Network World articles from February 2002

Network World archives from February 2002

Modem sharing on an upgraded W2K server.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... We recently changed our network from a standard workgroup with a server to a Windows 2000 domain, making the server a primary domain controller. The clients need to use a modem attached to the server to dial out to a partner network. The modem...

Quantum Bridge enables Ethernet.(Utilicom Networks' SIGECOM uses Quantum Bridge Gigabit Ethernet WAN card)
February 4, 2002... Quantum Bridge this week unveiled a Gigabit Ethernet WAN card for its optical access platforms that's designed to enable service providers to deliver optical Ethernet WAN services to enterprises. The card enables high-speed connectivity...

MSN offers portal, Hotmail for mobile users.
February 6, 2002... Microsoft has launched a version of its MSN Internet portal for mobile devices, and will offer access to its Hotmail Web-based e-mail service over cell phones, it said Wednesday. The MSN home page, news and sport channels, plus Messenger...

Internet access makes its way home.(U.S. Deparment of Commerce report)(Statistical Data Included)
February 6, 2002... The Internet has found its way home. Not only are more Americans using the Net than ever before, but record numbers are accessing it from their home computers. According to a U.S. Deparment of Commerce report released Tuesday, 54 percent...

IBM, Microsoft, BEA Systems form Web services group.
February 6, 2002... In an attempt to ensure consistency in the development of Web services, IBM, Microsoft and BEA Systems on Thursday will announce a software group for promoting existing and future standards as defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and...

SafeWeb offers secure extranet appliance.
February 6, 2002... SafeWeb, formerly best known for its free online privacy tool, has completed its transition to a focus on enterprise customers. The company has released its first Secure Extranet Appliance, called SEA Tsunami, SafeWeb said in a statement. ...

Palm OS 5, ARM offer users more choices.
February 6, 2002... One of the most visible benefits to Palm's move to a new operating system and a new processor family is that it will bring consumers a wider variety of devices, according to David Fedor, PalmSource's evangelist and architect. "The devices...

Verizon Wireless sues FCC over $1.7 billion deposit.
February 6, 2002... Verizon Wireless tried to bargain. When that didn't work, it asked nicely for its money back. But after waiting a month for the Federal Communications Commission to refund deposits for spectrum licenses it will almost certainly never receive,...

Defense may share spectrum with public safety groups.
February 6, 2002... The Department of Defense has acknowledged the possibility of sharing some of its wireless spectrum with public safety officials, such as police, firefighters and emergency response teams. In a report submitted to Congress Tuesday, Defense...

Cahners: PDA sales still growing, but more slowly.(Statistical Data Included)
February 6, 2002... Hype may be building over wireless services, but a report from Cahners In-Stat Group Wednesday said sales of PDAs, popular devices needed to take advantage of those services, are slowing. Total shipments of PDAs grew 17% in 2001, with 8...

Partial Cisco financial results leak early.
February 6, 2002... Cisco told the world ahead of its scheduled financial release Wednesday afternoon that it will outperform earnings per share and revenue estimates, after an information leak sprung internally on Tuesday evening about its second-quarter...

Juniper rolls out edge enhancements.
February 6, 2002... Juniper Networks this week rolled out hardware and software enhancements to its edge router line, including a new platform and some high-availability routing features. The enhancements include: A four-port multichannel DS-3 Physical...

IBM experimenting with mobile PC core.
February 6, 2002... IBM Wednesday said it is experimenting with a mobile PC core that a user can carry around and plug into different holders, creating a handheld computer, desktop PC or notebook computer. Code-named MetaPad, the box has a hard drive, RAM,...

Analysis: Vendors beef up wireless LAN gear.
February 6, 2002... Wireless LANs are a kind of paradox. The inner workings of the radios and such are complicated, but actually plugging them together into a net can be pretty simple. Still, there remain a host of problems that only now are starting to get...

Research firms see rosy future for Ethernet market.(Statistical Data Included)
February 6, 2002... The worldwide Ethernet switch market will begin to creep back this year from its 2001 slump and pick up steam next year as enterprises look to upgrade aging wiring-closet boxes, according to Dell'Oro Group. A recent report from Dell'Oro...

Alloptic wins in Central Texas.(Central Texas Technologies uses Alloptics' Fiber-to-the-Home and Fiber-to-the-Business systems)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2002... Alloptic announced that Central Texas Technologies will deploy Alloptics' Fiber-to-the-Home and Fiber-to-the-Business systems in Central Texas. CTT provides phone line, Internet access, analog and digital cable television, community...

