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mrenusso

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  1. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from TheCafman98 in Define R3, modded and now watercooled! Check page 2 for the latest pictures!   
    Very nice indeed ! It kinda reminds me the late 90's / early 00's where wooden cases where kind of a thing [damn that's a while ago now, haha]
  2. Like
    mrenusso reacted to Hazy125 in Looking For an Alternative to Hamachi   
    Just do some port forwarding...
  3. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from mikeyyve in Need advise on home network setup   
    You say you have a slow internet connection, yet you didn't tell us what your broadband speed is. It may simply be slow because you have too many devices connected to the internet at the same time and your internet speed is just used at its maximum. You would have to upgrade your LAN equipment only if you were experiencing slow speeds on your LAN. Might just be time for a plan upgrade, not a modem/router/access point upgrade.
     
    EDIT : grammar
  4. Like
    mrenusso reacted to rustikles in How I set up a home web proxy server?   
    Lifehacker FTW 
     
    http://lifehacker.com/5469038/bypass-heavy+handed-web-filters-with-your-own-proxy-server
  5. Like
    mrenusso reacted to neon in Youtube throttle my broadband speed when playing a video.   
    yep it is very likely your ISP, http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/07/why-youtube-buffers-the-secret-deals-that-make-and-break-online-video/
  6. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from Ssoele in Best cat6 cable for server and/or network (internet) use   
    Not so true actually. Even though all cables are certified by their categories, there are difference between getting cheap cables and more expensive ones. Namely, the longevity of the connectors, the better tip protection etc.
  7. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from LAwLz in Need help choosing enterprise equipment for LAN Party   
    Yeah, don't bother with enterprise grade switching equipment. I work with Junipers and Ciscos all day long and I can assure you, you won't even use 10% of their capabilities.
    Just get one of these; they're inexpensive, unmanaged, have a lifetime warranty and have high throughput (meaning you won't be able to saturate it, unless all 24 ports are sending over 1Gb in full duplex).
     
    [On a side note : A Cisco or a Juniper switch [or any managed switch afaik] will be fully functional out of the box. It will provide basic switching at full speed and high throughput. The "managed" only comes in play when setting up VLANs, enabling protection and so forth]
  8. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from Vitalius in building router   
    You could probably do that for free using Proxmox + pfsense + Nas4Free/FreeNas.
     
    It's probably going to be a major pain in the butt to setup though but I'm pretty confident this should work as I've seen pfsense working on a Proxmox machine.
  9. Like
    mrenusso reacted to Broseephus in how to master networking   
    Jeremy Cioara is one of the best teachers of the subject. Explains all concepts in very easy to understand terms. I would shy away from the official Cisco course work. It is boring to read and not easily understood. Check out the books by Wendell Odom. Much better imo.
  10. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from omaroma11 in how to master networking   
    I'll be honest with you, it'll take years (probably dozens of years actually) to properly understand all facets of networking.
    BUT I can assure you that the more you'll get to know, the more you'll want to know. 
     
    First off, start with the basics [this course is so awesome, I wonder why no one ever talks about it!].
    Always learn the basic stuff and know it like you know your credit card PIN : by heart. This should become natural because it's going to be the foundations on which everything will be built on. It will be mainly theoretical [even borderline boring at times] but this is fundamental and will make a difference once you reach more advanced networking shenanigans. And don't bi*** about the OSI Model, it's really great !
     
    Then, prepare to spend a few dollars and get this book. This is my bible of all things networking [it's a tad light on telecommunications but the computer networking part is AWESOME]. I have a 4th Edition copy and it's still relevant. You're probably going to keep it your entire life and you'll always end up going back to it. Take your time to read it, and don't bother reading it in order
     
    At the same time, I suggest you study for [and get !] a basic certification like Cisco's CCENT [i believe it is to be replaced though and merged into CCNA], CompTIA Network+ or Juniper JNCIA-JunOS. This will give you a more hands-on approach and you will get into the nitty-gritty which is different from the theoretical stuff. You'll have to get your hands on books and/or videos for this and probably spend a few bucks on equipment. Speaking of which, I've heard great things about CBT Nuggets' videos. Keep practicing, and keep playing around with your equipment, you'll probably discover cool things you didn't even know exist.
     
    Finally, when you get a better idea of all things networking, try to focus on the part that interests you the most. For example, I'm a switching and routing guy, but I have a lot of friends into Broadband and WAN and a few friends into signal treatment and degradation. Just do what you like and you'll enjoy doing it.
     
    The key thing is, do it because you like it or you'll fail. I have former classmates which went into networking because they didn't know what to do and they properly hated it.
     
    Keep your hands dirty and have fun !
     
