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SpyWare24



Prevent hackers from spying and accessing your actions on a computer. Most Anti Virus programs out there try to find specific elements in spy programs to identify them. The problem is, there are millions of viruses and spy programs out there. By finding common features of these spy programs and viruses, we're able to detect the vast majority of them. We have designed it so it knows where to look, and what to do. Nitrous Anti Spy has the ability to tell you every dynamic link library, system task, and thread process currently active on your machine, showing the file location of the active program. Along with this, it has the ability to stop the current process.

Nitrous Anti Spy also comes along with a port scanner and a firewall. These utilities locate open ports on your machine, as well as monitor other commonly used ports. NAS has a database of ports used by hackers and the common Trojan spy programs out there. Nitrous Anti Spy also can show you what files load on startup, as well as a built-in registry editor.

Nitrous Anti Spy comes along with all these advanced features, but do you want to know the best part? Nitrous Anti Spy does not conflict with other Anti Virus programs. Use them as you normally do, and run NAS on the side. NAS is designed to allow a user to scan a file that he has downloaded or found that he is not familiar with. NAS does not auto scan any file opened; NAS does not load on startup and does not make any changes to your INI files or Registry. Nitrous Anti Spy does nothing secret. You, the user, have full control of this program. Nitrous Anti Spy also can update its virus databases, as well as check for new program updates.
 

Here is a more in-depth description of Nitrous Anti Spy's Features:


Easy to use interface:



  • Easy way to select what type of scans (deep search or standard).
  • Easy Setup - Simple installer and fully customizable scan list.
  • Able to add specific files, one at a time, or directory at a time.
  • Able to remove certain files that the user does not wish to scan.
  • Able to add recommended files, or all files.
  • Displays how many files are in the scan list.
  • Displays how many infected files are found.
  • Displays how big each file being scanned is.
  • Displays the progress of each file, as well as the overall scan progress.
  • Able to delete, mark read, mark read-write access to files.



Special Added Features:



  • Includes an Internet Firewall/Port Monitor.
  • Includes a Registry Scanner.
  • Includes a Startup file scanner.
  • Includes a Port Scanner on your local machine.



System Task Monitor:


Monitors all programs running, giving the file location.
Displays ALL program windows and DLL Threads in use by the Windows OS.

Ability to scan the selected program.


System INI Scans:


Ability to scan your INI files that are used during bootup.
Ability to clean the INI files if they contain an infected file.


Virus Database view and Information:


Displays a certain number of viruses/Trojans detected.
Displays information about certain keywords used in virus detection.


Upgraded Features:


Scan Code for Standard Search has been upgraded to 3x faster than the original.
Deep Search can now stop during the file in progress.
Detailed File Progress window.
Easier to use interface.
Professional Update feature, including BUILD checking to ensure the latest EXE version.
New database code.
More added definitions as well as modified old ones.


Other Important Information:


Runs on Windows 95, 98, ME. (Untested for Windows NT/2000)
Gives the user full control of the program.
Easy to use interfaces.
Ability to exit a directory scan faster than the previous version.
Ability to update its virus databases, as well as the EXE itself.
Simple, quick, and professional Setup.

Spyware Removal



Spyware Removal is a web site that design to give you relevant information, and methods on how to block spyware.

It will also give you information relevant to security and malware.

Spyware also pronounces spyware is a piece of software that design to spy and steal information from an infected device.

The spying methods of spyware can be recording keystroke to steal private password and other sensitive information.

Spyware Removal


Spyware can also be used to track your online activity for statistics and to recommend you on sites that are like the one you using.
It can also use to force you with unwanted home page and an unwanted popup that may cause your system to be slow.

Know that: unwanted popup may include sexual and pills materials.

Another type of spyware can be a Trojan that may install on your system and do all kind of stuff to your system.

Like open a backdoor, download more malware into your computer and so on.

The best way to fight spyware is to install antivirus software, anti-malware software and run them on a regular basis.

Keep them update with new file definition.

I also recommended using some tools that not required installation, more about it in this article.


Malware worth money:

Another aspect that needs to be taken into consideration in related to spyware is that there is a lot of money involved in this field.

The stolen information can be sold for a high price to someone that needs it and know how to use it.

Think what a database of 1 million users with emails, phone number and address can do for a company that sends spam messages.

To prevent infection and to be able to use spyware removal tools you have to be a security-aware user.

We all read or hear on the news about hacker hacking into organization stealing sensitive data, most of the time that data can be related to us, a user that uses the hack site.


Spyware removal as the human virus:

Like in real life, when we have a virus we need to take medicine to be cure from that virus. Like in real life. We can immune our self for some of the viruses, by getting a vaccine on a regular basis. Preventing, not 100%, the infection of that virus. Most of the time, if the vaccine is good and we do get ill by that virus, it is much easier for our body to fight that virus and the illness can be easy for us.

Also for spyware, we can use some tools that we can install on our system. We can also make a non-install spyware removal arsenal tools that we can use on a regular basis.

Let me give you a tip, and that is probably the best tip that you can get in related to the malware in general and spyware, in particular, think before acting, let me explain to you why.


Think before act:

First, you need to understand spyware like any other type of malware is a file, a file that when it runs it starts doing something that can be flag as problematic if no one runs this file it can’t harm your system.

Spyware can be attached to another legit file. For example, you can download the game from some ware and spyware can be attached to one of the executable game files.  Once this file runs the spyware will also start running and start doing what it designs to do – infecting your system.

Spyware can be hiding in images, in URL and can be sent over by emails and social network.

So to think before act means when you thinking to press on an image that was sent to you look if the image is a link.

Right-click it and copy the link. Check in google if that link is a legit site, a document or a malicious site that may install spyware into your system.


Antivirus software:

Antivirus software, using some sort of algorithm to try and identify if the file is legit, a type of malware or Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), there are 2 main scanning methods that antivirus using.


Database signature:

The first is against a database that contains the signature of files known as malware. Every antivirus vendor holds a signature of files that represent malware. Then they classifying them into a signature. Using this method it can flag a new variant of know malware as malware.

In the old days, you used to generate a signature for the file. Then the antivirus scanner just compares the current scanning file against signatures in its database. If it gets a match it flags the file as malware.

Due to the fact that every bit of change to the file changes its signature, this technique was less officiant.

So, the classification method was created. In this method, the created signatures are from parts in the file. Most of the malware share common code between more than one type of malware. It also true to a new variant of the same malware.


Heuristic scanning:

The easiest way to understand heuristic scanning is to think about a list of common function to all malware. Then give each function a number that represents its danger level. Now when scanning a file, if the score it gets is more than a selected number flag it as malware.

A basic example will say that if the file is using a file packer we can rise to the score. If the file tries to copy itself to another file, we can also raise the score.

file packer is common in malware, as they encrypt the real file.

The big disadvantage that the heuristic method has is a false positive. Means we flag files as malware even if they were not malware. Modern antiviruses are managed to reduce it to zero false positives nowadays.


Antimalware software:

It started as a sidekick tool to Antivirus, with the changes in the security terms, and the new variants of viruses or alike, a new term create malware, the general term that under it contain viruses, Trojan, spyware, rootkit, adware and more.

Antimalware supposed to be a full security tool. Due to its name, it needs to find and remove all types of malware. Including Trojans, viruses, spyware, adware, worms, rootkits, phishing, etc.

With that in mind today antivirus and antimalware scan, find and remove all types of malware. You are covered by both of them. The cool thing is that they can live together on the same device.

