7. January 2012 by admin.

At least that is the goal… Data redundancy.  When your data is in one place and one place only, it’s just a matter of time before you have no data at all. If your data is just at one location, regardless of how many copies there may be, you are flirting with disaster in the form of fire, theft, or natural disaster. There is a rule called the 3-2-1 Rule for Backups: Have 3 copies of your data, stored on 2 different media, and keep 1 off-site.

Here is my suggestion:

Have primary data on two mirrored drives. This is to avoid any data loss should a hard drive crash. With mirrored drives (RAID 1), if one drive crashes the other continues as if nothing ever happened.

Have that data backed up to a local backup drive. (Forget Tape… that’s yesterday’s technology. See our article at http://www.networkingdelaware.com/tape.html  ). This local backup is for several reasons…  hard drive controllers do go bad as do motherboards. If this causes the data on both mirrored drives to become corrupt, you will be ever so happy you had a local backup. Also, a local backup drive is the quickest, easiest and most convenient location from which to restore data… the more data you have to restore , the more important that you have it on a local backup source.

Finally, keep a copy somewhere else. If there is a fire, or flood, or tornado, or burglar, or vandal, or disgruntled employee or any of a hundred other reasons that everything just goes “poof”, your data is still available.  You can always buy a new computer but your data is always going to be many, many times more valuable then the equipment that houses it.

For these off-site backups I strongly suggest keeping your data in “The Cloud” using programs such as the very reasonably priced service called Backblaze (http://www.backblaze.com/partner/af2651 ).  Several reasons come to mind: In keeping with our redundancy concept, most”Cloud Backup” vendors save your data at geographically separated co-locations… this protects them from data loss and gives you additional protection as well.  Data can be restored from almost anywhere an Internet connection is available.  Your data is encrypted using military grade encryption; when the backup is created, as the backup is being transmitted and as your data is being stored, your data is always safe from prying eyes. Most will mail you a hard-drive populated with your data in case a bare-metal recovery is required.

So Backup your data… Don’t be a statistic… like the 70% of businesses that go out of business when data loss occurs.

From down in the trenches…  I’m Tom

Posted in Backup, Disaster Recovery, The Cloud, Malware, Administration, File Recovery, Computers | Print | No Comments »

4. January 2012 by admin.

The relatively new WLAN spec for 802.11n makes many promises… faster speeds, farther reach, stronger connections, more secure… well, maybe.

The new frequencies lie somewhere within the 5 GHz band.  Why do I say “somewhere”?  Because this new “standard” uses a technology called DFS which stands for Dynamic Frequency Selection. In essence the channel can be automatically changed to avoid interference.  Sounds good huh? … well, maybe.

Does 5 GHz sound familiar to some of you?  That may be because it is also where all 12 channels of the three “Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure” (UNII) 5 GHz bands live. That’s also where my cordless phone calls home.  The U.S. military sometimes runs in 5 GHz as does weather radar and others. Starting to sound a little crowded?

So it falls to the equipment vendors to develop their offerings in such a way as to avoid these problems… well, maybe.

The vendor must get its products that use DFS, certified by the FCC for use in 5.25 to 5.35 GHz and 5.47 to 5.725 GHz ( painfully close to my 5.8 GHz phone system). If not, they have to block those channels, which means you won’t have access to the whole available block of frequencies.

You probably won’t want to run important applications on the UNII-2 bands because these are the areas where DFS channel changing may be an ongoing problem for your location. This is going to result in a lot of delays and an unreliable wireless network.  Some systems actually have to reboot after traffic has been switched to a different location in the electromagnetic spectrum.

So yeah… it’s going to be cool…. maybe.  Check things out carefully before you toss a lot of cash into any particular deployment strategy.

Good Luck and Good Networking.

From down in the trenches,  I’m Tom

Posted in DFS, 802.11n, FCC, WLAN, Wireless, Networking, Troubleshooting, Computers | Print | No Comments »

4. January 2012 by admin.

I just read that Windows XP lost more than 11 percent of its market share from September to December 2011, dropping to an average of 46.5 percent in December.  It is estimated that Windows 7 will surpass XP installations sometime in April of 2012.  Is the reason for this because people honestly believe XP is old school? From my experience, I seriously doubt it. Most likely the driving force is Microsoft itself and their announcement that XP support will be ending soon.  ( April of 2014 qualifies as soon?) That should be enough to get corporate America looking at the next best OS, which without question is Windows 7, but assuming the Mayans are wrong and we are still here on the planet in 2014, I would wager there will still be a large group of XP users ( more than 10%)who would rather fight than switch.

