In your car, the firewall sits between the engine compartment and the front seat and is built to keep you from being burned by the heat of the combustion process. Your computer has a firewall, too, for much the same reason – to keep you and your data from being burned by hackers and thieves who are the unfortunate creators of “Internet combustion” and destruction.
The firewall, a “combo” approach of software that regulates and monitors hardware and communications protocols, is there to inspect network traffic and all the “packets” of information that pass through to your inner sanctum, your CPU and hard drives. A firewall will rule out the possibility of harm, or at least greatly minimize, by noting and quarantining potentially harmful “zones” and will either deny or permit access to your computer based on the current set of rules that applies at the time, depending on many (very many) factors.
Basic tasks and settings
The basic task for a firewall is to regulate of the flow of traffic between different computer networks that have different “trust levels.” The Internet is full of countless overlapping zones, some safe and some totally deadly. On the other hand, internal networks are more likely to contain a zone or zones that offer a bit more trust. Zones that are in between the two, or are hard to categorize, are sometimes referred to as “perimeter networks” or, in a bit of geek humor, Demilitarized Zones (DMZ).
Without proper configuration, a firewall can simply become another worthless tool. Standard security practices call for a "default-deny" firewall rule, meaning that the only network connections that are allowed are the ones that have been explicitly okayed, after due investigation. Unfortunately, such a setup requires detailed understanding of network applications and a great deal of time and energy to establish and administer.
Who can do what?
Many businesses and individuals lack sufficient computer and network knowledge to set up a default-deny firewall, and will therefore use a riskier but simpler "default-allow" rule, in which all traffic is permitted unless it has been specifically blocked for one of a number of possible reasons. This way of setting up a firewall makes “mysterious” and unplanned network connections possible, and the chance your system may be compromised becomes much more likely.
Firewall technology had its first growth period in the computer technology revolution of the late 1980s, when the Internet was a fairly new in terms of its global reach and connectivity options. The predecessors to today’s hardware/software hybrid firewalls were the routers used in the mid 1980s to physically separate networks from each other. However small the Internet began, it was ultimately undone by supremely fast growth and the lack of security planning, and therefore there were the inevitable breaches caused by older (“prehistoric”) firewall formats. Fortunately, computer pros learn from their errors, and the firewall technology continues improving daily.
Cisco Kits is a leading provider of CCNA, CCIE and CCNP Cisco training courses and equipment. Visit them today for more information on certification or just furthering education.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Understanding the Difference between a Switch and a Router
Switches and routers are special devices that enable you to make connections between and among computers, printers, peripherals, networked devices and/or other networks. A switch or a router has at least two ports into which you plug devices’ cables to make the connection, but the similarities more or less end right there. What goes on inside these units is what distinguishes one from another. The terms are often used interchangeably, which is dead wrong, and using the devices incorrectly can result in a network that is just plain dead.
Switches do what simpler devices called “hubs” do, but much more effectively, which is why hubs are decreasing in popularity. A switch will essentially “learn” about the network “traffic” that flows into and through it, and remember what the particular “addresses” represent. For a basic example, a switch will sense traffic from Computer #1 arriving via Port #2, so it knows that any signals that are bound for Computer #1 will have to go out that particular port, as well. Whereas the older, simpler hubs send every signal everywhere, a switch only sends traffic exactly where it needs to go. Busy networks will run dramatically faster with proper switches installed.
Routers big and small
Routers are many orders of magnitude more complex than simple, straightforward switches, and there are many different models in many different form factors from which to choose. Routers can be anything from a small, paperback-book-size, four-port, wireless broadband router to the mammoth and powerful devices that are the traffic cops at the main intersections of the Internet itself. Without these “intelligent appliances,” there would be no World Wide Web as there is today.
Simply put, a router is specialized computer that is programmed for its various important functions. It needs to be aware of the network data, as well as manage and manipulate it in various ways when required, while it also works tirelessly to route data both quickly and correctly. Today’s broadband routers use their special firmware (built-in software) to camouflage or hide computers behind what’s called a firewall. All routers have the ability to configure the handling of the network traffic through some kind of user interface running on the “administrator’s” computer.
Speed and connectivity
You will see a few terms that apply to both of these devices, the most important of which is network speed. Today’s switches and routers are commonly capable of both current and “legacy” (a fancy word for “old”) speeds, and will often be labeled 10/100/1000. These figures refer to the number of megabits, or millions of bits, per second (mbps) the device can handle. You may have or see some older devices labeled with only one speed, which limits its use to devices operating at the same level. However, "gigabit" devices (1000mbps) are the most common now, and as 10/100/1000 devices they handle all speeds well.
