Configuring AnalogX Proxy

If you need to configure a Windows system as a proxy server, you can use AnalogX Proxy, which is available for free.

AnalogX Proxy provides the following proxy services using the ports listed below:

    HTTP    (web browsers)                  (port 6588)
    HTTPS   (secure web browsers)           (port 6588)
    SOCKS4  (TCP proxying)                  (port 1080)
    SOCKS4a (TCP proxying w/ DNS lookups)   (port 1080)
    SOCKS5  (only partial support, no UDP)  (port 1080)
    NNTP    (usenet newsgroups)             (port 119)
    POP3    (receiving email)               (port 110)
    SMTP    (sending email)                 (port 25)
    FTP     (file transfers)                (port 21)

It is possible to change the ports used by AnalogX Proxy for the various proxy services it supports.

[ More Info ]

[/network/proxy] permanent link

Dell 4700 Hardware Drivers

I had to replace a disk drive in a Dell Dimension 4700 PC. Perhaps not coincidentally, the disk drive in another Dell Dimension 4700 PC also purchased in December 2004 died the same week. The drives were 80 GB Maxtor drives with model number 6Y080M0. It seemed odd that both systems, which though purchased from Dell at the same time were at separate locations, should suffer a drive failure in less than six months of use.

Dell shipped a replacement drive that arrived the next day. I told the Dell support person I spoke to that I only needed the drive, not someone to install it.

I was able to recover the users' files in her "My Documents" folder, but there was no backup for the system, so I had to reinstall the operating system and applications. Unfortunately, Dell apparently did not provide all of the drivers needed for the system on a CD with the system. So, though the user had a CD for Windows XP Pro, Microsoft Office 2003, Sonic RecordNow, and CyberLink DVD, there was no CD with the needed Network and Video adapter drivers nor was there one for the modem driver, which would make it difficult to obtain the needed drivers if no other PC was available to use to download the drivers.

I was able to download the needed drivers with a laptop, however, and transfer them by USB key to the 4700.

[ More Info ]

[/pc/hardware/dell/dimension_4700] permanent link

Configuring a Solaris System as a DNS Server

A script to configure a Solaris system as a DNS server is available at http://www.bolthole.com/solaris/configdns.sh. After downloading the script make it executable with chmod, e.g. chmod 755 configdns.sh. When you run the script, /etc/resolv.conf and either /etc/named.boot or /etc/named.conf will be replaced, so you may want to make a backup copy of those files beforehand. The output of the script, which should be run from the root account, is shown below:

# sh configdns.sh
This script will automatically configure your machine to run a
DNS server. It will completely destroy /etc/resolv.conf, and
either /etc/named.boot, or /etc/named.conf, as appropriate
It may also modify /etc/nsswitch.conf if neccessary.
Continue? (y/n)
y
copied /etc/resolv.conf to /etc/resolv.conf.pre-config
Made /etc/resolv.conf
nsswitch.conf already okay
Restarting namedemon
cat: cannot open /etc/named.pid
As soon as your internet link is up, you should be set to go!
Please note: This script assumes you are setting up a single isolated
machine. If this machine needs to allow others to query DNS through it,
please read the comments in /etc/named.conf

The /etc/named.conf file produced by the script is shown below:

options {
                directory "/etc/named";
# use 127.0.0.1 if you are an isolated machine. Otherwise, either
# comment out the "listen-on" line entirely, or supply the appropriate
# internal or external address
                listen-on { 127.0.0.1; };
        };
        zone "." in {
                type hint;
                file "named.cache";
        };

        zone "0.0.127.in-addr.arpa" in {
                type master;
                file "named.local";
        };

The "listen-on" line, by default, will have the system listen for name queries only on the loopback port, 127.0.0.1, which means that you could perform host lookups only on the system itself. You could use the nslookup command to verify that the system is responding to name queries as below:

# nslookup
Default Server:  localhost
Address:  127.0.0.1

> cisco.com
Server:  localhost
Address:  127.0.0.1

Name:    cisco.com
Address:  198.133.219.25

But, if you configure another system to use the Solaris system as a DNS server, it won't respond, since it is only listening on the local loopback port. If the Solaris system has an IP address of 192.168.1.1, you could replace the listen-on line in /etc/named.conf with listen-on { 127.0.0.1; 192.168.1.1; }; or comment out or remove the listen-on line to have the system respond to queries on any network interface. If you change /etc/named.conf, you will need to restart the name server, which you can do with the commands below:

kill `cat /etc/named.pid` 2>/dev/null
/usr/sbin/in.named

If you create a script to restart the name server, put a sleep 1 between the two lines above.

The /etc/resolv.conf file that you will have when you run the installation script will look something like the one below:

domain mycompany.com
nameserver 127.0.0.1

I've used the configdns.sh script on a Solaris 2.7 system. Other Solaris scripts are available from the creator of the script, Philip Brown, at Phil's Solaris Hints or mirrored at Phil's Solaris hints.

Download Script
Bolthole	MoonPoint	Phil's Solaris Mirror Site

[/os/unix/solaris] permanent link