1. EDITORS CORNER
   • Sunbelt Has A New Website
2. TECH BRIEFING
   • Long Term Security Strategy
   • Learning How To Use A Protocol Analyzer
   • Smart Salary Tool
3. NT/2000 RELATED NEWS
   • Windows Roadmap Cleared Up
   • WinXP SP2: Out-Of-Service Pack?
4. NT/2000 THIRD PARTY NEWS
   • Fire In California. Are Your Servers Protected?
5. W2Knews 'FAVE' LINKS
   • This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
6. PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
   • "Best Damn Firewall Book Period"

Sunbelt Has A New Website

OK, I admit it. This has nothing to do with NT or W2K. I'll confess that I'm a (predictable) Sci-Fi Fan, A Space Nut, and a Watch Freak. I collect cheap watches as a hobby. To celebrate the new Website we just built, I found a site in Tokyo that sells novelty watches. The link is in the Faves. I got the 'fishbone' one with the 6 blue LEDs. It arrived via UPS in less than a week. Really cool stuff for holiday shopping too.

You should check out the new website. If you are the first to find and report a broken link to me, I'm going to give you the LanHound Protocol Analyzer at no charge. Really. Here is the link to LanHound on the new site:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103ED-LanHound

The SunPoll last week was interesting. Most of you seem to think spam management needs to be done in a layered/combo approach! Here are the numbers:

• Heuristics / Rules Engines on a Server or Gateway: 8.42%
• Server-based content filtering with a white list, plus data from blacklisting organizations: 14.38%
• Legislation coupled with landmark litigation: 15.78%
• Client-based content filtering with Bayesian technology and whitelisting/blacklisting: 11.92%
• A combination of the previous answers or 'Other': 49.47%

Remember Windows 2000? One of the buzzwords was "less reboots!" But now with every patch you need to reboot your systems for the glory of security. What do you think?

1. Hotfixes and Service Packs have priority. I'll reboot as much as needed, even if it costs me my weekends
2. Not so happy with all these boots, I'm already stretched as it is
3. My systems are mission critical, I need an architecture that allows me to apply these without rebooting all the time!
4. Other

PS: Go to our new website, we now have a RSS feed for W2Knews as well!
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103ED-RSS

Quote Of The Day:

"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the crotch of the RealPlayer developer who decided to stick icons in my system tray, Startup menu, and desktop, and may his arms be too short to scratch."
-- From the Internet, author unknown.

Long Term Security Strategy

The former CIA chief recently gave an interview for ComputerWorld. He sees a need for greater network resilience, big time. James Woolsey specifically cites the computers that manage the nation's power grid. He continued with: The war on terrorism will be a "war to the death" likely to last several decades, requiring government and the private sector to focus immediately on making critical infrastructures and systems more resilient rather than immune to deliberate attacks. The full interview is here, and an interesting read:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103TB-Security_Interview

Learning How To Use A Protocol Analyzer

Help Desk Guru, Ron Nutter, helps an IT pro who wants to learn how to get the most out of his protocol analyzer. Good one if you have one or are thinking about getting one. They really show you what's going on inside that wire! Here's Dave Nutter's article:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103TB-Nutter

And here is the more and more popular LanHound protocol analyzer, offering an immense value, especially if you use switches:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103TB-LanHound

Smart Salary Tool

Windows Roadmap Cleared Up

This week at the MS Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, Redmond clarified their plans for Windows. Everyone wanted to know when "Longhorn" would come out, and was discussing if it would be '05 or '06. Jim Allchin did not commit to a date for Gold RTM, but did promise a Beta of Longhorn "client" for the second half of 2004. Gates stated that Longhorn would support the advances in PC hardware in less than three years. No news about the Longhorn server beta yet. The plans are to sell a Longhorn server and a Longhorn client. Here is Bill Gates' full speech:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103RN-Roadmap

WinXP SP2: Out-Of-Service Pack?

Fire In California. Are Your Servers Protected?

We just got this email from a system administrator living there:

"Hi,

People less than a mile away are under a mandatory evacuation order. Such an order will possibly come to us within 36 to 48 hours. We can see the flames clearly, though they are still a couple of miles away. Ironically, the Santa Ana winds that were causing so much trouble, were blowing the fire away from us. Now they have died down, and the breeze is now helping the fire in our direction.

I will be moving my computers and stuff from the data center back to our office in Victorville soon after I hit the send button. We are not too attached to our office "things," and we have time to get our stuff together. It is not likely the building would burn, but we are prepared to lose it should that happen. Once I get my machines to the other and my family moved to a safe place, I will resume work pretty much as normal. Thanks for your patience."

Here is a shot from space showing the situation:
http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=031103TP-CA_Fires

This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff

"Best Damn Firewall Book Period"

Wow, the Shinders have been B U S Y. This is a massive book, it got everything you need to know about firewalls and the kitchen sink. The Book provides everything you need to know about configuring firewalls and implementing state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems, including: Complete Configurations for Check Point NG VPN-1/Firewall, ISA Server, Cisco PIX Firewall, Nokia IP Series Appliances, Linux Firewall, Solaris Secure Router, and Snort How to Design, Plan, Implement Secure and Test Enterprise- Wide DMZs for All Major Networking Platforms Detailed Instructions on Troubleshooting and Common Problems, Disaster Recover, and System Monitoring. It's the Firewall Bible!