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



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Vol 3, No 39 - 12/04/01

** High Priority **

BrainShare 2002???
It's hard to believe that another year has already gone by, but here's the proof: BrainShare 2002 is just around the corner! So get ready, set, go to learn first-hand about Novell's latest products and strategies. Get hands-on technical experience. See the latest third-party offerings. Network. Play in the technology lab. Take a certification test. And have fun! As every year, BrainShare 2002 will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Salt Palace Convention Center; the dates are March 17 through March 22, 2002. Online registration started December 1, 2001 at www.novellbrainshare.com. If you register before February 15, 2002, registration costs $1,495.00. After that, it's $1,695.00.

Upcoming Nebraska/Iowa Events

TechXperts for Education
LAN Managers and IT decision makers from across the state of Nebraska are invited to participate in ESU 10's fall tech fair, Techxperts 2001. Last year fourteen vendors presented information to school administrators and LAN managers on many technical topics including wireless, printing, computer hardware and software. The goal of Techxperts 2001 is for attendees to leave with information needed to better manage their networks and/or to make more informed purchasing decisions. Check out http://techxperts.esu10.org/ December 6, 2001
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Ramada Inn
301 Second Ave
Kearney, Nebraska
I will be doing presentations on Using ZENworks to Deploy Windows 2000 Professional and the Printing and Filing Benefits of NetWare 6. If you are there, STOP BY!!!


The CIO Corner

Nothing this time...


Technical Tips

Padlock Announcement
On August 14, 2001, Novell announced the discovery of a security issue in GroupWise 5.5 Enhancement Pack and GroupWise 6 to its customers. At that time, the Padlock Fix was provided to customers to address this issue. It has been the intention of the Novell Collaboration Services group to release more detailed information about the nature of the security issue once customers had sufficient time apply the Padlock Fix.

Our current support data shows that over 85% of our directly trackable customers have applied the fix to date. Based on this, Novell released more detailed information about the nature of the Padlock security issue on November 23, 2001. To this date Novell is not aware of any customer system compromises due to this issue. Information is at: http://support.novell.com/padlock/details.htm.

If your organization operates GroupWise 5.5 Enhancement Pack or GroupWise 6 and has not applied the Padlock Fix, we highly recommend you do so as soon as possible. The Padlock Fix is available at http://support.novell.com/padlock

Virus Alerts
From today-
"Goner" Virus Circulating; DO NOT OPEN
A new virus called "goner" is being rapidly distributed through e-mail. The message will appear in your in box with the Subject: "hi". The text reads:
"How are you ?
When I saw this screen saver, I immediately thought about you
I am in a harry, I promise you will love it!"

If you receive this message, DO NOT OPEN IT! Update immediately your virus definition files!!!!

And from last week-
Dangerous New Virus
W32.Badtrans.B@mm is a MAPI worm that emails itself out using different file names. This mass mailing worm attempts to send itself using Microsoft Outlook by replying to unread email messages. It also drops remote access and key-logging trojans.

When run, the worm displays a message box entitled, "Install error" which reads, "File data corrupt: probably due to a bad data transmission or bad disk access." A copy is saved into the WINDOWS directory and to the WINDOWS SYSTEM directory, and a registry entry is created to reload the trojan upon system startup.

Once running, the trojan attempts to mail the victim's IP Address to the author. Once this information is obtained, the author can connect to the infected system via the Internet and steal personal information such as usernames and passwords. In addition, the trojan also contains a keylogger program which is capable of capturing other vital information such as credit card and bank account numbers and passwords. The next time Windows is loaded, the worm attempts to email itself by replying to unread messages in Microsoft Outlook folders.

What You Need To Do
Do not open any email that has an attachment in which the second extension is .pif or .scr. Any email that has such an attachment should be deleted. Update immediately your virus protection definitions (a.k.a. pattern files) to prevent infection.

ZENworks for Desktops v3.2 Imaging Updates on Coolsolutions
We have just posted some imaging updates to CoolSolutions: http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/zenworks/features/a_imaging_xp_zw.html
Our ZENworks Imaging code-meisters have done it again! Released today and available exclusively on Cool Solutions are these three must-see packages for every ZENworks administrator: the long-awaited imaging patch to the Linux kernel, a comprehensive set of scripts and documentation for customizing your imaging environment, and the much-anticipated "as-is" version of the imaging utilities that supports imaging Windows XP partitions and provides a significant performance increase on IDE drives.
Disclaimer: These packages are released "as-is" and are not supported by Novell or Novell technical support. See related documentation for further information.

