June 30, 2003
Same views on G5
Just read this at Chris's site. I have to agree, Rush's paid plugs sound as bad as some of his pundit political statements. I am glad Chris took a stance on this one, it would be one thing if Jim Louderback said something about the G5 or even TechTV's Leo Laporte or Patrick Norton had commented on the G5, it would have been acceptable, no matter what their comment was. Seems like money talks, Apple just continues to stive for market share, no matter what cost; and it is not like they have a bad product... see Rishi's comments.
Image Hosting Update
We will be updating the site this week with a new product for Ebay, Album/Photo Storage, and Forum image hosting. Included so far, is the ability to upload pictures, automatically create thumbnails, and Ebay Item Automation. Stay tuned...
June 25, 2003
Apple: Benchmarking too good.
With the new Apple "G5" coming out in the late summer 2003, Apple is displaying its benchmarking results all over the place for the "world's fastest personal computer." It features the first 64-bit processor as we were told by Greg from the Mac Store. Personally, I was impressed by the expandable memory slots (up to 8GB). The chart below
The new G5 will be running MAC OS X, with many features such as Virtual PC, integrated DVD burning technology, etc.
Using Virtual PC, not only can users run multiple instances of OS X, but they can also use Microsoft's Windows XP in the same window. This one feature, convinced me that migrating to a mac maybe in my future, including other features such as industry standard RAM and internal components that will be integrated into the mac fully within a few generations of products.
I am a diehard PC user, and when I saw the benchmarking chart above I was a little surprised. How can Dual Intel Xeon Processors be crippled by the new G5's. The first thing I said was, "This can't be true." So, I did some more research and found an article over at our friends at ExtremeTech.
In this article, Mark talks about how in the SPEC tests Apple requested an optimized compiler favoring its processors, while forcing Intel to use a generic one. It is things like these that make me wonder. Steve Jobs straight up said, this is the fastest computer in the world, period, without even benchmarking his processors head to head with Intel. Infact the results that Intel sent to SPEC are quite contradictory to Apple's. That's marketing for you. (Borrowed that from Mark ;-)
Overall, the whole Apple line is very sleek, and well designed (which you do end up paying for), but I can definately see a transition for me soon.
You can find Mark's article here.
June 23, 2003
Linksys: Smaller and Faster
From wired to wireless networks, from USB ethernet cards to USB wireless adapters: Linksys introduces a thumbsize USB 2.0 wireless that will now enable consumers to connect to their networks at full speed, regardless of how fast it is, thanks to USB 2.0.
rjsNetworks tested this new product due to the fact that it is only a few inches by a few centimeters and is compatible up to 100mbit. We did break two, however, overall our team approved of this product.
Some of the features outlined by Linksys:
-Connects at a full 100Mbps via USB 2.0, up to 8 times faster than a USB 1.1 adapter
-Compact size for greater flexibility
-Also compatible with USB 1.1 desktop and notebook computers
Plug-and-Play Compatible with Windows 98SE, 2000, Millennium, and XP
This product runs for under $30, making it worth what it delivers.
VPN: Solution for Multiple Office Connectivity
VPN is definetly a technology that has changed IT computing in recent years. Connecting branch offices with fast encrypted 56k-DSL lines cuts recurring costs at each branch office when compared to leased line alternatives. In fact, the average saving a typical three branch office can save exceeds 75%.
What is VPN? Simply VPN is a software/hardware protocol that allows standard DSL and cable modems to interlink branch and home offices over the internet as one LAN. This means that Lucy's computer in LA and Rishi's laptop in Orlando can see each other on the network as if they were linked to the same hub/switch. In fact, software applications that run over TCP/IP, such as database centric applications, can be centrally stored at one main office and shared across the entire enterprise without code/implementation changes. To software, distance between users becomes transparent.
The one drawback about VPN is central office bandwidth. In our example, three offices connect to one main office with standard DSL and Cable modems with a VPN gateway. Once in place, the main office can receive up to three times the amount of traffic. rjsNetworks.com has created a unique solution where your main office network is collocated at our facility, allowing unlimited numbers of branch office connections, and allowing professional managed services for your network.