Other driving forces (again Microsoft) is the dead end for XP users who prefer Internet Explorer. Since IE9 won’t run on XP its users are forced to use an alternate browser or upgrade to Win 7.

I do Like XP and always have, but in my personal opinion, Windows 7 is the best operating system Microsoft has developed to date.  From what I hear about Windows 8, it is trying to be all things to all people and that just won’t fly with serious users and corporate I.T. departments. Vista? Bah ! The modern incarnation of Windows ME!  A waste of electrons.

Stick with XP for as long as you want. Networking Delaware (http://www.networkingdelaware.com ) will support you for as long as possible.  When Microsoft stops releasing security updates it will behoove you and I to retire XP for good, but until that day… stand fast if you like XP… don’t be bullied!

Posted in Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows ME, Windows XP, OS's, Networking, Patches, Operating Systems, Computers | Print | No Comments »

12. June 2011 by admin.

On June 10th (Friday night) U.S. Airways employees and passengers found themselves helpless in the face of a system shutdown that put the kabosh on all flights.  Even their web-site was down so stranded passengers couldn’t even re-book a flight. Planes were sitting there, on the tarmac waiting for out-bond passengers while incoming flights arrived with their bellies full of unsuspecting people destined for disappointment and aggravation.

Glad I wasn’t there…

From down in the trenches, I am Tom from Networking Delaware

Posted in computer "bug", Commercial Systems, Glitch, Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Computers | Print | 1 Comment »

18. April 2010 by admin.

A serious vulnerability exists in Java and Sun has known about this vulnerability since around April 9th. This exploit can occur because the Java Browser Plugin  is running “javaws.exe” without validating command-line parameters.  Last week, when confronted about the problem, Oracle said they did not consider this vulnerability to be of high enough priority to break their quarterly patch cycle.

A U.S.-based Web site, Songlyrices.com was compromised by attackers, and was redirecting visitors to a Russian server feeding the Java attack as well as other exploits.

Now that users have started reporting that they are being infected by the drive-by Java attacks, Oracle has changed its mind and issued a patch.  If you haven’t already patched this vulnerability you can download Java software at http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp

Posted in security, Drive-by Infection, Patches, Malware, Computers | Print | No Comments »

2. July 2008 by admin.

I just read a story where is was stated that one in three technology professionals admitted to snooping on their fellow colleagues. Here is the story.

I know I am opening myself up for criticism from the geek community, but I find that absolutely reprehensible. The epitaph “Holier then thou” comes to mind, but I really mean it… using your administrative privileges to snoop on others is not only immoral but usually illegal.

All that is required is a little self-discipline with a smidgen of empathy thrown in, and those urges can be shoved aside.  Believe me… I’ve been tempted, but realizing the potential for abuse I have set my mind on operating at a higher plane.   Integrity costs you nothing…dishonesty can cost you everything.

This is not to say that users should not be monitored.  If the company has a valid Acceptable Use Policy in effect, then it may become your job to monitor their actions.

It simply has to be done fairly and across the board…everyone or no one, and with no personal interest.

I have found Spectorsoft (Spector CNE) to be a great monitoring system.  It meets the criteria for automated monitoring of all employees’ actions. Here at my Wilmington Delaware network support company, Admin Associates, we have been using and recommending it for several years.  You can see exactly what a specific user is doing in near-realtime and you have a history of past actions as well. The monitoring is done on a user by user basis and is not machine specific.

You don’t need to read an employee’s mail to see they are receiving more non-business mail then legitimate correspondence. Usually the subject line can give it way.  If you MUST read the mail to ascertain it relevance, a brief scan will almost always clue you in to what the message is all about.

If company policy says IM’s are too much of a security risk, then you don’t need to read the individual IM’s to know the user is violating the rules.

You can see who is browsing to eBay more then to the company Intranet…it’s not necessary to see what they were bidding on, or if they won!

When it becomes your unpleasant duty to drop a dime on the offending user, you can usually pass along the decision to carry out further “snooping” activities to a higher pay grade.  They often have err…less stringent standards then we admins do.

