Frequently Asked Questions
on How Things Work

The text in VulnerabilityNet is too big - can I change it?

Yes - text size has been left unfixed, so Internet Explorer gives you the option to change text size on the 'view' menu, under 'text size' or 'text zoom'. This will have effect in most, but not all contexts.

I'm sure there's supposed to be another forum here....

Access Mode is defined by the forum creator - most SEI work probably will be 'Private' or 'Restricted'.

Private - means that the forum will not show on screen, to users below the administrative level, until and unless they have been invited to it.

Restricted - means that the forum will show and will be accessible, but users may not post to it without permission from the forum moderator or creator.

I can't upload documents properly!

First, check you are authorised to do so. Then, bear in mind that the size of uploads is constrained by the settings of the forum, but cannot be greater than 8mb in any instance. Check with the forum moderator about this setting. Bear in mind also that the system uses HTML (in other words, web protocols) for these transactions, rather than FTP which may be faster - this is a constraint of putting everything on a single interface.

If I need to access the uploaded documents, what software do I need?

Most uploaded documents will be held either as Microsoft Word, or Excel, or as Acrobat files. Free viewers are available for Word, and for Acrobat.

What browser should I be using?

This system has been tested with Internet Explorer 4 and later on PC and Mac, and on Netscape 4.6 and later on PC and Mac, and with Opera for Mac. Other systems will be tested as they become available to us, but you should have no problems with any system of the last few years since all the functionality is run from the server rather than your computer.

What functionality are we talking about here?

The site forums are built with PHP using open-source components, conversing with a MySQL database which contains all the source data and delivers it up on demand.

I am uncomfortable with the use of Frames

Frames may be very un-trendy, but they are extremely helpful for a site of this kind. If you normally use a very old or text-based browser which cannot handle frames and feel that a different interface is vital, then please get in touch with the web designers.

I can't visit the site often - how do I know about activity on the forums?

Most forums will give you the option to 'subscribe' which allows you to receive posts to a given forum by email.

So why not have all users do that?

The purpose of the exercise is to enable the online forums to function as a repository of information and a focus of effort for collaborative groups - far better and more efficient to encourage people to connect frequently and co-operate in this single space.