Logging and the haproxy docker container

So you have configured and built and/or run your configuration file in the haproxy image as per https://hub.docker.com/_/haproxy/.

To repeat the steps are :

1. Create a haproxy.cfg file in a local directory
2. Create a Dockerfile in same directory containing

FROM haproxy:1.5
COPY haproxy.cfg /usr/local/etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg

3. Build image with  above docker file using

docker build -t myhaproxy .

4. Check that your image with your configuration is in your image list using

docker images

5. Run your docker image....

docker run -d --name my-running-haproxy my-haproxy

Note that you could also mount the volume with the configuration.

But once its running how do you know what the problem is if something goes wrong? How do you access the logs?

Haproxy logs to syslog, so we would need to build our own version of haproxy with a underlying system with syslog configuration changes.

Or we could do this:


1. Change the configuration in haproxy.cfg to log to /dev/log and rebuild your image.

global

log /dev/log local2

2. When we run our haproxy run with -v /dev/log:/dev/log like this:

docker run -d --name my-running-haproxy -v /dev/log:/dev/log my-haproxy

3. See what is happening in your "host" syslog (/var/log/syslog)

References:
1. https://hub.docker.com/_/haproxy/
2. https://github.com/dockerfile/haproxy/issues/3

TightVNC Client, SSH, TightVNC Server

I have to make some notes on this before I forget. This post attempts to be that note.

Perhaps you have a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or just a server out there somewhere in the ether. You want to share or view a remote desktop, but you want a secure tunnel for those bits to travel down. In this scenario your server is a linux (some variant, lets not start a religious war about it) and you installed tightvncserver. In addition you have SSH running. On your client, lets say windows, you have putty and tightvncserver.

For those with OCD here is a recap:

Server:
1. TightVNCServer.
2. SSH

Client:
3. Putty
4. TightVNC Viewer.

The only note I will make about tightvncserver is that you should have it only listen on loopback (127.0.0.1) since this typically is not a service you want exposed. We use '-nolisten tcp' to ensure we do not allow external tcp connections outside of our SSH tunnel.

In /etc/init.d/tightvncserver you would have a start line such as:

su $USER -c '/usr/bin/tightvncserver -nolisten tcp -localhost :1'

On the client follow the instructions at: http://www.penguintutor.com/linux/tightvnc

In a nutshell, you: 

1. In Putty create a session  with a hostname (or IP) and port of the SSH service running on your remote linux box.
2. Select Connection->SSH->Tunnels and enter source port 5901 and destination of localhost:5901
3. Back to session selection in the left pane and type a name for saved sessions and click save.
4. Then Click open for the session and a SSH window to your target should open where you can login.
5. Once logged in there is now a tunnel in place.
6. Run TightVNCViewer and connect to 'localhost:1' 

The End of Democracy in Canada

Prime Minister Harper,

Like you I was born and raised in this country. My Father, a veteran, who volunteered to serve his country overseas, taught me the importance of democracy and to stand up to bullies and tyranny who refuse to allow the difference of opinions in a public forum. He felt it so important that he volunteered to fight against it leaving the comfort of home and family and travelling overseas into the unknown.

Whether you understand it or not, you are taking our country down a very dangerous path. Treating those who believe in protecting some of the last unmolested parts of our wilderness against those who would risk it for commercial profit as criminals and security threats will turn us into a police state. This is important as your government has weakened oversight and protections against large scale destruction of environment and property.

If we do this then what other "thought crimes" will be added to the list? Will it be arguing against cartel bank fees? Will it be disagreeing with new government policy? Will it be voting for a different party other than the one governing? Will it be posting this blog entry?

We may be at the beginning, but you do not know where it will end.

My Father has since passed away and sadly in a way I am glad he has. I would hate for him to learn that the risk he took to defend our democracy has been thrown away by this legislation.