[tech] Minutes of Wheel Meeting 2014-08-15

Sam Moore matches at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au
Fri Aug 15 21:37:52 WST 2014


Wheel/Tech Meeting 2014-08-15

Wheel: [SZM] [SLX] [JCF] [BOB] [*OX] [GOZ] [TPG] [MTL] [NTU] [SJH] [MSH] 
[RVS]
Others: [JDN] [AMS]

Apologies: [DAA] [BG3]

Things in here prior to the meeting are from [BG3]

The Agenda for the meeting is
-----------------------------
- UCC Dinner Is Coming Up
   - 18th September
   - Tickets Coming Out Soon
   - Direct your attention to the advert on the projector screen
- Retiring Mantis
   - It has occured
   - Was done a bit too fast
     - Broke the Website
     - DNS takes a while to propegate
- The Status of MolMol (The new File Server)
- Replacing robotnik
- Replacing Catfish
   - It has a lot of issues

Meeting opened 18:12 I guess

[BG3] made a slide to show us that is on the projector
   - University Computer Club 40th Anniversary Dinner
   - 18th September
   - 18+
   - Tickets TBA
   - Cabellera's keyboard is shit
     - Keyboard is replaced with a less shit keyboard

Review of previous minutes 2014-05-09
-------------------------------------
  - SSOE
    - Didn't happen, no one cares
  - Wheel access to colocated machines
    - [NTU] wants logging, using fail2ban
    - We can do this we have the technology
    - [TPG] SOE for collocated machines
    - [NTU] that's kind of against the point of collocated machines
    - [BOB] wants remote logging on user machines
      - Setup a seperate size limited filesystem (on murasoi?)
    - Phone call from CSSC (?) "is motsugo running" answered by [GOZ] who 
is apparently "no fun"
    - Back to size limit of filesystem for syslogging
    - [BOB] to do this
    - Discussion of compromised machine
      - [SZM] no one other than the owner had root access was the real 
concern (it was doing remote syslogging anyway...)
      - We got told by the guild; why don't we have our own network 
monitoring?
      - Discussion of IS not using wheel's contact details
        - Tangent related to IPv6 and silliness
      - Back to colo machines
      - Motion from last meeting was:
        - [SLX] Wheel members need access to machines, if this is too hard 
or people complain we will discuss on a case by case basis.
        - This passed unanimously but we never pursued it
        - [SJH] why don't we threaten to turn off machines now
        - We can turn off the machines we don't need access
        - [BOB] kill network instead
    - What machines need replacing/upgrading

What is actually happening with Robotnik
----------------------------------------
  - [GOZ] power supply broke, we replaced it, but now it periodically just 
freezes
  - [BOB] power supply took RAM with it?
  - [BOB] where is Kalashnikov, can we use it?
  - [*OX] we can take the SD card out of Robotnik, put it in Kalashnikov 
and that should be it
    - Everyone: "Um, Nooo"
  - Discussion of replacing Robotnik with RPi
    - Can it handle the music library?
  - Or the LCA PCs we still have for some reason
  - Or lots of things that would work
  - [RVS] will dump config for someone and email tech@
  - [NTU] raises the fact that no one ever does any of the cool ideas we 
come up with in these meetings
    - Yep...
    - [BOB] "Project for tonight" dump image of config

[RVS] leaves 18:31

Back to the "review"
-------------------
   - Fileserver
   - NetApp
     - People come up with lots of cool ideas but no one does anything
     - [NTU] points out this is a common theme of wheel meetings
   - Virtual routers did not happen
   - Password Escroe
   - [NTU] it should be done... if someone wants to do it they should 
volunteer now
     * tumbleweed *
   - [NTU] also the NetApp
     * more tumbleweeds *
     - [TDH] to do a NetApp teaching evening
   - People discuss things and [NTU] tries to action them to do them
     - [TPG] backing up coke database more than 6 months
   - [SLX] backups of backups and everyone will be happy
   - Woah, backup a bit
   - [NTU] tries to action people to things again
     - A demo so people know how to use backups because only 2 people know 
how to restore a file
     - [GOZ] it is on the wiki!
     - [BOB] but if the wiki is down...
     - [GOZ] we back up the wiki!
     - [SLX] someone with access to a printer should make a hard copy of 
the page and hide it somewhere in the machine room where it will
       never be found again
     - tl;dr Go to root at mollitz:/backups and all the things are there.

   - [*OX] we need to change the clubroom password
     - [SZM] yes, it was exposed over HTTP via the minecraft server web 
interface (sent a wheel@ email several months ago)
       - Post meeting addition: It has now been changed to hunter2

     - How do we know if backups even work?
       - [BOB] There is a cronjob on mooneye called zzdailybackup and it 
does stuff and it emails some people something
       - [*OX] where does it backup things to?
          - [BOB] It backs it up to the Butt
       - [MJH] it goes to [MTL] and [TRS]
         - [MTL] It does?
       - [NTU] "TRS's immense tolerance to spam is one of the reasons he is 
a great life member"

       - [*OX] wants to put things in version control

   - Red folder in the machine room (re: Password escroe)
     - Not minuted at last meeting: People said "No" (minuted now for 
[*OX]'s benefit)
     - [*OX] still wants this
       - For things like passwords and everything important
     - [BOB] Keepass database on dropbox (encrypted)

   - Camp network - went well thanks to [SLX]
     - /var filled up (again)
     - Should note this
     - Noted
     - [TPG] got in from New Zealand

