Found in version 12.1.5.

If you find this error in the reporting log found at:

<...>\Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager\apache\logs\reporting.log

If the reporting.log contains many log entries like:

Class 'I18nInventory' not found in <SEPM Home>\Php\Include\Util\util.php on line 3370

then you can fix this by looking at <SEPM>\Php\Include\Util\util.php

line 22

add a missing include in:

require_once("Include/scans/ScanTypes.php");
$scanTypes=ScanTypes::getInstance();

result:

require_once("Include/scans/ScanTypes.php");
include_once("Include/Inventory/I18nInventory.php");
$scanTypes=ScanTypes::getInstance();

And the errors will disappear.

Found in version 12.1.5.

If you find this error in the reporting log found at:

<...>\Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager\apache\logs\reporting.log

If the reporting.log contains log entries like:

2015-01-09 14:24:01	ERROR:I18nInventory could not translate key: Group
2015-01-09 14:24:09	ERROR:I18nInventory could not translate key: Subnet

then you can fix this by looking at in <SEPM Home>\Inetpub\Reporting\Inventory\inventoryreport3.php

lines 460, 462, 464 and 466.

CAUSE

Translation is done twice: one at calling "printFirstColumn", and again in the function "printFirstColumn" again.

This is correct: the function does the translation:

function printFirstColumn($lookup) {
    print "<td class=UCDTableHeader width='120'>".I18nInventory::translateInventory($lookup)."</td>";
}

So there is no need for a tranlation when calling the function, so replace lines 459 - 467:

if ($reporttype==PROFILE_UPTODATE && $reportflavor==GROUP) {
    printFirstColumn(I18nInventory::translateInventory("COLUMN_GROUP_SLASH_DOMAIN"));
} else if ($reportflavor==SUBNET) {
    printFirstColumn(I18nInventory::translateInventory("SUBNET"));
} else if ($reportflavor==GROUP) {
    printFirstColumn(I18nInventory::translateInventory("GROUP"));
} else {
    printFirstColumn(I18nInventory::translateInventory("UNDEFINED"));
}

into:

if ($reporttype==PROFILE_UPTODATE && $reportflavor==GROUP) {
    printFirstColumn("COLUMN_GROUP_SLASH_DOMAIN");
} else if ($reportflavor==SUBNET) {
    printFirstColumn("SUBNET");
} else if ($reportflavor==GROUP) {
    printFirstColumn("GROUP");
} else {
    printFirstColumn("UNDEFINED");
}

This is similar to where it was properly coded in firewallreport1.php and firewallreport1_guts.php.

And the errors will disappear.

Found in version 12.1.5.

If you create reports and find wrong OS-es, e.g. a "Windows" computer, while the computer actually is a "Linux" computer running SAVFL,

then you can fix this by looking at <SEPM Home>\Inetpub\Reporting\Inventory\inventoryreport1.php

lines 224 - 225.

The report translates an unknown OS Type (R_OS_TYPE = 0) as a "Windows" computer:

   WHEN (SA.R_OS_TYPE NOT IN (".$mutils->macOsConstants.") AND (SA.R_OS_TYPE & 0xF0FF0000) NOT IN (0x20000000)) THEN '1'WHEN SA.R_OS_TYPE IN (".$mutils->macOsConstants.") THEN '2' WHEN (SA.R_OS_TYPE & 0xF0FF0000) IN (0x20000000) THEN '3'
   ELSE '0'END as R_OS_TYPE";

So there is a need to separate unknown OS-es before checking Windows, Linux or Mac types.

So insert a line before line 224, resulting in:

   WHEN SA.R_OS_TYPE NOT IN (0x) THEN '0'
   WHEN (SA.R_OS_TYPE NOT IN (".$mutils->macOsConstants.") AND (SA.R_OS_TYPE & 0xF0FF0000) NOT IN (0x20000000)) THEN '1'WHEN SA.R_OS_TYPE IN (".$mutils->macOsConstants.") THEN '2' WHEN (SA.R_OS_TYPE & 0xF0FF0000) IN (0x20000000) THEN '3'
   ELSE '0'END as R_OS_TYPE";

And then the reports will not show "Windows" while it meanse "Unknown".

Hi Everyone,

If you've got an idea that you've got for ImageInvoker, please drop a comment here. Anything from annoying typos and inconsistencies, to new functionality.

At the moment I've got listed these items to work on,

• Full 64-bit WinPE and support
   
• An optional chain-job screen so that a number of jobs can be selected manually to provide an on-the-fly customised delivery. So following the ImageInvoker menu selection, you'll optionally have the ability to add extra software jobs on-the-fly to the ImageInvoker schedule queue
   
• Allow menu to be refreshed within the menu presentation windows (to take into account menu changes after client has booted into automation)
   
• Allow ImageInvoker client to be restarted (instead of just exiting) in the event of an error.
   
• Check support for Ghost Solution Suite 3

Kind Regards,
Ian./

Symantec Identity: Access Manager (SAM) now supports VIP Push and will soon support VIP Login.

