Background

We'll outline below some of the issues our customers brought up. Of course, we can't address all the issues raised in this newsletter article but we'll touch on some, responding where appropriate. So, if we've not addressed an issue you raised, please know we've taken it into account even if you don't see it covered here.

Thank You! & You're Welcome!

We like a pat on the back just like everyone else. To those of you who filled out the survey to tell us you're happy with our service—“Thank you for your kind words!”

To those customers who expressed their concerns, we say “Thank you for filling out the survey to let us know.” Your feedback helps us manage and improve our services, products, & policies.

Support Hours

Some customers asked if we can extend our support hours 24/7. While we have never had 24/7 tech support, we have had longer support hours than we do now. Our experience has been that there are very few support calls in the late evenings. In fact, it is not uncommon to have entire late evening shifts without a single support call!

Moreover, modem technology is very mature, meaning there are few dialup-related issues that arise. Also, high speed connection issues are not as prevalent as they were when broadband connections first were introduced.

With that said, of course support is a key issue for us and telephone support is an important aspect. We are currently looking at the possibility of extending our support hours to weekends, though we can't make any promises at this point.

The Helpdesk

One of our challenges has always been to make all our services available to customers and to make customers aware of what we offer. If we make all services, products, and options available all at once, people can click once and get to them—but the interface can get pretty cluttered and confusing. If we simplify things, it's less confusing—but people have to search for what they need.

With that said, we're always interested in hearing your comments and we did get a few regarding the Helpdesk usability and functionality. Most of the responses were positive. And there were suggestions on how to make the Helpdesk easier to use and more, well, helpful.

Documentation

With multiple systems and multiple gadgets it can be challenging to keep documentation up-to-date. We do our best to ensure documents reflect our systems and gadgets.

However, we sometimes add functionality or change gadgets to reflect a requirement on one or more of our systems but the change isn't reflected in the documentation. This can result in having functionality that isn't documented or a gadget that doesn't work or configure exactly as described in the documents.

If you find something that doesn't seem right, let us know by e-mailing “support@islandnet.com.” We want our documentation to be as accurate as we can get it.

Pricing & Resources

Again, comments from customers were by far positive. Our goal is to provide a good balance of reliability, service and product versus price. With that goal in mind, we regularly survey competitors' pricing to ensure we're competitive.

We are up front about the fact that we are not out to compete with the “all you can eat” ISPs out there. Yes, you can find companies offering more disk space, more bandwidth, more domains, and other resources at lower prices. We've found that those “all you can eat” companies don't provide the same level of support and service.

We recently had a customer ask us to move some javascript on a Helpdesk page to help it render better in his browser. It was a quick fix for our customer and we did it. It's highly unlikely that an “all you can eat” company would make this small change for a customer.

So, we're sensitive to pricing and value and have chosen to deliver on the value end of the business equation. We are still interested in your opinions of course. And your comments, complimentary or not, are welcome and encouraged.

High Speed Connections - in both flavours

We mentioned in an earlier e-mail that xDSL connections are coming, in addition to the cable-based connections already offered. If you've checked our pricing page you'll see that there is no pricing for this option.

However, we are offering xDSL connections for those customers who inquire. You can call our office at 383-0096 or you can e-mail "it@islandnet.com" to start the installation process.

Pricing for xDSL connections will show up on the pricing page in the coming weeks.

High Speed Pricing Specials

Also, customers may not be aware that where there are cable or xDSL specials offered by Shaw or Telus, we can pass these special offers along to our customers. So, if you're wanting that Telus flat screen monitor or that Shaw special six month pricing, ask us. We'll probably be able to pass along the deal to you.

More Input

With all of the above said, if you've not yet filled out our survey, please do so. You can fill it out at the following URL:

http://www.islandnet.com/~krdl/survey/survey.php

If you've filled our the survey already but would like to add a comment or pass along other information, please e-mail us at “support@islandnet.com.”

