Unflappings

Introduction

Cisco ACS is the newest revision (as of 8/2010) of their RADIUS/TACACS+ authentication server, which allows you to centrally manage user access and all that good stuff. One big thing people may ask is why not just use Windows IAS or Network Access Policy role on the newer servers. The Windows solution makes a whole lot of sense for small to medium installs, or where the IT staff is not strictly defined as “server” and “network” guys.  In larger installations or where this is the case, a box removed from the Active Directory servers and able to be controlled by “network” staff can more effectively delegate management throughout the organization.  Now lets dive in to the installation procedures.

Note: Keep in mind this install needs 60GB of free disk space and 1GB of usable memory, otherwise installations will fail.

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Today I caught word of a next generation of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASAs) that will be released in Q3 2010. Details are low, but it sounds like the focus of the next series will be around performance, and bundling the IDS functionality right on box.  So to spare the marketing crap, here are the actual figures that I have heard.

• Cisco 5555, 5565, 5575, 5585 appliances.
• The 5555 Firewall performance starts out at about  4 Gbits/s with IDS functionality running at around 2 Gbits/s
• The 5585 performance is topping out at around 15 Gbits/s with IDS functionality into the 10 Gbit/s range.
• These devices will support ASA software version 8.4 which is also coming out soon, the main feature from that is direct Active Directory support, no more RADIUS/TACACS+ integration in between, but being able to directly talk LDAP and Active Directory.
• For the new appliances, the firewall services basically sits in its own unit, and an IDS/IPS is bolted onto the top, with both systems able to be logically configurable from each other. Each one of these systems also carries its own set of physical ports in case segregation beyond contexts is required.

To me this sounds like a response ( or at least a much needed hardware revision) to Juniper’s SRX platform which offers ASA type functionality with better performance numbers than Cisco’s current ASAs at the same price point.

However while my experience with Juniper is limited, I would be very interested to see their offerings since beyond the security aspects such as firewall/IDS/IPS and VPN, their SRX platforms offer full router functionality, and not the bizarrely crippled ASA software which does not support things such as GRE tunnels or full routing protocol suites.

Fun times ahead.

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If you have recently followed the previous post dealing with setting up a pptp vpn connection on your droid for remote monitoring and file sharing, you have come to find out that when you are not connected to wifi or 3G your remote connection can at times be slow. When you are busy, on the go, but want to make sure you have your files downloaded when you get home, follow this quick start guide. This guide will allow you to remotely download, monitor, and maintain torrents from your home PC all from your Android device. I will be listing all the steps necessary to remotely monitor torrents from your Android Device. We are going to be covering uTorrent installation (although any torrent utility with a web management utility should work) , uTorrent Configuration, Networking setups, and finally Android Application configuration. It may sound like a lot, but don’t fear. Following this tutorial should only take a few minutes.

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Photo from DroidNews

Sometimes when you find new apps on the market, or download them from your favorite source, your phone starts to act less then favorable. Sometimes this can be due to a faulty app, or an app that conflicts to another. It is easy when you install one app at a time, because you can simply remove the suspected app. When you install multiple apps, on multiple days, it is harder to pinpoint the certain app causing an issue.  At times, it would be better to do a clean install and force an update to refresh your phone to factory status. Follow the steps below if you would like to bypass your new phone installation and boot your Droid into “safemode” to see if that faulty app really is causing issues with your phone such as lag, unresponsiveness, or massive battery drain.

1. Power off your device
2. When powering on your device, hold the menu button on the physical keyboard (it looks like 4 horizontal lines) as well as the power button
3. Hold the menu button until you see the Droid “Eye”. This has been completed when you feel the phone vibrate
4. After the vibration, release the menu key and let the phone boot as normal. You will now see “safe mode” in the corner of your phone. If your phone acts normal now, it was due to a faulty app or widget that did not get along with your phone setup. If you phone is still acting up, it may be a hardware issue or it may be time to clear your settings and do a phone update.

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Photo Courtesy of ZDnet

So you want the new 2.1 update for your Droid but you don’t want to wait for the Over the Air (OTA) update. Maybe you rooted your phone and you simply want to mess around with the files for development purposes. Well you can grab the download here and also get installation instructions below.

NOTE* this is for Droid phones which are not rooted and are running 2.0.1 ***CONFIRMED*** This works on Rooted and Unrooted Droids. Proceed at your own Caution while applying this update with a Rooted Droid. If you have applied any custom ROM’s you may run into problems. In addition it may be better to go back to stock before you proceed with this tutorial.

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It is a hassle when you are messing with customizing your phone and you lose all your important data. Luckily, the good thing about the Android OS is the ability to upload all your data to the “cloud”. Unfortunately, this does not entail the backup of your system settings, text messages and phone logs.

Don’t fear, and don’t buy any expensive solutions that claim to be the one touch backup king. Not that the PPU solutions won’t work nicely, because they do. However, in times like these, its much better to go the free route.

To backup your Call Logs and restore them, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Android market, and download “Call Logs Backup & Restore”
2. Install the Application
3. Open the application, and select “Backup Call Logs”
4. Wait patiently, at times this process can take a few moments

To backup your Call Logs backup to your local machine (The extra care procedure, not needed)

1. Plug your phone into a computer via a USB cable
2. Go to your notification bar, and select “USB Connected” and then select “Mount”
3. Navigate to your computer and open your Android SD card. This will show up as a Removable Device
4. Open the folder named CallLogBackupRestore and copy that file to a protected drive or simply that computer for future use

To restore your Call Logs simply open the Call Logs Backup & Restore application and select “Restore Call Logs” If your phone crashed or SD card malfunctioned, place your backed up file on your computer back into the CallLogBackupRestore Directory.

Also See: Backup Text Messages on Android

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It is a hassle when you are messing with customizing your phone and you lose all your important data. Luckily, the good thing about the Android OS is the ability to automatically upload all your data (contacts etc.) to the “cloud”. Unfortunately, this does not entail the backup of your system settings, text messages and phone logs.

Don’t fear, and don’t buy any expensive solutions that claim to be the one touch backup king. Not that the PPU solutions won’t work nicely, because they do. However, in times like these, its much better to go the free route.

To backup your text messages and restore them, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Android market, and download “SMS Backup & Restore”
2. Install the Application
3. Open the application, and select “Backup SMS Messages”
4. Wait patiently, at times this process can take a few moments

To backup your text message backup to your local machine (The extra care procedure, not needed)

1. Plug your phone into a computer via a USB cable
2. Go to your notification bar, and select “USB Connected” and then select “Mount”
3. Navigate to your computer and open your Android SD card. This will show up as a Removable Device
4. Open the folder named SMSBackupRestore and copy that file to a protected drive or simply that computer for future use

To restore your messages, simply open the SMS backup & restore application and select “Restore SMS Messages” If your phone crashed or SD card malfunctioned, place your backed up file on your computer back into the SMSBackupRestore Directory.

Also See Backup Phone Logs on Droid

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