Electronic mail, often abbreviated to e-mail, email or originally eMail, is a store-and-forward method of writing, sending, receiving and saving messages over electronic communication systems. Email applies to the Internet e-mail system based on the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, to network systems based on other protocols and to various mainframe, minicomputer, or internet by a particular systems vendor, or on the same protocols used on public networks.
Email Security Consist of 4 Major Risks which are Email Spoofing, Spreading Malwares, Email Bombing and Email Spamming.
Email Spoofing
Email spoofing is a kind of forgery. Mails appear to be sent from a known sender but they are actually not so. Spoofing involves forging the email headers, by altering the header information.
Spreading Malware
Malware is a form of computer code that is aimed at Internet users and results in unsolicited outcomes. Malicious codes such as Trojans, Virus and Worms spread fast via emails.
Email Bombing
It refers to transferring a huge amount of emails to victim, ensuing the victim's email account crash. An easy way of attaining this would be to subscribe the victim's email address to a huge number of mailing lists.
Email Spamming
It uses electronic communications medium to transmit unwanted messages to someone in bulk. The most common form of Spam is transmitted in the form of email as a form of the commercial advertising.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Lenovo Thinkpad X300 is an ultraportable masterpiece
Advantages: Lightweight; built-in DVD burner; dual cursor controllers; host of advanced features.
Useful feature are dedicated switches to turn on the notebook’s wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity.
It also has the usual Thinkpad features, including the blue backup button (Vantage) to restore the OS and applications in a jiffy, as well as the light switch (now in a brighter white LED) to comfortably see the keyboard when typing in the dark.
Additionally, there is a dedicated volume control button on top as well as keys to control the media player together with the function (Fn) key.
On the productivity side, the X300 performed as expected — the machine is able to run all the regular productivity apps, surf the Web, play DVDs and MP3s, as well as run photo-editing software on average performance.
When it comes to battery life, it did not disappoint either as we managed to squeeze out more than three hours on a single charge.
Additionally, the DVD burner powers off when not in use to conserve battery life.
Useful feature are dedicated switches to turn on the notebook’s wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity.
It also has the usual Thinkpad features, including the blue backup button (Vantage) to restore the OS and applications in a jiffy, as well as the light switch (now in a brighter white LED) to comfortably see the keyboard when typing in the dark.
Additionally, there is a dedicated volume control button on top as well as keys to control the media player together with the function (Fn) key.
On the productivity side, the X300 performed as expected — the machine is able to run all the regular productivity apps, surf the Web, play DVDs and MP3s, as well as run photo-editing software on average performance.
When it comes to battery life, it did not disappoint either as we managed to squeeze out more than three hours on a single charge.
Additionally, the DVD burner powers off when not in use to conserve battery life.
Disadvantages: Pricey; no memory card reader, default OS is Windows Vista (currently known as the worst OS in the world) and it is hard to recustomize for other operating system such as Windows XP or Linux unless you run it using on VMware. As with most products, however, the X300 has its fair share of drawbacks.
For starters, the X300 does not come with a built-in Flash memory card reader, which is really a shame as it is one of the must-have features in today’s laptops.
Then, there is the RM9,588 price tag, which clearly means it is targeted at the high-end market.
Conclusion
Ultraportable notebooks usually sacrifice a lot especially for multiple externals ports to keep their slimness and stay lightweight, but the X300 is really in a class of its own. It is very useful for technical troubleshooting guy. It is not meant for multimedia purposes. For photo editing, it is still cannot compete with Mac Book Pro.
Still, if you are willing to look past some of the drawbacks, the X300 is an ideal choice for road warriors who are looking for the ultimate thin and light notebook without sacrificing much of the features they need to be productive.
For starters, the X300 does not come with a built-in Flash memory card reader, which is really a shame as it is one of the must-have features in today’s laptops.
Then, there is the RM9,588 price tag, which clearly means it is targeted at the high-end market.
Conclusion
Ultraportable notebooks usually sacrifice a lot especially for multiple externals ports to keep their slimness and stay lightweight, but the X300 is really in a class of its own. It is very useful for technical troubleshooting guy. It is not meant for multimedia purposes. For photo editing, it is still cannot compete with Mac Book Pro.
Still, if you are willing to look past some of the drawbacks, the X300 is an ideal choice for road warriors who are looking for the ultimate thin and light notebook without sacrificing much of the features they need to be productive.
