Dunch Noe versus PMS

No, it is not the time of the month for the women. But it was the month of the time for the servers.

Performing a preventive maintenance schedule is basically doing windows updates on the servers. You just need to be careful when swinging clusters before server restart. Similarly, you need to be careful with the domain controllers.

It is easy but time consuming. Life seemed good at the new place. At least I play with servers, remote in to users to solve problems now.

Not much trouble guiding aunties and uncles nowadays. Just get them to allow remote that's all.

Dunch Noe how to go there

Refer to the maps on the left. Singaporeans are spoilt for choice.

Don't know how to get to a location? Try these (in respective order):

GoogleMaps - Singapore
www.streetdirectory.com
Gothere.sg

=X

Dunch Noe is Hiring!

Criteria for Job Application

- Able to create a web-site with PHP, HTML, XML.
- Able to document and create modules for web query, database
- Able to draft basic skeleton design for pre-launch
- Capable of working independently

The most important thing is that this designer must be willing to perform the task during free-time, devoted and passionate.

If you know anyone, let me know. We are accepting only 1 applicant for this major project we are working on.

Dunch Noe went to Con-Mex

Another sardine day. I am still amazed at the number of suckers people who are drawn to buy very powderful systems.

While I do not appreciate the need to squeeze, I find it a burden to attend such a mass orgy ill-prepared event.

The amount that you saved traveling to buy something there, you probably paid more in taxi fare back home.

Oh well, I love public transport.

=P

Dunch Noe on Fast Flip

Internet Search Engine, Google, had released its latest news reader called "Fast Flip" for easier searching on news on the Internet.

The mobile version of the Fast Flip seems to be also a very interesting concept of the same thing provided to users.

However, the drawback seemed to be the lack of customization currently available for existing Gmail account owners (whereas another apps, iGoogle, can be customized)

Perhaps this will be known as fast flop if nothing is being done to improve it to allow users to customize.

You may access it on this link : Click here for Fast Flop!

=X

Dunch Noe on Comex

Comex is in Singapore again. Are you going for the squeeze? If you are, please remember that there is nothing special except that you see more/less vendors trying to blood you.

=X

Dunch Noe on 'Freebies'

Most people are naturally inclined to provide personal details on their favorite application online without knowing that they are contributing to a database made by Snoops.

Snooping or phishing is a commonly practised white-collar 'crime' that is yet to be penalized online. Unlike libel, copyright infringement that are commonly fought for, snooping is something most surfers are oblivious to.

Say for example, by placing your personal information in facebook, you are contributing to a possibility where facebook applications will extract these information when collecting 'customer database'. This is an infringement. Your personal habits is tracked. Your activity time is recorded. And by saying 'I agree' to the irritating windows that prompted you by the facebook applications, you legalized their snooping.

When sufficient data had been collected from 'customers', these Snoops can perform a certain range of activities where they use this information to their benefits.

The usual (but not limited to):
- Providing the information to another company at a cost, e.g. Advertisement companies seeking to sell their products
- Selling the latest news
- Using security information like address, name, identity number to create fake charge cards (credit cards) for frauds, forgeries, scams
- Blackmail the person

So if you have something to lose, don't provide any personal detail over the Internet. Bogus/Alias/Half-truths is savvy.

BTW, my health condition is moving towards green now.

=P

Dunch Noe vs IT Specialist

Here's an example of braindead:

E-mail from the dumb IT specialist

Please advise if the e-mail was indeed blocked at receiver's end as suggested by the SMTP server support.

E-mail to the dumb IT specialist

We cannot advise on receiver's end response as it is not our server.

Seriously, I need a crystal ball to see other people's server.

}=[

Dunch Noe on OpenNet

As everyone is aware, I am still waiting for the OpenNet one consortium to roll out the installations and enroll as one of the users by end of the year.

Unfortunately, for my home installation, OpenNet had targeted the area to be ready for installation by Sep 2011 to Nov 2011.


But the roll-out is scheduled for Sep 2009 to Nov 2009 for my Mom's place and thus I'll be working on it to install my home server on my Mom's place in my brother's room.

For those folks who wish to be part of the information highway, let me know.

Click here to read : OpenNet

Dunch Noe on Backdoor

Simple backdoor for people who are having difficulties bypassing security settings.

1. Mail filters that perform attachment stripping even for password protected zip files with executable files.

Ans: There are two ways to bypass this. Rename the extension or remove the extension of the file you are placing in the password protected zip file. Alternatively, encrypt the zip file again into a new zip file.

