Home IT Setup

Home Server

Sync Folders

• Install cygwin ssh on the server (currently v1.7.x). I used to shrink away from any setup that included cygwin because of the unmaintainable bloat I remembered, but recently gave it a try and was VERY pleasantly surprised by the package-manager-like setup program they have now. Easy to set up, easy to use, but you still need some googling:
  • Install base packages + nano (or your editor of choice, "mc" (which adds "mcedit") seems to work well) and OpenSSH, and auto-selected dependencies
  • if installing nano, you'll probably want to make it the default editor. run the following line, including the initial exclamation mark:
    • ! grep -q EDITOR= ~/.bashrc && echo export EDITOR=/usr/bin/nano >> ~/.bashrc
  • from a cygwin terminal started as Administrator, run "ssh-host-config"
    • priviledge separation: yes (it can only be safer, and I haven't found it breaking anything yet)
    • new local account: yes
    • service: yes
    • value of cygwin: (I left it blank - the defaults seem to work fine for me)
    • different name than cyg_server: no (will only be asked on windows 2003 and later)
    • create user cyg_server: yes (will only be asked on windows 2003 and later)
    • new password: something that you will never remember (you can always reset it and update the service(s) later)
  • As recommended here, might as well change /etc/sshd_config to prevent legacy SSH 1 connections, using nano to edit the file (for some reason cygwin protects its config files against local windows admins...?)
  • Similarly, change the port to (marginally) help avoid drive-by automated attacks
  • start the service ("net start sshd")
  • if you're running a host-based firewall like Windows Firewall, set up an appropriate exception (usually on your target port, TCP only)
  • If you're going to want access from outside your LAN (eg for remote backup), then set up a port forward on your router (TCP only)
  • If you're setting up a dedicated user for Unison (with limited rights, presumably) then run "mkpasswd -cl > /etc/passwd" afterwards to sync the passwd file.
  • Test eg with FileZilla
• Install Unison on server
  • Drop GTK+ (2.22.0??) files somewhere known eg Progra~1, and add to path (optional, for GUI debugging)
  • Drop Unison files somewhere known eg Progra~1 (optional, for GUI debugging)
  • Copy Unison-Cmdline into C:\Windows\System32 (or somewhere else that will be in the PATH of a cygwin shell), as Unison.exe
• Install Unison on Client
  • Drop GTK+ (2.22.0??) files somewhere known eg Progra~1, and add to path
  • Drop Unison files somewhere known eg Progra~1
  • Add plink.exe and the ssh.exe wrapper to plink (eg from here) in the Unison folder
    • We don't use cygwin SSH, although it also works, because cygwin SSH has irritating permissions/path issues outside of its shell env.
  • Generate a public/private keypair with puTTYgen, keep the private key file with the Unison setup (program file probably), and place the appropriate entry in the server's "authorized_keys" file for the target user (creating the .ssh folder for that user profile if necessary, and even the user's folder in /home).
  • Connect to the server from the client using puTTY, to save the trusted host key
  • Set up one or more appropriate "prf" files in your User profile's ".unison" folder, eg:
    

    #local folder to sync
    
    root = c:\Archive
    
    #server/shared mirror location
    
    root = ssh://Unison@192.168.2.30/D:/UnisonSync/Archive 
    
    #Careful with this! Forces RSync mirroring! (deletes any local files that don't match - rarely use)
    
    #force = ssh://Unison@192.168.2.30/D:/UnisonSync/Archive
    
    #private key and port specifiers for plink
    
    sshargs = -i ConfuzzedToUnisonOnMinimac.ppk -P 12322 
    
    #back up all deleted files in the unison profile folder, just in case!
    
    backup = Name * 
    
    #accept (non-conflicting) changes automatically
    
    auto = true 
    
    #start automatically (don't wait for the user to click anything)
    
    batch = true 
    
    #trust file timestamps and sizes on windows, don't always re-hash in case someone's messing with us (much faster).
    
    fastcheck = true 
    
    #don't bother with version control internals, trust that there is a connection to an authoritative VCS server
    
    ignore = Regex .*/*\.(svn|git).*
    
    #Winmerge: suggested at https://alliance.seas.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/wiki/index.php?n=Main.UnisonFAQOSSpecific
    
    #          /e:  Exit by single escape
    
    #          /ub: Do not add paths to MRI
    
    #          /dl, dr: Description, left, right
    
    #          /wr  Right side: read only
    
    #          Merge only works when first root is local!
    
    # merge disabled because I want to automate the process (commandline) - but can be enabled for UI-interactive sync
    
    #merge     = Name * -> "c:\Program Files\WinMerge\winmergeu" /ub /e /wr /dl "Local" /dr "Remote" "CURRENT1" "CURRENT2"
    
    # diff enabled because it never hurts to have that option (isn't automatic)
    
    diff     = "c:\Program Files\WinMerge\winmergeu" /ub /e /wr /dl "Local" /dr "Remote" "CURRENT1" "CURRENT2"
    
    

    
    