THINKPAD X300 Default Specification
Ultraportable notebook
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor SL7100 (1.2GHz, 4MB, 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Display: 13.3in with LED backlight (1,440 x 900pixels)
Storage: 64GB Solid State SATA Drive
Connectivity: WiFi, 10/100 Ethernet, 56k modem, Bluetooth
I/O ports: Three USB 2.0 ports, legacy ports.
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business
Battery: Lithium-polymer
Other features: Ultrathin DVD burner, built-in webcam, biometric fingerprint reader, TrackPoint and TrackPad combo
Dimensions (w x d x h): 318 x 231 x 23.4mm
Weight: 1.42kg
Ultraportable notebook
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor SL7100 (1.2GHz, 4MB, 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Display: 13.3in with LED backlight (1,440 x 900pixels)
Storage: 64GB Solid State SATA Drive
Connectivity: WiFi, 10/100 Ethernet, 56k modem, Bluetooth
I/O ports: Three USB 2.0 ports, legacy ports.
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business
Battery: Lithium-polymer
Other features: Ultrathin DVD burner, built-in webcam, biometric fingerprint reader, TrackPoint and TrackPad combo
Dimensions (w x d x h): 318 x 231 x 23.4mm
Weight: 1.42kg
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
WiMAX Roaming Check List
As a first step to enable roaming, two WiMAX operators which desire to provide roaming service on each others’ networks must share information about their specific requirements and capabilities. This is an important step in determining whether their networks will support roaming services for each others’ subscribers. This includes information regarding frequency bands, devices, services and protocols. For example, devices of a WiMAX operator must be capable of operating on the frequencies and within the channel bands of their roaming partner. Two operators must also agree on services to be provided, IP address assignment mechanism, method of interconnection and the format and method for sharing information to track subscriber usage and to exchange information required for billing and settlement.
The following is a check list of items to be completed in order to implement roaming.
Identify and contact roaming partners.
Operator Information – to be shared with potential roaming partners to determine compatibility for roaming (see list below).
Decide whether roaming will be through a direct connection with the roaming partner or via a third-party roaming exchange provider (WRX). If through a WRX, establish relationship with WRX provider.
Use WiMAX Roaming Guidelines and Roaming Specifications as reference in ensuring your network is roaming capable.
Establish a Roaming Agreement with roaming partner. (Roaming Agreement Template)
Establish connectivity with roaming partner.
Test roaming service (Test Plan).
Begin service.
Source: WiMAX Roaming
Introduction to Basic Router Definition
According to my trainer, when I'm taking ESNA class, Mr. Raj said Routers is something (software or hardware) that usually used to join or connect two or more logical subnets, which do not necessarily map one-to-one to the physical interfaces of the router. Router usually tailored to the tasks of routing and forwarding information.
Physically, Routers contain a specialized operating system such as Cisco's IOS. Router component consist of RAM, ROM, NVRAM, flash memory, and one or more processors (CPU), as well as two or more network interfaces. Router generally provides connectivity inside enterprises, between enterprises and the Internet, and inside Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Router have four different modes. The first mode is user mode, then we have privileged mode. For more deeper, we can go to global configuration mode which is used to change the configuration. The final mode is specific configuration mode.
mode 1: Router>
mode 2: Router#
mode 3: Router-config#
mode 4: Router-config-specific#
Router provides two routing types which are static routing and dynamic routing. Static routing used to reduce overhead and for security while in dynamic routing information is learned from other routers and routing protocols adjust routes automatically. Static routing does not have the scalability compared to dynamic routing. For now, these are the basic introduction about Router that I can review for the time being. Later on, for other detail information about router, I'll post it next time.
adios,
Physically, Routers contain a specialized operating system such as Cisco's IOS. Router component consist of RAM, ROM, NVRAM, flash memory, and one or more processors (CPU), as well as two or more network interfaces. Router generally provides connectivity inside enterprises, between enterprises and the Internet, and inside Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Router have four different modes. The first mode is user mode, then we have privileged mode. For more deeper, we can go to global configuration mode which is used to change the configuration. The final mode is specific configuration mode.
mode 1: Router>
mode 2: Router#
mode 3: Router-config#
mode 4: Router-config-specific#
Router provides two routing types which are static routing and dynamic routing. Static routing used to reduce overhead and for security while in dynamic routing information is learned from other routers and routing protocols adjust routes automatically. Static routing does not have the scalability compared to dynamic routing. For now, these are the basic introduction about Router that I can review for the time being. Later on, for other detail information about router, I'll post it next time.
adios,
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Motorola vs Aruba - Patent infringement
Last year somewhere in August 2007, Motorola and his subsidiaries Symbol and Wireless Valley sues Aruba Networks for alleged patent infringement. Then last two months somewhere in September 2008, Aruba files patent infringement countersuit against Motorola, Symbol, and Wireless Valley. The battle still not ended yet. For me, as an end-users who have experience with Motorola-Symbol technology and Aruba technology... a secured wireless technology always synonym to Aruba enterprise solution. Even if we compare to another wireless leader in the market such as Cisco, they have to admit that Aruba technology offers a total solution for secure wireless environment. they offer wireless firewall, VPN etc in one box.
