One of the most interesting data points I took away from the recent 2005 North American IPv6 Technology Conference in San Jose is that IPv6 acceptance is growing rapidly in one unexpected "market segment:" the hacker community. Hackers are exploiting freely available IPv6 technology on Macintosh, Unix, and Windows systems to skirt around firewalls and other network security measures. There could be a hacker right now tunneled into your network over IPv6, and chances are your intrusion detection... Read the rest of entry >>
Posted @ 09/29/2005 9:57 AM By Mel Beckman
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In Dr. I Doctor's first in a series of Podcast interviews with computing pioneers, I speak with Larry Green, one of the original ARPAnet researchers and an engineer responsible for the design of the Internet Message Processor interface to IBM System/360 mainframes. Listen in as Larry describes the earliest moments of Internet history, and thinks back over a career spanning 40 years -- and still going strong!... Read the rest of entry >>
Posted @ 09/18/2005 5:15 PM By Mel Beckman
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Here's the first how-to article promised by the preceding item about the Mac mini. It explains how to set up a Mac mini as a world-class intrusion detection system (IDS) probe running Snort. The complete step-by-step instructions are included (in a link at the end of this item). But here are the highlights.... Read the rest of entry >>
Posted @ 09/15/2005 1:03 AM By Mel Beckman
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If you've been looking for a small, inexpensive, pre-configured Unix server to use as a workhorse for small network missions, look no futher than Apple Computer. That's exactly what Apple has unwittingly delivered in its $499 Mac mini platform. Originally intended to woo Windows users to the Mac, the mini is a cunning combination of packaging and features made to order for networking chores. Whether it's DHCP and DNS, e-mail, Web hosting, or intrusion detection, the mini will meet your utility... Read the rest of entry >>
Posted @ 09/15/2005 12:21 AM By Mel Beckman
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Every network admin has a toolkit, and SNMP tools are among the most numerous in mine. Although I use a slew of open-source SNMP gadgets for reading SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) tables, querying devices, and the like, it seems like no one tool works on all the platforms I use. So I end up with a patchwork of utilities, most text-based, that at times are very painful to use. Now MIB Views from Muonics, Inc. brings a truly cross-platform GUI SNMP query tool to the table. At $95 it's... Read the rest of entry >>
Posted @ 09/06/2005 8:32 AM By Mel Beckman
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With the ever-increasing power and heat density of today's networking gear, IT pros need to keep close tabs on environmental conditions in equipment closets and data centers. We need a variety of sensors -- temperature, humidity, water, airflow, security -- and lots of them. One temperature sensor in a rack or closet is not enough, since one device buried in the rack could overheat, yet only slightly increase the total temperature of the whole stack. Yes, you could always build your own sensor... Read the rest of entry >>
Posted @ 09/06/2005 8:10 AM By Mel Beckman
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