Identifying and Investigating Network-Bound Software in a Linux Server

In this article we will learn how to correlate open ports with software running in a Linux server and understand why this knowledge is critical to operating and maintaining a secure environment. When a server is compromised, the result is not always as rash as complete data loss. Often the hacker will use the compromised host to perpetrate his primary goal, which is maintaining anonymity. One method to achieve this is install and operate software which proxies network traffic. Due to this, the ability to generate a list of network-bound software and audit each is important.

This information is not limited to analyzing compromised or servers with security issues, as understanding what software running in your server that accepts input over the network (internet) is vital to keeping your server secure.

Network Mapping Software

After ssh'ing to our server as root, lets check which software is listening on tcp sockets.

# netstat -alntp | grep LIST
tcp 0 0 10.100.10.10:322 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 9653/sshd
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:3306 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 8118/mysqld
tcp 0 0 10.100.10.10:80 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 5266/httpd
tcp 0 0 10.100.10.10:80 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 15404/openvpn
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:10000 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 10065/perl
tcp 0 0 10.100.10.10:18081 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 5266/httpd
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:8118 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 23952/privoxy
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:25 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 9301/exim4
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:9050 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 9664/tor
#

Each row represents an open socket, possibly to the internet. The fourth column tell us the IP address and port on our server the software is listening for connections on. 0.0.0.0 means all IP addresses. If the server does not have a firewall, one can assume that packets from the internet will be processed by the software listening on the appropriate port. Even with a firewall, it is worthwhile to ensure that software is secure. This is because software firewalls can be disabled/malfunction and hardware firewalls can be removed from the network without notice. The last column is in the format X/Y. X is the process ID or PID of the network-bound software. Y represents the name of the running program (this "name" is controllable by the program itself, and thus cannot be relied upon to know what that program actually is). It is critical that you are able to correlate an open socket in your server with a program (PID) in your Linux server.

The first row tells us that "sshd" is running at PID 9653 and listening on IP address 10.100.10.10 port 322. This means tcp connections to 10.100.10.10 port 322 are handled by "sshd". We can see that "httpd" is listening on ports 80 and 18081. The first port makes sense, this is the default port for http traffic. Port 18081 is a little strange, as it is an uncommon port number. To verify the authenticity of PID 5266, we can start by running this command to determine the absolute path to the binary which is network bound:

# ls -al /proc/5266/exe
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 Jun 24 20:34 /proc/5266/exe -> /usr/sbin/httpd

This tells us "httpd" is actually /usr/sbin/httpd. This makes sense because this is the normal path and name of the Apache webserver in CentOS. To verify that /usr/sbin/httpd is the true Apache binary, we can run two RPM commands:

# rpm -qf /usr/sbin/httpd
httpd-2.2.3-31.el5.centos.2
# rpm -V httpd-2.2.3-31.el5.centos.2
S.5....T c /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

The first command uses flags "-qf" to query a file; the output is the package which the file belongs to. We then use the "-V" flag to verify the authenticity of that package in the system. The output consists of any modified files. In this case, we learn that httpd.conf has been modified. This makes sense and is common, as the default apache configuration is not very useful for most organizations.

If /usr/sbin/httpd had been replaced with another binary, we see an immediate sign that the server could be compromised. We will simulate this by placing another binary in place of httpd.

# mv /usr/sbin/httpd /usr/sbin/httpd.real
# cp /bin/ls /usr/sbin/httpd
# rpm -V httpd-2.2.3-31.el5.centos.2
S.5....T c /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
S.5....T /usr/sbin/httpd

In this case, /usr/sbin/httpd fails in three areas (periods represent passed tests):

S is the file size.
5 is the MD5 checksum of the file.
T is the modification time of the file.
We can see that it makes sense for /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf to fail S and T, since the file was modified (modification time and file size changed). A failed md5 checksum in this case tells us that /usr/sbin/httpd is not the file which Centos provided us with.

Going back to our netstat report, we find this open socket:

tcp 0 0 10.100.10.10:18081 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 5266/httpd

We will now check out this "httpd":

# ls -al /proc/5266/exe
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 Jun 25 05:29 /proc/20424/exe -> /tmp/.var/lib/httpd

This is a rogue process, as "programs" should not be stored in /tmp in any normal Linux server. This file should not belong to any package, as rpm can verify for us:

#rpm -qf /tmp/.var/lib/httpd
file /tmp/.var/lib/httpd is not owned by any package

At this point, we know there is some insecurity in this server, as sockets are open by software which we did not install. Tracing the source of this rogue network program is another topic. Deleting the file may solve the immediate issue but rest assured the file and process will return without solving the underlying insecurity.

We should continue to audit each network bound process in our server. PIDs 23952 and 9664 are of particular interest based on the process names. Network connections can also be established via UDP sockets. To generate a list of udp ports bound to programs running in your server, we can use command:

# netstat -alnp | grep udp
udp 0 0 0.0.0.0:53 0.0.0.0:* 18443/dnscache
udp 0 0 10.100.1.100:53 0.0.0.0:* 19029/named

The same procedure in identifying the responsible binary via the PID can be used.

When provisioning a new server, it is critical to understand and research each open socket. Disabling unnecessary network bound software is critical in limiting the entry points to the server, thus increasing security. After we identify each piece of software which may be exploited, we should check the version and configuration of that software to ensure it is not vulnerable to any known security issues.

Identifying and Investigating Network-Bound Software in a Linux Server

Network Mapping Software

Free MLM Software In Network Marketing

You are probably sick and tired in pitching your Network Marketing opportunities to your prospects. So, it is about time you start marketing yourself in MLM. The best thing to do is to get a free MLM Software like Prosperity Central so you can grow your business with less effort is using this tool to generate leads for your Network Marketing business. I would recommend getting this Free MLM Software if you want to sponsor more reps into your primary Network Marketing opportunity.

Using this software can be an excellent tool that can benefit you that makes Prosperity Central gets you to take action with little efforts with the most cutting edge lead generation, presentation, team building, and back office tools that are available. Prosperity Central can change the way you market your Network Marketing business.

Network Mapping Software

So get ready to experience for yourself in the MLM industry just learning these tools by utilizing this free MLM software towards your advantage, You definitely want to stand out of the crowd and stop doing the marketing methods that are taught from your sponsor in your Multi-Level Marketing Company. Nonetheless, you can be in an excellent position to build your business from the ground floor.

Therefore, I would recommend in trying out the free MLM software with Prosperity Central for 30 days. No need to have your credit card to sign up using this software. The basic account doesn't charge you a monthly fee, but you can upgrade to paid membership to either professional or premier account for a low monthly fee. If this is the right fit implementing these Prosperity Central tools then I would encourage you to upgrade so you can grow your Network Marketing business online.

When you decided to sign up with Prosperity Central, you will have the advantage over other network marketers in the industry. It is having the capability to communicate effectively and fast. So if you are in a position to learn these tools that work for both new prospects and your own personal recruits in MLM, having this software that can get you to be one of the top producers in your primary business opportunity.

This unique software can give you excellent communication resources in the back office. Nonetheless, a great way of getting information and input in your business that you are trying to build on the internet.

