Symantec Norton Security group has been in my experience the worst in providing even just basic informational support. I had a question that was fairly easy for a customer and it's been a week and I've not received a response from them. Not even an automated response was sent back as a notification that the email was received - nothing. One week now and they've not replied. That is pathetic.

A previous post http://remotesupportsoftware.blogspot.com/2005/12/november-19th-2005-at-454-am-this-new.html highlighed reports how their software at the time had difficulty removing the W32/Sdbot-ADD worm.

Symantec products, in my opinion, aren't that good either, too pricey, often add to a problem, and in most cases I find them slow. For example, the Norton Antivirus software is a computer CPU and memory hog! While working on a system to resolve another issue, I'll turn off that program just to allow the computer to work faster so I could complete the original problem.

In the case of Norton security, it IS THE PROBLEM. What a piece of junk that program is. It's worse than Microsoft Vista's UAC (User Access Control). I had to work out a bunch of issues for a customer that was unable to send email because Norton security was blocking Outlook, yes Outlook, from sending email . Norton Security is a horrible joke to play on people.

Tags: symantec security,software, symantec,security

Sonicwall Received notify: INVALID_ID_INFO

Sonicwall Received notify: INVALID_ID_INFO

I wanted to add this little piece of knowledge to the online community and hope it's found useful for someone. While working with some Sonicwall firewalls, I needed to create a VPN tunnel between two units. It was a basic and simple VPN that was mostly comprised of default settings. The VPN tunnel wasn't coming up for me and in the log there was the message: Received notify: INVALID_ID_INFO This was an interesting message and it really had nothing to do with the identification of the tunnel or addresses or, SA name or description, or even with the remote firewall's names or descriptions. It was caused by having both of the Sonicwalls in Aggressive mode for Phase 1 of the tunnel establishment. Switching both to Main mode solved the problem. The setting can be found in the VPN policy Proposals Tab.

Once this change was done, the VPN came right up and the two sites were communicating with each other. This is a setting that can catch some one off-guard and the message that inserted into the log can be deceiving. It can make one think the the name of something is incorrect. Sonicwall's support can have you running in circles too.

As a reminder:

Remote Support On The Web

For PC remote support software try a fast growing and affordable remote support solution. With 4RemoteSupport, support computers over the web almost instantly and do it without creating a crunch in your budget. Deliver remote tech support software to your users from the office and then from home or another office. If your Internet access provider changes, that's OK, this system is dynamic and can adapt to the changes so your not stuck and unable to continue supporting your users remotely. Some support systems provide you with a static program then if your ISP changes or you want to support your clients, customers or company end-users from another location you have to buy another program. This isn't the way it should be. This system is created in such a manner that you can change ISPs or locations and the programs provided to you for remote support on the web still work. Instantly they are aware of the changes and the very next time your users connect for remote support from you the software already are using the new settings.

Remote Support and Collaboration like Webex, Gotoassist, 4RemoteSupport

Remote Support Software

There are many products on the market today that give computer technicians a tool for providing Internet based remote support software. The tools are generally of two flavors. One is the well known brand names of remote support that have a very technologically advanced and robust system for desktop remote support and communication like 4RemoteSupport, webex, or gotoassist to name a few. These are the extremes on one end of the scale. They are well known brands and do a very nice job of giving techs the tool to remotely assist users on the web. On the other end of the scale is the least most technologically advanced systems that are merely a program sold to you that have network configuration information compiled into them so that when they are downloaded and executed, they are programmed to connect to your "burned in" address. These are cheap and found from a variety of software vendors. There are even site s that let you build you own program that will do exactly as described. This type of program for remote control access of computers over the web to provide web-based remote support works well. Their inherent problem is that when your location from which you are providing remote support from changes, the program is obsolete. Not only can they not adjust if the location your providing internet based remote support software from changes, but they will also fail if you change Internet providers. So let's say for example, you switch from cable to DSL, Cable, or a dedicated circuit like a T1 or fractional T1 (old technology), the PC remote support software program that has you network information burned into it for your to provide remote tech support to your users or customer s to has just been rendered useless because it's programmed to connect to your old network address. A better approach is to use a system that maybe is in the middle of these two extremes since at these two extremes come a price difference as well.

Tone Software Corporation Tonesoft

ToneSoft's ReliaTel application sounds like an incredible product for monitoring and managing telecommunication devices. The devices could be from multiple vendors too. This is an app that I would love to see in action. Enabling Technologies Corporation has selected TONE’s ReliaTel Remote Management solution to expand the Enabling Managed Services Monitoring business.

Powerful Telecommunications Management Tool Monitors and Controls Multi-Vendor Devices From one Location

"A single convenient application, ReliaTel gives authorized staff complete control of multi-vendor voice systems. The system enables authorized staff to control local and remote devices, enabling global monitoring from one location with a common interface. With no need to buy multiple management packages or depend on outside monitoring centers, maintenance and staff training costs drop dramatically."

Read the rest of the news article on Tone Software's site

This is something new to add to the list of experiences.

I'm kind of baby sitting a computer network for a brokerage firm. They have their main offices in Manhattan but a bunch of the brokers have houses out east on Long Island - the Hamptons. This company has purchased a house and referbished the inside to make it look nice, new and comfortable. They equippedthe office with some state of the art computers, each with dual screens, and a high speed connection to the internet and their main office for trading. The computers ahve some financial broker type software on them from which the traders/brokers work from.
I'm spending the day out here waiting for something to fail I guess if they paid their IT staff more money, one of them would have a house out here too and be able to do this instead. I guess they don't and of course it's cheaper for them to hire my company to do it for them for the duration of the summer.
They've go a pretty good setup and it works out great for the employees. They finnish up work and with no commute home, they're in the pool by 4:30 in the afternoon. wow.

The dell desktops they have are quick and this is the fastest internet access I've experienced. The dual screens are pertty cool too but I'm not used to having them so it takes a little adjusting to look at both of them. I catch myself looking for a window I openned often on the same screen just to realize the window is o nthe other. Oh well...