vpnsite.net

In the computer consulting business, dead-end solutions can be very expensive mistakes for your prospects or clients. So, start by pointing out how scalable your proposed network will be.

Communicate the Options

Discuss server hardware and OS/NOS selection and detail how, as you add more RAM, faster processors, SCSI or RAID hard drive controllers and multiple processors, performance continues to scale up. Explain how your computer consulting business’ prospects and clients can get a tremendous power boost with relatively low cost, by doing incremental hardware upgrades on servers running the solution you’ve proposed.

Then talk up available options for your prospects or clients down the road. Small business owners, as entrepreneurs, are a pretty optimistic group. So they’ll want to make sure their IT investments are in sync with their visions of future company growth.

The Growth Path

Highlight how your computer consulting business’ proposed network solution provides a very well defined growth path to more application-rich platforms. Then, reiterate how a Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/XP “server”, on the other hand, severely limits your networking options.

A Microsoft Windows 9x/Me/XP “server” may be adequate for some very limited file and printer sharing, but it’s definitely not a great platform for adding high-performance relational database or messaging applications.

As company IT needs evolve, the amount of files can really spiral out of control if the networking solution can’t keep up. So always highlight how the proposed networking solution and centralizing data helps to protect IT investments by maintaining version control.

A Networking Solution Can Reduce Confusion

With a decentralized peer-to-peer network, there may be multiple, conflicting versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel data files for example. Whether these files are passed around on disk or distributed on different users’ “servers”, a well-designed client/server network, with consistent naming conventions and a coherent share and folder structure goes a long way toward preventing confusion.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

[tags]computer-consulting-business, computer consulting business[/tags]

CIO Enterprise Identity Project Approaches
The Enterprise Identity Management project is all about automating business processes and synchronizing identity-related information across the enterprise.

Why do we need Identity Management?
Identity management is necessary to support a strong and flexibly security framework. Most system and data vulnerabilities come from improperly managed rights and entitlements. Many companies do not have the necessary identity-related security implementations to adequately control access to services, devices, applications, and data. Properly securing an enterprise today means implementing automated processes and procedures for granting and revoking access to company resources. Intelligent identity management implementation will provide staff with the means to control, enforce, and monitor access to company resources. Additional benefits include access to monitoring and providing a proof of compliance to Sarbanes-Oxley auditors.

Identity Related Access
Control of employee, supplier, and partner access can be far from perfect. Terminated contractors and employees may have access to company resources long after they have officially left the company. Access credentials that employees and contractors need in order to perform their normal tasks are frequently so numerous that they write down their access codes and store them in or near their workspace. Securing the enterprise means providing a process or framework to synchronize employee, supplier, and partner identities across all systems. An intelligent identity management system provides the means to achieve a high degree of security and a secure trust level while allowing employees, suppliers, and business partners to access company resources.

Best Approach to Identity Management
The best approach for an intelligent identity management framework is an open system approach, which uses standardized, readily available commercial components. The open system approach creates an environment that is adaptable and enables the company to respond quickly to rapidly changing business environments. The approach also provides a framework in which individual components can be replaced, maintained, or upgraded on demand with minimal or no impact to the overall system. Additional benefits are achieved by reducing reliance on any one vendor or technology, and this provides a buffer against technological change and vendor consolidation. This approach allows the framework and methodology to reduce the risk associated with implementing or changing components.

Implementation Methodologies
Considering the required cost and complexity of integrating identity repositories in the enterprise, an open flexible system that reuses readily available components is an ideal solution to a very complex problem. Identity-related processes require communication between technologically diverse identity repositories, applications, and processes. Each application and identity repository is designed for a specific purpose and not necessarily designed to integrate with other solutions. However, achieving the desired goal of integrating these technologically diverse repositories with ongoing business processes is a difficult and complex issue. The ideal solution is to integrate the applications, identity repository, and business process by using a common, robust, and scalable transport to exchange information. Enabling applications, a legacy system, and a business process to exchange information in a common and reliable manner is a necessity to meet long-term business needs. This technology must provide for guaranteed data delivery, regardless of network changes or outages, and it must also provide a level of abstraction from diverse identity repositories and processes.

Service Oriented Architectures (SOA)
With the increasing acceptance and reliance on SOA (Service-Oriented Architectures), Web Services, Middleware Messaging, and Database solutions, these items are being adopted in many enterprises and are becoming a common component of numerous business enterprises.

