So you have a backup program. Cool. Great. But, really, is it working? Do you know if your files are actually being copied to the backup? Here’s one customer’s brush with catastrophe.
Today I returned a computer to a residential client. I connected all the cables, turned it on, and everything was working great. While I was there, the customer said, “Say, can you verify that my backup program is actually backing up my files?” I said, “Sure,” and then “opened” the most recent backup to view the file list. And that’s where the client got his big surprise.
His last successful backup occurred in 2012. I don’t remember what month. It doesn’t matter. In two more days, it’ll be 2015, so nothing has been backed up for a long, long time.
You’ve heard me tell you to do your backups. And if you’ve set up a backup routine, great. But no backup routine is complete until it’s tested and verified.
Most backup programs provide some sort of report or log. That’s great – for starters. But the only way to really know if your backups are working is to restore a file periodically.
Here’s your step-by-step guide to verifying your backups.
1. Before your backup routine runs, create a new, useless test file. For example, you could make a Microsoft Word document and give it the filename, “backup_test.docx.”
2. Save the document in a new, useless test folder that has nothing else in it. For example, you could make a folder named “Backup_Test.”
3. Let your regular scheduled backup routine run and do its thing. Usually, the backup routine is scheduled to run at night when no one is working.
4. The next day, after the backup has run, open your backup/restore program and select the “Restore” option. If your program is granular enough to let you select a single file to restore, then restore the file named backup_test.docx. Some backup programs may let you restore entire folders, but not individual files. In that case, restore the folder named Backup_Test. If you get a warning message that says the file or folder already exists, give it permission to overwrite the existing file or folder.
Were you able to find the file or folder and restore it? If so, great! Your backup is working.
On the other hand, if you couldn’t restore from your backup, call me. Really. From anywhere in the world, via telephone, Google Hangouts, or Skype. I can connect remotely to your computer and help you set up a properly working backup routine. My rates are reasonable, and hey – those adorable cat photos are worth protecting, aren’t they?
I also do professional data management design for large companies with much more sophisticated systems. I’ve been protecting corporate data since the 1980s, and I’ve never lost data, personally or professionally.
Good! Chromebooks are great! But read this first…
I’ve been using a Chromebook for several months now. It has become a semi-essential device for me. I said, “semi-essential,” because I did get along okay before I had it, and I could get along okay without it – but I don’t want to get along without it, and I’ll replace it when it breaks.
I use my Chromebook for both work and leisure activities. Before I had the Chromebook, I would ask myself, “Is there a way to do this (whatever ‘this’ is) on my tablet, or do I need to turn on my laptop or desktop?” In other words, my tablet was my preferred tool (and toy), and my Windows computers were the second choice.
Now that I have a Chromebook, the Windows computers have dropped into third place. The Chromebook and the tablet swap back and forth for first place, depending on the task. The Chromebook boots up so quickly – mine boots in seven seconds – that it’s easy to get access to a decent keyboard. Before the Chromebook, I might use the tablet for a medium-length email, just to save the trouble of booting up the laptop. But with the Chromebook being ready to go so quickly, I’ll choose it over the small, onscreen tablet keyboard if I have even a moderate amount of text to enter.
But before you buy one, you need to understand what you’re getting.
1. Do you like tablet-style entry, by tapping and swiping the screen? That’s fine, but check the Chromebook closely. Some Chromebooks have a touch-sensitive screen, and some don’t. Naturally, the touch screen costs more.
2. I mentioned tablet-style entry, but bear in mind that the Chromebook is a hinged device, like a laptop. Some manufacturer may make one with a lid that spins all the way around so you can hold it like a tablet, but the Chromebooks I’ve seen are laptop-style devices.
3. The Chromebook is NOT an Android equivalent device. It has a different app store, and you may not be able to get the exact same app for your Chromebook that you have on your Android phone or tablet.
4. On the Chromebook, everything – and I mean everything – runs as a tab in the Chrome browser. To clarify this, I’ll use Evernote as an example. I have the Evernote app for iOS on my iPad Mini, and I have the Evernote app for Android on my Galaxy S5 phone. Neither of these apps will work on the Chromebook. On the Chromebook, I open a tab and go to evernote.com. I have a shortcut for it, so it’s just a single click. I login to my Evernote account in the browser, and manage all my notes and reminders from there. Compare this with a Windows laptop, which has an Evernote app, just like the iOS and Android devices do.