What's more is Islandnet would *NEVER* e-mail customers a file and ask them to install a file for their protection. If there is something that needs to be done to secure customer accounts, we just do it. Since we built the system, there is no need to ask customers to update or change anything.

If there were to be any major upgrades or changes in how accounts are structured or what files are included in accounts, we would likely e-mail our customers to let them know in advance of any change. However, there would never be any need to have customers do anything themselves.

So, if you get an e-mail that appears to be from us and asks you to do anything at all to your account—in particular, install this file, go to this site, or give out your banking or account information —don't do it. E-mail us at “support@islandnet.com” instead.

So, you've got a newsletter you want to send out to your customers. We can help. So, you've got a group of people you want to connect using a group e-mailing system (i.e. anyone can e-mail everyone else by sending a message to a single address). We can help. What's more is it's FREE!

To setup a listserve (mailing list) all you need to do is follow the directions on the following help page:

https://helpdesk.islandnet.com/pep/mlist.php

What is great about this PEP setup is that you can have people join by sending an e-mail. They'll get a confirmation e-mail that they need to reply to in order to join—as should always be the case. You can configure the listserve so that only the administrator can send messages out (i.e. as a newsletter) or you can configure it so that anyone can send a message to everyone on the list.

You're welcome to use this FREE listserve for your customers, for your friends and family, for your colleagues, for your—well you think of a reason. You can do it. No spamming though.

FYI, it is possible to abuse this facility by inserting thousands of e-mail addresses into the mailing list directory file and then sending out unsolicited e-mails. As everyone knows when they read the Terms and Conditions upon subscribing to Islandnet's services, this isn't tolerated. Using PEP for this purpose will result in the offending account being suspended without prior notice.

Islandnet Picks

Global Seismic Monitor	Find Sounds	Google Guide	Top 100 Free Downloads
Have you ever kissed your sweetie and felt the earth move? Well, you can check to see if it's love or whether the earth really did move. This website monitors global seismic activity around the world and presents the information on a nice easy-to-understand map. We'll leave it up to you whether the kiss and earth movement was cause and effect or pure coincidence.	Ever wanted to spice up your operating system desktop with cool sounds. Have your e-mail announced by Mick Jagger (“You've got a letta'”) or Worf from Star Trek The Next Generation (“Incoming transmission captain”). If you want to find a sound to accompany anything on your computer, here's the place to go.	Wanna give Google a real workout? Use it as a calculator. Use it to find content on specific sites. Use it to find books on a specific subject. Use it to find online spreadsheet files. Use it to find news stories related to a an event or topic that interests you. This site provides you with some great tips on using Google for all sorts of searches. And, yes, Google does work as a calculator.	Here's another site that contains our favourite word “FREE.” This site is dedicated to the top free programs available for Windows XP and Windows Vista. The site says “You won't find trial versions, spyware or malware.” While we haven't checked all the programs out (and can't vouch for sure whether all the content is, indeed, free from spyware, viruses, and malware), we see some known good free stuff that we recognize, such as the following applications: Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 Audacity (audio application) AVG Anti-virus GIMP Shop (image editor) Firefox 2 Ad Aware SE

