THIS TERABYTE'S FOR YOU - MAJOR SYSTEM UPGRADE

So, we've just added a monster-byte of disk space to our system (one terabyte is enough space to hold 200,000 to 300,000 MP3 files). The increased space comes compliments of a new RAID array (a series of hard disks configured to work in unison or independently if one or more fail) which is "hot swappable" (hard disks can be removed while the server is running) to allow for immediate replacement without customer downtime. To ensure the new system meets our picky requirements, we took the drives on a "torture test" drive. We went as far as yanking out a random drive during heavy use to simulate a disk failure. The new RAID passed all of our "picky" tests with flying colours so our customers can look forward to continued reliability.

Relax. Ah, that feels good!

But that's not all. There's more--"ginsu knives" you might think, but no.

The RAID system is part of a new file server we've put in place. It features a new motherboard, more memory and a faster processor as well as the terabyte RAID system. We've also installed a new version of the operating system, which features improved file server features and performance.

BE OUR GUEST - TO A NEW GUESTBOOK

No more guestbook posts by Osama Bin Spammin! Our new guestbook features some very nifty anti-spamming measures many people will appreciate. Some of the anti-spamming features include the ability to block IP addresses, hosts, and countries. The new guestbook also allows you to filter keywords and it has CAPTCHA support.

CAPTCHA is a script that generates and grades a test that people can easily solve but that computers cannot. The most common CAPTCHA test people will be familiar with is one where you are asked to read some distorted text or text slightly concealed by a foreground or background image and then input it into a form the person is filling out. Here is an example of a CAPTCHA test:

A person completing the CAPTCHA test would input "kK5bc" into the form they're filling out. If they incorrectly decipher the text, their form input would be rejected. Because there are no scripts that can decipher the above image or others like it, this prevents "robot" form submissions, which spammers often use as one of their tools.

Here's a more complete list of the new guestbook features:

• Options to auto-block postings based on the poster's IP, host name, and keyword content.
• Option to limit the time between posts from the same visitor (to avoid spamming)
• Option to force a poster to wait until at least X other people have posted before they can post again.
• Option to block posts that contain URLs
• All input and display fields are customizable, you can have any number of them too.
• Fields can be optional or mandatory.
• All aspects of the look and feel are customizable. There is almost no hardwired formatting.
• Option to automatically make email addresses and URLs clickable, or not.
• Certain special fields like 'email' are checked for validity (for example, if you use an 'email' field, not only must it look like a valid email, but it will check to ensure that the domain part has valid MX records, etc.
• An admin mode where you can delete individual posts.
• A moderator mode where new posts remain invisible to the public until you click on a link to approve them (or delete them of course).
• Option to receive email notification when somebody posts.

One of the "cooler" features of this guestbook is the map. You can get your site visitors to click on a map to indicate where they're located and, at the same time, submit their information. You can then get the map to display your visitor locations whenever someone visits the page. You'll end up with a map full of pins indicating where everyone came from when they signed your guestbook.

The guestbook is ready to go. Watch our Helpdesk announcements for the guestbook once the help documents are in place.

OLD COMPUTERS - OKAY FOR HIGH SPEED CONNECTIONS?

Believe it or not, some customers still manage to run "386"-based computers with a high speed connection. We don't recommend such a setup because there is so little support for the hardware and all the software to run on such a machine is no longer supported by anyone. If you run a "386", you'd probably need Windows 3.1 and Netscape 3 or 4 or Internet Explorer 3 or 4. Given the changes in websites over the last 10 years, many websites would simply not look very good or even display so that you could understand them.

PC (Windows) Minimum Recommended Hardware

Generally, any Pentium (Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium with MMX, Pentium II & Pentium III or better) class PC with 48 MB of RAM and at least 128 MB of disk space will do. You can run Windows 95 (though that product is no longer supported by Microsoft) and a relatively new browser with that hardware. Firefox--a very good browser--should run just fine on the minimum hardware. Thunderbird and Eudora--two popular & current e-mail clients--will run fine on such hardware as well.

MAC Minimum Recommended Hardware

If you're a MAC user, a Power PC 601 CPU and 24 MB of RAM and at least 50 MB of disk space should run just fine. You should be able to run at least OS 7.6.1 on such a machine and find reasonably current browsers and e-mail clients for your needs.

Other Stuff

Ethernet & High Speed Modem

Of course, you can't access high speed Internet without a high speed modem and an ethernet card or ethernet port. Without these crucial items, you can "dream" of high speed Internet but you can't access it.

Whether you're accessing the Internet using xDSL or cable, you can buy your high speed modem or rent it on a monthly basis. When modems are purchased, the monthly cost of your high speed connection will normally be discounted.

Hardware Firewall

You can have a high speed Internet connection without a hardware firewall but we STRONGLY recommend against it. You can also use a software firewall to protect your computer but we also STRONGLY recommend against using only software. After all, do you really think any "pros" would simply install a software firewall and leave it at that? If you answered "yes," think again.

Our High Speed

We have offered high speed connections since 2002. We continue offering high speed connections and encourage you to watch for some new product offerings in the coming months. For more information on our high speed connections, visit our pricing page or e-mail us your questions.

YOUR PASSWORD - SO SECRET, EVEN WE DON'T KNOW

Once you enter your password into our system, it's encrypted and we do not store a plain text copy anywhere. As a result, we cannot retrieve your password for you.

On the other hand, we can reset your password for you so you can access your account. However, as with any passwords set by you, we do not keep a plain text copy and we don't write them down anywhere. So, if you lose your password again, we'll have to reset it again.

During our transition while moving customers from other servers onto our new cluster, storing passwords was necessary. So, for a time, we were able to help out if customers had forgotten their passwords. However, we no longer store customer passwords since that transition is almost complete.

Note that you can change your password any time using the password changer utility. If you don't know your password in the first place, though, you're out of luck.

PSST, WANNA CMS? - WHY JUST BUY "OFF THE STREET" WHEN WE CAN HELP?

While some CMS's can introduce security issues for customers who install them, we also know the benefits of using them. It makes website management easier. Moreover, some of the management features can be fairly sophisticated and some offer "plugins" that allow you to add shopping baskets, blogs, guestbooks, and many other useful functions.

That said, some customers don't have the time to learn how to install one, which can be time consuming if you've never done it before and you don't have at least some HTML and / or programming experience. We can help.

We've installed CMS's for customers and have *lots* of experience with HTML and programming. So, if you feel the need for a CMS, give us a call (383-0096) or e-mail us.

Of course, we also do more than install CMS's. We also create web designs, websites, and custom programming. If you need a design, site, or script, let us know.