Web Services?
The loosely coupled nature of Web Services provides a flexible, component-based, open, extensible, and reusable solution. Web services also enable platform and application-independent communication methods of exchanging information over HTTP. However, if there are unexpected network connectivity issues, does the client have a mechanism to guarantee that any and all data will be delivered to the Web service? No matter how good your network is, there will always be a chance that critical data can be lost owing to a variety of reasons. Web services by themselves cannot provide the necessary guaranteed data delivery service that is required for today’s demanding business environments. On their own, Web Services have no standardized mechanism to provide a guaranteed data delivery service when network outages occur unless the application is specifically designed and developed with a guaranteed data delivery mechanism.

Why Not Database Replication?
Data exchange can also be achieved by using database replication. The client can insert data into a local operational database and it can eventually be replicated to the central subscriber. In this case, application communication requires a local database on every server; a replication mechanism that has either been developed or bought will provide the delivery mechanism. This may not be the best solution, as it requires extra effort to configure, maintain, and monitor. These extras are already provided by middleware messaging products.

Middleware Messaging Transport Service
The middleware messaging transport service provides a layer of abstraction between the application, identity repositories, and business process. It also provides the necessary guaranteed data delivery service that is so crucial in today’s enterprise environments. The middleware messaging provides the ideal environment to enable open, extensible, and flexible identity management solutions. It also provides the necessary abstracted environment for exchanging information between identity repositories, processes, and applications, as well as providing an effective integration for outside vendors and suppliers. The most open extensible and scalable method to exchange information is middleware oriented messaging.

Middleware vendors
Several of the more popular middleware vendors are listed below.
IBM’s WebSphereMQ http://www-306.ibm.com/software/integration/wmq/
Tibco Rendezvous http://www.tibco.com/software/enterprise_backbone/rendezvous.jsp
SonicMQ http://www.sonicsoftware.com/index.ssp
Microsoft MSMQ http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/msmq/default.mspx

Conclusion
The middleware messaging transport service provides the necessary support infrastructure that enables integration teams to focus on business logic rather than on the development of custom solutions or components. The abstracted environment also provides the ideal environment to build effective, open, and extensible identity management solutions.

EAI SIM Solutions was founded by Bill Brant. EAI SIM Solutions can help you implement flexible extensible Identity Management solutions, enabling you to enforce strong processes to enhance internal security and accountability throughout the enterprise

For more information on how to use middleware messaging to support your identity management initiatives, please visit http://www.eaisimsolutions.com/

[tags]identity management, security, service oriented architectures, SOA, Sarbanes-Oxley, SOX, middleware[/tags]

What’s a DVR system and what else can it brings for us?

DVR is a hard drive that located inside a DVR receive to record and store satellite TV programs in digital format. It is the combination of the advanced technologies of Digital Video Recording and satellite TV system

Through introducing DVR into their free satellite TV package, Dish Network DVR provide you the power to to allow you to watch TV the way you want, when you want. In their free satellite TV package with DVR — or known as Dish Network DVR Video-on-Demand Service, allows you to record, pause, and fast forward live TV programs. When you subscribe to Dish Network now, you can get up to two Dish Network DVR receivers free when you order a free satellite TV system from Dish Network such as the Dish Network deals provided at here: http://www.satellitetvissue.com/DishNetwork/DishNetworkPromotion.htm.

Features of Dish Network DVR

So, what is so special with this Dish Network DVR system?

What can Dish Network DVR with Video-On-Demand Service brings to you interm of better entertainment experience?

What’s the benefits of having a Dish Network DVR at your home?

Outstanding features of Dish Network DVR with Video-On-Demand Service include:

Fast forwarding. Skip commercials and boring portions of the show you’re watching depends on YOUR choice.

Auto Record. Automatically record up to 100 hours of Dish Network satellite TV shows.

Pause and replay live TV. Dish Network DVR enables you to pause the show you’re watching whenever you are busy and resume watching your show when you’re ready.

All digital storage. Have you get enough of the bad experience with hassles handling and video tapes storing. With Dish Network DVR, all your record will be stored in Dish Network DVR hard drive in digital format–which means much much more better quality compare to video tapes recording.

