Joe Mullin writes "We've discussed Troll Tracker here before — the anonymous blogger who was outed last month as Rick Frenkel, a Cisco lawyer. Since then, two lawyers from the notoriously patent-friendly Eastern District of Texas have filed defamation suits against Frenkel and Cisco, and Frenkel's blog has been shuttered. One of the plaintiffs, a renowned patent judge's son, may have been hunting the anonymous blogger for months. This week Cisco announced new blogging guidelines in response to the Troll Tracker fiasco. The company acknowledged that 'a few Cisco employees used poor judgment' during secret-blog-time, but they're largely standing by their man. Cisco's new rules will prohibit only anonymous blogging by employees about issues for which 'they have responsibilities at Cisco.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Is Google Neglecting Blogger?
Ian Lamont writes "For years, I've been frustrated by Blogger's relatively limited functionality and other problems. For instance, we've heard about Blogger's security flaws since the beginning of this decade. Blogger's latest problem, which lets bots bypass CAPTCHAs in order to set up spam blogs, is not just a sign of Google's disregard for security — it's symptomatic of Google's neglect of its Blogger service. For instance, Blogger is just now rolling out a feature that lets writers publish in the future, years after similar functionality was released in Wordpress and Moveable Type. Is Blogger destined to be a sideshow as long as Google keeps acquiring and building more high-profile services, such as Google Maps and YouTube?"
Cisco Turns Routers Into Linux App Servers
symbolset writes "InternetNews is reporting that Cisco's new Application eXtension Platform turns several models of Cisco switches into Linux application servers. With certified libraries in C, Java and Perl, developers will be able to use a downloadable SDK to build their apps. The AXP server is just another module in a Cisco switch running Cisco's own derivation of a modern Linux distro (Kernel 2.6.x) specifically hardened to run on that particular hardware. Modules will include up to 1.4-GHz Intel Pentiums with 2 GB RAM and a 160 GB hard drive."
IP Cisco network for ROMATSA
Cisco announced that ROMATSA, the Romanian Air Traffic Service Association, implemented an IP Cisco network for air traffic services. This network is a communication platform for all air traffic services, including data transfer for aeronautical applications. According to the company, the Cisco solution helps ROMATSA reduce operational costs, and meet its special requirements of resiliency and redundancy. "The new network architecture implemented by ROMATSA proves that the intrinsic flexibility of IP communications can provide resiliency and redundancy by reducing operational costs. This is very important in an area such as air traffic control, where reliability is essential, and standards are very strict", said Bogdan Constantinescu, general manager, Cisco Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Game programming software
Here are some common thoughts about game programming:
• "I have this great idea for a game, but I know nothing about game programming so it's going to have to remain an idea forever, sadly."
• "My dream is to become a game programmer and sell games to other people - but I don't know any programming languages so it's never going to happen."
This powerful game programming software lets you design and develop 2D games for PCs and handheld devices. It is so easy to use that you'll be able to create your own games even if you have never programmed anything more complicated than your video recorder! With Game Editor, game programming involves selecting actors, actions and paths - all you need to do is decide what happens and when, and our game programming software takes care of the details!
Game Editor is designed to be portable across all popular platforms, including including Windows (95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP), Linux, and Pocket PC. If you want to use our game programming software to create and sell games, buy now our professional version, there is no need to worry about royalties.
Download our game programming software today!
Our game programming software has received a lot of positive feedback. Here's what one of our satisfied customers said:
Network Hardware Resale carries the full line of Juniper network equipment
Network Hardware Resale carries the full line of Juniper network equipment
Pre-Owned and Used Cisco CISCO1721
Network Hardware Resale carries the Cisco CISCO1721, and, in most cases, we can deliver it next-day. To request a quote, simply add the Cisco CISCO1721 to your online quote cart, or call us at 1-800-230-6638 for assistance.
We want your purchase to be worry-free. Our entire inventory of used and refurbished CISCO1721 is rigorously tested by our Cisco-certified technicians to ensure that they are in like-new condition. Many of the pre-owned CISCO1721 that we carry are unused and in the original Cisco packaging.
All NHR refurbished Cisco equipment comes with our standard one-year, overnight-replacement warranty. If you should have technical questions about your CISCO1721 or any other NHR product, NHR provides installation and configuration support from our expert technicians at no additional charge.
NHR carries the industry’s largest inventory of current and previous generation Cisco products. In addition to used and refurbished CISCO1721, we have Cisco routers, Cisco switches and accessories in stock for immediate availability. Please continue to browse our online Cisco catalog to find all the Cisco equipment that you need.
If your CISCO1721 purchase today is part of an upgrade, consider selling your outdated equipment to NHR. Find out more about our asset recovery and buy back services, and turn your surplus equipment into working capital.
Setting up a VLAN with the Cisco IOS
Recently, in my forums at my personal website, I have a VLAN Question thread going with over 20 posts and 638 views. Additionally, I have a free video where I demonstrate how to configure VLANs in the Cisco IOS. This video is one of the most popular free videos on my site.
Because of the popularity of these two sites, I wanted to take a second to cover the basics on VLAN configuration. Here are some crucial VLAN “show” commands on a switch:
————————–
Show vlan brief
Show interfaces switchport
Show ip interface brief
Show int trunk
————————–
And here is how you would configure a VLAN routing on your router with some show commands:
Router commands
Interface fastethernet 4.1
Encapsulation dot1q 10
Interface fastethernet 4.2
Encapsulation dot1q 20
Interface fastethernet 4
No shutdown
Show ip interface brief
Show vlans
—————————–
And here is how you would configure a VLAN on your switch:
Switch commands
Interface fastethernet 2/0
Switchport access vlan 10
No shutdown
Interface fastethernet 5/0
Switchport access vlan 20
No shutdown
Interface vlan 10
Ip address x.x.x.x y.y.y.y
No shutdown
Interface vlan 20
Ip address x.x.x.x y.y.y.y
No shutdown
———————-
I hope that sample configuration helps you out and don’t forget about my VLAN Configuration video where you can see how it is configured, step by step.
http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cisco/setting-up-a-vlan-with-the-cisco-ios/
Sadly, the PIX Firewall is Discontinued
What is the name that everyone thinks of when they think of firewalls? The “PIX” firewall, right?
