Computers Systems

Whether you are buying a new computer or building one yourself, the first decision you need to make is selecting a case. Cases have evolved drastically over the past 10 years, not only in style, but in functionality and features.A computer case is also frequently referred to as the chassis, other case designations are tower, cabinet, box, enclosure or housing. Cases are most commonly constructed out of a combination of steel, aluminum and plastic. I recommend cases that contain more steel than aluminum. Steel is a much stronger and heavier metal which produces a much quieter system. Cases made out of aluminum tend to vibrate more and dent easier.There are a myriad of case choices available today. The 2 main case types are ATX Mid Tower & ATX Full Tower. Mid Tower cases are of course smaller than ATX Full Tower cases, the exact physical dimensions will vary, there is no standard size of ATX Mid Tower or ATX Full Tower. I have found that most ATX Full Tower cases will not fit inside standard desk enclosures, this may be an important consideration when choosing your case. Most ATX Mid Tower cases will fit inside a standard desk enclosure, though it is recommended that you measure the desk enclosure and compare that with the exact dimensions of the case you are looking at to ensure that it will fit.The main compartment contains the motherboard tray, this will support ATX, microATX and/or EATX motherboards. Most Full Tower cases will support all 3, and most Mid Tower cases will support ATX and microATX only.A very important feature of modern cases is a CPU retention hole. This hole provides easy access to the rear side of the motherboard for installation or removal of aftermarket CPU heatsinks and fans. This may not seem important at first glance, but not having to remove the entire motherboard to replace a CPU heatsink is very convenient.Another important feature is the power supply placement. Cases feature either a top or bottom mounted installation. Traditionally, most cases had top mounted power supplies, but increasingly manufacturers have moved to a bottom mount, this helps to place more of the weight at the bottom of the case for more stability. Full tower cases with top mounted power supplies tend to be very top heavy and can more easily tip over. In some full tower cases the power supply can be mounted on the top and bottom for a dual PSU system. Dual power supplies are sometimes used in gaming computers with multiple high powered video cards.The case fans are a major consideration. 120mm, 140mm, 200mm are some common fan sizes. I recommend staying away from cases that have 80mm fans, smaller fans tend to be much louder and move less air. Some newer cases include an on/off switch to control the LED lighting. Filtered fan inlets are also a nice feature that reduces the amount of dust that accumulates inside the system. Some cases even have removable fan filters for easier cleaning.Once you have narrowed down your list of case choices based on features and functionality, the final consideration will be the aesthetics of the case. Is the overall look of the case appealing to you? Do you want a case with a clear side panel window? Many cases come with fans that contain LED lighting, typically blue, red or green. Increasingly, cases are also coming with a pure black internal coating that looks much nicer than bare metal.

Today, rapidly changing technology has made every organization look for a security cover for their computer system or network. With the crucial role to play in securing the security of an organization, Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) have become an integral part of it.A breach in computer network or system may be due to many reasons such as malware, misuse of the system or unauthorized access to it, etc. Intrusion detection involves the process of monitoring the activities occurring in a computer network or system. The object behind this is to look for the activities that violate or attempt to violate such network or system. Besides this, it also involves reporting of such incidents to the security administrators.Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are systems to identify incidents of intrusion and reporting them to security managers. And not only this, several IDPS can along with detecting such threats can also restrain them from succeeding. This, in other words, means that they can do both: identify threats and also stop them from succeeding. The other usage of IDPSs includes identifying existing problems with security policies, documenting existing threats and to put a stop on the violation of security policies.How do they differ from firewall:Both intrusion detection system (IDS) and a firewall are used to give security cover to a computer network and system but they do differ in their approach. Firewall only restricts intrusions that come from outside of a computer network, while an IDS looks for an intrusion both from inside and outside of a system.The use of IDPS:Monitoring of malicious activities: IDPS monitors the malicious activities that occur or are likely to occur in a computer network or system. They use various techniques to identify such occurrences such as reconfiguring a firewall, reporting of a flow of traffic that must have been already blocked.Documenting and managing existing threats: IDPSs detects and goes for threat management by codifying the threats. It also looks for frequency and features of such attacks in order to make out the appropriate measures to stop such attacks.Stopping the violation of security policies: Existence of IDPSs let individuals restrict themselves from intentionally violating the security policies of a computer system or network.The rapidly changing technology and a growing dependence on computer network and system demands an active consideration of protection of the same as without a security detection and prevention system they are open for an intrusion.