VIP Push

When we introduced VIP Access Push we told you how much more convenient it is – you automatically receive a Push verification to your registered mobile device upon sign-in, replacing the need for you to manually enter a security code – it’s just a push of a button.  We’ve now taken it one step further and made it available as the login method for SAM.   When combined with the SAM Single Sign-On portal you can now login to ALL your applications in a secure yet user friendly manner.

VIP Access Push uses a challenge-response authentication technique and a 2048-bit asymmetric key to securely and uniquely identify the device and help protect against a security breach. You are notified on your device each time there is a login attempt and have the option to deny any request.  In the event that a mobile device is offline, you will have the option to use the six-digit security code from the same VIP Access app to authenticate. The VIP Access Push feature is supported on iOS and Android platforms.

VIP Login

As you can see from the SAM login portal we also offer login using Symantec Managed PKI and are getting ready to support VIP Login.  VIP Login replaces the cumbersome password with a  PIN defined by you.  Passwords get reused and can be difficult to remember, while a PIN is much simpler to remember and is generally not reused – think of your ATM card.

Find out more about Symantec Identity Access Manager now visit the website.

Follow us on Twitter: @SymantecSAM, @SymantecVIP,  or @SymantecMPKI

A simple Google search for eDiscovery blogs returns approximately 429,000 results.  The sheer volume of content is incredible…hundreds of posts about case law, emerging technology, and the latest vendor acquisitions.  But all of this information puts an unbelievable burden on the consumers of this content, as they are constantly jumping from blog to blog or scouring Twitter to surface the latest eDiscovery news.  At best, this is time consuming and inefficient. 

Customers are always telling us they need a better way to stay current with the ever-changing world of eDiscovery.  We took this challenge to heart and developed a free mobile app, the eDiscovery Exchange, which brings together the best thought-leadership content across the industry, an automatically updated news feed, and all of the discussions from our 5,000+ member community.  The eDiscovery Exchange also includes pocket resources and an events calendar to ensure that users are always up-to-date. 

The eDiscovery Exchange is the first mobile app designed to enable legal technology professionals to take control of their news and their network. 

The app is available for both iOS and Android.  You can find more information here or you can watch this video for more details.       

Forrester Research published the Forrester Wave: Endpoint Encryption Q1 2015 report on January 16th, 2015. The report examined the top seven endpoint encryption vendors and evaluated how their products compared against one another. The vendors that  participated in this analysis included Intel Security (McAfee), Kaspersky, Wave Systems, Novell and WinMagic. Microsoft and Dell were invited to participate, however, they withdrew from the analysis after reviewing the criteria for the study.

In order to qualify to participate in the analysis, vendors had to offer multiple encryption technologies in one product offering, including full disk/volume encryption, file level encryption and a form of media protection. In addition to these product offerings, vendors were also required to have a substantial market presence.

Symantec was rated as a Strong Performer alongside Kaspersky, Wave Systems, Novell and WinMagic. Both Sophos and Intel Security were rated as a Leader in the industry. However, Forrester reports only a modest level of satisfaction from Sophos' users.  In addition, they noted that Intel's suite is one of the most expensive and its breadth of supported operating systems is lacking for folder/file encryption. Symantec had the largest market presence of all vendors that participated.

Symantec Strengths:

Forrester evaluated Symantec Endpoint Encryption, our newest offering released October 6th 2014. We received acknowledgement for taking the best-of-breed technologies from our PGP and GuardianEdge acquisitions and combining those technologies into a single console offering that includes both disk and removable media encryption. Additionally, Forrester called out our strong data loss prevention strategy through multiple data loss prevention product offerings that integrate with our encryption portfolio at an extremely attractive price point.

Areas for Improvement:

The main weakness that Forrester pointed out was our lack of support for popular hardware and native encryption technologies, such as self-encrypting drives (SEDs) and BitLocker. However, in the next release of Symantec Endpoint Encryption we will start to support native OS solutions (starting with FileVault) in addition to self-encrypting drives. This release is slated for March 2015.  In the summer timeframe, we will build upon these efforts to also provide support for managing Microsoft BitLocker.

In this report, Forrester notes that some customers expressed frustration with our overall product functionality and deployment ease. Although our new Endpoint Encryption version 11 product combines best-of-breed technology from our two previous endpoint offerings – Symantec Drive Encryption and Symantec Endpoint Encryption - it does not quite have the full feature set of these products.  Our 2015 roadmap is designed to address any remaining gaps.

Forrester also pointed out that our file/folder and email encryption solutions continue to be managed by a different management console. This is accurate in that our Endpoint Encryption Management Server does not support PGP keys that are used for Email Encryption and File & Folder Encryption and this will remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Lastly, while Forrester noted the lack of mobile OS support for some of our endpoint encryption functions, we do plan on providing more support for email encryption on iOS and Android platforms in 2015.

Evaluation Criteria Used:

Each vendor was evaluated against 52 criteria, grouped into 3 high-level buckets:

• Current offering – strength of current product offering
• Strategy – viability and execution of strategy, including market experience, future vision, integration strategy, global presence and engineering staff
• Market presence – size of bubble represents presence in endpoint encryption market, based on metrics, install base, revenue and partners.

For full details of Forrester’s findings, you can download the report here.