Sadly, the PIX will be discontinued by Cisco, as of January 27, 2009. This was announced on January 28, 2008 in this Cisco Press Release. If you are a PIX owner, the good news is that Cisco will support it until the year 2013 so, no rush huh?
Of course, we all know that the PIX will be replaced by the ASA 5500 line. When the ASA was announced we all saw this coming, even though Cisco said that they had no plans to discontinue the PIX and that there was a place in the marketplace for both. Still, it just made sense to discontinue the PIX.
So can the ASA become as well known as the PIX? Instead of asking for a firewall will admins just say “we need to install an ASA”? And is it pronounced “A.S.A.” or “Aay-Sah-Uh”? Only time will tell…
But seriously, the ASA is a very strong firewall and it can do a lot of things that the PIX could not do because the ASA is a real “UTM” or “Anti-X Appliance”. That means that, when combined with the CSC-SSM card (the card that really provides the Anti-X / UTM), the ASA is a much more complete firewall. The ASA is what businesses need today because, today, it isn’t enough to just maintain TCP states and drop traffic. You need intrusion prevention. You need filtering of traffic for viruses, worms, and malicious attack signatures in the real time. You want content filtering of web traffic. T
he ASA can do all that and more.
Do you have a Cisco ASA? What do you think of it? I’d like to hear from you!
For more information on the Cisco ASA, checkout the ASA homepage over at Cisco.com
-David
Personal Website: HappyRouter.com
Checkout David’s Video Training:
VMware ESX Server Video Training
Cisco CCNA & CCNP Video Training
http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/cisco/sadly-the-pix-firewall-is-discontinued/
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Cisco opens router code to stymie Juniper
Cisco opens router code to stymie Juniper
Cisco is to open up its long-established IOS routing software to third-party developers, according to company officials.
Having just formed its first dedicated software group, Cisco officials are now tinkering with making IOS more than just a platform for Cisco-developed services in the network. To that end, Cisco plans to "componentise" IOS - developing only one implementation of a specific function instead of several, depending on the image - dynamically link IOS services and move the software onto a Unix-based kernel, according to Alan Baratz, Cisco senior vice president of the Network Software and Systems Technology Group.
Cisco then plans to open up interfaces on IOS to allow third-party applications to access IOS services, Baratz said."We are in the process of trying to open up IOS interfaces and make them available to third-party developers," Baratz said. He did not provide a timeframe for doing so.
Cisco's plan is similar to what Juniper announced for its JUNOS operating system operating system earlier this week. Juniper announced a Partner Solution Development Platform (PSDP) allowing customers and partners to develop specialised applications on its JUNOS operating system.
The PSDP includes a software development kit with "intelligent and secure" interfaces to Juniper's JUNOS routing and service functions.
Cisco's formation of the Software Group within its Cisco Development Organization was arguably the most significant move associated with last week's reorganization of CDO. All Cisco software development operations - IOS, Unified Communications, Collaboration and Network Management - now fall under one orchestrator, Senior Vice President Don Proctor.
The move was made to coordinate product development and inject a common set of services across all of Cisco's software assets, company officials said. Another catalyst was Cisco's intention to drive collaboration as a business process, and the network infrastructure as the platform for all IT services.
"We're looking at more significant software transitions over the next several years than we've seen in this industry," Proctor said, referring to the emergence of collaboration, Web 2.0 and video as key business processes going forward. "We'd like to say Cisco has distinguished itself as a software company" five years from now.
Message Box Maker 1.1.2
Publisher's description of Message Box Maker
Whether you are on MySpace, LiveJournal, Friendster, or many of the other friends and blogging sites, you can now create your own unique message boxes. Use your unique message boxes to express your thoughts, tell a joke, make a statement, or anything else you feel like. This version is the first release on CNET.
Download Now (2.18MB)
Social Networking and Open Source: Cut From the Same Cloth
Social networking and open source are two concepts that fit well together, says Bob Bickel, cofounder of Ringside Networks. With the opening of Facebook's application programming interface and the OpenSocial initiative spearheaded by Google, users should soon be able to port their information between social networks.
The ideas blend together so well. Open source has been around for a long time and is built on the concept of developers working together and sharing software . Social networking has broken into the headlines as a new generation uses MySpace and Facebook as a whole new means of sharing their life experiences.
Open source developers are passionate about the software, frequently spending much of their own personal time working online with others they rarely meet in the flesh. Social networking users are passionate about their lives and interests and how they intersect with others, and spend a lot of time polishing their profiles and commenting on each other's walls.
However, social and open source are starting to actually blend -- where social networking is beginning to help open source developers, and open source is coming into being a critical enabler of the evolving social networking era of the Internet .
It could be said that the Internet would not exist without open source. Certainly, Linux has become the standard deployment platform for most Web site companies with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) , Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) , MySpace and others deploying tens of thousands of systems to serve users. MySQL has become the standard database for the Web site, and open languages like PHP, Ruby and Java dominate the infrastructure. Despite Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) best efforts, Apache still rules as the Web site server of choice.
Social networking has grabbed the headlines from open source over the past two years. Facebook had over 65 million registered users averaging over 1,000 page views per user in the in March. MySpace is even larger -- and the growth is huge.
Walled Gardens
While social networking is taking off, it is flying in the face of traditional open source philosophies in terms of openness. This was recently highlighted in a March 19 article in The Economist: "The problem with today's social networks is that they are often closed to the outside Web site."
Walled gardens are nothing new to the computer industry, and open source has proven a useful way to blast through the walls of proprietary vendors -- JBoss to the app server, MySQL to the database and, of course, Linux to the operating system. A number of open source alternatives are emerging to bring similar changes to social networking.