In more weblog posts, I will review these products as we implement them for customers as case studies. Stay tuned for more VPN information.
June 22, 2003
eBay Money Maker or Looser?
Ebay, the online epitome of e-commerce and auction flogging. I honestly thought that there was a better way of selling online. Several years ago, I thought that eBay was a dying e-commerce portal with no potential. The idea of paying an individual for an item with a mutual understanding and some trust seemed completely absurd. Given the economic environment in the late 90s, Ebay was bound to fail as a true business model. Consumers were nervous about online transactions, nervous about trading and purchasing, and deeply concerned with identity theft and fraud. Ebay seemed to be a dead link within 4-6 months.
Weeks changed to months and months to years. Ebay remained strong as ever with thousands of products for auction. Most importantly, the dot com bust filled Ebay with routers, switches, servers, and hubs at rock bottom prices. So I stepped up to the plate. I purchased a Cisco 2924 from an online auction for around $2950. Nervous as ever, my payment had left my Paypal account and my item had not been delivered by Fedex as promised. I remember being frustrated, annoyed, and quite stressed that a good part of three thousand dollars had been wasted on an experiment. The next day my item arrived in excellent condition, just as I had expected.
Nervous about my experience, I laid off the Ebay front for a while. I spoke to several clients, namely Todd Rosenthal at BayStateMotorSports.com. Todd definitely does not sell items for $3000 items. In fact, Todd sells most of his items above $90,000 and some one-of-a-kind items link this 1997 1/2 LAMBORGHINI DIABLO ROADSTER VT. Todd says that Ebay has been one of the best online advertising vehicles he has used over the years. His business relies on nationwide leads and eBay Motors has provided a portal that he can rely on. Not only does it give him the flexibility of placing pictures of his items, it has a standard reliable advertising pricing.
Other examples of this are smaller outfits like RainFall.com. This site sells smaller items on eBay like posters and audio cds. Again, after talking to the owner of this site, he revealed that eBay has provided him with a very successful business model where he sells dozens of items a week.
So has eBay evolved? More than likely this is not the case. That is, the technology and site may have improved to protect consumers (mechanisms like Paypal and escrow may have improved). However, the consumer’s mindset has changed. Consumers seem to appreciate and trust their credit card issuers, the eBay auction system, and most of all, each other. Maybe eBay has come of age and an economic return in this business model for both buyers and sellers solidifies e-commerce transactions between individuals. Whatever this new phenomenon provides, it proves only one point. If you are a buyer or a seller, there is an auction out there waiting for you…with the evidence above you should give it a try.
June 20, 2003
rjsBilling / rjsLogfiles
If you are in need of a billing change, please visit the rjsBilling Change Request Form
If your logfiles need compression please send an email to Logfiles. This process has been automated through this email address. Please include #LOGFILES in the subject as well as your domain name .com/.net/org etc. in the body of the email.
Look for more automated tasks coming soon....
June 18, 2003
Virus Detection and Email
Email Based Virus Detection.
Rishi has started to outline some of the features of our spam filtering technology here. In this article, I will discuss how virus prevention and removal is accomplished automatically at rjsNetworks.com.
Most viruses today come in forms of email and email attachments. Gone are the days of floppy based viruses since they do not spread quickly and deliver low payloads. There are three common ways people deal with viruses.
1. They use desktop software such as Mcafee or Norton Antivirus.
2. They use server side software
3. They don’t do any virus prevention and basically risk being infected
Obviosuly, the last solution here is something that is quickly becoming an obsolute option. With 10-50 viruses coming out in any given week, the dependency of the Internet and email makes some form of virus detection mandatory.
Most people have their own virus detection software as mentioned in solution 1 above. The downfalls of this method are primarily cost.
1. Good virus detection programs cost from $15-$35 per computer. Small-Mid size businesses really consider this per user cost.