There are many reasons IT organizations move applications to the cloud; cutting infrastructure cost, outsourcing high maintenance systems, providing better reach for mobile or remote users to name just a few.  Cloud email such as Office 365, is such a big success because it’s chosen for all of the above reasons.  For the same reasons, many Symantec Enterprise Vault customers have begun migrating to Symantec Enterprise Vault.cloud as the product of choice for archiving Office 365 Mail.

But moving to a cloud-based SaaS service for archiving is not always the answer for all customers.  Many customers want to stay with Enterprise Vault, even when using cloud email because they use Enterprise Vault to archive other applications too that remain in their data center.  Still other organizations see an imperative to remain in complete control of their archived data and thus still prefer a self-managed system i.e. – their current Enterprise Vault system.

The new Enterprise Vault 11.0.1 release provides a very good Office 365 option for customers to continue using Enterprise Vault on premise.  In fact, it will work with any SMTP capable cloud email system.  The  new Enterprise Vault SMTP journaling service allows customers to directly stream mail content from Office 365 to an on-premises server.  Details of this and other features in the release are available here:  https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/no-ordinary-service-pack.

A second, increasingly common cloud variation of self-managed archiving is running Enterprise Vault on a cloud infrastructure platform such as Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure.  This deployment model allows you to upgrade your Enterprise Vault system while avoiding some maintenance expense and the capital expense of upgrading all your hardware.  This way, Amazon or Microsoft maintain the hardware and you pay monthly (or annualized) for only the resources you use.

Many of our customers have made this move and are running their Enterprise Vault system in a  hybrid environment of self-maintained software and cloud provided infrastructure.  If you are considering this option you can find some technical guidance at the following locations in our knowledge base.

Cloud Platform Considerations:  http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO101940

Support Policy for use within Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or other:  http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO101911

Finally, Managed Service offerings are another alternative.  A managed service provides the same end-user experience as on-premises Enterprise Vault, because that’s the software being used but the IT, software, hardware and maintenance management is done by the service provider. You can find out more about Enterprise Vault Managed Service offerings here on the Symantec.com website: http://www.symantec.com/products-solutions/services/detail.jsp?pcid=managed_services&pvid=svc_managed_enterprise_vault_services

In summary, many choices are available in Enterprise Vault 11.0.1 for archiving of any application you may choose to move to the cloud.  Each solution has its place; it just depends on your requirements.

We recently helped a Global Financial Services firm eliminate PST's from their environment. 

The best way to understand the complex problems organizations face today is to walk in the foot steps of the adversary, to better understand their techniques, their motivations and their goals for today’s attacks. CyberWar Games provides visibility into how an attacker exploits products, solutions, applications and networks, to ultimately gain a better understanding of what is required to be resilient against attacks.  

With a new CyberWar Games puzzle meme released each week, now here’s your chance to keep the tradition alive by sharing your puzzle ideas! Create and submit your puzzle ideas for each week’s theme by Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 11:59:59pm PT to WIN a copy of “Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon” by Kim Zetter.

The 10 Puzzle Theme Categories:
1. Internet and Network Security Foundations
2. Reconnaissance

3. Incursion (attack)

4. Discovery
5. Capture

6. Exfiltration

7. URL Manipulation and Linux Commands

8. nmap and Metasploit Framework 1/24

9. Dig, NetCat, and John the Ripper

10. Web Browsers Usage and Security Concerns

SYMANTEC OFFICIAL RULES FOR THE CYBERWAR GAMES MEMES CONTEST

THE CYBERWAR GAMES MEMES CONTEST IS OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (EXCLUDING GUAM, PUERTO RICO, AND ALL OTHER U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS), OR CANADA (EXCLUDING THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC), WHO ARE THE AGE OF 18 OR THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN THEIR STATE OR PROVICE OF RESIDENCE. CONTEST SHALL BE CONSTRUCTED AND EVALUATED ACCORDING TO CALIFORNIA LAW.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.

BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, YOU ACCEPT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE “OFFICIAL RULES” AND THE DECISIONS OF THE JUDGES AND/OR SPONSOR RELATIVE TO THIS CONTEST.

1. SPONSOR

The Symantec Cyberwar Games Memes Contest (the "Contest") is sponsored by Symantec Corporation (the "Sponsor"), 350 Ellis Street, Mountain View, California, 94043, U.S.A. The Contest begins on Monday, January 26, 2015 at 12:00:00am Pacific Time (PT) and ends Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 11:59:59pm PT (the "Contest Period").

2. ELIGIBILITY – VOID WHERE PROHIBITED

This Contest is open to persons who are legal residents of one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia (excluding Guam, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. territories and possessions), or Canada (excluding the province of Quebec), who have reached the age of majority in their state or providence of residence as of the beginning of the Contest Period (“Participant”). Persons in any of the following categories are NOT eligible to enter, participate in, or win in the Contest: (a) persons who on or after the beginning of the Contest Period were or are officers, directors or employees of Symantec Corporation, or any of its parent, subsidiary, affiliated companies, service agencies, or independent contractors; (b) persons who are immediate family members (defined as spouse or biological or step- mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, or son and each of their respective spouses) of any person in any of the preceding categories, regardless of where they live, and/or individuals who reside in the same household, whether related or not, as any person in any of the preceding categories. Any questions and/or issues concerning eligibility shall be determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. This Contest is void in Guam, Puerto Rico, the Province of Quebec, and where prohibited by law. Employees or representative of government agencies or organizations are not eligible to participate.

