McAfee AVDCDE-BA-CA User Guide - Page 229

Updating and Upgrading VirusScan Software The current VirusScan release can download and install new .DAT and engine files from a SuperDAT package, on any supported Windows platform, without requiring you to restart your computer. You can download and run SuperDAT packages separately to update and update your software, or you can use the SuperDAT utility in conjunction with the AutoUpgrade utility to automate updates to a significant degree. To learn how to combine the two utilities, see "Using the AutoUpgrade and SuperDAT utilities together" on page 250. In addition to the weekly SuperDAT package that contains both current .DAT files and a current Olympus scan engine, McAfee will make available a SuperDAT package that consists only of .DAT files. This executable file minimizes the need for you to closely manage your .DAT file updates. It takes care of shutting down any active scan operations, services, or other memory-resident software components that might interfere with your updates. It then copies the new files to their proper locations and enables your software to use them immediately. • Packaged .DAT file updates. McAfee also releases weekly .DAT file stand-alone packages that you can download, extract, and copy to the program directory for your software. A .DAT package consists of an archived .ZIP file named DAT-XXXX.ZIP. The XXXX in the file name is a series number that changes with each .DAT file release. McAfee does not recommend this method to update your software, but you can do so when necessary. To learn more about how to use these packages for your updates, see the README.TXT file that accompanies each weekly package. • EXTRA.DAT files. Regular Network Associates virus definition (.DAT) file releases protect you quite well against new and still-circulating malicious code. But even weekly .DAT releases can't always protect you against a swift virus outbreak, especially in the wake of such e-mail borne viruses as W97M/MELISSA. Network Associates anti-virus software anticipates exactly this situation. It allows you to take advantage of capabilities built into the Olympus scan engine to deploy a small, supplemental virus definition file in between .DAT file releases. This small EXTRA.DAT file holds the absolutely latest available virus signature data for viruses that Network Associates AVERT researchers have identified as high-risk contaminants. The file can help to identify several viruses at once, but because AVERT researchers ordinarily publish an EXTRA.DAT file as soon as they identify a high-risk virus, the file frequently targets one or two highly prevalent agents. If a series of high-risk viruses appears between .DAT file releases, AVERT researchers might issue a corresponding series of EXTRA.DAT files. User's Guide 229