Omnimaga

General Discussion => Technology and Development => Web Programming and Design => Topic started by: alberthrocks on November 25, 2012, 11:53:56 am

Title: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 25, 2012, 11:53:56 am
Just so that updates are more public, I've decided to post them here!
You can also discuss any problems, ask questions, and make requests here as well.

Fr33 5h311 accounts are still available! It's 100% free!
We simply ask that you be respectful to others on the server and outside of it, and that you occasionally put some change in the tip jar for withgusto. ;)
You should be a member of Omnimaga for at least a month before signing up.

Spoiler For S3rv3r sp3cs:
S3rv3r 1 (main s3rv3r):
  • K|V|M V1rtual1zat1on (no overselling!)
  • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.4 GHz, 2 cores
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 40 GB HDD
  • 1OO MB1t/s n3tw0rk
  • Debian 6 32-bit (when Debian 7 is released, will be upgraded to Debian 7 64-bit)

S3rv3r 2 (secondary s3rv3r):
  • 0penVZ V1rtual1zat1on (overselling possible)
  • Not as reliable! (But very well spec'ed!)
  • Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU L5410 @ 2.33GHz, 4 cores
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 50 GB HDD
  • 1OO MB1t/s n3tw0rk
  • Debian 6 32-bit (when Debian 7 is released, will be upgraded to Debian 7 64-bit)
Spoiler For Features:
An account gets you:
  • Web space with Python support, latest P|H|P5 support, secure H|T|T|P|S S|S|L, and under a speedy NGINX web s3rv3r!
  • 55H access (duh) with background processes
  • My!S!Q!L access
  • 5F|T|P access
  • NodeJS
  • GCC/G++ compilers
  • Webma1l (username[at]withg.org)
  • 2NC B0unc3r (by request)
  • Rem0te deskt0p (by request)
  • ...and more!
Note that res0urc3s may be limited as necessary for user processes on the s3rv3r.
Resources are reasonably provisioned by need. No, you can't run a Min3|craft s3rv3r here.
Spoiler For How to get one:
DO NOT POST IN THIS TOPIC. Instead, post in the request (http://ourl.ca/7072) topic.
Posting in this topic will automatically have your application rejected - don't do it!

You must apply with this simple format:
S3rv3r: 1 or 2
Email (please obscure with (at) or similar to prevent spambots):
Why do you want it?
How you will use the account?
Why do you want it fr33?
Do I agree to the conditions of respect above?
I understand that withgusto is a donation-based service - the availability of this service depends on people like me for donations to pay server costs.
I also understand that my account may be terminated at any time.
Finally, I understand that I am responsible for backing up, and for actions (good or bad) on the server.
Legitimate explanations only! I'm not accepting a dumb, forceful, or crazy explanation. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Spoiler For FAQ:
1) Who manages the s3rv3r? I, alberthrocks, does. I will make sure that the server runs as smoothly as possible, and notify you in advance if any maintenance that will cause downtime is needed.
2) Are I/R/C bots allowed? Yes! However, do note that there are a LOT of my own bots running already on server 1, so availability for EFNet connection may be limited. Remember that any abuse will result in account termination (be respectful to others on the server and outside of it), so please be respectful!
3) What are the limits? We generally don't have limits, but we'll mention some baseline info: 128 MBs of RAM, 1-2 GBs of HDD space, 10-15 processes, overall taking less than 5-10% of C\P\U and/or taking max C\P\U < 3 minutes in a 30 minutes interval. We are very flexible, but again - don't abuse! (Game s3rv3rs eats lots of space and RAM, so that wouldn't work here.) If you use more s3rv3r resources than the limits that we proposed, please consider donating more funds to the network.
4) Are there backups? Yes - we use JungleDisk to backup our servers every 24 hours. Note that JungleDisk does not support fetching files from backup (just restoration to the server). However, we are not liable for backup problems - it is still your responsibility to back up!
5) Will there be FTP? We don't consider FTP to be a safe protocol, and it's troublesome to implement. Nevertheless, we may consider it in the future.
6) Why are some words spelled with numbers? It's to prevent posts like this (http://ourl.ca/7072/275296) or this (http://ourl.ca/7072/192160) (though the latter turned out to be a staying member, at least for a while).
Spoiler For Admins:
Current admins include:
  • alberthrocks (me)
  • geekboy
  • Eeems
  • Cooliojazz
(If I forgot to include you, tell me!)

We are pretty busy, but you can contact any of us for support, either on IRC or on the forums.
Do NOT contact us for s1gn up requests - they will be rejected.
You must s1gn up on the forums like everyone else (see above "How to get one")

First update will follow this post.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 25, 2012, 11:58:10 am
Server Update - 11/25/2012

Importance: MODERATE
Author: albert
Date: Sun Nov 25 00:24:30 EDT 2012

Thanks for your patience!

We have made some changes to the server to allow network (and disk I/O!) to
become faster! We're not too sure if it will help fix some weird SSH issues
(or maybe it's my stupid router), but it certainly feels faster!

To be specific, we enabled VirtIO on the VPS, which allows more direct I/O
and network, which results in faster speed! (No emulating of hard drives or
network cards like before!) The next reboot (which won't be for a while)
will be booting the server OS with that faster speed!

We also forgot to mention another thing - IPv6 now works! It worked before,
but it was broken because the server router gave the wrong IPv6 address to
the server, resulting in some wonky things. The correct static IPv6 address
is set and is now being used after the reboot. Enjoy working IPv6!

Thank you once again for your support, and thanks for bearing withgusto!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on November 26, 2012, 12:27:15 pm
Server 1 seems to be down still. How long till it's back up? I have some unchanged code on it for one of my projects.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 26, 2012, 02:30:09 pm
Quote from: Eeems on November 26, 2012, 12:27:15 pm
Server 1 seems to be down still. How long till it's back up? I have some unchanged code on it for one of my projects.
Server 1 (withg.org) is up for me, and has been up since that news update.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on November 26, 2012, 02:31:38 pm
Not according to http://isup.me/withg.org
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 26, 2012, 02:36:47 pm
It's up according to me and http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/withg.org :)
Try clearing DNS stuffs or SHIFT-F5?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on November 26, 2012, 02:44:04 pm
DNS flush doesn't help, same with trying to access it via direct ip and ssh through backup2. Can you ping it through backup2?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 26, 2012, 03:07:55 pm
It should now be fixed - PGLd (PeerGuardian Linux) was probably blocking you! :) It is now stopped and should allow access.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on November 26, 2012, 03:34:16 pm
Yep, I can access it now. Thanks :)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on February 17, 2013, 07:22:01 pm
ZNC Update - 02/17/2013

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: alberthrocks
Date: Sun Feb 17 19:23:00 EDT 2012

We have updated ZNC to v1.0! The new release (a jump from 0.x!) supports multiple networks on one username!
As a result, the following changes have been made: (some of this adapted from the ZNC changelog)

 * Your username is now USERNAME, not USERNAME-NETWORK. You need to change your auth config!
 * To login to ZNC, use user/network:password as password, or user/network as username. Also, you can switch between different networks on the fly using the /znc JumpNetwork command. A network called "default" has been created for each user - EFNet is the current "default". Settings from each user are moved into these "default" networks. When you log into ZNC without setting a network, the "default" network will automatically be chosen for you.
 * Users can create new networks up to an admin-configurable limit. By default, this limit is one five networks per user.
 * You can see a list of networks via /znc ListNetworks and /znc ListAllUserNetworks.

Sorry for the inconvenience! We hope that you enjoy the new ZNC! Please report any problems that you encounter with the new version!

If you would like a ZNC account, please post in the thread mentioned on this topic's first post!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: epic7 on February 17, 2013, 08:41:16 pm
How do you access the znc admin panel?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on February 18, 2013, 08:51:30 am
ZNC can be configured via the /znc commands or via a web admin panel (MUCH easier), found here:
https://www.withg.org:8080/
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: epic7 on February 19, 2013, 09:50:18 pm
Meh, I'm not able to ssh or stfp into withg anymore D:
Maybe I just forgot my password or something <.<
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: epic7 on February 21, 2013, 04:34:18 pm
Is anybody else getting "Out of system resources" errors?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on February 22, 2013, 02:29:43 am
No, not me, and ram is still >500MB free O.o
CPU isn't high either.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 15, 2013, 12:35:01 pm
Server Update - 09/15/2013

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Sun, Sept 15 9:29:07 AM PDT 2013
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1379262547
State of the (with)gusto
=========================
Wow... it’s been three great years, a milestone passed on September 14th, 2013! Thank you everyone for supporting and making the withgusto Network one of the best community servers out there!

The withgusto Network started out as a simple VPS, and eventually evolved into a full blown “network”... if you consider 3 disjointed servers a network, that is!

However, I’ve been supporting the network for pretty much the whole time the network is active. People have offered donations, but I’ve pretty much refused them. (shmibs, that Amazon GC is still active - you can still redeem it for yourself!) Now that I’m heading for college, I can’t afford to throw my money around anymore. I’m dedicating my time to learning quite a bit in college, so no paying jobs for me. (My jobs allowed me to pay for the servers - so yeah, no magical thousand dollar bank account here!)

Did you catch my hint? Yup, there’s a big change:

From now on, servers on the withgusto Network will be financially supported by the community. I can no longer support the network, and will no longer do so.

Right now, the server bill looks like this:

Total: $36.10/month ($433/year)

Yikes! So much money down the drain, right? That’s why there’s another big change:

withgusto Networks will be consolidating services to reduce costs and make donations to the server somewhat more easy and affordable.

