...from:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/06/22/worldcup/index.php?
lsrc=mwweek-0626
June 22, 2006 4:56 pm ET
MacCentral
By Jim Dalrymple
Chances are if you’re watching highlights from the FIFA World Cup
matches on television, you are seeing Apple technology hard at work.
Highlights from the world’s most popular sport are being prepared
using multiple Apple products and technologies.
The biggest of the television networks using Apple products is the
Host Broadcast Service (HBS), which is a collection of production
groups brought together specifically for the 2006 World Cup. From its
master control center to the dozens of cameras at each match, the
production team is responsible for everything from managing the feeds
coming back to the Munich headquarters to quickly delivering
highlights to mobile phones within minutes of the action happening on
the field.
The HBS delivers its highlight clips to 50 networks around the world
as the games are happening. To accomplish this the group is using
four Power Mac G5s, PictureReady software and AJA Kona cards to
DVCPRO HD 1080i50. The feeds from the games are recorded into a 20TB
Apple Xsan.
A total of three Final Cut Pro systems monitor the games currently
being played and recorded—if the production team sees something
highlight worthy, a 15-second clip is immediately edited and exported
through QuickTime. These clips are then made available to its network
subscribers.
The Japanese television station NHK is also using Apple technology to
produce its HD World Cup coverage.
Using the same setup it used to broadcast the Torino Olympics, NHK is
using five Power Mac G5s and PictureReady. The five feeds are
recorded at at DVCProHD 1080i50 directly to a 36TB Xsan system.
One Power Mac is being used with Final Cut Pro to create broadcast
pieces and a second machine packages the content ready for broadcast.
Finally, the second largest Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca has
adopted a slightly different approach using five MacBook Pros with
Matrox MXOs and HDV footage to deliver packages from venues around
Germany.
Editors for TV Azteca shoot on location, edit the content in Final
Cut Pro and then connect the Matrox MXO to an SDI or HDSDI satellite
link that will send their final edit from the field to the TV Azteca
operations center.
The final step is when the operators output their HD sequence to
their local VTR for archival and future HD broadcasting
...from:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/06/15/parallels/index.php?
lsrc=mwweek-0619
June 15, 2006 10:19 am ET
Parallels Desktop released for Intel Macs
By Peter Cohen
Parallels on Thursday announced the release of Parallels Desktop, its
"virtualization" software for Intel Macs that enables them to run
Windows and other operating systems while continuing to operate Mac
OS X simultaneously. Parallels Desktop's full retail price is $79.99,
though the company is offering the software for $49.99 for the next
thirty days.
Unlike Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop doesn't require Intel Mac users
to restart their computers to run. And unlike PC emulation software,
Parallels Desktop utilizes virtualization hardware on the Intel chip
to run faster than you can using emulation -- at what the developers
call "near native" speeds.
Parallels Desktop allows you to run many different operating systems
besides Windows XP [BootCamp officially supports only Windows XP
Service Pack 2 and no flavours of Linux]. You can install earlier
versions of Windows, for example, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2 and
more. You can run several virtual machines at once; expand them to
full-screen size, and cut and paste between Windows and Mac OS X.
Parallels Desktop also includes Parallels Compressor, which
compresses the space used on your Mac's hard disk for Windows.
Compressor can shrink that virtual machine hard drive size by up to
50 percent or more. It's offered in Parallels' products for other
platforms for $179.99, and is included for free with Parallels Desktop.
Hello,
I thought that some of the members of this group would be interested
in these courses (see below).
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
Begin forwarded message:
> Subject: Fwd: Upcoming Courses in Winnipeg
>
> Hi Everyone,
> Just a reminder, we are getting closer to the following training
> courses happening here in Winnipeg for the Prairie Region and
> Winnipeg area for you and your staff to attend over the Summer Break.
>
> Below is the course information and assessment guides, along with
> pricing and location of the training.
> Please take a moment to read about the current training offerings
> and think about who in your staff may benefit from this quality
> training.
> Seating is limited and we are filling up fast, so if you are
> interested in attending or would like someone from your staff to
> attend, please register for the courses online or by phone
> (1-800-848-6398) ASAP.
>
> Please see below for more information, there are 3 courses being
> offered:
>
> 1. Mac OS X Support Essentials
> 2. Mac OS X Deployment
> 3. Security Best Practices
>
> Please feel free to forward this information on to anyone that you
> feel maybe interested in attending this event.
