Nutter's Help Desk

By Ron Nutter

Getting up to speed with VoIP
03-05-07
My company is expecting to make the move to VoIP in the next year or so. I would like to learn some basics before the move is made and hopefully be able to ask the rights questions as the selection is made. Without hocking the family jewels, is there a way that I can build some experience? -- Via the Internet

A real time sync
05-29-06
We recently had to deal with a problem where several of our servers were not keeping in time sync with each other. This got us to look at different ways of getting all devices on our network including the switches, printers, etc to all know about the same time. Some in our group want to get a GPS card device that will pick up the time signals from the satellites. Others want to see what other options might be. Can you point us in the right direction?

Ratcheting up SpamAssassin to block even more spam
05-22-06
You wrote a column on 5/1 about controlling spam with SpamAssassin. We have taken the steps you suggested but we still have an amount of spam getting through greater than we think would be the norm. Are there any other steps that we can take?

Problems sending e-mail to one particular company
05-07-06
Several days ago, my company started having problems sending e-mail to just one particular company. We are getting either NDR (Non Delivery notices) or a message indicating that the message has been delayed in delivery. I have been talking with the e-mail admin at the other company and they are getting all the messages we send. They aren't seeing any of the errors that we are. So far it is just the one company but I am concerned that this could grow into problems with more companies. Any idea of how to figure out the cause of the problem?

How to stop more spam
05-01-06
A couple of years ago, we set up a Linux box running Postfix, SpamAssassin and Amavisd to try and reduce the amount of spam we were getting on our mail server. We used the latest versions of each product. It has done pretty well but we have noticed in the past few weeks that more spam is getting through. Writing new rules doesn't seem to make much of a difference. What can we look at to start reducing the level of incoming spam?

Die, file, die!
03-06-06
Every time I try to move, delete or activate the file, my computer processes get slow. I usually end up rebooting. I've run all kinds of anti-virus, system diagnostics and spyware programs to try and to detect something, but have found nothing. I've even tried to change the file extension association of the file so I can delete it but to no avail.

Networking a military field unit overseas
12-19-05
Nutter helps a 140+-person Army Field Artillery Company in Iraq fix its network issues

Monitoring bandwidth consumption
11-14-05
I have a 1700 series Cisco router and a 512K bit/sec leased line. About 50 users are accessing the Internet through that router, and I want to monitor my bandwidth consumption through the router. Is there any way by which I can monitor bandwidth (tool or software)? - Amit Goswami

Remotely administering a small office
10-10-05
help friends and family with technical issues. I would like to administer one of their PCs remotely - owned by a handicapped user who can't implement my verbal suggestions from the telephone. It is probably my communication inadequacies. The PCs at this location are on a DSL router (wireless and wired) with NAT and DHCP. How do remote packages like VNC and Radmin deal with routers and NAT?

NetWare and Iomega REV drive
10-03-05
Nutter examines the use of REV drives and NetWare

Which is best: T-1 or cable modem?
09-12-05
Nutter discusses the pros and cons of T-1 vs. cable for a K-12 school's Internet access

Finding the source of a network problem
09-05-05
I am attempting to analyze some network performance and Internet access issues on our small network. The LAN slows to a crawl and the Internet drops for a short period of time a few times a day. My firewall doesn't see any issues with the exception of every once in a while I get a “Src IP session limit reached” for a particular IP address. I think the traffic is actually on Port 80 but is Data Miner or a Trojan watching the users.

VoIP PBX help
08-22-05
I am designing a network for a fictional company as part of a school project. I'm looking to implement VoIP into the initial network structure - I have heard this can be implemented along side the regular network traffic and the two can exist side by side. Is this true?