If you ask me, use both.

This is like getting another opinion about your problem. Let them both scan your system in trying to find malware that can hard your system

Arsenal tools to have:

We need some tools in the out arsenal to fight spyware and other types of malware. To start with we need to understand what we have out there.

We have to types of tools, we have free tools that give you basic features and paid tools that can give you some additional features.

There is some free antivirus that you can download from the internet. These tools will give you the option to scan files, delete infected files, free updates, and real-time monitoring to catch virus as they come in.

Same goes to anti-malware tools. There are free that you can download, and install, most of the free version does not include real-time protection in them.

Other than Antivirus and Antimalware there are some other tools that you need to know about. They are tools that do not require installation and can be run on demand. You can download them from the internet and use them.

Put them on a USB disk, an example, to check other computers that you have and run them from the USB device.

Mobile devices:

With the rise of mobile devices like tablets and smartphones it was just a matter of time till we can find malware to mobile devices.

They are here for quite a long time and they are here to stay. As today everyone uses its device for a lot of task from payments, banks, social account and more.

The devices are getting stronger from the hardware perspective and use in a home network and connected to other devices, like your home PC.

A mobile device is another option to malware writer to spread the malicious code, in mobile devices they can steal sensitive information, spread to other devices, use it to enter block locations and more.

Today we look on vulnerabilities as options to use for spreading malware and hacking into devices. Mobile devices have a lot of tools and games that still need to be investigated. This is probably the next step in security.

Today, you can download free antivirus for your mobile device. You should do it if you haven’t done it yet. It is important to make your device as secure as possible. There is a lot of private information on phone devices.

The same role applies here as in your local PC, awareness, and thinking. We all use our mobile for email, social and other online activities, we need to think before we do.

Emails:

Emails are one of the most used methods to spreads spyware and other types of malware. It can be useful to target organizations by sending email to list of users in that organization. If one of the users will press the link in the email the entire organization can be infected.

Using that the attacker can gain access into sensitive organization data, like customers, user data central database and so on.

One of the stronger security methods that are in use and include machine learning technique is the email spammer.

That base on all kind of parameters can flag emails as spam. Automatically delete them or send them into the spam/junk folder in your email.

Facebook:

We all know Facebook the bigger social network. This social network knows a lot of information about people, due to the fact that people share all their life in that network.

The thing before the act is real relevance to Facebook. You have to remember that everything you send online stays online, and can be used to identify you.

In Facebook, you need to verify that you apply all the security option that you have to make your account safe from hackers, and spammers.

they can use your account to spam your wall and friends and to spread malware.

You also need to be aware that pressing on images in Facebook can lead to a phishing site that can be used to hack your account. No, I do not say that you should not press on images or links. Just think before you press.


Ask yourself:


Do you know the user that sent you the link?

How many users press this link?


If you move your mouse on the link see what is the target site it is pointing.

LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks:
What true for Facebook is true for other social networks. Images may contain phishing links and links may be phishing.

The best way is to check the link before you click on it.

There are a lot of shorten URL services, that let you take a long URL and make it short.

A lot of users post short URL to save characters, so do phishing URLs.

If you were unsure about a URL you can use an un-short URL service to see what the real site is. Most of the services are free to use and you can find them on the internet with a small search.

As an example, I found out that some of the links lead to sexual content.


File downloading:

File downloading is something that we do on a daily basis. Actually, when we go into a website, we are downloading HTML, CSS and JavaScript files that represent the site we are in.

An antivirus with real-time monitoring should check each file we download to see if it contains malicious code.

In case of downloading a compressed file (like zip, rar, etc.) I will recommend you to let your antivirus scan the file and the files inside it to verify that it does not contain some sort of spyware.

P2P networks like torrents:

I am not going to write a lot about it. Just make sure your antivirus software is installed and up to date. That will ensure that you are covered in the case of malware. It will give you more protection against spyware or other malware in the downloaded file.

Make sure the P2P software you are using is updated to the latest version. The latest version supposed to be included with the last fix and patches.

Public WiFi environment – your loved coffee shop:

Today we have free WIFI almost everywhere. We all like to connect our laptop, table, and smartphone to that free WIFI. We need to remember that public networks can be used by everyone.

What if some of the users that use it are hackers. What if he uses a sniffing tool to catch passwords over the network. My recommendations are to reduce the use of the public network to enter the sensitive account, like your bank account.

Data backup:

To close all this long article, I would like to mention backup. Yes, we all know about it, and if we lose our data once we start doing it!

Backup is important to do as part of our weekly task. We all take a ton of pictures, write articles and another thing that we need to backup in case something happens. Keep in mind that even after using spyware removal it may be too late if your files were changed by the spyware.

In the case of mobile devices. You can configure automatic backup to one of the cloud services. The imported thing is that we make another copy of our data.

Online backup can use one of the cloud services. Starting with the free account and depending on your needs pay for more. It can also be used from your local computer. Using a tool that can sync and upload files that had been changed. You can also upload the files manually from time to time.

Offline backup is using an external device like a USB hard drive. Copy the data to that hard drive, you can also find a tool to automate the process of this process. Keep in mine. You will also have to transfer your file from your mobile device into the external hard disk.

In general, it is highly recommended to make a backup of your data. In a case of a problem like spyware other malware or even an electrical fault, your data may be damaged or deleted. With a regular data backup process, you can save your data! Keep that in mine.

Conclusion:

As a conclusion to this article;

I would like to mention that there are spyware, malware and other malicious that may harm your device. Using some of the free tools, like antivirus and antimalware to protect your system is a must.

But always be aware as awareness of what you are pressing on, installing and using it up to you.

Hope you enjoy the article and other articles on our spyware removal website.

Please share with us all your thought, recommendations and comments.

If you like it or it helps you please share it with your friend on your social network.

Spector Pro as a Child Recording Tool


The Internet opens a world of possibilities for your children that were not available when you were a child, or even as recently as a few years ago.

From a personal computer with an Internet connection, your child has access to almost any encyclopedia, dictionary, book, magazine or newspaper in the world. Your child can chat with friends and relatives, meet new people, learn foreign languages, develop new interests.

There is no doubting the tremendous benefits the Internet brings to your family.

The flip side is that, while the world is at your child's fingertips, the world is also allowed into your home.

While most of these people who come into your home through the Internet are very nice, some of them are looking for your name, your address, phone number, and other personal information. Some are even looking for a child with whom to have sex.

In fact, it is estimated that at least 50,000 pedophiles descend on the Internet every day with one goal in mind: to find a child, strike up a relationship, and eventually meet with the child.

What can you do?

As a parent, you essentially have 3 choices:


  • Disconnect your child from the Internet.
  • Filter or censor what your child can access on the Internet.
  • Monitor and Record what your child does online and whom he/she chats with so that you can better guide your child as to what is appropriate and what is inappropriate.


Option number 1 is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. There is too much value to be derived from the Internet to shut it off, and your child will be at a tremendous disadvantage when part of their homework assignment is to do research on the Internet.

Filtering or censoring is, in our opinion, better than option 1, and until recently, was about your only option. However, there are far too many problems with filtering and censoring.

The first problem with filtering is that it depends on your constantly downloading lists that prevent your child from visiting certain sites. Since thousands of new sites come onto the Internet each day, keeping up is virtually impossible.

The second problem with filtering is that every family has a different set of values about what is objectionable and what is acceptable. There is no way that anyone filter list can be appropriate for all families.

