Imagine a situation where you have processed enormous amount of data which is stored on your local hard drive and at the end of the day you find that this hard drive has crashed or that a virus has corrupted your file or the file accidentally got deleted and you have lost all your data. Scary, isn’t it? Such loss of data may be disastrous for the company in terms of operating consequences. It will result in loss of revenue, negative publicity resulting in brand damage and loss of reputation. Backing up your data is a solution to this problem and this is where file servers comes into the picture.

File servers can be defined as dedicated computers, which help in storing files in centralized location and allow it to be shared among the users in a network environment. File servers are designed to perform two important functions file sharing and file protection (backup). Files stored on the file server can be easily shared with other computers on the network making it a safe location to store data. Also the files on the file server itself can be backed up, ensuring further protection of your data.

Why get a file server?

A)A file server helps in regular backing up of all files stored into it. So whenever a file gets deleted or is misplaced from your PC, this file can be retrieved. Also if there is a hard disk failure the files saved on the network will not be affected.

B)The files stored on the file server can be accessed directly by each person on the network; this allows them to directly work on the document if required.

C)File server allows you to put restrictions on the file access. This means that each user on a network can be given different access rights to stored information.

The above benefits have encouraged many small and large businesses to switch to using file servers.

How to choose the right File Server for my network?

The following parameters play an important role in the choice of the right File server:

Size:
The size of the server is important as you need to fix a place where you will be keeping it. As your business grows the data volumes will increase hence you need to buy a server that will serve your future requirements. The server you choose must have enough space for adding additional hard drives and other access points.

Compatibility:
The server you choose needs to be compatible with the existing systems you use such as Windows, Linux or Mac.

Storage:
Storage is one of the most important parameters to consider when choosing the right file server. This is because the file server is going to be used to store files and keep a back up of these files. More the storage space, more the data can be stored. In a 50 user environment if the server is going to be used for keeping a back up of all user files that includes documents and e-mails, you need to find out how much disk space the data on each individual PC is taking. If 50 users need to store 2 GB of files then the total space required is 100 GB. You will need to double this capacity to 200 GB as the base capacity for an increase in the volume of data which you are expecting over a period of time.

Usability:
The interface of the file server should allow easy setting up of user, folders and security privileges.

Type of Business Application:
Depending upon the size, a network may require a Low End or High End File Servers.

1) Low end file servers: Low end file servers are suited for small businesses. They generally have a single processor and support about 500 users in a networked environment. These servers are generally smaller in size and offer low expandability which means that the server does not allow you to add extra components such as hard drives, memory component and processors. This results in limited storage capacity for such servers.

2) High end file servers: High end file servers are generally useful for large business houses and data centers with more than 500 users which does a lot of high end data processing work. The servers are generally larger in size as they have enough room to support additional hard drives and other components which would help them to enhance their performance. These servers are used for data intensive applications and since speed becomes a very important criterion, these servers support more than 1 processor. Low end file servers have internal fans and cooling mechanisms, but high end file servers in data centers generate enormous amount of heat and need to be kept in specialized server room with controlled environmental conditions.

Now, that you are aware of the benefits of getting a file server and have an insight into the parameters that should be looked into while buying one, the decision to get a fileserver need not be further delayed. Should it?

RetailVision recently honored PC Universe with a Fast Growth Award, recognizing PC Universe for it's 37 percent revenue growth between 2005 and 2007.

Here's a snippet from Channel Web on the announcement:



More details can be found at:
http://www.crn.com/retail/210200817;?pgno=7

It was only a matter of time. After spending hours, days, and possibly even weeks mastering your iPod playlists, pics, and videos, it only makes sense to want to share them with friends and family on your TV and home theater. With so many options recently introduced in the market, there has been one method that I feel provides the best and most consistent results.

The Apple iPod Component AV video cable offers you the ease and freedom to connect your iPod or iPhone to your television. Gather up your friends and watch videos or slideshows together on the big screen. Ditch the earbuds while you pump your favorite playlists to your stereo or powered speakers and get the room-filling audio experience you crave.

