http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=170904
It often seems as if managing an e-mail server is as arcane as the product is important. Understanding what e-mail servers do is vital to effective security and control on a network which implements e-mail [and the vast majority do]. Here we have a well-written article explaining how e-mail works, how it is administered, understanding e-mail errors, and how to teach users to do less harm with e-mail, which could be very useful as an educational resource.
My thanks to Brad Gadberry for drawing this to my attention.
http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,1570390,00.asp
In previous observations on Instant Messaging, I have suggested it has a number of problems, despite its massive popularity. But as this article indicates, IM is here to stay, and the ruling of the USA SEC is that it must be handled and archived just like e-mail. Since the cost of noncompliance can be budget-wrecking, IT managers have to plan for it carefully. Accepting its necessity is the first step [if it is not necessary, a network administrator should take all appropriate steps to keep it form working], and then developing a plan and following it up become the subsequent steps.
http://www.cwne.com/learning_center/index.html
While targeting the Certified Wireless Network Professional, this site is a searchable database with "over 900 free white papers, case studies, product information and webcasts". Included are resources for general information, wireless security, wireless LAN Applications, tutorials, and specific product information, all in a cleanly-executed interface.
http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,91841,00.html
The concatenation of serindipity and blogging should be axiomatic. Case in point: a
throw-away line in another entry in this blog suggested finding relevant results is a major search-engine issue [something which is expecially true when the search term is ambiguous, as I learned recently when trying to search for "stop smoking bands" -- and no, I am not giving up cigars, I was helping a student with a search!].
This article reports on several research initiatives which promise to improve relevance, particularly for highly-structured research fields. At a time when public commercial search engines are taking merchandising steps of dubious propriety, this sort of initiative is well worth tracking. The 'next Google' might not be what we are expecting it to be.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1045490821_169&type=RES&src=KA_RES_20040331
A concept that information technology students are infrequently exposed to is the notion that IT activities cost money, and rightly or wrongly, are seen as an operating cost sink in most organizations. This makes Return On Investment calculations an essential part of the network administrator's toolkit, and this white paper: "Calculating ROI for Centralized IP-Network Analysis Systems in Large Enterprise Networks" can give students a real taste of enterprise networking, why analysis systems are needed in such networks, and how their costs can be justified.
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,62651,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4
A short article which may point to something important: hooking up the BitTorrents program [which allows fragmented mulichannel file downloading over long periods of time as a background process] to RSS. This creates the potential for publising humongous files on-line without the costs of bandwidth or a long wait, and represents another step in upgrading InterNet capabilities.
Related stories are indexed in an article sidebar.
http://www.networkmagazineindia.com/200402/vendorvoice01.shtml
One of the prime concerns of the network administrator is availability, but analysing, measuring, and predicting this take some doing. This quick guide to maximizing availability provides a straightforward, sensible process to mapping out how to approach and implement network availability.
http://news.com.com/2100-1035_3-5173226.html
Even as we cope with the introduction of Gigabit Ethernet, a combination of falling equipment prices and new standards development is making 10 Gbit Ethernet look increasingly attractive. Not least of the attractors is its ability to run on copper cables [albeit 4-pair cables over a very short disgtance] -- it also promises to deliver a general application environment which can suit all existing and expected network demands.
Of course what we really need is a 10GBase-T standard, which is still a couple of years away -- but the fact that it is even envisaged certainly promises well for future network developments.
http://www.tcpipguide.com/?pctext
The best things in life are free, and so are the vast majority of items in this blog -- so when I make an exception, it represents something I consider important. This Web site is free to access, but it is in fact selling something: a 1,500-page reference resource to TCP/IP in all its gory detail. It is an electronic text, downloadable for U$39.99, or available on CD-ROM for $10.00 more. The site explains what the Guide is and does, with ordering information, news, testimonials, features, contents overview, a large array of samples, version history, and errata.
