Synaptic servers do not have BIND DNS Server installed .
This bug does not effect your server
0
07-17-2008 / 14:38Uncategorized
Cleaning your email..
Or
You have probably heard that over 80% of the worlds email is spam. Most of this comes from known spam rings and particular countries. Using open-source and or open programs we can literally vanish as far as they are concerned.
So what does the email Inbox look like now?
Well the Inbox looks almost the same Legitimate email and the occasional one that sneaks through. The massive difference is in the junk mail folder. Instead of 380 probable spam messages we have 6 all of which need a human to decide if they really are Spam.
Q. Do Synaptic do Linux Desktop Support?
A. Yes we do Linux Desktop support .
Q. Does it cost more that Windows support.
A. Probably . But you won’t need support in the way you need support in Windows.
Once something is setup in Linux it stays set up. Linux is much more powerful than Windows and also much stronger.
Q. Will you help me install Linux on my old Pentium III to try it out?
A. No. If you want support you have to use one of our boxes. They are carefully chosen to work with Linux. We have been down the track you are thinking about .
It is fun. But you don’t want to pay for it!
Q. I would like you to install a different distribution Will you do that.
A. No. We only support what we use. We can provide it blank if you like. This only apples to desktops. Servers we will support any distribution including Debian, Redhat, Suse, SME, etc. etc..
Q. Will you install Windows on the Linux Desktop Machines.
A. No. Windows is not secure.
It really isn’t ready to be used as an Internet connected computer.
Q. What is the best reason you can give me to switch to Linux?
A. You can relax and enjoy your computer.
No viruses.
No spyware.
No thinking about Antivirus and Antispyware.
Windows sucks like a Hoover?
Cool applications
You own it.
Every now and again I find a deal and pass it on.
This is a great workstation that comes with WindowXP pre installed. Not that machine eating/time sucking Vista.
Get them while you can.
Very soon it will be Vista only…
$1255.00 Ex GST
$1380.00 Inclusive
Delivery $8.00
Computer + 19″ Widescreen monitor + WindowsXP installed + delivery
Limited stock of this case. The case alone is well over a $100.
It makes a huge difference to the life of your computer and your sanity.
Synaptic have always used enterprise level code. This is marketing blurb for “old and tested”
All the production servers are based on Centos 4.5 and are not vulnerable to this packaging error.
One of our backup mail servers was vulnerable to this bug . It has been fixed.
Microsoft Vista is out. It is very very different from earlier versions of Windows. If you have to learn a new way of doing things, why not switch to Linux?
- It’s free to buy and use.
- It works without bothering you
- It’s secure with no viruses or nasty spy ware.
- It’s fast.
- There are at least 17,000 programs you can install on it.
- You can even run Microsoft Windows On it!
Linux is now a viable alternative to Windows for most Desktop users. We supply tested machines. Our hardware will arrive pre-installed with a lovely desktop similar to Mac OS X and all the goodies pre-installed. Pictures and Information about Ubuntu
Ubuntu Standard Desktop
Xubuntu for those who prefer simpler themes.
Servers.
Synaptic have been supplying and supporting Linux Servers for 7 years. You won’t find any bargain basement boxes here! We build systems that are designed to run 24×7 for the life of the machine. If you are looking for a Small Business Server for your office, have a look at the Phase II server. larger corparate customers may like to have a look at our Data II Server.
We can supply other brands of motherboard and chip but can not at this stage guarantee they will work with Linux.
This is not a reflection on AMD or Gigabyte. We simply don’t have time to test everything!
Synaptic Network Support goes a very long way to providing your reliable Linux server with the care and feeding it needs to “just work”
Using custom software we have written to support our growing client base.We rigorously check your system, to make sure that the hardware and software are working as they should.
The system performs exactly the same tasks that an experienced system administrator would perform if they had the time to do it every day!
- If there is an error, we know about it! Most if the time we can repair the system, without any interruption to your work.So for only $125 a month you get:
Business Hours support from real people!
- We have been doing this for 7 years.
- Email support.
- Pick up the phone and ring us on 03 948 0934.
Comprehensive Daily system check - Low level Hardware check [disks, memory, etc]
- File Sharing Services and availability.
- Internet Security Check.
- Mail Systems internal and external server test.
- Software Integrity and rogue software detection.
- Validated Software Updates
- Internet Availability Check*
Full documentation and change control of your network server configuration.
All the details of your server configuration are stored within I.M.S. Any change to the system not instigated from within our system is detected and brought to our attention.
Storage and maintenance of domain and ISP details.
Synaptic manage your important Domain Name and Domain Name Server [DNS] details on our system.
This information is yours. You should have access to it!
