Month: August 2008

Mail problems
It looked good last night, after installing the new PMAS version, but ths morning I found there are some problems with mail. Well, BIG problems: there isn’t ANY incoming mail from outside the grootersnet.nl domain. Local mail is delivered, and since outgoing mail bypasses the filter, there is no trouble in sending. This is one of the new features: testing on domain. It might be that the Sender Profile Framework has been enabled, and I disabled it. But to take effect, PMAS needs to be restarted – which requires access to Diana. And I didn’t have it at the time….
Hopefully the mail is not discarded and will be delivered once PMAS is restarted. To get along the fast way: disable the port redirection on the router, if really needed. It will allow spam to get through but it’s not a big issue for a few hours.
Tested a few things, found a problem in reports and sent the results to Process, and a request to answer via the company. But from there, I couldn’t reply – mail was blocked by a server at process.com.
Anyway, I’ll do some more testing after enabling debug – that’s what needs to be done tonight. Hunter gave me sufficient work to do 😉

PMAS 3.1 beta
Tonight I downloaded the kit for the anti-spam gateway – it’s a beta but I’m quite confident it works fine so I installed it – and didnt purge the files of i’t so I could get back fast if needed, the previous version is still close at hand so if required, even without that possibility getting back is easy (though it may take some time).
As far as I can determine so far (it’s been installed just an hour ago 🙂 ) there is one glitch in the user interface: It warns that javascript and cookies need to be enabled, as an error. You still get the menu. However, any action requires you to login again – and this time, it succeeds.
The point is, though, I DO have cookies enabled, and allow javascript.
(I may need to do some post-installation: copy the index.html file to another location. That’s for tomorrow)
I had one problem displaying a quanrantained message; It should pop-up in a separate window but it didn’t, though PMAS seemed to think it did. It did show up when I opened it in a new tab. When I tried to reproduce it, it failed to reproduce and popped up the way I expected.

There was a problem when accessing any local site, and I was afraid something had broken. I cannot tell what it might have been, but this version of PMAS carries a small, basic webserver and it might be that that one caused these problems. There was no problem after a few minutes.
To be determined later on. For the next days, it _should_ behave like the old one.

For the license (expireing 08-Sep-2008) I already got myself new VMS licences that I need for it, but I’ll wait for the new PMAS license – I have 4 more weeks.

Domain problems
This is strange.
My local domain is a subdomain of grootersnet.nl: intra.grootersnet.nl. For future use, I also created a zone “grootersnet.local” in my local DNS, and both names can be “dig”ged in the server (I kept to the most important part and de-personalized the addresses):

$ dig diana.grootersnet.local

; <<>> DiG 9.3.1 <<>> diana.grootersnet.local
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;diana.grootersnet.local. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
diana.grootersnet.local. 3600 IN A aaa.bbb.ccc.2

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
grootersnet.local. 3600 IN NS DNS.grootersnet.local.

$ dig diana.intra.grootersnet.nl

; <<>> DiG 9.3.1 <<>> diana.intra.grootersnet.nl

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;diana.intra.grootersnet.nl. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
diana.intra.grootersnet.nl. 10800 IN A aaa.bbb.ccc.2

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
intra.grootersnet.nl. 10800 IN NS diana.intra.grootersnet.nl.

but the grootersnet.local nodes do not appear in the TCPIP SHO HOST command:
$ tcpip sho host

LOCAL database

Host address Host name

aaa.bbb.ccc.2 DIANA.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL, DIANA, diana,
aaa.bbb.ccc.2 WWW.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL, DIANA.GROOTERSNET.LOCAL
127.0.0.1 LOCALHOST

BIND database

Server: 127.0.0.1 LOCALHOST

Host address Host name

aaa.bbb.ccc.205 aphrodite.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.193 athene.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.33 cerberus.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.200 clalpha.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.4 daphne.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.192 demeter.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.2 diana.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.3 dido.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.251 HP2100TN.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.193 iona.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.213 irene.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.201 maya.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.202 muze.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.198 perse.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL
aaa.bbb.ccc.201 ubuntu.INTRA.GROOTERSNET.NL

though I would expect them. However, since diana is defined to be in the intra.grootersnet.nl domain, it could well be that this limits the search in the DNS database.

It was weird, though, that Outlook on Irene – the system in the living room – could not translate diana.intra.grootersnet.nl, but did recognized diana.grootersnet.local. nslookup did translate both, but ping only got the grootersnet.local address and failed to resolve diana.intra.grootersnet.nl.
Changing the SMTP and POP services to reside on diana.grooternet.local solved the Outlook problem, but it still puzzles me. Even more where no other system seems to have that problem.

