Software And Internet Blog

In computer networks, a proxy server is a server (a computer system or an application program) that acts as a go-between for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource, available from a different server. The proxy server evaluates the request according to its filtering rules.

For example, it may filter traffic by IP address or protocol. If the request is validated by the filter, the proxy provides the resource by connecting to the relevant server and requesting the service on behalf of the client. A proxy server may optionally alter the client’s request or the server’s response, and sometimes it may serve the request without contacting the specified server. In this case, it ‘caches’ responses from the remote server, and returns subsequent requests for the same content directly.

A proxy server has two purposes:

* To keep machines behind it anonymous (mainly for security).[1]
* To speed up access to a resource (via caching). It is commonly used to cache web pages from a web server.[2]

A proxy server that passes requests and replies unmodified is usually called a gateway or sometimes tunneling proxy.

A proxy server can be placed in the user’s local computer or at various points between the user and the destination servers or the Internet. A reverse proxy is a proxy used as a front-end to accelerate and cache in-demand resources. (such as a web page)
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Just days before the Conficker worm is set to contact its controllers for new instructions, security researchers have discovered a flaw in the worm that makes it much easier for users to detect infected PCs.

Tillmann Werner and Felix Leder, members of the Honeynet Project, an all-volunteer organization that monitors Internet threats, have discovered that Conficker-infected PCs return unusual errors when sent specially crafted remote procedure call (RPC) messages, according to preliminary information they have posted on the Web.

There’s a growing urgency in the battle against Conficker as Wednesday approaches. PCs infected with Conficker.c, the third version of the worm, will use a new communication scheme starting April 1 to establish a link to the command-and-control servers operated by the hackers. What’s troubling to researchers is that they have no clue as to what orders the worm’s makers will give those machines.

Using their discovery, Werner and Leder, along with Dan Kaminsky, the security researcher who last summer uncovered a critical flaw in the Domain Name System software, spent the weekend crafting a scanner that lets users quickly sniff out Windows machines infected with the worm.
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The Tech Herald recently spent some time testing McAfee’s latest and greatest, Total Protection 2009. As many home users know, McAfee is second only to Symantec in the personal computer security field. Yet, the truth is both companies could easily switch places when it comes to install base or user opinion. So how does McAfee’s Total Protection 2009 compare to those others recently tested in The Tech Herald lab?

Total Protection 2009 looks almost exactly like the 2008 version. This is a plus for some users, as the familiar look will help them navigate the menus and settings. One of the new features for 2009 is a technology McAfee calls Artemis.

Artemis is supposed to cut the time it takes to detect a new threat and release a signature down to a few seconds, or in some cases instantly. It does this by checking a suspicious file against a massive online database if there is no local signature. The database is a list of known legit and rogue files, so if the suspicious file matches a signature in the online database, it’s flagged.

Installing Total Protection 2009:

During the test, McAfee Total Security 2009 was installed on an Intel Pentium D 3.4GHz (Dual Core), 1024MB RAM, with Windows XP SP3. Patches and other software were kept current on the lab machine.
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For every incoming call that your business receives, call-routing software will usually be able to determine who is calling and where the call needs to be routed to. Superior software can also tell why people are calling by using software which allows you to obtain information from your customer database. This software is so advanced that just from the incoming number; the call will get routed to the correct department or person. This kind of software can also recognise which resources are available and which ones are required for the caller on the line. These resources are based on agent’s skills, availability and how long the queues are.

Smart8 is one of these advanced software programmes and will allow you to optimise your telephone sales by improving customer service before you have even answered the call. Automatic caller identification ensures that every incoming call is transferred to the best operator for their needs.

Smart8 is a very intelligent call routing software which boasts a number of different features including integrated IVR and speech recognition which allows it to handle and transfer calls without the need for another telephone operator. With this software, you can be ensured that each call is sent to the right operator every time which significantly increases customer satisfaction and therefore make a sale more likely.
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Subliminal messages are ideas displayed too fast to consciously see but fast enough to imprint in your unconscious mind. This software can be used to train yourself, get rid of bad habits, or to implant the idea that you need a raise into your boss’s mind. Subliminal messages are most of the time put into in another object, visual or audio, designed to bypass the normal limits of perception, or the conscious mind. It functions by impacting the subconscious mind, which through links of communication is in turn able to affect the conscious mind.

