I'm developing sort of VPN application and need virtual network interface (aka TUN/TAP). Is there any such driver available for windows ?
The only one I know of is OpenVPN, but it is GPLed and thus AFAIK can't be used in closed-source app.
If there's no ready solution, I'd appreciate some estimation on how complicated is it to code such beast myself (and possibly some direction on where to start).
I found this similar question, but it dated back 2008.
Found this one: wodVPN - claims to come with a virtual network adapter.
Try AnyTun.
http://www.anytun.org/
It looks like a solid tunnel driver available both on Linux and Windows, and claims to be freely redistributable.
If you do not find it to work, or something like it, I would agree with your first commenter - get a quick session with a lawyer to review the legal contract for the one you found... or even better, just call their sales department - they may say yes without legal worries.
Building the beast, as you say, is likely to be a pain. I've not done it, so I can't give a solid estimate, but it seems wise to avoid.
Related
just a question, is a good idea to host machines with HyperV on a DC?
This is my Idea.
if the answer is no, can you explain why?
Thanks
Have a nice day
First of all, your question doesn't seem to be related to programming in any way and should hence be considered off topic for SO. Server Fault would probably be a more suitable place for (the question is somewhat old by now as well and you might already have found the info you need but I've flagged it for the moderators to perhaps consider a move from SO to SF or have it closed altogether).
Secondly, as for your question;
Generally no, it's not a good idea but there could be ifs and buts to everything I guess.
For a smaller company with perhaps only the one existing server (and no budget to add machines or get professional help to make any bigger changes to their current setup) which also happenes to be their DC, I guess it all comes down to what kind of workload the DC is under to begin with and just what will be hosted in Hyper-V. I'd personally still recommend against it though.
It's not a good idea as it's not a supported scenario from MS. I don't even know if server manager lets you install both.
You can host a VM with AD, but depending on your setup (cluster/HyperV in domain or not, ...) you really should add an AD physical server (even a very small one) for hyper-V to authenticate his services against when your AD VM has not started. It can save you a lot of time...
I'm developing a commercial project on an ARM based embedded board with a custom Linux kernel on it, using Ruby. Target workspace of the project and the device is a closed-environment, no ethernet, inernet, I/O devices etc... I want to protect my code/program so that; it'll only work on the specific machines I let (so; people cant just copy and paste my code/program on to their embedded boards and run it w/o permission). This can probably done with the machine's MAC address tho; I don't have any experience on the subject. I guess, just a simple if(device.MACAddr == "XX:XX....XX") wouldn't be depandable (not to mention people can just easily delete the check from my code). I can't use some ruby obfuscators, which I found thru google, beacuse; the device doesnt run ruby-external-C-libraries or such stuff, only pure ruby code.
So; what are your suggestions, what type of approach should I take?
you can't really protect it, its hard enough protecting native code! and even then that basically fails if someone really wants to copy the software.
basically do very little if anything to secure it, its mostly wasted time and effort
This is isomorphic to the problem of DRM. You're giving a person both a lock and the key to that lock, and trying to stop that person from using the key in a way you don't like.
Therefore, I suggest using the same methods that other DRM users do: put your terms in the license, and sue them if they violate it. You need to use the law to enforce the other terms of the license, anyway.
I couldn't find a suitable title for this. I'm going to express my query with examples.
Consider following softwares:
Process explorer from sysinternals (an advanced task manager)
Resource Manager : resmon.exe (lists each and every fine detail about resource usage about each process).
For me these softwares seems like miracles. I wonder how these are even made. C'mon how a user process can know such fine details about other processes? Who tells this software, what processes are running and what all resources are utilized? Which dlls are used? etc..
Does windows operating system give these software that information? I mean though (obviously the most lower level api) WIN32API. Are there some functions,which on calling return these values
abstractly say:
GetAllRunningProcesses()
GetMemoryUsedByProcess(Process* proc)
etc..
Other similar applications are
network Packet Capture software. How does it get information about all those packets? It clearly sits just infront of the NIC card. How is it possible?
Anti-virus: It scans memory for viruses. Intercepts other processes. Acts like a sandbox for the user application space. How? How??
If its WIN32API. I swear, I'm going to master it.
I don't want to create a multi-threaded application. I want to get information about other multithreaded applications.
I don't want to create a program which communicates using sockets. I want to learn how to learn how to capture all communication packets.
I actually want to work at the lower level. But I don't know, what should I learn. Please guide me in proper direction.
This is really a pretty open-ended question. For things like a list of running processes, look up "PSAPI" or "Toolhelp32". For memory information about a particular process, you can use VirtualQuery.
Capturing network packets is normally done by installing a device driver. If you look, you should be able to find a fair amount about how to write device drivers, though don't expect to create wonders overnight, and do expect to crash your machine a few times in the process (device drivers run in kernel mode, so it's easy for a mistake to crash the machine hard).
I can't say as much with any certainty about anti-virus, because I've never tried to write one. My immediate guess would be that their primary technique is API hooking. There's probably more to it than that, but offhand I've never spent enough time looking at them to know what.
Mark Russinovich's classic, Windows Internals, is the go-to book if you want to get deep in this kind of stuff. I notice that the just-released 5th edition includes Vista. Here's a sample chapter to peek at.
If you like Process Explorer, this is the guy who wrote that, and there are lots of examples using it in the book.
Plus, at 1232 hardcover pages, you can use it to press your clothes.
I am about to travel to Europe (I'm Australian but imagine this is a similar circumstance for US users and simply flipped for European users).
However, there is the slim possibility I will need to do some Visual Studio work while I'm travelling.
As I see it I have three options:
Leave a desktop PC on at home, access remotely via net cafes.