Further more, you don’t need to be worried about the operations of Dish Network DVR system. The on-screen DVR menus in Dish Network DVR system are integrated with Dish Network’s program guide. This makes recording tasks easy and flexible.

Teddy L.Cc., an experienced freelance internet webmaster/writer, frequent writter on issue regarding satellite TV deals, electronics goods as well as web hosting.Also, you can find more consumer info at this site: Free Dish Network offer.

[tags]dish network deals, dish network dvr, free dish network offer[/tags]

Most fax software offers many tools for you to send and receive faxes from your desktop. By means of fax software, people can communicate with one another in and around the world without using fax machines. Nowadays, a large number of companies provide fax software services. It is a better and more effective way to manage your business needs. The fax software saves you the fax equipment, paper, and toner, and you are also relieved of the irritation of using fax machines.

Some of the common advantages include are reliability, lower cost and integration of e-mail. Most fax software are compatible with all versions of Windows. The installation procedure is easy and simple. Some of the fax programs available in the market are 32 bit Internet Fax, Faxmail for Windows, Faxmail Network for Windows, and Faxamatic. The 32 bit Internet Fax and Faxmail for Windows allow the user to send and receive fax with the help of a single modem and computer. A single computer and multiple modems are used for receiving and sending fax messages in Faxamatic.

Some of the prerequisites for implementing fax software are a Pentium class PC, any of the Windows versions such as Windows 95, Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2000 Server, 2003 Server, a fax capable modem, 20 MB disk space (actually this depends on the volume of fax), and 64 MB RAM. If the user wishes to scan paper documents and notes, a scanner is necessary.

A wide selection of fax software packages are available, so the user must always check the actual features before choosing a fax software solution. It is advisable to run a trial version before purchasing the software.

Fax Software provides detailed information on Fax Software, Free Fax Software, Fax Broadcasting Software, Fax Server Software and more. Fax Software is affiliated with Bulk Email Software.

[tags]Fax Software, Free Fax Software, Fax Broadcasting Software, Fax Server Software[/tags]

The release of Exchange 2003 bought us some very good features such as Intelligent Message Filtering (IMF) and my favourite RPC over HTTP. This allows a user to access email using their outlook client without the use of VPN’s or dial up networking. For me this feature has been a god send as I spend alot of time on customer sites and always need access to important documents stored in my email. With RPC over HTTP I can just plug my laptop onto the network, open my Outlook client and pull my emails down as if I was in the office.

The initial set up of RPC over HTTP is not simple and requires you follow a strict process. I have a great many customers call me saing that they cannot get it working so I decided to write an article dedicated to this feature.

RPC over HTTP System Requirements
To use RPC over HTTP, you must run Windows Server 2003 on the following computers:

All Exchange 2003 servers that will be accessed with Outlook 2003 clients using RPC over HTTP.
The Exchange 2003 front-end server acting as the RPC Proxy server.
The global catalog server used by Outlook 2003 clients and the Exchange 2003 servers configured to use RPC over HTTP.

Exchange 2003 must be installed on all Exchange servers that are used by the computer designated as the RPC proxy server. Additionally, all client computers running Outlook 2003 must also be running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later.

————————————————————

Deploying RPC over HTTP
This section provides detailed steps about how to deploy RPC over HTTP in your Exchange 2003 organization. Complete the steps in the following order.
1. Configure your Exchange front-end server as an RPC Proxy server.

2. Configure the RPC virtual directory in Internet Information Services (IIS) on the Exchange front-end server.

3. Configure the registry on the Exchange 2003 computer that communicates with the RPC proxy server to use the specific ports for RPC over HTTP communication.
4. Open the specific ports on the internal firewall for RPC over HTTP, as well as the standard ports for Exchange front-end communication.
5. Create a profile for each of your users to use with RPC over HTTP.
Each of these steps is detailed in the following sections. After you have completed these steps, your users can begin using RPC over HTTP to access the Exchange front-end server.

————————————————————

Step 1: Configuring Your Exchange Front-End Server to Use RPC over HTTP
The RPC Proxy server processes the Outlook 2003 RPC requests that come in over the Internet. In order for the RPC Proxy server to successfully process the RPC over HTTP requests, you must install the Windows Server 2003 RPC over HTTP Proxy networking component on your Exchange front-end server.