A growing number of home and business networks have gone wireless, and the trend is accelerating all the time. The technical term for the wireless router protocols are 802.11b, 802.11g and the newest one, 802.11n. Wireless transceivers in these routers basically add more “virtual ports” to the device. Wireless or wired, routers are standard equipment these days, and falling prices combined with increasing technological sophistication will see to it that they continue to spread.
There are some people who think that switches will eventually disappear as far as home use is concerned, although large businesses and web server companies will need them for a long time to come because of the varied connectivity requirements of their operations. As the so-called digital convergence continues, routers may end up being combined with cable or DSL modems to eliminate multiple pieces of equipment in the standard home or small-business network. If past is prologue in this field, then we can expect both switches and routers to get smaller, better, faster and cheaper all the time.
Cisco Kits is a leading provider of CCNA, CCIE and CCNP Cisco training courses and equipment. Visit online for more information on certification or just furthering education.
Incline Ski Shop Aspen Incline Ski Shop is the best ski and snowboard rental shop in Aspen and Snowmass, Colorado. We offer value, service and convenient locations.
Switches do what simpler devices called “hubs” do, but much more effectively, which is why hubs are decreasing in popularity. A switch will essentially “learn” about the network “traffic” that flows into and through it, and remember what the particular “addresses” represent. For a basic example, a switch will sense traffic from Computer #1 arriving via Port #2, so it knows that any signals that are bound for Computer #1 will have to go out that particular port, as well. Whereas the older, simpler hubs send every signal everywhere, a switch only sends traffic exactly where it needs to go. Busy networks will run dramatically faster with proper switches installed.
Routers big and small
Routers are many orders of magnitude more complex than simple, straightforward switches, and there are many different models in many different form factors from which to choose. Routers can be anything from a small, paperback-book-size, four-port, wireless broadband router to the mammoth and powerful devices that are the traffic cops at the main intersections of the Internet itself. Without these “intelligent appliances,” there would be no World Wide Web as there is today.
Simply put, a router is specialized computer that is programmed for its various important functions. It needs to be aware of the network data, as well as manage and manipulate it in various ways when required, while it also works tirelessly to route data both quickly and correctly. Today’s broadband routers use their special firmware (built-in software) to camouflage or hide computers behind what’s called a firewall. All routers have the ability to configure the handling of the network traffic through some kind of user interface running on the “administrator’s” computer.
Speed and connectivity
You will see a few terms that apply to both of these devices, the most important of which is network speed. Today’s switches and routers are commonly capable of both current and “legacy” (a fancy word for “old”) speeds, and will often be labeled 10/100/1000. These figures refer to the number of megabits, or millions of bits, per second (mbps) the device can handle. You may have or see some older devices labeled with only one speed, which limits its use to devices operating at the same level. However, "gigabit" devices (1000mbps) are the most common now, and as 10/100/1000 devices they handle all speeds well.
A growing number of home and business networks have gone wireless, and the trend is accelerating all the time. The technical term for the wireless router protocols are 802.11b, 802.11g and the newest one, 802.11n. Wireless transceivers in these routers basically add more “virtual ports” to the device. Wireless or wired, routers are standard equipment these days, and falling prices combined with increasing technological sophistication will see to it that they continue to spread.
There are some people who think that switches will eventually disappear as far as home use is concerned, although large businesses and web server companies will need them for a long time to come because of the varied connectivity requirements of their operations. As the so-called digital convergence continues, routers may end up being combined with cable or DSL modems to eliminate multiple pieces of equipment in the standard home or small-business network. If past is prologue in this field, then we can expect both switches and routers to get smaller, better, faster and cheaper all the time.
Cisco Kits is a leading provider of CCNA, CCIE and CCNP Cisco training courses and equipment. Visit online for more information on certification or just furthering education.
Incline Ski Shop Aspen Incline Ski Shop is the best ski and snowboard rental shop in Aspen and Snowmass, Colorado. We offer value, service and convenient locations.
The Advantages of Online Computer Training
A recent national poll indicated that only about 60% of Americans thought that young people should be encouraged to work hard and study diligently. One writer commenting on this finding attempted to portray it in a positive way by disclosing that the figure was lower than 40% in Europe. Of course, there is one group of people today where support for hard work and hard study is nearly unanimous. This is the group of people who have decided to learn computers through online training.