Islandnet.com Hosted Sites

Camosun Community Association	Metchosin Central	Farm Fresh	Paul's Motor Inn
Do you live in Camosun? Do you know what Camosun is? For those who don't know, Camosun is one of Victoria proper's thirteen neighbourhoods. Anyone knowing where the Landsdown campus of Camosun College is will know where the Camosun neighbourhood is. We're pleased that the Camosun Community Association has chosen Islandnet as their website host. Go on now. Visit the site!	What's “metchosinite?” Although metchosinite sounds as though it might be some sort of exotic mineral, metchosinite is actually a pronoun used to describe someone who lives in—you guessed it—Metchosin. For those unfamiliar with Vancouver Island and the Greater Victoria area, Metchosin is one of Greater Victoria's thirteen municipalities. Metchosin is only 15 to 20 minutes from Victoria but offers an atmosphere that is still distinctly rural. If you're lucky enough to live close to the water in Metchosin or in one of the plentiful wooded areas of Metchosin, you've got it made. We're pleased to say we host this fledgling website dedicated to Metchosin. Hey, you have to visit a site whose slogan is “Many are called, but few are Metchosin.” Har, har.	Mmm—free range eggs (chicken, turkey, & ostrich!), fresh organic milk, the plumpest and bluest of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pumpkins, and more—it's all here! So, if you buy locally from one of these southern Vancouver Island farms, not only are you getting fresh products from your own backyard, you're saving the planet! Products purchased from local producers don't have to be shipped by boat, plane, or truck to supermarkets. Now, don't jump in your car and drive to the closest farm. If everyone did that, that wouldn't be good for the planet either. Instead, visit this Islandnet.com-hosted website first. Check out what they have to offer, along with delivery options. If you wait until April, you'll be able to get their new catalogue for 2007.	Paul's Motor Inn--even if you don't know the business by it's name--if you've been to Victoria you probably know the place. it's the motel on Douglas Street with the huge copper roof. What's even more remarkable about the roof is the fact they never let the copper go green (as all copper does when exposed to weather). Paul's Motor Inn keeps the roof nicely polished. We're happy to have the Paul's Motor Inn website hosted with us.

We Love Websites!

Websites are our business—hosting them and building them. If you need a website—blog, retail, business-to-business, personal, database-driven, or something else—Islandnet has plenty of website development and programming experience. Call or e-mail us if you'd like anything from graphics to nit-picky programming.

Of course, we filter incoming and outgoing e-mails for viruses. Messages that have viruses are deleted.

However, we noted that one anti-virus software correctly identified some viruses but missed others. Another anti-virus program caught ones the other missed but missed others the first one caught. A third anti-virus program caught viruses the other two missed.

So, we filter viruses three times. As a result, it's highly unlikely that your e-mail messages—incoming or outgoing—contain viruses.

But, as we've said before it is possible that a brand new virus, one that has not yet been identified by anti-virus companies, could slip through our system. As a result, it's still good advice to never open attachments from people without first knowing who sent them and what it is they sent.

To find out about attachments you should avoid, read the following article section entitled “A warning about e-mail attachments.”

We have upgraded PHP4 from version 4.4.4 to 4.4.5, and PHP5 from version 5.2.0 to 5.2.1

These upgrades are a "stability and security enhancement". Details about the changes can be found here:

http://www.php.net/releases/4_4_5.php
http://www.php.net/releases/5_2_1.php

So, if a script breaks or has broken recently it might be related to this change.

While we're not ones to fear-monger because conscientious users don't need to be afraid, it's a dangerous Internet out there if you're not prepared. One of our customers recently posted the results of some probes related to a machine he has online that he recently logged. Here are the connection attempts he reported:

Jan 29 02:18:46 somebody-vps sshd[43095]: Did not receive identification string from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:26:53 somebody-vps sshd[43461]: Invalid user staff from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:26:56 somebody-vps sshd[43470]: Invalid user sales from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:26:58 somebody-vps sshd[43481]: Invalid user recruit from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:00 somebody-vps sshd[43489]: Invalid user alias from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:04 somebody-vps sshd[43496]: Invalid user office from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:06 somebody-vps sshd[43506]: Invalid user samba from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:08 somebody-vps sshd[43514]: Invalid user tomcat from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:11 somebody-vps sshd[43522]: Invalid user webadmin from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:13 somebody-vps sshd[43531]: Invalid user spam from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:15 somebody-vps sshd[43539]: Invalid user virus from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:17 somebody-vps sshd[43547]: Invalid user cyrus from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:20 somebody-vps sshd[43555]: Invalid user oracle from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:22 somebody-vps sshd[43564]: Invalid user michael from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:24 somebody-vps sshd[43571]: Invalid user ftp from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:27 somebody-vps sshd[43579]: Invalid user test from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:29 somebody-vps sshd[43592]: Invalid user webmaster from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:31 somebody-vps sshd[43600]: Invalid user postmaster from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:34 somebody-vps sshd[43608]: Invalid user postfix from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:36 somebody-vps sshd[43616]: Invalid user postgres from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:38 somebody-vps sshd[43625]: Invalid user paul from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:43 somebody-vps sshd[43641]: Invalid user guest from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:47 somebody-vps sshd[43657]: Invalid user linux from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:49 somebody-vps sshd[43666]: Invalid user user from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:52 somebody-vps sshd[43674]: Invalid user david from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:54 somebody-vps sshd[43681]: Invalid user web from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:56 somebody-vps sshd[43689]: Invalid user apache from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:27:58 somebody-vps sshd[43700]: Invalid user pgsql from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:01 somebody-vps sshd[43708]: Invalid user mysql from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:03 somebody-vps sshd[43716]: Invalid user info from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:05 somebody-vps sshd[43724]: Invalid user tony from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:07 somebody-vps sshd[43732]: Invalid user core from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:10 somebody-vps sshd[43740]: Invalid user newsletter from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:12 somebody-vps sshd[43748]: Invalid user named from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:14 somebody-vps sshd[43756]: Invalid user visitor from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:16 somebody-vps sshd[43765]: Invalid user ftpuser from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:19 somebody-vps sshd[43773]: Invalid user username from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:21 somebody-vps sshd[43781]: Invalid user administrator from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:23 somebody-vps sshd[43789]: Invalid user library from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:25 somebody-vps sshd[43799]: Invalid user test from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:36 somebody-vps sshd[43831]: Invalid user guest from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:28:38 somebody-vps sshd[43839]: Invalid user master from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:05 somebody-vps sshd[43937]: Invalid user test from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:07 somebody-vps sshd[43944]: Invalid user test from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:09 somebody-vps sshd[43951]: Invalid user webmaster from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:12 somebody-vps sshd[43998]: Invalid user username from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:14 somebody-vps sshd[44006]: Invalid user user from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:20 somebody-vps sshd[44029]: Invalid user test from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:29 somebody-vps sshd[44061]: Invalid user danny from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:32 somebody-vps sshd[44070]: Invalid user alex from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:34 somebody-vps sshd[44078]: Invalid user brett from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:36 somebody-vps sshd[44086]: Invalid user mike from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:38 somebody-vps sshd[44094]: Invalid user alan from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:41 somebody-vps sshd[44104]: Invalid user data from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:43 somebody-vps sshd[44112]: Invalid user www-data from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:45 somebody-vps sshd[44120]: Invalid user http from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:47 somebody-vps sshd[44128]: Invalid user httpd from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:56 somebody-vps sshd[44161]: Invalid user backup from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:29:58 somebody-vps sshd[44169]: Invalid user info from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:01 somebody-vps sshd[44177]: Invalid user shop from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:03 somebody-vps sshd[44200]: Invalid user sales from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:05 somebody-vps sshd[44209]: Invalid user web from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:10 somebody-vps sshd[44226]: Invalid user wwwrun from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:12 somebody-vps sshd[44235]: Invalid user adam from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:14 somebody-vps sshd[44244]: Invalid user stephen from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:16 somebody-vps sshd[44257]: Invalid user richard from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:19 somebody-vps sshd[44265]: Invalid user george from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:21 somebody-vps sshd[44273]: Invalid user john from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:25 somebody-vps sshd[44289]: Invalid user angel from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:30 somebody-vps sshd[44306]: Invalid user pgsql from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:32 somebody-vps sshd[44314]: Invalid user mail from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:35 somebody-vps sshd[44323]: Invalid user adm from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:37 somebody-vps sshd[44331]: Invalid user ident from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:39 somebody-vps sshd[44339]: Invalid user webpop from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:41 somebody-vps sshd[44345]: Invalid user susan from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:44 somebody-vps sshd[44351]: Invalid user sunny from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:46 somebody-vps sshd[44361]: Invalid user steven from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:48 somebody-vps sshd[44370]: Invalid user ssh from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:50 somebody-vps sshd[44378]: Invalid user search from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:53 somebody-vps sshd[44386]: Invalid user sara from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:55 somebody-vps sshd[44395]: Invalid user robert from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:30:57 somebody-vps sshd[44403]: Invalid user richard from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:00 somebody-vps sshd[44411]: Invalid user party from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:02 somebody-vps sshd[44428]: Invalid user amanda from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:04 somebody-vps sshd[44441]: Invalid user rpm from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:09 somebody-vps sshd[44458]: Invalid user sgi from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:13 somebody-vps sshd[44475]: Invalid user users from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:15 somebody-vps sshd[44483]: Invalid user admins from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:18 somebody-vps sshd[44494]: Invalid user admins from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:24 somebody-vps sshd[44521]: Invalid user lp from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:26 somebody-vps sshd[44529]: Invalid user sync from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:29 somebody-vps sshd[44537]: Invalid user shutdown from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:31 somebody-vps sshd[44545]: Invalid user halt from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:33 somebody-vps sshd[44553]: User uucp not allowed because shell /usr/local/libexec/uucp/uucico does not exist
Jan 29 02:31:38 somebody-vps sshd[44570]: Invalid user dean from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:40 somebody-vps sshd[44578]: Invalid user unknown from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:42 somebody-vps sshd[44586]: Invalid user securityagent from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:45 somebody-vps sshd[44594]: Invalid user tokend from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:47 somebody-vps sshd[44604]: Invalid user windowserver from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:49 somebody-vps sshd[44612]: Invalid user appowner from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:51 somebody-vps sshd[44620]: Invalid user xgridagent from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:54 somebody-vps sshd[44628]: Invalid user agent from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:56 somebody-vps sshd[44636]: Invalid user xgridcontroller from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:31:58 somebody-vps sshd[44642]: Invalid user jabber from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:01 somebody-vps sshd[44650]: Invalid user amavisd from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:03 somebody-vps sshd[44658]: Invalid user clamav from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:05 somebody-vps sshd[44666]: Invalid user appserver from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:07 somebody-vps sshd[44674]: Invalid user mailman from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:10 somebody-vps sshd[44682]: Invalid user cyrusimap from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:12 somebody-vps sshd[44691]: Invalid user qtss from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:15 somebody-vps sshd[44699]: Invalid user eppc from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:17 somebody-vps sshd[44707]: Invalid user telnetd from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:19 somebody-vps sshd[44715]: Invalid user identd from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:21 somebody-vps sshd[44723]: Invalid user gnats from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:24 somebody-vps sshd[44731]: Invalid user jeff from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:26 somebody-vps sshd[44739]: Invalid user irc from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:28 somebody-vps sshd[44747]: Invalid user list from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:30 somebody-vps sshd[44755]: Invalid user eleve from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:35 somebody-vps sshd[44810]: Invalid user sys from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:37 somebody-vps sshd[44817]: Invalid user zzz from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:39 somebody-vps sshd[44824]: Invalid user frank from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:42 somebody-vps sshd[44832]: Invalid user dan from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:44 somebody-vps sshd[44840]: Invalid user james from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:46 somebody-vps sshd[44848]: Invalid user snort from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:48 somebody-vps sshd[44856]: Invalid user radiomail from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:51 somebody-vps sshd[44864]: Invalid user harrypotter from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:53 somebody-vps sshd[44874]: Invalid user divine from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:55 somebody-vps sshd[44882]: Invalid user popa3d from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:32:58 somebody-vps sshd[44890]: Invalid user aptproxy from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:33:00 somebody-vps sshd[44898]: Invalid user desktop from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:33:03 somebody-vps sshd[44939]: Invalid user workshop from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:33:08 somebody-vps sshd[45016]: Invalid user nfsnobody from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:33:10 somebody-vps sshd[45024]: Invalid user rpcuser from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:33:12 somebody-vps sshd[45032]: Invalid user rpc from 200.27.153.211
Jan 29 02:33:14 somebody-vps sshd[45040]: Invalid user gopher from 200.27.153.211

