Network World articles from January 2002

Network World archives from January 2002

Founder Gassee leaves Be.
January 2, 2002... Jean-Louis Gassee, founder and CEO of operating system company Be, resigned Monday as the company winds up being bought by handheld vendor Palm in August last year. Dan Johnston, Be's general counsel, will act as company president during...

Alidian Networks touts ATM software; ASI helps Optical Service Node family perform virtual path multiplexing.(ATM Service Intelligence)(Product Announcement)
January 2, 2002... SAN JOSE - Alidian Networks has announced the availability of its new ASI software, ATM Service Intelligence, which the company says will let its Optical Service Node family of products perform virtual path muxing. This capability enables...

Scientists use optics to speed data transfer on chips.
January 2, 2002... Researchers at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University have developed a technique that allows them to use light, rather than electricity, to send data between microchips, the university announced at the end of December. The technology will greatly...

AOL continues to sign up broadband ISPs.
January 2, 2002... The Federal Trade Commission late last month approved AOL Time Warner's request to allow four ISPs to offer Internet services over the company's cable network. Meanwhile, AOLTW continues to file additional requests for approval in an...

CIA-backed analysis tool eyed for passenger checks; Reservations company hopes technology can help identify suspected terrorists.(Systems Research and Development)
January 2, 2002... Data analysis software backed by the CIA and used by some casinos to catch gambling cheats is now being tested for its potential to detect suspected terrorists and their associates when they make airline, hotel or rental-car reservations. ...

Business Objects scoops up Blue Edge Software.
January 3, 2002... Business Objects kick-started the new year with an acquisition of information delivery vendor Blue Edge Software, the companies announced Thursday. Prior to the acquisition, Blue Edge, based in Leeds, England, was a privately held company...

Consumer Electronics Show: Have monitor, will travel?(Viewsonic's AirPanel 150)
January 3, 2002... During his keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, Microsoft's Bill Gates will demonstrate the AirPanel 150, a flat-panel wireless monitor from Viewsonic that allows users to carry it from room to room. The...

New MIT center bridges research, industry.(Massachusetts Institute of Technology launches the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation)
January 3, 2002... Aiming to streamline funding for leading-edge technology research and make the resulting innovations more available to small, entrepreneurial companies, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Thursday launched the Deshpande Center for...

Web site defacement reports jump in 2001.
January 4, 2002... The number of vandalized Web sites recorded by defacement archive Alldas.de jumped in 2001 to 22,379, over five times more than the 4,393 defacements logged in 2000. Mostly Brazilian cybervandals are responsible for the surge in...

Gartner: It's a CRM buyer's market.
January 4, 2002... Customer relationship management vendors are struggling to capture new business, and enterprises in the market for CRM software stand to benefit from their tribulations, according to a report released this week by Gartner. "The global...

BSA grants software pirates one-month amnesty.
January 4, 2002... The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is offering corporate software pirates in seven U.S. areas a chance to start the new year on the right side of the law, offering a one-month grace period for companies to acquire necessary licenses without...

Novell to improve metadirectory.(Product Announcement)
January 4, 2002... Novell is expected to release as early as next week a version of its metadirectory software that works with more applications, including those on remote machines that aren't on NetWare networks. Like other metadirectories, Novell's new...

Net Optics rolls out fiber analyzer switch.(SpyderSwitch)(Product Announcement)
January 4, 2002... Net Optics is releasing an all-optical analyzer switch next month that can monitor and analyze traffic from up to 100 networks. The SpyderSwitch is a passive switch that sits between the analyzer console and the network. It works with any...

Retailers to browse supply-chain tools at trade show.
January 4, 2002... As the flood of holiday gift returns wanes, 15,000 retailers are expected to convene in New York Jan. 13-16 to do a little browsing of their own at the National Retail Federation's annual technology show. NRF 2002 will host 300 exhibitors...

BellSouth exceeds 2001 DSL goals.(Brief Article)
January 4, 2002... BellSouth yesterday revealed that it has nearly tripled its DSL subscriber numbers in 2001, easily bettering its goal of having 600,000 DSL customers by the end of 2001. The carrier now has 620,500 DSL customers and hopes to have 1.1...

One-time net highfliers bumped from NASDAQ elite list.
January 4, 2002... The NASDAQ-100 ain't what it used to be, and no one knows that more than 3Com and Novell. These two former network industry stalwarts, along with Ariba, Inktomi and nine other companies, were taken off the NASDAQ-100 Index on Dec. 24, 2001,...

