Firewall, Components, Purpose and Firewall Technology

Introduction         Firewall is the key equipment used for network parameters security. Function of a firewall is to permit or deny traffic that attempt to pass through it based on specific predefined rules.  Firewalls are similar to other network devices in that their purpose is to control the flow of traffic. Unlike other network devices, however, a firewall must control this traffic while taking into account that not all the packets of data it sees may be what they appear to be. For example, bridge filters traffic based on the destination MAC address.

Definition of a Firewall         If a host incorrectly labels the destination MAC address and the bridge inadvertently passes the packet to the wrong destination, the bridge is not seen as being faulty or inadequate. It is expected that the host will follow certain network rules, and if it fails to follow these rules, then the host is at fault, not the bridge. A firewall, however, must assume that hosts may try to fool it in order to sneak information past it. A firewall cannot use communication rules as a crutch; rather, it should expect that the rules will not be followed. This places a lot of pressure on the firewall design, which must plan for every contingency.

Access control policy      

(a)        An Access Control Policy is simply a corporate policy that states what type of access is allowed across an organization's network parameters. For example, your organization may have a policy that states, "Our internal users can access Internet Web sites and FTP sites or send SMTP mail, but we will only allow inbound SMTP mail from the Internet to our' internal network.

(b)        "An access control policy may also apply to different areas within an internal network. For example, your organization may have WAN links to supporting business partners. In this case, you might want to define a limited scope of access across this link to insure that it is only used for its intended purpose.

(c)        An access control policy simply defines the directions of data flow to and from different parts of the network. It will also specify what type of traffic is acceptable, assuming that all other data types will be blocked. When defining an access control policy, you can use a number of different parameters to describe traffic flow. Some common descriptors that can be implemented with a firewall are listed following.

(d)       A description of acceptable traffic flow based on direction. For example, traffic from the Internet to the internal network (inbound) or traffic from the internal network heading towards the Internet (outbound).       

           

(e)        The type of server application that will be accessed. For example, Web access (HTTP),File Transfer Protocol (FTP),Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Sometimes more granularity is required than simply specifying direction. For example, an organization may wish to allow inbound HTTP access, but to only a specific computer. Conversely, the organization may only have one business unit to which it wishes to grant Internet Web server access.

(f)        Many organizations have a business need to let only certain individuals perform specific activities but do not want to open up this type of .access to everyone. For example, the company CEO may need to be able to access internal resources from the Internet because she does a lot of traveling.        

(g)        In this case, the device enforcing the access control policy would authenticate anyone trying to gain access, to insure that only the CEO can get through. Sometimes an organization may wish to restrict access, but only during certain hours of the day.  For example, an access control policy may state, "Internal users can access Web servers on the Internet only between the hours of 5:00 PM and 7:00 AM. "At times it may be beneficial to use a public network (such as Frame Relay or the Internet) to transmit private data.

(h)        An access control policy may define that one or more types of information should be encrypted as that information passes between two specific hosts or entire network segments. An organization may wish to restrict access based on the amount of available bandwidth. For example, let's assume that an organization has a Web server that is accessible from the Internet and wants to insure that access to this system is always responsive.

(i)         The organization may have an access control policy that allows internal users to access the Internet, but at a restricted level of bandwidth if a potential client is currently accessing the Web server. When the client is done accessing the server, the internal users would have 100 percent of the bandwidth available to access Internet resources.

(j)         An access control policy may define that one or more types of information should be encrypted as that information passes between two specific hosts or entire network segments. An organization may wish to restrict access based on the amount of available bandwidth. For example, let's assume that an organization has a Web server that is accessible from the Internet and wants to insure that access to this system is always responsive.

(k)        The organization may have an access control policy that allows internal users to access the Internet, but at a restricted level of bandwidth if a potential client is currently accessing the Web server. When the client is done accessing the server, the internal users would have 100 percent of the bandwidth available to access Internet resources.

Fire wall Components.

(a)        Operating System Linux ES 3.0

(b)        Checkpoint Software NG AI at 24 Main Nodes loaded on HP Servers

(c)        Cluster XL configured at 24 Main Nodes

(d)       Smart Center Pro at AHQ and Chandimandir

(e)        Smart view Reporter and Monitor at AHQ, New Delhi

Check Point Firewall

(a)        Firewall Clusters at each Main Node

            (b)        Management server at AHQ & Chandimandir

Trend Micro Antivirus

(a)        Office Scan Server

(b)        Server Protect – Win / Linux

(c)        IMSS (Internet Messaging Security Suite)

(d)       IWSS (Internet Web Security Suite)

(e)        TMCM (Trend Micro Control Manager)]

ISS

(a)        Real Secure Server Sensor & Site Protector

(b)        Vulnerability Scanner

Purpose of the Firewalls.  