Open Source Comes to Social Networking
E-mail could be thought of as one of the first mechanisms for social networking, and could well emerge to be an important piece of the social scene. Thunderbird and Zimbra are two popular open source e-mail clients that will over time incorporate more social features. The very fact that they are open source gives their communities the ability to integrate with other systems and services.
Facebook took a big first step in opening up social networking by publishing an open API (application programming interface) for developers to add applications to its platform. In less than a year, more than 22,000 applications have been developed and deployed. Many of the early applications were simple extensions of pokes, but more recently more sophisticated applications have begun to emerge.
Three different open source efforts have emerged to take the Facebook platform to the next level of openness: DiSo, Apache Shindig and Ringside Networks. In typical open source fashion, the projects are starting to collaborate (Ringside and DiSo share similar ideas, while Shindig will be used within Ringside).
There are two standards that have evolved in the early days of social networking -- the Facebook API and the OpenSocial API. Today, Facebook dominates in terms of applications built for that platform; however, OpenSocial is supported by Google, MySpace and others. The various open source projects offer ways to interface with these standards so that developers can have freedom when implementing new applications. The fact that these projects are free also helps unlock the innovation that is important in these early days of social applications.
Solving Problems
Two of the emerging areas of social applications are solving the problems of data portability and identity mapping. Data portability is the solution to the problem of putting a lot of profile and social data into a particular social network and not being able to get it out. It's similar to early cell phone plans that did not let you switch carriers and transfer your cell phone number with you. A consortium has banded together, created from market forces to form the DataPortability Project. The idea is that all social networks comply with a common mechanism for letting users take information with them easily.
Identity Mapping is a new approach that has been enabled by the Facebook API and OpenSocial. This lets an application use information from a user's profile in their social network. This allows users to give a Web site site supporting this capability to use information from their Facebook profiles, for example, rather than re-entering it. The Web site uses an identity map and gets certain data from Facebook, like the person's profile picture, and certain information like the person's credit card number from its own database to create an integrated user experience.
Open source will help crack open the walls of the big social networks and give the Internet a new revolution that extends far beyond the current impact of Facebook and MySpace.
Google Reader Gets Way More Social With New Sharing Features
This story is near and dear to my heart: Google Reader has added a bunch of features to make sharing items more social and much easier.
The biggest addition, which makes Google Reader sharing a lot more like saving something to del.icio.us or submitting it to Digg, is a new bookmarklet so you can share any web page in Google Reader. This isn’t actually completely new – I’ve previously described a third-party bookmarklet that does something similar – but now that it’s being officially offered by Google Reader, adoption is going to surge. This bookmarket is also a lot easier to use than the third-party app, which required some knowledge of Google Reader’s interface. Also, the Google Reader bookmarklet lets you add any web page to your shared items, not just items with an RSS feed. This means Google Reader sharing can now include a lot more than just news sites and blogs, and makes the act of sharing items even more similar to submitting something to a social news site.
Another new feature you’ll notice when sharing an item with the new bookmarklet is the ability to attach a note to your shared items. This allows you to tell your Google contacts why you find the story interesting. This feature can also be accessed within Google Reader, via a “Share With Note” link that appears next to the traditional “share” link with each item. You can also post notes that aren’t associated with any item at all - somewhat akin to posting a message on FriendFeed.
One other welcome change is that shared items now have a distinctive look inside Google Reader. This alleviates at least some of the duplicate items problem, in that you can now see that an item isn’t just showing up repeatedly, but rather, it’s being shared by your friends. A few other small upgrades are noted on the Google Reader team blog.
One big disclosure here: as you might know, my side project ReadBurner is based on aggregating data from Google Reader shared items. Combined with my passion for RSS and feed reading, I’m probably a bit more excited about these features than the average user, but I think they’re a sign that the Google Reader team is truly paying attention to what user’s want and building out sharing items into a robust system.
http://mashable.com/2008/05/05/google-reader-shared-items-upgrades/
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
rmbrME: SMS-Enabled Social Networking to Save New Contacts
SMS is sort of a universal underpinning of mobile communications all over the globe. People are able to do everything from chat to purchase goods to transfer cash to one another in a kind of wireless, Western Union-like method, all by way of the very basic but supremely useful medium known as the text message.
So when we received word of a new social Web service built with SMS very much in mind, we naturally grew interested. The startup, launched today, is called rmbrME. (“Remember me.”)
It works quite easily. Users can direct their browsers to the company’s homepage, sign up for an account, input things like address and phone information as well as any number of website URLs or links to social networking profiles at services like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. Once that data is entered, and you happen to meet someone while away from your PC, and wish to stay in contact with the individual, you can send that person a text message directing them to your rmbrME connections. Of course, in standard six-character SMS fashion, 
rmbrME users need only the numerical translation of the service - 762763 - to establish their desired connections.
Creating an account for rmbrME is free, and requires only the essentials: a mobile phone number, an email address, and password. Naturally, SMS messages sent and received through rmbrME vary in cost, depending one’s mobile service plan.
So rather than having to retain the name, phone number and perhaps email by navigating your phone’s address menu and so forth, and later using that information to search for social network profiles on the Web, all necessary work is basically completed in the time it takes to write and send a short text message. Quite convenient, particularly for the majority of mobile phone users who don’t subscribe to costly a mobile Web browsing service from their chosen carriers and own non-QWERTY handsets that require tedious typing to accomplish extensive SMS communications.
Live Meetings
Sometimes the best way to really get to know a person, and share ideas, thoughts and work together is to meet in real life. I recently had the opportunity to take the train to Toronto and meet up with PicScout, the makers of the amazing photo service PicApp, and Jeremy Wright of b5media.
After coming back, I couldn’t be happier that I went. I really got to talk to both groups and interact with them in a way that would have took ten times longer through e-mail, instant messaging or even the phone. When “they” say that so much of communication comes from body language and facial expressions, they aren’t kidding around.
