Reflections on Google Apps

I just completed our first deployment to Google Apps Premier for a client and a had a great time with it. I've already moved my domain (paulhite.com) over to it and I highly recommend anyone who needs a mail system for their domain to consider it. Here are a couple thoughts on the overall process and results:

Procrastinator's Recipe for a Great Project Paper

I'm currently at step 6, and so was born this post.

1. Remove one great idea from brain. Put aside for several weeks.
2. Try really hard to remember what that great idea was. Decide on a different mediocre idea instead and write it down this time.
3. Let the idea simmer until one week before the project is due. Victory will taste sweeter this way.
4. Start preparing project paper. Don't research anything, it just slows you down. Stream of consciousness is most effective. Continue until you run out of thoughts, or approximately 500 words into the paper.
5. Ctrl+A, Delete. Repeat Step 4, that introduction page sucked anyways.
6. Mix 1 part great idea with 9 parts alcohol. Maintain the Balmer Peak for 72 hours and write 30 pages of really awesome sounding techno-babble.
7. Suddenly remember that great idea when you sober up. Repeat step 5 & 6.
8. Remove project paper from hard drive. Serve to reviewers at room temperature and really hope that none of them actually knows what "deep packet inspection" means.
9. Celebrate your success by repeating step 6. Great idea is optional at this point.

That's it. Good luck out there, WGU grads!

Notification: WSB Can Do Notifications

I had a client who, much to my dismay, purchased a new server from Dell and opted not to go with Backup Exec but rather the free Yosemite Backup application that ships with the RD1000 drives. Not a huge deal until I discovered after a good deal of troubleshooting that Yosemite does not work with Server 2008 R2. Long story short, we were left with no option but to use Windows Server Backup and find a way to configure e-mail notifications.

AOL Can Break Rules

While testing an SMTP connection to AOL's mail servers, I got this awesome syntax error response when I forgot to put a space between "MAIL" and "FROM":

220-mtain-mi12.r1000.mx.aol.com ESMTP Internet Inbound

220-America Online (AOL) and its affiliated companies do not
220-authorize the use of its proprietary computers and compuer
220-networks to accept, transmit, or distribute unsolicited bulk
220-e-mail sent from the internet
220-
220-Effective immediately:
220-AOL may no longer accept connections from IP addresses
220 which no do not have reverse-DNS (PTR records) assigned.
HELO paulhite.com
250 mtain-mi12.r1000.mx.aol.com
MAILFROM:test@paulhite.com
221 2.7.0 Error: I can break rules, too. Goodbye.
Connection to host lost.

Yes you can.

Study Time!

Updates to the blog will be more sporadic than usual as I concentrate on my last few months of college, my final design exam for the MCSE, and the upcoming Cisco course. Phew!

Does your network stink? Make a sniffer!

Sometimes there is just no substitute for looking at raw packet capture data when infiltrating troubleshooting a network. In normal situations, I'm content with loading Wireshark or Network Monitor up on a system that sits in-line with the data I require (e.g. sniffing packets from a DHCP server when you have clients that cannot get an IP address). However, there are many times when you cannot load sniffing software on the device in question, or don't want to. Perhaps you want to monitor inbound traffic to your ISP to a border router, or watch for packets leaving a device you don't manage. In these situations, you need a passive network tap to capture the traffic without touching the two end points to be monitored.

Configuring a Hyper-V R2 Core Installation

A little deal I stumbled across online landed a Core 2 Quad Q9400 with 8GB of RAM in my lap for a good price. After struggling with a deep seated desire to put a decent video card in it and lock myself in the office playing video games, I finally decided that putting together a test network would be a much healthier choice. I still locked myself in the office though.