    If you need anything like resources and stuff, PM me, I'll see what I can do.
     
    TL;DR : Learn the basics, get a cert, but most of all enjoy !
  11. Like
    mrenusso reacted to LAwLz in how to master networking   
    Depends on how much you want to learn.
     
    Here are some of the things I have read, and I highly recommend them:
    The first 4 Cisco Exploration courses. Network Fundamentals, Routing Protocols and Concepts, LAN Switching and Wireless and Accessing the WAN. Please note that the ones I have linked to are just demos. The real courses are about 10 chapters each.
    Network Fundamentals explains the basics. What a router is. What a switch is. How is the OSI model built and what each layer is responsible for. What does an Ethernet frame contain. How subnetting works and so on.
    Routing Protocols and Concepts is about the different routing protocols and how they work. It talks about RIP, RIPv2, OSPF as well as EIGRP. I don't think it talks about IS-IS that much but it's mentioned and the same goes for BGP. This book also explains the routing table and how it works. It also explains VLSM and CIDR which are very important things to fully understand and use if you want to design a network.
    LAN switching and wireless is mostly about switching. It explains VLANs, VTP, STP and a tiny bit about wireless (it's just one chapter and it is very, very basic).
    Accessing the WAN is about the different technologies that exist for connecting to a WAN. It talks about the God awful Frame Relay and things like PPP. It also talks about some basic security such as how to write ACLs, VPN and cryptography is also written about. Oh and it also brings up DHCP as well as NAT in some chapters.
     
    That's for basic networking. If you want to learn about wireless networks then I recommend the CWNA book from David Coleman and David Westcott. It explains pretty much everything you need to know about wireless networks (at least everything you need to know as an admin).
     
    For security I recommend CCNA Security course. It explains different threats to a network as well as how to prevent them. Also brings up more about ACL, how an ASA works, AAA and a few other things.
     
     
    Saying that you want to learn about networking is like saying you want to learn about biology, or physics, or maths. It's too broad to just say "well go read this". If you read the things I have mentioned above then you should have learned most of the basic things about how a network works, how to design one, troubleshoot it and so on. Reading the Wikipedia articles I have linked is a very good start as well. Cisco Packet Tracer is fantastic if you want to mess around and explore the possibilities and the settings in routers and switches. It's a simulation so it doesn't matter if the router in the program stops working. The courses I have linked above also contains practical tests you can do in Packet Tracer.
     
     
    I don't agree at all with what rustikles said. There are a ton of information you can read about on the Internet. If there is some specific option in your router settings that you don't know what it does, just Google it.
  12. Like
    mrenusso reacted to rufee in How to know if your part of someone elses botnet?   
    There is a program called Wireshark, it lets you see what packets are being sent and received by your NIC (ports, ip's, content of the packet), not sure if it shows what application uses the network.
  13. Like
    mrenusso reacted to Blade of Grass in Steam and Games Network Protocol   
    ah no, most games use UDP. It's faster since it doesn't send confirmation packets, and the servers just want the latest info from the clients.
  14. Like
    mrenusso reacted to Blade of Grass in Wireless N router picking help   
    Currently, the best wireless N router is the ASUS N66u. Amazing router with great range and speed (I get 100% throughput of my internet connection, through 5 walls (one is a solid brick) and a floor.
  15. Like
    mrenusso reacted to naca1227 in Want to make a rack, need a bit of help   
    hmm, I would say Triple D's, probably enough cushion for a mini ITX
  16. Like
    mrenusso reacted to PCBudgetSolutions in Speaking of whistleblowers   
    The Insider is a GREAT movie about this.
  17. Like
    mrenusso reacted to floris003 in Need suggestion on setting up an WLAN.   
    I would go with a wrt-54gl from linksys. Load ddwrt and set up one as accespoint and the other one as a client Set to use only one antenna for tx/rx. Buy 2 beam (yagi) antennas and two 1 watt wifi amplifiers from ebay. Dont forget 2 tnc to sma converters.
    A wrt-54gl can be found for nothing second hand.
    Once done beam the two antennas to each other and add a accespoint at the other end for wifi locally.
  18. Like
    mrenusso reacted to 911^NEmeSis in How to make a Quick and easy snack whilst In Queue   
    Wait I've gotta walk into my kitchen? And I have to have bought chips! Oh my god! I don't want to go outside :(
     
    I will report back however with my results soon.
  19. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from guyfromnebraska in Where do people get this stupid fast internet speed?   
    the problem is not in the gbps or gb/s which are the same. The difference is in the capital B which stands for bytes, and b which stands for bit. ;)
  20. Like
    mrenusso reacted to LAwLz in Where do people get this stupid fast internet speed?   
    I am studying networking and I have never, ever heard anyone refer to bps for bits and b/s for bytes. Sorry, but you're simply wrong. Use a capital B when talking about bytes, and a lower case b when talking about bits. That's the correct way of doing it.
     