Features
1. It has great battery life. I leave the charger at home, unless I’m traveling.
2. Good sound, good graphics. It supports HD.
3. It has full support for Gmail and Google Docs. Since it supports Google Docs, you can use it to read and edit Microsoft Office files. If you haven’t used Google Docs before, be prepared for a bit of a learning curve. Yes, you can use it for Microsoft Office files, but it’s – well, different.
Things to watch for
1. The built-in storage isn’t huge. Pay more and you’ll get more. But it does support USB flash drives and SD cards. Buy a 128GB flash drive, plug it in, and you’ve got plenty of local storage.
2. You can sync your files with Google Drive, or you can use a third party storage service like Dropbox. My Chromebook came with 100GB free storage on Google Drive – but it’s only free for the first year. So if you start using the free storage, have a plan for next year.
3. You can use the Chromebook offline, but think about it carefully. Yes, you can read and edit a locally stored document. Yes, you can play locally stored music. But services like Evernote, which only work through the web browser, will be unavailable unless you’re online. For me, this problem isn’t a serious limitation, because I have a huge data plan with my cell phone, and I just turn my phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot if there’s no other connectivity. But for some people, the need to be online to use the full functionality of the Chromebook could be a deal breaker.
4. It’s lightweight, but it’s not a tablet, and it’s not an e-reader. Sure, you can use it to read books, but it’ll be like reading them on a laptop. You’re not going to want to hold it in your hand for very long.
Summary
1. If you can do it online in a browser, you can do it on a Chromebook.
2. Decide if you want your Chromebook to have a touch-sensitive screen.
3. Make sure you can get Wi-Fi access when and where you want it.
4. If you use the free Google Drive storage, have a plan for when it’s no longer free.
A friend asked, “I think that storm last night blew out the battery box to my laptop. It’s not charging now and it’s been plugged into the surge protector. I noticed the green light is on protected but the green light is off on grounded. I don’t know how to reset or check if the battery is really gone. Does anyone know how to check it?”
Well, there are several things here worth discussing. First, take a look at the three pictures I’ve included with this article. You’ll notice that different manufacturers handle the indicator lights in different ways.
Two LEDs: one for surge protection, one showing the electrical ground is good.
Two LEDs: one for surge protection, one showing the electrical ground is bad.
One LED that’s green if surge protection and electrical ground are both good, or red if either function is bad.
Once an indicator light on a surge protector shows an abnormal condition, do the following:
1) Turn off everything connected to the surge protector
2) Unplug everything connected to the surge protector
3) Throw the surge protector away. (If you have one with a replacement warranty, you may want to follow the instructions you received with the warranty.)
At this point, you might want to plug the laptop into a known good outlet – without the defective surge protector – and see if the laptop’s charge light indicates that it’s charging. If so, wait for about a half-hour to give it a chance to charge a bit, and then try turning the laptop on.
Now, let’s move our attention away from the surge protector and focus on the laptop…
Laptops have two sources of power. You can use the battery, or you can use the AC power from the wall outlet. Almost all laptops sold for use in the USA (I don’t know of any exceptions, but there may be some) can be plugged into AC power, even with the battery removed, and they’ll work. So if it doesn’t work with the battery, try plugging it in without the battery. If it works, the battery is bad.
Speaking of the battery – many laptop batteries have a pushbutton self-test you can use to indicate the level of charge remaining. Check the owner’s manual, or just remove the battery and examine all sides, looking for the place marked to press to test. Do this before the battery is bad, so you know how it works.
Now, on to the laptop’s charging system…
Most “bricks” (the charging block between the AC power cord and the laptop’s special charging connector) have an indicator light. If the charging cord is plugged into both the AC outlet and the laptop, and the indicator light on the brick is its normal color, then nine times out of ten the brick is good. If you’re still not charging, make sure all connectors are plugged in completely, and not just marginally pushed into their sockets.
If the light on the brick doesn’t come on, then double-check the wall outlet. Plug in a lamp or something, and make sure you really do have power. If the wall outlet is good, and the light on the brick still won’t come on, the brick is bad.
