[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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