NetIM BotNet. Pt3

Quick update Time.

Thanks to the speed of roll out using Subversion version control, my single test bot is now a botnet of  6 test bots. “Well if you are going to test something, test it BIG style

And since I was in one of Them moods, I now have the bots giving error messages in Haiku, with a built in BOFH excuse generator.

I have also been nice and added some more help files, and improved logging (for debugging) and some stability to the code.

Now I just need the users to suggest some more useful commands they would like.

OK… While that’s on hold/in testing, Whats my next project!

CN

NetIM BotNet. Pt2

Update time.

I have now got the project running on version control (subversion) so that I can keep track of changes, revert to working versions in the case of irrevocable coding errors. and ease of installing on multiple servers. This allows me a faster and easier means of updating servers with ease.  And gave me an excuse to play about with setting myself up a subversion server.

I have also changed the base code of the bot to match a simpler format for ease of adding and editing functions. and added help files to keep the users happy.

My plan for a single config file where user/pass are specified based on hostname seems to be working well, after a slight hiccup where i forgot was programing old school in perl and got my ==/=~ mixed up.

CN

NetIM BotNet. Pt1

As my Dear Readers you may be aware (If you recall back to the Jibber Jabber posts) We at the Insane Asylum have switched to a uniform IM system that we now all use for inter communication between padded cells. Which is much simpler that the days when some were on MSN, some Skype, and the old skool ones still on ICQ.

Now one of the reasons we switched was because the Asylums Governor liked the throw away joke suggestion of putting all our servers onto IM, so we could talk to them, and they could let us know when they experienced problems. And our Support droids could access basic Linux commands while using their preferred Micro$oft OS’s. That will teach me to watch what i say in jest. ([GN]Edit: No it won’t )

So, I now have to make this happen. Well it beats working on Phone systems for a change. And I feel I need a challenge every now and again, or my Mind starts wandering into dangerous areas. And since I have this blog I figured where better to log my progress, so I can read where I am up to when I get distracted with another project.

Phase 1:

I have a basic IM bot running on one of our servers to use for testing. It has rudimentary commands so far, basically traceroute, host, nslookup, and several ones that result in it insulting the person talking to it ;0)

Phase 2:

I want to get some basic help commands on there, so people can work out how to use it better, Its one thing adding fancy commands to its list if people can not work the simple ones out. So help commands, and a simple config file I can use so I only have one small thing to change depending on what server its running on. (humm. Get it to load file based on hostname then one file will do all)

Right. Off to work.

CN

Work Rant!

you have to love customers who think they are better, cleverer, more skillful than yourself. Although you have to ask yourself the question “If they are better than me, why are they paying me to do this work?

just had several emails from a client.. asking for something to be changed on their system so it works with their new code better. the emails go on for ages, explaining how their stuff is better and more complicated so we should change our stuff, and using lots of big posh, technical words. They even told me which file i need to change, which part of the file, and gave me some suggested code to help me out..

$allow_extensions = join(‘|’, array(‘txt’));
if( !preg_match(‘#.*?.(‘ . $allow_extensions . ‘)#si’, $filename) )

its probably taken him hours researching the problem, looking up the words in the dictionary, coming up with their solution, sending me all these details…

And how do i fix it.. i change * to *.txt in the code. 1 minutes work….

Muppets…