I consider, it is a weird story to hear Motorola also has the capability to offer better wireless solution. As far as I’m concern, the most well known wireless leader being debated among the wireless administrator is between Cisco and Aruba. I don’t agree if someone said that, Motorola-Symbol is another competitor in the wireless market share. Solution from Trapeze, 3Com, Meru or Orinoco which I can considered much better compared to Motorola-Symbol solution. For me, it is a wired story when Motorola sues Aruba for alleged patent infringement. My favorite wireless products rank is listed as below according to its best features offered to the end-users.
1. Aruba
2. Cisco
3. Trapeze/3Com
4. Meru
5. Orinoco
6. Motorola
7. Belkin
8. Colubris
9. Linksys
I consider, it is a weird story to hear Motorola also has the capability to offer better wireless solution. As far as I’m concern, the most well known wireless leader being debated among the wireless administrator is between Cisco and Aruba. I don’t agree if someone said that, Motorola-Symbol is another competitor in the wireless market share. Solution from Trapeze, 3Com, Meru or Orinoco which I can considered much better compared to Motorola-Symbol solution. For me, it is a wired story when Motorola sues Aruba for alleged patent infringement. My favorite wireless products rank is listed as below according to its best features offered to the end-users.
1. Aruba
2. Cisco
3. Trapeze/3Com
4. Meru
5. Orinoco
6. Motorola
7. Belkin
8. Colubris
9. Linksys
Monday, November 10, 2008
Overview of Dynamic NAC Features
Combine the strengths of Infrastructure NAC with an easy to deploy software approach
. Compliant PC’s act like “Neighborhood Watch”
. The existing normal PC’s become the infrastructure (enforcers) to quarantine rogues
. Enforcers manage ARP to control and limit a Rogue ability to send/receive traffic on the network
. Enforcers watch for new endpoints, using ARP redirection to protect the network and community
DNAC Strengths
. Zero network upgrades or changes (Low TCO)
. Scales cost effectively across multiple subnets
. Authentication agnostic (Windows Domain, 802.1x, other)
. Friendly fail-open design
. Extremely responsive quarantine and remediation mechanisms
. Compliant PC’s act like “Neighborhood Watch”
. The existing normal PC’s become the infrastructure (enforcers) to quarantine rogues
. Enforcers manage ARP to control and limit a Rogue ability to send/receive traffic on the network
. Enforcers watch for new endpoints, using ARP redirection to protect the network and community
DNAC Strengths
. Zero network upgrades or changes (Low TCO)
. Scales cost effectively across multiple subnets
. Authentication agnostic (Windows Domain, 802.1x, other)
. Friendly fail-open design
. Extremely responsive quarantine and remediation mechanisms
These are the comparison that we can see between Tradional NAC and Software Based NAC
| Traditional Infrastructure based | Software based | |||
| In-line NAC | Cisco NAC V1 V2 802.1x NAC | Host based NAC (CAF) | Dynamic NAC | |
| Enforcement Type | Appliance in line | Switch based | Client Self enforcement | Other compliant PC’s |
| Supports LAN Enforcement | Yes – but requires multiple appliances | YES | YES | YES |
| Supports Remote Access VPN’s | YES | NO | YES | NO |
| Network needs Re-architecting | YES | Extensive | None | None |
| Detects Rogue Users \ Devices | NO | YES | NO | YES |
. Traditional Infrastructure NAC is too difficult to deploy. Too many switch NAC need to deploy for a large scale deployment.
. Software NAC solutions are easy to deploy and have many key weaknesses
. The DNAC solution method offers a hybrid approach – Strong enforcement with ease of installation. It doesn't involve any re-achitecting the exsting network infrastructure.
Dynamic NAC and Infrastructure NAC comparison
| DNAC | DNAC + 802.1x authentication | Infrastructure NAC | |
| Client Software | DNAC Client | DNAC Client + Supplicant | NAC client + |
| Server Software | Policy server | RADIUS server + policy server | RADIUS server + |
| Minimum switch requirements | - | 802.1x authentication | 802.1x authentication |
| Ongoing port config | - | Config 802.1x ports | Config 802.1x ports |
| Ongoing switch config | - | - | New VLAN and subnet, router ACL, DHCP, RADIUS |
| One time network Reconfiguration | - | - | New VLANs and subnets, router ACL, DHCP, RADIUS, RADIUS VLAN assignment |
One time network configuration and ongoing switch config are generally difficult to deploy since it involve configuration for Radius server, DHCP server and VLAN subnetting.