With the advent of the “virtual world” of cyberspace since the early 1990s, a whole parallel world has taken shape, except instead of wood and cement the “buildings” are constructed of bits and bytes. Throughout the 1990s and the maturing of the World Wide Web, the grocery store on the corner, the movie theater in the mall and the bookstore down the street all ended up in cyberspace. It didn’t take long for educational institutions of all kinds to make the move, too. Today people of all ages have a choice of driving to a campus for one, two or four years or studying in a more flexible way, from home and/or office, to get online computer training.
Lower-cost alternative
Getting up to speed in a new discipline is not an easy thing to do, online or on campus. Research indicates that people who goes to online sources for training, whether it’s for a degree or not, are less likely to drop out, miss fewer sessions and assignments, and get higher grades. Interestingly, these were the same findings some 35 years ago when educational researchers analyzed junior college (JC) student bodies. Because they were somewhat older, more determined and knew what they wanted in life, JC students, like today’s online students, were more focused, more motivated and, ultimately, more likely to achieve their educational goals.
Both economic and practical reasons make getting online computer training a very popular option these days. Lower-cost online alternatives help many people overcome the high cost of a traditional college education. Mothers (and, increasingly, fathers) of young children that had no time available for traveling to a campus can now study online, from home. People who had to keep working to support their families are now able to arrange online classes on evenings, weekends or other available times.
Public benefits of online training
Online trade schools, training institutes and colleges perform a true public service by bringing the opportunity of learning, in the form of online training, to more people. Computers are used in every industry, by every company and for every business goal imaginable, so online computer training can help prepare people for a wider choice of careers than almost any other curriculum. This new source of education is seriously expanding the talent pool (the “human resources”) available to American business. Computer-savvy employees will help American industry continue making technological advances, and the training clearly raises worker productivity, which will ultimately lead to improved economic forecasts and an increase in gross national product.
Despite polls that claim to show that some 40% of Americans no longer respect the value of hard work and lifelong study, there are plenty of people who do. To keep our country going and growing, as many people as are interested should be encouraged to enroll in online computer training. People who work through personal hardships and adversities to start or finish their compute education online are, in fact, the same kind of people who work hard, continue to learn, act as great role models for others and, by so doing, make a difference in this world.
CBT Planet.com offers comprehensive computer and employee career training including self-paced computer based training (cbt), computer training videos, instructor-led courses and IT certifications boot camps. Visit them online today for all your cbt online.
With the advent of the “virtual world” of cyberspace since the early 1990s, a whole parallel world has taken shape, except instead of wood and cement the “buildings” are constructed of bits and bytes. Throughout the 1990s and the maturing of the World Wide Web, the grocery store on the corner, the movie theater in the mall and the bookstore down the street all ended up in cyberspace. It didn’t take long for educational institutions of all kinds to make the move, too. Today people of all ages have a choice of driving to a campus for one, two or four years or studying in a more flexible way, from home and/or office, to get online computer training.
Lower-cost alternative
Getting up to speed in a new discipline is not an easy thing to do, online or on campus. Research indicates that people who goes to online sources for training, whether it’s for a degree or not, are less likely to drop out, miss fewer sessions and assignments, and get higher grades. Interestingly, these were the same findings some 35 years ago when educational researchers analyzed junior college (JC) student bodies. Because they were somewhat older, more determined and knew what they wanted in life, JC students, like today’s online students, were more focused, more motivated and, ultimately, more likely to achieve their educational goals.
Both economic and practical reasons make getting online computer training a very popular option these days. Lower-cost online alternatives help many people overcome the high cost of a traditional college education. Mothers (and, increasingly, fathers) of young children that had no time available for traveling to a campus can now study online, from home. People who had to keep working to support their families are now able to arrange online classes on evenings, weekends or other available times.
Public benefits of online training
Online trade schools, training institutes and colleges perform a true public service by bringing the opportunity of learning, in the form of online training, to more people. Computers are used in every industry, by every company and for every business goal imaginable, so online computer training can help prepare people for a wider choice of careers than almost any other curriculum. This new source of education is seriously expanding the talent pool (the “human resources”) available to American business. Computer-savvy employees will help American industry continue making technological advances, and the training clearly raises worker productivity, which will ultimately lead to improved economic forecasts and an increase in gross national product.
Despite polls that claim to show that some 40% of Americans no longer respect the value of hard work and lifelong study, there are plenty of people who do. To keep our country going and growing, as many people as are interested should be encouraged to enroll in online computer training. People who work through personal hardships and adversities to start or finish their compute education online are, in fact, the same kind of people who work hard, continue to learn, act as great role models for others and, by so doing, make a difference in this world.
CBT Planet.com offers comprehensive computer and employee career training including self-paced computer based training (cbt), computer training videos, instructor-led courses and IT certifications boot camps. Visit them online today for all your cbt online.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
