Running an ISP in a Warzone 258
musatov writes "SGT Coughanour, David A (HHC 1-110th Infantry US Army) speech on NOTACON 3: "Right now I am currently serving in Iraq where I run IT operations for a small chunk of the Sunni triangle. One of the major projects that we have accomplished here is setting up an ISP that supports 350 subscribers. It has also survived multiple mortar attacks, and is built entirely on Linux."
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Wuss. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wuss. (Score:2)
1. Most places in Detroit are safe.
2. The places that ARE very dangerous you would never go to if you worked for an ISP.
3. Even if you DID go to the dangerous places, you would still be statisticly more likely to die of a heart attack, diabetes, or get hit by a car.
Detroit saw the worst during the late 70s and early 80s, and is now going through a process of gentrification and redevelopment. Can't you find another city in the U.S. to make fun of and be a boogyman for white subu
Re:Wuss. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Wuss. (Score:2)
Hey...any town full of 300 lb Lions is dangerous.
It could be worse. I went to Michigan and someone there asked me if I rode a horse to school or work in TX. Cliches will never die.
At least the guy talking about Detroit was kidding. This guy was quite serious and embarassed.
Dude. (Score:2)
Re:Wuss. (Score:2)
Yes... Of course the gun shots and car vandalism happens in any big city.
I felt that I saw a bit too much of it first hand on my small trip to Detriot.
Still... The blocks and blocks of burnt out houses still is pretty bad.
Much worse than say... North Philly.
But I don't know if Detroit is worse than Camden (across the river from us).
Re:Wuss. (Score:2)
Wow (Score:5, Funny)
Linux immune to mortar attack! (Score:5, Funny)
Told you! (Score:5, Funny)
Linux really is a bulletproof OS!
Re:Linux immune to mortar attack! - to be patched (Score:2)
Re:Linux immune to mortar attack! (Score:2)
Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans (Score:5, Interesting)
You would not believe the number of people calling to complain that they couldn't see what was going on down the street because of the smoke and/or dust and they couldn't watch the news because their cable TV and internet services were not working.
Geeee, there are whole blocks of your city missing, why do you THINK your Cable is down?
IIRC - the basement of one of the towers housed a major peering point as well as a network satilite feeds.
Re:Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans (Score:2)
However, I think the one size fits all approach goes overboard. For example, I need to create a disaster recovery plan for an environment that was considered small enough that all but one member of the development team was downsized after completion of the project. A DR plan was not a serious consideration at the time, so the information that would have been needed for a rational pla
Re:Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans (Score:2)
Comcast is in Iraq?! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Comcast is in Iraq?! (Score:2)
--Yours Truly,
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Video isn't going to last long, so... (Score:4, Interesting)
Runner up:
"Managed to get a Power Mac G5 smuggled in from eBay"
Re:Video isn't going to last long, so... (Score:2)
Yeah, that line drew quite the chuckle from the audience too. You should've been there, his talk was pretty cool.
Seriously, getting the simplest of gear over there sounds like quite a challenge, but persuading an eBay seller to mislabel the contents of a package is probably much easier than the government requisition channels of a similar but "official" operation. The independent ISP always has a role, and you can generalize this to municipal wi
Re:I wonder what else is blocked. (Score:2)
I'm sure we'd all give the same credence to a study done by Fox News and PNAC [newamericancentury.org].
Re:I wonder what else is blocked. (Score:2)
Re:I wonder what else is blocked. (Score:2)
Well, isn't that true? Just because it turns out that Saddam had nothing to do with 9-11 doesn't mean it's not our reason for being there.
Re:I wonder what else is blocked. (Score:3, Interesting)
Here's an idea for those naysayers who are using this article for political grandstanding (pro or con) -- join the military and discover for yourself what is blocked or not.
Re:I wonder what else is blocked. (Score:2, Insightful)
Their is a
Re:Computers need the electrical grid to work. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Computers need the electrical grid to work. (Score:2)
Re:Computers need the electrical grid to work. (Score:2)
I propose a new slogan, particularly for IT workers in the Army:
"It's Like Office Space, With Guns"
You're joking, right? (Score:2)
Mod AC parent up as he brings field experience. (Score:2)
A more logical guess is a lack of time and interest in the news and a greater trust for what your commanders and buddies believe than what the media says. Is that the case?