(a)        The Firewall provides a high level of security, the fastest runtime, and the flexibility to define the rules to fit your environment. The firewall delivers full firewall capabilities, assuring the highest level of network security. To do this, the firewall examines both incoming and outgoing packets running against a common security policy. All service rules are interpreted based on IP conversations (not packets) and are fully stateful. Security rules do not filter packets directly, but the firewall services determine how to process them based on the defined security policy.

(b)        Not all firewalls are built the same. A number of different technologies have been employed in order to control access across a network perimeter. The most popular are .Static packet filtering and dynamic packet filtering.

(c)        Not all firewalls are built the same. A number of different technologies have been employed in order to control access across a network perimeter. The most popular are .Static packet filtering and dynamic packet filtering.

Firewall Technology             .     There are three different types of firewall technologies

            (a)        Packet Filtering         A packet filtering firewall inspects the traffic at        transport layer for the following elements:

(i)         Source IP address

(ii)        Source port

(iii)       Destination IP address

(iv)       Destination port

(v)        Protocol.

            (b)        Proxy

(i)                 Authority to act for another

(ii)               A proxy firewall acts on behalf of hosts on the protected network segments.

(iii)             The protected host never make a connection with the outside world.

            (c)        Stateful Inspection

(i)         Connections are not only applied to an ACL, but are logged into a state     table.

(ii)        After a connection is established, all session data is compared to state table.

8.         Proxies and Additional Firewall Considerations Proxies.

(a)        A proxy server {sometimes referred to as an application gateway or forwarder} is an application that mediates traffic between two network segments. Proxies are often used instead of filtering to prevent traffic from passing directly between networks.

(b)        With the proxy acting as mediator, the source and destination systems never actually "connect" with each other. The proxy plays middleman in all connection attempts.

(c)        Unlike its packet-filtering counterparts, a proxy does not route any traffic. In fact, a properly configured proxy will have all routing functionality disabled. As its name implies, the proxy stands in or speaks for each system on each side of the firewall.

(d)                   For an analogy, think of two people speaking through a language interpreter. While it is true these two people are carrying on a conversation, they never actually speak to one another.

(e)        Unlike its packet-filtering counterparts, a proxy does not route any traffic. In fact, a properly configured proxy will have all routing functionality disabled. As its name implies, the proxy stands in or speaks for each system on each side of the firewall.

(f)        For an analogy, think of two people speaking through a language interpreter. While it is true these two people are carrying on a conversation, they never actually speak to one another. 

Computer Hardware and HUBS

Basic Hardware and HUBS            These days there is a plethora of networking products to consider when planning network infrastructure. There are devices for everything from connecting computer systems to the network to extend a Topology’s specifications to controlling network traffic. Sometimes your choices are limited. For example, to connect an office computer to the network, you must have a network card.   Many of these devices, when used correctly, can also help to improve network security. Following Network devices are explained.

(a)        Repeaters      Repeaters are simple two-port signal amplifiers. They are used in a bus topology to extend the maximum distance that can be spanned on a cable run. The strength of the signal is boosted as it travels down the wire. A Repeater will receive a digital signal on one of its ports, amplify it, and transmit it out the other side.  A repeater is like a typical home stereo amplifier. The Amp takes the signal it receives from CD or Tape deck, amplify the signal, and sends it on its way to the speakers. Repeaters function similarly to a stereo amplifier, they simply boost whatever they receive and send it on its way.

(b)        HUBS             One network component that is becoming standard equipment in more and more networks is the hub. A hub is the central component in a star topology. There are three types of Hubs.

(i)   Active Hubs         Most hubs are active in that they regenerate and retransmit the        signals the same way a repeater does. Active hubs require electrical power to run.

(ii)   Passive Hubs      Some types of hubs are passive. They act as connection points         and do not amplify or regenerate the signal, the signal passes through the hub. Passive             hubs do not require electrical power to run.

(iii)   Hybrid Hubs     Advanced hubs that will accommodate several different types of    cables are called hybrid hubs. A hub-based network can be expanded by connecting more than one hub.

