Network World articles from June 2002

Network World archives from June 2002

Searching for the QoS Holy Grail; Implementing QoS in enterprise networks has become a reality, even a necessity, but end-to-end QoS remains an elusive goal.(review of nine products)(Evaluation)
June 3, 2002... With the convergence of voice, video and data in enterprise networks, and the increasing need to cut travel costs, both voice over IP and videoconferencing are becoming increasingly important. When coupled with the ever-present requirement that...

How we did it.(testing of network QoS devices)
June 3, 2002... How we did it We created a midsize corporate network to conduct our testing. The main office and branch office networks were composed of Cisco Catalyst 2924 and 3548XL switches; Hewlett-Packard 2524 switches; Cisco 6509, 5500, and HP 9304m...

Two other QoS options; In addition to the QoS appliances we tested, other vendors also are producing QoS-aware equipment.(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... Two other QoS options In addition to the QoS appliances we tested, other vendors also are producing QoS-aware equipment. Procera Networks MLS Procera's MLS is a 24-port, multilayer switch with Routing Information Protocol and Open...

Pity your poor network administrator.(Column)
June 3, 2002... The functions of network management systems have long been defined by the venerable FCAPS standard, an acronym for fault management, configuration, accounting, performance and security. FCAPS speaks specifically to network management of the...

The Business Case: Metropolitan Ethernet services; Before you sign up for any of the new WAN services on the market, you need to know that the technology works. But you also need to know that the business model makes sense. In this first in a series of occasion features, TeleChoice analyzes the business.
June 3, 2002... The Business Case: Metropolitan Ethernet services Before you sign up for any of the new WAN services on the market, you need to know that the technology works. But you also need to know that the business model makes sense. In this first in...

Why is Cisco making money?(Column)
June 3, 2002... WorldCom is tanking, set to become perhaps the first big service provider to go Chapter 11. Lucent and Nortel are fighting over who can get the lowest bond rating. Venture capitalists who funded start-up equipment vendors are shopping these...

Setting up new employees; A variety of provisioning schemes speeds up the process of getting user accounts and other resources to new hires.
June 3, 2002... You've just received a phone call from the sales manager, who has hired a new employee and needs to get her a laptop, cell phone, pager, PC and access to the network and applications. To do this, you must fill out a bunch of forms to...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
June 3, 2002... In his column "Can the IXCs make it as LECs?" (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 9622), Thomas Nolle suggests that real competitors build their own infrastructure. I am the president of a trade association that represents companies that have spent...

The network's vanishing edge.
June 3, 2002... A few years ago, network managers knew where to find the edge of their network: It ended at the desktop, and there was a clear demarcation between the LAN and WAN. Wireless networks have changed that relatively simple scheme. The edge of the...

IBM targets integrated apps; Big Blue hopes recent changes will unite previously disparate product family.
June 3, 2002... Integration is a priority for IBM - that's the message, and it's coming straight from the top. IBM's new chief Sam Palmisano talked about the importance of integrating business applications in his first analyst meeting since becoming CEO...

Web application firewalls protect data.
June 3, 2002... While traditional firewalls address network access control, blocking unauthorized network-level requests, application firewalls address the application layer by enforcing requests within application sessions. An application firewall...

'Net radio update: Sanity may yet prevail.
June 3, 2002... We still do not know if Internet radio will die soon, but the prognosis looks somewhat better than it did not all that long ago. A few weeks ago I commented on the proposal to require that Internet-based radio stations pay royalties to...

Network managers unite!
June 3, 2002... We (that's you, me and everyone connected with managing networks) get no respect. We're misunderstood. Now I've got proof. Scott Kersner (see www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 9625) writes for The Boston Globe. He also writes for Wired...

Acquisitions paying off for Cable & Wireless; VENDOR PROFILE: A look at Cable & Wireless.
June 3, 2002... A year ago, British telecom company Cable & Wireless was barely a blip on the Web hosting screen. But it had big plans. The carrier, with only eight data centers dedicated to Web hosting, had just purchased Digital Island, picking up 10...