>
> I look forward to seeing you all there
>
>
> ______________________________________
>
> Mac OS X Support Essentials
> ______________________________________
>
>
> is a three-day, hands-on course that provides an intensive and in-
> depth exploration of troubleshooting on Mac OS X. This course is
> designed to give you a tour of the breadth of functionality of Mac
> OS X and the best methods for effectively supporting users of Mac
> OS X systems. The course is a combination of lectures and hands-on
> case study exercises that provide practical real-world experience.
>
> Who should attend?
> ___________________
>
> This class is for help desk specialists, technical coordinators,
> service technicians, and others who support Mac OS X customers.
> This audience could include technical support personnel in
> businesses that use Mac OS X systems for general productivity or
> creative design, service technicians who support Mac OS X
> customers, and technical coordinators or power users who manage
> networks of Mac OS X systems for their organization — such as
> teachers and technology specialists who manage classroom networks
> or computer labs.
>
>
> What you will learn
> __________________
>
> Students learn how to set up and configure stand-alone Mac OS X
> workstations to access network-based services
>
>
> Prerequisites
> _____________
>
> Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to
> attending this course:
> Basic Mac OS X knowledge
> Basic troubleshooting experience
>
> Recommended Next Steps
>
> Demonstrate your knowledge by taking the Mac OS X Support
> Essentials v10.4 exam (9L0-401) — US$150.
>
> The exam covers a practical knowledge of the features of Mac OS X
> v10.3 and the basics of managing Mac OS X client systems running
> Mac OS X v10.4. For specific exam objectives, see the Skills
> Assessment Guide for the Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.4 exam. To
> familiarize yourself with the type of questions asked in the exam,
> see the Sample Test. The Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist
> (ACHDS) v10.4 certification is granted on successful completion of
> this exam.
>
> To register for the exam, call Prometric toll-free at 888-APL-EXAM
> (888-275-3926) or register online at 2test.com. You are required to
> have an Apple Tech ID number before registering for any Apple exam.
> You can apply for a Tech ID by following the instructions at
> certifications.apple.com.
>
> How to pay
> ___________
>
> Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.4 -
> Business $1800
> Education $1620 or 3 Training Units
> Course prices listed do not include applicable taxes. Courses are
> subject to GST.
> Payment instructions are available at:
> http://www.apple.com/ca/training or call 1-800-848-6398.
>
>
> Course Date: June 28-30, 2006
>
> Location: Red River Community College
> 160 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB
>
> Register now!
> _____________
>
> Seating is limited; reserve your seat today. To register, visit:
> http://www.apple.com/ca/training or call 1-800-848-6398.
>
>

>
>
> ______________________________________
>
> Security Best Practices
> ______________________________________
>
> The three-day Security Best Practices course provides system and
> security administrators with the knowledge and tools necessary to
> secure Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server against local and network
> attacks. Solutions covered in the class include Mac OS X specific
> features as well as third party tools for monitoring and analysis.
> Students will design a security policy template in class to be used
> as a starting point for their IT security decisions. This course is
> a combination of lecture and hands-on case study exercises that
> provide practical real-world experience.
>
> Who should attend?
> ___________________
> This class is for anyone responsible for administering Mac OS X
> computers or servers, and providing the proactive security measures
> necessary for the integrity and confidentiality of all computer
> systems and their data. Some understanding of file systems,
> directory services, and networking is necessary. Command-line
> options for graphical utilities are covered, so a familiarity with
> terminal is also desired.
>
>
> Training Units (http://www.apple.com/ca/training/units/)
>
> Register for this course by redeeming 3 Apple Training Units, or we
> can bring the training to you for 36 Training Units.
>
>
> What you will learn
> ___________________
>
> • To identify security needs and implement appropriately secure
> Mac OS X computers
> • How to configure Mac OS X Server Open Directory Masters to
> provide secure authentication for an organization’s particular
> clients
> • How to protect Mac OS X Server Mail and Web services
> • How to implement specific security configurations for mobile
> computers
> • How to audit security using Apple’s Common Criteria auditing
> tools
> • How to publish and maintain security policies
>
>
> Prerequisites
> _____________
>
> Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to
> attending this course:
>
> • Experience with LDAP-based directory services
> • Completion of Mac OS X Directory Services Administration and
> Integration v10.4 (Client/Server) or equivalent knowledge
> • Network and Internet topical knowledge
>
>
> Recommended Next Steps
> __________________________
>
> The Security Best Practices v10.4 Exam (9L0-612) covers the
> knowledge necessary to secure Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server against
> local and network attacks. Solutions include using Mac OS X
> specific features as well as third-party tools for monitoring and
> analysis. Successful completion of this exam earns Security Best
> Practices for Mac OS X 10.4 certification and also earns 3 credits
> toward Apple Certified System Administrator (ACSA) certification.
