There are a number of ways to physically connect your machine
to the Internet, including:
- Dialup - This is still the cheapest home option, but it's
also the slowest and it ties up your phone line. For the cost
of a modem (around $15-20) and dialup service (around $10/month
or less, with some special deals), you can get decent 56K
access. Possible service providers include:
- DSL - This is currently the most popular high-speed
option if you have a working phone line. For the cost of a DSL
modem ($100, frequently free with the service) and DSL service
($30-50/month, with some special deals for the first year), you
get broadband access (300K-3M download, 128-384K upload).
Frequently you can bundle your local phone service with DSL, and
DSL doesn't tie up your phone line. Possible service providers
include:
- Cable - This is another broadband option. It works
over a cable TV line, and is thus cheaper if you already have
cable television ($30-100/month). You need a cable modem and
cable service. Possible service providers include:
- Wireless - Eventually, wireless technology will
become a major player, but at this point the coverage is
patchy.
Exercise 1.b.1: If necessary, connect our machines
to the internet by connecting your Network Interface Card (NIC)
to the Local Area Network (LAN) in the lab.
Securing your System
It's nice that there are so many computers connected to the
internet - this provides you with more useful information and
services. However, it also makes it possible for other people to
access and hurt your computer in a variety of ways. You should
always actively protect your computer from these attackers. Here
is a list of the most common attacks and how you can defend
against them:
- Hacking - Malicious hackers can execute various
exploits trying to break into your computer. The best defense
against this is to have up-to-date software systems and
to turn on the Windows firewall.
- Viruses - Viruses are malicious programs that can
compromise your computer in a variety of ways (e.g., deleting
files, slowing the system down). The best defense against
viruses is use an anti-virus program (e.g., AVG from http://free.grisoft.com/).
- Spyware - Spyware programs can be planted on your
computer to monitor your activity (e.g., the credit card numbers
you type, the WWW sites you visit). The best defense against
this is to be careful about what websites you visit and to
periodically run anti-spyware programs (e.g., Spybot from
http://www.safer-networking.org/
and AdAware from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/).
To help defend against these problems, you must install and
configure the software mentioned above on your machine. You must
also keep it up-to-date.
Exercise 1.b.2: Secure your system as follows:
precautions:
- Update your operating system - This
is probably the most important task, and fortunately it's
relatively easy for Windows systems. Do the following:
- Use Microsoft Internet Explorer to visit http://update.microsoft.com/.
- Follow the instructions at the website. This utility will
scan your computer and list all the new system updates
that you should install.
- If you need any “critical” updates, the utility will
allow you to click on “Review and Install updates”. The
utility may list other non-critical updates as well, but
they are optional.
- Check the Windows Security Settings - The Windows
firewall and the automatic updates should already be activated.
You can check it out as follows:
- Click on “Start”-“Control Panel”-“Security Center”.
In the “Windows Firewall” configuration box, ensure that
the Windows firewall and automatic updates are on.
- Install AVG anti-virus and anti-spyware
protection - Do this as follows:
- Search the internet for Grisoft's free version of
AVG, download and install it (see http://free.avg.com/).
- Double-click on the AVG icon in the lower right of
your workspace.
- Click on “Check for Updates” and choose to download
the updates from the internet.
- If the Windows firewall pops up a warning box telling you that
AVG is trying to access the Internet, click “Allow”.
The firewall is just alerting you that some program is going
on to the Internet - you can click Allow whenever you want
a program to get to the Internet.
- If there are new updates, tell AVG to install them.
- When this is done, close AVG by clicking on the “X” in
the upper right of the control panel.
Hackers are producing new viruses and new spyware
utilities every day so you need to update your virus
definitions frequently.
The more you use the Internet, the more important these tasks
are.
Configuring Your System
There are a number of things you can do to configure your
system to your own personal preferences.
Exercise 1.b.3:: If there is time, configure your
system as you like. Here are some modifications that you could
make:
- Change the display settings for your screen size,
background image and screen saver (click mouse-right on the
background screen and choose “Properties”).
- Install other useful applications (see resources).
If there is extra time, check out the Windows games.
Checking In
When you are finished with all the exercises, do the
following:
- Demonstrate that you’ve got your system configured
properly.
- Shut down your machine by choosing
“Start”-“Turn Off Computer” and then
“Turn Off”.
