Iowa/Nebraska Novell Technical Blast
John Bezy, Novell Iowa/Nebraska Systems Engineer



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Vol 3, No 3 - 2/14/01

** High Priority **

Technical Tips

Anna Kournikova? Tennis Player, but Now a New, Potent Virus
It's an apparently polymorphic VBScript virus. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2684605,00.html

To keep them from affecting you at all, turn off Windows Scripting Host (actually I just associated the file types with Notepad instead). See: http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/stories/main/0,5594,2568111,00.html

If you need ammo in the fight against the new worm that emailing its way around the world right now, we've got some Just In Time Cool Solutions for you. If you are a ZENworks for Desktops user, you're in luck. Check out this article by Martin Buckley, one of the original ZENworks Zealots. He explains how you can use ZfD 3 to deliver a lockdown which turns off the Windows Scripting Host. http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/zenworks/features/a_zwz_wsh_antivirus_zw.html

To find out more about the worm, and learn a nifty trick for sorting out possible wormy emails in your GroupWise mailbox, see this article: http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/zenworks/features/a_here_you_have_virus_zw.html

Mixed NetWare/NDS Version Tree?
Here are some comments from a senior Novell consultant. They vary a bit from some of the TIDs... So the usual disclaimer applies....

"The first NW5.1 server in the tree must contain a replica of the [Root] partition to guarantee that the schema extensions that are introduced by NW5.1 are propagated throughout the tree correctly. The general recommendation for the first NW5.1 server in a NW4.11 tree is to upgrade an existing server that holds a replica of [Root] first, or to install the new server as NW4.11, then add a replica of [Root] to it and then perform an in-place upgrade.

This general principal applies to any product installation that extends the schema. Schema extensions only propagate to servers that are in partitions that the server introducing the schema extensions holds a replica of and down the tree from those partitions. Schema extensions do not propagate up the tree.

Some application installations walk the tree to [Root] during the schema extension portion of the installation and will extend the schema properly no matter which server you are installing the application to. Unfortunately most applications that extend the schema do not do this, so you should always install to a server holding a replica of [Root] first."

But, There Can Be Some Problems with NetWare v4.10...

The NW5.1 servers running NDS8 are not compatible with NW4.10. The support life cycle ended for NW4.10 before NW5.10 NDS8 was developed. The result of this is that NW4.10 will not handle the auxiliary classes from NW5.1 NDS8. This will stop the synchronization of the schema possibly for the entire tree, depending on the order of the Schema Sync List. The solution for this problem is to upgrade to NW4.11/4.2 or higher. You may set the replicas to master on the NW5.10 servers to better handle the schema sync, however you will experience problems until the 4.10 servers are out of the tree.

Looking for Beta Testers..
We're currently looking for Novell Customers who are interested in becoming an authorized beta test site for Consolidated Support Pack 6 (CSP6). CSP6 consists of:


Included but not updated:

If you would be interested in testing this product and can commit to testing it for a minimum of 10 hours a week and can commit to providing us with feedback and participating on the conference calls, please send me your e-mail address and I'll get you signed up.

The testing period is scheduled to run from early March through May.

Need to Remove The NICI Key on Your Server?
The general rule of thumb is as follows:

Each NetWare 5.1 (and NetWare 5.0 with Cert Server) installed into the tree typically has a certificate issued in the directory as well as pulled down the NICISDI keys from the certificate server. When you "change" certificate servers in the tree all this needs to be redone.

This means:

  1. Deleting any and all certs generated by the original CA. (All certs, the security container and all it's contents etc.)
  2. Removing all base crypto information from the servers by deleting the entire contents of the SYS:\SYSTEM\NICI directory ... This contains backups of the NICIFK as well as the deployed NICISDI.
  3. Redeploy the NICIFK's across the network ... This step is not required however ... in order to ensure proper synchronization of all NICI Crypto across the network I highly recommend it ... It will also regenerate the backup keys etc.
  4. Redeploy the CA ... This you MUST do by installing from the server console. If you use the PKI 2.02 workstation installed package you will NOT get all the objects necessary.
  5. Reinstall Cert server on all NetWare 5.1 servers and any NW 5.0 servers you expect to use any type of encryption ...

