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

James French frenchie at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au
Fri Aug 15 22:07:32 WST 2014


Correction: I said phosphorous was the best thing we ever purchased
(it was UCC original)!

On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 9:37 PM, Sam Moore <matches at ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au> wrote:
> 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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