To configure your Exchange front-end server to use RPC over HTTP
1. On the Exchange front-end server running Windows Server 2003, click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
2. In Add or Remove Programs, click Add/Remove Windows Components in the left pane.
3. In the Windows Components Wizard, on the Windows Components page, highlight Networking Services, and then click Details.
4. In Networking Services, select the RPC over HTTP Proxy check box, and then click OK.
5. On the Windows Components page, click Next to install the RPC over HTTP Proxy Windows component.

————————————————————

Step 2: Configuring the RPC Virtual Directory in Internet Information Services

Now that you have configured your Exchange front-end server to use RPC over HTTP, you must configure the RPC virtual directory in IIS.

To configure the RPC virtual directory
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, in the console tree, expand the server you want, expand Web Sites, expand Default Web Site, right-click the RPC virtual directory, and then click Properties.
3. In RPC Properties, on the Directory Security tab, in the Authentication and access control pane, click Edit.

Note: RPC over HTTP does not allow anonymous access.
4. Under Authenticated access, select the check box next to Basic authentication (password is sent in clear text), and then click OK.
5. To save your settings, click Apply, and then click OK.
Your RPC virtual directory is now set to use Basic authentication.
If you plan to use SSL, skip the following procedure For non-SSL configurations, however, the RPC proxy server must be configured to allow non-SSL sessions to be forwarded. The non-SSL sessions are able to be forwarded by adding a specific registry value to the server.
Warning: Incorrectly editing the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Problems resulting from editing the registry incorrectly may not be able to be resolved. Before editing the registry, back up any valuable data.

To allow non-SSL encrypted traffic with RPC over HTTP
1. On the RPC Proxy server, start Registry Editor (regedit).
2. In the console tree, navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftRpcRpcProxy
3. In the details pane, right-click and add a new DWORD Value named AllowAnonymous, and then right-click it and choose Modify.
4. In Edit DWORD Value, in the Value data box, enter 1.
The RPC proxy server is now configured to allow requests to be forwarded without the requirement to first establish an SSL-encrypted session. The setting to enforce authenticated requests is still controlled in the Authentication and access control settings.

————————————————————

Step 3: Configuring the RPC Proxy Server to Use Specified Ports
After you enable the RPC over HTTP networking component for IIS, you should configure the RPC proxy server to use specific port numbers to communicate with the servers in the corporate network. In this scenario, the RPC proxy server is configured to use specific ports and the individual computers that the RPC proxy server communicates with are also configured to use specific ports when receiving requests from the RPC proxy server. When you run Exchange 2003 Setup, Exchange is automatically configured to use the ncacn_http ports listed in Table 2.1.

Step 3 involves the following two procedures.
1. Configure the RPC Proxy server to use specified ports for RPC over HTTP requests to communicate with servers inside the corporate network.
2. Configure the global catalog servers to use specified ports for RPC over HTTP requests to communicate with the RPC Proxy server inside the perimeter network.
Warning:
Incorrectly editing the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Problems resulting from editing the registry incorrectly may not be able to be resolved. Before editing the registry, back up any valuable data.

To configure the RPC Proxy server to use the specified default ports for RPC over HTTP
The following ports are the required ports for RPC over HTTP.
Table 2.1 Required ports for RPC over HTTP
Server Ports (Services)
Exchange back-end servers 593 (end point mapper)

6001 (Store)
6002 (DS referral)
6004 (DS proxy)
Global catalog server 593 and 6004

1. On the RPC Proxy server, start Registry Editor (regedit).
2. In the console tree, navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftRpcRpcProxy
3. In the details pane, right-click the ValidPorts subkey, and then click Modify.
Figure 2.4 The RPCProxy registry settings
4. In Edit String, in the Value data box, type the following information:
ExchangeBEServer:593;ExchangeBEServerFQDN:593;ExchangeBEServer:6001-6002;ExchangeBEServerFQDN:6001-6002;ExchangeBEServer:6004;ExchangeBEServerFQDN:6004;
GlobalCatalogServer:593;GlobalCatalogServerFQDN:593;GlobalCatalogServer:6004;GlobalCatalogServerFQDN:6004
ExchangeBEServer and GlobalCatalogServer are the NetBIOS names of your Exchange back-end server and global catalog server.
ExchangeBEFQDN and GlobalCatalogServerFQDN are the fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) of your Exchange back-end server and global catalog server.

