This was a fun site for our designer.  It has a lot of fun graphics and a great layout.  Technically I was able to extend our nice jquery navigation menu script to include support for a location state graphic.

Jordan is based in Pensylvania.  Jordan is the son of Bill Evans who is the president of Evans and White Ace Hardware.

Step 1: Make the VPN Connection

Setting up and connecting to a VPN in Windows XP is will documented so I’m not going to repeat it in this article.  When you make the VPN connection you should see a two computer blinking screen icon in the system tray:

VPN Icon in System Tray

Step 2: Look Up Client IP

Double click on the icon from step one.  In the window that pops up click the Details tab.  You need to find the address after Client IP address:

VPN Connection Details

Step 3: Look Up Routing Table

Next open a command prompt.  You can find it under Accessories in the start menu:

Open Command Prompt

In the command box type route print.

route print in Command Prompt

In the output of route print you should find only 2 lines where the Interface is the address we found in Step 2 and the Metric is 1.  One of those lines starts with 255.255.255.255, this is not the line we want.  We want the line that’s going to start out like the Interface address but end with zeros.  In my screenshot I’ve got the magic line hilighed in green.

A static route would be represented by the Network Destination and the Netmask combination.  You can google for subnet calculator to convert the 255.255.255.0 notation to a number of bits (ie 24 in our example).

This article assumes that you have open PPTP ports on the windows server, which are setup by default.

/etc/conf.d/net

This first step is to define your ppp interface in /etc/conf.d/net.  This will involve a few lines:

config_ppp0=( "ppp" )
link_ppp0="pty 'pptp vpn.yourdomain.com --nolaunchpppd'"
username_ppp0='DOMAIN\username'
pppd_ppp0=(
"updetach"
"debug"
"remotename your-vpn-profile"
"file /etc/ppp/options.pptp"
)
routes_ppp0=( "192.168.1.0/24" );

The first change, vpn.yourdomain.com, needs to point to either the IP or FQDN of the Windows Server running the VPN you want to connect to.

The second change, DOMAIN\username, is the standard windows login notation for the user that you wish to dial in with.  It’s important to note that in the conf.d/net file, this field does NOT require special characters escaped with a\.  The chap_secrets file WILL require this.

The third change, your-vpn-profile, is a label that must match the chap_secrets file.

The forth change, 192.168.1.0/24, is the static route to the network that is behind the VPN.  If you’re not the network admin for the windows server that you are connecting too this may be a little confusing.  You can check out this post for instructions on how to figure that out.

/etc/ppp/options.pptp

Add the following lines:

require-mppe-128
lcp-echo-interval 15
lcp-echo-failure 3

/etc/ppp/chap-secrets

This is the place where we will define the passwords for our VPN connection.

# Secrets for authentication using CHAP
# client  server  secret      IP addresses
DOMAIN\\username your-vpn-profile Pa\$\$word1 *

DOMAIN\\username will be changed to the same as you defined in /etc/conf.d/net with one important difference, ALL control characters MUST BE ESCAPED with \.  In this example it requires two \’s between the domain and username.

your-vpn-profile must match the label you setup in /etc/conf.d/net.

Pa\$\$word1 is where you define the password for the VPN connection.  Again, ALL control characters MUST BE ESCAPED.  This string sends an actual password of Pa$$word1.

/etc/init.d/net.ppp0

Finally we’ll symlink net.lo to net.ppp0 to give us an init script to work with.

ln -s net.lo net.ppp0

Now if you wanted you can do:

rc-update add net.ppp0 default

To have the connection start on bootup.

It would seem that the only officially support method of sending e-mail from Softdent is though a MAPI client.  This is going to require an e-mail application be setup on the computer before mail can be sent.  Their support seems to favour using Outlook Express for the MAPI client.  The following post will explain how to setup outlook express with Time Warner’s Road Runner Business Class as a suitable MAPI client for Softdent.

Setting up Outlook Express

Step 1: Open Outlook Express

Open Outlook Express

1. Click on the start menu
2. Click All Programs
3. Click the Outlook Express icon – not to be confused the the Outlook icon [golden]

[May Not Appear] Step 2: Cancel The Wizard

Internet Connection Wizard: Cancel

Confirm Close of Internet Conneciton Wizard

This wizard will be run but we’re going to defer it to later in the instructions.  This step may not appear on your screen.

