Visual Zone, Help!?!

[ljc1174]

My ZA will not let me use visual zone and I'm having problems, yes, understanding how to add it.

[Prince_Serendip]

:) Hi Lori! VisualZone does not link directly with ZA. It does work with it. They are seperate programs but you load the ZA Log file with VisualZone and then let it do its stuff.

There are two folder tabs right under File on the top left of the VisualZone window. The left one is red and yellow. Click it to select the ZA Logfile you want for VisualZone. This will give you a Find File Dialogue box. Highlight Drive C: by clicking on it once with your mouse. Then click on the Open Button. Look through the folders until you find Windows. Click on it like you did before. Look for a folder called Internet Logs. Click on it and Open and there are your ZA Logfiles. Click on the one you want (usually most recent date) then click Open. VisualZone will load it. Next time you boot/turn on your computer, after VisualZone loads, Open it and then click on the white and blue folder icon under File. This will load the most recent Logfile into VisualZone. (You need to Select the ZA Logfile first or VisualZone won't know where to find it. Doing this once should be enough.)

Do you need to know how to set-up and make reports to D-Shield? I can explain that too.

[ljc1174]

Yes, please explain, also, I saw on the webshot that a map can actually be viewed to where the IP address is... how do i see that?

[Prince_Serendip]

:) Hi Lori! (sorry, to make you wait.) To get set up to submit reports to D-Shield click on Tools at the top of the VisualZone window, then go down and click on Options. A new window will appear, Configure VisualZone Report Utility. There are a bunch of Tabs: Preferences, Alarm, Backtrace, D-Shield, Miscellaneous. Click on D-Shield. You should see this:

[Prince_Serendip]

Next, please read this:
-{ Quote: "VisualZone tells me I need to configure DShield before I can submit reports. How do I do that?

From the menu in VisualZone choose "Tools" and "Options...". In the "Configure VisualZone Report Utility" window, click on the "DShield" tab. Now click on the "Signup" button and follow the instructions.

I am trying to configure DShield. What should I put into the "Outgoing mail (SMTP)" field?

The SMTP server name is the name of the outgoing mail server (SMTP server) of your Internet Service Provider. The name of the SMTP server should have been given to you by your Internet Service Provider when you signed up for their services.
Usually the name of the SMTP server is something like this:
For example, if the name of your Internet Service Provider is Myprovider.com, then chances are that the name of their SMTP server is something like smtp.myprovider.com (or something similar), but you will have to check the information from your Service Provider to make sure.
If you cannot find the information you're looking for, you may be able to find it by looking at the settings of your E-mail account in the software you use to send E-mail.
For example, if you use Outlook Express you could try to find the information by choosing "Tools" and "Accounts" from the menu. Click on your E-mail account and then click on the "Properties" button. Select the tab labelled "Servers". The "Outgoing Mail (SMTP)" name should be listed there. You can Copy&Paste the name to the DShield settings in VisualZone.
NOTE: If you cannot get DShield submission to work properly, for instance if your Internet Service Provider does not support SMTP, you can use mail.dshield.org as an alternative. However, if you use mail.dshield.org as the outgoing mail server, the option to send a copy of the report to your own E-mail address will be disabled.
" }-

Now that you have your SMTP info go ahead and click the Signup button. When you're done with Signup you'll get an ID number from D-Shield. Enter it in the box on the left under the Signup button. Fill in the e-mail address you used with D-Shield and the SMTP address. When that is done click Apply at the bottom right.

Look through the rest of the tabs and select whatever you want. Again click Apply.

When you want to manually send reports to D-Shield look for the two green and red boxes on the upper-right side of the toolbar. The left-hand one has a pair of binoculars. Click on the right hand one. VisualZone will select the files for the report and show them to you. All you have to do next is click on Submit and the rest is automatic. When it has sent the e-mail you just close the box.

If you want your reports sent automatically there's a checkbox under the SMTP address box (see illustration above) to send reports every six hours.

Any questions? Oh, about the map. I don't have that so cannot explain it. This should set you up nicely! :)

[Checkout]

Is it possible you mean VisualRoute, and not VisualZone?

[Prince_Serendip]

:) Hi Checkout! How are you? I've heard that if you buy ZA Pro you get to see your IP Traces on a world map. It may be called VisualRoute. I don't have that so cannot explain more on it. The original references for this thread were to "How to Configure" VisualZone for the first time. If you can answer the mapping function question, I'd appreciate it. Thanks. :)

[ljc1174]

Thanx Prince! I love this thingy!!!!

