Hi

I have ran the BBS on port 23230 for a good while now and never had any
issues until lately. I've got a single IP that will occasionally hit
port 23230 hard, which causes VMODEM to freak out and constantly
trigger the motherboard beeper.

I've tried using InJoy's firewall to block the IP, but I have been
unsuccessful with that so far. I put in the rule it shows as being
there shows being enabled, etc, but it doesn't work. I have also tried
to disconnect the beeper, but haven't been able to figure that out
either.
` So, since I rarely get callers, I just stopped forwarding the port
for awhile and I'll open it up in a few weeks and see if he comes back.


Kev


--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

On 14 Mar 22 20:20:52, Kevin Nunn said the following to All:

I've tried using InJoy's firewall to block the IP, but I have been unsuccessful with that so far. I put in the rule it shows as being
there shows being enabled, etc, but it doesn't work. I have also tried
to disconnect the beeper, but haven't been able to figure that out
either.

Have you looked at Pfsense?

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

Hello Kevin,

14 Mar 22 20:20, you wrote to All:

` So, since I rarely get callers, I just stopped forwarding the port
for awhile and I'll open it up in a few weeks and see if he comes
back.

If not, I can show you how to use the built-in AIX firewall and it DOES work very well.

-- Sean

... Old bakers never die; they just quit making dough!
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

|03Quoting message from |11Kevin Nunn |03to |11All
|03on |1114 Mar 22 20:20:52|03.

Hi

I have ran the BBS on port 23230 for a good while now and never had any issues until lately. I've got a single IP that will occasionally hit
port 23230 hard, which causes VMODEM to freak out and constantly
trigger the motherboard beeper.

I've tried using InJoy's firewall to block the IP, but I have been unsuccessful with that so far. I put in the rule it shows as being
there shows being enabled, etc, but it doesn't work. I have also tried
to disconnect the beeper, but haven't been able to figure that out
either.
` So, since I rarely get callers, I just stopped forwarding the port
for awhile and I'll open it up in a few weeks and see if he comes back.

this isnt a 'he', it's just a computer attacking you.
figure out how to block it.

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

NICK ANDRE wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

I've tried using InJoy's firewall to block the IP, but I have been

Have you looked at Pfsense?

I think the only firewall available for OS/2 is Injoy sadly.

I am thinking about using an extra Pi and setup a firewall on it, and
just point the incoming port from the router to the Pi, then from Pi to
the BBS and block based on IP at the Pi. That's really a bad way to do
it, but might be my best option.

Kev


--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

SEAN DENNIS wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

If not, I can show you how to use the built-in AIX firewall and it DOES work very well.

I didn't realize there was a build in firewall. I messed with Injoy for
an afternoon and thought I had it working. Then a few days later he was
hitting it again from the same IP I had blocked.

Do you know of any PDFs or anything with info on the AIX firewall?

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

JAS HUD wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

this isnt a 'he', it's just a computer attacking you.
figure out how to block it.

LOL true, but I assigned a personae to him so I can curse an actual
person LOL

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

Kevin Nunn wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

SEAN DENNIS wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

Do you know of any PDFs or anything with info on the AIX firewall?

Here's what I used:

http://www.altsan.org/os2/firewall.html

Written by Alex Taylor so you know it's top-notch.

-- Sean

... It's not a bug; it's an unintended feature.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Kevin Nunn wrote to Nick Andre <=-

I think the only firewall available for OS/2 is Injoy sadly.

Nope. OS/2 has a port of the AIX firewall built-in. Little-known, poorly documented: the IBM way/

I am thinking about using an extra Pi and setup a firewall on it, and
just point the incoming port from the router to the Pi, then from Pi to the BBS and block based on IP at the Pi. That's really a bad way to do
it, but might be my best option.

It'd be a hell of a lot less work by setting up the OS/2 firewall but especially so by setting up pfSense. Now I protect my SSH port using
fail2ban but pfSense would be a better option even with port forwarding set
up.

(looks at the pfSense box running under his desk)

-- Sean

... Parallel lines have so much in common.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

On 15 Mar 22 14:42:13, Kevin Nunn said the following to Nick Andre:

I am thinking about using an extra Pi and setup a firewall on it, and
just point the incoming port from the router to the Pi, then from Pi to
the BBS and block based on IP at the Pi. That's really a bad way to do
it, but might be my best option.

