Advanced networking for idiots like me

honestly i hold my own in networking, got a cert from microsoft several years back that is now outdated (NT4) but most of what my job requires is boring desktop support "my email doesnt work!" and ive forgotten a lot of the advanced stuff i learned back then

so recently ive decided to take all these computers i have laying around and make myself a profesional network to play with (including a webserver that hopefully will host this blog someday if i can get a HD for it)
one of the major requirements i had was VPN server
so i began looking for linux based router distributions that a non-linux guy like me could handle
first i found smoothwall, which is an EXCELENT product, however it lacked the VPN abilities i wanted (id rather have the vpn serve on the firewall than internal)
so further searching found me at www.astaro.com, its a GREAT distribution that has lots of bells and whistles even smoothwall doesnt, including both PPTP and IPSEC servers

the PPTP server was up first, my plan is to be able to sync my palm from japan to my local computer while im away this summer
and it looks like i got it all working properly, except i have to figure out how to configure my internal dns server properly

next up will be the IPSEC, this way i hope to establish a permanent VPN with my friends in Salt Lake City and Woodland Hills

IPSEC is definately going to be quite a bit harder than PPTP to set up, but the advanced security and the permanent conection should be worth it

anyway if any of you would like to check out astaro without having to install it you can go to https://demo.astaro.com and play around with version 4
i have the new version 5, but really most of the changes are just organizing the interface better so far as i can tell
astaro and smoothwall are free for home use, and astaro can add virus scanning and intrusion detection for ~$100 (60 british pounds is the price, your exchange rate will vary)

anyway if youre a geek like me but need a bit of handholding when it comes to advanced stuff then give either astaro or smoothwall a shot- theyre quite an upgrade from the home routers lots of you probably have, and if you got an old computer lying around its FREE!!

happy networking

id like to put in for a change of fantasies

i have to put in my official notice
Tenchi Muyo was the anime i fell in love with first, and i always secretly wanted to be tenchi
however, times have changed
Keitaro from love hina didnt sway me, not even Taro from Hanryuko Maids never made me jealous.
i always saw them as the tenchi ripoffs they were (tho i liked both series)
but now i found someone id rather trade places with
Seina from TenchiGXP ^^

of course all these characters are far too afraid of women to be me, the unique situation of all of them come from the fact that they WONT submit to any of the girls and therefore keep the girls interest.
if any of them DID pick a girl, the other girls would soon ruin their lives from jealousy and the one they picked would probably quickly bore of him (ok, not in Keitaro's case but the series died when he picked)

in seinas place (and tenchis) i would probably attempt to be with each girl telling each one "now we have to keep it a secret or there will be trouble" which would of course make 100x the trouble when i was found out

but hey- it would be worth it ^_^

yes, you guessed it, i started watching GXP last nite- im on ep 8 now and 1 thing i like about it most is theres no underage sasami character yet- im not into that

anyway- GXP has the same hillarity i loved in Muyo - if you havent seen any Tenchi series- youre missing out (except Tenchi in Tokyo- skip that please!)

oh ya- and if you have seen tenchi on tv- go get the dvds, its far better unedited ^_^



wow- actual content today, whats happening!!!

Something useful!

I finished the anime Scrapped Princess today
i liked it very much, i always like to see "end of the world" stories, and this kind in particular, tho if i tell you how its a spoler :P

also if you havent seen it- go buy Last Exile i love that series

well thats all for today, lifes rather boring

testing testing (yes again)

i added the "Atom" thing and i want to see what it does, sorry for useless posts

so, another nice little test post

i wanna see if i have the dicipline to post at least SOMETHING everyday- otherwise a blog is rather useless ne?

anyway like i said, this site is useless atm
maybe someday it wont be

im really still just playing with this and preparing, im sure anyone who stumbles upon this will be quite bored

im going to be studying in japan this summer and im thinking of making this a place i can keep in touch ^^

so please check back in like a month, there may actually be something useful! :P

gah- i dont care