[lbo-talk] The Matrix

Chuck Grimes cgrimes at rawbw.COM
Fri Jun 1 23:10:02 PDT 2007


``The idea that your desktop is a server too is a simple and neat way of enabling distributed access and sharing. Which is endearing to my collectivist sensibilities, also!...'' ravi

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What I like about the whole system is that you have to build it from the ground up. While most of the constructions just fall down, when you get it right it is fucking unassailable. For example my current system was done in between 1998-20 and it runs solid day in and day out. It's only problem is there is no support for all the standard media devices that have become standard fair. The other problem is that the components from the mid-90s are housed in a very old AT box and power supply. And that power supply is touchy. Some capacitor or circuit has gone all funky, so if I turn the box off and let it cool down, I have to spend about five to ten minutes plugging the power cord into the box to get it to fire up. Hence, the whole reason to upgrade. If I could have found an old AT power supply, I would have just skipped this whole project.

Anyway just to push my welcome, I have a question for you. I have dsl running on the new box. It has a static ip address running from the dsl modem into a second network card (it is NOT PPPoE). I have the new box configured as a gateway with its default router pointing to the ip address. Now I have the old box set its default router to the new box. But what I can't figure out is how to make the new box receive a request from the old box to use the gateway. I need a way to run natd. I could just go buy a router, but it would be nice to do the software version. I just don't know how.

In the old days with the old box, I used the natd facility enabled via PPP. So PPP made various natd facilities available to other boxes I hooked up to the old box. So, I could ping a remote host like my isp from the home LAN junk I built and hooked up to the old box.

So, since this is just a temporary set-up that will hopefully last only a few months, I don't want to get into the archane details of firewalls and crap. I would be happy with a hacked script or command line options. When I run `natd -interface rl0' I get the error message `Unable to creat divert socket.: Protocol not supported.'

This means I have to enable ipdivert option in the kernel and then recompile the kernel. That is very scary

Anyway I don't expect much of this makes sense. I should just be happy the dsl hook up went so well. For example I ran fetchmail off the new box and it works.

I use this tech beanie stuff to keep my mind off the wretched state of the nation.

I just want to say that to sit on an old PS2 monitor in B&W, and type in a command on an old IBM keyboard and get a response is just about as good as sex.

I want to write something on lying, so I am going to sign off.

Thanks again

CG



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