> For specific exam objectives, see the Skills Assessment Guide for
> the Security Best Practices for Mac OS X v10.4 Exam. To familiarize
> yourself with the type of questions asked in the exam, see the
> Sample Test.
>
> To register for the exam, call Prometric toll-free at 888-APL-EXAM
> (888-275-3926) or register online at 2test.com. You are required to
> have an Apple Tech ID number before registering for any Apple exam.
> You can apply for a Tech ID by following the instructions at
> certifications.apple.com.
>
>
> How to pay
> ___________
>
> Security Best Practices for Mac OS X v10.4
> $1800.00 Business
> $1620 for Education customers or 3 Training Units
> Course prices listed do not include applicable taxes. Courses are
> subject to GST.
> Payment instructions are available at:
> http://www.apple.com/ca/training or call 1-800-848-6398.
>
> Course Date: August 2-4, 2006
>
> Location: Red River Community College
> 160 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB
>
>
>
> Register now!
> _____________
>
> Seating is limited; reserve your seat today. To register, visit:
> http://www.apple.com/ca/training or call 1-800-848-6398.
>
>

>
> ______________________________________
>
> Mac OS X Deployment
> ______________________________________
>
> The Mac OS X Deployment course is designed for system
> administrators who need to streamline the process of installing and
> configuring Mac OS X on large numbers of computers. Hands-on labs
> and lectures expose students to best practices and troubleshooting
> methodologies, while providing detailed coverage of tools, tips,
> and tricks for deploying and maintaining software on Mac OS X systems.
>
> Who should attend?
> ___________________
> This class is for Mac OS X system administrators who are tasked
> with installing and configuring a large number of computers running
> Mac OS X.
>
> Training Units (http://www.apple.com/ca/training/units/)
> Register for this course by redeeming 2 Apple Training Units, or we
> can bring training to you for 24 Training Units.
>
>
> What you will learn
> ___________________
>
> • Best practices for deploying Mac OS X
> • How to create and script custom installation packages
> • Effective use of various delivery methods for images and packages
> • Testing and troubleshooting methodologies for images and packages
>
> Prerequisites
> _____________
>
> Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to
> attending this course:
>
> • Understanding of Mac OS X
> • Experience with Mac OS X in a network environment
> • Basic troubleshooting experience or Mac OS X Support Essentials
> v10.4
> • Experience in shell scripting with a command-line editor, such
> as vi
>
>
> Recommended Next Steps
> __________________________
>
> Demonstrate your knowledge by taking the Mac OS X Deployment v10.4
> exam (9L0-609)—US$150.
>
> The exam covers the knowledge necessary to streamline the
> installation and configuration of Mac OS X on large numbers of
> computers, and to maintain software deployments on Mac OS X
> systems. For specific exam objectives, see the Skills Assessment
> Guide for the Mac OS X Deployment v10.4 Exam.
>
> Successful completion of the Mac OS X Deployment v10.4 exam
> contributes 2 credits towards Apple Certified System Administrator
> (ACSA) v10.4 certification.
>
> To register for the exam, call Prometric toll-free at 888-APL-EXAM
> (888-275-3926) or register online at 2test.com. You are required to
> have an Apple Tech ID number before registering for any Apple exam.
> You can apply for a Tech ID by following the instructions at
> certifications.apple.com.
>
>
> How to pay
> ___________
>
> Mac OS X Deployment v10.4 -
> Business $1200.00
> Education $1080 or 2 Training Units
> Course prices listed do not include applicable taxes. Courses are
> subject to GST.
> Payment instructions are available at:
> http://www.apple.com/ca/training or call 1-800-848-6398.
>
>
> Course Date: July 31- August 1, 2006
>
> Location: Red River Community College
> 160 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB
>
>
> Register now!
> _____________
>
> Seating is limited; reserve your seat today. To register, visit:
> http://www.apple.com/ca/training or call 1-800-848-6398.
>
>

Hi Everyone:
Parallels has just officially released their first retail version
(ie. NOT a beta or RC) of their "Desktop" product which in their words:
"... gives Apple users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other
operating system and their critical applications at the same time as
Mac OS X on any Intel-powered iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook or MacBook
Pro. ... Run any OS at the Same Time as Mac OS X"
At present, this product is only available from the publisher
(www.parallels.com) and is not shipping through retail channels.