For the work in doing that, why not pick up a second-hand server or powerful workstation ala what Sean has and just do a proper Pfsense install on that?

I dunno, I guess I just consider Pi's to be "toys"... any firewall I consider to be a crucial part of one's network.

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

DIGIMAUS wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

Do you know of any PDFs or anything with info on the AIX firewall?

Here's what I used:
http://www.altsan.org/os2/firewall.html
Written by Alex Taylor so you know it's top-notch.

Thank you sir, I will mess with that this weekend.

Kev


--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

DIGIMAUS wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

Nope. OS/2 has a port of the AIX firewall built-in. Little-known,
poorly documented: the IBM way/

Honestly I don't know if I ever new it had the AIX firewall and I have
been running OS/2 since 2.1 LOL very well documented for sure!

It'd be a hell of a lot less work by setting up the OS/2 firewall but especially so by setting up pfSense. Now I protect my SSH port using fail2ban but pfSense would be a better option even with port forwarding set up.

I will try the AIX firewall first, if I get that working, which I
should not be an issue, so won't need the extra IP blocking Pi.....
hopefully.

Kev


--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

NICK ANDRE wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

I dunno, I guess I just consider Pi's to be "toys"... any firewall I consider to be a crucial part of one's network.

Well, I have only ever used my router as the "firewall". I've never had
a reason to run a proper firewall. Just makes things easy I guess. And
I have been known to screw up linux setups, so I wouldn't want to break
my internet connection.

I messed with a proper cisco router at work for several years and it
scared me straight into using default linksys or netgear routers for my
home setup.

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

For the work in doing that, why not pick up a second-hand server or powerf workstation ala what Sean has and just do a proper Pfsense install on that

I dunno, I guess I just consider Pi's to be "toys"... any firewall I consi to be a crucial part of one's network.

I agree with that, I had a Pfsense box running at my old house I never felt so attacked but thats just becasue I could see all the activity being blocked at a very realtime level. The cool part about having a real system doing it is it had three network cards in it. One going to the modem one going to my switch for all the computers and stuff in the house and another for public stuff with the port forwards and etc setup.

I had it running on a thinkcentre and had another one right next to it in case there was ever issues with it would be easy enough to swap a few parts and be back up.

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

Nick Andre wrote to Kevin Nunn <=-

For the work in doing that, why not pick up a second-hand server or powerful workstation ala what Sean has and just do a proper Pfsense install on that?

Because, even with pfSense, with a port forwarded, it won't apply any NAT firewall rules so Kevin would still have to run some sort of firewall on his OS/2 box, much like I run fail2ban for my SSH and FTP ports on my Linux box.

(Side note: once I configured fail2ban right, it's like a mousetrap with
these script kiddies.)

I dunno, I guess I just consider Pi's to be "toys"... any firewall I consider to be a crucial part of one's network.

Only the RPi 4 and above would be considered somewhat able to be used as firewalls as on these RPis, the Ethernet port(s) are no longer tied into the USB bus which made the networking slow.

I do not think they qualify to run pfSense on them since they cannot handle more than one gigabit NIC (I may be wrong on this).

My pfSense box is a HP EliteDesk 705 desktop with an i5 and 12GB RAM in it
with a Broadcom onboard gigabit NIC and an Intel PRO/1000 PCIe NIC. It's overkill for what I need but it works well.

-- Sean

... Does a clean house show that there's a broken computer?
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Lux wrote to Nick Andre <=-

I agree with that, I had a Pfsense box running at my old house I never felt so attacked but thats just becasue I could see all the activity
being blocked at a very realtime level.

I have the "Firewall Activity" plugin on my pfSense dashboard. I can log
into the pfSense box via HTTPS and watch it get railed by script kiddies who are immediately blocked via pfSense's default "no univited incoming traffic" firewall rule, or in the case of my port forwarded SSH and FTP ports, get cockblocked by fail2ban. (Still working on a good telnet rule for f2b.)

I used to worry about it...now I laugh at it. <G>

I might pick up another Dell PowerEdge R710 so I can have pfSense running on one and the BBS on another.

-- Sean

... Danger! Off-topic messages! Danger!
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Kevin,

` So, since I rarely get callers, I just stopped forwarding the port
for awhile and I'll open it up in a few weeks and see if he comes back.