As you can see this is a major process and not one to be taken lightly ... Make sure that you understand how major this problem can be.

**Note #1** Good TID's to use ...
2945674 - NW5 Reinstalling NICI Files
10050254 - Reinstalling Certificate Server
10053572 - How to Restore or Recreate KAP and W0 objects

**Note #2** If you are going to be using any applications that require SSL authentication via the SAS codepath (Not Portal as it uses NILE) you MUST have a replica of the server where that SAS object resides on the server.

More on the Compaq Insight Manager Vulnerability
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/1917 The default installation of Compaq Management Agents allow anonymous access via port 2301 over HTTP to the files SYS:SYSTEM\AUTOEXEC.NCF and SYS:ETC\NETINFO.CFG. These files may contain the remote console password in addition to others such as the SNMP ControlCommunity password. The passwords are stored in plaintext and can be obtained by connecting to: http://target:2301/survey.

Successful retrieval of the passwords may allow a malicious user to gain full administrative control over the Management Agents.

FTP Substitute? A Recent Dave Kearns Article
Today's focus: FTP substitute
By Dave Kearns

This has happened to me, and it may have happened to you. I'm on the road, ready to make a special presentation, when I discover that the slideshow file on my laptop has been damaged - or worse, I forgot to bring it!

This usually means calling the office and having someone find the file and then e-mail it to me. That is, provided someone with the right permissions and abilities is available. Now there's a better way.

The Universal File Share (UFS) from Ideaberg is, essentially, a directory-enabled, Web-based FTP substitute.

FTP servers have many known (and unknown) security holes than can be exploited. Most enterprises that have FTP servers have them isolated from the corporate network and build walls around them so that anyone accessing the FTP server cannot easily break into the enterprise. That doesn't help when you want to retrieve your personal files.

UFS enforces authentication through Novel Directory Services, so security is not a problem. This also means that anyone using UFS sees only those files they have rights to, and can't do anything via a Web browser they couldn't do from their desktop NetWare client.

In order to use UFS, you need to be running NetWare 5 with the Netscape Enterprise server (included with NetWare) or the Apache server for NetWare (a free download), but that is more of a help than a hindrance (no need to worry about those nasty Microsoft Internet Information Server security holes).

UFS is licensed for only $250 per server - or $2,500 for a site license. There's also a downloadable evaluation version at http://www.ideaberg.com, so give it a whirl. By the way, because Ideaberg encourages telecommuting, the company is the biggest user of UFS.

Some Upcoming Training Classes at Novell Authorized Education Centers (NAECs) close to you:
Some Upcoming Training Classes at Novell Authorized Education Centers (NAECs) close to you:

Help Desk, Des Moines, Iowa

350: GroupWise Administration
     February 19-23 (Mon-Fri)
Contact Brian Clarke at brian@hdesk.com or www.hdesk.com.

Advanced Network Technologies, Omaha, NE

606: TCP/IP for Networking Professionals
     February 28 - Mar 2 (Wed-Fri)
780: Internet Security with BorderManager
     April 18 - 20 (Wed-Fri)
Contact Katrina Foster at kfoster@advancednettech.com.

Novell Career Pak now a standard product
The Novell Career Pak is a bundle of courses targeted at jumpstarting students for a new career as an IT professional. Once a limited-time promotion, this convenient, cost effective package prepares new entrants to take both the Certified Novell Administrator (CNA) and CompTIA Network + examinations. The Career Pak includes the following Novell Education student kits:


To find out about this great savings for your students, contact your NAEC business manager. The part number is 00662644400013.

