Galaxynet :: What's New

Jim Adams, our network administrator, will be out of town from August 2, 2003 through August 10, 2003 so that he may attend the LinuxWorld Convention and Expo in San Francisco. You can find out more about the LinuxWorld Expo from their official web site. Jim will also be doing some sightseeing while in San Francisco. Check out the Whidbey Linux Users Group web site for a blog of the trip, and many many pictures.

Today, Galaxynet made the Site menu collapsible with the use of Javascript. The Site menu, on the left-hand margin of the web site, has grown fairly large over recent years. The new collapsible system should make it easier to deal with, especially on smaller screen resolutions.

There was a network outage in Phoenix, Arizona that prevented RADIUS (Remote Access Dial In User Service) authentications at Galaxynet. This outage lasted from 16:04 to 19:16 PST. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Finally, the Account Management web site is finished and working properly. A lot of the problem was the code for the pages being written in ASP 2.0, and using new code for ASP 3.0. We have finally found all the problem code and rewritten it to work with IIS 5.0 under Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. We've also added some new features, like emailed receipts for payments, and the addition of due dates in Bill & Payment review. To access Account Management, visit https://billing.galaxynet.com/. If you have any questions, please feel free to email support@isomedia.com

Due to a lack of interest, and serveral (all but 1) inactive members in the team, Galaxynet has disbanned the SETI@Home team that it set up in October of 1999. Jim Adams has joined the Whidbey Linux Users' Group SETI@Home Team to continue the search. You can view the WLUG stats at WLUG's home page. Any former member of Galaxynet's SETI Group is welcome to join the WLUG Team.

Well, all our hard work hasn't paid off yet. Galaxynet Account Management Web Site is, once again, offline. There's a problem with the code connecting to the database. Something on the host computer was changed over the weekend, and now connections to the database are timing out. We will be working diligently on the problem until it is resolved. Sorry for the inconvenience.

After a software upgrade to our database software, the online interface to the database stopped working. We went back to the authors of the software, and they weren't much help. So, after months of reseaching and weeks of re-writing code and 8 days of cosmetic web design, we have finally put the web interface to our database back online! Galaxynet customers may once again review billing history, request support, and make payments online, without leaving the comforts of home. Check it out at https://billing.galaxynet.com/

Galaxynet Internet Services has changed the old design the http://www.airwhidbey.com site to match the main web site of Galaxynet. The new design meshes perfectly with the Galaxynet design unveiled in April of 2002. Also, we've changed the domain to http://www.galaxynetwireless.com in order to preserve name recognition. The old domains of airwhidbey.com and aircamano.com still work and will get you to the new Galaxynet Wireless site. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact support@isomedia.com.

Today, Galaxynet activated it's second official wireless access point on Camano Island. The new coverage provided by the Camano Island AP permits wireless access to most of eastern North Whidbey Island, including parts of Strawberry Point, Mariner's Cover, Polnell Shores, Crescent Harbor, Forbes and Maylor Point, Penn Cove, and many areas east of the U.S. Navy's Outlying Field. For more on coverage, please check out our galaxynet Wireless coverage maps

Galaxynet has unveiled a new Spam Filter for your email. Spam (or unsolicited bulk email, UBE) has become a problem of epidemic proportions. It seems you just can't avoid it. Well, Galaxynet has installed a Spam Filter to help you reduce the amount of spam you see. While our filter doesn't delete your spam email, it does mark it in a way that will allow you to setup mail rules in your email client. To modify your Spam Filter settings, please visit our Spam Filter Configuration Page. You will need a browser capable of making secure SSL connections.

Today, Galaxynet premiered its new web site design. This is Galaxynet's first major redesign in nearly four years! The new site is based on PHP, relies heavily on Cascading Style Sheets, and used a new MySQL database to serve up pages. The new design is three times faster than the old, and breathes new life into an archaic web site. If you don't like the colors of Galaxynet's new design, please feel free to change them yourself! We've added a new feature that allows you to choose which color scheme you like best. Check out the new color schemes today! Of course, with a new design and new server technology comes drawbacks. The new design isn't very friendly towards older browsers. There's never been a better time to download a new browser!

Galaxynet has installed a 128-bit secure server certificate on it's main web server to secure certain portions of its site. The new cert allows customers to read their mail via Webmail behind a secure socket layer. The new cert also allows Galaxynet to use forms securely as well. If you have any questions about Galaxynet's new SSL Certificate, please feel free to contact support.