Ubuntu desktop and external monitor
Maya – the Ubuntu desktop installation on the old laptop – has an ATI-based graphics card, and that is know to be, well, problematic, since ATI did not reveal data on the chipset. One of the problems I have is that at startup, the Ubunto logo and progress bar are shown on the external monitor only and not on the laptop screen, but once Gnome starts, the external monitor turns black and drops to standby, and the Gnome desktop is shown on the laptop’s LCD screen only. And I want it on the monitor.
I found an article on the Ubuntu site that discusses the ATI card and some of it’s problems and that also showed how to get the image on the external terminal. Attempting that solution caused an error message of a file missing (I didn’t write it down…) and the XWindows environment starts in a low-res setting allowing some settings to be changed. It allows 800×600 @60Hz at most, where the video terminal can handle 1600×1200@85… Keeping that low-res works – for that session, and it revereses to a knwon state – the one I want to get rid of….

So that is still a matter of concern.

MySQL 5.1
Now using MySQL 5.1 for a number of weeks (the watchdog log mentions the exact date and time: MYSQL051 Restarted 2008-07-21 21:12:13.96) and I must say: it really is an improvement; in both speed (much faster) and stability (hasn’t crashed since) it outruns the previous version. I cannot tell that having rebuilt the PHP MySQL extension against this new version makes a difference, but no doubt it does.
One issue that may well contribute to the speed is the fact that I didn’t change the settings on buffersize and number of buffers, like I did on the MySQL 4.1 configuration. It was needed at the time: after having limited these it became more stable, but not as much as I wanted, given trhe number of crashes that kept occurring. MySQL 5.1 appears stable enough – and well handling the load – that I can keep to the default setting. Which is a good thing.

One thing to keep in mind, though: Usernames are now case sentitive. At least, I didn’t notice the 4.1 version to be; logging in using the username in all lowercase, or capitalized, didn’t make a difference then. But now it saÿs “Bad password”, even when the password is right, if you enter the username mixed case.

For the rest
I have installed Servicepack 3 on Aphrodite, the Windows workstation; thought I had it done but the update history didn’t mention it. The advantage is I now have a full backup of the Windows directory.
I had some trouble with Demeter, last weekend: when working on a friend’s internet connection, the LAN interface seemed badly broken but it could well have been an issue with the ISP-supplied router that simply failed to deliver an IP-address to it. I don’t understand – the old router did get an address (but I couldn’t use it since the other old 3COM card is dead…). However, connecting it into my own network worked fine, as usual… Weird.
And there is Maya – the newly installed Ubuntu desktop. There actually is a problem, though minor. It has to do with the built-in ATI-based graphics card. I have my old 19” monitor hooked up, and when booting, the Ubuntu logo is nicely popping up on both the LCD screen and the monitor. But when the desktop is to be displayed, the monitor is no longer attached and I’ll have to work from the LCD screen. According the Ubuntu site, there would be something in the ATI driver, and ATI would be reluctant to publish data on the card. Though this might well be the case (and there may be good reasons for it), it’s a lame excuse if other issues could be overcome by reverse engineering. And this is such a basic issue, as far as I can tell, that there must be some kind of setting to enable the screen.
Well, I do have to update anyway, perhaps the issue is solved (but I have my doubts).
Going cheap
It’s very valid, no doubt. The friend I just talked about has an account with a cable company, that supplies television signal (their original business), telephone and internet acess. He can only afford limited cost, so his contract offers internet access with limited capacity. Fairly sufficient for his limited use. His major use is e-mail, and some surfing. he’s not downloading gigabites of film, and the few updates he gets for the virus scanner do not impact his use.
But the service seems to keep pace with the cost. The connection is not stable in terms of speed, and certainly not in terms of availability: either thelephone or internet, or, in some cases both, is gone. If it’s just the internet connection, to get to know that your internet connection is gone and how long that will take, is expensive, and mainly because of waiting. If the telephone connection is gone, there is no way contacting them except by e-mail – which will be answered the next day, or within 2 working days, and that doesn’t help much either – especiaclly if it happens on Friday night – after 22:00.
Let alone when both are down.
The only stable service is what they started with: televison signal.
But his problem was more complex.
It started with his mail problems: he couldn’t read his mail, or send mail by forms on a web-page.
He’s using a Hotmail account, and since Microsoft moved hotmail to “Live”, he was using the “light” version since the full version didn’t work: he’s using Windows2000 and cannot upgrade from IE 6.0 to IE7 (which requires WindowsXP). It was fine, until some weeks ago, he was unable to open his messages. I found out why: it’s some javascript that has to do it, and that didn’t work. His IE6.0 settings are such that javascript is enabled, and I dumped the page.
All it says is:
javascript:;
No scriptname or URL….

No wonder he didn’t see anything!
And not just on any mail message: whereever javascript was specified in the page, none of them mentioned a script to execute.
Moving to the full version solved the problem – after having re-installed IE 6.0, to solve another problem: he couldn’t download anything because some modules seemed gone. And he had to, for his anti-virus software needed to be, in order to get it to work with his renewed license.

What caused the empty “javascript:” specification? It could be a problem at Microsoft. Or would the ISP filter off anything, “to protect the innocent”?