Since TCP/IP is one of those 'plate of spaghetti' topics with no obvious starting point, having a hyperlinked reference text may prove an invaluable learning tool to a networking topic many students find hard going.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/
I tend to view IT education through the rather narrow keyhole of network administration, since that is my specialization, so I don't often include sites which are directed towards programming or database development. While this site certainly is devoted to Windows application development, there are a lot of interesting articles about security and server operations as well, making it well worth bookmarking for network training purposes.
http://www.networkmagazine.com/shared/article/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=17602029&classroom=
Grid computing is a hot topic, and one mentioned a number of times in this blog. It certainly promises to be a technology with major impacts on computing in general and networking in particular. The indexed article discusses grid computing's promises and perils in some detail, and provides some practical examples of existing grid computing initiatives.
In summary, grid computing represents an emerging technology which appears feasible, and which is having undeniable impact. It also represents such a clutch of risks that most corporate grid computing remains locked behind firewalls.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1076690398_988&type=RES&src=KA_RES
In most cases when we consider policies for networks, we are thinking about controlling resource access in the most powerful and automated way. However, in any organization of any size, there will be particular requirements driven by the institution, not by the network characteristics. This white paper: "7 Tips to Enforcing Corporate Governance Policy on Your Network" gives some idea of how to go about doing such enforcement.
A paper like this can be a useful starting point for discussion in enterprise networking classes, in terms of the feasibility and desirablility of each of the tips discussed.
This is a simple, straightforward searchable site dealing with Windows networking. It includes articles and tutorials, for both general topocs and specifc OS versions, a directory of networking software for Windows, plus newsletters and links. This is well worth a bookmark.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1075911006_265&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Much emphasis in practical network education is put on enterprise networking and the large-scale deployment, not surprisingly, since this is the most challenging and in-depth development of all networking technologies. Nor should enterprise networking be scanted in curriculum development.
The fact remains, however, that there are many more small business networks than large ones, whose proprietors will not have the technological knowledge [or perhaps the time and inclination] to DIY. This means, for newly graduated applied IT networking professionals, that they are far more likely to cut their teeth on the implementation of a small network than a large one. This white paper: "Simple Steps to Build Your Small Business Network" can give the reader some flavour of how and why a small business would roll out a network.
In addition to its direct relevance to applied IT teaching, this white paper could also form the basis of a laboratory project allowing students to demonstrate hands-on competencies.
United Business Media's CMP division has launched a set of tightly focussed searchable Web pages called 'pipelines', which index news, trends, how-to-do-its, products, white papers, webcasts, sponsored links with downloadable software, and a glossary. Those of specific interest to most applied IT teachers are:
http://www.securitypipeline.com/ covering desktop, network, and infrastructure security plus policy & privacy.
http://www.linuxpipeline.com/ covering core Lunux, applications, enterprise open source, and business.
http://www.networkingpipeline.com/ covering security, infrastructure, wireless, and voice/data integration.
http://www.serverpipeline.com/ covering entry-level, mid-range, and high-end servers, plus their supporting technlogies (including operating systems).
http://www.itutilitypipeline.com/ covering utility computing and services, grid computing, and enterprise systems.
http://www.desktoppipeline.com/ covering desktop operating systems, application software, and hardware as these relate to all current desktop OS.
Additional pipelines address small business, mobile computing, and storage issues. These look like excellent information sources to benchmark and revisit, for students and teachers alike.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1019745194_234&type=RES&src=KA_RES
If you teach networking from even slightly older texts [particularly those oriented towards Cisco certifications], the Ethernet emphasis will be on 10Mb/s. Times have changed somewhat, and increased speeds are the order of the day, as this white paper: "Evolution of Gigabit Technology: From the Backbone to the Desktop" describes. This can nicely supplant those somewhat tired texts.
http://www.entmag.com/reports/article.asp?EditorialsID=57
Instant Messaging is increasing in enterprise inevitability, like a bad toothache. When this is combined with wireless networking, IT managers current security concerns will seem like mere vapourings. But people want to reach out and touch/crush people, information wants to be free, and IM is touching down in the North 40. This URL indexes a special report with the following articles:
* 2004 is the Year for Instant Messaging, No Really
* IM PRO: The Business Case for Instant Messaging
* IM CON: The Business Case Against Instant Messaging
* Managing the Instant Messaging Paradox.
Implementing effective enterprise IM is a huge and daunting task, exceeded only by the risk of not undertaking such an effort, and these articles at least provide a planning starting point.