3. HOW TO ENTER. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.
You can enter the Contest by following these steps during the Contest Period:

1. Create an original puzzle meme.
2. Email the puzzle meme to SymantecWargames@symantec.com
3. Provide your name, phone number and email address so that we can contact you if you are chosen as a potential winner.

In the email, Participants must submit a puzzle meme according to the objective judging criteria set forth in Section 5 below. Some examples of a puzzle meme include (for illustration purposes only): crossword puzzle, word search, Sudoku, etc. (“Entry”). During the Contest Period, Participants can submit one (1) puzzle meme Entry in each of the following categories for a total of up to ten (10) Entries, per person:

1. Internet and Network Security Foundations 2. Reconnaissance
3. Incursion (attack)
4. Discovery

5. Capture
6. Exfiltration
7. URL Manipulation and Linux Commands
8. nmap and Metasploit Framework 1/24
9. Dig, NetCat, and John the Ripper
10. Web Browsers Usage and Security Concerns

General Requirements

In addition to the above-listed required steps, all Participants must abide by these General Requirements:

• Your Entry must be in English.
• Your Entry must be unique
• Your Entry must not: 
a. violate applicable law;
b. depict hatred;
c. be in bad taste;
d. denigrate (or be derogatory toward) any person or group of persons or any race, ethnic group, or culture; 
e. threaten a specific community in society, including any specific race, ethnic group, or culture; f. incite violence or be likely to incite violence;
g. contain vulgar or obscene language or excessive violence;
h. contain pornography, obscenity, or sexual activity; or 
i. disparage the Sponsor.
• Your Entry must be original, your sole property, and not previously published or submitted in any other 
contest.
• Your Entry must not violate any right of a third party including, but not limited to: copyright, 
trademark, any other intellectual property right, right of publicity, confidentiality, and privacy. Please do not include the name or logo of any company or product produced by a manufacturer other than Symantec. 
By submitting an Entry, you agree that Sponsor has the unrestricted right and license to use your Entry in whole or in part, commercially or non-commercially in any media known or unknown in perpetuity, worldwide, including the right to publish and display the Entry for advertising and publicity, and to edit and make derivative works, all without additional review or compensation. Additionally, you agree that Sponsor may post your Entry, including your name on its sponsored websites and/or third-party sites.

Limit (1) Entry per category (as listed above), per person, for the duration of the Contest Period. If you enter or attempt to enter more than once per category, using multiple email addresses or identities, all of your entries may be declared null and void, and you may be disqualified and ineligible to participate in this Contest. Duplicate entries and/or other mechanical reproductions of entries are not permitted. Illegible or incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Your Entry may be disqualified, at the sole discretion of Sponsor if you attempt to enter through any means other than by the email submission requirements herein, if you disrupt the Contest or circumvent the terms and conditions of these Official Rules. If any of the above occurs, Sponsor has the right to remedy any such action, disruption, or circumvention in a manner to be solely determined by Sponsor.

4. PRIZES

Sponsor will award the following prize for each of the 10 categories for the Contest:

The total estimated retail value of all of prizes to be awarded for the Contest is $250.00. Limit one prize per category and one prize per person. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period. Prize is not transferable or exchangeable, or redeemable for cash. No prize substitution is allowed, except Sponsor may substitute a prize at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Winner is solely responsible for any and all applicable federal, state, provincial, and local taxes. Prizes will be shipped to Winners at Sponsor’s expense. Any other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided are winner’s sole responsibility. All details and other restrictions of prizes not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

5. SELECTION OF WINNERS;

Ten (10) potential winners will be chosen on February 17, 2015, in Mountain View, California.

Potential winners will be contacted via email. Potential winners must respond via email by February 24, 2015, at 12:00pm PT. There will be no additional media or channels utilized to announce winners.

If a potential winner is (i) found to be ineligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, (ii) declines to accept a prize, (iii) if Sponsor is does not receive a timely response to a winner notification, or (iv) in the event that a prize notification or prize is returned undeliverable, then the corresponding prize will be forfeited and, at the Sponsor's sole discretion, the prize may be awarded to an alternate winner chosen by Sponsor’s judges. Potential winners may be required to furnish proof of identification. Before being declared a winner, potential  winner must execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability & Publicity Release within seven (7) business days from the postmarked date or otherwise the corresponding prize may be forfeited.

Sponsor’s judges will review entries submitted via email throughout the Contest Period. Judges will determine the potential winners based on the following judging criteria:

In order to be named a winner, each potential winner must complete an affidavit of eligibility and liability release indicating: (i) acceptance of, and agreement to abide by these Official Rules; (ii) agreement to waive any legal claims against and to release the Sponsor from any and all liability, loss, or damage arising from entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s acceptance, possession, or use of a prize awarded through the Contest, including, but not limited to, claims for product liability, personal injury, breach of contract, and negligence; (iii) confirmation that entrant meets and will abide by all eligibility requirements where applicable; and (iv) (optional and only where permitted by law) consent to the use of entrant’s name, image, likeness, and related personal information for use in publicity materials related to the Contest, the Sponsor, and/or Sponsor’s products and services. Failure to agree to the affidavit of eligibility, waiver of liability, and, where permitted by law, a publicity release, will constitute forfeiture of the prize, and a substitute winner may be selected.