     
    100% correct.
     
     
    Yes being understood is the most important thing. However, there is quite a bit of confusion in this thread, and people are making up their own rules of how to denote measurements so I thought I should clean it up a bit. My post seem to have gone unnoticed by the people who would benefit from reading it though (like ProGearUk).
    There is already quite a bit of confusion regarding bits vs bytes so I think we should be careful how we type the suffixes so that confusion can be avoided.
  21. Like
    mrenusso reacted to mr moose in Are higher speeds really a good thing?   
    The thing that annoys me most about this is that we have a tool with massive potential for everyone.  Then we get the spammers and greedy organisations that want exclusive rights to use it anyway they see fit and if they can't have it their way then they will attack it and destroy it so nobody can use it.
  22. Like
    mrenusso reacted to tom564 in Is internet techsupport just bullshit   
    It is easier on the ISP to only support a small range of routers as it simplify s troubleshooting steps as most of the time the call center staff use scripted procedures to diagnose problems. 
  23. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from 3DDude in [In Progress] Quick guide to troubleshoot your network problems   
    Networking problems can be a big pain to resolve. I've been doing it for quite a while and I'm usually the guy my friends call when they're in trouble. So I figured, might as well help all of you guys out there !
    If you have any questions or remarks, do not hesitate to comment below. l will try to keep it pretty simple for everybody but hit the Networking section if you have tried everything and still can't figure out what's wrong; I'll be glad to help.
    So here's my quick little guide to help you troubleshoot your network problems by yourself, like a boss.



    0. The OSI Model

    Before we dive into troubleshooting, there's a few little theoretical things you need to understand.
    When developing network technologies, engineers needed to create a theoretical frame structure for all things networking.
    They divided the network structure into 7 layers creating The OSI Model.


    Source : about.com

    As the above picture shows, this is pretty theoretical but it has its perks for troubleshooting. Layers are numbered 1 to 7 starting at the bottom (Layer 1 : Physical) to the top (Layer 7 : Application). You'll also notice in blue the devices in each layer, that'll help you in the future.
    Climbing up the layers is the "proper" way of troubleshooting network problems and will save you a lot of time if done properly.
    Also, and before anything else, RESTART ALL DEVICES ONCE BEFORE CHANGING ANYTHING, it solves an enormous amount of problems.
    So let's jump in and start with the physical layer.

    Quick tip : To remember the Layers, this sentence helps by containing words starting with the first letter of each layer.
    "All People Seem To Need Data Processing"


    1. The Physical Layer

    As its name stands, the physical layer contains all things physical. I'll try to keep it as simple as possible because this is my nitty-gritty, haha.

    It ranges from the copper pair of wires for your xDSL connection, the ethernet cable between your switch and your PC, the air (and all the electromagnetic waves it contains) in which your WiFi connection go through or the fiber optic cable running from the Telephone Exchange to your house.



    So before you try anything on the configuration of your PC, your router or your switch, make sure the cables are working properly (I use a tool similar to this). In the case of WiFi, testing is more difficult since testing equipment is über-expensive. But a quick way to try is to test with another WiFi device and see if it works.

    Once you made sure your cables are working properly, we can go up one layer and begin Data Link Layer testing.

    Most layer 1 problems are easy to troubleshoot in a LAN environment. It gets really tricky in WANs with xDSL or cable because the amount of factors to take into consideration is much higher. So don't yell at your ISP if they can't figure out what's wrong with your Internet, it can take months to figure out what is causing random disconnections.
    I remember a few years ago, I was auditing a client for random disconnections. We searched for weeks until we found out that his neighbor TV decoder adapter was leaking current all over the place and was perturbating the ADSL connection. Pretty hard to find, eh?!


    2. The Data Link Layer

    The data link layer is the first level of electronics. Its role is - but not limited - to convert the electrical signal received on the wire (or the electromagnetic waves for WiFi) into bits (0s and 1s) and vice versa. Problems at the 2nd layer are rare but can happen.
     

    A Cisco Network Interface Card.
     
    Most common point of failure is the Network Interface Card. Try using a different NIC and see if it works.
    On your switch (or All-In-One modem for most people), try using a different port. A quick way to determine if a NIC is working is by looking at the LED on the port. If your device stays dark, then it's probably failing.