2. Each client computer must download virus update definitions.
a. This is a huge waste of bandwidth
b. Each computer must scan individually and must be run on a frequent basis for proper detection
3. Software virus removal on a infected system can cause data loss on removal.
The second option, to remove viruses at the source (ex. the mail server) is the most powerful and technically fastest method for prevention and removal. At rjsNetworks.com, we scan every incoming and outgoing email for potential viruses. If you receive a virus, we do not deliver the email message to your email box. Instead we deliver a notification:
This provides you with who sent the email with the virus, the subject of the email, and the type virus that was sent. If this is a legitimate email, this information will allow you contact the person and notify them of the virus detection.
Virus software do need to be installed at every computer, users do not need to be trained to routinely run anti-virus, and bandwidth is not being wasted downloading extensive virus definition for every compter every 2-3 days. In addition, there are no per machine/per user fees since this is included with our hosting and email management plans. For more information, please visit rjsNetworks.com
June 17, 2003
Partnership & Office Services
As we grow into new niches and add products to our current catalog, a new service for small businesses is under development here at rjsNetworks.com.
Image is everything! With our new products in development, a small business can immediatly get that large corporate feel....overnight!
We are considering the following services:
Exclusive Toll Free Number
Customized Call Answering
Toll Free Fax Number
Sales, Appointment Setting, Order Taking
Instant Notification of Messages [email/fax]
Voicemail
Employment Verification
Multiple Office Addresses
Mail Forwarding
Stay tuned for more information as we complete this product and service.
June 16, 2003
rjsSpamFilter - Part I
See Part II of this article series
rjsNetworks has an extensive spam filter developed in house by our team of developers.
Our team of developers built an extensive amount of methods within the rjsSpamFilter component to determine if the message is spam. Just to name a few:
BASE64 - This test will catch E-mail that uses base64 encoding for text and/or HTML. This is a technique that spammers will use to try to bypass filters.
COMMENTS - Many spammers are using HTML comments to try to bypass filters. The COMMENTS test in rjsSpamFilter will detect the type of comments that spammers use, while not catching E-mail with legitimate HTML comments.
Envelope Mail From - This tests the "From" address as listed in the SMTP envelope, to make sure that the domain has an MX or A record.
OSRSS - OsiruSofts Open Relay Spam Stopper. Common List of spammers' IP addresses.
Reverse DNS - Checks to make sure that a reverse DNS entry exists for the IP address sending you the mail. The RFCs require a reverse DNS entry, and lots of spam is sent from IPs without a reverse DNS entry. However, there are quite a few legitimate mail servers set up without a reverse DNS entry.
NOPOSTMASTER - This database lists domains that do not have a postmaster addresses (which violates RFCs).
NOABUSE - This database lists domains that do not have an abuse address, which also is required.
DSN - Handles E-mail coming from domains that block bounce messages.
BADHEADERS - Looks for broken E-mail headers, that are common in spam as spammers try to forge headers. This test can't accidentally catch any legitimate mail.
SPAMROUTING - Looks for E-mail that takes a very poorly defined path that wastes bandwidth. For example, a U.S. spammer sending to a recipient in the U.S., but relaying through a server in China would trigger this test.
WEIGHTING - This unique test assigns each of the other tests a weight, and once an E-mail fails enough tests to reach a certain "trigger" value, the WEIGHTING test will mark the E-mail as spam.
HELOBOGUS - This test will detect invalid HELO (or EHLO) data. For example, one major spammer now sends E-mail claiming to be from a mailserver called "$domain", which is not the name of a real mailserver. The HELOBOGUS test will catch that.
rjsSpamFilter is just another way rjsNetworks tightens its security.
June 14, 2003
Is Instant Messaging Spam Next?
Will there ever be a way to completely stop spam? No. In some parts of California spammers get charged a $500 fee per email message. Maybe we should get this instated everywhere else. This is where the rjsSpamFilter comes in handy!
However, are spammers looking for a "revolutionary" way to spam? They are now moving to IM; what people do for marketing. Who would have ever thought that advertising would go from one ad for green-card legal help on Usenet to websites that open half a dozen little windows when you want to leave to 8 out of 10 email messages being junkmail. IM Spam now seems even more inevitable. This may even lead to the demise of the Instant Messaging trend, if this continues.
rjsNetworks has a great system of spam filtering, tagging the email message with a [rjsSpamFilter] tag before the subject. This makes it much easier to identify and quarantine unnecessary messages.