In the registry key, continue to list all servers in the corporate network with which the RPC Proxy server will need to communicate.
Important:
To communicate with the RPC Proxy server, all servers accessed by the Outlook client must have set ports. If a server, such as an Exchange public folder server, has not been configured to use the specified ports for RPC over HTTP communication, the client will not be able to access the server.

To configure the global catalog servers to use specific ports for RPC over HTTP
1. On the global catalog server, start Registry Editor (regedit).

2. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSet
ServicesNTDSParameters
3. From the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Multi-String value.
4. In the details pane, create a multi-string value with the name NSPI interface protocol sequences.
5. Right-click the NSPI interface protocol sequences multi-string value, and then click Modify.
6. In Edit String, in the Value data box, type ncacn_http:6004
7. Restart the global catalog server.

————————————————————

Step 4: Create an Outlook Profile to Use With RPC over HTTP

In order for your users to use RPC over HTTP from their client computer, they must create an Outlook profile that uses the necessary RPC over HTTP settings. These settings enable Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication with Basic authentication, which is necessary when using RPC over HTTP.
Although optional, it is highly recommended that you use the “Use Cached Exchange Mode” option for all profiles that will connect to Exchange using RPC over HTTP.

To create an Outlook profile to use with RPC over HTTP
1. Click Start and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, perform one of the following tasks:
If you are using Category View, in the left pane, under See Also, click Other Control Panel Options, and then click Mail.
If you are using Classic View, double-click Mail.
3. In Mail Setup, under Profiles, click Show Profiles.
4. In Mail, click Add.
5. In New Profile, in the Profile Name box, type a name for this profile, and then click OK.
6. In the E-mail Accounts wizard, click Add a new e-mail account, and then click Next.
7. On the Server Type page, click Microsoft Exchange Server, and then click Next.
8. On the Exchange Server Settings page, perform the following steps:
a. In the Microsoft Exchange Server box, type the name of your back-end Exchange server where your mailbox resides.
b. Check the check box next to Use Cached Exchange Mode.
c. In the User Name box, type the user name.
d. Click More Settings.
9. On the Connection tab, in the Exchange over the Internet pane, select the Connect to my Exchange mailbox using HTTP check box.
10. Click Exchange Proxy Settings.
11. On the Exchange Proxy Settings page, under Connections Settings, perform the following steps:

a. Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the RPC Proxy server in the Use this URL to connect to my proxy server for Exchange box.
b. Select the Connect using SSL only check box.
c. Select the Mutually authenticate the session when connecting with SSL check box next.
d. Enter the FQDN of the RPC Proxy server in the Principle name for proxy server box. Use the format: msstd:FQDN of RPC Proxy Server.
e. As an optional step, you can configure Outlook 2003 to connect to your Exchange server using RPC over HTTP by default by checking the check box next to On fast networks, connect to Exchange using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP.
12. On the Exchange Proxy Settings page, in the Proxy authentication settings window, in the Use this authentication when connecting to my proxy server for Exchange list, select Basic Authentication.
13. Click OK
14. Enable RPC over HTTP by configuring your user’s profiles to allow for RPC over HTTP communication with Outlook 2003. Alternatively, you can instruct your users on how to manually enable RPC over HTTP for their Outlook 2003 profiles.
Note:
If you have configured the client to communicate using SSL, you must add the complete SSL certificate chain to the Trusted Root Certificate Authorities on the client machine.

Your users are now configured to use RPC over HTTP.

Scott Croucher is an IT Consultant who runs S3 Solutions IT Ltd a UK based solution provider. Scott has over 12 years consultancy experience. Visit http://www.s3-solutions.co.uk for more information.

[tags]RPC over HTTP, Exchange 2003, Email, Outlook, Microsoft, Windows,[/tags]

In yesterday’s Network+ tutorial, we talked about the importance of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) in today’s networks. A host PC must have the MAC and IP addresses of a remote host in order to send data to that remote host, and it’s ARP that allows the local host to request the remost host to send the local host its MAC address through an ARP Request.

The ARP Request is a layer two broadcast, and like all L2 broadcasts it has a destination MAC address of ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff. Switches forward broadcasts, but routers do not, which brings up a basic problem. If there’s a router between two hosts, how can one possibly send an ARP Request to the remote host, since routers do not forward broadcasts?