Linux becomes a workhorse.
June 3, 2002... While Linux got its start in many companies as a departmental file-and-print or Web server, sometimes under the radar screen department of the CIO, many large corporate IT departments now use Linux as the cornerstone operating system for core...

Enterprise Applications briefs.
June 3, 2002... n Check Point Software last week offered customers two new management products designed to make their lives easier. The new tools, SmartCenter and SmartCenter Pro, are centralized firewall and VPN management consoles designed to give users a...

Marines tackle paperwork with wireless LAN.
June 3, 2002... The U.S. Marines are famous for bringing everything they need with them to a hostile beach. Now they've begun bringing their networks, too. Wireless LANs and rugged handheld computers are starting to make it easier for the Marines to track...

Carriers: Innovation not at standstill; Despite spending cutbacks, convergence and other efforts moving ahead.
June 3, 2002... BOSTON - It's still true that carriers are spending mostly on technologies that will help them reduce operational costs and keep future capital spending in check. But a panel of service provider executives speaking here recently said their...

News briefs.
June 3, 2002... The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week voted to approve a settlement with Microsoft that will force the company to change its accounting reserve practices, according to The Washington Post. Microsoft has been using an accounting...

Service Providers Briefs.
June 3, 2002... The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently ruled that incumbent providers should not be forced to give competitive DSL providers access to the DSL spectrum of the incumbents' voice lines. This practice, in which an...

A better RSS reader.(Evaluation)
June 3, 2002... Recently we discussed Rich Site Summary (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 9627) and followed that with a piece on RSS tools (DocFinder: 9628). We've been looking for a better RSS reader (also called a news aggregator) than the one discussed in...

The business case for route control.
June 3, 2002... A few vendors have begun offering products featuring "route control" or "route optimization" functionality. Essentially, these devices automatically route IP packets over the most appropriate IP connection, where the definition of "most...

Sun unties portal from apps server.(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... SANTA CLARA - Sun this week is rolling out the latest version of its portal offering, heightening its identity management capabilities and freeing the portal from the Solaris environment and the Sun ONE application server. That means businesses...

Ask Dr. Internet.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2002... I'd like to connect my Sharp Zaurus PDA to my company's intranet (the connection needs to be wireless, naturally). What configuration has to be done at the VPN gateway and on the PDA? Also, how can I connect the PDA wirelessly to my stand-alone...

SBC OFFERING IP, DSL CENTREX.
June 3, 2002... BY MICHAEL MARTIN SBC Communications hopes to attract companies striving to cut costs with IP Centrex and DSL Centrex services it unveiled last week. The offerings are designed to save customers money by letting them use one...

AT&T looks to rev up Web hosting.
June 3, 2002... During the past year, AT&T has been evolving its Web hosting business from simple collocation and management services to an integrated set of offerings designed to meet specific needs. With 18 data centers linked by its Integrated Global...

Pop-up stopper tops our test list.(Evaluation)
June 3, 2002... Stopping pop-up ads If you're annoyed by pop-up ads, you definitely need to install either PopNot from High-Density Software or Panicware's Pop-Up Stopper. The PopNot software was easy to install and worked well (we got no unsolicited...

NORTEL EXTENDS NEXT-GEN SONET LINE; NEW PRODUCTS, ENHANCEMENTS TO OTHERS DESIGNED TO SPEED SERVICE DELIVERY, REDUCE COSTS.(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... OTTAWA - Nortel last week unveiled next-generation SONET products and enhancements designed to reduce the cost of provisioning new metropolitan services. New products include the OPTera Metro Connect optical cross-connect and the OPTera...

The Scoop.
June 3, 2002... As phone companies redesign their infrastructure to accommodate voice and data on one network, they separate network elements in an attempt to boost efficiency and flexibility. One of the devices that has sprung up because of this is the...

