Differences between Managed and Unmanaged Switch

What is a Managed Switch?

With a managed switch you can manage each individual ethernet port on the switch. It allows you to configure settings like the link speed, VLAN, QoS, port mirroring, etc per ethernet port.

Besides managing the ports you can also manage and monitor the switch self. Most managed switches allow you to readout throughput, port utilization, etc with the help of SNMP protocols.

Truly managed switches are designed for enterprises and data centers. They are quite expensive but come with features like serial interface, CLI, logical stacking, and network security features.

Smart Switch vs Managed Switch

Smart switches are managed switches only with fewer features. They can be managed through your browser and offer only a subset of the features of a truly managed switch. But that is more than enough for most networks.

Most managed switches that you buy as a consumer fall in the catagory of a smart switch.

What is an Unmanaged Switch?

An unmanaged switch can’t be configured at all. They are simply plug-and-play devices designed to extend the number of ethernet ports in your home or small office networks. You can’t log in on an unmanaged switch or readout any port utilization or throughput of the device. Unmanaged switches are basically dumb devices.

	Managed	Smart	Unmanaged
Configurable	Yes	Partial	No
VLAN	Yes	Yes	No
QoS	Yes	Yes	No
Monitoring (SNMP)	Yes	No	No
Port Mirroring	Yes	No	No
Spanning Tree Protocol	Yes	No	No
Port Aggregation	Yes	No	No
Pricing	Expensive	Affordable	Cheap

What is an SSL Certificate?

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a security protocol that provides encryption for data in transit on the Internet and authenticates the webserver. When you submit any sensitive information, SSL encrypts your data to ensure it is fully protected and secure and can only be understood by the intended recipient. SSL certificate is a digital certificate issued by Certificate Authorities to the websites, which ensures all the information exchanged between the user’s web browser and the webserver is encrypted. SSL certificate thus protects your data from malicious attempts to steal or corrupt it, such as eavesdropping, man-in-the-middle attacks.

Once the SSL Certificate is installed, the website protocol shifts from HTTP to secured HTTPS. In addition, a visual symbol of trust, a padlock, is added to the URL of your website, as seen in the above image. This assures visitors that they are communicating with a secure connection. SSL Certificate adds to the website’s user experience and helps improve its ranking on the Google Search Engine Result Pages. It also verifies the authenticity of the website.

You can check the SSL Certificate information by clicking on the padlock before the URL of the website in the address bar. It also contains information regarding the identity of the website. Following are the essential contents of the SSL Certificate:

• ‘Domain name’ for which the certificate was issued
• The organization, person, or device to which it was issued
• Name of the Certificate Authority issuing it
• Digital signature of the issuing CA
• The subdomains associated with it
• Date of issuing of the certificate
• Date of expiry of the certificate

The web browser communicates with the web server and uses this data file to verify the identity of the website and the status of the SSL Certificate.

After an SSL Certificate is installed on your web server, it is provided with a distinguished digital identification number in the form of a public and a private security key used for the server’s authentication. These keys are nothing but a long string of arbitrarily generated numbers. It also enables the server to encrypt and decrypt the sensitive information exchanged between the user and server.

1. When a visitor accesses your website, the user web browser tries to verify the validity of the SSL Certificate of your website as well as authentication of your server through a process known as Handshake.
2. The web server then sends a copy of its SSL Certificate along with the server’s public key.
3. The browser checks the SSL Certificate root against a list of trusted CAs, its date of expiry, and its authenticity.
4. Once the browser is assured that the SSL Certificate is valid and that your server is authenticated, it indicates this to the webserver.
5. Henceforth, a digitally signed acknowledgment is sent back to the browser to establish a safe encrypted path for information transfer between the web server and the user.
6. If the browser finds out that your SSL Certificate is not valid, an error message “Your connection is not private” is displayed to the user, and this causes your visitor to leave your website immediately.

According to your security requirements and budgets, you can buy SSL certificates from various choices available with many reputed Certificate Authorities (CAs) on the Internet. So, even if you have a small budget, it is crucial to secure your website with a valid, cheap SSL Certificate to win user trust and protect your brand’s reputation. Let us thus try to decipher the different types of SSL Certificates available.

View Wi-Fi passwords in Windows

There is only really one thing you need to remember: you need to be connected to the network for which you want to retrieve a password.

Use the following steps:

• Press the Windows key and R at the same time, and then type ncpa.cpl and press Enter.
• In the Network Connections Control Panel that appears, double click on the icon for the wireless network adaptor.
• Click the Wireless Properties button and then move to the Security

• Check the Show characters box to display the password. (You may need to confirm this via a User Account Control dialog.)

Static and Dynamic IP addresses

Static IP Addresses

These are assigned to specific devices and set to stay the same until they are changed explicitly. Such addresses allow for easier remote access, easy hosting, and more reliable communication overall. Added control and functionality derived out of this more than offsets the additional cost that companies have to pay when they buy IPv4 addresses of the static type.