I also use Peerblock, as well as the CAPTCHA deal with Synchronet, and
limit the multiple concurrent connections from the same IP to one...all
others (unless a legitimate BBS connect) are automatically refused.

The thing is, though...I think Peerblock is only for Windows.

Daryl

... "Poo Poo Happens" -Bumper sticker on a baby stroller.
=== MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)

Nick Andre wrote to Kevin Nunn <=-

I dunno, I guess I just consider Pi's to be "toys"... any firewall I consider to be a crucial part of one's network.

I have a spare SBC I'm trying to find a use for - fanless Celeron Atom processor, 2GB RAM, SATA, built-in wireless and 2 ethernet ports. 32-bit
only, though - I think pfsense is 64 bit. :(


... It is simply a matter of work
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (618:300/1)

Lux wrote to Nick Andre <=-

I agree with that, I had a Pfsense box running at my old house I never felt so attacked but thats just becasue I could see all the activity
being blocked at a very realtime level. The cool part about having a
real system doing it is it had three network cards in it. One going to
the modem one going to my switch for all the computers and stuff in the house and another for public stuff with the port forwards and etc
setup.

I'm looking into VLANs at home - have an IoT wireless VLAN for devices that need to talk to the internet, a second wired VLAN for servers and the BBS,
and another wired/wireless VLAN for everything else. It'll take a bit of
work to do.


... It is simply a matter of work
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (618:300/1)

To: Daryl Stout
Re: Re: Closing up Telnet
By: Daryl Stout to Kevin Nunn on Wed Mar 16 2022 11:33 am

I also use Peerblock, as well as the CAPTCHA deal with Synchronet, and limit the multiple concurrent connections from the same IP to one...all others (unless a legitimate BBS connect) are automatically refused.

remember rob told you not to do that because of the web.
--- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
* bbses.info - http://bbses.info - telnet://bbses.info
* Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (618:300/12)

Hello Kurt,

16 Mar 22 06:48, you wrote to Nick Andre:

I have a spare SBC I'm trying to find a use for - fanless Celeron Atom
processor, 2GB RAM, SATA, built-in wireless and 2 ethernet ports.
32-bit only, though - I think pfsense is 64 bit. :(

Yes and if you dig into pfSense's specs, it recommends a Core Duo i3 at the absolute minimum. I'm running pfSense on a 3.2gHz i5 with 12GB RAM.

-- Sean

... Hockey is a game played by six good players and the home team.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

DIGIMAUS wrote to NICK ANDRE <=-

I dunno, I guess I just consider Pi's to be "toys"... any firewall I consider to be a crucial part of one's network.

Only the RPi 4 and above would be considered somewhat able to be used
as firewalls as on these RPis, the Ethernet port(s) are no longer tied into the USB bus which made the networking slow.

I probably used the wrong term for what I am wanting to do. And a Pi3/4
would easily handle what I am wanting to do. And it would not even been
a real firewall persay anyway.

It would be handling packets for a BBS that thinks it is getting data
from dialup modems LOL.

But yes, if I was wanting a "firewall" for my entire network, I'd run
it on better hardware, multiple gb interfaces, etc. But I have always
thought that routers do a fairly good job of all that, so I just use
routers.

Kev


--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

KURT WEISKE wrote to LUX <=-

I'm looking into VLANs at home - have an IoT wireless VLAN for devices that need to talk to the internet, a second wired VLAN for servers and
the BBS, and another wired/wireless VLAN for everything else. It'll

I often considered setting up VLANs and lately I have been thinking
that I am glad I did not. Maybe for a guest network, definitely. But
it's becoming beneficial to have IoT, mobile and desktop hardware all
on the same network.

More and more devices want to talk to IoT things/mobiles, if they are
on separate networks, that will not work. Forget using your phone to
control your roku or chromecast

In instances like guest access to WiFi, then definitely VLAN that up.
But remember that your buddy won't be able to chromecast to your TV
(which might be a good thing anyway).

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

Kevin Nunn wrote to Digimaus <=-

But yes, if I was wanting a "firewall" for my entire network, I'd run
it on better hardware, multiple gb interfaces, etc. But I have always thought that routers do a fairly good job of all that, so I just use routers.