Z-Tel gets an edge with SnowShore media server; Flexible gear supports advanced phone services.
June 3, 2002... A relatively new and obscure piece of phone network equipment called a media server is starting to make a difference for service provider Z-Tel, which is supporting new services based on the gear. With a media server made by SnowShore,...

Efficient launches T-1 gateway.(Efficient Networks' Siemens se5940 T1 Business Gateway)(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... n BY MICHAEL MARTIN DSL equipment provider Efficient Networks broke into the T-1 market last week by launching the Siemens se5940 T1 Business Gateway, which combines a CSU/DSU, router, firewall, Ethernet switch and back-up dial modem in...

edge briefs.
June 3, 2002... n Optical Ethernet start-up Atrica last week announced that it has appointed Timothy Dixon vice president of marketing. Dixon will report directly to President and CEO Vivek Ragavan and will manage Atrica's corporate marketing, product...

Next terror target: The Internet?
June 3, 2002... With all the talk about terrorism and the clear and present danger of future attacks, a technologist's mind naturally turns to information warfare. What if the next attack is not against a building or an airport or a shopping mall, but against...

The next killer app: A grid.
June 3, 2002... Increasing worker productivity at minimal expense has become the mantra of the corporate world. To accommodate ever-increasing corporate demands for improved productivity, a new concept called grid computing has evolved. Essentially, a grid is...

'NetBuzz.
June 3, 2002... Readers let HP know they aren't laughing Oh, my. Hewlett-Packard has stepped into the public-relations doo-doo right up to its armpits. That's the only conclusion to draw from reader reaction to last week's column (www.nwfusion.com,...

Infrastructure Briefs.
June 3, 2002... Neoteris last week took the wraps off the latest version of its Instant Virtual Extranet appliance, which adds support for terminal applications such as Telnet, native support for messaging programs such as Microsoft's Outlook and Lotus Notes,...

HP launches AlphaServer family.
June 3, 2002... Hewlett-Packard last week announced a range of servers and PCs aimed at users who need high-performance transaction-processing machines. New versions of the AlphaServer family include the AlphaServer DS20L server and the AlphaServer SC20...

The alchemy of route control.
June 3, 2002... In our desperation to reduce network complexity we tend to limit the number of suppliers we do business with and set stringent minimum requirements to determine whom we are willing to consider. That's generally a good thing. But when it...

NEW SERVICES FOR LESS ON TAP AT SHOW; MULTISERVICE, METRO AND MPLS PRODUCTS TO BE HIGHLIGHTED ON SHOW FLOOR.(SuperComm 2002)
June 3, 2002... ATLANTA - Attendees at this week's SuperComm 2002 may be saying "Mmm" to themselves as they stroll the show floor, but it won't have anything to do with food. The three M's in this case refer to key themes at the show: multiservice, metro and...

Four parts of the Privacy Apocalypse.
June 3, 2002... Part 1: Reader Sean Wachob dropped me a note: "I'm sure you're familiar with the insanity that is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Your Backspin article in the May 27 issue (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 9643), which announces how to...

Start-up comes to the defense of wireless LAN users.(AirDefense)(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... ALPHARETTA, GA. - Start-up AirDefense is taking a novel approach to wireless LAN security: building the radio equivalent of a radar screen that can pick up wireless intrusions and then sound alarms. The company's technology is designed to...

What customers want from Cisco.
June 3, 2002... With dominant market share in almost every enterprise network equipment category, Cisco is the product supplier to most IT professionals, from small businesses to the top of the Fortune 500. "You know the updated adage," says Chris Lukas,...

Microsoft Exchange flaw exposed.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2002... REDMOND, WASH. - A "critical" flaw in Microsoft's Exchange 2000 e-mail server could let an attacker send a message that could consume all the server's processing resources, according to a security alert Microsoft issued last week. The...

SAP looks to invigorate U.S. sales.
June 3, 2002... ORLANDO - A new face as well as a new application strategy will be introduced to 8,500 attendees expected at SAP's user conference, beginning Wednesday. The fresh face is Leo Apotheker, newly named president of global sales operations for...