2. Password Policy - Password History

Ans: Most password history maintains 3 to 5 generations of passwords. Thus, you are unable to re-use the password. A simple way to bypass is to change the password for six times before changing back to your favorite password. Change it to Pas$0001, Pas$0002, Pas$0003, Pas$0004, Pas$0005 and back to your old password. You can re-use your password again now.

3. Proxy Bypass

Ans: Having your favorite game site blocked by the proxy in your school? Try using web proxy bypass in free website like toolforschool.com. Most proxies are rather outdated and easily bypassed. You might even be able to go to sites like www.playboy.com or www.penthouse.com. However, if you are having some serious problem with bypassing proxy due to effective proxy maintenance by the proxy vendor such as bluecoat engine, you may try to configure a proxy bypass script at your home pc to act as a redirect. Best of all, configure your home PC to have a switchable proxy bypass script i.e. You only switch it on when you need it. No administrator is good enough to handle a proxy bypass that is offline without proper admin password. Bye Bye, bluecoat.

Of course, if you have any other suggestions to bypass weak programming designs, do share with me.

Dunch Noe on Why Singaporeans need to work on their English and Listening Skills

Seriously, Singaporeans are bad listeners. They have poor command of English and as a Singaporean, I'm not denying they are probably the worst customers I had come across.

With such bad language skills, they are still demanding.

Many of you may have heard this Epic in person from me.

Untee: I cannot see anything on my computer.

Me: Madam, are you referring to your computer screen? Can you tell me what is it that you cannot see on your computer.

Untee: I see a blank page.

Me: Okay, you see a blank page. Can you describe the blank page to me? Is it white in colour, blue in colour or black in colour?

Untee: I cannot see anything.

Me: I understand you are unable to see anything, but can you tell me was your monitor switched on?

Untee: I see a blank page.

*pukes blood*

This is the standard moronic reply I get day in day out. Seriously, if you are guilty of this type of moronic reply, please bang your head against the wall to save the resources.

Dunch Noe can add Dunch Care in Blogger

Oops.

Looks like it was my bad.

Having people you know who are professional bloggers sometimes can give you some tips. Apparently, adding other authors is allowed.

But how about guest entries?

=X

Dunch Noe and Dunch Care

Being the nice IT guy, I decided to introduce Dunch Care whom I will grant the authority to co-author this blog.

However, somehow due to the technical limitations of blogger, Dunch Care might not be able to co-author her rubbish here.

You see, unlike books, blogs are like personal diaries with thumbprint scanner. They allow people to snoop, view, deface it with comments but they refuse to allow co-authoring. Without the correct thumb, you see a fierce Gandalf screaming 'Thou shalt not pass'. Of course, the electronic form of Gandalf is called blogger.

Which is my question today. Why did it never occur to the developers to integrate such a feature into blogger?

I mean, you get guest speakers at TV shows, you get guest DJs in pubs, but no guest author in blogger?

Maybe they could allow co-authors in the future. Why didn't anyone think about that?

=X

Dunch Noe the Domain

If you are thinking of creating a domain name, remember the following rules:

1 - Register a domain name that is simple to remember. Anything too long becomes a horror when typing.

2 - Remember that you may make a boo-boo if the domain name sounds normal when you have the correct letter in upper case. The truth is when you type that case doesn't matter. (e.g. TeachersTalk can also be TeacherStalk) You may refer to www.teacherstalk.co.uk for a live example.

3 - A dot com is always the top priority when registering a domain name. You lose the traffic if you have the dot biz name when there is already a dot com name already registered.

4 - Never ever name a domain after a person, a company or a product. Losing the domain name due to law can really screw up any plans you have for the site.

5 - Try to perform a search for the particular name on the Internet and see the results. If it is cool, you get more results. Similarly, the chance of a lawsuit is higher. Unless you are extremely sure no-one fighting you for it, go in for the whoa factor.

6 - Always have more than one cool name for your domain. You can always ask around friends which is better for you or your products. Of course, never ask your customers.

7 - Kids know the best. If a kid can remember and if a kid can like it, adults will like it. Well, I'm not telling you to name it Pokemon though.

8 - When registering domain, remember you will be likely to register an e-mail account in the same domain. So avoid names that sound extremely silly for a mail account.

9 - Lastly, always check the spam blacklists around the world if the domain name owner had the domain blacklisted. You might be feeling sorry for yourself if your mail account with your cool account name is always undeliverable.

=P

Dunch Noe the answers Part II of III

Advanced Quiz (30 points):

- What is the file attributes in MS-DOS?
Ans: Read-only, Hidden, System and Archive.

- What is the META tag in HTML used for?
Ans: As per the original meaning of META, it is used to describe the content of the HTML document. Search Engines usually use the META tag to help the improve the ranking of the pages. However, due to common exploitation (e.g repeated words) to increase ranking algorithms on search engines, the META tag is given lower priority than it used to.