(c)        Bridges

(i)         The first device in this group is the bridge, which operates at layer 2 or the data link layer of the OSI model.

(ii)        Bridges are devices with two or more ports that are used as intelligent repeaters in that they are designed to connect two or more networks together in one common broadcast domain.

(iii)       Depending on the type of bridge employed, this connectivity can take                            place in a local area or wide area environment.

(iv)       Essentially, during this process the bridge watches network traffic on all interfaces, and creates a table of which hosts reside on what ports.

(v)        To ensure that information contained in the table remains current, the bridge will expire or remove entries once a specified period of time elapses with no traffic seen to or from a particular host. The information collected and maintained in the table is used by a second process, called forwarding.

(vi)       As noted earlier, when a bridge receives a frame on one of its interface,      the bridge compares the destination address of the frame to the forwarding table        built with the learning process. Assuming a match for the destination is found,       the bridge forwards the packet to the appropriate interface.

(vii)      No match be found, the bridge uses a third process called flooding, in        which the bridge sends the frame to all ports and waits to receive a reply from           the frame’s destination.

(viii)     The last process, called filtering, allows for the minimization of unnecessary traffic within or between network segments. For example, on a basic level a bridge employs filtering to ensure that communications between any two given hosts on the same segment are not forwarded or flooded to other bridge ports. In an advanced implementation, filtering can be used to limit communication between hosts on different network segments as well.

(d)       Switches

(i)         Switch is a device that could support creating separate virtual or physical    networking segments. It has the ability to create separate collision domains        either physically or virtually.

(ii)        They operate at the data link layer (or layer 2 in the OSI model), and higher in cases of a multilayer switch. When operating at layer 2, a device has the ability to make intelligent decisions on how to handle a given packet of data based on the source and destination MAC (Media Access Control).

(iii)       A MAC address is essentially a unique identifier that is hard-coded into     every network device at the time of production.

(iv)       Ethernet switches are switch frames of data between ports Other network switches do exist for example, frame relay switches are used largely                    

by telecommunication carriers, as are Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches. ATM switches are differ greatly from Ethernet switches in that they switch in cells and not frames.

                      (v)        An Ethernet switch may look similar to a hub, switches do not just receive a                             signal on one port and repeat to all other ports.

Internet Security and Topology Security

1.         Introduction        The problem of security of a computer and the data or information it may contain, has received much publicity since it became apparent that a computer can play a major role in processing and storing secret, private or proprietary information. They can, therefore, possess tremendous capability for effective dissemination, and thus sharing, or useful facts.

2.         Security          It can be considered as to managerial procedures and technological safeguards applied to computer hardware and data to assure against either accidental or deliberate unauthorized access to, and dissemination of any data held in a computer system.

(a)        Security Measures:- These can be clearly divided into two environments.

(b)        Security of large computer centers/automated data processing centres.

                        (ii) Security of personal computer in automated office environment.

3.         Security of Large Computer Centre.

(a)        Risk Factors       Factors disturbing the function of a data centre can be either intentional or unintentional. Unintentional disturbances are caused by the forces of nature, computer failures or other similar factors. Intentional disturbances are deliberately caused by employees, visitors or intruders. The disturbances can be divided into the following categories.

(i)         Interruption of production, data communications etc.

(ii)        Leakage of information to unauthorized persons.

(iii)       Damage to information, equipment, constructions or persons.

(iv)       Stealing of information or equipment.

(b)        The purpose of the security measures is to ensure an undisturbed functions of the data centre by protecting equipment, spaces, information and personnel. To achieve this, the supervision and protection mechanism should :-  

(i)         Prevent disturbances.

(ii)        Detect disturbances at an early stage.

(c)        Prevention of Disturbances.              The prevention of disturbances and damages is important, even if it has only a limited effect on intentional damage done by “professionals”. Some preventive measures are presented below:

(i) Security checks        When new employees are hired, their background and experience should be checked from reliable sources. This should apply to office cleaners, sub-suppliers, service personnel, etc., who often have unlimited access to the computer rooms.

(ii) Job rotation     Through proper job rotation it can be ensured that the same person does not handle a risk-prone duty for too long.

(iii) Supervision of use      Rights of use of a device/eqpt can be limited or controlled by ensuring that terminals, copying machines, etc. are equipped with locks, programs and files can similarly be protected by passwords.

4..        Topology Security.

