I’m having this problem with SOME of the computers on the network.  They will get an IP address from DHCP . . . but no DNS info.  Well the DNS server IP address is blank as well as the full DNS name (computer.domainname.whatever).

 When I do a Route Print I can see that there is no Default Gateway.  I can add the rout . . . but why wont it get it to begin with !?!?!?!

 This seams to have started shortly after the last round of updates (April 04 or April 09).  I’ve uninstalled them . . . but no difference.  Now I’m uninsatlling Service Pack 2 (and going to reinstall it) just to see if that helps. 

 I have a scope set up with resirvations for each persons computer.  We’re a church and we (finally) have an internet filter that monitors traffic that resolves to specific IP addresses (for accountability . . . so no one here at work can be lookin’ at the bad things on the internetzzzzz).  So these computers are getting the IP addresses that I set up for them via a reservation in DHCP . . . so I know that they are talking to the DHCP server.  I’ve stopped and restarted the Scope and DHCP service on the DHCP server itself as well.  I dont want to go back and make a new scope as I will have to retype all 30-something resirvations . . . but if that’s what I need to do . . . then so be it !

 Anyone heard of this happenning before ?

To Update or Not to Update . . . that is the question.

     This is more of a Windows question (though I’d love to hear from the Mac peeps as well) . . . Do you install updates to your computer ?  Specifically I’m talking about Microsoft updates.  Until just recently, I have had very little (if any) trouble with any of the updates from Microsoft . . . both with XP and with Server 2003. 

     I’ve heard all these horror stories about people installing updates and having their servers crash or their work stations lock up.  So I set Automatic Updates to notify me when updates were available but NOT to download them (so I could back up all the important stuff on the servers and THEN allow it to install the updates).  And for the last three years I only had two problems with this system . . . and the first problem was my fault. 

  Read more

Hurray ! 

Dad and I have been working on getting the new Firewall / Internet Filter working for quite some time now.  Dad has been doing all the set up (which has taken months to do) and got it to work on his home network, but when we got in here at work . . . it didn’t want to work.

We spent several nights and afternoons tinkering and messing and changing rules and ports and such.  We tweaked the Proxy Server (Squid) and the Firewall (Shoreline Firewall) and the Filter (Dans Guardian) over and over and over again.

Finally we get the WAN card the proper static IP from Comcast, we set the Modem to NOT firewall (true static IP settings) . . . that is after we got a new modem that actually RESPONDED to login requests.  After more tweaking we got it to pass internet data back and forth (we could surf the web) but no filtering (we could surf all kinds of bad sites). 

The problem we were having was the transparent proxying.  Sure, if we went to everyone’s web browser and manually set up a proxy redirect to prot 8080 it filtered just fine . . . but we want it to filter for ANYONE who connects to the network (during events hosted by the church, Wednesday nights when youth have their laptops here, etc).  So after more research we found how to make the proxy transparent (different in Squid 2.x then in Squid 3.x).  

But it still didn’t filter. 

Well just when we were about out of ideas, dad was looking at the configuration on his firewall at work (the same basic setup, just more complicated because they use VOIP). He noticed that in ONE rule, one single rule, where we redirect port 80 traffic to port 8080 . . . that there was an exclamation point before the firewall address . . .

So we added the ! and it worked.  I’m still trying to find out what that ! does . . . to be honest I don’t have the foggiest . . . but it made the whole thing suddenly work. 

Now we just have to add sites to the exception list (such as ebay and aol) that were blocked because Dans Guardian is a bit over cautious. 

But it’s working ! ! ! ! !

Friday was my day off this weekend and I spent it doing very little of anything productive.  I did a bit of laundry, watched about 5 episodes of Voyager (all of them were new to me . . . I must have missed like 2 seasons worth of the shows in college), did the dishes, cleaned a bit, ran a few errands, and played some Rainbow 6 Vegas.  All in all a very nice day off of resting . . . which I have needed to do of late. 

I’ve been fighting ear and sinus infections on and off for the last month and a half.  That being said, it is spring time and things are beginning to bloom . . . which could be helping things to get all clogged up and what not.  The most annoying part is when my ears get clogged up . . . or more specifically when ONE ear gets clogged up and the other is not.  My left ear feels full of fluid and is all mufley . . . but the right ear is fine.  It’s driving me INSANE !  Band practice this morning nearly sent me into fits.  Oh well, a nice decongestant and a hot shower will help clear it up by morning. 

Bailey (my dog) had another seizure last Monday morning.  I was just waking up.  He had been getting in my face for about 5 minutes (I thought because he had to pee).  Then, as I was getting up to let him out to pee, he started walking against the wall (leaning against it) and then walked right through his water bowl and food bowl.  Then he started breathing in huffs and I knew what was happening.

I grabbed him and made him lay down on the carpet while laying down next to him and . . . well kind of hugging him.  This I do because 1.) he likes to have his head held when the seizures happen (this is why he was getting in my face earlier) and 2.) if they get violent he needs to be held to keep from hurting himself. 

He started tensing up, legs strait out and back and neck arching, and his breathing was labored and came in huffs.  This lasted about 30 seconds.  Then he kind of started twitching and wiggling back and forth.  This lasted for about a minute maybe.  Then the twitching became more spaced out but more violent, and this turned into violent throws that I had to hold him against me to keep him from hurting himself.  This lasted about 45 seconds to a minute . . . which seams much longer when it’s happening. 