For 802.1x implementions, it is considered as an acceptable method for most NAC deployment. It offers better security enforment and easy to deploy.
Client and server software based considered as normal acceptable deployment.
Windows 7 versus Linux : over the netbook market
You can be sure when Microsoft blitzes the world with a massive advertising campaign for Windows 7, they’ll be spending many millions promoting Windows 7 on netbooks. And given that marketing muscle, Linux most likely won’t stand a chance, regardless of which operating system is superior. (More reasons Windows 7 will kill Linux)
AND
Windows 7 features a much slicker interface than Windows XP, is easier to use, and Microsoft will spend many millions of dollars to push its use on netbooks. So when it’s released, expect Linux use on netbooks to drop. (One more reason Linux must fear Windows 7)
Both quotes mentioned above obviously biased to Windows 7. It sounds like Windows 7 is really confident to make bold claim that they're able to monopolize the worldwide netbook share. Are they able to make it happen or it is just a marketing strategy only. Microsoft exaggerating their strength. As we know Linux will continue to be a Linux... and no matter how much money Microsoft spends or what Windows 7 does. If we really drill down the term of Linux, it could be Suse, Ubuntu, Fedora, Redhat and etc community. Each Linux community progressively develop their own best product. Linux will not going away unless, one day the worldwide Linux community decides to disperse and stop developing and growing... and also shutdown all the Linux forum. Hmmmm... another mission impossible (MI-IV) for Microsoft. The possibility for them to stop is very... very... small and probably negligible.
Notebook using its 2.15Ah lithium-ion cells facing global recall
After 40 global incidents of overheating involving notebook which using 2.15Ah lithium-ion battery .. several notebook vendor such as Dell, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard notebooks with Sony-made batteries are being recalled. These incidents involved smoke and/or flames but there were four cases involving small burns and 21 resulting in minor property damage.
According to the official statement posted on Sony’s website (www.sony-asia.com), the recall involves only notebook computers using its 2.15Ah lithium-ion cells. Sony said its Vaio notebook computers use different battery types so they are not part of the recall.
Hewlett-Packard has confirmed a free replacement programme for the specified battery pack at its centres. Malaysian customers should go to its website
According to the official statement posted on Sony’s website (www.sony-asia.com), the recall involves only notebook computers using its 2.15Ah lithium-ion cells. Sony said its Vaio notebook computers use different battery types so they are not part of the recall.
Hewlett-Packard has confirmed a free replacement programme for the specified battery pack at its centres. Malaysian customers should go to its website
(www.hp.com/support/batteryreplacement) for more details. Or, they can call HP Service and Support at 1-800-88-4848. The affected models include HP’s Compaq and Pavillion notebooks. A detailed list is available at the site.
Dell customers can check if they are having the affected models by surfing to www.dellbatteryprogram.com
Potentially affected batteries were sold with the following models of Dell notebook computers or separately as secondary batteries:
Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810, D530, D620ATG
Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E1505, E1705
Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90
XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710
Dell customers can check if they are having the affected models by surfing to www.dellbatteryprogram.com
Potentially affected batteries were sold with the following models of Dell notebook computers or separately as secondary batteries:
Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810, D530, D620ATG
Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E1505, E1705
Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90
XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710
I'm using Latitude D830. So my battery is OK. But if your battery is really hot... you can also call your vendor to check the condition of your battery.
Tool-free-number for DELL customer
Australia 1300-662-087
New Zealand 0800-203-355
Singapore 1800-395-7932
Malaysia 1800-88-0432
Hong Kong 852-2969-3187
Thailand 1800-060-143
Taiwan 00801-86-1015
China 800-858-0614
India 1800-425-2069
Friday, November 7, 2008
Blogspot (Blogger) Versus WordPress : Which one you prefer ?
Introduction:
Blogger and WordPress currently are the two most popular world wide free blogging platforms. As we know, Blogger (BlogSpot) is owned by Google while WordPress (WordPress) is still an open source project by group known as Automattic.