Websense, SonicWall team on 'Net security.
February 8, 2002... Enterprise users will soon be able to buy a single product both to manage their employees' Internet usage and to operate a network firewall, thanks to a new company alliance. Employee Internet management (EIM) software maker Websense and...

Gateway country goes to war.(PC price war)
February 8, 2002... Last week Gateway Inc. resumed hostilities in the PC price wars, announcing numerous price cuts and signaling what Chair and Chief Executive Officer Ted Waitt calls a plan "to start setting the pace again with our competitors." Certainly,...

Sun looks to Liberty for network identity solution.
February 8, 2002... Sun plans to launch a series of network identity products in March designed to tackle business problems around digital identity, company officials said Thursday. The forthcoming solution, as well as other Sun and iPlanet technologies, will be...

Microsoft patches another Telnet flaw in Win 2000.(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... If you don't succeed the first seven times, try, try (and try some more) again. That seems to be the lesson Friday, as Microsoft acknowledged new vulnerabilities in the Telnet code included in Windows 2000, eight months after issuing a patch...

AT&T Wireless set to close TeleCorp PCS deal.(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... AT&T Wireless' acquisition of TeleCorp PCS is expected to receive regulatory approval next week. AT&T Wireless announced its intention to buy the wireless service provider in October for $4.7 billion in stock. On Friday, 94% of...

Users seek streamlined online security.(Statistical Data Included)
February 8, 2002... Security and ease are still the name of the game when it comes to online shopping, according to Jupiter Media Metrix, which released reports this week stating that while many users want increased authentication measures, they also want fewer...

No time for face time; Global Companies build IP-based videoconferencing networks to link project teams.
February 11, 2002... Global companies build IP-based videoconferencing networks to link project teams. By Evan Rosen Large companies with project teams spread over several countries and multiple time zones are increasingly turning to videoconferencing to...

Tools for global teams.
February 11, 2002... Sidebar 1 Videoconferencing: This tool lets people see each other as they talk. A point-to-point videoconference connects two locations, while a multipoint videoconference links three or more sites. Most legacy videoconference systems run...

Integrating the 'Net into net mgmt.
February 11, 2002... Many companies are much more dependent on the Internet than they've ever been. With e-mail, Web-based commerce and VPNs becoming a larger part of most businesses, the Internet is no longer optional. This means you need to start treating...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 11, 2002... While I applaud Kevin Tolly's advocacy of Jumbo Frames (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 8023), I think it is unfair and overly simplistic to dismiss certain technical issues as a "smokescreen." In a homogeneous 10G Ethernet network, Jumbo...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
February 11, 2002... DLECs' demise "The DLECs' demise" (http://www.nwfusion.com/research/2002/0107feat.html) is a very insightful article. As a business customer, I need a high-speed, low-cost communications circuit and will take whatever technology is best....

Intelligent route control improves BGP.
February 11, 2002... Internet capacity has increased significantly in the past two years, but the explosive growth in Internet traffic has been accompanied by bottlenecks, especially in the "middle mile" of Internet-based networks. These bottlenecks originate...

'Net Buzz; News, insights, opinions and oddities.
February 11, 2002... Don't get your hopes up Want to know why controlling spam seems harder than changing the weather? Look no further than a pair of recent initiatives, one from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), the other from a nonprofit...

Outsourcers taking up the ASP mantle.
February 11, 2002... Large outsourcers and systems integrators have always tiptoed around the application service provider market, preferring to forge relationships that kept them behind the scenes. However, recent news from EDS that it is partnering with messaging...

Crustacean security.(Letter to the Editor)
February 11, 2002... Three of Network World's four cover stories on Jan. 21 were about security. The fourth mentioned security in the second paragraph. Two of the stories focused on the difficulties with using the Internet Engineering Task Force's IP Security...

Slim down, shape up; Putting your network on a simplification diet can pay off.
February 11, 2002... Slim down, shape up Putting your network on a simplification diet can pay off. By Bonny Georgia Maintaining a high level of service on a flat or reduced budget is a challenge facing many IT executives. Simplifying your network can...

Keeping up with the times.
February 11, 2002... "As new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also and keep pace with the times." - Thomas Jefferson Whenever I'm in Washington, D.C., I...

