come with a "page" that exist, ONLY the old flash button content.
A screen shot of the "old" navigation structure is available to help you: bvdotcom13aug2002.jpg (123 KB)
The particular files in question are:
I have, today, placed the files "back online" to assist in tracking down this problem.
If anyone knows of what program or site is attempting to use my content, please contact me immediately. It is greatly appreciated.
New additions to the family have arrived. Check the photos out.
Upon request, I reformatted the Windows XP Services Information to be more "screen reader" friendly. I also made slight adjustments to the "safe" service configuration settings. The changes include recommending that the Computer Browser Service and Server Service be placed into disabled. However, if you require file and print sharing, the Server Service is required to run on the system that is sharing resources and one system on the network should have the Computer Browser Service on automatic.
I redid my FDISK Guide to be formatted like my newer guides.
Public access to my Newsgroups are now available. If you are not aware of Newsgroups for discussing various topics, please check out the How to Access Newsgroups Guide and information on why I use Newsgroups.
Complete listing of available Newsgroups and Terms of Use are also posted.
If you have any problems accessing the newsgroups, please contact me and let me know.
I updated the "E-Mail Filtering Guide" to include an adjustment with one of my filters.
Quick Rant: (View the previous ones)
When I purchased Asheron's Call 2, really, my first "online broadband experience," I was hoping for a time of fun and enjoyment. However, with their "monthly" updates to the game, only thing it seems like I am doing is paying $12.95 a month for the privilege of BETA testing the product! Take this month for example: "New content" was uploaded to the server for another "episode," however it introduced a bug that causes all crafted items to be "tier 1." For those of you that are unfamiliar with the game... that is "the worst item in the particular tree." As such, if you wish to craft a fine product for one of your friends, you must wait a week for the "bug fix" to this episode. Why was this not caught in testing?
Several other factors contribute to the BETA scene. Along the same lines as the "new" content, they announced that they do not have enough time to "develop new content once per month and meet the expectations of the players..." So, what do they do? Change it to "every other month." Seems to me that the game was "half done" on release and they decided to kick it out the door to get some cash flow. They then created the idea of "episodes" to justify the game not being done.
So, all that "new content" that should be happening, is getting "lighter" because "they do not have the time." Maybe, just maybe, they should have had all the "standard new content" that they knew was going to happen "eventually" ALL READY CREATED WHEN THE GAME HIT THE SHELVES! But no, that would break the tradition of MMORPG's charging the public to be a beta tester for their "not even close to being finished game" when it is released.
Don't get me wrong. I have been playing Asheron's Call 2 for several months and I actually enjoy the game, but it would be nice to play a "finished" product rather than playing the "guess what is going to be broke next month" game.
BINGO! Finally, Intel releases today "my dream chipset." The new Intel 875P chipset includes support for all of the latest gadgets; to name a few:
Even though the first P4 CPU's that support the new 800 MHz bus have been postponed due to "problems," the 875P chipset is the step in the right direction for Intel to finally implement all the latest technologies in one package.
Check the Intel Press Release, the 875P chipset specs, and TomsHardware.com for their take on the subject.
After some extreme head banging and much pacing of the floor, the domain should be a bit more accessible to the "older" browers, yet be fully functional with the latest and greatest ones. Hm. It only took 6.5 hours to do it. :)
Some other things I wish to work on this weekend include making the site a little more "non-standards compliant" browser friendly. Netscape 4.79 renders the domain pathetically.
This weekend, I am going to work on improving the look and flow of some of my guides. Two examples of "where" they are going are the E-Mail Filtering Guide and XP Services Profiles Guide. I feel that adding titles,step numbering and image numbering helps my readers follow what I am doing. Also, it gives me a point of reference other than "half way down the page."
I am still working on several projects. One of them being a forum of sorts. Not the "all too common" version of PHP forums, but the standard issue USENET News Group access. I will be hosting local news groups for group discussion of my content. I almost have it all straight on how I wish to accomplish it and already have a News server running locally.
Wow. The power was out for a full 17 hours. My UPS only lasted 19 minutes of that.
:)
Not only am I glad to be back online, but the house was starting to get chilly and the ice was melting in the Frig. Needless to say, I caught up on some lost sleep while the whole town was dark after 2 large transformers blew out last night. However, I am glad that I did not spend thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest UPS. Why? Because my ISP only lasted 22 minutes.
Now I must run around and reset clocks, etc. This will forever go down in history as "The night the lights went out in Rosamond." This is also funny since I bragged so much on March 24th about how the "power never goes out here."
Now, I eat my words.
The power just went out and I have no idea how long I am going to stay online. I guess I just have to hope for the best.
