This newsletter has been produced
to help you get the most out of the Internet,
and to keep you, as an Actrix customer, informed of developments and services within the
company.
Past newsletters may be viewed at http://editor.actrix.co.nz/
Newsletters are now archived by article at http://editor.actrix.co.nz/byarticle/
Questions and comments about the newsletter can be e-mailed to editor@actrix.co.nz
Other inquiries should be e-mailed to support@actrix.co.nz
September Introduction
Welcome to the Actrix September 2001 Newsletter. This month's offering is a little brief due to the fact that I have spent much of August overseas, soaking up Ohio sunshine and hospitality. I hope you'll enjoy or benefit from it and that you'll forgive where it appears to be a little rushed.
It's good to be back.
Rob Zorn (Editor)
How Does Your Browser Know Where to Go?
The Internet can be a mind-boggling thing. When you type a web address into your
browser you soon find yourself connected to another computer that could be anywhere. It's
quite amazing to consider that the page you are reading is hosted somewhere in The United
States, Denmark, Swaziland, or Brazil. Have you ever wondered how your browser is able to
find web sites hosted in far off corners of the world?
What follows is a brief and simplified explanation. The processes can get complex, and
there are lots of different ways to achieve the same result, so I'll keep it simple and
general.
Step One occurs when you dial in to Actrix. The Actrix modem and yours squeal at each
other for a few seconds in order to make sure they understand each other, and can agree on
how to communicate. At the point where they go silent, the Actrix modem is instructing
your computer as to where various pathways to information are. Your dial up networking
program is given this information each time you connect and remembers it for the duration
of your online session.
We need to pause for a second or two here in order to be sure we understand what IP
addresses are. Humans like names and words. If we want a site, we like to type in an
address we can relate to such as www.actrix.co.nz or www.yahoo.com. Computers don't like words. They would rather deal
with numbers. So, every web address has an IP (Internet Protocol) address behind it. For
example, the IP address for Actrix is 203.96.22.1. The IP address for Yahoo is
204.71.200.67. Try typing these numbers into your browser (without the full-stops at the
end) and they will bring up the required pages just as easily as the web addresses do. An
IP address consists of a set of four numbers, each separated by a "dot" or
full-stop. Each time you connect to the Internet, Actrix assigns your machine with an IP
address too. Every machine connected to the Internet has to have one. If you'd like to
learn a little more about how IP addresses work, you could try this article written by
Dean Moor for the September 2000 newsletter: http://editor.actrix.gen.nz/byarticle/hacking01.htm.
Step Two: One of the most important things your computer is told when you connect is where
to find the Actrix name server. Every ISP has two or more name servers that hold lists of
web addresses (such as www.yahoo.com) and their corresponding
IP addresses (such as 204.71.200.67). When you type www.yahoo.com
into your browser and hit enter, your computer immediately connects to the Actrix name
server and asks it for the IP address that corresponds to www.yahoo.com.
If the Actrix name server knows, it gives you back "204.71.200.67" right away.
If it doesn't know, it asks another server for the answer. If that server doesn't know, it
asks another one until one name server pops up that knows the answer. The answer is then
passed back down the line and given to your computer. All this usually takes just
milliseconds. Servers are smart enough so that they usually don't have to ask another
server at random. The server will examine your request for a clue as to what would be the
best server to ask next. If the web address you wanted ended in ".com.au" for
example, the name server would at least recognise that as an Australian address, and
therefore it would ask for help from an Australian name server it knows.
Step Three: Okay, so you've typed an address into your browser. Your computer has asked
the Actrix name server for the IP address of that site and the Actrix name server has
given it to you (possibly needing to ask a series of name servers around the world first).
Probably not much more than a few seconds have gone by. Another important thing that
happens while you are connecting to Actrix, is that your computer is connected to the
Actrix terminal server. The terminal server is the one that knows the pathways to sites
around the world, or who can find them out for you. Your computer gives the terminal
server the IP address it wants. If you typed www.yahoo.com
into your browser, then you'll be giving the Actrix terminal server the IP address
204.71.200.67.