The Component AV Cable connects to your iPod, iPhone, or Universal Dock via the 30-pin dock connector and to your TV, home theater receiver, or stereo receiver via the component (Y, Pb, and Pr) video and red/white analog audio ports. The cable also features a USB connector that you can plug into a power source, such as a computer or the included USB Power Adapter.

The Component video output to television is supported by iPod nano (third generation) and iPod classic at 480p or 576p resolution, and by iPod touch and iPhone at 480i or 576i resolution.

Up and running in a matter of seconds, the Apple iPod Component AV video cable has provided the best results I have seen for those who want to bring thier iPod to the big screen.

Introduction

Congratulations on getting a new scanner! You can now convert your original documents and printed images into digitized form for editing and processing on the computer. The software program included with your scanner will help you do this.

Whenever you buy a scanner it comes bundled with the required software. This bundle may contain driver program, image-editing software, color calibration software and optical recognition software (OCR). TWAIN is one of the driver programs used by most of the scanners. This program performs the actual scanning operation. The TWAIN driver allows image-editing and facilitates the optical character recognition software to control the scanner and get the scanned output of the image or a document with the scanning program requiring it to be saved.

Installing a scanner is not a difficult task. However, the procedure will vary depending on the type of scanner you choose. Scanners are available with three types of interfaces. They are as follows:

1. Parallel port


2. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)


3. USB (Universal Serial Bus)

Parallel Port

Parallel port scanners connect to the computer via the parallel port. They are the cheapest of the scanners. They are however slower than scanners with other types of interfaces. A scanner with parallel port interface communicates at a rate of 1.2Mbps with a PC. The procedure for installing a parallel port scanner is a very simple. But remember that when you install a parallel port scanner, you won't be able to use your printer and your scanner at the same time.

The steps to install a parallel port scanner are as follows:

Step 1

Shut down your PC. Place the scanner close to the PC on a flat surface. The cable of the scanner must be able to reach your computer.

Step 2

Disconnect the parallel cable of the printer from the parallel port on the back of your PC.

Step 3

Attach the parallel cable of the scanner into the port where the printer's cable was attached. The 25-pin female end of the parallel cable is connected to the PC and then other end of the cable plugs into the scanner's port. For using the printer as well as the scanner, connect the printer cable to the scanner and then connect the scanner to the PC.

Step 4

Insert the power cord of the scanner into an outlet. Once you plug in the power cord, the scanner starts by itself. Some scanners will require manual intervention for turning them on. If your scanner has an on/off switch, switch it on once you plug in the power cord.

Step 5

Turn on your PC. The Operating System (OS) installed in your PC will automatically recognize the new hardware that has been added. If your OS does not recognize the new hardware, Click on Start >> Settings >> Control Panel . Double click on the Add New Hardware option. A new wizard will appear that will guide you through the installation process.

Step 6

The installation wizard at some point will ask you to install the driver disk that has all the required information files. Insert the driver disk at the appropriate time, and then choose the device's .INF (Information) file from the disk to have all the information properly installed. During this process you may also install TWAIN driver.

Step 7

You may also install all other additional software’s that you may have received with your scanner. It is advisable to calibrate the scanner before you start using it. The color calibration software tries to maintain the original colors of the image throughout its processing. This means that what you see on the monitor and what you print out should be reasonably close to the colors of the original.

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

The SCSI interface offers performance, expandability and compatibility that is unmatched by any other current PC interface. A SCSI interface offers much faster transfer rates and takes up few resources from the computer's CPU. However, a SCSI interface is expensive and a scanner with a SCSI interface will cost more. If your scanner does not come with a SCSI card, you will have to buy one separately. Also you will require a SCSI slot on the motherboard for the SCSI card.

The steps to install a SCSI scanner are as follows:

Step 1

Turn off your PC and unplug the power cord from the power outlet.

Step 2

Open the computer case and look for a slot of the same type as the SCSI card. Most SCSI cards shipped with scanners are called “ISA” cards. These cards fit in the slot with two connectors. Remove the screw that holds the slot cover and slide your SCSI card in the slot. Place the connector in line with the slot and push it in place. When the card is firmly seated, secure the card to the motherboard using the screw. If you are adding a scanner to the PC that already has a SCSI card in use, you will have to attach the scanner to the end of the devices that make use of the SCSI interface.