Checkout, this VisualZone has a feature that give you a map, whois and two others for information about the ip that ZA blocked. I LOVE IT!!! ;D
I'll probably be posting later after I do some more searching... I think I'm going to have questions about UDP... From what I think I'm understanding about it is, my internet provider is trying to get into my pc to see what I am doing... The thought crossed my mind that maybe they might have their own "trojans" loaded into the to trace what their customers do... is it possible? Or is my mind just wondering into it's own world?

[Checkout]

I'd forgotten Visual Zone had a map facility, and I've been using it for a couple of years! Zone Alarm's Alert Advisor can also display the same map. Frankly, all I use Visual Zone for is to report to DShield. I just don't have any interest in intruders who've been blocked. :)

[crockett]

Hi;

From all your replies, one may be tempted to deduct ZoneAlarm ain't that bad a firewall as one usually thinks, compared to other Firewalls...

So, I may have to come to honestly revise my verdict.

Which version of ZA are you all referring to in this thread ?

Crockett

[Prince_Serendip]

:) Hi Crockett! Any version, I suppose. I have used ZA Free, which I believe Lori is using. then there's ZA Plus and ZA Pro. All of them can be used with VisualZone which gives you a full read out of your firewall activity. And, you can e-mail the results to D-Shield with a few mouse clicks.

[Checkout]

-{ Quote: " quoting: Crockett link=board=9;threadid=3132;start=0#21403 date=1029964017]ZoneAlarm ain't that bad a firewall as one usually thinks" }-
I really don't understand where this mis-perception has come about. ZA (all versions) are fine and effective software packages! Where did this bad press come from?

[crockett]

Hello;

I used to use ZA free version, but never tried the additional software you guys are talking about.

The more recent versions I don't dare to even install since so many OS seem to currently have problems with them...

I'll probably give VisualZone a try one of these days since these features you mention do seem very interesting.

Did you notice any system's slowdown when ZAFree gets coupled with VisualZone ?

Crockett 8)

[Checkout]

-{ Quote: " quoting: Crockett link=board=9;threadid=3132;start=0#21409 date=1029966045]Did you notice any system's slowdown when ZAFree gets coupled with VisualZone ?" }-
Visual Zone reads the ZA/ZAP/ZA+ logs once every minute. No reason for any slowdown as far as I've experienced.

[crockett]

Hi Checkout;

Just saw your post. Hope you're doing fine.

Seen security- and press-articles stating that ZoneAlarm made many concerted efforts to make their product equipped with additional non-firewall-specific features.

That's fine as far as I'm concerned, but the results don't seem to please many previous ZA users !? Problems on some OS configurations ?! Not as smooth a global system functioning as before ?!

I loved ZAFree but never could get myself to try the latest releases of ZA. Might have been wrong about that - I don't know.

Crockett

[crockett]

Checkout;

I owe you some precision about one of my last posts.

The somewhat negative comments I may have read about new present versions of ZA were related to problems of smoothness and stability on OS rather than to ZA's security power as a firewall.

Also, now is still a short time after the release of ZA's new versions/products, and I'm the first to acknowledge that new versions/products (of any software, for that matter) must get breathing space to be able to bring about any improvements and adjustments that may be needed after the initial public release.

All this was clear in my mind when writing, but now I can see this didn't come through in my two-three previous posts.

Hope I didn't offend you in any way.

Rgds, Crockett

[Prince_Serendip]

Hi Crockett! A lot of the negative reaction to the newest release of ZA Free was due to ZoneLabs deleting MailSafe from the package. The old version 2.632 had this protection but they decided to call it a "bug" and "corrected" it. It would have been better if they had left it in. Having that as a negative, they started getting a lot more feedback about the other problems people were having with the program on their OS's. ZoneLabs basically "shot themselves in the foot" IMO. They may understand programming, but they have a lot to learn about human nature (again IMO). (This is F.Y.I.)

However, all this aside, this thread is about VisualZone, how to configure and use it. The spotlight belongs there, not on ZA. Thanks. :)

[Checkout]

-{ Quote: " quoting: Crockett link=board=9;threadid=3132;start=15#21449 date=1029982316]Hope I didn't offend you in any way." }-
Absolutely not offended! :)