Two things could happen here. If the Terminal server knows the pathway to the site with
the IP address you have requested, it will simply set off and download the page so that it
can "serve" it to your computer for browser display. This may involve hops
through up to a dozen or more computers or servers around the world between you and the
server which hosts the page you want. If the site is reasonably local, the terminal server
will almost certainly know where to find it. However, if the site is far away, or if for
any other reason the Actrix terminal server does not know the path to the site you have
requested, then it will pass you through its "default gateway" to a router which
it hopes will know the way. This router will look through its enormous "routing
table" to try and find the path to the requested site. If it finds the right path, it
will pass you on to the next computer in line. If it can't find the site anywhere in its
routing tables, it will pass you on to another router. This process will go on until one
of the routers, somewhere in the world, finds the needed site in its routing table. That
router will then send your request off along the right path. Again, this seems like it
should take ages, but it all occurs within milliseconds.
As your request travels ("hops") from computer to computer across the Internet,
a record is kept along the way of who you are (your IP address) and where you came from.
When your request finally reaches the destination site, the web server there will
"serve you" the page by sending it back to you across pretty much the same path
you took to get there. Knowing this helps one understand just how much the Internet is a
co-operative system. Public and private Servers all around the world, even from rival
companies within the same country, are working together to make it all possible.
So that's it in a very simple nutshell. Of course I missed out or glossed over a whole lot
of complicated stuff, but this should be enough to give you a rough idea of what is
happening behind the scenes when you're surfing the net. If you'd like to find out more,
you may be interested in another "layman's terms" article from the May 2000 Newsletter
entitled "What
Happens When I Click Connect?"
by Jeremy Fairbrass
A lot of people ask our support team how to go about updating their copy of Norton AntiVirus, and how to know if it is already up-to-date. This article provides some basic steps, as well as suggestions on how the program should ideally be configured to provide maximum protection against viruses on your computer. Norton AntiVirus is considered by many (including myself) to be the all round best antivirus program available, due to its advanced e-mail and file protection, automatic updating, and simplicity of use. Norton AntiVirus version 2000 is often bundled with many new computers, so the information provided below will be based on that version. The current version is 2001, which can be bought from most computer shops for around $130. With the large numbers of viruses being passed around, it's highly recommended that all computers which have an Internet connection have antivirus software of some sort installed and running, and kept up-to-date. The potential damage from loss of data due to virus infection is too great to risk not having antivirus protection! There are several popular makers of quality antivirus software, apart from Norton, and there are even one or two free antivirus programs available, although their features might not be as advanced as the programs you have to pay for.
Once Norton AntiVirus
(henceforth "NAV") is installed and running on your computer, you should see a
little icon for it in your "System Tray" (down by the clock in the bottom-right
corner) - like in this picture:
Double-click on this icon. NAV's main console, called the
Integrator, should appear on the screen. It should look like this (note that the console
for NAV 2001 is very similar to that of NAV 2000):
You will see the "Norton AntiVirus
Status" box in the middle. This box contains information on the current status of the
program. Note the top line of the status box in the picture tells me that my "virus
definitions" are currently up-to-date. Virus definitions are the files that NAV needs
to download from the internet every week or two, which contain information on all of the
latest viruses. This allows NAV to be aware of the latest viruses and to know how to
recognise and disinfect or remove them if necessary. It's critically important that the
virus definition files are kept up-to-date. If they aren't, then NAV becomes redundant as
it won't be able to protect you from the latest viruses that are doing the rounds. I
recommend setting NAV to update itself on a weekly basis at least, and I also recommend
checking the Integrator box every now and then to make sure that the virus definition
files are still up-to-date, and therefore that NAV is successfully updating them by
itself.
The other key thing to note on the NAV Integrator window, is
the sentence near the top (in the picture above) which says "Auto-Protect is enabled
and protecting your system". This is also very important - if NAV's Auto-Protect
feature is disabled, it won't be able to detect any virus that may be sitting on your hard
drive or on a floppy drive you may be using.
If your NAV virus definition files are not up-to-date, or
you want to check to see if there are new virus definition files available on the internet
to download, you need to run the LiveUpdate program. In the picture above, you'll see the
LiveUpdate button in the top-left corner. (This is also where it is in NAV 2001). Click
this button. A new LiveUpdate window should appear, with a button near the bottom called
Next. You need to be connected to the Internet to go any further. After you hit the Next
button, NAV LiveUpdate will connect to the NAV servers and see if there are any new virus
definition files available. If there are, the LiveUpdate window will tell you so, and you
can click Next again to begin to download them. Once they're downloaded, LiveUpdate will
automatically install them for you and then tell you whether it was successful or not.