Well, the latest and greatest tweak that I applied to the whole site did exactly what I wanted it to do on one of my pages that I have not even posted yet. However, it also made each and every table that have throughout the domain not look as "I had intended." This includes all text centered, which made the install guides totally unacceptable. As such, I have corrected the error and everything should be back to normal. Unfortunately, that means back to the drawing board for the "unposted content."
Even though the "updates" have been few and far between, rest assured that I am working on several projects. Also, you may need to keep in mind that I do not just "toss" information up just to look cool. I work through the process and post the information when I am satisfied with it. This takes time.
Currently, I want to post a "BootVis" guide, "Tweak UI," and a "How to host your own web services." I also wish to expand the Windows Services Information.
Again, this takes time.
Whenever I post up a new guide, it also seems that gives people the go ahead to ask even more questions about stuff totally unrelated to anything I have posted so far. "Since you know how to filter E-Mails, can you help me fix my scanner?" Sifting through those technical support E-Mails takes time.
I am also never satisfied with the "look" of the site. As such, even though I have not posted "what I did," many hours are spent tweaking the pages for spelling, grammar and efficiency. Another project that I wish to do is have the photo albums return.
All of this takes time... Time that I really have not had recently. However, the extended "real job" hours seem to be going down which gives me much more time to geek out. That is a good thing.
:)
I am also thinking about posting a "MailBag" section and answer some of the E-Mails that I have hitting my inbox publicly. That way, the "fix my scanner" E-Mails can be answered and viewed by others with "the same problem." This will also give me more time to post more info... etc.
Another thought includes a common request of an "update newsletter" of sorts. I have not had a way of doing it before without too much manual effort. However, my E-Mail server has the capability of automating requests and distribution of the information. Again, testing, writing and implementing "the plan" takes time.
Plenty is going on. My brain never stops. Sometimes, that is a curse. :)
Thank you, kind reader, for understanding my situation and stay tuned for "much more information" to be posted in the very near future.
I seem to have fixed the search page for IE users. Please check it out and contact me if you have problems.
I admit it. I enjoy people contacting me and asking technical questions. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge with strangers (people that do not contact me but surf on in) as well as, sometimes, the desperate people asking me for help as a "last resort." As with anything, this also has it's limits.
READ MORE...
No matter how much preparation someone may do, nothing is more of a test then going "live." After a weekend of watching the web server logs, monitoring the E-Mail server, and replying to positive feedback, I feel the transfer has been a success. Thank you, kind reader, for your support during this transition. Long time readers may see slight changes in the way the site appears, mainly due to the reduction in bandwidth that I have against what my old ISP had, but nothing drastic.
Some "get-smart-really-fast" topics that I dealt with recently include:
If you are reading this message, you are on the new local server. Both domains (blkviper.com and blackviper.com) have now been transferred over. However, blkviper.com will take between 24 and 72 hours to "take effect" via DNS around the world. Due to obvious reasons, my current E-Mail address may not work or it will be routed incorrectly. If the volume of E-Mail is greatly reduced in the next few days... I will know that something is very wrong.
I may have fixed the performance issues. If you experience slow performance, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you, kind readers, for assisting me in the performance feedback. The site seems pathetically slow and that is NOT my style. :)
It seems as though it is a Apache/XP problem. I am currently transferring the domain over to a different system and should be "switched" by 10:00 PM PST.
I made a few more adjustments to see if I can narrow down the cause of "slight delay," many times several seconds, while attempting access to the domain. If you experience slow performance, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.
At approximately 10:30 PM PST, the power was restored and the domain became active again.
I am still tweaking blackviper.com to find the right configuration for the server. Some connectivity issues may result, but if you have nothing better to do, I would like to hear about your experience.
Upon further investigation (why blkviper.com is down), my previous ISP's whole city lost power @ approximately 3:00 PM PST. All of the UPS did not make it for as long as the power has been off. Service was going to be restored by the local Power Co @ 6:00 PM PST, but that has not happened as of yet.
Due to "very" high winds locally; a power pole fell, fiber exploded or a router blew up. Exactly, I do not know, but access to blkviper.com has been down since ~3:30 PM PST. However, blackviper.com is doing just fine. :)
Updated the Ask BV (FAQ) page with additional firewall configuration information pertaining to "SVCHOST.EXE": What is "Generic Host Process for Win32 Services?!?"
Even though it has not happened yet, I have included on my Ask BV (FAQ) page the answer to this question: Why can't I view any images on your domain?
It looks as though, at approximately 6:00 AM PST, the first BlackViper.com traffic began to access the local network. One small leap for the Internet. One big leap for BV!
Any issues you may have, including performance, content not being transferred correctly, etc: Please contact me so I can address and fix them ASAP. I am currently checking my E-Mail often to ensure a prompt response.
It seemed that after adding the additional domains, the local web server was performing very slowly, even on the local LAN. After playing with different settings and sometimes explicitly setting paths, it seems as though the server is fixed and content is served at a much higher rate.
