FreeSource Technology - A National Managed Service Provider

New Blog...

2008-09-09T16:42:00.001-05:00

Hello all,

I am switching my blog over to wordpress, it covers my needs much better. Thanks

http://freesourcetech.wordpress.com/

Employees can come back to bite you

2008-08-24T12:14:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this article...

This is a true story!

Woman deletes $2.5M worth of files in mistaken revenge bid

Date: January 24th, 2008
Author: Paul Mah
Category: News

Workforce Management, Paul Mah

The employee of an architect firm, believing that she was about to
get fired, went on a silent rampage.
In just a few hours over a weekend, she deleted $2.5M worth of
computer files in a mistaken bid to
exact revenge.

The trigger appeared to be a help-wanted ad placed by her boss,
which described an open
administrative assistant position that sounded like her own job.
Excerpt from The Register:

Marie Lupe Cooley, 41, used her own account credentials to access
the server of Steven E.
Hutchins Architects and delete seven years' worth of drawings. The
firm's alarm company
said someone entered the premises at 11 p.m. on Sunday and was
there for about four
hours.

Fortunately though, firm owner Steven Hutchins was able to recover
the files. "It was not a
sensationalistic amount of money," he told The Register, referring
to the cost of the consultant he paid
to perform the recovery.

Cooley was released on bail after being charged with $1,000 worth
of damage to computers.
As it turned out, Cooley's job was never under threat. The
help-wanted position was actually a new
position to assist Hutchin's wife. It is unclear at this moment
what kind of action the firm will take
with Cooley.

What kind of measures do you take against potential
saboteurs, both
within or outside the IT
department?

FreeSource Technology has a system that can protect your clients data from
these types of attacks.

Benefits of a Managed Service Provider or MSP vs Traditional Break-Fix Model

2008-08-15T20:41:00.002-05:00

Do you ever get frustrated when you need help with your computer systems, printers or Email? Does it ever seem that your systems only act up when you or your staff need them the most? We take the confusion out of technology. Our goal is to give you a piece of mind.

The time has come!

We introduce clients to new technologies that save them an average of 30 to 50% each year. We’ve proven that proactively managing your network always costs less than reacting to problems after they occur. We believe that your IT infrastructure should be a profit center for your business - not a cost center.

You deserve fast, affordable, professional support. That's why we’ve bundled our revolutionary I.T. Support program with our Proactive Network Monitoring Service, providing you experienced IT Support to maintain and protect your network 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year!

Key customer benefits:

* Customer peace of mind – monitor network on 7x24 basis pro actively
* Single point of contact for carriage and all network CPE issues & single supplier instead of multiple vendors
* SLAs for service delivery
* Known costs for management & fixed price contracts
* Avoid costs of building own management & reporting systems
* Lower TCO – reduced costs for specialized IT staff

Quick Tape test on a Sun machine

2008-08-15T20:36:00.003-05:00

You will need to know the /dev/rmt/? device number before running this script.

--
#!/bin/sh

#tape_test.sh
#rev 01 01.05.04
#Steve Haley

#input for rmt device
clear;
print "Please enter rmt device number\n";
$rmt=;
chomp $rmt;

#Writing
clear;
print "Writing to /dev/rmt/$rmt\n";
sleep 2;
tar -cvf /dev/rmt/$rmt /usr/openwin/demo;

#Reading
clear;
print "Reading from /dev/rmt/$rmt\n";
sleep 2;
tar -xvf /dev/rmt/$rmt;
print "\n";
print "The test passed ok";

How to bypass ALOM password on a Sun Fire[TM] V210/V240/V250/V440

2008-08-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

To overide the ALOM password on the system you will need to:

1) Attach console to Serial Management Port

2) Power on the server via the front power button. Once POST has
completed, you will need to wait 1 to 2 minutes for a timeout to
occur and the system to drop to the "ok>" prompt.

If you do not get the "Please login:" prompt (you will likely see the
SC prompt) then you must power the system off remove the battery from
the LOM board, wait a minute, and re-install everything).

Below is an example of what you might see on the console:

Please login:
SC Alert: Host System has Reset

[wait one two minutes]
Serial line login timeout, returns to console stream.

ok>

3) Boot the system to the OS level. If Solaris is not currently
installed on the server, you will need to install it at this point.

4) Use the scadm command to reset the admin password:

a) cd /usr/platform/`uname -i`/sbin
b) ./scadm userpassword admin

5) Use the escape sequence "#." to get system back to the alom login
prompt.

6) You can now log into the admin account using the password from
step 4 b).

Reset a Sun system network configuration to defaults

2008-08-15T20:26:00.003-05:00

This simple command will un-configure a SunOS. After rebooting, it will ask you questions again about hostname, network, etc.