Pros of Static IP

One of the main advantages of simple server hosting is the simplified nature of subsequent email, web, and FTP server hosting. Aside from that, you also get to lay hands on more expedient remote access, because with each of the options, your IP address is remembered and trusted. Communication becomes more reliable via VoIP, and file transfers move faster.

Cons of Static IP

An unchanging IP address attracts many security issues, by giving potential hackers more time to breach your network. A typical static address also costs more than you would pay someone making a dynamic IPv4 sale, which is why it is rarely included in an internet plan. The setup required there is significantly complex, involving manual configuration of devices using the address.

Dynamic IP Addresses

The network assigns you this type of address when you connect to it, and then changes this periodically. People are attracted to the low-maintenance aspect of this, but it does raise concerns in places where remote access is involved. Dynamic IP’s are the default type.

Pros of Dynamic IP

With a dynamic IP, you need to spend less money and time since your device grabs it automatically. You not only save money this way by paying the bare minimum to your ISP, but also expand the range of simultaneously usable devices, since none of these has to be disconnected to allow room for another.

Cons of Static IP

There is a greater chance of downtime, which is bad in terms of website hosting and VoIP. Geolocation is rendered much less accurate as well. Lastly, you would have your employees spending a lot more time meeting the challenges posed by unsecured remote access.

What is DNS?

What is DNS?

Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical system for naming services, computers, and other resources connected to a private network or the Internet. At its core, a very important database has the register of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses.

On the Internet, humans but also machines communicate every day. Both use different codes to establish this contact. For people it is so much easier to use domain names to get what they are searching online but machines get in touch so much better with numbers (IP addresses).

When the Internet was born, the only code available was the machine one. Meaning, to reach a domain, it was needed to type on the browser its IP address. At this time, there were not the millions of domains we currently have but it was hard for people to remember more than a couple of numeric sequences such as 145.121.56.103 or 50.62.195.83.

The Domain Name System was created in favour of the people and it is officially working as the Internet’s infrastructure since 1985. We do not need to type numbers but easily memorize the domain names. As an example: instead of 50.62.195.83, we type on the browser google.com.

While humans use domain names, DNS will translate them (by using its database) into numbers (IP addresses) for machines to their tasks.

What is the domain name space?

It’s the organization required for networks, especially big ones, to operate. DNS is a hierarchical system. You can visualize it like an inverted tree, where the root is the highest level in the DNS hierarchy.

Root Level. The first step to resolve a domain name requested, is executed by the root servers located at this level. Moreover, here it has contained the list of the top-level domains existent in the world. For instance, google.com., the final dot on the right is the root level representation.

Top-level domain (TLD). Right below the root level is where the TLDs comes (.org, .com, .gov, .uk, .ru…). In google.com, the TLD is .com. The authoritative name server in this level will have a list of all .com registered domains.

Second-level domain. That is the level at which the organization (profitable, non- profitable, individuals…) is registering the domain name via domain register. Following our example, google.com, “google” is the second-level domain.

Subdomain. Mostly for big websites, it can be useful to add sections to the domain name for making easier their navigation and clearer their organization. As an example, news.google.com, or blog.google.com.

Different types of DNS servers

DNS is a big machinery that involves many different components to execute its daily tasks. Talking about the DNS resolution process, different types of servers participate in it.

Recursive server. It directly receives queries from users’ machines and searches for the necessary DNS information (different DNS records, IP address included) as for loading the domain name requested. In order to receive this information, the server can communicate through queries to other types of servers. Moreover, it can save DNS information on its cache during a defined period. This can accelerate the speed of the response. However, it is not its function to save information, as it is a searcher server.

This type of server will answer the users’ queries with the DNS information (DNS records) they requested or with error messages (according to the situation) if its search was not successful.

Root name server. The DNS translation explained previously must take place for machines to communicate and look for the IP address of the requested domain name. The necessary translation happens at this level, in a root name server.

This type of server operates for a specific zone and it can respond to queries for specific records of its corresponding zone. What is more, the server holds the list of the authoritative name servers for the different top-level domains (TLDs).

TLD name server. This server stores key information for domain names belonging to the same TLD (.com, .net, .mx, .uk, etc.). It knows the exact authoritative name server responsible for the different domains based on their TLD. When the server receives a query about a specific domain name, it will point an authoritative server out to continue the DNS resolution process.

Authoritative server. This server has a master of the DNS data. When records or any configuration is modified, added, or deleted, that happens only in the authoritative server (primary). It’s in charge of providing the updated information to the rest of the servers that requested it. The authoritative is the server that knows first-hand the associated IP address of a domain name.

