Since my last update I got a new job at a data center in Leeds working with a few hosting companies and a rather large domains firm. Initially I was working doing telephone support for dedicated servers however as of two months a go I changed positions to start doing Datacenter work. This includes managing the servers, networking, monitoring etc over a shift pattern. 4 x 12 hour shifts, 4 on 4 off, including nights.

Due to the nature of the company I have learnt a fair bit more about unix and come to some conclusions:

1) Unix – I have really developed the unix side of my skillset and I need to improve further and would like to give something back. There a lot of distributions out there and theres not really an easy way of finding one that helps out in general although I have been doing some research on the kernel and I am contemplating developing my Programming to get involved in that.

2) Task management – In an environment where you have jobs coming left right and center you really need to have a way of keeping track of everything that you have to do, my memory isn’t perfect so I have struggled with this a little, however using Basket ( Basket )

3) Red – An all red monitoring screen doesn’t necessarily mean everything is down. It can and has been faults with the monitoring server / DNS. Or that it is updating the database of all servers that we manage.

4) Kaspersky — Whilst effective it may be updates rolled out on an hourly basis are disruptive and cost time to the daily work as they seem to always hang the computer, and make it unresponsive for anywhere up to a minute at a time.

A lot of what mubix said really rang true.
Networking – I do have a network currently which I use day to day and has helped me with a lot of issues in the past, but I think I need to build my network online to include a lot more security professionals. So as such I have joined twitter on mubixs recomendation My Twitter

Getting Involved – Further to the above I need to get involved in more projects and help with both my own learning and getting my name out there. Which will help me to no end as well as contributing back to the community. So as such I’m looking for any projects I can contribute to in any way. I currently contribute to Experts Exchange but I believe I could do a lot more than that.

Self Promotion – Further to getting involved, I need to really get my name out there and as such I will be attempting to do that.

Keep Learning – I do a lot of studying at home but I could do more, I know that and so I will increase the number of hours i study each day.

Further to your interview for the role at company, the intial feedback is that they felt the interview went very well but that your experience may be too much for the role. I think they would be worried your experience would be too vast and that you would potentially get bored in the role.

Now that begs the question, why dont companys want people who are experienced and passionate about what they do. I have had this problem with a few companies now and its getting rediculous really. I also had an interview at a datacentre of an hosting ISP which went well and he said I was top of his list however he had to offer it to a guy that was up for redundancy before he could offer it me. So thats all right and fair enough, but upon looking on monster I found the job had been relisted yesterday. A further email to him and I’m waiting on that.

So recently there has been a lot of advertising for business startups on the radio, from the enterprise shows, a link in with business link from what I can see. It got me wondering, would starting up on my own be a feasable option? I put myself in for a contract supporting a school in Leeds however they have still to get back to me regarding that. As such I’m unsure what will happen there, if i had that contract it would take one day a week giving me a decent income and I could pursue other work to fulfill the rest of the week and use it as a starting block for building a business up. I think it’s an interesting concept. However, the dilema I’m having is how much it will cost in startup capital as what I have currently is quite small and my credit score is taking a nose dive as its getting more expensive and a lot harder to cope with bills and things as they are going.

I did a bit of research into this and from what I can see, i can set up as a contractor with pretty minimal expense. I found a company I can run my purchasing through giving me a 28 day buffer for payments meaning I can purchase install and invoice the company meaning I am able to install larger items to customers.

So what should I do, give me a sign. Continue working for companies and getting frustrated at the lack of investment in IT and seeing things done in what I consider to be a pretty illogical fashion. So stay tuned and lets see what I can do.

As we all know LAMP ( Linux Apache Mysql PHP) kind of rules the internet hosting scene due to some of the following:
A) Cost – how can you say no to a free operating system thats both security hardened and powerful
B)Small Size – A typical linux installation has everything you need to get a server up and running, for the more technical people you dont even need a gui meaning that all your computing power is doing exactly the job its supposed to be doing.

C) Security – From the way I understand linux has the lower proportion of desktop user market share and although its growing its primarily the more technically switched on that are jumping aboard the linux train. Whys this good, well all the virus writers and credit card fraud/botnets are until current speaking primarily windows based attacks.

