Technology Ideas

  NTLM, a Windows network authentication protocol, is a challenge/response system that allows a client to prove its identity without sending a password to the server. The Windows domain controller challenges the client to perform a complex mathematical calculation on the user's domain password and send this encrypted password to the domain controller.  The domain controller then uses the same calculation to decrypt the password. If the decoded password matches the password obtained from the Security Account Manager (SAM) database, then the client is authenticated and may log into the network and access network resources. NTLM is an abbreviation for Windows NT LAN Manager; it offers improved security over the now-obsolete LAN Manager protocol. The Indiana University network is configured to use only the latest version of this protocol: NTLMv2. This version provides increased security over NTLMv1. A Real Time Communication (RTC) application may specify RTCAU_NTLM in the tag to i...

  Before you learn how to use L0phtCrack with Win2K, it helps to understand how password cracking works in NT, and then extend that process to Win2K. (If you are already an expert NT password cracker, feel free to skip ahead.) NT stores a hash, but not the clear text password, of each user's password in the domain controller’s SAM database. If you're not familiar with the SAM, it is a Registry hive file found in %systemroot%\system32\config. Using your administrator authority, L0phtCrack pulls the hashes from the SAM and cracks the hashes by exploiting weaknesses in NT’s hashing algorithm. To crack a password hash, L0phtCrack first performs a dictionary attack by iterating through a list of common words. L0phtCrack hashes each word in the list and compares that hash to the hash from the SAM. If the hashes match, L0phtCrack has the password. Once L0phtCrack exhausts the dictionary, it iterates through the word list again using a hybrid attack that adds combinations of a few char...

 Running into an error with the Domain Name System — simply called a DNS error — means you won't be able to get access to the internet, which is frustrating if it happens regularly. Learning the most common causes of DNS issues and the best methods for fixing them can help you get back online with minimal effort. Essentially the DNS translates the domain names we use to access websites into IP addresses, which is what your computer actually uses to access the website. In most cases, a DNS problem is easy to fix Network Problems In many cases, an error attributed to DNS could be a simple connection problem (especially if you're connecting wirelessly using a laptop) that doesn't really relate to the DNS at all. Before blaming DNS errors, go to your "Network and Sharing Center" and run the troubleshooter. This will identify and fix many common connectivity issues and can help you narrow down the cause of the issue. Duplicate IP Addresses When two devices attempt to s...

  To design and build a two-tier campus network architecture is everything like a three-tier hierarchical design and maximizes performance, network availability, and the ability to scale the network design. It is common to campus networks where the aggregation or distribution layer is merged with the core layer to create a unique and fully functional network for a good sized campus. However, many small enterprise networks do not grow significantly larger over time. Therefore, a two-tier hierarchical design where the core and distribution layers are collapsed into one layer is often more practical. A “collapsed core” is when the distribution layer and core layer functions are implemented by a single device. The primary motivation for the collapsed core design is reducing network cost, while maintaining most of the benefits of the three-tier hierarchical model.. To design and build a two-tier campus network architecture, a number of considerations must be taken into account. A key he...

  Windows 8.1 displays pop-up help tips by default to educate users on where to access functions such as the Charms and Start button. Although useful, the help tips can be annoying to experienced users who have performed a clean install of the operating system.  To disable these tips, either change the registry settings associated with the help tips or edit the associated settings from the group policy editor. After altering the settings, you need to reboot your system for the changes to take effect. Regedit Step 1 Type "Regedit" (without the quotation marks) from the Windows 8.1 Start screen, and press "Enter." Step 2 Select "Yes" if prompted to confirm that you want to allow the program to make changes to your computer. Step 3 Click the small triangle next to "HKEY_Current_User" to open this root key, and then open the "Software" key. Step 4 Open the "Policies" key, and then open "Microsoft." Step 5 Open the "...

  In many cases, once a Wireless router has been installed, we find a place in our home for it and forget about it. As long as all our devices are set up and connected via the Wi-fi network, that’s all that matters, right? Wrong! Probably many of you don’t realize, but the Internet router is one of the most important devices in our home. It’s the gateway to our Internet access and also prone to exploits by cybercriminals who can sneak into our devices and get access to our system. Let’s not forget that we live in the age of data breaches, ransomware attacks, and many other online threats. Thus, you should be worried about the security of your home network and take all the needed security measures to increase Wifi security. The only measure most people use to protect their home network is to set up a password and prevent neighbors and other people from taking control of your data. But we have to be more serious about security and do more than just setting a simple password. A seriou...