...now before everyone goes crazy, what this means is that we’re just reducing our spending amount. It does NOT mean that we’ll be shutting down our network. The only way the network goes down is if there’s no more interest in it, and/or no one is paying for it at all.

Budget consolidation is by no means cutting (but it can be involved, too). For us, it means finding better providers that can offer a MUCH lower price for their services. It can also mean combining servers into one and removing some unneeded services. Whatever it is, it means that there should be no losses from making the bill smaller.

My current proposition for consolidation:

The proposition is just a proposition - consolidation will ONLY happen after the withgusto community has a thorough discussion about what to do. (Other people might have better ideas, too!)

After all of that, where do I stand? I will continue to be the main admin for withgusto Networks, toddling around with the server during the school year, but I will be looking for more admins in the coming weeks to help support withgusto. No worries - current admins will still be admins, but they are far more busier with their lives, and new admins would help support withgusto when they’re busy!

And, not to forget: I will no longer offer financial support to withgusto. At most, if there are problems with securing donations, I will sponsor 1-2 months of funds in a year. But if the monthly donation pool doesn’t meet the goal, then withgusto will be shut down.** No exceptions at all - even if $10,000*** worth of donations came in, it still has to go down. (So yes, prompt monthly donations are a MUST!) I really can’t afford to spend any more money on this... sorry. :(

No worries - given the strength of the withgusto community, I’m certain that we’ll have enough money to keep it running from now on!

** It will be shut down after an extra month of uptime to allow for backups.
*** If you really did donate that much, then that’s another story. My point is that if you just donated the monthly amount after the bills are due, then I have no way of supporting it further.

OK, now to the much more merrier news...

Coming Soon - Server Updates!
==============================
Yes, server updates! The withgusto server has been gathering some dust, so we’ll be making a few cool updates soon!

#0 - Donation Website
----------------------
While we are still on the topic of money... there will be two donation pools set up. One donation pool is to help pay for the servers each month, and another is for the poor college kid (me)! (The former should take more priority over the latter!)

Come next month, I will be in $5000+ in debt, and $5000+ more the next months as well. This donation pool is NOT - I repeat, NOT - necessary for the withgusto Network to stay alive. However, if you are feeling generous, put something in the tip jar every month! Feeling guilty for doing something bad? Relieve your conscience by donating to me! Feeling bored? Throw numbers and numbers into my tip jar number counting script! ;)

In all seriousness, please do consider donations to the server. Then, if you have some extra cash, please consider helping me out!

#1 - Debian 7 x64
------------------
Our servers are running an updated Debian 6 x86. Debian 7 has been out for some time, and some remaining bugs have been knocked out. Furthermore, the repositories that provide withgusto with updated server software have enabled support for Debian 7. Therefore, we are pretty much ready to upgrade!

The really nice feature about Debian 7? Its support for multiarch. Did you notice that we mentioned x64 instead of x86? That’s because with multiarch, we can install and run both the “native” x64 software and the x86 software at the same time!

We are preparing for our upgrade soon, so stay tuned! In the meantime, gear up your backuping-fu, because we’re getting ready to move!

#2 - withgusto Central Authentication System (CAS)
---------------------------------------------------
Have access to withg.org, but don’t have access to the RAM-loaded backup2.withg.org? That’s blasphemy. Unfortunately, pretty much everybody suffers from “withg.org-only-access” syndrome! (Except for the admins, of course...) How can we fix that?

The answer? A central authentication system, using LDAP and Kerberos. In the future, once Debian 7 is installed, we will be migrating to a central authentication system. You will still login via SSH/SFTP/FTP to gain access to the server, but this time, you will only have to worry about one login and password on the main server: withg.org. Once you have an account on withg.org, you can access backup.withg.org and backup2.withg.org immediately with the same credentials. Isn’t that cool?

This also means that for current (and future) services, one-login-for-all might be implemented for it.


#3 - Website and Services Redesign
-----------------------------------
Sometime soon, we hope to release a new version of our withgusto website! At the same time, we will be revamping our services (like mail/webmail, ZNC, and others) to make it stable and user-friendly to use! We’re also looking into a web control panel (ISPConfig or Webmin) for making management easier for both admins and users alike. Stay tuned!

THE END... ERR, BEGINNING OF MORE THINGS TO COME!
==================================================
Yeah, we have financial problems, but we’re still looking forward! We think that the withgusto community will continue to thrive for years to come, and we’re planning in anticipation for that!

Because we’re not just a VPS network. We’re not just a shell service with benefits. We’re a network and community withgusto!
OK, that was cheesy. Blargh.

Thanks again for an awesome 3 years, and here’s to more years of reliable service to come! :D

Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 16, 2013, 07:06:48 pm
Just to clarify on the above announcement (sorry for the double-posting bump!):

1) The service will not shut down at all as long as there are people who are willing to donate, and more importantly, people who still want to be a part of the withgusto community and network!
2) Besides donations, we also are consolidating and doing some fundraising as well. To clarify even more, the monthly bill probably won't cost $40 (maybe $20 or even less!), and fundraising will also offset the monthly cost!

In a nutshell, the sky is not falling, so don't rush to move away! ;)

EDIT: Donations can now be made here (http://withg.org/donate/). Our monthly goal is $40 until consolidation occurs, so please help us out!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on October 30, 2013, 12:16:38 am
Server Update - 10/30/2013

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Tues, Oct 30 9:09:57 PM PDT 2013
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1383106197
withgusto Update: IMPORTANT survey, new blog, donations, and SSL fun!
======================================================================
A little more than one month later, we have plenty of updates to announce!

IMPORTANT MANDATORY SURVEY
---------------------------
As we mentionned before, we will be transitioning into a donation-supported
service. This also means that we will do whatever it takes to try and slim down
our hosting bill!

That said, withgusto Networks is not just a service, it is a community. We want
to make sure that the new servers we move to are perfect for you!

Therefore, we ask that ALL withgusto users take this survey. We created this
survey to examine how people are using withgusto, and to determine what would
be an appropriate VPS provider (and VPS!) for us to migrate to.

This survey will help us figure out the best option for withgusto in the
future, so *PLEASE* spend some time to fill this survey out. Unlike most
surveys you might see out there, this survey is pretty important because it
*WILL impact you directly*! This includes what stuff you are running on the
servers, what you are connecting to, etc. If you don't take the survey, your
input won't be heard, and we probably won't be moving anytime soon after this.

So, PLEASE, PLEASE TAKE THE SURVEY! It will only take you around 15-20 minutes.

You can find the survey here:
http://withg.org/survey/

This survey will close on Friday, November 15th, at 11:59:59 PM. Make sure to
take this survey before then!

New blog!
----------
Yup, we have a new blog! OK, it's just a webpage with all of our server
announcements, but it's pretty cool! (Thanks to Sorunome for making that for
us!)

You can check out our "blog" here:
http://withg.org/blog/

Donations are open!
--------------------
We are finally ready to release to the public our donations page! It's a pretty
nice donations page, so go check it out... and donate!

For now, we only support Paypal. If you want to donate via another method,
whether it is by Amazon Payments, or even snail mailing cash/check, contact
the admin, Albert!

You can find our donations page here:
http://withg.org/donate/

SSL fixed!
-----------
Our SSL certificate quietly expired at the beginning of October. (If you're
curious, it's October 6th to be exact.) We use the same cert on ZNC and NGINX,
as they were on the same domain. NGINX went unnoticed (unless you were using
webmail or some secure site on withg.org), but ZNC didn't... and people could
no longer connect. Sorry about that!

If your client refused to connect, it means that it strongly enforces the SSL
certificate's validity. If you have such a client, simply disable SSL checking
and/or set an option to still connect, even if the certificate is invalid.

(NOTE: If you are super-paranoid, this is NOT an option you should change.)

If you are using XChat/Hexchat, open your Network List. (You can do so by
accessing the menu XChat > Network List... or Hexchat > Network List...)
Select the ZNC "network" that you created, and click Edit. Then check the
box that says "Accept invalid SSL certificate". Once checked, make sure the
"Use SSL for all the servers on this network" box is still checked, and then
close the window. You're done! From now on, you can continue to connect to
ZNC, even with a bad SSL certificate! (Hopefully you won't have to deal with
that again.)

Long story short, basically I forgot that the emails reminding me to renew the
SSL certificate were actually important. For that, I sincerely apologize for
the inconvenience I may have caused you. I'll make sure that will not happen
again!

And yes, it's fixed! Both NGINX and ZNC have the new certificate. If you are
still seeing warnings, clear your cache and try again.

That's it!
-----------
Again, please make sure to take the survey, and check out our new blog and
donation website!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 17, 2013, 01:34:10 pm
Hey everyone!

It looks like everyone took the survey... but just to make sure... we will keep it up until midnight EDT tonight!

You can find the survey here:
http://withg.org/survey/

Please ask everyone you know that uses withg to take the survey!
We want to make sure that the decision we make in the future supports everyone!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on January 13, 2014, 02:25:12 pm
Server Update - 1/13/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Mon, Jan 13 11:25:00 AM PDT 2014
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1389641100
withgusto Update: We're moving!
======================================================================
Welcome to the new year! You've heard about it, and now it's happening!

As part of our consolidation plan, we are shutting down a few servers and
moving to a cheaper, better server!

Moving, moving, moving!
------------------------
As part of the moving process, we would really appeciate if you could do
the following:

  * If you have any big files on the server, please download them to your
    computer so that we can pack and move lightly to our new server.
    As always, make sure to md5sum/sha1sum the file on your computer
    BEFORE deleting it from the server!
  * If you have any running processes that are necessary, download their
    files now and be ready to move them to the new server.
  * Also, if you have any running processes, make sure to start them now
    and keep them running with an "always-on" script. (Usually, a while
    loop running the program will do, WITH a time delay. If you don't
    have a time delay, the program will use up all of the CPU, backups
    will slow down, and your program WILL BE TERMINATED! So don't do it!)