Another article discusses IM in the context of enterprise adoption, which summarizes case studies to provide tips and tricks:
http://cl.com.com/Click?q=fe-xkKgQwgDyMrGUcmkPi4jg6hhvRRR
Identifying the best communication solution, especially where WANs are concerned, is by no means straightforward. This white paper: "Frame Relay vs. IP VPNs" discusses the pros and cons of both approaches, and will be valuable in those teaching environments where a fully-configurable WAN is not ready to hand to serve as an experimental subject.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1050602782_964&type=RES&src=KA_RES_QUERY
Your network can never be too fast, so a white paper on "Strategies for Optimizing LAN Performance" certainly is a useful thing to have on hand. It describes potential bottlenecks, how to identify them, and how to cure them.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110759,tk,dn051603X,00.asp
Ethernet is an amazing success story, given how it has been capable of adapting to successive requirements for improved bandwidth, in large part, I think, because its decentralized control model maps well onto the InterNet's similar model. This article suggests we will see 40Gb/s Ethernet in the near future.
Another, more extended look on future Ethernet speeds can be found here:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110950,tk,dn060203X,00.asp
http://mcpmag.com/columns/article.asp?editorialsid=576
The mysteries of subnetting can appear positively arcane to most networking students, so anything which could help them along is worth noting, such as this quick lesson on how-to-do-it.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1073494621_104&type=RES&src=KA_RES
My attitude to IM is "I never use it, Sir, it promotes rust", but there is no question that this communications facility has a major impact in many organizations. At the same time, the security issues surrounding IM ought to give any networking professional pause, if not nightmares. This white paper: "Enterprise Instant Messaging - Essential Infrastructure" can provide a starting point for efficient, effective, and safe IM.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1052750276_21&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Wireless is different, wireless is coming on strong, and wireless poses [as has been mentioned in this blog before] major security problems. Getting a grip on where to start may be assisted by this white paper: "Understanding the Layers of Wireless LAN Security & Management", which obviously goes beyond security issues.
A site which does for networking what "Tom's Hardware Guide" does for hardware. This site offers news, polls, reviews, features, product guide, problem solving resources, links, FAQs, and top 10 lists. "Features" includes an extensive set of reports on major network conferences and trade fairs.
http://www.nwc.com/showitem.jhtml?docid=1424ibg12
Thin client computing is one of those ideas I regard as thoroughly bad [like a pre-breakfast cigar], but it will not go away. And since I am devoted to the principle of equal time for sensible opposition, here is an article on the current status of thin-client computing, which deals with prospects, questions, and links to manufacturers.
The record on thin clients is not particularly encouraging to date, but persistence sometimes pays off.
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/1215ipv6.html?net
Article reporting the latest findings on IPv6, a topic mentioned several times previously in this blog. Those who have adopted it say the transition doesn't hurt anywhere near as much as the doomsayers suggest. v6 adoption in government and academe is outpacing its implementation in the business sector. It is, however, worth taking time to consider the whole process of v6 adoption, because this allows its many benefits to be implemented in the most effective manner.
The article contains a sidebar with links to related stories.
http://www.eedesign.com/story/OEG20030415S0027
The OSI model in all its gory glory is a staple of networking textbooks, but it still may provoke congnitive resistance. The URL indexes a two-part article on the model, paying particular attention to the upper layers which often get banished to the wiring closet in textbook discussions. The article also mentions some model-related issues in networking communication.
http://certcities.com/editorial/columns/story.asp?EditorialsID=144
Interesting problem article relating to DNS, which when worked out provides a good understanding of how TCP/IP protocols and DNS interact to produce results, and thus is a good teaching tool. Some of the commentary attached to the article is also educational, in its own way.
A blog which serves as an OS tweaking site with help on a wide variety of operating systems, plus some resources for imaging and Visual Basic. Searchable with news articles and downloads. Well laid-out, with an interesting block showing the IP address you are using to contact the site, the browser being used, and what language is set in the browser.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1070907380_696&type=RES&src=KA_RES
In comparison to hardware and configuration details, network management often gets scanted in networking courses, even if it is supposed to be a curriculum item. Network management is just so theoretical and amorphous without an actual network to manage. This white paper: "Cisco - Network Management System: Best Practices White Paper" covers the 5 ISO management functional areas with reference to managing Cisco systems, and is therefore a potentially useful resource in making network management instruction manageable.
