Tangled Cables

How to Download SuSe Personal

The secret download site for SuSe 9.1, revealed to me by Dirk Slater.

Use Exchange as a mailing list manager

From time to time I see this question: "can I use Microsoft Exchange to host mailing lists?" The answer is yes, if you buy extra software to add that functionality to Exchange. SlipStick is the definitive resource on this and many other Exchange/Outlook questions.

AT & T Secret Tech Support

This weekend past I had to call AT&T because I didn't know the configuration of an SDSL modem that died. It was unbelievably difficult to get this phone number because I didn't have an Internet connection.

Local directory assistance (411) could not provide 800 numbers. 800 directory assistance (800-555-1212) uses TellMe, a voice-based automated system. Human operators for TellMe are only available during business hours during the week. AT&T Internet Services was not listed in the copy of the Yellow Pages we had. More than once I was directed to the number for AT&T Broadband, a cable Internet provider which has been acquired by Comcast. Feh.

For anyone who is interested, here are the secret numbers for AT&T Internet Services:

AT&T Managed Internet Services (T1, etc)
888-613-6330

AT&T DSL Internet Services
877-937-5288

These numbers are for problems with the Internet service. AT&T cannot provide support for modems, routers, or really anything other than confirming that the service is working or not. They can provide the TCP/IP configuration for the router, they just can't tell you how to use those numbers.

Windows Server 2003 as a file server for downlevel clients

Here's a useful bit of knowledge--a computer running Windows Server 2003 can require a little tweaking in order to act as a print server for client computers running older versions of Windows.

Windows 2003 Print Server

In order to make a shared printer available in Windows Server 2003 for downlevel clients (Win 9x/ME/NT 4), make note of the following.

Windows NT Clients

Windows Server 2003 blocks the installation of kernel-mode drivers by default. NT drivers (and some 2000 drivers) fall into this category. Therefore the security policy must be adjusted before an NT driver can be installed.

This article describes the issue but does not give instructions on how to solve it:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;282011

The JSI FAQ suggests using a local printer port on the NT client, redirected to the printer shared by Windows Server 2003, rather than risk a blue-screen on the server.
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBO/tip7000/rh7001.htm

I looked in the default domain policy and could not find the setting to disable the prohibition against kernel-mode drivers. Or rather, I was able to find it, but it was not defined. So the policy setting must be set somewhere else.

Windows 9x/ME Clients

HP provides a special driver package labeled with the Microsoft terminology "point and print". This bundle of drivers makes it easy to set up a print server for downlevel clients. This is not necessary if the drivers are already available on the Windows 2003 Server machine.