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The management of updates has become an essential element in overseeing a computer network today.   Take the network that I manage for the school district I work for.  Being a Windows based network, our 90 servers and 5500 workstations rely on Microsoft update which are made available from Microsoft every  second Tuesday of the month for the most part.  Critical updates are made available on an as needed basis such as a hot fix or the plugging of a security hole that has been exposed. 

When I first entered the networking field, these updates had to be managed on an individual computer basis much like your home computer.  This of course was very labor intensive.  It also ate up a lot of your Internet bandwidth as each and every machine had to communicate directly to the Microsoft website.  Today, most windows based networks of any size utilize a Windows WSUS server, (Windows Software Update Services) which download s all available updates and then dispenses them throughout the network during off peak hours.  See the link for more information:  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/bb466193.aspx 

The most common types of updates are for antivirus and anti spam applications.  Ensuring that these types of updates are downloaded and installed throughout the network is of the utmost importance.  Viruses can spread across the world in a matter of hours and can bring down critical servers or even an entire network unless AV applications are current. 

Like most schools and many other types of organizations we have a web filter.  Nearly every night, the filter downloads the latest site category updates.  To explain, a filter company constantly discovers new sites across the Internet for categorization and will return to previously visited sites to discern if the site needs to be recategorized.  

We have dozens of applications such as our backup software that regularly download updates as well.  In addition, all of our servers are from Dell, which periodically (about once a quarter) sends out a CD with hardware and BIOS updates for its machines.

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

             Thanks to David Cardoso for permission to use this Photo. 

Ten years ago the big upgrade in network speed was from 10 MB to 100 MB.  Organizations quickly began upgrading their LAN infrastructures to take advantage of this increase in performance.  This meant of course that CAT 3 cable had to be replaced with CAT 5 cable and all the switches and routers that couldn’t handle 100 MB had to be replaced.  Most organizations had to upgrade the NICs in all of their computers as well.  Five years ago, organizations started upgrading their datacenter structure to 1 Gig for all of their servers in order to enlarge the pipeline of data moving into and out of the datacenter from users. 

Although some organizations have provided 1 Gig throughput for their entire network, meaning that once again most switches, routers and NICs have to be replaced, many have not felt that the return on investment (ROI) is worth it.  Despite this, vendors are now touting the new 10 Gig Ethernet standard.   It will be interesting to see what type of demand for a speed that will most definitely require an organization to upgrade all involved switches and routers and NICS.  The cabling for 10 Gig is different as well.  

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

There are not many people who can seriously put into question the projected dominance of  Google search technology in the future evolution of the Internet.  Through his brilliantly engineered software architecture and conceptual maps of its' potential applications, supergenius Tim Berners-Lee, the acknowledged inventor of the World Wide Web, has for years been carrying his message of a "semantic web" that will make the current incarnation of the web seem look like your Dad's Rolodex by comparison. 

In Berners-Lee vision, the next generation of web technology will be semantic, i.e. all data will be interconnected and capable of communicating with other "information"  through a common language so speak.  The following article discusses the development of the semantic web alongside the related, but not parallel development of Google’s search, mapping, and tracking applications.  Berners-Lee is not anti-Google, but he is passionately against the centralization of web data and any form of proprietary control over Internet content. 

I also encourage you to check out this very insightful video presentation in which Berners-Lee takes you on a virtual tour of the Web from its’ beginnings into tomorrow.  This is fascinating stuff.   Please share your thoughts with the Ashworth Blog community after brainstorming on your own.   
 

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University    

                 Thanks to Dana Lee for permission to use this Photo.

Have you seen the recent commercials from Verizon Wireless touting their wireless service, contrasting their service with the seemingly restrictive confinement of WIFI.   This is part of a battle for wireless dominance.  WIFI is the current wireless standard leader.  If you have a laptop, chances are you have some sort of WIFI router device in your home to provide WIFI access for it and other devices in your house such as the newest IPOD release.  You have probably utilized the WIFI offerings of a local coffee shop or hotel (I couldn’t imagine staying in a hotel today that didn’t offer WIFI or at least Ethernet network access).  If you download a free program called NetStumbler and install it on a computer that has a wireless card, you can discover wireless access points wherever you are.  The program makes a sound every time a new WIFI point is discovered.   Driving around with your laptop running NetStumbler can make your computer sound like a video game as it will sound off repeatedly like a machine gun as it find the plethora of WIFE points in the area. 

The problem with WIFI is that it is spotty and not predictable.  WIFI has a limited range and many WIFI hotspots are now guarded with security such as WPA, disallowing public access.  This has created a demand for a more streamlined wireless standard that offers blanket coverage. 