This paper on Wireless LANs may be useful as an adjunct to this: "Wireless LANs: The Essentials for Saving Your Sanity":
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1046952003_302&type=RES&src=KA_RES
The Cisco take on wireless LAN planning: "Preparing for Wireless LANs" is provided here:
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1057858029_986&type=RES&src=KA_RES
while this paper looks more closely at a major management concern: "Cisco - Change Management: Best Practices White Paper":
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1070907379_141&type=RES&src=KA_RE
and another management area is covered in this document: "Cisco - Configuration Management: Best Practices White Paper ":
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1071077473_593&type=RES&src=KA_RES
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1070473161_825&type=RES&src=KA_RES
If wireless security is not a concern, it should be; the basic WEP standard has demonstrated weaknesses, and undetected interception is so much easier with wireless that additional measures must be undertaken. This white paper: "Practical Solutions for Securing Your Wireless Network" can give you some pointers on how to reap wireless roses without security exploit thorns.
Another security paper from Cisco Systems focusses on: "Technology Best Practices for Endpoint Security":
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1070907383_68&type=RES&src=KA_RES
which introduces another layer into the security cake.
Another gem unearthed by one of my class teams. This one is long on substance rather than graphical glitz, and contains hundreds of entries relating to companies, media, organizations, programs/projects, UseNet resources, standards, and extensive cross indices and compendia to computer and communication documentation.
The site is also searchable.
http://www.sysadmincorner.com/
I have mentioned before in this blog about the joys of learning from students as well as teaching them -- here is another example. The site has thousands of classified links on operating systems, servers, networking, and resources: programming, applications, books, general information, and training & certification. The site is searchable, and contains documents, free code samples, and reviews of books and software.
You can spend a lot of time in this corner....
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1051115002_827&type=RES&src=KA_RES_QUERY
Internetworking is in many ways the most challenging aspect of networking, but with the advent of our wired world, even small and medium-sized organizations may find it necessary. This white paper: "The Basics of Internetworking" extols the value of simplicity in solution deployment and management
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1060957258_977&type=RES&src=KA_RES
One of the major knocks against mobile devices has been the security problems they bring in their train. This paper: "Wi-Fi* Protected Access and Intel entrino(TM) Mobile Technology Deliver a Robust Foundation for Wireless Security" may need accompanyment with several grains of salt, given that it is by Intel, but it does suggest that upgraded standards are now available for WiFi security.
Another paper, from the same source, covers "Deploying Secure Wireless Networks: Intel's Strategies to Minimize WLAN Risk", and is available here:
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1067873911_604&type=RES&src=KA_RES
More on wireless security in the paper: "Seven Security Problems of 802.11 Wireless" which can be found at: http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1067873924_916&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Yet more on wireless security, with a proprietary solution offered, from the paper: "Cresting the Wireless Wave with Security Solutions - Solutions to the WLAN Security Crisis" from:
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1067873917_615&type=RES&src=KA_RES
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1067434029_925&type=RES&src=KA_RES
The continuing press for network speed is inherent in this white paper: "10 Gigabit Ethernet Technology Overview". The major problem we face with this on the LAN front is the condition of our building backbone, which may be designed in such a way that upgrading is difficult. At some point, one has to think that we will have 'enough' speed -- say, to produce HDTV on-demand -- but we are not there yet.
http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/31992.html
Two of the major corporate entities of the IT world, Microsoft and IBM, have radically different ideas of how the Internet and distributed computing are going to evolve. The fact that the former is dedicated to proprietary standards and the latter leans to open-source suggests, according to this article, the extreme degree of danger to Microsoft's future if the trend for good open source standards to drive out good proprietary standards continues.
http://www.potaroo.net/ispcolumn/2003-07-v4-address-lifetime/ale.html
A convincing article with a lot of convincing statistics and equally convincing graphs, suggesting that we are not going to run out of IPv4 addresses Real Soon Now. In fact, we have about a decade of buffer space at least, meaning that we can slip into IPv6 slowly and deliberately.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1052406549_289&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Wireless technology is not only becoming a major aspect of networking, but it is also a complex specialty with a language all its own. The white paper: "The CIO's Guide to Mobile Wireless Computing" provides an easily comprehended overview of the major elements and issues involved in this type of networking.
http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/management/itspending/story/0,10801,86122,00.html
Despite appearances, I am just as human as the next person who has my same quotient of human kindness, and one thing to we are prone is looking at which technologies are on the upward slope, since these are the logical candidates for curriculum development. This article lists 5 technologies which are going in the opposite direction, plans to abandon which should be put in place posthaste:
* Windows 9x
* Client/server computing [as strictly construed]
* IBM SNA and proprietary network architectures
* Tape backup
* Visual Basic 6
In fact, I de-emphasize the first four of these in my current classroom teaching, only avoiding the last one because I don't teach programming.