    For WiFi, make sur your Access Point is turned on (sounds stupid but happen more often than you think). Also, try to see if other devices can connect to your Access Point (or your All-In-One Modem again). If other devices can connect successfully, try connecting your device to another Access Point. In case of failure, your NIC might the problem. Change it and see if the problems still occurs.

    Now that you have eliminated all suspicions at the Data Link Layer, let's climp up another layer !

    Another problem which could be occuring at layer 2 is incorrect VLAN setups. Usually reserved for Enterprise grade equipment, VLAN problems are easy to troubleshoot. Just log in your managed switch, run a "show interfaces" and make sure your VLANs are setup correctly.
    Finally, MAC specific problems can also happen such as incorrect MTU on one or both side, incorrect duplex configuration, etc.But let's keep it simple, shall we?


    3. The Network Layer

    This is where most of the problems happen. And this is where it's the most complicated to isolate.
    The Network Layer is where the IP addressing takes place. And by IP addressing, I mean all things IP, from IP addresses of devices to gateway configuration, etc.
    So in order to keep things as simple as possible, please follow the list below, it's how I troubleshoot IP problems on a daily basis.


    1. Check your network configuration by running the following command in a terminal or command prompt
     

    For Windows users : ipconfig
    For Linux (and OSX I believe) users : ifconfig

    This will show your current network configuration on all your network cards. If the NIC you're trying to connect with has a 169.254.x.x address (fe80::/10 for IPv6) then it means your card didn't receive its IP configuration from your router.
    In that case, run the following commands :

    For Windows users : ipconfig /release
    ipconfig /renew
    For Linux users : sudo dhclient -r
    sudo dhclient
    For OSX users, it's more complicated so just logoff and log back in.

    Otherwise, most routers have something called DHCP enabled (Log to your router Web Interface to make sure it's activated). Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a really useful protocol where the DHCP server (your router most of the time) sends all the network configuration to the devices connected to its network.


    Credit : http://www.tafenetworking.net/

    In 90% of cases for consumer LANs, your IP address should look like 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x and your network mask should be 255.255.255.0
    If your address looks like above, you can try pinging (network terminology for talking) your router by running the following command in a terminal or command prompt :

    For all OS : ping [your router address]
    where [your router address] is typically your address with .1 or .254 in the last byte. For example, my IP address is 192.168.1.27, my router is 192.168.1.1

    Once you can ping your router successfully, you may try pinging other devices on your network to be sure.

    Now, we know that you can communicate inside your LAN since you're pinging your router and other devices inside the same LAN. Great first step !


    2. Make sure you can communicate outside your network


    So we know we can communicate inside our local network, but what about the rest of the world ?
    You see, when you are trying to communicate outside your LAN, it gets a tad more complicated. We'll just scratch the surface, don't worry ;)
    First thing you'll need is a default gateway.
     

    Credit : http://howtoforge.com
     
    A gateway is responsible for forwarding data that comes from internet to your PC and vice versa. Normally, if DHCP is working (and it should, as you verified above) you should be provided with a gateway address which is your router address. To check, simply run the following commands :

    For Windows users : ipconfig
    For Linux (and OSX I believe) users : ifconfig

    You should see your router address next to Default Gateway.
    If you don't see anything next to the Default Gateway field, then post in the Networking section, it'll take forever to cover all the cases here.
    Now to test that your gateway is working properly, try pinging Google's DNS servers by running the following command :


    For all OS : ping 8.8.8.8

    If the ping succeed, then your gateway is working properly, nice !
    You can talk with the rest of the world, but there's one little thing we need to verify if you still can't connect to your favorite website.
     
    3. Domain Name Resolution : How to change http://linustechtips.com into an IP Address ?


    As you may have already understood, interconnected devices communicate with each other using addresses. The problem is to remember all those addresses. For example, it's way easier for a human being to remember http://google.com than 173.194.112.95, right ? As such, DNS was invented. Its role is to change an intelligible address such as http://linustechtips.com into a network address like 123.134.56.21.
    The principle behind it is very simple : Servers across the globe store in enormous databases intelligible addresses and link them with IP addresses. So everytime you try to connect to your computer sends a request to a DNS server asking for the corresponding IP address.


    Credit : http://www.howstuffworks.com
  24. Like
    mrenusso got a reaction from omaroma11 in need new router   
    After further reading, it seems hard to recommend it. Pëople are experiencing bad throughput and unreliable connection... But it may all works out fine for you, it's hard to say.
    I honestly think you should always put some money into your wireless router, because there's nothing more frustrating than a crappy router.
  25. Like
    mrenusso reacted to 3DDude in [In Progress] Quick guide to troubleshoot your network problems   
    By the way, you did seem to forget layer 8 of the OSI model..
    (enduser.. ) :P :D :rolleyes:
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