An Alien Life of Starboykb

Based on my finding, yes it is. I already started noticing this issue starting last year December when my users starting to complain about their email messages not reaching several existing contacts. Slowly things get even uglier between February and March, the messages would deliver into junk in Outlook automatically. The 3^rd party email like Gmail services follow, sending them into SPAM folder. Even the Barracuda Spam Firewall sees as threat and start rejecting.

As far I know, my company experiences the worst when the email messages almost completely go AWOL in 3^rd week last month. The 4^th week, the messages all stuck in the queue for unknown reason and getting relay messages. We found out the local domain name suddenly no longer working and tried using smtp.brunet.bn as temporary solution. It didn’t work either. In the end, we had to convince the management to purchase 3^rd party SMTP service to get the whole thing running.

It’s not like we did not investigate the physical server, Microsoft Exchange and check for possible domain name being blacklisted. But if our local domain names are found healthy in numbers known global blacklisted database and the spam firewall had no technical issue. So what did we miss here then? I thought could be one of the users infected by virus. Still didn’t find any infected PC in the office and high rate spam activities report by Barracuda. I decided to turn to MX Toolbox to find out.

MX Toolbox has numbers good range of useful tools to test your exchange for any issue in the configurations especially newly deployed server. Their new Email Deliverability tool is one of them. It basically allows you to send a test message into their systems to analyze the blacklist reputation of your outbound IP address. This way, I am able to know whether the domain name has problem after the messages goes out from the SPAM firewall. The results return and reveal the truth. The outbound address actually is non-other manage by one of the Brunet SMTP server. Ta-da!

That’s not all, the current outbound IP address was reported blacklisted. I verify the Brunet SMTP IP address I know of through different known blacklist check website were indeed listed. This clearly explains a lot why the email messages would flag as SPAM and never reached to the clients. The question is, do the Brunet teams know about this? I don’t know. One of them doesn’t seem to interest listened when I made a phone call yesterday report what I find. Politely sound denial there are any issue with Brunet SMTP and keep insisting that our domain is blacklisted (which is not). In the end I was told to send the report with test screenshots by email messages so they will look into it. I did and hope they will investigate.

The facts here are the problem above is not new. I can say this time we faced are quite serious. I still remember someone who worked in Brunet support predicted this few years ago and warned us not to used either own domain name or smtp.brunet.bn as outbound in the exchange. He is right on this. My boss also never listen to the advice and ours to stop hosting new clients email at Brunet server grain of salt for so many years. Hopefully this time a good wake up call.

The unfinished ‘Introduction to Linux’ course at edX that I didn’t complete last year left hanging. Since I am starting to find Linux more interesting than ever and decided to give myself a chance to study again on IT fields area. The course however requires understanding all three popular Debian, SUSE and Fedora which is quite challenging and time keeping up.

The direction is uncertain if I should move on to the self-paced Essentials of System Administration training course after completing edX. At this unemployment time and struggle year, I have to be extra careful what to spend wisely on because unexpected things do happen. Like my car broke down again and luckily so far not that serious.

Well, I will see how it goes when reaching the exam section until satisfactory result of my leaning to decide again.

Never imagine one of my clients Exchange server would be busted before Chinese New Year. Well, this is a sign to work during holiday. There is no way to escape and the reason is simple. They only have one server and manage everything. This is what I fear the most working with people leading the department who have stingy mindset and not bother to foreseen such situation. There is no excuse on myself too not spending time monitoring the server health using some free tools such as Spiceworks. It just simply too hard to be working a bit server administrator, then IT Technician and then admin job nowadays. When you are exhausted, you going to forget your next pending job sooner or later if you don't focus on one thing properly.

Despite being good at maintaining Windows Server 2012, but when it comes with Microsoft Exchange. I am nothing with no single knowledge managing and understand how Exchange really works. Using search engine looking for troubleshooting and solutions from time to time does help. Not much helpful when it comes to serious problem. I tried to study Exchange, so far not much progress except learning how to set up does give me some experience.

Looking at the problem my client server is facing, for one, the Exchange storage hit with low disk space. Secondly, the external mail entirely stop coming due to its high pressure suffering low disk space. Lastly, I found Outlook 2007-2013 no longer able to connect to Exchange and kept getting errors. I do not know if Exchange shutdown all its running services causing such errors. My mind is telling me this is not good.

I don't denied my part miscalculate the partition size back in 2013 I personally first setup the server. Back then, I am confidence the mail database won't expand when the Outlook would download everything into the user computers. However, later I found out the fucking new Microsoft Outlook 2013 option to deliver Exchange emails to a pst-file has been officially removed. This backlash is the result of fast growing mail database size in one year. The solution to such problem either can either create POP3 account or add rules to do the job. To me, this is just unnecessary extra works.