The third problem is that many filtering/censoring products create lists of keywords which, when encountered, prevent you or your child from accessing a site that has that keyword.

So disconnecting your child from the Internet is not a good choice, and filtering/censoring is a poor choice. That leaves the third option: monitoring and recording what your child does online, and whom your child talks to online.

With this option, your child has access to the Internet and there is no filtering or censoring. However, if you inform your child that he/she is being monitored and recorded and that you can review what has been done later, your child will behave much more responsibly when surfing the Internet.

In addition, because you can review with your child their online activity, you can help guide your child as to what is appropriate and what is inappropriate.

In addition, through reviewing chat conversations and e-mails, you can determine whether an adult stranger has been trying to develop a questionable relationship with your child, long before it has a chance to develop into something that could become dangerous.

After examining the options available to address the very real dangers children face on the Internet, SpectorSoft decided that monitoring and recording was the most reasonable option.

 when they are surfing the Internet, but we also understand that a parent cannot always be present when the child is online. Spector Pro helps to bridge that gap, by recording what the child does so that the parent can review this at a later time.

Because Spector Pro acts as a video recorder for PC and Internet activity, you will be able to SEE EXACTLY what your child has been doing online. Spector Pro records all web sites visited, all programs run, all keystrokes typed, all chat conversations, and all e-mails sent and received. Spector Pro even records Internet-based e-mails like Hotmail and Yahoo Mail.

Spector Pro as an Employee Recording Tool


Every recent study on the topic of employee surfing on the job comes to one common conclusion: Employees spend TWICE AS MUCH TIME SURFING AT WORK as they do at home.

While Internet access can be a great tool to provide your employees, it also comes with its own set of problems: inappropriate surfing (pornography, chat, instant messaging, etc...), spending too much time on non-work related web sites, leaking company confidential information via email or on anonymous chat boards, propagating racially or sexually offensive emails, utilizing company resources to engage in illegal or unethical activities.

Employees who have Internet access at work average MORE THAN ONE HOUR PER DAY SURFING the INTERNET. Some employees spend THREE HOURS PER DAY or MORE surfing.

Guess what? They're not working when they're surfing!!!!

Spector Pro is designed to significantly reduce or eliminate these problems. To learn more about Spector Pro as a solution for your business, click a topic below:

  • Help Desk Tool
  • Performance Evaluation Tool
  • Illegal Activity Monitor
  • Increase Productivity
  • Confidential Information Control
  • Harassment Prevention Tool



Control Exposure To Legal & Financial Hazards

LOST PRODUCTIVITY is only one of the problems with employees surfing.

POTENTIAL LEGAL LIABILITY is a second major problem.

What happens when employees propagate racially or sexually offensive e-mails and jokes?

What happens if one of your employees using a company computer to seduce a child over the Internet? If they use your computers to gamble online?

LEAKING OF COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION is the third big problem associated with uncontrolled Internet access.

What happens when an employee goes into financial chat sites and starts leaking company secrets? When they create rumors to try to manipulate your company's stock price? When does a disgruntled employee start e-mailing the competition your customer lists?

Spector Pro Takes Control


What can you do about this, short of taking away their Internet access altogether?

You could choose a filtering solution. But filtering is well known to have three major problems: constant updating, preventing access to totally legitimate sites and often allowing access to completely objectionable sites.

You can RECORD what they do with Spector Pro. Spector Pro acts like a hidden camcorder, constantly taking pictures of what each employee is doing, without slowing down their work at all. In addition, Spector Pro will save a copy of all incoming and outgoing email, create a log of chat and instant messages as well as record every keystroke typed!

And how do people act when they know they are being watched? They are on their best behavior. You can expect a significant drop in the kinds of activities that threaten the survival of your company.

With Spector Pro, you will be able to quickly identify the employees who are the worst offenders and have the VISUAL proof to handle the situation in the manner you deem most appropriate.

When you need to KNOW EXACTLY what your employees are doing Online and Offline with company computers, Spector is the tool of choice.

Spector Pro spyware


1. Will Spector Pro work on my PC?


Yes, as long as you are running Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 98, Window 2000 or Windows NT 4 or above and have a Pentium-based CPU running at 150 MHz or faster.

(NOTE: Spector 2.x supports Windows 95 - for more information. click here)

2. How much memory is appropriate for Spector Pro?


Spector Pro will run with 32M of memory, but we suggest 64M of memory or more for optimal performance.

3. How much disk space does Spector Pro take?


This depends on many factors, such as how frequently you set Spector Pro to save your screen snapshots, whether you save in full color or 4-bit grayscale. It also depends on how heavily you use your PC.

4. How does Spector Pro protect my child from Internet pedophiles?


It provides a great deterrent and allows you to be aware that such activity has been attempted.

One of the biggest deterrents to pedophiles is getting caught. If a pedophile has an online conversation with your child, Spector Pro will record that conversation.

Further, if a pedophile suspects that he/she is being recorded, they will quickly move on to another target. As more and more people use Spector Pro, pedophiles will begin to notice, and most likely stop going after children, at least on the Internet.

5. Is Spector Pro like the Internet filtering programs?


No. We at SpectorSoft do not believe that filters are very effective. They too often don't catch the web sites you want to stay away from, and they often prevent you from visiting completely legitimate sites.

When people know they may be watched, they are much more careful about what they do.

6. Can I use Spector Pro and an Internet filtering program at the same time?


Yes.

7. Will Spector Pro work with my other PC applications besides the Internet?


Yes. Spector Pro records PC activity for all of your applications, including word processors, spreadsheets, financial programs, databases, communications, and even games. If you are concerned about how much time your employees are spending playing games at work, you'll be able to see exactly how they are spending their time with Spector Pro.

8. Am I allowed to install this software on somebody else's computer?


You may only install Spector Pro, Spector or eBlaster on a computer that you own.

Before you install the software, you must agree to use it only on a computer you own.

9. Can I use the information recorded with Spector as evidence in a court of law?


SpectorSoft cannot guarantee that you will be able to use the recordings in a court of law. A judge determines the admissibility of evidence on a case by case basis.

10. Should I inform my employees or others that they are being monitored?


Yes.

11. But, if I tell them, I'm afraid they will try to circumvent the software.


That is why Spector Pro has a super Stealth feature.

When installed in Stealth mode, Spector Pro does not show up as an icon, does not appear in the Windows system tray, does not appear in Windows Programs, does not show up in the Windows task list, cannot be uninstalled without the Spector Pro password which YOU specify, and Spector Pro does not slow down the operation of the computer it is recording.


12. Does Spector Pro come with a money-back guarantee?


If Spector Pro does not perform as advertised, please notify us within 72 hours of purchase. Assuming you have notified us within 72 hours of purchase, if we are unable to resolve the issue within 3 days of your notifying us, we will refund your purchase price in FULL.

13. How easy is Spector Pro to install and use?


We have designed Spector Pro to be very easy to install and use. Installation should take less than two minutes. After that, you click on the Record button to start recording PC and Internet activity and a Playback button to review recorded activity. If you want to get more sophisticated, Spector Pro makes that easy too with simple menus and online help.

14. I would like to purchase and download Spector Pro on the computer I am currently using, but install it on another computer. Is this possible?


Yes, as long as the other computer is owned by you. Please do not install Spector Pro on a computer you do not own, as you may violate state or local law by monitoring the activities of property that does not belong to you.

