This is an Announcement

[danalwyn]

Upgrade Proposal.
From: danAlwyn
To: Physics Grid Computing

Subject:
Due to increased difficulties in making web submission via x509 work effectively, and some difficulties in the nature of the web service route that we have chosen, I am hereby proposing that we make some changes to the fundamental nature of our production system. As it appears virtually impossible to get our services to mesh nicely with internet functionality, I must suggest a different approach. Where originally we anticipated a distributed x509 certificate system interacting through python modules on an apache server and a secure interface, I am making the following suggestions that, unless I hear otherwise, will go into effect on Monday.

Item 1) The resetting of all permission for the primary grid headnode.

This will increase efficiency by eliminating all x509 and krb5 security checks on the system. Anybody who submits to the headnode will be allowed to run on the local grid. In order to prevent malicious hackers from taking advantage of this systematic weakness, information transfer will be secured by:

Item 2) Purchase of a 2000 meter long high-speed cable,

which will run from the Supercomputer Center to the back of my desktop, allowing me to reduce access to the grid simply by unplugging my CD drive. Not only will this limit the ability of malicious hackers to enter the system, but it will also reduce the load on the grid by reducing the number of possible submitters to users who:

a) Bring me their program on a nicely burned CD and are very polite.
b) Either employee me or intimidate me.
c) Have keys to my office.

And all of those users who are in Chicago right now, just think of the frequent flier miles that you will build up over the years. And anybody who is working here out of Europe-suck it up.

Thank you for your consideration,

-danAlwyn




Go ahead. Ask me how my day went.


In other news, installing the new version of Azureus in conjunction with ZoneAlarm's free firewall is a bad idea. I've finally had to deactivate Zone Alarm temporarily to keep the firewall blockage from destroying my sanity.

Comments

[la-dame-du-lac.livejournal.com]

In other news, installing the new version of Azureus in conjunction with ZoneAlarm's free firewall is a bad idea. I've finally had to deactivate Zone Alarm temporarily to keep the firewall blockage from destroying my sanity.

Thank you! My sister has been running Azureus and ZoneAlarm on her computer, and the Internet connection in the whole network had been going completely nuts since then (as in: surfing nearly impossible - it looks pretty pathetic when you can't get a 20KB image to load). Thanks to your post, I can now tell her forcefully to close that damn Azureus off. *strolls off, snickering*

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

I'm actually not sure what it is. My ZoneAlarm, due to what I believe is the new distributed peer system, is receiving things that ZoneAlarm refers to as hacking attempts at an increased rate. Whereas I've had less than twenty in two years until yesterday, I've had several hundred since then. I think it's just not prepared for unsolicited connections to port 6881, and ZoneAlarm Free doesn't allow individual port manipulation.

I'm also a bit confused as to what exactly Azureus thinks it's doing. I watched some of the incoming packets with Ethereal, but they didn't seem to be doing anything. It's like somebody's connecting with Azureus for no reason. It's also slowing down the system if your speeds are set too high.

[skyshark.livejournal.com]

Bleah. I tried to set up ZoneAlarm so that it would let me play AVP2 online. I've finally had to take ZA down every time I want to game. Bleah.

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

Free ZoneAlarm really needs individual port controls. The XP firewall is better than that in that particular regard, but it sucks in other places. And security is suddenly no longer so tight.