Appendix C. Internet Resources for Network Administrators

SOME OF THE MAIN TOPICS IN THIS APPENDIX ARE


Standards Organizations 1108

Network Hardware and Software Manufacturers 1109

Wireless Networking 1112

Security 1112

This appendix contains a few good websites that can be useful if you are responsible for administering a network. This is not an exhaustive listing, but just some of the websites that I use frequently.

Standards Organizations

Request for Comments

www.rfc-editor.org

Many of the technologies in this book are detailed in standards documents. Request for Comments (RFCs) documents are the result of an ongoing process to develop and enhance protocols for the Internet. Because it is an ongoing process, not every RFC defines a standard. Instead, some are drafts, some are simply informational, and others are considered to be the current standard. This site is mentioned in several places in this book, but it is mentioned here in case you missed those chapters.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

www.ieee.org

The IEEE, an organization that has been around for a long time, establishes standards for many areas of technology. One area is computers and networking. Some of the 802.x standards are available online in PDF format. Others you can order through the site’s bookstore. Most of the basic LAN/MAN/WAN documents, however, are included online for no cost. If you want to get into the details about many networking products, be sure to visit this site.

ISO

www.iso.org

The International Organization for Standardization—also known as ISO—is an organization that coordinates many standards throughout the world. Whereas the IEEE works on standards that cover many areas related to the electrical field of protocols and products, the ISO works to coordinate standards for everything from credit cards and smart cards to steel, tools, food products, and so on. The one area the ISO does not cover is electrical and electronic engineering standards. These types of standards are covered by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). However, information technology standards are a joint effort between the ISO and the IEC.

The ISO is composed of members from all over the world. Each country is allowed one representative standards body for the country, known as a member body of the ISO. Correspondent members come from countries that do not yet have a representative standards body of their own, and that receive information from ISO but do not participate in the development of new standards. A subscriber member is one from a very small country whose economy and other factors do not permit the creation of a standardization body for the country.

As noted elsewhere in this book, the term ISO is not an acronym. This term was chosen from the Greek root meaning “the same,” or “equal” (such as in the term isometric). Thus, the ISO name can be used worldwide, in many different languages, without having to use a different acronym for each country.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

www.w3.org

This is the organization that helps to develop standards for protocols, software, tools, and other things to enhance the Internet. This site contains a large number of standards and projects. It is well worth a visit if your network connects to the Internet. Before you decide to deploy a new Internet technology, it would be a good idea to get all the information you can. For example, one of their sites,

www.w3.org/Security/Overview.html

details many developments concerning security on the Web, and also has links to other sites that cover a wide variety of security issues.

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA)

www.snia.org

Learn about SANs and NAS at this site. You can also view the requirements for SNIA certifications. Large networks are consuming an ever-increasing amount of storage, and this site can help you learn about the technology.

Network Hardware and Software Manufacturers

Anixter

www.anixter.com/

This is one of the largest distributors for cables, connectors, computer racks, patch cords, and so on. To assist customers, Anixter has a technical library that contains information on standards, such as the ANSI/TIA/EIA-569 standard for wiring a network in your building. Many white papers written by Anixter and various vendors are also found here. If you are upgrading an older network, or starting from scratch, Anixter can not only sell you the products you need, but tell you how to use them.

Cisco Systems

www.cisco.com

The name of this manufacturer is known to just about every network administrator who operates a network. Cisco’s website is a treasure trove of information relating to routers, switches, wireless devices, and so on. If you want a detailed explanation of Cisco operating systems and software, this is the place to go. If you just want to learn about a particular networking technology, you will likely find educational material here using the search function. There is so much information to be found at this vendor’s site that it would take years to read all of it. A highly recommended site.

D-Link

www.dlink.com

D-Link is one of the leading manufacturers of SOHO network hardware, with a particular emphasis on high-speed wireless networking and media players. D-Link also manufactures a line of business wired and wireless network hardware, including Power over Ethernet (PoE) adapters, Voice over IP routers and phones, and firewall appliances.

IBM

www.ibm.com

This is the site of the largest computer manufacturer in the world today. For reference purposes, however, IBM has a series of informational documents called “Redbooks.” These cover a wide range of computer and networking technology. You can use the search function on the main page to find hardware, software, and some articles. For Redbooks, use the following URL:

www.redbooks.ibm.com

Juniper Networks, Inc.

www.juniper.net

Juniper is a manufacturer of high-end network switching equipment, and its products are geared toward a large enterprise network, as well as larger entities, such as Internet Access Point providers. Unless you have limitless amounts of cash, you won’t be using this site to purchase hardware for a SOHO network. Juniper offers technical books, training, and certifications.