When your purchase is complete you will be given a download link and serial number. This will allow you to download and install Spector Pro from any computer connected to the internet. Alternatively, you can save the Spector Pro installation file to a CD-R and then use the CD to install on another computer.

Please note that the software license for Spector Pro allows for one installation per purchase. If you would like to install Spector Pro on more than one computer, you may click here to add licenses anytime or call our office toll-free at (888) 598-2788 during operating hours and ask for multiple license pricing.

15. What is the difference between Spector Pro and eBlaster? Which product is right for me?


Let's assume that you are a parent who wants to monitor the Internet activity of your children and that you will be installed on the computer your children use.

If you have access to this computer frequently, and can check the computer for a few minutes once or twice a day to see what your children have been doing online, then Spector Pro is probably the more appropriate product for you because it will be able to SHOW you in EXACT detail what they have been doing. (E-mails, chat conversations, instant messages, web sites visited, keystrokes typed, applications launched -- additionally, Spector Pro will continuously take snapshots of what is on the computer screen and allowing you to play back these snapshots at your convenience.)

 you want to see basic reports of the web sites they are visiting and transcripts of their chat sessions, then eBlaster is likely the more appropriate product for you.

That is because eBlaster records chat conversations, keystrokes typed and the names of web sites visited and can notify you via e-mail as frequently as every 30 minutes. So, if you are at work for many hours a day while your children are home from school using the Internet, then you can automatically be notified via e-mail what they are doing.

Many of our customers choose to get BOTH Spector Pro and eBlaster because they want the convenience of the detailed screen snapshots that Spector Pro provides.

For a detailed comparison chart of all SpectorSoft Products and their Features, click here.

16. I know Spector Pro works for a dial-up connection. I have a cable modem. Will Spector Pro still work?


Yes. Spector Pro works independently of how you connect to the Internet. Whether your connection is with AOL, via modem dial-up, using a cable modem or DSL, or simply using a proxy server or local area network connection, Spector Pro is guaranteed to work.

17. How soon can I get Spector Pro?


Spector Pro is available now for immediate electronic download.

Using our secure server, you can purchase, download, install and begin using Spector Pro in less than 10 minutes, even if you download using a 28K modem!


DNS Made Easy Suffers from DDOS Attack



DNS has restored services and mended customer relationship since being a victim to a denial of service attack at a 50Gbps.

It still remains unclear who the hacking culprits are and for what reason they interfered with DNS Made Easy’s System.  One forecasted reason is that hackers with a possible grudge with the DNS Made Easy Website may have hired a botnet to flood DNS Made Easy with endless and worthless traffic.

Lasting up to eight hours, the company said that 1.5 hours of actual downtime was experienced at the time of the attack.

Just after the first sign of attack carriers such as Level3, Tata, Tinet, GlobalCrossing, and Deutsche Telekom supported DNS Made Easy to block the hackers.  The size of the attack was so large that it immediately infested the core of the network with junky traffic.

DNS Made Easy is known for its specialization in global IP Anycast enterprise DNS services thus it would not be expected that such an attack would be pointed towards the company.  Many network security companies including The SANS Institute’s Internet Storm Center are eager to learn more about this attack and its cause.

According to a study done by DDoS mitigation experts, the most forceful attacks recorded in 2009 hit 49Gbps.  Experts stated that the most common attacks ranging from 1-4 Gbps.

New Ultra DDI Offered by Neustar


Neustar Inc. announced a new way to easily integrate internal DNS, DHCP, and IPAM (IP Address Management) operations.

The new service called Neustar Ultra DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) managed service consists of networking equipment using Infoblox appliances in addition to issue resolution, hardware lifecycle replenishment, software updates and equipment replacements. Neustar gurus conduct 24/7 monitoring and upgrading of backend DNS and DHCP operations while viewing approximately fifty health and usage parameters for proactive infrastructure management and case response. Neustar also keeps a database of important DNS and DHCP data points to allow trending and preparing for future growth and governance.

“Neustar exists to simplify network complexity,” said Alex Berry, senior VP of Neustar’s Internet Infrastructure Services (IIS) group. “DNS and DHCP are the linchpins for unifying networks and enhancing communications and it is becoming increasingly time- and labor-intensive for our customers to juggle multi-vendor management and network troubleshooting on their own. More customers are realizing that it simply makes good business sense to trust Neustar. We have built a sterling reputation in delivering and managing the core services underlying IP network infrastructures.”

Developing on the growth of Neustar’s December 2009 announcement, in which a strategic alliance with Infoblox was announced, the Ultra DDI solution delivers top DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management (IPAM) solutions to enterprise, public sector and service provider industries. With Ultra DDI, clients are enabled to use Neustar’s deep expertise in managed DNS services via Infoblox’s appliance-based systems allowing for high performance, reliability, and security as well as a significant decrease in operating costs.

“Infoblox and Neustar are rightfully regarded as leaders in their respective markets – and the collaboration between our two companies has resulted in an unparalleled service combination,” added Kevin Dickson, VP of Product Management at Infoblox. “We are excited that our relationship continues to mature, and this launch marks the next point of that evolution.”

Prevent Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) Attacks with DNSSEC

New Jersey-based Comodo has now taken over Portland-based DNS.com, a provider of domain names and internet security services. Dan Kimball, the CEO of DNS.com will now work with Comodo after the transition takes place.  The financial terms of the acquisition will not be revealed. 
 DNS is a provider of secure domain name system services to other businesses and Comodo is a security tools provider for the enterprise market.

Prevent Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) Attacks with DNSSEC



The DNS query load for VeriSign was around 62 billion every day on average for the 2nd quarter of 2010. This was a sixteen percent hike from the 1st quarter this year. Annually, the daily average saw an increase of twenty-eight percent.
With all this growth there has been great industry progress in implementing DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions). DNSSEC is a suite of Internet Engineering Task Force details for verifying particular sorts of data given by the DNS as utilized on IP systems. It is a lot of augmentations to DNS which give to DNS customers starting point confirmation of DNS information, validated disavowal of presence, and information trustworthiness, but not availability or confidentiality and therefore helps protect users against DNS cache and Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attacks.
 In July 2010, Verisign joined with the United States Department of Commerce and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (also known as ICANN) to assist the deployment of DNSSEC at the roots of the domain name system.
Forrester Research conducted a new study for VeriSign that showed how timely the implementation of DNSSEC is.  ‘DNSSEC Ready for Prime Time’ was based on the polling of approximately 300 IT decision makers and identified that DNS attacks are very common and has made DNS security a top priority for all businesses and organizations. Forrester also found 51% of all respondents experienced DNS related attacks such as ‘man in the middle’ attacks.
A problem that the Forrester study identified was the lack of awareness many IT decision makers had regarding DNSSEC. Only 43 percent of study respondents knew about DNSSEC and the issues it could provide solutions for. However, of the respondents that were aware of DNSSEC, 90% said they would implement the technology within 1.5 years.

Equinox Expands Solutions for Customers in the Middle East with Infoblox Network Infrastructure Solutions

(PRWeb) Equinox International, a leading technology provider in the Middle East with a complete portfolio of solutions to meet the mission-critical objectives of enterprises and service providers, today announced it has expanded its portfolio to include Infoblox DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI) solutions. Through terms of the recently expanded agreement, Equinox is authorized to distribute all Infoblox DDI and NCCM solutions in Egypt and serve as a reseller in the Middle East region.

