Mobile Hardware - Novell LINUX ENTERPRISE SERVER 11 - ADMINISTRATION Administration Manual

Strong Authentication
Use biometric authentication in addition to standard authentication via login and
password. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports fingerprint authentication. For
more details, see Chapter 7, Using the Fingerprint Reader (↑Security Guide).
Securing Data on the System
Important data should not only be encrypted during transmission, but also on the
hard disk. This ensures its safety in case of theft. The creation of an encrypted
partition with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is described in Chapter 11, Encrypting
Partitions and Files (↑Security Guide). Another possibility is to create encrypted
home directories when adding the user with YaST.
IMPORTANT: Data Security and Suspend to Disk
Encrypted partitions are not unmounted during a suspend to disk event.
Thus, all data on these partitions is available to any party who manages to
steal the hardware and issue a resume of the hard disk.
Network Security
Any transfer of data should be secured, no matter how it takes place. Find general
security issues regarding Linux and networks in Chapter 1, Security and Confiden-
tiality (↑Security Guide). Security measures related to wireless networking are
provided in

14.2 Mobile Hardware

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server supports the automatic detection of mobile storage devices
over FireWire (IEEE 1394) or USB. The term mobile storage device applies to any
kind of FireWire or USB hard disk, USB flash drive, or digital camera. These devices
are automatically detected and configured as soon as they are connected with the system
over the corresponding interface. The file managers of both GNOME and KDE offer
flexible handling of mobile hardware items. To unmount any of these media safely, use
the Safely Remove (KDE) or Unmount Volume (GNOME) feature of either file manager.
External Hard Disks (USB and FireWire)
As soon as an external hard disk has been correctly recognized by the system, its
icon appears in the file manager. Clicking the icon displays the contents of the
drive. It is possible to create folders and files here and edit or delete them. To rename
172 Administration Guide
Chapter 18, Wireless Communication (page 259).