I was taking in much more information than what was being said, or even how it was being said, and I think that while our world is depending more and more on virtualization, there is something to be said for a face to face meeting.
http://xfep.com/networking/live-meetings/
Blog Network Blogger Lifestyle
When people ask me how they should get into blogging as a part time or full time job, I think carefully before I answer as I have seen great success as a network backed blogger, while only receiving what I consider moderate success on my own outside of the network.
Being a blogger backed by a network can be a great experience, but sometimes it can also be very frustrating.
My days are filled with posting quotas that I didn’t set myself, with posting requirements on sites that I don’t particularly enjoy, writing content that I don’t control, and hoping that it does well enough that the company keeps me on.
All the while dealing with the fact that I don’t control how the site functions or the advertising that goes next to the words I write. I consider it to be very similar to working as a reporter for a newspaper.
Blogging for myself, I get to chose how often I post, and where I post. I get to chose how the sites function, and how they are monetized and promoted.
It is a very different feeling, but you can also see the advantages of blogging for a network. I never have to worry about servers, advertising, monetization, WordPress upgrades, design, branding, or promotion. My key focus is content, and everything else is someone else’s problem. It allows me to create more, and worry less, all the while knowing I will get paid for the effort I put in.
I don’t know many bloggers working for themselves that after a month can expect the type of pay checks that network backed bloggers will receive.
As the web gets more competitive, and more blogs are added, I feel like I can recommend blogging as a business on your own, less and less. While there are many sacrifices being made as a blog network backed blogger, I don’t know if I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for Darren Rowse, Paul Scrivens, Jacob Gower, and Mark Saunders.
If you want more details on what it is like to be a network backed blogger, I suggest you check out Jennifer Chait’s and Deborah Ng’s Network Blogging Tips.
Java Network Programming, 3rd Edition
Java’s growth over the last 10 years has been nothing short of phenomenal. Given Java’s rapid rise to prominence and the even more spectacular growth of the Internet, it’s a little surprising that network programming in Java is still so mysterious to so many. It doesn't have to be. In fact, writing network programs in Java is quite simple, as this book will show. Readers with previous experience in network programming in a Unix, Windows, or Macintosh environment should be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to write equivalent programs in Java. The Java core API includes well-designed interfaces to most network features. Indeed, there is very little application layer network software you can write in C or C++ that you can’t write more easily in Java. Java Network Programming endeavors to show you how to take advantage Java’s network class library to quickly and easily write programs that accomplish many common networking tasks. Some of these include:
- Browsing pages on the Web
- Parsing and rendering HTML
- Sending email with SMTP
- Receiving email with POP and IMAP
- Writing multithreaded servers
- Installing new protocol and content handlers into browsers
- Encrypting communications for confidentiality, authentication, and guaranteed message integrity
- Designing GUI clients for network services
- Posting data to server side programs
- Looking up hosts using DNS
- Downloading files with anonymous FTP
- Connecting sockets for low-level network communication
- Distributing applications across multiple systems with Remote Method Invocation
Java is the first language to provide such a powerful cross-platform network library, which handles all these diverse tasks. Java Network Programming exposes the power and sophistication of this library. This book’s goal is to enable you to start using Java as a platform for serious network programming. To do so, this book provides a general background in network fundamentals, as well as detailed discussions of Java’s facilities for writing network programs. You’ll learn how to write Java programs that share data across the Internet for games, collaboration, software updates, file transfer, and more. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at HTTP, SMTP, TCP/IP, and the other protocols that support the Internet and the Web. When you finish this book, you’ll have the knowledge and the tools to create the next generation of software that takes full advantage of the Internet.
About the Third Edition
In 1996, in the first chapter of the first edition of this book, I wrote extensively about the sort of dynamic, distributed network applications I thought Java would make possible. One of the most exciting parts of writing subsequent editions has been seeing virtually all of the applications I postulated come to pass. Programmers are using Java to query database servers, monitor web pages, control telescopes, manage multiplayer games, and more, all by using Java’s native ability to access the Internet. Java in general and network programming in Java in particular has moved well beyond the hype stage and into the realm of real, working applications. Not all network software is yet written in Java, but it’s not for a lack of trying. Efforts are well under way to subvert the existing infrastructure of C-based network clients and servers with pure Java replacements. Clients for newer protocols like Gnutella and Freenet are preferentially written in Java. It’s unlikely that Java will replace C for all network programming in the near future. However, the mere fact that many people are willing to use web browsers, web servers, and more written in Java shows just how far we’ve come since 1996.
This book has come a long way, too. The third edition has one completely new chapter to describe the most significant development in network programming since readers and writers were introduced in Java 1.1. I refer of course to the new I/O APIs in the java.nio package. The ability to perform non-blocking I/O operations is critical for high-performance network applications, especially servers. It removes one of the last barriers to using Java for network servers. Many other chapters have been updated to take advantage of these new I/O APIs.
There've been lots of other small changes and updates throughout the java.net and supporting packages in Java 1.4 and 1.5, and these are covered here as well. New classes addressed in this edition include CookieHandler, SocketAddress, Proxy, NetworkInterface, and URI. IPv6 has become a reality, and is now covered extensively. Many other methods have been added to existing classes in the last two releases of Java, and these are discussed in the relevant chapters. I've also rewritten large parts of the book to reflect changing fashions in Java programming in general and network programming in particular. Applets and CGI programs are emphasized much less. In their place, you'll find more generic discussion of remote code execution and server-side environments, however implemented.
Of course, the text has been cleaned up, too. There's only one completely new chapter here, but the 18 existing chapters have been extensively rewritten and expanded to bring them up-to-date with new developments as well as to make them clearer and more engaging. I hope you’ll find this third edition an even stronger, longer-lived, more accurate, and more enjoyable tutorial and reference to network programming in Java than the last edition.