This expansion builds upon the success Equinox has already achieved selling in Egypt and the Middle East Infoblox’s network configuration and change management (NCCM) solution: the Infoblox NetMRI product, which was recently added to the Infoblox solution set when Infoblox acquired Netcordia in May 2010.

Equinox’s solutions allow clients to manage their networks smarter, decrease the total cost of ownership and increase the availability and robustness of their infrastructures. Further, Equinox delivers consistently high levels of customer service to its 40 plus clients throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Working closely with key partners such as Cisco, NetScout, and Infoblox, allows Equinox International to offer an unrivaled level of expertise and experience in the multifaceted industry of IT.

Infoblox network infrastructure automation solutions, which include the Company’s NCCM and DDI product lines, among others, provide the foundation for next-generation networks by automating many manual and often-error prone tasks while boosting resiliency and network visibility.

“Infoblox is excited to announce its expanded agreement with Equinox in the Middle East, one of the strongest and respected IT companies in the region,” said Dirk Marichal, Infoblox Vice President of Sales in the EMEA and the Middle East. “Equinox has been successful bringing the NetMRI solution to this market and the synergistic value proposition of Infoblox’s NCCM and DDI solutions – both eliminate many manual and often error-prone network tasks with advanced automation and management tools – make this a natural complement for customers.”

“We have seen an increasing demand for highly resilient, manageable and scalable DDI solutions over the past couple of months”, said Mr. Samer Haqoun, Equinox’s Chief Technical Officer. “When Infoblox acquired Netcordia, bringing together two very strong technologies and corporate entities, we knew this would be the best combination to help meet the rising demand and we can confidently deliver the standard of quality solutions our customers expect.”

Infoblox Network Infrastructure Automation Solutions

With unparalleled reliability, scalability and security, Infoblox solutions help organizations deliver essential network services, such as domain name resolution (DNS), IP address assignment and management (DHCP/IPAM), network change and configuration management (NCCM), among others.
In addition to reliable delivery of these network services, Infoblox offers unparalleled manageability of the services and associated data (i.e. DNS records, associated MAC addresses, etc.) with its “single-pane-of-glass” graphical user interface that provides visibility into essential information for tracking IP devices, users and network assets.
Infoblox solutions, which leverage Infoblox Grid™ technology – a unique real-time data distribution technology – and the “single-pane-of-glass” GUI, are essential to the daily operation of many enterprise IP-based networks.

BlueCat Networks Opens New HQ in Amsterdam in Response to Rapid Advances and Demand for IPAM, DNS, and DHCP Solutions



 BlueCat Networks recently announced that in response to the rapidly growing demands of IPAM, DNS, and DHCP solutions in Europe, it has opened a new headquarter location in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The office in Amsterdam is responsible for being a mediator between BlueCat Networks European channel partners and distributors as well as resellers to ensure that BlueCat Networks market share will increase further.

The new office is located at Johannes Verhulststraat 156A, 1071NP Amsterdam and the contact number is +31 20 754 64 85.

The former Manager for EMEA and APAC at Tipping Point, Paul Couturier is the new Vice President for the Amsterdam startup.  He has over 20 years of international IT sales and management experience and is fluent in English, French, Dutch, Italian, and German.  He has proven his capabilities with past companies such as Siemens, HP, and 3Com and is well equipped with qualifications to run the European segment of BlueCat Networks.

“Despite the global recession, worldwide demand for BlueCat’s IPAM and DNS/DHCP solutions continues to grow rapidly, and the new Amsterdam office is a direct result of BlueCat’s expansion in Europe,” said Paul Couturier, Vice President, Europe for BlueCat Networks. “One of several new BlueCat offices opening worldwide in 2010, the Amsterdam headquarters will lead BlueCat’s aggressive marketing activities in Europe,” Couturier continued. “This office will provide all the local support and knowledge our growing number of European channel partners require to ensure they can easily access the resources and training they need to grow their customer base and maximize sales.”


DHCP based IP Address Management Solution Extends Policy Management at Alepo


(TCPIPWorld.com) Alepo Technologies Inc. focuses on BSS/OSS solutions for next-generation services and it has just launched a comprehensive policy management solution with a DHCP-based IP address, which is designed particularly for service providers.  The new IP Address Management (IPAM) solution is developed to flawlessly integrate with other network elements offering centralized and complete policy management solution.

Overtime as the 4G technologies develop towards complete IP-based networks it is undeniable that a centralized policy solution is becoming more in demand.  Aleppo's IPAM solution is the first of its kind and features a built-in AAA client, allowing service providers to directly manage IP address policies through a centralized system.

The new IPAM solutions are flexible because it is built on an SOA-based platform and thus is available to all network elements via web service API’s.  This allows service providers to easily integrate it with their existing systems while emerging into the new technologies at the same time.

Brandon Johnson, Director of Operations at Aleppo said, “In the evolving 4G network environment, we’ve seen a clear demand for more advanced features from a policy management solution.”  He believes that including Aleppo's new solution to existing infrastructure will amplify and streamline the aptitude of the policy management solution.

As today’s business customers increasingly use internet communications in a sophisticated way, the need to set up virtual private networks (VPNs), web hosting and email servers increase also.  By offering IPAM management services as a value-added service, businesses can increase their revenues by enhancing the quality of service.  Residential customers will also benefit from this service because the static IP addresses will ensure better quality for online gaming as well as guarantee consistent quality for VoIP or other web-based services.

Johnson said, that value-added services not only increase customer satisfaction but they will also increase the average revenue per user.  Both businesses and residential customers will now have a safe and secure online experience due to the static IP addresses and overall the experience will be more personalized.

IPAM Technology Offers a Complete End-To-End IPv6 Platform & New Ultra DDI Offered by Neustar


(TCP IP World) BlueCat Networks launched Proteus IPAM version 3.5 this week, which claims to have the most end-to-end IP address management solution for both IPv4 andIPv6 networks. Proteus IP address management version 3.5 integrates the management of the whole IPv4 and IPv6 architecture on only one user interface making it painless for enterprise to launch IPv6 networks. Proteus IPAM version 3.5 is equipped with dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 management.
Typical, everyday challenges enterprises face when wanting to launch IPv6 are finding resources to plan, model, map and implement an IPv6 network as well as determining if  IP management systems, currently in place, use IPv6 gadgets and networks. Addresses need to be represented in hexadecimal and managed in 128 bits while each IPv6 gadget will have multiple IP addresses. AAAA resource records will need to be managed externally and internally.
Today, IPv6-only traffic represents a relatively small amount of all Internet traffic, but the number of allocated IPv6 addresses is increasing rapidly. This represents a growing trend of new IPv6-enabled ISPs and Cable providers that conduct their business using IPv6 exclusively because they can no longer receive the appropriate IPv4 space they need to serve their customers. Luc Roy, Vice President of Product Management & Marketing at BlueCat Networks said “Available IPv4 addresses from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority will be exhausted by summer 2011, and as the number of IPv6-only clients grows and many new Internet-facing services begin to only support IPv6, deploying IPv6 will mean the difference between being seen or being absent on the Internet,” Roy continued. “So, the real question is not ‘if’ organizations should integrate IPv6, but ‘how’ it can best be planned, implemented and managed – we developed Proteus IPAM version 3.5 to provide a ‘path of least resistance’ to IPv6 by simplifying, expediting and eliminating the integration and management tasks that every IT department dreads.”

