Teleidoscope

Sun, Dec 02, 2007

Stuff Not Working

Posted at 8:29 am MST to Technology

I spent yesterday updating software on the server and trying to get it to talk to the UPS and to the outside world.

I found two different packages that might handle the UPS, but the server can't seem to see the serial port. I'll reboot it sometime today and see if the bios is blocking the serial port. If it isn't, I may buy a new UPS with a USB port instead of serial, and a much larger battery. The current UPS can go on the AV stack in the living room, to bridge power glitches.

I'll need to open up the server case, too. One of the fans isn't working. Not a major problem since that case is heavily ventilated and the server is not heavily used (one of the 4 processors cores stays in the 35 to 40 degrees C range, the other three are usually under 30) but annoying. The case came with 3 fans and I'm only using two, so I may be able to swap out the one that isn't working. Or it may just be stuck because a cable has fouled the fan blades.

The outside world problem is a software problem, but very frustrating. My Zoom DSL modem has very complex NAT and firewall capabilities, and fairly poor documentation, and no tech support available for anything but the factory settings. As currently set up, it lets my home network connect outward, but nothing outside can connect to anything but the modem itself.

At least I don't need to worry about my network being hacked. In its current state, even I can't get into it from outside. I'm sure the problem is the modem and not the router: I've tested and verified the router is doing what I want it to.

I want to set things up so that I can ssh (at least) into my server when I'm at the office or on the road, without disrupting the ability of other systems (i.e. the laptop) to connect outward when I am at home. And without letting the whole internet connect into the server and network.

I'm going to completely stop using the port-shifting NAPT mode that comes from the factory, as a first step. The documentation implies (I think -- it's very disjointed) that you can forward some ports and let NAPT take care of everything else, but that doesn't seem to be how things are actually behaving.

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