Blogger Review:
Blogger is a free blogging platform service. Users have the preference to choose if they want to have the Blog hosted on their own domain (paid domain) or a free sub-domain provided by blogger. The free sub-domain depend on the availability of domain name. Base on my observation, most popular or strategic domain has been used or reserved since it has been operated guite a some time. Blogger platform is more suitable for a beginner especially for those who are new to blogging environment in the blogosphere. The graphical user interface of its control panel quite easier to use. The layout elements of the blog can be edited easily. Many free template donated by other blogger also easy to deploy. User also allowed to customize they blog layout. The advantage of using Blogger is, user can use default template of Google Adsense widget. In other perspective, BlogSpot also serves the purpose for people who want to use blogs for commercial purpose.
WordPress Review:
As mentioned in the introduction, WordPress not own by any giant conglomerate. As agreed by many commercial bloggers, WordPress has limitations on its free service, even though they do allow users to use the Wordpress blog script to host on their own server. WordPress can be integrated with any free widget customization. For free WordPress account, users cannot run html adsense coding or any advertisement plug-in, unless you pay for that. In term of domain management, you also have to pay. The theme database of WordPress is much more better than what Blogger is offering to its users.
Blogger Vs WordPress
Base on my opinion, WordPress normally used by non-profitable or non-commercial blogger. Free blogging platform from WordPress does not allow users to add advertisement plug-in. Commercial blogger definately will choose Blogspot platform since it allow for advertisement plug-in running on top of its free account. In case you are self hosting then WordPress is more powerful than BlogSpot. The themplate resource offered by WordPress is huge. An advantage of BlogSpot would be that if you are getting lots of visitors on your blog then your BlogSpot Blog won’t get affected. In case of self hosted WordPress Blogs, the problem of downtimes is apparent. Lack of customs available for BlogSpot makes users move to WordPress. A problem with WordPress Blogs is that they get a lot of comment spam. Even new Blog could have a flood of comment spam on WordPress. BlogSpot Blogs are immune to comment spam.
So which one is your choice ? It is up to you to choose... both has pros and cons
For me, I prefer to use Blogspot platform and forwarded to my own domain (TechViewz.Org).
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Japanese Company, Willcom, announced 2 new phones Nov 08'
Japan, Willcom has announced their new phones model which suppose to reveal this month, November 2008.
Willcom 03, has the sliding and touchscreen phone features that enable user to have live chat while drawing or writing on the screen. This phone is designed by Sharp and the phone is currently available only in black color. Soon they will release new color.
Next model is Willcom LU (WS023T), which is designed by Toshiba. This model is using W-SIM card. The phone has 2.4 240 x 320 pixels display, inch screen, 2 megapixels camera that can read QR codes. This model available in 3 colors, white, black, and pink. The estimated price for this new phone roughly about USD$ 455.
Willcom 03, has the sliding and touchscreen phone features that enable user to have live chat while drawing or writing on the screen. This phone is designed by Sharp and the phone is currently available only in black color. Soon they will release new color.
Next model is Willcom LU (WS023T), which is designed by Toshiba. This model is using W-SIM card. The phone has 2.4 240 x 320 pixels display, inch screen, 2 megapixels camera that can read QR codes. This model available in 3 colors, white, black, and pink. The estimated price for this new phone roughly about USD$ 455.
The importance of WLAN in Malaysian Higher Education
Today, Universities and colleges are among the most aggressive adopters of WiFi technology in Malaysia. The trend toward more collaborative and open learning environments, fueled by the explosive adoption of mobile devices like laptops, PDAs and Netbooks among students, makes higher education campuses fertile ground for Wireless LAN.
International Islamic University (IIUM) also doesn't want to be left in deploying Wireless Campus environment. In fact, IIUM can claimed that they are the first institution in Malaysia introducing heterogeneous wireless infrastructure for campus wide environment. A few institution has visited IIUM campus for getting some experience and knowledge sharing in term of designing and managing wireless for campus environment. By using Aruba Wireless as a backbone of wireless network infrastructure, IIUM has put their wireless service on the top in term of security, reliability and scalability features. Together with new research on the effective MIMO on the for wireless backbone, the service will be able to be further enhanced in their diversity and additional security.
With the core value ” access to education” , the IIUM wireless service will not only cater for internet browsing, rather IIUM students, Kulliyyahs, researchers and staff have the flexibility to access online resources from anywhere on campus. They are freed from working in a traditional computer labs environment thanks to some hundrends of wireless access points (APs) that permit linking to the university’s resources via laptop computers, PDAs and cell phones equipped for data connectivity. Meanwhile, Information Technology Division (ITD) has put their effort in designing such a very informative IIUM portal which become a “house of information” for staff and student as well.
