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U n i v e r s i t y o f O r e g o n C O M P U T I N G N E W S IN THIS ISSUE… WINTER 2002 What’s New Grayson Hall Renamed............................. 2 Sony Donates Video Equipment ............. 3 Apple Unveils New iMac ......................... 4 NWACC Proposals Due March 15 .......... 9 Intel Donates Networking Equipment .. 19 New State of Oregon Website ................ 19 Features Cable Modem Woes .................................. 5 UO’s GIScience Resources ....................... 8 Avoid Common Email Pitfalls ................. 9 New Windows XP Offers Mixed Bag ......... 10 Who’s Who ............................................... 16 Basics of Traffic Shaping ......................... 20 How Load Director Boxes Work ........... 21 Tech Tips Problems with Duckware 2001? .............. 6 Sites Worth Investigating ......................... 6 NAV LiveUpdate Problems ..................... 7 Get GPS Info from A to Z ......................... 8 Networking Campus AppleTalk, Novell Phase-Out .. 3 Unencrypted Telnet Eliminated .............. 3 Campus Wireless Network Update .......... 4 DOD Fuels Spectrum Debate ................. 18 Try Multicast Tester ................................ 19 Security Spam Blocking Improved on Oregon ......... 2 Laptop Security Devices Available ......... 5 Microsoft’s Passport Perils ........................... 7 Windows XP Security Hole ........................ 11 Top 20 Internet Vulnerabilities List ...... 12 Campus Virus Alerts ............................... 14 Beware of ‘4-1-9’ Scams .......................... 14 Vipul’s Razor ............................................ 15 Microsoft Vulnerabilities ........................ 15 FBI’s Magic Lantern ................................ 18 AOL Instant Messenger Problem .......... 18 Flash Animations Vulnerable ............... 19 Statistics Mathematica for Mac OS X .................... 17 SAS 8.2 Available on VMScluster .......... 22 Photo: Dave Ragsdale R Project Data Analysis Tool.................. 22 Intel’s donation of nearly $720,000 worth of 7340 and 7370 shaper boxes and e- IT Training Commerce Directors is a boon to network traffic management at the UO. See Winter Workshops .................................. 23 related stories on pages 5 (“Intel Donates Traffic Shapers”) and 20-21 (“Understanding the Basics of Traffic Shaping,” “How Load Director/SSL Accelerator Boxes Work”). Spam Blocking Improved on Oregon New filtering filters has been instituted in response being blocked by our filter, you have mechanism should cut to complaints from one or more of our several alternatives: users—and usually a lack of respon- down the volume of siveness on the part of the administra- 1. You can ask your correspondents unwanted email tors at the originating site when we either to write you from a different notify them of the problem. In many email address, or have them ask cases the “From:” address in these their system administrators to Bob Jones contact [email protected] to Senior Systems Manager messages is forged and does not corre- spond to a valid email address. try to resolve the problem. They [email protected] should be sure to specify what During our initial experimentation domain they are representing, since In response to ongoing complaints from with these filters several months ago, ISPs will often serve numerous Oregon users concerning unwanted we learned that a few users actually domains, not all of which we would email, Computing Center systems staff wanted to get messages from some of be likely to block. the blocked sites. To address their con- recently broadened its spam-blocking 2. You can submit a request to cerns, we’re using a blocking mecha- efforts on the VMScluster to work the [email protected] to remove a nism that bounces the blocked mes- way they do on Darkwing and filter blocking a specific address, sage back to the sender. This should Gladstone. citing your reasons. We do not alert legitimate senders that their mes- promise to honor your request, but The new filtering mechanism, which sage didn’t go through and enable them we do promise to consider it was activated December 17, enables us to contact their correspondent by carefully. to block email from spam sites that had other means (i.e., from a different eluded our existing filters. Each of our address that we do not block). 