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,60831,00.html
The vision of a computing technology which interacted with us seamlessly without barriers [sort of an ultimate in 'user-friendly'] was born [like so much else in personal computing] at Xeroc PARC over a decade ago. This annotated article reports on a conference about the degree to which connections have proliferated, as well as providing links to related stories on this topic.
The objective: our computers should be friends, not obstacles. Another in the many 'iceberg' issues in IT.
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=15300004
Gigabit Ethernet has been coming with all the inevitability of Godzilla advancing on a night-shrouded Tokyo -- now we can feel the monster's hot breath. As applications become more data-intensive, and as the requirements for networking bandwidth grow, Gigabit Ethernet becomes a more likely alternative.
Even if you are not prepared to put the backbone in, you can easily and cheaply equip nodes with this capability, and then upgrade the backbone later. Alternatively, in new installations, the argument for having the capability in the backbone from the get-go is hard to ignore.
This article discusses the current state of play in this area.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1065711306_625&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Capacity planning is an exercise of major significance to network administrators/managers, but it is also one which may be done so infrequently that when it is done, it is not done effectively. Given the current economic straits of IT, a white paper like "Capacity Planning in Today's Economy" has applications throughout the whole IT structure.
http://www.americasnetwork.com//americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=71650
Whether we need IPv6 to cure a shortage of IPv4 addresses was brought into question, according to this article, by those claiming that the address shortage is overblown. This has created a controversy of its own, although as the article also notes, IPv6 brings additional improvements which are highly desirable in their own right, over and above the abundance of addresses it creates.
http://itw.itworld.com/GoNow/a14724a87343a89073442a2
Thin clients are like the movie monster which refuses to die. While I am apparently not alone in thinking them a thoroughly Bad Thing [because they are disempowering], nevertheless hope springs eternal in the thin client supporter ranks. This white paper, admittedly from an interested party: "Thin Clients: Four Facts You Can’t Afford to Ignore" makes the contrary case, and it is always good to consider the contrary case from time to time.
After all, it may even be right, forcing that most painful thing, a change of mind.
The main article referenced is about the problems, perils, and pleasures of using a Macintosh computer in an PC-networked workplace, and is interesting enough, but the added commentary to the article takes it into whole other dimension of what is possible and reasonable on a network. Oddly enough, I strongly suspect if Apple were to dump their hardware exclusivity so as to make their prices "competitive", I think they would face a window of opportunity for replacing the faltering Wintel standard. As it is, they stand to reap the worst of both worlds -- never gaining critical mass, and eventually being hammered under.
Still, even at their rather jaw-dropping prices, the 17" Powerbook and the dual processor G5 [with the inevitable 23" Cinema display] are extremely attractive machines in their own right. In fact I would happily accept donations of slightly used ones, or the equivalent of in-store credit....
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_garfinkel100303.asp?p=1
Conventional wisdom in considering LANs poo-poohs the peer-to-peer model as unsuitable to large numbers of machines. This article stands that wisdom on its head, indicating that the InterNet was originally intended to be a peer-to-peer network, and suggesting that this model can be a powerful source for a more reliable Net. Some of the intellectual pitfalls involved are addressed herein.
Unable to sleep because you have forgotten [or never known] what the IS-IS protocol is and does? The Protocols.com site to the rescue, with a comprehensive listing of relevant data, indexed in a variety of ways [including a full alphabetical list which must contain 400 entries, at the very least].
In addition the site has an on-line library with white papers and other resources available for those who register for the site.
