A bootstrap is a small strap or loop at the back of a leather boot that enables you to pull the entire boot on. In computers, to bootstrap (or "to boot") is to load a program into a computer using a much smaller initial program to load in the desired program (which is usually an operating system). In general usage, bootstrapping is the leveraging of a small initial effort into something larger and more significant. There is also a common expression, "pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps," meaning to leverage yourself to success from a small beginning.
Contributor(s): Kevin D. Dearing
This was last updated in August 2000
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Backing up to local disk or tape can protect against the accidental destruction of a file but will do nothing to protect you when your facility suffers fire or flooding. Remote backup provides a better solution. This tip looks at two possibilities for remote backup: Choosing an outsourced remote backup service, or using software to do your own backups to an offsite facility.
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Learn how attackers are using the widespread deployment of low-cost VoIP to leverage phishing attacks.
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Is the government listening to your VoIP traffic? Can other companies spy on your WAN? It may sound like a paranoid conspiracy theory, but it's not that far out, technologically speaking. In this tip, Tom Lancaster looks at just how exposed your WAN traffic may be.
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