Our moving process will proceed in five stages:

  * System freeze and backup (1/15/2014-1/18/2014) - We will "freeze"
    the system and prevent any changes from being made to the system files.
    You can still login and do things on the server at this time, but you
    will NOT be able to install anything on the server. We will then proceed
    to back up only the system files. Within the same time period, once the
    backups are complete, we will transfer and restore them to the new
    server, starting on 1/17/2014.
  * Data freeze and backup (1/17/2014-1/20/2014) - We will "freeze"
    the entire server (including user files) and prevent any changes from
    being made to the user directories. You will be LOCKED OUT during this
    phase, and will be denied login access. At this phase, your shell
    will be replaced with a status page on the backup and moving of the
    server(s). If absolutely necessary, we may make exemptions on a case
    by case basis, but keep in mind that changes you make will NOT be
    backed up. Like the previous stage, files are backed up and being
    restored to the new server at the same time.
  * Verification day (1/20/2014) - This is the day when the server will
    be "unlocked". You will be allowed to login again on this day. Check
    your data on this day to make sure everything has arrived safely.
    If you have any issues on this day, please let the admin know ASAP.
    After this day, the server will be DELETED! Alternatively, if it
    is just a minor problem with some files, simply copy the files from
    this server to the new server.
  * Old VPS/Backup Service Termination (1/21/2014) backup2.withg.org,
    the old withg.org server (this one), and the backup service,
    JungleDisk, will be terminated on this day. (JungleDisk made daily
    backups of the main server... but costed too much! Backups will be
    done in the future in a decentralized environment... and as always,
    it is up to the user to backup as well.)
  * New VPS restoration complete (1/22/2014) withg.org will now point
    to the new server, and services should be restored.

Keep in mind that backup2.withg.org and withg.org (this server)
will be TERMINATED. All necessary preparations should be done by
1/17/2014 (or earlier). The freeze will prevent you from logging into
either server, so be ready!

Servers backup2.withg.org and withg.org will be moved to the new
server. Data should be intact, but you should make sure to check on
verification day, 1/20/2014!

A final SQL backup will be made right before verification day. We will
perform this last due to the ongoing nature of SQL.

A graphical timetable can be found here:
(http://www.withg.org/withgTimeline.png) (http://www.withg.org/withgTimeline.png)

Services
---------
Web services will continue to run for the duration of the move, and should
not be affected. DNS will be changed immediately after the move has been
completed for the system and the web files, so DNS propogation hopefully
won't be an issue.

If you are having problems accessing withg, we will have a new site pointing
to the new server, v2.withg.org (http://v2.withg.org/).

SFTP will still continue to run during the data freeze period, just not SSH.
You may continue to make your own backups until the servers are terminated.

ZNC will have a brief interruption on verification day, so make sure to
start any additional IRC clients on your side if you need to keep ops.

Any background processes will be terminated when the servers terminate, so
make sure you start them up ASAP!

New Server Funding
-------------------
This is important! Starting today, all funding for the server
will be 100% user-donated. The owner will no longer provide any funding
due to financial constraints.

Our new provider has these plans:

  * $4/month: 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 15 GB SSD, 1 TB bandwidth
  * $8/month: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, 2 TB bandwidth
  * $16/month: 2 vCPUs, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SDD, 3 TB bandwidth
  * $24/month: 2 vCPUs, 3 GB RAM, 75 GB SSD, 3 TB bandwidth
  * $32/month: 4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 200 GB SSD, 5 TB bandwidth

Why would I show you these plans? Simple - the donations that are
received each month will determine which server specs withg will have.

Starting today until the new VPS is purchased (1/17/2014), donations
for this month are being accepted. If the community wants a super speedy
server for $32/month, pitch in $32/month! If the community wants a
decent (but not too crazy) server, pitch in $24/month! A lesser server,
$16/month, and so on... According to the survey, our ideal server is at
$16-24/month range, and if everyone pitches in, we'll have extra money
left over for the next month! (We apparently have a LOT of willing donors...
BUT don't take that as an excuse to not donate! If you don't donate, chances
are that everyone else won't donate, either...)

Note that all the donations MUST be received by 1/17/2014. Even if you
donate a day after 1/17/2014, funds will be allocated for next month,
not the current month!

This provider is also pretty great in terms of flexibilty! If money is
short, but we have enough for a lower plan, I can easily downgrade to a
lower plan and things will work out perfectly! (Not sure about downtime,
but from what I've heard it is minimal.)

I truly apologize for sounding harsh (like an angry landlord, no less!),
but I really need to cut back on spending, as money is short for both me
and my family.

That said, please donate!
http://withg.org/donate/

On a more positive note, the plans are MUCH cheaper, and you guys get
really fast SSD storage, so that's something to look forward to!

The Future (again)!
--------------------
There are some exciting announcements that will be made in the future,
so stay tuned!

Thanks again for flying withgusto! ✈
We'll have a brief stopover on an island, and we'll be transferring to
a new flight, withgusto v2! :D

Your captain (aka admin),
Albert H (alberthrocks)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on January 17, 2014, 03:23:05 am
Server Update - 01/17/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Fri, Jan 17th, 2014 at 12:18:59 AM PST
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1389946739

withgusto Migration Update #1
==============================
We have reached Day 5 of migration! Writing status updates are painful
(especially since we want to be on schedule), but I didn't want to
have too much panic, so I'll be "open and transparent" (BUZZWORD)
about what's going on behind the scenes, and some plans ahead!

Current Status
---------------
I'm writing the backup software in-house. Why? There's no software out
there that does the backup that I'd like to do - a very fine, intensive
but safe backup. (I can't do partitioning because that would be a
little... weird to copy over to another server. And it's really big,
too. And it can only result in a clumsy mess... at least for VPSes!)

Due to some unforeseen bugs within Python-APT (Debian's Python interface
to their APT packaging system), development of the tool is taking a
bit longer than usual. Development time was slated for 1-2 days, but
it has gotten a significant delay. However, the backup itself shouldn't
take too long as long as the number of packages are low (<1500),
internet is fast and speedy, and there's enough disk space.

I just finished writing the workaround for that bug today, so normal
development should resume tomorrow, and we could be seeing system backup
start as early as tomorrow evening!

I won't go into too much details - we'll save the fun technical stuff
for after the migration! ;) Nevertheless, for those who are curious,
here's a link to the workaround code:

https://gist.github.com/alberthrocks/4bef423e8ecc4df357ce

Moving Forward
---------------
The Global Data Freeze will still be occuring today,
Friday, January 17th, 2014. As for time, the freeze will occur at
11:59:59 PM on that day, so there should be plenty of time to move and
sort things out! Again, we ask that if you have any large data files,
please download them to your computer for backup and delete them from
the server!

We switched to CloudFlare for faster DNS propogation, so hopefully
when the time comes, "flipping the switch" will not take too long! We do
not anticipate any web service outages at this time.

ZNC service will be switched over sometime next Tuesday. We'll
provide another update as to what time. To prepare, make sure you have
a backup IRC client/user ready if you need to keep ops!

OmniNET IRC on this server (irp.irc.omnimaga.org) will be going down
soon. (No worries, it WILL come back, but only after the new server is
up and ready!) If you are on OmniNET, just switch to irc.omnimaga.org.
If you are already there, you should be fine. Note that NickServ and
ChanServ data will be wiped on the new servers that are supporting
OmniNET, so you will have to reregister. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on January 17, 2014, 10:02:08 am
A note on the Omninet thing. All chanserv and nickserv data was wiped already across all servers.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on January 22, 2014, 11:35:32 am
Server Update - 01/17/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Wed, January 22nd, 2014 at 8:27:46 AM PST
Blog post: http://www.withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1390408066

withgusto Migration Update #2
==============================
We have reached Day 10 of migration! 

Unfortunately, as you might have noticed from a lack of downtime or
notice, the migration process has a major delay... apologies! 

Some people thought we have moved already because there were no more
messages. The news you get on startup only shows ONCE. To show the news
again, run:
    system-msg --all 

(Our admin Eeems will implement a --last soon, no worries!) 

We will ALWAYS announce whether we have moved or not, as well as any
schedule changes or planned downtimes. Do NOT assume that we have done
anything unless you see it here! 

That said... 

Current Status
---------------
As I mentionned before, the backup software is written in-house. We
write our own because the type of backup software we want has never been
made before! 

The backup software is a comprehensive Debian packages and system backup
that figures out what packages are installed, what files inside the installed
packages have changed, and if there are any new files added to the system,
either via pip or some external software installation. And, most importantly,
we want to do this kind of backup efficiently. Why backup the entire HDD
(or all the system files) if you can just backup the stuff that "changed"?
It's easier to restore to a different OS using package lists and a changed
files archive than a tarball of files that you can't really use! More
importantly, the data from the package list allows for package restoration,
meaning that fewer things break on the user side of things! This also
allows the next step of the backup to be much easier - just backup the data
and not the system files! 

But all of this only works if there's hard work put into coding, debugging,
and making sure it really works. (The debugging part is particularly
painful...) 

The backup software is almost done - it's running a backup now, and
will complete within an hour or two. If it crashes, I'll fix the bug,
and then the backup starts again... which means another hour or two.
(I'm going to implement state saving after this, but not before due to
the risk of potentially screwing up the backup.) If it succeeds, I'll
download the backup and verify that it did what it needed to do
successfully. If everything is good, we'll run it again on backup2,
and repeat. Once we're done, the global data freeze will begin. We will
announce this when it happens. 