6. CONDITIONS

All federal, state, provincial, and local laws apply. Sponsor is not responsible for: (i) typographical errors, misprinted, lost, late, delayed, misdirected, unintelligible, illegible, damaged, stolen, intercepted, or incomplete entries or prize notifications and (ii) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Sponsor which may cause the Drawing to be disrupted or corrupted, in which case Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Drawing.

AS A PARTICIPANT IN THIS CONTEST, YOU AGREE THAT SPONSOR, ITS PARENT COMPANIES, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, AND ITS RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS OR EMPLOYEES (COLLECTIVELY, THE “RELEASED PARTIES”), SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES, DAMAGES OR INJURIES OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR ANY CONTEST RELATED ACTIVITY, OR FROM YOUR ACCEPTANCE, RECEIPT, POSSESSION AND/OR USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZE(S), AND (B) HAVE MADE ANY WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION OR GUARANTEE EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZE(S), INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, TO SUCH PRIZE’S QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, damaged, stolen, or intercepted Contest entries or prize notifications; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet Service Providers, websites, or other connections; or for typographical errors, miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected emails, or computer, telephone or cable transmissions; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information. In the case of any of the aforementioned events occur, Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. In the event Sponsor is prevented from awarding prize(s) or continuing with the Contest as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, natural or man-made epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, satellite, equipment, or software failure, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared) or any federal state or local government law, order, or regulation, public health crisis (e.g. SARS), order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within Sponsor’s control (each a “Force Majeure” event or occurrence), then subject to any governmental approval which may be required, Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest in its sole discretion.

If participant uploads a photograph or other image in connection with the Contest, you hereby grant to Sponsor a nonexclusive, irrevocable, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free and fully paid up license to use, reproduce, distribute, display, make derivative works, perform, and modify the uploaded material in any and all manner and media throughout the world in perpetuity. This includes a license under all copyrights and publicity included therein.

By entering the Contest, you agree: (i) to be bound by these Official Rules and by all applicable laws and decisions of Sponsor which shall be binding and final; (ii) to waive any rights to claim ambiguity with respect to these Official Rules; (iii) to waive all of rights to bring any claim, action, or proceeding against the Released Parties in connection with the Contest; and (iv) to forever and irrevocably agree to release, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Released Parties from any and all claims, lawsuits, judgments, causes of action, proceedings, demands, fines, penalties, liability costs and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable outside attorneys’ fees) that may arise in connection with your participation in this Contest.

All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of a Participant and/or Sponsor in connection with the Contest, will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California without regard to California conflicts of law principles. All Participants consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue in Santa Clara County, California, U.S.A.

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules will otherwise remain in effect and will be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein

By entering the Contest, Participants agree to the terms of Sponsor’s Privacy Policy (http://www.symantec.com/about/profile/privacypolicy/index.jsp). Unless Participants indicate otherwise at the time of entry, personal information collected from Participants may be used by Sponsor for the purpose of not only administering this Contest but also contacting you regarding your interest in Sponsor’s products and services.

This blog courtesy of: Anthony Tate, Senior Product Marketing Manager EMEA

Digital technologies have enormous potential to transform how enterprises create revenue and positive outcomes by fostering innovative strategies, products, processes and experiences. But to what degree do businesses recognise this – and are they mobilising their forces sufficiently, in order to exploit those potential benefits?

According to research from Accenture – ‘Mobility: Fueling the Digital Surge’– those forces are now very much on the march. In its findings, of the major digital technologies—including mobility, social media, big data analytics, the cloud and connected products—mobility has risen to the top, in terms of importance to organisations. Some 77% of participants in a survey carried out by Accenture considered mobility among their top five priorities for the coming year, while 43% said the technology was in their top two.

This knowledge added a great deal of edge and intrigue to the recent ‘Guardian & Symantec Future of Mobility’ event, where speakers from Accenture, Army HQ and Symantec offered their take on the rapid inroads mobility is making to IT strategies.

Sanjeev Skukla, cyber security consulting director, Accenture, focused on defining the current state of mobility, mainly with reference to his company’s report. Although the majority of C-level survey respondents do rank mobility as a top five priority, there are challenges to be overcome, including low demonstrable ROI (only 10% are seeing any ROI), lack of metrics assigned at the beginning of projects and the struggle to keep pace with rapid technology developments.

Also holding enterprises back from embracing mobility, as Skukla highlighted, is that people involved in strategy are either business people OR technical, but no one is in the middle, combining the two.

ARMY CHALLENGES

Craig Collins, innovation and systems development architect, Army HQ, pointed out that the Army often thinks of itself as ‘different’, but in reality it operates similarly to corporations and faces similar challenges (excluding ROI, where their measurable is lives and not money). When the Army began to develop its mobility strategy 3-4 years ago, key drivers were:

• Low budgets
• Organisational restructures
• Cloud adoption
• Efficiencies
• And wanting to be seen as the “responsive Army at home”.

