Johnyan's IT Blog

What is ntop?
ntop is a network traffic probe that shows the network usage, similar to what the popular top Unix command does. ntop is based on libpcap and it has been written in a portable way in order to virtually run on every Unix platform and on Win32 as well.
ntop users can use a a web browser (e.g. netscape) to navigate through ntop (that acts as a web server) traffic information and get a dump of the network status. In the latter case, ntop can be seen as a simple RMON-like agent with an embedded web interface. The use of:
a web interface
limited configuration and administration via the web interface
reduced CPU and memory usage (they vary according to network size and traffic) make ntop easy to use and suitable for monitoring various kind of networks.

http://www.ntop.org/overview.html

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PRTG, MRTG

Microsoft has a article about the definition of computer virus which was published at October 23, 2006.

Computer viruses are software programs that are deliberately designed to interfere with computer operation, record, corrupt, or delete data, or spread themselves to other computers and throughout the Internet.

Viruses often slow things down and cause other problems in the process.

How do viruses work?
Basic viruses typically require unwary computer users to inadvertently share or send them.
Some viruses that are more sophisticated, such as worms, can replicate and send themselves automatically to other computers by controlling other software programs, such as an e-mail sharing application.

Certain viruses, called Trojans, can falsely appear as a beneficial program to coax users into downloading them. Some Trojans can even provide expected results while quietly damaging your system or other networked computers at the same time.

To help avoid viruses, it's essential that you keep your computer current with the latest updates and antivirus tools, stay informed about recent threats, and that you follow a few basic rules when you surf the Internet, download files, and open attachments.
Once a virus is on your computer, its type or the method it used to get there is not as important as removing it and preventing further infection.
To learn more about viruses, read other topics in this series including How do I know if a virus has infected my computer?, How do I remove a virus?, and How do I protect my computer against viruses?

ZT from http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/intro_viruses_what.mspx

The Long Tail

Chinese Version

1. Building A Home Network From Scratch - The Ins and Outs of Building a Home Network

This article explores my experiences with planning and addressing my family's growing needs for connectivity with our new home purchase. Hopefully it will provide you with information and insight for planning and implementing your own home network, as well as some "dos" and "don'ts" to help you avoid some of the costly lessons I have learned as part of this process. Whether you already have a temporary or permanent network in place, wired or wireless, in-wall or surface mount, you will find very useful information here. And, many of these practices can be adapted for use outside the home, as well. While much of our design focus is for a home network environment, much of this information is applicable to the typical office environment, also. Find a comfortable chair, get your favorite beverage and read on!

1. Free DNS
Every time you use the Internet, you use the Domain Name System (DNS). OpenDNS is faster, safer, and smarter than the DNS you use now.
OpenDNS makes your Internet connection blazing fast, blocks phishing sites, and corrects your typos on the fly. You choose only the features you want and it requires no software to install. And best of all, it's free.

The DNS address: http://www.opendns.com/start/

208.67.222.222

208.67.220.220

2. Free Proxy

.useing the CDN network. Coral Distributed Network is a network using P2P technology.
You just add .nyud.net:8090 in the domain you want to surf. For example: http://www.npmoc.navy.mil.nyud.net:8090/jtwc.html

. using a middle page to visit
CoDeeN or http://www.coralcdn.org/
http://www.proxychatroom.com/ or
http://proxyaware.com/ or
http://webwarper.net/