(a)        Private Circuit Topologies

(i)         Its  use time division to break the two wire pairs into 30 separate channels. Time division is the allotment of available bandwidth based on time increments. This is extremely useful, as a E1 is capable of carrying both voice and data at the same time.

(ii)        There are two common ways to deploy leased lines or E1s. The circuit        constitutes the entire length of the connection between the two organizational        facilities (such as a branch office and a main office).

(iii)       The leased line is used for the connection from each location to its local exchange carrier

(iv)       Connectivity between the two exchange carriers is then provided by           some other technology, like frame relay.

(v)        The first of these two options creates the more secure connection, but at a much higher cost. Using a private circuit for end-to-end connectivity between two geographically separated sites is the best way to insure that your data is not monitored.

(vi)       While it is still possible in sniff one of these circuits, an attacker would       need to gain physical access to some point along its path.

(vii)      The attacker would also need to be able to identify the specific circuit to monitor. Telephone carriers are not known for using attacker-friendly labels like "Bank XYZ's. financial data: monitor here." The second option is simply used to get your signal to the local exchange carrier. From there, your data would travel over a public network, such as frame relay or X.25.

5.         Private Circuit (Information Security).

(a)        According to a recent forester research, a lot of large companies are monitoring their employees’ outgoing e-mail.

(b)        In fact, they are recruiting special staff just for this job. The justification offered to reduce the financial and legal risks associated with outbound e-mail. Someone sitting at mail server can easily read mail without you are knowing about it. Moreover, when you send out e-mail it travels from your mail server and passes through various SMTP servers over the Internet. This means that anybody with access to those servers can read your mail. Your firewall can’t do anything about it because it is only limited to protecting your network’s boundaries. Anything that goes out of it is beyond the firewall’s control.

(c)        There are ways and means of protecting information, most well known process is ‘ENCRYPTION’. The information traveling over all comn chs can be encrypted. Encryption alone, however doesn’t resolve the problem.

(d)       How do you know that the person or website at the other end is indeed the right one and not an imposter?

(e)        Take an online transaction, be it with a bank or an commerce site. How do you know that your transactions are safe? Moreover, how does the bank or e-commerce site knows that you are who claim to be? Both parties must know each others identity in order to transact. Enter Identity management.

(f)        All this may found simple, but the implementation of information security solutions is not. For instance, which encryption algorithm should you use when sending out mail and which one for stored data. Is SSL encryption sufficient for your e-commerce site? What should you check with your ISP when setting up VPN connections between various sites. 

Working with Webpage and Explore & HTML

1.         Installing Web Authoring Support If user originally installed Word or Office from a network file server or from a shared folder, run that copy of

the Setup program.

(a)        Close all programs.

(b)        Click the Windows Startbutton, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

(c)        Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

(d)       Do one of the following:

(i)         If user installed power point web authoring by using the Office Setup program click Microsoft Office on the Install/Uninstall tab, and then click Add/Remove.

(ii)        If user installed Word individually, click Microsoft Power Point on the Install  /Uninstall tab, and then click Add/Remove.

(e)        Follow the instructions on the screen.

2.         Creating a Presentation Destined for the Internet            

(a)        You can use the Web to give others access to your presentation by publishing it to a Web serveror another computer that is accessible to those you want to view the presentation with a Web browser. When you publisha presentation, a copy of it is created in a file location you choose. You can publish from a presentation that is in .ppt format or that is saved as a Web page or Single File Web page.

                        (bi)       Follow the steps to create a presentation destined for the internet:-

(i)         Open the presentation or Web page you want to publish. (Web page: A presentation to the Web saved in HTML format. Supporting graphics and other related files are stored in an associated folder when a presentation is saved as a Web page). (Publish: To save a copy of a file in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format to a Web server).

(ii)        On the File menu, click Save as Web Page.

3.         Posting a Presentation on a Server.

(a)        In Windows Explorer, right-click the file user wants to copy or move to a

Web server.

(b)        On the shortcut menu, click Copy.

            (c)        Double-click Web Folders.

(d)       In the list of Web foldersites, double-click the folder user wants, and then

right-click the destination folder user wants to save the presentation to.

            (e)        On the shortcut menu, click Paste.

(f)        If user doesn't see the Web server user wants to save presentation to, double-click Add Web Folder at the root directory of Web Folders to create a new Web folder to it.

4.         Viewing a Presentation on  the Web.

(a)        Open or create the presentation or Web page user wants to publish to the

Web.