Now you have no excuse for not knowing that the "Hardware type" header in the AARP packet is the identifier for the data-link type....
http://www.windowsitlibrary.com/content/386/01/toc.html
One of the joys of teaching is when your students show you something you would never have found by yourself. In this case, they found an URL which indexes an IDG book chapter on "Networking Fundamentals" with a clear explanation of the OSI model, the most common networking protocols, and basic routing concepts/problems.
Another example of this is the following excellent site:
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid7_gci929528,00.html
which contains inter alia as good a short explanation of IPv6, complete with reference links, as anything I have ever seen.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=1405
Microsoft applications and the operating system speak not only with a forked toungue, but also with one which is hard to comprehend. This utility will translate the error message codes into something meaningful for human beings.
The following seriues of white papers from Spirent Communications cover a variety of real-world testing and configuration issues:
General Network Performance Testing Methodology http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1063826137_766&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Firewall Testing Methodology Using Spirent Solutions http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1063826137_766&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Reality Bytes: The Importance of Realism for Improving Web Site Performance http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1063826137_342&type=RES&src=KA_RES
The Spirent Solution: Enabling the Realism of Live Networks with the Precision of Lab Measurement http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1063826137_825&type=RES&src=KA_RES
The Network Commandments: Ten Ways to Improve Quality and Performance http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1063826138_924&type=RES&src=KA_RES
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1063197052_173&type=RES&src=KA_RES
When the packet misses a socket, knowing what the last known good configuration actually was may get you out of a pocket of trouble. This white paper: "Enterprise Network Configuration Change Management: A Practitioner's Guide" offers some insight into making this happen.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/windowsupdate/sus/
Courtesy of Serdar Yegulalp's Windows 2000 Power Users newsletter, here is a free download of a tool which allows network rollout of patches and updates.
http://itzone.ziffdavis.com/download.html
Site devoted to aiding small and medium size business use information tehnology, with downloadable white papers, plus relevant news, reviews, and articles. Some promotional material from HP is also provided.
An annotated list of utilities that one power user finds close to indispensible, with the added fillip that anchors in most entries take you to a page where you can download the item. In addition to networking utilities, the list includes a number of programmer's utilities as well.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3109146.stm
In North America, we are quite used to paying flat rate for broadband access, and think this totally justified when we consider the pernicious results of per-minute access fees, especially as these apply in Continental Europe. This article argues that flat rate fees cannot be justified in an age of file sharing, because network congestion is the result.
Without disputing anything this article says, I suspect that the negatives of per-minute sharing in terms of the "InterNet commons" far outweigh any benefits that this might create. An alternative, if one was necessary, would be a tiered band of flat rate access, with anything above this band invoking a surcharge. This would mean that the high bandwidth users would pay extra, while the vast majority of people who use the Net for fun and profit would still continue on a flat rate.
One wonders what consumer resistance would result if flat rate was to be abandoned in North America.
http://aroundcny.com/technofile/index.cfm
A rich selection of articles and essays, covering technology in general [for example, dealing with digital photography], but with many useful reviews, essays, and advice on both hardware and software, including operating systems. The page is neatly and cleanly indexed and laid out, giving fast loading and easy navigation.
That the principal's picture looks a lot like Stacy Keatch may or may not be an issue.
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143673
Article summarizing an ITU report indicating that broadband subscriptions grew 72% in 2002, to some 62 million, representing something like 20% of the global community using the InterNet. The upside of this is a growing market which can take advantages of broadband services and products. The downside is the degree to which most InterNet users are still drinking an Atlantic Ocean of content through a very thin drinking straw.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1046792460_261&type=RES&src=KA_RES
A white paper covering what is involved in "Fixing Ethernet and Fast Ethernet Link Problems", which can be of aid in setting up trouble-shooting exercises and devising solutions for them.
http://www.computerworld.com/networkingtopics/networking/management/story/0,10801,84604,00.html
The concept of "autonomic computing" warms IT managers' hearts, even as it chills IT workers' souls. The capacity for systems to configure and repair themselves automatically bids to be more reliable than the current process, as well as being less labour-intensive, and less expensive. The article indicates that this trend is well-established, but will really begin paying off in the short- to medium-term future.
One wonders the degree to which knowledgeable IT technicians may be tempted to resist implementing such systems in their own economic self-interest. One also remembers the cheery riposte to those who feared a computer takeover: "You can always pull the plug!" -- well, now maybe we can't.
http://www.backup-software-reviews.com/
A true network professional never backs up data -- he can restore anything! On the other hand, backing up is one of those mundane teeth-flossing activities which can be the salvation of a network, and if you are being paid the big bucks, you better have the system backed up.