Routers are good at NAT but for firewalls, it's different, especially with
port forwarding because it then becomes the responsibility of the client
that receives those forwarded ports to protect itself since the firewall doesn't do stateful inspection (or any inspection) on the forwarded traffic
so I'd still look at the firewall in ArcaOS.

-- Sean

... If a circuit cannot fail, it will.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

I'm looking into VLANs at home - have an IoT wireless VLAN for devices
that need to talk to the internet, a second wired VLAN for servers and
the BBS, and another wired/wireless VLAN for everything else. It'll take
a bit of work to do.

Good to hear someone else using VLANs at home. :)

I had setup (3) VLANs years ago, which I don't really use as I had originally planned. The idea was to have my regular network, security camera & management network, and voice network (since I had setup a home PBX and had tons of VoIP phones).

I basically ended up not really using them and still have almost everything on the main VLAN. I plan to setup an internal DMZ that I can wall off with an ACL, however.

Believe it or not I am at 75% usage of my /24 IP space on my main subnet. I would have never thought that would ever happen.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

remember rob told you not to do that because of the web.

I never saw that message. I can easily disable the Peerblock, but
I'm still going to use the CAPTCHA, and limit the amount of
concurrent connections.

Daryl

... A Sysop and his money are soon...Hey!! Where's my wallet??!!
=== MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)

To: Daryl Stout
Re: Re: Closing up Telnet
By: Daryl Stout to Jas Hud on Fri Mar 18 2022 12:06 pm

From Newsgroup: Micronet.MIN_BBS

remember rob told you not to do that because of the web.

I never saw that message. I can easily disable the Peerblock, but
I'm still going to use the CAPTCHA, and limit the amount of
concurrent connections.

web browsers open up multiple connections.
--- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
* bbses.info - http://bbses.info - telnet://bbses.info
* Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (618:300/12)

DIGIMAUS wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

Routers are good at NAT but for firewalls, it's different, especially
with port forwarding because it then becomes the responsibility of the

True and currently I only forward binkd/telnet. And if I get the
firewall on Arca going, then I am good to go. (Which I'll be starting
on here after I finish this QWK packet). Otherwise I don't forward
any other ports.

Yup, just double checked LOL. Occassionally I will forward some
minecraft related ports to my internal server, but that's not very
often.

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

Sean Dennis wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

Yes and if you dig into pfSense's specs, it recommends a Core Duo i3 at the absolute minimum. I'm running pfSense on a 3.2gHz i5 with 12GB
RAM.

I'm going to be remodeling my storage space in the next few weeks. I should bite the bullet and install a half-rack in there and run some CAT6 to it.

It'd be nice to run some proper server room hardware.

I've been asked to dispose of a 2U pfsense server at work, and can't bear to do it. I'd like to give it a proper home, if you know what I mean.


... What context would look right?
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (618:300/1)

Kevin Nunn wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

KURT WEISKE wrote to LUX <=-

I often considered setting up VLANs and lately I have been thinking
that I am glad I did not. Maybe for a guest network, definitely. But
it's becoming beneficial to have IoT, mobile and desktop hardware all
on the same network.

I use my home network as a test sandbox, don't *really* need VLANs. I could create a non-bridged wireless network on a virtual adapter and call is a
day.


... What context would look right?
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (618:300/1)

I often considered setting up VLANs and lately I have been thinking
that I am glad I did not. Maybe for a guest network, definitely. But
it's becoming beneficial to have IoT, mobile and desktop hardware all
on the same network.

Very true. That is why I sort of abandoned the original plan. The only things I see that should be separated from the main network would be DMZ and voice.

More and more devices want to talk to IoT things/mobiles, if they are
on separate networks, that will not work. Forget using your phone to control your roku or chromecast

Yup, unless you do that on purpose to keep your kids from casting to your TV.

In instances like guest access to WiFi, then definitely VLAN that up.
But remember that your buddy won't be able to chromecast to your TV
(which might be a good thing anyway).

Exactly. Just depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Routers are good at NAT but for firewalls, it's different, especially with port forwarding because it then becomes the responsibility of the client that receives those forwarded ports to protect itself since the firewall doesn't do stateful inspection (or any inspection) on the forwarded
traffic so I'd still look at the firewall in ArcaOS.