(b)        On the File menu, click Save as Web Page or File > Save as web Page.

Window will be display as given below.

(c)        In the File name box, type a name for the Web page.

(d)       In the folder list, select a location for the Web page.

(e)        To change the Web page title (the text that appears in the title bar of your Web browser), click Change Title. As given below in the windows. After click

Change title windows will be display as given below: Click the ok button.

(f)        Click Publish. Window will be display as given below:.

(g)        Select the options you want.

(h)        To select additional Web page formatting and display options, click Web

Options, select the options you want, and then click OK.

(i)         Click Publish.

Notes.   To see how your published Web presentation looks in your browser, select the Open published Web page in browser check box in the Publish as Web Page dialog box.

5.         Linking to the Internet the during a presentation.

(a)        You can create a hyperlinkto any type of existing file, such as a Word document, PowerPoint presentation, Microsoft Excel workbook, Microsoft Access database, or Web page. You can also create a hyperlinkto a new file.

(b)        The World Wide Web has taken the world by storm. Everyone either wants to receive or disseminate information via the Web. PowerPoint makes it easier than ever to convert your presentation into a format that can be viewed by Web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

(c)        To create a hyperlink this takes to the Internet:

                        (i)   Select the text and right-click on it.
                        (ii)   Choose Action Setting and that will display Action Setting dialog box.
                        (iii)   Click on the Hyperlink radio button and from it’s drop-down list box

select URL.
            (iv)   In this dialog box define the URL name.
            (v)   Click on the OK button.

6.         Working with Links

(a)        What is a linked object?       When an object is linked, information is updated only if you modify the source file. Linked datais stored in the source file. The destination file stores only the location of the source file and displays a representation of the linked data.

(b)        What is an embedded object?          When an object is embedded, information in the destination file doesn't change if you modify the source file. Embedded objects become part of the destination file and, once inserted, are no longer part of the source file. Double-click the embedded object to open it in the source program.

(c)        Create a new embedded object:

(i)   Click in the file where you want to place the embedded object.

(ii)   On the Insert menu, click Object.

(iii)  Click Create new.

(iv)   In the Object type box, click the type of object you want to create.

(v)   To display the embedded object as an icon, select the Display as                                 icon check box.

(d)       Create a linked object or embedded objectfrom part of an existing file?

(i)         Open the file that contains the information you want to create a linked object or embeddedobject from, and then select the information.

(ii)               On the Standard toolbar, click Copyor Cut.

(iii)       Switch to the file where you want to place the information and then click.

(iii)             where you want the information to appear.

(iv)             On the Edit menu, click Paste Special.

                        (v)        Do one of the following:

(aa)        If you want to create a linked object, click Paste Link.

(ab)   If you want to create an embedded object, click Paste. In the As  box, click the entry with the file format you want to use.

(e)        Create a linked or embedded object from an entire existing file

(i)   Click in the file where you want to place the linked orembedded object. On the Insert menu, click Object. Click Create new.

(ii)   In the File box, type the name of the file you want to create a linkedor embedded object from, or click Browseto select from a list.

(iii)   To create a linked object, select the Link check box. An embedded object is created if you don't select the Linkcheck box.

(iv)   To display the linked object or embedded objectas an icon-for example, if others are going to view the file online, select the Display as icon check box.

7.         Explore & HTML

(a)        Hyperlinks     User can add a hyperlink to in the presentation and then use it to go to a variety of locations.

For example: A custom show, a specific slide within the presentation, a different presentation altogether, a Microsoft Word document or Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, or an Internet, intranet, or e-mail address. User can create a hyperlink from any object — including text, shapes, tables, graphs, and pictures. User inserts hyperlinks by clicking Insert Hyperlink.

(b)        Action buttons      PowerPoint also comes with some ready-made action buttons (Action Buttons command, Slide Showmenu) that you can insert in your presentation and define hyperlinks for. Action buttons contain shapes, such as right and left arrows. Use them when you want to include commonly understood symbols for going to next, previous, first, and last slides. You can use these buttons for a self-running presentation at a kiosk or for a presentation that you plan to publish on your company intranet or the Internet. PowerPoint also has action buttons for playing movies or sounds.

Text that represents a hyperlink appears underlined and in a color that coordinates with the color scheme. The color changes after you click a hyperlink and go to a location, so you can tell which hyperlinks you've already viewed. Hyperlinks become active when you run your slide show, not while you're creating the show.