NAV 2000 and 2001 both have the ability to automatically
update the virus definition files by themselves, without you having to use the LiveUpdate
feature as described in the previous paragraph. NAV 2001 has the added ability to detect
whether or not you have a current Internet connection, and then only look for an update if
you do (whereas I believe NAV 2000 requires you to have an Internet connection first, and
will prompt you to make one if you don't). However it's important that you make sure the
auto-update feature is enabled, so that you don't have to remember to keep updating it
yourself regularly.
Updating
To do this with NAV 2000, click on the Scheduling button on the Integrator window (see the picture below). Now you'll see what events are currently scheduled for NAV to run, and how frequently they should be run. You may see that there are two events entered, both set to "Run LiveUpdate" on a monthly basis, each one offset by two weeks from the other - giving the overall result that LiveUpdate is run every two weeks. My recommendation is that LiveUpdate is run weekly, so I would suggest you modify these settings accordingly.
1. Click on the New Event button, and then
click Next.
2. Select the type of event - "Schedule LiveUpdate" - and hit Next. You'll be
asked to give the event a name - something like "Weekly LiveUpdate" will do. I'd
suggest also ticking the two boxes here - "Sound an audible alert" and
"Notify me". Then hit Next again.
3. You'll be asked how frequently to run the event - select Weekly, hit Next, and enter in
a day and time to run the even each week. Then click Next and Finish.
Note that this means NAV 2000 will prompt you to connect to the Internet at this day and time every week, so that it can check for updates. It's important that you allow it to do this! Now you can actually delete the original two scheduled events (if there were indeed two original scheduled events) as they are no longer needed, now that you have just added your own weekly scheduled event.
If you have NAV 2001, you don't actually need to use the
NAV Scheduler feature to run LiveUpdate. This is because NAV 2001 has a different (better)
method of updating itself, by checking at regular intervals (usually every 5 minutes) to
see if you have an internet connection, and if you do, it then checks with the Norton
server to see if there are any new updates.
Now we should go into the NAV Options to check that
everything in there is as it should be, for optimum protection. You'll see a button at the
top of the Integrator (again see the above picture) called Options. Click this button, and
you'll see the NAV options box appears. Below are the recommended settings for NAV 2000
and 2001, for each category under Options, including any differences between the two
versions.
Some things to note first:
1. if a setting or category isn't mentioned specifically
below, then it's probably not important how that particular setting is set;
2. you will need to click on the [+] symbol to the left of some of the categories, to
expand them to view their sub-categories;
3. most of the options in NAV 2001 are identical to those of NAV 2000;
4. if you're running Windows NT, 2000 or XP, you will probably need to log into Windows as
the administrator to make these changes, otherwise they may not save permanently.
Manual Scans:
[Tick] Master boot records.
[Tick] Boot records.
[Select] Action: Ask me what to do.
[Select] File types to scan: All files.
[Tick] Scan within compressed files.
Manual Scans - Bloodhound:
[Tick] Enable Bloodhound heuristics.
[Select] Default level of protection.
Auto-Protect:
[Tick] Start Auto-Protect when Windows starts up.
[Tick] Run or opened.
[Tick] Created or downloaded.
[Select] Action: Deny access to the infected file (NAV 2000)
or Repair the infected file (NAV 2001).
[Select] Program files and documents only.
[Tick] Enable SmartScan technology (NAV 2001 only).
[Tick] Show the Auto-Protect icon in the tray.
Auto-Protect - Bloodhound:
[Tick] Enable Bloodhound heuristics.
[Select] Default level of protection.
Auto-Protect - Advanced:
[Tick] Scan floppies for boot viruses on access.
[Tick] Scan floppies for boot viruses when shutting down
Windows.
Email Protection:
[Tick] Enable email protection (NAV 2000 only).
[Tick] {Tick ALL of the email clients that appear in the
box!}
[Select] Action: Ask me what to do.
Email Protection - Advanced:
[Tick] Protect against timeouts when scanning email.
Web Protection (NAV 2001 only):
[Tick] Enable browser protection.
LiveUpdate (NAV 2001 only):
[Tick] Enable Automatic LiveUpdate.
[Select] Notify me when updates are available.
Alerts:
[Tick] Sound an audible alert.
[Tick] Alert me on startup if my virus definitions are out
of date.