Carry a laptop with me on the trip, upload files as required using public wifi.
Option 2 but instead buy cheap light netbook that is miraculously capable of running VS.
Does anyone have any experience or advice to shed on any of these options?
For reference, this existing post suggests that VS remotely for short distances is okay, but over longer distances could be more problematic. I've used VS via RDP to a US server before and it was pretty laggy but for small changes I could get by.
Concerns I have that you may have some experience with:
Weight of luggage (ideally like to travel light)
Security of laptop (imagine it'll be too heavy to carry around all the time so have to leave it at hotel/hostel etc. and hope for the best)
Security of data (don't want someone stealing RDP access to my home PC)
Security of FTP (don't want someone stealing FTP passwords over wireless)
I'd go with option #2 (carry a laptop that can run VS).
This way you can use the "more convenient" method if it works well (use it as a RDP client if the connection is low-latency enough), but you can still work locally if the connection you find is not reliable.
I think the bottom line is, always have a backup method when depending on networks that are far away and beyond your control.
Edit: Regarding the additional security concerns, most of those are things you should deal with anyway, traveling or not. If the stuff you're working with is that sensitive, you should probably improve the security of your remote work environment with a VPN and more secure file transfer method. Before you take your laptop anywhere, know what your plan is if you were to lose it.
It's a vacation. How do you expect to rest up properly if you're always worrying about work. Leave the phone at home too.
I used to leave a home PC on with VS and use services like GoToMyPc or LogMeIn or some similar service.
Since I have started using a laptop, I just carry the thing with me with VPN connectivity on business trips along with a 3G data card.
But seriously, if on vacation, I do not want to take my laptop with me.
security
First and foremost, encrypt the contents of the HDD - be safe.
If I am on a business trip, the laptop is with me so I am not as concerned with where it is. If I am on vacation, I do not know that I want to take one with me.
If is important then I would keep my laptop/pc at work ON and there will be someone that has access to turn it on/reboot it. So I would carry a light laptop that lets me connect and work if I need it. If that goes down, I can always head into a cybercafe.
database
If you are anticipating working, bring your dev database with you. I know it hogs space and memory (while in use), but it pulling data over the wire has taken long enough to make me lose concentration.
standalone
Make the laptop standalone so that it can work without a connection to VPN or internet - coverage is not the best / uniform in all areas.
Use TrueCrypt for encrypting your harddisk. Use VPN, SSH or something similar for remote connections. I always bring my laptop, but in case I would lose it, it's just a brick for the finder, and I have a good backup system that makes me able to get up and running on another computer quickly.
I tried installing VS2010 on my NetBook and it was a no-go. I was, however, able to install Expression Blend/Web which is good for most tasks.
Edit: To make this more useful... my netbook is HP Mini 1100 Series w/1GB RAM running Windows 7 "Starter"
beware: i don't know where you are going in europe, but do not count on a reliable internet connection in a hotel. it generally works, but when it does not, don't count on the personnel to repair it. of course, if you also carry your own connection (G3 or EDGE on your mobile phone), then this will not be a problem.
I suggest using the option 2 when working on your source code.
I also recommand using Git so you can work with a source control while being disconnected from the office source control. When you get an access, you can sync your whole repository with your office repository.
Of course, it all depend on which source control provider you are using.
For the occasional stuff that are not on Git, use a VPN for enhanced security.
My experience:
1) Purchased a small netbook (Samsung netbook with 2gb or so of RAM, I can lookup exact model number if anyoned interested but I think it's comparable to, or just above the NC10 (just comment if interested)).
2) Internet is bad in Europe (at least the options available to trav ellers). Something to note.
3) The netbook performance was absolutely fine. You don't want to be doing too much dev because of the small screen (though it was only really an issue for me because I got sick of the trackpad and didn't have a separate mouse) but it's honestly pretty fast and easy to use for .NET MVC development in Visual Studio.
I need to provide remote assistance to the users of my app, through the Internet. I need a reference for doing this, and I need to make the whole connecting to remote desktop process as easy as clicking a menu of my app for my users.
I don't want them to get too involved with the procedure. I believe the built-in remote assistance features of Windows XP and Vista are fine, I just need to make it very simple.
Anyone any ideas?
P.S. A comprehensive reference on the whole Windows Remote Assistance would also be appreciated.
I highly recommend Mikogo. It's free, fast to install and setup, works great, and is very simple. I actually prefer it to the more expensive services ($30-$40/month) because of it's simplicity. Only thing is, I'm not sure how they make money, they have some advertising when you visit the home page, but it's very minimal.
There are many commercial tools that do make this operation effortless. I won't mention any names because this isn't an advertising forum. A quick search should turn up a handful of possibilities; I've used many of the more popular ones and found them satisfactory.
Our support desk typically uses WebEx which works really well.
There are a large number of tools which will do this. Your best is to pick a tool which has a reverse connection from the person who needs help back to the helper. This will make sure that you do not have users try and configure firewalls/open ports etc. Webex is a good recommendation by Old Nick. Another option is GotoAssist, there is also Gotomeeting which can have the same remote control functionality and is cheaper i believe. The main thing is making sure it is as easy as it can be for your users, trying to walk a user through installing an active-x control can be hard enough.
I'd suggest trying LogMeIn. It's nice because once you have the user set up the client software, you can arrange with them a time to leave their PC unattended so that you can remote in and take a look (with the option to disable local keyboard/mouse and monitor access). You can also connect such that the local peripherals are enabled and watch "over their shoulder" as they replicate a problem.
There is of course also Copilot by Fog Creek. Have never used it myself, but it looks pretty easy to use, also for non-technical people.
I use CrossLoop for that kind of thing