SysLog Logging

• Install Cygwin syslog-ng on the server
  • (see above, incl installing nano and/or mcedit)
  • see overview here, for example:
    • run setup
    • select "syslog-ng", and probably also cron, and continue
    • accept that it's going to have to install all sorts of prerequisites/dependencies, continue to end
    • run "syslog-ng-config" from a cygwin console that was started as Administrator, and install as service.
    • edit the /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf config file with nano, configure logging preferences:
      • uncomment the network source line in the "log" section, to enable incoming log messages to the server from the network
      • change the filename to include datestamp in the name (unless you have cool logrotate-style functionality available somewhere), eg filename "/var/log/messages_$YEAR-$MONTH-$DAY", and see below for scheduled deletion of old files
      • (last time I checked the doc is here, consider checking there for any aditional rules / functionality)
      • (also see sample files here and here)
  • run the cron service setup, "cron-config" (from an administrator cygwin prompt)
    • I let cron start as localsystem, as I'm using LSA for OpenSSH authentication anyway. Avast! antivirus identifies this as a "potentially unsafe" program and asks me to sandbox it, but obviously that would defeat the purpose so I need to add an exemption. I'd love to know the history to that specific detection default...
  • Set up new cron jobs to archive and delete logs. normally we might use the crontab.exe program, but I want to operate on system-owned logfiles, so my default user permissions would not be enough. As such, we'll set up the cron jobs in the "main" crontab configuration file at /etc/crontab - jobs defined here should execute as system, without user impersonation.
    • You'll want to create the system crontab file, as it doesn't appear to exist by default:
      • touch /etc/crontab
      • chown SYSTEM /etc/crontab
      • nano /etc/crontab
    • A sensible daily cleanup, archiving files daily and deleting logfiles older than 3 months (assuming the same filename is never repeated), might be:
      • 0 3 * * * /usr/bin/find /var/log/messages* ! -name "*.gz" -mtime +1 -type f -exec /usr/bin/gzip {} \;
      • 5 3 * * * /usr/bin/find /var/log/messages* -mtime +91 -type f -exec rm {} \;
    • (tasks inspired by the syslog-ng log rotation faq entry)
    • (I found this cron scheduling article rather helpful: http://www.pantz.org/software/cron/croninfo.html)
    • (even better, this visual editor avoids needing to think about it at all: http://www.corntab.com/pages/crontab-gui)
• open the port (514 UDP by default) in windows firewall on the server, so that the syslog server is reachable from devices eg router
• ensure that all network devices know where to log to (esp. router, see below)
• once devices are logging, check activity eg with "tail -f /var/log/messages" or something like that (specific filename)
  

Network

• Administration -> Management: Password
• Setup -> Basic: IP Address (192.168.2.1)
• Setup -> MAC Address Clone: Set this to a fixed tht is the SAME as the sometime-default, because otherwise the WAN mac, and therefore the interim IP address, wavers along the lifetime of the router boot/uptime... (use the default MAC but ending in 2, as this seems to be the pre-cloning MAC)
• Administration -> Management: Web access - HTTPS only, internal only, no telnet or SSH (except temporarily for backup & upgrade...?)
• Administration -> Management: Max Ports: 4096
• Administration -> Management: TCP Timeout: 300 secs (UDP default 120)
• Wifi
  • Primary "TWireless" with WPA2-PSK-AES, ending in "7"
  • WDS of type "LAN" to AP, defaults
• DHCP Fixed (list snipped)
• Port Forwarding (list snipped)
• QoS
  • Enable, on WAN, default packet scheduler, with upling & downlink specified.
  • Set the IP Phone MAC address with "Premium" priority (need to "Add" to set the prriority)
  • Add a "MiniMac-BT" service for the appropriate port range, apply
  • Select the new "MiniMac-BT" service at "Bulk" priority (means no reservations at all)
• Dynamic DNS
  • Setting is in Setup -> DDNS
  • I use DynDNS.org - venerable, and as far as I know reliable.
  • I can easily find my dynamic hostname (I frequently forget it) by looking up my internal website hostname on iptools.com - my website hostname is a CNAME entry to my dyndns hostname.
• SysLog forwarding
  • Enable the syslog option with a server IP (the server defined above) in Services -> Services, "System Log" setting.
  • Enable security logging events, under Security -> Firewall -> Log Management, enable, set to high, and enable "Accepted" to have a record of every accepted connection (and thereby a reasonable audit trail of ports accessed across your network).
• DNS Spoofing for consistent internal/external hostnames
  • If you need to access a given host the same way internally and externally, the easiest way to set things up is probably to use the "Additional DNSMasq Options" feature in dd-wrt:
    • address=/www.somesite.com/192.168.1.123
    • address=/www.someothersite.com/192.168.1.124
    • SUBJECT TO REVISION - I'increasingly dissatisfied with this solution, as you generally have little control over the DNS server used. Looking to implement a software-based switch instead, either with different sync profiles, or with HOSTS file updates.
    • (you will want to have multiple public domains/subdomains, one for each internal IP that you need to be able to access - the internal and external ports should be the same, and the external names should all be CNAME entries to a common Dynamic DNS A entry maintained by the router)
    • (this doesn't work with VPN clients that stick a particular DNS server to the top of the lookup order)
      

• guest "GuestWireless" with WPA2-PSK-AES password on a note on the fridge
  • Setup -> Networking: create "br1" bridge for 192.168.4.1, save/apply
  • Setup -> Networking: create a bridge assignment, "br1" to the virtual wifi interface ("ath0.1")
  • Setup -> Networking: multiple DNCP Server, create "DHCP 0" on "br1" (NOT "ath0.1"), On, defaults.
    • At this point you have a guest SSID and subnet, with internet access, but full cross-talk!
  • Administration -> Commands: Save Firewall script (from http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Multiple_WLANs):
    

    iptables -I FORWARD -i br1 -o br0 -m state --state NEW -j DROP
    
    iptables -I FORWARD -i br0 -o br1 -m state --state NEW -j DROP
    
    iptables -I FORWARD -i br1 -d `nvram get wan_ipaddr`/`nvram get wan_netmask` -m state --state NEW -j DROP
    
    iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -m state --state NEW -j DROP
    
    iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p udp --dport 67 -j ACCEPT
    
    iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p udp --dport 53 -j ACCEPT
    
    iptables -I INPUT -i br1 -p tcp --dport 53 -j ACCEPT