COSC573 Instructor: Professor Anvari Student:Shen Zhong ID#: Summer semester,1999 Washington.D.C

A Comparison of the Security Architectures of Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Novell IntranetWare 4.11 Architecture Overview The Network Client Workstation Architecture Network Client Workstation Security Requirements Network Client Architecture Comparison File Server Architecture File Server Architecture Comparison Enterprise Application Server Architecture Comparison

Architecture Overview Windows NT Network ArchitectureIntranetWare Architecture

The Network Client Workstation Architecture Windows NT Workstation Client Software yes entrusted application yes Operating system: in a separate execution domain that applications cannot enter. Applications make requests using well-defined programming interfaces. Communicate securely with servers--by Secure Distributed Component Object Model and Secure Sockets Layer. IntranetWare client Software no entrusted application difficult Operating system: third party product--Sistex. Not run the same software as the server, but it can host any MS-DOS or Windows 3,1 based application Security kernel provides security--it intercepts all references to files and devices.

Network Client Workstation Security Requirements Authentication,Access Control(ACL),Auditing, (1) Windows NTIntranetWare Username/password allows users to determine ACL covers all system objects can set ACL on the applications auditing more flexibility Username/password by intercepting bus traffic No ACL on system objects cannot be tampered with by application auditing system is limited to events

Network Client Workstation Security Requirements Security Partitioning, Secure Authenticated Clients, Secure Communications, Security Management (2) Windows NTIntranetWare Application execute in the user domain,security kernel execute in the kernel domain; only authenticated clients of Windows NT can join and participate in the Windows NT domain; Windows NT provides built-in cryptographic technology for secure communication. the security subsystem is provided by add-on hardware and, consequently, is separate from the operating system ; IntranetWare does not provide any facilities for authenticating clients on the network ; IntranetWare uses packet signing to create an unforgeable signature for every message

Network Client Architecture Comparison (1)

Network Client Architecture Comparison (2)

File Server Architecture Comparison

Enterprise Application Server Architecture  The ability to protect the operating system and applications by implementing and enforcing security partitions.  The ability to minimize risk by allocating operating system privileges to applications with a fine level of granularity and control, resulting in the least amount of privilege given to applications.  The ability to extend the trusted perimeter by providing applications developers with the facilities to incorporate proven operating system security functionality into applications.

Enterprise Application Server Architecture Comparison

Conclusion(1) It is clear that IntranetWare provides a secure solution for file and print server requirements, but in an enterprise network environment is limited by the inflexibility of the file server architecture. The need for a separate secure client workstation, the inability to securely host back-end applications on the server,and the lack of consistency in the overall security model make IntranetWare poorly suited for an enterprise network platform, where security is a concern..

Conclusion(2) Windows NT provides not only secure file and print services, but also:  1: A consistent set of security features available on both Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server.  2: A suite of security functionality, including cryptographic functions, that can be incorporated into applications. 3:A single set of security abstractions across the entire network, simplifying security administration. The flexibility of the peer architecture, along with improved authentication, auditing, security partitioning, and manageability make Windows NT an excellent solution for secure network environments. Together, these features make Windows NT the choice platform for modern enterprise networks.