Another way, is run Exchange maintenance mode and perform compacting mail database to squeeze the size maybe once or every few months. Honestly, this is something I trying avoid and even well suggested by many Exchange expert because it's very dangerous task that can corrupt the mail database. Again, I have no good knowledge and best not to touch such maintenance duty when never once done any recovery mail database experience before. Why take that risk?

My friend told we can take it slowly to find solutions to fix this problem instead jumping straight suggesting reformat the server. The problem here is our clients have no patience playing waiting games during their crucial time working with upcoming new tenders and projects. So it's not good idea to drag any longer before they start working on Tuesday (after Brunei National day). Moreover, there's no guarantee we can solve the problem because none of us are even trained Exchange admin in the first place. The only thing already perform are the necessary solutions to get the Exchange working again for two days straight and seeing so many weird errors showing up in the events log drive me crazier before the CNY holiday starts. Reformatting and rework the server is the best option during the holiday time.

I bring it back to the office on CNY eve and starts working on the Friday and Saturday. On Monday afternoon, I send back and starts rejoin all domains and slowly warp up the remaining pending setting until Thursday this week. It was tiring and stressful reworking from scratch. I revised the Exchange storage size from 200GB to 700GB by sacrificing 80% data size. I also upgrade to Service Pack 1 and Cumulative Update 7 for Exchange Server 2013. There are no second thought or regrets doing so since everything now fresh installed. Why not just throws in everything? I did somehow notice Microsoft puts out quite a few new options or features in the Exchange console. Nonetheless, my priority are as long the emails start coming in and out. Those shitty new features or not are not my concerns.

By laws, Exchange must need to have its own powerful server to run and separate from the main server. It was not supposed to run with single server in the first place. Like I said earlier, stingy mindset brought the problem. If I in charge on the sales, there definitely going have two servers rather one. In case my client can only afford one server, I would convince them have their Emails hosted on Cloud. Even though we have crappy ISP in Brunei, why bother with so much worrying when you get 100% up time, 24hrs support and can use anywhere anytime?

What do I learned from this? I lost my holiday mood and unnecessary stress. That's it. It was supposed my resting month. Things just doesn't turn out to be after this incident. Hard to say how many times had repeated itself. I seriously really need to rethink my role if its wise to continue working as multitasking job this year with the company.

Just when you thought Microsoft Brunei encourage its customers to get the genuine products to prevent Malware attack or whatsoever you might encounter on the internet these past few days. Today they made a new headline warning the local retailers to cease continuing selling pirated copies of their products. Otherwise, they may (will) face legal action.

Its been quite long after they took one of the company to court few years ago. But that stunt didn't even budge the local computer shops or companies ever since. Well, all you cunts starting from now need to pay more attention because Microsoft Brunei will start monitor and lookout for those ignore their warning.

To be honest, I do support their move. Even its very late decision at this stage. Still, I am fucking happy this is happening because it going keep my current job more control and preventing users over abuse the pirating software especially Microsoft Office, Projects and Visio. I am so tired dealing ignorance bunch of cunts not understanding the problem using pirating software that can't be update to fix bugs. Next year is going to be interesting and I want to see how my boss going to deal with these.

This is the second Linux OS 32bit test on the old custom PC I assemble. Peppermint Five was released last month built on a Long Term Support (LTS) code base, Ubuntu 14.04. It was a right timing to find out the lightweight distro that aim design for speed. So the question is, how well does it really perform? I got to admit, it’s good.

After success assemble an old PC from working hardware parts previously. I finally run a couple hour of test on the Lubuntu to see how well it going to perform and stability last Friday. Before that, here are the hardware specs information builds for the test are Pentium 4 2.4Ghz (Socket 478), EPOX EP-P4MKI mATX, 1GB Kit DDR RAM, 80GB IDE HDD and Geforce 2 MX 64MB Geforce 5500MX 256MB.

How good is Lubuntu in my opinion? Not entirely satisfactory. Despite many good reviews on the distribution by the Linux community, it is not entirely the true lightweight version as describe. Of course, I ran a full update before testing and moreover, my setup exceeds the system minimum requirement too. Still, it performance are very slow in many scenario for normal tasking and also discover the Python process somehow using high CPU load for no reason. I am no Linux expert, so I have to check on the web for answer.

It appears some program is causing the Python using high load CPU. I do not know as you need to run the terminal and do some command typing to trace the culprit. To be honest, the solution weren’t really helpful because you have to either kill it manually to resolve the issue or install program to reduce the CPU load. The problem will continue to come back once you open another programs so this is too troublesome for normal user.

I will continue seek out others and read more user comments on various Linux news sites for better suggestion on the lightweight Linux rather entirely reading the reviewer only. My next test will be Peppermint, Majaro and again, Linux Mint Debian version.