Scheduling:
[Tick] Start Norton Program Scheduler when Windows starts up
(note this doesn't need to be enabled if you're running NAV
2001
and don't have any events in your Norton Scheduler window).
[Tick] Run missed events at startup.
General:
[Tick] Microsoft Office 2000 - Enable plugin (NAV 2001 only).
| Actrix Direct Debit
Is Here! Actrix is now able to offer you the
option of paying your account by Direct Debit. |
Hackers to the Honey: A decoy computer network set up to record every attempt to crack it open and subvert it has revealed just how active and determined malicious hackers have become. Statistics gathered by the network show that computers connected to the web are scanned for weaknesses up to 14 times per day. Click here for more.
Schoolboy Releases Hacking Book: A book detailing the trade secrets of ethical hacking, which was written by a 14-year old Indian schoolboy, has already sold more than 5000 copies online. The boy wrote the book in 15 days, and it runs to a staggering 624 pages. Two sequels are reportedly on the way. Click here for more.
Privacy on the Internet? No Way!: Over the last couple of millennia there have been many debates regarding the rights of an individual citizen versus the "needs" of the State. Today, of course, in the western reaches of civilisation there is no need for anyone to be seriously worried about their rights.... Click here for more.
Microsoft Looking Forward to 2003: Microsoft insiders were jumping around with excitement early last month as the strangely-named 550 days program kicked off. Something wonderful is obviously scheduled to happen 550 days from July 2nd, but what? What major event does the software behemoth have pencilled in for Friday 3rd January 2003? Click here for more.
New Zealand Primary Schools Get Hi-Tech Tools: Primary school teachers are being given CD-Rom-based literacy assessment tools to help better track children's progress. The Government has committed $28.4 million over the next two years to assessment initiatives. Click here for more.
Interesting Sites (Click the picture links to access the sites)
Please note: Actrix supplies links to these sites for your interest and possible use. We
cannot endorse or take any responsibility for their contents. Got a site you think
would be neat to share with other readers? Let me know and receive a free Norrie the Nerd
chocolate bar courtesy of Actrix!
 The Great
Goosini!www.soyouwanna.com/site/features/goosini/palmreading/index.jsp - The site really does give you a real palm reading...FREE! How? It shows you pictures of hands and you let it know which ones look most like your own. Answer the four different questions, and The Great Goosini gives your reading. He'll let you know how long you have to live (sort of) and a few other things. Be warned though, in Goosini's own words: "...anybody who gets their palm read by a goose is a little loopy." |
 Literary Travelerwww.literarytraveler.com/ - Fans of literature and travel can now combine their interests thanks to Literary Traveler, an online magazine dedicated to the exploration of the literary imagination. The site features informative articles about writers and creative artists, and the places they traveled. It's an indulgent virtual journey around the world through the eyes of many great writers. You may just be inspired to put pen to paper yourself! |
 Really Weird Foodhttp://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/foods.htm - Mr. Gordon, here, decided to make a page dedicated to the strange foods he's eaten from all over the world. Very interesting to say the least. He may actually have the new secret to weight loss... Just visit his site and you won't be hungry for weeks. |
 The Museum of Garden Historywww.museumgardenhistory.org/ - Need some backyard horticultural inspiration? Take a virtual tour of the Museum of Garden History, just across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament, to pick up some exquisite ideas. (In case you happen to live in a palace.) |
 Planet Lightworkerwww.planetlightworker.com/contents.htm - This site was suggested by Dabau as a great "self-help for stressful times" source. Whether you're interested in New Age themes or not, there is a wealth of interesting stuff written anew each month for this online magazine. |
 New Zealand Bookswww.harpercollins.co.nz/ - HarperCollins Publishers is one of New Zealands's leading publishers. The website features information about favourite books including new releases and extracts, author news and profiles, plus a community with regular competitions, message-board and e-cards. |
So thus ends the August 2001 newsletter. I am
sorry it was a little shorter than usual this time but I am fairly pleased with what we
ended up with despite the rush job. We should be back to normal length next month (though
perhaps that isn't such a good thing?)
Please remember that I don't work for Actrix directly anymore. It is great to hear from you all, and I welcome comments or suggestions for the newsletter. However, inquiries and requests for support are better directed at the Actrix help desk. You can call them on 0800-228749, or email them at support@actrix.co.nz.
Take care through September,
Rob Zorn
Actrix Newsletter editor
editor@actrix.co.nz