June 13, 2003
Sponsorships and Development
rjsNetworks will be sponsoring community events across the nation starting June 18th 2003. A schedule of events/seminars will be published here at rjsNetworks.com weblog as soon as dates are available. Maybe a social event, just to kick back and have some fun.
In addtion, Image Hosting here at rjsNetworks.com has become an official development project. Within 3 weeks, we should have a beta system for current customers to demo.
June 12, 2003
CRM - Give your customer a voice....quick!
CRM is a common misconception. It has become a common buzzword of technologists or wanna-be techies. In fact, it seems that the acronym has become a word. A word that most programmers and business executives throw in a salad of tech terms such as; TCP/IP, sockets, Linux, stability, reliability, scalability...blah..blah...blah
Sometimes you can even catch them saying things like, "Oh, yes, last week we installed the last phase of our CRM $750,000 solution." Then you usually hear them calling their so-called secretary, asking them to sell 15,000 shares of Lucent...smirking...laughing. Here, an example of how confused companies really are.
Arrgh. It's annoying enough that individuals like this seem to think they understand the basic business premise of CRM. CRM is a tool for management. It should not require a three phase deployment and definitely should not cost a ridiculous $750,000. In fact, here is an article that claims CRM costs $40,000 per sales person to maintain…unbelievable. It may cost that much if you are installing a system that requires three onboard programmers, two IT MCSE qualified individuals, and say 10 classes of training that each member using the system needs to attend. Why does a tool require this much money, training, and further specialized personnel. Let's get back to the word 'tool'....
The ideal system (sorry tool!) would be one with minimal input and maximum output. That is, a perfect system is one that would be automated system. One where input is given directly by customers, processed by company staff, and completed with output efficiency/accountability reports. Here is someone who shared my decision, Dror Pockard.
Now that my dream system is over, is there such a tool? Technology enthusiasts, yes there is and it is very affordable. By utilizing automated email processing, our CRM solution has just passed Beta and has been completed for Sales, Tech Support, Marketing, and inter-departmental CRM solutions. With an emphasis on simplicity and functionality, our solution is web based with complete email integration, has a zero-footprint install base. As we complete our list of features, watch out for our new solution as it changes the common buzz word of CRM to what it was meant to be. Our current internal implementation is reviewed by a third party.
Game Server Hosting
rjsNetworks has teamed up with ZeroPings and will be hosting Gaming Servers in the very near future. Two types of servers will be available:
Public Gaming Servers
Public gaming servers are open for everyone to play in. For those of you gamers who want to share your server with the world, this would be the service that would fit your needs. Also, public servers can be password protected at anytime during the service, allowing owners a variety of options.
Private Gaming Servers
For gamers who want to keep their servers away from the public, private servers are the way to go. Private servers are password protected 24/7, ensuring your server will be used only by you and your friends. This plan is perfect for gaming clans who would like a server to be used soley for practics and clan matches.
rjsNetworks gaming servers will provide the following:
Free Admin Mod For Your Server
Free HL Stats For Your Server
Free Custom Domain Name For Your Server
Free Email Account And Forwarding
Fully Customizeable Servers To Your Specs
24/7 Server Tech Support
We have received many inquiries regarding game servers and feel this is the right time for rjsNetworks to launch this service.
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Next Generation
As Cisco's (an rjsNetworks Network-Infrastructure Partner) premier intelligent multilayer modular switch, the Catalyst 6500 Series delivers secure, converged services from the wiring closet to the core, from the datacenter, to the WAN edge. From 48 to 576 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet ports, to high throughput hundreds of million packets per second (Mpps) network cores supporting multiple gigabit and 10Gigabit per second trunks, the Catalyst 6500 Series provides the scalable intelligent multilayer switching performance for both enterprise and service-provider networks.