Step 3

Insert the power cord of the scanner into an outlet. Once you plug in the power cord, the scanner starts by itself. Some scanners will require manual intervention for turning them on. If your scanner has an on/off switch, switch it on once you plug in the power cord.

Step 4

Turn on the PC. The Operating System (OS) installed in your PC will automatically recognize the new SCSI card that has been added. If your OS does not recognize the new hardware, Click on Start >> Settings >> Control Panel . Double click on the Add New Hardware option. A new wizard will appear that will guide you through the installation process.

Step 5

Once the SCSI card is detected by the OS, insert the driver disks as directed by the installation wizard to complete the installation. During this process you may also install TWAIN driver.

Step 6

You may also install any additional software that has come with your scanner. It is advisable to calibrate the scanner before you start using it. The color calibration software tries to maintain the original colors of the image throughout its processing. This means that what you see on the monitor and what you print out should be reasonably close to the colors of the original.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

The USB scanner is the best choice as the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface supports faster data transfer rates of upto 12 Mbps. A single USB port can be used to connect at least 127 peripheral devices and is ten times faster than a serial port. USB also supports Plug-and-Play installation and hot plugging. The USB interface is easy to use and this makes installation of USB scanners very easy.

The steps to install a USB scanner are as follows:

Step 1

Exit all the programs currently running on your PC.

Step 2

Plug in the scanner into the USB port of your PC.

Step 3

The Operating System (OS) installed in your PC will automatically recognize the new interface that has been added. If your OS does not recognize the new hardware, Click on Start >> Settings >> Control Panel >>. Double click on the Add New Hardware option. A new wizard will appear that will guide you through the installation process.

Step 4

The installation wizard at some point will ask you to install the driver disk that has all the required information files. Insert the driver disk at the appropriate time, and then choose the device's .INF (Information) file from the disk to have all the information properly installed. During this process you may also install TWAIN driver

Step 5

You may also install any additional software that has come with your scanner. It is advisable to calibrate the scanner before you start using it. The color calibration software tries to maintain the original colors of the image throughout its processing. This means that what you see on the monitor and what you print out should be reasonably close to the colors of the original.

The other additional software that may be available with the scanner or which may be purchased are the image editing software’s and the Optical Recognition Software (OCR) software. The image editing software such as Adobe PhotoDeluxe and Adobe Photoshop help in manipulating color, grayscale and line art pictures. The Optical Recognition Software (OCR) is necessary to produce an editable text format from a scanned document. Optical recognition software examines the scanned image and converts it into a format that can be read by a word processor, spreadsheet or database.

Conclusion

To summarize, whatever may be the interface of your scanner, following the steps mentioned in this guide will make the installation process a simple and easy task.

Introduction

Everyday there are new security threats emerging from viruses to phishing, from spyware to denial-of-service attacks, from Trojan horse to worms or several other forms of malware. Viruses, worms, and the like often perform malicious acts, such as deleting files, accessing personal data, or using your computer to attack other computers. It’s devastating to lose all the data on the computer, and proper precautions need to be taken to avoid such a situation. An Antivirus is a software programme which protects the computer against possible infection by viruses or other malicious software. Antivirus software consists of a scanning engine, which sieves through all the files on the computer to detect the presence of a virus.

Antivirus softwares have come a long way from just protecting the computer against viruses. The latest trend in the antivirus market is online virus detection. The antivirus manufacturer remotely scans the computer via the browser, when on the manufacturer’s homepage; thus curtailing the need to install antivirus software. Few of the popular ISP’s offers online scanning facility as part of service pack. Most of the email service providers offer high-tech antivirus solutions such as automatic scanning for all the attachments received with emails. Few antivirus softwares, supervise the system files which are accessed to check if they have been manipulated in suspicious manner. This functionality helps detecting and removing the virus even before they are detected by the virus definitions.

There are known viruses which have certain characteristics and behavioral pattern; Antiviruses utilizes heuristics to detect any suspicious activities or patterns by new malware based on similarities with the known ones. The Antivirus software buying guide aims to assist through the process of choosing an antivirus solution, by helping to make a well informed decision.



