Running an ISP in a Warzone

musatov writes "SGT Coughanour, David A (HHC 1-110th Infantry US Army) speech on NOTACON 3: "Right now I am currently serving in Iraq where I run IT operations for a small chunk of the Sunni triangle. One of the major projects that we have accomplished here is setting up an ISP that supports 350 subscribers. It has also survived multiple mortar attacks, and is built entirely on Linux." Download video (80 MB QuickTime) Requires latest QuickTime installed. A mirror is available for people to download it."

Wuss.

I used to work at an ISP in Detroit.

Wow

Maybe it IS possible to run an ISP in Manchester (UK) after all!

Linux immune to mortar attack!

Who'd a thunk it?

Told you!

Linux really is a bulletproof OS!

Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans

I've always found disaster recovery plans to be an annoying necessity in large businesses. I'd hate to see all the other paperwork that would be needed if my systems were subjected to mortar attacks. That certainly justifies the need for clustering over a WAN.

Re:Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans

I think mentioning terrorism might be the new Goodwin's law, but at that risk, do you recall the WTC attacks? I used to work for a company whose servers were located in the WTC, thankfully I worked in Chicago. I may have been one of the first in Chicago to know something was wrong when all of our connections went down. Of course I just thought it was a network problem at first.

Re:Gives new meaning to disaster recovery plans

I was working tech support that day.
You would not believe the number of people calling to complain that they couldn't see what was going on down the street because of the smoke and/or dust and they couldn't watch the news because their cable TV and internet services were not working.
Geeee, there are whole blocks of your city missing, why do you THINK your Cable is down?
IIRC - the basement of one of the towers housed a major peering point as well as a network satilite feeds.

Comcast is in Iraq?!

Multiple mortar attacks would explain a lot about my isp.

Video isn't going to last long, so...

Here's the best line: "And there are couple of reasons why we do it: The uh...the DoD gives us an MWR cafe, for every 1000 troops you get something like 6 to 12 computers. And that's great, except some of the grey-list sites are kind of blocked so basically you can't get porn off it, among other things."

Runner up:
"Managed to get a Power Mac G5 smuggled in from eBay"

Re:Computers need the electrical grid to work.

Yeah, you know, cause the guy who is trained to set up and administrate ISP level networks also has a job designing and implementing power grids. He's kind of a "do all" dude. That's what makes the army so cool.

Kind of redefines..

Bulletproof hosting [wikipedia.org]..

Re:IT + NRA

I wonder if anyone has tried that for real. Some sort of multiple server system up and running when someone puts a bullet through one without the system missing a beat. Now that's a video that would get some attention, both for the insanity and technical merit.


Funny you should say that. HP just did it with their high end storage array. See here [hp.com].

Now

Now that's running Linux in sandbox mode.

Multiple mortar attacks? Big deal.

If they can survive putting an 80MB video file on the front page of /., well, lets just say I'll be far more impressed.

Linux?

Linux...easy.. The hard task is doing that with Windows.

All I can say is...

It has also survived multiple mortar attacks, and is built entirely on Linux.

Is there anything Linux can't do?

It's about time that TCP/IP was tested...

It's about time that TCP/IP was tested in the conditions it was designed for.

Seriously, other that to act as a recruiting tool for the U.S. Army, what's the news here? All-Linux mom-and-pop size ISPs have been the norm, I think, as far back as 1994 or so.

Re:It's about time that TCP/IP was tested...

I don't know what ISPs you've worked for, but most of the places I've worked for weren't getting hit by mortar rounds while I was trying to manage the servers. I mean, I know ISP jobs are stressful anyway, but I would think that sort of thing might ratchet the stress level up just a little bit.

I don't think the interesting thing here is that he's running Linux necessarily, but rather that they can keep an ISP going at all in that sort of environment. Of course, I'd be running Linux in that situation too, as anything that could keep me from having to come into work to babysit the servers while the bombs are flying would be a positive.