The Catalyst 6500 Series optimizes IT infrastructure utilization and maximizes return on investment by leveraging a forward-thinking architecture that supports an unparalleled range of services including data and voice integration, and LAN/WAN/MAN convergence with these additional benefits:
Maximum network uptime for higher user productivity and business resiliency
Comprehensive network security using proven multigigabit Cisco technology Investment Protection and Long product lifecycle supporting multiple generations of interfaces and packet forwarding engines Operational consistency allowing customers to standardize on a single platform that addresses all network deployment requirements Unparalleled services integration supporting the application-aware convergence of voice, video, data on to a single highly manageable platform
Supervisor Engine 720
Non-blocking 2-port and high density 4-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet modules
Two 48-port 10/100/1000 Ethernet modules
16-port Gigabit Ethernet module for data center deployments
June 11, 2003
Install Linux In Less Than One Hour
Thought this would ever be possible?
Linux installers have come a long way over the course of the last two years. It wasn't so long ago that trying to get Linux onto your system hard disk often comprised hours of head-scratching, system resets, and searching the Internet for the right drivers. No longer.
The defaults are reasonable to the point where you could conceivably click-through every screen and still end up with a fully functional installation. This article, however, details some important options you should be aware of to installing Red Hat Linux in less than one hour. If you are unsure whether to install it due to compatibility issues visit the HCL. We at rjsNetworks fully support Linux.
Image Hosting?
rjsNetworks.com will be adding image hosting for eBay and forum customers. In addition to traditional high speed image delivery, image manipulation with the latest ASP.Net GDI will enable customers to edit, crop, and manipulate uploaded images.
June 10, 2003
Microchips Hidden in Euros?
The European Central Bank located in Frankfurt, Germany is talking to the Japanese Hitachi company to build tiny microchips inside the €uro bank note. Reports said the tiny chips which measure .4mm by .4mm, and cost around ¥20, will have a 128-bit ROM and can store numbers of 38 digits.
The chips will be able to be scanned by the IC scanners already in place. Japan has already put this technology in place in their railway stations to prevent fraud. Of course if the business does not have an IC Scanner, they can simply use the trendy watermark detection method at no extra cost.
This is one of the only methods of fraud prevention. Now only if the United States can adapt to this technology within the next 20 years.
Data Peer Downtime and Bankruptcy Rumored
All customers that are moving from New Jersey based Data Peer will receive a discount to their current hosting plans and free transfer/shipping of dedicated servers currently colocated at Data Peer. Please contact our sales department for more information. In case you missed their lettr to their customers please see their company response and thewhir.com for more information.
Our technology specialists can help you migrate your data/application to quickly restore your services. In addition, all Secure Certificate customers can benefit from our 10 minute SSL reinstatement. As an added benefit, we have our technical representatives available in New Jersey that can ship your server(s) free to our data center while your application is hosted on our managed servers.
Please note, that Data Peer has not officially announced any bankruptcy filings.
Development and Conference
If you would like an easy way to learn ASP.Net and do not have Visual Studio.Net, the best way to learn is to download a freeware product that is support by the world wide asp.net community. The ASP.Net Web Matrix Project provides a GUI to create web interfaces and web applications in C# or VB.Net. [view image]
In addition to development, if you want to attend a conference that will have cool gagdets, John Dvorak, and Jim Louderback, GnomeDex 3.0 is the place to be. We were going to sponsor this event this year, but have held off until next year. Unfortunatly I have had to cancel my trip to this event since I will be giving a presentation and speaking to Sales and Marketing agents in Las Vegas at their Annual Nationwide Builders Association Meeting on July 24th 2003. Wish me luck (on the slot machines of course!).
Rishi has been working on server transitions and upgrades this week. Most clients with .38 as their ip address will be upgraded to new servers. Hopefully he will post somthing soon. (hint hint Rishi!).
June 09, 2003
New Servers From Dell
Finally we have new servers released from Dell. The PowerEdge 350 must have been around for at least a year before Dell decided that it needed to be replaced with a new chipset. Part of the problem that companies like Dell are facing is the constant demand for fast servers in a 1U form factor. The new PowerEdge 650 loks like it will become the choice for new "general use" installations.
We already have our servers on order and are looking forward to making them into powerful Linux and Windows 2003 server boxes.
June 08, 2003
MovableType on Windows 2000
Came across a great article that helped in the installation of the blog software. We did have to pay for our license, however, there is a free license you can use for personal (not-for-profit) use.