In addition, the future development of SIP service and IP Telephony service provide sophisticated voice connectivity and allow IIUM community to deploy Voice over IP and voice over WLAN at its own pace across campus.
As International Islamic University expand its wireless network, the lines between indoor and outdoor communications will vanish. Students, faculty and administrators alike will enjoy seamless connections from one side of the campus to the other. The institution will continue to attract the best students with innovative applications of its wireless-enabled campus.
IIUM is also working towards Multimedia Communication Service for new e-tutorial, “faculty on demand” service, Media Archive Service and Virtual class and pursuing deployment of VoWLAN (VoFi) for increased operational efficiencies and campus security applications. With its converged wireless infrastructure in place, IIUM is sure to continue building upon its heritage of academic excellence and innovation.
International Islamic University (IIUM) also doesn't want to be left in deploying Wireless Campus environment. In fact, IIUM can claimed that they are the first institution in Malaysia introducing heterogeneous wireless infrastructure for campus wide environment. A few institution has visited IIUM campus for getting some experience and knowledge sharing in term of designing and managing wireless for campus environment. By using Aruba Wireless as a backbone of wireless network infrastructure, IIUM has put their wireless service on the top in term of security, reliability and scalability features. Together with new research on the effective MIMO on the for wireless backbone, the service will be able to be further enhanced in their diversity and additional security.
With the core value ” access to education” , the IIUM wireless service will not only cater for internet browsing, rather IIUM students, Kulliyyahs, researchers and staff have the flexibility to access online resources from anywhere on campus. They are freed from working in a traditional computer labs environment thanks to some hundrends of wireless access points (APs) that permit linking to the university’s resources via laptop computers, PDAs and cell phones equipped for data connectivity. Meanwhile, Information Technology Division (ITD) has put their effort in designing such a very informative IIUM portal which become a “house of information” for staff and student as well.
In addition, the future development of SIP service and IP Telephony service provide sophisticated voice connectivity and allow IIUM community to deploy Voice over IP and voice over WLAN at its own pace across campus.
As International Islamic University expand its wireless network, the lines between indoor and outdoor communications will vanish. Students, faculty and administrators alike will enjoy seamless connections from one side of the campus to the other. The institution will continue to attract the best students with innovative applications of its wireless-enabled campus.
IIUM is also working towards Multimedia Communication Service for new e-tutorial, “faculty on demand” service, Media Archive Service and Virtual class and pursuing deployment of VoWLAN (VoFi) for increased operational efficiencies and campus security applications. With its converged wireless infrastructure in place, IIUM is sure to continue building upon its heritage of academic excellence and innovation.
Forgot your WEP Key ? you still can recover it back
Many wireless amateur set their local wireless router at home with a simple security by setting a WEP key. Even though this authentication method is not advisable for a secured environment... but it is a very simple deployment.
Normally, WEP key is set using a combination of 10 hexadecimal digit. Users normally save the key permanantly as a default setting. Combination of hexadecimal key is hard hard to remember. For instance try to remember this combination 1A4D5F9A01... it is hard right !
Let say you forgot your WEP key, how to recover it back ? You can retrieve your WEP without reset the wifi router. You can give a try to this free ware utility which is able to recover your wireless key from your system.
I don't know how many of you maintain a database of small utility but i always keep a database of small utilities because these utilities comes handy once in a while but at the time when you need them the most
Normally, WEP key is set using a combination of 10 hexadecimal digit. Users normally save the key permanantly as a default setting. Combination of hexadecimal key is hard hard to remember. For instance try to remember this combination 1A4D5F9A01... it is hard right !
Let say you forgot your WEP key, how to recover it back ? You can retrieve your WEP without reset the wifi router. You can give a try to this free ware utility which is able to recover your wireless key from your system.
I don't know how many of you maintain a database of small utility but i always keep a database of small utilities because these utilities comes handy once in a while but at the time when you need them the most
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The Forrester Wave NAC, Q3 2008 Report not totally reflect the real NAC competition
I've read report of "The Forrester Wave™: Network Access Control, Q3 2008" prepared by Robert Whiteley and Usman Sindhu for Security. It was reported on September 5, 2008. The executive summary of the report wrote:
I think Forrester forgot to include a few good product in their benchmarking evaluation such as InfoExpress, Consentry and Fortinet. To counter this report, I believe base on my previous experience evaluating NAC requirement, Cisco NAC and Microsoft NAC are not the answer for a comprehensive ubiquitous NAC solution. The way they deploy their NAC Architecture, would not solve major wireless architectural problem. These two devices depend on port base security. Meaning that, any traffic in-out activity from that NAC switch port can be analyzed and monitored only via that physical port. Imagine that if you have 1000 devices in your company. You have to replace all your conventional switches to this NAC switches. My estimation, you need to deploy about 42 NAC appliances to monitor and control every access in your network.
I would prefer a solution provided by Juniper, Bradford, InfoExpress and Consentry. These NAC able to solve many issues logged by WLAN architecture. Their solutions are more.. and more comprehensive for ubiquitous network.
To address many complicated issues in the NAC management of heterogeneous WLAN network, I would prefer solution from InfoExpress, Consentry and Bradford. The deployment architecture of these NAC are less dependent on proprietary configuration. Juniper solution too dependent on their JUAC that requires Odyssey Client. My concent is... the Odyssey client is too complicated to manage for non-IT literate (Non-IT savvy) user. I need to find a solution that could minimize the complexity on the end-user site when deploying NAC appliance. In order to make the Juniper NAC to perform well, every user must install Odyssey client on their devices (Laptop). Does all wifi enable device support odyssey client ? SmartPhone, PDA, PSP and many other wifi devices is not really workable with Odyssey. Can we install Odyssey Client on Windows Mobile Platform or Symbian or etc ?... These are the issues that we need to consider before we deploy NAC in our wireless environment.
So, which solution is less proprietary dependent and workable with many platform ? This time I would prefer a solution from InfoExpress, Consentry and Bradford. Two products were not evaluated in the Forrester report. How about Bradford ? since Forrester has discussed much about Bradford in their report, no point for to me to discuss about Bradford... then, I will highlight my review for InfoExpress and COnsentry. Generally, Consentry has similar features offered by Bradford. There are some minor differences which I think not really important to discuss. In general Consentry can act as a proxy radius to control the access for each user account. It also workable for inline deployment.
InfoExpress offers more unique solution compared to other NAC, especially for heterogeneous ubiquitous network. InfoExpress perform dynamic NAC solution which similarly follow the concept "Man in the middle attack". The total concept and approach they implement for dynamic NAC (DNAC) is very impressive. They are the first introducing DNAC solution and this method meet many end-user requirement especially to protect back-door attack via wireless connection.
The other NAC which include in Forrester report is more to AntiVirus NAC such as McAfee and Symantec. These type of NAC cannot be compare apple-to-apple with Juniper NAC, Cisco NAC or Microsoft NAC because they fall into different categories. AntiVirus NAC has different objection compared to port base NAC or the real network based NAC. If your look at the other NAC features, their can integrate with other third party antivirus server or appliance such as BigFix to update and control antivirus.
My conclusion, I don't understand why Forrester not include InfoExpress and Consentry in their evaluation report. That's why the Q3 2008 report produced by Forrester does not showing the actuall scenario about NAC technology available in the market. The evaluation criteria chosen to identify the market leader in NAC seems like biased to certain products only.
I would to see is there head-to-head evaluation between Cisco, Juniper, InfoExprees, COnsentry and Bradford in solving network access on real ubiquitous network.
In Forrester’s 73-criteria evaluation of network access control (NAC) vendors, we found that Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Bradford Networks, and Juniper Networks lead the pack because of their strong enforcement and policy. Microsoft’s NAP technology is a relative newcomer, but has become the de facto standard and pushes NAC into its near-ubiquitous Windows Server customer base. Cisco’s and Juniper’s NAC solutions are anchored by mature, standalone appliances with top marks for manageability and ease of use. Bradford has pushed into the enterprise space with one of the most scalable overlay solutions. Symantec, McAfee, and StillSecure are all close behind with software-based solutions, which we predict will ultimately win as the best NAC architecture. Mirage Networks’ unique out-of-band system provides superior deployment flexibility and just edges out Nevis Networks, which operates as a secure inline switch with built-in threat prevention. HP ProCurve Networking rounds out the bunch with an approach that marries appliance with Ethernet switches.
I think Forrester forgot to include a few good product in their benchmarking evaluation such as InfoExpress, Consentry and Fortinet. To counter this report, I believe base on my previous experience evaluating NAC requirement, Cisco NAC and Microsoft NAC are not the answer for a comprehensive ubiquitous NAC solution. The way they deploy their NAC Architecture, would not solve major wireless architectural problem. These two devices depend on port base security. Meaning that, any traffic in-out activity from that NAC switch port can be analyzed and monitored only via that physical port. Imagine that if you have 1000 devices in your company. You have to replace all your conventional switches to this NAC switches. My estimation, you need to deploy about 42 NAC appliances to monitor and control every access in your network.
I would prefer a solution provided by Juniper, Bradford, InfoExpress and Consentry. These NAC able to solve many issues logged by WLAN architecture. Their solutions are more.. and more comprehensive for ubiquitous network.
To address many complicated issues in the NAC management of heterogeneous WLAN network, I would prefer solution from InfoExpress, Consentry and Bradford. The deployment architecture of these NAC are less dependent on proprietary configuration. Juniper solution too dependent on their JUAC that requires Odyssey Client. My concent is... the Odyssey client is too complicated to manage for non-IT literate (Non-IT savvy) user. I need to find a solution that could minimize the complexity on the end-user site when deploying NAC appliance. In order to make the Juniper NAC to perform well, every user must install Odyssey client on their devices (Laptop). Does all wifi enable device support odyssey client ? SmartPhone, PDA, PSP and many other wifi devices is not really workable with Odyssey. Can we install Odyssey Client on Windows Mobile Platform or Symbian or etc ?... These are the issues that we need to consider before we deploy NAC in our wireless environment.
So, which solution is less proprietary dependent and workable with many platform ? This time I would prefer a solution from InfoExpress, Consentry and Bradford. Two products were not evaluated in the Forrester report. How about Bradford ? since Forrester has discussed much about Bradford in their report, no point for to me to discuss about Bradford... then, I will highlight my review for InfoExpress and COnsentry. Generally, Consentry has similar features offered by Bradford. There are some minor differences which I think not really important to discuss. In general Consentry can act as a proxy radius to control the access for each user account. It also workable for inline deployment.
InfoExpress offers more unique solution compared to other NAC, especially for heterogeneous ubiquitous network. InfoExpress perform dynamic NAC solution which similarly follow the concept "Man in the middle attack". The total concept and approach they implement for dynamic NAC (DNAC) is very impressive. They are the first introducing DNAC solution and this method meet many end-user requirement especially to protect back-door attack via wireless connection.
The other NAC which include in Forrester report is more to AntiVirus NAC such as McAfee and Symantec. These type of NAC cannot be compare apple-to-apple with Juniper NAC, Cisco NAC or Microsoft NAC because they fall into different categories. AntiVirus NAC has different objection compared to port base NAC or the real network based NAC. If your look at the other NAC features, their can integrate with other third party antivirus server or appliance such as BigFix to update and control antivirus.
My conclusion, I don't understand why Forrester not include InfoExpress and Consentry in their evaluation report. That's why the Q3 2008 report produced by Forrester does not showing the actuall scenario about NAC technology available in the market. The evaluation criteria chosen to identify the market leader in NAC seems like biased to certain products only.
I would to see is there head-to-head evaluation between Cisco, Juniper, InfoExprees, COnsentry and Bradford in solving network access on real ubiquitous network.
Google Chrome yet to be my default browser list
I've read a few reports mentioning that Google Chrome has great features. I can't comment much until I have tested and experienced it. My first impression on Chrome not really good. Google chrome browser cannot open my local portal to run oracle form server. The default error that I got on the chrome browser is "no plugin available to display this content".
It doesn't mentioned what kind of plugin I must have. I'm not facing any problem to open the same link using Firefox 2.0.0.11 Another thing that I noticed is, the bookmark feature not really user friendly. Since this Chrome still a beta version and I hope Google will work hard to integrate with other plugin developer in order to ensure that this browser can benefit the internet user world wide.
My advice to those who want to try this Chrome for testing and evaluation purposes, then you are encourage to download and play around with it.... but if you really want to replace your current browser, please stick to your current browser or you may try Minefield. Eventhough it is still beta version... it is better than Chrome beta version.
Minefield does not have so many features and pre-installed with new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine. Minefield's installation won't affect your current Firefox, so there's no risk trying it. It's quite fast.
Download Minefield 3.1beta here
It doesn't mentioned what kind of plugin I must have. I'm not facing any problem to open the same link using Firefox 2.0.0.11 Another thing that I noticed is, the bookmark feature not really user friendly. Since this Chrome still a beta version and I hope Google will work hard to integrate with other plugin developer in order to ensure that this browser can benefit the internet user world wide.
My advice to those who want to try this Chrome for testing and evaluation purposes, then you are encourage to download and play around with it.... but if you really want to replace your current browser, please stick to your current browser or you may try Minefield. Eventhough it is still beta version... it is better than Chrome beta version.
Minefield does not have so many features and pre-installed with new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine. Minefield's installation won't affect your current Firefox, so there's no risk trying it. It's quite fast.
Download Minefield 3.1beta here
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