Once again, Galaxynet has upgraded its web-based email system The new version is very similar to the previous version installed in October of 2001, and offers some bug fixes, more robust address books, and color schemes. Also, the original Webmail system which was replaced in October was removed today and is longer accessible.

Regrettably, Galaxynet removed the TUCOWS software mirror which was installed in July of 2000. The mirror was using a sizable chunk of our bandwidth, which was slowing mail and web page requests for paying customers (namely YOU). While the TUCOWS mirror is no longer hosted on Galaxynet's site, you can still find TUCOWS at http://www.tucows.com.

Today, Galaxynet upgraded it's web-based email system. The older version was experiencing difficulties with file attachments and other oddities. The newer system in place now handles attachments much nice, and includes spell checking, address books, and better folder management. The old system will remain operational until January, 2002.

After about 6 months of research, and many bleary-eyed hours of reading topographical maps, Galaxynet has announced on September 12, 2001 that it is now offering high-speed wireless Internet access in the Oak Harbor, WA area. For more information on Galaxynet's Wireless™ Internet, please visit http://www.galaxynetwireless.com

Since March of 2001, Galaxynet has been actively upgrading its servers. Currently, all of Galaxynet servers are running 800 MHz AMD Athlon processors or faster. Over the past several weekends, we upgraded the UPS batteries and added more RAM to most of the servers. There are currently eight computers on our Server network, for a total of 349 gigabytes of storage space and 2208 megabytes (or 2.2 GB) of memory. There are more than 20 computers on our entire LAN.

Starting today, May 1, 2001, Galaxynet is operating under new management. The new owners -- Thom and Marcy Lawless, and Jim Adams -- are from L.M. Thomas and Associates, which had been providing Galaxynet with outsourced data connections and technical support since February 1, 2001. L.M. Thomas and Associates will be Galaxynet's new parent company, and subsequently will be providing their own data feeds and technical support. All the owners are local to North Whidbey Island, as is the new parent company. Galaxynet's existing services will remain unchanged, but customers should look forward to new, more reliable services. Questions should be directed to Thomas Lawless at lmtaadmin@galaxynet.com

Today, Galaxynet began outsourcing its T1 data feeds, server farm, and technical support staff. By outsourcing these services, Galaxynet can focus its energies on new services while ensuring current services, and Galaxynet in general, remain reliable. The outsourcing company is L.M. Thomas and Associates. While still a new company, the owners of L.M. Thomas and Associates have years of networking, programming, and business experience to draw from. For more information about these changes, please email lmtaadmin@galaxynet.com

After a long "battle" with the phone company, we decided to order new phone lines and deal with getting our old "6912" line back at a later time. We were fighting to retain the old number since all our advertising and phone book ads has that number listed. Galaxynet's new numbers are: (360) 679-3847 in Oak Harbor, or 1-866-288-1800 toll free. The fax number will remain the same at 240.250.6004.

As planned, the phone company disconnected our old 33.6k modem lines as part of our move to the new modem network. Unfortunately, our office phones, which were part of the same account as the modem lines, were also disconnected. We are talking to the phone company to rectify this problem. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Galaxynet announced today that it was switching its dialup modem pool to an outsourced company that can provide access to the Internet in all 50 States, with over 2300 phone numbers. This means that you can take your Galaxynet account with you wherever you may travel.

If you'd like to browse the thousands on new access numbers throughout the Unitd States and Canada, please visit our Access Numbers web page.

Galaxynet has made it easy, and far more economical, to register domain names for virtual hosting. We can now offer you your choice of domain name for only $15 a year if you host the domain on our site. For more information, please visit Domain Registration page.

Today, Galaxynet joined the TUCOWS family of mirrors. TUCOWS, The Ultimate Collection Of Winsock Software, is arguably the largest repository of Internet software for the Windows platform. There is nearly 8 gigabytes of software on our network just waiting for you to download.

Galaxynet has recently added access numbers in Canada. Please check our Access Numbers web page for a complete list of Provinces and Cities we now have dial-up service in. Watch that same URL for more US and Canada numbers in the near future.

Galaxynet has developed its own defense against email viruses sent to or from Galaxynet customers. We've dubbed it "Phaegis" ("fay-jis"), from the Greek "Phage Aegis" (meaning "Virus Shield"). "Phaegis" scans all incoming and outgoing email file attachments for over 51,000 known types of viruses, trojans and variants *BEFORE* the email gets delivered to the recipient. Phaegis was very effective in stopping the ILOVEYOU virus from infecting Galaxynet customers. For more information on Phaegis, see Phaegis web page.

