IT Team gets together and creates the hold from hell.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/29/it_helpdesk_creates_oh_hold_hell/

https://www.reddit.com/r/VOIP/comments/dypp36/20191119_critical_freepbx_security_vulnerability/

"There has been a criticial security vulnerability discovered in FreePBX which allows remote code execution without authentication."

v14/v15 should automatically update themselves. Earlier versions will not.

@wirestyle22 said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:

thanks

This is what's keeping me busy lately. Building a Chicken Coop, though we're calling it the Palace, for our girls.



We have Leghorns (apparently pronounced LegUrns, Rhode Island Red, and Plymouth Rock (black) to start.

Construction is 2x4 insulated 8' x 8' with the run being 20' x 8'. All those years in construction back in the day always seem to pay off in some way.

Apparently, I've been elected to be the one to get them from the coop to the table when the time comes.

@JaredBusch said in Manage domains and DNS for customers?:

@Pete-S said in Manage domains and DNS for customers?:

Is there a good way to manage domain renewals and DNS settings on behalf of a customer?

Basically handle everything and then invoice the customer. But the customer should still legally own the domain(s).

Anyone granted access to log in to the registrar can become the sole owner by transferring the registration to someplace that no one else has access to.

Without any legal contracts stating clearly how it all works, the legal owner is whoever is paying for it. That would be you, not them, in the scenario listed.

IANAL, but barring things like previously trademarked names, a company would likely not win (assuming cost of litigation is not an issue) in court if you said they did not own the right to their domain registration.

We actually put it in writing that we are managing their Internet properties and services and that ownership of said properties are theirs. If they decide to move on, it's in the contract that they would pay the fee(s) for the transfer out with the unlock codes presented once that process was initiated.

@dashrender said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:

@nadnerb said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:

So sad but true!

Why do so many companies have to hear it from an outsider before they believe it?

Prophet is never known as such in their own home land.

@scottalanmiller said in Typical services and software in SMBs?:

@pmoncho said in Typical services and software in SMBs?:

On a side note (very anecdotal), being nice has its benefits. I have seen on numerous occasions and even 3 times in the last month, an ITSP/MSP are nice till they get the account then turn into being total dicks! I don't understand it but it is so close to turning into axiom.

As an MSP, while I believe we are always nice, I can tell you that the customers practically demand this scenario. Time and time again, if you are nice to the client, they dump you for the next abuse dick that comes along, makes obviously false promises, pressures you into tripling your budget and signing long contracts with no protection for you. The average client only wants a vendor that treats them bad. I can't explain it, but the better job you do, the less likely a customer is to keep you. Obviously the great customers aren't like this, but good customers are few and far between. Most want to micromanage and IT is just scapegoat for their own mistakes.

Our longest standing client was is a company I started supporting at the end of 1998. All of our clients would sign a cheque today for anything that would be needed for the IT to function as it has been since we took it over.

We divorced our last abusive client over 10 years ago. IT was a bleed for them so we did a lot of break/fix to the tune of $xKs per month but they would take 90+ days to pay and we'd have to chase them for the cheques.

After getting fed up with them not updating/upgrading their garbage and the payment situation a simple e-mail went out with the following:

• As of January 1, 2012 our rates and expectations will be:
  ** 24 Hour Response Time (Defined as our reaching back out to you)
  ** 24 Hour Response Time Rate: $225/Hour
  ** 8 Hour Response Time Rate: $275/Hour
  ** 4 Hour Response Time Rate: $295/Hour
  ** Immediate Response Time Rate: $350/Hour

Heh, within seconds of hitting SEND they called back. :0)

Boundaries are boundaries. If we get an impression with red flags, my wife and business partner is really good at picking up on them versus myself, then we'll discuss whether it's advisable to pick up the business.

That being said, when we were starting out we took the business that we could and learned through the School of Hard Knocks, sometimes to the tune of substantial loss, all the while figuring out the best way to assess incoming for those flags.

@dustinb3403 It's been a while, but there's a set of files the Mac writes to all folders it touches. .DS_Store or something like that.

We've seen busy graphics houses have their file servers brought to their knees by this "feature".

These guys: https://dea.nbird.com.au/2014/11/19/windows-server-prevent-mac-files-on-shares-ds_store-_-trashes/

@Danp Whoever made the T-Shirt was probably too intimidated to mention the grammatical error or maybe let it go because the guy was a d*ck.

@WrCombs said in DHCP Question...:

This is for a friend of mine who asked me ; And Wanted to be able to send him a link to read up on DHCP Best practices and ideas on his situation.

He came to me and said "if you set up a dhcp why do you set up .2-.254 with a gate way of .1
don't you want to keep some open for Static IPs... for example: printers?"

what can I say to him other than .1 is reserved for gateway? .1 is the gateway so it can't be used in the scenario.