Intel rethinks its InfiniBand strategy; Company cancels chipset production but still backs high-speed I/ technology.
June 3, 2002... Intel's decision last week to cancel plans to ship InfiniBand chips in 2003 is causing some ripples in the market, but shouldn't be construed as a significant setback for the high-speed I/ switching fabric, industry observers say. While...

Little M&A activity expected.
June 3, 2002... Despite the acquisition activity over the past few weeks from Cisco, Juniper Networks and Alcatel, experts say the industry isn't about to return to the wheeling and dealing of 2000. Nor do they envision a bargain-buying binge by the bigger...

What's behind the telework slump?(GSA/Booz Allen Hamilton study)
June 3, 2002... New reports from the General Services Administration and AT&T reveal no smoking gun BY TONI KISTNER What's wrong with this picture? By 2004, all eligible federal employees will be allowed by law to telework, yet today, only 4% do. To...

Five walls and wireless networks.(Intuit's QuickBase and MultiTech SystemsRF802EW DSL/Cable Router Wireless access and MultiTech Systems RF802USB Wireless LAN Adapter)(Column)(Evaluation)
June 3, 2002... Struggling to extend high speed throughout the home; Intuit's new standout new small business product Take it from me, don't promise the kids fast broadband service until you have finished, and tested, their installation. One of my...

Start-up looking to find faults; Network industry icon leads Premonitia into fault management market.(Paul Severino)
June 3, 2002... ACTON, MASS. - Cracking the crowded and maturing fault management market will be challenging for start-up Premonitia, but the company has a not-so-secret weapon in Chairman Paul Severino that at least will help get its technology noticed. ...

Self-healing software on the way from Tivoli.
June 3, 2002... WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tivoli Systems at its annual user conference this week will unveil "self-healing" software the company says not only monitors middleware servers and applications, but also determines and administers the cure for any problems...

Linux times 4; UnitedLinux effort seen as evidence of maturing market.
June 3, 2002... In what might signal an end to the wide-open days of open source Linux, a band of second-tier Linux vendors last week vowed to meld their products into one UnitedLinux operating system they say will draw enterprise customers away from market...

Extreme seeks to simplify switch mgmt.(Extreme Networks' Network Infrastructure Manager and IP Services Manager software)(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... ATLANTA - Extreme Networks this week at SuperComm 2002 will announce software for simplifying the configuration and management of large numbers of its Gigabit Ethernet switches. Extreme's Infrastructure Service Management (ISM) Provision...

LightSand to debut at Brocade conference; Start-up to connect SANs over SONET; Brocade expands partnerships.(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... LAS VEGAS - Start-up LightSand Communications this week will emerge from stealth mode and announce switches that let users connect storage-area networks over high-speed SONET backbones, promising to protect the integrity of data and speed its...

Adding voice to VPNs.(Cisco Systems' V3PN software)(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... Putting voice on interoffice data trunks can cut toll costs and access line charges, and packing voice and even video into IP VPN links can do the same. At least that's what Cisco is counting on. The V3PN software (pronounced V-cubed PN)...

Dell makes services move, acquires company1.(acquires Plural)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2002... Dell last Friday acquired Plural to boost its services businesses in its second acquisition. The company, who has said that it would make a number of small acquisitions to fill holes in its enterprise business infrastructure, would not...

Sun preps new version of ONE Portal Server.(Sun ONE Portal Server 6.0)(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... A new version of Sun's Sun ONE Portal Server is in the works, featuring bolstered security and identity management features and support for application servers and operating systems from Sun's rivals. Sun plans to Monday unveil details of...

Mac lovers get MSN Messenger, Office updates.(Microsoft Service Release 1 for Office X, Microsoft MSN Messenger for Mac 3.0)(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... Microsoft Monday fortified its Office desktop software suite for Apple's Mac OS X operating system with the release of its first pack of updates and security fixes. The company also unveiled a new version of its MSN Messenger software for...