There are lots of backup products out there: this article reviews them, and selects the five best. The review methodology is also available from this site.
Now make sure you write down the URL, just in case your browser chokes on it....
Here are three white papers on various aspects of networks and timkeeping:
The Importance of Network Time Synchronization
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1051627365_102&type=RES&src=KA_RES
The Five Dangers of Poor Network Timekeeping http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1051627365_106&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Synchronization Essentials of VoIP http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1051627365_514&type=RES&src=KA_RES
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1228782,00.asp
An overview of what we can expect in both enterprise and home networking in the near future, incuding hardware, software, and standards. The importance of networking for IT growth shows no signs of diminishing, so it is useful to have a look at where we might be going.
http://news.com.com/2100-1024_3-5069571.html?tag=fd_top
While this article is dedicated to comparing the Google and Overture Net serarch engines, the "incidental" fact that the databases contain Web documents in numbers exceeding 3 billion gives some concept of how the Web has grown. Since the standard take on the size of the Web is that search estimates underestimate its size [in part because of issues involving the "invisible Web", and in part because some Web pages are set up to prevent indexing in the first place], there is more to the iceberg than one might think.
On the other hand, answering the question of how many of those 3 billion documents are of any use is something else again....
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/w2kservices.asp
Services are an important part of the Microsoft Operating system -- here is an online guide which can also be downloaded as a WORD document that gives an alphabetized summary of these services.
So if you wake up at night in a sweat that you can't remember what the Boot Information Negotiation Layer does -- dry yourself off and consult this document to jog your memory.
http://www.tcfb.com/freetechbooks/index.html
About a hundred free on-line books are on this site, dealing with Programming Languages, Scripting Languages, Operating Systems, Computer Science, and Miscellaneous [Free Software/Open Source; Hackers and Computer Philosophy] categories.
Well worth a look, expecially at the price!
http://home.dataparty.no/kristian/reviews/bayesian/
Spam! 'Nuff said. As mentioned earlier in this blog, a promising solution to this problem, which is worse than dandruff but not quite as bad as Ebola fever, is Bayesian filters. The article reviews a couple of e-mail products which incorporate such filters, and concludes they are reasonably effective at controlling spam.
The only question being, in my mind, whether the annoyance of spam is sufficient to make all users go to the trouble of "training" their new tool. If a sufficient critical mass does not adopt such a tool, much of its potential benefit for eliminating spam is negated; we must remember that the overload problem is perhaps more troubling than individual inconvenience caused by spam.
Put another way: we don't want a product which just shields a user from spam while allowing it to pollute on the InterNet commons, we want something which will exterminate it root and branch.
http://whitepapers.comdex.com/data/detail?id=1042056881_377&type=RES&src=KA_RES
Patterns are a handy rubric for any constructive activity, so a white paper entitled "Enterprise Network Design Patterns - High Availability" would seem to be a useful tool to have in the network designer's toolbox.
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=925
A protocol sniffer is an essential tool for serious network administration and proactive security defence. Here is one from a well-reputed supplier at an apparently reasonable price for an enterprise product.
There are, I am sure freeware/cheap versions of this sort of tool, but the ease with which this particular example can be used and managed may in fact offset any price differential in a short time.
http://www6.tomshardware.com/network/20030630/index.html
In many cases, the only place a student or teacher can practice networking skills is at home. Here is a good, detailed, and authoritative article on "Building a Home Network From Scratch" which relieves this itch. Covering both wired and wireless networks from the viewpoint of new construction involving contractors, this could prove quite useful.
Another free ACM resource worth bookmarking -- a weekly online magazine [with classified archives] containing articles about information technlogy's impact, with specific reference to educational issues.
DNS is so powerful and important that any tool which advances its understanding is worth considering. Here is an online site where you can find common DNS problems, and do live timing testings for DNS server response [record type is selectible], WHOIS loolup and search, deobfuscate URLS, do IP testing right down to CIDR/Netmask lookup, and implement hostname tests.