Since you came across this article, then you are probably interesting in getting started in Network Marketing business without dealing with a boss and working 9-5 until the age of 65. It is ok if you have no experience in MLM, and you don't have to do it alone. So the Prosperity Central basic membership in using this free MLM Software that can overcome the most common struggles by most marketers that can get you up and running to build a downline in Network marketing.

This is an ideal opportunity to start from scratch in multi-level marketing and there shouldn't be any excuses to get to start your own home-based business. It would not hurt to take a look at the Prosperity Central Software, So I encourage you to get started and be an active member today!

Free MLM Software In Network Marketing

Network Mapping Software

MSP Software Can Streamline Your Network Management Tasks

MSP software is a must for all managed service providers. Managers who've this type of software program, can instantly access pertinent details about the networks they're monitoring. Whether or not you are monitoring a LAN network for a small company, or you are attempting to monitor the routers within a big enterprise, MSP software can make the process of monitoring networks seamless and extremely simple to handle overall.

Considering that the task of managing multiple networks is pretty much impossible to deal with for most network managers, this device is an absolute have to for most network managers currently. Network managers who utilize MSP software program can make their services much more efficient and successful by assessing the complications a network is facing in a quite simple manner.

Network Mapping Software

This type of software program can supply detailed specifics about a number of several aspects of a network as well. So, no matter whether you might be monitoring countless networks, or you're monitoring only 1 network, you'll be able to access detailed information and facts about the networks you are viewing with the click of a button once you have this sort of software in your possession.

By using MSP software program, it is easy to access data which will reveal the primary complications which are causing difficulties to arise inside your network. Whether or not you'll need to access specifics about individual computers in a network, or you need to simply assess the overall efficiency of an entire network, this kind of software program can provide the facts and tools you'll need to assess troubles and uncover the source of complications quickly.

This software can even automate the method of managing a network as well. This software can present notifications when a difficulty is about to arise within a network too. In this way, MSP software can help managed service providers stay clear of issues altogether, because the challenges could be fixed prior to they really cause a disruption within the communications of a network.

Network managers rely on all of these features, but among the most valuable functions provided by this kind of software is the remote access capability. This remote access capability permits network managers to access devices without having really being physically present at the location the devices reside in. By becoming able to remotely access devices, network managers can fix problems instantly and efficiently so that you can offer higher quality and far more efficient services to their clients.

Several network managers use these programs to monitor whole networks, but network managers can boost the quality of their services by also monitoring individual devices inside a network too. Various components inside networks often offer insufficient computing power to handle the tasks they are facing. When this type of problem arises within a network, a network manager can recommend the improvement of certain devices in order to improve the overall efficiency of an whole network.

Naturally, MSP software may be used in a great number of distinctive ways. In case you are a managed service provider, you'll want to undoubtedly look into how this software program can improve the quality of the services you offer to all of your clients.

MSP Software Can Streamline Your Network Management Tasks

Network Mapping Software

Network Monitor Software

Most Network monitor software offers combines package of asset management, Wide Area Network (WAN), WAN traffic analysis function, Local Area Network (LAN) and server. network monitoring software makes monitoring computer network an easy task. network monitor software automatically notifies network administrator when there is problem with network. According to recent research, some network monitor software can monitor and notifies almost anything about network related issues. It is very important for network administrator to have network monitor software installed as it is very useful when trying to solve network associated issues.

Proper network monitor software can identify future and present problems with the network. network monitor software is designed to monitor LAN and all network equipment components. It troubleshoots almost all network associated issues and also renders reports on network equipments component. network monitor software reduces unnecessary waste of time, allows the user to monitor network equipment component and notifies when failure occurs. Entire network can be managed from a central location. Users should consider his requirement of network monitoring before purchasing the software. network monitor software is used worldwide by network administrator, IT solution provider and system specialists.

Network Mapping Software

It continuously monitors internet servers, intranet servers, modems, database, routers, event logs and more for 24 hours a day, assuring that devices and networks are performing properly. Continuous monitoring of network helps detect the problems long before any serious problem occurs. network monitor software gathers data on remote machines with the help of Remote Registry service. When network monitor software detects network related problem, it automatically sends alert via pager, e-mail, SMS or network message. Some network monitor software supports WAP, that permits to check network status through WAP enabled cellular phone from anywhere in the world.

Most network monitor software can support Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2000. Some more advanced server can also support Linux.

Network Monitor Software

Network Mapping Software

Critical Path Mapping with Activity Network Diagrams

The activity network diagram is a method of displaying the timelines of all the various subtasks that are involved in any project. By doing this, the total task duration and the earliest and latest start and finish times for each task are also calculated and displayed. In addition to showing which subtasks are critical to on-time task completion, the activity network diagram can help determine where extra effort to speed a subtask will have the greatest payoff to overall speed.

The activity network diagram has had a relatively long history, dating back to the 1930s. In the 1950s, the technique emerged as the Program Evaluation Research Technique (PERT) and as the Critical Path Method (CPM). There are several ways to represent the output of the PERT/CPM process.

Network Mapping Software

The method called the activity-on-arrow or, more simply, the arrow diagram will be reviewed in this article. An arrow diagram treats numbered nodes as instantaneous stop/start points for activities. The activities themselves are considered to take place on the arrows connecting the nodes.

What can it do for you?

An activity network diagram can show you which activities or which series of activities is critical to the timing of a more complex collection of interactive activities. This can be very helpful in deciding where and when to apply extra energy to keep projects on time. Creating an activity network diagram is time-consuming, however, so you should consider these questions before you decide to create one:

1. Is the task a complex one with simultaneous paths that must be coordinated? Creating a diagram for a relatively simple task may be a waste of time.

2. Are the durations of the subtasks known with relative certainty? If the actual timing of events is markedly different from diagram times, it will have little value, and people will dismiss the diagram as a useless exercise.

3. Are the task and the timing of the task completion critical to the organization? The effort involved in creating a diagram should be applied to tasks that have little margin for timing error and have either serious consequences if completion of the overall task is delayed or large rewards if completion can be sped up.

Critical path mapping can be especially valuable in project bounding and in the measure and improve phases of the Lean Six Sigma methodology.

How do you do it?

1. Assemble the right team. The team must have either personal knowledge of the timing of all the subtasks involved or connection to that information. The team should include managers and other employees as close to the actual situation as possible.

2. Identify all of the subtasks necessary to complete the overall task. You might use brainstorming techniques or begin with a list of tasks from a previous project. Record the tasks so that you can rearrange them. A good way to do this is to write each job on the top half of a 3x5 card or Post-It(TM) note. (The bottom half of the card will be used for timing data later in the process.)

3. Put the activity cards in the sequence in which they must be performed to complete the overall task. To do this, create paths or strings of tasks that follow one after the other. These strings will often describe sequences of activities that occur in parallel with each other. After all the activities are in some string or path of activities, create the overall sequence by connecting the paths. These connections will show where jobs or tasks require input from parallel sequences before the next task can begin. Feel free to add new cards for missing tasks or to remove duplicates.

4. Assign time duration to each task or job. Write it on the bottom half of the card. Since you will be adding these times, keep the numbers consistent. For instance, do not have some cards showing days for completion, some showing hours and some showing minutes. Select the Lowest Common Denominator.