AMD working to improve Opteron performance.(server and workstation version of AMD's 64-bit processors)
June 3, 2002... Advanced Micro Devices Monday unveiled a prototype four-way server using its 64-bit Opteron microprocessor, amid questions surrounding the chip's current performance levels. Opteron is the brand name for the server and workstation version...

New tiered pricing comes to broadband.
June 3, 2002... Looking to win over cost-conscious consumers, cable broadband providers are rolling out tiered pricing plans that offer faster-than-dialup connections for as little as US$25 a month. But while cheaper broadband sounds great for those who...

HP developing Crusoe-powered Evo Tablet PC.
June 3, 2002... Hewlett-Packard will release the Compaq Evo Tablet PC by the end of 2002, and the device will be powered by a 1GHz Crusoe chip from Transmeta, the two companies announced Monday. Tablet PCs are computers about the size of a pad of paper...

German government adopts Linux in IBM deal.
June 3, 2002... The German Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin Monday agreed to a partnership with IBM for the vendor to supply the open-source Linux operating system to federal, state and local governments. The ministry is joining a small but growing...

Bertelsmann keen to acquire Napster assets.
June 3, 2002... Napster Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, just two weeks after its major creditor, the German media group Bertelsmann AG, had agreed to acquire the troubled Internet music service. A Bertelsmann official, speaking on the condition of...

SEC settles with Microsoft over accounting issues.(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
June 3, 2002... The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Monday announced that it reached a settlement with Microsoft over accounting violations in which the company misstated its income, and ordered the software maker to cease and desist such practices....

PoliVec automates policy auditing with Scanner 3.0.(Product Announcement)
June 3, 2002... The network administrator's task of keeping users in compliance with company computing policies may have gotten a bit easier Monday when PoliVec released Version 3.0 of its Scanner automated policy auditing tool. The new version boosts the...

CERT warns of another BIND problem.
June 5, 2002... A flaw in a software tool used to translate text-based Internet domain names into numerical addresses could make parts of the Internet vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks, the Computer Emergency Response Team warned Tuesday. The flaw...

More cuts at Nortel; Optical realignment to cost 3,500 jobs; components business may be sold.
June 5, 2002... The tough times just don't seem to end at Nortel. Last week, the beleaguered telecom giant announced it is cutting 3,500 more positions as a result of restructuring its long-haul optical business, which has been hit hardest during the...

New IE gopher flaw enables remote PC attacks.(Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, 6.0 Web browsers)
June 5, 2002... Another security flaw identified in Microsoft's IE 5.5 and 6.0 Web browsers has the potential to give a remote user access to a host computer, according to security company Online Solutions Oy. The attack exploits IE's built-in gopher...

SuperComm: Lucent unveils universal gateway.(Product Announcement)
June 5, 2002... At SuperComm this week, Lucent announced a universal gateway that enables service providers to deliver dial-up IP remote access and voice over IP services for their business and residential customers. The APX 8100 Universal Gateway is...

Laurel lands Level 3.(Laurel Networks, Level 3 Communications)(Brief Article)
June 5, 2002... Edge router start-up Laurel Networks this week announced that Level 3 Communications has deployed Laurel's ST200 Service Edge Router for its Multi-protocol Label Switching-based Ethernet private line, ATM and Frame Relay service in the U.S. and...

Verizon drops DSL fees.
June 5, 2002... Do-it-yourselfers can shave 20 percent off a monthly Verizon Communications Inc. Online DSL bill by using a self-installation kit, in the latest round of customer-luring broadband service offers. Verizon's deal is offered only through...

Minolta ships speedy small-office laser printer.(PagePro 1250E)(Product Announcement)
June 5, 2002... Minolta Co. Ltd. focuses on the printing needs of small offices with the release of the PagePro 1250E, a petite-form-factor monochrome laser printer capable of churning out up to 17 pages per minute. The 1250E carries an estimated street...

