|
If none of this works, start over from the beginning. Maybe you're trying to solve the wrong problem. For example, you think it's the DNS that is preventing correct lookups for a website, but really it's the client's DNS settings. Perhaps you have the IP hard-coded into your /etc/hosts fileor maybe you're logging into the wrong box. When all else fails, go back to the beginning. Finding the Answers or...Why Search Engines Are Your FriendSometimes the solution is as close as your fingertips. When in doubt, look it up and save yourself a lot of time, energy, and headache. One great tool the Internet has brought us all is the concept of search engines. Before spending a great deal of time on a problem, try looking it up in a search engine first. It's amazing how often the problem you have encountered has been run into by dozens of folks before, and someone has taken the time to document the solution fully on a mailing list or website. While researching this book, we found that with most of the Linux firewall mailing lists, the vast majority of problems users reported had been answered many times before on that same mailing list, only months earlier. We're not going to expand on the finer points of mailing list etiquettethat's not our point here. The point here is that before you waste your time asking someone for the answer, try looking for it via a search engine. WebsitesAs the old saying goes, read the friendly manual. Sometimes the problem is as simple as not understanding the syntax of the command or how to use the command or tool correctly. Before spending a lot of time pulling your hair out, make sure you know that you're using your firewall correctly by checking the documentation or examples online. Some useful sites are the netfilter website, some firewall guru sites, and when all else fails, try our website (www.gotroot.com). If you have some favorite sites that help you with your problems, go there. Never be afraid to look for help elsewhere, but when posting to mailing lists or forums, it's usually good etiquette to check mailing list and forum archives first to see if anyone else has asked this question before and if they received an answer. Besides, it will save you time to look at it as opposed to waiting for an answer. Further, if someone already answered the question you are about to ask, try that information first before you ask the same question again. You may find yourself "shunned" by some of the more outspoken members of the list or forum if you waste the community's time. This is not to discourage you from asking "dumb" questions. The worst that can happen is no one answers, but if you want to be taken seriously in the future, check the archives first. No matter what, if the information is already in the archives, as we already said, you will have saved yourself a lot of time by not having to ask and wait for an answer!
|
|