ISA confused, what the woof??!!

I have been working on getting a replacement for our internal firewall box.  My plan is to upgrade the hardware AND the old Wingate software I am using for firewalling with a slick 1U server and ISA Server 2006. 

I worked with ISA (it was called something different when it first came out) years and years ago in the late 90’s and haven’t touched it since.  The Wingate software we have used here has worked fine but it’s less than ideal in some aspects.  I have been screwing around with ISA 2006 off and on for almost a week and I am starting to develop a bald spot from scratching my head so much. 

I’m familiar with the rules that are typically used in firewall config but I’m not getting results as I would expect when testing ISA.  I’m sure it’s just me trying to dive into it with no formal background.  So far I haven’t even been able to have a test client pass through the firewall and telnet to a different network segment.  I’ll keep plugging away of course.  I need to find a simple guide for basic config of the product.  If you look at official MSFT white papers it is very easy to get lost in the boat loads of extraneous bullshit they include.

Last night I decided to be productive and clean the bathrooms.  Ali’s schedule for the next few days is rather packed and I figured it would be one less thing to get done this weekend.  I went the extra mile and did some cleaning in there that doesn’t get done regularly like cleaning off the shelves and cleaning the tub that hardly ever sees usage.

We also had what appeared to be a permanent coating of crud on the floor of the shower.  Last week I had some good success removing a stain around the drain of the guest bathroom tub drain using a combo of Lime Away and Clorox Clean Up.  I figured it was worth a shot on this crud as well. 

I soaked the floor of the shower first with the Lime Away, let it set for a few minutes and then followed up with spraying it with the Clorox stuff.  The fumes from the Clorox was overwhelming, I opened the window and turned on the exhaust fan to air out the room.  Once my eyes stopped burning I hit the floor of the shower with a brush and the crud came right off.  Shazam!  I used the Lime Away on the shelves in the shower as well which had some staining, again the product worked like a charm.  In retrospect I don’t think you even need to use the Clorox clean up.

Ali was surprised to see me wiping down a toilet when she got home.  She appreciated my efforts of course.  I proudly displayed our nearly new looking shower enclosure.  She was impressed with my results.  She has spent tons of time scrubbing that floor with other products and never got such results.

Today the dogs have their annual physical.  Part of it is blood tests.  To prepare, the dogs were not allowed to eat after midnight.     They were not happy girls this morning.  During my morning routine there are three potential treat sessions.  When they first go out to take a leak they both get a small treat and Sadie gets half a cup of dry food for “breakfast”.  As I prepare my lunch meat sandwich they each get some slices ripped up and fed to them.  Finally right before I leave I take them out again and if they take a dump they get yet another treat, normally dehydrated chicken breast.

Well this morning they got no treats and were very confused.  I was stared at the entire time by two sets of dog eyes, wondering when the treats were going to arrive.  The funniest moment of all came when I was applying the lunch meat to my sandwich. 

I typically put the the meat on my sandwich and then carry extra slices over to Nicki’s plate to tear them up. She was sitting right by me as I was preparing my sandwich.  After I was done I snapped the lid back on the container and put it back in the fridge.  As I did Nicki gave me the funniest double take and a “what the f are you doing!!!!!” look.  She had despair in her eyes as her beloved lunch meat went back into refrigeration.  I tried to console her by petting her and telling her she was still a good girl.  I’m sure she thought she was being punished for some reason.

What an exciting entry, computer firewalls, cleaning tips and dog stories all at one time!  I better check my blood pressure.