3. If we cannot justify removing our system-wide filter, we may be able If you discover you’re not getting to set up a personal bypass of the UNIVERSITY OF OREGON legitimate messages because they’re filter for your Oregon account. COMPUTING CENTER Grayson Hall Renamed COMPUTING NEWS VOL. 17 #1 The building that houses Computing News is published quarterly by the User Services and Network the Computing Center Applications staff of the Computing Annex is now known as Center, 1212 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1212. McKenzie Hall © University of Oregon 2002 Contact: repairs, are still available in Room 151 on Joyce Winslow the ground floor of the building. You’ll [email protected] find the Documents Room library, with Joe St Sauver, Ph.D. its ever-expanding collection of books, Director, User Services and magazines, and instructional CDs and Network Applications McKenzie Hall videos, down the hall in Room 175; and [email protected] the Computing Center’s computer labs The home of the Computing Center’s Website: are still in Room 101. http://cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/ Microcomputer Services, Computer Accounts, E-Shop, Documents Room, Telephone: (541) 346-1724 The Social Science Instructional Labs and computer labs now has a new (SSIL) are also located in McKenzie Hall, Photography: Dave Ragsdale name. At year’s end, “Grayson Hall” upstairs in Rooms 442 and 445. officially became “McKenzie Hall,” but only the name has changed. Got Extras? Until we update all our publications, Multimedia facilities and consulting If your campus department re- you may still see references to “Grayson ceives surplus copies of Com- help for a wide range of Windows and Hall,” but don’t let that confuse you. puting News, you may return Macintosh dilemmas, as well as help All of our Computing Center Annex them to the UO Computing with computing account passwords services are still available in the old Center for redistribution. and computer hardware upgrades and familiar places. 2 computing news winter 2002 Campus AppleTalk, Remember: Novell IPX Connections Unencrypted to be Completely Phased Telnet Eliminated January 14 Out in 2002 Rick Millhollin Director of Computing Facilities Dale Smith [email protected] Director, Network Services AppleTalk (Macintosh) systems. To [email protected] use them, you’ll probably need to reconfigure servers and desktop com- As of January 14, you will no longer be puters. You’ll also need to be sure you able to use telnet to connect to Darkwing, As many campus departments are al- have current software. (The minimum Gladstone, Oregon, Daisy, or Donald. If ready aware, Network Services has software version for Novell to enable you attempt to use telnet instead of begun phasing out AppleTalk and TCP/IP services is 4.0, but version 5 is secure SSH software, for now you’ll see Novell IPX network routing on cam- recommended. The minimum version the following error message: pus. By July 1, the entire campus net- of MacOS is 8.6.) CAUTION! This telnet connection work will have migrated to TCP/IP- is unencrypted and hackers/ based service. Phase-Out Schedule: crackers may be able to eaves- November 1, 2001: The UOnet zone drop upon your username and The only noticeable effect this was removed from all AppleTalk net- password and other network traf- fic. Because of this vulnerabil- changeover will have is to limit works. AppleTalk and Novell users to their ity, unencrypted telnet access to the VMScluster (or Gladstone local (e.g., in-house) servers. Usually January 1, 2002: Novell IPX routing on and Darkwing) will be discontin- these subnets are in a single building. campus core routers was turned off. ued effective January 14, 2002. Unless you employ TCP/IP-based ser- Novell IPX routing was provided to a vices, users outside your building or very limited set of buildings. Hopefully, most telnet users of these subnet will not be able to log onto your large-scale Unix and VMS systems fileservers or print to your printers. July 1, 2002: Novell IPX services and have by now seen the advance expira- AppleTalk services will be turned off tion notices displayed online. Telnet’s TCP/IP-based services are available campuswide. demise was also publicized in last for both Novell (Windows) and summer’s Computing News (“Time to Begin Using SSH,” http:// cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/summer2001/ Sony Donations Enhance UO’s ssh.html). Free SSH clients for your PC or Mac are available on the UO Duckware CD- Digital Video Capabilities ROM. The Duckware 2001 CD, which was released in September, automati- The University of Oregon would like to thank Sony Corporation for its cally activates the SSH installer when generous donation of video acquisition and editing equipment, which you insert it in your machine. After the will greatly enhance the digital video capabilities of UO faculty, staff, and installation is complete, Mac users will students. find SSH by going to the Apple Menu -> UOnet -> Telnet -> Better Telnet. The new equipment includes a digital video camcorder for acquiring Windows users will find the SSH links video and still-shot images and two laptops for editing and translating under Start -> Programs -> Network the resulting