Khepera 

Khepera is the network's secondary name server and our security host. It houses different security-oriented services, including a honeypot (very popular with script kiddies and worms alike). Khepera is a Sun SPARCstation IPX, running Debian GNU/Linux for the SPARC. This is a sluggish machine, with 64 megs of RAM (it used to change often, whenever we found more of the 72-pin SIMMs it so loves, but now its memory banks are full). Of course, the choice of operating system influences the machine's performance. Khepera might switch to OpenBSD soon. SunOS 4.1.1 or 4.1.3 is right out, and don't even mention Solaris in the same sentence as SPARCstation IPX! Khepera's built-in SCSI hard drive stores 200 Mb, but the machine is sitting on an external, 5.25-inch, full-height Wren VIII drive holding an additional 1.2 Gb. Like all Sun disks, this one's SCSI too. I initially fit it with my 1 gig DEC drive, but the noise was unbelievable and I didn't need the extra space anyway.

Khepera is the Scarab of Ra. Like the dung beetle pushes balls of manure around, so does Khepera navigate the ship of the Sun in the heavens. Not the most well-known sun god, but interesting enough!

Change Log

2002-03-14

Shut down for preventive maintenance and to upgrade memory. Whoopsie, Khepera would only see 4 megs of each of the new 8 meg SIMMs, so it still has 40 megs of RAM. At least he's healthy and clean, because he'll be working as the LAN's web indexing spider soon.

2002-08-16

Yet more preventive maintenance. Yet more memory upgrading. The little box is now up to its full capacity of 64 megs and it's much faster than before.