Moving Forward
---------------
We can't give you a definite timeline, but we're hoping to be done with
backups by the end of this week. We still need to write a restore script
(which is harder than you might think), but no worries - we'll try to be
faster! 

Again, sorry for the delays, and thanks again for flying withgusto!
-alberthrocks 
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on January 28, 2014, 10:44:52 pm
The global data freeze is now in effect - you will no longer be able to log in. You can still SFTP data back and forth, but we recommend not changing any data on the server, as it could mess up the data backup and result in your data being lost! (After the data backup is finished, we will NOT copy changes you make to the new server, even when unlocked! It is now YOUR responsibility to make a backup of any changes!)

If you REALLY need access to the server, let me know and I'll unlock your account.

In the mean time, you can login to your account and see this live status screen! :D
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1016340/PublicPictures/withgStatusTerm.png)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on January 28, 2014, 11:21:36 pm
Oooh I like that screen ^_^
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on January 29, 2014, 12:25:49 am
Quote from: alberthrocks on January 28, 2014, 10:44:52 pm
The global data freeze is now in effect - you will no longer be able to log in. You can still SFTP data back and forth, but we recommend not changing any data on the server, as it could mess up the data backup and result in your data being lost! (After the data backup is finished, we will NOT copy changes you make to the new server, even when unlocked! It is now YOUR responsibility to make a backup of any changes!)

If you REALLY need access to the server, let me know and I'll unlock your account.

In the mean time, you can login to your account and see this live status screen! :D
I'm going to need access to the IRC server at some point, so that when Juju moves it we can move the config file.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: cooliojazz on January 29, 2014, 02:13:24 am
Did you or albert ever move it, or is the IRCD still in my home dir? Cause I just left it there when I set it up oh so long ago and last time I checked it was still there XD Probably not the best place to store that I feel though, especially since I don't exactly manage it anymore. XD
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on January 29, 2014, 05:59:40 am
cooliojazz posted O.O

Anyways, that is indeed a nice screen :)

Hoping the migration will pass by easily :)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on January 29, 2014, 09:45:09 am
Quote from: cooliojazz on January 29, 2014, 02:13:24 am
Did you or albert ever move it, or is the IRCD still in my home dir? Cause I just left it there when I set it up oh so long ago and last time I checked it was still there XD Probably not the best place to store that I feel though, especially since I don't exactly manage it anymore. XD
/home/ircd now. I've revamped omninet. If you connect you'll notice you no longer have oper and there are a lot more servers ;P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on February 24, 2014, 10:23:03 pm
TL;DR: really sorry for delays, backup+migration will get done, I promise!

Hey everyone! Let's see, where do I start....

I'll start by saying that I'm a horrible server/VPS/network admin, who promised you guys a migration to a faster server and gave... nothing. And on top of that, this admin locked everyone out of their accounts! :P For that, I'm really really really really really really really really really really really really really really
Spoiler For :
really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really + (really * ∞)
...sorry for the inconvenience. And even with that, 1000 + ∞ (yes, you can count them, 1000 is possible on the internet) really sorries don't make up much for it. But I promise you that I'll get to the migration.... eventually.

If you depend on withgusto for services other than ZNC and require login, please let me know and I will be happy to unlock your account. This includes any special requests, like software installations, server setup, etc.

As for reasons/excuses why it hasn't gone anywhere:

No worries - I'm personally motivated to make withgusto the best for its users (thank you for your support)! And there's monetary motivation, too - I just paid around $23 worth of server fees, and have another $15 invoice due 3/1. Eeeek!

It'll get done... eventually. I don't want to give any timelines, but I can promise you it WILL get done. Eventually.

To prove that, I'll give you guys the current status on the move. It'll get updated on the IRC EFNet/OmniNET channel status of #IRP, maybe here if I get time/motivation.

Current Status:
Apologies again for the delays!

EDIT #1: Minor edits here and there. Please take note of the stuff in bold!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on March 03, 2014, 05:15:27 pm
Just a quick status update:
Current Status:
Completed tasks:
Progress Bar:
[███       ] 30%
_^^^^^^^^^^
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on March 04, 2014, 09:23:00 am
Looks like we had a HARD 2 hour downtime (with the VPS actually being turned off) - sorry for the inconvenience! (This may be due to something on the VPS provider's side, dunno...)
This means that any bots or things that were running before have been turned off, and you may need to start them up again.
ZNC was disconnected but has started up again.

Again, sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on April 01, 2014, 01:18:35 pm
withgusto has closed!

Due to the owner having no more time to work on the website, and loss of funds from paying off bills, withgusto has now shut down and will no longer operate from 4/1/2014 onwards. All shell accounts have been closed. Donations at withg.org/donate (http://withg.org/donate) are no longer funding the website and will only fund the owner's debt.

Our website (http://withg.org/) has been updated to reflect this unfortunate news. If you log in now, you will see this message instead:

   Due to the owner having no more time to work on the website, and loss of funds
   from paying off bills, withgusto has now shut down and will no longer operate
   from 4/1/2014 onwards. All shell accounts have been closed. Donations at
   withg.org/donate are no longer funding the website and will only fund the
   owner's debt. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience.

   2014-04-01 13:15:10 | Uptime: CLOSED | Last update: April 1st, 2014 EDT 00:00:00


We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience.

EDIT: I am still accepting donations! http://withg.org/donate/

EDIT 2: April Fools! :D No worries, we're not ready to shut our doors that fast! (Actually, not even close!) withgusto will live on for as long as it can, so no worries! Post-4/1 post to follow soon.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on April 02, 2014, 01:51:51 am
"Hey! So now withgusto has officially closed, I would like to say a sincere thank you to anybody (heck, everybody) for helping withgusto become what it had become. It's gone now, but I hope that its legacy will live on, maybe in another hosting community..."

...is what I hope I will NEVER have to say! :D Our closing is an April Fool's joke! Some people did seem very concerned, so it looked like it worked pretty well... though honestly, I must apologize for that! The April Fool's joke was a little too dark, and I think I might have caused some people to have heart attacks when they saw this! (I couldn't reveal the joke to you guys (except for admins) because I couldn't tell whether you guys were genuinely concerned or just trying to get me to spill the beans!)

Rest assured - withgusto is NOT going anywhere anytime soon. I will do the best of my ability to ensure that it lives on forever.

I did try to give some hints though! For instance, in the HTML source of withg.org, there's a small HTML comment that looks like this:
<!-- Cool hash: 7468697320697320746f74616c6c79206e6f7420616e20617072696c20666f6f6c2773206a6f6b65 -->

I'll admit, I was being a tad bit deceptive. It's NOT a hash. It's just a hex encoded string. Going to a website like this (http://www.string-functions.com/hex-string.aspx) will give you this:
this is totally not an april fool's joke

...which, if you found this, should hopefully keep your mind at ease.

The other more subtle (but ridiculous and slightly NSFW/NSFL) hint is found on the donation page:
http://withg.org/donate/

This is what it showed:
Quote
Albert Donations
Support Albert by donating today!

Hello there!
Do you use Albert every day? Do you depend on it? Or do you just love the services he offers, for free? Support him with a donation!
His services may be free, but he isn't. He is losing money every day, and the person paying for it isn't going to last long!
His monthly goal? $24 each month! (This month, he has raised $0!)
Show your appreciation - donate every month!

His Goal: 0% done

The Donor List - Folks Who Showed Their Support
Albert is pretty cool. You should throw all your money at him.

-Juju http://juju2143.ca 2014-01-15 15:41:06

I seem to be paying more than everybody else... Come on guys, catch up!

-Nathaniel van Diepen http://eeems.ca 2014-01-15 11:41:16

I love Albert more then that other Nathaniel guy.

-Nathaniel van Diepen http://eeems.ca 2013-11-21 18:17:52

Thanks for the great services :D

-Parker http://withg.org/parkerlreed/ 2013-10-30 00:37:45

I love Albert!

-Nathaniel van Diepen http://eeems.ca 2013-09-21 15:13:49

The sheer weirdness and craziness of the donation page should hopefully tip people off.

However, people fell for it, and there is a little scary truth in it that probably convinced people instantly. What is it?
It's true - I am footing the bill pretty much for the server costs, and am losing a lot of money for it. As a college student, this only makes matters worse.
(My estimate: $15/mo [withg.org], $7/mo [backup2.withg.org], $12/mo [backup service for withg.org], $16/mo [new server to migrate to], $25/yr -> $2.10/mo [backup.withg.org] = $52.10/mo)
As a result, I usually have to keep transferring from my savings account to support withgusto. I had initially thought that paying for this would motivate me to work on this faster, but I've come to realize that college is a full-time occupation. (There's a reason why "Student" is considered a job!) So no matter how long time goes by or how much money gets sucked out of me, I won't work any faster.

I really, really hate to ask for money, especially when I haven't offered you guys anything. Your accounts are still locked, and it's not the most productive server out there.

Nevertheless, I don't foresee myself getting this done soon, and I don't want to continue hemorrhaging money, so let's do something about it!