Good Luck and Good Networking

From way down in the trenches … I’m Tom

Custom Search

Posted in honesty, integrity, Acceptable Use, Monitoring, Networking, Administration, Computers | Print | 1 Comment »

27. June 2008 by admin.

I just read an article about another 51,000 credit card numbers going into the wind… See the article here…

These stories scare the bejeebies out of me… I guess it’s a “there, but for the grace of  God, go I” kind of thing.  How would I know if someone has my credit card information?  Apparently the company that bought the rights to the Montgomery Ward name didn’t feel it was important enough to let their unlucky customers know.

I wonder if someone has any of my financial information.  I am pretty sure there is no key-logger installed on any of my own computers…make that 99.999% sure, but not 100% sure.

Since I constantly work with other people’s data, I am especially sensitive to the possibilities and careful to stay as infection-free as humanly possible.  But since I am human, I can’t be 100% certain… No one can. Firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spyware, and Trojan remover software…all of these things stand guard between me and thee, but is it enough?  Who knows?

As we move out from my semi-controlled environment and into the technological wilderness of my client’s accounts, I become more and more concerned.

At my Wilmington Delaware network support company, we always spend extra time stressing to our clients just how important safe surfing and safe-email practices can be.  We spin a lot of  “what if” tales to illustrate just what can happen if you let your guard down for even a minute.

We’ll take a computer with a new, unpatched installation of XP and set it in the client’s DMZ, then check it a couple of hours later. Almost every time you’ll find that the available free drive space has shrunk by 2 to 3 gigs. This is  a great argument for when a client thinks they are too small to be of interest to a hacker. There just “ain’t no such animal” as an installation that is of no interest to a hacker.

We monitor our clients’ anti-malware installations and make sure the signature files get updated daily. We check the status of the firmware of the hardware firewalls daily. We make sure that all available patches are up-to-date (after checking them for unexpected results).  We run Snort intrusion detection on our larger clients.  We train.  We explain. We do pen testing.  And still, I worry if some client is giving away the keys to the kingdom… right now.. this very minute.

Posted in Virus, Worm, Trojan, Malware, Networking, Troubleshooting, Computers | Print | No Comments »

7. June 2008 by admin.

For quite some time now, hackers have been infecting web sites with malicious code by using SQL injection and iframe injection attacks. This operation is usually performed at, or right before the times when traffic is historically at a high for the day, thereby infecting the greatest number of visitors.

Unfortunately, you do not have to do anything particularly dumb to become infected.  If you navigate to one of these infected sites you will get an infection from embedded malware scripts.  This is commonly referred to as a “drive-by” infection.

I say you don’t have to do anything dumb because the sites I am discussing here aren’t porn sites, or ‘warz and serialz” sites…going to those sites would definitely qualify as dumb. No, they are often  some of the most popular and well known sites on the net… even news, weather, and public information sites

I provide Delaware Network Support all over the state and the surrounding areas. When you have this kind of business, you run into all kinds of infections.  Sometimes the users know they are infected, but most times I only find the infection when looking for reasons for poor performance or odd happenings.

This is where a really good anti-malware program comes in,   AVG 8, for instance, installs a component called “link Scanner” that blocks infected websites and checks links on search engines for these threats.

I suggest you check it our, and sooner than later.  Who knows… your favorite site may be next to fall to the black hats.

Good Luck and Good Networking

From way down in the trenches… Tom

Custom Search

Posted in Worm, Software, Virus, Trojan, Networking, Malware, Computers | Print | No Comments »

3. June 2008 by admin.

There are a lot of things you can do, or not do, to almost guarantee computer problems.  I sometimes have a hard time understanding why people do the things they do… I mean, what are they thinking?

Here’s a perfect example:

I just got a call from a lady who was nearly hysterical. She works for one of my corporate clients and about three months ago she called me to ask what brand of computer she should get for her personal use at home.  I gave her my opinion (free of charge of course, as she expected, even though I do provide support for Delaware computer networks for a living) and never heard from her again until yesterday.

It seems there was a thunderstorm here last night (I must have slept through it) that messed up everyone’s power.  Clock Radios and VCR’s were blinking, TV’s had to be reconfigured… all the little annoyances that accompany a power outage. Come to think of it, I’m surprised my UPS didn’t wake me up with its little beeping alarm.