D) Open Source – Well name says it all, you can get as far under the hood as you desire and customise it completely to your needs, also means there a great community out there who can help you with any problems you might be having.

Anyways, on with the show. So basically, I had figured its time to learn linux, and well I toyed with the idea of versions and well settled on ubuntu server as an intro to it for it being a pretty lightweight o/s so i could get to grips with it pretty fast. Installed that with core options so that all i have was the server install and would go through and install LAMP,  phpmyadmin and everythign else from the command line. Whilst I do appreciate you can install the desktop ontop of the server I thought it best to get used to using the shell or command line or whatever you want to call it.

Vmware and and iso later and I had the ubuntu server setup, and regarding installs I have had before, that was up in less than 5 minutes, it was simple and easy to figure out.

Where I am at the moment: A default ubuntu server install, no GUI, no hard copy manuals. As such i’m relying on using google to get me through my first task. Installing LAMP and phpmyadmin.

I’m passionate about technology and it shows in the work that I do. I find that I thrive when working with other people with the same passion and drive for what they do. Theres nothing better than being with people with the same passion talking about how you can hack the latest software and hardware and make it do something better. Which presents the problem, where are they?

I have been looking for a new job for a while to advance my career and keep moving forward and I have had a number of interviews as I believe I have a very broad skillset and that I’m good at what I do, however thats not for me to judge. A resounding feedback I get from employers is that I’m too ambitious or too advanced or I have too much passion for what I do and that it shows. I mean thats all good and well but isnt that what employers want? Someone who will go in and learn everything about there systems and enjoy doing so who will be advancing all the time and that has ambition and drive. I dont get it really. Where in the corporate world do you have to look to find a company that values what IT is supposed to be about in the first place.

So whats your thoughts, anyone got any idea where all the good companies have gone?

Aegil

Well a few words about a group I found on the internet a few years ago.

“Put together by a band of IT ninjas, security professionals and hardcore gamers, Hak5 isn’t your typical tech show. We take on hacking in the old-school sense, covering everything from network security, open source and forensics, to DIY modding and the homebrew scene. Then we wrap it all up with a healthy dose of cocktails and geek comedy. Damn the warranties, it’s time to Trust your Technolust.”
Source http://hak5.org/

Hak5 is a hardcore tech show for real geeks and hackers showcasing some real passion for technology. “Trust your Technolust” the slogan of the show is something that really resonates with me because its what IT is all about. Its about passion, its looking at something and not thinking thats cool, but how can I make it better. An example of this is a USB missile launcher that they purchased and hacked giving a crowd controlled web fronted controller to this. Its passion that really resonates with me, and something that is hard to find these days.

Hak5’s content is high quality and of good technical value, there shows are refreshing and not just the same old Windows / Linux tutorials rehashed in a different format. Content wise they cover both hardware and software hacks and the segments they create show the true passion for technology which is why we all got into it in the first place. The mentality of looking at software and gadgets and not settling for its limitations but thinking how can I make this better, what can I make it do has led to Web controlled USB missile launchers, Web controlled lights and Wi-Fi pineapples and a whole host of other creations.

Hak5’s content is of high quality and its practical for both the home hacker and corporate techys alike.  It has covered both security, virus analysis and reviews of new technology (Napera).

Hak5 has a strong community containing some very technically advanced people who themselves have contributed to the show and given segments. Hak5 respond to what the viewers want and there shows dont dissapoint.

I would recommend you check them out.

http://hak5.org

PS: I dont usually do reviews or this sort of thing so I will improve it as I go along.

http://hak5.org/

So, once again I have reinstalled my Aegil blog. I mean to keep up with it this time. I have come to the conclusion I will use this for my personal blog.

http://adminshed.com will be my technical site with all the tutorials and such on it. I have a couple of other sites I will be working on in partnership with this such as

http://finnlish.com- a social networking / lesson site for people learning / interested in finnish.

http://sealightgallery.com/gallery – this is my darling girlfriends site that shes working on for her pictures and photography.

So, all in all I have quite a lot of content I am hoping to generate over a few sites.

For this blog in particular, I’m hoping this is going to document me turning things around and starting to get my career going and getting involved in some online projects and hey, maybe even get them websites above looking good.

Thats all for now.

Aegil