Free DNS Name server management for your Domains
Your DNS is important. If it is setup wrong it can cause loss of email and your domain vanishing from the Internet.
We run our own domain Name servers and use multiple third party DNS name servers.
Free Secondary and Tertiary mail server backup.
If your connection goes down our servers will hold your email.
more info
Watch this site. Important information effecting everyone is posted here.
Microsoft choose (based on quality not Dollars) to use Linux devices to secure and control their Wireless network.
I think they should perhaps kick in with a few dollars for developers..
The first reason is that we don’t trust local users. In a Linux sort of way that is. Local User logins are disabled by default.
We have enabled logins for some users on some servers. But since we do actually trust the people who have a login then it isn’t a problem.
The second reason is that we use Centos 4.* This release is not effected by this exploit.
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/10/2011257
You can relax now.. I can just tell you were panicking 
As promised, we have improved the backup mail system. It now allows for a complete and utter disaster…
Synaptic now have in place a system only usually available to large organizations. All Supported clients have three mail servers!
mail.yourdomain.com [your office]
Mail arrives at your Linux Small Business server directly from the sender.
Anti virus and Anti spam happens on your server, as usual.
All is right with the world…
mail.synapticsolutions.com.au [Australia]
Your server goes off-line, for whatever reason.
All your mail is held on mail.synapticsolutions.com.au. Our Linux server will hold your mail for 5 days patiently waiting for your to come back on-line. As soon as it does come back, all mail is forwarded to your server.
We pre-scan for Viruses and Spam before sending it!
mail.synapticserver.com [Texas USA]
If both your Server, and our Australian Servers drop off the air…
mail.synapticserver.com [yes another Linux Server] in the USA will pick up all our email, and hold it until we can get back on line.
It will be sent directly to your server minimizing delay.
Virus scanning and Anti spam will be done on this server.
Extended Outage Plan
This will only be activated in the event of multiple and extended system failure, such as the collapse of a Internet Wholesaler.
A single email account is setup to accept all email coming to your domain.
This can then be redirected to an alternative email address until Australian networks can be fixed.
Over the past six years we have been offering low cost, Flat rate support contracts on all our Linux Small Business servers.
Here is a little bit more information about hat we actually do on a day to day basis.
We started - like everyone who monitors and repairs servers- using software that has flashing lights, and doing lots of manual checks to see what is really wrong!
Sort of the equivalent of getting an email every time you write a word document. “yes, that document went really well” then 20 mins later it says “document still OK”
All well and good if you are looking after one server and have plenty of time on your hands.
We need to get accurate and timely system reports that don’t bury us in “Its Ok” messages. We don’t need to know when its OK, only when its having a problem. This is not as easy as it sounds. We have to run exhaustive tests on each and every new component of our software before it goes live on our system.
- Each test has to error check itself, to make sure it works as expected.
- Each test has to perform the task we give it. Every time.
- We have to verify the test by creating multiple error conditions on our test server.
Only when we are absolutely sure that that one test works to we add it to our system.
To be honest it’s all a bit of anti-climax because when it goes live, we hear nothing more from it! That is the desired result.
Servers are logged into every 20 mins essential non-intrusive tests are performed on the hardware and software.
If there is nothing wrong then nothing happens, in another 20 mins it does it again.
Once a day an exhaustive test is done on your server. This test is built from over six years of fault logging and fixing. 100’s of tests are done and the results then examined for possible problems.
The key here is that we don’t just collect the data. We analyze it, on the fly
Lets have an example. I find them easier to understand.
A Remote Synaptic Server monitored from Melbourne.
All of the servers are now running a minimum of RAID 1 [which is mirrored drives].
If one disk fails the other disk just keeps going. If this dead drive goes undetected you are in trouble, because when the second drive goes… Clunk. You lose everything!
Notice the when not if..
I.M.S detects a problem with the RAID system.
One of the disks is no longer in the array. Your down to one drive..
Now, an intensive test of the entire system is performed. This gives us more information….
The First Drive in the machine is actually physically OK, but has been removed from the drive array because a power failure has damaged the file structure.
Now we know this, we can schedule this repair for that night.
How do we know it worked?
in 20 mins we are going to test it! Then again. Then again. No system is perfect.
How do we know we don’t have to kick you off right now and stop your business?
Because then it would have said this…
CRITCAL SYSTEM EVENT
The First Drive in the machine is dead. It has been removed from the drive array.
The second drive in the machine has less than 24 hours to live.
Perform backup. NOW.
This message will only be activated if in the last 20 mins both Hard drives have ceased to work properly.
Highly unlikely, but we cover it anyway!
Having a support contract for your systems is much much more than security patching and getting priority support.
Call me [Robert Slater] on 9484 0934, I will try not to bore you..[to much]