There is a promotional price for the next 30-Days of only $49.99-USD,
regular retail will be $79.99-USD.
Please keep in mind you'll still need to purchase MS-Windows (if
that's the operating system you're intended to run), as Parallels
doesn't include any operating system. Should you require pricing on
MS-Windows XP Pro or Home O.E.M. versions, please contact me.
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
The newer versions of Microsoft Windows include a capability called
"Remote Desktop" which allows you to connect to your Windows desktop
from a remote computer - including from your Macintosh running OS X.
The client on the Macintosh is called "Microsoft's Remote Desktop
Connection" and it also allows you to easily copy files between your
Macintosh and Windows machines over a network connection.
To connect to a Windows-based computer, you need network access and
permission to connect to the computer. In addition, the Windows-based
computer must be running Terminal Services or Remote Desktop
Services. The following Windows products support Remote Desktop
connections:
- Windows XP Professional
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows 2000 Server
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
- Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
For more information on the Remote Desktop connection procedure or
instructions on how to copy files between your machines, please see:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/otherproducts.aspx?
pid=remotedesktopclient
I attended the Apple Storage Seminar today, it was well attended.
Topics that were covered included:
-Methods for storage provisioning
-Types of storage solutions for small and medium enterprise
-Implementation of zero down time solutions and minimizing single
points of failure.
Interesting items of note about the Xserve RAID:
-Some configurations of Apple Xserve RAID are pre-configured as
RAID-5. Thus for some installations, it can be connected and in use
in the amount of time it takes you to pull the equipment of the box,
put it into the rack and connect the cables.
-The Xserve RAID is able to internally format its drives faster than
2Gb Fibre Channel can feed the drives with data. Therefore, it is
possible to configure the RAID in the manner your installation
requires and start using the RAID in about two minutes after sending
the build request via your favourite SAN software. As opposed to
waiting the 36 hours it will actually take to fully build the RAID.
-The Xserve RAID, when connected via a serial cable to a UPS, will
stop using and clear its RAID Controller Cache automatically when its
detects that the RAID is being powered off the UPS. This will omit
one possible source of data corruption due to power loss.
-If the Xserve RAID isn't connected to a UPS but is configured with a
Cache Battery Back-up, the battery backup is rated to provide power
to the Controller Cache for up to 72 hours.
Product links:
http://www.apple.com/xserve/raid/http://www.apple.com/xserve/raid/certifications.htmlhttp://www.apple.com/xsan/http://www.apple.com/xsan/compatibility.html
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Doug
-------------
Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, APP
Senior Computer Consultant
Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba
204-474-6196 (Ph.)
204-474-7556 (Fax)
http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/
Many of the security breaches exposing personal information stored on
computers happen in the United States - at least that's how it seems
from media reports. The most recent of these reports being of the
possible exposure of the information for over 25,000,000 American
veterans who were discharged since 1975 including names, Social
Security numbers and dates of birth which were stolen from a VA
employee's home.
Here's a quick overview of this month's "State of the Exposure"......
...from:
http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm
A list of security breaches exposing individual's information
starting with the ChoicePoint incident near the beginning of 2005:
The data breaches noted [on this page] have been reported because the
personal information compromised includes data elements useful to
identity thieves, such as Social Security numbers, account numbers,
and driver's license numbers. A few breaches that do NOT expose such
sensitive information have been included in order to underscore the
variety and frequency of data breaches. However, we have not included
the number of individuals affected in such breaches in the total
because we want this compilation to reflect breaches that expose
individuals to identity theft as well as breaches that qualify for
disclosure under state laws.
[...]
May 22, 2006
Dept. of Veterans Affairs
(Washington, DC)
Data of all (26,500,000) American veterans who were discharged since
1975 including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth was
stolen from a VA employee's home. The employee was not authorized to
take the files home to work on a data collation project. The data did
not contain medical or financial information, but may have disability
numerical rankings.
=================
...from:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/index.php?p=238
June 1, 2006
300+ Bank homepages hacked and redirected
Posted by George Ou @ 12:11 am
Goldleaf Technologies, a unit of Goldleaf Financial Solutions, Inc.
which provides homepage services for financial institutions and banks
had one of its servers hacked last Thursda, May 25th. I was
initially alerted to this by a concerned customer who received an
email notice from his bank that ALL customer passwords had been reset
to their default password. Several news outlets covered the story by
merely posting the Goldleaf official press release verbatim which
characterized the breach as a "phishing incident" so the details were
initially murky.
The AP Wire was one of the few that characterized the incident as a
security breach and were quoted by a Goldleaf spokesperson that 150
to 175 sites were affected. When I asked Goldleaf's spokesperson, he
characterized the AP information as wrong and told me that a little
more than half of the 600 hosted bank sites were modified to redirect
traffic which puts the total number of Banks affected at over 300.
The homepages of those banks were modified so that they would direct
all online banking traffic to a malicious site in Madrid Spain to
collect login credentials from unsuspecting customers.
[...]
In Goldleaf's defense, their security administrators noticed and
stopped the malicious activity within 90 minutes of the initial
compromise and they immediately notified the authorities and all of
the banks that they were hosting.
[...]
================
...from:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=3128&tag=nl.e622
June 1, 2006
Massive, under-reported online banking breach raises serious
disclosure and remedy questions
Posted by David Berlind @ 11:57 am
[...]
The disclosure that has so far followed leaves much to be desired.
According to a press release from GoldLeaf (one that was regurgitated
word-for-word by news outlets such as Forbes under the heading of
news and analysis):
Goldleaf Chief Executive Officer, Lynn Boggs, said, "We have
identified and corrected the problem. We have fully restored our Web
site, remote deposit and ACH services. In addition to contacting our
customers, we have communicated with our vendor partners, regulators
and law enforcement authorities. We are fully operational and will
remain diligent in our security efforts."
What exactly was communicated isn't known. What we do know is that
most of the information that has so far been made public is at best
misleading and at worst, wreaks of spin control. The problem starts
with the press release's headline which reads Goldleaf Technologies
Responds to Phishing Attempt. That's an interesting choice of words
to describe what happened here. If it was a phishing attempt,
Goldleaf could easily escape any blame by deferring some of it to
insecure client software (emails, browsers, etc.) and the rest to a
lack of best practices on the end user's behalf. Phishing is a form
of email-based social engineering that dupes users into clicking on
links (in email) that they wouldn't otherwise click on.
eBay is a frequent target of phishers. Even when such phishing
attempts are successful, it's hardly eBay's fault. Neither email nor
phishing played a role in this exploit. End users were not social
engineered. They entered their credentials as they normally would,
into Web pages that were served from the domains they should have
been served from. At the very least, Goldleaf needs to redisclose so
that (a) it's absolutely clear that it's services were hacked and (b)
phishing played no role in this attack.
[...]
Some banks, the ones we know of, notified their customers by both
regular mail and email. First State Bank, one of the affected banks,
sent two separate notices. The first one, signed by First State E-
Banking offficer Christa Walton, has the audacity to include a link
that points people to a remedy Web page that isn't even within First
State's domain: an absolute no-no that is exactly the same trick used
by phishers. Says that first email:
…..In an effort to ensure that all customers are aware, this same
communication was mailed via US Postal Service. If, at receipt of
this mailed communication, you have already obtained access to your
accounts through our new Online Banking site, located at <URL masked
by ZDNet>, there is no need to take any further action…..
[...]
...a second mailing reads:
...On Thursday, May 25, 2006, First State Bank became aware of an
apparent attempt by an unauthorized party to gain access to our third-
party website host and thus to our Online Banking site……Although
there is no current evidence that customers information has been
accessed, this incident may have increased the probability of your
information being used for fraudulent purposes……Your Online Banking
password has been defaulted back to your original password; when you
established your Online Banking service….you may not have access to
your original login information, First State Bank has established a
help center that you may contact at 1-800-527-6335 or by email at
info@first-state.net…..A temporary Online Banking login website has
been established at <URL masked by ZDNet>. This temporary site is
safe……
=====================
...from:
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/privacy/0,70804-0.html
Microsoft Is Pushing for Privacy?
By Kevin Poulsen| Also by this reporter
12:30 PM May, 03, 2006
[...]
"The states have enacted a flurry of legislation [for privacy
legislation], a flurry of action," said Daniel Solove, an associate
professor at the George Washington University Law School. "Industry
is scared because the states are actually doing something."
The main prong of the state approach was pioneered by California's
anti-identity-theft statute, SB1386, which requires companies to warn
consumers of a data breach in which their information "is reasonably
believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person."
Microsoft prefers that customers be notified only when a company
determines there's a "reasonable risk of a material harm happening to
a consumer," said Hintze. "If the trigger is too low ... people will
get notice fatigue. People will get notices all the time."
Solove argues that regardless of the language, codifying an
inflexible federal standard that overpowers any state laws would be
bad for consumers. "I think we're going to see a kind of net loss for
privacy protection."
[...]