5. Calculate the shortest possible time within which the overall task can be completed by adding the times of each subtask to find the path of the longest cumulative duration. This is the critical path. Knowing the critical path is important because this will tell if the time objectives of the project are attainable. The critical path identifies those jobs or tasks that have no slack. Each must be done on time if the project is to stay on schedule. The critical path also identifies targets for improvement to increase speed. (If tasks on the critical path can be sped up, the overall time to complete the project may be able to be shortened. Remember, however, that if a task on the critical path is sped up, a different path may become the critical path.)

6. Calculate the earliest starting and finishing times and the latest starting and finishing times for each job or subtask in the project. Begin at the start of the diagram. The earliest start time for each job is the cumulative duration of all the previous jobs on that path. The earliest finish time is the earliest start time plus the duration of that task. Repeat this process for each job on each path until you reach the finish point. Next calculate the latest start and finish times. Begin with the earliest finish time at the end of the diagram.

To calculate the slack time for any job or task, subtract the earliest start time from the latest start time. All of the jobs on the critical path, by definition, will have zero slack time. Remember that slack time is dependent on the time of completion of the previous job or task. If some of the slack time in a path other than the critical path is used in an early task, the slack times for the remaining tasks in that path will each be reduced by that amount.)

Note: A dummy is an extra node symbol used to clarify an activity network diagram if one node has more than one job or task feeding into it from one other node. Since the diagram cannot show two activities coming from one node and going to another, a dummy node is created, with zero as the job duration shown on the arrow connecting them.

Review the completed activity network diagram with the people who will be doing the work described by it. Consider any feedback. Expand or modify the diagram as necessary to fit the actual situation.

Now what?

As a tool, the activity network diagram is like a time-map of any time-sensitive project. As you are proceeding down the paths of the project, the map will help keep you on track. If you should falter or wander off the path, the map can be used to help get you back on the critical path. This description of the activity network diagram will help you to manually calculate and construct a process map.

Automated tools, such as SigmaFlow, are also available. SigmaFlow produces other valuable scheduling information, as well. Computer scheduling programs like SigmaFlow are able to easily deal with complex processes, recalculating times whenever you modify the data.

A critical path map can help uncover opportunities for increasing speed. Used in this fashion, critical path mapping is another tool to make the Lean Six Sigma method work smoothly. It is important to remember, however, that these diagrams, whether produced manually or by computer, are not intended to drive you, but to signal you if something is wrong.

Critical Path Mapping with Activity Network Diagrams

Network Mapping Software

Network Marketing Software - Software for MLM System

Network marketing requires constant interactions with people. These people are not just those that are members of your marketing team, but including your potential and actual prospects or customers.

Driving people to your business is the primary task of a network entrepreneur as they are the ones who will bring profits to your business. When you are just thinking of the wide of scope of the internet, you can certainly think that driving people to your business is not that difficult. However, if you lack knowledge regarding the new tools and strategies in marketing venture, it would be difficult for you to apply and implement these tools and strategies.

Network Mapping Software

The various strategies of this marketing business are supported by network marketing software. The software is a collection of tools that can help marketers in implementing strategies. It involves features that can drive people that can be your prospects or even your actual customers automatically, referred as the traffic system.

The traffic system of network marketing software does not only focus on prospecting or inviting people to become part of your business, but also presents the opportunity to various people in the world via the internet. The system can also help in updating prospects, as it is difficult for them to trust a business immediately.

Network marketing software can automatically resend updates and e-mails to various customers even in faraway places. The automated features of the software is a great help for online marketing entrepreneurs as they will not need to manually send updates and interact with their customers constantly. Using this kind of software truly saves time and effort, thus marketers will be able to have more time in monitoring the other aspects of the business.

Network Marketing Software - Software for MLM System

Network Mapping Software

Network Monitoring Software: Architecture Considerations

The enterprise IT environment is continuing to experience significant changes. An organization's network monitoring software solution has to be capable of supporting future requirements, whether it is growth in the volume of monitored components, new custom applications/devices that need to be monitored, or different use models. If you are in the midst of considering an upgrade from your open-source or point monitoring tools, or replacing an inflexible legacy solution, make sure whatever solution you are evaluating is scalable, open and extensible to ensure that it is future-proof.

A key limitation of traditional network management systems is the existence of a centralized database for processing of performance data. Even if the collection of data is managed by distributed components, the solutions invariably require centralization of the data for processing and alert generation. For large infrastructures, this introduces a significant performance bottleneck. The multiplier effect of the amount of data that needs to be processed as new devices are added is enormous.

Network Mapping Software

Capturing and processing these metrics in a single centralized database will put immense pressure on the overall application, creating a significant bottleneck. A key consideration in a replacement solution is whether it is based on a distributed architecture that does not have centralized database bottlenecks. For example, some solutions will have both distributed collection capability and a distributed database architecture. In these solutions, individual data gathering components will often have small local databases that are able to process tens of thousands of metrics every few minutes to generate alarms as needed, and also store the data locally for multiple years. Monitoring consoles receive notifications as they occur, and are able to retrieve performance data from these separate databases when needed for analysis and reporting. No sophisticated database scaling or specialized database administration expertise is required for these systems.

A next generation network performance monitoring software system also has to support different points of integration depending on the stage of the service management lifecycle, whether it be configuration of devices and tests, establishing user privileges, capturing performance data from custom applications/systems, initiating actions/notifications in external ticketing systems, or displaying performance data on external portals. In many modern data center environments, the monitoring software has to be capable of accepting performance data feeds from custom applications. This could also include processing syslogs and event logs generated by applications. Certain events generated by the network monitoring system may require initiating an action or process in some external system (e.g. ticketing).

All of these requirements need to be supported via flexible, open APIs and plug-in frameworks within the monitoring system. Make sure your replacement solution exposes a rich set of two-way APIs and open extensibility for integrating with existing systems or technology. The API and external feeds need to provide interface points to either import or export data throughout the IT environment. Ensure that the API supports standard technology, such as Web Services, Java, Perl and C, and allows provisioning and updating users, devices and tests (see solution example).

Network Monitoring Software: Architecture Considerations

Network Mapping Software

Why Use Monitoring Network Software?

Monitoring a network is an important part of keeping one of your most valuable business resources happy and healthy. But did you realize that a good bit of the monitoring process can be an ongoing phenomenon with the aid of monitoring software? The fact is that there are a couple of excellent reasons to invest in monitoring network software to help you maintain your valuable network components.

Monitoring network software acts as a constant watchdog for your network equipment. Once installed, the software will be constantly monitoring the functionality of each of your programs, as well as the efficiency of your servers, the connected work stations, and other components that make up your entire network. The advantage is that you get real time information about some emerging problem, such as a new and as yet unidentified virus that has infected the network due to an attachment being opened. With the ability to see something odd is happening when it happens, it is possible to take steps to minimize the damage and contain the problem.

Network Mapping Software

There is more to the monitoring process than simply making sure the network is working at optimum levels of efficiency. Network software also makes it possible to determine when work stations are being used to purposes other than work. Depending on the standards set in place by the company, this could be a serious breach of both work ethics and company guidelines. Knowing that something is going on that is not work related can provide the chance for employees to be discreetly counseled, or possibly terminated if the circumstances merit that course of action. The network monitoring software will provide all the documentation necessary to warrant the action.