The Cisco ASA firewall has this nifty feature that allows you to limit simultaneous connections from the same source/external IP. That is what I put in place for tcp/23 for the BBS nodes over here. At least that keeps the same IP from flooding connections.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

MARK HOFMANN wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

only things I see that should be separated from the main network would
be DMZ and voice.

Luckily I haven't had to deal with voice yet :P

And I am the only one in the household so, not many other issues to
worry about.

Kev



--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

MARK HOFMANN wrote to DIGIMAUS <=-

The Cisco ASA firewall has this nifty feature that allows you to limit simultaneous connections from the same source/external IP. That is
what I put in place for tcp/23 for the BBS nodes over here. At least
that keeps the same IP from flooding connections.

That would be very helpful

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

Kurt Weiske wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

Sean Dennis wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

I'm going to be remodeling my storage space in the next few weeks. I should bite the bullet and install a half-rack in there and run some
CAT6 to it.

Sounds like the right thing to do. I can't wait until I have a place where
I can put in a proper rack for everything.

I've been asked to dispose of a 2U pfsense server at work, and can't
bear to do it. I'd like to give it a proper home, if you know what I
mean.

Absolutely. The computer I am on right now was a rescue from a former employer's junk pile.

I still have that Dell PowerEdge R710 hiding out until I can afford the
power bill. It was given to me and I bet I could get another one if I asked for it.

-- Sean

... "The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." - Emerson
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Mark Hofmann wrote to Digimaus <=-

The Cisco ASA firewall has this nifty feature that allows you to limit simultaneous connections from the same source/external IP. That is
what I put in place for tcp/23 for the BBS nodes over here. At least
that keeps the same IP from flooding connections.

I've done similar using pfSense and fail2ban.

I'm running these jails in fail2ban:

Status |- Number of jail: 12
`- Jail list: apache-auth, apache-badbots,
apache-botsearch, apache-fakegooglebot, apache-modsecurity, apache-nohome, apache-noscript, apache-overflows, apache-shellshock, proftpd, recidive,
sshd

You don't want to see how full my recidive filter is. Maybe at the end of
the month I'll clear it and start all over again for fun. <G>

-- Sean

... The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

web browsers open up multiple connections.

Well, I have restrictions on GUEST users...mainly no uploads, access
to only the local message boards, but they can use the majority of the
doors. However, if the turns as GUEST are already played for that day,
they must wait until after nightly maintenance is run overnight before
they can play again.

I've also blocked a bunch of hostnames, especially those with "no name".

Daryl

... I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.
=== MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.15-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (618:250/33)

Luckily I haven't had to deal with voice yet :P

And I am the only one in the household so, not many other issues to
worry about.

I'm not using VoIP phones at home anymore. I had setup a Cisco CUCM server VM about 6 years ago to test out running a home PBX. I also tested using FreePBX which worked well, also using all my various Cisco VoIP phones I had at the time.

It was more of a learning experiement and I have since thrown all that stuff out since I had no plans on using it. While it was very cool to have each person in the family having their own extension, it was way overkill and I didn't want to run an extra hardware router just for the home phone stuff.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

That would be very helpful

Cisco ASAs are dirt cheap these days. I think I paid around $125 or so several years ago to pickup a Cisco ASA 5550 (which will do full 1Gbps/1Gbps).

Originally I was using one of my old work Cisco ASAs which was a 5540. Once I got 1Gbps fiber at home, I bought a used ASA 5550 to get the full speed.

You can even get a newer ASA 5545-X these days for a reasonable price. These used to be $5k-$10k firewalls back in their day.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Absolutely. The computer I am on right now was a rescue from a former employer's junk pile.

I still enjoy grabbing enterprise throw-away hardware. It is just incredible how much stuff (and good stuff) companies throw out. The larger the company, the better the throw away stuff.

Being a hardware junkie, it certainly has allowed me to amase a large collection of stuff. Servers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, drivers, PCs, you name it.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Being a hardware junkie, it certainly has allowed me to amase a large collection of stuff. Servers, switches, firewalls, load balancers,
drivers, PCs, you name it.

That was supposed to say "drives". Not enough coffee yet this morning.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Mark Hofmann wrote to Digimaus <=-

Being a hardware junkie, it certainly has allowed me to amase a large collection of stuff. Servers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, drivers, PCs, you name it.

That's one thing I really miss about working in IT.