   - [NTU] Emergency shutdown system for the machine room
     - What if it's on fire...
     - Seriously in summer if the aircon died you'd have like 3 minutes
     - [BOB] we get alert emails
     - [NTU] and then what do you do?
     - People think we'll be fine?
     - Someone to acquire break glass...
     - [MSH] cronjob looking for file on nfs mount would work reasonably 
well

   - Discussion of UPS and controlling it
     - 6 UPS batteries were $150
     - Software is for windows XP, discussion (but no volunteers...) of 
reverse engineering the USB interface


[MTL] brings up the MasterPlan
------------------------------
   - There are vague rumours of emails that went unread
   - [GOZ] It's "It's actually happening this time guys" and that's UCC 
members saying it
     - General skepticism
     - Discussion of our requirements
     - Deferred to the next meeting... (or the one after that... or the one 
after that...)

[MSH] and [SJH] leave at 18:53

[MTL] what is actually causing us pain and what can we fix?
-----------------------------------------------------------
   - Printers
   - [NTU] So, I have a problem report, I have a pdf file I want to print 
here...
   - [SLX] Well there's your problem
   - Phosphorus is basically FITH
   - Neon is the new Phosphorus
     - As in, it is unreliable, old and breaking
   - The printer that's been in the hallway since 2004 is dead
     - [JCF] It was the best purchase we made; we should put it to 
committee that we buy a new one
        - Instead of using shitty second hand printers like Phosphorus and 
Neon
     - Committee has discussed this but something about policies prevented 
it happening

   - [NTU] Fundraising drives for 40th Anniversary Dinner (no, not 
fundraising for hard drives)
     - People think this is hard
   - Back to printers...
     - [*OX] volunteers to spec a printer, and present it to committee
     - [BOB] doesn't want colour, [TPG] seconds, motion passes I guess
   - [AMS] suggests putting up the price of printing and actually enforcing 
payment
   - Things are discussed but I'm too busy trying to think up puns
   - [JCF] this is semantics we are sounding like a committee
   - [BOB] adds printers to agenda for the committee

   - [MTL] what else is pissing people off?
     - [BG3] wants to replace Murasoi (core router + firewall)
     - It is a 9 year old Sunfire
     - It was "overheating" because it had a low temperature
       - [BOB] defends Murasoi's service record
     - Debate over how much of the noise is due to Murasoi
     - [BOB] wants to add sound proofing
     - [*OX] is bitchy about replacing Bitumen before Murasoi
       - [TPG] we won't replace it until it dies.
       - Power over ethernet... for the new Webcams
     - 10Gig is nice, we want the switch and router to both have it 
(Murasoi has 4Gig)
     - [*OX] would rather get a second VM server
     - Murasoi has gone down once, but since we added the fan and cardboard 
it has been fine
       - [SZM] is not a fan of this as a permanent cooling solution
     - [BOB] estimates a new router at $1500
       - We could do a lot better job at cooling for that much
       - Blanking plates, better aircon, etc
       - Why can't we put another aircon in the other window?
         - [JCF] they fought each other and froze each other up
         - [NTU] they lived in harmony, side by side
         - [*OX] what are we talking about again?
     - Concensus that Murasoi is not a high priority
       - We have spare disks
     - Concensus that getting rid of Mylah is a high priority
       - Don't hold any breaths

   - General contempt towards ATI/AMD graphics cards on desktops
     - Wheel group hereby condemns the use of these cards
     - Committee is banned from buying them
   - People realise there are only 17G on Mylah free
     - [BOB] can fix that...

   - Replacing Catfish
     - As long as it has an nVidia graphics card and you email tech@, 
delegated to committee

   - There is a lot of crap in the machine room.

   - The status of MolMol
     - It was configured as debian with RAIDZ by [SZM] [SLX] and [GEE]
     - It was reconfigured better by [DAA]
       - See tech@ email
       - Both debian and FreeBSD
       - Debian + ZFS + NFS is terrible,
         - [JCF] lol linux
       - FreeBSD + ZFS + NFS is also terrible, but much less terrible
         - [BOB] SAMBA
         - [JCF] Not a problem
         - Threats of moving to SAMBA 4
       - Consensus seems to be to stick with FreeBSD

   - [GOZ] is going to reinstall *all* the desktops
     - Redo the entire SOE
   - Ok...

   - [*OX] complains about LaTeX and the SOE
     - Packages don't work

   - [NTU] wants to set an action item:
     - [DAA] to demonstrate how Molmol works next Friday
       - ... [DAA] is in the UK

   - [SZM] People need to update their machines
   - [BOB] IPv6 migration was not well done
     - We can fit everything we previously had, but we don't have any spare 
space for the VPN
     - Reverse DNS being fragmented makes things harder for the University 
but not us
     - Basically the design doesn't make any sense to us
     - [NTU] we don't want to be stuck with this
       - [MTL] needs to contact ITS
       - [JCF] needs to remind [MTL]
       - [BOB] needs to remind [JCF]

Pizza time!

[BOB] to organise Pizza Run
   - [BOB] says "Fuck no"
   - [JDN] is tempted with vague promises of being added to wheel

People are going to places with beer instead I think
   - Argument about Pizza vs Beer
   - Pizza wins
   - [JDN] is organising! Best Treasurer ever.

Meeting closed some time around 19:50 - 20:00

Minutes also at: 
https://www.ucc.asn.au/infobase/minutes/2014/2014-08-15.tech


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