Relatively inexpensive and easy to install, monitoring network software can aid network administrators in making sure operations remain at optimum levels and that the resources of the company are being utilized in a professional manner. The software will often pay for itself in a very short time, based on increases in productivity, and less down time due to network issues.

Why Use Monitoring Network Software?

Network Mapping Software

Windows Repair Software & PC Speed Up

Windows repair software comes in handy if you are having trouble with your laptop or computer. Because each type of operating system has its own software, you'll want to make sure that you only use repair software if you have Windows running on your computer. If you own a Macintosh, then this type of software will not help you.

Over a period of time most computers and laptops will experience some kind of issues that need Windows repair applications. Many people like to clean out their registries as well as perform other actions that will help their operating system run smoothly. In some cases the right kind of software can even assist with helping your PC speed up. When a laptop or computer is not properly updated with the latest versions of software and/or accumulates clutter, this can cause the operating system to run slowly. This makes browsing the Internet and opening simple applications frustrating to deal with, not to mention time consuming.

Network Mapping Software

PC speed up through the use of Windows repair software gives your computer the ability to open and close applications with ease as well as run multiple applications without causing your operating system to freeze or slow down. When your computer's performance is up to par, getting things done online and offline will be a breeze.

Simply hop onto the Internet and do an online search for Windows repair software. Once you've found the right kind, download the software and follow the right instructions for installation.

Windows Repair Software & PC Speed Up

Network Mapping Software

Network Administrator - Duties and Functions

Many organisations use a three tier support staff solution, with tier one (help desk) personnel handling the initial calls, tier 2 (technicians and PC support analysts) and tier three (network administrators). Most of those organisations follow a fixed staffing ratio, and being a network administrator is either the top job, or next to top job, within the technical support department.

Network administrators are responsible for making sure computer hardware and the network infrastructure itself is maintained properly for an IT organisation. They are deeply involved in the procurement of new hardware (does it meet existing standardisation requirements? Does it do the job required?) rolling out new software installs, maintaining the disk images for new computer installs (usually by having a standardised OS and application install), making sure that licenses are paid for and up to date for software that need it, maintaining the standards for server installations and applications, and monitoring the performance of the network, checking for security breaches, poor data management practices and more.

Network Mapping Software

Most network administrator positions require a breadth of technical knowledge and the ability to learn the ins and outs of new networking and server software packages quickly. While designing and architecting a network is usually the job of a network engineer, many organisations roll that function into a network administrator position as well; day to day and month to month "Is it up?" jobs fall on the shoulders of the network administrators.

One of the chief jobs of a network administrator is connectivity; the cry "The networks down" usually means the network admin has to be hip deep in something fixing it and post haste. They are in charge of making sure connectivity works for all users in their organisation, and making sure data security is handled properly for connections to the outside internet. (For network administrators doing security aspects, this can be a full time job in and of itself.)

Trouble tickets work their way through the help desk, then through analyst level support, before hitting the network administrator level; as a result, in their day-to-day operations, they should not be dealing directly with end users as a routine function. Most of their jobs should be on scheduling and implementing routine maintenance tasks, updating disaster prevention programs, making sure that network backups are run and doing test restores to make sure that those restores are sound.

Other jobs that fall on the network administrator's tasks include fighting for the IT budget and setting standardised installs packages up so that all end user desktops are identical. While the network administrator probably isn't doing the installs on new computers, he is likely to be the one in charge of setting up what gets installed, and setting user access policies, as well as evaluating the purchase of new equipment to replace older gear that has been deployed. Similar decisions are made regarding software packages (both for end user support and server levels) and networking hardware.

Network administrators are jokingly referred to as the highest level of techie you get before you get turned into a pointy haired boss and made into management.

Network Administrator - Duties and Functions

Network Mapping Software

Mastering the Google AdWords Content Network

How to drive targeted traffic to your site is a goal of most online business owners. Finding the fastest and most effective way to drive this traffic to your website may take you time to make the decision. A pay per click advertising campaign can be one of these effective means. But your link might be similar to several others offering similar products that you have.

You might need a different keyword or keyword phrases on your ad title and content relevant to your site as well as the site you intend to land your ads. When a searcher clicks a particular link to find products they need, your compelling ad may attract their curiosity since your ads are placed on relevant sites they may be viewing.

Network Mapping Software

This is the content network at work, and it has a huge reach to readers. The content network can be cheaper than advertising through the search network.

Advertisements on the search network will have customers type keywords on the search engines and your ads will show on the results pages if these have relevant titles or keyword phrases as the one they are searching for. You need to have your ad showing high in the search results to give you the needed return.

With the content network, you may have more money coming in and have a good return on investment. This is because you also have those readers who may not be searching for your particular product, but see your ads on relevant sites, making them click and may eventually make the purchase.

Advertising on the content network needs distraction, which is a key element this advertising strategy has. The readers viewing a page content may get distracted from what they are viewing, by way of compelling ad prominently displayed on the page they are viewing.

Keyword density and relevancy of a landing page to match keywords of your ad title and ad content are factors important to a content network ad campaign. You will be given higher quality scores if your landing page is very relevant to your ads and keywords.

You have to track your conversion rates and identify low quality clicks to effectively lower cost per clicks. Focus your attention on tips given about your ads and find ways to refine and improve them.

Making a list of negative keywords is also a good way of mastering the content network and specifies that your ad need not be displayed when these keywords are searched. These negative keywords will only produce low quality clicks which can be added costs.

There are many effective methods of promoting your website and mastering this advertising campaign can effectively make yours a success. Patience and lots of experimentation and refinements have to be done though.

Mastering the Google AdWords Content Network

Network Mapping Software

Network Management Strategy

Those in network management function as security, monitoring, control, allocation, deployment, coordination and planning personnel for a businesses network. Network management therefore describes the act of managing all of those roles. There are lot of protocols that exist for the operation of network management and its support including programs such as CMIP, Common Information Model, Java Management Extensions, Netconf, SNMP, Transaction Language 1 and WBEM.

The most important area of network marketing is routing. Routing is the process in which people select a path within a computer network that will be used to send data back and forth between computers. This area of network management focuses on using nodes, or more often they are referred to as routers, to pass logically addressed packets of information from their source to their destination in a process called forwarding. This is typically done through the use of routing tables which keep up a record of the most efficient routes on which to transfer the information.

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Another key aspect of network management is security management. The goal of security management is to protect the network from unauthorized access which includes all of the networks sub-functions including the authorization of subscriber access, the distribution of security related events, control of distributing cryptographic keying material and the reporting of security related events.

Both the security and quality aspects of network management are related to configuration management. This is the department that manages security features in a specific business network by controlling any and all changes that are to be made to the software, hardware, firmware, documentation and test features within the businesses system. As the companies network system changes and grows the configuration management team keeps the system under control and is responsible for maintaining both security and quality.

Then there are two main areas of the software configuration management. The first area focuses on storing entities from the software development project, sometimes referred to as the component repository management. The other area is known as engineering support and is focused on producing these entities.

In order to have a successful network management team there also need to be an accounting management. This team focuses on the financial status of the business network by controlling and reporting its functions. Accounting management accomplishes this by doing analysis, planning and controlling the financial data and reporting any managerial decisions. Those involved in accounting management will work with bank account maintenance, developing financial statements and analyzing the businesses cash flow and financial health.