Note:   If user has text within a shape, user can set up separate hyperlinks for the shape and the text.

8.         Use word to create a frequently ,updated presentation          User can use an existing Word document to create a PowerPoint presentation. To set up the slides in a presentation, PowerPoint uses the heading stylesin the Word document. For example, each paragraph formatted with the Heading 1 style becomes the title of a new slide, each Heading 2 becomes the first level of text, and so on.

            (a)        Open the document user wants to use to create a PowerPoint presentation.

            (b)        On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Microsoft PowerPoint.

Notes.   If user already working in PowerPoint, user can import a Word document into PowerPoint. In PowerPoint, click Open on the File menu. In the Files of type box, click All Files. In the File name box, enter the file name and location of the Word document.

9.         Protect a presentation from editing or printing         User must click on the tools in the toolbar menu or Tools > Options. Windows will be display as given below:

(a)        User does not want to edit the data, Then user must uncheck the checkbox and click the ok button.

(b)        If user wants to prevent from the printing, then user will click the Print on the option windows. User must unchecked the check box and click the ok button.

10.       Create an Interactive Presentation complete with Branching          User can create a hyperlink to any type of existing file, such as a Word document, PowerPoint presentation, MS Excel workbook, MS Access database, or Web page. User can also create a hyperlink to a new file. After you've specified a name for the new file, user can choose to open the file for editing immediately, or come back to it later. Select the text or object you want to represent the hyperlink.

(a)        Click Insert Hyperlink.

(b)        Do one of the following:

(i)   To link to an existing file or Web page, under Link to, click Existing File or Web Page.

(ii)   To link to a file that you haven't created yet, under Link to, click Create New Document.

                        (iii)   Do one of the following:

(aa)      If user clicked Existing File or Web Page in step 3, locate and select the file you want to links to.

(ab)      If user clicked Create New Document in step 3, type a name for the new file.                  

(c)        User can also specify the path to the new file, and choose whether user wants wants to open the new file for editing now or later.

(d)       To assign a tip to be displayed when user rest the mouse pointer on the       hyperlink, click Screen Tip and then type the text user wants.

(e)        If user does not specify a tip, the path or URL of the file is used.

(f)        Click OK.

(g)        To preview how the hyperlink will appear in the slide show, click Slide Show at the lower left of the PowerPoint window.

CUSTOMIZING OF OUTLOOK

1.         Customizing Outlook .  There are many ways to customize Outlook to make it do things according to your working style. In fact, there are so many options scattered throughout Outlook that it difficult to keep track of them all. Options or settingsare found in three primary locations:-

            (a)   On the Toolsmenu under Options.

(b)   On the Tools menu under Service (In a Corporate/Workgroup installation of Outlook) or Accounts (In an Internet Only installation).

            (c)   On the Properties page of a folder.      

Additional options are sprinkled around Outlook. For example, options related to toolbars are found on the Customize Toolbars dialogue box (View > Toolbars > Customize), and options related to the Outlook Today home page are found by clicking the Customize Outlook Todaybutton on the top of the page.

2.         Changing The Default Setting.

(a)        When you start Outlookfor the first time, you will probably start in Outlook Today.

(b)        Outlook Today provides the day-at-a-glance view of your world by listing your

appointments, e-mail that has yet to be handled, and tasksthat are due to be completed.

(c)        Outlook Today by default display appointments for the next five days and includes tasks that are overdue as well as those that are due today.

(d)       However, if you’d rather focus only on today or see more than five days of appointments, you can change some of the basic options that control Outlook Today.

NOTE:   If Outlook Today does not appear automatically when you launch outlook, you can launch it yourself by clicking the Outlook Today icon on the Outlook Bar.

(e)        To change the options, click the Customize Outlook Today button in the upper right corner of the outlook Today window.

(f)        The Customize form, opens so you can change the following:-

(i)   Startup  If you like Outlook Today’s view of your world, click the check box to have Outlook Today appear every time you launch Outlook own its message.   You can choose to display messages from your inbox, Drafts, or Outlook folder.

(ii)   Calendar   Displaybetween 1 and 7 days of your calendar by choosing the number from the drop-d

(iii)             Tasks   Select All Tasksor Today’s, which shows only those incomplete tasks that are due today. You can also indicate how you’d like the tasks sorted.

            (iv)   Styles   Choose between different presentations of Outlook Today.

(g)        When you have finished setting your preferences, click Save Changes to return to Outlook Today.