HP

www.hp.com

In the past few years HP has acquired Compaq Computer Corporation, which had previously acquired the venerable Digital Equipment Corporation. You can use the search function at this site to find informational articles and documentation for hardware manufactured by all three of these companies. And, as with most vendors, this is the place to visit to download new drivers, as well as patches for operating systems and other applications.

Linksys

www.linksys.com

This is another manufacturer that produces everything from consumer-level routers and switches to some high-end devices, such as gigabit Ethernet hardware. Linksys is a leader in making WPA security easier to use through plain-text passphrases and the new SecureEasySetup push-button feature on its most recent wireless routers. Although Cisco now owns Linksys, Linksys continues to exist as a separate division with its own products and website.

Microsoft

www.microsoft.com

This name is known around the world. Microsoft dominates the desktop today, and its office suite is also the most widely used product of that sort. You can use the search function available at the preceding URL to find home pages for all of Microsoft’s main products. Additionally, Microsoft offers a service for developers called the Microsoft Developer’s Network (MSDN). This is a paid service that you should consider subscribing to if you want to do a lot of in-house support for applications, operating systems, and development tools relating to Microsoft products. You can also subscribe to another service, called TechNet, which gives a smaller subset of the information available from MSDN. MSDN also enables you to receive betas of operating systems as well as 120-day evaluation copies of finished products. In an enterprise network, both of these can be very important sources of information.

However, for those who cannot afford an MSDN subscription (and it is not inexpensive for a single person), you can find a great deal of content available online at

http://msdn.microsoft.com

Additionally, you can use the following URL to keep up-to-date on recent new projects that Microsoft is working on:

www.research.microsoft.com

You can download some of the software for new projects from this link, and for those who are interested, you’ll also find a jobs link here.

Netgear

www.netgear.com/

This site, along with Linksys and D-Link, is a good place to check out hardware such as routers and switches, including wireless devices. If you operate a SOHO network, you are probably familiar with these manufacturers, because a lot of their equipment is readily available at computer and electronics stores. One good reason to visit this website, and the others, is to compare products before you make a purchase. Another good reason is that you can download drivers for some hardware.

Novell

www.novell.com

Novell is a networking pioneer that has largely transformed itself into a provider of enterprise-level Linux (thanks to its purchase of SuSE Linux) and network tools. It still offers Novell NetWare, but its Open Enterprise Server product combines NetWare 6.5, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, and management tools that enable you to move smoothly from NetWare into Linux. Novell also offers desktop Linux, ZENworks Suite management, GroupWise group collaboration, Identity Manager user and password management, and many other network and IT products.

RedHat

www.redhat.com

RedHat is one of the more popular Linux variants used by commercial organizations. There is a searchable database of articles that can be useful for learning about Linux, or for diagnosing problems. You can also sign up to receive email from RedHat. And if you want to be a beta tester for new versions of RedHat, you’ll find a link at this site. You will also find documentation for current and past copies of their documentation. Red Hat also sponsors the open-source Fedora desktop Linux distro, available on its website.

Samba.org

www.samba.org

Samba enables Unix/Linux computers to easily connect to Windows platforms. At this top-level site you can select the country you live in, and then read documentation and recent news, as well as download the software. Samba is discussed in Chapter 31, “File Server Protocols.” Most of these sites enable you to download both compiled versions for your operating system and binary code that you can examine and compile for your own system.

Sun Microsystems

www.sun.com

Sun Microsystems is a leading network hardware and software vendor. Sun’s hardware offerings include high-performance workstations and servers based on AMD Opteron and Sun’s own SPARC64 and UltraSPARC processors, and NAS, SAN, and workgroup storage products that support Linux, Windows, Sun’s own Solaris, and other operating systems. Sun’s software offerings include Sun Solaris, an advanced network and client operating system based on UNIX and Linux; Sun N1 for data centers; Sun Java Enterprise System, which offers low-cost subscription-based software for enterprises; Sun Java System Suites, which provide portions of the Enterprise System focused on specific tasks; Sun Java run-time, which enables web browsers to use Java-based content; StarOffice and StarSuite, which provide integrated office applications compatible with Microsoft Office at a fraction of the cost.