Kind of redefines.. (Score:5, Funny)
IT + NRA (Score:2)
Re:IT + NRA (Score:2)
Would a storage (disk array) subsystem do? Here [theinquirer.net] you go.
Re:IT + NRA (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder if anyone has tried that for real. Some sort of multiple server system up and running when someone puts a bullet through one without the system missing a beat. Now that's a video that would get some attention, both for the insanity and technical merit.
Funny you should say that. HP just did it with their high end storage array. See here [hp.com].
Re:IT + NRA (Score:2)
I can understand that the video might be entertaining, however, since they picked the spot to shoot at, nothing is really said about the reliability of the system. On the other hand, I have seen IBM machines shot, electricuted and other "accidents" in the field that kept running.
However, the cost for IBM equipment is also more expensive than just buying multiple generic systems and running them out of different data sections... so funny clip, but not really impressive.
La
Re:IT + NRA (Score:2)
Now (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Now (Score:3, Funny)
Multiple mortar attacks? Big deal. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Multiple mortar attacks? Big deal. (Score:2)
Re:Multiple mortar attacks? Big deal. (Score:2)
Linux? (Score:4, Funny)
All I can say is... (Score:4, Funny)
Is there anything Linux can't do?
Re:All I can say is... (Score:3, Funny)
Be relevant to joe sixpack.
Not intended to be a troll.
It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2, Flamebait)
Seriously, other that to act as a recruiting tool for the U.S. Army, what's the news here? All-Linux mom-and-pop size ISPs have been the norm, I think, as far back as 1994 or so.
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't think the interesting thing here is that he's running Linux necessarily, but rather that they can keep an ISP going at all in that sort of environment. Of course, I'd be running Linux in that situation too, as anything that could keep me from having to come into work to babysit the servers while the bombs are flying would be a positive.
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2)
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2)
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2)
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2)
Danger pay? (Score:2)
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2)
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:2)
Between 1994 and 1996 I worked with at least four slightly larger start-ups (one in the back of a bakery) who also fit the all-Linux mom-and-pop bill.
Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested... (Score:3, Interesting)
www.nconnect.net
www.theramp.net
All linux based (Started out as) mom-and-pop ISP's from the midwest, although they have grown. All started in the 95-96 timeframe.
Lol, runs on Linux (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lol, runs on Linux (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Lol, runs on Linux (Score:2)
It's actually quite nice that one of the 3 big commercial multimedia programs uses 100% non-propritary codecs.
Real has always been propritary, and even though they opened up their player, they've kept the codecs locked-up under strict click-through EULAs.
WMV3 (aka WMV9/VC-1) is going to be an SMTPE standard now, but that doesn't make the as
Bombproof Linux (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, your OS has cool graphics. But how does it stand up against a mortar attack?
They get nasty DDoS attacks... (Score:5, Funny)
They also have to watch out for TCP/IP packets that arrive out of ordnance.
Re:They get nasty DDoS attacks... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:They get nasty DDoS attacks... (Score:2)
Ping Statistics (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ping Statistics (Score:5, Funny)
Captured Packets? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Captured Packets? (Score:2)
farnsworth is the proffessor... your quote comes from the leader of the floating brains !
Re:Ping Statistics (Score:2)
So many choices to troll on... (Score:5, Funny)
Then there's the Iraq angle.
Then there's the "we should be feeding people before we bother to set up ISPs in the 3rd world angle".
Gosh.
S/N ratio dropping to zero in 10...9....8....7....
Re:So many choices to troll on... (Score:2)
Hello! My name is Muhamed! My father was the chief boot licker to his excellency of filth, Sadam Hussein. While he was licking his boots, he stole many dinars from his pantleg cuff, and hid them in our house. Now, we have a basement filled with ONE BILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS, but have nowhere to spend them!
Please be to you, kind sir, send some hookers, and you will receive 25% of my ONE BILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS as your fee
Re:So many choices to troll on... (Score:3, Insightful)
The sanctions did cause immense suffering mainly because they were implemented after Bush the elder destroyed a lot of infrasture like water treatment plants, factories, roads, bridges, electrical generation facilites etc. The UN estimated that more then a million people died as a consequence including hundreds of thousands of c
All things aside . . . (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm passing this one on to my branch's VP of disaster planning. He's very cool, and likes to have a little "extra" to hit people over the head about good planning.
