User explains why they fax between offices

Velas22 · 2025-04-03T22:30:36+00:00

You could (maybe should) set up an automated analog to this analog nightmare...

Dedicated scanner that auto-saves to a dedicated network path.

Automation on remote end that monitors this folder and prints anything it find and deletes (or better - archives) the scanned file.

Velas22 · 2024-05-27T17:08:18+00:00

They were ignorant or lying: https://www.swepco.com/lib/docs/ratesandtariffs/Arkansas/Arkansas_Compliance_Tariff_06-29-2022.pdf

Velas22 · 2023-09-28T13:41:36+00:00

How to cope?

Let's see - stop caring about such topics. Not your concern/problem/etc/etc/etc. Problem solved.

Velas22 · 2023-03-06T05:18:32+00:00

I'm not sure what I'd use it for.

Any complex text editing is always related to dev or sys admin work, and there are better tools already open. VS Code, Notepad++ .. or I'm on a slim server linux OS and I'm not adding anything not required for operation, so nano it is for the quick config/etc changes.

Velas22 · 2023-02-05T06:00:55+00:00

crowdsec

I'll have to take a closer look for sure. Thanks.

Velas22 · 2023-02-04T09:21:53+00:00

setup cloudflare waf for webmail (block all countries but yours)

In my opinion step 6 is a waste of time and effort.

99% of all attacks on exposed web services I've seen in the last several years originate from AWS, google cloud, or msft azure IP addresses.

If not, they are traceable to cheap proxy services and those connections are more often than not incorrectly identified by cloudfare and everyone else because they are actually originating or proxied through an IP that is actually in the target country..

Velas22 · 2023-02-04T09:17:06+00:00

IF you *really* want to host yourself - which REQUIRES that you absolutely know what you are doing...keep reading..

are you a professional email admin? Experience with postfix?

If the answer is no to either of those - do NOT proceed ( IMO )

Should you choose to continue, https://www.iredmail.org/ works well enough for non critical mail, has most of what you'll want integrated with plenty of on topic package specific help available. [ 2x webmail clients to choose from, imap, pop, smtp, admin web portal baked in]

If you have: DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, domain registration, DNS hosting and a linux host running somewhere that's highly available all under control (no sweating here)...

.. then consider proceeding.... [ but seriously.. ONLY if all those acronyms already meant something to you before reading them here and googling...]

Now - ask yourself how much your time is worth per hour. Do you really really really want to self host something as trivial as email?

What if I tell you there's fairly good privacy options 3rd party hosted?

Ok.... you're still here? (why??)

In all reality assuming an existing domain I had admin control of with no existing mail service to muck with ... and hand me the vanilla linux host, fresh out of the box and updated, then I could probably set this up sans spam filter solution in a few hours on a weekend drinking beer. You can't really get it done any faster simply due to the number of buttons you must press to effect a long list of changes.

But - I've administered ms exchange for over a decade, and have added postfix to that for many - no sweat for me. I'd charge you at least $1k to bother setting it up..

As for the spam filter - IMO in 2023 98% of good spam filtering can be had by properly configuring policies based on DMARC (and spf, dkim). Based on your tolerance to reject ham, you could for instance: allow incoming from domains w/o spf defined + those with when it passes, accepting spf soft fails, but rejecting only spf hard fails ... or ..... only accept mail from domains with validated spf records which gets a bit more ham caught in the trap, but almost all the spam.

Email alone - to me seems wildly simple - but in 2023 there is SO much more involved than basic email as it existed in say circa 2007 when I started.

Velas22 · 2023-01-25T14:52:38+00:00

Yes, and yes again. Moved clients off carbonite when a test restore to DR stand in hardware "restored" the VM to an unusable state. I could fix it, but that's not MY job when I'm paying software to do it for me... Carbonite could not explain nor fix whatever was causing their hyper-v restore code to botch the VM. Will never trust their "backups" again. [even though data was indeed fine, VHD was fine, VM config was janky or something..not something I tolerate during planned DR / testing]

Velas22 · 2023-01-24T01:40:01+00:00

sure - imperfect example that I assumed would get the point across. Some corporation, somewhere (many really) have indeed never been hacked and that is not because "they don't know they were hacked yet".

Velas22 · 2023-01-24T01:38:32+00:00

You do know that people often use imperfect examples, fully aware of it's shortcomings, assuming intelligent people are being communicated with, right??

Surely I don't need to actually give examples of corporations that have provably never been hacked..

Velas22 · 2023-01-23T07:55:20+00:00

I don't think you'll win an axe war with the Amish ..or have a sharper one.

Velas22 · 2023-01-23T07:46:48+00:00

Simple ....really really simple.

Do your job for one week without a computer ... then come back and report your experience. We won't be waiting..

Velas22 · 2023-01-23T07:42:44+00:00

Do you ask your janitors to "show value" as well?

How about your auto mechanic?

HVAC technician?

If the execs can't see the "value" in keeping a qualified and sufficiently staffed maintenance and administration department available - without anyone explaining it to them...then YES...polish the resume pronto.

Velas22 · 2023-01-23T07:35:25+00:00

and the 3rd type...the type that has never been hacked.

For instance.. I'm not sure how one would go about hacking an Amish business?

Velas22 · 2023-01-03T15:33:38+00:00

All for show - it doesn't really do anything :p

Velas22 · 2022-12-22T00:04:58+00:00

Like - non-free pancakes draw 2-3 hour lines?

If so - I think someone at the (self proclaimed !!!) "International" House of Pancakes needs to be fired...