New Ultra DDI Offered by Neustar

Neustar Inc. announced a new way to easily integrate internal DNS, DHCP, and IPAM (IP Address Management) operations.
The new service called Neustar Ultra DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) managed service consists of networking equipment using Infoblox appliances in addition to issue resolution, hardware lifecycle replenishment, software updates and equipment replacements. Neustar gurus conduct 24/7 monitoring and upgrading of backend DNS and DHCP operations while viewing approximately fifty health and usage parameters for proactive infrastructure management and case response. Neustar also keeps a database of important DNS and DHCP data points to allow trending and preparing for future growth and governance.

“Neustar exists to simplify network complexity,” said Alex Berry, senior VP of Neustar’s Internet Infrastructure Services (IIS) group. “DNS and DHCP are the linchpins for unifying networks and enhancing communications and it is becoming increasingly time- and labor-intensive for our customers to juggle multi-vendor management and network troubleshooting on their own. More customers are realizing that it simply makes good business sense to trust Neustar. We have built a sterling reputation in delivering and managing the core services underlying IP network infrastructures.”

Developing on the growth of Neustar’s December 2009 announcement, in which a strategic alliance with Infoblox was announced, the Ultra DDI solution delivers top DNS, DHCP and IP Address Management (IPAM) solutions to enterprise, public sector and service provider industries. With Ultra DDI, clients are enabled to use Neustar’s deep expertise in managed DNS services via Infoblox’s appliance-based systems allowing for high performance, reliability, and security as well as a significant decrease in operating costs.

“Infoblox and Neustar are rightfully regarded as leaders in their respective markets – and the collaboration between our two companies has resulted in an unparalleled service combination,” added Kevin Dickson, VP of Product Management at Infoblox. “We are excited that our relationship continues to mature, and this launch marks the next point of that evolution.”

BlueCat Networks Signs Three New Distributors in Asia




(TCP/IP World) BlueCat Networks signed distribution agreements with Netpoleon Solutions and AEC Distribution in Singapore and ACA Pacific Group in Thailand.  The new agreements expand BlueCat Networks’ reach in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region by enabling Netpoleon Solutions, AEC Distribution and ACA to market and distribute IPAM (IP address management) and  DNS/DHCP solutions.

With the exponential growth in IP addresses, MAC addresses and domain names, demand for BlueCat Networks’ IPAM and DNS/DHCP core services – which solve critical network management issues by centrally managing, controlling and auditing IPv4, IPv6, DNS and DNSSEC networks – is growing rapidly worldwide.  This agreement makes it simple for organizations in the APAC region to purchase BlueCat Networks’ market-leading technology – which is available in physical, virtual (VMware) and Managed DNS Service formats – directly from highly-qualified distributors that expert knowledge of the local market.

BlueCat strategically breaks us into the IPAM and DNS/DHCP

“Our partnership with BlueCat strategically breaks us into the IPAM and DNS/DHCP space,” said Francis Goh, Managing Director of Netpoleon Solutions.  “The addition of award-winning solutions from BlueCat – which are both IPv6 and DNSSEC ready – mean that Netpoleon now offers a comprehensive range of network products and solutions through our wide network of partners,” Goh continued.  “We are committed to supporting BlueCat in Singapore with the highest level of sales and technical support.”

“BlueCat presents a great value proposition and differentiator for AEC as we gain traction in the market with our innovative and customized Networking Portfolio which helps our clients achieve competitiveness and efficiency,” said Chong Seong Weng, Managing Director of AEC Distribution.  “Unlike other distributors, we work as an extension and virtual sales force of our vendors, connecting at both channel and end-user level to help organically grow the business.”

“This partnership with BlueCat significantly strengthens our product offering in the Thai market,” said Peter Corney, Group Director of ACA Pacific Group.  “We have a long track record in Thailand, and have spent many years building the DDI market,” Corney continued.  “This, coupled with an experienced team will help drive growth for BlueCat to ensure we both achieve our joint revenue goals.”

BlueCat Networks’ multi-tiered channel program

BlueCat Networks’ multi-tiered channel program provides partners with all the tools and training required to maximize both new and add-on sales, as well as meet all customer service requirements.  The regional head office in Singapore will serve as the “tech hub” for pre-sales and post-sales technical support for BlueCat Networks’ distributors, resellers and customers in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions.  The office will also liaise with channel partners to define business opportunities and provide the local marketing support necessary to maximize sales.

“We are rapidly scaling our operations in the APAC region to meet fast-increasing customer demand, and after a thorough and extensive evaluation process, we are pleased to appoint Netpoleon, AEC, and ACA as new distributors in Southeast Asia,” said Dean Bell, Vice President, Middle East & Asia Pacific for BlueCat Networks.  “Netpoleon and ACA have great reputations, in-depth network and security experience as well as an extensive, established channel partner network, while AEC is a new breed of the distributor with a creative drive for performance and a vendor engagement plan which maps out success from day one,” Bell continued.  “These true value-added distributors will help BlueCat achieve its aggressive growth plans in Asia.”

BlueCat Networks’ CTO talks DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) and IPv6




The Editor of TCP IP World got a chance to ask the CTO of  BlueCat Networks, Richard Hyatt, about the DDI (DNS, DHCP, and IPAM) and IPv6 industry.


Brief Company Profile:


BlueCat Networks is a leading provider of IP Address Management (IPAM), DNS, DNSSEC and DHCP core services including the centralized management of Microsoft Windows® DNS/DHCP services. Our solution provides complete visibility and centralization of “everything IP” in the network.

1. How was your company formed and what problem were they trying to solve?


BlueCat Networks was formed to focus on creating smart, simple, scalable technology solutions to address the complex business challenges associated with IP Address Management. The explosive growth of networks, devices, and IP usage had created a complex management challenge – one that was putting businesses at risk. In an IP-enabled world, when core services like DNS or DHCP stop, business grinds to a halt. The successful implementation of new services and technologies also depends upon IP addresses. We saw network administrators struggling with spreadsheets, manual processes and homegrown solutions for managing their IP addresses. We assumed that there had to be a better way, but when we went out and looked, we couldn’t find any solutions on the market that offered tightly integrated IPAM and reliable, resilient DNS/DHCP – so we set out to build one.

2. When were you founded and how many employees do you have?


BlueCat Networks was founded in 2001. We currently have 185 employees, all of whom are shareholders in the company, and over 1,500 customers worldwide.


3. Will IPv6 affect your business? If so, in what ways?


IPv6 will affect all businesses – and sooner than later. With the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, organizations can’t afford to ignore the inevitable transition to IPv6. To avoid losing connectivity with the growing segment of Internet users – and potential customers – who surf the Web over IPv6, organizations need to start implementing IPv6 in 2011.

BlueCat Networks is working with its partners and customers to help them ease the transition to IPv6. IP Address Management (IPAM) solutions are critical to helping organizations adopt and manage IPv6 and dual-stack networks. The traditional methods of managing IP addresses with spreadsheets and manual processes simply will not scale to accommodate IPv6.

4. What do you think the following region of center will be in the system foundation and the executives business?


While IPv6 will dominate the corporate IT agenda for some time, there are other focus areas where IPAM plays a critical role. By making it easy to track, audit, manage and deploy all relevant IP information, IPAM supports strategic IT initiatives such as launching new services, managing organizational growth, building private clouds, virtualization, and consolidation, compliance, and security.

Many private and government organizations are looking at DNSSEC to secure their networks and protect sensitive information, which is creating a growing demand for DNSSEC-ready IPAM solutions.

5. Increasingly more day by day customer and business items are getting their very own IP. What vertical businesses and geographic markets do you feel will create the most interest throughout the following couple of years?