The throws died down to just tense twitching and, about 2 or 3 minutes later, he was just a bit tense.  A couple of minutes after that he was able to walk again. 

I took him to the vet again that morning, who drew blood to check for liver / kidney / metabolism problems.  Finding none, we put him on a regiment of (and forgive me if I spell this wrong) Phenobarbital for about a week.  It’s a very low dose, but it’s suppose to help keep his brain activity from getting to over excited.  Its had the effect of making him pretty dopey (not so much sleepy, just slow to respond . . . almost like being a bit drunk).  His walking is a bit worse on the Pheno . . . but we’re going to try this for a bit and then reevaluate the dosing after a bit. 

The dog is none the worse for the ware and now spends his days sleeping on the couch near the living window (in earshot of the TV . . . which is left on CNNHD or Spike for him to have some noise in the house). 

In other news . . .

- I’m frustrated with the Single Player of Rainbow 6 Vegas.  I keep getting stuck in places in the game and end up playing the same section over and over and OVER again until I get frustrated and just turn the game off.  Because of this I’m not very far in the game.  I dunno . . . in Multi player I’m usually in the top three in a match.  Single player, however, forced you to find the one or two ways that the designers intended you to do things.  I end up playing the part several times before I get what I was suppose to do . . . which frustrates me to NO END !

- Pastor Eddie Turner is speaking at Church tomorrow morning.  I like him . . . he’s funny, direct, knowledgeable, and brings things into perspective. 

- Dad and I worked on the Firewall / Internet Filter today.  We finally got a Comcast tech who was knowledgeable and actually HELPED us with things outside of the Modem/IP Gateway.  He helped me figure out why, when I changed the LAN IP address of the Modem, it stopped responding to login requests.  He helped me figure out which IP addresses in our Static Block (dolled out by Comcast) were the Gateway, Broadcast, and actual address we could assign the Firewall/Filter. 

And we got the firewall to actually start passing data between the modem and network.  The firewall is a Linux box running Dan’s Guardian (with Squid Proxy to take care of the NAT) and . . . ummm  . . . I forget what the actual Firewall service that’s running is called.  Dans Guardian is the filter (to block bad content) . . . but isn’t blocking it at the moment. 

However it will filter if we tell all the browsers to use a proxy and send them to port 8080 . . . so we just need to get the transparent proxy to do it on the box for us so that it’s all automatic and such.  In short . . . this is a big step as we have been working on this thing on and off for like months ! 

End of Line

Oh yes, this is going to be a long post.  May not be your cup-o-tea. 

Today I had devotion in our staff meeting.  As such, I talked about some research I’ve been doing on (you guessed it) the Origin of the New Testament Cannon. 

 Here is the ‘short’ version of what I found . . .

Read more

Oh yes . . . I knew it was going to happen some day . . .

 The Spam Storm hit the blog. 

When I checked my e-mail this morning I had over 30 messages on a post to my blog (the one about my broken headphones)  . . . most were some form of ‘click here for free meds’ or the like.

I’ve enabled moderation (I have to approve your comment) and I’ve activeted a plugin that should filter a bunch of the spam comments. 

Sorry if I deleated your useraccount (for those of you who made one) . . . but I wanted to start clean again.  You’re welcome to try and make a new one . . . and if you’re a real person I’ll approve it. 

What did I do on my birthday ?

Yes, that’s right . . . yesterday (April Fools Day) was my ACTUAL birthday.  I am now 29 years old . . . but I don’t feel 29.  Is that just me or is it part of my generation to not adopt the classic trappings of age (like not playing video games after about 22).  People look at me strange when I tell them how old I am. 

Anywho, what did I do on my birthday . . . . well I took the day off from work.

- Woke up at about 6:55am when all the text messages started coming through wishing me happy birthday.  Promptly went back to sleep.

- actually got up about 9:30 or 10:00 am.  Took the dog out for a ride to get some fast food (Mrs. Winners chicken biscuit). Was going to go to the park for a walk, but it was raining . . .

- Went back home.  Watched DVR’d episodes of Star Trek Voyager, vacuumed apartment, started load of laundry.

- Went out (with dog) to get lunch around 1:30 pm.  Come back home.  Put cloths in dryer, watch more TV . . . fall asleep on couch around 2:30.

- wake up at 6pm.  Wash (for the first time of the day).  Call in tech support to Mr. Eddie (who was running sound and video for an event for me . . . so I didn’t have to go in).  Had him switch out a few wires to get the video working for the event.

- 7:15 went to go see 10,000 BC with Shawn Bradley.  It was better then I expected.  A solid B movie.  Very good CG, ok story line, but a few scenes were VERY grainy.  Like they had the cameras set wrong or had the wrong stock of film.  The worst part was that some scenes cut between very grainy and normal so you notice it a lot. 

- Went back to apartment with Shawn and we played some Rainbow 6 Vegas for a bit.  Then he went home, I folded cloths, and went to sleep.

I remember a time, not so long ago, when I still celebrated birthdays with fun special events (either parties or going to do something special).  Now my goal is just to relax on my birthday.  I don’t know if it’s because my job keeps me so busy, or if I’m just getting older . . . or what. 

It almost seams sad to say I didn’t do much of ANYTHING on my birthday . . . but I enjoyed it lots.  I enjoyed doing nothing.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.

What do you do for your birthday now ?  Do you do special stuff or just relax or did you forget it was your birthday until someone else told you ?