New IBM ThinkPads, PCs aimed at small businesses.(Product Announcement)
June 5, 2002... IBM's new Thinkpad notebooks and NetVista desktops Tuesday announced are targeted at smaller companies and organizations, the company said, as enterprise PC spending remains flat, and PC vendors look for new revenue sources. Several new...

Oracle gives Linux on Intel a boost.(Product Announcement)
June 5, 2002... Oracle Wednesday is expected to announce general availability of the second release of its Oracle9i database, and to provide details about a partnership with Red Hat to promote the use of Oracle's database on Intel-based servers running Red...

WorldCom may cut 16,000 jobs.
June 5, 2002... WorldCom may cut 16,000 jobs, or about 20% of its workforce, in an effort to turn around the ailing company, according to a report in the online edition of USA Today published Tuesday. Details of the cuts are still being finalized by top...

Cisco tweaks VoIP applications lineup, releases new IP PBX hardware.(Unity Bridge 2.0, Media Convergence Server 7815-1000)(Product Announcement)
June 5, 2002... Cisco this week announced several new voice over IP messaging software enhancements, product packages and a new IP PBX aimed at allowing enterprises to integrate legacy voicemail systems with Cisco IP telephony gear and help smaller businesses...

Cisco tinkers with organizational structure; Cisco consolidates 11 tech groups to eight, names Service Provider CTO.
June 7, 2002... Cisco has reorganized again, albeit quietly and not as dramatically as last August. The company narrowed the 11 technology groups formed last August down to eight and elevated several executives to the senior vice president level to...

IBM offers managed services at customer premises.
June 7, 2002... IBM Friday launched a new service designed to manage Web servers that are located at customers' premises. As part of the new offering, called Services Anywhere, IBM will deliver remotely a variety of managed security, monitoring and storage...

Could broadband become the law?
June 7, 2002... A bill that seeks a universal broadband-access strategy within six months is drawing criticism from some who say that calling such high-speed service "the wave of the future" and giving it special treatment is premature. The federal...

Kazaa users unwittingly share private files.
June 7, 2002... Users of the Kazaa peer-to-peer file sharing network are unwittingly trading private files due to the confusing and somewhat misleading nature of the software's user interface, a new report indicates. Kazaa, which boasts millions of users...

Deloitte Consulting to be privately held, independent.
June 7, 2002... Some of the fog surrounding Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu's intention to shed its Deloitte Consulting IT and management consulting unit was lifted when Deloitte Consulting Thursday announced that it will become a privately held independent company....

Working out kinks in the retail supply chain; Merchants look to supply-chain management tools to improve demand forecasts and trim operating costs.(Shaw's Supermarkets uses i2 Technologies' Supply Chain Strategist software)
June 10, 2002... A crystal ball would be a welcome addition to any retailer's arsenal of supply-chain management software. Barring that, Shaw's Supermarkets aimed for the next closest thing - a tool that helps the grocer model the effects of any tweaks to its...

Tracing the supply chain, product by product.(Massachusetts Institute of Technology Auto-ID Center working on new numbering standard, electronic product code)
June 10, 2002... These days lots of eyes are on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where work underway at the MIT Auto-ID Center holds promise for every store manager who ever brought in extra staff for an expected shipment from the distribution center,...

The power of users; Raising the technical skills of proficient users extends IT's reach and reduces basic help desk calls.
June 10, 2002... The power of users Raising the technical skills of proficient users extends IT's reach and reduces basic help desk calls. n By SUZANNE GASPAR With only 12 IT pros to support 4,000 users, it's no wonder the help desk of Johns...

Secure SOHO routers; Efficient Networks and NetGear bundles earn top honors.(Efficient's 5930 Business Gateway, NetGear's FR314)(Evaluation)
June 10, 2002... You face a tough balancing act when sending workers to remote or home offices. You need to equip them with a broadband connection, but also you need to keep your network safe without spending a bundle. There are still more choices to navigate....