If I've succeeded in piquing your interest, you should be able to find Java Network Programming at almost any bookstore that carries computer books including the Amazon.com. It's also available on Safari. If you need to special order it, the ISBN number is 0-596-00721-3. It's $39.95, published by O'Reilly, and written by me, Elliotte Rusty Harold.
Sconex: Social Networking Designed for High School Students
Although Xanga and myspace have a lot of high school students as users, and facebook recently launched a separate site for high schools, Sconex is actually designed for high school students, with functionality that lets students enter their classes and show their schedule on their profile page. They can also enter teachers. And students from each active school actually serve as Sconex appointed high school advisors. They even say that it is something worthy of putting on a resume:
Reps get special privileges on the Sconex web site and are first in line for free Sconex gear. Plus, taking on the position and responsibility of managing your school's community is something that college admission officers love to see in an application.
Sconex, if I had children, would certainly be a site that I would allow them to use. That's a bit more than I could say about some other sites. Maybe even encourage them. And that's a lot more than I could say about some other sites.
eBook, PDF or CHM? The Priority from NetAP
Cisco has been developing a great deal of industry-leading technologies and I have never seen a conscientious company like Cisco who frequently keeps updating and publishing their documents. We have to say, Cisco brings us a real network world, by its products and its networking technology. Please remember we should respect the experts and authors of Cisco, or we will never becomes them.
It’s no doubt that everyone wants to obtain the eBooks and enjoys them. But sometimes we have the question,
OR
The persons prefer PDF because of many wonderful features in Acrobat such as Cool Type, Smooth text, Comments and Bookmarks, etc. It is the most popular eBook format in the world. PDF improved our reading experiences.
However, there are still some persons prefer CHM and in my humble opinion, most of them are experienced. CHM induces nothing but simple! It is one compiled file with texts, pictures and index. CHM saved our time.
Many PDF fans are trying to obtain the PDF files. But the fact is that, there are two kinds of PDF eBooks, Original PDF from the publishers and Converted PDF from CHM.
The original PDF is perfect and you can print out the same book as the published one. But for the Converted PDF, it has some obvious characters. Let’s have a look.
Some PDF even leaves the “Previous” and “Next” Button from CHM.
Can we make this kind of PDF eBooks from CHM ourselves? Of course. And it is easy! If you search in Google, you can get a large number of pages related with “CHM to PDF”. CHM2PDF pilot, CHM to PDF Converter, Amber CHM Converter…
There is no perfect tools as I tested from CHM to PDF directly. I recommend CHM2Word to convert CHM to DOC first and convert DOC to PDF.
If you are looking forward to PDF but you have CHM, do not wait and do it yourself! You can control the format and make the PDF nice.
In the future, We will follow the priorities below to share,
- Original PDF
- CHM
- Converted PDF
Please feel free to leave a comment. Thank you.
Businesses, Start Social Networking
I've recently chatted with Jim Bert of Web Crossing and he told me all about how his site is set up to help businesses use social networking to advertise and enhance their business online. Set up your own social networking site and even add your own company's branding and link to your company's main Web site.
A business can make money using a social networking site by advertising their business on it, but that's not all. You can also set up a blog and write about what your company is doing and mention any specials you can offer or changes your company is making.
Ask for feedback from your customers. By doing this you may create a following of new and loyal customers. Run ideas though your community members to see what they think and get their opinions. Use your social networking site to keep in touch with clients so you can create better working relationships.
Here are some of the features Web Crossing offers your business:
- Private or public social networking site option
- Blog, complete with the ability to add photos
- Gather friends and create a community
- Create groups and make them public or private
- Photo album
- Chat rooms
- Discussions
- Ability to add widgets and tools
- Network with members, customers and clients
- Store files and make them public or private (more space available if needed)
- RSS feeds
- A link to help you invite other people to join your social networking site
- Fully customizable look and feel including the ability to add your own brand
- Notifications and other personal settings
- Email client so you can send and receive messages between members.
- Three degrees of friendship
- Advanced member search with lots of questions to help you find and make friends
Ways to make money from your site:
- Advertising to get people interested in your product of service
- Offer expert advice to members at a small fee
- Add ads to your site to make money
- Sell items directly from the site
- Link to your main business Web site
Pricing for this service starts as low as $65 per month. There's a free trial service for those of you who want to try it out and see what it can do for your site before committing to it. This may be something to consider whether you're a large business or just a small start up.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Computer Networking Solutions For Small Businesses
Many terms of the computer networking fundamentals for small businesses have come from the physical world of transportation. Some examples of such terms are ports, hubs, bridge, switching and routing. However, this simile is not unjustified because networks have same importance regarding the boom of the information era, as the transportation to the industrial era. Both computer networks and transportation system require very sound infrastructure.
Computer Networking is connecting the Computers: Most fundamental form of computer networking goes back to connecting any two electronic equipments for the transfer of data between them. Third equipment only helps the communication of data. However, connecting a printer to computer simply with the help of a USB cable is not called a network. It will be a part of the network if connected with router or switch. Advent of Internet has forced the most of the companies to think about the computer networking. No matter how small business you are running, you need to have computer-networking facilities for publicity, email and online marketing of your products and services. If you do not have a well-established network of computer, your competitors will leave you behind in contacting the prospective customers.
The Biggest Advantage is File Sharing: File sharing is perhaps the most talked about component of the computer networking fundamentals. File sharing is simply centralized grouping and organization of data files on a network server. Availability of all the data files at one place makes managing documents and data easier. Furthermore, you can also avoid the inconvenience caused by the inconsistant scheme of work among the different departments of the business. The newer versions of the network operating systems give tremendous control to the administrator. He is in complete control whether a person can get access to a particular file or not.
Sharing of Printers Saves Both Time and Money: Second important component of the computer networking fundamentals for small businesses is printer sharing. It saves a lot of money and time that you would have spent on the purchasing and maintenance of printers. The printers connected to the computer network have more features than those connected to single computers.