Step 3: Options Menu

Options From Tools Menu

1. Click on the Tools Menu
2. Click on the Options… Menu

Step 4: Verify [or set] Outlook Express as the Default Mail Program

Confirm Outlook Express is the Default Mail Handler

If this is the screen you see on the options window reads “This application is the default Mail handler,” then you are all set.  If not:

Make Outlook Express the Default Mail Handler

1. Click Make Default
2. Click OK

Step 5: Accounts Menu

Accounts... From Tools Menu

1. Click on the Tools menu
2. Click on the Accounts… menu

Step 6: Add Mail Account

Add Mail Account

1. Click the Add button
2. Select Mail… from the list

Step 7: Display Name

Internet Connection Wizard: Display Name

1. Type in the name [not the address] that the e-mail will come from.
2. Click Next

Step 8: E-mail Address

Internet Connection Wizard: E-mail Address

1. Type the e-mail address that was created through Road Runner.  It will end with @centralny.twcbc.com.
2. Click Next

Step 9: E-Mail Servers

Internet Connection Wizard: E-mail Server Names

1. Verify that this pull down is set to POP3
2. We are going to be using pop.biz.rr.com referenced by this support page.
3. We are going to be using smtp.biz.rr.com referenced by the same support page.
4. Click Next

Step 10: Login and Password

Internet Connection Wizard: Account Name and Password

1. Enter your account name.  This will end in @centralny.twcbc.com.
2. Enter your password
3. Make sure the Remember password box is checked
4. Click Next

Step 11: Finish Wizard

Internet Connection Wizard: Finish

Step 12: New Account Properties

Mail Account Properties

1. Click the Mail tab
2. Select pop.biz.rr.com in the list of mail accounts (this should be the only one)
3. Press the Properties button

Step 13: Outgoing Server Authentication

Outgoing Mail Server Requires Authentication

1. Select the Servers tab
2. Check the box My server requires authentication
3. Hit the Settings… button

Step 14: Verify Settings

Verify Outgoing Mail Server Authentication Settings

Make sure Use same settings as my incoming mail server is bubbled in and hit OK.

Step 15: Close Servers Properties

Close Servers Tab

Step 16: Close Internet Accounts

Close Internet Accounts

Step 17: Pat Yourself On The Back!

You are now setup to be able to send out e-mail from Softdent.

How To Send From Softdent

In Softdent, select your patient and then go to the Internet menu and select Compose E-Mail.

Compose E-mail From Internet Menu

In this tutorial we setup Outlook Express (the free client included with windows).  Since we are not using Office Outlook we need to use MAPI Client button instead of the Send button.  I’m concluding that either Softdent used an Extended MAPI call for the send button or they have a bug in their implementation.  The Send button will not work with Outlook Express.

Composing an E-mail in Softdent

We will be teaming up to share our knowledge in design and development with a focus on web technology.

This idea made me ask myself, “What are the nuts and bolts of procrastination?”  In my mind I end up in what I’d describe as a “reward vs. risk management matrix.”  I tend to end up with a sense of what will get me a real reward.  This is not usually what was designed to be rewarded.  If I can find a way to link what I’m procrastinating over with a reward, the procrastination seems to magically melt away.  I can – at the drop of a hat – be focused on something I’ve been putting off for months.  Sometimes I’ve found I’m engaged in months of procrastination about a problem that solved itself in less than an hour.

The other question I’ve asked myself, “Why do I choose to procrastinate instead of choosing not to take action and move on?”  I find that I’m not choosing to move on because I’m trying to avoid risks in my next opportunity.  Popular US culture seems to favor the idea of “not putting all your eggs in one basket.”  This embodies the idea that distributed risk is safer than a very focused effort to carefully consider one risk.  If you’re focusing efforts on creating this vast network of resources to reduce risk involved, how good was the original idea?  If the idea stands on its own you can talk to 100 people and no one will stop to tell you, “that’s risky”.

If you’ve found the best egg, throw out the others, take considered brisk steps and it will turn to gold.

Food For More Thought

Watch the W-JAX keynote and be more productive. Guaranteed.

Multi-Tasking is killing your business

Multi-Frakin’ Tasking – better project management, so say we all

Less is More: Jump-Start Productivity with Small Teams

From Anarchy to Optimizing

I am excited!  I’ve been preaching for some time now that Potsdam is a great place for a tech company.  I am also excited about the new high tech venture I’m working with Car Chase Workshop on right now.  It’s too early for details today but we’re pushing very hard to bring new tech talent up to Potsdam to join us.

With Slic Network Soltuions, The Comptuer Guys, Car Chase Workshop, and My Company we have a great diverse technology community hidden away up here.  I’ll be very excited to meet with Crawford when they open up.

The Article- Front page of the Daily Courier-Observer

Canadian High Tech Company Eyes Potsdam

60 Minutes on Conficker

My Commentary

I want to say that I’m very upset with this 60 minutes report.  They have clearly PLAYED ON EMOTIONS to SCARE PEOPLE!  Some people would say, “well that’s great for people in the computer business.”  NO, IT NEVER IS!  Fear in the masses ends up in HORRIBLE LEGISLATION!  I’m afraid that if this is not kept in check, the innovation of our industry could be stifled to the point that it will cost our entire society greatly!

Yes, there are very talented people in the computer industry that are completely driven by greed to hurt others for their gains.  They have the power to inflict their pain on a global scale with our current infrastructure.  On the other end of that scale are a LOT MORE people that enjoy technology and want to share their joy with others.  The path that my life has taken me allows me to identify countless opportunities to hurt others.  I use this knowledge to arm people with enough of a defense to keep these risks at bay.