Effective soon (TM), the following will occur:
That's it! Hopefully this will tide you over from the pretty horrible April Fool's prank! (Next time I'll announce a merger with Google or something...)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on April 02, 2014, 01:54:53 am
I knew it. *rolls eyes*
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 02, 2014, 02:47:49 am
I totally missed this one :P. Nice, though :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: TIfanx1999 on April 02, 2014, 07:33:21 am
Knew it. Didn't take the troll bait. :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on April 02, 2014, 12:02:30 pm
LOL when I read this post I knew it was fishy. Nice try but you can't get me with April fools pranks. :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on April 02, 2014, 03:24:25 pm
Dang it, I totally fell for it >.<
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on April 02, 2014, 04:20:19 pm
/me laughs at Sorunome
/me runs
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 05, 2014, 02:45:25 am
Quote from: Sorunome on April 02, 2014, 03:24:25 pm
Dang it, I totally fell for it >.<
To be honest I can understand, though, with the constant threat of a permanent shutdown in the past three years or so due to lack of funds. (although I can understand since it costs money to run servers)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on April 08, 2014, 04:40:55 pm
Just a quick update!
From last time, effective soon (TM), the following will occur:
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on April 17, 2014, 12:48:47 am
Just a quick update!

Other than that, that's it for now! Stay tuned...
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 17, 2014, 03:30:23 am
I hope this doesn't mean Omninet will close eventually. It started at 4-5 servers and now it's down to 2, right? D:
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on April 17, 2014, 06:11:10 am
Have you updated to the latest OpenSSL version by now, though, as there may have been some other bugs?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on April 17, 2014, 09:33:34 am
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on April 17, 2014, 03:30:23 am
I hope this doesn't mean Omninet will close eventually. It started at 4-5 servers and now it's down to 2, right? D:
No worries, withgusto.irc.omnimaga.org will be back in no time! :D (Hopefully!)

Quote from: Sorunome on April 17, 2014, 06:11:10 am
Have you updated to the latest OpenSSL version by now, though, as there may have been some other bugs?
Wow, this Heartbleed bug is a little too overadvertised... :P

The only server affected by this was the new withgusto server, via the SSL feature of UnrealIRCd. The server was updated and restarted on the day of the Heartbleed announcement.
It doesn't look like anything was compromised, though. Looking at the SSH log is worrisome (since there's that ONE guy who's trying to brute force into root), but the ircd log indicates no one else besides the community has attempted to access IRC on my side of things. (In fact, no one but the community connected to my server!)

The old withgusto server is safe and sound. No OpenSSL updates have been offered simply because the old OpenSSL does not have the heartbeat SSL extension at all - it wasn't implemented back then!
In fact, the latest update is from last year:
Quote from: http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs//main/o/openssl/openssl_0.9.8o-4squeeze14_changelog
openssl (0.9.8o-4squeeze14) squeeze-security; urgency=low

  * Fix CVE-2013-0166 and CVE-2013-0169

 -- Kurt Roeckx <kurt@roeckx.be>  Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:41:07 +0100
(Latest changelog is linked from this page (https://packages.debian.org/squeeze/openssl) - see "Debian Changelog" on the right sidebar.)

So yeah, main withg.org is safe and sound. No newer implementations of OpenSSL are at use. Debian archives use 0.9.8. The latest one installed on the server is 1.0.0... a hair shy from the affected version, 1.0.1. (And I'm not even sure which apps use the newer library...) The only other places would be applications that statically compile a source version of OpenSSL, which AFAIK does not seem to be the case on the server. (IRCd statically compiles the latest version of cURL, but nothing more.)

In retrospect, it may have been sheer luck to not upgrade...

TL;dr: Don't worry! Be happy! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv-Fk1PwVeU&feature=kp)

EDIT: Thinking about it now, it's possible that due to the nature of the bug, an exploit might have happened. This is due to the bug occurring within SSL itself, which means that it won't necessarily be logged by IRCd. However, that could hold true for any affected server out there. If you believe that an exploit did happen, passwords got stolen, etc. you can change your password, just in case! (The only passwords that could've been stolen are oper passwords and server linking password, and of course server keys... all of which can be changed rather easily, if necessary.)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on April 17, 2014, 11:44:14 am
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on April 17, 2014, 03:30:23 am
I hope this doesn't mean Omninet will close eventually. It started at 4-5 servers and now it's down to 2, right? D:
Not from my count. There are 4 IRC nodes (eeems, eeezor, irp and omni), not including the two services (stats and services). To see all the servers connected to a network at any time, just use the /links command.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 19, 2014, 02:02:54 am
Aah ok, I didn't know there was both eeems and eeezor. I was sure it was just irp and omni now, since emma-ai is gone (since juju can no longer pay for it) and withg just closed. At first it reminded me the beginning of the end of United-TI IRC network x.x (except that Omninet has pretty much no downtimes)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on April 19, 2014, 02:23:13 am
Juju's was called saphira actually. Withgusto didn't actually close, they just shut down the new server and kept irp running.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on April 19, 2014, 03:52:56 am
I hope Juju can get his server back up next month at least. If hosting providers arekind enough not to delete the contents of it that is. :/
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on April 19, 2014, 12:19:47 pm
The issue is his financial situation is gonna be much worse than it already was after this month (nobody in the house will have a job anymore and it's not guaranteed they'll find one immediately, especially with such terrible public transit on evenings). Idk if juju will even be able to afford his next semester tuition fees so maybe he'll have to scrap his studies too.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on April 19, 2014, 01:50:30 pm
Awww that sucks. D:
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: flyingfisch on May 31, 2014, 01:28:54 pm
http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/withg.org

Anyone know why withg is down?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on May 31, 2014, 01:37:05 pm
Not enough donations? D:
EDIT: It's back! :D
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on May 31, 2014, 07:31:39 pm
Quote from: Sorunome on May 31, 2014, 01:37:05 pm
Not enough donations? D:
Well...
Spoiler For No donations?!?!?:
(http://withg.org/albert/nodonate.png)
You said it - go donate plz before May is over :P http://www.withg.org/donate (http://www.withg.org/donate)

Sorry for the downtime guys - it was downtime on the VPS provider side:
Quote from: @hostigation
@hostigation (https://twitter.com/hostigation)
LA Outage due to router chassis failure @Quadranet (https://twitter.com/QuadraNet) they are working as fast as possible

-May 31, 2014 (https://twitter.com/hostigation/status/472788461679030272)

Everything seems to be up now - running programs should probably still be running, due to the router only having problems. Let me know if anything crazy happens!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 10, 2014, 10:43:57 pm
Hello, world.
Something interesting is coming.
Are you ready for it?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: pimathbrainiac on June 10, 2014, 11:47:02 pm
Quote from: alberthrocks on June 10, 2014, 10:43:57 pm
Hello, world.
Something interesting is coming.
Are you ready for it?

Yeah, I'm ready. Does it involve cookies?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 11, 2014, 10:15:12 am
My body is always ready.

EDIT: Erm... wait how did this get here? <.<
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: pimathbrainiac on June 11, 2014, 10:17:17 am
Nice try, Eeems, I don't see a "last edited by" on that post :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 11, 2014, 10:19:11 am
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on June 11, 2014, 10:17:17 am
Nice try, Eeems, I don't see a "last edited by" on that post :P
I keep on editing it, and it keeps on not showing up :(

EDIT: Nvm, now it does.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on June 11, 2014, 01:27:22 pm
Haha nice. XD
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 11, 2014, 10:08:36 pm
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on June 10, 2014, 11:47:02 pm
Quote from: alberthrocks on June 10, 2014, 10:43:57 pm
Hello, world.
Something interesting is coming.
Are you ready for it?

Yeah, I'm ready. Does it involve cookies?
Yes... or no. Depends on what you mean by "cookies". ;)

By the way, this is nothing big. It's not the server move (boo, sorry). No improvements to any existing infrastructure. Just something new. Not exciting, either (IMO), but I think you guys might like it. But don't get your hopes up!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 11, 2014, 10:10:57 pm
I DEMAND COOKIES!
Spoiler For Spoiler:
(http://www.iwu.edu/wellness/specialevents/images/cookies.jpeg)

That aside, interested to see what you've got cooking <.<
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 14, 2014, 11:11:06 am
Quote from: Eeems on June 11, 2014, 10:19:11 am
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on June 11, 2014, 10:17:17 am
Nice try, Eeems, I don't see a "last edited by" on that post :P
I keep on editing it, and it keeps on not showing up :(

EDIT: Nvm, now it does.
SMF2 is kinda silly on that, already noticed it with a few other topics.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on June 14, 2014, 12:37:13 pm
Maybe because the edit is too early and thus it doesn't count it as one ? Doesn't make much sense but w/e.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: bb010g on June 14, 2014, 02:32:57 pm
Ninja edits aren't shown.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 15, 2014, 10:10:26 pm
Teaser:
(http://withg.org/albert/sexybox.png)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on June 16, 2014, 06:19:29 am
Lol nice teaser that doesn't reveal anything. :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 16, 2014, 10:21:08 am
Quote from: alberthrocks on June 15, 2014, 10:10:26 pm
Teaser:
(http://withg.org/albert/sexybox.png)
Yes, Yes I do.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: shmibs on June 16, 2014, 12:02:20 pm
i like the part where there's a box that has some words in it
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 16, 2014, 12:57:54 pm
CSS to PNG converter O.O
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: bb010g on June 16, 2014, 09:08:27 pm
Quote from: Sorunome on June 16, 2014, 12:57:54 pm
CSS to PNG converter O.O
There's actually a nice one for pixel art in Inkscape. There's a paper out there somewhere about it (possibly Microsoft Research).

Ninja edit: x.x CSS to PNG, not PNG to SVG...  <_<
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: pimathbrainiac on June 16, 2014, 09:10:52 pm
Quote from: alberthrocks on June 15, 2014, 10:10:26 pm
Teaser:
(http://withg.org/albert/sexybox.png)

A web interface for withgusto servers?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 24, 2014, 02:59:04 pm
Heads up to backup2 users:

Quote
You are receiving this email because you have an active OpenVZ VPS service with us. There has been a new security vulnerability with OpenVZ kernels 042stab090.4 and older. 042stab090.5 was released today to patch the security vulnerability.

