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Dan Albrich
Microcomputer Network Specialist
dalbrich@oregon.uoregon.edu
This year, an increasing number of UO users will see a message from Norton
indicating that their virus definition subscription has expired.
If you're among them, don't worry, our site license is still intact. We have
the LiveUpdate subscription code you need, along with steps and pictures describing
how to install it, on our main antivirus web page at http://micro.uoregon.edu/av/
(note that you must be connected to the UO network to access this resource).
Why the expiration notice? In previous years, Symantec's Norton AntiVirus
(NAV) allowed you to install a new version on top of the old, automatically
updating the subscription information for another year. Unfortunately, the newer
versions of NAV no longer permit this type of installation. Users are now required
to uninstall any prior version of the product--often a rather complex
operation--before they can upgrade.
The new version for this year, Norton AntiVirus 2003, was not available at press time, and did not make it onto Duckware 2002.* NAV 2003 is very similar to last year's offering, with the exception of its ability to scan files transferred by instant messaging programs, which we don't recommend using anyway (see the Spring 2000 Computing News article "Be Aware of Security Issues with ICQ Instant Messaging" at http://cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/spring2000/icq.html).
*Note: Symantec released NAV 2003 on September
4. Our initial testing indicates that it's easy to install on top of earlier
versions, and it comes with another year of LiveUpdate. To install (UO restricted),
go to ftp://public.uoregon.edu/software/AntiVirus/NAV2003.EXE
or check out a CD-ROM from the Documents Room.
Corporate edition update (NAV CE 8.0): Departments using the corporate edition of NAV will find the update in the AntiVirus/Corporate Edition folders on the "Software" volume of the Public server (http://micro.uoregon.edu/pd/)
If you get an expiration notice, you can either enter the new LiveUpdate code,
or upgrade to the latest version of NAV.
Given the lack of a compelling reason to upgrade and the potential difficulty
of the process, Microcomputer Services staff recommends that you simply enter
the new LiveUpdate code when prompted to do so. See http://micro.uoregon.edu/av/
for information about how to apply the subscription code.
Installing NAV 2003 (Windows only): As mentioned earlier, NAV 2003 was
not available when we created this year's Duckware CD. If you prefer to install
this updated version of NAV for Windows, you can get it from our public domain
server (http://micro.uoregon.edu/pd/) or from the Documents Room in 175 McKenzie
Hall.
Mac users: The NAV versions included on Duckware 2002 (NAV 7.2 for Mac
OS 8 - 9.x and NAV 8.0 for Mac OS X) are still the most current Macintosh releases,
so after you install the version that's appropriate for your needs, you won't
need to update further.
We are currently in the final year of our three-year site license agreement with Symantec. The current license runs through July 2003, and Microcomputer Services will be investigating antivirus products this winter and spring. We anticipate entering into a new agreement for subsequent years, either a renewal of the Symantec Norton AntiVirus product or a new alternative product, depending on what sort of agreement can be reached.