Wireless Networking

Open Mobile Alliance (AMA)

www.openmobilealliance.org/

This is a worldwide organization devoted to promoting standardization of mobile devices and applications, which includes wireless networking. AMA works with other organizations to accomplish this effort. AMA also works to perform interoperability testing for hardware/software vendors.

In particular the WAP Forum falls under this organization. For more information about WAP, see Chapter 23, “Other Wireless Technologies.” There is a link on this website for the WAP Forum, or you can use the following link to go directly to that website:

www.wapforum.org/what/technical.htm

The Wi-Fi Alliance

www.wi-fi.org

If you are interested in 802.11 wireless standards, this is the site to visit. You’ll learn how the name Wi-Fi was chosen, and find out about the many vendors that are part of this organization. The Wi-Fi Alliance conducts many events, from conferences to documentation. Perhaps the most important function is the testing of hardware from members to ensure interoperability so that if you purchase Wi-Fi devices from various vendors, you can be sure that they will work together. At this website you can find out which vendors and products have been certified.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is also involved in establishing public hot spots so that you can use your wireless computer or other device on a public network. You can use a locator service at this site to find hotels, airports, and other places where the service is offered.

The IEEE

www.ieee.org

The IEEE organization was mentioned earlier in this appendix. In addition to creating standards for wired networks, the IEEE has also been responsible for defining standards for wireless networks, under the IEEE 802.11 series of documents. For example, you can find online many of the recent standards for 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g, which are the predominant standards today for wireless networking products. When making purchases for products based on these standards, check to be sure that they are based on the IEEE standards. The Wi-Fi Alliance brand can also assist you in choosing products, because they test for interoperability between products that are based on these standards.

Security

ALWIL Software

www.avast.com

Developer of the popular avast! series of antivirus and security solutions for home, small business, and enterprise users, ALWIL Software is based in the Czech Republic. ALWIL’s BART CD offers corporate help desks and computer service shops a self-booting CD that can be used to clean up virus, registry, file, and disk problems on a Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 based system. Avast! 4 antivirus is available in a free edition for home and non-commercial use, and in commercial versions for Windows, Linux, Windows CE, and PalmOS.

CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC)

www.cert.org

This is a great site to visit to learn about new vulnerabilities on the Web. Information about viruses, bugs in important software products, and new attack programs can be found here. CERT is funded by the U.S. government and operates out of Carnegie Mellon University. CERT provides training courses and publications relating to security issues. If you want to keep yourself up-to-date, you can subscribe to the CERT Advisory Mailing List (highly recommended). In many cases, CERT quickly publishes fixes to security problems that occur on the Net. If you are a network administrator, or in a position of security administration for a network, you should definitely bookmark this website.

Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC)

www.ciac.org

This is another website operated by the U.S. government, specifically the Department of Energy. It functions much like CERT, by detecting and reporting on potential security issues on the Internet, and applications that are vulnerable to attack. CIAC offers training classes, and links to articles relating to security issues.

Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST)

www.first.org

An international organization (of which CIAC is a member) is composed of both governmental organizations and academic ones, and is used to coordinate security incidents among these various members. Without a central focal point, many separate organizations would be working on similar problems or the same incident separately. FIRST enables member organizations to communicate with each other and thus speed up the process of disseminating information and resolving security issues on the Internet.

Gibson Research Corporation

www.grc.com

Gibson Research Corporation (GRC), owned and operated by security guru and former InfoWorld columnist Steve Gibson, provides a wide range of network and system security software and tools.

GRC’s main commercial product is SpinRite 6, a truly fantastic drive maintenance and data-recovery tool that is far more powerful than CHKDSK or other commercial disk-maintenance tools. SpinRite 6 is perfect for mixed Windows and Linux-based networks and clients, as it works on any x86-based system, regardless of operating system installed. However, GRC may be most famous for its ShieldsUp! Internet security test and LeakTest firewall test. GRC also offers many other free system and Internet security tutorials and downloads.