That’s where Proxy ARP comes in. For this example, let’s assume that HostA is on a network segment connected to RouterA’s ethernet0 interface, and HostB is on a network segment connected to RouterA’s ethernet1 interface. HostA wants to send data to HostB, but doesn’t have HostB’s MAC address. An ARP Request from HostA will stop at the router - but with Proxy ARP, the router will actually answer the ARP Request with the MAC address of the router interface that received the ARP Request!

In this case, RouterA will respond to the ARP Request with the MAC address of it’s own ethernet0 interface. This is transparent to HostA - when HostA sends data to HostB, the destination IP address will be that of HostB, but the destination MAC address will be that of RouterA’s ethernet0 interface.

Since we’ve now discussed ARP and Proxy ARP, I do want to mention RARP - Reverse Address Resolution Protocol. RARP allows a host device to send a request for its own IP address, and this response will be answered by a RARP server. You don’t see RARP that often anymore, since DHCP does the same thing and much more, but you should know what RARP does. And if you’re not sure what DHCP does - don’t miss my next Network+ exam tutorial!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, Ultimate Network+ Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and twice-daily CCNA, Network+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions! Details are on the website.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! And now, you can earn your Network+ certification from The Bryant Advantage!

[tags]network, network+, exam, pass, arp, proxy, address, resolution, protocol, router, switch, ccna, a+[/tags]

In today’s world convenience is king. The average person’s life is so busy, they have to schedule almost every minute of everyday. If this is so, what are the chances your favorite TV program is going to coincidently start in your small window of free time? If you said slim to none you are correct. Even if we remember when our favorite shows come on, things come up that cause use to miss the programs that help us to sit and unwind. With a Dish Network DVR you can watch what ever you want when ever you want automatically, but which is right for you? Read on for more information.

Dish Network’s entry level DVR product is called the DISH Player-DVR 510. The DVR-510 is a DISH Network receiver that is capable of recording up to 100 hours of programming on a 120 GB hard-drive. It also includes DISH Network DVR Service that provides the ability to pause live TV, record standard definition DISH Network programming, skip recorded commercials and create instant replays.

DISH Player-DVR 510 Features Include:

• DISHNetwork DVR Service which allows you to pause live TV, play, stop,and fast-forward, fast-reverse, skip-forward…
  

• 120 gig harddrive
• Up to 100 hours of digital recording time
• Records Dolby

Passing your Network+ exam is the first step on the way to becoming a master network troubleshooter, and that’s where you need to be. The average network admin spends 90% of their time troubleshooting and 10% installing hardware and software, so you better be good at troubleshooting!

In my experience, there are two kinds of network troubleshooters in the world:

Those who take a structured approach

Those who hope to get lucky

The sad part is that I’m not really kidding. You’ve got good troubleshooters that take much the same structured approach every time they troubleshoot, and you’ve got “point-and-clickers” who start looking around feverishly and just hope to get lucky.

Don’t be a “point-and-clicker”. So what’s this structured approach I’ve been talking about?

First, ask yourself and any appropriate personnel…

“What exactly are the problems?” When an end user calls for support, they tend to be very general about the issue. What is the issue? What are the symptoms of the problem? Get this info and you’re 90% of the way home. If you don’t know what the problem is, you can’t troubleshoot it!

Second, identify the area that’s affected by the problem. Let’s say this is a typical email problem where a user reports that they can’t get their mail. Is that person the only one with the problem? If so, start troubleshooting with their workstation. Is everyone on the network having the problem? Start with the server.

Next, ask my favorite question… “What has changed since this stopped working?” We all know the answer to that one, right? “It was like that when I got here!” But something had to change, and it’s our job to figure out what.

Determining the cause of the problem is the next step, and this all depends on the previous step. If you repair the change that was just made, that will probably resolve the issue. If you see multiple changes that could have resulted in the problem, draw on your experience and decide what the most likely cause is.

The rest of the steps are simple, but the last one tends to get left off:

Put the solution into operation

Test the solution and note any possible side effects

DOCUMENT THE SOLUTION

Sorry to yell about that last one, but when you find something that works, write it down and share it with the group! This will save a lot of time the next time the same problem occurs.

You’ll develop your own style of troubleshooting as you gain more experience, but the following is a good outline to follow for any network issue. Just follow this path of questions:

Is this issue self-contained, or the symptom of a larger problem?