Novell Merges CIP Certification with CIW Certification
Your Novell CIP credential allows you to obtain instant dual certification! For complete information, see http://www.cip2ciw.com/

US East Region * Novell Education Delivers Advanced Technical Training (ATT) and Boot Camps
Visit www.novell.com/registernow for complete schedule & updates.

ATT - ZENWorks for Desktops v3 - 3 days
$1495 or 6 Education Vouchers or Partner Passport
    Detroit
Cincinnati
Boston
Philadelphia
Washington DC
Albany, NY
New York
Detroit
Boston
New York
    February 21,22,23 (sold out)
February 26, 27, 28
March 5, 6, 7
March 12, 13, 14
April 18, 19, 20
April 23, 24, 25
April 30, May 1, 2
May 21, 22, 23
June 4, 5, 6
July 23, 24, 25

ATT - NDS v. 6 - 8.5 Mastery - 2 days
$1,195 or 5 Education Vouchers or Partner Passport
    Cincinnati
Boston
Philadelphia
Washington DC
Albany, NY
New York
Detroit
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
    March 1, 2
March 8, 9
March 15, 16
April 16, 17
April 26, 27
May 3, 4
May 24, 25
May 31, June 1
June 14, 15, 16

ATT -- BorderManager - 2 days
$1195 or 5 Education Vouchers or Partner Passport
    Washington DC     July 26, 27

Cluster Services for NetWare 5.1 - 2 days
$1,195 per person or 5 Education Vouchers
    Philadelphia     March 13, 14

iChain Boot Camp - 2 days
$1,195 per person or 5 Education Vouchers
    Washington DC     May 8, 9

DirXML Boot Camp - 10 days
$10,000 per person or 40 Education Vouchers
    Washington DC
Philadelphia
    May 14-18 and May 21-25
July 23-27 and July 30-Aug 3

To register call 800-228-7613 (M-F 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Eastern Time) or visit * www.novell.com/registernow/

Visit www.novell.com/registernow/ for schedule updates & dates/locations outside US East region.

Novell direct training complements NAEC training.
Visit www.novell.com/education/locator to locate courses in your area. NAEC training can lead to high-value certifications such as CNE and CDE. Self-study and eLearning tools available through NAECs and through your Novell reseller or licensing contract.


Cool URLs

Need Info on the SAN (Storage Area Network)?
A good tutorial at http://www.dothill.com/tutorial/index.htm

Sun's Response to Microsoft
This is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. This Sun's response to emails that MS has been sending out questioning Sun's technologies. It's well worth a read. http://www.sun.com/dot-com/realitycheck/headsup010205.html

Using NIMS? Want to Know More About It? Get Files?
Check out www.nimsinfo.com.

See What We Are Doing for Electronic Government
www.digitalut.novell.com Check it out, this is for governments!

Interesting Factoid
Information Security Deb 2001 Factoid - 56% 8% 7%. Percentages of defaced web sites between Aug 1999 and Dec 2000 that ran on NT, Solaris, and Red Hat Linux respectively... (from Attrition.org)

Users Groups:

Be sure to visit and support your local NetWare/Network/Novell users group - I will be at the LANUG meeting on Feb 20 and at the NNUI Users Group on Mar 13.

NNUG, Nebraska NetWare Users Group, Omaha,
meets second Tuesday of each month (except Jul, Aug)
     www.nui-omaha.org
LANUG, Lincoln (NE) Area NetWare Users Group
meets third Tuesday of each month
     members.aol.com/thomstarr/lanug
CINUG, Central Iowa Network Users Group, Des Moines,
meets third Thursday each month (except Aug, Dec)
     www.cinug.net
Mississippi Valley NetWare Users Group, Dubuque (IA)
Meetings will usually be held on the first Wednesday of the month... Contact Skip Hefel (skipper@myrealbox.com) for more information.