Grisoft

www.grisoft.com

Grisoft is the developer of the popular AVG line of antivirus and security programs for Windows and Linux clients, email servers, and file servers. A free edition is available for home users. AVG also supports x64 editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Internet Firewalls: Frequently Asked Questions

www.interhack.net/pubs/fwfaq/

This FAQ contains voluminous information about firewalls and how you can use them to assist in protecting your network. The FAQ was created by Matt Curtin, Marcus J. Ranum, and Paul D. Robertson. Ranum was one of the original developers of early firewalls, so he should know what he is talking about. This FAQ is an excellent place to start learning about firewall techniques, as well as what they can or cannot do to protect your network. This site is a must for anyone who works with firewalls, whether a hardware or a software solution. To make things easier to understand, this FAQ contains diagrams that help to explain the concepts covered in this FAQ.

McAfee

www.mcafee.com

McAfee is one of the world’s leading major antivirus and network security companies, offering antivirus, anti-spam, intrusion detection, mobile device security, and other products to home, small-business, and enterprise users.

McAfee’s Security Headquarters provides a comprehensive list of viruses and other threats, and also provides free removal tools for some of the most common threats.

NTBugtraq

www.ntbugtraq.com

This is a valuable resource for those operating Windows operating systems. Although it was first set up to report on security issues relating to Windows NT, it has continued to grow to encompass the newer Microsoft operating systems and software. NTBugtraq is basically just a mailing list that you can sign up for to receive current security issues relating to Microsoft products. If you use any Windows products in your network, then this list (along with Microsoft’s own mailing list) is a must for the network administrator. This mailing list is a two-way proposition. You can read about security issues, as well as post your own observations. There is also an archive of older posts that can be very useful for those who are just starting to learn about security issues relating to Microsoft products.

OpenSSL Project

www.openssl.org

This site is dedicated to creating and supporting an open-source toolkit that you can use to develop Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) as well as Transport Layer Security (TLS) applications. You can find source code as well as documentation at this site. For more information about SSL, refer to Chapter 34, “The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Protocol.”

Symantec

www.symantec.com

Symantec is one of the giants of the network security and backup business, thanks in part to its purchase of Veritas in 2005. Symantec’s small-business and SOHO network security and backup products include Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Backup Exec for Windows Small Business Server, Norton SystemWorks Premier, Norton Ghost, and Norton Personal Firewall. Symantec’s enterprise security and backup products include Gateway Security firewall appliances; Backup Exec, NetBackup, and LiveState Recovery backup/restore products for various network operating systems; AntiVirus and Mail Security for various network, email, and gateways; and many others. Symantec also offers a free Security Check that includes online virus scanning and security tests.

Symantec Security Response

securityresponse.symantec.com

This site is operated by Symantec, a major vendor of antivirus and other software. This site offers information about the latest viruses, as well as advisories about programs that expose your network to attack. The site’s Threat List and Virus Encyclopedia link can give you a lot of information about recent malicious programs. Because this is a vendor site, you can also find links to purchasing vendors’ products, as well as free tools that can be used to remove certain virus, malware, and other similar programs.

The Firewall Toolkit (FWTK)

www.fwtk.org

The Firewall Toolkit consists of proxy applications that an advanced user or administrator can use to construct a firewall. This website provides the needed information. Chapter 45, “Firewalls,” contains information about proxies and how they work. In that chapter you can learn the difference between proxies and packet filters, among other firewall techniques.

This website gives you the software needed to construct your own proxy applications. You can download the source (coded in the C language) from this site, as well as documentation and tutorials that can assist you if you want to use the FWTK in your network. Another note: Marcus J. Ranum, along with others at Digital Equipment Corporation, were instrumental in creating the first proxy-based firewall. It is available as a commercial product in addition to the software you can download from this site. The FWTK was developed as a marketable product by Digital, and was used by the U.S. government when it was first put online and needed some sort of protection for its connection to the ARPANET.

Trend Micro

www.trendmicro.com

Trend Micro is a leading provider of antivirus and network security products for home, small-business, mobile, and enterprise users. Its PC-cillin antivirus program is also available as part of the PC-cillin Internet Security suite. TrendMicro also offers specialized security solutions for file server, email server, Internet gateway, mobile, and Linux platforms. For free online antivirus scanning, go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com; for free online spyware scanning, go to www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/.

Zone Labs

www.zonelabs.com

Zone Labs (a CheckPoint company) provides one of the best two-way software firewalls available, the free ZoneAlarm. The commercial ZoneAlarm Pro product adds protection against new and existing malware and spyware programs, privacy and identity theft protection, email security, and wireless network protection. Zone Labs also includes ZoneAlarm Pro protection in various suites, including its comprehensive Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite, which also includes IM protection, parental controls, and antivirus.

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