Features

1) Regular Updates:
New viruses are getting released every day, due to which regular virus definition updates are required. It functions on the similar principle as the ‘Interpol’s most wanted list’ of people who needs to be caught; in order to identify the latest threats on the computer, virus definitions are developed by antivirus companies to inform and update their subscribers. Opting for an antivirus which consists of an automatic update tool is a sensible decision. Some software includes features such as scheduled updating for the latest virus definitions, on a regular basis.

2) Firewall:
Software firewalls keep inside information from leaking outside onto the Internet. A firewall has a built-in filter that forbids any unauthorized or potentially hazardous material from entering the system. Webmaster defines internal access policies for the server.

3) Internet Security Suite:
Internet security suite allows one to browse the internet threat-free. It offers essential protection from viruses, hackers, privacy threats, and transfer of confidential information such as passwords or credit card numbers.

4) Antispyware:
Resistance against viruses is provided via antivirus software. Similarly Antispyware programs helps detection and removal of any spyware or unwanted element from the system and immunes the system. Some of the antivirus softwares facilitate fortification against both viruses and additional features such as ability to discover and eradicate spyware are included in such antivirus software. Anti-spyware softwares must be installed on every computer and it should be regularly updated. With the spyware’s ability to reproduce itself, this is an important feature; although dedicated anti-spyware programmes are also obtainable.

5) Easy to Use:
Software interface of the antivirus must consist of simple to use utilities and features; which would enable the user to install and configure it without any help. Always read the review of the softwares to check the user ratings before investing. There is functionality in few antiviruses which, provides warning to the user when any program attempts to modify the critical areas on the system such as Registry. For that reason it is recommended to turn off the functionality before installing any new software on the system.

6) Technical Support & Availability:
Incompatible driver issues or conflicts with other installed applications are very frequently arising problems with the system. Whenever such issues arise, one must be able to get quick assistance from technical support. Best option is choose the company that provides free phone support during the trial period of software and free technical support via chat or e-mail as most of the companies charge for phone support.

7) Subscription & Renewal Fees:
Antivirus software like AVG and anti-spyware programmes such as Spybot are available for free for users to download and use. Most of the software utilities are priced on per license basis. Whereas some come with annual fees subscription for updated antivirus signature files to block the newest threats. Antivirus softwares used for professionally are usually available on annual subscription fees basis. Any antivirus software is up-to-dated only due to regular virus definitions, outdated antivirus software equals to ineffective one.

8) Email Protection & Attachment Scan:
The profusion of e-mail worms has increased the need for antivirus which offers e-mail protection. Most of the antivirus softwares nowadays offer email security by implementing e-mail security options. These options consists encryption of data, virus protection via incoming email, spam filtering, and attachment scanning for potential threats.

9) IM Protection:
Instant messaging has become one of the main reasons for users to get online. It is advisable to opt for antivirus software offering IM protection. It means that IM will have the same kind of protection as email support. This will guard the computer against accidental virus transmit or malicious efforts to gain remote access on the computer via a Trojan or backdoor application.

10) Real Time Protection:
Many antivirus software enable real-time protection on the system to prevent known installation unwanted programs such as virus, Trojans, worms and spyware. Real-time protection maintains a constant vigilance on the critical checkpoints of the system. The checkpoints are triggered when unknown programs try gaining access on the system or make changes to windows configuration. The real-time protection alerts the user, immediately when a change is detected on the system; probing the user to allow or deny the changes being made. Real-time protection scans the incoming network data and disk files at download time, and blocks the activity of components known to represent spyware. In some cases, it may also intercept attempts to install start-up items or to modify browser settings. Real time protection can slow down the computer as it scans the computer live in background.

Conclusion :

There are a number of antivirus applications offered by different software vendors, and each application has its own set of extra features. An individual using a single computer has different needs than a family that shares one or more computers. Arrays of computers on a LAN require a different level of antivirus protection than a single desktop. Possibilities of virus attacks and other security breaches require through consideration and a comparison needs to be done on the basis of the features available, keeping in mind the overall outlook.