We’re down to the toughest part: what if all the lights are normal, but the battery doesn’t charge? It may be a bad battery, or it may be in the charging assembly (AC cord, brick, and charging cord). The best thing to do here is test by substitution. Do you know someone with the same model of laptop? You can try using their charging assembly or battery. Also, you can go to any store that sells laptop accessories and by a replacement charger. Replacement chargers are almost always less expensive than batteries, so it’s the better choice for a substitution test.
And now, some final words about the battery…
If the battery is swollen, cracked, leaking, or shows signs of heat damage, dispose of it properly. Don’t use it again. It’s a fire hazard and an explosion hazard.
Here’s a follow-up note for my high-tech readers: yes, I know there’s an additional part of the power supply and charging system inside the laptop, and I didn’t cover it. Earlier in the article I recommended plugging in the laptop without the battery installed. The laptop will only work in this configuration if the internal power supply/charging system is good.
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Article by Bob Young, August 23, 2014
Check out the FIFO Networks website.
(Photo credits: thank you to Belkin and a couple of unknown manufacturers for your product pictures. Photos used here under De Minimis use rules, for educational purposes, with no intent to profit.)
Your precious daughter is starting college. Is her laptop a window into her dorm room?
A couple of years ago I was asked by one of my business clients to configure his daughter’s brand new laptop. She was leaving her job as his receptionist in downtown Seattle and moving into a dorm at University of Washington. I said, “I’ll be happy to do that for you.” He gave me the laptop, still in its original box. I did the usual stuff:
Activate Microsoft Office from trial version to paid version
Activate a paid subscription to the antivirus software
Install all updates for Windows
Then I did a task particularly related to the college: I set up her UW student email in Outlook.
Then, I went into his office, closed the door, and had a private conversation with him.
“Listen,” I said. “Your daughter is an attractive young lady, and that laptop has a built-in webcam. I want you to know that it’s really easy to install software that turns the camera on without activating the ‘recording’ light. There are young men at the college with the computer skills to do this. Someone can set up remote monitoring on her computer by sending her an email with an attachment that she opens, or by sharing a USB flash drive with her, or if they’re left alone with her computer for a few minutes. If she leaves the computer on in her dorm room, with the lid up, she’s at risk of being watched.”
He asked, “What can I do?”
I said, “Two things. First, have a conversation with your daughter. Tell her not to install games or apps that she receives from other students. Even if another girl gives it to her, well, that girl may have received it from a guy trying to infect computers in the dorm. Also, tell her not to let a ‘helpful’ student give her files from their flash drive. As soon as she plugs the flash drive into her laptop, she’s taking a risk of having her machine compromised. So, the first thing you can do to protect her is have this conversation with your daughter.”
He asked, “Okay, what’s the second thing?”
I answered, “The second thing to do is cover that webcam with a piece of electrician’s tape. When she wants to make a video call she can peel the tape off and set it aside. The rest of the time, she should keep the camera covered.”
Another college year is starting, and several of my friends are sending their daughters to college. It occurred to me that I should give this same advice to a lot more people.
And if we’re completely realistic about the problem, it isn’t just the ladies that need to worry about webcam spyware. ALL college students should consider the possibility that their webcam is active if the computer is powered on and the lid is up.
There’s not a lot of space for privacy in a dorm room. At least put the lid down when you’re changing clothes.
“You are locked out.”
For the last couple of weeks I’ve been working at an expensive private school, getting student computers ready for the new year. Yesterday I was working on the laptops used by the fourth grade kids. One of the computers was in suspension, and the last user was still logged on. To protect his identity, let’s say his login name is RogerD.
I got out the password list (they’re assigned, and the students can’t change them) and looked up RogerD’s password. Hmm… now, this is odd… as I type the password, it’s like the keyboard is broken… nothing appears on the screen…
When I typed the fourth character of his password, the screen briefly flashed the picture of a space alien, and then it went black – mostly. There, suspended in the blackness, rotating slowly, in three-dimensional stainless steel letters, was a very short word: “No.”
Capital N. Lower case o. Period. No.
The keyboard and mouse had no effect.
So I rebooted the machine to regain control of it, and then wiped it.
Part of me hates the little stinker. The rest of me admires him.
Later, I was speaking to the school’s owner. I asked, “What can you tell me about RogerD?” She said, “Oh, he’s extremely bright. He loves computers.” I told her what he’d done to one of the laptops. Then I said, “If he learns self-control, he has a great future ahead of him.” She said, “That’s exactly right.” She also said, “And his older brother is even smarter.”
So, in about eight years, look for two brothers to change the world as we know it. Or sooner.
After all, why wait until you finish school to change the world?
I was staring at my phone and watching as someone tried to hack into my Google account. This article shows you how you can tell if your account is being attacked, and – even better – shows you how to keep the attacker out.
Google has given you a great security tool for protecting your account. It’s called Two Factor Authentication. The only catch is that you have to set it up correctly. Here’s the story of what happened to me…
My phone alerted me to an incoming text message. I took a look, and this is what I saw:
Well, that’s very interesting – I received a text message at 1:43 PM with a verification code, but I wasn’t trying to change my password. That meant that someone else was trying to change my password. But they couldn’t do it. In order to change or reset my password, the hacker would need to have my phone. Then, they would see the randomly generated code (in this case, 793124), and they could enter it on the password screen.
As soon as I could (which was a few hours later), I began the process of resetting my password. For the purposes of this article, I chose to use the “forgot my password” option. This is the screen I saw on my desktop computer:
I selected the option to receive a verification code via text message, and then pressed “Continue.” Then Google took me to the next screen, where I would need to put in the verification code.
Meanwhile, my phone alerted me to another incoming text message. It looked like this:
The randomly generated code I received at 8:18 PM (which was 497157) is “real,” because I initiated the action. So I entered the code in the verification screen on my computer. At that point, Google let me change my password. Then this screen appeared on my phone:
At this point, I had successfully changed my password.
So, what is two factor authentication? Two pieces of information are needed. One piece of information comes from your head: your password. This is something you know. The other piece of information is delivered to your phone. This requires something you have. It’s possible, but less likely, that a hacker will have access to both pieces of information. If someone sneaky secretly watches you type your password, they still don’t have your phone. On the other hand, if someone steals your phone, they still don’t have your password.
But – and this is a big “but” – you have to take the initiative to set up two factor authentication, and keep everything current. For instance, if you set up two factor authentication, but then later get a new phone and change your phone number, it’s up to you to update your various account settings. You can enable two factor authentication on Google, Facebook, and most other social media sites. Financial institutions, store accounts – wherever you can set up two factor authentication, you really should do it.
I have long advocated the importance of doing manual backups. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use an automated backup system, but I highly recommend that you get personally involved in your backup processes. First I’ll tell you why, and then I’ll tell you how.
Why Get Personal With Your Backups
This week I’ve been working with a client who uses an automatic backup routine. They had a problem with an important spreadsheet – the current file became corrupted and wouldn’t open. That’s when they called me. They have used this spreadsheet for many months on a large project, and so the first thing I tried to do was restore to a previously saved version. Shocker… Microsoft Office reported, “There are no earlier versions of this file.” Okay, the next step is to revert to the last version in their backup.
And that’s where the real problem showed up: the last successful backup was on March 21. That’s right, the most current backup of that file was over two months old.
Yes, an error message occurred when the backup stopped functioning. It was ignored by the one person who could have done something about it. At the very least, that would have been a good time to call me, but they did nothing at all.
I use automatic synchronization and automatic backup myself. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it. But, sooner or later, the system will break down, and it may – or may not – generate an error message.
Testing the system with an occasional (frequent!) manual backup is always and forever a good idea.
How To Get Personal With Your Backups
So, here’s my list:
1. If you must use automatic backups, activate some type of error reporting.
2. Check the error reports.
3. Take immediate action whenever there is an error.
4. Make manual backups, whether you make automatic backups or not.
5. Test the integrity of all backups.
6. Backup files to more than one location, so your data can survive earthquakes, fires, and other disasters.
How about you? What are your backup tips? Got any great horror stories about backups that didn’t work (or didn’t get done at all)?
Today was bittersweet, but only technology workers will understand why.
Today, I decommissioned a server. It was a Win2K3 box, and as near as I can figure the school put it in service sometime in 2004. It’s been in continuous use since then (except for the occasional outage and planned maintenance, of course). A couple of weeks ago I put the new server online. The last thing to do was the migration of the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, and I did that today. So… it was time to turn it off.
It seems so final, when you shut off a server for the last time. If you’re not a technology worker, you may not relate to this, but – it’s sort of like witnessing a death.
You do everything in your power to keep that server running. You monitor its health. You pay attention to what goes into it, and to what comes out of it. Eventually it shows signs of aging. And so, rationally, logically, you plan its demise. You tell management that it’s going to need to be replaced one of these days. Then somebody asks you for a budget detail. It gets approved. You order the replacement and build a conversion plan.
The old server’s data cable becomes quieter as less data goes in and out. Its responsibilities are siphoned off, one by one, until the server is just sitting there, with nothing to do. Oh, it still monitors its own health. It still writes entries in its log files. But there’s nothing much to report, really.
You wonder: does it know? Has the server become aware that its responsibilities have been taken away? Does it feel lost, like it has too much time on its hands? Can it predict what comes next?
No, of course not. It’s just a server. It’s just an inanimate tool, doing what you told it to do.
And yet, when I shut it down… goodbye, old friend. You’re a server who served us well.
I received an inquiry from Amazon asking about the training that I do for my clients.
Here is my reply:
From: Bob Young [mailto:—@fifonetworks.com]
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 11:12 AM
To: —@amazon.com
Subject: RE: What kind of training do you do?
Barb,
Thank you for your inquiry!
I develop training to meet my clients’ needs. I have some existing courses, such as Intro to IPv6, and I can present any of those – but more often someone says to me, “Hey, we’re looking for a course in TLS and we can’t find one. Can you teach that?” The answer, of course, is yes. So I discuss with them what their objectives are. For example, someone who is writing web pages for a TLS-enabled server has different interests than the person who is designing the infrastructure or projecting changes in bandwidth requirements. Then, once I know the objectives and the time frame (2 hour introductory course? 2 day deep dive?), I put together a course outline. When the course outline is presented and approved, I develop the course and deliver it. During the process we also agree on price and scheduling.
I fly anywhere in the USA (internationally, no active war zones), so I can deliver the course to personnel in a variety of locations. Verizon Wireless likes to do it this way. T-Mobile has done this, but has also chosen to fly their people here for training. It makes no difference to me – bring the people here, or I go to them, either way is fine.
I’m happy to sign non-disclosure agreements if my clients have security concerns.
I had no trouble passing Microsoft’s security background check, and if Amazon has one, too, that’s fine with me.
In general, topics include:
Wireless technology (literally, anything wireless)
IETF protocols (i.e., RFCs)
Data management and policy
Bandwidth calculations, projections, and management
Troubleshooting methods (integrated with systems theory)
Many of the topics I work on with clients are better done as consulting meetings with a small group of people or an upper-level individual. Examples include:
Managing a distributed workforce
Data policy
Infrastructure policy
Security policy
Bandwidth policy
Extracting information from closed and open systems
I’ll never teach something I’m not qualified to teach; I don’t like failing and I don’t want to embarrass myself. So the best thing to do is check with me on a given need. I always enjoy a teleconference or video conference to discuss problems; we can determine together whether or not I’m a good fit for the project. And if I’m not, I may be able to recommend someone else.
Thanks,
–Bob Young
FIFO Networks
227 Bellevue Way NE #239 – Bellevue, WA 98004
253-693-8552 Direct, “Find Me Anywhere”
http://www.fifonetworks.com
Fast Information Flow Optimization.
FIFO Networks is a registered trade name of Peripheral Vision Communications, Inc.
—
Everything I have on the web – professional and personal – can be accessed from http://www.paxterrarum.com
Last evening I wrote a course outline for a new training module for Verizon Wireless. You probably don’t want to know, but the subject is VoLTE, or Voice over LTE. It’s a class they asked me to put together for their engineers back east.
This morning my time was billable to a city government in the State of Washington. I reviewed a lease renewal for a cellular communications tower on the city’s property and made recommendations about compensation, annual rent adjustments, the early termination clause, etc.
This afternoon I was in a server room for a company in downtown Seattle. The server room is up on the 21st floor, but it has no windows, so I didn’t get to enjoy the view. Anyway, I was there for a scheduled appointment to install a new router and change them over to a new Internet Service Provider.
I present the above three vignettes as examples of why it is so hard for me to answer you when you ask me, “What do you do for a living?”
FIFO Networks 