Fortres "3.0" ?

[Jim Richards]

You might be able to use a command line switch like "LOGIN XXXXXX /BYPASS" to do
this.  I would check your Novell docs and their website to find out more.

Jim Richards    Network Administrator
Naperville Public Libraries

spober at manvax.cc.manhattan.edu wrote:

> I recently installed Fortres on a number of our public computers
>
> Although the disk, the manual, and the box were all marked version 3.0,
> the version number on the "about" screen was 2.51d.  I mentioned this
> to Fortres tech support, and  they rushed another copy out to us.
> Same thing with this one.  Since the odds of them mislabelling ALL their
> disks seem pretty low, I'm wondering if they either a) didn't upgrade the
> Windows 3.1 version when they upgraded the Win95 software, or b) they
> simply  forgot to revise the 'about' screen.
>
> I've had two problems: one is that when I specify a program group or two
> as being limited to a particular user, the program *does* block them, but
> does NOT prompt the user for a password.  This means  that the privileged
> users need to enter Fortres and disable all protection to access items
> in that group.  Additionally, one of the groups I tried to block access to,
> the "Main" group in Win 3.11, would block access to File Manager, the
> MS-DOS prompt, and Control Panel, but would not block access to the other
> items in the group.  Although in this case, the other items were not the
> ones we were particularly worried about, the fact that the blocking is not
> working that well is a little disturbing.
>
> I have one computer, configured identically to the others, same hardware,
> same software, that will NOT load Fortres.  The Install program gets to
> 98% and then starts frantically accessing the hard disk and floppy by
> turns. Takes forever, then basically hangs.   I've tried this one with
> the network loaded, not loaded, using network windows, local windows,
> logged in to network, not logged in to network.  Very frustrating.
>
> The DOS vulnerability still bothers me.  What I have done on these machines
> is to invoke the network loader in autoexec.bat, and then have the
> machine log itself in to the appropriate account and invoke Windows.
> We're using Novell, but it's a campus server - we don't have local
> control.  There's a point after the network login where the user is
> prompted to hit any key to continue - and it's clear to me that this
> is where a hacker can easily break out of the program to DOS.  (I've
> gotten  rid of the most dangerous DOS commands on these machines - format,
> fdisk, deltree, edit, and attrib are GONE, but that's easily circumvented
> by a clever vandal who plans ahead and brings their own DOS disk).
>
> I'm looking for a DOS command or work-around to get by the "hit any key"
> message.  Right now, the network startup batch file has the lines:
>
> F:LOGIN XXXXXX
> WIN
>
> (where XXXXXX is the name of a network account that needs no password
> and has limited privileges).   The "hit any key" message comes after the
> login and before Windows starts up.  When a key is pressed, the program
> does go on to load windows.  Anyone know a DOS command I can use there
> to satisfy  the "any key" requirement or bypass it?
>
> //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
>  Stacy Pober                       Internet: spober at manvax.cc.manhattan.edu
>  Information Alchemist             http://www.manhattan.edu/library/mclmenu.html
>  Manhattan College Libraries       Phone: 718-862-7980
>  Riverdale, NY 10471               Fax: 718-862-7995
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