Email: One should also learn the importance of email to get the full understanding of computer networking fundamentals for small businesses. Group email facilitates fast and effective communication among the employees. Small business can also improve their scheduling, task assignment and contact management with the help of group or internal email. Moreover, in-house communication of documents is better than faxing because group emails are less expensive easier and unbelievably fast.
Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.
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How To Design Network Server
Network server is a most important component of a computer network because the entire computer network is administered, controlled and managed through it. Before designing a network server for your organization, you should have the adequate knowledge about the following things.
Server Processor
Processor is a heart of the CPU. It processes all the commands, instructions and commands and execute them to perform certain actions. Pentium processors are very reliable in performance and speed and trend is growing to use the multiprocessor servers to share the load on each processor. If one processor fails to work due to any reason, there is no effect on the other processor in the same server so it’s a wise decision of the network administrators to use the multiprocessor server for company’s network.
Hard Disk
Hard disks are used to store all the data in permanently. Hard disk is a mechanical device and while selecting the hard disk you should consider the S.M.A.R.T (Smart Monitoring and Reporting Technology). This technology monitors the hard drives and predicts the any failure in the hard drivers. Today, most of the server providers provide hot swap disk drives, this means that if one there is any error occurred in the hard drives, it can be replaced with the other hard drives while the server is in the working mode.
Clustering
In a clustering environment, two or more servers operate as a single server and the failure of the one server does not affect on the other servers. Clustered environment has the benefits such as high performance, reliability and load balancing.
Memory Performance
While selecting the physical memory for the server it should be considered the memory support Error Correcting Code technology. ECC technology fixes and repairs any single bit errors and report the multi bit errors. High memory is very vital for the server for its best performance, speed and continuous work.
Power Supply
Most of the computers come with the multi power supplies. This means in case of failure of the one power supply, does not affect on the other power supply in the same computer and in this way computer works normally. Multi power supplies are hot swappable like the hard disks i.e. faulty power supplies can be replaced with the new ones while the server is in the working mode.
UPS
UPS or uninterrupted power supply are very important in a network environment because a sudden jerk of the electricity may cause of the hard drives or mother boards of the server as well as the other computers in the network. A UPS normally provide a backup of 3-4 hours and during that time server and other computers can be setup and the files or other data can be saved.
Cooling Fans
The cooling system inside the server is provided by the cooling fans. Cooling fans pull the cool air inside the server and through out the heat from the server. The failure of the cooling fan results in the automatic shutdown of the server due to the high buildup of the heat. Many vendors of the computer systems are providing the hot swappable cooling fans.
Computer Monitoring Hardware
There is a specially designed adapter to monitor the performance of the different parts of the hardware of the computer. This adapter can also be controlled by a modem remotely.
Computer Monitoring Software
Different computer monitoring software is available in the market and their main purpose is to monitor the performance of the server and the client computers.
Data Server Location
Network server should be placed in a dust free, cooling capable and clean environment and only the authorized users should be allowed to enter in the server room.
Hopefully my above mentioned tips will help you building a better server for your computer network
B. Bashir manages this website Networking Tutorials and regularly writes articles on various topics such as Computer Networking, Network Troubleshooting Tips Wireless Networking, Computer Hardware, Certifications, How Tos, Network Security Guide and computer tips.
Computer Networking - How It Works
Computer networking is a process of sharing data and shared resources between two or more connected computers. The shared resources can include printer, Fax modem, Hard disk, CD - DVD Rom, Database and the data files. A computer network can be divided into a small or local area network, a networking between computers in a building of a office (LAN), medium sized network (MAN), a network between two offices in a city and Wide network (WAN) a network between the computers, one is locally and the other can be thousands of miles away in any other country of the world.
WAN connectivity is achieved by a network device known as “Router”. The internet is the world’s largest WAN network, where millions of computers from all over the globe and connected with each other.
Networking is the practice of linking two or more computers or devices with each other. The connectivity can be wired or wireless. A computer network can be categorized in different ways, depends on the geographical area as mentioned above.
There are two main types of the computer network client-server and peer to peer. In the client server computing, a computer plays a major role known as server, where the files, data in the form of web pages, docs or spread sheet files, video, database & resources are placed.
All the other computers in the client/server network are called clients and they get the data from the server. In the peer to peer network all the computers play the same role and no computer act as a centralized server. In the major businesses around the world client-server network model is in major use.
A network topology defines the structure, design or layout of a network. There are different topologies like bus, ring, star, mesh, hybrid etc. The star topology is most commonly used network topology. In the star topology, all the computers in the network are connected with a centralized device such as hub or switch. Thus forms a star like structure. If the hubs/switch fails to work for any reason then all the connectivity and communication between the computers of a network will be halted.
In the network, a common communication language is used by the computers and the network devices and this language is known as protocols. The most commonly used and popular protocols on the internet and in the home and other networks is called TCP/IP. TCP/IP is not a singleprotocol but it is a suite of several protocols.
A network can be a wired or wireless and TCP/IP protocol can work both in types of network.
A data flow in a computer network can be divided into seven logical layers called OSI layersmodel that was developed by Intel and Xerox Corporation and was standardized by ISO.
1. Application layer
2. Presentation layer
3. Session layer
4. Transport layer
5. Network layer
6. Data Link layer
a. Media access control sub-layer
b. Logical link control sub-layer
7. Physical layer.
A network can be divided into different scales and ranges and it depends on the requirement of the network and the geographical location. Computer Network can be divided into Local Area Network, Personal Area Network, Campus Area Network, Wireless Local Area Network,Metropolitan Area Network and Wide Area Network.
There are several network connection methods like HomePNA, Power line communication, Ethernet and Wifi connection method.A network can also be categorized into several different types based on the services it provides like Server farms, Storage area networks, Value control networks, Value-Added networks,SOHO network, Wireless network and Jungle networks.
B. Bashir manages this website Networking Tutorials and regularly writes articles on various topics such as Computer Networking Network Troubleshooting Tips Wireless Networking, Computer Hardware, Certifications, How Tos, Network Security Guide and computer tips.