CRM start-up Arcidea launches in rough waters.
January 4, 2002... Customer relationship management vendor Arcidea Thursday announced its debut, even as analysts are predicting a tidal wave of CRM vendor consolidation. The new company, in Atlanta, will offer CRM software and services to small and midsized...

FCC's Powell encourages telecoms to open up.
January 4, 2002... The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Friday advised a telecommunication industry gathering in Washington to be up front with customers regarding shortcomings of new products and services, lest the frustration that users feel in...

Fannie Mae VP Pugh homes in on network scalability, reliability.(Interview)
January 7, 2002... In the midst of a major economic downturn, Fannie Mae's business is booming as homeowners refinance their mortgages to take advantage of ultralow interest rates. The quasi-governmental financial services firm saw its Web traffic triple last...

Letters.
January 7, 2002... Regarding Jeff Shapiro's story "A bump in the road to CCIE" (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 7622): It sounds as if Shapiro's main focus has been academic. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert certification intentionally requires a lot of hands-on...

You've said before to perform so-called split DNS in the basic case of internal vs. external DNS servers.
January 7, 2002... You've said before to perform so-called split DNS in the basic case of internal vs. external DNS servers. When you have a site with multiple VPNs, you have to resolve certain classes of names using specific servers. Ideally, you'd like to say:...

Finding grief instead of answers.
January 7, 2002... Support forums used to offer hope in a world where formal software documentation is dwindling. Years ago when I encountered a problem evaluating software, posting a question to a forum would generate a response within a few days from a...

SMS pushes paging to extinction.
January 7, 2002... Messaging has many new frontiers, and cellular-based Short Message Service is one of the most promising. SMS is fast developing into one of the most important messaging services, so important that it will soon drive older paging services into...

The DLECs' Demise; Upstart DSL providers claim dirty tricks by incumbents contributed to their downfall; end result is that customers might be paying more and waiting longer for broadband.
January 7, 2002... Upstart DSL providers claim dirty tricks by incumbents contributed to their downfall; end result is that customers might be paying more and waiting longer for broadband. By Steve Ulfelder "I guess the 'no facilities' lie is my...

Project procedures; Use the right business processes to steer IT implementations through a downturn.
January 7, 2002... About 18 months ago, Inflow announced big plans to build its own enterprise management system. The modular system would let the network service provider monitor its environment and its customers' products and applications, and integrate with...

netbuzz.(Humor)(Column)
January 7, 2002... As we enter 2002, let it be resolved . . . There's nothing quite like the first column of a new year to fill a pundit with steely resolve to do better, more, less, differently . . . whatever the case may be. In my case, the dawn of...

Tough times for metro Ethernet; Limited last-mile fiber access, CLEC meltdown among problems to overcome.
January 7, 2002... Metro Ethernet services are a hot commodity, according to research firms, but recent events indicate that some of the early entrants into the market aren't finding much success. Consider that: *In September, Cogent Communications filed...

Nortel offers out-of-box IP services.
January 7, 2002... SANTA CLARA - Nortel has enhanced its subscriber management platform in an effort to offer service providers prepackaged IP services. Nortel's so-called Shasta Out-of-the-Box Services for its Shasta 5000 Broadband Services Node (BSN)...

SONET provides high-performance SAN extension.
January 7, 2002... Until now, storage-area networks have mostly been local networks, providing high bandwidth, low latency interconnect for the high-speed movement of block data from server to storage. But, if all the data that needs protection is under one...

NetScreen's Global Pro 3; Revamped management suite offers simultaneous control of NetScreen security gear.(Evaluation)
January 7, 2002... Revamped management suite offers simultaneous control of NetScreen security gear. BY JOEL SNYDER, NETWORK WORLD GLOBAL TEST ALLIANCE NetScreen's revamped Global Pro 3.0 management suite gives network professionals a way to...

global Pro how we did it.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... How We Did It: We installed Global Pro's management client on a Windows 2000 system with a dual 650-MHz processors and 512M bytes of RAM communicating with the Global Pro 3.0 server provided by NetScreen. We used Global Pro 3.0 Policy...

Lesson learned: Have a back-up outsourcing plan.
January 7, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO - As a result of the faltering hosting market, Providian Financial CIO Tanni Graichen had to move dozens of servers out of three service provider data centers last year. In one instance, a service provider folded with no...

Eyeballing telecom trends for 2002.
January 7, 2002... This week and next we'll run down what customers should look for from the U.S. telecom industry in the year ahead. Prior to the general recession that began mid-2001, the industry was experiencing its own recession - one caused in great...

