I have to install and implement Microsoft Client Protection, otherwise known as Forefront.
In terms of the server, there are 4 roles that the server can have. The management role in which the user can view the state of the whole managed network and investigate the status if the clients, collection role, wherein the server simply takes in all the data from all the machines and keeps it in a database, reporting role, where the server is used to report on the data collected by the collection role of the server, and finally the distribution role, where the server sends out updates for malware definitions to all the clients using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
That last role scares me. We don't have WSUS running here at the moment... but it will be!
WSUS still isn't working.
The Public Beta expires on June 30, 2007.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Microsoft's Systems Management Server
I need to learn this dangerous and silly program for work. So I will keep a log of what I learn here.
Overview
This software was designed so that it could be massively scaled, meaning many sub-networks over a very large geographic region (possibly the entire planet or even orbitting computers, logical adjacency is more important than physical adjacency here).
But our system is small compared to what I need to know about this program, so I'm going to focus on Security Team topics such as deploying patches.
Vocabulary
I need to keep track of all the various terms introduced in this software.
site - this is the logical network of computers that the paricular setup of SMS manages
collections - a group of computers that are grouped by some common attribute (such as 'Room 37 computers', 'tablets', 'computers with bagel crumbs in the keyboard')
package - a combination of software and rules for installation of the software. A package is something like OneNote and the set of rules that installs OneNote to particular machines. To install a patch or a software suite to a machine or many machines you have to make a package of the software first.
advertisement - information and notification to a collection of machines to run and install a package or set of packages. In order to deploy a package you must advertise the package to a collection of computers.
Overview
This software was designed so that it could be massively scaled, meaning many sub-networks over a very large geographic region (possibly the entire planet or even orbitting computers, logical adjacency is more important than physical adjacency here).
But our system is small compared to what I need to know about this program, so I'm going to focus on Security Team topics such as deploying patches.
Vocabulary
I need to keep track of all the various terms introduced in this software.
site - this is the logical network of computers that the paricular setup of SMS manages
collections - a group of computers that are grouped by some common attribute (such as 'Room 37 computers', 'tablets', 'computers with bagel crumbs in the keyboard')
package - a combination of software and rules for installation of the software. A package is something like OneNote and the set of rules that installs OneNote to particular machines. To install a patch or a software suite to a machine or many machines you have to make a package of the software first.
advertisement - information and notification to a collection of machines to run and install a package or set of packages. In order to deploy a package you must advertise the package to a collection of computers.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Personality and Social Control
I've been reading Tomatsu Shibutani's Society and Personality (1961) that I picked up from a pile of "Free, Take One!" books in the sociology graduate lab (along with A Poetic for Sociology which is also very interesting). There are some bits I found interesting in the first 100 or so pages that I'd like to crystallize here.
Shibutani, first off, is writing from a era 45 years ago. I've noticed much of his psychological theory comes directly from Freudian psychoanalysis, which, much like Darwin's evolutionary theory, is deep and advanced, yet it lacks much of the knowledge and understanding of a century of neurological and psychological research. It shows elements of phallocentrism in that his focus is on how 'men' behave and how 'he' feels about 'himself'. Although he occasionally bends to discuss how an 'organism' may act under certain stimulus, much of Shibutani's discussion seems to focus on the male sex of humans. Excusing a lack of 45 years of knowledge and an obvious lack of training on how to write for a neutral audience, Shibutani seems to detail the dynamics of human groups in modern society very well. I would like focus first on his concept of social control.
The term 'social control,' Shibutani asserts, is misunderstood, and I certainly agree. The word 'control' connotes that some conscious entity is exercising it's power over another conscious entity. However, the version of social control detailed in Shibutani's explanation is, instead, a willful act of conforming to social norms for the benefit of completing some task or to the benefit of the actor involved. Shibutani likes to use the analogy of football a lot, but I suck at sports analogies.
Shibutani's concept of social control is an abstract set of rules that allows the continued concerted cooperation of independent agents. This means that a bunch of people organize for some purpose, making dinner for a party, winning a football game, raising a barn, tipping over a van in a riot, or pinning down a friend to tickle them until they cry. Social control are the limits or boundaries of behavior that still allow the action of the group to complete the task. That is, if you want to pass a class, you have to do enough of the homework, do well enough on the tests, and go to enough class sessions. The control is embedded within the actors will to complete the task and understanding of the role the actor assumes.
The concept of self also makes an appearance here, Shibutani refers to it as self-consciousness. There are many occasions in which we are not self-conscious at all, such as when we are in a dark theatre absorbed in an exciting film, or engage in a fantastic novel. We simply don't care about our appearance to others.
Shibutani, first off, is writing from a era 45 years ago. I've noticed much of his psychological theory comes directly from Freudian psychoanalysis, which, much like Darwin's evolutionary theory, is deep and advanced, yet it lacks much of the knowledge and understanding of a century of neurological and psychological research. It shows elements of phallocentrism in that his focus is on how 'men' behave and how 'he' feels about 'himself'. Although he occasionally bends to discuss how an 'organism' may act under certain stimulus, much of Shibutani's discussion seems to focus on the male sex of humans. Excusing a lack of 45 years of knowledge and an obvious lack of training on how to write for a neutral audience, Shibutani seems to detail the dynamics of human groups in modern society very well. I would like focus first on his concept of social control.
The term 'social control,' Shibutani asserts, is misunderstood, and I certainly agree. The word 'control' connotes that some conscious entity is exercising it's power over another conscious entity. However, the version of social control detailed in Shibutani's explanation is, instead, a willful act of conforming to social norms for the benefit of completing some task or to the benefit of the actor involved. Shibutani likes to use the analogy of football a lot, but I suck at sports analogies.
Shibutani's concept of social control is an abstract set of rules that allows the continued concerted cooperation of independent agents. This means that a bunch of people organize for some purpose, making dinner for a party, winning a football game, raising a barn, tipping over a van in a riot, or pinning down a friend to tickle them until they cry. Social control are the limits or boundaries of behavior that still allow the action of the group to complete the task. That is, if you want to pass a class, you have to do enough of the homework, do well enough on the tests, and go to enough class sessions. The control is embedded within the actors will to complete the task and understanding of the role the actor assumes.
The concept of self also makes an appearance here, Shibutani refers to it as self-consciousness. There are many occasions in which we are not self-conscious at all, such as when we are in a dark theatre absorbed in an exciting film, or engage in a fantastic novel. We simply don't care about our appearance to others.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Mission Statement
I've found over the past year or so that the best way for me to learn things is by summarizing the ideas and my own thoughts in a paper or article.
I have started this blog for me, but it may also contain information that would be relevant to others. I will posting a huge variety of things. For instance, I intend on teaching myself things like concept lattice theory, topology, and I want to dive further into abstract algebra. I need to teach myself things at work like Microsoft Systems Management Server, Vernier, and networking systems. There are other uses, like when I read a philosophy book, or an article that is complex and important.
If you find something that you find useful, that's just coincindence. But who's to say all lucky happenstance isn't just coincidence? Not me.
Memory Tracking here at MemTracts.
I have started this blog for me, but it may also contain information that would be relevant to others. I will posting a huge variety of things. For instance, I intend on teaching myself things like concept lattice theory, topology, and I want to dive further into abstract algebra. I need to teach myself things at work like Microsoft Systems Management Server, Vernier, and networking systems. There are other uses, like when I read a philosophy book, or an article that is complex and important.
If you find something that you find useful, that's just coincindence. But who's to say all lucky happenstance isn't just coincidence? Not me.
Memory Tracking here at MemTracts.
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