Fatal error on install of BorderManager v3.6 (TID 10064388)
Symptom - Install shows 90 - 100%, and the server gets a fatal error. Error: "A fatal error has occurred. This program will terminate. You may check sys:\ni\data\ni.log for more details after you dismiss this dialog. null."
Cause - This issue only occurs when installing BorderManager on NetWare 5.1 with support pack 3.
Fix - Download and install nw51ni1.exe from support.novell.com. Then re-install BorderManager from the BorderManager 3.6 installation CD.

"Why They Lie" Marketing Campaign
This campaign was created to combat the MS FUD that plagues our sales and marketing efforts. The campaign is designed with 3 parts, more to come as needed. Phase I delivers surprising impact with the bold statement the Microsoft lies and we're exposing the truth. The project will include:

The main components to the campaign are:

For you resellers/integrators..
CRN: Novell Unveils New Rules Of Engagement; Microsoft's Rules Still To Come
Novell has unveiled a new set of rules of engagement for its channel, based on a named accounts and named partners model.

The rules of engagement, promised by CEO Jack Messman last summer and highlighted as part of Novell's Clear Channel strategy, hinges on named accounts Novell will publish and named partners it will go to market with, said Ladd Timpson, worldwide director of channel marketing for Novell. http://www.crn.com/Sections/BreakingNews/BreakingNews.asp?ArticleID=31655

eGuide v2.0
For customers, it is free, but you have to order the media kit US$35. There is no per user charge. To get it, go through your normal channels to get it - it is not on Shop Novell.

Native Mac printing
Printing and Native File Access are separate and distinct protocols and services (and NLMs), so here is an AppNote that explains everything you ever wanted to know about Novell's support of Mac printing on TCP/IP only networks: http://developer.novell.com/research/appnotes/2001/july/03/a010703.htm It is also available in PDF format: http://developer.novell.com/research/appnotes/2001/july/03/a010703.pdf

New NAT.NLM for NetWare 4.11/4.2/5.0/5.1
A new and updated beta version of NAT.NLM is available for download at support.novell.com. The name of the downloadable file is NAT600d.exe, which contains the new NAT.NLM and NAT600D.TXT. The updated NAT.NLM includes some new commands that are particularly useful for trouble-shooting purposes. The command Set NAT Periodic Cleanup Time enables you to change the periodic cleanup time for NAT from the default three (3) minutes. Adjusting this parameter to one (1) minute can be useful to make slots in the TCP connection table available on a heavily used NAT server. The command _dumpnattcp writes the contents of the TCP connection table to a log file. You can then use the information in the log file to troubleshoot NAT-related problems. For details on how to use the information in the log file, check TID 2960638.

Resellers and Sales Folks
Novell will be hosting a web seminar relating to our purchase of Callisto Software, which extends the ZENworks product line to now manage mobile and handheld device.

What you will Learn at the Web Seminar:

Date: December 18th
Time: 10:00 Mountain Time
For Channel & Sales Only
Contact me directly for the password to access the seminar...


Cool URLs

NetWare 6 Reviewer's Guide
There are several listed here... http://www.novell.com/servlet/marketing.Collateral.. Search for NetWare and Language English...

iFolder Demo Account
In many of my e-mails and recent presentations I've mentioned getting a demo iFolder account and provide a URL.... It has been changed. Surf to http://ifolderdemo.novell.com/html/frame3.htm and create an account... It's a demo system, so I highly advise to NOT use if for production...

User Excellence Award
User Excellence Award honorable mentions
Huge savings, whopping productivity gains and creative use of technologies; these network projects earn our applause. http://www.nwfusion.com/best2001/userex_hon/userex_hon.html Customer case studies on Novell iChain, eDirectory, NIMS and OnDemand services.

NetWare 6 TCO Tool CD's
(Total Cost of Ownership) can be accessed via the web at http://www.novell.com/products/netware/nw6_tco.html


The Other Guys Corner

60 Days for Companies and Consumers to e-Mail comments to Gov on MS Antitrust
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government considered but rejected penalties against Microsoft Corp. in its antitrust case that would have required the company to reveal the secret blueprints to its flagship Windows software and to distribute products from its fiercest rivals, court records show.

The Justice Department also considered forcing Microsoft to sell a stripped-down version of Windows that did not include built-in software for browsing the Internet, reading e-mail, listening to music or sending instant-messages.

Government lawyers "carefully weighed" those proposals but ultimately chose other sanctions against Microsoft that they believed would result in the "most effective and certain relief in the most timely manner."