Desktop, laptop, wireless router security
08-08-05
We recently purchased a wireless router to hook a cable connection up to a desktop (wired) and a laptop (wireless). I heard the desktop can be hacked when using the cable connection through a router, even though it's not hooked up wirelessly. This sounds totally absurd to me, and I was wondering if the sales people were trying to make a buck off the security system they sell. My desktop currently runs Zone Alarm 6 firewall. - Wendy Herrick

Detecting rogue access points on campus
06-20-05
Our dormitories come pre-wired with Ethernet connections, for which the students pay a small monthly fee. To get around the fee, some students are installing Wi-Fi access points and sharing their Internet connection with their roommates and other friends - for free. How can I stop this?

NetWare and Windows XP SP2
05-16-05
We only purchase HP equipment and all new equipment comes pre-loaded with WinXP SP2. I can not connect/see the NetWare server (NDS 7 with all service packs). I've tried all versions of NetWare client including the latest available from Novell. I've tried the Windows client for NetWare which comes with XP as well. I can't remove SP2 either as the recovery disk is an overlay CD. Any ideas? -- Ridwaan

Best way to handle DNS
05-02-05
How can we still allow for our internal network to resolve outside systems but control what can be done from the outside world?

Networking for a small business
11-29-04
I work at a small company. We have a few computers, but that number is growing. We're thinking about putting in a network, but when we start looking at the options and start hearing terms such as Active Directory, DNS, etc., we start getting confused. I get more concerned when I start looking at the errors showing up in the event log and fixing them. How do we figure this out and get things set up right?

Windows vs. Linux
10-25-04
As we look to add additional servers to our network, the discussion is whether to use Windows or Linux. Our traditional platform has been Windows, but we need to evaluate the costs associated with each server. Some in our department are arguing that with Linux being free, we could save a little bit of money and buy a little better server. How should we fairly evaluate our options?

Single solution for both spam and viruses?
10-11-04
I was recently hired by a company to take care of their growing local area network.  The first thing they want me to is to start taking steps to reduce the amount of spam and viruses coming into the company's mail server.  What is the best way to handle this?  Will one product do it all?

How many firewalls are enough?
09-27-04
Management is concerned that our more sensitive servers may not be as protected as they should be. We already have one firewall protecting our Internet connection. Should we look at an additional firewall to protect the servers that management is concerned about?

Protecting a wireless net with RADIUS
09-20-04
We are getting ready to double our use of wireless networking at our company. There is a concern that we make it as easy to use as possible but at the same time protect the company network as much as possible. We are putting all access points on a separate VLAN but don't think that is enough. In doing some research, we have found mentions of using RADIUS. Is that something we should look at?

Protecting Linux servers
09-13-04
I am starting to move my company to Linux as the server platform of choice.  With the seemingly continual stream of alerts about the different hacks possible, I know that I should put some type of firewall in place to protect the servers.  What are my options? -- Via the Internet

How to get started in Linux
09-06-04
I can see that to stay competitive in the IT field it would be in my best interest to learn Linux. My question is which flavor of Linux and what is the best way?

Problem with old e-mail server
08-16-04
We're having difficulty with an open relay on the e-mail server and mail is being rejected by several recipients to avoid spamming. I'm unable to find a setting on the server that might close the relay.

The future of NetWare
04-12-04
Is there a future in NetWare? I was planning to pursue a CNE, however, I'm not sure if it's worth it.

Which Linux certification to choose?
04-05-04
Which certification should I pursue and what should I use as preparation?

Choosing a router
03-29-04
My company's Internet use has grown to the point that a DSL or cable Internet connection isn't sufficient anymore. We're talking to several ISPs that say we'll need to purchase a router. Some are willing to help us with that, others say it's our responsibility. What's the best way to go?

Software or appliance solution?
03-01-04
After having gone through a couple rounds of viruses such as SoBig.F and MyDoom - including a potential intrusion into the network - management is allowing us to add some solutions to the network that will do virus scanning on more than just e-mail and potentially handle some intrusion detection. One of the decisions that will need to be made is appliance vs. software vs. open source. Suggestions?

Supporting multiple OSes
01-05-04
Nutter helps a reader set up multiple boot configurations while testing Linux

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