Purconn

As Albert Einstein theorized time is relative, and the same applies to network environments of the Windows persuasion. Since Windows 2000 all Microsoft operating systems have used Kerberos Authentication to communicate over  an insecure network. It can have a few draw backs, one of which you are sure to come across at some stage, that is time. Kerberos uses the time of both the Server and Client computers as part of its ticket generation. If the Client computers time is not synchronized with the Server, the authentication will fail. This may manifest itself as failed windows logon, or a mapped drive which is no longer available and printers not being able to process print jobs from clients. The time on both the Client and Server must be within Five minutes by default.

I have found this issue most occurs with older computers with dead CMOS batteries and Accounts computers, for some reason best known to them Accounts personnel turn the time back or forward to process invoices. This is not an issue on a stand alone computer but on a networks Kerberos time stamps come into play and all sorts of strange things start to happen.

Kerberos is extremely complicated to diagnose at times but if you suspect it as the fault always start at the time.

Chrome OS is well underway and is based on the popular Chrome browser; which many of you will have installed even without knowing, thanks to Adobe and Realplayer and other add-ons which attached it to there downloads. Chrome OS is going to be a bit different from traditional operating systems in that it has a Web ethos running through it, it is rumoured it will not support physical hard-drives by default, instead will store your documents on-line in “The Cloud”. What this means is Google Docs will store your files and any applications you require to edit and create them will also be web based.

Personally I like Google Docs but I like to be able to choose which files I upload not have all my files uploaded by default, this feature may sound good to Google but to the paranoid like me it would deter me from using Google Chrome OS.

 Its reliance on the web also means that Irish users will be thin on the ground as poor broadband coverage/quality will cripple what is being designed to be one of the fastest operating systems ever.I think Google have lost sight of the fact that although alot of people use the web that a high percentage of them are connecting at near to dial-up speeds.

I think Google Chrome OS may be the next Linux, although I can’t  see it being as popular as say Ubuntu which is a viable alternative to Windows, until broadband speeds increase in developed countries then its ahead of its time.

A while back I did a post on Micorsoft entering the Anti-Virus War and butting heads with Symantec and the other main players, by offering there product Microsoft Security Essentials free. Well its out of beta testing and available for download. I am running it on Windows 7 and it seems quite impressive as I had a few captive viruses which I let loose on it and it dealt with them with very little problems. As impressive as it is, even Microsoft only recommend it for Home consumers and not as a Business/Enterprise replacement for your current commercial AV product. Microsoft Security Essentials lacks plug-ins for Exchange and other mail servers so deploying it on such systems would be foolhardy. This of course is a business decision of Microsoft not to include these features as there Forefront product is designed for this purpose. This said I’m positive Home users and maybe Schools will find Microsoft Security Essentials the perfect Anti-Virus package for them.

Download it at : http://www.microsoft.com/Security_essentials/