STILL Seeking Information
We are looking for customers who are using Novell Products to do the following functions. If you are, would you send me an e-mail describing what you are doing? Also, unless you explicitly state in the e-mail that you wouldn't mind if other customers contact you, your information WILL NOT be shared with anyone... Thanks...


Sales Stuff----

HIPAA Security Requirements Assessment
Children's Hospital Oakland First to Complete Novell's HIPAA Security Requirements Assessment

Novell Prescribes One Net to Healthcare Market

Novell Healthcare Combines Proven Products, Education and Consulting Services to Address the more than $1 Trillion Healthcare Market - Novell Healthcare provides organizations with single global network to reduce costs and improve healthcare services
· Consultant & Systems Integrator partners offer healthcare solutions based on Novell Net services software
· Novell Net services software successfully deployed at leading healthcare companies

Novell Healthcare Customer Quotes

Novell and PricewaterhouseCoopers Deliver Integrated Solution for the Healthcare Market
· Alliance will provide expertise and infrastructure solutions to give customers competitive advantage in the more than $1 trillion healthcare industry
· Enables healthcare organizations to meet challenges of responding to new industry regulations, changing relationships with managed care providers and consumers, and Internet integration


Administration Information:

Subscribe to news listservs at:
For GroupWise list: http://www.ngwlist.com
For Syracuse U NetWare list: listserv@listserv.syr.edu with 'subscribe novell' in message body

Trouble Incident Escalation
If you have an open support incident and it has been open for an unusually long period of time, one of my functions is to help escalate the issue inside Novell Tech Support. I will decide what the 'unusually long period of time' is... If you have a support contract, your issue should be resolved within days (resolved; depending on the level of the support contract, someone should contact you within minutes/hours to start working on it.) Without a support contract, you might face hours/days of waiting before tech support can address your call. So, if you feel you need assistance, send me an e-mail describing the incident, the incident number, and who to contact. If you don't have an open incident, don't get me involved until you do.

How to Get Tech Support

Want to see how some of our solutions work?
Check them out at the on-line demo city... http://democity.novell.com/staticindex.html

Due a Software Upgrade?
Here is how the process works.... You should receive an e-mail from Novell Sales Operations stating you are entitled, as an upgrade protection customer, the next upgrade for product XYZ... You should then go to the upgrade request site at www.novell.com/licensing/upgfulfill and fill in the appropriate lines and information. Your upgrade should then be shipped second day.... BUT turnaround time is dependent on when the product is actually available for FCS (First Customer Ship), which could be days or weeks after the actual product announcement. If you are then having problems, please let your IA/NE Novell team know so we can get involved.

Previous Editions of this E-Blast
Have you missed previous editions of this newsletter? Want to read them? Thanks to the CINUG (Central Iowa Network Users Group), they have posted them all at http://www.cinug.net/nov_blast.html...

Unsubscribing
If you do NOT want to continue to receive this e-mail blast, please send an e-mail to jbezy@novell.com, with 'unsubscribe e-mail blast' (without the quotes) in the subject line, and you will be removed from the list.

Subscribing
If other people in your organization not directly receiving this e-mail blast wish to do so, have them send an e-mail to jbezy@novell.com, with 'subscribe e-mail blast' (without the quotes) in the subject line, and they will be added to the list.

Changing Addresses
If you need to change your e-mail address, send an e-mail to jbezy@novell.com with 'change e-mail blast' (without the quotes) in the subject line, and your address will be changed. We like to keep track of Novell users. We recognize there is frequent turnover in the networking business, so if you are changing jobs, please drop me a line....

Disclaimer:
Information contained herein is provided as-is. Opinions are those of the author and may or may not be the same as those of Novell, and are definitely NOT attributable to Novell unless otherwise noted.

John Bezy
Novell Systems Engineer
Iowa/Nebraska
ph: (402) 291-1808
eFax: (561) 760-6149
fax: (402) 291-4529
Novell-the leading provider of
     Net Services Software
     www.novell.com
jbezy@novell.com



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