Saturday, July 26, 2008

CIOS 110 Lesson 10 #2

WebDAV is one of those terms that I heard thrown around a lot at work before I actually found out what it was. I use something that is similar to WebDAV, as most of the University is migrating web sites to the Roxen CMS. So instead of focusing on WebDAV, I'm going to focus on Roxen and CMS in general.

CMS is a great way for people to get their fingers into the Internet. Starting with simple blogs and moving up to sites maintained via a program like Roxen, it really makes the web accessible for people. Web design can be intimidating, even using a program like Dreamweaver that gives you WYSIWYG design. It's just hard for people to understand unless they have the time to devote to studying it. With a CMS, those same people can log into a site and make changes to a web page without feeling like they're writing HTML code. They are usually familiar with filling out forms online, so they probably find it comfortable to enter a headline in one field and body text in another. Ta da!! A web page.

I've had to go through a lot of Roxen training at UAF, and I've seen people who seem to have difficulty doing ANYTHING on a computer start to get the hang of the program. It scares me to think of such technically-challenged people maintaining websites just because it's a part of their admin job, but at least with a CMS, I know they won't be accidentally deleting images or pages.

CIOS 110 Lesson 10 #1

It seems like the best way to protect yourself from viruses is to get a Mac. Just kidding (sort of).

It's pretty easy to avoid viruses if you use some common sense. Don't open attachments in e-mails from unknown people, for instance. Be careful about downloading and opening programs from the Internet. If it's not a trusted site, don't do it. However, you can also install software such as Norton to keep an eye on things. Norton will automatically scan all things you download. It can also be set to run regular checks of your computer looking for any viruses that may have gotten through.

In short, to avoid viruses, use a combination of software and common sense.

CIOS 110 Lesson 9 #2

Hmmm. Living in the woods, I don't have any security set up on our wireless network. Maybe that's not such a good idea, especially since I came across the concept of Wardriving and wireless hacking. Am I foolish for thinking that living remotely makes me safer?

At work, we have high security on our networks. We use Cisco and VPNs, which I will be using as I access the network from Connecticut during a family emergency. This is the problem with technology - I may have to leave the state for a while, but I'll still be able to work. Boo!!! I think that this is probably the greatest asset of wireless security, though - being able to access servers from anywhere in the world allows a company to have employees in different locations to still have access to the same resources.

Cicso offers Firewalls, attack and intrusion protection, spam and virus protection, virtual private networks and network admission control. 3Com has firewalls, secure NIC cards, wireless intrusion prevention and unified security platforms. I tried poking around the Alcatel-Lucent website as well, but their navigation system took me in many circles and I was unable to find information on what they offer, only long blocks of text telling me that they offer security.

If I were shopping for security options for my network, I would skip Alcatel-Lucent because their website was frustrating and didn't tell me anything. While 3Com offers several good security measures, I would probably opt for something from Cisco because we use it at work. If the Dept of Defense and the supercomputing center think it's good enough, it probably will work fine for me.

CIOS 110 Lesson 9 #1

Sharing files over a network

Since all of your computers are connected to the LAN, they are all able to communicate with each other. In order to share folders and thus be able to work on the same files, you will have to adjust a few settings.

Locate the folder you wish to share and right click on it, then select "Sharing and Security" to pop open a control box. Under the "Sharing" tab, make sure that the "Share this folder on the network" box is checked. You will need to assign a name to the folder. Please make sure that this name is unique and easily accessible. For instance, if you choose to share your entire C: drive, please rename it MyNameC. If you do not do this, it will confuse your computer to find two C: drives.

After you have shared the folder, you will need to allow others to make changes to the contents. To do this, make sure the "Allow network users to make changes" box is checked.

To access a shared folder, use My Network Places, which you will find below My Computer in the Start Menu. You can use the "Add a Network Place" option on the left side of the screen to select frequently used files and set up a permanent connection.

Friday, July 25, 2008

CIOS 110 Lesson 8 #2

Two steps to backing up your computer

Before you install any new program, make a system restore. If something goes wrong, the technician can quickly set your computer back to the way it was. Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. Select Create A Restore Point, click Next and type in a brief description, then click Create.

To create a back up for either 2000 or XP, go to Start>Run and type NTBACKUP. Select the Backup Wizard and select Backup Everything On This Computer.

CIOS 110 Lesson 8 #1

If you're going to set up shared computers for a group of employees, you'll need to create multiple accounts. One of the first thing you will want to do is set up two administrator accounts. Make sure you set up at least two so that if one administrator is not in the office, another person will be able to log in and make changes if necessary. Each of the employees will need their own local user account in the workgroup, and these will be limited accounts. You'll set up the initial passwords, and employees will be able to change them when they log in.