There are primary and secondary authoritative servers. The primary one is the server that holds the DNS data and the only one that accepts modifications. Secondary ones are backups of the primary. They hold copies of the master data to provide redundancy. Secondary servers can query (updates of DNS data to the primary authoritative) and be queried by other servers.

How does DNS resolution work?

Every time you type a domain name to load a website, a complex DNS process is triggered.

Your browser sends a query to look for the corresponding IP address of the domain name you requested (example, google.com). A DNS recursive server gets this query immediately and will do its job searching for the necessary DNS data, in this case, an IP address. There is a possibility that this recursive find it in its cache. In that scenario, it will answer immediately the query for your browser to load the domain.

If that information is not in its cache anymore (there is an expiry time defined), it will ask the root server. Since this last stores all TLDs, it will point to the TLD server that corresponds to the domains you requested (.com, in the example google.com). What happens next is that the TLD will point out the exact authoritative server that can provide the IP address.

Once the recursive receives it from the authoritative server, finally, your browser’s query could respond with the correct IP address for loading successfully the domain (as example is google.com) you want to visit.

This complex process happens every time you type a domain name for visiting it. Sometimes you can be impatient if the loading takes more than three seconds but considering all the described processes, the time required for this process is amazing. Actually, in ideal conditions, it takes so much less, only milliseconds.

Types of DNS queries.

Queries trigger all the DNS machinery with different purposes. They are called DNS queries or DNS requests and are demands of DNS information (DNS records) that users send through their computers to a DNS recursive server. You already have the example of the search for the necessary IP address to load a domain. However, more DNS data (DNS records) could be queried.

There are different types of queries.

Recursive query. This happens when a user requests the IP address for a domain and all the DNS resolution process happens. A recursive server gets the query and asks other servers until an authoritative one provides it the DNS datum. This query occurs between the user’s computer and a recursive server.

Non-recursive query. The IP address associated with a domain could be looked by the users, who can ask the different servers until they get it to resolve the domain.

Iterative query. If the recursive server is not able to find the exact match (domain name requested-corresponding IP address), through the common recursive query, and the iterative query starts. This query occurs between the recursive server and other DNS servers and it provides to the user the best or the closest result it finds, a reference. This query’s process will work all the way down the DNS servers until it gets the reference, an error, or a timeout.

What the DNS records are?

DNS records could be classified as instructions that supply crucial information about domains. All these records are stored in the corresponding authoritative server of every domain.

DNS records are text-based and the way they are written is known as DNS syntax. They look like strings of different characters and everyone has specific functions. Combined, their possibilities are wide. DNS servers constantly use these records. They work as commands that tell them what to do.

DNS records have a specific time-to-live (TTL). It is established directly by administrators based on their specific needs.

DNS records you should know

There is a variety of DNS records, some of which are needed specifically for an access to websites through their domain name. Others offer a useful additional functionality.

A record. The letter “A” refers to “address”. This is a vital DNS record, which is responsible for linking hostnames with their associated IP addresses.

Records participate in the IP addresses’ search during the DNS resolution process. You request a domain and that kicks off the DNS resolution process. The search of the corresponding IP address across DNS servers occurs and finding that IP address means the recursive server finally got the A record of the requested domain that contains the IP address. The answer to a DNS query for loading a domain is an A record. It can be stored in the cache if configured and with it the IP address.

MX record. The Mail Exchanger record works directing mail to an e-mail server. Through it, you can identify the server or servers that are in charge of accepting e-mails for a domain. Without this record, e-mail sending servers would not have a reliable guide to operate.

PTR record. The Pointer record works exactly in the opposite direction of the A record. It supplies the associated domain names to IP addresses. They resolve reverse DNS searches. This means a user can send a query using an IP address and then the answer must be a domain name.

It is also important for securing the sending of e-mails. When a message is received, the receiver’s mail server will check the PTR record included on the message to verify that it really was sent from the domain (IP address) it claims. If PTR is not configured well, sent e-mails will go directly to spam.

CNAME record. The Canonical Name points to the real domain name of a domain or subdomain you look for. Using this record, you can forward subdomain queries to the main domain. It does not supply IP addresses, but it redirects to the domain where the client can get the IP address or other DNS records. It is used to facilitate the management of subdomains.

SOA record. The Start of Authority record holds key information about the DNS zone, administrative data about domains, and points to the authoritative name server (primary). Among the information it holds, you can find modifications, dates of those, the frequency for updates, time for secondary servers to wait before asking the primary a refresh, administrator’s e-mail address, etc.

TXT record. Text record saves text information about a domain to allow external “eyes” to read it. You can have many text records for different purposes. As a following example, to inform that you are the owner of a domain, to secure, when validating e-mailing or that you really are the owner of the domain.

Text records are so handy for administrators since they can write notes on them. They can use also text entries with instructions for DNS machines.