Tripwire, Magicnotes, and Smartpackets

Tripwire came up on one of my Wireshark reports.

"Tripwire is a tool that aids system administrators and users in monitoring a designated set of files for any changes. Used with system files on a regular (e.g., daily) basis, Tripwire can notify system administrators of corrupted or tampered files, so damage control measures can be taken in a timely manner"(Ubuntu Geek, 2008).

As indicated by the the IANA Port Numbers report (2009), port 3023 TCP and UDP is for Magicnotes, port 1169 TCP and UDP is used for Tripwire, and port 3218 TCP and UDP is reserved for EMC smartpackets (IANA, 2009).

References

(April 23, 2008). Ubuntu Geek. List of security tools available in Ubuntu. Retrieved on November 25, 2009 from http://www.ubuntugeek.c om/list-of-security-tools-available-in-ubuntu.html

(November 25, 2009). IANA. Port numbers. Retrieved on November 25, 2009 from http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers

Data Backup & Recovery

Let's say you've got a notebook (laptop) with a small amount of HardDrive (HDD) space. So, you get an external hard drive and move your files over to the external HDD to create more space on your PC. You think to yourself, great I moved the files off my computer to the external HDD and now I've backed up my files. Incorrect!

A LifeHacker article suggests that a user take advantage of three distinct backup styles.

• Use an external HDD to copy files from key locations in your computer. For example, the Documents folder.
• Create an image of your notebook's HDD with imaging software like Ping.
• Backup your files online.

Read the You're Backing Up Your Data the Wrong Way LifeHacker article.
If you've got the money to do this it is worth your time. Build a file server where you can store vital information on a mirrored HDD dedicated for file storage. This is something simple, but if you'd like to go all out and create more possibilities then a server is what you want. Keep your files backed-up by using RAID 10.

An attack on Open Source

The Oracle-Sun merger is causing many people to throw their hands in the air. Some are doing it with excitement while others are fearing that this merger could destroy the powerful free source program MySQL.

“In Linux there actually is fierce competition between Oracle's flagship product and MySQL,” Mueller said. “MySQL really has already made its presence felt at the high end of the market where Oracle generates most of its revenues and profits, and is a pretty painful, hurtful competitor to Oracle because of its open-source nature and extremely aggressive price structure. What the market needs is for MySQL to continue that trajectory.”...Read the entire article at the Examiner.com.

CASE Tool: d'zine

D'zine is Open Source. This looks great for those who code and need to create class diagrams from what they have already coded.
The following are features and as stated in d'zine web page:

• Open Source CASE tool for OOAD.
  
• Draw use case ,interaction ,class ,deployment ,ER Diagrams.
  
• Code generation in C++ and java.
  
• Normalise your ER diagrams and generate SQL code.
  
• Reverse engg design from code.
  
• Just put in your Java or C++ code and generate class diagrams.
  

Excel 2003 Menu: UBit Menu

Tired of the 2007 Microsoft Office Ribbon? Want your 2003 Office Menu?
Go to http://www.ubit.ch/software/ubitmenu-languages/
Install the Ubit menu and then open an MS Office product like Excel.
I believe this is a temporary fix and I would recommend that everyone learn how to get around in version 2007 of Microsoft Office with the new Ribbon.