[KLUG Members] Replacing "gatekeeper" and "mail beamer".

[Richard Zimmerman]

> My question:  I know that using squid can aid the proxying and caching, but
> can one limit people's ability to reach the net during certain hours?

   Yup, with ACL's you can control when the connection is available (or not)
and even WHO can access the web! You can setup it by days, days / hours, etc.
It's pretty flexable. Also, it does REALLY good logging alhough in thier case
they are walking the privacy line.

> As well, will sendmail/qmail do the same thing mailbeamer is doing?
>I have a hunch that it will, but I know not if it actually does.

   I run Qmail along with email virus scanning over here and VERY happy with
it. You would use a program like fetchmail to get the mail from the ISP and
fetchmail "injects" the message into Qmail / Sendmail like the sender's isp
sent it itself. I can not speak for Sendmail (many here can) but Qmail is
secure, solid, fast and VERY flexable.

> I need to come up with a valid argument as why to use linux, esp. since the
> failure recovery is a load of hoo-ey.  The person in charge of the network
> has more or less a choke-hold on things, and for the most part, would hate
> to lose the upper hand on things.

     1. FREE (or close to it)

    2. Reliable. I've got an old 486 clunker w/ no battery backup, etc. in a
VERY bad electrical environment and it cruises right along (if you can say 486
are quick <G>)

    3. There is more and more support / programs / options for Linux everyday!
I've got 2 servers here now and they just work!

    4. SECURE! Surely can't say that about Windows / NT / Win 2000!

> Can anyone help me here?  I'd like to rid that proxy machine, since it's
> really lame, is really hard to add/remove people (you have to shut all
> services down to add someone, close another program, then add, the open the
> other program, and then resume services) and it's the slowest thing on the
> planet.

   As for management, with Squid you edit the config file
/etc/squid/squid.conf to add / remove a specific user and -HUP the squid
process and presto! You don't even lose a bit of data in the process!

   Hopes some of this helps...

   Richard