The Journal of AUUG Inc. Volume 24 ¯ Number 1 March 2003 Features: Online Backup using SDS 8 DNSTRACER: Exploring the DNS infrastructure 10 ’Busy Tone’ for CGI Web Applications 12 GridBus: A toolkit for service-oriented grid computing 15 (X) Dialog: Talking Shells 17 Meeting C# and MONO 20 Mozilla Dissected 23 Process Tracing using ptrace part 3 27 Concurrent Programming - Principles and introduction to processes 29 Using the Logical Volume Manager 32 Intrusion Detection with Debian GNU/Linux 35 Shielded Processors: Guaranteeing sub-millisecond response in Standard Linux 38 Fighting against Spam Mail 44 Making a Multiple-Boot CD 48 Why Free Software’s Long Run TCO must be lower 51 News: Public Notices 7 AUUG: Corporate Members 10 NOIE’s Open Source Seminar 5 Another Perspective of the NOIE event 6 AUUG Election Procedures 58 AUUG: Chapter Meetings and Contact Details 62 Regulars: President’s. Column 3 /var/spool/mail/auugn 4 This Quater’s CD: OpenOffice 1.0.2 5 AUUGN Book Reviews 7 ISSN 1035-752 Print post approved by Australia Post - PP2391500002 AUUG Membership and General Correspondence The AUUG Secretary AUUG Inc Editorial PO Box 7071 Con Zymaris <auu_qn(~.auu_q.or_cl.au> Baulkham Hills BC NSW 2153 Telephone: 02 8824 9511 To those of us ensconced within the technical realms or 1800 625 655 (Toll-Free) Facsimile: 02 8824 9522 of our industry, economics, or the ’dismal science’ as Email: [email protected] it’s often belittled, nary merits a moment’s thought during a day filled with debugging shell-scripts and AUUG Management Committee scanning log files. However, as I’d like to demonstrate Email: a u u.q execL~a u u_q.orq.a u briefly, this is often to our detriment in understanding President a large part of what makes us use the tools we use Greg Lehey and what shapes the jobs we will be pursuing in years PO Box 460 to come. Echunga, SA, 5153 Bus. Tel (08) 8388 8286, Mobile 0418 838 708, Fax (08) 8388 8725 <[email protected]> The IT industry is quickly reaching a maturation point whereby most of the hardware and most of the Immediate Past President system-software and tool stacks will be commodities. David Purdue Some of this works in the Unix community’s favour, Sun Microsystems Level 6, 476 St Kilda Road some does not. Here’s the upside: 23 years ago, after Melbourne, Victoria, 3004 an aborted mission to meet with DRrs Gary Kildall, Phone: +61 3 9869 6412, Fax: +61 3 9869 6288 (of CP/M fame) IBM rolled up to a meeting with Bill <[email protected]> Gates to discuss the licencing of MS Basic for IBM’s Vice-president forthcoming entry into the PC industry. Gates, upon Malcolm Caldwell hearing that IBM was snubbed by DRI, offered a Bus. Tel (08) 8946 6631, Fax (08) 8946 6630 replacement OS for the new IBM PC. Gates & Allen <Malcolm.CaldwellL’~,ntu.edu.au> then legally purloined Q-DOS (Quick and Dirty Secretary Operating System) from Tim Patterson of Seattle David Bullock Computer Products, for the bargain price of $60,000. 0402 901 228 <[email protected]> With this acquisition, Microsoft was able to build an ¯ Treasurer OS hegemony wherein Microsoft increasingly provided Gordon Hubbard the Intellectual Product while the hardware stack was Custom Technology Australia Pty Ltd abstracted to near irrelevancy. It mattered not from Level 22, 259 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000 whom you purchased your underlying hardware, as Bus Tel: 02 9659 9590, Bus Fax: 02 9659 9510 <[email protected]> long as you purchase your OS from Microsoft. This process of hardware stack commoditisation has been Committee Members relentless, and greatly benefits Microsoft as much as Sarah Bolderoff it usurps all hardware vendors belabouring under its FourSticks Suite 2, 259 Glen Osmond Rd, yoke. How does this benefit our community? Simple, Frewville, South Australia, 5065 Linux and Open Source Unix platforms and tools are <[email protected]> now doing to Microsoft’s Intellectual Product stack what it had in turn done to the hardware. Linux et al Adrian Close Mobile: +61 412 385 201, <[email protected]> are completely commoditising the system software and tools stacks. With time, this will likely have two Stephen Rothwell major effects: it may squeeze Microsoft out of the IBM Australia, Linux Technology Center mainstream OS platforms space (as too expensive) 8 Brisbane Ave, Barton ACT 2600 Business phone: 02 62121169 and provide respite to the hardware fraternity by <Stephen.Rothwell~auu.q.or_q.au> allowing them to build more esoteric and specialised hardware systems, but which can still interoperate Andrew Rutherford and run the same apps, as they all rely on the same lagu Networks, 244 Pirie St Adelaide, SA, 5000 core Open Source Unix system and tool stacks. Bus. Tel (08) 8425 2201, Bus. Fax (08) 8425 