  Applies LAN technology to address user needs; determines the department's information management needs for the acquisition of add‑on hardware and software; reviews product comparisons and makes recommendations for the acquisition of software and hardware to support the network; prepares requests for the acquisition of hardware and software; confers with vendors to devise plans for installation projects; oversees the installation of hardware and software systems; provides assignments and technical direction to lower level network technicians engaged in hardware installation and hardware and software first echelon maintenance; performs application and operating system product installations; develops preliminary configuration for add‑on hardware and software; monitors network performance; ensures response time is within acceptable limits; provides problem resolution for user problems from beginning to end; identifies and refers unusual or difficult network problems to the maintenanc...

  Applies LAN technology to address user needs; determines the department's information management needs for the acquisition of add‑on hardware and software; reviews product comparisons and makes recommendations for the acquisition of software and hardware to support the network; prepares requests for the acquisition of hardware and software; confers with vendors to devise plans for installation projects; oversees the installation of hardware and software systems; provides assignments and technical direction to lower level network technicians engaged in hardware installation and hardware and software first echelon maintenance; performs application and operating system product installations; develops preliminary configuration for add‑on hardware and software; monitors network performance; ensures response time is within acceptable limits; provides problem resolution for user problems from beginning to end; identifies and refers unusual or difficult network problems to the maintenanc...

  Networks are networks. Despite best efforts to keep things smooth all the time every day, things happen. Here’s a look at some common network issues, some tips for quickly resolving them, and even better, how to prevent them from occurring again. 1. Duplicate IP Addresses When two devices attempt to share a single IP, you see the dreaded “Address Already in Use” error — with no ability to access the network. The Quick Fix: The blame for this often rests with your router’s default DHCP configuration. DHCP is probably trying to assign your new device an address at the beginning of your subnet, and another device may already occupy these low-numbered addresses with static IPs. If you’ve just introduced a new device or server to your network, it may have its own DHCP server. Simply disable the DHCP server on that device to restore sanity to your network. The Preventive Measure: You can take one simple step to avoid IP conflicts by modifying your router’s configuration to begin assign...

  Networking tools for Windows are typically command-line programs or desktop applications. Under Windows 10, there’s a third format: apps that you download from the online Microsoft Store. Here we’re highlighting 10 networking tools that are available in the Microsoft Store and can be pinned as tile icons on the Windows 10 Start menu for convenient access. They’re all useful, and they’re all free. All My LAN lists your network's IP address, its profile name, and its maximum upload and download speeds. The amount of data that has been sent and received over the network is depicted in two line charts. By moving a slider, you can adjust the charts to represent the amount of data that was transmitted throughout the current day or up to the last 30 days. The charts can be combined to view as one chart. This app can also scan for any multicast DNS services or UPnP devices that are connected to your network. Clicking the name of a found device or service pulls up information about it, su...

  This key is where all the configuration data for the Workstation service is stored. The lanmanworkstation key by default, looks like this on a freshly installed Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 machine As you can see, there’s no “Autotuned Parameters” here. However, there is a "parameters" sub key in which we can do some tuning. It is not uncommon (especially in Terminal Server environments) to have to tune the Workstation service to alleviate performance problems. This is due to the nature of Terminal Servers. My article on MSTerminal Services.org discusses this in detail, but in a nutshell it’s like this: the workstation service was (and is) designed for a single workstation (like your desktop). However, a Terminal Server can easily host 50 desktop sessions, but unless you do manually intervene this server most likely is still configured just as your desktop would be. It’s pretty obvious that this could lead to some performance problems. Parameters Although there aren’t...

  The art of networking is no easy feat. And as networking jobs encompass more than just networking, it’s not going to get any easier. It’s going to be about embracing advancements in data gathering, automation, and programming languages. In fact, it’s going to look a lot like DevOps. Here are five skills you can develop to meet the changing tides of the networking industry. Learn a Language It never hurts to learn a new programming language. To keep up with automation, network engineers need methods and tools to programmatically control equipment. This is where languages can come into play. If your organization is using software-defined networking (SDN), keep in mind the networks offer interfaces to scan and monitor automatically. Fully understanding the language these programs are speaking gives you an upper hand. Automation tools like Chef can handle some of the grunt work, freeing up time for your networking pros. But admins should still understand the process of writing their ...