Network Management Strategy

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Importance Of Network Hub In The Successful Running Of Your System

There are different accessories that play an active role in the excellent functioning of the computer. Some are present within the system, while others give support to the internal components by working on the outside. Network hubs are one such accessory of the computer system. Check out more about it in the article ahead.

It is a device that is used to connect twisted pairs of Ethernet. In case of collision, it is these that passes the signal to all other ports. Its functions can be specified under specific circumstances. For instance, a protocol connector can not receive all the signals because it is connected to the switch which divides the ports into different routes but if protocol analyzer is connected to network hub, it will allow viewing all the collisions on the segments. Some tasks are necessary to pass every part of the computer at fast rate; this can be possible with network hub only. It is cheapest and easiest device to support the modern network switches.

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In the communication of data, it plays an eminent role by passing the data in one or more directions by receiving it from more than one direction. It is composed of a switch device that selects the route for the passage of data. Network hubs can be of various types. There are passive network hub, active network hub and managed hub.

In Managed ones, the situations are handled and monitored by a network administrator from the remote location. These managed network hubs can be used to tune a network functioning to a great level. They restrict the passage of all kinds of traffic. Problems have the minimum chances to bother the user as the managed network hubs fix them as soon as they arise. Apart from these magnificent features, they are also little costlier than the other two hubs we are going to discuss now.

As the name itself conveys, passive network hubs work more than smoothly. The passive network hub does not ensure to improve the efficiency of your LAN. Their task is to just take all the signals offered to them and pass them to all other ports connected to them. Active network hub is preferable over the passive hub as it does more than merely passing the packets of signals. In addition to the features present in the earlier one, it actually inspects the data that has been sent. Active network hubs actually use a store technology under which it checks the data they are passing before forwarding it to next port. However, they are costlier than the passive hubs but they are easily available with various numbers of ports as well.

This is all about them. You can get more information about them will be in our other related articles.

Importance Of Network Hub In The Successful Running Of Your System

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Teamwork Benefits in Network Marketing

Successful entrepreneurs all have the ability to surround themselves with fellow proficient business people and affiliate marketing business owners must be able to do this as well. Network marketing relies on a team of people being able to work together to achieve team success. The members of a network marketing team must be able to embrace a common vision and common goals for the business and the team to succeed. If you become part of a network marketing team, you will soon find out the great importance of your up line and down line in consideration to your own success.

The most successful businesses in the world are those who have a bottom-up approach to business. Basically, you can achieve your own success by following the success of others within the system. In the bottom-up approach to business, all the individuals at all levels of the business contribute to the growth of the business and the success of the team as a whole. The best network marketing companies and programs will strive to grow leaders that understand the work and teach it to others, develop exceptional affiliates and teams to promote the company and to help network affiliates by helping them to improve. Many up line leaders in this industry who have built their substantial organizations follow a top-down approach to business and these organizations fail to leverage the potential of their down line team. These organizations are more managing their down line rather than leading their down line and enhancing business. These types of organizations with the top-down approach to business will usually educate their down line how to use and follow their system, but will emphasize the importance of teamwork. Not to mention, these organizations do not take into account that their system may not work for everyone. Affiliates working for these organizations will not be supported if they do not use the system that has been chosen. These network marketing organizations with the top-down approach have accounted for many of the affiliates who failed in this type of business.

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As an affiliate marketer, working with an up line, or organization, that has the bottom-up philosophy for their business will be the best choice. These organizations often offer easily duplicatable, successful marketing systems to teach their affiliates and offer training and mentoring programs to help their down line. As you build your team and your knowledge of this industry, you will be able to help train your own recruits and work with your down and up lines to increase the overall success for all members of the team.

Teamwork Benefits in Network Marketing

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Do You Have the Right Network Infrastructure Company?

Your company's computer network is of enormous importance. Without that network, your workstations are cut off from the servers, your LAN is useless and your WAN is down. It pays enormous dividends to ensure that your network infrastructure is safe and secure. If your company is like most others, you probably have delegated maintenance, monitoring and other elements of this to your IT staff. However, you might find that hiring the right network infrastructure company has some significant benefits for you. What might you find here?

First, you will find some interesting benefits in terms of design, as it is applied to your network. Having the right network design is essential to ensuring the correct flow of data and access throughout your network. Connecting workstations to a LAN, servers to a WAN or a backbone and other elements requires an expert at network planning. Here, a network infrastructure company can be of enormous use to you. The right design and planning will help to make certain that your network functions the way that you want. Of course, there are other benefits to be found with the right company, as well.

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One of the most important reasons to use a network infrastructure company is for their monitoring services. Monitoring your network is a very important process that can help with myriad different concerns. The right network company can offer you scalable monitoring and management solutions that will help in several key areas. For instance, incident escalation ensures that your network is safe and secure from outside threats. Proper management of your network also offers benefits in the form of reduced IT expenses and better uptime. With the right maintenance, management and monitoring solution, you can expect your network to be up and running when you need it (which is always).

This sort of situation offers improved response times to threats, thanks to onsite support, as well as additional flexibility within your company. Better security is never something to sniff at, particularly with the ever-increasing number of insidious threats lurking on the Internet. Of course, you will also enjoy better hardware and software integration, as the network infrastructure company will ensure that all elements of your network are seamlessly integrated and work together the way that they should.

How do you choose a company that offers these benefits, though? What hallmarks of excellence might identify such a firm? Obviously, one of the first elements that you will want to investigate is feedback and reviews from current and previous clients. These will give you a wealth of information about the company, as well as the quality of the service that you might expect from them. Another thing that you want to see is a list of well-known partner brands, as this can offer some significant peace of mind about the hardware and software that your network might use. Finally, make sure that the company has a decent amount of history in the industry, as this ensures they have the experience to handle myriad problems and concerns.

Do You Have the Right Network Infrastructure Company?

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Primary Goals of Network Security

For today's networks, the demand of e-commerce and customer contact require network connectivity between internal enterprise networks and the outside world. Because almost all enterprise networks require some kind of network security, consider the three primary goals of network security:

Confidentiality: Data confidentiality implies keeping the data secure. This security could entail physically or logically locking down access to sensitive data or encrypting traffic that passes over the network. A network that provides confidentiality would do provide the following security practices:

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- Provide network security mechanisms that would include: firewalls, Intrusion Prevention System and access control lists to restrict unauthorized access to network resources.

- Require valid credentials for example; require usernames and passwords to access resources on the network.

- Encrypt traffic so that an attacker could not read any traffic he captured from the network.

Integrity: Data integrity ensures that data has not been tampered with in transit. Data integrity also might perform authentication to verify that the traffic is coming from the source that should be sending it. Some examples of integrity violations include:

- Changing the appearance of a company's website
- Intercepting and modifying an e-commerce transaction
- Changing financial records that are kept electronically

Availability: The availability of data is the measure of data's accessibility. For example, if a server went down five minutes out of the year, it would have an uptime of 99.999 percent. A few examples of how an attacker could attempt to compromise the available of a network.

- An attacker could send malicious packets to a networked device, resulting in an unhandled exception error.