Networking For LAN
Wiring up a LAN (local area network) can be very easy, or it can be very difficult – it all depends on the size of your network, and how you’re trying to go about it.
For a very small home network, you can get by without using any special equipment except the wires. If you want to use a network to share Internet access or a printer, just plug an Ethernet cable into the computers you want to network, and then use the simple networking features that are built into Windows, such as Internet Connection Sharing. This approach has many downsides, though – you’ll need an extra Ethernet card in each computer for every extra computer you connect to the network, for one.
Instead of connecting each computer to the next, it is better to simply connect all the computers to a central router. This is a very efficient way of connecting computers together, as the data you send will be quickly and easily routed to its destination: the data goes to the router, which knows which wire to send it down for it to reach the destination address, and simply sends it that way. This also allows you to turn on and off computers as you please with no ill effects, as the router is always-on.
If you want to connect more devices to the network than the four or five ports on a router will allow, then you need to get a network switch. This allows you to create a separate sector of your network especially for one group of devices. For example, you might have your computer and your printer both plugged into a switch. The computer and the printer can then communicate between themselves without the data needing to travel out onto the wider network – but if they want to send to or receive from the wider network, they can do that too.
John Gibb is the owner of ethernet resources For more information on ethernet check out
http://www.ethernet-intelligence.info
Computer Networking Definition
Computer Networking Definition
Definition of "Computer networking" is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems. Such communicating computer systems constitute a computer network and these networks generally involve at least two devices capable of being networked with at least one usually being a computer. The devices can be separated by a few meters (e.g. via Bluetooth) or nearly unlimited distances (e.g. via the Internet). Computer networking is sometimes considered a sub-discipline of telecommunications, and sometimes of computer science, information technology and computer engineering. Computer networks rely heavily upon the theoretical and practical application of these scientific and engineering disciplines.
A computer network is any set of computers or devices connected to each other. Examples of networks are the Internet, a wide area network that is the largest to ever exist, or a small home local area network (LAN) with two computers connected with standard networking cables connecting to a network interface card in each computer.
Networking Methods
Networking is a complex part of computing that makes up most of the IT Industry. Without networks, almost all communication in the world would cease to happen. It is because of networking that telephones, televisions, the internet, etc. work.
There are two (broad) types of networks in existence at the moment. These are:
Local Area Network (LAN)
A Local Area Network is a network that spans a relatively small space and provides services to a small amount of people. Depending on the amount of people that use a Local Area Network, a peer-to-peer or client-server method of networking may be used. A peer-to-peer network is where each client shares their resources with other workstations in the network. Examples of peer-to-peer networks are: Small office networks where resource use is minimal and a home network. A client-server network is where every client is connected to the server and each other. Client-server networks use servers in different capacities. These can be classified into two types: Single-service servers, where the server performs one task such as file server, print server, etc.; while other servers can not only perform in the capacity of file servers and print servers, but they also conduct calculations and use these to provide information to clients (Web/Intranet Server). Computers are linked via Ethernet Cable, can be joined either directly (one computer to another), or via a network hub that allows multiple connections.
Wide Area Network (WAN)
A Wide Area Network is a network where a wide variety of resources are deployed across a large domestic area or internationally. An example of this is a multinational business that uses a WAN to interconnect their offices in different countries. The largest and best example of a WAN is the Internet, which is the largest network in the world.
Wireless Networks (WLAN, WWAN)
A wireless network is basically the same as a LAN or a WAN but there are no wires between hosts and servers. The data is transfered over sets of radio trancievers. These types of networks are beneficial when it is to costly or inconvenient to run the necessary cables. For more information, see Wireless LAN and Wireless wide area network
In order for communication to take place between computers, mediums must be used. These mediums include Protocols, Physical Routers and Ethernet, etc. This is covered by Open Systems Interconnection which comprises all the processes that make information transport possible.
Wireless LANs
Not all networks are connected with cabling; some networks are wireless. Wireless LANs use high frequency radio signals, infrared light beams, or lasers to communicate between the workstations and the file server or hubs. Each workstation and file server on a wireless network has some sort of transceiver/antenna to send and receive the data. Information is relayed between transceivers as if they were physically connected. For longer distance, wireless communications can also take place through cellular telephone technology, microwave transmission, or by satellite.
Wireless networks are great for allowing laptop computers or remote computers to connect to the LAN. Wireless networks are also beneficial in older buildings where it may be difficult or impossible to install cables.
The two most common types of infrared communications used in schools are line-of-sight and scattered broadcast. Line-of-sight communication means that there must be an unblocked direct line between the workstation and the transceiver. If a person walks within the line-of-sight while there is a transmission, the information would need to be sent again. This kind of obstruction can slow down the wireless network.
Scattered infrared communication is a broadcast of infrared transmissions sent out in multiple directions that bounces off walls and ceilings until it eventually hits the receiver. Networking communications with laser are virtually the same as line-of-sight infrared networks.
Wireless LANs have several disadvantages. They provide poor security, and are susceptible to interference from lights and electronic devices. They are also slower than LANs using cabling.
Get Going with Computer Consulting!
As you are getting ready to get started in computer consulting, you need to exercise careful planning. Pick a company name, get your business cards printed, think about which types of customers you want to chase and where you will meet them. How can you accomplish all this?
Business Cards
When you are starting out in computer consulting, you need to print business cards. They probably won’t last you forever, because you may decide to change your company name, phone number or address. Just get them reprinted! But having business cards in the beginning can motivate you as you pass them out to all your friends and family members.
Talk about Your Computer Consulting Business
When you are out and about and meeting people at kids’ soccer games, church, synagogue or simply standing on line at the movies, you may have the opportunity to talk about your computer consulting business and hand out business cards. These informal networking opportunities can give you future business as these people can become a part of your extended sales force.
Get Involved!