In a 68-page court filing Thursday, the Justice Department formally defended its choices in the landmark settlement it negotiated between Microsoft and nine states. The government assured the judge the settlement, if approved by the court, would "eliminate Microsoft's illegal practices, prevent recurrence of the same or similar practices and restore the competitive threat" the company faces from rivals.

The Justice Department also set up an e-mail address where consumers and companies may send their comments about the antitrust settlement. The address is microsoft.atr@usdoj.gov and will operate for 60 days.

Critics, including Microsoft competitors and some independent antitrust experts, have said the settlement announced Nov. 2 is inadequate and charged that the company will be able to bypass many of the sanctions because of vague language.

Microsoft Patents Zeros and Ones
http://www.theonion.com/archive/crowning_moments.html
REDMOND, WA-In what CEO Bill Gates called "an unfortunate but necessary step to protect our intellectual property from theft and exploitation by competitors," the Microsoft Corporation patented the numbers one and zero Monday.

Above: At a press conference beamed live to Microsoft shareholders around the globe, Bill Gates announces the company's patenting of the binary system.

With the patent, Microsoft's rivals are prohibited from manufacturing or selling products containing zeroes and ones-the mathematical building blocks of all computer languages and programs-unless a royalty fee of 10 cents per digit used is paid to the software giant.

"Microsoft has been using the binary system of ones and zeroes ever since its inception in 1975," Gates told reporters. "For years, in the interest of the overall health of the computer industry, we permitted the free and unfettered use of our proprietary numeric systems. However, changing marketplace conditions and the increasingly predatory practices of certain competitors now leave us with no choice but to seek compensation for the use of our numerals."

A number of major Silicon Valley players, including Apple Computer, Netscape and Sun Microsystems, said they will challenge the Microsoft patent as monopolistic and anti-competitive, claiming that the 10-cent-per-digit licensing fee would bankrupt them instantly.

"While, technically, Java is a complex system of algorithms used to create a platform-independent programming environment, it is, at its core, just a string of trillions of ones and zeroes," said Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy, whose company created the Java programming environment used in many Internet applications. "The licensing fees we'd have to pay Microsoft every day would be approximately 327,000 times the total net worth of this company."

"If this patent holds up in federal court, Apple will have no choice but to convert to analog," said Apple interim CEO Steve Jobs, "and I have serious doubts whether this company would be able to remain competitive selling pedal-operated computers running software off vinyl LPs."

As a result of the Microsoft patent, many other companies have begun radically revising their product lines: Database manufacturer Oracle has embarked on a crash program to develop "an abacus for the next millennium." Novell, whose communications and networking systems are also subject to Microsoft licensing fees, is working with top animal trainers on a chimpanzee-based message-transmission system. Hewlett-Packard is developing a revolutionary new steam-powered printer.

Despite the swarm of protest, Gates is standing his ground, maintaining that ones and zeroes are the undisputed property of Microsoft.

Above: Gates explains the new patent to Apple Computer's board of directors.

"We will vigorously enforce our patents of these numbers, as they are legally ours," Gates said. "Among Microsoft's vast historical archives are Sanskrit cuneiform tablets from 1800 B.C. clearly showing ones and a symbol known as 'sunya,' or nothing. We also own: papyrus scrolls written by Pythagoras himself in which he explains the idea of singular notation, or 'one'; early tracts by Mohammed ibn Musa al Kwarizimi explaining the concept of al-sifr, or 'the cipher'; original mathematical manuscripts by Heisenberg, Einstein and Planck; and a signed first-edition copy of Jean-Paul Sartre's Being And Nothingness. Should the need arise, Microsoft will have no difficulty proving to the Justice Department or anyone else that we own the rights to these numbers."

Added Gates: "My salary also has lots of zeroes. I'm the richest man in the world."

According to experts, the full ramifications of Microsoft's patenting of one and zero have yet to be realized.

"Because all integers and natural numbers derive from one and zero, Microsoft may, by extension, lay claim to ownership of all mathematics and logic systems, including Euclidean geometry, pulleys and levers, gravity, and the basic Newtonian principles of motion, as well as the concepts of existence and nonexistence," Yale University theoretical mathematics professor J. Edmund Lattimore said. "In other words, pretty much everything."

Lattimore said that the only mathematical constructs of which Microsoft may not be able to claim ownership are infinity and transcendental numbers like pi. Microsoft lawyers are expected to file liens on infinity and pi this week.

Microsoft has not yet announced whether it will charge a user fee to individuals who wish to engage in such mathematically rooted motions as walking, stretching and smiling.