- An attacker could flood the network with an excessive amount of traffic. This would use up all the systems resources and prevent the system from responding to legitimate user requests. This type of attack is called a denial of service attack.

Primary Goals of Network Security

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IP Camera Software

One of the best things about IP security cameras is that you can monitor your camera from any computer that has internet access. This is great for anybody who travels often and wants to check in on his or her house and make sure that it is safe. Monitoring your IP camera, or cameras, this way is the most basic way to do so. It allows you to see what is going on in your home or business, but it does not allow you to change camera angles or use features like motion detection or any sort of alarm or notification.

IP security camera software is perfect for anybody who wants to use more features with their cameras, or anybody with several IP cameras set up. It is also a good idea for people who use IP cameras for their business to use software so it can be easier to manage the cameras in your system.

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Software designed to manage IP security cameras can be expensive, but they are incredibly useful and can be a good investment in your home or business security. The software usually costs anywhere from 0 to 00. If the software available does not work with your budget, you can probably find some affordable software on online auction sites. Also, a lot of IP security cameras come with their own software, so if you are not buying software for cameras that you already own, it is a good idea to look at IP cameras that come with software.

Since IP camera software can be expensive and it is a big investment into your security system and your home or business' security, you have to make sure that you buy dependable software that will do its job well and give you all the features you need. In order to make sure the software you are interested in is dependable, you should look up reviews for the product. It is a good idea to look up professional and customer reviews because they can give you a good idea on how the software works. Professional reviews can go through the specifications and name the pros and cons of a specific product. Customer reviews can give you a good idea on how the software works in day-to-day use and if it does everything it is supposed to do correctly. You should also make sure the software can do everything that the product description claims it can do.

IP Camera Software

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Network Management Components - The Basics of an Effective Management Strategy

Overview:

This article will define a network management strategy for managing the network. It is necessary to define how the equipment is going to be monitored and determine if the current management strategy is adequate or if new applications, equipment, protocols and processes must be identified. Management components are then integrated with infrastructure and security. These primary elements comprise any well-defined management strategy and should be considered when developing your strategy.

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Network Management Strategy

· Network Management Groups

· SNMP Applications

· Monitored Devices and Events

Network Management Groups

· Fault

· Performance

· Device

· Security

· Change

· Configuration

· Implementation

Fault Management

This describes the pro-active monitoring of devices, circuits and servers for errors. It specifies what events are monitored and thresholds for generating alarms. Once the alarms are generated, there is an escalation process for addressing any errors. It could be a circuit problem, a router interface or a server link. Service level agreements with local loop providers and long distance IXC for circuit repair are important as is vendor equipment repair contracts. Out-of-band router management allows troubleshooting and configuration of routers with an attached modem. The support technician doesn't rely on the primary circuit to reach the router. They will utilize a separate analog dial line with a modem connected to the auxiliary port at the router. Escalation support processes are defined that are used by the network operations center (NOC) employees for effective problem resolution. These are some typical support activities:

· Established Tier support levels with job responsibilities well defined for each Tier group

· Defined severity levels and what Tier group is responsible

· Defined response times for severity levels

· Applications for trouble tickets

· Established troubleshooting procedures for employees

· Root Cause Analysis

· Survey support groups for skill levels, identify deficiencies and plan for training programs to address that.

Performance Management

This describes the pro-active monitoring of device, circuit and server performance levels. That translates to monitoring and reporting on trends with device CPU, memory and link utilization, circuit bandwidth utilization, server CPU, memory and disk input/output rate. As well campus segments and device interfaces should be monitored for collisions, CRC errors and packet drops. Bandwidth capacity planning is an on-going process of monitoring bandwidth utilization trends for the enterprise network and consideration of business growth estimates. That information is utilized for developing a provisioning strategy addressing company bandwidth capacity needs. The dynamic nature of an enterprise network is such that new locations, employees and application deployments will increase network traffic and utilize available bandwidth. Trend monitoring tools are typically run from the network operations center and focus on enterprise traffic patterns and performance of circuits, routers and switches.

RMON is a popular protocol that is utilized for monitoring router, switch and campus segment performance with probes at various offices across the enterprise. Information can be collected at all layers of the OSI model for statistics on utilizations, packet size and errors. In addition there are specific SNMP applications designed for bandwidth capacity planning. The bandwidth provisioning strategy could involve faster campus and WAN equipment, increased bandwidth for circuits, quality of service protocols or a combination of any of those elements.

Security Management

This describes the management of device and server security that is consistent with the policies of the corporation. Typical devices are firewalls, routers, switches, TACACS servers and RADIUS servers. Security includes community strings, password assignment, change policy, dial security and Internet security.

Device Management

This describes the maintenance of a database inventory that lists all campus and WAN devices, modules, serial numbers, IOS versions, server documentation and design. It is important that companies keep information on these assets for support and warranty issues.

Configuration Management

This describes the process of configuring, and documenting devices, circuits and servers on the enterprise network. A process for configuring new equipment, modifying current equipment and maintaining TFTP servers should be established. Those scripts should be saved to TFTP servers and documented for later use with subsequent configurations. Build a directory structure with a folder for each equipment type and subdirectories for model types.

Change Management

This describes a process for approving and coordinating device configuration changes and is essential for network availability. Staff members that make unapproved changes without alerting affected departments can cause problems if the changes don't work and are made during busier times of the day. Any changes to the production network should involve at least the network operation center and someone from the engineering group. As well it could be important to let the application developers know of network changes. Any change management process should have these components:

Review Process

· Affected departments consider impact of changes and discuss concerns

· Proof of concept and quality assurance testing

· Develop a timeline for changes approved by all departments

· Departments plan contingencies should there be network issues

· Approval process: software manages and records approvals from groups

· Pro-active monitoring of unauthorized changes

Implementation Management

This describes the process for managing new implementations such that there is no disruption to the production network and the implementation is efficient and effective. These are some network operations center (NOC) activities that should be part of any typical implementation management strategy. Consider vendor support contracts for support with configuration scripts, testing, and design since that will promote an effective implementation.

Standard Network Operations Center Activities:

1) Turn on circuits and ping all new devices to verify connectivity

2) Modify SNMP applications at network operations center for pro-active fault and performance monitoring of new devices

3) Verify devices are SNMP enabled and security is applied

4) Update the inventory database and save configuration scripts to a TFTP server

SNMP Applications

There are a myriad of SNMP applications on the market that focus on managing servers, devices and circuits. An enterprise customer will sometimes employ several applications including their own software that address each management group. The SNMP version that is implemented should be noted at each device and server. This is a list of popular commercial applications and how they could be utilized.

Monitored Devices and Events

Typical devices such as routers, switches and circuits are configured and monitored with SNMP applications. Thresholds are defined for each event that will trigger an alarm when that is exceeded. A polling interval is configured for each event, which describes the time interval between sending of status information from device to network management station. An example would be a router CPU utilization threshold of 60% and a polling interval of 10 minutes.

Network Management Components - The Basics of an Effective Management Strategy

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Network Monitoring Tools - Which Programs to Use for a Particular Job

Network administration is a serious job. This is especially true for companies that rely on computers to input, process and share data. The more computers or nodes in the network, the harder it gets to manage them. Fortunately, there are several tools can greatly simplify your job. They are called network monitoring tools. Many of them are open-source programs, and they are ready for download and installation.