As we need to upgrade the kernel to 042stab090.5 in order to ensure your services will not be at risk due to this security exploit, your server will be rebooted today and downtime is expected to be under a total of 15-20 minutes. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding and will do our best to keep downtime to an absolute minimal.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 24, 2014, 03:36:04 pm
I thought you didn't have backup2 anymore and sold it to Juju O.O
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on June 24, 2014, 03:51:24 pm
He didn't gave me it yet.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 24, 2014, 03:59:41 pm
Oh, ok, I already wondered.... :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 24, 2014, 08:51:30 pm
Teaser #2!

(http://withg.org/albert/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.png)

For this teaser, magic is very useful. ;) ;)

EDIT: backup2.withg.org has already restarted, so there should be no more downtime on backup2. Thanks for your patience!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on June 25, 2014, 01:20:43 am
Ponies?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 25, 2014, 07:51:43 am
Quote from: Juju on June 25, 2014, 01:20:43 am
Ponies?
This.

Also, i like the part where it is censored :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 25, 2014, 09:13:36 pm
Quote from: Juju on June 25, 2014, 01:20:43 am
Ponies?
Quote from: Sorunome on June 25, 2014, 07:51:43 am
Quote from: Juju on June 25, 2014, 01:20:43 am
Ponies?
This.

Also, i like the part where it is censored :P

Just fyi, there's a lot more to the picture than meets the eye...
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Streetwalrus on June 26, 2014, 10:55:03 am
Zooming and identify -verbose yielded nothing. :(
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on June 26, 2014, 11:33:13 am
As long as it's not an adult folder :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 26, 2014, 06:35:37 pm
Alright, since no one is catching on, here's a clue:

This is actually a real website!
http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/

Happy exploring!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on June 27, 2014, 12:35:21 am
Yeah, I figured and someone on IRC as well. So we're at least 2 to have found out.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 27, 2014, 07:16:48 am
Almost there!
Quote from: IRC
Jun 27 00:42:30 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.html
Jun 27 00:42:31 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> o.o
Jun 27 00:42:32 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<willrandship> good enough for most chatbots
Jun 27 00:42:39 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<willrandship> that's what this is right?
Jun 27 00:42:47 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<codebender> yeah
Jun 27 00:42:50 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.html
Jun 27 00:42:51 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> err
Jun 27 00:42:53 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<codebender> i have tried it several times
Jun 27 00:42:54 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.php

There's one more step - that last page is hiding something. Use the clues on the page to help you coerce the final answer out!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 27, 2014, 10:54:53 am
Quote from: alberthrocks on June 27, 2014, 07:16:48 am
Almost there!
Quote from: IRC
Jun 27 00:42:30 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.html
Jun 27 00:42:31 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> o.o
Jun 27 00:42:32 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<willrandship> good enough for most chatbots
Jun 27 00:42:39 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<willrandship> that's what this is right?
Jun 27 00:42:47 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<codebender> yeah
Jun 27 00:42:50 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.html
Jun 27 00:42:51 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> err
Jun 27 00:42:53 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<codebender> i have tried it several times
Jun 27 00:42:54 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.php

There's one more step - that last page is hiding something. Use the clues on the page to help you coerce the final answer out!
I'm just going to cheat and look for it on the server.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on June 27, 2014, 11:12:52 am
Quote from: Eeems on June 27, 2014, 10:54:53 am
Quote from: alberthrocks on June 27, 2014, 07:16:48 am
Almost there!
Quote from: IRC
Jun 27 00:42:30 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.html
Jun 27 00:42:31 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> o.o
Jun 27 00:42:32 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<willrandship> good enough for most chatbots
Jun 27 00:42:39 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<willrandship> that's what this is right?
Jun 27 00:42:47 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<codebender> yeah
Jun 27 00:42:50 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.html
Jun 27 00:42:51 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> err
Jun 27 00:42:53 <OmnomIRC>   (O)<codebender> i have tried it several times
Jun 27 00:42:54 <OmnomIRC>   (#)<Juju> http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.php

There's one more step - that last page is hiding something. Use the clues on the page to help you coerce the final answer out!
I'm just going to cheat and look for it on the server.
I checked, there was only those 3 files.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 27, 2014, 11:48:18 am
Quote from: Juju on June 27, 2014, 11:12:52 am
I checked, there was only those 3 files.
Did you look inside the php file though?
http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.php?number=123456789
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 27, 2014, 01:22:03 pm
wtf is this :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on June 27, 2014, 01:22:43 pm
Quote from: Eeems on June 27, 2014, 11:48:18 am
Quote from: Juju on June 27, 2014, 11:12:52 am
I checked, there was only those 3 files.
Did you look inside the php file though?
http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.php?number=123456789 (http://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.php?number=123456789)
Yes :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: pimathbrainiac on June 27, 2014, 04:29:22 pm
ftp://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/incoming/

I can't see the text file here. Imma try to login with filezilla and download.

EDIT: darn it. I can't download anonymously and I can't find the file when I'm logged in to sftp://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org

EDIT2: Wait a sec, that's unrelated :P I'm stuck on this one after:

"Cloudy days reveal open skies with great shifts in imagery."
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on June 27, 2014, 06:23:58 pm
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on June 27, 2014, 04:29:22 pm
"Cloudy days reveal open skies with great shifts in imagery."
That's the hidden clue! Not telling anyone what it means... ;)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on June 27, 2014, 10:23:06 pm
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on June 27, 2014, 04:29:22 pm
ftp://nothing-to-see-here-please-go-away-bye-now.withg.org/incoming/

I can't see the text file here. Imma try to login with filezilla and download.
FTP is a rabbit trail. ftp://withg.org/incoming/ contains the same file, which after some digging, is just a test upload file.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on June 27, 2014, 10:27:47 pm
FTP do not have the concept of hosts like HTTP has.

Also, something about cloud computing? With pictures? img.ourl.ca gets in the cloud?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on June 28, 2014, 10:04:58 am
Quote from: Juju on June 27, 2014, 10:27:47 pm
FTP do not have the concept of hosts like HTTP has.

Also, something about cloud computing? With pictures? img.ourl.ca gets in the cloud?
img.ourl.ca is on my server o.o
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on August 25, 2014, 12:35:16 pm
Just FYI, if you haven't noticed, we've posted a new migration plan for withgusto! If you get a chance, PLEASE take a look and respond! :)

http://www.omnimaga.org/web-programming-and-design/withgusto-migration-let%27s-do-it-right!/

Latest update:
http://www.omnimaga.org/web-programming-and-design/withgusto-migration-let%27s-do-it-right!/msg392119/#msg392119
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 05, 2014, 08:49:06 pm
SSL + Migration Plan Update - 09/05/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Friday, September 5th, 2014 at 5:30:16 PM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1409963416 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1409963416)

SSL + Migration Plan Update
======================================

Migration Delays
----------------
We are working on trying to find a new provider to consolidate our
servers to. One of the providers that we approached had a great price
of around $15/month. However, they have suddenly changed their policy
to not allow hosting a IRC server, which we wish to continue to provide
to the community as part of the OmniNET network.

As an alternative, we are thinking about moving to a different
provider. The alternative provider has been in the industry for a long
time (much longer than the $15/mo provider), and offers a similar
configuration for around $20/month.

What do you think? Would you be willing to contribute to that? (For
reference, the old server costs would total around $36.10/month.)

Let us know! Go here:

http://ourl.ca/21452

SSL Certificate Update
----------------------
Many companies and developers out there are announcing plans to end
SHA-1 SSL certificate support, including Microsoft, Symantec, and
most recently, Google. The new recommended standard is SHA-256.

That said, we decided to take the initiative and upgrade our SSL
security from SHA1 to SHA-256. Both HTTPS and ZNC have been upgraded to
SHA-256 signatures.

What changes? Nothing much - just better security, that's all! If you
look at your browser's security page when on https://withg.org/, you may
notice that a SHA-256 section now exists!

With ZNC, you may also notice this change with Hexchat/XChat, with the
following message:

 Public key algorithm: rsaEncryption (2048 bits)
 Sign algorithm sha256WithRSAEncryption

The important part is the "sha256WithRSAEncryption", indicating our new
shiny SSL certificate! For reference, this was the old one:

  Public key algorithm: rsaEncryption (2048 bits)
  Sign algorithm sha1WithRSAEncryption

Reeks of bad security, eh?

That's it!
----------
Make sure to respond to our proposal above!
http://ourl.ca/21452

Let us know if anything breaks, or just comments/suggestions in general!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 11, 2014, 10:09:17 pm
Migration Plan Update - 09/11/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Thurs, September 11th, 2014 at 7:06:33 PM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1410487593 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1410487593)

Migration Plan Update
=====================

Provider Survey
---------------
As we mentioned before, we are working on trying to find a new
provider to consolidate our servers to. One of the providers that we
approached had a great price of around $15/month. However, they have
suddenly changed their policy to not allow hosting a IRC server, which
we wish to continue to provide to the community as part of the OmniNET
network.

As an alternative, we are thinking about moving to a different
provider. The alternative provider has been in the industry for a long
time (much longer than the $15/mo provider), and offers a similar
configuration for around $20/month.

