PCINTEL.RVW 920831
Comparison Review
Company and product:
Intel Corp.
3065 Bowers Ave.
Santa Clara, CA 95051
USA
503-629-7000
Sales: 800-538-3373
44-793-431-155
BBS: 503-645-6275
44-793-432-955
Fax: 800-458-6231
503-629-7580
44-793-431-166
FaxBACK800-525-3019
44-793-432-509
503-629-7576
Pay: 900-288-7700 ($30 per call)
44-793-431-144
44-793-421-777 (French)
44-793-421-333 (German)
LANProtect 1.0
Summary:
Netware scanner with scheduling utility.
Cost
Rating (1-4, 1 = poor, 4 = very good)
"Friendliness"
Installation 2
Ease of use 2
Help systems 1
Compatibility 2
Company
Stability 3
Support 3
Documentation 1
Hardware required 2
Performance 2
Availability 2
Local Support 1
General Description:
Detect-only scanner with scheduling provisions. Server-based within a network.
Comparison of features and specifications
User Friendliness
Installation
Shipped unprotected on writable media, both 720K and 360K disks.
The product received is identified as a "30 day test drive version". This may
account for the fact that it doesn't work.
An installation program is provided. There is no provision for manual
installation. You must install with "SUPERVISOR" rights. Therefore, you must
have an expendable Netware system to test this product.
Ease of use
The product uses the standard Novell menuing system interface, and should not
be difficult to use. However, the product appears to have much the same
options as Novell security in general, and therefore a thorough grounding in
Novell security would seem to be a pre-requisite.
Help systems
None provided.
Compatibility
A special "Michelangelo" disinfector is provided. The documentation for it
states that it will overlay an infected boot sector with a "standard" boot
sector. This it does. Bootable disks will thus become unbootable. As it only
overlays the boot sector, it is ineffective against Michelangelo infections on
hard disks: likely a good thing. You wouldn't want to lose your partition
table.
Company Stability
Intel? Surely you jest.
Company Support
A number of options for communicating with Intel's NetDirect system are listed.
Registered users receive signature updates for a year.
Note that the "800" numbers for the US and Canada do, indeed, work from Canada.
As with everyone else, Intel received a copy of the initial evaluation for
their own review. I received a telephone call from one of their service people
who asked about some of the points raised. He seemed to be quite genuinely
interested in the points raised, and asked about other antiviral software that
addresses the shortcomings of the LANProtect product. He also stated that the
"current" product is now 1.5, and that it does contain some disinfection
capability.
Documentation
The documentation is extremely short. It gives directions on the invocation of
the program, and some of the options in terms of when to scan, who to report
the results to, and so forth.
There is a READ.ME file on disk which contains errata. It also suggests that
"Detailed information on viruses can be obtained through a product such as:"
and then presents a promotional blurb for the Hoffman Virus Summary list.
Probably a good thing. The "What is a Computer Virus" section is terse to the
point of being useless. I'll bet you didn't know that a BSI could "spread via
the network cabling". Or that a "TSR" virus "infect[s] all files as they are
run" (like DIR-II, perhaps?) And, of course, we have the obligatory mention of
the modem as a source fo infection.
Hardware Requirements
Novell Network.
Performance
The manual lists endorsements from both Novell and the NCSA: the NCSA has
slightly more cautious wording.
Note that no disinfection capability is mentioned for this product.
Local Support
None provided.
Support Requirements
Likely requires thorough knowledge of Novell security provisions.
General Notes
Although LANProtect is currently a "single layer" of protection, the server
based approach to scanning and protection is another layer that should be added
to "complete" the picture in future. Intel appear to be concerned to make this
product a more complete and viable package in future.
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1992 PCINTEL.RVW 920831
======================
roberts@decus.ca rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
"There are two kinds of people: those who finish what they start and so on ..."
- Robert Byrne
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94663-2 (800-SPRINGER)