Norton Automatic Updater 1.8 review
DownloadNorton Automatic Updater is a Perl script that looks for solving a common issue in Microsoft Windows networks: update workstations wi
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Norton Automatic Updater is a Perl script that looks for solving a common issue in Microsoft Windows networks: update workstations with Norton Antivirus from a single point in the network.
The advantages in doing this:
The workstation will be forced to update Norton Antivirus, through a logon script from any user who logs in the network using it.
You will avoid wasting bandwidth of the link to the Internet, since the download will be done just once from Symantec website, and this file will be shared in the intranet.
NAU will check for newer versions of Intelligent Updater and will download them from Symantec if the website version is newer than the version that is being used in the site. Once downloaded, the file will have its integrity checked with MD5sum and, if it is ok, NAU will generate a a batch file (MS Windows user logon script) to update all workstations of the LAN.
Symantec already has a product that manages all workstations updating from a Windows NT server: NAU idea is to provide a choice with free software to this issue and be avaiable to UNIX server running Samba as the local PDC.
NAU is avaiable for free distribuition under the GNU GPL license.
NAU will not execute any activity directly in the workstations: it will use a batch file to execute the Intelligent Updater in these machines.
Norton Automatic Updater will not look for virus in these machines as well.
Here are some key features of "Norton Automatic Updater":
Create a log file, keeping all tasks executaded and it's results;
MD5 integrity checking before putting the Inteligent Updater file avaiable to the workstations.
It creates a logon script independent to force Norton Antivirus to be update in the workstations, or it can use a already existent template, just including the newer comands after the template lines;
Requirements:
An authentication server as PDC (both Microsoft Windows NT and Samba);
Perl;
the Perl module LWP;
the Perl module Digest::MD5;
Installation:
The configuration of NAU is very simple.
First, you must have a directory that will be shared by the PDC server and, for security reasons, as readonly permissions.
After that, you must setup the options to use logon script depending aboth the server you're using (Microsoft NT or Samba).
After that, decompress the download file, as shown in the command bellow:
tar -xzvf nau-1.6.tar.gz /
This will expand NAU in /etc/ and /usr/sbin. The file nau.pl must be put in /usr/sbin (for security reasons, the access to the script must be hold to root only), and the configuration file nau.conf at /etc/. A NAU client, for Microsoft Windows OS, will be decompressed at the directory /nau_client. Copy this program to the same directory that you be shared, as the Intelligent Updater file and this client will be copied from here through the logon script.
All the NAU configuration of NAU must be done by the file /etc/nau.conf. Read carefully the instructions given as comments in the file.
Once executed, NAU will connect to the Internet and check for newer version of Intelligent Updater file, comparing the release date in te website and the local file definition creation date. If the Intelligent Updater is newer, it will be copied to the server, check about file integrity, and then be put avaiable for users; the logon script will be updated with the new values as well the local database (with the date of creation of the Intelligent Update file last downloaded). Bellow is a example of how the logon script, named as netlogon.bat will look like:
@echo off
c:
if exist 2300141.lock goto ok
del *.lock
echo Running Norton Update file...
copy SERVERNAUnaudb.exe /y
start /w naudb.exe /q
del naudb.exe
echo Dat file from: 1082601696 > 2300141.lock
:ok
echo Norton AntiVirus is up to date.
exit
NAU will generate a randomic number and create a file in the workstation at c: using a file extension .lock. Everytime somebody logs in the PDC server, the logon script will be executed, and if the script found this file on C:, it means the workstation is already updated. Otherwise, the Intelligent Updater file will be copied to the workstation hard disk, be executed, and the logon script will create a .lock file.
Since version 1.5, NAU permits the use of batch files templates. Generally, these files are used by administrators to execute regular system administration tasks. NAU will used these commands as a base to create the batch file, and after will include the commands necessary to update the workstation. To use this function, simple include the existing logon script at the directory where the update will be saved, renamed to netlogon.template. These commands will be inserted in a new file, called netlogon.bat. This allow commands that are executed regularly in the logon process of each user can be maintened.
You will have to install the Perl modules LWP and Digest::MD5 as they are part of the minimum requirements to NAU works.
This can be done by three manners, and despite I explain only the installation of LWP module, the procedures are exactly the same to Digest::MD5:
Through packages installation
These modules are largely used and are avaiable in the major UNIX flavor. Some of them, as FreeBSD and Debian GNU Linux uses packages to install software, and Perl is not different in this case. So on, it's very possible that you will find a package about Perl and these modules to make the installation. Generally, the packages are called LWP (or libwww) and perl-digest-md5. Well, the procedures will vary, so I will not list all of them here. Please, check you UNIX documentation about this option.
Through CPAN module
This is the simplest method to install any module of Perl. CPAN is a repository with hundred of Perl modules, the module CPAN.pm is shipped by default to all newer version of Perl, making the installation of other modules very easy.
To install the LWP module, just execute the command bellow (in the shell):
perl -MCPAN -e shell
The first time you execute this module, it will make some questions to you, as about the Internet connection avaiable (directly or through a proxy, since CPAN will download the module from CPAN website, or a mirror). After this little setup, CPAN will show you a new shell. Just type:
install LWP
It will make some new questions about LWP installation. If ou are in doubt, just choose the default answers. If you're using a proxy server, it may be possible that you get some test errors. If this happens, just type:
force install LWP
The test will be executed anyway, but LWP will be installed even if one or more of them fail. Beware that these tests may be crucial, so maybe LWP will not work! Pay attention to the messages, and allways reply YES to resolve the dependencies (there are some).
To install Digest::MD5 just repeat the steps given above, changing the initial command to:
install Digest::MD5
Through a direct download from CPAN
You can make the download from CPAN of LWP and Digest::MD5 at http://www.cpan.org.Generally the file will be compressed with tar and gzip programs, so you just have to follow the sequence bellow after the download in done:
mv lwp.tar.gz /usr/local
tar xzvf lwp.tar.gz
cd lwp
perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install
This method is a little trick, since you will need to solve all dependences alone, downloading and installing modules that LWP and Digest::MD5 may ask for. Pay attention to the installation of them to check these modules.
Finally, to run NAU, will must type at the shell:
nau.pl /path/nau.conf
Where path is a parameter, showing the location of the configuration file nau.conf.
You should use a program as CRON to schedule searchs for new versions of Intelligent Updater daily, or twice a day (at he beggining and at the end of the day).
What's New in This Release:
Only general code cleanup over the previous beta version.
The intention for this release is to provide a reliable version for download.
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