Challenges faced, he added, include security levels (particularly around classified information), slow policy changes internally, change fatigue with all the restructuring, and changes in procurement attitudes - they’re used to buying tanks, not IT!

Their main mobility goal is to get information as quickly as possible to the heart of the Army. By using mobile technology, the Land Accident Investigation Team can cut the time for their field reports to be sent to base from 30 to five days, potentially fixing problems and saving lives faster. There are employee productivity benefits to be gained at Sandhurst where Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) access and improving connectivity for officers and means staff are more likely to maintain their phones as they are more valuable to them, allowing them to contact family. In the Defence Gateway they created a VLE to inform staff and dependents of all latest updates, and they installed secure WiFi at the Land Warfare School, despite Army not being generally receptive to WiFi for security reasons.

Collins concluded with the fact that mobility is an enabler, has great business benefits, but needs continued investment and to be constantly agile.

‘MUST HAVES’ & ‘MUST KNOWS’

Given the fact that mobility is simply “the new normal”, and also the future breeding ground of malware and security threats, these are Symantec’s ‘Must Haves’ for Mobility:

• Understand business needs and problems
• Understand business tools, devices & apps now and in the future
• Conduct a user trial, analyse the results and don’t be afraid to re-think your strategy

We see four different approaches to mobility: COBO (corporate owned, business use only), COPE (corporate owned, personally enabled), CYOD (choose your own device), BYOD (bring your own device). The reality is that an organisation tends to adopt a mixture of approaches so its key that you have an understanding of your strategy before even looking a technical solution.

Research and our own experience shows that 51% of 21–32 year olds would go against a policy banning them from using personal phones – indicating how the march of mobility is relentless.

When it comes to a winning mobility strategy, we’re often asked what it looks like? It’s my belief that it should include the following:

• The right team (to act as advocates and provide input)
• Deliberate decisions on device access (what exactly people can see/do)
• New policies for personal devices
• Legal considerations taken into account
• Advanced mobile security technology
• The best strategy for each business unit – this isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

In addition it’s important to consider the 5 ‘Must Haves’ for an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution:

• Device management (a basic requirement but still the foundation for many mobile security strategies)
• Application management (policies for each app, app wrapping capabilities and an enterprise app store)
• Threat protection (A growing concern, the threat landscape is rapidly changing. Android is the main source of culprit with over 3,262 new variants of malware last year according to Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume 19)
• Content management (secure sync n share, data loss prevention, content push to devices)
• ID & access control (including two-factor authentication, Single sign-on (SSO) across mobile applications and CA integration).

As Accenture points out in its ‘Mobility: Fueling the Digital Surge’ report: “Mobile, cloud, social media and analytics have given birth to an age where technology has become the foundation of any successful business—a prime driver of market differentiation, business growth, innovation, adaptability, collaboration and profitability. In short, every business is now a digital business, and the C-level executives who understand the benefits of digital are those that are likely to be most successful.”

The main challenges facing enterprises in the drive towards a mobile future is the need for a greater understanding of what it can deliver and a commitment to budget for it properly. Without this, it is difficult for the board to take mobility seriously.

Image created by: Scriberia

In the Symantec official blog “A Vision for Converged Backup Infrastructure” published late last year, Matt Cain announced the upcoming availability of our next generation converged backup platform, the NetBackup 5330 appliance. The 5330 is an integrated media server and storage system designed to deliver high performance, scalable capacity, and resiliency to address the most aggressive backup and recovery objectives in the data center. As an integrated backup appliance, it addresses the OpEx and CapEx challenges organizations face today while laying the groundwork for a modernized data center.

In preparation for this event, NetBackup 7.6.1 was released earlier this month to supply the necessary enhancements to make this platform really sing. In particular, our intelligent deduplication technology (MSDP) has been turbo-charged to support the larger dedupe pools that will now be possible with 229TB of raw 5330 capacity. While we were at it, we hardened our MSDP catalog to heal itself, and added a number of other enhancements that might come in handy even if you don’t have a NetBackup appliance. The nitty-gritty details can be found in the 7.6.1 Release Notes, but if you’re just curious here are the highlights:

New in NetBackup 7.6.1

Intelligent Deduplication (MSDP)

• Improved performance and scalability in very large environments, required to support the NetBackup 5330 integrated appliance.
• Support for a 96TB media server deduplication pool on SLES 11.
• Catalog self-healing. Two identical catalog contents are maintained in two different formats in real time, and corruption/loss of the primary copy can be detected and fixed automatically.
• Catalog disaster recovery. Offline protection of MSDP metadata via a NetBackup policy. If MSDP catalog self-healing fails due to total loss of both the MSDP catalog and its shadow, the MSDP catalog can be recovered to its state as it was at the backup time of the restored MSDP catalog backup.

Activity Monitor Usability

• Enhanced Activity Monitor to display jobs in a parent-child job hierarchy.
• Error code hyperlink in Detailed Status to specific page which contains supplemental information about the error.

VMware

• New NetBackup plug-in for vSphere 5.5 web client.
• Enhanced VMware Instant Recovery feature extending proxy server support to any supported Linux Media Server.
• Enhanced VMware protection to data stored within the vSAN datastore.

