NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DAVE KEARNS
on NOVELL NETWARE
10/23/01 - Today's focus: Scripting tools

Dear Wincenty Kaminski,

In this issue:

* NetVision adds scripts to Policy Manager Suite
* Links related to Novell NetWare
* Featured reader resource

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Today's focus: Scripting tools

By Dave Kearns

Scripting tools have promised to make our jobs easier since the
early days of personal computing. Fifteen years ago, it was
batch files that drove a lot of the repetitive tasks we did.
Today's equivalent is Visual Basic Scripting (VBS).

Unfortunately, VBS has gotten a bad name for two seemingly
opposing reasons. On the one hand, it's considered easy for
crackers and bad guys to exploit, which has helped give rise to
"script kiddies" - a generation of punks who can't write
scripts, but use those written by others to attempt to disrupt
your network. On the other hand, VBS is more difficult to grasp
than the old DOS batch file language - precisely because it is
so powerful.

Many of you have probably turned off VBS processing wherever
you can, just to protect the network and your users from script
kiddies. But you might want to keep at least one machine ready
to process them.

NetVision, a visionary company with a real understanding of the
NetWare market, has just released a number of free scripts for use
with its Policy Manager Suite (see "Real-time Directory Integration,"
http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/netware/2001/00957377.html)
for NetWare network administrators.

These can, of course, be modified to fit your circumstances but
right out of the box (or whatever the equivalent is for a free
download), the scripts can automate some tasks that you just
haven't been able to get to. An example is deleting MP3 files
as they are created on a NetWare server. NetVision's scripts
remove any specified file types, such as MP3, JPG, AVI, and
MPG, that can unnecessarily tie up precious storage and
bandwidth resources.

The scripts include:

* Password Policy Enforcement Script - This script reverses any
  unauthorized change to password information, which can often
  create security holes in systems. This script will reverse
  erroneous settings such as require password, force periodic
  password changes, days between changes, limit grace logins, and
  more. Additionally through external event consumers,
  administrators can log the action, send a page (or notification
  of the action), or disable the user.

* Reverses ACL changes to [Root] - This script disables non-
  admin perpetrator accounts by reversing any modifications to
  the root of the tree. It also will disable the perpetrator
  account and the object that was changed. Specified
  administrators can be excluded from the perpetrator filter.

* Secured User Creates - This script will disable both the user
  and the perpetrator if a user is created by anyone other than a
  specified group or listed objects. The script will then block
  the account from view with an Inherited Rights Filter that is
  assigned to the security team. At this point the team is
  notified and the unsecured actions have been terminated.

There are 10 other scripts in the initial release, and more are
promised as they're developed and tested. Check them out, and
check out Policy Manager Suite, at
http://www.netvision.com/new/pr_vbscript_announce.html

_______________________________________________________________
To contact Dave Kearns:

Dave Kearns is the Word Wrangler for Virtual Quill, a writing
agency serving the computer and networking industries. If
your target customer doesn't know your product, doesn't know
its uses and doesn't know he needs it, he's not going to buy
it. From books to reviews, marketing to manuals, VQ can help
you and your business. Virtual Quill - "words to sell by..."
Find out more at: http://www.vquill.com/, or by e-mail at
mailto:info@vquill.com.
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RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS

NetVision
http://www.netvision.com/index.html

NetVision updates mgmt. suite
Network World, 08/20/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/archive/2001/123966_08-20-2001.html

Real-time directory integration
Network World NetWare Newsletter, 08/20/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/netware/2001/00957377.html

NetVision groups products into policy suite, adds real-time
enforcement
Network World Fusion, 08/13/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/0813netvision.html

Microsoft to retract Novell, NetWare statements
Network World, 10/22/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/archive/2001/126580_10-22-2001.html

Breaking Novell and NetWare news, updated daily:
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/financial/novell.html

Archive of the Novell NetWare newsletter:
http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/netware/index.html
______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE

Network World Fusion's Net.Worker site

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Visit http://www.nwfusion.com/net.worker/index.html
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