3.         What is Outlook Today?.

(a)        One of the icons on the Outlook bar is labeled “Outlook Today”. It display a snapshot of all the items you need during the day.

(b)        The Outlook Today page provides a preview of your day. By using Microsoft Outlook Today, you can see a summary of your appointments, a list of your tasks, and how many new e-mail messages you have. Outlook Today by default display appointments for the next five days and includes tasks that are overdue as well as those that are due today.

(c)        You can set this page to be the first page that opens when you start Outlook, and you can change the way Outlook Today appears.

 (d)      Click on the Outlook Today icon. The information viewer will change to display the Outlook Today page

4.         Viewing summary of activities.         One of Outlook’s greatest strengths is its ability to display your data in a wide variety of ways. Because the information Viewer lets you look at multiple records at one time, how you view your data here is paramount. Before you can enter or edit data in the Information Viewer, it’s necessary to understand what you are seeing as you move between the Outlook modules.

5.         Types of Views.   A view is a defined set of fields, sort order, grouping, filters, and formats all contained in one of the five types of layouts available in Outlook. Each of the Outlook modular has a default view, but you can switch to or create different views. There are five types of views:

            (a)   Card view.   The default in contacts, this view type displays contact data                   in an    address book fashion, similar to the card file sitting on your desk. You can              use buttons on the left side of the screen to navigate quickly between records.

(b)   Table View.   The default in Tasks and commonly used in all modules,   this view type is organized in rowsand columns.

(c)   Timeline View.   The defaults view type in journal. Data is displayed along a time-line. The emphasis is on when things occurred – for example, when a journal entry was made or an e-mail message received.

(d)   Day/Week/Month View.   The default view type in Calendar, this       closely resembles a day planner. Data for a day, week, or month is displayed. By default, a list of tasks is also displayed in table format.

            (e)   Icon view.   The default in Notes, this view type displays records as icons      similar to the familiar icon view from My Computer in Windows.

6.         Organizing Message Automatically.

(a)        Learning how to organize your mail will make you more efficient and help you maintain your sanity in the process.

(b)        Outlook makes it easy to organize and manage your Inbox. Using the page, you create folders for message management, create rules to color-code your message, change Inbox views, or open the Rules Wizard and automat management of the messages you receive.

(c)        The Organize page has four tabs: using folders, using Views, using Colors, and junk E-Mail.

7          Integrating Outlook with other Application.          Microsoft Outlook gives you the ability to copy data from many programs so that you can use that data in Outlook. For example, you might want to bring in existing information such as names and addresses from one of the following programs: Eudora, Lotus Organizer, or Microsoft Schedule+. Also, Outlook gives you the ability to copy data, such as names and addresses, to several other programs, including Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint. For example, you might want to export your contacts to Excel so that you can sort names and addresses using a worksheet.

 8.         Importing and exporting external data.         You can easily import items from other programs into Outlook Express. These items include:-

(a)        Address books   From Microsoft products and other products, such as Netscape Communicator and Eudora. You can also import address book data that uses the comma separated values (CSV)format.

(b)   Messages from other e-mail programs    Including Netscape and Eudora, You can also import messages from many Microsoft products, such as Outlook or older versions of Outlook Express.

(c)   E-mail account settings   From an existing e-mailaccount. When you import your e-mail account settings, your Outlook Express account will have many, if not all, of the customization and information details from your previous account.

(d)   Newsgroup account settings   From an existing e- mailaccount. Then you import your newsgroup account settings into Outlook Express, your subscription records and other data, such as which messages you've seen, is placed into your Outlook Express newsgroup account. You can immediately pick up reading your newsgroups.  

            The following topicsprovide more information:-

(a)   Import address books.

            (b)   Import messages from other e-mail programs.

(c)      Import e-mail account settings.

9.         Import Address Books.         You can import address book contacts from other Windows Address Book files (.wab), as well as from Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book, or any text (.csv) file.

(a)        For Windows Address Book

                        (i)   On the Filemenu, point to Import, and       then click Address Book.

                        (ii)  Selectthe address book or file type you want to import, and then click                        Open.

(b)        For all other address book formats:-

                        (i)   On the Filemenu, point to Import, and then      

                        (ii)   Clickthe address book or file type you want to import, and then click

Open.

(c)   If your address book is not listed, you can export it to either a text (csv) file or an LDAP Directory Interchange Format (LDIF)file, and then import it using that file type.