#sys-unconfig

Sun NetraT 105 - What to do when the second ethernet port fails?

2008-08-15T20:22:00.002-05:00

This was actually a goof in the firmware. When it was updated, it changed values in prom that should have been left alone. Here is how to fix it

--

If for some reason the 2nd Ethernet is disabled through show-nets,
This is the procedure to fix:

Ok>printenv
This will show the listing of current and default values for obp
If the current value of pcib-probe-list is 1,2 it needs to be changed
Ok>setenv pcib-probe-list 1,2,3
Ok>reset-all
Ok>show-nets
Ok>watch-net-all (To test ports)

That should do it.

Quick and Dirty - Creating a Diskless Client Jumpstart Server for Sun Microsystems Test Environment

2008-08-15T19:58:00.005-05:00

This is a quick example to get you up and running with a Sun Jumpstart server. The hostname, IP scheme and hardware is just a typical example, but you can be creative and use whatever you have. I personally set up the jumpstart modules on a separate disk array, but it is up to you. Please contact me and I can email you the document. Hope this helps. You can download it here

---
ScreenShot

How to Defragment your Disk Drive in Windows

2008-08-15T16:17:00.003-05:00

People ask me all the time how to do basic maintenance on their Windows system, and Defragmenting is a basic tool to begin with on a regular basis. I would run it at least once a month. If you are not sure what defragging is, you can read about it here. It can take some time to run, so be patient. I created a quick tutorial on how to get it up and running here

Slow Computer - Great free cleanup tool

2008-08-15T16:07:00.007-05:00

This is a tool I personally have used quite a bit, especially the last 4 years without an issue. This has 2 basic modes, registry cleaning and a cleaning mode for junk files, cookies, etc. on your system. There are many tools out there, but this one has not given me issues, as some programs out there can damage your registry. I do not offer any guarantee with this tutorial, so please use at your own risk and always back up first :)
Here is a link to download ccleaner You can read more about it's history here

Quick Tutorial Video after downloading and installing

Quickly Clean Up Your Outlook 2007 PST Data Profile

2008-08-15T15:47:00.004-05:00

This is a quick tutorial on how to clean up your Outlook 2007 Profile when it has grown too large. Outlook will typically give you errors once your pst file has reached a large limit, typically more than 1.5GB. View the tutorial here

Off To See The Bad Plus Tomorrow...

2007-11-02T15:40:00.001-05:00

Bad Plus
FEATURING:
Reid Anderson - Bass
Ethan Iverson - Piano
David King - Drums
The Bad Plus is a collective made up of bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King. All three are from the Midwest and they have known each other since their teens. Nonetheless, with the exception of one unimpressive meeting in 1990, it is only after spending their formative 20s apart -- King as a session player in Los Angeles, Iverson as the musical director for the prestigious Mark Morris Dance Group, Anderson as a prominent up-and-coming player on the New York jazz scene -- that they reunited in late 2000 to play a weekend club date in Minneapolis. The chemistry was immediate and obvious. They planned a second gig and a one-day recording session for the indie jazz label Fresh Sound and The Bad Plus was born.

On this same first gig, the nascent group played their first rock cover, Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Thus began The Bad Plus trademark of complementing original repertoire with their takes on mainstream pop "standards" including ABBA, Black Sabbath, the Bee Gees, Queen, Blondie, Aphex Twin, Neil Young, and Bjork.

While the covers helped to spread their reputation, they comprise less than 20% of the band's live repertoire. Anderson, Iverson, and King are all composers in their own right, each boasting a distinctive style. Iverson's music is the more intellectual and complex, Anderson's the more melodic and romantic, and King's the more rhythmic and surreal.

Four years ago, The Bad Plus released These Are The Vistas, their first recording for the venerable Columbia label. With a sound more akin to a rock and roll assault than to the politeness of a jazz piano trio, with influences ranging from Stravinsky to Ornette Coleman, and a repertoire blending diverse original material and provocative covers of Nirvana and Aphex Twin, The Bad Plus earned a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking groups in music.

Produced by Tchad Blake, among the most innovative engineers of the last 20 years, it sounded like no other jazz recording. Championed by mainstream rock press, reviled by jazz purists, hailed by others as music's great hope, Vistas was embraced in the US and abroad. The group became staples at NPR and college radio and developed a strong presence on the international concert circuit, playing more than 170 shows in 2006 alone. Four years and two more landmark Blake-produced albums later (2004's Give and 2005's Suspicious Activity?), The Bad Plus turns the page with their newest release, PROG.

Joining The Bad Plus camp is English über-engineer/mixer Tony Platt -- best known for recording and mixing AC/DC's classic Back In Black along with his work for Bob Marley, the Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin -- who engineered and co-produced PROG over a two-week period last fall in Minnesota. In sharp contrast to Blake's deliberately low-fi approach, Platt created a recording which is truer to the band's live sound.