- Define Hardware, Middleware, Software, Firmware.
Ans: Hardware is the physical component of a computer. Software is the application that follows the software designer's design to perform certain tasks in a computer. Middleware is the software application that connects different software. Firmware is the programmed software that resides in RAM on mainboard or other hardware. (E.g - A mouse is a hardware, Microsoft Word is a software, GameGuard is a middleware used against hackers used by many online games, the program that resides in your remote controls is the firmware)

- Define Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojan, Virus and Worm.
Ans: Malware is a software designed to perform malicious tasks on a User's PC without the User's consents, thus the shortened name of malicious software. Adware is a software designed within a running application to provide advertisement content, usually by obtaining 'inputs' from the user's behaviour on the Internet. Spyware is a malware designed to obtain information especially about the user's behaviour without the User's content. Trojan (short for trojan horse) is a type of malware that acts like a safe software but allows access for malicious codes/access to the User's system. Virus is a type of computer software that replicates itself on the user's system on existing files and any other unsuspecting hosts. Worm is a type of computer software that replicates itself on the user's system and any other unsuspecting hosts without attaching to an existing file.

- What is the print command in MS-DOS?
Ans: The command is copy for MS-DOS and for ver 2, print was introduced. The common command line is to copy to the LPT port.

- List 2 examples of binary dot-matrix printing and text printing commands in MS-DOS.
Ans: There is no dot-matrix printing in MS-DOS without any other installed applications (Note: the word binary was a mistake). All printing of documents within MS-DOS is character-based. The sample command line of a print function is [ copy name.txt lptx ] where name is the 8 character name of the file and lptx where X is the lpt port number. In MS-DOS version 2 with the introduction of the print command. An example is [ print name.txt ] .

Dunch Noe the answers Part I of III

Beginner Quiz (30 points):

- What is the function of the [Enter] key?
Ans : Depending on the application, the common response of the [Enter] key is the carriage return. In some word processor applications, it acts as a line feed. At other times, it acts as both a carriage return and line feed depending on the application.

- How do you use the mouse to imitate the keyboard on WinXP?
Ans : In a sticky situation where your mouse keyboard fails to function, you can use the on-screen keyboard that comes with Windows. Using your mouse, go to Windows default folder via My Computer. Access the folder named System32 and look for an executable file named osk.exe. Once osk.exe is running, you can click on the on-screen keyboard to act like your keyboard. Pretty useful for laptops with damaged keys.

- How do you check your router home address without the router instructional booklet?
Ans: The default home address for your router is the IP for your router. To verify the IP of your router, simply perform ipconfig/all in command prompt or right click on the LAN connection status on your system tray near your system clock. Look for the values for your default gateway. The default gateway is the router's IP. Enter the same values in your browser and you should be able to access the router page.

- What does the MODEM do?
Ans: The MODEM (short for modulator/de-modulator) functions as a transmitter to convert data (digital information) to signal (analog information) and vice versa. Different MODEM is used for different mediums, such as cable modem, for co-axial cable, DSL modem for telephony cables etc.

- How do you force Internet Explorer to bypass the pop-up blockers using your keyboard and mouse only? (Without disabling the pop-up blocker settings)
Ans: Hold the CTRL key on your keyboard and left click with your mouse. This will bypass the pop-up blocker function on Internet Explorer and the 3rd party toolbars. Oftenly, other pop-up blockers associated with Anti-Virus or firewalls also recognise the bypass.

- How do you check a mail domain if the mail domain exists?
Ans: Perform a nslookup on the MX. If a nslookup on the MX shows that the mail domain does not exist. Check on a different network, if possible in a different country. Usually, updates on the MX should be parallel across providers, but to an extent this is true. When the replication of the MX records from the parent ISP to the child ISP is not successful, there is a possibility where the lookup failed even though the MX exists for other networks. By checking with more than one providers, especially from different countries, one can safely confirm that the mail domain does not exist if both return negative results.

- What is the default port for FTP connection?
Ans: The default port for FTP is 20 and 21.

- What is the default port for ICMP connection?
Ans: ICMP does not use port. If you put port 7, that is the default echo port which is wrong.

- What is the predefined hostname in Windows reserved for your PC?
Ans: The hostname is localhost.

- What is the minimum hardware configuration required for an IBM PC?
Ans: Power Supply Unit, Motherboard, RAM, CPU, Monitor, Video Card and Keyboard. Things that are not required - Hard disk drive, optical disk drives, mouse, sound card and casing. Many amateurs call the system unit as CPU which is wrong. The system unit comprises of the motherboard, power supply unit, video card, sound card etc in the tower casing.