2299 <[email protected]> The first effect of economic commoditisation of the software stack looks like becoming a reality. A recent Mark White apviva technology partners IDC report claims that this year, Microsoft will see its P. O. Box 1870, Toowong QLD 4066 first real reduction in platform market domination, Bus Tel 07 3876 8779, Mobile 04 3890 0880 ever. The second effect is also becoming reality; <[email protected]> numerous, formerly niche, players are now bringing out capable entries in specific market segments and AUUG Business Manager winning business due to their adoption of Open Elizabeth Carroll Source Unix system and tool stacks. Two that I’ve AUUG Inc seen introduced in recent months include Apple’s X- PO Box 7071 Serve and SGrs Altix3000. Bull market for our sector! Baulkham Hills BC NSW 2153 <busmgr~auug.org.au> The downside of this incursion of economics? Decreasing margins for those who choose not to play in this new reality. Cheers, Con AUUGN Vol.24 ¯ No. 1 - 1 - March 2003 AUUGN Editorial Committee Contribution The AUUGN Editorial Committee can be reached by sending email to: auugn@auu~, or~.au Deadlines for AUUGN Or to the following address: AUUG Inc PO Box 7071 in 2002 Baulkham Hills BC NSW 2153 Editor: Volume 24 ¯ Number 2 -June 2003:May 154, 2003 Con Zymaris Sub-Editors: Volume 24 ° Number 3 - September 2003: August Frank Crawford, Mark White th, 15 2003 Contributors: This issue would not have happened without the transcription and Volume 24 ¯ Number 4 - December 2003:November editorial efforts of Gary R. Schmidt" <grschmidt~acm.or~l>, Rik Harris 15~, 2003 <rik@,kawaja.net>, Raymond Smith <zzrasmit@,uqconnect.net>, David Lloyd <[email protected]>, Steve Jenkin <sjenkin@,pcu~q.or_q.au>, Cameron Strom <[email protected]> Public Relations and Marketing: AUUG Incorporated gratefully acknowledges Elizabeth Carroll the support of its corporate sponsor: AUUGN Submission Guidelines Submission guidelines for AUUGN contributions can be obtained from the AUUG World Wide Web site at: www.auug.org.au Alternately, send email to the above correspondence address, requesting a copy. AUUGN Back Issues A variety of back issues of AUUGN are still available. For price and availability please contact the AUUG Secretariat, or write to: AUUG Inc PO Box 7071 Baulkham Hills BC NSW 2153 Conference Proceedings A limited number of copies of the Conference Proceedings from previous AUUG Conferences are still available. Contact the AUUG Secretariat for details. Mailing Lists Enquiries regarding the purchase of the AUUGN mailing list should be directed to the AUUG Secretariat. Disclaimer Opinions expressed by the authors and reviewers are not necessarily those of AUUG Inc., its Journal, or its editorial committee. Copyright Information Copyright © 2002 AUUG Inc. All rights reserved. Portions © by their respective authors, and released under specified licences. AUUGN is the journal of AUUG Inc., an organisation with the aim of promoting knowledge and understanding of Open Systems, including, but not restricted to, the UNIX© operating system, user interfaces, graphics, networking, programming and development environments and related standards. Copyright without fee is permitted, provided that copies are made without modification, and are not made or distributed for commercial advantage. AUUGN Vo1.24 ° No. 1 - 2 - March 2003 administration symposium, which will take place President’s Column in Melbourne on 9 April. By the time you read Greg Lehey <Gre.q.Lehev~.auu~.or.cl.au> this, there shouldn’t be much left to do for the systems administration symposium, though The last quarter has certainly been an interesting helpers on the day would be welcome. Contact time for AUUG: we have managed to greatly increase Enno Davids <enno. davids@metva, com. au> if you’d our visibility in the press and the community, and for like to help. the first time since I have been with AUUG, we have noted an increase in memberships. Things are We will hold the fifth Australian Open Source looking good. Symposium in Brisbane in July. Contact Mark White <[email protected]> if you’d like to The big story, of course, was our presentation to help with this. NOIE, the National Office of the Information Economy, on 22 February. I’ll go into more detail We had also planned a security symposium in about it elsewhere in this issue, but I’d like to take Adelaide for May, but unfortunately, we had to this opportunity to thank the "Open Computing in postpone it: we discovered that it clashed with the Government" committee, but particularly Gordon AusCERT symposium in the same week. In view of Hubbard and Con Zymaris, for their untiring effort in that, we’ve decided to postpone it to November. putting together the presentation for this event.