Regarding our future provider, we've posted finally a new survey!
PLEASE, PLEASE FILL IT OUT!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tpUUqALTvsiA9tYYVW0PAI1GT_vrBlMfQV9pHXs2F10/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tpUUqALTvsiA9tYYVW0PAI1GT_vrBlMfQV9pHXs2F10/viewform)

Migration Survey
----------------
We've noticed that not many of our user base have filled out our
migration survey. While you're at it, if you haven't filled out our
migration survey, PLEASE FILL IT OUT!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform)

Let us know if anything breaks, or just comments/suggestions in general!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 19, 2014, 01:48:58 pm
Migration Plan Update - 09/19/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Fri, September 19th, 2014 at 10:44:02 AM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1411148642 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1411148642)

Migration Plan Update
=====================

Provider Survey - Final Round!
------------------------------
We've narrowed down the list of providers to a select few, and we need your
help in determining our final provider!
PLEASE, PLEASE FILL IT OUT!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12vydTaZe4MPW4Cf-mlWkbMHAJa5Fajf6EDXj50yuz60/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12vydTaZe4MPW4Cf-mlWkbMHAJa5Fajf6EDXj50yuz60/viewform)

This will be the last survey before the migration begins.

Migration Survey
----------------
We've noticed that not many of our user base have filled out our
migration survey. While you're at it, if you haven't filled out our
migration survey, PLEASE FILL IT OUT!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform)

Let us know if anything breaks, or just comments/suggestions in general!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 19, 2014, 02:12:09 pm
Important Survey for Active Users - 09/19/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT - URGENT
Author: albert
Date: Fri, September 19th, 2014 at 11:09:13 AM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1411150153 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1411150153)

Important Survey for Active Users
=================================

In order to make the migration efficient and increase security, we are
asking active users to take this survey to simply say
"I'm alive/active"! We've noticed that there's a LOT of old user
accounts (some of which are long since inactive), and we want to clean
them up in preparation for migrating to the new server.

(No worries - in the future, inactivity will be handled differently.)

Please fill out the survey here to declare your activity:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Cw1VSGm7Vq-SQKcryLwA1rs63pwGrXYaL4ckRTvGIOk/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Cw1VSGm7Vq-SQKcryLwA1rs63pwGrXYaL4ckRTvGIOk/viewform)

Note that if your name is not on this survey, your account on withgusto
(including ZNC, shell, email, etc.) is at risk of being DISABLED and
archived. So please fill it out!

Let us know if anything breaks, or just comments/suggestions in general!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on September 25, 2014, 03:42:48 am
Major Security Updates - 09/25/2014

Importance: URGENT
Author: albert
Date: Thurs, September 25th, 2014 at 12:38:03 AM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1411630683 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1411630683)

Major Security Updates
======================

Major BASH Bug Patch
--------------------
In case you were asleep (you probably were), a very scary BASH bug
appeared!

For those in the security world, the bug is CVE-2014-6271. Take a peek
at it! For those who know a bit of BASH, here's a good article about it
(and admittingly, the way I found out about this bug):

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/09/bug-in-bash-shell-creates-big-security-hole-on-anything-with-nix-in-it/ (http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/09/bug-in-bash-shell-creates-big-security-hole-on-anything-with-nix-in-it/)

All - I repeat - ALL withgusto servers were affected and immediately
patched. At this time, no known attacks have been spotted.

You do NOT need to restart BASH to get the fix. The new BASH will close
the security hole automatically due to the nature of the bug. We tested
this ourselves:

    albert@withgusto2:~$ env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c "echo this is a test"
    vulnerable
    this is a test
    albert@withgusto2:~$ sudo su
    ..... (logging in here)
    root@withgusto2:/home/albert# sudo aptitude
    ..... (updating here)
    Processing triggers for python-support ...
    Press return to continue.

    root@withgusto2:/home/albert# env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c "echo this is a test"
    bash: warning: x: ignoring function definition attempt
    bash: error importing function definition for `x'
    this is a test
    root@withgusto2:/home/albert# exit
    albert@withgusto2:~$ env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c "echo this is a test"
    bash: warning: x: ignoring function definition attempt
    bash: error importing function definition for `x'
    this is a test
    albert@withgusto2:~$

If users are using BASH in a web connected application, shame on you
(and me**) - this fix is for you. Now stop using BASH! (This applies
even if you don't call BASH directly - for instance, if you are running
a command in a shell environment, like with Python's subprocess +
'shell=True'.)

Bottom line - do NOT use shell in a web connected application! Avoid it
if possible!

** In the past, the owner wrote some questionable things... now, those
   things are no more!

The BASH Security Bug
---------------------
From the article, there's a really easy way to check if your system is
at risk:

    env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c "echo this is a test"

If the system is vulnerable, the output will be:

    vulnerable
    this is a test

An unaffected (or patched) system will output:

    bash: warning: x: ignoring function definition attempt
    bash: error importing function definition for `x'
    this is a test

Other Security Patches
----------------------
At this time, we also discovered that Debian 6.x (squeeze) security
updates were moved to a different repository - a official LTS
(Long-Term Support) repository on Debian's server. (Shamefully...)

Rather than going crazy with not knowing about this repository, we
decided to go ahead and update the server with the latest security
updates from that repository. There may have been downtime during this
update, so we apologize for any inconvenience!

If you are experiencing any issues, restart the application. This
should fix the problem. If you are still having issues, please notify
the admins ASAP so that we can get it fixed!

Needless to say, this was done on all servers, so we are 99% updated.
We hope to make it 100% once we migrate to new servers (and Debian 7)!

IMPORTANT SURVEYS
-----------------
We are moving servers, and we REALLY NEED YOUR INPUT!!!

Fill out the next few surveys, if you haven't already.

For those who have already filled them out, we apologize for spamming
you with needless survey form requests, and we thank you for doing them!
This is a community supported server, and we really appreciate your
input in making withgusto a better place!

URGENT - "I'm Alive" Survey
---------------------------
In order to make the migration efficient and increase security, we are
asking active users to take this survey to simply say
"I'm alive/active"! We've noticed that there's a LOT of old user
accounts (some of which are long since inactive), and we want to clean
them up in preparation for migrating to the new server.

(No worries - in the future, inactivity will be handled differently.)

Please fill out the survey here to declare your activity:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Cw1VSGm7Vq-SQKcryLwA1rs63pwGrXYaL4ckRTvGIOk/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Cw1VSGm7Vq-SQKcryLwA1rs63pwGrXYaL4ckRTvGIOk/viewform)

Note that if your name is not on this survey, your account on withgusto
(including ZNC, shell, email, etc.) is at risk of being DISABLED and
archived. So please fill it out!

Provider Survey - Final Round!
------------------------------
We've narrowed down the list of providers to a select few, and we need your
help in determining our final provider!
PLEASE, PLEASE FILL IT OUT!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12vydTaZe4MPW4Cf-mlWkbMHAJa5Fajf6EDXj50yuz60/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12vydTaZe4MPW4Cf-mlWkbMHAJa5Fajf6EDXj50yuz60/viewform)

This will be the last survey before the migration begins.

Migration Survey
----------------
We've noticed that not many of our user base have filled out our
migration survey. While you're at it, if you haven't filled out our
migration survey, PLEASE FILL IT OUT!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Juju on September 25, 2014, 01:01:02 pm
I use zsh on my computer, hehe :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on October 13, 2014, 02:16:41 am
SSL Certificate Update - 10/12/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Sun, October 12th, 2014 at 11:13:51 PM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1413180831 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1413180831)

SSL Certificate Update
=======================

We noticed that the SSL certificate was expiring soon. Rather than let
it expire (and wreak havoc on everybody using this server!), we renewed
it again for another year, and installed the renewed certificate!

ZNC and HTTPS should now use the new certificate. The new expiration
date should be in October 27, 2015. Please check to make sure that this
is indeed the case!

If you have any issues after the SSL update, please let us know!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on October 16, 2014, 01:24:31 am
How much did renewal cost?
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on October 17, 2014, 12:35:49 pm
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on October 16, 2014, 01:24:31 am
How much did renewal cost?
Renewal @ Namecheap was $9/year, cheaper if bought in bulk (~$35 for 5 years!).
There's definitely some alternatives out there, but I haven't experimented with them yet...
(Startcom's 2 year cert looks interesting - $60 for 2 years, with wildcard + multiple domains - but it looks kinda fishy...)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on October 17, 2014, 04:39:16 pm
Also there's an RSS feed now.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on October 17, 2014, 08:40:18 pm
Migration Update - 10/17/2014

Importance: URGENT
Author: albert
Date: Fri, October 17th, 2014 at 9:36:06 AM PDT
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1413563766 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1413563766)

Migration Update - MANDATORY FORMS
==================================

Almost there!
-------------
We're almost done with tooling for the migration, so migration is
imminent!

(HW peeps might've heard about tooling before! In this context,
tooling is designing tools to help manage the migration - no worries,
this is NOT like last time - these are very specific tools designed to
do very specific things for the migration process.)

MANDATORY FORM
--------------
That said, you MUST fill out the "I'm alive" form ASAP, if you haven't
already!

http://bit.ly/withgalive (http://bit.ly/withgalive)

NOT filling this out can lead your account to be "archived". The
unarchival process does exist, but it will be a hassle, since you will
be considered inactive in our system.

(Essentially, you're filling out a form like the sign-up form to get
your account back. Your data is still there, but your account just
doesn't exist.)

We're not trying to be evil - there's a LOT of users on this server
that we would consider significantly inactive! Freeing up resources
allows us to make the migration smoother, and for the resulting server
to be much faster and lighter!

So please - help us help YOU - fill it out!

http://bit.ly/withgalive (http://bit.ly/withgalive)

RSS/Pushbullet Support!
-----------------------
Random aside - our blog now supports RSS and Pushbullet Channels!
(Thanks to Sorunome for adding the support!)

RSS: http://withg.org/blog/?rss (http://withg.org/blog/?rss)
Pushbullet Channel: https://www.pushbullet.com/channel?tag=withgusto (https://www.pushbullet.com/channel?tag=withgusto)

Subscribe to receive updates on your RSS reader or mobile device
(via Pushbullet)!