Not sure what I did, but I am glad I fixed it as the previous state was totally unacceptable. :)
Domain transfer status:
Any issues you may have, please contact me so I can address and fix them ASAP. I am currently checking my E-Mail often to ensure a prompt response.
I have updated my ASK BV (FAQ) to include the answer to an increasingly common question: "What is "C-Dilla?" Is it spyware? Trojan? What installed it?"
Wow. I fell behind again in E-Mail answering. Two hours later, things are caught up. Kind words are always welcome as they fuel this domain.
The funny thing is, I have not fallen behind due to anything "important," but I needed a well deserved break from the real world. As such, I dove in head first with Asherons Call 2. For several months (since release) I have been playing the game online and enjoy it. Many things do not make me happy, for one: The crafting system is impossible. However, the game is not all that bad. If you ever find yourself wandering around Wintersebb, give a tell to "Black Viper" or "Black Viper Two."
Testing is complete as far as DNS, WWW and E-MAIL servers and an additional router was purchased to break apart the network. DNS seems to be working on the test domain and E-Mail has also passed. Now, the great plunge is the only thing that is left.
I have been waiting a long time for this moment and now that it is here, I am wondering what will happen. I have come to enjoy the service of my existing provider (he is a co-worker that started his own ISP in an adjacent town) and he has always been helpful and supportive of my bandwidth needs, and I thank him for it.
The unknown is always a scary realm to dive into. As a result, I am going to wait "just one more week" to convert the domains over. At that time, I am going to take baby steps and only change over "one" of them to see what happens. If serving the domain has any effect on my gaming, I just may have to keep the sites where they are. However, I really want this to work and I will not sleep until the performance, stability and reliability meets my satisfaction.
Wait. I already cut out sleep months ago. :)
Last week, I became way behind on answering E-Mails due to "real job" and the long hours I have put in due to recent "real world events." However, they have all been caught up and now I am going to take the plunge on rewiring the network. This probably will take all day as I am going to move all the systems out, clean them up, and place curtains above the desks. After that, a few UPS will be installed and the systems will be fired up to be "one step closer to my goal of hosting my own domains." In fact, the only thing left would be to change the DNS servers over to me and watch the pretty lights as the traffic comes in.
I thank my kind readers for their support during this transition and the "lack of recent technical updates." I have received "many" requests for content in the last few months, but have not had the time to "do it right." As such, the content will not be posted until it meets my strict criteria.
Believe me, I am not going anywhere.
:)
I have not posted a "Quick Rant" in some time, nor have I updated the "News" section (because of Number 1, below). Now, I guess I am going to make up for it:
Number 1:
I banged my head against the wall for 4 hours trying to prove that "the Western Digital Drives I purchased against my better judgment actually still work after 14 days..." I finally concluded that I was living in dream land and instead, proved that one of the two new drives was not functioning properly. After taking both of the hard drives back to the store (14 day policy) and getting my money back, I picked up, at a different store, two Maxtor 120 GB drives and attached them to the RAID controller that "refused" to work with the WD drives. I was thinking I had a bad controller card. The Maxtor drives, however, work flawlessly. Against my better judgment includes the fact that I have had 3 of 4 WD drives fail (well, now 4 of 6). I will never purchase another WD drive... ever again.
Number 2:
I recently reviewed an outstanding "geek tool," Virtual PC 5.0 for Windows. In a press release dated 19FEB2003, Connectix state that:
Microsoft Corp. today announced it has acquired the virtual machine solutions of privately held Connectix Corp., a leading provider of virtualization software for Windows®- and Macintosh-based computing.
The press release continues with a quote from an Apple Computer Spokesperson:
"Adding Virtual PC to its product portfolio is yet another example of Microsoft's continued commitment to the Mac platform," said Ron Okamoto, vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations at Apple Computer Inc. "For years, Virtual PC has helped people who want to own a Mac but need to run legacy PC applications. We're glad to see Virtual PC go into such good hands."
Good hands? Commitment to the Mac platform? Does this guy know who Bill Gates is? The final straw was in this snippet:
Microsoft will continue development of virtual machine solutions from Connectix and will integrate them into the Windows and Mac product portfolios.
Ok. Translation:
A tear streamed down my cheek when I read this release. I fell that everyone should "run, do not walk" to purchase the product, however, according to the release, Connectix support will quit after "the six-month transition period." Will Microsoft "really" continue to support the product and NOT bloat it up with Microsoft hype and instability? I am afraid to guess.
I am looking at "the other guy," VMWARE's virtual solution. Several months (ok, maybe a year or so) ago, I tried them, but I enjoyed Virtual PC / Connectix's solution more, and the price was right.
It would be interesting to compile a comparison between "Virtual PC 5.0 of today" and "tomorrows MS VPC solution" (read "bloatware").