Computer security today is NOT ABSOLUTE!  I’m not going to claim enough arrogance to say that a completely secure computer [or network] can be created today that connects to the internet.  Our technology today is orders of magnitude more complex than one person can feasibly understand in an entire lifetime.  Computer security today must be viewed as an exercise in risk management.  Simple and cost affective solutions can be crafted today with the same exciting advanced technology.  One product that I use is Untangle an Open Source Network Gateway.  Most people will have an old PC that has been retired that would work great for this product.  In fact, in their blog they’ve posted a response to the conficker worm: http://blog.untangle.com/?p=197.

If you are nervous of the Conficker Worm due to wreak havoc tomorrow, do ensure that your virus protection is up to date. Updated versions of Kaspersky Anti-Virus, as used in our Kaspersky Virus Blocker, will keep you safe

I will admit that this appliance may be out of the reach of some home users technical ability but I will argue that it will only be in the installation.  Once this is running it’s very point and click friendly.  I’ve lived with it for some time now and I’ve never had to consult any outside documentation.  Everything I needed to do was very point and click friendly.

The broad point that I’m trying to paint here is that even though there is great evil to be had in the computer industry … the “good guys” outnumber the bad ones.  For this one person featured on 60 minutes – who had the misfortune of having her account compromised – I’m sure there are several thousands that conduct business every day without any problems.  I have to admit some laziness in my conclusion since I don’t have time now for the numbers but I will stand behind my assertion if anyone will care to call me out on it.

While writing that actual paragraph about my assumption I had this article cross my desk: Conficker flaw yields new tool for detection.

Security researchers have developed a new tool that can scan the company network and remotely detect machines infected with the Conficker worm.
A proof-of-concept scanner was released by the Honeynet Project, a non-profit security research organization. The tool is also being made available on many network scanning vendor tools: Tenable (Nessus), McAfee/Foundstone, Nmap, nCircle and Qualys.

I offer myself up as another example that the good guys will win.  I’ve spent a good part of my childhood and all of my adult life in the computer industry.  In the last week on any given day I loaded 14,487 web pages during the course of my work.  That’s not an estimate, its a measurement from an untangle machine that I run on my home internet.  Last month I sent 449 e-mail messages and received 1,999 [again, that is a precise measurement].  I have 7 monitors hooked up to the main desktop computer that I spend a majority of my life in front of.  I have never had my identity, any of my confidential, or any personal data stolen from me.

My Call To Action

Please, don’t over react.  Keep living life as you would but take a few minutes to research the exciting technology that can make you’re already low risk behavior a bit lower.  I have no idea how far this article will spread but I’m willing to entertain as many questions as I have time to answer to help those that are afraid.

Good Specifics

After some more research I’ve found a post I really like that presents a balenced report of specifics on this worm: http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/03/27/hype-april-fools-day-conficker-worm/

Hardware Failure

In the middle of using the automation their donated used inkjet printer failed.  This couldn’t have come at a worse time because this particular newsletter was advertising a Pancake Breakfast fundraiser that is very important to the Helping Hands.  Earlier when I was working on the automation we had discussed purchasing a laser printer to print the envelopes faster and with far fewer paper jams (and other unexpected failures).  We had dismissed the idea since we had a working printer and we couldn’t see using the organizations budget when we had something that worked.  With the old inkjet printer now dead, I wanted to see if I could get some other businesses on board to help contribute for a refurbished laser printer.

Potsdam Business To The Rescue

I was very excited to be able to get 7 local businesses on board in one business day to chip in for a new printer.  Starting at 8am I had checks and pledges for the entire cost and the actual printer in hand by 2pm.  Thank you very much to the other businesses involved, most notably for how quickly you reacted in a crunch time situation.

• Evans and White Ace Hardware
• Larry Reece & Associates
• Community Bank
• North Country Savings Bank
• The Computer Guys
• Car Chase Workshop

Details on the Automation

The old setup for their mailing list was a label file that had over 700 addresses with no way to sort or remove duplicates.  I was able to take their old file and write some script programs to get that data into excel where we could sort and remove the duplicates.  We were able to shrink the list down to under 450 actual addresses.  With every piece of mail holding a measurable cost this reduction saved money, time, and frustration.

After getting our data into Excel we were able to do a mail merge with Word and add the return address.  This saved voluenteers from stamping 450 envelops with this information.  We were able to print directly onto the envelop cutting out the cost of the address lables and the time to affix 450 of them.  These mailings are sent with a bulk mailing permit and must be sorted by zip code.  We were able to do this sort in the mail merge and also include a postal bar code so that the stack could easily be run through a mail sorting machine cutting lots of volunteer time needed to sort.  The final piece of the automation we were able to add was printing the bulk mailing permit “stamp” directly onto the envelop.

With the automation and the modern printer we can produce a completly ready to mail (and sorted) envelop in about 7 seconds.  This used to take over 2o hours with a 3 person crew.  This time can now be voluenteered to more directly help the community.