What is the scope of the issue?

What has changed since this was working?

What is the most likely issue and fix?

Put the solution into action.

Test the solution.

Make sure the solution didn’t cause more problems!

Document the solution and how you arrived at it.

Follow this order and your network will thank you - and so will your coworkers!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of over 100 free certification exam tutorials, including Security+,
Network +, CCNA, and CCNP topics.

You can also join his RSS feed and visit his blog, which is updated several times daily with new Cisco certification articles, free tutorials, and daily CCNA, Network+, Security+, A+, and CCNP certification exam practice questions!

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! And now, you can earn your A + certification from The Bryant Advantage!

[tags]network+, network, exam, pass, free, troubleshoot, comptia, a+, security+, ccna, certification[/tags]

Many business owners find themselves in the position to confront employees about their Internet use. Non-work related activities including online games, Internet shopping, stock trading, Internet radio, streaming media and MP3 downloads represent the new temptations in the workplace.

When an employee connects to the Internet, your company is exposed to these four threats:

Productivity Threats: Just 20 minutes of recreational surfing a day can cost a company with 30 employees over $1000 per week (At $25/hr per employee)

Legal Threats: Employees can sue if you don’t provide a work environment free of gender and minority harassment. This means taking reasonable care to block offensive Internet content.
Network Threats: An employee can crash your network just by logging into the wrong website. Other activity like recreational surfing and downloading MP3 files can divert valuable bandwidth from critical business needs.

Security Threats: Viruses enter networks through a variety of sources, such as web-based email, Instant Messenger file transfer, email attachments or through other files directly downloaded from a website.
Companies of all sizes must effectively incorporate email, Instant Messages and web traffic logs into their overall records management strategy. Some companies must do this to comply with industry regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and HIPAA.

The first step is to choose the types of Internet content that will not be allowed in the workplace. Keep in mind that not all employees will have the same privileges, so it is important the network management solution you choose provides a flexible configuration to suit your needs.

There are two basic types of Internet monitoring solutions: Gateway and desktop solutions. Gateway solutions are software or hardware that act as checkpoint for all Internet traffic on the network. Desktop solutions are installed on the local machine to enforce the Internet policies before the request leaves the machine. Desktop solutions work well on smaller networks and gateway solutions work well on both.

The next step is to create an official company policy specifically for Internet use. It should include all Internet activities and not just those you wish to manage. Keep in mind the document cannot account for every possible scenario on the Internet, so it is important to use broad terms with specific examples. For example, instead of stating “Political opinions are not to be posted on newsgroups,” you may wish to use “Messages originating from the company network or other company-owned assets may not contain political opinions.” The second clause is much stronger because it doesn’t specify a message type or delivery system. If you have liability insurance, then be sure to get their approval on all documents. In some cases they will have additional provisions that directly relate to your industry.

The most difficult step will be implementing the new policies. In most cases, some or all users will experience a reduction in Internet privileges. Prepare for a temporary increase in support requests as some users will be prevented from accessing some work-related content. Internet policy configuration is an on-going process that must be routinely maintained.

Soon the complaints from users will cease and production will return back to normal. It is important to keep your filtering software updated and to maintain a history of Internet activity. If the time comes when you must confront an employee about their Internet use, you will have proof of their Internet activity and a detailed comparison to their peers. That is a much stronger case than saying “I’ve seen you 10 times looking at .”

Frank Hughes
Vice President of Technical Services
SecureMyCompany, Inc.
http://www.securemycompany.com

Bio: Frank Hughes is the Vice President of Technical Solutions at SecureMyCompany, Inc. Frank Hughes has over 14 years experience in the IT industry with the last 10 years serving as the Senior Solutions Consultant for BellSolutions.net. Mr. Hughes holds several industry certifications from Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, Sonicwall, and more.

[tags]SecureMyCompany, Internet, Monitoring, Employee, Network Management[/tags]

A collection of recent articles describes how Wi-Fi internet is going to bring with it many benefits, but it will first have to overcome the opposition of telephone and cable companies.

Free Phone Calls

According to eBay’s chief executive Meg Whitman, within a few years, customers may be able to make telephone calls for free, with no per-minute charges, while the carriers make money on advertising or transaction fees.