Pshaw. That's easy. (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's see them survive a mortar hit.
i also ran an ISP in the sunni triangle (Score:5, Informative)
The ability to be in constant communication with family while we were not out on missions (we did security patrols of our Area of Operation) was a great boost to morale. Web cams and email meant you could see and talk to the people that mattered most to you.
We sold the operation to another unit just before we left, and there were 3 other systems I helped set up in our area serving other groups.
To the current soldiers, marines, and others at Camp Taqaddum: Give 'em Hell and keep your buddyies safe!
civilians must protect those in military? (Score:3, Insightful)
In order for the U.S. military to operate effectively, there must be strength in the chain of command. Following orders is critical, dissent cannot be tolerated
Therefore, it is up to the non-military citizens of the U.S. to provide a check on the transient civilian military leadership (president, vp, sec defense).
This is nominally the job of the U.S. congress. But when the dominant party in congress is the same as the party controllin
Re:i also ran an ISP in the sunni triangle (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:i also ran an ISP in the sunni triangle (Score:2)
1: they decided the needed to finish the job sometime and this gave them a perfect excuse.
2: they actually belived the wmd stuff
3: oil.
Additional Mirrors (Score:4, Informative)
New Jersey
http://www.def-con.org/~nocfed/downloads/notacon0
Texas
http://www2.def-con.org/~nocfed/downloads/notacon
survival... (Score:2, Funny)
Are they using HP Storageworks maybe?
http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/cache/49205-0-0-225
Some name... (Score:3, Funny)
Another mirror (Score:2)
http://www.lassitu.de/notacon06_hajjinet.mp4 [lassitu.de]
so what? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, it works.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Quotes (Score:2)
Brings a whole new meaning... (Score:3, Funny)
Tachyon! (Score:3, Interesting)
The coolest system of the three that Tachyon offers is the 'Auto-Deploy CAS' system, where you just plug it in, push a button and the thing finds the satellite on it's own.
A bit spendy, but we've found them to be the most reliable solution for broadband communications.
This gives a new (Score:2)
A simple solution (Score:2)
Re:Did I get it right? (Score:2, Funny)
Particularly effecitve against an insurgency.
Re:Did I get it right? (Score:2)
Got modded troll by non-Fark readers too.
Re:Did I get it right? (Score:2, Insightful)
Even calling them insurgents is being a bit disingenuous although by stretching a point I could agree. However unpalatable 'freedom fighters' is more
Re:Did I get it right? (Score:5, Insightful)
Whatever term you decide to use for them, don't for one minute beleive that their goals have anything to do with freeing Iraq from opression or occupation. The vast majority of your "insurgents" employ terrorist tactics, and their ultimate goals have more to do with gauranteeing power for themselves and their supporters than with bringing freedom to the average Iraqi. If that doesn't make them terrorists, then you must be employing a very unusual definition for that word.
Re:Did I get it right? (Score:2)
As much a as a "countryman" a Serb is to a Croatian.
If you hadn't been paying attention there are about 3 types of Insurgents.
1. The old Saddam Bathists and Sunni Supports
2. The Al Queda Terrorists (mostly foreign)
3. And the Shia Militias
Or rather... The Sunni's and Shia's have no problem killing each other since they see each other as two different groups and the foreign Al Queda don't mind who they kill since they aren't Iraqi.
Each have th
Re:Did I get it right? (Score:2)
Re:Priorities (Score:2)
Do you LIKE being a twat?
Re:Priorities (Score:3, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
It works by self-selection (Score:2)
This post not indended as flamebait, just an observation on how outrageously jingoistic a name the guy picked. And no-one has called him on it yet.
Re:It works by self-selection (Score:2)
What makes you think that hajinet is offensive? hajji means "one who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca". Seems to me it is like calling your ISP Pilgrimnet. Nothing offensive about that.
Re:Robust against incompetent leadership? (Score:2)
Republican code words: "Rummy is doing a heckuva job."
Since Bush is such a pathological liar, that means Rumsfeld will be resigning soon!
-Don
Re: (Score:2)