Dunch Noe Windows/IT Quiz

If you google-d or wiki-ed the answers, you ought to give yourself a 0/100.

Below are the questions.

Beginner Quiz (30 points):

- What is the function of the [Enter] key? 2 points
- How do you use the mouse to imitate the keyboard on WinXP? 2 points
- How do you check your router home address without the router instructional booklet? 3 points
- What does the MODEM do? 5 points
- How do you force Internet Explorer to bypass the pop-up blockers using your keyboard and mouse only? (Without disabling the pop-up blocker settings) 3 points
- How do you check a mail domain if the mail domain exists? 5 points
- What is the default port for FTP connection? 1 point
- What is the default port for ICMP connection? 1 point
- What is the predefined hostname in Windows reserved for your PC? 2 points
- What is the minimum hardware configuration required for an IBM PC? 6 points

Advanced Quiz (30 points):
- What is the file attributes in MS-DOS? 4 points
- What is the META tag in HTML used for? 4 points
- Define Hardware, Middleware, Software, Firmware. 4 points
- Define Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojan, Virus and Worm. 6 points
- What is the print command in MS-DOS? 4 points
- List 2 examples of binary printing and text printing commands in MS-DOS. 8 points

Intermediate Quiz (20 points):
- Explain the role of IETF in IAB. 10 points
- Explain lossy data compression for mpeg, jpeg and mp3. 6 points
- Relate mp3 to mpeg. 2 points
- What does mpeg and jpeg stand for? 2 points

Expert Quiz (20 points):
- Calculate how many light bulbs are required to represent 5 megabyte. 2 points
- Explain registered jack and modular plugs. 3 points
- Explain roles of FSB and PCI Bus. 2 points
- Differentiate SFTP, FTPS, FTP and FTP over SSH. 8 points
- Explain Usage of LDAP, OCSP, and CRL in a PKI. 5 points

Dunch Noe MAC ID

Have you ever seen a machine ID like this?

00:17:SE:0T:7O:CP

Of course, a IT specialist without degree like me would have only seen machine ID like this:

00:17:FE:0D:70:CB

Which is why I am curious how these IT Specialists get their degrees.

*faints* =X

Dunch Noe versus Savvy untee

Gosh, I'm ranting almost immediately in my first blog post when this not-so-savvy untee was speeking to me today. Yeah, I was flabbergasted by this delusional, self-proclaimed, expert who works in the IT industry.

Me: Good afternoon, how may I assist you?

Untee (supposedly an IT specialist too): There is a problem with the mail delivery, please check if the server has some block to filter the mail from this sender. I have sent you an e-mail on the issue.

*I went through my e-mail, finds the mail from the untee stating the IP of the sending server, sender's e-mail address, date and time mail was sent, recipient's e-mail address.*

Me: Alright, I'll check it out and get back to you.

*Half an hour later*

Me: Okay, I did a search on the mail gateway but could not find any attempt by the application server which the sender was sending from on my server logs. Based on the server logs, there were connection attempts by many other senders but I cannot find the IP of the application server which your user is having a problem receiving. Similarly, I did another check on the entries and found that user was able to receive mail successfully. I also did a search on my blocked sender lists and confirmed that the IP is not in the block list. Can you please get the sender to provide the logs from their server to show that an attempt was made to connect to our servers.

*1 day later, our untee call back*

Me: Good afternoon, so was your sender able to provide the connection logs?

Untee: I talked with the server team hor, they say that the mail was rejected hor at your end. Can you check again?

Me: Look, we cannot find any attempts made by the sender to connect to our server. The mail was not rejected on our end.

Untee *interrupts profusely, acting the Guru*: Don't bluff lah, everytime you all say not rejected but in the end your mail filter always block the mail one. You sure you checked or not, or you don't know how to check? The user cannot receive mail leh, you all provide mail but mail didn't reach the recipient is your fault lor. You all must check.

Me: Look, imagine the mail provider as a BANK, your user as an account owner with the bank. Imagine the mail as cash that is about to be deposited into the bank. The mail filter as the security guards in the bank. Please note that our security cameras installed in the bank did not capture the person who was trying to help the user deposit the cash in the bank. The person did not appear at the bank's door. You do not tell the bank to find the person who is supposed to deposit the cash.

Untee: So who am I supposed to ask, since you are the mail provider? Is this the type of service you are providing?

Me: Go and ask the person who is supposed to deposit the cash aka your sender. The sender didn't even reach our doors.

*Another day later*

Me: Good morning, so have you managed to get the logs?

Untee: Why you all check so long, still no mail send to the user?

Me: Can I speak with the desktop engineer handling this issue, I think he can answer me better.

*Untee hangs up* =/