Rendez-vous and Security
If <a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/jaguar/rendezvous.html"; target="_blank">Rendez-vous</a> automatically allows different devices to connect to each other, where does security fit in?
[quote] The network could be as simple as two AirPort-equipped PowerBook users sitting in a hotel meeting room miles from the nearest AirPort base station with some large files they need to share. Before Rendezvous, frustration. With Rendezvous, their computers would discover each other making the file sharing completely simple.<hr></blockquote>
So if you're say on an airplane with your PowerBook, and there's someone next to you with his iBook, do you have to tell your computer that it's OK for him to access it, or can he just access any file in your Shared folder?
It gets trickier once you bring in say your Palm Pilot. By what I mentioned above, when placed near each other, your computer would say... "I do believe there's a Palm. Would you like to connect?" But how would you make it so he doesn't get the info on your Palm?
This becomes even harder if you say have a digital camera, which doesn't really have much in the way of a flexible interface (it wouldn't be hard for your Palm to tell it to connect, just a pain in the ass). But w/ a camera, it would just be awkard (push the manual focus button to sync).
Are these problems realistic, or are they easily solved by just setting your Palm to only recognize your computer's serial number... or requiring a certificate (safer and less hacker-prone) to connect, and then encrypting the signal.
[quote] The network could be as simple as two AirPort-equipped PowerBook users sitting in a hotel meeting room miles from the nearest AirPort base station with some large files they need to share. Before Rendezvous, frustration. With Rendezvous, their computers would discover each other making the file sharing completely simple.<hr></blockquote>
So if you're say on an airplane with your PowerBook, and there's someone next to you with his iBook, do you have to tell your computer that it's OK for him to access it, or can he just access any file in your Shared folder?
It gets trickier once you bring in say your Palm Pilot. By what I mentioned above, when placed near each other, your computer would say... "I do believe there's a Palm. Would you like to connect?" But how would you make it so he doesn't get the info on your Palm?
This becomes even harder if you say have a digital camera, which doesn't really have much in the way of a flexible interface (it wouldn't be hard for your Palm to tell it to connect, just a pain in the ass). But w/ a camera, it would just be awkard (push the manual focus button to sync).
Are these problems realistic, or are they easily solved by just setting your Palm to only recognize your computer's serial number... or requiring a certificate (safer and less hacker-prone) to connect, and then encrypting the signal.
Comments
<strong>It gets trickier once you bring in say your Palm Pilot. By what I mentioned above, when placed near each other, your computer would say... "I do believe there's a Palm. Would you like to connect?" But how would you make it so he doesn't get the info on your Palm?</strong><hr></blockquote>
There is no TCP/IP connection between your notebook and your Palm - and TCP/IP is what Rendez-vous is based upon - it is just a Bluetooth connection. You can restrict access that way. Tell your Palm not to show up in the PAN, you can still access it from your computer once both devices have been introduced to eachother. The computer remebers the Palm's ID and thus does not need to find it again - it contacts the Palm when desired.
And I don't see any problems concerning your digital camera - today, you usually connect wired and maybe per Bluetooth (or some other wireless peripheral connectivity mechanisme) in the future. So, see above.
[ 07-20-2002: Message edited by: RolandG ]</p>
[ 07-20-2002: Message edited by: RolandG ]</p>