Sprint preps frame service with IP twist; Offering to make debut about two years after rival offerings.
February 11, 2002... KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Sprint is readying a service designed to better handle frame relay customers' growing IP traffic loads. Sprint's IP Intelligent Frame Relay service will support fully meshed networks that provide the flexibility of...

Products that have graced the Cool Tools lab . . .(Contour Design's RollerMouse)(NEC MultiSync LCD 1550V)(InFocus' LP-530 )(Evaluation)
February 11, 2002... In the Cool Tools lab (about 2 feet away from my regular workstation) there are a number of new products that deserve the "cool" label, but writing about them individually would warrant a few extra pages in this book. Seeing as the publisher...

Zone Labs last week unveiled a package aimed at helping users administer enterprisewide security products.
February 11, 2002... Zone Labs last week unveiled a package aimed at helping users administer enterprisewide security products. Integrity is a client/server system that places an agent on each managed desktop in a company. The agents offer the ability to block...

Why Wall Street's got the carriers wrong.
February 11, 2002... Every other week, it seems a new service provider goes belly up. The latest casualty (as of this writing) is Global Crossing, which is undergoing intensive reorganization and restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. But this...

Infrastructure briefs.(SANcastle Technologies GFS-2)(Product Announcement)
February 11, 2002... n SANcastle Technologies has rolled out a gateway that allows customers to bridge Fibre Channel networks with Gigabit Ethernet networks. SANcastle's GFS-2 gateway is a rack-mountable 1U (1.75-inch-high) device that provides a...

Not part of the cable and DSL boom?; If you're out of range, alternative broadband technologies offer a small ray of hope.
February 11, 2002... High-speed cable and DSL connections have been a godsend to small office/home office networks and teleworkers across the U.S., but unfortunately not everyone has access to a cable or DSL connection. A variety of wireless alternatives exist...

Net.Worker Briefs.(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... BellSouth recently announced it would offer SonicWall's SOHO3 firewall to its FastAccess DSL business customers. The SOHO3 firewall device includes antivirus and contentfiltering software, and can support additional services such as network...

Users find hosted CRM apps hit bull's eye.
February 11, 2002... Thriftiness and caution are leading businesses of all sizes to choose hosted customer relationship management services over more traditional CRM applications, even if the features available in a hosted service are less robust than those of a...

Tracking traffic for trends.(Avian Communications Inc.)
February 11, 2002... MARLBOROUGH, MASS. - A start-up emerged from stealth mode last week with a product and suite of services designed to generate more revenue for wireless operators by tracking calls over the Internet. Avian Communications is an 18-month-old...

Siemens unveils remote VoIP gear; Upgraded, renamed HiPath switch can support up to 100,000 users.(Product Announcement)
February 11, 2002... Taking aim at enterprise voice-over-IP leaders Cisco and 3Com, Siemens last week unveiled several enterprise IP voice products aimed at helping traditional PBX users migrate to converged networks. With some hardware and software upgrades,...

Dell hooks up with Cray to offer server clustering.
February 11, 2002... Dell is not the first company that comes to mind when talking about supercomputers, but last week the company launched a new server-clustering program and a partnership with Cray to strengthen its position among vendors selling large groups of...

Ask Dr. Internet.
February 11, 2002... Our remote site with an Internet connection is protected by a SonicWall Pro device. The users at the remote site cannot access the Secure Socket Layer-protected Outlook Web Access (OWA) page from behind the device. They can access normal Web...

service provider briefs.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... n Cable & Wireless' acquisition of Exodus is a done deal. The transaction, valued at $750 million, was announced in November after Exodus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Cable & Wireless is buying the Exodus brand name, intellectual...

GigaFast switch is a small wonder.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 11, 2002... We assumed there wasn't anything new to report in the world of 10/100M bit/sec switches. However, GigaFast EZ500-S proved us wrong. The new device is tiny and inexpensive, and its autouplink feature lets you connect a variety of devices using...

Quick Eagle launches WAN access box with service-level verification pack.
February 11, 2002... SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Business customers looking for a way to track carriers service-level agreements could try a new hardware platform and software from Quick Eagle that monitors performance of T-1 links. The company says its new 4230 Access...

Edge Briefs.
February 11, 2002... n NetPlane Systems said it is now shipping a "high-availability" implementation of the Open Shortest Path First routing protocol. The new OSPF code product is part of NetPlane's OPTIRoute IP routing software for carrier-class network...

