Slugnet

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Revision as of 21:54, 25 February 2008 by Wrchan (Talk) (Subversion: now over port 2200)

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The current layout of Slugnet.

Slugnet is the private network on Slugfest which is comprised of an ethernet network, many audio cables, and the 4E Network. The ethernet network currently is home to the Slugwiki Server, the Bemix server and several clients, the Cocoa Table, and the hall printer. These services are available for all slugs to utilize. Future plans include adding a hall photo server and a debian apt repository.

Ethernet Network

The ethernet network was installed to provide a layer of protection, anonymity, and coolness to the computing activities of slugs. This network adheres to our guidelines, and operates to better meet our needs. Furthermore, by providing a single point-of-contact with the outside world, security is handled by one machine and the benefits are enjoyed by all machines on the network. However, as a consequence, the traffic on Slugnet is ultimately routed through a single machine which is owned by someone: the actions of all the users on the network are ultimately the responsibility of the network administrators. This means that, in general, computers that are part of Slugnet, including DHCP clients and personal machines, are NOT permitted to access the Internet at large. This allows the network to provide services that would otherwise be impossible.

Access

From the Internet, several services are available. Slugwiki is available to the world at large, and can be accessed at http://slugwiki.mit.edu. The Bemix server is available to the world at large with proper identification, and can be found at http://bemix.mit.edu/bemix/. The printer is available to machines that are connected to Slugnet, including DHCP clients, at the address juntonian.bemix.

In addition to DHCP access, individuals may request to have a Slugnet drop installed in their rooms for a small fee. To utilize the network, IP addresses and a .bemix domain name are included with the purchase of any item from the Max Fridge.

In order to maintain the security of Slugnet, only a few machines may access or be accessed by clients on the Internet. Cocoa Table and the gateway machines are permitted full access the Internet. However, cocoa table cannot run any services, and the gateway only permits traffic on http and ssh ports. All other machines, including DHCP clients, are forbidden to access the Internet. However, these machines enjoy full access to Slugnet, and have the right to run any services they wish.

If you need access to a resource that exists out on the web, talk to Rob Crowell. He can give you limited, temporary access to specific web resources as necessary.

DNS Registration

Slugnet makes available DNS names under the .bemix TLD. Registration is easy; a simple request to bemixdev at mit dot edu and proof of purchase of any item from the Max Fridge that is recycled in the Bebox is all that is necessary.

Soon there will be an online form that can be filled out from any machine on slugnet. After being reviewed by one of the network administrators, the DNS name will be granted. This should allow for the DNS registration process to occur much more smoothly.

Subversion

A subversion repository is available for hall projects at svn.bemix.org.

  • To checkout the entire repository from the Internet over port 2200 if you have an ssh account. Before you can checkout the repository, you need to add the following line to your .subversion/config file
[tunnels]
ssh2200 = ssh -p 2200

Check out the repository using

svn checkout svn+ssh2200://USER@svn.bemix.org/var/svn/REPO_NAME

Because svn does not cache your password when tunneling over ssh, it is recommended that you use ssh-agent to perform the password caching for you. A good tutorial can be found at http://mah.everybody.org/docs/ssh.

  • To checkout the entire repository from the Internet anonymously, use the following:
svn checkout svn://svn.bemix.org/var/svn/REPO_NAME

Note that this method of using the repository is read-only, so you cannot add files or commit changes.

Selfaware

Selfaware is an uploading service exists which will automatically make any uploads available to bemix within a few minutes, without requiring any human intervention. This uploading service is based on POST, and allows the uploading of a single file as well as .tar and .zip archives. You can access this service at https://bemix.mit.edu/love/. Note, however, that there is no way to access the uploads from the web, and they are available only to the bemix music system.

See Also

Using Slugnet Summer 2006 Projects