One option is the cell phone companies such as Verizon.  These services can offer as much as much as 3.5 Gig of network throughput, putting WIFI to shame.  WIMAX is another option in which metropolitan areas can offer blanket coverage throughout the area with speeds up to 4 Gig.  Both of these offerings work on some sort of subscription plan which can cost as much as $60 a month.  Unlike WIFI, each and every device must have a separate subscription, making these alternatives very expensive.  Over a dozen metropolitan WIMAX projects have been dismantled over the past year due to higher than predicted costs and a shortage of willing subscribers.  WIFI has also fired back with the new 802.11n WIFI standard this year which offers greater throughput and coverage than its WIFI predecessors.  The battle has just begun for wireless dominance…

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

 
                Thanks to Sherrie G. for permission to use this Photo.

A few days ago I purchased a new computer. The computer has a 4 gig hard drive — not much space for many programs. Well, I downloaded the updates or SP2 service pack the second day that I owned the computer. As we may see the hard drive is not built for that much data. Long story short; the hard drives capacity was reached.

Here is the solution: Re-install the software after a format and new partition. Well, the computer is small and has no CD drive. So, what to do? I thought that I could try to copy the software to a memory card and or an external hard drive and install from there. Guess what? The software was installed but the format was not in existence. The new installation files were copied right on top of the already full hard drive. Two other times the files were installed to the memory card and external hard drive.

After all this trouble the hard drive (c:/) did not register. Even better, the computer asked me what OS I wanted to load! I did make a selection but I had no luck. At that point I was without a functioning computer.

The problem: The programming or software on today’s memory cards and external hard drives are not always set to handle these installation problems. What we need is a solution to this problem. I have heard from other students that there is software for this situation, but it must not be an every day item. I have not seen much . . . to talk about.

Finally, I just paid for the external CD drive and I was back in business. Two things: 1. Attempting something new with available resources can lead to win, lose, or newly gained insight into a problematic situation. 2. Attempting something new can very much so be devistating to our equipment.

What did I gain, well; I understand that from a situation like this I can see what problems non-techs may have when they work with today’s computers. Although, I will be able to walk away from this task knowing that I can create software that is built for the common man or woman. I think it is a policy in today’s computer companies to think about the problems that can arise with software before it is sent out to the public. The main problem is the company that produced this computer did not realize that a 4 gig hard drive is not enough for today’s world. Solution: Do not allow the software to update, if it does the millions of customers out there will suffer the same fate that I did. Easy solutions for head-acking problemes!

Gabriel M.
Student
Ashworth University School Of Information Technology

           Thanks to Joshua Wickerham for permission to use this Photo.

Has anyone emailed you a Microsoft Word file or excel file made in Office XP that you weren’t able to open with your copy of Office 2003 or 2000?  That’s because 2007 saves Word and Excel files in a custom file type by default.  Word 2007 saves in the .docx format for instance.

Excel 2007 saves in the .xlsx format by default.  If this has happened to you there are two options.  One of course is to install Office 2007 on your computer.  The far lesser expensive alternative is to download and install the Microsoft 2007 conversion tool which allows earlier versions of Office to open 2007 files.  Note that this is a read only tool.  You cannot create 2007 files with it.  Office 2007 does allow you to save files in the format of earlier versions.  If you anticipate emailing any files created with Office 2007, you should do this so that your recipients can open them guaranteed.  You can download the conversion tool by clicking here.

There are other alternatives to Microsoft Office.  I have written about OpenOffice before, the most popular open source office suite.  It is totally free and many of its components, such as the word processing and spreadsheet components, have an identical look as Office 2003.  It is ideal for students.  You can research it further and download it here.

Another alternative is Google Apps.  Google Apps, which was heralded early on has not caught on as was anticipated.  It is a web based application which means that nothing is installed on your computer.

This means that you can work on your files from anywhere since you can also save your files on a personal storage space of your own on a Google server.  You can also save your files to your local computer or media as well.  You can access Google Apps here.

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

   Thanks to NASA, ESA-Hubble Collaboration for permission to use Photo. 

One of the security weaknesses experienced with laptops and other portable computer devices for many years is the simplicity in which their drives could be compromised if the device is stolen.  This was especially true before Windows XP and Windows 2000 when a thief could simply install a second operating system on the laptop, logon to the new operating system and gain admin rights to all the data on the drive. 

Windows XP and Windows 2000 introduced EFS, Encryption File System, which allowed users to encrypt files of their choosing.  Because the encryption was centered on an encryption key based upon the original operating system, an intruder couldn’t access that file simply by accessing it through another operating system.  However, this required the user to individually encrypt every file or folder in order to protect all of their data.  Needless to say, the majority of users failed to do this.   

Microsoft has introduced a new technology called BitLocker with Windows2008 and premium flavors of Windows Vista.  BitLocker encrypts the entire drive, including the Windows system files necessary for startup and logon, which could give an intruder the ability to discover passwords and logon information.  What’s more, BitLocker utilizes a feature called Integrity checking which analyzes the early boot components and helps to ensure that data decryption is performed only if those components appear unmolested and that the encrypted drive is located in the original computer.  This prevents thieves from stealing your hard drive and putting it into another computer to access the data. 

It will also make it much easier for organizations to recycle old computers as they will not have to worry about erasing data on machines being decommissioned as the drives will be inaccessible.  BitLocker is a great new addition to the Windows operating system and should be implemented by any organization or individual that works with sensitive data.