This lady was nearly in tears.  Apparently she had left her computer on overnight during the storm.  This morning she sat down at her desk and realized the computer was off.  She pressed the on button and …. Nothing.

The first thing I suggested when she called was to check her surge protector to see if it was on…. A long silence… followed by a weak meek voice that said “What’s a surge protector?”   “What’s your computer plugged into?” I asked, suddenly pretty sure I already knew the answer.  “The wall plug” she answered.

So, although I ALWAYS tell people to use a surge protector, or better yet a UPS, apparently that advice goes in one ear and out the other.  They call me for advice on how to get the best equipment for the lowest cost, but ignore the advice on how to protect the equipment I recommend.

Anyway, as we talked I suggested that she unplug the power cord from the back of her PC.  I then went on with my mini-tirade about the perils of power surges and about two minutes later, told her to re-plug her computer and try it again.  (drum roll please)… Ta Dah… it worked.

Many power supplies work in this way when they experience a slight surge… IF YOU ARE LUCKY!  Apparently, unplugging the power cord allows some capacitors to discharge. Whatever the cause, simply turning the on-off switch to off doesn’t do the same thing.

I strongly advise having at least a good name brand surge protector, but if you truly value your computer and the data you have stored there, go for a UPS.  A surge protector just protects against… well… surges.  A UPS, on the other hand, actually conditions the power coming into your system, preventing not only surges, but power drops, sometimes called “brown-downs”, slight changes in input frequency, and since it’s a battery backup, even short power failures.

Good Luck and Good Computing.

From way down in the trenches… Tom

UPS Unit

Surge Protectors

Posted in UPS, Power Surge, Power Supply, Uninterruptible Power Supply, Surge Protectors, Networking, Troubleshooting, Power Failures, Computers | Print | No Comments »

29. May 2008 by admin.

If a race horse breaks a leg, they usually want to end its misery as quickly as possible.  It’s considered the more humane act. With the possible exception of Barbaro and a few others, that’s what people have done for hundreds of years.

I recently had to “put down” a piece of beta software that was broken. It was the most humane thing to do, except it was MY misery I wanted to end as quickly as possible.

This software started out with all of the promise of a fiery young colt and except for a few maddening bugs, delivered on that promise.

The software I am talking about is called Xobni (inbox spelled backwards). It is an Outlook add-in that performs many useful functions. While the major thrust is indexing your emails, it also provides a lot of
useful and a few not so useful statistics.  Want to find a specific email, just enter anything you can remember about it and Xobni will find it quickly and without too much strain on the old resources.

Want to know who sends you the most mail, or who you send the most mail to?  How about how quickly you reply to certain people, or how quickly they replay to you?  There’s all kinds of nice functionality.  And did I mention that Xobni (at least the beta version) is free?  Navigate to http://www.xobni.com for the download.

So, why am I singing its praises right after uninstalling it?  Not everyone has the same needs.  For many people, Xobni would be just great, and the price is right.  Nada !

The problem I experienced was that Outlook wouldn’t close correctly… In fact, most times it really didn’t close at all. I would close Outlook, it would appear to close;  the display would disappear from the screen, but Outlook,WinWord, and  Xobni would remain open.  I would have to go into task manager and close each file manually.  Sometimes there would be multiple instances of Outlook open, but hidden.

This wasn’t really a deal-breaker for me at first… a little inconvenient for sure, but as I said, it was a beta version, it provided very useful functionality, and it was free!

The turning point for me was during a PowerPoint presentation in front of several decision makers at a company I wanted to get on-board.  My slides were projected on a large screen in the front of the room and everything was going just fine, when suddenly a piece of “male enhancement” SPAM popped up in the lower right corner, followed by several pieces of personal email, AND a message from the CEO of a company that was in direct competition with my audience. Outlook was still functioning… albeit hidden, pulling down mail from the POP3 server. What a fiasco !

So, I uninstalled it that night.  As I mentioned, it was a beta version, and in all fairness I must also mention that the un-install routine called up an automatic connection to the Xobni web site.  Once there, I was presented with a survey asking why I uninstalled and mentioning that corrections were being made all the time and that a newer version may already be available.   I miss the program a lot, and may well try it again later.

You, dear reader must make up your own mine.

Good luck and good networking.

From way down in the trenches…. I’m Tom

Custom Search

Posted in Beta Versions, Software, Troubleshooting, Computers | Print | No Comments »