DSL Talk

Greetings from Wyboston in the United Kingdom. I'm doing a stint here in the UK teching PDA and cell phone forensics. The people here have been lovely and very kind. And the food at the facility has been fantastic...I'm at least five pounds heavier than when I arrived.

I went to Cambridge over the weekend. Very nice...heres some pictures if you want to have a look

http://www.chimpproject.com/UK/index.htm

Not the greatist pics only had a one mega pixel camera.

Anywho the company I'm doing the subcontacting with has decided to go with DSL as their forensic OS...they should be ported over soon...I'm now busy writing a beginning linux course for Law Enforcement.

Ok so I've been thinking about this other project for a little while too..a forensic cluster...

I've been thinking why not DSL..anyone tried this before..I've got an old kingston 16 port hub and some old 386/486 boxes..I know the processors and ram will be slow..but augmenting a faste macine it might prove useful....

I'm working on building a mini-itx machine(parts purchased through DSL store) for computer forensics. The idea driving this is a small, fast portable field foreniscs machine. This can be used for for imaging only or for previewing evidence. And hopefully user freindly enuf that windows addicted Field Detectives can use it with a minimum of re-training.

Of course it will run DSL as its embedded operating system. I admit that I cribbed the case design from John but I wanted to buidl a prototype form what I had laying around...I had some acrylic plexiglass from a nother project and bought the rest at the local hardware store.

When I first started doing computer forensics I used a windows based tool called EnCase. They have since grown into the Microsoft of the forensics world using many of the draconian and bullying tactics that the software giant uses.

I had heard of Linux when I started in the computer crimes unit(back in November of 2000) but hadnt really explored it. I bought a linux for dummies book(gasp!)and had my first linux experience with RH 7.0. Since then I have progressed to Mandrake, Debian and Slackware. I dont really care for RPM based distros and I am not a masocist so Gentoo is out of the question(though I understand there is a new distro that uses a graphical installer). I have installed Suse as the OS in my son's computer lab at school.

Hmm lets see...

1) write lecture proposals
2) make a .dsl of a forensic program
3)post it for the forensic community
4) pimp DSL
5) play in the Snow!

Ok so I'm feeling like I have to get something off my chest...to tell you all the truth-and I know this is going to invite flames and defamation-I'm using DSL and Linux in general for Law Enforcement work.

I am a Forensic Analyst. I examine evidence brought to me according to the parameters of a investigator following the scope of a search warrant or invesigator(when there is an exception to a search warrant-lile user consent).

This does not mean I am looking over anyone shoulder prying into your affairs watching posts etc. I believe in the first and fourth ammendments as strongly as anyone else. AND I personally think the Patriot Act is a little overarching in scope.