He is explaining to me that this company Cybera is setting up a firewall for him at his location and is curious why they would leave it that wide and open without any reserved Static IPS.

I'm sending him the link to this thread to have him read through the answers I get.

Our rule of thumb, and it's a "we've been doing it this way since ... so we keep doing it this way" situation, is to set up the full subnet in DHCP and then set exclusions for what we want to set aside for servers, printers, and the like. We generally set printers via reservation.

Here's a simple scope setup in PowerShell:

Add-DHCPServerInDC
Add-DHCPServerv4Scope -Name "OUR Local Scope" -StartRange 10.100.10.1 -EndRange 10.100.10.254 -SubnetMask 255.255.255.0
Add-DhcpServerv4ExclusionRange -ScopeID 10.100.10.0 -StartRange 10.100.10.1 -EndRange 10.100.10.49
Add-DhcpServerv4ExclusionRange -ScopeID 10.100.10.0 -StartRange 10.100.10.200 -EndRange 10.100.10.254
Set-DhcpServerv4OptionValue -ComputerName DC.Domain.com -DnsServer 10.100.10.254 -DnsDomain Domain.com -Router 10.100.10.1

The announcement page: Starwood Guest Reservation Database Security Incident Marriott International

My thoughts on the matter though rather curtailed from what I really want to say due to polite company: Some Thoughts on the Starwood/Marriott Reservations Database Breach

@nadnerB said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:

Saw on X/Twitter a Corvette race motor in pieces because of this. Gotta wonder if the owner let a "buddy" drive.

@nadnerB said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:

Robertson = Square
"Invented" in Canada.
It's the best all around head design because it allows for the torque to remain in the screw when the driver is in some way off-tilted from perpendicular.

A drywall canon and deck canon won't allow for anything less than perpendicular so Phillips wins the day there.

Qualifier: I've done lots of subcontractor work.

@nadnerB said in Random Thread - Anything Goes:

Huh?

A 1.16 MB !!! PNG for a little thumbnail example like image?

Seriously! Think of the Storages! 8*O

@scottalanmiller said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

It just boggles my mind that the plain English, or the Queen's English if you're a Canucklehead like me, is right freaking there.

Seriously.

Exactly. You just listed why in zero possible way can you be confused. It's plain as day that there is nothing that applies to Avimark.

Why are you arguing that it can be used and showing that it can't?

I'm done with this.

I've verified my interpretation as well as AVIMark's mini-setup as being valid.

Cognitive Dissonance. I suggest looking it up.

@CCWTech said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@CCWTech said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@Obsolesce said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@Obsolesce We're going to have to agree to disagree.

The peer-to-peer setup has been around since Token Ring that I can think of off the top and abides by Microsoft's licensing.

We've been through audits in peer-to-peer settings, as mentioned SMB was our bread and butter, with nary an issue with setups like the p2p mentioned in AVIMark for their tiny setup. We're usually the ones schooling the auditors anyway.

TTFN

So you're saying Microsoft licensing terms do not apply if installed on devices on peer to peer networks?

You've got a lot of theft under your belt, then. Willful ignorance of terms. MVP of SBS means shit... as does (wrongfully) convincing auditors of theft.

As mentioned, let's agree to disagree. TTFN

EDIT: If you really think you have a case then report it to the BSA.

Accusing someone of theft based on an subjective interpretation of terms and conditions is a pretty serious accusation.

Suffice it to say, put up or shut up.

It is theft. There is no other way to look at it. The fact that you have to interpret it subjectively and not objectively speaks volumes.

And it's not the BSA that investigates. Microsoft works with a different company. One of the vet clinics that I am personally aware of that believes you can do this is being audited because they got caught.

BSA is in Canada.

As I've mentioned, peer to peer has been around for a very long time.

What I'm being told here is that every peer to peer setup was illegal and thus theft. Yet, in the audits we've participated in when a peer to peer was involved none were knocked for it.

It's pretty easy to sling the mud and armchair quarterback like this.

Show me some Microsoft based resources that clearly interpret things they way that is being stated here. Since the semantics and legalese seem to be the catch let's see a clear statement from Microsoft that a peer to peer setup where folks are sharing files and a printer or two is indeed illegal and thus "theft" as it's being called here.

Show me the money.

A high school student could understand this. You can not use it to host a server with certain exceptions. Because AVImark is not using just file share services, it doesn't fit the exceptions. That's it. So easy to understand.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/UseTerms/Retail/Windows/11/UseTerms_Retail_Windows_11_English.htm

It just boggles my mind that the plain English, or the Queen's English if you're a Canucklehead like me, is right freaking there.