-- Sean

... What if someone's real name is a psuedonym?
--- MultiMail/Linux
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

MARK HOFMANN wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

It was more of a learning experiement and I have since thrown all that stuff out since I had no plans on using it. While it was very cool to have each person in the family having their own extension, it was way overkill and I didn't want to run an extra hardware router just for the home phone stuff.

I can see the appeal of that. Multiple extensions, voice mail, etc etc.
That could be very useful for a family.

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

On 20 Mar 22 07:31:52, Mark Hofmann said the following to Digimaus:

I still enjoy grabbing enterprise throw-away hardware. It is just incredib how much stuff (and good stuff) companies throw out. The larger the compan the better the throw away stuff.

Being a hardware junkie, it certainly has allowed me to amase a large collection of stuff. Servers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, drivers PCs, you name it.

Do you have server "chop shops" where you live? Thats where I bought my HP stuff from... http://www.deltaserverstore.com/

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

only, though - I think pfsense is 64 bit. :(

I had it working on an older machine p4 or celeron.

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

I'm looking into VLANs at home - have an IoT wireless VLAN for devices tha need to talk to the internet, a second wired VLAN for servers and the BBS, and another wired/wireless VLAN for everything else. It'll take a bit of work to do.

Thats pretty much your a network admin, have a gold star!

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

Yes and if you dig into pfSense's specs, it recommends a Core Duo i3 at th absolute minimum. I'm running pfSense on a 3.2gHz i5 with 12GB RAM.

Wow how things have changed in only a few years.

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

To: Nick Andre
Re: Re: Closing up Telnet
By: Nick Andre to Mark Hofmann on Sun Mar 20 2022 04:35 pm

drivers PCs, you name it.

Do you have server "chop shops" where you live? Thats where I bought my HP stuff from... http://www.deltaserverstore.com/

Nick

there's guys like that on ebay, you just have to know how to look for them.
--- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
* bbses.info - http://bbses.info - telnet://bbses.info
* Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (618:300/12)

On 21 Mar 22 06:43:05, Jas Hud said the following to Nick Andre:

drivers PCs, you name it.

Do you have server "chop shops" where you live? Thats where I bought my HP stuff from... http://www.deltaserverstore.com/

there's guys like that on ebay, you just have to know how to look for them.

You also have to watch out for shipping.

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

Hello Lux,

20 Mar 22 21:35, you wrote to me:

Wow how things have changed in only a few years.

That's the recommendation for running gigabit Ethernet. It may be different for 100mb stuff.

-- Sean

... Your program is sick! Shoot it and put it out of its memory.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

To: Nick Andre
Re: Re: Closing up Telnet
By: Nick Andre to Jas Hud on Mon Mar 21 2022 09:05 am

From Newsgroup: Micronet.MIN_BBS

On 21 Mar 22 06:43:05, Jas Hud said the following to Nick Andre:

drivers PCs, you name it.

Do you have server "chop shops" where you live? Thats where I bought my HP stuff from... http://www.deltaserverstore.com/

there's guys like that on ebay, you just have to know how to look for them.

You also have to watch out for shipping.

well in the usa with the heavy sellers on ebay they normally have a partnership with shipping partners so it's cheaper for them to ship. so i go for the 'free' shipping, even though it's probably included in the price.
--- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
* bbses.info - http://bbses.info - telnet://bbses.info
* Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (618:300/12)

On 21 Mar 22 10:20:44, Jas Hud said the following to Nick Andre:

You also have to watch out for shipping.

well in the usa with the heavy sellers on ebay they normally have a partnership with shipping partners so it's cheaper for them to ship. so i for the 'free' shipping, even though it's probably included in the price.

It doesn't work that way in Canada as our postal system has a much higher cost. And I can forget about buying servers or really any serious electronics from the states. If its not the shipping its import taxes and duty/inspection.

Likewise I have some old equipment I'd like to send to Sean for a good home
but not spending hundreds of dollars to do so.

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

To: Nick Andre
Re: Re: Closing up Telnet
By: Nick Andre to Jas Hud on Mon Mar 21 2022 11:49 am

Likewise I have some old equipment I'd like to send to Sean for a good home but not spending hundreds of dollars to do so.

dont contribute to the problem of hoarding :D
--- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
* bbses.info - http://bbses.info - telnet://bbses.info
* Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (618:300/12)

On 21 Mar 22 12:51:05, Jas Hud said the following to Nick Andre:

Likewise I have some old equipment I'd like to send to Sean for a good home but not spending hundreds of dollars to do so.

dont contribute to the problem of hoarding :D

I'm not, I'm making it Seans problem!