Galaxynet has placed its local dialup numbers list in a database where you can list state by state, sort by area code, sort by state, sort by city, etc. Please visit Access Numbers page to try the database out. We also made it simple to get a complete list of all our numbers by sending a blank email to numbers@galaxynet.com This is an auto-response address, so you'll get the list within seconds. Watch this database for new numbers throughout the United States and Canada.

Western Washington will have a new area code starting February 5, 2000. This new code is an overlay to the 360 area code, which means that your neighbor could have a different area code than you do. To learn how this new area code affects you, please visit our 564 Area Code page.

On October 9, 1999, Galaxynet joined the SETI@Home project run by SERENDIP at the University of California, Berkeley. SETI@Home is a free software program that runs as a screen-saver and processes radio telescope data for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. Please check out our webpage for more information, and links to SETI@Home. We would be pleased to have you join our "Research Team" if you are interested in running SETI@Home on your computer.

Galaxynet is pleased to announce that Oak Harbor, WA customers can now enjoy the same high-speed connection rates as customers in other states. After a long, red-tape battle with the local phone company, the 56k servers in Oak Harbor went live on October 5, 1999. If you are a Galaxynet customer in Oak Harbor, please call during regular business hours, and we'll convert you over to the new dialup number.

Recently, a couple of our dialup phone lines stopped answering the phone. After tracing the difficulty through our system to the demarc (the point where GTE's lines end, and our line begin), we found the problem is in GTE's service. We place a trouble call at 15:20 on 22 Sep 99, and GTE has promised to have the problem fixed by 18:00 on 23 Sep 99.

On September 17, 1999, GTE Northwest FINALLY installed our MUCH ANTICIPATED 56k digital circuits! We don't want to jinx anything by giving a firm date just yet, but watch for 56k access and other great connection options for our Whidbey Island customers in the near future!

On July 1, 1999, we placed a small Logitech QuickCam in the front window of our offices, and started taking pictures of the parking lot. Galaxynet's LotCam is updated every 30 seconds and runs 24 hours a day. It serves no real purpose, other than being kind of cool. To veiw the camera images, go to our live camera page.

On Friday, March 5, 1999, Galaxynet will be down for approximately 8 hours while GTE activates our new lines and we move some equipment around. Please make a note of this short outages.

Sub-standard phone lines and poor quality service from GTE Northwest has made connecting to Galaxynet a major headache since mid-December. After three repair orders and a meeting with regional GTE execs, we're finally getting the new phone lines we wanted back in August of 1997. The installation of these lines will probably result in a short outage in early March.

A recent wind storm has caused some wide-spread damage to the Island, and it appears as though connecting to Galaxynet has become an intermittent problem. Some users are complaining of "incompatible protocols," "check your password and try again," "the computer you're dialing is not answering," or simply "disconnected from the remote computer." After checking our terminal servers, the radius servers, and the actual wires for each modem, we have deduced that the problem does not lie in Galaxynet's system. We have submitted a repair order with GTE, and they tell us it will be fixed by January 1, 1999. We'll keep everyone informed.

Galaxynet has unveiled a new free service today. Whidbey Island winters have a been known to be severe at times, bringing high winds and lots of rain. Now you can keep informed of the latest weather forecast right here at Galaxynet. We have created a web page that gives you the newest forecast directly from the National Weather Service. Best of all, it's free!.

Well, after a few (shall we say) "complaints" about the recent changes to the look and feel of the website, we've made a cosmetic change to the pages that should be more pleasing. The new pages still feature the new Galaxynet "astro swirl" logo, but the yellowness of the site has been toned down quite a bit. All the new features, services, and links are still available... new ones are being added VERY soon -- stay tuned! As always, send your comments to the webmaster.

In order to stay current on the latest technology that's changing the Internet industry, Galaxynet is sending Jim Adams (our chief cook and bottle washer) to the ISP Convention in San Jose, CA during the week of September 28. Jim will be ooing and ahing over the latest in hardware and software that is available for Internet connectivity. Jim will also has a chance to win a 1998 Hummer! Wish him luck by sending email to support@isomedia.com.

The Links page has been updated with neary 100 new links for you to explore, and a spiffy new form for adding your own links. If used to its potential, the Links page should never get stale -- just bigger! If you notice any abuse or inappropriate links, please report it to the webmaster. Enjoy yourself!