Just when I was planning my new direction by abandoning remaining both Administering and Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services training courses last year. My decision change after discover much more affordable training price from Techno Rada.

Each of them cost BND$700.00 which it is basically around 60% cheaper compared to TechOne Global price for BND$1950.00 each. But you guys need to take note that it only cover training classes and food accommodation without exam voucher. From my inquires with the sales executive, you can also optionally choose to include by buying the exam voucher from them. Even so, the total amount still 40% cheaper.

I personally think this is great for those of us wanted to ease our financial planning especially without company sponsor and time focusing to the next courses or levels. It is discouraging idea not taking the exam after training. But in Brunei, not many IT employees really get pay with high salary scale. Not to mention earning MCSA: Windows Server 2012 title requires you to complete all three examinations, not just one. So there are majority of us couldn’t afford to pay such fees and needed longer time to invest instead.

Nonetheless, price are one thing. In the end goes down to how good the trainers teaches in the class. I am happy with the TechOne Global trainer because that instructor has great background teaching Window Server 2012 course and provide me very good resources on the learning. It just that I didn't pass so kinda sad.

When our company score to be part of Acer dealers, I was rather having mixed reaction based from my experience supporting these products especially their laptop lines have a lot of hardware issues including long warranty time frames. After a year run, it was freaking headache and create more unnecessary extra work.

It's true that Acer products are affordable to buy that packs with good stuffs and some newer technology compared to other products. I actually own one of the laptop from a great deal that comes with fast performance with less than $1K even slap with three years warranty. During those years of warranty cover, only one time mine were sent for warranty. The rest of the record so far are minor issues sold in year 2011 that our customers experiencing. This actually shows how much the products has improved compared to past. But that did not really last long.

Bashing my own country domain name isn’t something I really like to blog about. But after the problem started two or three years ago facing undeliverable and experiencing lost mails to our clients. I would encourage not to register dot COM dot BN domain as your primary email for business communication even they are considering the cheapest hosting in Brunei.

I myself really had enough hard time dealing with my own company users having issue with the email from time to time. It's so frustrating seeing these complain happening every month. Calling for Telbru to report the problem doesn't solve much and the worst solution I received was asking to applied for 3^rd party SMTP service rather using their existing smtp.brunet.bn. I'm sorry but why bother to do email hosting in the first place? Most importantly, they can't accuse me telling lie because I still kept the past conversation between the technical guys today for safety evidence.

Of course, there are responsibilities on our side to make sure we didn't block our clients using spam & virus firewall. That was hardly happened because I was assigned to setting up a new company with only a small number users who also experience exact email issue without using any spam and virus firewall. Not to mention we tested with different espeed IP and domain names in different site office location also having the same problem. So what exactly went wrong?

I asked a few network experts on this issue and got the same answer. We have to look back at our ISP hosting setup. While I am no way claim to be expert on understanding everything. According to them, either they configure wrongly with the firewall setting filtering sensitive words (security reason) or randomly went into their junk mails or the routing locations may have cause disappearing for both incoming and outgoing messages no matter the company domain name is clean while using smtp.brunet.bn.

This explain a lot and I do have to agree on that. If such cases happen quite a lot every month. The final recommendation is switch entirely to other hosting services. I know a few local company do indeed already head for global dot com. I know people do feel the local companies don't support Brunei domain. You got to think, email communications not reaching both side effect business. Who wants that? And eSpeed are still crappy in industrial area that never solve today! What makes you think they should continue to trust the local ISP?

I really sacrifice a lot of saving (Yes, self sponsor!) on this Windows Server 2012: 20410 training course at TechOne. While I do process self experience deploying servers in real life. However depending on the DIY concepts sometimes does put you in wrong directions and even without understanding how to properly configures the servers. It will definitely put both your career and job at huge risk working in large organizations.

Many of my colleagues are self learned from experience from old days, Google search and not even 100% certified nowadays. They may even dump aside the problems without troubleshooting or forget what they may have ever done. So I really feel insecure working in such environments. I already encounter such scenario incidents so many times and it's really unhappy situations for everyone.

Things really change a lot after attending this training class. I won't say I have more confidence than ever before. But it is best to know the correct ways working with Window servers and take advantage on its (existing) features at least giving me more ideas and security. I do find some of the topics quite hard and man, study suck! Luckily, the instructor are really friendly and I was able to abuse more help from him solving my many mysteries problems that hunted me for so many years until now actually left unsolved.

The only thing that tired me was driving up and down from BSB. More than one hours drive is no joke when there are rains and sudden traffics (now in KB-Seria and Seria-Lumut) create so much frustration. Not to mention no longer allow speeding and again, encountering crazy reckless drivers. Anyway, reaching there safe and sound is what everyone wants. Two more days to go until training class finished.