Don't mistake these programs as simple tools for just monitoring if a device is turned on or off. They are full-pledged remote access programs that allow an administrator to view all devices that are connected to the network (routers, modems, servers, printers etc.) and all the processes being run in each node. If you are a network administrator, you'll need specific programs for different jobs.

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Network Monitoring Utilities

Network Ping and Softperfect Network Scanner are the tools for the job. Network Ping gives you a visual overview of all the computers connected to your network. It checks the network status by sending each device a ping. If the device is down an email alert can be sent to an administrator.

Softperfect Network Scanner or NetScan is popular lightweight software that detects all devices attached to your router or access point. It pings all possible IP addresses to determine which computers are currently being used. It is also integrated into the Windows Explorer, allowing you to view all shared files and folders through the NetScan interface.

Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)

The most popular IPS worldwide is Snort. In real time, it analyzes packet capturing and network traffic on IP networks. With its analysis of protocols, Snort can identify network attacks and attempts to perform unauthorized actions such as fingerprinting, buffer overflows and port scanning. With this software running, you are guaranteed that your office network is safe from intrusions. Snort can record packets and generate human-readable reports.

Remote PC and Server Management

Putty and the "Dude" are network monitoring programs for the Windows platform. They track all devices in your network and they can generate a network map or inventory depending on the nodes currently online. Putty, in particular, is very light at 450 kb because of its UNIX-based interface. It allows you to set administrator privileges in remotely controlling computers. Putty can also manage bandwidth allocation or block IPs from using DSL internet.

Having the right network monitoring tools for the job helps network administrators automate many of the day to day operations that take up time and resources to complete.

Network Monitoring Tools - Which Programs to Use for a Particular Job

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Why System Backup Software Is Very Important

When you are the one in charge of the network, you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, and if you don't choose the right system backup software, you could end up with a lot of trouble on your hands. As you probably already know, not all backup programs are alike and what may work for one company or network may not work for yours.

When you are choosing a system backup software, there are a few features in particular that you should pay attention to in order to make sure that you get the most out of the software and also to ensure that you are fully protected at all times.

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First of all, no company has the time or the luxury to take down their entire network every night or even once a week, and that is why being able to do an incremental backup is so important. By backing up only parts of your network at a time, the entire network will be able to stay up and your customers and employees will be able to go about their business.

Also, any system backup software should be able to restore to bare metal, or a brand new server. Ideally, you don't ever want to have to do this, but sometimes it is necessary. If your entire network is wiped out, your building is destroyed or burglarized, or if a power surge takes everything with it, you will appreciate the ease with which system backup software will be able to completely rebuild your entire network onto a brand new drive.

One of the factors that prevents many companies from buying and installing a backup program in the first place is how easy or difficult it is to install and use. Until recently, it took someone with a lot of intricate Windows knowledge to set everything up so that a backup would run at the right time and would be reliable enough in a disaster. However, some of the newer products are much easier to install and even easier to restore from.

When it comes to recovering data, there are several options that you should consider. In a full-blown disaster, you will want full recovery of the entire network, but you might also want to recover just one file or directory at any given time. This should be easy to do, so much so that if a user needs to recover information on their own, they can do it.

Choosing the right system backup software is made easier if you read the reviews and see which ones have plenty of positive write-ups. If you start to see reviews saying that they are difficult to install or impossible to recover data from, then you should move on. Buying the most expensive product is not always the best way to go, but it is worth spending a little bit extra if it means that you will get the full amount of functionality and be able to sleep at night, knowing that you can always recover your data.

Why System Backup Software Is Very Important

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Ping, The Next Social Network by Apple

The BBC News posted a story September 1 2010 featuring the introduction of the newest social network for music, Ping by Apple. As an addition to the newest iTunes software, Ping is a logical extension for iTunes users. Ping is music based, and is a direct competitor to other music based social networks, such as MySpace, among others.

Ping is a social base for musicians, music lovers, and their friends. As with MySpace, musicians can share their music and discover fellow musicians. Ping also searches the play lists of friends, and makes references to users based on their friends' play lists. This social network will scan the top ten album and song picks of friends and artists followed, then post the selections to the network pages. The exciting new service will be available for the Mac and PC through the iTunes software, and through iTunes applications on iPhones and iPads.

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As many music lovers already have subscribed to the convenience of iTunes, Ping could quickly become a fast competitor, and destroyer, of social networks such as MySpace. Another network in possible trouble from the forming competition is Spotify, which allows its users to publish playlists and artists via Facebook. Spotify also allows users to download iTunes playlists. It seems natural Ping would compete strongly against such existing networks.

Apple, however, does not want to convey the message they are trying to compete with other social media networks, nor are they trying to carve out market shares belonging to other networks. Apple bills the new software simply as a new way to discover music, not a takeover of the already established social forums. When comparing the new network to Facebook, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak differentiated the two by calling Facebook life, and Ping music. Mr. Wozniak defined each network as covering different aspects of a world of one unifying whole.

Some reviewer pitfalls of the product were complaints that the music recommendations were the same for all users. Also, users are not happy that they cannot import friend lists from other social networks. Perhaps these are complaints Apple can address when they produce next year's updated version of their newest break into the world of technology and media.

The software is worth a trial for those already subscribed to iTunes. Any software offered by Apple is worthy of a review by fans of Apple and their impressive line of ever improving products. Perhaps this is the newest Facebook, or MySpace, or Spotify. Whatever the software aspires to be, or becomes, it will certainly have an impact on the music community, as Apple hardly produces many pieces which do not succeed greatly.

Ping, The Next Social Network by Apple

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5 Essential Network Maintenance Tasks You Can Do On Your Own

Most medium-sized businesses use their IT support unit to perform most essential functions and network maintenance tasks, but there are plenty of things you can do yourself to save time and money.

It is a good habit to reserve the more difficult tasks for expert attention, and to always work within your own personal limitations. Learn to recognise those tasks that you can confidently perform with a high degree of accuracy, and leave the rest to your IT support team.

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So, when it comes to working out which tasks you can do by yourself, it's a good idea to run the ideas past your IT support team beforehand. This way, you will avoid making costly mistakes that could somehow compromise your overall network.

Simple computer maintenance tasks will not take much time to perform so let's take a look at what you can do.

Regular Backups. One of the most important things you can do is to back up your network. Your IT support team will be able to give you some background information and tips on how you can do this. You will need to make sure that the tape drives are clean and that you know how to perform a restore if necessary. Hard Disc Maintenance. You should regularly check your main drive to ensure there is sufficient unused space available. When this disc has run out of space it can cause system crashes. Check with your IT specialists to determine the amount of free space you should have available, although 500 MB is considered a safe standard. All other drives should also have sufficient space which, once again, should be determined after consulting your IT team. Remove Unused Programs. One way to free up space on your main drive is to remove any unused programs. Make sure that these programs are removed in accordance with the working guidelines you should have established with your IT expert. Defragment All Hard Drives. You can clean up your computers by defragmenting the hard drives on a weekly basis. If you are running Windows, you will find a cleanup tag on the Local Disk/Properties search. Simply press 'Disk Cleanup' and the task will be performed automatically. You should also take the time to remove all temporary Internet files which can also be done by using the disk cleanup tool, but you can also access this from the Internet Explorer Tools/Options area. Disconnect Unused Drives. You may have used one or more of your computers in a previous network where files were shared between computers. Your start-up time will be delayed whilst Windows attempts to find these computers, so if they are no longer in use you should remove them from your system.

