This article shows how any IT Administrator, network engineer or security auditor can quickly scan a network using GFI’s LanGuard and identify the different systems such as Windows, Linux, Android etc. More importantly, we’ll show how to uncover vulnerable, unpatched or high-risk Windows systems including Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 R2, Domain Controllers, Linux Servers such as RedHat Enterprise, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, openSuse, Fedora,any type of Windows workstation (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1,10) and Apple OS X.

GFI’s LanGuard is a swiss-army knife that combines a network security tool, vulnerability scanner and patching management system all in one package. Using the network scanning functionality, LanGuard will automatically scan the whole network and use the provided credentials to log into every located host and discover additional vulnerabilities.

Download your copy LanGuard 2015 Network Security / Vulnerability Scanner and Patch Management system for a limited time only!

To begin, we launch GFI LanGuard and at the startup screen, select the Scan Tab as shown below:

Figure 1. Launching GFI LanGuard 2015

Next, in the Scan Target section, select Custom target properties (box with dots) and click on Add new rule. This will bring us to the final window where we can add any IP address range or CIDR subnet:

Introduction

In this topic we'll try to cover the major areas of difficulties that are faced by people who are new to the Linux operating system. We'll show you how to do things in Linux that you do in Windows, show you some of the features of this ‘new' operating system and drop in a few tips and tricks that will make your life easier. We will assume that you have never used Linux but have used Windows and are familiar with basic concepts such as files and folders, starting programs, etc.

This article aims to point you in the right direction for learning Linux and focuses on helping you stand on your own two feet when using it rather than having to refer to a piece of paper every time you have a problem. At the end of the day, the best way to 'learn' how to use Linux, is to actually use it and experiment yourself rather than simply reading about it.

Play around with it, experiment, break it, fix it and everything will become clear very quickly.

So, without further delay, here is the breakdown of the topics we've covered for you:

Section 1: Why Use Linux?

Section 2: The Linux File System.

Section 3: The Linux Command Line.

Section 4: Installing Software On Linux.

Section 5: Advanced Linux Commands.

Section 6: Linux File & Folder Permissions.

Section 7: Finding More Information.

The Linux Administration section covers a number of utilities, programs and articles used to administer the Linux Operating System. Our articles cover popular topics such as: Linux user and group administration, Network configuration, Linux Runtime levels, TCP/IP Configuration files, system quotas, performance monitoring, text/file editors (Vi) and more.

Our articles cover all popular Linux distributions such as Redhat Linux, Fedora, Mandrake, Suse Linux, Slackware, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Gento Linux and more.

The Linux KnowledgeBase is a collection of valuable articles that cover a number of applications and functions of the Linux operating system. Its goal is to educate users about the Linux operating system and provide a unique reference guide for everyone, regardless of the experience level.

This section contains articles covering Linux news from various vendors including: Redhat, Fedora, Debian, CentOS, SUSE, OpenLinux, Slackware, Ubuntu, Mandrake and more.

Title:              Linux Starter Kit
Authors:        Emmett Dulaney
ISBN-10(13):     0672328879
Publisher:      Sams
Published:     June 8, 2006
Edition:         1st Edition
Language:     English

If you ever want to understand about security and its role in the development of J2EE enterprise-level applications, then you should consider buying this book from your local bookstore.

The authors have done an excellent job in explaining the basics of security as it applies to the most common business practices, as well as deliver intricate details on the inner workings of the Java platform security architecture. Even though this book covers in its majority Java technologies, you don't have to be a Java developer or architect to appreciate it.

The book is divided in 7 major parts:

Part 1: Introduction and Basics of Security

Part 2: Java Security Architecture and Technologies

Part 3: Web Services Security and Identity Management

Part 4: Security Design Methodology, Patterns, and Reality Checks

Part 5: Design Strategies and Best Practices

Part 6: Putting it all together

Part 7: Personal Identification using Smart Cards and Biometrics

Parts 1-5 provide reams of detail about the fundamentals of security, the J2EE security architecture, and the technologies used to enable Web services security. In addition, there is a comprehensive explanation of patterns and practices for J2EE developers, as well as design strategies and best practices for securing J2EE Web components and web-based applications.

Web developers might want to pay special attention to Part 3 of the book because it gives an insight on fortifying Web services, authenticating and authorizing end users, and applying the latest cryptographic techniques. XML is described in detail as the encoding for messages between parties using a Web Service.