In an address beamed live to billions of people around the globe Monday, Gates expressed confidence that his company's latest move will, ultimately, benefit all humankind.

"Think of this as a partnership," Gates said. "Like the ones and zeroes of the binary code itself, we must all work together to make the promise of the computer revolution a reality. As the world's richest, most powerful software company, Microsoft is number one. And you, the millions of consumers who use our products, are the zeroes."

Windows XP (eXtra Proprietary)
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,48011,00.html
Microsoft has launched its latest version of Windows, Windows XP (eXtra Proprietary). Tightening its stranglehold on all industries that use computers, Microsoft's XP features are certain to further degrade customer choice, cost/performance and, in some cases, even civil liberties.


Education

Help Desk, Des Moines, IA

Please check www.hdesk.com, or contact Tom Hollister (515-276-3713, tom@hdesk.com) to register or for additional information!

Advanced Network Technologies, Omaha, NE

Check us out on the web @ www.ant.to or contact a training advisor:
In Omaha: Pamela Vokolek @ 402-431-5420 pvokolek@ant.to
In Lincoln: Donna Brindamour @ 402-328-9645, dbrindamour@ant.to

eSeminars available through Novell U!
eSeminars (http://www.start7.de/novell/start.htm) are now available through Novell University! eSeminars provide supplementary product information delivered by Net Directory and Net Management marketing teams via the Novell University Union. The Novell University Library also provides access to Novell product information through tools such as AppNotes and Novell Technical Information Documents (TIDs) (http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/vu/novell/library/overview.asp). General business, IT, education classes, as well as Department-specific training, are located in the Novell University Course Catalog. Visit Novell University at http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/vu/novell/home.asp

New Certified Novell Salesperson Courseware Available
The latest edition of Selling Net Services Solutions version 6.0 has just been released. It includes updated materials on Novell's strategy, NetWare 6, new versions of the ZENWORKS family, Security and Provisioning solutions including industry partner examples, increasing your revenues with Novell licensing options, along with coverage of other great Novell solutions. Completing this courseware prepares you to take the Certified Novell Salesperson exam and obtain your CNS certification. http://www.novell.com/partners/channel/academy/spresent.html

Developer Tour Stops in Minneapolis
Looking for more information about developing to eDirectory? How to customize Apache or Tomcat on NetWare? That and lots more is available in the Developers Tour that is scheduled to be in Minneapolis January 7 and 8, 2002.... Get more information and sign up at: http://developer.novell.com/education/tour (The Minneapolis stop still wasn't listed on the tours page today, but should be up there tomorrow...)


Users Groups- A Great Place To Network- The Person-to-Person Kind

Be sure to visit and support your local NetWare/Network/Novell users group-

Nebraska NetWare Users Group (NNUI)
http://www.gioffre.com/nuiomaha/index.htm
meets second Tuesday of each month (except Jul, Aug)
Lincoln Area NetWare Users Group (LANUG)
members.aol.com/thomstarr/lanug
meets third Tuesday of the month, Noon-1pm, Energy Square/SE Community College
Central Iowa Network Professionals (CINP)
Meetings are held at 3:00pm on the third Thursday of the month.
Check website at www.cinp.net.
Mississippi Valley NetWare Users Group (MVNUG) (Dubuque, Iowa)
Meetings will usually be held on the Second Thursday of the month...
Contact Skip Hefel and board members at MVNUG@DigitalMe.com

Sales Stuff----

Missing Something?
If you have purchased something from Novell- Tech Support, a product, a subscription, an education voucher- and you haven't received it after a reasonable period of time, don't wait, don't stew about it, call someone!! Call the Novell Customer response Center (CRC) at 888-321-4CRC (4272), or call Steve or me... We will get it resolved for you!!!

New Phone Number for Iowa/Nebraska Account Manager
Steve's numbers now are:
(new) Novell Office #515.537.5300
(same) Cellular Ph #515.250.6194
(same)TollFree Fax #866.618.4712

Novell acquires Callisto Software
Thursday Nov. 29th, Novell announced they are buying Callisto Software. Here is the press release:
PROVO, Utah Nov. 29, 2001 Novell, Inc., a leader in eBusiness solutions and Net services software, today announced it has agreed to acquire mobile and wireless device management technologies from Callisto Software, a leading developer of management solutions for mobile systems, including handheld devices.


Administration Information:

Trouble Incident Escalation
I am NOT a Tech Support person... But, 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 CINP/CINUG (Central Iowa Network Users Group), they have posted them all at http://www.cinp.net, click on News...

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

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
Technology Account Manager
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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