We are constantly exposed to subliminal messages daily. Be it in advertisements, on the radio, the internet or the TV, we can find subliminal messages in all of them. A subliminal message can be as simple as a form of communication between two people. Whether you conveyed a message on purpose or unconsciously, you may unknowingly send out a subliminal message.

The question that you may want to ask is then, do subliminal messages and software work, and if so, how effective is it?

The effectiveness of the subliminal software is reliant on how it is made. In other words, the purpose and content of the directive that is being sent. Whilst one singular suggestion or message may not be effective, when placed together with similar messages or repeated messages, it has a better chance of taking effect. the reason for that is because the subconscious will have much more exposure to that particular message, and hence be more likely to act on it than the other messages that it has picked up.
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IPHost Network Monitor 2.1.2848 is a Network Monitoring Software product from iphostmonitor.com, get 5 Stars SoftSea Rating, IPHost Network Monitor is a reliable network and server monitoring tool. With this program you can keep track of your mail servers, internet hosts, database servers, and other network resources availability and performance. You can monitor any performance counter on remote Windows servers and workstations via WMI. Supported protocols are: HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP, ODBC, PING, and others.
IPHost Network Monitor is usable and affordable Windows program that facilitates the task of detection and elimination of failures and problems with your network and network equipment, servers, workstations and critical applications installed on them. IPHost Monitor enables you to reduce downtime (or slowdown time) because the system administrator and other concerned parties get prompt information on network resource inaccessibility or critical software performance problems. Detailed information helps to recover from the failure or remedy the performance problem quickly. With IPHost Network Monitor you can also setup actions for automatic failure recovery. Web-enabled reporting lets you monitor your network resources via a web browser to take a quick look at the state, problems and trends. IPHost Monitor does not require expensive hardware and can run at full power on a typical workstation.

To maintain the availability and performance of the network, servers and applications, to plan upgrades and maintenance, the administrator should get real time data and reports on the actual state of the enterprise’s IT infrastructure. IPHost Network Monitor provides you with a suitable and affordable solution for network, servers and applications monitoring. This software suits both the professional administrators and all those who perform administrator’s tasks from time to time. The tool is quick and easy to set up and use. IPHost Network Monitor is efficient even when a company does not employ a full-time administrator. User interface has been developed keeping in mind that all significant information should be accessible on one screen.
IPHost Monitor provides you with a number of monitoring features that let you monitor almost all critical enterprise servers and applications. The tool checks the availability and performance characteristics of the monitored network resources simultaneously. IPHost Monitor automatically searches the network servers, workstations and other equipment, and detects the network services running on them. Regular network rediscoveries facilitate the tasks of adding new monitors and of tracking equipment relocation/presence.
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Trumpeted as the best Web browser ever created, Microsoft’s now finished Internet Explorer 8 will be officially released to the public later today after more than a year of progressive beta testing, feedback appraisal and feature tweaking.

The latest iteration of the world’s most popular browser will be available as a free download from 16:00 (GMT), with software titan Microsoft claiming that it will provide Web surfers with boosted speed and performance, unparalleled levels of security and a significantly more user-friendly interface.

“With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match,” enthused Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer.

According to browser usage figures for February collated by Net Applications, Internet Explorer presently holds some 67 percent of the market, with Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari some way behind with 22 percent and eight percent respectively.

Microsoft will likely be hoping the emergence of its new browser will help stem its gradual decline in the online arena, which, while still ruled by Internet Explorer, has lost almost 25 percent of the market since 2004, while Firefox, Safari, and Google’s recently overhauled Chrome browser have all posted notable growth.

Some of the new features users can expect to enjoy in Internet Explorer 8 include: Web Slices, which allows for the monitoring of favourite Web sites and delivers notifications whenever those marked destinations are updated; and Accelerators, which enables users to ‘right click’ and carry out simple tasks, such as finding an address on a map, without having to navigate away from the site they’re visiting.

In standing behind its bold security claims, which will probably not sit well with fans of security stalwart Firefox, Microsoft has said Internet Explorer 8 offers platform-leading online protection that works to block up to four times as many malicious Web sites than other rival browsers.
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