Galaxynet has upgraded the Web Server to the latest version of Apache. This new web server is more secure, and allows for future expansion! If you have any questions or concerns, please email or support@isomedia.com.

Galaxynet has launched its Banner Advertising! If you are interested in advertising on our main web page, and having your banner ad placed in the rotation of nearly 750 hits a day, send email to support@isomedia.com.

We've modified and expanded our website again. Seems like we do this every year, huh? If you find any dead links, or just want to comment on the new look, please email the webmaster.

The servers have been reconfigured and additional bandwidth made available. We also performed some networking enhancements that should make your WWW experience more satisfying. Furthermore, we are pursuing possible legal remedies to the difficulties we've experienced deploying our much-anticipated 56K service due to vendor delays.

The mail server was upgraded recently with three times as much RAM as it used to have and with a newer version of Sendmail. If you are still having difficulties, please let us know. Thank you!

We expanded our Technical Support staff again. Please help us welcome Mike Leppelman. Mike is a long-time friend of Galaxynet. He used to run a BBS here in Oak Harbor back before the Internet arrived, and was one of Galaxynet's very first customers. Mike will be relieving Jim at Tech Support from 5:00pm to 6:00pm Monday through Friday, He will also be working every other Saturday from 10 to 5. Welcome aboard, Mike!

Well, the operating system on both the web server and the mail server were upgraded today. The new OS allows us to offer more/better services to you. Watch for things like a secure web server, multiple POPs, and possibly FrontPage extensions to make it easier for the amateur web authors! Thank you for your patience while we expand to meet your growing needs!

A new FTP search engine is in place on the main search page. You can search for files and directories to download -- a great new feature. Check it out.

We contacted GTE 3 times via phone and twice via email to confirm our first order for 72 add'l lines to be installed no later than December 13th at our offices on Midway Blvd in Oak Harbor. All of us here at Galaxynet are waiting impatiently for the new phone services to come online. Almost all of our enhancements, upgrades, and GREATLY expanded services hinge on GTE at this point. Let's hope we don't run into any further delays.

We upgraded the operating system on the comm servers today. The new software does NOT require the login script (galaxy.scp) or the Dial-Up Scripting Tool. This upgrade has already shown vast improvements in the way your modem connects to our servers. You may even see a speed increase. The software also makes the system more secure as well. If you're a Galaxynet customer, and you know another Galaxynet customer who may not have received word of our upgrade, please pass the word. We will be sending out instructions on how to modify your dialing configuration in the next billing cycle. Watch for upgrades on the mail server and the web server in the very near future. Unlike the comm servers, the upgrades on the mail and web servers will be completely transparent. You won't have to change a thing!

Galaxynet moved! Our offices at 919 W. Ault Field Road weren't really cramped, but GTE could not accomodate our needs at that location. That's the main reason the servers never made it to our old offices. Our new location at 390 NE Midway Blvd., has plenty of room, and is only three tenths of a mile from the Oak Harbor GTE Central Office. As soon as GTE can commit to a date, we'll be moving the servers, the dial-up lines, and the T1 to our new offices in Trader's Village (a.k.a. "the big log cabin").

Well, GTE finally fixed the ringing line problem on our hunt group. You shouldn't have anymore difficulties with the computer not answering. Many thanks to Larry Braillard from GTE who fixed the problem for us. We also fixed a few other extraneous bugs in the system, and things are once again running smooth as glass. If you are still encountering difficulties, please bring it to our attention. You can call us during business hours, or drop us an email at support@isomedia.com or . We are making every attempt answer your questions and solve your problems as soon as possible.

One of Galaxynet's former owners got married today! The loving couple had a very nice ceremony. Congratulation, Mr. & Mrs. King!

We had the web pages updated this weekend. Hope you like the new look. Navigation should be a lot easier. If you find any dead links, something that doesn't quite look right, or just want to comment on the new look, please send mail to the . The User Pages form doesn't work properly yet, but we are in the process of separating the form from the list... so stay tuned.

We expanded our Technical Support staff with the addition of Jim Adams. Jim will be available to answer your questions and solve your troubles during regular business hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am to 6:00pm, and Saturday 10:00am to 3:00pm. These are solid hours, so please feel free to call and talk to a real person! Jim can also be reached after hours to answer your questions by sending mail to support@isomedia.com.