Note that this book does not explain the specific JAVA APIs needed for basic J2EE application development. Twenty-three proven security architectural patterns are discussed and presented through several realistic scenarios, covering architecture and implementation and presenting detailed sample code.

Part 6 of the book describes how to use this newly acquired knowledge in the implementation of real-world security scenarios.

Finally, we found the last part of this book as the most intriguing. It provides an in-depth coverage on Personal Identification using Smart Cards and Biometrics, their role in physical and logical access control, and the different technologies used in their implementation. Best practices and common pitfalls that might arise when implementing security using smart cards and biometrics are also discussed.

Overall we believe this is excellent book for the security enthusiast who wants to build robust end-to-end security into J2EE enterprise applications.

This section covers the management of System & Network Services to help you properly manage a Linux workstation or server, including installation and configuration of local components, as well as connections to existing network services.

Our unique articles cover topics such as:  Installation and configuration of VSFTPD, Linux Virtual Servers/Load Balancing, Linux Firewall (IPTables), Linux DHCP Server, Linux Samba - Windows File Sharing and more.

Introduction

With Microsoft's monopoly over the operating system market, most computer users have been exposed only to the Windows family of operating systems, which includes Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP and 2003.

After using one operating system for a long time it is difficult for users to switch to a different one because they have become used to performing tasks a certain way, so that even the slightest change in the graphical layout or the commands makes things frustrating.

It is this mental stumbling block that makes people believe that Linux is more difficult to use than Windows. In fact, in a recent survey, a group of people who were completely new to computers were asked to use both Windows and Linux. At the end of the experiment the results showed that these novice users actually found Linux easier to use and more intuitive than Windows for their daily computing tasks.

We are confident that our detailed coverage will introduce this wonderful operating system to you, and trigger your curiosity to try it out.

After all, it's not a coincidence that over 70% of the Internet servers run under Linux, while the workstation numbers within companies worldwide are constantly increasing!

We surely hope you enjoy your journey into the world of Linux......

Most of us dream of using a Linux Supercomputer, something with so much raw processing power and memory that operations get completed in nanoseconds rather than minutes. With hardware becoming cheaper, most of us are accustomed to working on machines with 4-8 GB of RAM, and occasionally even using dual or quad core processors.

However, what if we told you that there's a simple way to build your own supercomputer. That too, using nothing more than GNU/Linux and any old hardware you happen to have lying around. The basic idea is to cluster multiple systems together, and use their combined CPU power and combined RAM as if it is one system.

This concept of multiple physical machines contributing their processing power and behaving like a single system is known as 'Single System Image' clustering. In other words, the cluster behaves like a normal single system to the end-user.

The key to doing this is to use a system known as 'openMosix' in conjuction with Linux. OpenMosix is an extension to the Linux kernel that allows for seamless clustering and load balancing of processing power over systems on a network. This means that you can have say 5 low-end machines with 256 MB RAM, install an openMosix enhanced Linux kernel on them, and effectively have a system that has 5 CPUs and 1,280 MB RAM! This idea scales very nicely, imagine a setup with 10 systems, each with 512 MB RAM... you can cluster them, and get an extremely powerful 10 CPU, 5 GB RAM monster to play with!

Anyway, now that we've got you drooling, we'll show you the simplest way to set up your own GNU/Linux cluster, explain the technology behind it, show you how to optimize it, and finally give you a couple of interesting ideas on what to do with your behemoth cluster.

Before we start, let's take a quick look at what we've got covered in the following pages for you:

• Section 1: Understanding OpenMosix.

• Section 2: Building An OpenMosix Cluster.
  • 2.1: Getting & Installing OpenMosix.
  • 2.2: Installing from Source.
  • 2.3: Installing from RPM.
  • 2.4: Installing in Debian.

• Section 3: Using Cluster Knoppix.

• Section 4: Starting Up Your Cluster.

• Section 5: Testing Your Cluster.

• Section 6: Controlling Your Cluster.

• Section 7: Openmosix File System.

• Section 8: Using SSH Keys Instead of Passwords.

• Section 9: Interesting Ideas.
  • 9.1: Distributed Password Cracking
  • 9.2: Clustered Audio Encoding

This is a great project to take up as there are lots of practical uses for clusters, especially in scenarios where you suddenly require a large amount of processing power (sudden mail server load? ;) ).

Having a basic knowledge of Linux will make things easier for you to understand, since we'll be patching and compiling the kernel, but we've written this tutorial so that it will be accessible to newbies as well.