As pointed out previously, all regular maintenance tasks should be discussed with your Managed IT Services expert before you implement a schedule. You may even find it to be more economical to outsource all of your maintenance if you have the economy of scale, but if you are confident and able to perform these simple tasks yourself, then there is no reason why you should not do so.

5 Essential Network Maintenance Tasks You Can Do On Your Own

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Archive PST is Corrupted After Storing on Network Drive

The PST Archiving feature allows you to divide your email messages between two or more PSTs, each manageable and accessible through Outlook. An archive PST is prone to similar reasons, due to which a default PST can get corrupt. To repair the damaged archive PST, you should use the Outlook built-in Inbox Repair Tool. If this fails, you should opt restoring from a good backup or using a PST Recoveryapplication.

For instance, consider a practical situation, described below:

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You archive the Outlook PST file and store the resultant file on a network drive You transfer the archive.pst on your computer When you try to open this archive.pst file in MS Outlook as File | Open | Outlook Data File, it fails to open and displays the following error message:

"The file drive_letter:\archive.pst is not a personal folders file."

Cause

The above behavior indicates that Outlook is unable to read the archive.pst file because it is corrupt. The file doesn't have valid personal storage folder structure.

Outlook PST is not supported over any network link. The PSTs are designed for local message store. The network links use network-access-driven methods, which is contrary to file-access-driven methods used by PST. When the network traffic is not apt, chances are that the file may catch errors. For this reason, an archive.pst can get corrupt if saved on a network drive.

Solution

Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is a utility that you can use in this case to repair your damaged archive.pst. It is highly recommended that you backup the damaged PST first as running the tool can bring irrecoverable damages to the file. To run the tool, follow these steps:

Quit from the application Scanpst.exe is a hidden file. So, make sure that the 'Show hidden files and folders' setting is enabled in the folder options. Click Start | Search or Find and type 'Scanpst.exe' in the Search box. Double-click to open the file and browse to the location of your damaged archive.pst Click 'Start', which starts the recovery process Try to open the file in question again. The corruption problem should not exist.

If Scanpst.exe cannot repair the file, you should restore it from backup. When no valid PST backup is available, you need to use a Microsoft Outlook Recovery tool. These are powerful PST Recovery Tool that can repair a corrupted PST, irrespective of file size, nature of corruption (should be logical though), and extent of damage.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is a safe and advanced tool that repairs a corrupted PST created with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000. The comprehensive PST Recovery Software is designed to run powerful scanning algorithms. The software can recover all emails, notes, contacts, journal, calendar etc.

Archive PST is Corrupted After Storing on Network Drive

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The Best Way to Computer Network Management

Network management is one of the best jobs nowadays and it can really pay up very nicely. Computer networking is a part of computer technology which is useful for having information carried from one computer to another so it can be accessed and utilized by people which are in different locations from one another. This information is transferred through special cabling, like fiber optic cables and also through signals which are traveling through the air.

Usually the companies which are distributing these technologies will ultimately hire network managers and specialists to properly maintain this network and make sure that things are running sharp.

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Function

As a network manager, you are responsible for every need that the network you will be taking care of, will have. You will be having the same duties as a manager and you will deal with promoting employees, firing them, training them, assigning duties and also evaluating. You will also be responsible for any long term planning which regards the company's network system development, like the use of new technologies and regular maintenance scheduling.

One of the most important tasks such a manager will be assigned to is monitoring and troubleshooting, adding and deletion of new users, adding new servers and LAN performance. They are also supervising any network dis-assembly or assembly and any software installation regarding the network. 

Potential

This year, 2010, the most topped technologies are those of Voice over IP, virtual private networking, broadband access and high quality video conferencing. The ones needing computer network managers the most are wide area networks (WANs) and local area networks (LANs). Generally a computer manager will work over 50 hours a week.

Education

If your dream is to become a computer network manager then you will need a bachelor's degree in computer science, telecommunications or electronics engineering. On top of that you will also need to have solid knowledge about operating systems, peripheral devices and microprocessors. There are schools which offer training for computer network managers, one such school is the Centura College.

Outlook

Between the year of 2010 and 2018 the need for computer network managers will grow to even as high as 30%. This grow is due to the fact that many more countries will have access to technology and thus people will be required to take maintain the networks.

Earnings

If you are a good computer network manager, then you can expect to have a big salary. Depending on the institution where you are likely to work, salaries can vary greatly.

The Best Way to Computer Network Management

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5 Free Tools That Every Network Administrator Should Have

Every network administrator has their own set of tools that they like to use on a daily basis to help them do their job. Here is my list and why each one of these free programs are in my toolbox.

PuTTY - PuTTY is a very versatile telnet application for use when you spend a lot of your day working on Cisco equipment. PuTTY allows a number of different ways to connect to a piece of equipment including Raw, Telnet, Rlogin, SSH, and with the newest version of PuTTY Serial connection. The newest Serial option becomes very handy for network administrators since HyperTerm is no longer available with Windows Vista and you still need a serial connection for new routers and switches. PuTTY is also very customizable and can be run from a USB drive without installing anything onto the computer.

Network Mapping Software

Sniffer - There are actually to sniffer applications that I keep in my toolbox, WireShark and Smsniff. Both programs are free to download and use but the difference is that Wireshark has more functionality when it comes to filters. But smsniff can be launched from a USB drive without any installation onto the workstation. I use Wireshark more for general network slow downs where I have to monitor the entire network or an entire VLAN to pinpoint the problem. Where Smsniff I can use on a single machine when I know that machine is having a problem but I don't know why. I simple run Smsniff on the problem machine and then watch the network traffic that comes across it. If it is a network problem I will see it reflected in the trace from Smsniff and I didn't have to waste time configuring port mirroring or setting up a laptop to get the trace.

PumpKIN - PumpKIN is a free FTP server program that you can download and use to host your computer as an FTP server. I use this program main for transferring Cisco images back and forth from the switch or router to my computer. This program become very valuable when you have a switch or router down that you need to get back up quick.

NetScan - Netscan is a very useful tool that will attempt to ping every address within subnet or vlan and tell you which ones respond. NetScan will also try to resolve the IP address to a DNS name for you. I use this tool a lot when I want to quickly see who it connected to a VLAN and I want to know if anyone shouldn't be connected, or who is connected via DHCP.

NetStumbler - NetStumbler was one of the first "Wardriving" programs you could get to pick up other people's wireless networks. I use this tool on a regular basis for the opposite reason, I want to be able to check for rouge access points on my network. I simply use this little tool and walk around all of my offices and see what wireless devices pop up. I have found a couple of employees who wanted to work out side or away from their office and added a wireless AP so they could.

So those are 5 tools I believe every network administrator should have in their toolkit. For their ease of use, small size, and versatility they made my top 5 tools. Check out my other articles including 5 Tools Every PC Tech Should Have.

5 Free Tools That Every Network Administrator Should Have

Network Mapping Software