Assessing the Gerstner era.
February 11, 2002... Ten years ago, IBM was a company riding on its reputation for providing legacy computers and communications to enterprise IT users. But Big Blue was late to the game with minicomputers, fumbled the transition to client/server computing, missed...

News briefs.
February 11, 2002... n Enterasys Networks has postponed its planned spinoff of network management software subsidiary Aprisma Management Technologies after the company received word of an impending investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. On Jan. 31...

Spring cleaning.
February 11, 2002... This week, as spring is around the corner, we thought we'd do a little housekeeping. In our column "A good syncing feeling" (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 8045), we discussed our unsatisfactory experience with Alohabob PC Relocator...

Don't miss the VON VoIP showdown.
February 11, 2002... ComNet was quieter than usual but we still managed to get 400-plus people to Network World's VPN Showdown, hosted by Editorial Director John Gallant. And now we're gearing up for our next presidential-style debate. The theme this time: "Is...

Has slump hit bottom?; VC survey produces optimism, but other indicators less rosy.
February 11, 2002... WASHINGTON, D.C. - The network industry got mixed economic news last week. A survey showed venture capital spending has come out of its nosedive, but Senate leaders shelved a proposed tax break that could have boosted corporate IT spending. ...

Web services group push interoperability; Experts say standards aren't solving problems; Sun declines to participate.
February 11, 2002... A group of industry heavyweights has formed a consortium to ensure that Web services developers implement common standards in the same way. The consortium, called the Web Services Interoperability Organization, was announced last week and...

ASPs aim to change stripes.
February 11, 2002... These days, technology vendors are not above drastic measures to restore corporate health and prosperity. Napster, for example, is piloting a paid subscription model in an effort to gain back the users it lost when lawsuits paralyzed its free...

Let the software buyer beware.
February 11, 2002... "Let's say we buy a new room for a house. It is all complete and comes with a wooden bench. Let's call it 'Bench 3.11.' It is a basic wood bench, somewhat sturdy and fashionable for the times. It is the only bench suitable for use in this...

Equinix reinforces network services.
February 11, 2002... Equinix this week is announcing a suite of services aimed at helping users reduce network costs and simplify management of multiple ISP connections. The service provider is launching three network services for its collocation customers at...

Sun promises Linux push.
February 11, 2002... SANTA CLARA - Sun's promise to drive Linux deeper into its product lineup should be welcome news for network executives, say users and analysts who see the open source operating system as an affordable alternative to Solaris for low- to...

Alcatel set to launch IP offensive.
February 11, 2002... PARIS - Alcatel will make a hard charge at U.S. businesses this week with a variety of high-end IP products aimed at putting the European company on the short lists of convergence-minded corporate IT buyers. The vendor's new enterprise...

HP, Compaq extend server strategies.
February 11, 2002... Hewlett-Packard and Compaq, which will put their proposed merger to a shareholder vote in mid-March, forged ahead separately last week with server initiatives. HP released instructions designed to help other companies build products that...

Home office evolutionary theory.
February 11, 2002... Over time, teleworkers gravitate toward style over function when it comes to their home offices. Over time teleworkers - and their home offices - evolve. Consider Debra McKenzie. Today, her office is Spartan and simple, matched keenly...

Sniffer taking on new duties.
February 11, 2002... SANTA CLARA - Network Associates, which ditched its intrusion-detection systems last spring, is planning a fresh assault on this market because of customers' heightened awareness of security threats. The company's plan centers around...

Free-speech lawsuit filed against Network Associates.
February 11, 2002... The New York State attorney general has charged that Network Associates is violating the consumer's First Amendment right to free speech because language pinned to most of the vendor's software diskettes demands that no benchmarking or public...

Palm OS to boast full Web browser.
February 11, 2002... Later this year, users of Palm OS devices for the first time will get a fully equipped Web browser with the Palm OS operating system that will provide access to all things Web. Palm OS 5 is being hailed by PalmSource executives as the...

Even slow growth hits IT hard.
February 11, 2002... Research numbers show telework growth slowing. Despite all the media attention telework enjoyed in 2001, new research from IDC and Cahners In-Stat/MDR show its growth is slowing. In a report to be released later this month, IDC puts the...

Report: Gates, Ballmer may testify at antitrust hearing.
February 11, 2002... Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer may testify in upcoming court hearings on remedies in the ongoing antitrust case, according to published reports. The March 11 hearing is when the nine states...