(Before you want to comment: Another browser, even Linux, are being considered. Both are probelmatic. He requires 100% comptability where he uses his machine for work and study, and he only knows how to use the system. Nothing more.
So theer is no need to mention these…)

WP2.6 test
Given yesterday’s trouble on changing the WP26 admin password, I retried from Aphridite. It may have been the left Shft key on the keyboard I use with Demeter – the laptop – that gives more and more trouble. It got even worse – I couldn’t even login with neither password: both gave me “Invalid password”.
I didn’t get as far as I did yesterday: drop all tables and retry; I simply requested a new password, got it, and I could login again. Now, changing the password DID succeed, no error – and I could get in with the new password (I checked using PHPMyAdmin).

Why it failed? I don’t know. I will try again, and again, to see wether a typo in chnaging the password would trigger it.
It has something to do with redirection, it seams. the server log states:

%HTTPD-W-NOTICED, 01-AUG-2008 22:05:58, CGI:1928, not a strict CGI response
-NOTICED-I-SERVICE, https://homedesk.grootersnet.nl:443
-NOTICED-I-CLIENT, 192.168.0.33
-NOTICED-I-URI, POST (26 bytes) /wp26/wp-admin/profile.php
-NOTICED-I-SCRIPT, /wp26/wp-admin/profile.php wp26:[wp-admin]profile.php (cgi_exe:phpwasd.exe) WP26:[WP-ADMIN]profile.php
-NOTICED-I-CGI, 5374617475733A203330320D0A582D506F77657265642D42 (2048 bytes) Status: 302..X-Powered-B
-NOTICED-I-RXTX, err:0/0 raw:1506/146 net:904/0

The ending: 302..X-powered-B could be the issue. It should read just 302, followed by carriage-Return and Linefeed (the two dots); but where the text “X-powered-B” comes from? There is no such text in the PHP code, and, where Javascript is involved, it’s in Stream-LF format and cannot be read in some way. I’ll have to do it by DUMP….

Well, once I could login, I could add an entry, add a comment… I have to get the new themes, I downloaded a few, and find out what’s nice, and if it’s worthwhile to upgrade. And I’ll have to write a procedure to run on install, because of the dots in the filename, being replaced by underscores. Although I asked for using underscore of hyphen, I doubt it will be adjusted…

Mail statistics
PMAS statistics for July
Total messages : 5708 = 100.0 o/o
DNS Blacklisted : 4079 = 71.4 o/o (Files: 33)
Relay attempts : 85 = 1.4 o/o (Files: 27)
Processed by PMAS : 1544 = 27.0 o/o (Files: 33)
Discarded : 686 = 44.4 o/o (processed), 12.0 o/o (all)
Quarantained : 591 = 38.2 o/o (processed), 10.3 o/o (all)
Delivered : 267 = 17.2 o/o (processed), 4.6 o/o (all)

False negatives that have been filtered by SMTP:

2-JUL-2008 12:08:08.82 UNRSLVMF unroofed2006@solinperusac.com
5-JUL-2008 02:05:58.49 UNRSLVMF dagsboro1@netmediaonline.dk
5-JUL-2008 19:57:55.45 UNRSLVMF _ekilocca@zambandet.se
7-JUL-2008 07:32:30.22 UNRSLVMF dagsboro1@netmediaonline.dk
9-JUL-2008 06:32:36.16 UNRSLVMF nnibkjdt@sunlife.co.ir
14-JUL-2008 23:55:15.68 UNRSLVMF updateinfo@bankofamerica-updateinfo.com
19-JUL-2008 00:39:41.65 UNRSLVMF Karoliina-sdnuopor@farr38.co.za
21-JUL-2008 19:08:50.81 UNRSLVMF Menso-vormeloz@apleura.info
22-JUL-2008 23:49:28.72 UNRSLVMF support@PayPal.Inc.com
22-JUL-2008 23:49:34.70 UNRSLVMF support@PayPal.Inc.com
23-JUL-2008 15:34:29.11 UNRSLVMF jncongestion@awaifounderscircle.com
25-JUL-2008 00:27:13.15 UNRSLVMF support@PayPal.Inc.com
25-JUL-2008 00:27:19.33 UNRSLVMF support@PayPal.Inc.com
25-JUL-2008 17:38:15.48 UNRSLVMF hgye@tv.br

and there have been some that were accepted by SMTP as well, and these have been reported to Process. But all these happened in only two days.

Testing
Process has asked testing of version 3.1 of PMAS, the anti-spam gateway and I replied I would like to joint. Today, Process announced the release of this beta somewhere next month, and when it becomes available, I’ll update my version. Hopefully it simply works as the 3.0 version.
I’m also testing the 2.6 version of WordPress and since it’s functionally equal to 2.6, there are no real issues, apart that the naming of files broke a flawless installation. I found some nice themes that could be used. But in the current (new) assignment, time to test is limited (due to travel times) so it will take some time before the blogs can be updated….
I found one problem tonight: changing the password results in an error’: No CGI-compliant response. It may have to do with empty fields, or with the password entered, or there is something rottten in the WordPress code – or some module is simply missing from the package. it;s still to be debugged – which is troublesome in php code…. I did other updates, and it’s just the password that gives trouble. It may be something in MySql, or something in profile.php or called code.