Other NetBackup Enhancements

• Enhanced file system support for GPFS provides protection of ACLs/Extended Attributes.
• Enhanced security for Java UI login credentials (SSL).

Netbackup VMware Snapshot Backup fails with Error 6.

Other error codes in the logs are 90, 23

BPBKAR logs show this:

00:47:56.146 [4956.10512] <16> dtcp_read: TCP - failure: recv socket (776) (TCP 10053: Software caused connection abort)
00:47:57.160 [4956.10512] <16> dtcp_read: TCP - failure: recv socket (776) (TCP 10053: Software caused connection abort)
00:47:58.174 [4956.10512] <16> dtcp_read: TCP - failure: recv socket (776) (TCP 10053: Software caused connection abort)
00:47:59.188 [4956.10512] <16> dtcp_read: TCP - failure: recv socket (776) (TCP 10053: Software caused connection abort)

01:21:32.779 [968.8012] <2> tar_base::V_vTarMsgW: INF - EXIT STATUS 6: the backup failed to back up the requested files
01:21:32.779 [968.8012] <4> tar_backup_tfi::backup_done_state: INF - Not waiting for server status
01:21:32.795 [968.8012] <4> dos_backup::fscp_fini: INF - backup status:<6>
01:21:32.795 [968.8012] <4> dos_backup::fscp_fini: INF - backup failed, deleting current track log
01:21:32.795 [968.8012] <16> dos_backup::fscp_fini: ERR - ct_fini() failed, error (15)
01:21:32.795 [968.8012] <16> dos_backup::V_PostCleanup: ERR - fscp_fini() failed, error : (15)

The job details ends like this:

01/27/2015 01:16:21 - Error bpbrm (pid=10400) from client XXXXXXX: ERR - Error opening the snapshot disks using given transport mode: Status 23
01/27/2015 01:16:22 - Info bpbkar32 (pid=9484) accelerator sent 0 bytes out of 0 bytes to server, optimization 0.0%
01/27/2015 01:16:23 - Info bpbkar32 (pid=9484) bpbkar waited 0 times for empty buffer, delayed 0 times.
01/27/2015 01:16:33 - Info bptm (pid=11104) waited for full buffer 0 times, delayed 0 times
01/27/2015 01:16:33 - Info bptm (pid=11104) EXITING with status 90 <----------

01/27/2015 01:16:43 - Info bpbkar32 (pid=0) done. status: 6: the backup failed to back up the requested files
01/27/2015 01:16:43 - end writing; write time: 0:00:10
the backup failed to back up the requested files  (6)

Browsing through the forums had many threads and solutions but none pointed in the right direction.

Eventually we found that a week ago on the VCenter server there was a network disconnect and few other errors that caused backups to fail. While all other servers recovered and finished backups, the bpbkar process for this server was hung and the process was sitting there on the media server for a whole week. The backups completed fine after we killed the hung process.

Throughout my career, I have considered myself a staunch advocate for women's rights and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). I advocate for more women in STEM not just because I believe in the potential of the STEM and tech sectors to lift millions of women and their families around the world out of poverty and dependence, but also because I feel that diversity is fuel for our future. It’s an especially important topic today, given that women hold less than 25% of STEM jobs in the U.S. Without more women in STEM careers, we are missing out on untapped talent, differing points of view, and innovation that can make a real difference on both the culture and the bottom line, which is why I’m thrilled to be a part of Symantec’s latest partnership with Global Fund for Women.

We’re partnering with Global Fund for Women to launch a new global campaign and online multimedia project called IGNITE: Women Fueling Science and Technology. IGNITE will feature five “galleries” to give voice to first-hand stories from diverse corners of the workplace, helping bring gender equity to the STEM field. The newest gallery called “LEADERS” draws attention to women’s experiences in the workplace, focusing on leadership, mentoring, entrepreneurship, and investment in STEM and information and communications technology (ICT) fields. Through this campaign, Global Fund for Women hopes to highlight that, with equal access and control to shape technology and science, women and girls bring unique and in-demand needs, experiences and perspectives to this sector. I am honored to be featured in this project and share my personal story, which you can check out here: http://bit.ly/1ycSpR7.

Being able to demonstrate progress against the goal of inspiring more women to enter the STEM fields is personally important to me. Diversity is more than a numbers game – it involves more than recruiting more women, professionals of color, LGBT, disabled professionals and veterans to the company. The most effective teams bring together a diverse set of minds and then create a community that embraces and leverages these minds best. That kind of culture comes from recognition at the top – from leaders – that diversity is important, and through the creation of opportunities for all employees to thrive at all stages of their careers. 

Symantec’s commitment to diversity is reflected both at the top and at a grassroots level – we are one of only a handful of Fortune 500 companies to have at least 30 percent of our Board comprised of women. We have also set a framework for gender equality by being a founding signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP), a partnership initiative of UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact. These principles provide us with a structure to ensure that Symantec remains a place where innovative ideas can flourish, and where both women and men can have productive and satisfying careers. 

Successfully bringing diversity to technical and STEM fields requires a multi-dimensional approach and collaboration between educators, governments, corporations, nonprofits and grassroots community groups.  Success, to me, is a world where women and men design, create, drive, and own equally. We have a long way to go, but I believe that the journey starts with inspiration, backed by the resources it needs to thrive.