The Bad Plus tackle four covers: Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" and Burt Bacharach's "This Guy's In Love With You" plus massively deconstructed versions of Rush's "Tom Sawyer" and David Bowie's "Life On Mars." As is now a Bad Plus tradition, the covers frame the band's original compositions, including the stunning new ballad, "Giant," the intricately angular "Mint," and the final installment in their tribute to athleticism, "1980 World Champion."

Favoring group improvisation over individual solos, eschewing all jazz cliches, The Bad Plus rip into each set with a combination of Swiss-watch precision, the spectrum of dynamics and reckless abandon.

Visit http://www.headsup.com/ecards/3125

Original Story: http://www.getshowtix.com/regattabar/moreinfo.cgi?id=1226

Backup your Outlook with Ease...

2007-05-30T15:53:00.002-05:00

Nice tool to backup your Outlook .pst files... find it here...

Good article on erasing you hard drive...

2007-05-09T10:30:00.001-05:00

How to REALLY erase a hard drive by ZDNet's Robin Harris -- You may already know that “deleting” a file does nothing of the sort. But did you know that your disk drive has a built-in system for the secure erasure of data? No? Then read on. What do you mean “delete” doesn’t delete? File information is maintained in a directory so your operating system can find it. All that [...]

A lot of you keep asking us...

2007-04-20T14:28:00.002-05:00

What can we do for you...

Please refer to our website for more information...

Since 2004, FreeSource Technology has been helping small and medium businesses manage their computer resources. With partners across the globe, we're your source for Managed Services, Remote Assistance, IT Consulting, Asset Tracking, Network Management and Security, and Backup and Disaster Recovery Planning.

We now offer Remote Assistance

2007-04-17T08:53:00.002-05:00

We have offered this service for a while, but most did not realize it. Within a few minutes, we can easily connect to your system securely from our office and repair most issues you may be having, even if it's to just speed things up. Just go to our website and contact us for more details and a free evaluation.

Windows XP Wireless update

2007-04-08T08:13:00.001-05:00

This update is not available through Windows automatic updates, it needs to be done manually to be installed. This patch fixes many things, but mostly the broadcast feature of the default wireless version you already have running. If you have a laptop for example, that you use to connect to wireless networks, your current version will initially "broadcast" information about your wireless network settings to the world. Obviously, not a great security feature. Just follow the link below to get this patch installed. As Microsoft describes the patch :

Brief Description

Install this update to enhance the Windows XP support for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) options in Wireless Group Policy (WGP), and to help prevent the Windows wireless client from advertising the wireless networks in its preferred networks list.

Check back often for more patches like this.

Take care...

Click here to get the patch (Must be run from Windows Explorer browser)

Dell takes baby steps toward Linux

2007-03-19T13:25:00.001-05:00

Link...

Another reason to protect your private information....

2007-03-19T12:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/03/19/idtheft/index.php

USB Programs

2007-03-14T11:27:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to some cool small programs that will run from a USB flash drive.

http://www.snapfiles.com/features/ed_usb_software.html

Beware of Microsoft's anti virus software

2007-03-13T20:48:00.001-05:00

This is an article pointing out that Microsoft's anti virus software has been accidentally deleting users emails from Outlook and Outlook Express...

http://bink.nu/Article9698.bink

Free Windows 2000 DST Patch

2007-03-13T09:34:00.001-05:00

As some may already know, Microsoft once again has left us all hanging. They did NOT provide support for DST changes on Windows 2000 this time around, and also in the future. This is done mainly as a panic routine to get us to all buy the new version of Windoze. I am providing a workaround below. Please read it carefully, I do not provide any warranty for this fix, so please use at your own discretion. This should also work for XP. Some companies are changing $400+ for this by the way, sad.

http://www.intelliadmin.com/DaylightSavingNotice.asp?File=DaylightSavingFix.exe

Quickly resize multiple images

2007-03-11T16:19:00.001-05:00

Great tool for resizing multiple images...
http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/

Having trouble keeping track of logins and passwords?

2007-03-11T15:27:00.001-05:00

Check out this site. It keeps track of all your internet logins and can also store software keys you may not want to lose. It stores everything in one file, which you can back up easily. It also lets you copy and paste the logins and passwords to the clipboard for convenience. There are others out there, but for the money (free), it does a great job.
http://keepass.info/

Daylight Savings Time Changes

2007-03-09T17:32:00.001-05:00

Many of you may want to update your systems by this weekend...Windoze may need updates to ensure no issues before March 11th... Generally, it is a good idea to run these anyway. I would just avoid the Internet Explorer 7 update if you can, at least until it matures a bit. I have already hosed one system myself because of compatibility conflicts, and have witnessed quite a few more.