TUX = Saviour

[PerfectBlue]

No special purpose, but just posing here to express my happiness~!

Here's the story:

My uni is using a T3 connection which we all know is extremely fast, however the internet in uni is only for academic purpose. At some labs everyone has a usage limit (including upload/download = 25MB) per month, some only allow you to surf but cannot download anything.

However i brought along Knoppix to my uni todays and try to boot it up, surprisingly it did boot up, configured the network and internet connection automatically, and i didn't even need to login and can use the PC straight away! Guess what it even allowed me to download stuffs! Which means i don't have download limit since i didn't login (unless they checked by using the cam in the lab.....)

So guess i can just go and download lots of linux iso now in my uni since i only have 56k dial-up right now, weeeeee~

Tux you rock! :D

[Vaseline]

Heh.. Excellent work. :D

[o0zi]

Legal issues aside, enjoy your faster download speeds:)

[Parcival]

Good trick with the Knoppix - but if your uni has attentive sysadmins, they'll soon find out there is somebody not just downloading PDFs. ;)

[PerfectBlue]

It was kind of funny when some people looked at it and wondering why my desktop looked different as they are using plain old win 2000. They are impressed with the appearance but no one is willing to give it a try which is pretty sad. However ofcourse i didn't tell them that i can download unlimited else it will be the other case, and i do know i'll get into trouble if i mentioned that.........

The uni is using Novell, so you guys think it is possible that it will keep all the log when someone insert knoppix? and can you guys name some legal issue so probably i can watch out :p

[o0zi]

I don't think it matters which OS you use, if they've got Novell installed then it should detect all downloads. Does Knoppix come with Novell support, just out of interest (such as shared drives etc)?

[Satanic Atheist]

Hmmm, here in the UK, the University networks are all connected via an ultra high-speed network called JANet (Joint Academic Network) which is routed via satellite and God-only knows what.

In Scotland, we get MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks) and here in Dundee we have FaTMAN (Fife & Tayside Metropolitan Area Network) for a ridiculously high-speed connection. Essentially, several thousands of machine can simultaneously access the internet at LAN speeds. Great fun.

I had a 24.4kbps modem. Not fun.

So, how to get all those juicy MP3s for a few mates in exchange for beer tokens?

Haha. Trusty old laptop (Win95). Ethernet card. 6-pack of lager. OK. Maybe not the lager (yet).

This is how to learn network hacking from the start. With Novell.

Essentially, our access to the machines was relatively open. We could access a lot of things although not the registry and the "Control Panel" was hidden.

Not a problem. We could load the command prompt (through Windows Explorer) and run ipconfig.

Hello - entire network configuration of the machine. IP address (static & registered), DNS name, host name, gateways...

Back to laptop - clone the machine's details. IP address, gateway, the works. I didn't know if this was going to work or not, but what the hell.

Amazingly, I could bypass the entire network and head straight for the gateway and in a few minutes I had all the music I wanted.

There was one problem - I got caught.

One woman came in and started shutting down the machines that were not being used (hey - hit the switch, fastest power down in history. I kid you not). She switched off my laptop.

I was dead.

Or not.

She was extremely apologetic and was hoping that she hadn't lost any work on it. I reassured her that the battery was keeping it alive and just to turn it back on. I think she deliberately ignored my repatching of the network, she CAN'T have missed the fact that my laptop had a bright red RJ45 lead coming out of it and going into the trunking.

So I decided to leave. Very soon afterwards.

But I forgot about one thing - the log files.

And that's when I remembered that they were safely stored on my laptop I was carrying away with me.

True story.

James

[glussier]

However i brought along Knoppix to my uni todays and try to boot it up, surprisingly it did boot up, configured the network and internet connection automatically, and i didn't even need to login and can use the PC straight away! Guess what it even allowed me to download stuffs! Which means i don't have download limit since i didn't login (unless they checked by using the cam in the lab.....)


Knoppix or Windows, if the server had required a login, you would have had to provide-it.

[randabis]

Originally posted by glussier
Knoppix or Windows, if the server had required a login, you would have had to provide-it.
Yep...he said he didn't have to login. Very interesting...I think he may have found a backdoor. :p

[CaptainPinko]

as for legal issues you may be violating your computer use agreement and you might lose your account creating BIG prolems if you are taking cs classes

[o0zi]

Download what you need, then tell them that you've found a backdoor:p

No, seriously, I'd go and tell them straight away, but it's really your choice.

[plattypus1]

Read your school's Acceptable Use Policy. They might be able to yank your account and/or lab access for using Knoppix to "bypass security."

However, at my high school I used Knoppix to get past the Winblows security and nobody ever had a problem with it, even though it was against the AUP.

My best advice would be to talk to your netadmin, or somebody on the IT staff.

[PerfectBlue]

Will try Satanic Atheist's method someday :p

yeah probably i'll talk with my lecturer (a good friend of mine) next week when i'm going to uni next week since i don't have class today.

By the way, i'm wondering what sort of ways do oyu have to solve this problem instead of just changing the bios setting not to boot form cd ?

[Sepero]

You know, this really isn't a "Linux is great" story. Its more of a "God, MS Windows sucks" story. GNU/Linux does rule, though. ;)