Number 3:
AMD recently announced the addition of the Athlon XP 3000+ CPU. However, in lines with my AMD vs Intel Rant, this places another "mark" in the "hate AMD column." WAIT! Do you know why? Trust me, I will tell you:
According to this benchmark published by AMD, using DDR memory, the 3000+ beats out the P4 3.06 with an i845 chipset. Ok, sure, but the P4 was built for RDRAM, NOT DDR! How many times do I have to yell at my monitor with that fact! Every benchmark I have read (Check Tomshardware.com) has placed the 3000+ "way below" what the latest P4 can do with PC1066 RIMMS. Actually, it is below what previous models have done! Does that mean the extra cache and increased bus speed is actually "worth" the "300 to 400+ (hehe) AMD model points" from the 2600+? The 3000+ is a 2.16 GHz CPU (AMD White paper link - page 33) while the "older" 2600+ is a 2.13 GHz CPU (AMD White paper link - page 35). I highly doubt it.
In several of Toms Benchmarks, the new AMD 3000+ is placed BELOW A P4 2.53! So what the hell does the "3000+" REALLY mean? Does it mean that they are at the end of the product cycle and cannot get any more blood from a stone (no great increase in MHz from the model 2600+), so they decided to "crank up the model number, just because they can?"
Until AMD quits making random claims as to it's performance compared to "nothing," and stamping a "meaningless" model number on the box, I will continue to stay away from AMD. If you are still interested in getting a new AMD CPU, check those model numbers and the CPU specs because, yes, they do "overlap" from the old to the new. One more mark in the "hate AMD column."
80%. That is about how much I finished configuring my network. Local and public DNS is active as well as the web server. However, I still need time to finish internal testing before everything "goes live." Many readers have requested content updates, etc, but I wish to finish the domain conversion before any additional content is placed online.
Even more readers have asked "how am I doing it?" Well, I will post that information after I actually have everything online and public. :)
I appreciate your kind words as they are what fuel the domain and ask for your patience as I make the transition throughout the week.
Happy Anniversary BlkViper.com! The site has been up and running for 4 years now. I really wanted to reach my goal of full conversion to my own resources and hosting by this date. However, due to "real-world" events and "real-job" working hours, I have not had the time to do so. Also, along those same lines, I am extremely behind on E-Mail. About 3 hours worth. The good news is that I have a 3 day weekend (almost had to work Saturday, Sunday and Monday) and will attempt to catch up everything and begin the domain conversion process.
I updated the page with regards to a very popular question: What kind of computer system should I buy? What company? Should I build one?
My local mail server seems to be working properly and I am getting really close to converting the domains over to my own servers. Taking the plunge is quite a step. Something I have looked forward to for a few years. Now, I am scared. :)
I am also going to take this opportunity to test out a different E-Mail program than the constraining Outlook Express.
I updated my Cut and Paste Writers Rant [link removed] to reflect an additional offender. That makes ten total. This page [link removed] has screen shots and exposes the Cut and Paste Writers [link removed] for what they really are.
The broadband has been up and running for a couple of weeks, now, and I am happy with the service and latency. This can only mean one thing: Time to geek out!
Some of the things that I wish to do in the near future, when the "real job" lets me stay home for a few hours is:
I have made a few minor adjustments to the XP Services Configuration and Services Information pages. Nothing major, just added additional findings and clarification about some of them. The PDF files do not reflect the changes at this time, but I will modify and post them as soon as I can.
After beating my head up against the wall for several days, I have refined the CSS on the domain to perform well with multiple browsers and easy printing. As a natural result, you may need to reload the web page to view all content properly. If you have difficulty printing one of the pages, please contact me and I will fix it as soon as I can.
Yesterday, many files became corrupted on the server. Pages disappeared and images were no longer displayed. Some downloads were also corrupted. These problems should be fixed. Any download attempted in the last 2 days should be downloaded again. If you experience any more issues, please contact me and I will fix them ASAP.
Phase one of my domain test is complete. Several readers visited and everything seems (read: I hope) is working fine. The link has been removed for further adjustments.
I have the TEST DOMAIN online. Please hit it a couple of times. Only going to be up for a few hours. So take a peak while you can. I have been wanting to host my own services for a long, long time. It is finally becoming a reality.
After an extended period of time away from E-Mail, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to explain how I filter E-Mail to make my life much easier and save me tons of time. Annoying spam and virus's are a problem that everyone will face sooner or later. I have constructed an article to explain what I do to fight it WITHOUT using any additional programs that are not already included with your OS. This also is a sneak peek at the heart of my Inbox.
E-Mail Filtering Guide: READ MORE...
Happy New Year to all of my kind readers from Black Viper!
"Have you tweaked your OS lately?"
Choose the look:
Black or White
Windows Service Configurations!
Includes explanations of each service and advice on which services you can safely disable!