Quote from: Sorunome on October 17, 2014, 04:39:16 pm
Also there's an RSS feed now.
(Yes, thank you Sorunome! :D)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on October 17, 2014, 10:49:32 pm
Quote from: alberthrocks on October 17, 2014, 12:35:49 pm
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on October 16, 2014, 01:24:31 am
How much did renewal cost?
Renewal @ Namecheap was $9/year, cheaper if bought in bulk (~$35 for 5 years!).
There's definitely some alternatives out there, but I haven't experimented with them yet...
(Startcom's 2 year cert looks interesting - $60 for 2 years, with wildcard + multiple domains - but it looks kinda fishy...)
Ah that's good. I just remembered horror stories about such stuff costing several hundreds of dollars before but IIRC it was upfront costs and I forgot how much it was yearly.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 23, 2014, 03:05:00 pm
Migration Update - DELAYED - 11/23/2014

Importance: IMPORTANT
Author: albert
Date: Sun, November 23rd, 2014 at 12:04:09 PM PST
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1416773049 (http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1416773049)

Migration Update - Expect Delays!
==================================

Delays...
---------
Apologies, but it looks like we'll have to delay again, due to the admin
being short on time. This time, however, we want to make sure this
doesn't become an indefinite delay, so we've planned ahead and allocated
due dates for each step of the migration process.

You can check it out here:
https://trello.com/b/ZmSFCaVE/migration-2014-2015 (https://trello.com/b/ZmSFCaVE/migration-2014-2015)

This also includes the current status as well.

MANDATORY FORM
--------------
If you haven't already, you MUST fill out the "I'm alive" form ASAP
http://bit.ly/withgalive (http://bit.ly/withgalive)

NOT filling this out can lead your account to be "archived". The
unarchival process does exist, but it will be a hassle, since you will
be considered inactive in our system.

(Essentially, you're filling out a form like the sign-up form to get
your account back. Your data is still there, but your account just
doesn't exist.)

We're not trying to be evil - there's a LOT of users on this server
that we would consider significantly inactive! Freeing up resources
allows us to make the migration smoother, and for the resulting server
to be much faster and lighter!

So please - help us help YOU - fill it out!

http://bit.ly/withgalive (http://bit.ly/withgalive)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on November 23, 2014, 05:04:37 pm
Knew that the move wasn't going to happen >:D
/me runs
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on November 23, 2014, 05:44:25 pm
Quote from: Sorunome on November 23, 2014, 05:04:37 pm
Knew that the move wasn't going to happen >:D
/me runs
Oh gee thanks for having faith in me... :p /s

All jokes aside, I'm disappointed that I couldn't deliver the migration on time (and no surprise, since I'm in school)... but rest assured, the new server DOES exist, and we're working to make this a success!

This time, we're going to make sure that the migration moves past tooling! :p
(Last time, it died because it was difficult to make an automated migration tool - this time, we're limiting the tool's scope, and making multiple tools to handle certain cases.)

See you in 2015! :D (First milestone is January 12th, 2015!)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on January 27, 2015, 10:20:38 am
Server Issues + Reboot - 1/27/2015

Importance: URGENT
Author: albert
Date: Tuesday, January 27th, 2015 at 7:16:47 AM PST
Blog post: http://withg.org/blog/index.php?post=1422371807

Server Issues + Reboot
=======================

Server Connectivity Issues
-------------------------
You may have noticed some network connectivity issues with our
services, including a laggy shell, downtime for IRC/ZNC, etc.

We are currently experiencing server connectivity issues due to issues
on our VPS provider's side of things. So far, we've had problems from
1/25 - 1/27. We believe that the VPS provider is just experiencing some
networking issues (including a possible DDoS), so we ask for hopefully
some patience as we try and ride this one out.

For reference, this is the amount of downtimes that have occurred:

(http://i.imgur.com/P520Wrs.png) (http://imgur.com/P520Wrs)

Emergency Reboot Performed
---------------------------
In light of significant server downtime, we performed an emergency
reboot around 2015-01-26 10:31 AM EDT (yesterday morning) to attempt to
resolve the network issues.

As a result, your background processes have been terminated during the
reboot. If you have any background processes, you will need to start
them back up.

General services (shell, web server [Nginx/PHP5/NGINX], IRC, ZNC)
should now be up. If there are any issues with these services, please
let us know ASAP!

We're really sorry for the inconvenience any of this may have caused.

Thanks for flying withgusto! We're just experiencing some turbulence,
so hold tight!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on January 27, 2015, 10:55:07 am
/me prods alberthrocks to start migrating :P
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Eeems on January 27, 2015, 11:34:09 am
Glad to know somebody else is watching those pingdom emails ;P

EDIT: Some more in depth downtime information:
(http://i.imgur.com/QjKSGRI.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/u5SsXMl.png)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on February 07, 2015, 07:10:22 pm
Due to a DDoS attack, withg.org is down for the moment. It may not be back up for a while. We'll keep you posted as things update. Sorry about that!

(http://i.imgur.com/T1z6CcQ.gif)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on February 08, 2015, 04:59:18 am
DDoS attacks are no fun :(
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on February 08, 2015, 07:29:04 pm
Update on Server Downtime

withgusto is now back up... but ZNC will continue to remain down for another day or so. SSH and other services requiring a direct connection will remain down as well. Sorry about that.

I'll say it now - we screwed up. The DDoS was pretty bad, but it definitely could have been preventable. In fact, a free solution like CloudFlare was really all we needed to prevent it.

What was the attack? Well, a certain user's public folder was harassed by many online bots, to the point where 10000+ requests to the user's folder were made per day in the past few days, totaling 40386 requests overall... just in February! (29581 of those requests were made to a single 18 MB file!) Obviously, this is enough to trigger a DDoS null-route.

Security has been lacking as of late, and I feel that we definitely could do better. As of today, CloudFlare is enabled on all withgusto domains... with the exception of a secret domain, which is being purposely withheld for now. We are planning on developing much better mitigation methods in the future so that this kind of attack won't take us out again.

At the same time, we should also examine the cause of the attack. Usually, these kind of attacks are caused by conflicts/arguments with other people, hence causing a DDoS. As some may know, we host a ZNC on withgusto. We'd like to continue ZNC service, but at the same time develop policies to avoid getting into this kind of situation again. These policies are in development, but include ZNC usage guidelines, as well as security guidelines for setting up ZNC. Even if we do get better DDoS protection in the future, it's way better to prevent a DDoS than to fight one!

Again, we apologize for the massive downtime. It was unexpected, but we definitely could have done better to prevent this kind of problem from occurring.

That's it - stay tuned for more information as we recover.

EDIT: For everyone that uses withgusto services (IRC, ZNC, etc.), please visit here (https://www.linode.com/speedtest) and test out which location downloads the fastest. Once you have figured it out, post your best location here!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: pimathbrainiac on February 08, 2015, 09:56:31 pm
The East Server works best for me. I hope ZNC gets back up soon!
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: Sorunome on February 09, 2015, 12:15:01 pm
Hey, no worries alberthrocks, every body makes mistakes, what counts is that you can figure that out and prevent such things in the future ;)
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: ben_g on February 09, 2015, 02:10:54 pm
Quote from: alberthrocks on February 08, 2015, 07:29:04 pm
For everyone that uses withgusto services (IRC, ZNC, etc.), please visit here (https://www.linode.com/speedtest) and test out which location downloads the fastest. Once you have figured it out, post your best location here!
The London and US servers seem to be all equally fast to me, at 2MB/s.
Title: Re: withgusto Networks - Status Updates and Discussion
Post by: alberthrocks on February 09, 2015, 05:36:48 pm
Quote from: pimathbrainiac on February 08, 2015, 09:56:31 pm
The East Server works best for me. I hope ZNC gets back up soon!
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

Quote from: Sorunome on February 09, 2015, 12:15:01 pm
Hey, no worries alberthrocks, every body makes mistakes, what counts is that you can figure that out and prevent such things in the future ;)
Thanks for the support!

Quote from: ben_g on February 09, 2015, 02:10:54 pm
The London and US servers seem to be all equally fast to me, at 2MB/s.
Is there a particular US server location that works best?


Update on Server Downtime
Thanks again for the support! If you haven't already, please go here (https://www.linode.com/speedtest) and test out which location downloads the fastest. Once you have figured it out, post your best location here!.

Regarding ZNC and friends... soon (TM). But seriously, I'm working on the scripts at the moment and once they're done, we're heading to a new undiscovered land!

If you want to know specifics:

Once the scripts are written, the migration will immediately start. During that time, I will be using your emails that you provided in the survey to contact you about the new server details. Due to the attack, we will not be releasing the domain name or IP to access the website publicly. The information will only be given to current users of withgusto. You must use the server we give you to access services - Cloudflare will be sitting on the rest of the withgusto Network, and you will NOT be able to access key services (SSH, ZNC) from there.

Finally - if you guys really want ZNC up ASAP, I can try to get it up on a temporary server. If that's something that you want, please reply to this topic to ask for it! A minimum of 4 ZNC users need to request this in order for this server to be set up. Note that it will be taken down and ZNC will be moved to the new server once things are set up, so you will have a brief period of downtime. (Or not - we may use a graceful migration to make this work.)

That's it for now - please let me know if you guys are interested, and if you have any questions! (Oh, and tell me which server is the fastest!)

EDIT: If your email is incorrect, or you haven't responded to the mandatory survey, click here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tDwSGjn_qul5_TsffkAdVn5SwZspgTGORTeVOkW3sT8/viewform).