Lol, runs on Linux

but you have to DL quicktime for windows to watch the video

Bombproof Linux

See. If he hadn't been running Linux, I don't think he'd have uptime through those mortar attacks. Windows just can't handle that kind of abuse. I think that's an oft-forgotten selling point of Linux that should be cited more often.

Yeah, your OS has cool graphics. But how does it stand up against a mortar attack?

They get nasty DDoS attacks...

Distributed Dispersal of Shrapnel, that is.

They also have to watch out for TCP/IP packets that arrive out of ordnance.

Re:They get nasty DDoS attacks...

Do I smell a new RFC coming? IP over Ordinance? Certainly faster than IP over Avian Carrier [ietf.org], even if it *does* have QoS...

Ping Statistics

Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, KIA = 0 (0% KIA)

Re:Ping Statistics

TTL = ~13 minutes

So, what about a Mac?

When the a Mac in the war zone they have a display an small IED (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_explosive _device [wikipedia.org] ) on the screen?

But Windows systems are good in a war zone, a soldier can easily use the BSOD function.

So many choices to troll on...

Lets see, there's the Linux angle, with optional (anti)piracy garnish.
Then there's the Iraq angle.
Then there's the "we should be feeding people before we bother to set up ISPs in the 3rd world angle".

Gosh.

S/N ratio dropping to zero in 10...9....8....7....

'Linux under mortar'

Talk about proving an o/s ! Now Linux needs to be tested under Mars conditions only.

All things aside . . .

It's just very, very neat to see how people do technical work like this in adverse situations.

I'm passing this one on to my branch's VP of disaster planning. He's very cool, and likes to have a little "extra" to hit people over the head about good planning.

Pshaw. That's easy.

Anybody can survive a mortar attack.

Let's see them survive a mortar hit.

i also ran an ISP in the sunni triangle

I was stationed at Camp Taqaddum for about 10 months in 2005. The MWR internet center was across camp a few miles so I decided to set up my own satellite based connection. Peak usage was about 80 soldiers and marines, fed off of multiple wireless APs.

The ability to be in constant communication with family while we were not out on missions (we did security patrols of our Area of Operation) was a great boost to morale. Web cams and email meant you could see and talk to the people that mattered most to you.

We sold the operation to another unit just before we left, and there were 3 other systems I helped set up in our area serving other groups.

To the current soldiers, marines, and others at Camp Taqaddum: Give 'em Hell and keep your buddyies safe!

But can it survive a ....

It has also survived multiple mortar attacks,

But more importantly, can it survive a slashdotting?

Additional Mirrors

Here are a few mirrors to use up. I'll probably bring them down after a few TB of transfer...

New Jersey
http://www.def-con.org/~nocfed/downloads/notacon06 _hajjinet.mp4 [def-con.org]

Texas
http://www2.def-con.org/~nocfed/downloads/notacon0 6_hajjinet.mp4 [def-con.org]

survival...

It has also survived multiple mortar attacks

Are they using HP Storageworks maybe?

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/cache/49205-0-0-225- 121.aspx?bodycontentparams=320065-0-0-0-121&ERL=tr ue [hp.com]

Some name...

NOTACON? Sounds like an ISP funded by Nixon.

Another mirror

since the one in the summary has stopped working already...
http://www.lassitu.de/notacon06_hajjinet.mp4 [lassitu.de]

so what?

computers don't care if bullets are fired near it. and if bullets were fired at it, then it wouldn't matter what OS it was running.

Yes, it works..

I IM chat with one of my high school buddies that is serving in Iraq. They get about 1/2 an hour of computer use to email friends and family. My friend logs in and checks the class bulletin board and chats with whomever is online. So far, it has worked. One thing he noticed was the he was not able to run some chat java applets. Other than that, it works well and at least I'm happy to know that he's still well.

Quotes

Sgt. Coughaner was quoted afterward, "We survived the Sunni Triangle, but got 0WN3D by Slashdot!"

Brings a whole new meaning...

...to the term DMZ.

Tachyon!

I work for an agency under DoD. We've deployed several Tachyon [tachyon.net] systems in southwest Asia. Tachyon is a satellite solution with one fixed option and two mobile options. We had problems in the beginning with regular T1 lines being cut by insurgents or vehicles - and it takes weeks to get a new line run that we decided to go satellite.

The coolest system of the three that Tachyon offers is the 'Auto-Deploy CAS' system, where you just plug it in, push a button and the thing finds the satellite on it's own.

A bit spendy, but we've found them to be the most reliable solution for broadband communications.

Very Informative

That guy is going to get a great job when he ETSs.

That was a great presentation and gave me a lot of great ideas.

Robust against incompetent leadership?

Sure it can survive multiple mortar attacks, but how long can it survive having an incompetent liar running the war?

Rumsfeld should resign immediately!

-Don

alternate title

"Running an ISP is a Warzone"

This gives a new

meaning to the term "Somebody set up us the bomb!"

A simple solution

Just go into your firewall settings, and set up a very large 'DMZ' ;)

DoD civilian tech in theater

This is from my 24 year old cousin who is a computer tech for the DoD working in Iraq and Afghanistan. His dad was special forces and my cousin was raised in Germany because that is where they were stationed.

His job is to see that AAFES (Army supply stores) network and POS terminals are installed and work correctly.

When he sent me this e-mail this morning he said "I do not want you to wonder why I may be in federal prison." Talk about a way to wake up to one's morning e-mail!

________________________________________
Subject: An issue needing rectification.
From: "Henderson, Zachary D."
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 07:27:03 +0100
To:

Mr.. President,

My name is Zachary Henderson, and I am faced with an inequity I can no longer stand.

That, after serving as a Department of Defense civilian for almost sixteen months in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, I am required to pay federal and state income taxes.

As you may be unfamiliar with the present tax laws, please allow me to elucidate. Military members serving in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan are not required to pay taxes. I do not begrudge them that at all; they have taken an oath to serve. A contractor, working for more than 330 days outside the United States, fall under the Foreign Earned Income Tax Credit, and their first 80,000 is tax free. As a Department of Defense Employee working for the Army and Air Force Exchange service, I am not entitled to that exemption..

I am fully aware of my responsibilities as a citizen. As an Eagle Scout, I am well versed in civic duties and the requirements of the individual in the role of the state. However, this inequality between Department of Defense civilian employees and contractors is not rational. As a man of principal, this dilemma is now intolerable, and I can no longer stomach it.

I face the same mortar attacks as soldiers and contractors while on bases, and I have. I face the same risk of getting shot at while traveling and I have. Yet all the others out here sharing the dangers that I face enjoy a benefit that I do not.

I submit to you that this is wrong, and I will countenance it no more. Therefore, I am notifying you in writing that I am refusing to file my taxes for the year 2005, and will not file them for 2006, either.

I am fully aware of all the consequences of my actions. I implore you to do all in you power to resolve this issue. Allow those to serve in equal danger to receive equal benefits.

This letter is being sent to you, Vice-President Cheney, Mississippi Senators Lott and Cochran, Representative for the State Of Mississippi Rodger Wicker I.R.S. Commissioner Everson, and the Stars And Stripes newspaper, to draw attention to this plight, and to ask for a speedy resolution for the almost 500 in the same crux that I am in.

I thank you for you time and attention to this matter.

Zachary D. Henderson
Presently in Bagram, Afghanistan

No money for WIndowz :)

From what i saw in a video, he used Linux because of the cheapness, rather than reliability. Most of the service men, used WinXP laptops, and only a small 5% used linux, and only cuz they didn't know how to use system. The best system is one you know how to use, and not Linux or Windows.

Re:Did I get it right?

They're not insurgents. They're terrorists.

Re:Did I get it right?

They're fighting against an occupation by killing their countrymen? Have you SEEN the casualty figures? These fuckers kill something like 10 Iraqis for every 1 US soldier. I don't remember George Washington blowing up crowded markets in order to kill 3 British soldiers, or putting American children in the path of British horses and then blowing up all of them when the brits come to a stop.

Whatever term you decide to use for them, don't for one minute beleive that their goals have anything to do with freeing Iraq from opression or occupation. The vast majority of your "insurgents" employ terrorist tactics, and their ultimate goals have more to do with gauranteeing power for themselves and their supporters than with bringing freedom to the average Iraqi. If that doesn't make them terrorists, then you must be employing a very unusual definition for that word.

Re:Did I get it right?

It should be:
Particularly effecitve against an insurgency. /Fark reference, originally "Not particularly. . ."

Re:Overated

Spoken like someone who has never beeen there!

Re:Priorities

Yeah because it's obvious that he was speaking about the entire effort in Iraq instead of just himself and a handful of guys.

Do you LIKE being a twat?

Re:Priorities

Get over it...

Re:Priorities

Our troops do try to help where they can w/ water, power and food. Sadly, the insurgents destroy most of their and the Iraqi governments efforts. As far as this guy setting up an ISP for his soldiers to stay in touch with their families and keep up with current events, I say more power to him. As far as you saying "So what" to his efforts, then I feel sorry for you. Unless you have been over there, then I think you have not the slightest clue about what you are speaking. Try not to belittle our troops, please. They did not choose to go to Iraq and they may or may not believe in the war itself, but I think it shows alot of ingenuity that they can set up a network that can stay up in those harsh conditions. Also, since I am in the military and I know firsthand what these brave soldiers are going through, I feel compelled to let you know that I think you are a complete F-tard. Stop parroting whatever hollywood and the news media crap out onto you tv. If you think that the U.S. military isn't bending over backwards to help these people, then you need to either join up and help or get a plane ticket and head on over. Obviously you know how best to change the situation over there for the better, you loudmouthed jerk.

It works by self-selection

The guy called his site hajinet, after all. When he gets back home, he's gonna settle in Alabama and run a new ISP called niggernet. But Linux will make him feel good.

This post not indended as flamebait, just an observation on how outrageously jingoistic a name the guy picked. And no-one has called him on it yet.

Re:Priorities

Dude, this guy specializes in networking, NOT power and water engineering. So regardless of whether or not these people lack security, hospitals, power, and water...he can't do squat about it. He CAN however apply his skill set to getting a network up and running.

Re:And which software do you use...

Wouldn't that be a huge waste of time. Everyone over here signed up for it and went willingly. Despite Kerry's fear mongering statements, there is no draft. If a soldier is politically minded, 9 times out of 10 you can guess which side they are on. More importantly, its not the role of a soldier to agree or disagree. That choice is made when you decide to enlist. Under Clinton, I did my job. Under Bush, I am still doing my job. Also it is incredibly insulting to have you imply that I am depriving other soldiers of access to a free press, when you have absolutely nothing to back that statement up with. On NIPR and MWR networks, the DoD blocks the same things that most companies and schools do for the same reasons. Please, remove your tin foil hat. There are enough issues that a real to worry about.

Re:Figures

...my 350 Billion in tax dollars

Those are some harsh taxes... maybe you need a new accountant?

Re:Overated

Yes you could say that you have built a nationwide microwave backbone, and you did. Congratulations. Also there is a world of difference between Baghdad and Habbaniyah. Take a convoy between here and there sometime. And no, none of the work I do on SIPR or NIPR will ever get talked about. That is what I am paid to do. This is a side project so we can all check our email. All of us. Not just the people lucky enough to have an office, or the time to hang out at BIAP all day cracking WEP keys. Good job flexing your l33t haxor skills on a few poorly defended APs, and invading other people's privacy.

ar 25-2

Wireless NIPR would be permitted if it met FIPS 140-2. Read your reg.

I know of a few people who are doing it right now actually.

So...bzzzt.