From routers to Unix: shell tips for the network admin
1 hour, presented by Martin Kealey.

Based on real-life scripts taken from an ISP environment this presentation will demonstrate how you can take advantage of the tools in the unix/linux environment to automate common system administration tasks. Possible scripts used for demonstration include:

    * scripting updates to appliances (firewalls, mail filters, routers)
    * search-and-destroy spam in your mailspool
    * running the same command on 100 machines
    * moving messages between mailboxes

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Asterisk by Example... Doing useful VoIP things
1 hour, presented by Jonny Martin (Internet Janitor, JonnyNet Heavy Industries).

This talk will provide an in depth look at, and some useful real world configurations for you to take back to your organisations and actually use. Topics covered will be:

    * a really speedy run through the basics of Asterisk and VoIP
    * a base configuration for a NOC environment
    * using Asterisk with INOC-DBA
    * using Asterisk queues in a helpdesk scenario
    * integrating Asterisk with external applications

This talk will not be full of theory and titbits of Asterisk trivia, however it will be full off real world configurations and practical information you can use to go away and implement a useful Asterisk system.

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42 hosts in 1U: Using virtual machines
1 hour, presented by Ewen McNeill

Moore's Law has provided us with many hosts which are often mostly idle, but need need to be separate for security or other reasons. Virtual machine technology offers the network operator/ISP server operational advantages such as the ability to consolidate multiple virtual hosts onto one physical server saving power, heat, and money.

This talk will discuss the differences between common virtual machine technology, and describe how you can use Xen to virtualise your Linux systems. It will also discuss when virtualisation is an appropriate solution and when it isn't.

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DNS registration services, and the .govt.nz 2LD
1 hour, presented by Sam Sargeant.

Everyone using the Internet needs the domain name system, yet many organisations lack experience with this critical piece of infrastructure.

Aimed at DNS administrators, this talk covers best practices for making DNS changes and factors can cause delays; DNSSEC and why it matters; A view of how registrars manage your domain name; How government agencies register and manage domains; The operational limitations of the moderated .govt.nz 2LD; Troubleshooting basic DNS problems.

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Configuration Automation using CFengine
1 hour, presented by Matt Brown.

System administrators are often faced with the problem of how to keep the configuration of a large number of hosts synchronised and how to make changes in a consistent and timely manner. Automation offers a solution to these problems by allowing the administrator to specify the configuration only once before it is copied to all of the hosts.

CFengine approaches this problem in a novel manner by attempting to create an auto-immune system for each host that detects (and corrects) deviations from the desired configuration. This presentation will cover the principles behind CFengine and will demonstrate how to configure and maintain a set of hosts using CFengine in an ISP environment.

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Using Debian packages for system administration
1 hour, presented by Andrew McMillan.

Andrew will talk about how you can create your own custom Debian packages and how this can be useful when administering a large collection of servers, with an emphasis on how this has greatly simplified operations in a service provider environment.

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Mail debugging: how to talk to SMTP, POP & IMAP servers
30 minutes, presented by Martin Kealey.

This presentation will show you how you can manually (or with a script) interact with common mail servers, test your mail configuration, and how to work with the disk files used by common mail services. It will show you some of the stupid things other people can do that might break your mail system, and how you can prevent them from happening.

The talk will also cover best operational practices and when/when not to adhere to the relevant standards.

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