So, without any more delay, lets start going through this awesome tutorial!

This section contains books covering programming for a variety of operating systems.

Title:              Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed
Authors:        Paul Hudson, Andrew Hudson
ISBN-10(13):     067232847X
Publisher:      Sams
Published:     May 29, 2006
Edition:         1st Edition
Language:     English

As the title suggests, this is a book about the latest release of Fedora Core linux distribution. Thanks to it's correct approach however, it would be accurate to claim that this is a book that can train you appropriately in the ways of Linux Operating System using Fedora Core distribution as a reference, instead of being just an other shallow distribution-specific manual.
GNU/Linux (usually refered to as simply "Linux") is a completely free Operating System that can be used for a wide variety of tasks. Fedora is a community-driven distribution of Linux, sponsored by Red Hat, one of the leading and oldest organizations in the field.

Unlike what many people think, Linux is not a specialized OS that can only be found as part of network infrastructures. Through the last 15 years, it has evolved to a modern general-purpose OS that can be used for almost any task you can think of: from office workstations, to WAN backbone routers, and even for few that you propably hadn't considered, like voice machines, PBX, televisions, compact multimedia devices and much more!

Most importantly, Linux' software for such applications has reached production-level quality, is free to use, modify and redistribute and supports every open standard. Also, it performs well on commodity hardware, even old Personal Computers that cost less than 50$ can be more than enough for most jobs.

As one would expect however, an operating system of such flexibility unavoidly has a certain degree of complexity in it's roots, and configuring it appropriatelly can prove challenging even to experienced users and IT profesionals. Official software documentation, while detailed, many times seems too strictly specific for a user that lacks the technological context to comprehent it, especially in complex tasks where the tight collaboration of more than one pieces of software is required.

This is where "Fedora Core 5 Unleashed" comes. It is essentially a training guide written with the completely inexperienced user in mind, however it also manages to extend it's information to an advanced level for most of the subjects.

The "Unleashed" book series from SAMS is known for it's thoroughness and detailed coverage of each topic. Fedora Core 5 Unleashed, counting 6 well-balanced parts in more than 1000 pages, stands up to this legacy. Each part contains numerous Chapters, in the end of each chapter, there is a reference section, containing links to web resources for related subjects. This is a very good idea that increases the book's value. The same applies for the gray tags that mark each chapter on the side of the book, making browsing each part easy, and the comprehensive appendix in the end which contains a thematic index of all the material based on keywords.

Inside the book there is also a DVD containing the complete Fedora Core 5 linux distribution, so that you can get started right away.

The material covered is organized as following:

Part Iof the book is the introductory part. It covers the procedure of installation, some of the fundamental information about Linux and especially Fedora and some basic configuration instructions, so that everyone can have a fully functional system before continuing with the rest of the book.

Part 2 is dedicated to the use of Linux as personal desktop and office workstation. It provides information about available office, multimedia and leisure applications and documents in detail the graphical environment. All users that intend to use linux as desktop will want to read this.

Part 3focuses on system administration. Most of the concepts and facilities of Linux are described here, so everyone should read it carefully.

Part 4 describes the possibilities of a linux machine serving data in a network. All popular types of services (mail, databases, dns, proxy, filesharing, etc) are described in detail, both in theory and in implementation. This is primarily important to System Administrators that will use Linux as part of a network infrastructure.

Part 5 is a fairly detailed introduction to programming in Linux. More specifically, there is a basic tutorial on PERL, PYTHON and PHP, enough to get you started with those languages. There is also a chapter dedicated to C/C++ and available Integrated Development Environment applications. Developers and powerusers will be interested in this part, since scripting greatly enhances the functionality of the system in many scenarios.

Part 6, finally, offers practical advice for a wide variety of subjects, like security, performance tuning and troubleshooting. This is an all-around chapter that can help everyone, regardless of how they intend to use Linux.

In each part, advanced users will find some very cool ideas and pieces of important information they'd been missing. Inexperienced users will also find themselves on their way to becoming geeks, without losing track at any point, thanks to the plentiful explanations, examples, references and ilustrative tables.

The fact that absolutelly no previous knowledge is required for someone to follow the book means the only real requirement would be an interest to familiarize with the great Operating System called Linux. Fedora Core distribution along with Fedora Core 5 Unleashed book, provide a great training package for anyone to achieve this efficiently.

This section contains articles covering IT Security news from around the world.