Someone out there on the Internet was trying to gain unauthorized access to this customer's machine every few seconds. It's not a stretch to say it's like someone standing on your doorstep trying a chain of keys to see if one fits.

We've said this many times before. Get a hardware firewall for your computer. What we'd like to add this time is (and though we didn't say it, it is hopefully obvious to everyone) change the default settings in your hardware firewall or other security hardware.

It's extremely easy for someone to gain access if you don't bother to reset the username & password of your hardware. Here is a website that actually lists the default usernames & passwords for various network hardware devices:

http://www.phenoelit.de/dpl/dpl.html

It is extremely easy for someone with even basic know-how to write a script to probe hardware with a list of default usernames and passwords. When you combine the ease of such a script with the frequency of such probes (as demonstrated by our customer's log entries above), it's cause to be very cautious.

So, keep people off your front steps by using a hardware firewall. Keep them out on the street to check your front gate if they like. And change your default settings so you know they don't have the key.

We can help.

Islandnet.com is offering Virtual Servers to customers. For those who don't know what a Virtual Server is, it's a server that's configured to have separate environments where people can run their own web server software. More than one environment can run on such a server, yet each environment is completely separate and secure from the others.

This allows someone to run any server software they see fit. They can run their own exotic applications install Ruby on Rails, PERL, Python, and anything else they like. And all of it can be done without impacting anyone else, which is not the case with a shared hosting environment.

We currently have half a dozen customers already running their own Virtual Servers. Although no pricing is posted on our pricing page yet, the cost will be $10 per month, in addition to the package price customers pay now.

Customers considering a Virtual Server should be forewarned that disk space and bandwidth of their existing package will be significantly impacted by ordering this service. The operating system and other software installed contributes significantly to disk space and all bandwidth (FTP, HTTP, mail, and other) is counted toward the customer's package resource limit.

Those wanting their own Virtual Server should contact support@islandnet.com for more information.

Synchronize Islandnet E-mail with your “Crackberry”

Rob, our senior technical support guru found that you can synchronize your Blackberry with Islandnet.com's e-mail. Here are Rob's instructions:

As I understand it the issue is whether you can synchronize a Blackberry with your mail program, the blackberry desktop software allows synchronization with different mail programs including Microsoft's Outlook, you can configure any email provider you want in Outlook express including Islandnet.com and you will be happy to know that Blackberry's have excellent Outlook synchronization capabilities.

Your blackberry should have come with a CD, but if you purchased second-hand, you can always install the "BlackBerry Desktop Software" client from: http://www.blackberry.com/support/downloads/

Ensure you select the "BlackBerry Desktop Software" for your model of Blackberry to get all the features, you can then use this program to configure your synchronization with Microsoft Outlook.

If you have problems getting it configure, the support link is:

http://www.blackberry.com/support/client/index.shtml

As well, I have found the following forums handy from time to time:

http://www.blackberryforums.com/

You could instead just have your Islandnet.com account forward email to your blackberry email either by editing your mailrule file in your account or by going into Islandnet's PEP Wizard or even by configuring your blackberry to POP check Islandnet.com email server directly, please note depending on your service provider you may find that something like this contributes to your providers monthly billing and Islandnet wont be held responsible for the charges your blackberry's service provider includes.

Call Islandnet.com on 1-800-331-3055 (383-0096 if you're local to Victoria) for more instruction on this

How to Dramatically Improve Your Spam Filtering

Here's another tip from Rob. This time he's got a way to reduce the spam you may be getting.

You can put email addresses you definitely want email to come in from on the friends list in Section 1 and all those email addresses you don't want email put in the block list. Put each entry on a separate line, you can also do things like:

*hotmail.com

This blocks all emails from hotmail accounts

john@*

This stops all emails from any email beginning john@.

Legal Stuff

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