Seriously.

@CCWTech said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@Obsolesce said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@Obsolesce We're going to have to agree to disagree.

The peer-to-peer setup has been around since Token Ring that I can think of off the top and abides by Microsoft's licensing.

We've been through audits in peer-to-peer settings, as mentioned SMB was our bread and butter, with nary an issue with setups like the p2p mentioned in AVIMark for their tiny setup. We're usually the ones schooling the auditors anyway.

TTFN

So you're saying Microsoft licensing terms do not apply if installed on devices on peer to peer networks?

You've got a lot of theft under your belt, then. Willful ignorance of terms. MVP of SBS means shit... as does (wrongfully) convincing auditors of theft.

As mentioned, let's agree to disagree. TTFN

EDIT: If you really think you have a case then report it to the BSA.

Accusing someone of theft based on an subjective interpretation of terms and conditions is a pretty serious accusation.

Suffice it to say, put up or shut up.

It is theft. There is no other way to look at it. The fact that you have to interpret it subjectively and not objectively speaks volumes.

And it's not the BSA that investigates. Microsoft works with a different company. One of the vet clinics that I am personally aware of that believes you can do this is being audited because they got caught.

BSA is in Canada.

As I've mentioned, peer to peer has been around for a very long time.

What I'm being told here is that every peer to peer setup was illegal and thus theft. Yet, in the audits we've participated in when a peer to peer was involved none were knocked for it.

It's pretty easy to sling the mud and armchair quarterback like this.

Show me some Microsoft based resources that clearly interpret things they way that is being stated here. Since the semantics and legalese seem to be the catch let's see a clear statement from Microsoft that a peer to peer setup where folks are sharing files and a printer or two is indeed illegal and thus "theft" as it's being called here.

Show me the money.

@Obsolesce said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@Obsolesce We're going to have to agree to disagree.

The peer-to-peer setup has been around since Token Ring that I can think of off the top and abides by Microsoft's licensing.

We've been through audits in peer-to-peer settings, as mentioned SMB was our bread and butter, with nary an issue with setups like the p2p mentioned in AVIMark for their tiny setup. We're usually the ones schooling the auditors anyway.

TTFN

So you're saying Microsoft licensing terms do not apply if installed on devices on peer to peer networks?

You've got a lot of theft under your belt, then. Willful ignorance of terms. MVP of SBS means shit... as does (wrongfully) convincing auditors of theft.

As mentioned, let's agree to disagree. TTFN

EDIT: If you really think you have a case then report it to the BSA.

Accusing someone of theft based on an subjective interpretation of terms and conditions is a pretty serious accusation.

Suffice it to say, put up or shut up.

@Obsolesce We're going to have to agree to disagree.

The peer-to-peer setup has been around since Token Ring that I can think of off the top and abides by Microsoft's licensing.

We've been through audits in peer-to-peer settings, as mentioned SMB was our bread and butter, with nary an issue with setups like the p2p mentioned in AVIMark for their tiny setup. We're usually the ones schooling the auditors anyway.

TTFN

@PhlipElder said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@Obsolesce said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@JaredBusch said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

Historically, QuickBooks has only used file sharing for this. The remote users are opening the QuickBooks data file over the network. This matches the restrictions last I knew.

exactly this.

Please reread the Device Restrictions section without all of the underlines especially the part where "internal" is mentioned and "the following purposes:" after that. It's very clear that one can use a Windows Desktop OS for shared internal services. That hasn't changed at all.

By very definition: Peer-to-Peer.

I've been doing this a very long time in the SMB/SME markets. Former SBS MVP and all that.

Tell me a time when any IT tech in those markets hasn't encountered a peer-to-peer setup of desktop operating systems sharing who knows what in a rat's nest of patchwork.

If peer-to-peer wasn't a thing, or illegit as being claimed here, then why did Microsoft have the clause I pointed to included? That is by very definition peer-to-peer.

Again, definitions of words are important here. We can't apply IT Tech definitions to legal definitions. The whole 32-bit memory limitation thing is a good example of that. All y'all know that Windows 32-bit being held down to 4GB of addressable RAM was an arbitrary choice by Microsoft to force-sell their Advanced/Enterprise products that could address more RAM right?

@Obsolesce said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

@JaredBusch said in Can you run a Windows desktop OS as a server to run AVImark Veterinary Software?:

Historically, QuickBooks has only used file sharing for this. The remote users are opening the QuickBooks data file over the network. This matches the restrictions last I knew.

exactly this.

Please reread the Device Restrictions section without all of the underlines especially the part where "internal" is mentioned and "the following purposes:" after that. It's very clear that one can use a Windows Desktop OS for shared internal services. That hasn't changed at all.