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (618:500/24)

That's one thing I really miss about working in IT.

No more physical dumpster diving to get hardware, like I did as a kid. :)

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

I can see the appeal of that. Multiple extensions, voice mail, etc etc. That could be very useful for a family.

And you can't forget the custom "Slayer" music on hold. Yes, I did that. :)

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Do you have server "chop shops" where you live? Thats where I bought my
HP stuff from... http://www.deltaserverstore.com/

Probably, but none that I have used locally. What I can't get myself or through friends at other organizations, I normally buy on Ebay.

I have used GoHardDrive on Ebay several times to buy bulk enterprise HGST drives. One of my orders was for (30) 3TB HGST drives. That weighed a good bit!

I pulled apart an old SAN at work that had 50 2TB drives in it, which I used to make an extra backup of one of my RAID arrays. I still have all those drives sitting on the floor of my basement.

I also grabbed (30) 300G SSD drives that were going to get tossed. Those are now in use as my "SSD Datastore" in my ESXi server. The BBS even runs on that datastore... eCS and SSD.

I'm in process of re-wiring my patch panels and putting everything in racks. All the servers and UPS units are in racks, so next is my networking stuff and patch panels. I'm using the small modular ones. All have been re-terminated, but it is a giant mess which I will clean up once they are in the rack that I still need to assemble.

It has been awhile since I upgraded my main workstation. I'm waiting until prices come back to earth if that ever happens before doing anything, though.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Likewise I have some old equipment I'd like to send to Sean for a good
home but not spending hundreds of dollars to do so.

That is the unfortunate fact where it costs more to ship than it is worth. I ended up tossing several HP G6 servers last year since I knew no one local that had any interest.

The giant Supermicro servers that I have (which are 4U), I had to pickup in our truck. I should have taken pictures, but it filled the entire back of the truck since it came with external enclosures as well - which were another 2U. So basically 22U worth of server/storage. And they weighed a TON! Had to remove all the drives to even lift them without getting a hernia.

You should see this monster Dell laser printer I lugged home many years ago. I'm not sure that I could do that now without being sore for a week.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

dont contribute to the problem of hoarding :D

I'm a self admitted storage hoarder.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

To: Mark Hofmann
Re: Re: Closing up Telnet
By: Mark Hofmann to Jas Hud on Mon Mar 21 2022 08:16 pm

From Newsgroup: Micronet.MIN_BBS

dont contribute to the problem of hoarding :D

I'm a self admitted storage hoarder.

- Mark

i've learned to toss stuff out. i think i only have one rubbermaid tub full of computer stuff now. and 3 towers in the basement.

if you're not using it, toss it.
i was going to say build a desktop and give it to a needy family but they dont need that with the phones now.
--- Synchronet 3.18b-Win32 NewsLink 1.113
* bbses.info - http://bbses.info - telnet://bbses.info
* Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (618:300/12)

MARK HOFMANN wrote to KEVIN NUNN <=-

And you can't forget the custom "Slayer" music on hold. Yes, I did
that. :)

LOL custom music on hold, awesome!

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

Being a hardware junkie, it certainly has allowed me to amase a large collection of stuff. Servers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, driver PCs, you name it.

I ended up with a old Dell poweredge tower from my work. They also had an IBM server in the Ewaste but I missed out on that one.
I really wish it had gone the other way around but can't complain both tiny scsi drives work along with everything else that it came with.

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

I ended up with a old Dell poweredge tower from my work. They also had an IBM
server in the Ewaste but I missed out on that one.
I really wish it had gone the other way around but can't complain both
tiny scsi drives work along with everything else that it came with.

Nice! I have done my share of pulling things out of the Ewaste dumpsters. I try to grab them before they are tossed. The larger items like servers, I can get before they hit the trash if I want them. The PCs and displays I normally have to pull out of the trash.

I can't count how many working laser printers have been tossed. That and LED displays.. Just tons of them. I can only keep so much stuff.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

Hello Mark,

24 Mar 22 20:10, you wrote to Lux:

I can't count how many working laser printers have been tossed. That
and LED displays.. Just tons of them. I can only keep so much stuff.