Harvard Cyberposium highlights hot trends.
February 11, 2002... Security technologies, artificial intelligence, third-generation networking products and services, voice over IP and all things wireless are the hot technology areas and trends that IT executives who spoke over the weekend at the annual Harvard...

SEC probe into Global Crossing crosses Qwest's path.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... Qwest has been subpoenaed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for documents relating to the investigation of bankrupt telecommunication services provider Global Crossing. The company intends to cooperate fully with the SEC,...

Opening Web access to the disabled.
February 11, 2002... Any company that has a Web site should seriously consider making the site accessible to the disabled - not simply for altruistic reasons, but because it makes good business sense. Last year, U.S. government Web sites and the sites of some...

Enum refers to the international standard method by which you can input someone's telephone number into the Internet DNS and retrieve an e-mail address, Web page, fax number and other information that person has made available.
February 11, 2002... Enum refers to the international standard method by which you can input someone's telephone number into the Internet DNS and retrieve an e-mail address, Web page, fax number and other information that person has made available. Having multiple...

Should Enum have only one administrator?; Two contenders debate whether one or multiple companies should operate Enum's Tier 1 database.
February 11, 2002... Enum, a system for bridging the public switched telephone network and the Internet, can work only if there is an industry framework for selecting a single, national operator for Enum's main, or Tier 1, database. There's no getting around it. By...

ISS patches hole in BlackICE firewall.
February 11, 2002... A week after first issuing an alert about the problem, firewall and intrusion-detection system vendor Internet Security Systems released a patch to fix a security flaw in its BlackICE security products that could have led to a denial-of-service...

Handspring sells Treo in US, cuts price of Visor Edge.(Treo 180)(Product Announcement)
February 11, 2002... Handheld device maker Handspring began selling its Treo 180 communicator, a combined mobile phone and PDA on its Web site on Sunday. The hybrid Treo is available for US$399 when bought in conjunction with GSM service from Cingular Wireless...

Small businesses are big Net users.
February 11, 2002... Small businesses lag far behind their larger counterparts at proportional investments in technology, even though they use PCs and the Internet more than ever before. A recent U.S. Commerce Department study shows that small and...

Google pushes search in a box.(Google Box 1001 and Google Box 8008)(Product Announcement)
February 11, 2002... Packing its Internet search secret sauce into a box, Google on Monday plans to release a search engine appliance designed for use behind the corporate firewall. The Google Search Appliance combines hardware and software in a device...

MSN Messenger vulnerable through IE bug.
February 11, 2002... Shortly after Microsoft admitted that its MSN Messenger instant messaging program has a bug that could disclose the names and e-mail addresses on a user's contact list, the company is being confronted with what seems to be a bigger hole. ...

Wireless, mobile products debut at Demo 2002.
February 11, 2002... Wireless and mobile products are claiming much of the attention among the new technology on display at the Demo 2002 show in Phoenix this week. Some highlights include: * Newbury Networks' LocaleManager and LocaleServer software. This...

Hewlett discusses plan for Compaq-free HP.
February 11, 2002... Merger opponent and Hewlett-Packard board member Walter Hewlett has a three-part plan for HP's future without Compaq: Expand HP's lucrative printer business, scale back its PC business and fill in gaps in its line of enterprise products,...

IBM expands memory on Intel servers.
February 11, 2002... IBM later this month will begin shipping servers with new memory technologies designed to boost system performance while lowering hardware costs.IBM's research arm has developed an algorithm for encoding data that makes a computer's physical...

Network Associates to bring Sniffer under net-management umbrella.
February 13, 2002... In addition to incorporating intrusion-detection capabilities into its Sniffer protocol-analysis product line this year, Network Associates plans to give Sniffer the ability to report potential problems to network management platforms from...

Kodak sues Sun over Java technology.
February 13, 2002... Eastman Kodak has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Sun over its Java programming technology, Sun said late Tuesday. Sun offered no details of the lawsuit and Eastman Kodak has yet to disclose its filing, which was made in the...

Apple, Ericsson, Sun team on wireless content delivery.
February 13, 2002... Apple, Ericsson and Sun Tuesday announced that they've partnered to create a technology platform for delivering multimedia content such as movie clips and news programs to wireless devices. The companies plan to each focus on a certain...

HP cuts prices on Intel servers and appliances.
February 13, 2002... Hewlett-Packard Tuesday cut prices by up to 31% in North America on some of its low-end Intel-based servers and server appliances. With server sales hard to come by, hardware vendors are fighting to match one another's prices and to offset...