The need for IPAM is universal across verticals and geographies. That said, education and healthcare are two vertical markets where we see a growing interest in IPAM. Higher education institutions, and also K-12 school boards, are wrestling with the network management challenges that go along with introducing Internet and mobile learning applications into the classroom.

Healthcare organizations rely on their networks to provide quality patient care. The network must deliver uptime and reliability to support doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals providing critical patient care. The growth of IP-enabled devices in hospitals and healthcare facilities – from wireless devices and VoIP phones to mobile IV pumps and X-ray machines to “workstations on wheels” – is increasing the size and complexity of health management networks.

In both of these cases, IT managers and network administrators must track and manage a rapidly increasing number of IP addresses and DNS records, and they are looking for IPAM solutions to ease the management burden and allow them to make the most of their IP address space and namespace.

Computer Networks Security System A Multilevel Approach


In many ways, we used to worry much less about our details being utilized improperly. Decades ago while most information was transferred and then saved resting on paper, there was less threat of it becoming misused or tampered with only because fewer people had access to it. Nowadays, when everything is accomplished and stored on computers there is a chance for hackers to access details stored on the computer without, as years ago, having to go anywhere a hardcopy exists.

Protecting computer networks


Protecting computer networks from this kind of attacks is most important as a lot of damage can be happened to persons as well as businesses and corporations when a reliable computer networks protection method is not in place. Technology for supplying this protection continues to upgrade, but unfortunately, so do the techniques of retrieving confidential or individual information by malicious tools and hackers.

Each computer network has established provisions made inside the infrastructure as well as policies in location to safeguard the network and resources that are accessible by it from becoming accessed by unauthorized folks or programs. This is done in many diverse ways to counteract the various threats posed to personal computer networks security systems.

Network protection could be the term usually utilized to refer to actions taken to protect a network from invasion by means of hackers or other intruders. It's usually done at the boundaries of a company, simply to prevent violence from the outside. Details security may be the term employed when it comes to protecting from malware blasts or even harmful blunders within the organization and is generally accomplished by compartmentalizing the larger network association with inner boundaries.

Step one in computer security network is to identify and confirm the user. This is achieved most often with a one aspect authentication of delivering a username and password. Other layers can supply considerably more protection such as making use of a security token, similar to an ATM card or mobile phone. With three-factor authentication section of yourself is also employed such as your fingerprint or an eye scan.

While the user is legal, the firewall is used to maintain users from accessing services which can be off limits. On top of this, it's important to have anti-virus or imposition prevention software (IPS) to guard against malware including worms, Trojan horses, viruses, spyware, adware, etc.

Simply because there are numerous ways a pc network may be attacked it is necessary to have several layers of safety in place to keep info shared and employed within the network safe. Also, simply because malware is regularly being improved and changed, it's important to regularly update any safety software you have in place.

Personal computer networks security system has to constantly monitor and measure the performance of the personal computer networks connections security to be certain that it is updated and that no holes appear within the system which can be taken advantage of by hackers, who will gladly slide right through as well as snatch whatever information they can to cause havoc on folks and companies.


Maximum Transmission Unit



The Maximum Transmission Unit which is the largest possible packet size in bytes that can be sent or received over the network connection in a single physical frame.
This is one of the more popular parameters to change in the TCP/IP stack. A condition called fragmentation will occur if a frame is received that has an MTU smaller than the frame length. Because fragments need to be reassembled it can reduce the overall performance of the connection. When two hosts negotiate a connection the MTU size is determined by using the smallest of the two during the negotiation process. Problem is that if this number is still higher than one of the routers between the connection fragmentation will occur such that the router can handle the packet. In theory, if the MTU size can be adjusted optimally for the MTU size of the ISP router you can cut down fragmentation at one point where your data much always pass therefore cutting down on overall connection time as well. The default MTU is set to 1500 bytes in windows because that is the default size for a LAN (local area network) because generally, they are running much faster wire speeds than WAN (wide area network) like 1000Gbps,100Mbps and 10Mbps. Internet connections generally aren't nearly this speed and therefore will use a smaller MTU size on the WAN connections.

Common recommendations for dial-up MTU size is 576 bytes, a setting between 1400 to 1480 is recommended for DSL users running PPPoE and 1500 for all others.


Because changing the MTU size requires adding multiple keys and DWORD values I will offer only manual instructions for changing the MTU values to optimize PPPoE connections on Windows XP and 2000.



NOTE: 

If you're not an experienced user it is never a good idea to manually edit your registry. Always perform a backup prior to any edit.

In Windows XP and Windows 2000 go to the start menu and click on run and type in "regedit" at the prompt, then press ok.

NDIS



In the registry editor click on the + next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to expand.

HKEY



Then click the + next to SYSTEM and then click the + next to CurrentControlSet to expand these.


Control



Then click the + next to Services to expand a long list, you will be looking for NDIS, when you find it click the + next to it.

NDIS



Now click on the word Parameters and you will see a list of settings appear to the right.

Protocols



Click Edit from the top menu, click New from the drop-down menu, and click Key from the side menu. Type in 0 and press enter.

0


Click Edit from the top menu, click New from the drop-down menu, and click DWORD value from the side menu. A new setting will appear at the bottom of the list on the right with the name "New Value #1" in the field, change this value to "ProtocolType".

Protocol Type



Now, double-click on the Parameter ProtocolType and it will pop up an edit window, change the value to 800 and press ok.

800


Click Edit from the top menu, click New from the drop-down menu, and click DWORD value from the side menu. A new setting will appear at the bottom of the list on the right with the name "New Value #1" in the field, change this value to "PPProtocolType".


PPP Protocol Type



Now, double-click on the Parameter PPProtocolType and it will pop up an edit window, change the value to 21 and press ok.

21


Click Edit from the top menu, click New from the drop-down menu, and click DWORD value from the side menu. A new setting will appear at the bottom of the list on the right with the name "New Value #1" in the field, change this value to "ProtocolMTU".

Protocol MTU



Now, double-click on the Parameter ProtocolMTU and it will pop up an edit window, change the value to the decimal value you wish to change the parameter to (In this example we used 1450) and press ok.

1450


You should benchmark your speed before changing the setting and then benchmark the speed again trying different settings. If you have any problems or it just doesn't benefit you the new keys and DWORD values that you added can simply be deleted.

Speed up your Internet with TCP/IP "tweaking", fact or fiction?




With tons of advertisements out there promising better Internet connection performance by "tweaking TCP/IP" its hard to know what is real and what isn't. In this article, I will briefly discuss some methods of changing the core settings in the TCP/IP protocol stack and what if any benefit that you will get from doing so.

First off TCP/IP means anything and everything related to the two protocols (TCP Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol). Per RFC 1180 (A TCP/IP Tutorial) "It can include other protocols, applications, and even the network medium. A sample of these protocols are: UDP, ARP, and ICMP.  A sample of these applications are: TELNET, FTP, and rcp.  A more accurate term is "internet technology".  A network that uses internet technology is called an "internet"." So this is the protocol stack that makes communications over the Internet possible. That being said it would make sense that being able to "tweak" such a stack for your specific connection and the newer technologies would speed up your connection right?
Let's take a look at some of the common parameters of the TCP/IP stack that some claim can make a difference:

Receive Window Size: The receive window size is the amount of data in kilobits that is received before an acknowledgment (ACK) must be sent back to the other side of the TCP connection to verify that the data was sent successfully. If the sender doesn't receive an acknowledgment in the designated interval the data must be retransmitted. This is one of the reasons that TCP is considered a connection based reliable protocol.


  • The default receive window size in Windows 9X and Windows NT is 8K and the default in ME, 2000 and XP is 16K. If you have a broadband connection you could change this setting somewhere between 32K to 64K and clock your results. It could increase the speed of your broadband connection slightly when a lot of data is being transferred because it wouldn't have to send so many acknowledgments. The problem that you might run across in doing so is that if an ACK doesn't get received by the sender for some reason you have that much more data that will need to be retransmitted. Therefore if you're connection experiences a lot of latency already chances are this will cause you more problems than it will help due to the amount of transmission errors and data retransmission that is already chewing up your current bandwidth. In some cases, you can level this problem out by enabling Selective Acknowledgements or SACK. With SACK enabled the receiver can confirm the reception of certain specific non-contiguous packets in a data stream and force the sender to only resend the dropped packets instead of the entire stream of data since the last good ACK was received.
  • What does this mean to you? Well if you're running a dialup connection forget it, 16K would be the max receive window size you would want to do to and chances are you already have such network latency and so many retransmission errors that it would likely slow you down even more. Some people running satellite fed Internet connections with high latency transmissions due to small upload bandwidth most likely won't benefit either. If you do have a high bandwidth, low latency DSL or Cable connection you might try to adjust the settings listed above to see if you get any difference but I wouldn't expect your speed to increase significantly if any. 

  • NOTE: If you're not an experienced user it is never a good idea to manually edit your registry. Always perform a backup prior to any edit.

  • In Windows XP and Windows 2000 go to the start menu and click on run and type in "regedit" at the prompt, then press ok.

  • In the registry editor click on the + next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to expand.
  • Then click the + next to SYSTEM and then click the + next to CurrentControlSet to expand these.
  • Then click the + next to Services to expand a long list, you will be looking for Tcpip, when you find it click the + next to it.

  • Now click on the word Parameters and you will see a list of settings appear to the right.

  • With the word Parameters still highlight click Edit from the top menu, click New from the drop down menu, and click DWORD value from the side menu. A new setting will appear at the bottom of the list on the right with the name "New Value #1" in the field, change this value to "GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize".

  • Now, double-click on the Parameter GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize and it will pop up an edit window, change the value to 00007FFF for 32K or 0000FFFF for 64K and press ok. If you changed it to 64K you should see the Parameter below after clicking ok.

  • You should benchmark your speed before changing the setting and then benchmark the speed again trying each of these settings. If you have any problems or it just doesn't benefit you this new DWORD value that you added can simply be deleted.

Configuring Windows Server 2003 for a Small Business Network, Part 3

Step 9:

Next, you will see a screen that looks like Figure 1-7. We want to configure the network settings here, so choose the Custom Settings radio button and click "Next."

Step 10:

When you see the screen in Figure 1-8, click on the line for "Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) to highlight it, and click the "Properties" button.

A window like a Figure 1-9 should pop up after you click "Properties." A full treatise of the TCP/IP protocol suite is beyond the scope of this document, but I will hit the highlights here. A basic "IP Address" consists of 4 numbers, each no more than 254, separated by periods. 192.168.1.200 for example. What you really need to know about IP addresses here is this: There are "public" IP addresses and "private" IP addresses. "Public" IP's are used on the Internet, and "private" IP's are used in private networks. It is the job of a firewall to translate your private addresses into public addresses for communication on the Internet. You want to use a "private" IP address range now to avoid headaches later. The private ranges that you should use in your own network are 10.X.X.X, 172.16-31.X.X, and 192.168.X.X (the X's here mean you can use 1-254). In this example, I have used 172.31.0.5 with a mask of 255.255.255.0 and a gateway of 172.31.0.1. Use settings that are specific to your existing network if you already have one. If you have no preexisting network, these settings will be fine. If you have an Internet connection, you can put in the DNS addresses that your Internet Service Provider gave you or put in 127.0.0.1. 127.0.0.1 is a special address that refers to the local computer. So with this setting, the server will ask itself for DNS information. We will be setting up a DNS server on this server for use with Active Directory. Click "Ok" when you are finished putting in the TCP/IP settings. Then click "Next" to continue.

Step 11:

The next screen you should see is shown here in Figure 1-10. You can just leave this at the default workgroup of "Workgroup." After clicking "Next" the installation will continue on its own and reboot. Bringing you to Figure 1-11.

Step 12:

Now you are ready to log in to your server for the first time. The login screen is shown in Figure 1-11 Log in as "Administrator" and use the password you chose in Step 7.

Step 13:

When you log in, you will probably see a window pop up about "Windows Server Post-Setup Security Updates." Don't worry about it right now. We want to update our server, but we need to configure a few more things first. What we need to do now is click on the "Start" menu, then right-click on "My Computer" and choose "Manage" from the context window that comes up. That should bring you to the "Computer Management" window shown in 
Expand the "Storage" tree in the left pane of the window, if it isn't expanded already, by clicking the "plus" sign next to it. Click on "Disk Management" marked by the numeral one in Figure 1-12. The right-hand pane should display your disks in the top and the partition information below. Right-click on the unformatted D: drive in the bottom-right pane and choose "Format" as illustrated by the numeral two in Figure 1-12.

A dialog window will pop up to allow you to format the D: drive. Name the Volume something descriptive like Data or whatever you want. Choose "Perform a quick format" and hit OK. Say OK to the warning here about erasing all Data on D:. After formatting, it will say Data (D:), the size of your partition underneath that, and "NTFS Healthy". Now close that management window


Step 14:

Please note: You may skip Step 14 if you were able to create a 15GB C: drive in Step 2. If you have a 6GB C: drive, then continue with Step 14.

Now we need to change the paging file arrangement on the server. The paging file is a file on the disk that acts like extra RAM for the system. When the server runs a program, that program takes up some system RAM for it to use. When that program is not doing anything, the server can "swap" the real RAM the program is using for virtual ram in the page file. This clears up real RAM for other programs that need to run. When a server doesn't have enough RAM, the server will have a problem called "excessive swapping" where the server spends most of its time reading from and writing to the paging file. We want to move the paging file to the D: drive so drive C: isn't so cramped.

Now click on the "Start" menu, then right-click on "My Computer" and choose "Properties." A window will pop up called "System Properties." Click on the "Advanced" tab shown in Figure 1-13.

From the Advanced tab, click on the "Settings" button in the "Performance" box. A new window will appear labeled "Performance Options." From here, click on the "Advanced" tab, and then choose "Change" from the "Virtual Memory" box shown in Figure 1-14.

The next window will be labeled "Virtual Memory." Our goal here is to move the paging file from the C: drive to the D: drive. To do this, we need to click on the C: drive in the upper portion of the window, click the "No paging file" radio button, and click "Set." A warning will likely pop up about not having a paging file. Just click "Ok" on that warning. Now click on D:, choose "Custom Size". Enter in a range for your paging file. The normal guidelines are your memory times 1.5 up to your memory times 3. Now click "Set." Now your paging file resides on the D: drive and you have freed up space on drive C: Your window should look similar to Figure 1-15 except the sizes will probably differ. Now you can click OK to close all 3 windows and reboot the server.

Now you have a stand-alone server ready to be made into a Domain Controller or whatever you want. Part 2 of this series will focus on configuring Active Directory and setting up network services on your newly installed server.