I'd love to get a last-generation IBM Thinkpad. I miss those great keyboards.

-- Sean

... Any wire cut to specified length will be too short.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

Hello Sean!

24 Mar 22 21:48, you wrote to Mark Hofmann:

I'd love to get a last-generation IBM Thinkpad. I miss those great keyboards.

I've got a W520, which was the last model before they changed to the new keyboards. Intel Core i7, USB 3.0 support, and the 7 row ThinkPad keyboard.

I wouldn't mind finding a ThinkPad 25 (the 25th anniversary edition where they brought back the 7 row keyboard,) but those are extremely rare and expensive.

Andrew

--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Phoenix BBS * phoenix.bnbbbs.net (618:100/2)

Hello Andrew,

25 Mar 22 00:20, you wrote to me:

I've got a W520, which was the last model before they changed to the
new keyboards. Intel Core i7, USB 3.0 support, and the 7 row ThinkPad keyboard.

Sounds like a nice laptop.

I wouldn't mind finding a ThinkPad 25 (the 25th anniversary edition
where they brought back the 7 row keyboard,) but those are extremely
rare and expensive.

Sounds even nicer. :D

-- Sean

... I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (618:618/1)

I'd love to get a last-generation IBM Thinkpad. I miss those great keyboards.

The Thinkpads were nice laptops. I have one years ago. I also had a Compaq huggable luggable that I threw out about 15 years ago when I moved.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)

MARK HOFMANN wrote to SEAN DENNIS <=-

I'd love to get a last-generation IBM Thinkpad. I miss those great keyboards.

The Thinkpads were nice laptops. I have one years ago. I also had a Compaq huggable luggable that I threw out about 15 years ago when I
moved.

They are tanks, I have 2 IBM T43s that are backups for my BBS. They
both have OS/2 loaded and are sitting there ready to replace the
ThinkCentre desktop that it currently runs on.

Kev

--- Telegard/2/QWK v3.09.g2-sp4/mL
* Origin: Razor's Domain/2 BBS (618:200/1)

Nice! I have done my share of pulling things out of the Ewaste dumpsters. try to grab them before they are tossed. The larger items like servers, I get before they hit the trash if I want them. The PCs and displays I norm have to pull out of the trash.

I can't count how many working laser printers have been tossed. That and displays.. Just tons of them. I can only keep so much stuff.

I had to stop collecting. Found out most electronics from 2002 - 2004 are plauged with fake or otherwise horrible caps. So with the exception of my Apple e-mac that I recapped and replaced bad filters in I have tossed most of that stuff. I do have a certain like for 1989-1993 hardware.

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

I can't count how many working laser printers have been tossed. That and LED displays.. Just tons of them. I can only keep so much stuff

I'd love to get a last-generation IBM Thinkpad. I miss those great keyboa

I may be willing to sell my IBM 365XD with 2GB SSD and a new cmos battery. No Lowball offers, I know what I have.


--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

I wouldn't mind finding a ThinkPad 25 (the 25th anniversary edition where brought back the 7 row keyboard,) but those are extremely rare and expensi

Did that one have the Thinklite that lit the keys from to top of the display?

--- Renegade v1.18a
* Origin: ≡ Physics ≡ bulletinboard.systems ≡ 16BIT! ≡ (618:300/10)

Hello Lux!

28 Mar 22 21:06, you wrote to me:

Did that one have the Thinklite that lit the keys from to top of the display?

My W520 has that, yes. The Thinkpad T25 Anniversary Edition keyboard is back-lit.

Andrew

--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
* Origin: Phoenix BBS * phoenix.bnbbbs.net (618:100/2)

I had to stop collecting. Found out most electronics from 2002 - 2004 are plauged with fake or otherwise horrible caps. So with the exception of my Apple e-mac that I recapped and replaced bad filters in I have tossed most of
that stuff. I do have a certain like for 1989-1993 hardware.

I have been keeping this old massive 2 1/2 foot tall Dell printer (Dell 5100cn). The thing is a beast. I have found ways around having to reorder parts for it. Like when the thing gets full of used toner and wants a new transfer roller, I just pull it apart and vaccuum the thing out, put it back together and good-to-go!

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.52
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (618:100/12.0)