10        Import Messages from other E-mail programs.       Using the Outlook Express Import Wizard, you can easily import e-mail messages from a variety of popular Internet e-mail programs such as Netscape Communicator and Eudora, as well as from Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook.

(a)   On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages.

(b)   Selectthe e-mail program you want to import messages from, and then click

next.

            (c)   Verify the location of your messages, and then click next.

(d)   Choose All folders to import all the messages, and then click Next. You can also choose Selected Folders to import messages from one or more folders.

            (e)   Click Finish.

11.       Exporting items from outlook express.          To export messages to Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Exchange:-

            (a)   On the Filemenu, point to Export, and then   click Messages.

(b)   In the Choose Profile dialog box, choose the profile name that best matches the

Microsoft program to which you are exporting.

            (c)   To export all the messages, click All Folders.

(d)   To export messages in one or more folders, click Selected Folders. Then select the folders you want to export.

12.       To Export And Address Book.        To export an Address Book to Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Exchange:-

            (a)   On the Filemenu, point to Export, and then click Address Book.

(b)   Choose a format for the export. To export your address book directly from Outlook Express, choose Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book. To use

a file with address information separated by commas, select Text File.

            (c)   Click Export.

(d)   Choose a profile that most closely fits the intended use for the exported address book, and then click OK.

12.       Using Outlook

(a)                Outlook 2000 is a flexible tool that can be used in any business environment and has many applications for managing personal information. You can use Outlook effectively on a stand-alone computer with no outside access or as part of large corporate network with hundreds of computers and multiple sites around the globe.

(b)        Outlook 2000 his referred to as a desktop information manager (DIM) but it’s really that and more. You can use Outlook 2000 to organizeall the information on your desktop, including a significant amount of information that you probably kept only in paper form up to now and some information that you may never have organized at all.

(c)        With Outlook 2000, you can:-

(i)         Record the names, addresses,       and other informationrelated to personal and business contacts.

(ii)        Keep your to do list and organizeit by priority, by due date, or in endless other ways.

(iii)       Manage your appointmentsand track birthdays, holidays, and their special events.

(iv)       Send electronic mailthrough the Internet or your corporate network.

(v)        Keep notes about telephone conversations and meetings and, if desired relate them to individual contacts.

(vi)       Schedule a meetingwith other people in your workgroup or even across the Internet.

(vii)      Organize all of your personal information and files through one central interface.

13.       Introduction to Mail Merge.

(a)        You can use Microsoft Outlook contacts as the data source to create a variety of merged documents in Microsoft Word. You can create form & letters, print mailing labels, or print addresses on envelopes. You can also send bulk e-mail messages or faxes to your contacts.

            (b)        The powerful sorting and filtering capabilities of Outlook help you arrange your contacts so you can target your mailing to exactly the right people.

(c)        You can use the Mail Merge Helperto create form letters, mailing labels, envelopes, or catalogs. The Mail Merge Helper guides you through organizing the address data, merging it into a generic document, and printing the resulting personalized documents.

(d)       To send a mail merge to a filtered set of your contacts, create a subset of contacts by using an Outlook view, and then begin your mail merge directly from the view in Outlook.

14.       Using Contacts for Mail Merge.

(a)        You can use Microsoft Outlookcontacts as the data source to create a variety of merged documents in Microsoft Word, and you can begin your mail merge from Outlook.

(b)        To access the mail mergefeatures in Outlook, switch to the contacts module. Once you are in contacts, follow these steps to initiate a mail merge:-

(i)         Create a contacts view, including the fields you want to merge and any filters you want to apply to the data (choose view > current view > customize current view).

(ii)        If you don’t want to merge all of the visible contacts, select the contacts you want using Ctrl + click.

(iii)       Choose Tools>Mail Mergeto open the new Outlook Mail Merge contacts dialog box.

(iv)       Check whether you want to mergeall the records or the selected records.

(v)        Check if you want to merge all contact fields or only the fields in the view you selected with over a hundred contact fields, it is generally better to choose the fields you want, as described in step I, to make the list more usable. Identify if you want to create a new word main document or if you have an existing word document you want to use as the main document.

(vi)       To save a copy of the contacts you include in the merge, check permanent file and enter a file name.

(vii)      Choose the document type an indicate whether you want to merge to a new document, a printer, an e-mail or a fax.

                       (viii)     Click OK to launch word and openthe main document. You can now                                       add merge fields and finish the merge directly in word.