If you work in an office environment or have more than one PC in your home you might be used to connecting to shared folders across the network. Ubuntu's Places > Network view should show the computers that are local to you and let you connect.
When it comes to blocking data emanating from your computer, Firestarter can enact two different modes: whitelist, and blacklist.
Inbound rules allow you to filter all incoming connections. By default, all uninvited incoming connections are turned away. Creating an inbound rule effectively allows you to create a "hole" in the firewall for certain types of connection to get through, as needed by particular programs.
Wicd is an excellent swap-in replacement for NetworkManager. NetworkManager is the system software that sits in the notification area and handles network connections.
To install a shared network printer in Ubuntu 8.10, such as one connected to another computer in your home or office, click System > Administration > Printing and click the NEW button in the toolbar (click NEW PRINTER if using Ubuntu 8.04). Then select the type of network printer you'd like to connect to across the network.
Network configuration in Ubuntu is handled by the NetworkManager tool and it does a superb job. However, it's primarily geared towards wireless networking and always assumes a DHCP server is in use. You might choose to use a static IP address, which is to say one that you set yourself. A handful of workplaces insist their workstation computers use static IP addresses.
You might not realize it but Ubuntu has a very powerful firewall built in. However it isn't activated out of the box. Some firewall configuration tools are provided but aren’t easy to use and definitely aren't recommended for those less-versed in networking fundamentals.
If you opt to share folders across a network under Ubuntu you'll find they're protected with your username and password, which you might not want to share with others. The Shared Folders dialog box allows you to setup guest access but, at the time of writing, this had a serious
bug that rendered it unusable.
If you have an external monitor or projector that you occasionally attach to a notebook computer, you might be used to switching resolutions on a regular basis. Unlike with Windows, this isn't just a right-click procedure - you must navigate the System → Preferences menu.
NetworkManager will automatically detect and configure your wireless connections, as will KNetworkManager. However, you can manually configure your connections with wireless tools such as Network Manager Editor and iwconfig. Wireless configuration makes use of the same set of wireless extensions in the Ubuntu main repository, wireless-tools package.
On a conventional wired network, physical security is a given: If someone plugs a computer into your hub, you'll know about it immediately, and you can trace the physical wire back to the intruders computer. On wireless networks, however, anyone who comes into range of your wireless access point can tap into your network and intercept signals from it.
To begin a Remote Assistance session, the novice must ask for help. That's done through either an instant messaging program or by opening the Remote Assistance program and sending an invitation file.
The two parties in a Remote Assistance session are called the novice and the expert. (On some screens and in some documentation, the expert is referred to as the helper.)
Remote Assistance in Windows Vista uses some of the same underlying technology as Remote Desktop Connection, a program that allows you to connect to your computer from a remote location and use it as if you were sitting right it front of it.
Administrators can enable or disable Windows Firewall on all connections or on a per connection basis. To do so, click Windows Firewall from within Windows Security Center and then click Change Settings to display the Windows Firewall dialog box.
The System applet provides access to general system properties. You also can open the System
applet by right-clicking Computer and choosing Properties. The first page of the System property applet provides basic information about your system, including OS version, installed memory, CPU type, and registration information.
Some Control Panel applets control fairly simple sets of options, while others are relatively complex. As in other Windows platforms, the Windows Server 2008 Control Panel serves as a control center for configuring hardware and operating system settings.
Some networks in offices require that you use a web proxy (often referred to as an HTTP proxy). A proxy is a server computer that provides additional security by providing a single portal to all web pages. It also helps speed up Internet access by storing frequently accessed pages. This means that if ten people request the same web page, there's no need to get the same ten pieces of data from the Internet. The proxy computer can send them its own copies.
Ethernet is one of the oldest and most established network technologies. When we talk of Ethernet, we refer to wired networks - all the computers on the network are connected by cabling to a central hub or router.
If you assign a password to your account, or if you add a second user account in Control Panel, Vista will show you the Welcome screen when Windows first starts.