Vantum's video appliances; Easy to set up and use, but its functionality is limited.(Evaluation)
January 7, 2002... Video cameras in the workplace aren't just limited to closed-circuit television systems that monitor security. Cameras can now attach to IP networks, giving network executives an extra tool in monitoring events within the company. For example,...

How we did it.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... How we did it We installed the Vantum M1d video appliance on the network then connected the video and audio cables to receive the video/audio feed from our ViewStation FX. We then loaded the Vantum Video Appliance Discover tool, the Vantum...

Cool Tools.(Product Announcement)
January 7, 2002... Exercise and veg out at the same time It's a new year, which means we've already broken our resolutions. In case you're still on the losing weight kick, check out this high-tech fitness bike. Vision Fitness recently announced the...

Interwoven tool helps companies get organized.(Product Announcement)
January 7, 2002... SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Interwoven recently rolled out the latest version of MetaTagger, its content classification and categorization software, to make it easier for companies to organize and reuse unstructured digital data. MetaTagger 3.0 is...

The Edge briefs.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Metro-Optix in Santa Clara has announced the appointment of Gary Brown to the newly created position of COO. Brown will be responsible for sales, production and quality control, customer support and product line management. He will report...

New technologies give twist to cabling; Gigabit Ethernet over copper, Ethernet over phone lines cut wiring costs.
January 7, 2002... Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 802.11a are hot network topics, but more than 90% of LANs are still hardwired. While the different cable types in LANs are fairly standard and unchanging, companies are using new technologies...

Cents and retail sensibility; Retailers commit IT dollars to reduce expenses, grow customer spending.
January 7, 2002... Retailers are looking to technology to reduce expenses, improve operations and boost customer spending, even as the economy eats away at their already slim profit margins. Specifically, retailers are investing in software such as...

Category 6 cabling not quite ready.
January 7, 2002... One cabling technology on the horizon is Category 6 cabling, the next iteration in unshielded twisted pair copper cabling for LANs. The new cabling technology runs its signals at 350 MHz, vs. Category 5e, which runs at 200 MHz. While the new...

correction.(Correction Notice)
January 7, 2002... Correction n The story, "Caspian testing stellar core offering," (Dec. 17, page 33) should have stated in the graphic that Caspian Networks employs 300 people.

Analysts see slow growth for capital spending.
January 7, 2002... Those looking for an optimistic assessment of 2002 telecommunications capital spending will not get one from the market analysts at RHK, whose current $53 billion projection is down $20 billion from their estimate last month. However, RHK...

Veni, Video, Vici.(Polycom's ViaVideo videoconferencing system)
January 7, 2002... Welcome to a new year of Gearhead! We have 12 months of geek-style fun and frivolity lined up for you so, resolutions not withstanding, things will be much the same as last year. Our resolution is to boldly go where no column has gone...

Time for Jumbo Frames - again!
January 7, 2002... If nothing else, 2002 is going to be the year that storage over IP and 10G Ethernet switching become reality for brave souls on the cutting edge. Both could deliver more if Jumbo Frames were part of the industry-standard features available....

How new a year will it be?
January 7, 2002... This past year was dramatically different than 2000 in many Internet-related ways - the sinking in that the big bubble had burst will do that to you. But will we see much difference this year? I am not referring particularly to the...

Wireless LAN security fix on tap from IEEE group.
January 7, 2002... Network executives worried about the security of their wireless LANs may soon be able to sleep a little easier: The standards committee responsible for the broken wireless LAN encryption algorithm, Wired Equivalent Privacy, has approved a fix...

Working out the bugs in XML databases; DATABASES: There's a growing belief that XML-based information needs its own database.
January 7, 2002... As network executives begin to experiment with Web services, they're likely to find that they need a new kind of data store: the XML database. These software products are designed to efficiently store and manage the growing numbers of XML...

Thirteen lucky predictions for '02.
January 7, 2002... What would the beginning of a new year be without a parcel of predictions (we'll skip the New Year's resolutions). Here, then, are a handful of items/trends the Network World editorial management team expects to see this year: l...

The U.S. federal judge presiding over the government's ongoing antitrust case against Microsoft has scheduled a hearing for today to consider Microsoft's request to delay a separate hearing on remedies in the case.(OTG Software intros DiskXtender for Unix 2.4)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 7, 2002... The U.S. federal judge presiding over the government's ongoing antitrust case against Microsoft has scheduled a hearing for today to consider Microsoft's request to delay a separate hearing on remedies in the case. Microsoft says it needs up...

Enterprise Apps briefs.
January 7, 2002... Microsoft has announced its Gold Certified Partner Program for Security Solutions, a move that the company hinted at in recent months following the Code Red and Nimda worms that exploited vulnerabilities in its software. The new program, which...