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Jamie Hladky for permission to use this Photo. 

You have to learn how to crawl before you learn how to walk, but once you learn a foundation of IT skills in Ashworth University’s information technology programs and anchor yourself in the IT labor force, here are the ten hottest tech skill sets you should aim to learn in the next five years according to Tech Republic.

1. Voice over IP - sales of pure IP PBX systems for the first quarter of 2007 increased 76% over the first quarter of the previous year 
2. Unified Communications - the convergence of different communications technologies, such as e-mail, voicemail, text messaging, and fax 
3. Hybrid Networks – Networks are no longer all Windows or all Linux, they are a hodgepodge of different systems and IT pros need to learn more than one of them.   
4. Wireless Technologies – everything’s going wireless it seems.    
5. Remote User Support – with more employees working off-site today, help support personnel must provide remote support to anywhere. 
6. Mobile User Support – more and more organizations are providing blackberries and other smart portable devices for their employees that must be supported. 
7. Software-as-a-Service – or SaaS as it is referred to in technical articles.  With the popularity of Web 2.0, the trend is to now provide software applications over the Internet rather than installing them on each and every computer. 
8. Virtualization – With the dominance of VMWare and the soon to be released 2008 Virtual Application from Microsoft, virtualization is THE buzzword today along with its countless benefits. 
9. IPv6 – Although this standard has not grown in popularity as of yet, mostly because the wide usage of NAT has allowed us to not run out of IP addresses on the Internet as fast as predicted, this standard is going to come about within the next five years.
10. Security - A skill set that will probably always be in the top 10. 

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician/Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

            Thanks to Donovan Mueller for permission to use this Photo. 

It’s standard practice that if you have an always-on Internet connection, then you should have a firewall, implemented in either hardware, such as a router, or in software.  But even if you are using a dial-up connection, you really need a software firewall to protect you from intrusions.  You would be surprised at the number of attempts to get into your PC a good software firewall will block on a PC using dial-up.  A firewall will also notify you of attempts to go out to an Internet website.  You can then allow or disallow the outbound traffic.  You would want legitimate programs such as Windows to access the company’s website for update purposes, but you’re safer to block any programs that you don’t recognize from doing so.  Be sure to check for correct spelling.  Say you have Symantec’s anti virus program on your PC and have set it up for automatic virus signature updates.  Your firewall will ask you whether you want to grant the program permission to go outbound.  But some malware could identify itself as Symantek.  Should you allow it to access the Internet, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise. 

Yes, it’s unfortunate that there are so many nasty things that can happen to your computer.  And thwarting such attempts can cost you time and money, but you really need to do this.  At minimum you need a firewall, an anti-virus program, and an anti-spyware utility.  You’ll also need to update the anti-virus and anti-spyware programs’ signature files at least once a week, as well as scanning with each at least once a week, more frequently if you are online daily.then you should have a firewall, implemented in either hardware, such as a router, or in software.  But even if you are using a dial-up connection, you really need a software firewall to protect you from intrusions.  You would be surprised at the number of attempts to get into your PC a good software firewall will block on a PC using dial-up.  A firewall will also notify you of attempts to go out to an Internet website.  You can then allow or disallow the outbound traffic.  You would want legitimate programs such as Windows to access the company’s website for update purposes, but you’re safer to block any programs that you don’t recognize from doing so.  Be sure to check for correct spelling. 

Say you have Symantec’s anti virus program on your PC and have set it up for automatic virus signature updates.  Your firewall will ask you whether you want to grant the program permission to go outbound.  But some malware could identify itself as Symantek.  Should you allow it to access the Internet, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise. 

Yes, it’s unfortunate that there are so many nasty things that can happen to your computer.  And thwarting such attempts can cost you time and money, but you really need to do this.  At minimum you need a firewall, an anti-virus program, and an anti-spyware utility.  You’ll also need to update the anti-virus and anti-spyware programs’ signature files at least once a week, as well as scanning with each at least once a week, more frequently if you are online daily.

Dave Ronan
Computer Training Instructor
Ashworth University

                   Thanks to פיקוס for permission to use this Photo.

If you are in the IT Field or considering getting into it, you don’t need rose colored glasses to see a promising future for yourself.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that IT will be the fastest growing sector of our economy for the next ten years.  They also report that the three fastest growing jobs in the US are network system and data communication analysts, computer systems analysts and software application engineers.  In fact, in just about any top ten list, you will find IT has the most positions of any field.Now couple this tremendous growth with the following statistic:

The labor force for the 25 to 54 age group in IT will only grow at a dismal .2% between 2006 and 2016. 

Do you want to be in demand for the next decade?  Stay committed to your program studies and your hard work will pay off.  The bottom line is that it’s important to obtain as many skill sets as you can in the rapidly expanding IT industry.  If you need assistance with your lessons, I encourage you to reach out to me in the comments section of this blog.  I always look forward to hearing from my students!

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University