I invite you to participate in IGNITE by sharing what sparked your interest in STEM, or use #MySparkStory. Stories are being curated by 10 international employees of Symantec, men and women in a variety of positions at the corporation who are passionate advocates for diversity in STEM.

If uninstallation of Symantec backup exec remote agent 2014 fails, you can do it manually as below:

Map the Symantec backup exec installation server folder on the machine which agent was installed.

Run “uninstallaaofox64” from mapped drive :

stop all Symantec backup exec services

Open registry editor and delete this keys and their sub keys:

1.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{856D9205-4AA3-ADD2-CE6EFF23ED9E}

2.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Remote Agent for Windows Servers

3.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Symantec\Backup Exec For Windows

BY DEFUALT ONLY BACKUP OPERATORS HAVE ACCESS TO THIS KEY AND ITS SUB KEYS, IF YOU GET ERROR WHILE DELETING THIS KEYS FIRST TKE OWNERSHIP AND THEN GIVE YOUR USER FULL CONTROL TO EACH SUB KEY, NOW TRY TO DELETE.

4.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432node\Symantec\Backup Exec For Windows (64-bit machines only)

5.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\BackupExecAgentAccelerator

6.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\bedgb

7.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PDVFSService

8.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PDVSNP

9.       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PDVFSDriver

Today we announced the selection of Veritas Technologies Corporation as the new name for the standalone information management (IM) company that will be created following the completion of the separation we announced in October. We’re thrilled to bring back and build on the respected Veritas brand, a name that so many of our employees, partners and customers associate with the IM portfolio and its industry-leading solutions in information availability and information intelligence. While the new name acknowledges the heritage of these solutions, the new logo signals a transformed company ready to help organizations better utilize their information to build business productivity today and tomorrow.

The new logo design was influenced by the concepts of open, heterogeneous technologies that are required to harness the power of information, principles that are core to the future strategy of the new Veritas Technologies Corporation.

Because Veritas remains a part of Symantec until the separation is complete, we will not immediately launch a brand campaign but gradually introduce brand assets until Veritas becomes a public company and the branding can be completed. Yesterday we introduced the name and logo to our employees throughout the world and will now be referring to our information management business as the Veritas business.

As many of you know, I came to the Symantec board through the Veritas acquisition a decade ago.  Given my career history in the storage business, I am particularly enthused about the re-birth of the Veritas name in the industry and the possibilities for its future.

 The unprecedented growth of information has created additional costs, risks and levels of complexity for our customers. Looking forward from this important milestone, the new Veritas Technologies Corporation is focused on delivering the insight and availability that will help organizations mitigate these challenges and derive increased value from their information.

For more information on the new Veritas Technologies Corporation name and logo, please visit the following link http://www.symantec.com/page.jsp?id=announcing-the-new-veritas.

Aujourd’hui, nous avons annoncé avoir choisi Veritas Technologies Corporation comme nom pour notre société indépendante de gestion de l’information qui sera créée à l’issue de la scission que nous avions annoncée en octobre. Nous sommes ravis que Veritas reprenne le devant de la scène ; ce nom est respecté et nombre de nos employés, partenaires et clients l’associent avec les produits et les solutions de pointe en information management dans le domaine de la disponibilité et de l’intelligence de l’information. Ce nouveau nom célèbre l’héritage de ces solutions ; le nouveau logo, quant à lui, impose une société transformée qui aura vocation à aider les entreprises à mieux utiliser leurs informations pour développer leur productivité aujourd’hui et demain.

Le nouveau logo a été inspiré par les concepts des technologies ouvertes et hétérogènes indispensables pour exploiter toute la puissance de l’information. Ces principes mêmes sont le cœur de la future stratégie de Veritas Technologies Corporation.

Veritas restant une composante de Symantec jusqu’à ce que la séparation soit finalisée, nous ne lancerons pas de grande campagne de marque dans l’immédiat, les éléments de la marque seront dévoilés progressivement jusqu’à ce Veritas devienne une société publique et que tous ses éléments de marque soit finalisés. Hier, nous avons présenté le nom et le logo à nos employés partout dans le monde et Veritas sera donc désormais le nom utilisé quand il sera fait référence à nos activités de gestion de l’information.

Vous êtes nombreux à savoir que j’ai intégré le conseil d’administration de Symantec suite à l’acquisition de Veritas il y a de cela dix ans.  Ma carrière ayant été fortement marquée par les activités relatives au stockage, je suis particulièrement enthousiaste de voir renaître le nom Veritas dans l’industrie et je me réjouis des opportunités qui lui seront offertes.

La croissance sans précédent des informations a engendré des coûts, des risques et des niveaux de complexité supplémentaires chez nos clients. Veritas Technologies Corporation est prête à affronter ces défis main dans la main avec les entreprises qui pourront  tirer le meilleur parti de leurs informations grâce aux perspectives et à la disponibilité de Veritas.

Pour plus d’informations sur le nouveau nom et le logo Veritas Technologies Corporation, cliquez sur le lien suivant http://www.symantec.com/fr/fr/page.jsp?id=announcing-the-new-veritas.

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