Rantburg.com (newrantburg.1dogstar.net) and its companion server rantburg.1dogstar.net are scheduled to undergo some changes with regard to the base operating system.SSL
The SSL certificate bought back in August at the start of the transition to its current platform is going to be abandoned.
When I used an SSL certificate back in the day (~15 years ago), it was nowhere near as complicated as it is now. And with the rest of the site(s) using Electronic Frontier Foundation's certbot program, I could not separate the two, and that's even assuming the certificate is properly constructed/configured.
So, the standard SSL certificate will be abandoned.
Of note also is that EFF will shorten the term of use of its certificates from 90 days to just 45 days, starting in 2027.
RANTBURG.1DOGSTAR.NET (BACKUP SERVER)
The operating system for this server will be upgraded to Freebsd 15.0. Its current version is 13.1, installed five years ago. Since that time much of the base install has changed with the addition of new and better programs/binaries, making this upgrade necessary.
The upgrade is planned, tentatively, to be completed by 31 May.
One of the needed binaries is ipcalc, an indispensable tool for mapping out CIDR networks, which I have used extensively for the base firewall.
Also I plan to install a time server. While that sounds Star Trek-ish, it will become necessary going forward to sync the clocks of all three servers, rantburg.1dogstar.net , newrantburg.1dogstar.net, and my internal Freebsd server, which I use as a testbed/backup.
Also of note is using the dynamic firewall system of Freebsd, I have almost completely cleaned up the spam in the Officer's Club.
| Please note that the O Club is just a chat room, open to all, not just whatever would count as officers around here. |
The upgrade to Freebsd 15.0 will commence starting in August 1st. There is a previously engagement I cannot avoid which pushed this upgrade back a month. The operating system is currently Freebsd 14.3
This document notes the upgrade and End of Life for the various Freebsds. newrantburg.1dogstar.net is scheduled to reach End of Life June 30 2026.
This document explains the wherefores on the upgrade cycle which will become shorter by a year. Once Freebsd 15.0 is installed, the End of Life will occur December 2029.
Upgrading comes with a rather trying caveat in that the server will be down, completely, for 72 hours as file transfers go through and the base operating system is installed and tested.
If you are not comfortable with PayPal, you can email me at my gmail account: grurkka to request my address, or you can do a lookup of 1dogstar.net which has a PO box.