Service providers briefs.
January 7, 2002... The U.S. District Court in Massachusetts recently found that Digital Island infringed on an Akamai patent. The companies filed suit against each other last year claiming the other was infringing on content-distribution technology patents that...

This year I'm definitely going to . . .; Start the new year by considering these money- saving projects recommended by peers.
January 7, 2002... Still looking to add to your New Year's resolution list? We asked network executives and industry experts to share their favorite budget-management advice and cost-cutting tips. Perhaps you'll find some worth your resolve: 1. Retire old...

News briefs.
January 7, 2002... Symantec last week named John Schwarz president and COO of the security technology company in Cupertino, Calif. He will be responsible for product development, incident response, sales, support, professional services and partnership...

Happy New Activation.
January 7, 2002... Happy New Year! Over the holidays many of you found time between bouts of carousing to write to me about Microsoft's product activation system, and your comments have been very interesting. One gentleman wrote: "I've been running Windows XP...

McAfee touts antivirus pack for Netware 6.0.
January 7, 2002... SANTA CLARA - Network Associates' McAfee division this week becomes the first vendor to offer antivirus software for Novell's NetWare 6.0 server, although others, including Computer Associates, expect to have competing products ready within...

DLEC slamming.
January 7, 2002... MTS Communications, an ISP, has filed a complaint claiming BellSouth slammed, or illegally took control of, an MTS business customer. The complaint says a Kentucky motorcycle dealership signed up to switch telecommunications and data...

Novell to improve metadirectory; DirXML 1.1 includes better support for remote applications.
January 7, 2002... PROVO, UTAH - Novell is expected to release as early as this week a version of its metadirectory software that works with more applications, including those on remote machines that aren't on NetWare networks. Like other metadirectories,...

One-time net highfliers bumped from elite list.
January 7, 2002... The Nasdaq-100 ain't what it used to be, and no one knows that more than 3Com and Novell. These two former network industry stalwarts, along with Ariba, Inktomi and nine other companies, were taken off the Nasdaq-100 Index on Dec. 24,...

Retailers to browse supply-chain tools; Next week's National Retail Federation show expected to draw 15,000 attendees.(Brickstream plans CRM software)
January 7, 2002... NEW YORK - As the flood of holiday gift returns wanes, 15,000 retailers are expected to convene in New York next week to do a little browsing of their own at the National Retail Federation's annual technology show. NRF 2002 will host 300...

Poll: Win 2000 still a tough sell.
January 7, 2002... Microsoft customers are still scratching their heads over the complexities of Active Directory, which are keeping upgrades to Windows 2000 from reaching critical mass almost two years after the release of the operating system, according to new...

Managers set goals to achieve success.
January 7, 2002... Remote manager offers up tips for improving your teleworker management skills. Braden Allenby isn't one for New Year's resolutions. But if he were, his resolutions as a telework manager would be simple and pragmatic: Communicate,...

Gen X'ers want telework, study shows.(by Catalyst)
January 7, 2002... Young professionals also desire flex time, compressed work weeks and more to better balance their professional and personal lives. What do Generation X professionals want? Flextime, telecommuting, compressed work weeks - policies and...

Fannie Mae VP Pugh homes in on network scalability, reliability.(Interview)
January 7, 2002... In the midst of a major economic downturn, Fannie Mae's business is booming as homeowners refinance their mortgages to take advantage of ultralow interest rates. The quasi-governmental financial services firm has seen its Web traffic triple...

AT&T takes $1 billion charge in Q4.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... AT&T will take a $1 billion restructuring charge in its fourth quarter 2001, due primarily to the elimination of 10,000 jobs, the telecommunications company announced late Friday. AT&T has already laid off 5,100 employees in 2001 and plans...

New iMac has flat-panel display, looks like a lamp.
January 7, 2002... Having promised a new consumer product that is "innovative, revolutionary and different," Apple Monday is expected to take the wraps off a redesigned iMac that looks more like a desk lamp than a desktop computer. The original, bubble-like...

VeriSign adds .tv to its top-level domain holdings.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... VeriSign Monday announced it has acquired The .tv Corporation International, holder of the .tv domain name, expanding the digital trust service provider's top-level domain name offerings. VeriSign, whose Global Registry already manages Web...

Lucent taps Russo as CEO.
January 7, 2002... Lucent Monday named a former executive as its new CEO, ending a long search that began with the removal of CEO Rich McGinn in October 2000. Lucent tapped Patricia Russo, president and COO of Eastman Kodak, as its new president and CEO,...