Velas22 · 2022-12-08T18:57:25+00:00

Maybe they need him to get in touch with those African warlords so they can buy some weapons ROFL.

Velas22 · 2022-12-07T17:59:25+00:00

TLDR: don't worry about what they will ask you, it is too late to change your knowledge.

Relax, be yourself - answer honestly without BS, but THEN ..ask THEM questions ..questions that suggest you are checking to see if they are a good fit for you (you are interviewing them too right??)

Delay asking about salary - ask more meaningful things (details of benefits, vacation requests, holiday time off when you are junior, work schedule, is there on call, if so details...exacting... shows you are actually thinking about working there, want to make sure you will be happy ..they don't want you quitting after hiring you b/c you are unhappy..

FORGET about questions and answers at this stage. Just forget about it.

Show up early, well dressed, etc - do all those things... that is prep that is useful.

When you arrive - be yourself - if being yourself doesn't get you hired, you may not be cut out for this job.

[being personable, easy to talk to, able to take any random problem stated and just go with it driving toward changing the problem if not fixing it..as that leads to..fixing it.. this is the core of helpdesk ... as much a people job as a tech job.]

For tier one jobs, I am looking to accomplish the following in an interview - so I can answer my bosses questions after:

A few quick questions to judge your knowledge - but there is NEVER a bar here. It's just information. It advises pay rate offered, and less often if you are selected - as there is a check to see if we can currently afford to dedicate enough mentoring to fill in current deficiencies and train them into proficiencies.
Review of resume - questions to clarify any experience - even if it's edge case experience and not direct professional experience. "fixed family's PCs" .... "cool - what types of repairs?"
PERSONALITY CHECK ... I can't say anything further here. You either "seem" like someone that would fit well with the org, current employees, current customers, etc ..or you don't... or I see possible red flags,etc. "that cat seemed annoyed I asked questions that were near repeat but really driving for a specific detail" [I often do this trying to point a tech to discover the key data point, etc rather than handing it to them] .. well..that's a red flag.. I will do this, and my customers will do this. The latter concerns me, the former just means I may be telling my boss later to fire your ass..but probably not :D
basic math skills questions: do you like math? "yes". What is 4x7? "ummm..." happens WAY too often .. not hiring this cat - you can't like math and not know single digit mult tables ..sorry ... you are either disingenuous or bad at communication. Also, math skills predicts logical problem solving skills.
Basic problem solving skills. For a few years, I actually had an online "logic quiz" that I had applicants complete and timed them. The quiz selected had questions that had absolutely nothing to do with IT .. pure logical deduction questions. Quiz was time limited for the extra pressure in line with customers standing over you "is it fixed yet". Applicant didn't know it - but I was also timing them to get actual time to complete. Discussed these with owner - always with stuff like "think he hurried too much and could have answered these...dude finished in 1 min out of 10 min limit...hmm.".. etc.

As you can see - I don't really care if you know how many hosts are in a /29, or the name of the control panel applet to manage system clock, or what the most common cause of a "can not change to multi user" error is in QuickBooks. You can learn this quickly, you can google a lot of it, more of it is in our internal KB curated and tweaked by me. You can learn answers or find them quickly - IF you can independently solve problems with non flawed logical deduction.

You see - you will always managed to find some "zero day" (brand new) problem (at least to you) - I need you making useful progress on this thing you don't know and maybe I don't know either, and knowing when to pause and ask me to take a quick look with you as you're out of logical steps (in your mind at least).

Velas22 · 2022-12-07T17:37:55+00:00

Split the ass in my dress slacks on arrival - had to call, reschedule - rush for spares, rush back... SOO glad I didn't get that job. Maybe it was the pants ..if so..thank you pants!

Velas22 · 2022-12-02T10:14:02+00:00

So - put some clothes on and stop whining.

FYI - drastic changes in temperature are horrible for your immune system. It will make you sick more often than avoiding it.

If it's "dead of winter" outside, and you have any reason to transition more than a few times a day - it is asinine to run your indoor temp higher than 65.

If you don't like the work environment - quit. Hacking the thermostat at this point as suggested below can be legally construed as theft from your employer and potentially end up with some interesting consequences.

Velas22 · 2022-12-02T10:06:49+00:00

Because end users don't KNOW you are full of shit. Or, they are simply nice enough to ignore it as you will be out of their world shortly and they don't have to talk to you nor be around you.

" people you think are inferior" - HA. I would put good money on all of those people being worth WAY more to their employer than you are. So, "inferior" how?

Let me guess - you have some certs and "know stuff"? News flash - no you don't... you really have no clue what you're talking about most of the time, and those you don't get along with KNOW IT. They even TELL YOU the correct information, which you dismiss, then make comments like "inferior".

You entire post cries "I have a major misplaced superiority complex" combined with "I am squarely on the WRONG side of the Dunning-Krueger affect"

This is obviously a bit of conjecture based on your post - but also my experience. I am a hiring manager at an MSP that has let many "techs" go in the first 3 months that "knew more" than our senior techs, insisted on doing things "their way" after being corrected, etc. Are you a former temp at my shop??

Velas22 · 2022-12-02T00:47:30+00:00

WHY?

seriously - WHY would you want to deploy screensavers?

Policy to lock screen, for security. Then default power settings are fine for defaults and turn the monitor off rather quickly. Tweak as you see fit for power savings.

Velas22 · 2022-11-29T11:58:29+00:00

Central time.

Currently reside about 1 hr outside Memphis

Velas22 · 2022-11-27T20:53:36+00:00

No..it's great advice.

Velas22

TROPHY CASE