You need to get active in local organizations designed for small business owners. Look at three or four trade groups and start attending meetings. Examples: chamber of commerce; user groups; trade groups; industry-specific trade groups.
Computer Consulting: What Do You Know?
A lot of times it makes sense to choose a specialty in computer consulting that matches your background. You can always expand your services as your business grows, but if you start with a niche you already know, you will be competent and increase your credibility. You will also be more likely to develop a strong marketing message and be memorable to prospects. You will not be like everyone else your prospects might find in the phone book or anywhere else.
Are There Enough Prospects?
You need to make sure there are enough prospects in your computer consulting niche before you start to market to it. As an example, if you have a nursing background, you may focus early activities on small doctor’s offices. Just make sure there are 500-1,000 prospects within an hour of where you are located. This will help you target your message and get attention.
Think about branding your company with your industry focus by putting it in your computer consulting name, i.e., add “health care systems,” “medical office systems” or some other hybrid as part of your company name.
Computer Consultants: 7 Profit Secrets
As computer consultants, you will need to rely on strategies to help you maximize your profits. Focusing on profits might seem simple, but it is something that is based on business know-how and can often be a problem for computer consultants. Many owners fall in love with technology and get sucked into channel programs. But, your computer consulting company is a business, and you need to follow specific techniques to keep it running.
The following are 7 profit secrets that can send you on your way.
1. Be motivated computer consultants. You don’t want to be labeled as just a “geek,” so you need to act like a virtual CIO for hire that is concerned about his/her clients’ complex problems.
2. Dedicate yourself to constant improvement. Computer consultants need to work very hard to get the best clients, so you need to think about lifetime customer value, not just one-shot deals. Remember that your solution needs to be long term and be well-plotted.
3. Get creative with clients. Small businesses need to typically follow strict budgets. Your solutions have to work without the need for an in-house staff, which means you might have to think creatively.
4. Look at how clients’ systems are working today. You need to look both at paper- and technology-based items with your clients. Your role as a virtual CIO is to figure out how clients are meeting and not meeting present and future needs, so you have to look at everything.
5. Think about what your clients’ clients will need from them. You have to have good people skills and empathy for your clients’ business problems. But you also have to truly “get” what your clients are up against when it comes to THEIR clients.
6. Keep up to date with new versions and advances. Computer consultants need to advise their clients about which tools can best help their businesses grow. Don’t let research and development and training take up all your time, but stay ahead of the game.
7. Summarize information and share it with clients. The main point of your research and development and training should be to find out whether or not a new platform or tool will really add value to your clients’ present or future installations. And computer consultants need to summarize findings in a way their business-minded clients can understand.
IT Marketing: Get More from Those Direct Mail Postcards!
A big problem that can happen when computer consultants put together a direct mail postcard campaign as part of their IT marketing plan is a lack of urgency. Without urgency, prospects – even those with a need and interest in hiring you – will have no reason to do so right now. Your card will get filed away indefinitely.
However, if your prospect receives a postcard that says your company is offering a free system analysis to the first 25 people that respond in your greater area, there’s much more of a reason to act on that IT marketing postcard. They might think to themselves that their computers ARE really screwed up and that free system analysis with no obligation is a really great deal. They’ll be more likely to call you NOW.
IT Marketing: You Need to Limit Your Response
If you don’t want to limit the number of people that respond to your IT marketing postcard, limit the date by which they have to respond. Urgency and scarcity are critical to a high response rate. If you want someone to act NOW, you need to give them a clear deadline by which to respond.
The Experts Know Best
If you need help designing your IT marketing postcards, talk to an expert. This will be a copywriter or someone retired from working with direct response vehicles for a large company. If you ask for advice from just a general business owner, you’re not going to get very far. You need someone that comes from a mail order background, direct mail background or that does a lot of online advertising, has worked for an advertising agency or has dealt in direct selling with measured response.
The Key to IT Marketing
Remember – your direct mail postcard campaign is about creating a sense of urgency, scarcity, deadlines and having compelling headlines and a handle on a source of pain. Motivate your potential clients to act NOW or NEVER!
Remote Desktop
Ultra VNC is one of the best tool for remote desktop as per my opinion . It gives us real desktop of the remote computer via Internet or LAN connection. It is Free.
For Downloading the setup of the Ultra VNC click below link
Ultra VNC
How to install Ultra VNC
The setup installs Ultra VNC Server and Viewer
It is really Good Software for network administrator.
Installation:-
Step:-1 Double click the setup icon. it will start installation first screen is like this press OK Button.
Step:- 2 press next button
Step: - 3 click on I accept the Agreement radio button than press next button
Step:-5 press next button
Step:-7 Press next button until you get the below screen and click the check box shown as below screen.
Step:-8 press next button and next windows will ask for install press install button
Step: - 9 press next and finish button it will ask for password during the installation for VNC server don’t forget to provide password it is used for authentication while using the Ultra VNC viewer
Note: - you must install the Ultra VNC to the all computer which you want to use remotely.
How to Use the Ultra VNC
Press Start – all Programs – Ultra VNC – click on ultra VNC viewer icon
Write computer name or IP of the computer in the field of VNC server
Than, it will ask for password write the password of remote computer Ultra VNC server password.
And you will get your remote computer desktop screen in your computer.
Enjoy using Ultra VNC
NTLDR is Missing
If your pc give the below error than do the below step to resolve error
NTLDR is Missing Press any key to restart
Solution :-
1. Change your pc boot Priority and make first boot cd rom/dvd
2.than restart from cd and wait till it ask you for press r for Recovery
3. press r
4. choose which windows if you have more than one os install in your pc write the number and press enter key
5. provide your pc's administrator password and run below command to reslove the problem
copy e:\i386\ntldr c:\
copy e:\i386\ntdetect.com
here, e:\ is the cd rom drive
if it ask for overwrite than press "y"
than,
write exit press enter
than root from your hard disk
now window will start work
If you want more details below is the link
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318728