Compaq raises Q4 guidance; sings profitability.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Compaq Monday raised the bar for its fourth-quarter 2001 earnings, saying that it would exceed its previous guidance and ring in a profitable quarter. The company said that it now expects to report fourth-quarter revenue of more than $8...

NetScreen offers new firewall/VPN boxes.(NetScreen Technologies 208 and 204)(Product Announcement)
January 7, 2002... Security hardware and software vendor NetScreen Technologies Monday announced the availability of four new combination firewall/VPN appliances aimed at large enterprises and medium-sized businesses. The company also released a new version of...

Red Hat releases 64-bit Itanium version of Linux.
January 7, 2002... Open source software company Red Hat Monday said it has released a version of its Linux operating system for Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor. Version 7.2 of Red Hat Linux for the Itanium processor uses the 2.4.9 Linux kernel and...

Jobs: Apple's 'i' helps to lure customers from Windows to Mac.
January 7, 2002... The growing line of 'i' products from Apple is helping the company lure customers away from Windows to the Mac platform, CEO Steve Jobs said Monday, at the opening of Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Jobs offered evidence of strong sales...

Avici chair to head Convergent.
January 7, 2002... Softswitch vendor Convergent Networks has tapped the chairman of Avici Systems to be its president and CEO. Surya Panditi replaces John Thibault, who will continue to serve as chairman of Convergent. Panditi remains chairman of Avici as...

IBM outsources NetVista desktop production.(three-year outsourcing agreement with Sanmina-SCI)
January 8, 2002... IBM has signed a $5 billion, three-year outsourcing agreement with Sanmina-SCI, which will take over most of IBM's NetVista desktop PC line manufacturing operations. The deal will lower costs and reflects the tech industry's trend toward...

Customers grapple with product support in face of HP/Compaq merger.
January 8, 2002... Concerns about ongoing product support are on the minds of many Hewlett-Packard customers as they await the results of an upcoming vote on the pending merger between HP and Compaq. With a vote on the HP/Compaq mega-merger expected to take...

Sprint offers wireless access to corporate e-mail.
January 8, 2002... Sprint Tuesday pitched plans for a new mobile device service that permits remote access to corporate computer files such as e-mail or planning calendars. The Sprint PCS Business Connection service, announced at the annual Consumer...

Microsoft investigating alleged flaw in IE browser.(Internet Explorer browser software)
January 8, 2002... Microsoft ((http://www.nwfusion.com/news/financial/microsoft.html)) said it's investigating an alleged flaw in recent versions of its Internet Explorer browser software that could allow attackers to spoof legitimate Web sites, steal content...

Alidian's got backbone.(Alidian Networks supplies OSN 4200 multiplexer to Merit Networks)
January 8, 2002... Alidian Networks announced it will provide its OSN 4200 add/drop multiplexer to Merit Networks, an Internet service provider located in Michigan. Merit will use the Alidian gear to upgrade its backbone transport network that services more...

Suggested fix for AIM hole has back door, spyware.
January 9, 2002... Software recommended by security group w00w00 to plug a hole in AOL's Instant Messenger opens the user's system to hacker attacks and can direct the user's Web browser to pornographic Web sites, w00w00 said Tuesday. The security group...

Deloitte Consulting to push BEA software.
January 9, 2002... BEA Systems Wednesday announced a partnership with Deloitte Consulting that could make it easier for some customers to roll out BEA's business software and help the vendor compete more effectively with rivals such as IBM and Oracle, BEA...

Microsoft replaces head of services unit.
January 9, 2002... Microsoft Tuesday tapped a former executive of IBM to head up its worldwide services group, making a change at the top of the organization less than a year after it was formed. Mike Sinneck, a 32-year veteran of IBM, was named vice...

Court order halts SuSE Linux shipments.(copyright case in Germany)
January 9, 2002... Software company SuSE Linux has been forced to stop shipments of its open-source operating system in Germany, after a temporary injunction was issued in a copyright case. An unnamed plaintiff has filed suit, and shipments have been halted...

HP must keep moving forward, Fiorina says.(Company Business and Marketing)
January 9, 2002... Carly Fiorina has not softened her position on the proposed merger between Hewlett-Packard and Compaq. If anything, HP's CEO has become even more combative in the face of criticism from opponents of the merger. Fiorina began her keynote...

Hitachi to enter the PDA market.
January 9, 2002... Hitachi Tuesday announced it will enter the intensely competitive PDA market later this year with a product based on Microsoft's new Windows CE .Net operating system. The prototype PDA was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas....