I have a QNAP TS-109 II Network Attached Storage (NAS) device which I use for data storage, download station, torrent client etc. This NAS is a Linux Box so I thought about using it for another application in addition to the other mentioned above: as an SSH tunneling box for encrypting traffic when I’m outside of the home (on an unsecured wi-fi hot spot for example). Since the NAS is already running an SSH deamon, you can enable it to work as an SSH tunneling server. Basically you can use PuTTY (SSH client) to create an SSH tunnel with the NAS using local port forwarding. PuTTY creates a local port on your PC (e.g 9999) which listens for connections and sends all traffic that is destined to this local port over to the remote NAS SSH server. This traffic is sent over the encrypted SSH tunnel between your PC and the remote NAS. At the NAS end, the traffic exits the NAS towards the Internet (TCP Forwarding must be enabled on the NAS). With that setup you essentially create a secure encrypted tunnel that can be used to access the internet securely when you are connected on a public wi-fi hot spot or even in a hotel room.

First, we need to make some changes on the sshd configuration of the NAS station. Open a CLI connection with the NAS (using telnet or ssh) and edit (using vi) the sshd_config file located under /etc/ssh/ path. You need to change the following settings in sshd_config:

• Uncomment the #AllowTcpForwarding no parameter (remove the # ) and change it to yes.
  AllowTcpForwarding yes
• Uncomment the #PermitTunnel no parameter (remove the # ) and change it to yes.
  PermitTunnel yes

However, the changes above will not be permanent since the QNAP NAS device will change all configuration to default settings when rebooted. Therefore we need to somehow make the changes permanent. What we can do is the following:

• Copy the modified sshd_config file into a shared location on the NAS.
• Use the “autorun.sh” script to copy the modified sshd_config file from the shared location and overwrite the original sshd_config file located under /etc/ssh/
• Then restart the sshd deamon to take the new modified settings.

I have copied the modified sshd_config file under /share/HDA_DATA/
Now, in order to create the autorun.sh file, do the following:
# mount -t ext2 /dev/mtdblock5 /tmp/config
# vi /tmp/config/autorun.sh

Get into vi editor and enter the following lines:
cp /share/HDA_DATA/sshd_config /etc/ssh/
killall sshd

Save the file and make it executable.

# chmod +x /tmp/config/autorun.sh
# umount /tmp/config

That’s it for the NAS.

Now in order to create the ssh tunnel, we will use PuTTy as shown below:

Open up PuTTY and go to Tunnels. At Source Port enter a desired local port that will be listening on your local PC (e.g 8888). Select Dynamic and press Add.

As you can see above, port 8888 is created. This port will start listening on your local PC after you connect with SSH to the NAS.

Now go up to “Session” and put the IP address of your NAS ssh server. The picture above shows a private IP address (192.168.10.111) but in real situations this should be the domain name or the public IP address of your NAS server. Click “Open” to log in to the NAS with your SSH username and password. When you log in, a secure SSH tunnel will be created between your PC and the remote NAS server.

If you need to encrypt all of your internet browsing traffic, you have to configure a SOCKS proxy on your browser with IP address 127.0.0.1 and port 8888.

The usage of object groups (network objects, service object etc) is becoming more popular on Cisco ASA firewalls especially with the new OS version 8.3(x). In this version, network object groups are used extensively for the configuration of NAT mechanisms in addition to other uses. In this post I will show a quick example of using network objects with access lists. In another post I will expand this to show how object groups are used with NAT as well.

Suppose we have a few Web servers located on a DMZ which are accessed from the Internet. We want to enable http (80) and https (443) access from internet towards these web servers.

Assume that we have configured static NAT for those web servers and translated their real private IP addresses to the following Public IP addresses:

Web Server1: 50.50.50.1
Web Server2: 50.50.50.2
Web Server3: 50.50.50.3

Configuration of access list using object groups:

! create a service group for the http and https protocols
object-group service http-protocols tcp
port-object eq 80
port-object eq 443

! create a network object group for the web servers
object-group network webservers
network-object host 50.50.50.1
network-object host 50.50.50.2
network-object host 50.50.50.3

! create the access list applied inbound on the outside interface
access-list OUTSIDE-IN extended permit tcp any object-group webservers object-group http-protocols

access-group OUTSIDE-IN in interface outside

Working on the computer all day long can lead to quite a few problems. While there is not much that can be done about tired eyes, the newest Dragon Naturally Speaking 11 can help with sore fingers, wrists and the possibilities of getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Moreover, creating documents with 3 to 4 times faster rate than typing them is another great advantage of Dragon Naturally Speaking. Voice recognition software is becoming more and more popular, and this is one of the best in the market. Before continuing with our Dragon Naturally Speaking Review, let’s talk a little bit about speech recognition software and what you should expect from such a program.

What you should expect from Speech Recognition Software

Understanding voice recognition software is all about having the right expectations. While they will eliminate the need to type, they will also have to be trained, and this can take some time. When we talk about “training” we mean to make the voice recognition software understand our voice better and convert our speech into written words with better accuracy. This means that if your speech is not clear enough or your annunciation is not good, the software will have a hard time to get the word right. There is some training that happens right out of the box, but the program will more than likely continue to make some mistakes. The more the program is used and that corrections are made, the more likely it is to get better. So keep in mind the training factor when using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, although the company touts a 99% accuracy for this particular product (which I believe is valid with the proper training).

First Impression from Dragon Naturally Speaking

Out of the box, Dragon Naturally Speaking is pretty easy to use. The installation goes relatively quickly and the setup does not take much time at all. The software works on all modern Windows versions (XP, Vista, Win 7). As far as hardware resources needed, the software comes with a microphone headset but requires a PC with 16-bit sound card and a DVD. Even the training process will go fairly quickly. You will need to create a user profile and train the program to recognize your voice. There are several sample text passages that you need to dictate in order for the software to get familiar with your enunciation. Pay particular attention when training to see how easy the program is actually picking up what you are saying, as this will give you a better idea of the speed at which you can talk when using the program for real.

Software Editions Available

The software’s pricing depends on which product edition best fits your needs. There are five major editions available: Dragon Home, Dragon Premium, Dragon Professional, Dragon Legal and Medical:

Dragon Home:

If you only need the tool just for its basic functionality (that is, to type words as you talk using the most popular word processors like MS Word, Open Office, Outlook etc), then go for the cheapest Dragon Home Edition. You can also create emails, search the web, update your Facebook page, speak commands for your computer and many more.

Dragon Premium:

The Premium Edition includes all the features of the Home Edition plus many more. You can dictate text into all software applications that you use every day, no matter if it’s a custom program or your favorite instant messaging client. It supports also mobile devices among many other features.

Dragon Professional:

Professional Edition is for office use with its networking and security capabilities, support for filling out forms and for custom commands etc. It is ideal for enterprise environments where you can deploy centrally managed voice profiles, custom vocabularies etc. It is also Section 508 Certified and can help organizations meet their disability management needs.

Dragon Legal and Medical Editions:

The Legal Edition and Medical Edition are for lawyers and doctors respectively, as they include extra preconfigured vocabularies with legal and medical specific terms.

Drawbacks:

I think the biggest drawback of Dragon NaturallySpeaking is the microphone headset that comes with the product. It is recommended that if you do not already have a good headset, get one. You can find a good noise-canceling microphone for under $20. The quality of the microphone will go a long way in making this software much more effective. The one that comes with the program is of low quality, but that is par for the course with these programs. Do not let the added cost of the microphone deter you from buying the product because it will be the same regardless of the program that is being used. I suggest you to try the included microphone first to see how it works for you, because some people found it ok.

Accuracy:

Accuracy is pretty good, but you are going to have to take your time when speaking. They tout 99% accuracy, but this is going to take some time to achieve. Very few of us speak clear enough for the program to truly be able to recognize every word that we say. If you take your time and annunciate every word, after a few weeks the program will do a great job of picking up just about every word. It may not be so much a matter of training the software as it is retraining you on how to speak.

Conclusion:

Overall, Dragon Naturally Speaking 11 is about as good as it gets. We consider the microphone inconsequential because every program out there that included one is of low quality. While this headset will serve its purpose, the software is much more effective with a high-quality headset. There is also the price to consider, but you do truly get what you pay for when it comes to voice recognition software. It will take some training, but the software offers the best alternative to typing. Once you become proficient in speaking to the software, 100-120 words a minute with few or no mistakes is very achievable. Actually, this article was created by dictating using Dragon. It made a couple of mistakes but overall I’m very satisfied with this software.

Have you ever had a bad virus attack on your PC running the Windows XP software? Well, now you don’t have to worry about all the time that will be lost in trying to recover your system, not to mention the difficulties associated with dismantling it, sending it to your local repair guy and then getting it back. You can now get your operating system thoroughly cleaned up in just 30 minutes. The Reimage Windows XP Online Repair service is meant to fix Microsoft Windows computers and make them function like brand new. It will correct all the components that are not functioning optimally and replace them with others from its vast database of component files.

However, the best way to protect your machine from a virus attack is to ensure that your antivirus software always remain up to date. You also need to run periodic virus scans on your machine, especially after you visit suspicious websites or open email attachments which do not make sense. But this is not always possible. The war between computer viruses and antivirus software is an ongoing one and often you may find your machine is already attacked, especially if you have Windows as your operating system. The viruses usually exploit the vulnerabilities that are inherent in your operating system and then wreck havoc in your machine.

Remember that one of the key things to be careful about while you fix Microsoft windows after a virus attack, is to ensure that the data integrity of the user files and the login credentials of the user accounts are maintained. Online services such as Reimage take extra precaution to make sure that the data integrity is not lost and that all user login ids and passwords are retained as best as possible. This would however also depend on what kind of a virus attack was your machine subjected to. You can now fix Microsoft Windows easily after a virus infection, but you always must remember that prevention is better than cure. So do not be penny wise and pound foolish. Spend the money required to get a good antivirus software. It is well worth the effort to protect your machine from the vagaries of a virus attack than to keep searching for fixes to Microsoft Windows after the attack has occurred.

If you are anything like me, you probably don’t think much about what makes your computer work. You simply hit the power button and get started with whatever has to be done. You probably don’t notice that as time passes your computer is steadily slowing down. It isn’t until error messages start popping up all the time, that you realize something is wrong. Again, if you are anything like me, the first thing you do is run a virus scan, then, when that doesn’t turn up anything, you start to panic that your hard drive is crashing, which quickly leads to the frantic estimating about how much you can afford to spend repairing the defective hard drive. What time and experience has taught me is that the panic isn’t always warranted and that the whole thing can usually be solved with a registry cleaner. The best registry cleaner you are going to find is RegCure.

Again if you are like me, you probably are thinking that installing a registry cleaner on your computer doesn’t make any sense, not when you can clean all the old files out yourself. Let me assure you, manually cleaning your registry is a very bad idea. It can be very difficult to figure out which files are old and what applications are needed to run other applications. Cleaning your registry by yourself is an excellent way to brick your computer. RegCure is a far safer and faster way of cleaning your computer’s overloaded registry.

After installing and using RegCure the error messages will disappear and your computer will return to its old speed. RegCure is very simple to use, all you have to do is download it to your computer and it will go to work. After the initial cleansing of your computer’s registry, RegCure will continue to regularly scan your computer and make sure that you never have to deal with a slow computer again.

More than 60 million computer owners agree that the best registry cleaner on the market is, without a doubt, RegCure. It is compatible with Windows 7 and is easy to install and easy to use.