Since it can be reached through the Net, it is an excellent resource for at-home DNS exercises.
http://www.corsairmicro.com/memory_basics/153707/index.html
Accepting the fact that there is some sponsored content in this online slideshow, it still provides an easily-grasped and well-grounded overview of computer memory basics. Since this topic is rife with acronyms, and has no moving parts which can be observed and learned, something like this is a useful educational supplement.
http://documents.iss.net/risksolutions/X-Force_CRI.pdf
A single page downloadable list of the most dangerous threats to which networks are currently exposed. What is interesting about this is the near-unanimous representation of buffer overflow exploits: 27 of the 31 in the list. Yet a buffer overflow, according to those knowledgeable about programming who have discussed this with me, is a relatively easy condition to prevent. Which of course leads to questions why, with depresssing answers usually forthcoming.
http://www.itworld.com/WhitePapers
An annotated list of about 3 dozen white papers from major vendors in the computer/IT industry, covering topics relating to inter alia security, network operations, and applications.
This plain page of links provides an entry to a host of uesful resources connected with Usenet news, which needs no introduction. Tutorials, information, downloadable news clients, Web based news, newsfeeds, newsgroups, PDA use, a list of reference resources, tools, security issues, and client/server utilities are all covered by this site.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best.htm
Gizmo Richard's "Support Alert" newsletter is a genuine gem, full of rich crunchy goodness -- and in this case, he provides a Web page with generously annotated selections [based on personal experience] of the best available free software.
I have never been able to develop much of an appetite for thin client computing solutions, since they strike me as the antithesis of that empowerment that forms one of the main charms of the PC, in my opinion. But nevertheless, things like CITRIX MetaFrame are a major organizational application, and here is a portal devoted to just this topic.
If you are one of those people to whom regular expressions are a piece of cake, you need read no further. On the other hand, if you seek to understand [or to help others understand] what is one of the less pellucid [because, of course, it *sounds* so simple] bits of computer arcana, here is a graphical tool called The Regex Coach which will assist investigating such mysteries.
http://eletters.wnn.ziffdavis.com/zd/cts?d=75-23-1-1-618817-760-1
Since backing up is probably the single thing most computer users should do but don't, this article indicating that the backup traditions of small businesses need re-examination may spark some useful reflection. The reward of backup is the ability to smile seraphically when your server is smoking junk, and to answer the frantic question: "We DO have backups for that, don'e we?" with a confident, jaw-thrusting "Yes!" -- well worth the agony and pain of actually doing backups properly in the first place.
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~rakerman/port-table.html
This entry combines two things -- an excellent example of a local community net which has been in existence for nearly a decade (which has evolved its services over the time) and the specific reference, on port use.
For someone from the seaport of Halifax, Nova Scotia, a little bit of home....
If you still have a retro hankering to wallow in DOShiness, or if you have a problem which only DOS can solve [increasingly rare these days, but if it is you that has the problem, you don't care about relative frequency, but frequent relief], then this site provides a wealth of resources and links so you can hardness the power of the Net to your quest for obsolescence nirvana.
http://www.urltrim.com/ct/t.php?l=36
There are lots and losts of Registry cleaners out there, but Registry First Aid has the imprimatur of WUGNET itself, which is enought to prompt a trial, I would think.
http://www.urltrim.com/ct/t.php?l=40
Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who had not to himself said, I could make a better desktop than BillG's crew the worst day I got out of bed? Well, probably not too many such, since WinGuides Tweak Manager joins the teeming throng of programs designed to do this, but as an added bonus, including tweaks for popular software like Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer.
A searchable listing of all the UseNet News FAQs -- which should be just about invaluable for anybody wanting to trying to net the elusive eels of information which abound in shimmering shoals within this tremendously topical and yet well-aged resource.
http://www.gregorybraun.com/MSWinErr.html
This utility allows you to "to look up MS Windows error code numbers and display a descriptive message explaining what the numeric code actually means". It works for all versions of Windows [except Server 2003!] and could be a handy tool for the trouble-shooter.
http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3150-2001-0-1-0.html?qt=packet+sniffer&tag=new
Here is a list of free and for-pay software resources which allow you to see what is going on in the LAN. Such tools can be very helpful for allowing students to see dynamically what their texts describe statically -- they can also allow people to see what should not be seen, if not used carefully. Caveat computator!