This statement was made during a discussion of eBay’s purchase of web-based communications phenomenon Skype Technologies. The company is hoping that by combining electronic markets, online payment systems, and Web-based communications, it can become a leader in all three areas.

Skype allows members to make free Web-based calls to each other, and has more than 57 million registered users. EBay believes Skype’s growth will drive down voice communications costs down to nothing over the next three to six years.

Rural Wi-Fi

One major hurdle in the growth of Voice Over Internet telephony, however, is the inconsistency of Wi-Fi availability. So it’s interesting to note that a desolate area in Oregon has become the world’s largest Wi-Fi hotspot, a region that stretches over 700 square miles.

Wireless projects in more metropolitan areas have been stymied by telephone and cable TV companies, which have spent large amounts of money lobbying state and local governments to pass bills aimed at discouraging competition.

In the country, however, large corporations see little profit potential, which enabled wireless entrepreneur Fred Ziari to build a $5 million wireless network, at his own expense, without restrictions. Already, the network has revolutionized the way business, emergency planning, and police work are conducted, along with many other businesses and services.

Ziari’s network is free to the public; he is recouping his investment through contracts with city and county agencies and larger businesses.

Even as Wi-Fi hotspots continue to increase, with more than 70,000 currently registered around the world, only a very few major cities have complete Wi-Fi access across their entire area.

Different Approaches to Wi-Fi for Cities

However, a handful of municipalities across the nation using a variety of approaches to introduce full-coverage Wi-Fi, in spite of the opposition from the telephone and cable companies. Rio Rancho, New Mexico, has a solution employing a network of 400 access points, while Manassas, Virginia, is employing a broadband over power line (PBL) approach.

Madison, Wisconsin is getting their citywide Wi-Fi, with the help of a firm supplying real-time automated meter reading for the utilities industry. It will be installed at no cost to the city, as the providers have secured initial funding from service agreements from ISPs.

Even in the face of corporate opposition, municipal wireless networks are expected to grow by 128 percent annually by 2007.

Wired News October 16, 2005Yahoo News October 20, 2005TechWeb.com October 21, 2005

Dr. Mercola’s Comment:You had to know something was up when with the future of your phone service when eBay was willing to pay $4 billion to purchase the Voice over IP company Skype a few weeks ago.

Over the past ten years SBC (new name AT & T) and Verizon have spent tens of billions of dollars building telecom empires so they could dominate the industry and, without question, currently dominate the industry as together they control nearly two-thirds of all residential phone lines in the US.

But the Internet WILL change all that and these companies are not prepared for it. They will lose 40% of their land line residential customers over the next ten years. This week’s NY Times also reported how the smaller Internet providers, like Earthlink, are battling these giants.

It is becoming increasingly clear that your connection to the Internet will replace your phone service. The key will not to have a cell phone or a land line but an Internet connection. Because if you have an Internet connection, you will be able to get your phone service for free.

Now I am not talking about connecting your desktop or notebook into an Ethernet cable, but using a wireless connection, in many ways not very different than your cell phone. Currently the wireless internet is restricted to WiFi which is only good for hundreds of feet. However, that will soon change when WiFi is morphed into WiMax and your connection will be good for 25 miles or more.

You can start to see the trend. Google has offered tomake San Francisco wireless last month, and now Philadelphia and as the article aboverural Oregonare close behind.

Lobbying from cable and phone providers have stymied many projects in major urban markets across the country. Philadelphia’s plan to build a citywide WiFi network sparked state legislators (prompted by phone and cable companies) to limit every other town in the state to do the same thing!

The biggest obstacle to creating these cheap wireless networks isn’t the building of them, according to experts. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, it’s more a matter of “who’s-going-to-get-a-piece-of-the-action?”.

What Does All This Mean For YOU?

One thing you can be certain of is change. So please be careful about signing any long term contracts with your phone company as it with virtually near certainty I can assure you that the future of your phone service will not resemble anything you have seen in the past and, best of all, odds are very high it will be free.

Next week I will be writing about the cell phone carrier that has just signed a long-term contract with the US Defense Department that seems to secure their position as the leading cell phone carrier in the US.

This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world’s #1 most visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a limited time only, you can take the FREE “Metabolic Type Test” to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this quick test!

[tags]Wi-Fi, wireless, telephony, eBay, Skype[/tags]