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Multiple Proxy and Keyserver Help

W

Windogg

Lifer
I plan on using the Dnet client as a sort of last ditch "phone home" security feature should one of the company laptops gets stolen. I have the approval of my boss and he is quite happy to have a more proactive way of tracking them down.

LeBlatt mentioned that it is possible to have multiple proxy settings. I plan on setting up a personal proxy in the office to fetch and flush blocks so I can track how each system is doing. When out of the office, I would like the laptops to fetch and flush to a DNet server in the unfortuate event they disappear.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Windogg
 
Windogg,

If you set them up to flush to a LAN address, they will automatically fallback to the dnet keyservers when connected somewhere other then your pproxy. Example:

[networking]
autofindkeyserver=no
keyserver=192.168.1.4

If this machine were ripped from my shop and connected somewhere else, it would seek the IP, not find it, sleep for a few seconds, then connect to dnet.

Russ, NCNE
 
Dutchman2000,
If there are a number of laptops, that would be a lot of email addys to setup and maintain at DNET. I believe they can track by IP address, so if one was stolen, Windogg could provide the known valid IP addys to DNET and then see if a different one popped up.
 
If you end up flushing to Dnet directly when it can't find your pproxy, how are you going to tell what IP it came from?

You should setup your pproxy to execpt connections from the outside, and have the laptops connect to it even when inside the Lan.
That way all the info you'll need would be in your pproxy logs.
 
Got the keyserver part. Thanks guys. 🙂

Now the problem is the proxy server. How do I get it to not try and go through a proxy? Is that part automatic? For example it will attempt to leave out of HTTP Proxy webproxy.mycompany.com:8080 for 3 attempts and then try connecting directly?

A new though just popped up, what settings would I change to make each laptop flush automatically after a successful dialup network connection.

As for tracking down a laptop, there would only be one IP address (the webproxy) for that would legitimatly be flushing packets. All computers are on a VPN that leads back to Texas including those on dialup.

I really appreciate every's help. 🙂

Windogg
 
Ok, get into the Configuration menu and go to

2) Buffer and Buffer Update Options, and then
6) Keyserver<->client connectivity options and
9) Dialup-link detection ==> Normal mode

Now have a look in there, I think you want option 1 or else 2.
 
Uga, I;m a dumb sh!t, lemme see if I can understand.

Ok, if I set up a Pproxy on the LAN, I don't have to worry about configuring a proxy to connect to a Dnet server since th pproxy handles everything. I leave the proxy info in for when the laptop leaves the network.

When on the road, users dialin to HQ in Texas and is part of their network segment. The laptop will try to connect and the pproxy and fail. Then it will try to connect to a Dnet keyserver through the webproxy.

Right? (Please say &quot;yes&quot😉

Windogg
 
Actually, if it detects a connection and has blocks to fetch or flush, it will try to get a variety of the Distributed.net keyservers by their IP addresses if it can't find the proxy you specified, and it will persist until it finds one, or until the connection terminates. A great &quot;homing beacon&quot; feature there! 🙂
 
A further clarification to that ^^ :

9) Dialup-link detection ==> Dial-up detection mode
10) Interfaces to watch ==>
11) Use a specific DUN profile to connect with? ==> no

0) Return to Buffer and Buffer Update Options

Choice -->

You will want to leave item 11 set to &quot;no&quot; so that the client will try to use any connection it sees.
 
Dutchman2000, the way I am thinking, the thief would be in a no-win situation. If the thief connects to the Internet using the existing connection through the company's webproxy, can't he be tracked that way, since the IP will identify the stolen laptop? And if he is smart enough to use his own ISP, the client will not reach the company's webproxy, causing it to report directly to Distributed.net through his ISP, which should make the tracking easy.
 
mechBgon has it right. Everyone on the road dials into the company network. It is against company regs to use anything other than the remote dialin client. The client work via a token system so it is useless to anyone besides the user. I'm guessing that 90% of theives are lowtech street hoods that snatch whatever is convenient. Then they sell the PC off to the next sucker that dimply dumps stuff into the recycling bin and then installs AOL. I can careless about the hardware, it's the data that I'm really worried about.

I already have a install disk ready to go.

You guys always have an answer for everything. Thanks alot. 🙂

Windogg
 
i lways wondered about that. So if the dnet client is install and set to find a keyserver you specified on a lan, but does not, it will go out on its own and update itself. i take it them same doesn't apply if say a pproxy Ip changes and to another machine, but that other IP is still there used by another machine.
 
Mech,
thats what I was thinking would happen. Even if someone on the road dials into their personal ISP, it would be easy to verify that IP/account versus maintaining 100 DNET email addys. Besides, think of the stats nightmare trying to track 100 DNET emails. ACK! :Q

I do agree that the quickest way to track a stolen laptop would be to have asssigned DNET ids to each laptop, with a xref as to who the laptop is assigned, but I think the downside outways the upside, especially since the laptop can be traced other ways. 🙂
 
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